òwhat people think i do what i really doó meme · pdf filethis bundle includes...

“What People Think I Do...What I Really Do” Meme Activity Copyright © 2012, Tracee Orman

“What People Think I Do... What I Really Do” Meme Activity

Great for Back-to-School,with any Literature/History Lesson,

or a Career Research projectBy Tracee Orman

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http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Tracee-Orman


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Table of ContentsThis bundle includes several documents you can utilize:1. “What I Really Do” PDF handouts (this document)2. “Meme Activity Teacher Examples” Powerpoint/Keynote (offered in both formats. Mac users can open either; PC users should

use the Powerpoint format.)3. “Icebreaker Meme Activity Student Copy” Powerpoint/Keynote - A template for students for the icebreaker activity.4. “Character Meme Activity Student Copy” Powerpoint/Keynote - A template for students for the Character/Historical Figure activity.5. “Career Meme Activity Student Copy” Powerpoint/Keynote - A template for students for the Career activity.

Make sure to read through this document and the “Meme Activity Teacher Examples” presentation for more guidance and ways to present the material to the class.

Other Possibilities for Enrichment...Sociology Connection: Explore StereotypesThe “What People Think I Do/What I Really Do” meme is really about exposing various stereotypes and showing others the truth, or that there is more depth to the person/job than what others see.

Have students dig deeper into these stereotypes. While they are used as ways to poke fun at ourselves or at others, do they help combat the stereotypes, or further reinforce them?

Find Similar MemesHave students find similar memes that explore stereotypes.

Create Their Own MemeHave students create their own original meme. The topic can be about themselves or a hobby they like, or it can be related to a character or historical figure. To see examples of other memes, see the powerpoint.

COPYRIGHT REMINDER: Posting of this document and others on the internet is not allowed. You are allowed to distribute the student presentation files in a secure manner, but those are the only documents that can be distributed electronically. Thank you!


The “What I Really Do” memes* are popular right now, so why not utilize that enthusiasm for an educational purpose? This exercise makes a perfect first-day/icebreaker activity. Students can express how they think others see them (how they may be stereotyped), but show everyone how they view themselves. It’s also a great way to do character analysis for a novel, or to research a historical figure. In addition, use it to kick-start a research project on careers.

DIRECTIONS FOR ICEBREAKER/GET TO KNOW YOU ACTIVITY• Show students examples of the “What People Think I Do/What I Really Do” memes. You can find examples online here:

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/what-people-think-i-do-what-i-really-do or show them the example powerpoint examples. *Powerpoint includes a definition of what a meme is and other examples of different kinds of memes.

• Distribute the handout (or allow them to use the template ppt or online generator: http://uthinkido.com/ or http://whatireally.memegenerator.net/).

• Ask students to choose something they identify with and create their meme. Possibilities could be: -middle or high school student, [your school] student, [your school] athlete or other extra curricular, book lover (could

pick a specific author/novel/series), hobby, and so on.

• Students can either create the pictures by drawing them, or using their own photographs, or selecting images from the internet.

• Students can customize the captions (if they want to change “What my family thinks I do” to something else like “What my little sister thinks I do”, that should be perfectly fine as long as it’s school-appropriate).

• Grading is optional; usually I give a completion grade for activities like this.

• If you have an open house for parents/family members, have students display their memes. Parents/Guardians may get a kick out of their students’ perception of what they think the student does.

See page 5 for directions for Character/Historical Figure See page 8 for directions for Career Research

*FYI: A meme is “an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.” Richard Dawkins first coined the term “meme” in his book The Selfish Gene in 1976. Examples of memes include catch-phrases, melodies, and fashion. Today, images such as the “Keep Calm...” and the Some eCards are widely known memes. (Meme is pronounced meem.)




http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/what-people-think-i-do-what-i-really-do


http://uthinkido.com


http://whatireally.memegenerator.net




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme


First Day “What I Really Do” Meme

WHAT PEOPLE THINK I DO...

What my friends think I do. What my family thinks I do. What my teachers think I do.

What society thinks I do. What I think I do. What I really do.



______________________________ ______________________________ _____________________________

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________


DIRECTIONS FOR CHARACTER OR HISTORICAL FIGURE ACTIVITY• Show students examples of the “What People Think I Do/What I Really Do” memes. You can find examples

online here: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/what-people-think-i-do-what-i-really-do or show them the example powerpoint examples.

• Distribute the handout (or allow them to use the template ppt or online generator: http://uthinkido.com/).

• Ask students to choose a character/historical figure to create their meme.

• Students should research or find examples in the text that would support how others view that character or historical figure, and what they think (or thought) of themselves. {Are they stereotyped by other characters? For the historical figures, were they stereotyped by society?}



• Grading is optional; usually I give a completion grade for activities like this. However, you can require specific evidence for each character and offer points for each example.









Character “What I Really Do” Meme - My Character: _______________________________________





Historical Figure “What I Really Do” Meme - My Figure: ____________________________________





DIRECTIONS FOR CAREER RESEARCH• Show students examples of the “What People Think I Do/What I Really Do” memes. You can find examples

online here: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/what-people-think-i-do-what-i-really-do or show them the example powerpoint examples.

• Distribute the handout (or allow them to use the template ppt or online generator: http://uthinkido.com/).

• Ask students to choose a career they’d like to research to create their meme.

• Students should research characteristics of the career (how much education it takes, what the job involves) before creating their meme. Then they could do a survey, asking others what they think that professional does for their job.



• Students should show evidence that they researched the career and performed the survey for grading purposes.









Career “What I Really Do” Meme - Career/Profession: ____________________________________






______________________________ ______________________________ _____________________________

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

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