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Flags Rubric

Raising Flags on Fair and Equal Treatment

(This activity is not my own creation.  I am passing it on.  I have adapted it to fit my own classrooms.  It is a model that can be formatted to fit specific classroom content.  For example, if the Unit covers specific countries or territories, the flags can be linked to the Unit content.  Group A = Europe, Group B = Asia, Group C = ?.)

Facilitator:  Amy Landrum

Workshop:  Focus on Standards

Subjects & Topics:  Patriotism, Symbolism, Social Studies, Sociology, Economics, Life, Language Arts, Art

Multiple Intelligences:  Interpersonal, Visual/Spatial

Entry Points:  Hands-On, Social, and Aesthetic (Achieves the three approaches: Entry Points, Telling Analogies, and Approaching the Core via facilitated discussion after the activity.)

Grade Level:  Age 3 – Adult (Modify requirements accordingly.)

Time Needed:  Minimum 40 minutes

Materials:  This one costs anywhere from $10 up if you do it yourself, or you can buy a ready made box of supplies and materials from LCL (Contact: Amy Landrum) for under $50 including shipping.

Four or five bags or boxes (shoeboxes might work) for supplies.  Supplies include crayons, pastels, colored pencils, glue sticks, glitter (optional) scissors (optional), string (optional), symbol stencils (standard and creative).  The contents of each bag become progressively worse and less.  Group A gets the best bag of supplies with glitter and glue and stencils and samples of each type of coloring utensils and the largest and best poster board.  Group C, D or E ends up with a few pieces of tape, broken crayons and pencils, markers with no lids, a torn but medium sheet of paper and scraps of colored paper, objects they can use as stencils if it occurs to them.  Do not help the last group.  However, do not intervene if another group chooses independently to help the other group.  Maybe put in a little baggie of dirt or coffee grounds or grass blades or leaves (they can use this for color if they are creative – let them figure it out).  If you want to go the extra push, give Group A donuts and juice and milk, Group B gets half, Group C gets half of that, Group D gets one of each to share with no way to share it.  Works best with three groups to illustrate lower, middle, and upper class economic stratifications. 

Notes for Facilitator: Begin by grouping students simply by counting off 1-7. Each group is given a bag of materials. Groups have 15 minutes to create a flag that represents their group using symbols to represent their community. One member from each group will explain their own group flag.

After all groups have shared flags, ask questions: What is your reaction to this activity? What emotions did you experience? Was it fair? What about it wasn't fair? Do you see this type of treatment in society or in life? How and where? Explain. What can we learn from this activity? (Objectives include: democratic intentions, fair and equal opportunity and treatment and the fear of sharing when a grade might be at risk.)

Standards:

OH- Ohio Curriculum Models
Grade : Grade One
Subject: Comprehensive Arts Education
    Strand / Goal 1: Historical, Cultural, and Social Contexts: Understanding the Role of the Arts in People’s Lives
        Standard c: Compare and contrast stories, arts, and customs of cultures represented within their school community
        Standard d: Discover common subjects, ideas, and themes in art forms from different cultures.

Grade : Grade Five
Subject: Social Studies Education
    Strand / Goal : People in Societies
        Standard 4: read stories about individuals who represent various cultural groups, draw inferences about the experiences of the  groups, and compare the problems and opportunities which the groups encountered in the past.  How they made a living, what rights they exercised

    Strand / Goal : Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities
        Standard 1: differentiate between facts and opinions, and relevant and irrelevant information when examining national issues   
        Standard 5: explore relationships between justice and authority

Evaluation Method:  This one's a keeper, works with any age range.  Please offer feedback on ways you have adapted this activity to fit the needs of your own classroom content.