Advocates of the RoundtableDescription of Inquiry Unit for Students

Description of Inquiry Unit – ECMS Language Arts 6-2 Core 3

Throughout history people have advocated for causes they believe in. They found ways to create awareness in society and take actions to create change. People continue today to advocate for passionate causes. In our modern society tensions exist with new problems and issues, continual controversy over these problems and issues and demonstrations for awareness about these problems and issues presented every day in a variety of formats. Our 21st Century has opened up innovative ways to inform, persuade and advocate.

An opportunity is coming in the near future for a demonstration of local advocates to “speak to their causes.” You and your team of advocates are invited to this demonstration to voice your concerns. You are asked to deliver your concerns by creating and demonstrating in an “Advocacy Booth” and delivering a “Ted Talk” to an audience. Your demonstration should be prepared for a diverse audience.

You will present your advocacy demonstrations at a formal event called “Advocates of the Roundtable” which will be conducted in our media center at ECMS in June. This event will be open to the public and open to those that you and your team especially invite. As you work on this demonstration, be prepared to show a step (or steps) that you have taken to begin some kind of action for your cause to create change in our community. Think about those in the community who would be involved in your cause, could help you with steps and would be important to invite to your demonstration of awareness.

YOU WILL CONSTANTLY PROBLEM-SOLVE AS YOU WORK WITH YOUR TEAM TO PREPARE. A NOTEBOOK WILL BE KEPT AS YOU WORK THROUGH THE PROCESS TO SHOW EVIDENCE OF ALL YOUR WORK AND STEPS TAKEN. PHOTOGRAPHS ARE ENCOURAGED. THIS NOTEBOOK WILL BE EVALUATED ALONG WITH YOUR ADVOCACY BOOTH DEMONSTRATION AND YOUR TED TALK (3 IMPORTANT EVALUATIONS)

CRITERIA BELOW

  • ___ Decision:You will decide upon an issue that is important to you – one that you feel passionate enough about to create awareness to an audience about the issues and advocate for your belief. A description of your advocacy and your reason for advocating will be documented on the first page in your Roundtable notebook. (Template provided)
  • ___ Problem Solving/Creation:You will take steps to create a demonstration to an audience to captivate their attention so they can hear or “see” your cause. Evidence of the steps taken will be documented in your Roundtable notebook. (Template provided)

THESE STEPS WILL INVOLVE:

  • ___ Research: (Template provided) Your team will become experts on the issue through research that will make you knowledgeable and credible when advocating for this cause. You will collect notes/visuals/information that will be incorporated into an effective demonstration for your cause.
  • ___Research Questions: (Templates provided)Your teams will work collaboratively together, creating questions that your team decides are related and important to be researched. You will find answers to those questions through a variety of avenues – both online and by actual community visits in our area. Evidence of this research will be put into your Roundtable Notebook.
  • ___ Community Visits:You will make decisions about contacts to make in the community. These contacts will be authentic people in the community where you can gather information. You will decide upon the ways to communicate with these people to ask questions and gather information. (Template provided)
  • ___ Social Media: You will incorporate a safe social media component to advocate for your cause. Our class will have a guest speaker to provide information to us and ideas/support for this social media component.
  • ___Product Creation: Your team will create some kind of product that is directly linked to your cause. This product must be tangible, unique and hand-created by YOU to represent your cause. You can choose to distribute your product to those that visit you if you make multiple products but you are not required to. The product(s) will be displayed at your booth for all to see.
  • ___ Live Demonstration/Ted Talk: Your teams will work collaboratively together putting your research together in order to demonstrate your advocacy for this issue. You will be demonstrating at your Advocacy booth the entire time. You will be given a specific time to demonstrate your advocacy on the “Ted Talk Platform” that will be set up for you.
  • ___ Ted Talk Face to Face Demonstration:In this demonstration you will be showing your expert knowledge and reasons for this advocacy. In your personal way, you will prepare the talk with the purpose of engaging your audience, creating awareness and drawing them into your cause. Skills for this will be gained by watching and analyzing Ted Talks and any guest speakers we have coming in. In your Ted Talk, you must include the benefits that your advocacy will bring and who it will specifically benefit. You must present proof of an ACTION STEP or STEPS that you have begun in connection to your cause with the purpose of creating some kind of CHANGE you are advocating for in this cause.
  • ___ Advocacy Booth:Your team will plan and design your booth which will be your personaldemonstration area. You will make decisions in the creation of needed props, signs, technology to be displayed, possible music, performing poetry or song, visuals, etc. for “Advocates of the Roundtable” Booth Demonstration. You will be provided with a table, chairs, and a space approximately 9ft x 9ft. You will need to ask if you need technology equipment and extra space. Layout drawing is required and should be included in your Roundtable notebook.
  • ___ Demonstrating at your Advocacy Booth:Your team will investigate creative and persuasive techniques that you feel should be incorporated into your ongoing demonstration at your booth with the purpose of drawing in the audience emotionally to your cause – making them think about the cause and possibly getting inspired to take action along with you.
  • ___ Invitations:You will make decisions as to who you would like to invite to the demonstration. This should include a member of the community that you have contacted linked to your cause along with your family and any others you would like to invite. This list of invitees and copies of invitation letters should be included in your Roundtable Notebook. (Letterhead provided)
  • ___Written Invitations: You will write and send invitation letters to those you are inviting to your demonstration.
  • ___Team Decision of Roles:Your team will decide upon your roles and jobs as you work on a timeline.
  • ___Roundtable Notebook: This notebook will be very important! You will keep all records of progress I n this notebook. You will be given designated templates to help you in the process as well as a timeline. You may work on these templates digitally but hard copy evidence will be needed in your Roundtable notebook. Photographs taken of the process are encouraged to be included.
  • ___ Timeline and Use of Class/Home: You and your team will make continual decisions to complete all things needed for the demonstration and action steps.You and your parents must be aware that this is teamwork and will require communication/collaboration between yourselves outside of school. Designated school days will be used to work on things during class time.

This is a rigorous and challenging Problem-Solving Unit! This will take personal commitment, team commitment and high work ethic.

We will be excited to view your demonstrations in the

Media Center on Tuesday, June 27th, 2017.

Good luck Advocates!