School and project description
Berkeley High School,
Berkeley, CA
Development of career goals and skills through integrated government,
English, and computer applications curricula
As a California Partnership Academy, the Berkeley High School
Computer Academy develops computer-based technological expertise
to assist students with a wide range of career goals. This integrated
unit can be used in a communications pathway including advertising,
journalism, public relations, publishing, TV, radio or film or
a human services pathway including government, law, education
or public service.
In this integrated curriculum, we work with 50-60 Computer Academy
juniors in government, English, and computer classes to produce
public service announcements on issues currently before the California
legislature or California voters. Students research the issues
in the areas of education and criminal justice. They develop positions
on those issues and, backed by facts and examples gleaned from
their research, argue the issues in the form of a letter to a
legislator.
They then present their letters during a field trip to the California
legislature in Sacramento.
As the government class moves on to other aspects of government,
students are given an introduction to the role of the media in
affecting government policy. They work with local video producers
to select a topic, refine their message, and begin planning a
public service announcement (PSA) using presentation software
and other appropriate technologies (audio, video, digital camera,
animation software, etc.). Their final products are presented
on TV through Berkeley Community Media or submitted to local radio
and television stations. The skills learned serve the budding
neurologist just as much as the aspiring design engineer by integrating
baseline technological expertise into a project that allows students
to act on their concerns and to address a concerned audience.
Project timeline
During the fall semester these students are required to define
a career area for exploration, and to research that field in their
economics class. In English, they are required to write a "career
goals" essay, and to define and review short-term goals weekly.
Throughout the spring semester, the types of analytical thinking,
writing and oral skills required for these career areas are explored
in both English and government classes, and are integrated into
writing assignments in both classes The computer classes teach
PowerPoint, which includes making side shows with transitions
in self-running mode and provide time in class for students to
work on their final projects.
A career day is held in the middle of this project (see Career
Worksheets #l-3).
People working in a variety of fields come to school and meet
with students in small groups to discuss the types of technical,
analytical thinking, writing and oral skills required for those
career fields. Students then work in small groups to produce public
service announcements for their final project. A second career
day brings in an Early Outreach officer from UC Berkeley to discuss
the variety of post-secondary pathways open to these students,
and the requirements for accessing each.
Relationship of curriculum to state standards
California State Standards in Government require that students
be able to describe the role, functions and powers of the executive,
legislative, and judicial branches of government and their interrelationships,
as well as understanding the political, civic, and social responsibilities
of citizenship. This project looks at California State government,
involving students in online research into current electoral issues
and upcoming bills in legislative committees, with a particular
emphasis on criminal justice and the Committees on Public Safety.
In this project, students learn about the committee structure
of the legislature, the process by which bills become laws, the
role of the governor, the bicameral nature of the legislature,
and its relationship to the judicial system. During this hands-on
activity, they track the fate of a bill that particularly concerns
them. They research the issues relevant to that bill and develop
a position paper in the form of a letter to the legislator(s)
or committee chairperson. (Links to these work sheets are available
at the bottom of this page.)
Students learn about the state budget during the second half
of this project, when they study the education system. Excerpts
from Jonathan Kozol's Savage Inequalities teach them about
the current standard of education in inner city schools, and the
way schooling is funded in the United States. Some may choose
to research and write about the current bills regarding education
issues instead of criminal justice or public safety. Students
then take part in a field trip to Sacramento to discuss their
positions on these issues with legislators and their aides. They
are motivated to act upon these issues, and therefore work hard
to develop the research and argumentation skills required to write
the letter, and later a script for their public service announcement.
In English, students develop a reflective essay analyzing a book
with criminal justice themes, A Lesson Before Dying, by
Ernest Gaines. When the government classes move on to look at
the education system, students in English read, then write an
analytical essay on Parrot in the Oven, by Victor Martinez,
which looks at the role of education in overcoming discrimination
and oppression.
Career-related skill development
While developing the skills involved in using the Internet to
research current issues before the state government, students
in English work on writing skills crucial to career success.
They also learn business-letter format to produce their letter
to the legislator.
While reading and writing about education in both English and
government, they do a field study in education through involvement
in a Service Learning Project in English where they tutor first
grade students in reading. This brings them a level of objectivity,
allowing them to experience the perspective of an educator. As
the students review the role of government in Health, Welfare,
and Industry Regulations they begin to develop their final project,
a public service announcement (see Sacramento Worksheet 6).
They work on public speaking and presentation skills in English,
where they present their career goals and plans. They utilize
their computer class as well as government and English classes
to develop technical expertise in on-line research skills, word
processing, and presentation software.
Assessment
Students produce the following for evaluation:
Completed worksheets, indicating they have gotten information
via the Internet on the elected representatives and a bill that
concerns them.
A letter to a legislator regarding a current bill under consideration
in Sacramento.
A test after their trip to Sacramento testing their knowledge
of the material covered.
A reflective essay and an analytical essay in English class.
A letter to the teacher they worked with on their Service Learning
Project reviewing and evaluating their experience.
A written, then an oral presentation analyzing their own education
and its implications for their future career plans.
A final public service announcement (supported by planning
worksheets) using Powerpoint or other presentation software
which requires students to synthesize skills and concepts developed
in all three classes.
What we would do differently next time
Use Powerpoint more in our own teaching.
Bring in samples of previous PowerPoint public service announcements
for students to critique.
Insist that all students use Powerpoint first develop their
public service announcements. Afterwards, they can add to it
using more sophisticated features.
Spend more time shooting images with the digital camera, downloading
images from the Internet or scanning images, in order to maximize
student use of the available technology. (A number of students
attempted to do very creative video pieces but lacked the skills
or access to the equipment to do appropriate video editing,
and there were constantly problems with the relatively scarce
video equipment.)
The links below provide you with the other worksheets associated
with this project.
Worksheet 1: Researching your
issue topic
Worksheet 2: Defining your position
Worksheet 3: Writing to a legislator
Worksheet 4: Preparing for the
Sacramento field trip
Worksheet 5: Visiting the California
State Legislature
Worksheet 6: Developing a public
service announcement (PSA)
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