This lesson is for : Grade 8:
Summary
Personal and cultural expression motivates the 21st Century teen. This project asks students to focus on how they determine their individual identity based on social and natural tendencies. Beginning the unit with a certain perception of their self, students closely examine their personality and those of their peers through a survey of common traits of 8th graders.Throughout the unit, self expression and identity are a focus as students work through a personality test, a series of journals and blog posts, class discussions, and the final project- the beloved selfie. Students choose from a variety of iPad applications to create a blended selfie portrait of their personality, portraying their interests and motivations. Many students comment that they changed throughout the unit, and their selfie represents what they want to contribute to their community and society.
TIPC Ratings
Research & Information Fluency
Rating: Not Observed – Explanation: Research and Information Fluency was not a focus of this lesson.
Communication & Collaboration
Rating: Developing – Explanation: The classroom blog facilitated the communication of the project. Though students worked alone since it was a selfie, they communicated with one another via the blog and reflections. The blog served as the portal for student critique and comments.
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Rating: Approaching – Explanation: Even though students did not use critical thinking technologies in this lesson, their reflection process and thoughts and written essay deepened the ownership of their project and end product. It made them self-aware and connected their learning associated with this project even more. This type of deep reflection requires a critical thinking skill set.
Creativity & Innovation
Rating: Ideal – Explanation: Even though the well-written reflective essay and peer commenting was the core of this student driven English assignment, the blended selfie was the product that motivated the student because it focused on student choice, creativity, and innovation. By allowing students to choose their application to create their portrait, their picture, and associated images, the teacher created a facilitative atmosphere where innovation occurred. The students took the well-known idea of the selfie, and blended other images the create a blended self portrait that was a reflection of themselves. In addition to their end product, they reflected on their creative process.
Student Artifact
Lesson Materials
