Discovering Self

1. Interviews and Timelines

Family Interviews

Students conducted interviews of family members to find out their struggles and how they got through or overcame them. This was the first step in understanding struggle in their own lives.

We asked students to brainstorm a set of questions related to personal struggle and the Oppressions (see the Oppression section for more information). Students narrowed their list of questions down to a managable number and interviewed two family members about the issues on which they chose to focus. They shared what they learned with the class in a large-group discussion.

Timelines

Once students had an understanding of other people’s live and the events that shaped them, they began work on their own timelines. We provided styrofoam boards, material, markers, fabric paint, felt, glue, scissors and decorative items. Ms. Ballje provided a beautiful example by creating her own timeline. By having a model, students knew how to approach their own work with excellence and felt empowered to complete the task correctly.

The criteria for timelines were:

• Include 12 key events in your life and provide text to help a viewer understand the event
• Use artifacts (photos, objects, artwork) to illustrate at least 5 or your life events
• Begin with your birth and end with graduation

Timeline Rubric

The reason we asked students to end with their graduation was to help them imagine reaching that goal successfully and think about what kind of person they want to be known as (i.e. their repuation and legacy) when they achieved that goal.

This activity was a favorite for many students. Not only were they free to engage in self-expression, but they naturally developed cooperative learning groups and peer-tutoring partnerships as those with more skill with or aptitude for hands-on work and the arts helped those who weren’t as strong in this learning style.

“When this class is done again, do more arts and crafts, like we did with the timelines.”

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