Rivalries & Project Based Learning

Earlier this year, I wrote about Project Based Learning using The Triangle Approach. With that in mind, I have been mulling over the best way to introduce elements of the PBL experience to my students in the next school year. In particular, the approach depicted by the triangle on the left - One unifying topic with many project presentation options.

Fortunately, I am still working with a terrific Grade 7 class at Northridge Public School and the they have allowed me to "workshop" a few ideas with them to get some feedback. 

Here is one idea I am mulling over. It is an upgrade on an activity I did ten years ago.

Part One: Mind's On

• Display the following quote and allow some group discussion

"Les hivers de mon enfance étaient des saisons longues, longues. Nous vivions en trois lieux: l'école, l'église et la patinoire; mais la vraie vie était sur la patinoire."

• The Northridge class teased out 90% of it pretty easily.

"The winters of my childhood were long, long seasons. We lived in three places—the school, the church and the skating rink—but our real life was on the skating rink."

• Ten years ago, I would ask students if they had seen the quote before - then reveal that it was printed on the back of the Canadian Five Dollar Bill.  
  
• Unfortunately, that bill is no longer in circulation. Probably for the best, according to this clip from the television program "How I Met Your Mother" where an American character visiting Canada declares...

"What's wrong? Other than the fact that this $5 dollar bill they gave you is blue...and there's kids playing hockey on the back - it's like you want us to make fun of you."

Part Two: Read Aloud 

Read the short story "The Hockey Sweater" by Roch Carrier. It can be found in most school libraries; but, if you can find it, there is an incredible anthology called Sightlines (The Grade 8 edition) that has it and many other terrific selections. 

You can also find it here or you can screen the animated short. I typically do both. (I love the chance to do my "Quebecois man speaking English" accent.)

The short story is based on an experience from author Roch Carrier's childhood in Sainte-Justine, Quebec in the 1940's. In it, a young fan of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team (and its star player Maurice Richard) mistakenly receives a Toronto Maple Leaf's hockey jersey. His mother insists he wear it and the young boy must face the scorn and persecution of his peers and even his coach.

Part Three: Activities

There are lots of discussions, activities and connections that can be made with this story. Here are a couple ideas from Literacy, Drama, History & Physical Education.

• Have you ever received a gift that you did not like? How did you deal with it? (Talk about it, Write about it, Blog about it, Flipgrid it, Present it as a short skit).
•  It connects nicely with the Grade 7 & 8 History curriculum - which examines the relationships between French & English settlers and includes the Big Idea that: "Social and political conflicts and changes in the first half of the nineteenth century have had a lasting impact on Canada".
• It is a fun way to launch a floor hockey unit in gym class.

Part Four: Project Based Learning

• Advance a discussion about Rivalries. 
• What is a Rivalry?
• Why is the Leaf/Canadien Rivalry important?
• Have you ever had a rival?
• How is a rival different than an enemy?
• Provide them access to this Multi-Media Tech Set which has links to 32 well documented rivalries from Sport, Buisness, Music, Pop Culture & Life.  

• Each box has an embedded link to a Google Search of the rivalry. Additional links are at the bottom of the page. Invite students to spend time exploring the websites, articles and videos that interest them.
• With a partner select a rivalry that interests you both and research it. Make use of this template to help organize your discoveries.
• Share your research any way you choose - a visual display, a class presentation, an Animoto video, an interactive slideshow or Makey Makey bulletin board.
• As a class - set a deadline for a sharing day.

To help students - I have this research example using the Leafs vs Canadiens rivalry. 

Additionally, I worked with a Grade 7 student from the aforementioned class at Northridge to create this podcast script and also this podcast which includes video.

Stay tuned...I'll be tweeting and posting the results next winter.

The 500 - #476 - Notorious B.I.G. - Life after Death

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 476

Album Title: Life after Death
Artist: The Notorious B.I.G.
Released: March, 1997
My age at release: 31 
How familiar am I with it: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Hypnotize
Great Lyric:
"I'm Big Dangerous, you're just a little vicious
As I leave my competition, respirator style
Climb the ladder to success, escalator style
Hold y'all breath, I told y'all, death
Controls y'all, Big don't fold y'all, uhh
I spit phrases that'll thrill you
You're nobody til somebody kills you"

Prior to listening to this record, I thought I only knew only one song by The Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls, Biggie). It was the song Big Poppa which I remember from my early 90's, pre-Teacher's College/Bartending days. 

However, it was a Saturday Night Live sketch featuring Will Farrell satirizing Robert Goulet that galvanized it in my psyche. In the parody commercial, Goulet (Farrell) is promoting a new album, The Coconut Banger's Ball, in an obvious attempt to stay relevant. The album includes renditions of The Thong Song by Sisquo, Who Let the Dogs Out! by The Baja Men and, of course, Big Poppa by Biggie. 

As he puts it....

"...what you get is one full hour of rip roarin’ rap music. Not by some dubious ruffians without the chops, but by a professionally trained voice man. No musical accompaniment. It’s just me out there."

Consequently, I can't hear the name Biggie without this moment coming to mind and the irrisitable urge to shout "Goo-Lay!" Talk about your non sequitar.

When I started my first play-through of Life After Death. I realized immediately that I did know another song: Hypnotize. The chorus is ubiquitous in film and television. In fact, it has almost become a "go-to-musical-cue" to establish a 90's setting for the viewer - much the way that California Dreaming perfectly sets a movie in the 60's.

I do have an education connection to Biggie. About 15 years ago I started sharing the Roch Carrier The Hockey Sweater as a Read A loud with my Grade 7/8 students.

• It's a great short story.
• It's pure Canadianity - a quote from it was on the back of our $5.00 bill for years.
• It allowed me to use my Quebecois man speaking English accent...just like in the National Film Board animated short.  
• I could connect it to cross-curricular activities in History, Art, Literacy & Phys. Ed.

However, most well received was an open-ended activity hinged on the Maple Leaf/Canadien rivalry at the heart of Carrier's story.

Students worked in groups and were invited to explore another famous rivalry of their choosing. 

Some students stuck with sports rivalries (Red Sox/Yankees or Lakers/Celtics) while a few went the buisness route (Coke/Pepsi or Apple/Windows). Many of my boys, some of whom were tough to engage in literacy, research & presentation activities, focused on the East Coast (Biggie)/West Coast (Tupac Shakur) feud. At the time, I know many of them were suprised that...

(a) I would let them do this... 

and

(b) I was sincerely interested in what they could uncover & present. 

It's true. Prior to investigating this record, most of my 90's hip-hop knowledge was taught to me by my former students.

I am currently updating that activity for next year (when I return to a Grade 7 classroom). I am going to build a Google Based Choice Board or Multi Media Tech Set to allow students to explore lots of rivalries and then select one that they can share with the class any way they choose. When I get it done ... I'll put the link to see it right (HERE).

Things I learned...

• This record was released posthumously - Biggie was gunned down two weeks earlier. Consequently, the title is tragically ironic.
• The gunman has never been caught - which has led to wild speculation and a cottage industry of conspiracy theories that rival those surrounding the death of his rival 2Pac.
• Once again, I liked this record far more than I would have initially thought.