AP Lit: Hamlet Acts II & III: Discovery/Experiment Phases of HMW Stage "To Be or Not to Be"

We're doing a bunch of close readings, we're exploring how Shakespeare constructs this narrative, we're discussing how Shakespeare serves as a drama rather than a dogma, we're heading toward building empathy for these characters, and we are taking each class period as it comes so we can focus on the scenes, the moments that speak most to us in the moment.

Phew.  I'm tried just writing all of that.

Here are the blog prompts of last week and this week with regards to Hamlet.   The new blog tracker is up.

ACT I.
Blog: Analytical and Design.  Potent Quotable.  Choose a line from the act I you believe captures the essential TONE of the play so far.  The attitude Shakespeare as author, creator, intent driven artist is bringing to the words of the play.  Playful? Pedantic? Satiric? Doleful?

Then take that one line and illustrate with either an original photograph of your own or an image from Unsplash.com.  Use fonts and your design skills to create a visual.  Post it along with a written or recorded explanation of your intentions behind your design.  Posting your intentions is necessary to meeting the standards for media and reading.

Blog:  Critical Creativity.  Color Palette.  Use ColourLovers.com to create a three to five color color palette for Hamlet Act I. Give each color a unique name that reveals your understanding of the characters thus far.  Explain your intentions to meet the reading standard.
Due Jan 27, 2017

ACT II.

Blog post:  Casting Call.  Very few people did this one last time.  Important to do so this time around because this sort of thinking will help you with your design challenge.  Cast Prince Hamlet, Ophelia, Claudius, Gertrude, Ghost Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes and Horatio.  Creative constraint:  must be a cast that could actually exist.  In other words, you may use actors from the past, but all of the cast must be from that era.  Include a line of dialogue you can imagine the actor speaking in that role and a brief rationale for each chocie.

Blog Post: Close reading Hamlet.  Select a speech or soliloquy from Acts I or II -- any speech except for this, too, too, sullied flesh.  Unpack the speech in terms of poetic and literary devices used, allusions and references, and finally how those elements seem to contribute to a key idea in Hamlet.

Due Feb 6, 2017

ACT III.

Staging Hamlet.  Rose/Bud/Thorn.  Take a look at these three versions of Act I, Scene i.  Rose/Bud/Thorn each interpretation and record your thoughts on FlipGrid.  Then embed your FlipGrid on your blog.  (Help each other to figure out how to do this.  You can do it!)

Scoring Hamlet. (Act III.)   Create an original score for any scene in Act III using either live instrumentation, Garage Band, SoundTrap  Wolfram Tones, Beat Lab, or another online/digital music generator/creator.  Explain your intentions.

Due Friday, Feb 10th, 2017.

Eng 9: Suiting Up for Cardboard Challenge: Day Two: Discovery Phase

Dream Time.

We'll start today with Dream Time to get our brains opened up.  Expect doodling . 10 min.

Roots. 

Then it will be a dive into Roots 1 and a mashup game we call "Frankenword."  Remember there is a quiz on Friday.   I'll also show you how your "Frankenwords" could be used to create more evidence of your vocab understanding.  (10 min.)

Cardboard Challenge Day Two: Discover Phase.

We'll start  with three stations.  You'll need to spend time at each generating ideas on Post-Its.  (15 min.)  

Station 1.  Problems Worth Solving (personal, school, local, statewide, nationwide, worldwide)

Station 2.  Joys Worth Bringing (What makes you smile, laugh, happy cry?  What about others?)

Station 3.  Passions Worth Sharing (Your interests, likes and loves as well as those of others)

Then we'll divide into three groups to sort the Post-Its into trends, identify interesting outliers, and see how this will help us with our Cardboard Challenge work. (10 min.)

Suit Up.  Who will you be working with during the Cardboard Challenge?  You may work in groups of one, two, or three.

At this point, there should be enough time left in class to blog about your work today, post to your blog, and turn in your playlists.  On Friday, we'll start with a quick 2x2 grid activity.   This will help us determine ideas for our cardboard challenges.  And you'll have the rest of class to experiment with the maker cart materials to create prototypes of what will become your cardboard challenge.  (Next week -- you'll have Tuesday and Thursday to build, document and blog.

Show Your Learning.

Blog: 3+ Posts 

Creative Blog Post. #ShowYourWork on Your Global Cardboard Challenge design.

Sketches. Doodles. Maps.  Lists. Ideas.  Mini Makes. (Manila folder challenges) 

Due. Friday. 10.2.15 

Study. Roots Quiz #1  FRIDAY. (We should have taken this last week.)

Use the Quizlet to Help You Study.

Know the Root & What It Means.

Other Evidence of Learning:  In addition to the taking the quiz, you may want to create a roots product that demonstrates your understanding of the roots and what they mean.  Some of us struggle with quizzes as a way of proving we know something, but if we get a chance to use our knowledge, we knock it out of the park.  Consider writing a story, a set of instructions, making a video, recording a podcast, building something on Minecraft or in LEGO, recording a song, drawing a comic strip, or some other way of showing me that you know those roots and what they mean in a way that shows you truly understand. 

Due.  Friday. 10.2.15 

AP Lit: Watchmen Discovery Phase Continues

Here we go folks . . . 21 days and we'll have a movie.

Today we dove into possibilities for this film and signing up for production teams.

Suit Up Sessions

We agreed on no central protagonist, multiple layers, original song to tie things together but not a music video, use of flashbacks and some sort of event or experience that unites all characters

I was playing around with ideas after school on Monday

Blog.  3+ Posts.
Req'd Post.  Empathy Phase.  Talk to potential users of our film.  Rather than ask for what they look for in a film, find out which themes and ideas might best relate to them.  What would they find interesting to explore and compel them to keep watching?   How might we use the big ideas of our work to engage audience  and how might our devices enhance those big ideas?
Due. Friday.  May 15.

Brit Lit CPI: Reading and Research; Discovery & Empathy Phase

Today . . .

Thermostat research 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXquA-LiI5w

Wiring Video for auto cool Honeywell Thermostat

http://www.peta.org/living/companion-animals/cool-dogs/

Different forms of saving your animals from heat stroke

http://www.instantcheckmate.com/crimewire/dogs-are-dying-in-hot-cars-heres-how-you-can-help-save-them/

An article/visual about animal cruelty in hot cars

Mudding Research 

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/willamette/recreation/ohv/?cid=stelprdb5097794

The cost of illegal mudding

 http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2014/jun/10/four-wheel-drivers-trash-colville-meadow-mudding/

The few people who take advantage of mudding

http://www.find-off-road-trails.com/maine-trails.html

A list of the “legal” off-roading areas. 

1.  Find an article/video/podcast/website related to your design challenge:  mudding signage or thermostat car starter

2.  Use EasyBib.com to create a proper MLA formatted citation for  your article/video/podcast/website.

3.  Complete one of the four literacy strategies to show that you understand the text.

Notice/Wish/Wonder.

Text Connections.

Sketchnotes.

Soundtracking.

4.  Put your work in your Brit Lit IN folder.

ASSSESSMENTS.

Blog Post 2. Empathy Conversation.  Talk with someone who would be an invested user of your design.  Find out what bugs them about the current situation.  And find out what would excite them about a new design.

For example, what really bothers game wardens about current sign posts?  And what features could new signage have that would get them excited?
Due. Friday. May 8th.

Reading 2.  See above.
Due. Friday. May 8th.

AP Lit: Test & Watchmen & Poet-Trees Set Free

For a tiny class of four, we sure did a lot of doing today in AP Lit.

Here's what everyone needs to know . . .

1.  Test.  Wednesday.  UMF.  North Dining Hall.  Be there by 7:30 - 7:45.  Test at 8.  Boom.  Rock it.  HARD.

2. Poet-trees set free.  We'd really like to release the poet-trees into the wild for people to discover on nature trails and walking paths around our community i.e. Bonney Woods, Flint Woods, Whistle Stop, etc.   Not permanently, but perhaps for a week or two?

We came up with a great list today and need to strategize on how to get them out there, so long as all of the Poet-Trees crew is in agreement.  We also thought it would be great fun to encourage poet-trees selfies so we can see who finds them all.  Maybe we could make some rustic signage.

Also, mark your calendars for 7 a.m. Sunday, May 31st.  Tentative plans for a fully voluntary hike up Tumbledown to plant a Poet-Tree in the wee morning hours.


2.  Read Watchmen.  Chapter 4 by Thursday/Friday.   COMPLETE Watchmen for next week: Wed, the 13th, we will talk openly about the whole book.  Friday, the 15th, everyone should have completed the text.

Why is that so important?  Because  . . .

3. We are making a short film inspired by Watchmen.  Due date. Upload date.  World premiere date.  (Red Carpet Event Date?)  June 1st.

How might we demonstrate the themes, devices, characters and intentions of Watchmen through an original film inspired by the work?

To do so, we must identify Moore & Gibbons' techniques, the themes,  characters, the literary devices, the symbols, the imagery, the visual devices, the layers of allusions, the layers of text, and more.

To those ends, this is a design challenge so . . .

DISCOVERY PHASE!!!!

Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Post:  DISCOVERY PHASE.  Watchmen film project.  Based on what we've read so far, unpack the text.  What themes emerge already? Symbolism?  Techniques?  Colors? Devices?  Go nuts.  Explore the text.   What seems like it NEEDS to be there?  What feels indisposable at this juncture?  What could it do without?

Sketchnote it?  Mind map it?  Free write it?
Due.  Friday, May 8th.

Brit Lit: Design Challenges: Discovery & Experiment Phase

We'll start today with a ten-minute blog prompt to serve as part of our Discovery phase of our MUDDING SIGNAGE and THERMOSTAT CAR STARTER design challenge.

PROMPT.  Why did you choose the design challenge topic you did?  What experiences have you, or people in your life, had that led you to this topic?  What experience can you bring to the table that will inform possible solutions?

Then we'll complete DEEP dt Adventure Grids to game plan the next stages of the design challenge.

Then, we're going to jump right into some Experiment phase and make some low-rez prototypes of possible solutions.  We're going to use our Adventure Grids to guide us into Empathy work next week.  Expect to experiment each day going forward though.

The other thing to expect next week is a spreadsheet in Google Drive and assessments on PowerSchool  that will give you a checklist of exactly what you need to do between now and the end of the year.

ASSESSMENT.

Req'd Blog Post.  
Why did you choose the design challenge topic you did?  What experiences have you, or people in your life, had that led you to this topic?  What experience can you bring to the table that will inform possible solutions?
Due. Thursday, April 30.

Humanities: Little Things Essay: Discovery & Experiment Phases

We continue Discovery phase of designing our Little Things essays today.  We also jump over Empathy phase and start Experiment phases.  (We'll come back to Empathy when we do some peer feedback sessions & have some empathy conversations about readership,  details, storytelling)  

From Ms. Boiselle:

Below are station options for today’s class. You are required to do three of them today.

1.     Dialogue

In this station, you will use the pictures below to re-create dialogue for the scene presented. Then when you have finished writing dialogue for the scene, I want you to read it to a friend, without showing them the picture, and have them guess which picture you created the dialogue from.

For example:

“Sally, can I tell you a secret?”

“Duh Jane, I love secrets!” Sally replied.

I leaned in close and started to whisper my deepest, darkest, secret into my friends ear, when all of a sudden I hear, “Oh no Jane! If that is your secret, I’m gonna have to tell my mom!”

Can you figure out which picture that goes to?

2.     Setting a Scene

Using legos, rebuild the scene you are trying to create. This can be either literally or figuratively.

3.     Timeline Station

  Take index cards and write down the key things that happen throughout the scene that you believe are really important. Then with the index cards, put them in order, change the order around, and see what the best timeline of events would look like. When you feel you are comfortable with the timeline, take a picture of it so you can have it during the essay writing process.

4.     Topic Refining Station

 Finish the Rose Bud Thorn activity if you haven’t already. If you have finished that, use this station time to write down the most important pieces of the little thing that matters to you most. This can include the reason why it is important, the setting and time that makes it important, whatever it may be. Create these ideas on a stickie note, or index card and take a picture of what you write so you will have it during the essay writing process.

ASSESSMENTS.

BLOG. 3+ Posts
Req'd Post 1.  Students Making a Difference Playlist.
Create a playlist of three videos showing students making a difference in their local, national or global communities.  Post these videos on your blog and explain what the student did and why you chose to include it in your playlist.   Be intentional.

This playlist is only one of your posts for the week and will be our pre-work for our final project of the year.

Req'd Post 2.  Composition & Culture.  Create a slideshow or video of your presentation that can be shared with a wider audience.  Post it on your blog.  Include voice over or typed commentary and music -- the qualities that you know will appeal to your users based on our empathy conversations.

Due. Friday, May 1st.

Culture & Composition.  
Export your slideshows as QuickTime movies OR PDFs and put in your Humanities IN folders along with your rationales and self-assessment (Four Corners).
Due. ASAP.

ROOTS 12. Quiz.
Due.  Thursday, May 7

WRITE. Baltimore story.
Based on slideshow
Due. Today, April 29

LITTLE THINGS ESSAY.
Discover Phase:  Brainstorm, Rose/Bud/Thorn.
Post to Blog.
Due.  Wednesday, April 29.

Brit Lit: Discovery Phase: Design Challenge

Today . . .

1.  Find an article/video/podcast/website related to your design challenge:  mudding signage or thermostat car starter

2.  Use EasyBib.com to create a proper MLA formatted citation for  your article/video/podcast/website.

3.  Complete one of the four literacy strategies to show that you understand the text.

Notice/Wish/Wonder.

Text Connections.

Sketchnotes.

Soundtracking.

4.  Put your work in your Brit Lit IN folder.

Humanities: Feedback and Little Things Essay Intro

We'll start with our last few Composition & Culture presentations and some feedback for those presenters.

From there we'll break into our four stations because TUESDAY!


STATION 1.  FRANKENWORD with BOISELLE.  You'll be using Roots 12 to have a FrankenWord experience with Ms. Boiselle.

STATION 2.  FEEDBACK TRENDS.  (Production Phase of DEEP dt) Go through the feedback you've received on your Composition & Culture presentation.   Answer the following two questions in either a blog post OR an email to Ryder/Brackett

A. What trends do you notice across the feedback?  Things people noticed OR things people seemed to overlook that you noticed?

B. How might you apply this feedback to a revision/next iteration of your presentation?  What's your action plan?

Haven't finished your presentation?  Use this time to work on it.

STATION 3.  FEEDBACK with BRACKETT.  Have a conversation with Mr. Brackett about the presentations and how a next iteration could improve the situation.

STATION 4.  BRAINSTORMING and ROSE/BUD/THORN with RYDER.

Today you are being assigned your next essay.  The first submission draft will be due early next week.  Exact date TBA.

Little Things Essay

How might we design essays in which we share experiences of our own, or those of others, where a little thing had a significant (big) impact?   Consider objects, moments in time, single experiences, interactions . . .

In this station you will first brainstorm and spidea (word association) and then sort those ideas into Roses (gorgeous ideas), Buds (neat thoughts but not sure where to go with them), and Thorns (stay away from these ideas OR wrangle them carefully)

We will be using Post-Its.  Lots of Post-Its.

ASSESSMENTS.

BLOG. 3+ Posts
Req'd Post 1.  Students Making a Difference Playlist.
Create a playlist of three videos showing students making a difference in their local, national or global communities.  Post these videos on your blog and explain what the student did and why you chose to include it in your playlist.   Be intentional.

This playlist is only one of your posts for the week and will be our pre-work for our final project of the year.

Req'd Post 2.  Composition & Culture.  Create a slideshow or video of your presentation that can be shared with a wider audience.  Post it on your blog.  Include voice over or typed commentary and music -- the qualities that you know will appeal to your users based on our empathy conversations.

Due. Friday, May 1st.

Culture & Composition.  
Export your slideshows as QuickTime movies OR PDFs and put in your Humanities IN folders along with your rationales and self-assessment (Four Corners).
Due. ASAP.

ROOTS 12. Quiz.
Due.  Thursday, May 7

LITTLE THINGS ESSAY.
Discover Phase:  Brainstorm, Rose/Bud/Thorn.
Post to Blog.
Due.  Wednesday, April 29.

Humanities: Theme Song Essays: Discovery Phase: Brainstorming

Today we dig into: HMW we design our theme song essays? (hardcore.)

We are in DISCOVERY phase today, brainstorming & ideating.

We'll start with an improv game of sorts involving . . . well . . . you'll see.

Then we'll create "Who Am I?" charts for ourselves so that we are more in tune with the ideas that might show up in our essays.

This will lead to printing off the lyrics of 2 to 4 possible theme song choices and a color coding mark up activity.   You will be using your design kits.  I will be putting up pictures of this process so you can reference it.

What it comes down to is the we are throwing three different activities at you today intended to help you get your heads wrapped around this assignment.

HOMEWORK.

Blog. 3+ Posts.
Req'd Post.  Drum Kit prompt.  See Tuesday's blog post.
Due. Today, 2/6.

Design.  Theme Song Essay.  Create at least three pieces of pre-writing.
Maps. Sketchnotes. Outlines.  Webs.  Freewrites.
You don't have to write the essay.
You have to plan & design the essay.
Due. Monday, 2/9.

Complete: Theme Song Essay
Due. Friday, 2/13.

AP Lit: Discovery Phase & Moving Into Empathy Phase

We are knee deep in discovery phase of DEEP DT.   We have another day of this before the big transition into Empathy and then into Experimentation.  

On Thursday and Friday, folks used Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row" as an inroads to understanding Watchmen and uncovering some of the layers we may want to include in our installation.

This lead into Monday and a serious round of What/How/Why.

Period 2B kicked things off by identifying repeated images, colors, words, shapes, objects in Watchmen.

From there we used colored post-it notes to identify those repeated images and items that triggered something.  That got the brain going.

 Then we moved those points of discussion over to the cabinet.

During Period 3, Noah captured this work in the moving image.

Also, new Silhouette cut printer.  Sweet.

This sent us in pairs or solo to doing the How & Why portion of the program.

Folks used a combination of analog & digital means to document their thinking.  We are using Realtime Board to collaborate within each classroom.  I'm working on making sure everyone can at least see the other boards involved.  (Putting in multiple e-mail addresses on Realtime Board is a bit of  pain. )

During Period 3B, we discussed the possibilities of the installation and the angle to take.  After some vigorous thinking and discussing, we came to a non-conclusion that it was important to remember that not every student in the building will have read the book and we will want them to find meaning and engagement no matter.  

We discussed the possibility of separate strands .. a book strand and a life strand .. that mirror one another in intent and concept, but are separate.  We also discussed the possibility of just going with a life strand -- focusing on the application of the text's ideas to students' realities -- and we discussed working the text into the background and underlayment of the Watchmen text.

What's certain?

On Tuesday, Period 3G will be looking over the concepts uncovered by the other two classes, delving more deeply into the why, and determining a strategy for understanding the user's perspective as we move into empathy phase, knowing that we can always continue a return to discovery phase and that experiment phases will undoubtedly open up some new ideas.

HOMEWORK

Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Posts: 2 Req'd Posts This Week: Both on Watchmen
1. Empathy.  (Counts as a connection.)
Develop a short 3 to 4 question survey to conduct amongst the general population of Mt. Blue Campus in hopes of determining what sort of installation would achieve your intended goals.  Conduct the survey with at least three people - one of whom must be a stranger.
OR
Use the empathy strategies suggested/developed by the class.

2. Discovery.  
What techniques and tools do Moore & Gibbons employ that we could mirror/borrow to create our installation.  For example, Moore & Gibbons leave tons of clues in the signs and environment around the action.  How might we use signage (whether existing or created) and language in the environment around  to convey meaning in the installation?
DUE: SUNDAY, May 11th.  

WATCHMEN INSTALLATION: MAY 28th & 29th.

Craft & Share: #Ayuhaloha collaboration.

Due: Friday, May 2nd.  May not be able to meet this deadline if without response to your pieces.  Otherwise.  SHould be honoring this dead line as best as possible.

Pin: Review Pinterest Pin Boards

Due: Friday, May 2nd.  This is important as I want to be able to review them over the weekend and give you some feedback and thinking to take with you into the test.

TEST: Thursday, May 8th.

Test Prep: Materials in Google Drive.  I suggest looking them over and giving your brain time to process.

Get 'Er Done: Literary Analytical & Composition Process Project

Past Due