Immigration Rap (2018-2019) - Meridian Stories

The Challenge

Immigration: a hot political topic, a wrenching personal topic, a global issue, and a cauldron of tragedy and transcendence. In short: it’s a rap.

Ours is a nation of immigrants. In this challenge, your team will create a 3–4 minute rap about immigration as informed by intelligence collected in your community. Your team can talk to first, second or third–generation immigrants; local politicians; educators or others who have knowledgeable opinions on the immigration debate that is ripping at America’s core. Once you have a cross-section of opinions and experience, coalesce this information into an exploratory rap about this explosive issue.

Immigration is a serious topic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be creative or humorous (see Hamilton). On the contrary, creativity and humor can be most poignant when dealing with heavy subjects.

Deliverables include:
Immigration Rap Video (this is the only Meridian Stories deliverable)
Planning Paper (at teacher’s discretion)
Draft Rap (at teacher’s discretion)

Assumptions and Logistics

Time Frame – We recommend that this Meridian Stories Competition takes place inside of a three to four-week time frame.

Length – All Meridian Stories submissions should be under 4 minutes in length, unless otherwise specified.

Submissions – Keep in mind that each school can only submit three submissions per Competition (so while the entire class can participate in the Challenge, only three can be submitted to Meridian Stories for Mentor review and scoring).

Teacher Reviews – All reviews by the teacher are at the discretion of the teacher and all suggested paper deliverables are due only to the teacher. The only deliverable to Meridian Stories is the media work.

Teacher’s Role and Technology Integrator – While it is helpful to have a Technology Integrator involved, they are not usually necessary: the students already know how to produce the media. And if they don’t, part of their challenge is to figure it out. They will! The teacher’s primary function in these Challenges is to guide the students as they engage with the content. You don’t need to know editing, sound design, shooting or storyboarding: you just need to know your content area.

Digital Rules/Literacy – We strongly recommend that all students follow the rules of Digital Citizenry in their proper usage and/or citation of images, music and text taken from other sources. This recommendation includes producing a citations page at the end of your entry, if applicable. See the Digital Rules area in the Meridian Resources section of the site for guidance.

Location – Try not to shoot in a classroom at your school. The classroom, no matter how you dress it up, looks like a classroom and can negatively impact the story you are trying to tell.

Slate – All media work must begin with a slate that provides:

the title of the piece;
the name of the school submitting;
the wording ‘Permission Granted’ which gives Meridian Stories the right to a) publicly display the submission in question on, as linked from or related to or in support of Meridian Stories digital media; and b) use it for educational purposes only; and
We strongly recommend that students do not put their last names on the piece either at the start or finish, during the credits.

Collaboration – We strongly recommend that students work in teams of 3-4: part of the educational value is around building collaborative skill sets. But students may work individually.

Presentation – We strongly recommend that at the end of this process, the student teams present their work either to the class and/or to assembled parents and friends as a way to showcase their work. The workforce considers Presentational Skills to be a key asset and we encourage you to allow students to practice this skill set as often as possible. These short videos provide a great opportunity for kids to practice their public presentational skills.

Our research indicates this to be a really useful exercise for two additional reasons:

Students actually learn from their peers’ presentations – it is useful to hear a perspective that is not just the teacher’s; and
The public setting – painful as it is for some students – provides them with an opportunity to ‘own’ their work and to be more accountable.

Process

Below is a suggested breakdown for the students’ work.

During Phase I, student teams will:

The first step is to understand the overall context of the issue. This will involve researching topics related to immigration in the US, from historical immigration patterns and trends, to the current policy debate being waged in the United States. Teams should use primary and secondary sources in their research. A few specifics to consider:
- When politicians today talk about ‘immigration reform’, what, exactly, do they mean?
- How does a team discover the diversity of real immigrant experiences in the United States?
- Immigration is a highly ‘politicized’ issue. What is meant by ‘politicized’? Why is it politicized? And what damage does that do to solving the issue?
- Also, stay alert for how the media shapes public perceptions on immigration.

Once your team feels that you have a handle on the broad historical context of immigration and the issues that are driving the current debate, write up a list of interview questions.
Identify and contact the people in your community whose knowledge and stories your Immigration Rap may want to feature.
Keep in mind that your team could decide to rap about one person’s story, if it is compelling, or rap about your team’s understanding or stance on the issue, as based on your cumulative sources. Either way, the rap must include clear references to all of the people that you have interviewed who are informing your final product, either as part of the rap or in the credits.
Brainstorm about the visual look of your rap. Will it include footage of the interviews? Actual sound bites from the interviewees? Other sources from the library or Internet? As you prepare to start interviewing, know your visual game plan.

During Phase II, student teams will:

Plan and record interview(s).
- If you are going to use the footage from the interviews themselves, be sure to get the interviewee’s permission.
Assess and organize all of your gathered information. Choose the key points that you will want to communicate in your rap and order those points into a narrative.
- Teacher’s Option: Planning Paper – Teachers may require that their teams hand in a Planning Paper. The Planning Paper summarizes the key points from the secondary source research that they did, as well as the information that they received from their interviews. It is an outline of the content that they will cover in their rap.
Write the rap, paying close attention to how you plan to create the rhythmic beat.
- Teacher’s Option: Draft Rap – Teachers may require that their teams hand in a Draft of the rap for review and feedback.
- Storyboard the visualization of the rap. This may involve breaking down the rap into lines and matching a proposed visual shot or location, action or image, for each line.
- Finalize the storyboard.
- Pre-produce the scene:
Scout locations for shooting;
Create costumes, props and other set pieces, as needed;
Prepare the logistics for the actual shooting of the rap; and
Rehearse the scene.
Finalize the rap, as the rehearsing period concludes.

During Phase III, student teams will:

Shoot the video.
Edit the video, adding stills and graphics as desired.
Post-produce the video, adding music and sound effects as desired.

Meridian Support Resources

Meridian Stories provides two forms of support for the student teams:

1. Meridian Innovators and Artists – This is a series of three to four minute videos featuring artists and innovative professionals who offer important advice, specifically for Meridian Stories, in the areas of creativity and production.

2. Media Resource Collection – These are short documents that offer student teams key tips in the areas of creativity, production, game design and digital citizenry.

Recommended review, as a team, for this Competition include:

Meridian Innovators and Artists

Media Resource Collection

On Scriptwriting and Comedy – Kent Pierce

On Nonfiction Writing – Margaret Heffernan

On Interviewing Techniques –tom Pierce

On Producing – Tom Pierce

“Creative Brainstorming Techniques”

“Sound Recording Basics”

“Creating Storyboards, Framing a Shot”

“Conducting an Interview”

Evaluation Rubric – Immigration Rap

CONTENT COMMAND
Criteria	1 – 3	4 – 7	8 – 10
Immigration – Past	The video does not demonstrate clear understanding of the role of immigration in the US	The video demonstrates a clear understanding of the role of immigration in the US	The video demonstrates critical thinking on the role of immigration in the US
Immigration – Present	The video does not demonstrate clear understanding of the current debate around immigration in the US	The video demonstrates a clear understanding of the current debate around immigration in the US	The video demonstrates critical thinking on the current debate around immigration in the US
Community Research	The research from the community is not substantive or presented convincingly	The research from the community is clearly presented	The research from the community is substantive and persuasive
STORYTELLING COMMAND
Criteria	1–3	4–7	8–10
Story	The narrative is hard to follow and does not captivate the audience	The narrative is presented clearly	The narrative is clear, engaging and presented in a compelling way
Rap	The performance does not demonstrate a clear grasp of the structure of a rap	The rap is engaging and shows an appreciation of the genre	The rap demonstrates exceptional skill and aptitude for the genre

MEDIA COMMAND
Criteria	1 – 3	4 – 7	1 – 10
Acting	The acting lacks coherence and discipline for the narrative to be effective	The acting contributes to the narrative’s success	The acting is entertaining and engaging and enhances the narrative’s success
Music and Sound Effects	The music and sound effects inconsistently contribute to the rap	The music and use of sound effects support the rap	The music and sound effects are exceptional and enhance the rap
Media use	The use of new and existing video, stills, graphics and/or text is confusing and does not reinforce the content of the video	The use of new and existing video, stills, graphics and/or text supports the content of the video	The use of new and existing video, stills, graphics and/or text is engaging, visually interesting, and enhances the content of the video

21^ST CENTURY SKILLS COMMAND
Criteria	1-3	4-7	8-10
Collaborative Thinking	The group did not work together effectively and/or did not share the work equally	The group worked together effectively and had no major issues	The group demonstrated flexibility in making compromises and valued the contributions of each group member
Creativity and Innovation	The group did not make a solid effort to create anything new or innovative	The group was able to brainstorm new and inventive ideas, but was inconsistent in their evaluation and implementation of those ideas	The group brainstormed many inventive ideas and was able to evaluate, refine and implement them effectively
Initiative and Self-Direction	The group was unable to set attainable goals, work independently and manage their time effectively	The group required some additional help, but was able to complete the project on time with few problems	The group set attainable goals, worked independently and managed their time effectively, demonstrating a disciplined commitment to the project

Essential Questions

What are some of the current and historical cultural dynamics that set the US on the path to becoming a multicultural society?
What are some of the problems that the US policy on immigration faces today?
What is meant by ‘immigration reform’ and where do you stand on the current debate?
How is learning the story of an individual or individuals’ immigration experience different from studying secondary resource materials? Has it changed your understanding of immigration?
How does one research and organize information from a variety of sources to synthesize an accurate, cohesive, and engaging narrative?
How has immersion in the creation of original content and the production of digital media – exercising one’s creativity, critical thinking and digital literacy skills – deepened the overall educational experience?
How has working on a team – practicing one’s collaborative skills – changed the learning experience?

Student Proficiencies

The student will have a substantive understanding of how individuals and societal politics have shaped the evolution of US immigration policy.
The student will gain a better understanding of the complexities of integrating immigrants into US culture.
The student will have a greater awareness of the issues that are shaping today’s debate on immigration reform.
The student will gain a better understanding of a key historical and ongoing event through research and direct contact with primary sources.
The student will understand the processes involved in researching content from a variety of primary and secondary sources; selecting relevant information from those sources; and organizing this information in a way that yields narrative cohesion and historical accuracy.
The student will utilize key 21^st century skills, with a focus on creativity, critical thinking and digital literacy, in their process of translating historical content into a new narrative format.
The student will have an increased awareness of the challenges and rewards of team collaboration. Collaboration – the ability to work with others – is considered one of the most important 21^st century skills to develop in students as they prepare for life after secondary school.

Common Core Curricular Correlations

The Immigration Rap Challenge addresses a range of curricular objectives that have been articulated by two nationally recognized sources:

Common Core Curricular Standards – English Language Arts
Themes of Social Studies as outlined by National Council of Social Studies (NCSS).

Below please find the standards that are addressed, either in whole or in part.

Common Core Curricular Standards

English Language Arts Standards

English Language Arts Standards – History/Social

*Standard*	*8^th Grade*	*9th/10th*	*11th/12th*
SL1 SPEAKING AND LISTENING Comprehension and Collaboration	Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher- led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.	Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.	Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one- on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
SL2 SPEAKING AND LISTENING Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas	Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.	Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.	Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
SL5 SPEAKING AND LISTENING Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas	Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.	Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.	Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
W3 WRITING Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas	Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.	Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.	Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
W8 WRITING Research to Build and Present Knowledge	Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.	Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.	Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
L5 LANGUAGE Vocabulary Acquisition and Use	Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.	Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.	Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
RH2 HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES Key Ideas and Details	Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.	Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.	Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
RH8 HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES Integration of Knowledge and Ideas	Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.	Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claims.	Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.
RH9 HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES Integration of Knowledge and Ideas	Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.	Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.	Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.

Goals – NCSS – The Themes of Social Studies

Theme – Culture

The study of culture prepares students to answer questions such as: What are the common characteristics of different cultures? How do belief systems, such as religion or political ideals, influence other parts of the culture? How does the culture change to accommodate different ideas and beliefs? What does language tell us about the culture? In schools, this theme typically appears in units and courses dealing with geography, history, sociology, and anthropology, as well as multicultural topics across the curriculum.

Theme – Time, Continuity and Change

Through the study of the past and its legacy, learners examine the institutions, values, and beliefs of people in the past, acquire skills in historical inquiry and interpretation, and gain an understanding of how important historical events and developments have shaped the modern world. This theme appears in courses in history, as well as in other social studies courses for which knowledge of the past is important.

Theme – Individual Development and Identity

Personal identity is shaped by one’s culture, by groups, and institutional influences. Students should consider such questions as: How do people learn, perceive, and grow? How do people meet their basic needs in a variety of contexts? How do individuals develop from youth to adulthood? In schools, this theme typically appears in units and courses dealing with psychology and anthropology.

Theme – Global Connections

The realties of global interdependence require understanding the increasingly important and diverse global connections among world societies and the frequent tension between national interests and global priorities. Students will need to be able to address such international issues as health care, the environment, human rights, economic competition and interdependence, age-old ethnic enmities, and political and military alliances. This theme typically appears in units or courses dealing with geography, culture, and economics, but may also draw upon the natural and physical sciences and the humanities.