by Anne Donofrio-Holter
1/19/11
El Monte High School, spearheaded by instructor Elisa Perez, has received a $500 Kids in Need Foundation grant for its "Communist of the Millennium" project.
"Students will analyze the rise of totalitarian governments after World War II to understand the causes and consequences of the Russian Revolution, including leaders' use of totalitarian means to seize and maintain power, especially the connection between economic policies, political policies, absence of a free press and violations of human rights," said Perez.
Students will do research on a leading theorist of communism and develop a three-minute television ad campaign that accurately incorporates historical research related to the Russian Revolution.
"In a media-saturated environment, the television commercial remains the one area where political candidates have complete control over their images," said Perez. "Teams of students, working as advertising agencies, will create television ad campaigns for historical figures related to students' study of the Russian Revolution."
According to Perez, students will also demonstrate an understanding of propaganda techniques and the various ways in which bias and stereotyping are used to influence popular opinion. Students will use the television ad campaign to persuade an audience to vote for his or her candidate.
"The goal of each team is to create a persuasive campaign so their candidate is recognized as the most influential leader of communism – one who can enlighten other individuals and countries to follow his or her ideals," said Perez.
All ads must be in good taste and consistent with classroom learning. Each team will be evaluated by other student teams. A panel of teachers and World History students will vote to determine the most convincing ad.
The $500 grant will be used to purchase two digital cameras for the project..
"We thank the Kids in Need Foundation for their contribution to this learning experience," added Perez.