Biographys/News Segments about Gang Members (Autobiography Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member)
Fictional Gangs
"The Outsiders"
Movie Adaptations
"The Outsiders"
Do stories (news stories/biographies) influence how others feel about gangs? Do they give a negative outlook, a positive outlook?
Media Interpretations : How do media interpretations of gangs affect thoughts and feelings towards gangs?
Do media interpretations correctly represent gang culture?
Do these interpretations highlight certain gang cultures over others?
Are different races stigmatized because of media's interpretations of them?
Do gang members who speak on behalf of what they went through while in a gang show disapproval towards gangs/gang life? Or do they talk about it as just another aspect of life they they unfortunately had to go through?
Do stories on the news portray gang related events in negative ways simply by stating facts or do news programs let opinions run their stories?
Who is the author's audience?
Why did the author right this book?
Was the author trying to reach a certain group?
What part do colors play within the movie?
Is there any symbolism? Do dark colors represent negative ideas and bright colors positive ideas?
How do objects placed in the foreground and background help or hinder the scene?
What about setting? Where/why are characters placed in certain areas?
Does the author represent a certain gang over other gangs?
What is the purpose of recounting events of the past? Events that were not necessarily good for them or society?
Do these authors show negativity toward their past lives? Are they critical or do they justify what they had to do while in a gang?
1. Text Sets that will be focussed on
Questions to ask Regarding this text!
Questions to ask about this text!
Questions to ask about this text!
Documentaries on Gang Life
2. How will the text set be presented to students?
Gangs in Real Life
Powerpoints focusing on the different forms of gangs
Fictional Gangs
Movie Adaptations
Students will be presented with handouts showing basic information regarding the book (characters, author, background of the text)
Students will be asked to read the book over a specified length of time. They will have discussions following each set of chapters they read for homework and they will react to certain chapters in the form of small papers.
Students are not required to read the Autobiography "Monster" instead they will be shown exerts from the text. The exerts shown will be used to connect "Monster" to "The Outsiders". It will be used to compare as well as contrast gang life. However they can read and use the text toward their final projects.
Student will discuss how specific scenes compared to the book and if the adaption followed true to what they suspect the author intended.
Students will watch the movie in two class periods. Each day they will discuss what they have watched and how it compares to the original story and to the real life examples of gang life they have been exposed to.
3. How and why is the text set being used?
Why?
How?
To show the affects of Gangs on society and to expose students to implications adaptions and stories have on the opinions of others (How media affects someones opinion of gang life)
This text set will be used along with the research students find to write an essay discussing topics such as: (How does gang life affect society/neighborhoods? Why are gangs appealing to youth? Does the media influence how other's view gangs?
Research Project
The purpose of the research project is to take all the text sets and the students research and combine them creating an essay that answers a question of their choosing.
Research Techniques
Databases
How to find a good database
Make sure the database is RELIABLE
Is it a well known site that is known for its ability to state facts rather than opinions or arguments that have no evidence behind them?
Is it a .edu or .gov website? Or is it a .com or .org
.com and .org websites can be bought, allowing any and all information to placed even if it is not truthful (always investigate)
.edu websites are run by educational facilities (although you should still always fact check) making them more reliable
.gov websites are government run
Some reliable websites you may look to when starting your research are: nytimes.com jstor.org ebscohost.com scholar.google.com **You may use any website you find for your research as long as you show how and why it is reliable.
Research Strategies
When searching a database there are a few ways that will make it easier to find RELEVANT information!
use as little words as possible
Be specific and forget about filler words (is the and)
leave out information that has the potential to be false
For example: If you type "The Leaning Tower of Pisa is 8,000 ft tall" then all you will get is searches related to The Leaning Tower of Pisa being 8,000 ft tall. However do you really know that it is 8,000 ft tall?
Investigate potential articles for more search terms
If you see an interesting topic that is relevant to the question you are trying to answer... LOOK it UP
