INSIDE OUT – DE DENTRO PARA FORA
23 junho de 2020Por Cristiano Carvalho
What does a persecuted girl living in the Netherlands during World War II have in common with a teenager living the 2020 pandemic crisis in Brazil? How can we connect the present, past, and future through writing? I will never forget the feelings that took over my mind and soul when I first visited Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam. Such a tiny place, bare of contents, cold, but absolutely rich of stories about life and death. Above all, a life that still lives because it has been lived for real and shared with us in writing. One of the main reasons why we, human beings, write is to communicate through time. One of the most compelling forces that pushes us towards writing is the combination of relevance and feelings. Therefore, why not connect the curriculum with this historical moment and the feelings that arise from it? Here is a brief account of an interdisciplinary activity done with a group of Da Vinci’s 8th grade students.
During our period of remote studies, we have made several adaptations to the curriculum in order to create the most suitable learning environment for students and teachers who now must work and study physically far from each other. The school is outside its campus and it is inside our homes. A meaningful curriculum is a living entity. It needs to combine the relevance of its contents and skills with the most adequate ways of developing them with the students. Part of the writing syllabus in 8th grade is devoted to narratives. In one of these, the students are supposed to choose a picture that shows a memorable moment with family or friends and write a brief story of this picture. The students are supposed to use as many sensory details as possible and make it clear to the reader why this moment was a special one.
In 2020 we decided to do something different and expand the prompt a little more. We kept this first part but added another one. In this project called “Inside Out,” the students were also asked to choose a second picture, one taken during the quarantine period. In this picture, they had to describe what they were doing and also include as many sensory details as possible. Finally, they would have to write an additional paragraph saying how those two pictures connect.
In order to engage other languages to this activity, we also worked with the Spanish teacher, who joined the project focusing on subtitles (also part of the syllabus for 8th grade). The students wrote a three-paragraph narrative in English and for each picture they also wrote captions in Spanish. In our preparation classes, we told them this would be more than a school project for a grade. It would also be a message they were leaving for the future. Something they will one day revisit and read alone with their children and grandchildren. A text and pictures that will bring back memories, feelings, and insights.
While Anne Frank was hiding from a visible enemy, our generation as a whole is trying to hide from an invisible virus that not only threatens us but also forces us to think of creative and empathetic ways of surviving. More than surviving, like in generations before, we want to come out of a crisis living better lives and making the most of the lessons we are learning inside and outside.
Here you can find some samples of these historical pieces of writing.
O que uma garota perseguida, vivendo na Holanda durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, tem em comum com um adolescente que vive a crise da pandemia de 2020 no Brasil? Como podemos conectar presente, passado e futuro através da escrita? Nunca esquecerei dos sentimentos que tomaram conta de minha mente e alma quando visitei, pela primeira vez, a casa de Anne Frank, em Amsterdã. Um lugar tão pequeno, vazio, frio, mas absolutamente rico em histórias sobre a vida e a morte. Acima de tudo, uma vida que ainda vive porque foi vivida de verdade e compartilhada conosco por escrito. Uma das principais razões pelas quais nós, seres humanos, escrevemos é para nos comunicarmos através do tempo. Uma das forças mais potentes que nos levam a escrever é a combinação de relevância e sentimentos. Portanto, por que não conectar o currículo com esse momento histórico e com os sentimentos aflorados por ele? Aqui está um breve relato de uma atividade interdisciplinar realizada com um grupo de alunos do 8º ano de Da Vinci.
Durante nosso período de estudos remotos, fizemos várias adaptações no currículo, a fim de criar o ambiente de aprendizado mais adequado para alunos e professores que agora são forçados a trabalhar e estudar fisicamente longe uns dos outros. A escola fica fora do campus e dentro de nossas casas. Um currículo significativo é um ser vivo, precisa combinar a relevância de seus conteúdos e habilidades com as formas mais adequadas de desenvolvê-los com os alunos. Parte do programa de escrita em língua inglesa do 8º ano é dedicado às narrativas. Em uma delas, os alunos devem escolher uma imagem que mostre um momento memorável com a família ou amigos e contar, por meio de um texto escrito, a história dessa imagem. É esperado que os alunos usem o máximo de detalhes sensoriais possível e deixem claro ao leitor por que esse momento foi especial. Em 2020, decidimos fazer algo diferente e expandir o projeto um pouco mais. Mantivemos a primeira parte, mas adicionamos outra. Na nova versão do projeto, agora chamado de “Inside Out”, os alunos também foram convidados a escolher uma segunda foto, tirada durante o período de quarentena. Para esta foto, eles tiveram que descrever o que estavam fazendo e também incluir o máximo de detalhes sensoriais possível. Finalmente, eles teriam que escrever um último parágrafo, dizendo como essas duas imagens se conectam.
Para integrar mais uma língua estrangeira a esta atividade, também trabalhamos com a professora de Espanhol, que aderiu ao projeto, abordando o gênero textual legendas (parte do currículo desta disciplina no 8º ano). Os alunos escreveram uma narrativa de três parágrafos em inglês e, para cada foto, também escreveram legendas em espanhol. Em nossas aulas de preparação, dissemos a eles que isso seria mais do que um projeto escolar para uma série. Seria uma mensagem que eles estavam deixando para o futuro. Algo que, um dia, eles revisitarão e lerão sozinhos, com seus filhos e netos. Um texto e imagens que trarão de volta memórias, sentimentos e ideias.
Enquanto Anne Frank estava se escondendo de um inimigo visível, nossa geração como um todo está tentando se esconder de um vírus invisível que nos ameaça, mas também nos obriga a pensar em maneiras criativas e empáticas de sobreviver. Mais do que sobreviver, como nas gerações anteriores, queremos sair de uma crise, vivendo uma vida melhor e aproveitando ao máximo as lições que estamos aprendendo por dentro e por fora.
Aqui estão alguns exemplos dessas peças históricas da escrita.
ANA ELISA MARTINELLI FILIPPE
Turma:8I2
Foto 1:
y si no tuviera mi caballo, no estaría completa, no sería yo, no habría vivido las experiencias que me hicieron ser quien soy .
(…) I had a beautiful training class, and by the end of the evening my trainer asked me if I wanted to ride my horse, Corona (coincidentally my horse’s name, we gave him that name because it means crown). I was scared to ride him for the first time, we always had a very strong connection, but I was scared and I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I decided to ride him. I don’t know why, but when I ride him, the fear passed and I was inexplicably happy and calm at that moment. There was just that moment, our connection was inexplicable, everything was so peaceful, and at that moment I remembered that we chose each other, it was meant to be, when he was a foal, he chose me, and I chose him. And at that moment, I realized that I was riding my horse, everything was perfect, the problems did not exist, all that existed was him, me and the arena.
Foto 2:
Memories
Before quarantine:
A veces el cosmos planea cosas más allá de la comprensión humana. La sensibilidad nos garantiza la percepción y la esperanza.
Cuando memorias del pasado vuelven, existe el sentimiento de que no estoy sola, hay esperanza, y a veces la fuerza llega de lugares inesperados.
In the second picture I had just nailed my grandfather’s picture on the wall. I never met him because he passed away years before I was born, but everyone that new him closely says that I inherited his traits. (…) When we nailed his picture to the wall I felt alive, awake, and I knew that he would approve the way we are walking for, and for a moment I could just appreciate how I’m lucky to be here, and that I should enjoy it, he would like it, I know he would.
The biggest similarity between this two moments is that in both of them something simple, that wasn’t expensive or planned made me feel happy and hopeful, alive. But they have a major difference between them: in the first one, I asked for it and lived it alone. In the second one, I didn’t realize how much better I could feel, and I lived it with my mom, and I think it was a curing moment for both of us.
MORE THAN MEMORABLE, UNFORGETTABLE
Mis padres y yo montando algunos rompecabezas juntos lo que me dejó muy contento, alegre y no pensaba en más nada.
Vista del Castillo de Shuri en Okinawa que me despertó algo inexplicable, porque mi abuelo hace muchos años vino de Okinawa, al mismo tiempo me encanta Okinawa.
Every time everywhere in this quarantine, I’m anxious, thinking about the future. But when my mom invited me and my dad to assemble a puzzle I started not to care about future, Covid-19 or anything. I just enjoyed the moment, protected in my house, with my family, doing what I like to do.
Some years ago, I started to study about Japanese and Okinawan cultures because my grandparents are Japanese and Okinawan and I became very interested in their culture. So, when I arrived in Okinawa and go to the Shuri Castle I was very happy, seeing Okinawa and imagining how it was in WWII or during the Kingdom of Ryukyu. I felt like a person coming back home.
In both photos I was focused on the moment, everything else in those moments disappeared. I I was at home in the two photos because the Okinawans are so receptive that you feel at home there.(…) I was with my family in both of them and that’s the most important thing, because your family will go and you need to enjoy them, making time with your family a memorable moment.
PEDRO CABALINE MAZZI – 8º I2
Mi padre y yo en Playa Mia, en México hace dos años. Nosotros estábamos muy felices. En esta época mi familia estaba en un crucero.
Mi padre y yo jugando ping pong, en la mesa de mi casa, estamos improvisando con algunos discos como raquetas. Estábamos jugando durante el confinamiento. Estábamos muy animados para jugar.
In the first picture, me and my dad were in a famous beach in Mexico. The name of the beach is Playa Mia. We were on a cruise. We boarded in Fort Lauderdale, but the cruise stopped in some countries, like Mexico, Haiti, and Jamaica. Then, we arrived in Mexico, and got on a taxi. We drove to Playa Mia, and we had so much fun that day. I was with my mother, grandmother and grandfather. We spent an awesome day in Mexico.
The second picture was taken by my mother in the living room of my house. That day me and my father had the brilliant idea to play ping pong in our LIVING ROOM TABLE. But there was a problem. We didn’t have any racket, so we used some old CDs as them, and used some decorations as the net, and it worked. We were so happy. This happened during the quarantine.
Both pictures have similarities and differences. The similarities are: I am with my dad in both pictures, and we were happy in both. And the differences are: in the first picture we were traveling in a cruise, and that’s not possible now during quarantine. In the second one, we were at home, during the social distancing period.
HELELA HEGNER DE ALMEIDA
Before and after quarantine
Este viaje fue increíble, estuve en contacto con la naturaleza y eso me trajo mucha paz y felicidad.
En la cuarentena, mi familia y yo tomamos un tiempo para jugar con mis gatos y eso me hace muy feliz.
In July 2019, I went to the Amazon with my family. This trip was the most incredible one I have ever taken in my life. Everyday a new “adventure”, for example: We went trekking in the forest, visited indigenous tribes, saw so many different animals, saw the sun rise from the river… This filled me with a good vibe, I felt peaceful! In this picture I was watching the sun rise, I remember that we stayed there for about an hour, and in that moment, I thought a lot about my life, I felt so grateful for all that I have and concluded that I am a lucky girl! This trip did me a lot of good.
Before Quarantine I did not have time to play a lot with my cats and stay with my family, so now I am seizing the opportunity to do this. This photo is an example I was playing with my cats and then we lay in the bed and relax, I felt so comfortable and relaxed, because Tili and Olaf (my cats), they lay around me and I started to caress them so they fell asleep.
In both pictures I am super happy and with the people that I love most in my life and doing the things that I like to do the most. But I want to go out and see my friends, go to school and travel, but we have to be safe so I am in home now, to avoid contamination by this virus (coronavirus).
