Unlocking the Global Potential of your English Class
How do I bring the world into my students’ lives in authentic ways?
That was one of my key questions in my mind when I became a K-12 educator. I wanted my students to know about the world around them and the people/cultures that inhabit the lands, but being in semi-rural area of Utah it can be hard to bring those authentic experiences to my classroom. During my second year of teaching I watched a presentation at ISTE about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The UNSDGs are a framework to help our world by 2030. They range from Quality Education to Life on Land and everything in between. Once I understood the breath the UNSDGs covered it dawned on me that this creates a framework for bringing the authentic global community into my classroom.
As I continued to use the UNSDGs as a framework for my research and informational reading skills in my classroom, I also wanted my students to create and develop their multimedia skills while incorporating their speaking and listening skills into their research projects. Around this point I read Intention: Critical Creativity in the Classroom by Dan Ryder and Amy Burvell. After reading and then meeting Dan at ISTE, I realized that I could take my UNSDG ideas even further with quick, creative formative assessments that would strengthen the summative assessments in my classroom. It was an overnight game changer.
Today I am going show you some of the ideas that I have used in my classroom which combine my love of multimedia production, global classrooms, and creativity.
Click the picture above to go to the official UNSDG site.
Formative Assessments
TED Talk Audio Response
One of my favorite global tools are TED Talks. Yes, there are a lot of talks out there and you might have to curate a playlist for your students, but for a quick assessment on how students are understanding informational texts they are invaluable. In my classroom, I made a playlist of TED talks that students could select or they could find their own on an interest area in the UNSDGs. Students would view the talk in class either on their own or in groups, then head out into the hall and record a short 1-2 minute podcast on a few basic questions:
What is the main idea in the TED talk?
What is the author’s argument?
State at least three pieces of evidence from their talk.
How can this talk connect back to the UNSDGs?
Students would record their audio through WeVideo on their own in pairs and submit it on a Google Form. This quick assignment gives students choice in what they are learning about, hits a few key ELA standard groups, and encourages media creation.
This playlist was from an early iteration of the project, but it is an example of videos that students found and used in their research.
Elaborate to a Friend Talks
After a quarter of the TED Talk Audio Response, the assignment changes to encourage another aspect of the ELA core: presenting to an audience. In this assignment many of the requirements are the same, except that students now have to pair with someone that did not watch the TED talk and they have to explain to their audience the main components of the TED talk and how it fits into their research in the UNSDGs. A lot of students chose to do this assignment at home with a parent, sibling, or relative being their audience.
Giffing the Problem
For this quick assessment students choose a UNSDG to focus on or they work with the current UNSDG that we are exploring as a class. After exploring the issue together, reading documents, and watching videos, students then navigate to the gif tool and create a 10 sec gif of what they consider to be a central idea of the UNSDG. In class we have done the following:
Gif the solution
Gif the problem
Gif the audience
Gif who it is effecting
Sadly due to COVID-19, we were not able to try this out in WeVideo before the end of last year, but up till then my class used Adobe Spark to create graphics and short videos.
30 second UNSDG vignettes
After a few quarters of TED audio checks my classes move into full video. These videos are quick, no more than 30 second, on the UNSDG that the student is researching for class. In the video they have to answer a single question and talk for at least 20 seconds, but no more than 30. Weekly questions include:
Which UNSDG are studying and why?
From your research, what is the core issue within this UNSDG?
What are the audiences that may find your topic important?
Tell me about the location(s) that your UNSDG is happening.
Explain one of the research articles that you found this week.
How does this UNSDG effect our local/state community?
What can we at our school do to help with this UNSDG?
As a teacher these quick videos help with research, speaking/listening, and multimedia skills in my classroom. Also they are checks throughout the quarter for how my students are doing with their research and writing. Watching these videos allows me to get a quick temperature check on each student which helps with individualized coaching and learning.
Research Walkthroughs
As students explore different research databases and sources individually and as a class they need to share their research process and how they are engaging with their sources. For this assignment, which I give 1-2 times a quarter, students would do a 1-2 minute screencast via WeVideo sharing at least one source and how they are engaging with the source in their writing. This quick assessment gives students a few minutes to think about what they are research and what is important about the credibility of the source and not just the information within the source. Due to the focus on credibility I can do a quick check on whether my students are examining high quality resources and if not, I can check in with them and help them to find better sources.
Enunciating the issue Vlog
As students gear up for their summative assessment essay or project, they are going to choose a UNSDG as a focus for their research project, whether video, audio, writing, or a mix of products. Once they have chosen their UNSDG and are working towards building their product, they participate in this assignment. In a 1-2 minute video students share what they consider to be the core issue of the UNSDG and at least two research articles that support their claim. These videos do not need credits, title screen, or any outside footage. Students are required to record at least their voice explaining the issue and the sources.
This assignment is a formative assessment I give 1-2 weeks before students turn in their end of term or end of year projects. It gives me ample time to explore their topics and then remediate where needed.
Summative Assessments
Conversational, research based podcast
One of the first multimedia based summative assessments I gave my students was a podcast. For that first assignment, students, in groups, had to research an immigrant experience, dramatize it, and perform it as a podcast using music and sound effects. Due to the population I work with in Utah, many students chose distant relatives from the middle to late 1880s. While those experiences were valid and made for interesting podcasts, I knew that I wanted more relevant and timely experiences as the focus for this assignment.
As I moved into using the SDGs, I realized that most of the podcasts that I love are a group of people discussing an issue and respecting each position. For this summative assessment, students are partnered with at least one other student in the class or if they can find someone outside of class, they can record with them as well. After they find their partner they do the following actions:
First, they have to write a 3-5 page script for their podcast. These scripts have to have embedded information about their topic, a source list, and cues for music and sound effects. Students are taught script writing techniques in class and have 2-3 days of class to complete their scripts.
Second, they schedule a time to record with me during class or before or after school. They also can record on their own time but they have a set day for finishing recording.
Students then have two days in class, either f2f or online, to edit their podcasts with included music and sound effects.
After completing the project we have a listening party. Each podcast is placed on a Google Site and students listen to each other’s podcasts and provide feedback on what the group did well and what they could improve on.
This is a very fun, entry level project for students and I usually do it early in the year. On a side note, I also teach podcasting with my Creative Writing students and we do a take on War of the Worlds.
Call to action short film
One of the key elements of learning about the UNSDGs is that they teach students about the injustices around the world and how they are affecting different populations. Every semester when we discuss Quality Education students are outraged at the differences between educational systems around the world and want immediate change. For this project students choose an UNSDG to research and develop a call to action based on their research. This could be a simple call to action for local change or even school wide change, or a larger global call to action. However, their call to action must be based on quality research and sources with the inclusion of information about at least one non-profit that is already attempting to change these issues. Then they synthesize their project into a short 1-2 minute video. Here are the requirements:
Students choose a UNSDG to be the focal point of their research for this project.
Students must include at least three quality sources and reference to one non-profit that is already attempting to solve the issue.
Students must create a 1-2 minute video using clips from the WeVideo library and their voice. Students are not required to be on video for this project.
Students must create a convincing call to action based on their research either locally, nationally, globally, or all three.
After doing this project for a few years, it has gotten easier due to WeVideo’s integrated library. Students can search for footage that supports their visual rather than trying to find footage from a third party site. However, if your school is not using WeVideo, you can accomplish this project with students by using any editing program and open source footage. When I did not have access to WeVideo, this page of resources from the Utah Film Center was invaluable.
Personal perspectives short film
One of the most engaging parts of going global and using the UNSDGs is when a student develops a personal love and passion for the topic. As part of my classroom, I try to honor those perspectives and passions by giving students a project that explores that issue. In this project students choose a product (essay, video, or podcast). In their product they discuss how their UNSDG topic research has effected them personally. Due to the sometimes intense nature of each student’s personal connections to their topic, allowing them to choose their topic and their products for the project. Also I usually spend a few weeks coaching students through this process individually. I work with them to build their ideas, clarify their thoughts and develop a length for their project.
Locally solving the problem (Google Sites & Film)
Towards the end of the school year I shift towards a 20% time or Genius Hour model in my classes by giving the students a set of simple goals that they need to complete a few weeks before the end of the year. They are:
Create a Google Site that is a compendium of your research on your topic(s) on the UNSDGs meant for public reading.
Create a single 3-5 minute video about your research throughout the year. Students must answer the question: “How can I help change the world?”
Provide links to sites from your research and about non-profits.
Create and use unique graphics throughout the website.
Per the 20% time model, I give students one day a week to work on their project and I use that time to meet and coach individual students in the process. At the end of the year, we have a digital gallery stroll after I compile the Google Site links onto a single document. It becomes a celebration, but also a set of goals for future involvement in global research and change.
These are just some basic ideas on how to use the UNSDGs in the ELA classes. If you have other ideas or if you remix my ideas, please feel free to share them with me. Reach out to me via Twitter at @TeacherWinters or email me at matt@teacherwinters.net. Thanks so much!
