Cultural Identity Project

 This week students worked on the tech tool playlist, where I gave them tutorials for 6 different tech tools (Biteable, Canva, Lucidchart, Piktochart, Powtoon, and WeVideo), and they had to select three tools to explore and practice using. I had students share simple "about me" information just to get used to using all the features, and the ones that I have seen so far have been great! These tools are so much more interesting than Google Slides, because there are so many customizable elements that are very easy to use.

Yesterday and today I introduced the final product of the Cultural Identity Project, where students must select a tech tool to present information about their chosen country. Students will be working on this over the next couple of classes, with the final product being due on Tuesday, June 8th. Beginning Wednesday, June 9th, students will take turns presenting to the class, either in a live presentation or by playing a clip with pre-recorded audio. I am so excited to see students' research come to life!

Enjoy the long weekend! 

Midterm

I can't believe that after today we only have FOUR more weeks of school left! Midterm was last Friday, so students' official Midterm grades are not posted on Schoology. Students recently completed their Art of Latin America projects, where students were given the option of selecting a visual art, music & dance, or drama pathway to create their own original work. The submissions that I have looked at so far have blown me away! I will be posting artwork to the virtual art show next week, but here is a sneak peek:

For the visual art pathway, students selected a Mexican artist to explore, and created an original composition that was inspired by their style and also depicted a current event. The music & dance pathway project allowed students to learn the Cha Cha dance, resulting in a video of them dancing along to a Cha Cha rhythm they also created. The students who chose the drama pathway wrote and performed a monologue inspired by a dream of an alebrije. I will be sharing some of the recorded performances and more artworks on the virtual art show next week. 

The final project that students began this week is titled "Cultural Identity Project." For this project, students are exploring a culture that is significant to them and will create a presentation to share with the class that provides an overview of the country, with a focus on the arts. This is the first time I have done this project with students, but I'm so excited to see the diversity among students, and have them share a little piece of themselves and their families with each other. Next week, students are going to work through some mini-lessons that teach them how to use a variety of tech tools, because the rule for the final presentation is that Google Slides are not allowed! Depending on the format of the projects, I may be able to share a few of them to the virtual art show at the end of the year. 

19 more days until summer vacation!