Romeo and Juliet Get an "A" for Dedication

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

romeo and juliet (1996) trailer

Romeo and Juliet

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

Breaking News! A Look at Kare 11

Kare 11 News, Nov. 30, 2007, 10:00 P.M.

Here's what happened:

• The first five minutes of the news was focused on the upcoming snowstorm. This included maps, snow estimates, a report on the preparedness of the snowplows, an update of the possible roadway conditions, advice about shoveling, and an assurance that this would not be the storm of the century. There was also a clip about flying this weekend and whether stores will be low on staples (not at this point). Although is seemed at first as if they were hyping up the weather, the majority of the information was reassuring.
• Next, there was a two-minute clip about the budget deficit and how the state and Pawlenty will handle it. One thing was emphasized, no raised taxes.
• Now we move on to the speed news, thirty-second clips about the diesel prices, a murderer who used Craig's List, a fire, a man holding hostages who just wanted to talk to Sen. Clinton, and the death of Evel Knievel. The move from local to national news was seamless.
• Another winter warning sends us into the first commercial break exactly ten minutes into the news. These commercials appeal to middle-class adults for the most part with ads for cars, furniture, and anti-aging products. The commercial breaks stayed consistent at four minutes each, all including at least one car ad., furniture ad., and one farm seed ad.
• The next section of the news was some brief clips of a local soldier's suspicious death, a progress of the I-35 bridge, the new Nordstrom store coming to Minnesota, then a four minute report on the weather. It was tied up with ten second clips focusing on good works such as Toy's of Tots.
• At 10:20 was the second commercial break following the same format as before.
• The last section of the news was focused on sports: hockey, football, volleyball, and basketball. The reporter bounced from high school sports to college sports to professional sports. The majority of the time was spent on male teams.
• At 10:28 the final commercial break occurs with the same commercials as before: cars, furniture, farm seed, and now insurance too.
• The lottery numbers pull us back into the news for a last plug for the Salvation Army and a weather reminder to be careful.

Here's what I noticed:

• The news lasted about 31 minutes and 12 minutes were taken by commercials, ten minutes by the weather, 2 minutes on the budget deficit, 2.5 minutes on local news, 1 minute on national news, 30 seconds on charity, and four minutes on sports.
• There was only one female anchor and she was only shown for about 2 minutes.
• The majority of the news was upbeat and positive.
• The weather was over-covered, but it was not played up as being an "emergency" situation.