Lesson Plan - What Do You Meme?

Content: Internet Memes

Unit: Digital Culture & History

Time: ~1hr

Learning Objective

Students will develop an understanding of digital artifacts known as memes through instruction and activity. Students will understand the history and application (both entertainment and practical) of memes. Students will learn how to identify memes and engage in discussions about the future iterations.

Technology Standards

• Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
• Students engage in positive, safe, legal and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices.
• Students demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.
• Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.
• Students create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.

Technology Skills

• Internet Search
• Digital Asset curation
• Text creation and Typography
• Exporting and Uploading

Digital Tools Used

• Padlet
• Google Drawings
• Giphy (optional)
• Google Search

Research

• Forbes | Meme Marketing: How Brands Are Speaking A New Consumer Language (2017)
• The WIRED Guide to Memes (2018)
• Smithsonian | What Defines a Meme (2011)
• Structure of Memes
• Chapter 11 from Richard Dawkins, ``The Selfish Gene'' (1989)

Lesson Plan

Instruction - Meme History & Evolution

• Teacher introduces lesson, with purpose and agenda
• Brief history of memes including Dawkins history, WIRED mag and evolution
• Shares examples of memes, past and current
• Reviews positive digital citizenship practices before beginning activity.

Activity I - Independent Practice

Students will engage on a premade Padlet wall with a variety of 5 (or more) wordless images arranged in columns. Students are instructed to leave “comments” with their own captions for the images. Padlet allows allows for upvoting where students can see and “like” their peers’ submissions. Teacher has option to enforce a theme, limit on submissions.

Assessment (Formative) -Teacher will review submissions by students with students. The anonymity provided by the Padlet wall submissions allows for general feedback without singling out students. Time permitting, teacher can prepare a second set of memes for a second round of practice.

Instruction - Guided Practice

• Collecting images through Google Image Search (or other resources)
• Importing image to a Google Drawing
• Creating Text over Image
• Exporting Image and Importing to Padlet

Activity II - Create a Meme

In this activity students will use digital tools to create their own meme. Teacher has the option to encourage a theme or topic. Students can use Google Image search to locate images or use their own camera or library of images. Student will add original text following the design guidelines. Once complete, student will submit the images to the empty Padlet wall provided by the teacher. Student will have the opportunity to view and “like” each other’s submissions. Time willing, students will be encouraged to submit at least one and leave “like” three or more.

Assessment (Summative) - Teacher assesses student submissions based on the technology standards listed above. The ability to understand, design, upload and practice digital citizenship within this closed social network equates to mastery of this lesson’s standards. This step can also be used as a formative assessment if teacher plans to use memes in future assignments/projects.

Going Deeper

• Get To Know Your Students - Have students search the internet and select 5 memes that represent who they are. Images can be placed in a Google Slides presentation, saved as PDF and sent to teacher.
• Feedback - Have students to find or create memes to give anonymous feedback for their engagement, understanding,  or SEL status after a lesson or unit.. Submissions are anonymous allowing the teacher to re-evaluate the lesson/project/instruction.
• Literature Storytelling - Have your students collect or create memes found online to tell a story or to retell a story or book they have read. Memes, especially when posted in an anonymous format can be used for literary feedback or as prompts after reading.
• Research/Writing - Students have to research the origins of a meme, the meme’s social context, spread and shelf life. Results should be presented in a formal research paper format.
• PSA Poster - Have students in groups curate and design a meme collage that focuses on the SDG #12 (Sustainable Consumption & Production) with the goal of reinforcing, encouraging or informing student culture towards Global citizenship. This can be a multi-layered marketing campaign, exploring more of the SDG goals as part of our Global Competency initiative.