The documentary A BROOKLYN FAMILY TALE follows a Sunset Park, Brooklyn family and its connection with the Center for Family Life and Sister Geraldine in particular. Sister Geraldine talks about understanding rather than trying to change the community she is trying to help. A community program must first understand the community it serves. In this lesson, students will learn to understand and appreciate their own and their classmates' communities through art. The students will listen to a short story for telling details about the community presented. They will then collect materials from their communities and create a 3-D piece to present at a class show. In preparing for the art show, students will learn to appreciate and discuss their own and their classmates' artwork.

Grade Level:
Grades 9-12

Time Allotment:
2-3 weeks (ten to fifteen 50-minute class periods)

Subject Matter:
Language Arts, Visual Arts

Learning Objectives

• Listen to a short story and take notes on the details
  
• Fill in a graphic organizer about what makes up their community
  
• Identify and collect items (paper, plastic, wood, metal, anything) to construct a 3-D piece that tells viewer something about their community
  
• Solve the problem of constructing a 3-D piece with limited resources (glue, string, wire, tape)
  
• Ask thoughtful questions about their classmates’ work and discuss their own work, from process to intention and implication
  
• Use email to invite family, community and school to their art opening
  

Standards:

MCREL VISUAL ARTS, Level 4, Standard
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?Subjec tID=13&StandardID=1
Applies media, techniques, and processes with sufficient skill, confidence, and sensitivity that one's intentions are carried out in artworks.

MCREL VISUAL ARTS, Level 4, Standard 1
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?Subject ID=13&StandardID=5
Identifies intentions of those creating artworks.

MCREL LANGUAGE ARTS, Level 4, Standard 6
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?Subjec tID=7&StandardID=5
Understands the philosophical assumptions and basic beliefs underlying an author's work (e.g., point of view, attitude, and values conveyed by specific language; clarity and consistency of political assumptions).

MCREL LISTENING AND SPEAKING Level 4, Standard 8
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?Subject ID=7&StandardID=8
Responds to questions and feedback about own presentations (e.g., clarifies and defends ideas, expands on a topic, uses logical arguments, modifies organization, evaluates effectiveness, sets goals for future presentations).

This lesson was prepared by: Valerie Kelemen