Monday, March 30, 2015

Humanities: To Kill a Mockingbird Continues

Monday we continued watching To Kill a Mockingbird as we uncover another way of looking a culture -- this time through the lens of filmmaking.

To Kill a Mockingbird is an interesting example because it is widely considered one of the best films ever made, it portrays the Depression era south of the 1930s BUT was made in the Civil Rights Era 1960s.  It is a film that could have been made in color, but was made in black and white.  It is a film that could have focused on several of the subplots of the original novel, but focuses on only a few.

Last week we examined the opening credits and made predictions about the symbolic meaning within.


Friday we examined a single frame and the meaning conveyed in that single frame.



On Tuesday, we will be finishing the film.  We will likely start by revisiting our predictions about the credits  and seeing how those surfaced in what we've watched of the film thus far.

Where's all of this going?  We'll be doing a final project around the eight components of culture as they relate to our individual cultural identities.  And we'll be practicing that knowledge by identifying how the components of culture surface in Of Mice & Men and To Kill a Mockingbird.

ASSESSMENTS.

Blog.  No Req'd Blog Posts This Week.  Complete Missing Req'd Posts.  Remember, best collection of evidence
ASAP.

Revise. Theme Song Essays & Complete Revision Submission Form.
ASAP.

Complete.  Romeo & Juliet Projects.
ASAP.

Complete.  To Kill a Mockingbird trailer foreshadowing Graphic Organizer.   Of Mice & Men foreshadowing Graphic Organizer.
ASAP.

AP Lit: Poetry as Design: Design Thinking Challenge: DISCOVERY Continues

Monday, we continued our work with our poetry as design challenge: DISCOVERY.

Where we are at so far:

How might we increase . . . 

Period 3B. Connectedness

Period 4G. Happiness

at Mt. Blue Campus through our understanding of poetry and design?


We have been ideating/brainstorming around possible installation features and experiences as well as starting to look at the sonnet form.


Today, 3B came up with four strong experiential installation features:

  • hide-a-poem/find-a-poem (find parts of a poem around the building)
  • suggest-aiku  (suggestion box that receives only haiku)
  • poet-trees (metaphorical & literal trees built of poetry)
  • poet scale (to which poet do you most align?)
There were others as well; these four simply emerged as the strongest contenders from our 8 Box into Storyboards ideating protocol.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we will determine how best to practice empathy and identify user needs this week.  We will also start populating the DEEP board with this project so we can see who is working on what elements of the installation and making certain we hold ourselves accountable for the process.  (Tuesday, Period 4G will also be doing a fast paced version of 8 Box & Storyboard.)

In the meantime . . . 


ASSESSMENTS.

Blog.  NO REQ'D BLOGGING!  Fill in any req'd posts you might be missing. 

Read & Close Read.  Sonnet work for Wednesday/Thursday

Sonnet Work:
Read: "The Sonnet" chapter in "How to Read Lit" and annotate. 
Read: you’ve got a pile of poetry to read and it’s gonna be great.  We will be examining the sonnet form and discussing why it endures. There are  poems you need to read on the “Sonnet” page.  (The English, Petrarchan and Italian examples)  There are two Shakespearean sonnets you need to read as well,  ”Let Those Who Are in Favour”and “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?”  
Annotate/sketchnote three of the above sonnets.  (Suggest SCOUT and CRAPify lenses.) Your choice.  


Poetry as Design Challenge.

a.  Design an original poem (must employ at least 7 poetic devices) and one page self-analysis

b.  Design an interpretation of a poem (visual, audio, dramatic) and one page self-analysis (identifies poetic devices at play in poem)

c.  Collaborate with classmates on interactive poetry infused installations to increase happiness/connectedness at Mt. Blue Campus.

d.  Portfolio of collected poetry for use in interactive installations and accompanying SCOUT & CRAPify analysis for three of those pieces.

Due.  Installations & interactives.  Wed April 14.   Portfolio, SCOUT/CRAPify, and self-analysis due Fri. April 16.  Documenting of design process.  Fri.  April 16.


Looking ahead.

Indie Book Projects.  
Due End of Week After April Break.

Watchman installation.
Due end of May.

Final Synthesis.
Final due at end of class in May.