Witness Walls: Interdisciplinary Unit

To commemorate Nashville's role in the historic Civil Rights Movement, the Metro Arts Commission approved the selection of artist Walter Hood to create new public art. The Metro Arts Teacher Cadre worked together to create six standards-aligned lessons that focus on the Witness Walls artwork planned for installation in downtown Nashville in 2015. The lesson plans are shared to benefit Nashville-area teachers and others throughout Tennessee and the surrounding region. The design for Witness Walls utilizes iconic photos of the Civil Rights movement in Nashville to honor the events and the people who created the blueprint for nonviolent protest. The installation will be located on the west side of the historic Metro Nashville Courthouse, steps away from the historic April 19, 1960 student-led protest.

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives:

CLE 3231.4.3 Explore the optics of lenses

CLE 3231.4.4 Analyze the optics of mirrors

SPI.3231.4.5 Identify the properties of light related to reflection, refraction, diffraction, and interference of light waves

SPI.3231.4.6 Using light ray diagrams, identify the path of light using a convex lens, a concave lens, a plane mirror, a concave mirror and a convex mirror.

State Performance Indicators:

SPI.3231.4.5 Identify the properties of light related to reflection, refraction, diffraction, and interference of light waves

SPI.3231.4.6 Using light ray diagrams, identify the path of light using a convex lens, a concave lens, a plane mirror, a concave mirror and a convex mirror.

Unit Components

The Nashville Civil Rights Movement

Optical Illusions

Understanding the Force of Nonviolence- Nashville in 1960

Address in Time: 1960 Nashville, Tennessee

'Witness Wall' of Story Quilt: Clay Tiles or Mixed Media Artworks

Intro to Casting Concrete & Media as a Metaphor

Unit Variations

Blooms taxonomy level:

Applying

Differentiation suggestions:

The websites in the interactive reading sections can be adjusted to different websites on students reading levels or the questions from the reading can be adjusted.

The product can be adjusted to meet the students’ needs. The product can be less open-ended and provide guided questions for students who need the scaffolding.

Extension suggestions:

Students can create a witness wall on the Civil Rights Movement for the entire south. Students may create witness walls to highlight other parts of history as well.
To adapt the lesson, making it more rigorous for grades 9-12, students may conduct research using multiple sources on their assigned Civil Rights participant.
To extend the learning, students could make their own witness wall for the school. It would be built on the same principles from the artist. The witness wall would have to include at least one concave, convex, and plane mirror.

Helpful Hints

Nashville Civil Rights Movement:

Teacher should place students in groups strategically based on level.
Each group should contain a designated peer leader, middle level learners, and lower level learners OR lower level learners should be placed together to allow direct instruction with the teacher while other groups have a designated peer leader whose job is to lead the group and report to the teacher with any questions or help.
Students will be given a rubric to follow, including specific questions to answer when exploring their designated Civil Rights activist.

Optical Illusions:

Required materials: Spoon, water, mirrors, glass test tube, stopper, ruler, index card, Witness Wall picture, Explore Learning account, computer access, flashlight, modeling clay, protractor, construction paper, flashlight.

References

Contributors:

Dr. Rachael Milligan

Originator:

Ayers Institute for Learning & Innovation