Essential Questions:

• What is the relationship between language, stories, and power?

• How can stories change the way in which we understand the world we inhabit?

• How does normal change?

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      In our second unit, we looked at the importance of storytelling as a form of empowerment as we examined the holocaust through Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night, journeyed to the L.A. Holocaust museum to speak with a survivor, explored the hypocrisy of Manzanar and the U.S.'s internment of Japanese-American citizens during WW2, and realized the impact of listening to voices different than our own in the present day.

 

     Throughout the unit, students explored the New Americans Museum, watched short films about immigration, prison reform, and family separation at the border, and grappled with the ways in which people are silenced in our country and local communities.

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      Lastly, after interviewing 3rd-grade students and capturing their stories, we explored the art of the podcast and dissected powerful examples from This American Life, Radio Lab, Invisibilia, and Storycorps. Then, writing our own interview questions for a community member, students gave voice to a story through investigative journalism practices, and created their own, meticulously drafted podcast to share with our community.

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