Social Issues

Background: Class discusses issues that affect Americans each day and develop a list of these issues to be selected by class members for research and creation of a documentary. Teacher allows students to work in groups of three to four students.

Materials: Each group will need a video camera and a digital camera. Students will need access to video editing equipment and software.

Procedure:
1. Divide class into groups and assign each group one topic.
2. Give students handout on requirements and rubric. Go over requirements and rubric as a class.
3. Show example of an exeplary project to the class.
4. Students will go to the lab for three days to research specific questions about the project topic and create an information sheet explaining the issue and all conclusions reached from journals and web resources.
5. Students will create interview questions to ask individuals either effected by the topic or experts on the topic.
6. Students will conduct interviews outside of school and video tape the interviews.
7. Students will edit the video and create a documentary using the interviews and research developed during the project.
8. Students will present the final project to the class.

Closure: Class will dicuss the topic in detail using the video documentary as a source for information. Class will discuss the effect each topic has on society.

Example Topics used last year:
Teen Pregnancy
Teen Marriage
Discrimination
Video Game Violence
Class Sizes and Education Performance
Status Symbols in Society