Week four: February 15 - 20
Freedom Writers (Movie)
This week we are doing something a little different to give us a new perspective. We will be watching the movie Freedom Writers starring Hilary Swank. This movie is based upon the real-life account of Erin Gruwell and her students from Woodrow Wilson High Classic High School on the eastside of Long Beach, California. Gruwell battles violence, almost non-existent resources, and connecting with these battled scarred students. I hope you find this movie inspiring. And, although we might not end up working in these exact circumstances many of us will face the same issues.
You will have to use Netflix or Amazon Prime, or some other vehicle to watch the movie.
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Everyone will complete a Blog or Vlog for this movie. For this blog I want you to reflect upon some of your classroom experiences where you encountered an issue or problem. Maybe it was a lack of resources. Maybe it was a lack of support. Maybe there was a lack of clarity in the work. What made that classroom not work? This blog should be reflective in nature. The blog should be at least 150 words or 3 minutes long for the vlog.
You can choose to complete a microtheme paper for this article. You will need to complete 3 microtheme papers during this course. The mircrotheme paper is more formal in aspect. In this paper, you should consider a more formal approach. Organizational aspects of the paper are important. In the microtheme paper, I would like you to consider some of the barriers that Erin Gruwell encountered in her classroom. How did she find ways to break these barriers for herself and her students? How do you think you could apply these strategies in your own classrooms?
These papers are 4 pages long in correct MLA or APA format and should cite all of your material properly. Spelling and grammar count, too. You should be quoting and citing in these papers and they should include a separate (not counted towards the 4-page minimum) Works Cited or Reference page.
Good luck!