Commemorations Across the Disciplines
By Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, August 30, 2006
Grade Level
- Middle School
Category
- Architecture
Subject Area
- Arts
- Language Arts
- Social Studies
Lesson Time
Introduction
National Standards
Common Core State Standards
English Language Arts Standards Writing
Grade 6-8
Production and Distribution of Writing:
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
English Language Arts Standards: Speaking and Listening
Grade 6-8
Comprehension and Collaboration:
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6-8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade level topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6-8.1.A Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6-8.2 Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.3 Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6-8.4 Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6-8.5 Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6-8.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 8 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)
English Language Arts Standards: Reading Informational Text
Grade 6-8
Key Ideas and Details:
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6-8.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6-8.2 Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6-8.3 Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6-8.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6-8.7 Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each medium's portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the delivery of a speech affects the impact of the words).
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6-8.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Objectives
- brainstorm ideas
- conduct Internet research
- work in collaborative groups
- collect and analyze information from multiple sources
- participate in small and large group discussion
- evaluate group work
- create a design plan
- create a group presentation
Resources
- "Design a Commemoration" handout
- Internet websites
Materials
- computer with Internet access
Procedures
Building Background The Power of Expression
The purpose of this activity is to provide students with an example of how art is used to express one's emotions and one's reactions to an event. 1. Share with your students the following story, which describes how cellist Vedran Smailovic reacted to the tragedy of the Sarajevo Breadline Massacre in 1992 by playing his violin for twenty-two consecutive days to commemorate his friends and neighbors who were killed.On May 27, 1992, a group of civilians were standing in a breadline waiting for food. Their country was in a state of conflict, and a mortar shell killed twenty-two innocent people who were simply waiting for food. The very next day, Vendran Smailovic, who was a cello player in the Sarajevo Opera Orchestra, went to the crater left by the blast and began to play his instrument. He was surrounded by sniper gunfire as he played. He played for twenty-two consecutive days, one for each person who was killed.
In 1997, a boy living in the United States named Jason Crowe read this story. He decided that Vendran Smailovic was a hero. He said, "I realized all of a sudden that the only reasonable answer to war is harmony."
Jason commissioned a sculptor to create a statue to honor Vendran Smailovic's bravery and spirit. The statue is called the Children's International Peace and Harmony Statue.
This story can be found at: http://myhero.com/myhero/heroprint.asp?hero=vedrans Ask the students to share their responses to the story. You may wish to use the following questions to guide the discussion:-
What was Vedran Smailovic trying to commemorate?
-
Why do you think Vedran Smailovic decided to do what he did?
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What do you think of what he did?
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Why do you think Jason Crowe reacted in the way that he did?
Steps for Learning Commemorations Across the Disciplines
The purpose of this activity is to help students explore the ways that society commemorates people and events. 1. Divide the class into small groups and tell the students that they are going to conduct Internet research on the ways society commemorates people and events. Have each group investigate the resources listed below.Group One: Events
▪ Peace Crane Project http://peacecraneproject.org/about/ There are several video clips on this site to watch.
▪ UN World Environment Day http://www.unep.org/wed/
Group Two: Memorials
▪ The Vietnam Women's Memorial http://www.vietnamwomensmemorial.org/history.php
▪ Vietnam Veteran's Memorial: The Wall http://thewall-usa.com, http://www.vvmf.org/vietnam-memorial-wall-design
Group Three: Museums
▪ Museum of Tolerance http://www.museumoftolerance.com/site/c.tmL6KfNVLtH/b.9052747/k.2DD0/HomeMOTNew.htm
▪ Simon Wiesenthal Center http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/pp.asp?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=6212365#.VJS5RBsAA
▪ The Apartheid Museum http://www.apartheidmuseum.org
Group Four: Monuments
▪ Color Me Egypt http://www.touregypt.net/kids/monuments.htm
▪ Mosques http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/mosques.htm
▪ Great Wall of China http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/438
Group Five: Art/Murals
▪ SPARC: Social & Public Resource Center http://sparcinla.org
▪ CNN The Art of Work
http://edition.cnn.com/2001/CAREER/trends/08/31/rivera.mural/
http://www.diegorivera.org/diego-rivera-murals.jsp
2. After they have completed their research, ask the students to share with their classmates what they learned.
3. Reorganize the class into new groups for the next activity. Tell the students that they are going to create a commemoration. Give each group a copy of the "Design a Commemoration" handout.Assessment
Enrichment Extension Activities
- Afghanistan: The photograph of Sharbat Gula
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