1. QUESTION The Dickens in Our Day Foundation, a branch of the

National Endowment for the Arts, is devoted to promoting artists who extend Dickens’ commitment to “speaking truth to power,” using art as a vehicle. 

Each year the Foundation seeks to award grants to contemporary artists who have used their art to confront issues of justice and power in their society, just as Charles Dickens did in his own day.

Dickens the Social Critic Charles Dickens as Social Commentator and Critic

It is your mission to find a contemporary artist worthy of receiving this grant, and to provide evidence to support your claim that he/she is a “Dickens in Our Day.”

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How do contemporary artists use their creative works as a vehicle for social

criticism?

Dickens in Our Day

Charles DickensImage Source: Wikipedia

2. INFORMATION SOURCES

Use the resources below to identify and learn about a contemporary artist who uses his/her art to comment on or criticize societal issues, as Charles Dickens did in his writing.

Some artists to consider: Kara Walker: American visual artist Scott Westerfeld: Author; books include the Uglies and Leviathan series Morgan Spurlock: American filmmaker, noted for his film Supersize Me Banksy: British graffiti and street artist Others: Spike Lee, Green Day, Shirin Neshat, Bill Maher, Dorothea Lange, Billie Holiday,

Alice Walker, Bono/U2, Michael Moore. Can you think of other artists (writers, actors, musicians, visual artists, performers) who

use their art as a way to comment on or criticize societal issues? Note: The artist and artwork must be appropriate for a school setting/audience.

Use these Databases and Websites to search for an artist recipient for a grant, or to locate information about one of the artists listed above. SIRS Renaissance Database World Book Student / World Book Advanced Databases EBSCO Host Databases (try Middle Search or MasterFile) Poets & Writers Magazine | Art Web Search | The Artists

Search other BCPS-licensed Databases as recommended by your teacher/librarian; passwords are needed for home access to the Databases (see your librarian). Use Destiny to locate relevant books/reference books.

* If you use a general search engine like Google, use evaluation criteria like those on this Website Evaluation Form (or similar form provided by your teacher/librarian) before using the sources you find as reference material.

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Morgan SpurlockImage Source: Wikipedia

3. STUDENT ACTIVITY

First, explore the information sources and databases on Slide 2 to identify a contemporary artist who you think is worthy of the “Dickens in Our Day” grant.

Use these sources and locate others to gather evidence which supports your recommendation of this artist for the Dickens in Our Day Foundation grant.

Use this graphic organizer to compile information about the grant nominee.

You must cite your sources. Copy-paste the formatted citation at the

end of any articles/media obtained from a Database.

Copy-paste the URL for any Websites you use, or use a Citation Guide or an online citation generator to create citations, as directed by your teacher.

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Select the image above to view a 10 minute TED Talk lecture by the Iranian artist Shirin Neshat, discussing her work.

4. ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY

Now, use the information you’ve gathered about an artist on your graphic organizer as evidence to support your nomination of this artist for the Dickens in Our Day Foundation grant.

While writing, make comparisons to Charles Dickens and your nominee in terms of how they both used their artwork as social commentary or criticism.

Use this form to submit your nomination to the Foundation.

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Image Source: Banksy, from “The Story Behind Banksy,” Smithsonian Magazine

5. ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Here are some additional digital resources that may enhance your research: Charles Dickens. biography: A video

biography about Charles Dickens at biography.com

Art and Social Issues in American Culture: A website intended to promote dialogue and learning about these critical issues utilizing works of art from the Columbus Museum of Art.

AAEC: The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists

Extend your learning:Create a multimedia product/presentation to

accompany your written grant nomination submission, using one of these digital tools:

Flip-cam video | Voki | Wiki page | Animoto PhotoStory | Prezi | PowerPoint Windows Movie Maker

or another digital tool approved by your teacher.

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Select the image above to view a short animation about the life of Charles Dickens from the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation).

6. TEACHER SUPPORT MATERIALS

Common Core State Standards

RL1 CCR Anchor Standard: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

RL2 CCR Anchor Standard : Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

RL6 CCR Anchor Standard: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

RL7 CCR Anchor Standard: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

W7 CCR Anchor Standard: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

Standards for the 21st Century Learner 1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g. textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.2.1.3 Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real-world situations, and further investigations.

Maryland Technology Literacy Standards for Students

3.0: Use a variety of technologies for learning and collaboration.

Time Frame: 1-2 class periods

Differentiation: Direct students to use comprehension tools

included in the databases, such as: audio read-aloud, labeled reading levels, and embedded dictionaries.

Learning Styles:

Visual, Auditory, Tactile, Reflective

Notes to the teacher:

Students should be reminded that the artist/art work they choose to research must be appropriate for a school setting/audience.

Both databases and general search engines may be utilized to conduct research. It is important that students understand how to evaluate a web page in order to identify appropriate information sources when a general search engine is used.

Last updated: July 2013Created by Anna Conner, BCPS Library Media Specialist and Kelly Ray, Resource Teacher- BCPS Department of Digital Learning

BCPS Slam Dunk Research Model, Copyright 2013, Baltimore County Public Schools, MD, all rights reserved. The models may be used for educational, non-profit school use only. All other uses, transmissions, and duplications are prohibited unless permission is granted expressly. This lesson is based on Jamie McKenzie’s Slam Dunk Lesson module.

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