I work in a charter school in an urban area. My students come from various social and economic backgrounds, although we have a heavy percentage of students who come from low-income households. We also have a large number of immigrant families and ELL students.
Data for our schools shows that our students really struggle in both reading and math so it has been my goal to work to bridge gaps and support their learning.
While we have used numerous resources and strategies, the one that I would like to highlight here is the rigorous curriculum that we have been using. We just finished a module about human rights, which allowed my students to not only practice their Missouri Core standards, but gave them insight into human rights struggles. Often our resources and discussions mirrored current events and lived experiences of some of my immigrant students.
Moving into the second half of our year, I want to encourage my students to think about what it means to be an "agent of change." My hope is that by studying athletes and others who have taken on that role, they will find similarities within themselves and carry that forward.
My Project
The text we need: Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America, is the start to our exploration about athletes who become agents of social change. We will be exploring athletes who broke social and cultural boundaries to redefine--not just their sports--but America.
Each student will require their own copy of this biography so that they can work through delving into biographical works and look at what qualities it takes to be an agent of change.
The final project for this module will see the students writing their own letter to a member of Congress to persuade them to honor an athlete of their choosing as an agent of social change.
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