Chicago Violence

Have you ever thought about what it is like to be a teen living in Chicago?  My colleague Mrs. Henderson recently challenged her students to write poems/skits describing what is taking place in some neighborhoods in Chicago.  Like my previous post, "Breaking the Cycle" these students are dealing with a reality that is not kind and shows no mercy.

These spoken word videos are raw, unflinching and describe a reality that many don't want to deal with.  My students are brave and despite of the obstacles placed in their path are determined to succeed.  The concept for these videos were solely the students with guidance from their teacher.  After developing a concept, poem and presentation style, I worked with the students to edit and finalize the project using iMovie.   All video was shot on the Library Media Center's iPads and images that appear in these videos are from Google images.

I'm really going to miss this group of graduating seniors.  I hope you will enjoy just a small sample of these presentations as much as I have working with the students.  Please feel free to leave a comment in the comment section of this post.  All comments will shared with the students.


Henderson 1st period Keyon, Mike from WPAHS Video Page on Vimeo.

Henderson 8th period Kendrick, Briana from WPAHS Video Page on Vimeo.

Henderson 7th period Tatiana, Leon, Don from WPAHS Video Page on Vimeo.