The Neighborhood Project

 Taking a look at Barbara Comber's, Pat Thomson's, and Marg Wells' article about Critical Literacy and the neighborhood, we can see how effective teachers look at what is going around the students' lives and get them involved using writing. This article is about a 2nd and 4rd grade class looking at their neighborhood and the problems that they are facing. Poor housing, poor neighborhood conditions, and other worries the students are facing. The teacher asked them to draw (and write descriptions for the drawings) their wishes, what worries them, and what makes them angry. These students, albeit young, are aware of the issues that are happening around them. The teachers next step was going out into the local neighborhood and mapping out where they could fix these problems, adding housing, adding proper drains, and adding trees and plants. The students phoned and faxed local government, asking them to make changes and providing them with their maps. Maybe they didn't make immediate changes but the students learned something of value, that they can make changes and they can take action.

As a future secondary educator I wonder how I could implement and change this project for high school students. First, I would sit down and have a discussion with my students. In a similar fashion instead of drawing, bulleting what they wish for, what makes them worried, and what angers them. With those written points down we can as a class community discuss them and maybe even zone in on the issues related to the community/neighborhood. I would do this so I can understand what DIRECTLY is affecting my students. After learning about their concerns of the neighborhood, I would do independent research. What are the policies revolving around this issue? Are there any plans happening to fix said problem? What people or local governments departments are in charge of the problem? After gathering this research I would present the students with it, and invite them to write letters or contact the policy makers. 

I grew up in an mainly white and rich school in western Cranston, so thinking about it, its hard to pinpoint issues in the neighborhood. One problem I can think of is the ecosystem revolving around the local lake close to the school. Maybe students would want to get involved in fixing the lake, as it is polluted and overran with invasive plants. That could be the physical place, my students could go to and map out the issues and solutions they would take. Maybe getting in contact with the right people that can go out there and clean up the lake, the students could maybe join them and take part in the cleaning too. The students can see that even "small" things can be changed and apply it to the bigger problems in their community such as housing issues and maybe other environment issues.