sorry this is so late!

Rationale: What we take in with our eyes is always distorted. Our eyes can only see what is directly in front of our field of view. Perhaps a person’s eye sight is not what it once was and the world is becoming increasingly blurry. These things all hinder what a person can take in, and although we are convinced that what we see with our eyes is “truth” most of us can attest to being fooled by an optical illusion. Through the evaluation of objects students have brought to class, they will see that perspective can change the way we view the world and what is truth to one can be vastly different to another.

Media/Materials:

Objects brought in by students (teacher will supplement if not enough are brought in)

Paper/Journal

Pen

Computer

Quiet music (supplied by teacher)

One long desk big enough to hold student objects (or perhaps a few desks pushed together)

Standards Connections: NCTE: 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge. 11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
NYS: Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
Standard 3: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.

Unit or course goal this lesson supports:

Point of view can be easily explained, but until a student can see that perception and p.o.v. can change due to physical environment their understandings of the concept will be strengthened.

Objectives:

-SWBAT describe objects they see

-SWBAT analyze how perceptions change

-SWBAT assess how point of view changes due to environment

Assessment:

SW write about their experiences with changing p.o.v.

SW discuss the changes in their physical environment and how it affected their perception

SW compare their experience with p.o.v. and Speak

Lesson Procedure:

Development –

-Students will place their objects on a long desk that stands in the middle of the classroom. Teacher will not influence where the students place the objects, but allows them to place objects on top of one another if they please (as long as the objects are not breakable)

-Students will be asked to sit in a seat (desks are arranged in a circle), the seat makes no difference as they will not be sitting there for long. Students will then be asked to take out their journals. The teacher will then explain that the students have one minute (60 seconds) to write the names of the objects that they can see from their desks. They are also encouraged to write any descriptions they feel necessary to recreate the vision they are seeing.

-After the one minute mark, students will have 2 minutes to write about what they saw. [teacher prompt] What is the purpose for the object(s) you saw? What do you think the meaning behind this object is? Is there a story? Has the object been used?

-After the 2 minutes has been completed the students will be asked to move to a new seat. The only rule about this move is that they must move more than 2 seats from their prior position. (Rob you have done this in class, would you encourage anything else? What sorts of questions would you use as prompts?)

-Students will get into groups and discuss their experience. “How did you feel changing positions in the classroom? How were your perceptions changed? Did you feel as if you were viewing new objects? Upon changing seats, were there times when you were viewing completely different objects and those you had seen prior “vanished?”

Closure – For the remainder of class, students will write in their journals in response to the prompt: “Have you ever been in a situation where you saw something or were a part of something and you had a completely different opinion on what took place than those that were there as well? Was there conflict? Did you feel as if they were missing something? Or did they feel as if you were missing something?”

Assignments: Read the story “The Appalacian Trail” with the idea of perspective in mind; come to class prepared to discuss the varying points of view.

Lesson Analysis: The students will benefit from this lesson because, as we know perceptions of what goes on in a high school change dramatically from person to person. In Speak people that were in attendance of the party experienced the night far differently than Melinda because of that she is greatly affected. Students will be able to connect with the idea that we all have different perspectives and this affects how our lives are lived.