
Michelle Lee
Heavy Is the Hyphen: The Letters

“The Letters" is an invitation to witness and speak aloud the story of “The Hyphen.” It’s a moment--in lesson form--to affirm every voice that has been made to feel less than, “othered,” silenced, in between” already know and believe to be true/untrue about American History, and then challenge them (and ourselves) to seek out life between the lines.
The Letter is a set of recursive processes that when facilitated with critical care and humility, has the potential to spark deep shifts in teacher practice, and learners’ perceptions of self and purpose. Using a three-tier model, each lesson builds upon the previous workshop, Heavy Is the Hyphen: The Listener, which exclusively focus on techniques for oral storytelling
LENGTH: Three 50min Sessions
GRADE LEVEL: 9-12
SUBJECT: English Language Arts | US History
CREATIVE INQUIRIES
How can we more deeply engage students in telling authentic, personal counter narratives using creative writing and spoken word strategies?
How can we create moments of critical reflection and analysis of American culture and society, in which students can articulate individual narratives as part of a larger American Story?
EQUIPMENT
Projector, laptop, wifi
player and Speakers
OUTLINE
Session 1: Dear God, Dear Stars, Dear Trees
Session 2: Dear Name
Session 3: Dear Founding Fathers