AP Lit: Design Challenge: Prufrock Remixed

Design Challenge: Prufrockian Remixing.

How might we remix “Prufrock” into a derivative work (meaning, it is based on/inspired by an original) that reflects the poetic and design qualities and intentions of T.S. Eliot’s original?

DISCOVER.

Last class you did just this.  You spent a day exploring Prufrock and discussing and figuring.

Today, before you start empathizing and experimenting, take a moment to refresh your thinking with this spidea web.

Recreate this on paper in front of you.  When you think of what you’ve done with “Prufrock” so far, what immediately springs to mind.  5 min.  No more.

Follow this up quickly with an I NOTICE/I WISH/I WONDER over “Prufrock.”  Again, quick.  5 min.  Rekindle what you’ve already discovered.  

EMPATHIZE.

Work as a whole class on this.  Someone has to volunteer to be interviewed about their thoughts and feelings about “Prufrock.”  Here’s the thing.  It isn’t a lecture on Prufrock.  They must be asked questions by the other members of the class.  5 min interviewing one student.  

Then choose another.  Grand total.  10 minutes.

As you are taking notes during the interview, use this empathy map tool.  Consider what they are saying and doing as they are talking, and imagine what they might be thinking and feeling based on that.

This is your first twenty minutes of class.

EXPERIMENT!

Print off copies of “Prufrock.”   Cut it up.  Make it bigger.   Rewrite.  Move it around.  Remember in a remix you can add layers upon layers, bring in new, add your own.

There’s butcher paper in the lockers in the hallway.  Use it.  There’s stuff in the closet.  Use it.  There are LEGOs and Jenga blocks and who knows what? Use whatever you have and need.

The key?  Making sure it embodies the spirit and intention of the original while still seeming like a whole new work.

Inform your experimentation with what others have told you, what you’ve discovered about Prufrock.

Be wild.  Be free.  Try things.  See what happens.  Take lots and lots of pictures.  Put them on your blog.  Not because it is required but because it matters and it helps.  Please share them with me as well.

PRODUCE.

For next class, bring a working iteration of your remix for discussion, feedback, exploration.  We’ll be using the feedback wheel.  The what?  Next week we learn about the feedback wheel

Also, next week, we’ll  read and annotate  articles I will be sending to you about Prufrock and Eliot.  What do they uncover that we hadn’t?  How does your remixing experience lend itself to that sorts of thinking?

SHOW YOUR LEARNING.

Blog. 3+ Posts.

Req'd Critical Creativity.  Literary Emoji.  Choose any of our works from this year and express them in emoji form.  Or use symbols of your own.  Explain your thinking.  

Read & Respond.  How to Read Lit Like a Prof.  Is It a Symbol?

Post on your thoughts on Foster's ideas on your blog.

Essay Revisions. If you are intending to revise your  synthesis essay, you may want to get on it.  

I will only accept revisions up to October 27.  If you complete a revision, you must also submit a Revision Submission Form.

Due.  As many times as possible between now and Oct. 27.

Blogging.  If you revise your posts or if you post late, please use the fill tool on the blog tracker to turn that box, Green.  You can revise your blog posts 

Read & Design. Indie Book Project.

Due. Wednesday & Thursday.  November 4 & 5.

AP Lit 2B/3B: Questions & Prufrock

We'll start class with an affinity mapping exercise to prime our brains for a graded class discussion Tuesday. (Yes, this day.)  It will take about twenty minutes.

It will involve sorting our Lot Jot questions and trying to find common qualities amongst the questions we ask.  

Our goal: to determine the qualities that make up effective, meaningful questions.  Thus, we'll start by sorting our questions into categories and threads that make sense to us.  And then we'll describe them. 

And THEN... the discussion.  Look to the right.  There's our discussion rubric.  We'll be following that grading criteria.  Prepare your quotes!

Homework

Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd: Post 3 images/symbols that represent the 1st quarter for you; after posting the images, write a single paragraph of explanation
Due: Friday, Nov. 1

Read & Annotate: Excerpts from The Flamethrowers and Bleeding Edge
Due: Thursday, Oct 31
Read & Complete: Award Winning/Finalist Book Project
Due: Wednesday, Nov. 6
Prepare for Gallery Walk & Optional Choice to Present

AP Lit: Prufrock Remixing Notes & Pics

AP Lit 2B/3B: J. Alfred Prufrock RE-MIX

Cue the horns.

HMW (How might we) craft "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufock" remixes that remain true to the original while featuring new aesthetics and offering new meanings and contexts.

We started this work last week by dive bombing right into the thick of it with scissors and oversized copies and mentor texts in the form of Ellie Goulding videos.  Last week you were also to have read from a collection of literary criticism about "J. Alfred" and consider your own thinking in that regards.

Today, we will take one little step back so that we might take fifty coffee spoons forward this week.

We'll revisit the DEEP process, identify the stages through which we've already passed, and use design thinking to catapult us further into the HMW for this week's creative blog post.  This will also set up our thinking for our big, rest of the year, endeavor: personal analytical process.

As will tonight's homework.  Read and annotate two of the three selections from contemporary poets below.  As you read, consider the techniques evident that Eliot employed in "J. Alfred," as well as content and thematic connections.  

"In Whoever's Hotel Room This Is" by Matt Rasmussen

"Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah" by Patricia Smith

"Goodbyes" by Jillian Weise

More importantly, however, is to document your process.  Take pics & screenshots as you go.  Perhaps record yourself thinking outloud.  Use these prompts to guide you (however -- do not merely answer the following -- this isn't a worksheet-style list of questions)

• When do you annotate?  Before, during or after the reading?
• Do you work in pen & pencil or fingers & keyboard?
• What patterns/trends do you see in your annotations?
• Do you make connections to other texts?
• What sorts of marks and highlighting techniques do you use?

Homework

** All work goes in your AP Lit 2013 In Folder **

Read & Annotate: 

* 2 of 3 poems linked above

Document your process with as much detail and introspection and evidence as possible

Due: Wednesday, 10/23

Blog:

3+ Posts

Creative Blog Prompt: Remix "J. Alfred."  Added Challenge? Music. Video.  Yeah.

Due: Friday, 10/25

Revise:

College Essays & Synthesis Essays

Due: Friday, Oct 25 at the latest

Read & Create: Award Winning/Finalist (Formerly called "Indie") Book Project

Due: Tuesday, Nov 5 or Wednesday, Nov 6

AP Lit 3G: Remixing Prufrock & Preparing for Dallowinian Parties

We have a couple of housekeeping items & then we've got plenty of work to do.

Revisions.

As you complete revisions, remember to also complete a "Revision Submission Form."  This helps me track your work as well as better ensure I take note of all the work you've done. This form is in the "AP Lit 2013 OUT" folder.  (I might end up putting a link to it over in the right sidebar as well.  We'll see.  I don't want to clutter that space up.  Though to emphasize revision. . . )

Blogging.

This week's required post isn't creative.  Instead it's analytical.  (I'll make it up to you next week with a doozy.)  

"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

We'll start with Ellie Goulding.  Naturally.
 


And follow that with a little DJ Earworm.

Which takes us to a discussion of remix/mashup culture and the argument that T.S. Eliot, brilliant literary mind, has really crafted himself quite a magnificent remix/mashup of many styles, voices, points of view and created a thing quite worthy of its own accord -- but impossible to have crafted without its predecessors.

We'll take large print outs of the poem and slice that thing apart, taking trophies of poignant language and harvesting keepsakes of gorgeous thoughts.  We want to find those elements of the poem that best signify its essence -- without them, the poem would cease to be -- as well as the recognizable moments, the access points, the hooks.  (Anyone else remember Akon? All that dude did was sing the hook.  We need to find Eliot's Akon moments.  And file that under "Things never said by an AP Lit teacher -- ever.")

And then we will pause and return.  This is but day one.  We will come back to Eliot & J. Alfred next week with fresh readings and fresh perspective.

Dallowinian Party

The Party is upon us.  We must make certain everyone knows his/her roles, relationships between each character, the schedule for that day, and familiarity with the stream of consciousness writing form being employed, as well as the character preparation form. You'll be handwriting to capture the primacy of the moment -- and then transcribing to your computer for documentation & discussion purposes.

We also need to come up with a list of interruptions that will add context & plot to the party.

Homework

Prepare:
Dallowinian Party
Character Preparation Form
Due: Friday, 10/18

Revise:
Synthesis & College Essays
Revision Submission Form
Due: Last day to submit revisions 10/25

Blogging:
 3+ Posts
Due: Friday, 10/18

Analytical Post: Since we have such a creative endeavor ahead of this week in class, the assigned blog post will be analytical in nature.  However, one may want to use creative means of uncovering meaning between these two texts. (Taking pics can be a great way to share non-tech work on your blogs.)

Choose one of the several items of criticism at the link provided.  Choose one that captures an interesting angle, reflects or refutes your thinking, opens your eyes or otherwise engages your thinking.  These are not easy reads, some more challenging than others. Be unafraid to dig further, to research allusions.  Document your process (this may be more than a single blogpost's worth of work) and then post your thoughts in relation to the critic's.  Q: To what extent to you concur with the critic's assertions?

EQ: To what extent can amateurs demonstrate the quality of thought presented by experts?

http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/eliot/prufrock.htm

Read & Create:

Indie Book Project

Due: First week of 2nd Quarter

AP Lit: Remixing Prufrock

It begins.

AP Lit 2B/3B: Remxiing J. Alfred & Preparing for a Party

We have a couple of housekeeping items & then we've got plenty of work to do.

Revisions.

As you complete revisions, remember to also complete a "Revision Submission Form."  This helps me track your work as well as better ensure I take note of all the work you've done. This form is in the "AP Lit 2013 OUT" folder.  (I might end up putting a link to it over in the right sidebar as well.  We'll see.  I don't want to clutter that space up.  Though to emphasize revision. . . )

Blogging.

This week's required post isn't creative.  Instead it's analytical.  (I'll make it up to you next week with a doozy.)  

"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

We'll start with Ellie Goulding.  Naturally.



And follow that with a little DJ Earworm.

Which takes us to a discussion of remix/mashup culture and the argument that T.S. Eliot, brilliant literary mind, has really crafted himself quite a magnificent remix/mashup of many styles, voices, points of view and created a thing quite worthy of its own accord -- but impossible to have crafted without its predecessors.

We'll take large print outs of the poem and slice that thing apart, taking trophies of poignant language and harvesting keepsakes of gorgeous thoughts.  We want to find those elements of the poem that best signify its essence -- without them, the poem would cease to be -- as well as the recognizable moments, the access points, the hooks.  (Anyone else remember Akon? All that dude did was sing the hook.  We need to find Eliot's Akon moments.  And file that under "Things never said by an AP Lit teacher -- ever.")

And then we will pause and return.  This is but day one.  We will come back to Eliot & J. Alfred next week with fresh readings and fresh perspective.

Dallowinian Party

The Party is upon us.  We must make certain everyone knows his/her roles, relationships between each character, the schedule for that day, and familiarity with the stream of consciousness writing form being employed, as well as the character preparation form. You'll be handwriting to capture the primacy of the moment -- and then transcribing to your computer for documentation & discussion purposes.

We also need to come up with a list of interruptions that will add context & plot to the party.

Homework

Prepare:
Dallowinian Party
Character Preparation Form
Due: Thursday, 10/17

Revise:
Synthesis & College Essays
Revision Submission Form
Due: Last day to submit revisions 10/25

Blogging:
 3+ Posts
Due: Friday, 10/18

Analytical Post: Since we have such a creative endeavor ahead of this week in class, the assigned blog post will be analytical in nature.  However, one may want to use creative means of uncovering meaning between these two texts. (Taking pics can be a great way to share non-tech work on your blogs.)

Choose one of the several items of criticism at the link provided.  Choose one that captures an interesting angle, reflects or refutes your thinking, opens your eyes or otherwise engages your thinking.  These are not easy reads, some more challenging than others. Be unafraid to dig further, to research allusions.  Document your process (this may be more than a single blogpost's worth of work) and then post your thoughts in relation to the critic's.  Q: To what extent to you concur with the critic's assertions?

EQ: To what extent can amateurs demonstrate the quality of thought presented by experts?

http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/eliot/prufrock.htm

Read & Create:

Indie Book Project

Due: First week of 2nd Quarter

AP Lit: Prufrock Analyzed

Since we have such a creative endeavor ahead of this week in class, the assigned blog post will be analytical in nature.  However, one may want to use creative means of uncovering meaning between these two texts. (Taking pics can be a great way to share non-tech work on your blogs.)

Choose one of the several items of criticism at the link provided.  Choose one that captures an interesting angle, reflects or refutes your thinking, opens your eyes or otherwise engages your thinking.  These are not easy reads, some more challenging than others. Be unafraid to dig further, to research allusions.  Document your process (this may be more than a single blogpost's worth of work) and then post your thoughts in relation to the critic's.  Q: To what extent to you concur with the critic's assertions?

EQ: To what extent can amateurs demonstrate the quality of thought presented by experts?

http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/eliot/prufrock.htm

AP Lit: New Edition of T.S. Eliot's Modernist Masterpiece "The Wasteland"

And poet, Paul Muldoon, has a great deal to share about it on NPR's Weekend Edition.

Well worth your time to give it a listen.  A load of great info about modernism & the world in which Eliot and Woolf and Joyce were writing.