This semester, Mrs. Sheri Thomasen’s Literary Studies and Composition 10 and Mr. Brian Chan’s Socials Studies 10 classes are working together to create a project that works towards stopping discrimination of race, culture, politics, sexual orientation, and class in our society. Students will be tasked with researching information for their topic, organizing a social justice campaign and creating a 10-15 minutes documentary that demonstrates their work throughout the course of the project. By collaborating with others and learning more about world discrimination, students will have the opportunity to learn the importance of social justice in our society and making a difference in the world.
Riverside Literary and Composition 10 teacher, Thomasen, explained that the idea of the project began when Ms. Jennifer Nelson, Chan, and she realized that the Literary Studies and Composition 10 curriculum was very similar to the Socials Studies 10 curriculum. “Both classes share the same concept of social justice and by collaborating, students would learn more about current world injustices that still exist today,” said Thomasen. She also said that by bringing the classes together, students are able to combine the knowledge of Socials Studies 10 and Literary and Composition 10 classes to create a project that strives towards stopping world discrimination.
Throughout the project, Thomasen believes that students will encounter many challenges, through collaborating with others or creating the project itself, but will hopefully acquire new strategies to overcome these obstacles. “We understand that sometimes it can be difficult to work with others, but it’s all a part of the learning process,” said Thomasen.
The goal of the project is for students to learn about the relevancy of both Socials Studies 10 and Literary Studies and Composition 10 classes, through working with others and collaborating to create a project that showcases both of its teachings. “An important part of the project will be the reflection, that demonstrates the learning process of this project and goes into detail about group work, creating and implementing ideas, and research,” said Thomasen.
She also hopes students have fun with creating and documenting the project and develop many new skills for future collaborative assignments. “We hope students learn the importance of making a positive impact on the world and succeed in making a difference, big or small,” said Thomasen.
