Kim Summers CI 403 Unit Lesson Plan A #4

Wage Differences and Working Conditions Around the World

TIME 50 minutes

SETTING Refer to student population

THEORY INTO PRACTICE BACKGROUND Speaking well, whether to an individual or a group, is essential to our social and professional success. After all, we speak much more than we will ever write. Among other reasons, students must learn how to speak successfully for job interviews, to communicate effectively in the workplace as well as within their relationships. And, if for no other reason that the sense of achievement if affords them, students need to learn to practice how to speakand listenin public (Burke, 2008, pp. 222-223). We decided to incorporate many form of speaking into our unit so that our students will become more comfortable and experienced in talking in front of a group. The speaking activities range from presenting research, to speaking as a panel in front of a class, to making morning announcements. We feel that it is important that our students become active speakers and listeners. Never before have students been able to access so much information; in fact they have access to too much information. This makes it our job to teach them how to sift through it all and recognize what is important and why it is important (Burke, 2008, p. 328) We have chosen to assign these small research projects to help our students become active Internet researchers. By completing minor assignment like this one, students will be able to learn how to recognize a creditable Internet source. As a result, their larger projects will have stronger sources to support their thesis.

The students have done several group presentations throughout the semester, and they are familiar with the formats they can choose from when they present their findings to the class. These are informal presentations and are quick yet informative. The know what types of websites are legitimate sources for gathering information, and they know how to determine the credibility of the information they find. The students will use the Internet to gather their research, and then they will choose which format (oral, written, poster, PowerPoint, note sheet, etc.) they will use to communicate their findings to the

class. This lesson is linked to other lessons in this unit where students have taken a topic, researched it, and then presented the information to the class. This subject also directly ties into the primary text we are reading right now when it compares wages in China to those in the United States.

OBJECTIVES Students will establish connections between personal experiences and prior knowledge to the texts and assignments in this unit. Students will adequately convey the purpose of their research to an intended audience. MATERIALS YouTube video about maquiladoras http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK2KzIGb44I Variety of supplies for groups who choose to make a poster or hands-on project for their group presentation SMART Board to show video

PREPARATION Have the YouTube video queued Have students separated into groups prior to class Have general ideas about products around the classroom that were made in maquiladoras or sweatshops

PROCEDURE

1. Free write (5 minutes) a. Topic: How do you think the wages workers receive in the United States compare to those of workers in other countries? How do you think the working conditions in other countries compare to those in the U.S.? b. Ask if anyone wants to share their opinions. 2. Discuss wages differences and working conditions around the world (15 minutes) a. Show them the data from Wikipedia i. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_by_country ii. Highlight the following countries 1. United States 2. China 3. Thailand 4. Mexico 5. Indonesia

b. Explain to students what maquiladoras and sweatshops are i. Show the following YouTube video, Maquiladora women - spots from the film MAQUILAPOLIS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK2KzIGb44I ii. Emphasize the following points after the video 1. women are used in countries like Mexico and Indonesia because they are viewed as a disposable commodity 2. women are a source of cheap labor 3. women have no rights against American corporations 3. Group Work (27 minutes) a. Students will be placed in prearranged groups i. 5 groups ii. 5 students in each group b. Each group will be given one of the countries listed above c. The group will research the wages and working conditions for each country d. The group will decide a format in which to present their findings to the class e. The groups will present their findings tomorrow f. Teacher will circulate among the groups to answer questions and offer guidance if needed 4. Wrap-Up (3 minutes) a. Remind the groups that they will be presenting the details of wages and working conditions to the class tomorrow b. Ask if there are any questions

DISCUSSION IDEAS Did you know that people (especially women) in other countries were being treated like this by American corporations? What products around the classroom or clothes you are wearing were most likely produced in a maquiladora or sweatshop? Would you pay more money for an item if you knew that it was made in the United States where workers and their wages are protected under federal law? What can you do to help prevent the exploitation of women as a disposable commodity?

BILINGUAL/ESL AND ENGLISHES ACCOMMODATIONS I will make sure that both of the ESL students receive the website and the YouTube video at least two days in advance so they can review the information, take notes, and be ready to participate in the group activities. I would also like to get their perspective of the video since it is actually spoken in Spanish and captioned in English, because this may be a chose I purposefully make in the future. I will also make sure that I assign both students to the group who is researching Mexico, because they may be able to draw upon their prior knowledge or personal experiences in relation to their home country. I will also give them the topic for the journal write two days in advance so they can be thinking about what they want to write, and they can even write the entry beforehand if the choose.

SPECIAL EDUCATION ACCOMMODATIONS For the student with ADHD, I will make sure that the group he is assigned to does a hands-on activity (like making a poster) for their presentation, because this will get the student up and active. For my student who has Asperger Syndrome, I will give him the link to the YouTube video, the country his group will research, and the journal topic at least two days before this lesson to ensure he has time to look over them so he can ask clarification questions, take notes, or write in his journal before class. I will offer to watch the video with him and orally explain what is going on if he struggles with reading captions. I will already know if he more effectively uses technology or tactile methods to present his work, and I will make sure that he is placed in a group whose project will best fit his needs. I will also ask his aide or special education team what his fixations are to see if I could incorporate his interests into the assignment to make it more appealing for him to participate in the group activities.

ASSESSMENT The journal is an informal assessment to get the students thinking, and it will not be submitted for a grade. If most of my students are in need of extra credit points, then I will use the journal as a means of rewarding extra credit points based upon whether or not they wrote in their journal or not. I will announce the possibility of extra credit points before they begin writing to that all students have equal access. The group project and the presentation will not receive a formal grade. If the students participated in the group work and presentation, then they will receive full points for the assignment. If they did not participate, then they will receive 0 (zero) points. I will keep a checklist with the students names on it with me as I circulate between the groups and watch their presentations, and I will mark down all the students who participated. EXTENSION IDEAS If there is enough time, I would make this into a formal presentation and give the students more time to research and work on their project to present to the class.

Watch a video discussing the sweatshops in Thailand and compare/contrast it to the maquiladoras in Mexico. Show the students what types of items are made in sweatshops and maquiladoras and discuss the difference between product cost versus retail value.

SOURCE OF ACTIVITY My group came up with the idea for the projects. I have done a similar activity with a college class that I taught, but it was on a much larger scale then this one.

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES Asiye8111 (2010) Maquiladora women - spots from the film MAQUILAPOLIS retrieved on December 12, 2011 from YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK2KzIGb44I Burke, J. (2008). The English teachers companion: A complete guide to classroom, curriculum, and the profession. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

ILLINOIS STATE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS GOALS Reading: 1.B.5a Relate reading to prior knowledge and experience and make connections to related information. Students will establish connections between personal experiences and prior knowledge by discussing the ways their lives are influences and effected by products created in maquiladoras and sweatshops.

Listening and Speaking: 4.B.5a Deliver planned and impromptu oral presentations, as individuals and members of a group, conveying results of research, projects or literature studies to a variety of audiences (e.g., peers, community, business/industry, local organizations) using appropriate visual aids and available technology. Students will adequately convey the purpose of their research to their peers during their group presentations

REFLECTION This is a lesson plan that I hope to use in the future, so I will reflect on it at that time. I cannot reflect on it at this time, because it is merely hypothetical.