Grading Criteria for my Romeo and Juliet Unit
The unit I created for my final project combines the text of William Shakespeare's play with several film adaptations to help students understand the flexibility and scope of literature. They get to see at least three interpretations as well as create their own. Along the ride they are learning the basics of drama and performance arts from the perspective of the performer and director. This way they get to create the concepts and bring them to life. The text acts as a foundation while the film adaptations act as guides.
Criteria #1: Based on the text and films, students need to understand the basic story of Romeo and Juliet including who the characters are, what events are occuring, why the story goes from romance to tragedy, and what the basic purpose of the story is. This is shown through discussion and basic exercises.
Criteria #2: Students need to know the basics of drama and performing arts as used on the stage as well as on screen. This is based on their knowledge of terminology, how they analyze other's performances, and their own performances. Students will be expected to identify dramatic elements in the play, on screen, and when they take the stage.
Criteria #3: Students need to be able to analyze different adaptations of the play and look for similarities and differences as well as why they exisit. This will focus on the choices made by directors in casting, set, costumes, camera angles, mood, lighting, etc.
Criteria #4: Using the first three criteria as a foundation, students will then be expected to co-direct, perform, film, and edit their own scene from the play. This will be graded on knowledge and interpretation of the text, use of costumes and set, lighting, mood, camera angles, and editing. The final product will be their own film adaptation of one scene from Romeo and Juliet.
Hopefully by connecting media to the classic text of Shakespeare, students will have a more rounded experience with Romeo and Juliet that encourages comprehension and personal connection.
Below is a link to the unit which is on my wiki:
http://criticaltechnicalities.pbwiki.com/CI-5472-Final-Project
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Is This Mike Even On?" Documenting the Levy Vote of 2007
An event that I would have loved to document on film was the levy vote of 2007 when over a hundred Minnesota schools had levies on the ballot which would increase property taxes to help fund public schools. Obviously my angle would be to support the levies which would provide much needed financial help to the schools, but I would have attempted to show a relatively balanenced argument that showed the views of both sides. I would have included interviews of the school superintendents and administrators, teachers, students, parents, elderly voters, and younger voters with no kids. Also, I would have really liked to include an interview with Paul Dorr who had such an impact on the Robbinsdale district by papering the area with "vote no" propaganda. These people would have been asked what they actually knew about the levies, how they would have voted, what influenced their decision, and then see if new information would have affected this decision. Part of the documentary would have inlcuded why the schools needed the money from the tax payers, information about the school's budgeting, just how much the tax payers would pay, and what effect the passing or not passing of the levy would have on schools and neighborhoods including the drop in property values due to failing schools. This would have been done through the use of charts and graphs, expert opinions, and visual shots of actual schools, neighborhoods, and homes. Obviously I would face some challenges such as making sure the information and numbers are correct and honestly reflect the situation. Also, getting people to talk about their voting choices can be difficult. Being a teacher who is very dependent on the money from such levies as these, it would be hard to be objective. Hopefully the end result of the documentary would be to get people thinking a little harder about how they vote, why they vote, and if enough information is available to the voters.
We Didn't Start the Music: Using Billy Joel to Teach Poetry
The link below will take you to my wiki which has a PowerPoint Presentation on ideas for using Billy Joel songs to teach poetry. Please understand that much of the presentation is oral, so some slides do not make sense without the speaker.
http://criticaltechnicalities.pbwiki.com/Popular+Music+in+the+Classroom?edit=1&new=1
Apples to Oranges, Literature to Film: Using Film to Write a Comparison/Contrast Paper
Objectives:
- To identify connections between similar stories: plot, characters, symbolism, tone, etc.
- To identify differences between similar stories: plot, characters, symbolism, tone, etc.
- To identify the hero archetype in similar stories.
- To analyze the choices made by the authors in presenting their heroes.
- To write a comparison/contrast essay using block format.
Materials Needed:
- "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst
- "The Mighty" on film (based on Freak the Mighty by W. Rodman Philbrick)
- 2 Story Synopsis Sheets
- Note-Taking Sheet
- Comparison/Contrast Essay Packet
Activites:
- Read "The Scarlet Ibis", fill out Story Synopsis Sheet which identifies the basic literary elements such as plot, protagonist, antagonist, conflict, point of view, etc., discuss the elements as a class, discuss how Doodle fits into the hero archetype, discuss how Doodle does not fit into the hero archetype
- Watch The Mighty on film, use the Note-Taking Sheet to keep track of connections and differences between Doodle in "The Scarlet Ibis" and either Kevin or Max from The Mighty, fill out Story Synopsis, discuss the literary elements of the story, discuss how Kevin and Max fit the hero archetype, discuss how they don't fit the hero archetype
- As a class discuss how James Hearst and W. Rodman Philbrick present their heroes and why they gave them certain characteristics. Discuss the similarities and differences found between the stories.
- Using the Note-Taking Sheet and the Comparison/Contrast Essay Packet, fill in a rough draft of an essay that focuses on the similarities and differences between two characters. The essay will be written in block format and focus on Doodle from "The Scarlet Ibis" and either Kevin or Max from The Mighty. Students need to support their claims with details from the story and film. These claims should include characteristics of hero archetype.
- Through individual and peer editing, revise and write a second draft of the essay.
- Do a final edit and revision of the second draft before typing a final draft using a MLA format including a works cited page.
Copies of the following materials can be found on my wiki posted below:
- Story Synopsis Sheet
- Note-Taking Sheet
- Comparison/Contrast Essay Packet
http://criticaltechnicalities.pbwiki.com/%22The-Scarlet-Ibis%22-and-The-Mighty-Lesson
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