Becoming An Activist

Tyler M. Banks
Standards/Quality Indicators/Skills
Missouri and national standards, quality indicators, and skills addressed by this lesson

Missouri State Standards (English/Language Arts)

1. Collaborative Discussions 6-12 Correlation Speaking/Listening 1A, 1C: Speak effectively in
collaborative discussions
2. Conducting and presenting research with appropriate resource: Knowledge of the use of tools of
social science inquiry
National Standards
1. READING FOR PERSPECTIVE: Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an
understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to
acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and
for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary
works.
2. NL-ENG.K-12.7 EVALUATING DATA: Students conduct research on issues and interests by
generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize
data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate
their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

Learning Objectives/Goals
The lessons objectives and learning outcomes appropriate for meeting curricular and student needs

The students will determine the importance of activism and discuss how to foster change within
their own and other communities through peer-to-peer or small-group dialogue.
The students will begin to identify what determines action is needed in a community through a
facilitated large-group dialogue.
The students will identify a cause or an issue that they care about.
The students will design a campaign that will address the issue that they identified.
Resources and Materials
List of materials used in the planning of and during the instruction of the lesson
1. Graphic Organizers
2. iPads
3. Internet Access
Lesson Structure and Procedures
Sequence of events of the lesson elements. (The before, during, and after the lesson, e.g. Engagement/Opening,
Procedures, Guided Practice, Conclusion
 Becoming An Activist
Tyler M. Banks
Part I: Teaching Point
1. I will begin by restating a question to the students. I will remind the students that prior to exiting
last class they were posed with the question of Who can be activists?
2. I will allow students the opportunity to raise their hands and offer explanations to the provided
question.
3. Following the discussion I will emphasize that anyone can be a social activist, even a young
person; even a kid, even them!
4. I will present student with the opportunity to become activists in their community!

Part I: Active Engagement

1. I will begin this section of the lesson by discussing how we become activist.
o We will use https://www.wikihow.com/Become-an-Activist to generate some ideas of
how to become activists.
o We will use a graphic organizer to organize our list of steps to follow to become activists.
2. I will brainstorm with the class. As a class we will discuss the following question: What issues
do we care about within our school community?
o As the teacher I will come prepared with some ideas about some possible issues that the
students might care about to help foster conversation and get them thinking.
Ex. Run down playground equipment
Ex. Unhealthy lunches
3. During the discussion I will write down the ideas that are generated each students will have the
opportunity to choose which idea the like and care about the most.
4. Students will be broken up into three or four small groups, these groups will generated by placing students
within the group with others that chose the same topic as them.
o If too many students choose one topic then the groups will be split in half.
5. In their groups, students will conduct research on their topic and plan a campaign. Some ideas that
students might carry out:
A. Speak to other students in the school about their issue
B. Design pamphlets to hand out explaining their issue
C. Create a short video explaining the cause they chose
6. Each group will present to the rest of the class the cause they chose and how they chose to address it.
o They will discuss techniques they used, why their topic was important to them, and how they
reached the community body. They will present the cause to others and try to persuade the others
in the class to join them.

Lesson Adapted From: http://www.sharedlife.org.il/ShowItem.aspx?ItemID=b39e08c1-d829-40eb-a39a-

692487db3c26&lang=EN