I AM a Man Inquiry Design Model
XR Source:
I AM a Man (VR Experience): Available on the Oculus Store
Compelling Question:
How does the language of movements and protest such as “I Have a Dream” and “I AM a Man” capture the nature and struggles facing the Civil Rights Movement in 1960s America?
In this IDM, students are asked to consider the power of messaging as part of the long Civil Rights Movement in both the 1960s and today. In order to create a shared context about this period, the class can view a documentary about the events of 1968, including the assassination of Marin Luther King, Jr. and the Memphis Sanitation Strike, At the River I Stand. Students can then examine a video of Martin Luther King’s 1963 I Have a Dream speech and listen to a portion of Malcolm X’s 1964 The Ballot or the Bullet speech.
Subsequently, working with partners or small groups within the VR interactive documentary experience I AM a Man, students examine photos and film from the period and listen to the voices of participants from the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers strike as they “walk” and demonstrate within and through the streets of Memphis. Students can then shift to listening and analyzing two strikers’ oral histories from the period. Upon unpacking the various sources, students will consider how the various sources impacted their understanding of the power of the Civil Rights messages and how these messages captured the context of the time and drove the movement forward. Students can evaluate and analyze the language of the protest movements in the 1960s as well as the language used today, such as ‘Blacks Lives Matter,’ ‘Say her name,’ and ‘I can’t breathe.’ Students will be asked to consider the context and intended message of each of these statements, and can also be asked to consider if there are any similarities in the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers strike to protests around the world in June 2020. Finally, as with the IDM on resistance during the Holocaust, students can discuss the utility of VR and the other sources as sources of evidence.
- Compelling Question
- Supporting Questions
- Formative Performance Task
- Featured Sources
- Summative Performance Task
| Compelling Question | |
| How does the language of movements and protest such as “I Have a Dream” and “I AM a Man” capture the nature and struggles facing the Civil Rights Movement in 1960s America? | |
|
Standard |
National Council for the Social Studies Standards C3 Standards |
| Disciplinary Practice | History |
| Staging the Question |
“Blacks Lives Matter.” “Say her name.” “I can’t breathe.” What is the power of these statements? What is the context of these statements, and what is the intended message today? Transition into the power of messaging during times of Civil Rights protest and we are going to learn more about I AM a man and I Have a Dream and explore the provenance and power of these statements as well as the connection between them to statements today? |
- Who were the Memphis Sanitation Workers, and what did they have to do with Martin Luther King, Jr.?
- Why did striking workers hold signs that read ‘I AM a Man?’
- What did the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ protests look like in 1968 and how did it connect to the Civil Rights movement?
Students will analyze all sources using questions from the SCIM-C Protocol (Treating XR as Source Tab). . Teachers can create a handout based on the makeup of their class, taking factors such as the reading level of students.
As part of the analysis students will identify the Memphis Sanitation Workers, the reasons that they were on strike, and the methods that they used to strike. Students will explain how and why Martin Luther King was involved.
While analyzing the sources, students can complete a graphic organizer answering the questions:
- What was the statement used by protestors?
- Who coined the statement?
- Why did they create the statement?
What effect did the statement have on various populations?
Source 1: Martin Luther King’s 1963 I Have a Dream speech.
Source 2: Malcolm X’s 1964 The Ballot or the Bullet speech.
Source 3: At the River I Stand documentary
Source 4: “We wanted to be treated as Men” Oral history with Elmore Nickelberry and Taylor Rogers (Story Corp)
Source 5: I Am a Man VR Experience
ARGUMENT
Students will engage in a discussion/dialogue and/or write about the following question: what is the connection between I AM a Man / I Have a Dream / The Ballot or the Bullet in the 1960s and Black Lives Matter/ Say Her Name/ I Can’t Breathe in the 2020s?
EXTENSION
Have students discuss how each of the sources influenced/shaped their understanding of the Civil Rights Era. Ask students what connections they can make between the events of 1968 and today.
Using selected questions from Pullout A “Burden of Historical representations,” students could also begin to explore the potential of XR as a source to be unpacked alongside other sources.
Recent Comments