Unit Overview
Throughout the course of this ITU students will be analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating a large variety of information and resources that will be provided to them in various ways.
Student-Centered Activities
Students will be analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating various texts, websites and classroom discussions to determine the heroic impact they can have. Students will accomplish this task by investigating the quality of heroism in literature, historical texts and academic websites. Upon discovering the multitude of heroic figures students will bring them to live through the use of technology and art. At the conclusion of the unit students will use the information they have gained about heroes to demonstrate their own heroic potential through a service learning project.
Major Teaching Strategies
Major teaching strategies used in this ITU will vary from one discipline to the other. In English the major teaching strategy will be cooperative learning allowing students to discover literary heroes without a large amount of direct instruction. This will allow students to investigate their own literary heroes rather than the entire class learning the same hero. In Social Studies, short lectures will proceed cooperative and individual work. The short lectures are in place to ensure all cultures are represented, creating social justice and equity. The cooperative group and individual assignments are necessary for completion of the tasks that involve technology.
Student Groupings
Students will be placed in various groupings throughout the course of the ITU. Students will be given the opportunity to work in small and large groups as well as individually throughout the length of the unit.
Specific Resources
Students will have access to a guest speaker, textbooks, literary works, poster-board, newspapers and additional resources to complete the art component.
Technology
A classroom projector and Prezi Presentation will be utilize by the instructors during lectures and instructions. During cooperative and individual learning students will have access to a variety of technological tools. Students will use the internet to take a visual field trip and the start of the ITU. Students will also use Facebook and/or Twitter to create a page for a historical or literary hero. In addition students will utilize Tweetdeck or Hootsweet to participate in class discussions using their heroes. Lastly students will use iMovie to create a lasting reminder of their service learning project.
Art Component
Students will be creating hero art that gives viewers insight into the students' personal heroes. Students will utilize the internet (specifically My Hero), magazines and art supplies to create personal hero art that will be uploaded to the My Hero Visual Art Gallery.
Social Justice and Equity
The idea of social justice and equity will be the focal point of the ITU in Social Studies. In social studies heroes from a variety of socioeconomic, racial, gender, etc backgrounds will be studied. The rationale behind the study of a variety of heroes is to show students that heroism exists everywhere and can be a quality of anyone.
Service Learning
Through the study of heroism and the characteristic of heroism students will see that heroes often give back to their community in non-monetary ways. In order to become heroes themselves students will decide upon a service learning project where they give back to the local community. This service learning project addresses a true genuine needs because it gives students who normally don't have heroes the ability to see themselves as local heroes and heroines.