Curriculum

A) **Cluster Name:** Kickin' It B) **Cluster Leader(s):** Yumeris and Sandra

C) **Cluster Goal** (ie What do you want to accomplish in this cluster? Example: //The Music Label Cluster will allow participants to learn how to write, record and produce their musical ideas in order to create a demo CD.)// -how companies get their money from consumers. -to show people how corporations are playing with minds to get us to be their consumers -to make us realize that we're addicted to trends and they are controlling us and how they attract us. -how products gets to be advertised. -what is the message behind the products that they are selling in the advertisements? -Make videos, take pictures, skits, and possibly power point -find a way we can kick back -teach others we we learned about things that seem to have control over us
 * (What we would like to accomplish in the end of Rensizzle week)**

D) **Names of Student Documentarians:** Sabrina Stewart and Sharon Maradiaga

E) **Experiences Students Will Have:** -go to Starbucks in Times Square/ go to the city -go out on trips every day -go to apple store -go to factories and to know how they work -how long it takes to make product and ship it out to companies -what happens to product after we're done with it (every thing we buy ends up being thrown out) -watch videos, have discussions -look at how some products are overpriced (show a comparison of the same item in different stores) -guest speakers -Pictures -Videos -Collage of experiences as a group
 * (How can we document learning experiences?)**

F) **People or Groups Students Will Meet:** -talk to people in stores -people without the privileges that we have -research working conditions -how we take items for granted -people who advertise products -people who own companies

G) **Skills Students Will Learn:**

H) **Artifacts or Work Products Students Will Have For their Scrapbook/website:** -Collage -Interviews -pictures/videos of advertisements in the street -blogs -research we did online -collect ads or/and magazines -myspace/ facebook

Today, we started with an activity that showed us what we think is important to us. It basically showed us what we want vs. what we need. Sandra, Yumeris and Kara gave us bagels with cream cheese to start off the day. After that, we went to Times Square. Our goal in Times Square was to look at the different kinds of advertisements and to find out what people like to shop for and what appeals to them. It was extremely cold while we were out looking at the different ads around Times Square. We split up into three groups to look around in different parts of Times Square. We found that there are advertisements everywhere. Even on the way there, we saw ads on the train and everything. In Times Square we took pictures of different ads and interviewed people on what appealed to them the most. Some people said that advertisements didn't make them want to buy stuff and a lot of people said a lot of different things. After we were done in Times Square a.k.a. Advertisement City, we went to eat at a Pizza place called Sabarros. It was a little expensive, but it was really good. After that we went back to school and we discussed what the three different groups found similar or different in the advertisements.
 * Cluster’s Curriculum Plan (March 23-30): **
 * Monday, March 23: **

 **Tuesday, March 24:** Started off the day with doing an activity that dealt with the Distribution of Wealth. Each person was given an envelope with money. The amount of money you received was determined by how much work you contributed the day before therefore, if you worked hard you should receive alot of money, right? With the money we was allowed to go outside to buy anything that we could afford and bring it back to class with a receipt. People who felt that they worked hard should have received a lot more money than they were given. From this activity we learned that the way the people earn wage in this country is unfair. Why is it that people who work hard receive little pay depending on race, gender, sexuality or even job title.After the activity we had a lesson Adam Smith and Karl Marx. Smith developed the idea of capitalism and Marx promoted socialism. With this lesson, we were separated into two groups to debate on whether capitalism or socialism was better. After lunch we played Industrial Pictionary. It's just like regular pictionary except we just used Industrial terms to draw out. Later we watched a video called The Story Of Stuff. This movie talked about the negative aspects in the process of production. At the end of the day we was assigned roles to play during our trip the next day to Ikea. Our goal was to experience how families are lured in to consume goods.

**Wednesday, March 25th:** We started off the day with celebrating Sohaib's birthday with a birthday cake. On this day we had a trip to go on a boat from Wall Street to Ikea. The boat was supposed to leave at 11 o'clock and we didn't leave school until 9:45. We thought we were going to be late so we left in a rush. We took the 7 train to 42nd and transfered to the 2 train to Wall street. By time we got off the train, it was 10:55. So we ran about 3 or 4 blocks to the pier only to find out that there was no boat leaving at 11 oclock. Somebody had given Sandra the wrong information and told her that the boat to Ikea was leaving at 11 when the boat actually leaves at 2pm. The only time that the boat left at 11 was on weekends. Since we couldn't go to Ikea, Sandra and Kara decided to take us to the Apple Store and to have pizza in Central Park. It was so nice to relax in central park with everybody.

**Thursday, March 26th:** Today we started of by watching a movie called "What would Jesus Buy?" The movie was about the hyper-consumerism that absorbs many Americans during Christmas time. A really interesting fact that we learned from the movie was that people visit the Mall of America more than Washington D.C., Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon and Disney Land combined! People go wild just trying to shop for their kids, families and themselves because the advertisements that we see everywhere, especially on T.V. are telling us that we suck. People go into debt, create a lot of waste, and spend more time shopping than they spend with their families. Afterwards, we discussed the movie and gave our opinions on the consumerism that takes place during the holidays and basically on a daily basis. **Friday, March 27th:** Today our day started off good, we got into our groups. We worked on our pamphlet's, videos, interviews, surveys and we also did a one minute skit. Sandra and Yumeris thought it would be nice to take us out for ice-cream at Carvel's (So sweet of them). We are a little scared because we have a lot of work and we need to finish by 3 and hand it in. We have our fingers crossed and we're just kickin' back. Monday, March 30th: Description of presentation: