6th Grade Avatar Project

In Performance and Media Arts (PMA), we have been collaborating with Art and Humanities for the Avatar Project. In 6th grade, students focus on identity through various projects, and PMA has developed an integrated study over the years that allows students to investigate their identity and construct a Science Fiction character based on their identity and values. The values conversation is a carryover conversation from advisory and what they utilize during their community meeting presentation. In art this year, they will be using bike helmets to enhance their character's values visually. Then, they will act out that character in front of green screens in term two after learning about the basics of editing through mini-performance and video projects. In Humanities, they are reading "Binti," an Afrofuturism book chosen by Mr. Cody and Ms. Lulu. They are able to the investigate texts, so they can create their own story. In PMA and Humanities collaboration class, students are investigating their identities through the lens of Social Justice and Anti-Bias (SJAB).  We laid the foundation through talking about about Afrofuturism, Indigenous Futurism, and the future is female. These ideas explore marginalized identities by reimagining them in the past and future grounded in "what if" questions of SciFi.

Also, we have investigated window identities, or identities that we bear witness to, and mirror identities, or ones that reflect ours. This is building upon the Up/Downs Community Meeting conversation we had earlier this year. Today, we furthered that conversation by exploring student social identity, or one's given by society, and personal identities, or hidden identity that many people do not see or acknowledge due to stereotypes and judgement. Students are using these identity conversations and activities to create their future Science Fiction character that will "mirror" their identity characteristics. Overall, we are building wildly which will lead us to "world building" and "story building" in the coming weeks!