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KQ: In what ways do values affect our representations of the work, for example, in langauge, maps or visual images.
Activity: Reading passages from Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Achebe's Things Fall Apart to show different views on colonization in works of literature

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KQ: On what criteria could we judge whether an action should be regarded as justifiable civil disobedience?
Possible Activities: Examination of a variety of news stories (Election related protests would be a gold mine here). MI Attorney General harassed by armed protesters outside her home while putting up Christmas decorations re: certification of election results. Are the actions of the protesters justifiable under the First Amendment "peaceful assembly" clause?

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"Can we define words such as 'good' and 'bad' in terms of objective features of the world?

Paired with a conversation of reason, have students write a syllogism of how they know something is "bad."  (Use pre-created ethical "pickles" or The Pig Who Wants to Be Eaten)  What are the constraints of language inside of reason?  To what extent can categorical imperatives be defined and applied?  How (or to what extent) does this pre-established language guide us in determining the "right" thing to do in the heat of the moment?

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Ethics

How might technology exacerbate or mitigate unequal access, and divides in our access, to knowledge?

-Confirmation Bias
-Google filter bubbles
-Unequal online access for students during a pandemic.
-Is the internet a human right?

TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles?language=en

Digital Divide:
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA134-3.html

Students can search from school vs home computers.

Human Rights and the Internet:
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2016/11/07/the-internet-as-a-human-right/

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"Are there differences in how knowledge itself is is conceived of, or presented, in different languages?"
Using a Ted Talk from John McWhorter on texting and language

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John McWhorter: Txtng is killing language. JK!!!

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Does texting mean the death of good writing skills? John McWhorter posits that there's much more to texting -- linguistically, culturally -- than it seems, and it's all good news.

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KQ: Does the transmission of knowledge from one person or generation to another depend on language?
Possible Activities:

Read a couple of translations of a myth or very short text that has been translated a few times, possibly at different time periods. Ask students to discuss differences in translations and how the different translations provide a differing understanding of the story. Do the different translations encode different knowledge about the text?

If students can read and write in other languages, groups students by language and  have students translate a very short text together. Did students initially agree? How did students come to a shared understanding of how to translate the text? Individual words? How does the final text differ from the original text and do all group members agree with this assessment?

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Name of element of Knowledge Framework:Scope

Selected Knowledge Question related to the Optional Theme
What issues does politics raise about the difference between knowledge and opinion? How might political controversies be triggered by developments in scientific knowledge?

Suggested Classroom Activity or Resource to help students explore the connection:
In groups will examine schools of scientific knowledge that are also controversial political issues.  This would include (but not be limited to) Global Warming, Coronavirus, Vaccinations etc.  Groups will look into different arguments regarding these issues and classify them as scientific knowledge, political opinion or some kind of hybrid. Some questions we may examine are: Are there examples of political opinions that are disguising themselves as scientific knowledge?  Is there a correlation between a political party/belief and the acceptance of certain scientific data?  Have we seen political opinions change based on new scientific evidence?  Can science be viewed as apolitical?

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MJ: Do we have an ethical responsibility to gain knowledge to different religions to help us better understand the world and those around us?
Possible Activities: Examine the role of colonization in Nigeria specifically the use of converting Nigerians to Christianity during colonizing. Nigerians were often deemed heathens (without religion).  Discuss what the responsibility is to gain knowledge on others' religion to help them understand.

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Name of element of Knowledge Framework:perspective

Selected Knowledge Question related to the Optional ThemeHow has our understanding and perception of religious knowledge changed over time?

Suggested Classroom Activity or Resource to help students explore the connection:study of aparthied an the civil rights movement . Tutu an MLK perspective vs. established religious groups

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KQ: How do the tools that we use shape the knowledge that we produce?
-Look at the effect of social media/devices on our choices and behaviors

-Netflix, The Social Dilemma documentary/drama

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KQ: What kinds of knowledge inform our political opinions?

Activity: Have students identify and briefly support a political opinion (examples, evidence, etc.), and suggest any steps or changes that would need to made in light of that opinion. Classify the types of knowledge from the responses (experiential, procedural, propositional).

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KQ - Does religion try to resolve problems that other areas can't resolve?
Connection - Discussion on the book Joy by Desmond Tutu and Dalai Lama

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“Does our culture determine what we know?”

Suggested Classroom Activity or Resource to help students explore the connection:

Western vs. Eastern medicine-what works? How does our culture affect our relationship with scientific knowledge.

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How reliable are oral traditions in preserving knowledge in indigenous societies?

Classroom Activity:  Students can explore the corridos used by revolutionaries in Mexico to share information.

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Name of element of Knowledge Framework:
Perspectives


Selected Knowledge Question related to the Optional Theme
How are online or virtual communities similar to/different from “traditional” communities of knowers?


Suggested Classroom Activity or Resource to help students explore the connection:

Discussions about current learning in school virtual v. face-to-face. 
Is an online degree equal to a degree from in person?

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http://revisionisthistory.com/episodes/24-free-brian-williams

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What impact has social media had on how we acquire and share political knowledge?

Each student is assigned an event and a side/perspective.

In 140 characters “tweet”, an image and #s Instagram, a 30 sec. TikTok, etc. they have to try to inform the class about the issue from their assigned perspectives.

First, the students will have to research their event and what their assigned “side” believes in. They will then have to determine how they will be able to simplify the information enough to fit the social media format.

The students will then share with the class their “post” and the class will have to decide for each event which information they believed to be the most accurate description of what happened, what “side” they agree with the most, what language/elements seemed to be the most effective for persuading people to agree with them.

They can then do a breakdown discussion about which types of media they tended to find “better” in terms of getting the attention of the audience, giving information that was accurate, most persuasive, etc.

This can then go into how the use of technology has impacted how we view information that is political, what they looked for to determine accuracy, and regardless of the accuracy of information- which types of elements in each social media “post” got the most attention.

This could then work well with a connection to Noam Chomsky, George Orwell, McCarthy’s scare tactics, JFK's effective use of TV, FDR's use of radio, Trump's use/reliance on Social Media. And connect to what these key thinkers/past figures believed about the use/dangers of media and how some people have been able to successfully manipulate information to sway the public opinion and propaganda on a large scale.

This could also go into a more recent analysis looking at the algorithms used by social media companies today, the “fact-checking” vs. “free speech”,  foreign manipulation of political information, and how quickly emotions get in the way of accuracy.

sorry- being concise is a bit issue for me.... ;)

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Selected Knowledge Question related to the Optional Theme:

Is the truth what the majority of people accept?

Suggested Classroom Activity or Resource to help students explore the connection:

Discussion of Native American mascot issue at our school

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Question
What role do authority and testimony play in the pursuit of knowledge?

Possible activities
Compare and contrast different religious perspectives on the role of clergy and laypeople, and who counts as an authority on religious knowledge.

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Selected Knowledge Question related to the Optional Theme:

As knowers, do we have a moral duty to examine our own assumptions and biases.

Suggested Classroom Activity or Resource to help students explore the connection:

Cultural appropriation versus cultural appreciation: discussion and RLS examples.