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

Humanities: Merryweather High Orientation ReDesign Presentations

Today was fantastic.

Five great presentations.

We will be using time on Wednesday to dig deeper into what made them great and how we can use that information to help us better solve our design challenge.

HOMEWORK

Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Post:  Think back to those first weeks of high school school.  Make a list of five or more things you wish someone had told you about life at Mt. Blue.  Explain your thinking behind each of them.

Roots: 10 (Over 6 - 10)
Roots Quiz 10: Thurs., March 6
Roots Product Due: Thurs., March 6

Present: Merryweather High Orientation Proposal
Due: Today!

Speak: Finish 3rd Marking Period (page 148)
Due: Thursday, Feb 27

PACE: Macbeth & Quack & Pitches

We started Tuesday with an activity using the Quack vocab and refreshing our Macbeth brains.

We broke into groups of two or three, each group was given a couple of Quack words from Unit 1 Part 1 of Quack.  Then the groups were told to create a two to three sentence pitch for movie/TV show/video game based on Macbeth using those words effectively.  The pitches were then posted to the class blogs.

Quiz on QUACK Unit 1 Part 1 on Thursday.

From there, folks had three choices.

One, work with Ms. Campbell on a close reading of Macbeth Act 2.1 and completing the Macbeth organizers.

Two, work with Mr. Ryder on developing ideas for pitches.

Three, work independently on graphic organizers, pitches, studying for QUACK, blogging and more.

We had some productive work in each area including the ideas below.

HOMEWORK 

Blogs: 3+ 

Req'd Post: Where's the Macbeth in that?  What have you watched, seen, read, heard that prove Macbeth's themes and characters are still relevant to today? Explain your thinking.
Due: Friday, Feb 28

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

Start Thinking & Planning: Movie/Video Game/TV Show Pitches & Bibles
Due: March 13

PACE: Macbeth & Pitches & More

Today was an early release day, so we didn't have time to dig too deep.  What we did today, however, can be repeated on Friday with a little bit more teacher PACE time at each area.  Also, I'm hoping to create some flipped classroom videos for you folks.

One station: Independence.  Work at your own pace on the Macbeth organizers, MUGS studying, QUACK studying and/or the Pitching Power project.

Another station: Pitching power.  We looked at the show bibles in the Google Drive and the rubric for the project.  We used a "I wish, I wonder, I noticed" protocol to capture our thinking.

And yet another station: Guided reading of scene 1.7 from Macbeth as Lady Macbeth and Macbeth discuss the possibility of Duncan's murder.


HOMEWORK

Blogs: 3+ 
Req'd Post: Pre-Thinking Your Pitch.  Take some time to brainstorm, to mess around with ideas, to talk out loud, to sketch and design, to use whatever tools you like -- digital or not -- to come up with some ideas for your project.  Questions you could answer that might help:
Would you make a movie, TV show, video game or book series?
Where might you set your story? Think about settings that feature a lot of people, a lot of relationships, and a lot of power dynamics.
Who might be an interesting main character? What does this character want? What is keeping this character from getting it?
Due: Friday, Feb 14

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

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

Start Thinking & Planning: Movie/Video Game/TV Show Pitches & Bibles
Due: Early March

Humanities: Working on the Merryweather RAFT Project

Today we started with some time on Roots 10.  You'll find a link over in the right sidebar.

Then there was a big chunk of time to work on the Speak/Merryweather High RAFT.

You have presentations due on Friday.  There WILL be an audience you must impress.

At the end of class will be a few minutes to read Speak.  Please have finished the Second Ranking Period for Wednesday.

HOMEWORK

Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Post: 
Empathy.  After break we will be interviewing students, faculty, and others about orientation so we can create the best experience possible.
Create a list of 5 to 7 questions for each of the following users/demographics.  You might use some of the questions for multiple users.

1. 8th Grade Students
2. 9th Grade Students
3. Upperclassmen Students
4. Middle School Teachers
5. High School Teachers
6. Middle School Administrators
7. High School Administrators
8. High School Guidance Counselors
9. Parents of 8th Grade Students
10. Parents of 9th Grade Students
11. Upperclassmen Parents

Due: Friday, Feb 14

Need ideas for more blog posts?  Check out the tag "Blogger Fodder" and the videos/links that have been posted.

Read: Complete the "Second Ranking Period" (pg 102)

Due: Wednesday, Feb 12