Introductory Assignments

After interacting with each engagement, please record your own reflections, insights, awareness, questions. We will revisit these reflections

during our first class session (which will be scheduled in our syllabus). Complete your reflections for all the engagements below in one document,

save on a zip disk, and print out to share with our class when we meet.

1. SCHEMA THEORY

• Read Ordeal by Cheques (see Ordeal by Cheques below)

What is the story about the lives involved in these checks? Be sure to read all of the checks, the recipients, check writers, amounts, dates, and signatures. Record what you think the story is of the characters based on the checks.

• Missing Word (Cloze) Activity (see Schemata Activity below)
• Read the two passages and complete the missing words.

Record the missing word answers (Billmeyer & Barton) in your reflection.

• Read about Schema Theory (see Schema Theory below)

What do you think are the implications of schema for your own teaching and learning?

2. PBS News Hour Report

• Race Matters (July 2, 2018)

Record your personal reflection about racial bias reported. (9 min.)

How would you approach this topic as a teacher with upper elementary and middle schoolers?

Where in the curriculum could you make connections?

3. Let's Talk: Discussing race, racism and other difficult conversations with students

Follow the guidance in ASSESS YOUR OWN COMFORT LEVEL (pp. 4-5)

• Record your own reflections to the prompted questions.
• Reflecting on your own level of comfort, think about how you will stay engaged when topic of race presents itself?

Read through COMFORT in DISCOMFORT (p. 5)

• What tools can you use in facilitating difficult conversations with your students (provided in Let's Talk)?

Read through BE VULNERABLE (pp. 5-6)

• What will a discussion about race and racism potentially expose about me?
• Use the graphic organizer (Difficult Conversations: A Self-Assessment - found on page 18) to list three vulnerabilities that you worry could limit your effectiveness. Next, identify three strengths that you believe will help you lead open and honest dialogues. Finally, list specific needs that, if met, would improve your ability to facilitate difficult conversations.

Record these as your reflections in processing, assessing, identifying your own vulnerabilities and attitudes about talking about race.

4. Spike Lee's new movie, BlacKKKLansman

What do you think when Spike Lee says:

"The rise of (racism) right here in the United States, specifically, is direct reaction to eight years of President Barack Obama," Lee told CNN. "It's two step forward, one step back ... The reason why I feel that race is still a big discussion in this country (is) because we've never really honestly dealt with slavery.

"Once we start having an honest discussion on slavery, then we can move forward," he said. "We've never really had an honest discussion about the foundation of this country. I know people might not like this, but this is the truth.

"The United States of America, the foundation of the country, is built upon genocide of native people and slavery. That's a fact," Lee said. "The founding fathers owned slaves. Unless we deal with those truths, it's not going to matter. This country was upon the genocide of native people and slavery. That's the backbone."

• Record your reflections about what this means to you.