Do you remember the first time you watched a documentary and felt a connection to a whole other world that you didn't even know existed? Or a drive to do something productive because of an issue that angered you?
My students are from New York City and oftentimes lead very secluded, sheltered, urban lifestyles.
They do not have the means and resources to travel outside of the city and be exposed to other parts of the nation or world. Nor do they realize there is a whole world to explore beyond their borough!
My students work extremely hard on a daily basis reading, writing, and researching "foreign" concepts, careers, cultures, and subject matter.
My Project
I teach many novels to my students throughout the school year. Here are two examples in which documentaries enhanced the content and richness of the novels:
7th grade: We read a book called Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. It's an historical fiction account of a girl who grows up during the Dust Bowl in the panhandle of Oklahoma. Before reading, I show a documentary called Surviving the Dust Bowl. Students from last year are still talking about the powerful images and struggling lifestyle the documentary captured! After viewing, discussing, and writing about the documentary, their minds are prepared to tackle the content in the book.
8th grade: We read the book called The Giver by Lois Lowry. The setting is a Utopian society in which the main character must make a heartbreaking decision to escape from his community for a better life for himself. I open this unit by watching A Life Apart: Hasidism in America to prepare the students for the concept of intentional communities.
This project is so important to my students because it illustrates how other cultures live, survive, and the struggles they face.
Many of the requested documentaries also open their eyes to careers, global issues, and scientific concepts they have never been exposed to before.
In addition to using the documentaries throughout my curriculum, I am building a lending library in which students can share the DVDs with their families. I also will sponsor a documentary club after school.
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