Solve for
Y
Discovering and Plotting
our collective identity.
What makes Us U.S.?
O Nation:
O A people who share
common customs,
origins, history, and
frequently language.
“Nations” run deeper than the
boundaries that may encompass
it’s people. We often misuse the
term and mistake it for country or
State.
We are Unique (just like everybody
else ;)
O We have a cultural narrative in the United States.
Because we’ve come from different parts of the
world, our expressions, history, and myths define
us.
O And it can be FUN to explore our cultural DNA.
Why is cultural DNA important?
O It showcases:
O Our goals and dreams
O Our faults
O Our lessons
O Our humor
O Our myths
O And more that I can’t
think of.
Tapping into Cultural DNA
leads to . . .
Cultural Literacy!
We activate and look for 3
things:
O Memory: When we see something new we
try to see a connection or corollary to
something we’ve seen before.
O Symbols: Is this a metaphor, an analogy, what
does the “thing” over there signify?
O Patterns: Similarities of events and narratives.
O All of these things bring richness to our study
and are great for infusing other elements into
our classroom.
Just a quick visual example
O What does this picture
say to you?
Now what about someone from
Japan?
What about these two pictures?
Are these things always
permanent?
O NO
O Some are fleeting and fads. Some go away and
return later.
O But ALL add a richness to our classrooms.
Those Were the Days
O ("Those Were the Days" by
Charles Stouse and Lee Adams)
- All in the Family Lyrics
O Boy the way Glen Miller
played
Songs that made the hit
parade.
Guys like us we had it made,
Those were the days.
And you knew who you were
then,
Girls were girls and men were
men,
Mister we could use a man
Like Herbert Hoover again.
Didn't need no welfare
state,
Everybody pulled his weight.
Gee our old LaSalle ran
great.
Those were the days
The memories of a better era – the
late 1960s early 1970s remember the
20s and 30s fondly!
What did we look to back in the
late 70s and early 80s?
And a transition between the 70s / 80s and
referencing the 30s, 40s and 50s
O Kim Carnes and Bette
Davis Eyes:
O Written in 1974 when
the eyes were looking
back to the 30s and
40s, became popular
in 1981 when eyes
were shifting to the
50s. Bette Davis and
her compatriots are
figures that transcend
those eras. John
Wayne anyone?
Recently, we’ve begun looking back to the
70s
O How could Lynyrd Skynrd
co-opt the Confederate
Flag and promote it as a
symbol of youthful
rebellion?
O They took the political
angle out of the debate
even with the political
reference casting
corruption as a nationwide
problem.
Kid Rock has sampled the song and
the flag in an “interesting” way –
What is he trying to co-opt? The
notion of youthful rebellion? Is that
why he is popular?
Any symbols that return?
But Seriously – what can I DO with
that?
O Linking Music, literature and art with history
and politics is what makes your classroom
come alive and engage more students!
O www.shmoop.com
O A GREAT starting point – particularly if you are
looking for links between music, literature and
history!
O It also has a little section called “Why Should I
care?”
Truth to the "every 20 or so year rule"?
I want my MTV!
Do people know the cultural reference in the MTV logo?
With the advent of the internet, our cultural DNA is a few keystrokes
away! Never before has it been SO easy to access our history!
(but we need to be responsible)
So HOW do I do this in my
classroom?
Y = MX + B
A “simple” formula that guides us through the process. And it’s a
formula they learn anyway – slope intercept or something like that.
Y
Why
The formula justifies
something is a part of our cultural DNA
(all of the subsequent parts establish its place in our “canon”)
M
O Meaning:
O What is the original (factual) meaning of the reference?
O What is the figurative meaning of the reference?
X
Finding 3 additional examples of it’s use
Explanation of original use.
(Maybe use ARTIST, SPECS)
Example 1
(ARTIST/ SPECS)
Example 2
(ARTIST/ SPECS)
Example 3
(ARTIST/ SPECS)
I Have a Dream
Explanation of original use.
What types of examples should we
find?
Books, Movies, Music, Articles, Pictures, Cartoons.
(look for them to span time)
YES! Sometimes our cultural DNA can be
referenced in something as simple as a picture!
Tapping into this enriches our students and
allows them to access a greater understanding
of things happening around them (even if it is
just a Simpsons episode).
See . . .
B
O Bring it Home
O Has the meaning remained the same?
O Examine Midas Touch. hhmmmm
O Why does this resonate with us and continue
to be used?
Plotting it’s proximity to the original meaning
and it’s relevance in today’s lexicon.
But what if I hate that silly formula?
O How about 3 W’s?
O What does it mean?
O Where else is it used?
O Why does it continue to stay with us?
Let’s try some from the early
republic!
“I cannot tell a lie”
The original myth (story)
Without knowing the
myth, this is just a toy.
How about this?
BENEDICT ARNOLD
Finding 3 additional examples of it’s use
In an act that has made his name synonymous with treason in American history,
General Benedict Arnold conspired to turn his command of West Point over to the
British. In return, he was to receive money and become a general in the British army.
His treason was discovered
when Major Andre, his British contact, was captured.
Kerry's 'Benedict Arnold
Democrats'
By Roger Bybee
"You can't prosper if you're the
Democratic Party with what
could be called Goldman-Sachs
economics. You've got to have
'average-person economics.'" -former Republican strategist
and author Kevin Phillips.
John Kerry has been loudly
denouncing "Benedict Arnold
CEOs" for their policy of
outsourcing US jobs overseas.
Is John Walker Lindh (American Taliban) a modern day
version of Benedict Arnold? Why or Why not?
Let them Eat Cake
Finding 3 additional examples of it’s use
The origin of many phrases in English are unknown. Nevertheless, many people would
say that they know the source of this one. It is widely attributed to
Marie-Antoinette (1755-93), the Queen consort of Louis XVI.
She is supposed to have said this when she was told that the
French populace
had no bread to eat.
In today's front-page report
on City of Pensacola
employee benefits, two
things come to mind:
1. The city's motto should be
changed from "City of Five
Flags" to "Let them eat cake."
2. The City of Pensacola is too
expensive for the city of
Pensacola.
(March 15,2009)
Let Them Eat Cake Inc. is an award-winning,
family-owned and operated “Cake Boutique.”
We have been designing and decorating customized
wedding and all-occasion cakes since 1977.
T-shirt design
Some phrases, characters, events are timeless.
Shakespeare is a GREAT place to
look!
• Out Damned Spot.
• To Be or Not To Be . . . That
•
•
•
•
•
is the question.
Double Double Toil and
Trouble.
Romeo, Romeo where for
art thou Romeo.
Et tu, Brute?
A horse; a horse . . .
By the pricking of my
thumbs; something wicked
this way comes.
Music Video – Lyrics and Visual representation.
If you’re real good you may catch the OTHER literary reference.
Greek and Roman Myths/
History
O Achilles Heel
O Trojan Horse
O Flying too close to the
O
O
O
O
sun
Midas Touch!
Struck by Cupid’s
Arrow
The weight of the world
on his shoulders
Pushing boulders up a
hill.
Anyone know of a book with:
O Garden
O Betrayal
O Serpent
O Slavery and escape
O Plagues
O Fatted calves
O Flood
O Milk and honey?
O Parting of waters
O Loaves
O Fishes
O Forty days
The Bible
O Forbidden Fruit
O Judas
O 30 pieces of silver
O Golden Calf
O Turn into a pillar of
salt
O Cross to bear
Literature (non-Shakespeare)
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
White Whale
Albatross Around My Neck
Chasing windmills
White Rabbit
Off With her Head
Emperor's New Clothes
The Sky is Falling
Turn into a Pumpkin
The shoe that fits
Peter Pan syndrome
Cheshire cat grin
Scarlett Letter
breadcrumbs
How about History.
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
We the People
40 acres and a mule
Waterloo
Stonewalling
Pearl Harbored
I Have a Dream
Life, Liberty, and the
Pursuit of Happiness
O Napoleon complex
O We have nothing to fear
but fear itself
O When in the course of
human events
O Hail Mary
O 7th Inning Stretch
O We’re in the home
stretch.
O Fast out of the gate,
slow to finish
O Three strikes and
you’re out
O Cinderella is going to
the big dance.
Sports
What about Popular Culture?
Movies, TV, and Broadway– Fun
Fun!
O I don’t think we’re in
O
O
O
O
Kansas anymore.
Camelot
Frankly Scarlett, I
don’t give a damn.
Play it again Sam.
Like sands through
the hourglass . . .
And what was regarded as cutting edge!
And Then There's Maude by Dave Grusin and Andrew Bergman - Maude Lyrics
Lady Godiva was a freedom rider
She didnt' care if the whole world looked.
Joan of Arc with the Lord to guide her
She was a sister who really cooked.
Isadora was the first bra burner
And you're glad she showed up. (Oh yeah)
And when the country was falling apart
Betsy Ross got it all sewed up.
And then there's Maude.
And then there's Maude.
And then there's Maude.
And then there's Maude.
And then there's Maude.
And then there's Maude.
And then there's
That old compromisin', enterprisin', anything but tranquilizing,
Right on Maude.
It extends to today
(with a few additions . . . clever, clever)
Just some fun extras
O The cat that ate the canary
O Cutting off you’re nose to spite your face
O Dropped a dime
Any that we can think of?
Well, now that I’ve led you
down a primrose path . . .
A Swan Song.
Remember SPECs?
O Social
O Political
O Economic
O Cultural
O Most of these
phrases; symbols,
books, images all get
hooked into this
model BEAUTIFULLY.
Don’t believe me?
O Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein:
O Victor Frankenstein builds his masterpiece not
only from graveyard parts – but also from a
historical condition or ENVIRONMENT!
O The beginning of the Industrial Revolution –
where “reckless abandon” threatens everything
we knew during the Enlightenment.
O New Science including anatomical research
caused religious and philosophical chaos in
English society in the early 1800s.
SO
O Every time we move into a “Brave New
World” some writer, artist or “other” let’s us
know that we are about to meet the monster
of our advancements. (Frankenstein so to
speak)
O Memory, Symbol, Pattern????
What is the practicality?
O Ever have your kids
write newspaper
articles?
O What about asking
them to draw their own
political cartoons?
O Construct a timeline of
its use. (or a virtual
timeline)
O What about a straight
up writing assignment:
O With which phrase does
person or event most
closely match and why?
Everything leads perfectly to
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
O Unlike other methods of analysis, Solve for Y
forces kids to ask and answer essential
question of why these things matter and
resonate in our consciousness.
O Why did the Family Guy use Maude?
O Why did Maude reference Cleopatra?
Historians do this by virtue of their training – but
everyone can, and it doesn’t need to be rocket
science!
It’s like having Socrates in your
pocket . . . Or Mindy.
Practically Speaking
O Why do I have the students do the Y=MX+B?
O Without that quick exercise, they may try to
use cultural links that aren’t relevant.
O Then: I have them draw the cartoon or write
the newspaper article based on the idioms
that they’ve validated.
O Once they get the point – I drop the formula
since they know the expectations of the
assignment.
And lastly . . .
O Spiral historical content.
O Allow them to activate prior
knowledge.
O Link it to other strategies,
Notebook/ SPECS, ARTIST/
What’s My Return
Address/ On the Money.
O Unlock subtle meaning.
O Give them a road map and
allow them to be curious and
creative.
O (imagine if some of our English
teachers had done this
BEFORE we read the book)
Make this as brief or extensive as
you’d like
With those signature strategies!
The Test!
O Your blog post will be
a description of a
political cartoon
based on culturally
significant archetypes
(or newspaper
headlines)