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Civic Participation & Citizenship Collection
Getting Students Interested in Branching Out
from the 100 Questions
Erin-Kate Murphy, YMCA of Greater Boston
The course runs for 10 months; therefore, I can stretch my lessons out. To make this lesson more relevant to teachers with less time, I split it into 2 parts. The first deals with branching out from the 100 questions to identify and access resources, and the second deals specifically with the process of having guest speakers come to class.
Part I: Identifying and Accessing Resources
While doing a unit on the legislative branch, we had to name our senators
and representative: Most could name a senator or two but no one knew any
representatives. Since most of my students know the 100 questions by heart,
this was a rare moment in class. Because they don't like to stray too
far from the 100 questions, I thought it might be a good opportunity to
go off the beaten path while staying "test-related." I asked
the students where they might go to look for such information. They didn't
know where to start. So, I asked them how they usually find information,
and they mentioned neighbors, sons and daughters, etc. For homework, I
asked them to use their resources to find out. The following week, one
student brought in one-page biographies of the senators and state reps.
Her daughter had printed them out for her. No one else came up with anything.
Most said they didn't know where to begin, and I realized something that
seemed fairly simple to me was overwhelming for them. I gave each student
a copy of the information, and we studied the photos and educational and
professional backgrounds of each. They seemed genuinely interested in
figuring out who these people were and which ones represented them.
First, we talked about the differences between senators and representatives.
This was a great time to review the legislative branch and the specific
responsibilities of both Houses. In talking about congressional districts,
we got into a discussion of neighborhoods. I was surprised to learn that
none of the students were aware that they lived in a neighborhood. Nor
did they know the names of any neighborhoods in Boston. It was particularly
interesting because the program is a community outreach program specifically
targeting their neighborhood. We looked at a map of Boston neighborhoods,
and, by the end of class, students were able to identify their neighborhood
by name and location. They also described their neighborhood and what
it was like to live there. We talked about neighborhood problems and our
favorite things about the neighborhood. In the process of discussing other
areas we go to, we learned a lot about the city (eg. The North End is
the Italian neighborhood and the home of Paul Revere, Haymarket has the
best produce for the best price, that there is a Chinatown, etc.)
Then we got down to the business at hand. Looking
at a map of congressional districts in MA, we located our district and
matched it with a representative. I asked the students how they could
go about confirming who their rep was with the information now available
to them. They decided to use the phone number from the biographies to
call the rep's local office. After role-playing the conversation, the
class chose a representative caller. She gave the secretary her address
and confirmed the district. I also brought in some other resources, like
the New Bostonians guide for recent immigrants (a great resource!), and
we located another phone number and website offering this information.
Whereas in the past students had memorized the names of anonymous officials,
they were now curious about these people and felt a sense of accomplishment
at having identified them for themselves.
Instead of resistance to deviating from test preparation, the students
felt a sense of accomplishment. Together, they were able to do something
they usually wouldn't try. These students are so overwhelmed by and afraid
of things we do every day, like making telephone calls. I learned that
students need a lot of time and support to do things I often take for
granted. It was a real risk for them, but it helped to have a clear goal
in which everyone was invested and a step-by-step process to accomplish
it. Also, the lesson helped a group of insular individuals see themselves
as belonging to a variety of communities, like their neighborhoods, their
city, and their district.
Part II: Guest Speakers
Once we knew the names and faces of our representatives, the logical progression
was to find out more about the person and the politician. I asked the
students if they would be interested in inviting their representative
to speak to the class. They said yes. W needed some focus. First, I asked
each student to write 5 things that are most important to him or her that
government plays a role in. I then listed them on the board and we put
them under the headings of national, state and/or local. Through this
exercise, we identified common concerns. As many students have trouble
with the structure of govt. at different levels, this was a great way
to use relevant issues to discuss structure and how issues overlap. For
example, we talked about education and how programs like ours are funded
at federal and state levels. Students talked about their fear of not receiving
federal benefits if they do not gain citizenship, and how state benefits
alone are inadequate to live on.
We prioritized the common concerns (social security, immigration, education) and outlined them in a written invitation to the congressman. As the greatest concern was immigration, we requested specific information about recent policy. My initial idea was to have the students write the letter, but since I knew we didn't have a whole lot of time, I wrote it and they checked it over. The congressman's office got back to me very quickly, and we set up a date. In response to or request, his aide who handles all immigration issues was also coming. When I told the class, they seemed surprised, excited, and pleased.
To prepare for the visit, we used the points outlined
in the letter to come up with questions for them. We also read a little
background information about him and his voting record.
The visit lasted about 45 minutes. First, the congressman introduced himself
and talked about his background. A Q&A session followed. The visit
got off to a bad start when, despite repeated requests from his aide and
me to slow down, the congressman spoke very quickly. After a few minutes,
there were some glazed expressions on the faces of the lower level students.
The previous enthusiasm seemed to be turning into frustration at not being
able to participate- a frustration these students feel too often. I wished
I had thought more about what kind of format would have best benefited
the class. During the Q&A, many students asked questions. They directed
most of their questions to his aide who had a better understanding both
of the issues most important to the students and of how to best communicate
with them. They expressed concern about the rising cost and long waits
of the naturalization process. Everyone relaxed a little, and more fluent
students translated for others. They asked the congressman about his commitment
to social security and education. However, when asked, he stated that
increased funding for the INS and adult education as he saw it, were not
priorities.
We debriefed the visit with a short written evaluation and discussion. Many students complained of frustration at not understanding the congressman. To help clarify his position on important issues, I played segments of the video and summarized. Despite my sense that things could have gone better, most students said it was good to put a face to the name. When I asked what was most valuable about the visit, they were particularly pleased with the aide, who answered many of their immigration questions and gave them each her card along with a sincere invitation to call on her with any questions or problems.
In the future, things I would consider include:
• Invite speakers who best reflect student interest
• Prepare the speaker for the audience (Sourcebook)
• Follow up on some of his responses with action
(support of adult education!)
• Anticipate rough spots and ways to deal with
them
• Have a more interactive visit. For example, ask
him the inquiry questions
• Have a student translate as a way to slow things
down and keep everyone engaged
• Invite additional speakers to class to get students
accustomed to it
New
England Literacy Resource Center
World Education
Boston, MA
(617) 482-9485
