The Force of Friction

Political, social, and physical transformations!

Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless
vacuum of a non-existent abstract world can movement or change occur
without that abrasive friction of conflict.
Saul Alinsky

In physics, friction can be defined as any waste of energy that has been
harnessed to produce work. Socially, it can also be considere
d conflict or
animosity caused by a clash of wills, temperaments, or opinions. In this
project we will explore friction or conflict as it relates to political,
social, cultural and physical transformations in Latin American countries,
integrating Humanities, Spanish, Physics and maths to understand complex
interactions and their consequences.
Essential Questions
What are the push and pull factors that cause unaccompanied minors
from Latin American countries to immigrate to the United States?
What do unaccompanied minors experience on their controversial
journey to the United States?
How can 9th grade students creatively stimulate thought and provoke
action their community?
How can energy be both a unifying and diversifying agent of change?
How can friction be necessary for forward momentum and also inhibit
progress?
What are geometrical transformations and why are they important?
Humanities
Our goal in this project is to understand and explore the myriad motives,
risks, and outcomes involved when individuals make the decision to leave

their country of origin and enter the United States without official
government permission. Our energy will also be focused on a more
insightful comprehension of the immigration issue.
Ultimately, students
will conduct research and write an original, bilingual, one act play, based
on the life of an unaccompanied minor, then decide which plays will be
produced and performed at the all school Exhibition. During each play
performance, at the moment of climax, the audience will have an opportunity
to determine the protagonists course of action, and the play will be acted
out accordingly. Our hope is to enlighten the public and inspire civil
discourse.
Physics and Maths
Building on our energy transformation work from earlier this year, we will
explore geometrical transformations in maths. We will then demonstrate our
understanding of both physical and geometric transformations in large and
small kinetic art pieces models inspired by Klemens Torggler
(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XOCDLrfwh8
). These art pieces will be
incorporated into the performance art pieces for Exhibition.
Spanish
Students will continue to explore motives behind immigration while using
language skills to infuse Spanish lines into their one-act play. They will
contemplate the experience of being pushed to immigrate themselves,
research different Latin American countries, and produce an infographic
comparing them.