I can't believe that school is just around the corner. As I prepare for a new year, I always look back at my previous year's lessons and notes about what worked and what did not. One of the things that worked and sparked great discussions is one of my favorite videos in the OER project, The Danger of a Single Story. My students are from a very rural area, and our high school only has about 250 students, so these guys have known each other since kindergarten and do not know much about the world outside their little piece of it, so this video helps to get the conversations started about stereotypes and different perspectives. It also leads to great discussions about not only the stereotypes they have about other people but we also get to talk about the stereotypes people have about them because they come from a small community. This video also leads to the discussion about history as just stories and helps my students get a little more excited about the stories they will learn about this year. Have a great start to your new year, and if you haven't watched the video The Danger of Single Story, it's excellent, and I recommend it.
