"Resist and participate in democracy! That is your right and it cannot be taken away from you.” This quote from Whose Streets?, a documentary film by Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis, responds to the systemic oppression at work around the world against people of color. This lesson provides a framework for critical analysis of current and historic race relations in America through the lens of the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown, Jr., a young unarmed black man, by white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri.

In this lesson, students conduct a Socratic seminar in preparation for creating a plan of action to submit to local bodies of government with suggestions for improving relations between police departments and the people in the communities that they protect and addressing other disparities in our country’s criminal justice system. This plan of action is malleable and will be adjusted depending upon grade level and specific issues in your school community. The structured conversation of the Socratic seminar will help students generate questions and proposed solutions for their written plans of action.

A Note From the Directors, Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis

We made this film as an act of recognition. The people who took to the streets following the death of Michael Brown Jr. were mothers, fathers, teachers, students and everything in between. Through the chaos and political talk, the humanity of the situation got lost. Whose Streets?is meant to remind all of us that freedom comes with a responsibility, and that sometimes participation in democracy means taking risks, including the risk of being misunderstood. They called Dr. King a troublemaker. They called Ferguson protestors “thugs.” There will always be those who fear change. Our belief is that the act of protest, whether that be rallying in the streets or telling the truth in the classroom, is our best hope in the fight for a world that is just, fair, and safe for our children. If you have decided to take on the challenge of using this film as a teaching tool, we thank you for your courageous leadership.

A Note From Curriculum Writer Vivett Dukes

Teaching is a form of social activism. It is deeply embedded in my philosophy of pedagogy that all of us, regardless of our content of expertise or station in life are, at our cores, facilitators of change. At our best, our classrooms are labs where societal problems great and small are analyzed, reconstructed and moved closer to being solved by the students entrusted daily in our care. That is why I wrote this Whose Streets?lesson plan—to bring to the forefront the deeper implications about what the shooting of Michael Brown, Jr. and the reverberation of the protests that ensued as a result of his murder in 2014 mean today for us—all of us. You see, what you have before you is not just a lesson plan. It is a call to action. It is a charge to be not just the proverbial but the literal change that you want to see in the world. Through the posing of poignant yet challenging essential questions and structured, researched responses, it is the sincere hope that students and educators who engage in the activities of this lesson will move beyond their roles as momentary passive classroom participants to become lifelong informed and civically engaged community citizens. From one educator to another who is in this fight right alongside you, I thank you sincerely for adding Whose Streets? to your teaching repertoire. Together we win.

OBJECTIVES

In this lesson, students will:

● Assess and evaluate the events leading up to, and following, the killing of Michael Brown, Jr.;

● Identify and discuss their own racial biases/discriminatory practices;

● Assess flaws in our three branches of government as they relate to issues of citizenship, race, class, age, gender, sexual identity, etc. and create suggestions for improving these institutions

● Respond verbally to open-ended, Level 2/Level 3 questions;

● Exhibit and hone active listening skills

GRADE LEVELS: 9–12

SUBJECT AREAS

English/Language Arts, Media Literacy, Humanities, and U.S. History

MATERIALS

● Film clips and equipment to project them

● Notebooks

● Writing utensils

● Various ScholasticUpfront magazine articles (803)

● Anticipation guide or survey about race relations/police brutality

● Student-generated, text-based open-ended questions (Level 2/Level 3)

● Excerpts from Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

ESTIMATED TIME NEEDED

2–4 class periods with optional homework in between

Film clips provided in this lesson are from Whose Streets?. Access the streaming clips for free on POV’s website by visiting www.pbs.org/pov/educators. Borrow the full film from our DVD Lending Library by joining the POV Community Network: http://communitynetwork.amdoc.org.

Socratic Seminar

Knowledge and working definitions of the following academic vocabulary words and knowledge of the following public figures are necessary to discuss Whose Streets?

allegiance

citizenship

classism

cultural appropriation

equity

Ferguson, Missouri

indivisible

micro-aggression

power

police brutality

privilege

racism

sexism

Bob McCulloch

Jay Nixon

Barack Obama

Ron Thompson

Step 1: As students view the clips, require them to take notes by asking questions of/about Whose Streets? throughout the viewing.

Watch Clip 1 and Clip 2. Then, conduct a gallery walk to display and discuss images of police dogs in Ferguson juxtaposed with images of police dogs from the 1960s Civil Rights Movement era.

Watch Clip 3. Speaking of the lessons she wishes to impart to her daughter, Brittany Ferrell says, "Resist and participate in democracy. That is your right and it cannot be taken away from you.” Critically analyze this quote with students.

Review with students how Socratic seminars work: They are question-driven discussions named after the great philosopher Socrates, who used questions to teach his students. In these discussions people don’t talk over one another. They listen to each other’s comments respectfully; they don’t attack anyone’s opinions, and they agree to disagree.

Step 2: Split students into two groups. Instruct students to form two concentric circles. Group A should sit in the inner circle and Group B in the outer circle.

Step 3: Assign each person in Group B a partner in Group A. The Group B students should sit across from their partners in Group A, so that they can keep track of their partners’ comments and responses. At the end of the seminar the Group B students will give their partners feedback and constructive criticism about their participation in the discussion.

Step 4: Pass out at least three strips of paper to each member of Group A and instruct them to write their names on each slip. When a student wants to make a comment, he or she must drop a slip of paper on the floor inside the circle. In order to get full credit for this activity, each person must use all of his or her slips.

Step 5: Explain that you are a silent facilitator: Students should not look to you for justification or a change of direction for the discussion. They are responsible for answering each of the questions, and they may not move on to a new question if the one at hand hasn’t been thoroughly addressed.

Step 6: Pass out a list of open-ended questions that refer to the film. Explain that only the people in Group A are allowed to speak during the discussion. Everyone in Group B must remain silent during the discussion and observe their partners in Group A. Below are some essential questions to consider:

● Is the American dream the same for African Americans as it is for white Americans? Explain.

● What constitutes citizenship? How do we expand our current definition of citizenship to include a broader understanding of civic belonging and identity?

● As a society, how do we build/create cross-racial empathy, communal responsibility and a shared commitment to equality?

● How do racism, classism and sexism pervade daily American social and cultural life?

● As students, how do the topics from Whose Streets? explored in today’s Socratic Seminar impact your views of our global community? Explain.

● How should different communities assert their rights to freedom and humanity in the United States and in countries across the globe?

● Are there social norms and value systems of American society that contribute to the violation of the human rights of black people?

● How do queer identity/homophobia and activism intersect in the black community?

● What does it mean to create a generation of activists?

Step 7: Give the students a specific amount of time for the discussion and let them begin.

Step 8: When the discussion is over, have the Group B people give constructive feedback to their Group A partners. Afterward you may give overall feedback to the whole group.

Step 9: Have students switch groups and repeat steps 7 and 8.

Step 10: As an optional homework assignment, invite students to write journal entries about their personal interactions with police or the court system. This can be used as a Think-Pair-Share-Do Now activity for students on the day following the Socratic seminar.

All activities and the performance task have the fluidity to be completed in hetero/homogenous groups or as an independent study, according to the students’ personalized needs, as per IEP and teacher-observed needs. Extended time is also allotted to students in need of such accommodations. Scaffolded graphic organizers, sentence stems and tiered-reading assignments based on students’ Lexile levels will be incorporated for the purpose of helping students achieve their optimal zones of proximity. Students are given choice and are assessed based on the modality in which they feel most comfortable (verbal, written, graphic illustration).

Students who’ve demonstrated exceptional aptitude and/or interest in the documentary and supplemental readings in this unit may choose to elaborate on their learning by engaging in independent study on any of the topics explored. Students can demonstrate the synthesis of their learning via the creation of Padlets, YouTube movie trailers, visual illustrations or reflective essays. It is recommended that teachers work with students one-on-one or in small groups to create a form of study that furthers their specific needs/interests. For example, students can research other youth uprisings around the globe, i.e., in Egypt, Hong Kong, Turkey or South American countries, or they might analyze other cases of police brutality and racial violence, like those of Emmett Till, Amadou Diallo, Terence Crutcher, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray and others.

In addition, using a multimodality app like Flipagram or PodOmatic, or a presentation software like Keynote or Prezi, students can create and present digital stories that highlight and effectively convey their salient points of view regarding what they’ve learned during the unit. Students must demonstrate a clear understanding of the interrelationship between the unit and the larger national/global community. Students must also employ critical thinking skills to assess peers’ work. Teachers can work with students independently or in small groups to address specific students’ needs.

This is a list of organizations, websites, articles and other materials that may be helpful to teachers in developing the lesson, or for students as they are researching.

POV: Whose Streets?

https://www.amdoc.org/watch/whosestreets/

The film’s official POV site includes a discussion guide with additional activity ideas, steps to borrow the DVD from the POV Lending Library and other resources.

POV: Media Literacy Questions for Analyzing POV Films

http://www.pbs.org/pov/educators/media-literacy.php - This list of questions provides a useful starting point for leading rich discussions that challenge students to think critically about documentaries.

Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice

http://drexel.edu/cnvsj/ - The Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice at Drexel University works to promote health, nonviolence and social justice through trauma-informed practice, research, professional development and advocacy for policy change.

Newsela: Stories on Ferguson

https://newsela.com/text-sets/4829 - This collection of news articles from diverse sources includes text at different reading levels.

The New York Times: “Evidence Released in Michael Brown Case”

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/11/25/us/evidence-released-in-michael-brown-case.html - This interactive article allows students to read primary source documents related to the case.

Social Text: “The Murder of Michael Brown: Reading the Ferguson Grand Jury Transcript”

https://read.dukeupress.edu/social-text/article/34/1%20(126)/49/31091/The-Murder-of-Michael-BrownReading-the-Ferguson - This academic article by Nicholas Mirzoeff “uses the transcript as an archive to demonstrate how the informal systems of racial hierarchy in the United States operate today.”

STANDARDS

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects (http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.3

Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed and the connections that are drawn between them.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.3

Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas or events interact and develop over the course of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.7

Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.6

Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.6, 11-12.6

Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.A, 11-12.1.A

Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.B

Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines and individual roles as needed.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.C

Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.D

Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.

W.9-10.2d

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.

W.11-12.2d

Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary and techniques such as metaphor, simile and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.

W.9-10.4, 11-12.4

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.

SL.11-12.1

Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

SL.11-12.2

Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.

RL.11-12.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)

RL.11-12.6

Analyze a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony or understatement).

RI.11-12.6

Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text.

RI.11-12.8

Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes and arguments in works of public advocacy.

W.11-12.3

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.

W.11-12.6

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

SL.11-12.3.

Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis and tone used.

SL.11-12.5.

Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning and evidence and to add interest.

This resource was created, in part, with the generous support of the Open Society Foundation and Black Public Media.