 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Purchase DVD or VHS |
Most WIDE ANGLE episodes may be purchased for educational and non-theatric use, and occasionally for home video use from Films Media Group.
Go
|
|
| PBS TeacherSource |
Visit PBS TeacherSource to find 3,000+ free lesson plans and activities.
Go
|
|
|
|
|
Lesson Methodology (Suggested Time Schedule)
(Day 1)
The teacher should take a few moments at the start of the lesson to explain to the students the significance of the town (hall) meeting. Town meetings are commonplace in the New England states, but forms of them may be held anywhere, for example, by school boards.
It might also be helpful to explain to the class that frequently town meetings are difficult, if not impossible, to hold regularly because of the sheer size of many cities and towns in the United States. Larger cities and towns rely on other forms of government, most commonly the mayor/council system. However, for the purpose of the lesson, a mock town meeting will be used.
Next, the teacher should introduce the lesson and assign roles to students. The teacher may elect to distribute the Information Collection Sheet to each student at this time in preparation for showing the film. The teacher should convey that the class will be participating in a fictitious Limerick town meeting to discuss the impact of the exploding Irish economy on Limerick's (and Ireland's) culture, traditions, and religion. One way to guide the students to begin research would be to ask them to develop critical questions that should be answered during the course of the town meeting. This might be accomplished by asking the students to work in small group committees to develop questions and issues they believe need addressing after viewing "Mixed Blessings." The teacher also should monitor student groups, making suggestions and guiding them in developing critical questions.
Suggestions for Possible Critical Questions:
Does a city government have an obligation to maintain cultural, religious, or traditional virtues or mores in a community?
Are economic goals and achievements more desirable to a community compared to goals such as historic preservation or maintaining buildings such as churches?
Should a community or national government actively recruit immigrant labor to fill local jobs or focus more on training its own citizens to fill technical jobs?
Should a government actively recruit business and industry from outside of its borders or focus on encouraging its own citizens to develop and expand businesses?
(Day 2)
Ask the students to view the episode "Mixed Blessings" and complete their Information Collection Sheet. Students who have been assigned a role should look for clues and information for their specific role in the program, while those who are not participating in a particular role should look for information that supports their view of the impact of the Celtic Tiger economy on Irish life, values, and traditions.
The video will run approximately 45 minutes. If necessary, the teacher may wish to have the class view it a second time, or make it available for individual students or groups of students to view in order to more completely finish the Information Collection Sheets.
(Day 3-4)
Once the students have completed the Information Collection Sheets, the teacher should direct them to continue researching various issues for the town meeting using the Web sites included in this lesson, or by doing follow-up research on their own. During this time, students role-playing characters from the video may also wish to develop (write) statements that they plan to make during the town meeting.
Also, during this time, the students may wish to consider proper attire for the meeting. While it does not affect the achievement of lesson objectives, the teacher may suggest that they "dress the part" of the particular role they plan to play. If desired, the teacher may wish to include attire as a item in the rubric.
(Day 5-6)
The town meeting should be held during these periods. If possible (and if more professional lighting and sound are desired), the teacher may wish to hold the meeting in the school auditorium or cafeteria. The teacher may also wish to make advance plans to videotape the meeting. Student achievement may be evaluated through use of a rubric. While each teacher may wish to establish their own criteria as to what to include, a sample rubric is included with the lesson as a guideline.
While it is not necessary, the teacher may wish to strive for some sort of consensus answer to the critical questions the class develops. In addition, the teacher should stress that proper decorum must be followed. This should be handled by the moderator, who can "recognize" speakers during the meeting and maintain order. The meeting should be conducted in a way that gives all the students equal opportunity to make their voices (and points of view) heard by the entire class.
(Note: some recommended sources to assist teachers and students in questions regarding parliamentary procedure and effectively running a meeting are Cagle's Parliamentary Procedure Web site [University of California, Chico; http://www.csufresno.edu/comm/cagle-p3.htm] and the U.S. House of Representatives Rules Committee parliamentary procedures page [http://www.rules.house.gov/)
Cross-Curricular Activities:
Math and Statistics: Ask the students to chart Irish economic growth during the 1990s, when the Celtic Tiger economy was in full bloom. (They should be able to find related economic information such as Gross National Product, Gross Domestic Product, unemployment, etc. from the Web resources included in the lesson or by doing a related Web search.) They can then develop a spreadsheet and related graph using Excel or a similar program and make conclusions about yearly trends in the Irish economy.
Language Arts: After viewing "Mixed Blessings," ask the students to assume they are editorial writers for a local Limerick newspaper. Have them write editorials in which they highlight the Celtic Tiger economy as well as the positive and negative effects on Irish society, culture, and traditions. Instruct the students that they should "take a stand" in their editorials, either supporting or condemning the impact of economic growth on the nation and city of Limerick.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
