Teaching Justice in Class through Documentaries

When my class studies The Buffalo Creek (coal mine) Disaster in West Virginia from the 1970's, I try to bring the book to life in my Introduction to Law class with clips from a documentary on the subject.

As an extension of that book, we also follow the plight of Marsh Fork Elementary School, and how a grandfather in West Virginia took it upon himself to move a school (which sits downstream from a river of coal sludge held back by a dam) away from danger. See my March 25 post: Move Elementary School out of Harm's Way .

Now, a new documentary highlighting the efforts of that grandfather (Ed Wiley) is available, and I will be sure to add this doc to my class on teaching justice: http://www.oncoalriver.com/

Mr. Wiley's efforts took awhile, but the forces of justice, leverage, and political embarassment eventually led to funding for a new school:

Goodbye Massey Coal Dust: Welcome to the Ed Wiley Elementary School!http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-biggers/goodbye-massey-coal-dust_b_559167.html

There has always been a "marriage" between Justice and Documentaries - the latter serving as a slow vehicle of change for the former. The documentary referenced above (On Coal River) was screened at the AFI/Discovery Silver Docs conference in June. The conference featured several workshops including this interesting sounding session which should be taught in every film school:

TEACHING FILMMAKING, TEACHING JUSTICE: CONNECTING STUDENTS TO THE GREATER COMMUNITY

The University of Alabama–Birmingham works with students across the arts and sciences who have never picked up a camera for anything more serious than a snapshot. They use a collaborative critique process to hone their eye and encourage a community co-authorship process to help them shape their stories. This session will give participants a look at new pedagogy on student civic engagement and techniques for introducing and incorporating filmmaking in all subjects. PRESENTER Michele Forman, co-director, University of Alabama, Birmingham Digital Community Studies Program

http://silverdocs.com/conference/about-conference/

Never-say-quit teacher leaves a final lesson

Quick to smile, always armed with a sense of humor, a tireless advocate for children’s education and the “best teacher ever,” students and faculty say. On June 17, [Steve] Birdsall will stand in front of his fifth-grade classroom for the last time. He is retiring after a 23-year career in the Issaquah School District — 21 of those spent at Maple Hills....

But unlike other classrooms, this teacher stands in front with a walker.
Birdsall, 51, was diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease, known as multiple system atrophy, last fall.

CONTINUE READING: http://www.issaquahpress.com/2010/06/15/never-say-quit-teacher-leaves-a-final-lesson/

Never-say-quit teacher leaves a final lesson

Chantelle Lusebrink: clusebrink@isspress.com

Elementary School Teacher Publishes Reading Response Activity Sheets

Erica Bohrer (who graduated from my alma mater, Binghamton University) published her first teacher resource book Just-Right Reading Response Activity Sheets for Young Learners: 50 Reproducible Graphic Organizers That Help Children Write Meaningful Responses to the Books They Read (Scholastic, 2010). She sells lessons and teacher downloads online at teacherspayteachers.com. Erica is a first-grade teacher for Lindenhurst Public Schools on Long Island, and an adjunct off-campus professor at Brooklyn College.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Just-Right-Reading-Response-Activity-Learners/dp/054513370X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276804984&sr=8-1

Amazon Product Description:
Help kids extend and deepen their reading experiences with these delightful, comprehension-boosting graphic organizers. Designed for use with fiction and nonfiction books, the simple formats help young readers really think about what they read and record their thoughts in an organized, meaningful way. Topics include identifying story elements, sequencing events, drawing conclusions, summarizing, making connections, examining words, and more. Encourages critical and creative thinking! For use with Grades K–2.