Note: This is our final “What’s Going On in This Graph?” for the 2018-19 school year. To receive next year’s schedule, and learn about our first graph of the 2019-20 school year, be sure to sign up for our free newsletter.
Students
1. This graph compares the relative value of highly-paid baseball players using salary and a player’s WAR, a baseball statistic that summarizes a player’s total contributions to their team.
WAR stands for “Wins Above Replacement.” The greater the WAR, the better the player.
The graph originally appeared elsewhere on NYTimes.com. By Friday morning, April 19, we will provide the “Reveal” — the graph’s free online link, additional background and questions, shout outs to student comments and headlines, and Stat Nuggets.
After looking closely at the graph above (or at this full-size image), think about these three questions:
• What do you notice? • What do you wonder? What are you curious about that comes from what you notice in the graph? • What might be going on in this graph? Write a catchy headline that captures the graph’s main idea. If your headline makes a claim, tell us what you noticed that supports your claim.
The questions are intended to build on one another, so try to answer them in order. Start with “I notice,” then “I wonder,” and end with “The story this graph is telling is ….” and a catchy headline.
2. Next, join the conversation by clicking on the comment button and posting in the box that opens on the right. (Students 13 and older are invited to comment, although teachers of younger students are welcome to post what their students have to say or they can have their students use this same activity on Desmos.)
3. After you have posted, read what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting a comment. Use the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address that student directly.
On Wednesday our collaborator, the American Statistical Association, will facilitate this discussion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time to help students’ understanding go deeper. You might use their responses as models for your own.
4. On Thursday afternoon, we will reveal more information about the graph at the bottom of this post. Students, we encourage you to post an additional comment after reading the reveal. How does the original New York Times article and the moderators’ comments help you see the graph differently? Try to incorporate the statistical terms defined in the Stat Nuggets in your response.
Last year, when Clark Wilson was in eighth grade, his sex education teacher repeatedly rolled a piece of tape on a table until it lost its stickiness, using words like “tainted” and “impure” to describe those who engage in premarital sex.
The lesson: “People are like tape and once they have sex they’re dirty and can’t have meaningful relationships,” said Clark, now 15 and a freshman at a Colorado high school in the Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch.
While sex education classes are not mandatory in Colorado, proposed legislation that is widely expected to pass would bar the state’s public and charter schools from abstinence-only education.
Clark was among several students who testified last month in support of the bill, which would also mandate teachings about safe sex, consent and sexual orientation, elements that have prompted a fierce backlash from those who argue they pose an attack on traditional family values and parental rights.
The comprehensive sex education bill, which passed the House this week and is headed to the Senate, would make Colorado the ninth state in the nation to require that consent be taught. Washington, D.C., also teaches consent.
Colorado, with its increasingly liberal cities but strong conservative footholds, is a microcosm of the larger national debate over sex ed. Across the country, 37 states require abstinence be covered or stressed, while only 13 require sex education to be medically accurate, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which studies reproductive health. In seven states, laws prohibit educators from portraying same-sex relationships positively.
In many schools, however, the focus on abstinence goes beyond just warning children about sexually transmitted infections or unplanned pregnancies. Often, students say, teachers tear off flower petals or pass around an object like tape, a stick of gum or a chocolate bar that becomes increasingly grubby as it’s touched.
Studies have repeatedly shown that abstinence-only education increases rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, while comprehensive sex education lowers such risks. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2000 to 2014, schools that required sex education dropped to 48 percent from 67 percent, with half of middle schools and more than three-quarters of high schools focusing on abstinence. Only a quarter of middle schools and three-fifths of high schools included lessons about birth control. In 1995, 81 percent of boys and 87 percent of girls reported learning about birth control in school.
In response to this news, The Edit, a newsletter written for and by college students and recent graduates, invited young people to share their sex ed experiences. Here’s what they had to say:
Shelby Scott, Knoxville, Tenn.
I was born and raised in Mountain Brook, Ala., which is an upper middle class community in the conservative Christian South. In ninth grade, health teachers showed pictures of late-stage STIs and we had an external speaker come to discuss sex more fully. The program she taught was staunchly abstinence only. The first demonstration she gave was the “dirty piece of tape,” in which we were told that having multiple sexual partners prevents your ability to have emotionally fulfilling relationships. While some students (especially those with more open-minded/realistic parents) knew the education we received was unhelpful, for other students it was legitimately harmful. After months of discussing whether they were ready and both consented, a close friend had sex with her college boyfriend. Later in the evening, I went over to her room and found her crying and repeating, “I’m a dirty piece of tape,” the message she internalized from our ninth grade health class.
Caleb Goldberg, Louisville, Ky.
My sex education class at a small private school in Louisville lasted between seventh and ninth grades (for reference, this is during 2012-15). It wasn’t an abstinence-only class, but it was pretty close. We learned extensively about STDs, while condoms and contraception were only mentioned in passing, and the emotional aspect of sex wasn’t, to my recollection, discussed at all. It was extremely heteronormative — gay men were briefly mentioned in the context of AIDS, and no other references to the L.G.B.T. community were made. I identify as more or less asexual so this inadequate education doesn’t really affect me too much, but I still think it would have been beneficial for me and my fellow students to have heard a more honest account of sexuality.
Linnea Peterson, Minnesota
The most comprehensive sex ed I ever got was actually provided by my church. Most people are horrified when they hear this, but my church is an anomaly. In the 1980s, we were the first large Lutheran church to be led by a female pastor, and, in 2012, we became the first large Lutheran church to be led by an openly gay pastor. My church-led sex ed was not the “don’t have sex or you’re going to hell” talk people sometimes envision. Rather, when I was in seventh grade, I went on a weekend-long retreat with my church that discussed healthy relationships, gender roles, sexual orientation, stereotypes, STDs, and birth control. The retreat certainly didn’t ensure that all of my relationships would be healthy (they weren’t), but it did much more than my public junior high or public high school did to equip me for the world of intimacy.
Amanda Haas, Westlake, Ohio
I went to Catholic grade school and high school in the suburbs of Cleveland. In fifth grade they taught us what sex was, and in eighth grade we talked more about STDs, pregnancy, and the value of waiting until marriage to have sex. In high school we learned about birth control, condoms, and looked more in depth about what sex was biologically. My teacher had a box where we could anonymously ask questions and made us all yell “Scrotum!” out the window to get the giggles out and make us more comfortable. I’m really thankful for the fact I had comprehensive sex education with an emphasis on abstinence, the emotional weight of sex, and the value of waiting for someone who cares about you. I think giving young people all the facts allows them to make better decisions. I’m personally still a practicing Catholic and at 23-years-old my boyfriend and I have been dating for three years without having sex.
Rebecca Oss, Yardley, Pa.
I’m a high school senior who goes to a public school with about 4,000 students. In my district, “health class” starts in fifth grade and goes to tenth grade, but only three years (fifth, seventh, and ninth) include sex ed. Ninth grade had 45 days of health, half being basically: “drugs are bad.” We talked about consent and how relationships can be abusive. We talked about a couple types of birth control. We were told there were three types of sex (vaginal, oral, and anal). We talked about porn and how it was not a realistic view of sex (though we were never given any information on what sex should really look like). Most of that class was about STIs, however. I am not sure if it was intentional or not, but a lot of what we covered seemed to be: “look at these disgusting diseases you could get from sex, so stay away!!!” There are some topics I really wish I had been taught, though. I wish we had talked about L.G.B.T.Q. relationships. I wish we had covered the fluidity of sexuality and gender too. And most importantly I wish we had had this class more often, so that I could more easily feel comfortable talking about these topics.
Zach Eisenstein, Washington, D.C.
As a young person starting to come to terms with my queer identity, I never benefited from a lesson or curriculum that I could even remotely see myself reflected in before college. When I got there, I lucked my way into a human sexuality course during my first semester. I actually learned about sex. I learned about enthusiastic consent. I learned that no penis is too large for a condom. But, most importantly, I learned that sex education is so much more than telling students to avoid “risky” behaviors that could lead to STIs or unintended pregnancies. My sexuality is not a risk. It’s just a part of who I am. And I should have learned that long before I got to college.
Students, read the entire article, then tell us:
— What has your sex education been like? Is it abstinence-focused or more comprehensive? What topics have you covered in your classes?
— What has been the most impactful experience — either positive or negative — you’ve had during your sex education? What made it so powerful?
— How do you feel about your sex education over all? For example, do you feel informed and empowered by your experience? Or confused and demeaned? Do you feel comfortable with your own body and sexuality? Do you feel prepared to have healthy relationships with others? Do you feel you have a good understanding of all the aspects of a sexual relationship — the social, emotional and biological? Why or why not?
— What topics do you wish you had learned more about in sex ed? Why?
— Do you think states should require that schools teach comprehensive, medically accurate sex education? Or should schools decide their own curriculums? Should parents be permitted to opt their children out of sex ed lessons? Why or why not?
Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
1. Why was the announcement that astronomers had captured an image of a black hole big news? Why did many believe this was not possible?
2. What exactly is a black hole? Describe one in your own words.
3. Where is the black hole, Sagittarius A*? How far is it from the Earth? How does its mass compare to that of our sun?
4. Dennis Overbye, the author, writes, “The image offered a final, ringing affirmation of an idea so disturbing that even Einstein, from whose equations black holes emerged, was loath to accept it.” What does he mean by this statement? What was so disturbing to Einstein about the idea of black holes? How does the image confirm his predictions about the nature of them?
5. How does the Event Horizon Telescope work? What challenges did the Event Horizon team face in capturing the picture of the black hole? How is the image different from a traditional photograph?
Finally, tell us more about what you think:
— What is your reaction to the first image of a black hole presented to the world on Wednesday? Mr. Overbye says the black hole looks like the Eye of Sauron from “The Lord of the Rings.” What do you think of when you see it?
— “What a time to be alive,” Janna Levin, a cosmologist, said in response to the release of the image. Do you agree with her sentiment? Why is an image of an entity from 55 million light-years away from Earth useful? How does the discovery affect how you think about and understand the universe?
— There are still many unknowns about black holes, such as what is inside a black hole and how exactly you would die if you were to be sucked into one. Which of these is most intriguing to you and why?
— The image of the Sagittarius A* black hole has already become a popular meme. Scroll through these memes and then create your own original one using the image. The meme can be funny, poignant or inspiring, and should express your reaction to the extraordinary picture.
Codecademy’s very own Nick Duckwiler (left) and Ryan Tuck from Warby Parker (right) in our office. (📷: Mitch Boyer)
Last month, Codecademy and Warby Parker came together to work on a special Learn SQL from Scratch Capstone Project. It was during this time when I met Ryan Tuck, a Data Engineer at Warby, who played a major part in this partnership. So when he decided to drop by our office for the final QA round, I had to break out my notebook and ask some questions. Enjoy.
Hey Ryan, let’s start off with a question I’ve had for a while — what is a Data Engineer? (Is it similar to a Data Analyst or a Software Engineer?)
At Warby Parker, data engineers are responsible for creating and maintaining the plumbing required to support the data and reporting needs of the business. We use software engineering practices to automate the work of data cleaning, normalizing, and model building so that data is always ready to be consumed by data analysts in every department.
What languages/frameworks do you use at Warby?
On data engineering, we use Python as our general purpose programming language, as do most of the other teams in our Technology department. When it comes to databases, we use PostgreSQL for the majority of our SQL needs, and are beginning to use Amazon Athena and Google BigQuery for some of our larger datasets. We use Looker as our exclusive business intelligence entry point to all of this data.
What are some of the projects you worked on?
I’ve had the privilege of working with a lot of of smart people in every department at our company to help them solve their varied data needs, from reconciling financial data with the Accounting team to automating and modeling standardized performance metrics for our team of over 200 customer experience advisors.
As part of a team of five supporting the data needs of a rapidly growing company, I’ve tried where possible to focus on helping our analysts solve their own problems. This includes helping people learn Python and commit to our codebase, guiding the creation of data models in SQL, and encouraging people to submit pull requests to add features in Looker, our BI tool.
Seeing dozens of otherwise “non-technical” colleagues opening up PRs on a daily basis, and consequently being part of the democratization of tech that we value at Warby Parker, is probably the most rewarding “project” I’ve been a part of.
One project finished recently during our first annual “Hackweek” is called Pipes, which allows anyone at the company to easily move large amounts of data from wherever to wherever (Looker, Google Sheets, PostgreSQL, BigQuery, etc) on a regular cadence, or manually through a simple one-line chatbot interface. The adoption has been overwhelmingly positive and we’re looking to grow this sort of tooling out even more.
“We use software engineering practices to automate the work of data cleaning, normalizing, and model building so that data is always ready to be consumed by data analysts in every department.”
What got you into the data field?
I’ve always been drawn to analytical fields like math, and became pretty proficient in Excel during some internships in college. Once I had learned to program and learned more about data science and its applications in artificial intelligence, I knew that anything I could do to immerse myself in the world of data would be a step in the right direction.
Three and a half years ago, I landed a job as a junior software engineer at Warby Parker not fully knowing what I was in for, but am so glad I got the opportunity to help build tools to support an interesting and ever-changing data-driven culture here.
Where did you learn SQL and Python?
I had a background in C++, and was exposed to Python through an Intro to Data Science course. When Warby Parker hired me onto the Data team in 2015, I had never written a SQL query in my life, but picked it up quickly and within a few months started up internal SQL training classes, which I still teach on a monthly basis.
What does your tattoo say?
The ultimate cheatsheet.
This is Bayes’ Theorem, which is an equation that describes how to update probabilities given new evidence. Two summers ago I worked on building a tool to help predict weekly fantasy football performance. Some colleagues suggested a Bayesian approach would be appropriate, since there aren’t really enough data points in an NFL season to be able to use statistical approaches that require larger datasets, and I’d want to regularly update my predictions after each player’s latest performance.
I did a deep dive into understanding the (simple) math underlying Bayes’ Theorem and came out of that experience with a whole new worldview, understanding my entire knowledge of the world as a big and intricate probabilistic model that I was continuously updating with every experience I ever have. It was pretty transformative, and I figured that was worth a tattoo.
What is a concept in SQL/Python that’s essential to your work?
Donald Knuth said, “Premature optimization is the root of all evil.” I’ve generally found this to be true, and try to live by it in my work. For example, I’ll generally prefer to keep a data model simple by rebuilding it for all time on a daily basis using a single SQL query instead of making a more complicated model that requires iteratively adding to a table, keeping track of state, updated timestamps, when something last ran, etc.
A wise man once said, “Duplicating data makes things go fast,” but databases are already impressively fast to begin with, without implementing anything to improve performance. Ultimately, I almost always approach a problem thinking about optimizing for my time over machine time, for readability over performance, and for introducing as little cognitive overhead as is required by the problem at hand. Only once performance issues or readability issues present themselves will some code be worth a rewrite.
Last question! Since you wrote Warby Parker’s internal SQL training courses, I know there gotta be some inner Curriculum Developer in you. Can you teach a SQL concept in 2 minutes?
Sure! Have you ever written a query that yields some result set and you think, “I’d love to query the stuff I just produced like it was a table?” Enter the WITH clause.
Suppose I have a mega query that gives the transaction summaries:
select
transactions.date as transaction_date,
sum(items.price) as total_cost,
count(*) as number_of_items
from
transactions
inner join
customers
on
customers.id = transactions.customer_id
inner join
transaction_items
on
transactions.id = transaction_items.transaction_id
inner join
items
on
items.id = transaction_items.item_id
Using WITH, I can create a temporary table within my query that I can SELECT from and treat it just like a regular old table.
I will put everything from the previous query in a parentheses and use WITH to give it the name transaction_summaries.
Then I’ll apply the date and customer filtering down below for a more readable query, to separate out all the JOIN logic from the actual WHERE filters that I want to apply on that data.
with transaction_summaries as (
select
transactions.date as transaction_date,
sum(items.price) as total_cost,
count(*) as number_of_items
from
transactions
inner join
customers
on
customers.id = transactions.customer_id
inner join
transaction_items
on
transactions.id = transaction_items.transaction_id
inner join
items
on
items.id = transaction_items.item_id
)
select
*
from
transaction_summaries
where
first_name = 'beyonce'
and
transaction_date > '2018–01–01'
order by
total_cost desc
limit
5
If you’re familiar with subqueries, this does a similar thing but makes the SQL far more readable, even if your query isn’t quite as performant as it would have been. This is essentially an implementation of the mantra “Don’t Repeat Yourself” that’s common in the world of programming.
Incredible. And love the SQL styling! 😍
Huge shout out to Ryan and the whole Warby Parker team for making this partnership happen. Special hat tips for behind-the-scenes support from:
(1) Symons, C. S., & Johnson, B. T. (1997). The self-reference effect in memory: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 121, 371-394
(2) Humphreys, G. W., & Siu, J. (2016). Attentional control and the self: The self-attention network (SAN). Cognitive Neuroscience, 7, 5-17..
(3) Turk, D. J., Gillespie-Smith, K., Krigolson, O. E., Havard, C., Conway, M. A., & Cunningham, S. J. (2015) Selfish learning: The impact of self-referential encoding on children’s literacy attainment, Learning and Instruction, 40, 54-60.
(4) Cunningham, S. J. Turk, D. J., Macdonald, L. M., & Macrae, C. N. (2008). Yours or mine? Ownership and memory. Consciousness and Cognition, 17, 312-318.
(5) Cunningham, S. J., Scott, L., Hutchison, J., Ross, J. & Martin, D. (2018). Applying self-processing biases in education: Improving learning through ownership. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 7, 342-351.
Are there things you do that drive your parents crazy?
Is it not cleaning your room? Leaving half-eaten food around the house? Spending too much time on the phone? Playing your music too loud? Mumbling your answers? Not saying thank you?
How do your parents handle these situations? Do their responses ever lead to positive changes in your behavior?
Do you ever wish they tried a different approach to these moments?
My 14-year-old daughter constantly abandons her coat on the floor and leaves half-eaten food in the living room and crumpled papers in the hall. I end up cleaning up after her, which I’ve repeatedly told her makes me upset.
She’s a smart, talented kid. So why does she keep pushing my buttons?
At some point most parents feel as if their teenager is acting in ways to intentionally make them angry. But experts say that the interaction is often more about the way the parent responds than about the teenager’s behavior.
The author provides advice to parents to better handle situations when they feel their buttons are being pushed by their teenagers. Here are excerpts from three:
Change the Language
“When a parent tells me their kid is ‘pushing their buttons,’ I let them know we need to change the language,” said Dr. Alexandra Solomon, a Northwestern University professor, clinical psychologist and author of “Loving Bravely.”
She said that thinking your child is controlling you is disempowering, which can lead to a battle of wills.
Such conflicts often fall into one of three categories, Dr. Solomon said.
The first is when the parents are thinking about their own teen behavior. Parents may project their fears, memories and challenges onto the relationship and can’t see their child as separate from themselves. Dr. Solomon gave an example: “The boy I dated when I was 16 cheated on me and broke my heart. My daughter should not date because all high school boys are immature and irresponsible.”
Another involves thinking of past mistakes they made as parents. Dr. Solomon said that if a teenager has trouble making friends a parent may think, “If I had taken my child on play dates when they were younger then they would have friends now.”
The last type is when a parent “fast forwards” to possible future behaviors. This is when a parent thinks, “If my kid is doing this at age 13 then what are they going to be doing at age 16?”
All of these patterns involve being ruled by fear instead of guided by love, Dr. Solomon said. Fear-driven parents often become controlling, creating strict rules, grounding their children or infringing on their privacy. “When these rules are created from a fear-based mind-set instead of what is necessary based on your teen’s developmental needs, an unhealthy relationship will develop,” Dr. Solomon said.
Be on the Same Team
Say to your teenager: “This isn’t working for either of us. What can we do to fix it?” Maybe the coat closet is near the front door and your kids don’t use it because they come in through the back door. Could you install a coat hook near the back door?
Once you have a plan, even if there is only a small improvement, praise your child for doing a good job and acknowledge that you have a better relationship because you are working together.
“Getting mad at your child isn’t going to change the behavior,” said Dr. Carla Naumburg, a clinical social worker and author of parenting books. “When you get angry, your attention is on the conflict instead of figuring out a solution to the problem.”
Trouble Shoot
If you have setbacks, ask your child, “Where do you think we went wrong?”
“Approach situations with curiosity. If your son doesn’t get out of bed, don’t say, ‘You are tired because you stayed up too late.’” Dr. Solomon said. Instead ask, ‘Why do you think you are tired?’ Hold back the urge to be right and instead stay curious by asking questions.
If you do yell at your teen, Dr. Naumburg recommended apologizing. “Some parents worry that apologizing will undermine their authority, but that isn’t true,” she said. “It’s a respectful way to be in a relationship and it’s modeling a behavior that we want our kids to do — take responsibility for their actions.”
Students, read the entire article, then tell us:
— Do you ever push your parents’ buttons? Tell us about a recent example. Why do you think your behavior got under your parents’ skin? How did they handle the moment? Did it help the situation or make it worse? How did you all feel later?
— The article provides several reasons parents feel aggravated by their teenager’s behavior. Do any of these explanations seem to fit your parents? What insights into parenting does the article provide?
— What do you wish your parents would understand about your behavior? Are there things you think you could do to make your parents’ lives a little easier and less stressful?
— What do you think about the author’s advice to parents? Which of the techniques that she recommends would you like to see your own parents try, and why? Are there any other strategies a parent has used that have worked?
— What advice would you give your parents? What advice would you give yourself if you become a parent in the future?
Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
Do you ever think about how much you and your family throw away?
What’s in your trash? Could other people still use it? Do you ever feel guilty about tossing it out? Do you ever give away, or donate things, you don’t need?
Americans throw away hundreds of millions of tons of trash each year. The average person produces nearly five pounds of trash each day, while a family creates about 17.4 pounds of trash daily, which adds up to roughly 1,600 pounds per person and 6,000 pounds per family each year.
Jake Orta, 56, an Air Force veteran, is one of hundreds of people in San Francisco who earn their living from the garbage other people have thrown out.
First, look at the photographs featured in the article. What can you tell about the life of a full-time trash picker in San Francisco? What story do these photographs tell?
1. The article begins, “Three blocks from Mark Zuckerberg’s $10 million Tudor home in San Francisco, Jake Orta lives in a small, single-window studio apartment filled with trash.” Why did Thomas Fuller, the author, start with this comparison? What details does he provide in the next two paragraphs to further describe the setting? What kind of picture do they paint?
2. The author writes that “trash scavengers exist in many United States cities and, like the rampant homelessness in San Francisco, are a signpost of the extremes of American capitalism.” What does this statement mean? How does he support this claim?
3. How much does Mr. Orta earn a day from the trash he finds? Describe the circuit he travels each day to find trash. What rules does he follow?
4. Which biographical details about Mr. Orta did you find most interesting? Why has he struggled with homelessness through his adult life?
5. Why does Robert Reed, the spokesman for Recology, the company that collects garbage in San Francisco, say much of the waste in his city is the “trash of convenience”? How is this beneficial to Mr. Orta’s search for valuable garbage?
6. How does Mr. Orta compare to other trash pickers in San Francisco? Why does he see himself as more of a “treasure hunter” than a trash picker?
7. What are some of the most notable items Mr. Orta has found in other people’s garbage. Which does he consider his favorite? Which is the most intriguing to you?
Finally, tell us more about what you think:
— What is your reaction to Mr. Orta’s journey from Air Force member to homeless person to treasure hunter?
— Nick Marzano, an Australian photographer who documents the world of trash pickers in San Francisco, calls the occupation of trash pickers like Mr. Orta “a civic service.” Do you agree?
— What does it say about our society that some live off the items that are discarded by others? Do you agree with the author that it is a “signpost of the extremes of American capitalism”? Do you disagree? Why?
— Does the article make you rethink what and how much you throw away? If yes, how has it changed how you might now handle the items you would normally consider garbage?
— What’s the coolest thing you ever found in the trash? Did you ever wonder how or why it got there? Do you agree with the saying “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure”?
American cities are like badger holes, ringed with trash — all of them — surrounded by piles of wrecked and rusting automobiles, and almost smothered with rubbish. Everything we use comes in boxes, cartons, bins, the so-called packaging we love so much. The mountains of things we throw away are much greater than the things we use. In this, if no other way, we can see the wild and reckless exuberance of our production, and waste seems to be the index.
What do you think of his perspective on American waste? Is it still true? What, if anything, has changed? What does what we throw away say about our society?
Every once in a while an image appears that so viscerally frames the human story in a time of social or political paroxysm that it becomes a symbol. Such was the case this week with a smartphone photo taken during a demonstration in Sudan against the repressive regime of President Omar al-Bashir, as the protests that have been going on intermittently since December reached a new intensity.
What is it about this picture that makes it so powerful? Why do you think it’s being called “the image of the revolution”?
What other photographs can you recall from recent history that have had this same kind of symbolic power? What makes them stand out to you?
Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to find out more about the force behind this photo.
Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan.
The word gratis has appeared in 12 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Nov. 23 in “Send in the Stagers” by Joanne Kaufman:
When the market was booming, even an estate sale might call for only minimal tweaking. “If an apartment was in nice condition with a view, you expected prospective buyers to come in and have their own imagination and know how a room could be laid out,” Mr. Moss continued. “Now every apartment has to be prepared for showing.”
… In some cases, real estate agents themselves will take on the role of ad hoc stager, in the interest of saving a client both the cost of furniture rental and the staging fees charged by the professionals.
Ms. Beauchamp, of Engel & Volkers, has a cache of chairs, lamps, glassware, vases and multiple sets of bed linens that she keeps in her own apartment and deploys gratis to dress up residences that she finds wanting. “It tells clients ‘I’m in this with you,’” she said.
“The Animated Life of A.R. Wallace” is an eight-minute film that touches on themes of struggle, persistence and recognition. It profiles the life and legacy of scientist Alfred Russel Wallace who is co-credited with Charles Darwin for the theory of natural selection, but has been all but forgotten by history. Through paper-puppet animation, the film details the many obstacles and triumphs Wallace faced on his way to coming up with the theory of evolution.
Students
1. Watch the short film above. While you watch, you might take notes using our Film Club Double-Entry Journal (PDF) to help you remember specific moments.
2. After watching, think about these questions:
• What moments in this film stood out for you? Why?
• Were there any surprises? Anything that challenged what you know — or thought you knew?
• What messages, emotions or ideas will you take away from this film? Why?
• What questions do you still have?
3. An additional challenge: What connections can you make between this film and your own life or experience? Why? Does this film remind you of anything else you’ve read or seen? If so, how and why?
4. Next, join the conversation by clicking on the comment button and posting in the box that opens on the right. (Students 13 and older are invited to comment, although teachers of younger students are welcome to post what their students have to say.)
5. After you have posted, try reading back to see what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting another comment. Use the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address that student directly.
Although Alfred Russel Wallace made one of the most important scientific discoveries in history, he’s been all but forgotten. A contemporary of Charles Darwin, Wallace was the other guy to discover natural selection — the evolutionary process whereby better adapted organisms are more likely to survive and pass on their traits than less adapted ones. Although two people discovered this theory, evolution by natural selection is virtually synonymous with Darwin. This is partly due to the lasting fame of Darwin’s opus, “On the Origin of Species,” but some argue it is also due to Wallace’s extraordinary modesty — he lauded Darwin’s work and humbly downplayed his own contributions. In 1889 he even wrote a book in support of evolution titled “Darwinism.”
• Read our list of practical teaching ideas, along with responses from students and teachers, for how you can use these documentaries in the classroom.
• Our next Film Club will take place on Thursday, April 18.
