This is a nice time of year for my classes. We have quite a bit going on in both Globalization and World History. Here is a snapshot of some of what went on today:

• Student playwrights are leading rehearsals of their plays that investigate issues of hope and struggle in preparation for performances next week. Here is the description of the project.
• Students began interviews for our Immigration Oral History project in collaboration with The Welcoming Center. Here is the description of that project.
• Students read, wrote, and discussed the different Global Fiction books they are reading. Students have chosen to read either Half a Yellow Sun, Under the Banyan Tree, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, What is the What, The Feast of the Goat, or Mornings in Jenin. (I know they’re not all fiction– we talked about that…) The students have to write each week in response to the reading and post to a discussion forum shared by others reading the same book. Here is one of the documents describing the process.
• Students read and responded to How to Write About Africa by Binyavanga Wainaina
• Students read documents describing child labor during the Industrial Revolution, looked at photo essays depicting modern day Child Labor, and read the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
• A 12th grade photographer coordinated photo shoots for our upcoming Social Justice Alphabet public art project. Here is the description.

Busy, busy, busy!