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Exploring Through Hip-Hop: A Win-Win for My Students and Me

Hip-hop was our vehicle for exploring universal issues, beginning with learning about storytellers and leaders like Phyllis Wheatley and Muhammad Ali and eventually through engaging with our community about issues the Young Prodigy’s felt, understood, or lived. Because our foundation was letting students lead their own learning, when authentic opportunities arose for community engagement, we could take advantage of them or even create them for ourselves. Young Prodigy’s speak with policymakers and community leaders regularly now because their own learning has led them there. The community benefits from their engagement as much as they do. Continue reading Exploring Through Hip-Hop: A Win-Win for My Students and Me

Educator Spotlight: Cross-Cultural Exchange of Art and Hip-Hop

Lavie Raven is a high school social studies and language arts teacher at North Lawndale College Prep in his home city of Chicago. He is a fourth-generation teacher with 20 years experience, a practitioner of graffiti writing and illuminated script, rapper, and part-time b-boy. Activity: New Sun Rising Subjects: Social Studies and Language Arts Grade: High School Tell us about your activity. In this summer’s … Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Cross-Cultural Exchange of Art and Hip-Hop

Outkast in Atlanta

ARTS Outkast represents Atlanta. 20 years ago, the duo made a conscious decision to, as Andre 3000 says, put the city on their backs: “The best way to represent the places where you from is be yourself, completely. And just say, ‘I’m from this place.’” (NPR) Use this “Picture of Practice” video to see how one teacher uses media to generate discussion and self-awareness about cultural … Continue reading Outkast in Atlanta