101
Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Technology
from Kim and Coni (two former techno-phobics)
10.2.3 Assessment Prompt: analytical and diagnostic essay
“Harrison Bergeron” and the handicap In “Harrison Bergeron,”
one of the key literary elements is irony. The irony is obvious-dancers who can't dance, announcers who can't speak, smart people
who can't think. To create a false sense of equality, everyone has an
artificial handicap, except for the Handicapper General who enforces
the laws and selects handicaps. In this activity, you will be assigned
a handicap, but will be expected to perform normally and to work
together as a group. Groups must strive to create equality within the
group. Every group member’s individual handicap must be considered. Find the corresponding handicap and assume the persona
indicated as you join your group to complete the class assignment.
In your group, make every effort to understand that each person
is working to the best of his or her ability. Still, your goal for the
simple assignments you will be given in class should be to fulfill
each requirement and to do so accurately. When you have finished,
answer this question in a mini-essay: When members of a society or
group are handicapped, do the handicapped individuals rise to the
level of the non-handicapped, or do the normal people sink to the
level of the handicapped members? Be sure to justify your answer
with explicit examples from the classroom experiment.
DO
Think outside the box, but inside common core!
The common core classroom doesn’t look, sound, or feel
like the classroom of yesteryear. It’s a little flashier, a
little louder, and a little less predictable. This exercise is
an example of a day in the classroom that students will
remember forever. It takes an old short story and finds a
way to relate its basic concepts to today’s society -- even
if it does sort of stretch the limits to get there. It’s fun, it’s
inventive, and it’s relavant. Besides, when else will you
get to see a student with a chair on top of his head?
To insert a technology
element, post digital
photos of the activity
on your class website
and ask parents to
guess what the
assignment was!
WHAT
Brandon’s handicap was that he could only
work without getting distracted if he was
under a chair. He got a little creative with it.
See? Even the students can learn to think
outside the box with common core.