AP Lit 3G: Byron & Shelley & Frankenstein

I haven't been here this week, so Ms. Haskell and the rest of the folks in the room caught me up to the speeds.

We looked at Lord Byron's "She Walks in Beauty" as a class because so many  folks have been absent recently.

We highlighted the contrasts of light and dark, the structure of the rhyme scheme, the presence of only two nouns per line, all working toward Byron's idea of maintaining balance.

We then took a look at an excerpt from Frankenstein.  I selected the opening paragraph from Chapter 20.

We explored the essential questions Shelley raises: responsibility for creation, playing Creator, progress vs safety and more.

More importantly, we examined HOW she builds these ideas through structure, parallelisms, diction and imagery.  

We discussed how Shelley functions as a designer of her work, thinking about the effect the construction of her piece will have upon her chief user: the reader.  

Hence, the lack of breaks in the paragraph, the building intensity, the exponential degrees of growth over the space of the passage, all there to get the reader feeling an overwhelming intensity.

If Shelley didn't employ empathy to achieve these ends, I'm not sure what she used.

Design. Build. Create.

Accept. Communicate. Trust.

HOMEWORK

Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Post: Use Colourlovers.com  to create a custom palette of at least three colors relating to meaning in Frankenstein.  You will need to name the palette and each color within it.  Be certain to choose purposeful names and push your self to go beyond the concrete.  (Concrete:  "blue sky" because the sky was blue.)
Due: March 7

Complete: Synthesis #3
Due: Mar 7

PACE: Design Thinking Challenge in a Day: Pitches & Macbeth

Hey folks,

I've been away presenting at SXSWEdu.com this week and learning tons and meeting folks I want to connect with you all.  One thing I learned was a fantastic mashup/remix strategy from Kami Thordarson, an innovation coach and teacher in the Los Altos School District in California, based on the DEEP design thinking from Mary Cantwell we've been using all year.

Here's what we did this morning so you can reference back to it as you create your Macbeth Pitching Power pitches over the next week.

We started with three groups and quick mapping/vizthinking about we know about Macbeth.

Then we listed movies and films and games and books we enjoy.

Then we listed reasons why we enjoy them.

Then we highlighted key ideas/insights that stood out to us.

Then we took post-its and put some of those ideas from each category on to a post it.

Then we put those post its on tables.

We sent runners to grab a post it from each table.

The group generated a pitch from the three post its.

We tried to make as many pitches as we could with new sets as we could in the time given.

Then we shared and practiced delivering the pitches.

It was awesome. And surprisingly easy and not scary.


Pitches and show bibles are due next Thursday.  Be certain to check out one another's blogs and share ideas. 
Design. Build. Create.
Accept. Communicate. Trust.

HOMEWORK 

Blogs: 3+
Req'd Post: Put up your pitch thinking from today AND/OR link to someone else's and share your thoughts.
Due: Friday, Mar 7 (Teacher PACE)

Macbeth Graphic Organizers: Must Complete 3

Teacher Pace Due Dates:

Wed: Feb 12

Tue: Feb 25

Wed: Mar 5

MUGS: Commonly Confused Words #2
Quiz: Friday, Feb 14 (NEW MAKE UP DATE - FRIDAY, Mar 7)

QUACK: Unit 1 Part 1
Quiz & Product Due: Thursday Feb 27

Think & Design: Movie/Video Game/TV Show Pitches & Bibles
Due: March 13