Teachers Name: Allison Griffiths Grade: 8th; Unit 3 (critical thinking and active nonviolence)

Date: 11/19/13 Title: Keep it Cool

Plan: what learners will Be able to do (behavioral objective): At the end of the lesson, students in the 8th grade general music class will be able to actively listen and problem-solve cooperatively with a success rate of 85%. Understand (cognitive objective): As a result of this lesson, students will gain perspective on conflict (both violent and nonviolent) and will be able to apply various strategies for conflict resolution. Encounter (experiential objective): As a result of this lesson, students will recreate scenes from West Side Story, reflecting their newly gained insight on conflict resolution. Perceive Differently (critical objective): By the end of the lesson, students will realize that there are many ways in which to handle and perceive conflictboth violent and nonviolent.

Partner: (Honor THEIR world by beginning with an experience students bring to the classroom. Include time for collaboration through sharing and dialogue.) 1.) As the capstone of the unit of study on West Side Story, stage in-class scene studies in which students (who have never seen the movie adaptation of the musical) perform key scenes from the musical (e.g. The Jet Song, Tonight, I Feel Pretty, Cool, etc.). 2.) Students will be given scripts and parts will be assigned by the teacher. (If the class is large, have students switch in and out of the scene.) 3.) Have students dramatically read the dialogue of each of the scenes. When songs come in, play recordings of them while putting the score up on the Smartboard for the students to analyze. 4.) Teacher should be prepared to play any of the roles in any of the scenes. 5.) Allow time for discussion and questions after each scene is performed. Present: (Sequence of the lesson steps. Take the learning from THEIR world to the world of the classroom. Present the information and allow time for students to practice. Engage critical thinking, problem posing and problem solving.) 6.) Screen excerpts from the movie that deal with the primary conflicts of the plot (specifically: the Dance at the Gym, the Rumble, Cool, and Tonys death scene). Have students take notes on the various ways in which the characters handle conflict situations.

Focusing Question: in what ways will students (complete the sentence) In what ways can we learn how to better interact with each other by studying the conflicts within music theatre?

Assessment: Formative: Informal assessment; monitor students progress throughout the discussion, and performance processes.

Personalize: (Make the learning personal to the student. Provide opportunities for creativity and for students to be musicians. Encourage creativity and innovation.) 7.) Split the students into 5 groups, one per

Summative: Students will be graded on the quality of their performance/reading and the thoughtfulness of their suggestions. Each student will be given a point grade out of 10 for their contributions.

scene. 8.) Once in groups, students will choose/delegate roles within the group. One student will be the Storyteller, three will be Detectives, and one will be the Umpire. The Storyteller will be the one to describe the actions and his/her interpretations of the groups assigned scene. The Detectives will assess and interpret the Storytellers statement. The Umpire will act as mediator to ensure respectful and courteous discussion. 9.) Once roles have been assigned (be prepared to assist students who have trouble delegating), the Storyteller will give his/her statement. The statement should be in the form of an eye-witness account of the action within the scene. The Storyteller should also feel free to offer his/her opinions on the thoughts and motives of the characters involved. The Detectives and Umpire should listen actively and respectfully during this portion of the lesson. 10.) After the Storyteller finishes his/her statement, the Detectives will take turns asking impartial and nonjudgmental questions to gain a better understanding of the Storytellers take on the scene. The goal of the Detectives is to identify any assumptions that the Storyteller may have made in the statement. (This connects to the danger of preconceived notions and ties into understanding prejudice.) The Detectives may also offer alternate interpretations of the scene. 11.) The Storyteller may in turn provide any more information that is needed for clarification. 12.) During the questioning process, the Umpire should intervene whenever a judgmental question is asked or any time a conflict arises. 13.) After each student in the group has had a turn to speak, the Umpire will give his/her take on the process and how the students handled conflict. The group can then compare their reactions to the reactions of the characters within the scene. This discussion will form the basis of their future performance.

Materials: Smartboard Photocopies of each scene mentioned above Recording of West Side Story The movie, West Side Story

Perform: (Communicate and share the new learning through performance, demonstration or exhibition.) 14.) Distribute the scripts for the assigned scenes and have groups perform the scene as they did in the Partner section. This time, however, they must take into account their discussion of the conflict in the scene. This allows them to use their newly gained insights. 15.) After each group has performed have them make suggestions for how the characters could have handled the situation differently to achieve a peaceful result, rather than a conflict. (Students will be graded on the quality of their performance/reading and the thoughtfulness of their suggestions.) 16.) Allow time after the performances for discussion, questions, and commentary. This lesson was adapted from the Suggested Learning Activity presented by the United Nations peace education curriculum. The original source for the activity is: adapted from a "Critical Conversation" exercise in Developing Critical Thinking, a manual based on a two-day workshop with Stephen Brookfield sponsored by The Centre for Educational Outreach and Innovation at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Process: After the lesson, take time to reflect. Monitor children during the sharing process and final presentations to maintain a calm and safe learning environment. Encourage (and demand) respectful and open discussion among the whole class and the individual groups. If it becomes an issue, stop the class to discuss listening and communication strategies that will help move the process along . Remind students that no one view or opinion is right and emphasize the importance of embracing the differences and similarities in everyones unique interpretations. Help students delegate effectively. Allow plenty of time for discussion and questions throughout the process.