Wednesday, November 29, 2017

11/29 - Class Recap


One of my favorite photos that I have taken, at the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony. We have talked in class about how sports are definitely gendered.

Hello everyone,

Our first early release Wednesday together since October! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
I can communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "Kings and Queens" by 30 Seconds to Mars. Selected for today because of the latest royal wedding announcement from the UK and because of the gendered way in which we view both terms. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/29/17:
Check-In/Review Agreements
Gender Reflection
Vocabulary Guide

Homework: Read the blog! Catch up on any missing work. Next Current Event: Katelyn, Brenden, Emily, and Asher.
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Check In/Review Agreements: At the beginning of class, we went over the Courageous Conversations Agreements, as always, to begin our work together for the day. After checking in, we talked for a while about what is happening in the world outside of class, before moving on.

As part of this section, we watched the most recent video created by the Beaverton School District about our conversation with Jordan Thierry about The Black Fatherhood Project. The video is here:


Equity Conversations at Westview H.S. from TeacherSource Videos on Vimeo.

Due to time today, we did not have a Current Event in class.

Gender Reflection: At the end of last class, we took a look at this article to begin wrapping up our gender unit:


Today in class, we did a timed write (for about 20 minutes) for the reflection in class. Thank you for your thoughts here! If you did not get the chance to do this in class, please do so ASAP.

Vocabulary Guide: We did not have the time to get to this today, so we will do so next class!

Thank you for your work today! Next class, we will be starting our last unit before our semester ending "call to action" unit. See you then!
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Monday, November 27, 2017

11/27 - Class Recap


I am sure that at least a few students visited the Oregon Coast over the long Thanksgiving weekend. I took this photo at Cannon Beach in 2009.

Dear class,

Welcome back from your long weekend! We wrapped up our gender unit today and reflected on what we have learned about gender in the media. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
I can communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "Return of the Quack" by Supwitchugirl. Selected for today because the Autzen Stadium jumbotron almost needed a third digit during the Oregon Ducks dominant win over Oregon State in the Civil War (as well as the band name). Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/27/17:
Check-In/Review Agreements
Current Event
Bechdel Test
Gender and Media

Gender Reflection

Homework: Read the blog! Catch up on any missing work. Next Current Event: the teachers.
----
Check In/Review Agreements: At the beginning of class, we went over the Courageous Conversations Agreements, as always, to begin our work together for the day. After checking in, we talked for a bit about what is happening in the world outside of class, before moving on.

Current Event: After checking in and having the Fire Drill, this is the presentation that we led the class through:


An article about the story we took a look at is here:


As a reminder, this is the assignment for the current event:


The next Current Event will also be led by the teachers.

Bechdel Test: This is another way at looking at gender in media, and specifically, films. The test is simply this:

1. It has to have at least two [named] women in it
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something besides a man

Here is the website we showed in class that helped explain the test and whether or not movies pass the test (a ton of movies do not): BechdelTest.com

Gender and The Media: Because we wanted students to have an excuse over the break to watch their favorite TV show or something in the media, we wanted students to analyze how gender plays a role in their favorite form of media. We had a pair share in class, then took volunteers to talk about what they found with the class. So interesting! If you have not completed this assignment and submitted it on Google Classroom, please do so ASAP.

Gender Reflection: At the end of class, we took a look at this article to begin wrapping up our gender unit:


Next class, we will do a timed write for the reflection in class. It will be our first shorter class Wednesday together in about a month! See you then!
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Monday, November 20, 2017

11/20 - Class Recap


Today in class, we watched an episode of The Office TV show and analyzed how gender was portrayed. This is me jumping for joy outside where The Office was filmed, in Los Angeles. Photo taken in 2009.

Hello everyone,

Happy Thanksgiving! We had a good day in class looking at gender in the media. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
I can communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "Starboy (Radio Edit)" by The Weeknd. Selected for today because of the long upcoming Thanksgiving weekend and due to our ongoing study of gender.

AGENDA 11/20/17:
Check-In/Review Agreements
Current Event
Gender in the World
The Media and Gender

Homework: Read the blog! Complete your Gender in the Media assignment! Catch up on any missing work. Next Current Event: the teachers.
----
Check In/Review Agreements: At the beginning of class, we went over the Courageous Conversations Agreements, as always, to begin our work together for the day. After checking in, we talked for a bit about what is happening in the world outside of class, before moving on.

Current Event: After checking in, we turned it over to Sam N., Dylan, and Matthwe who had the Current Event for the day. This is the presentation that they led us through:


An article about the story they took a look at is here:


As a reminder, this is the assignment for the current event:


The next Current Event will be led by the teachers.

Gender in the World: This was about the quick research project we did last class. The assignment (also posted in Google Classroom) is here:


The goal of this assignment was for students to try and see how gender has an impact around the world in all sorts of ways, and to try and identify some reasons why. We had a pair/share in class as to what students noticed in terms of gender in countries around the world, and then had a class wide discussion on the themes.

The Media and Gender: Because we wanted students to have an excuse over the break to watch their favorite TV show or something in the media, we wanted students to analyze how gender plays a role in their favorite form of media. This could be watching sports, a TV show on Netflix, reading a magazine or book, etc. To begin with this assignment, Ms. Labossiere and I showed an episode of one of our favorite TV series: The Office (US version)! We watched the "Sexual Harassment" episode from Season 2 on Netflix and asked students to note how gender was portrayed throughout the episode. After the episode was over, we had a conversation about what we noticed.

For your assignment over the weekend: Bullet points are fine for notes, and then we want a quick summary (1-2 paragraphs) of what you noticed in watching the show/reading the magazine or book/etc and how it relates to gender.

That was it for the day! Have a great Thanksgiving break and we will see you next Monday! 
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Thursday, November 16, 2017

11/16 - Class Recap


Today, we learned about gender in societies around the world. Photo taken at the Future of Flight museum in 2010.

Dear class,

Thank you for your effort with the assignment in class and your ongoing participation! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
I can communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "Come As You Are" by Nirvana. Selected for today because Brooklyn suggested it, as a huge Nirvana fan, and for the tie in to the unit and being ourselves. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/16/17:
Check-In/Review Agreements
Current Event
Debrief Body Project
Gender in the World

Homework: Read the blog! Next Current Event: Sam N., Dylan, and Matthew.
----
Check In/Review Agreements: At the beginning of class, we went over the Courageous Conversations Agreements, as always, to begin our work together for the day. After checking in, we talked for a bit about what is happening in the world outside of class, before moving on.

Current Event: After checking in, we turned it over to Quinn, Lauren Y, and Tony who had the Current Event for the day. This is the presentation that they led us through:


An article about the story they took a look at is here:


As a reminder, this is the assignment for the current event:


The next Current Event will be the group of: Sam N., Dylan, and Matthew.

Debrief Body Project: This was left over from last class, as we had students analyze historical documents relating to expectations regarding gender and femininity in our society. Here are the images we cut up and had students analyze:


We wanted to check in and see what takeaways the class had in terms of the images and their relation to today. Thank you for your work on this!

Gender in the World: The last part of the day was devoted to looking at how other societies around the world view gender. If you had a particular cultural background you wanted to analyze, that was encouraged, but it could not be the United States. The assignment (also posted in Google Classroom) is here:


The goal of this assignment was for students to try and see how gender has an impact around the world in all sorts of ways, and to try and identify some reasons why. Please submit this assignment via Google Classroom (or a paper copy, if needed), if you did not in class. Thank you! See you next week!
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Tuesday, November 14, 2017

11/14 - Class Recap


We continued our Gender unit today by looking at the way in which society has had an impact on the way in which we view the female body through history. Here is one of the excerpts we had the class analyze and excerpt.

Hello everyone,

Welcome back to our last full week before Thanksgiving! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
I can communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "American Woman" by Lenny Kravitz. Selected for today because we are continuing to look at the role of gender in our society. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/14/17:
Check-In/Review Agreements/Pass Back Letters
Current Event
Gender Pronouns
Documentary Questions and Discussion
The Body Project

Homework: Read the blog! Finish your documentary reflection questions! Next Current Event: Quinn, Lauren, and Tony.
----

Check In/Review Agreements: At the beginning of class, we went over the Courageous Conversations Agreements, as always, to begin our work together for the day. After checking in, we talked for a bit about what is happening in the world outside of class, before moving on. I also passed back student letters from the beginning of the year with my comments - we hope that you are enjoying the class as much as you hoped you would be!

Current Event: After checking in, we turned it over to Esraa D., Miryana C., Brooklyn G., and Kate B. who had the Current Event for the day. This is the presentation that they led us through:


 The article they took a look at is here:


I love how the current events have all had significant ties to what we are learning about in class!

As a reminder, this is the assignment for the current event:


The next Current Event will be the group of: Quinn, Lauren, and Tony.

Gender Pronouns: Next, we wanted to do the activity we saw in the gender documentary, where we practiced identifying ourselves using our names, gender identity, and preferred pronouns. For example, I would say: My name is Luke, I am a cisgender male, and I use he/him/his pronouns. The goal here was to become more comfortable using this language of identification.

Documentary Questions and Discussion: After the documentary last class, we asked students to write a reflection on watching it. The questions were:

What was your overall impression of the documentary?
Did you find yourself experiencing discomfort? How so?
What did you learn about gender?
Is there any information you learned that you will be able to use in the future, with your interactions with peers, family, or children?

If you have not turned this in via Google Classroom, please do so. We had a conversation in class about our reactions to the film - thank you for your engagement here!

 The Body Project: The last part of class was spent analyzing the role of society's expectations on women throughout history. These images were selected from a book I had in college at Western Oregon University in a Gender Studies class, called The Body Project by Joan Jacobs Brumberg, which I highly recommend. Here are the images we cut up and had students analyze:


Part of the book has to deal with the obsession over what a woman should look like, so we wanted students to look at these historical examples, annotate them like Mrs. Labossiere did at the start of the unit with Serena Williams, and find connections to present day examples. We shared out what we found at the end of class! Thank you for your continued effort and work!
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Thursday, November 9, 2017

11/9 - Class Recap


Veterans Day is always November 11th (due to being the day that Armistice was declared to end World War I), but we observe it this year on Friday.

Dear class,

Another three day weekend, as we observe Veterans Day tomorrow! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
I can communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "You Don't Own Me" by Lesley Gore. Selected for today because a student suggested it in the comments on the blog, and because of the connection to the Gender unit in the lyrics.

AGENDA 11/9/17:
Check-In/Review Agreements
Current Event
Finish Documentary
Reflection Questions
Class Discussion

Homework: Read the blog! Finish your documentary reflection questions! Next Current Event (half of this group): Kate, Quinn, Miryana, Esraa, Brooklyn, Lauren, Tony.
----
Here is the PowerPoint that we went through today to guide class:


Check In/Review Agreements: At the beginning of class, we went over the Courageous Conversations Agreements, as always, to begin our work together for the day. After checking in, we talked for a bit about what is happening in the world outside of class, before moving on.

Current Event: After checking in, the teachers had the Current Event for the day. The presentation is linked to above. The two articles we used in crafting it are here:



As a reminder, this is the assignment for the current event:


The next Current Event will be half of the group of: Kate, Quinn, Miryana, Esraa, Brooklyn, Lauren, Tony.

Finish Documentary: Next, we finished the recent National Geographic documentary on Gender. To watch the trailer for the documentary, click here:


During the documentary, we wanted students to take notes on what they were seeing and how it connected to the vocabulary definitions and questions they had at the start of the unit.

Reflection Questions: After the documentary, we asked students to write a reflection on watching it (this is homework, as students did not have much time to do this in class). The questions were:

What was your overall impression of the documentary?
Did you find yourself experiencing discomfort? How so?
What did you learn about gender?
Is there any information you learned that you will be able to use in the future, with your interactions with peers, family, or children?

At the end of class, we let students go a bit early to go cheer off the boys soccer team off to the State Championship this weekend against Jesuit! Good luck, Wildcats! See everyone next week!
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Tuesday, November 7, 2017

11/7 - Class Recap


There were lots of interesting posts about gendered items while shopping this weekend. This one is from Lauren Y., who spotted this "Lady Camo Bomber Hat" for $27.49.

Hi everyone,

Welcome back to another short week! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
I can communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "I've Got a Woman" by Ray Charles. Selected for today because of the gender stereotypes in the lyrics.

AGENDA 11/7/17:
Check-In/Review Agreements
Current Event
Gendered Products
Documentary

Homework: Read the blog!
----
Check In/Review Agreements: At the beginning of class, we went over the Courageous Conversations Agreements, as always, to begin our work together for the day. After checking in, we talked for a bit about what is happening in the world outside of class, before moving on.

Current Event: After checking in, Alex B, Ebado, Max A, and Darius had the Current Event for the day. Here is the presentation that we went through together as a class:


As a reminder, this is the assignment for the current event:


Gendered Products:  We REALLY enjoyed seeing what students found and posted in Google Classroom as far as gendered products! In class, we went over a few examples that students found, which were super interesting. Try and train yourself to see the ways in which we "gender" society in these sorts of ways.

Documentary: The rest of class was devoted to finishing the recent National Geographic documentary on Gender. To watch the trailer for the documentary, click here:


During the documentary, we wanted students to take notes on what they were seeing and how it connected to the vocabulary definitions and questions they had at the start of the unit. This was it for class today! Thanks everyone - see you on Thursday!
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Thursday, November 2, 2017

11/2 - Class Recap

We talked more today in class about how society is gendered - here is another example, from MetroLeague.org.

Dear class,

Welcome to your long weekend! Teachers have a grading day on Friday (make sure everything is turned in for our class before). Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
I can communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "Just A Girl" by No Doubt. Selected for today because of the connection with our Gender unit. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/2/17:
Check-In/Review Agreements
Current Event
Gender Questions
Pointlessly Gendered Products
Documentary

Homework: Read the blog! Go out and find ways that stores gender items - are there price differences, too? Post pictures in Google Classroom! Next current event: Alex B, Ebado, Max A, Darius.
----
Check In/Review Agreements: At the beginning of class, we went over the Courageous Conversations Agreements, as always, to begin our work together for the day. After checking in, we talked for a bit about what is happening in the world outside of class, before moving on.

Current Event: After checking in, Tess, Raedene, and Sahardeed had the Current Event for the day. Here is the presentation that we went through together as a class:


Here is an article that is about this story:


As a reminder, this is the assignment for the current event:


Gender Questions: This was left over from the end of last class, as students wrote down questions they had during the presentation on Gender. The PowerPoint is here:


The questions were regarding chromosomes/sex and pansexuality/bisexuality. Here are the articles that we showed in class:



We tried to do our best in terms of answering these questions, and will continue to have these avenues to try and help students understand concepts!

 Pointlessly Gendered Products: Because students selected that they most wanted to learn about Gender in Society before the unit, we wanted to talk about how products at the store can be "gendered" for no reason, and that very similar products can be more expensive due to gender. Here are a few links to go with this:




We hope this was interesting and helps with understanding how gender impacts society. The assignment for this weekend is related (please submit it on Google Classroom): 

Over the weekend of November 3-6, please go out and see if you can find:

1) Products in stores that are "unnecessarily gendered" - assigning a gender to something that really does not need it. This could be in terms of clothing, toys, toiletries, etc. Use the links we shared in class for ideas!

2) A price difference in terms of how much items cost if they are gendered "for women" or "for men" - even if there is not a difference, we still want to know!

3) Take pictures of two comparable items and upload them here with a brief description of what you found.

Documentary: The end of class was devoted to starting the recent National Geographic documentary on Gender. To watch the trailer for the documentary, click here:


During the documentary, we wanted students to take notes on what they were seeing and how it connected to the vocabulary definitions and questions they had at the start of the unit. We will finish the documentary next class. Thanks, everyone! See you next week!
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