Culture Day Lesson A: Video/Reading

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to...

• Describe the key topics discussed in the video/reading
• Answer critical thinking questions about the video/reading
• Connect the video/reading to some aspect of their culture, society, or life

Materials/Preparation

• The reading or video for the lesson
• Critical thinking and/or analysis questions relating to the topic of the lesson

Pacing Guide

Instructor's Notes

1. Introduction to topic
   • Provide motivation or context for the day's topics by asking questions connecting the topic to students' experiences
     • e.g. "How many play video games at least 10 hours a week? Do you get anything out of playing besides entertainment? Today we're going to watch a video about the positive benefits of playing video games."
     • This can be very brief to simply set up the video/reading, or it can be a deeper conversation to encourage students to consider their own positions on the subject. If taking the latter approach, some time will likely need to be moved from the "class discussion" section to this section
   • Describe the topic of the video/reading and provide context on the presenter/author and the background on the specific video/reading.
     • Avoid getting into too much detail here, and especially avoid summarizing the material. Your goal is to provide context and background, not to preview the material itself.
   • Present the critical and/or analytical questions that will guide the class discussion or activity later. Provide any necessary explanation or elaboration to ensure students understand the expectations.
     • In some cases, you will want to elaborate on the questions to get students all on the same page for the discussion or activity later. In other cases, you will want to be deliberately vague to encourage students to form their own ideas or interpretations.
2. Video/Reading
   • Students watch the video/read the reading
     • Remind students to consider the guiding questions when watching/reading
     • Students may take notes if desired, but should give their full attention to the material
     • The room should be mostly silent for this part of the lesson, and students should not have access to computers
       • Some students may want to take notes on the computer, but doing so presents temptation to do other things. Paper notetaking is recommended.
3. Discussion/Activity
   • Lead a class discussion or activity about the topics covered in the video/reading and guiding by the questions presented before the material. This can take one of several forms, including, but not limited to:
     • an open, full-class discussion
       • when using the approach, be sure that all students have a chance to contribute and that the conversation is not dominated by a few voices
     • small group discussions, after which one member of each group shares with the class
       • this can either be open-ended, allowing each group to discuss whatever they choose, or a "jigsaw" -style activity where each group is given one question to focus on
     • a "think-pair-share" activity
     • a structured activity to simulate or recreate something discussed in the material to allow students to gain a deeper appreciation of the topic
       • as an example, after a reading or video on computer security, students could play (or at least read about and consider) the game _Control-Alt-Hack
4. Debrief
   • Ask one or more students to summarize the topics covered in the lesson and their thought or opinions
   • Consider collecting some evidence of the activity, such as students' responses to the guiding questions or notes from small-group discussions, to evaluate engagement with the lesson

Accommodation/Differentiation

• Be aware of unconscious assumptions of context when presenting lessons relating to societal or culture topics. This is especially important in highly multi-cultural classrooms. When in doubt, ask questions or give brief explanations of any terminology, concepts, or ideas that are needed to appreciate the material.
  • For example, if showing "Smartest Machine on Earth", be aware that some students may not be familiar with Jeopardy!.
• Feel free to adjust the pacing guide liberally to meet the needs of your chosen material. If a video or reading will require more than 20-25 minutes, consider splitting the lesson across two days.
  • Day one should include introdution of the topic, the video/reading, and a brief reflection, with the discussion or activity pushed to day two.
• Try to vary the topics of culture days throughout the semester to engage a broad range of students' interests and experiences. Not all students will connect with every lesson, but you should strive to have every student connect with at least one or two culture days each semester.