“How do you just look at a music video and know how to use it in class?”
It is not just music videos, it is everything around me. I am always looking for new ways to get students involved and interested in their learning. I talk to an older person about their history and I immediately think – oral histories. Have the students interview them and compile a book. At town clean-up day I was thinking about ways to get the students more involved in the community. Working out every morning, I think about where I can get a grant to get a teen program going for typically inactive students. Museums. Events. Television shows. Movies. Music videos.
Music. Poetry. Theme. Compare and contrast. Persuasion. Higher level thinking. It all goes together. Today was no exception. The music of Linkin Park kept us all sane as the raucous of EOGs could be felt. Before we watched the video, I asked the students to determine the message that Linkin Park wanted us to get when watching it. To do so, they needed to pay attention to all their clues – both the lyrics and the visuals in the video. The challenge was to write down everything they saw that was not the band.
One class had a list of 50 images, while another was able to catch over 100. Three classes watched along with me. Each time I watched it, I saw something new. We watched it twice to add to the list. And then it was time to go through it slowly, stopping there was a new image. The real challenge came next – to work as a group to articulate, support, and present the message as they interpreted it. Discussions could be heard around the room as students talked with each other about Lincoln and Hitler; medicine and drugs; oil spills and transportation; and children waving flags and those waving guns. From all of the discussion came presentations including posters, power points, and speeches. Some were very general – There is good and bad in the world” to the more specific, “What we do impacts the world around us.” Lessons that go beyond the classroom.
The lessons learned have nothing to how to take the EOGs; however, the skills used to determine the lesson can be used in finding theme in reading. (We have made this connection several times this year.) Linkin Park, Eminem, TI, 30 Seconds to Mars, Jamey Johnson, Bon Jovi, U2, Green Day, and a myriad of others. A variety of genres for a plethora of students. All meant to inspire to learn the skill being taught as well as being a better person. I am pretty sure after being in my class for the year, my students now think differently when hearing music.
Music. The language of teenagers. A great starting point for thinking.
Comments
Post a Comment