"Bridge" by Glenn Kaino

This lesson first asks students to engage in the "See-Think-Wonder" strategy as they look at the iconic image of Smith taking his stance. Many students were able to use inferencing to infer that this was an older picture, and that these were athletes. Some even questioned why his shoe was sitting next to him! 

Then, students were informed about the context of the picture. We viewed the trailer for "With Drawn Arms," which gives some important context about the time period Smith was living in, and the consequences of his activism. 

After viewing the video, students read a few chapters excerpted from "Victory. Stand!", a graphic novel which was co-written by Tommie Smith about his experiences. It is important for them to have this time to independently read and annotate the text to draw their own connections and conclusions. 

After reading and responding to the text, the next image that was displayed was Glenn Kaino's art installation. Sometimes, this image was shown as a warm up the next day, asking students to recall their connections to the text and the story of Tommie Smith. Students were very interested in the statue, especially after being notified that they could see it for free at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.  

Glenn Kaino's artwork and Tommie Smith's stories are an important entry point into the concept of "Justice". This lesson invites student to consider what people are willing to sacrifice in order to bring attention to injustice. 

While this story originated in the 60's, it still has ripple effects today that many students might draw connections to-- not only in America, but on a global scale. 

This lesson represents global learning by tying the concept of justice to a physical art piece, a personal narrative, and a manifestation of activism in action. Students can draw on this text as an example as they continue to study activism and what it means to them.