Humanities: Little Things Essay Workshop

Today, we'll start with Roots Quiz 12.

Then. . .

Stations . . non rotating . . choices . . . follow the sketchnotes below to help you with the process . .  starts with a description of each station and then the process follow below.

Stations.

AP Lit: Prufrockin Remixes Begin

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 in pairs or triads.  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.

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?

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.

(No pics because I got caught up in the million other things in the room. Gah. Too much awesome.)

PRODUCE.

For next class, bring a finished iteration of your remix for discussion, feedback, exploration.  We’ll be using the feedback wheel.

Also, read and annotate the 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?

HOMEWORK.

PRODUCE: Finish your “Prufrock” Remix.

Due: Next Class

READ: Read and annotate the academic articles on “Prufrock.”

Due: Next Class.

REVISE: Revise any revision that I give back to you this week by SUNDAY, if you so choose.  

What?!  I know.  Yes.

Humanities: Symbolism & Matt & Kim & Speak

We continued digging into symbolism and Speak today by exploring the song "Daylight" by Matt & Kim.

DAYLIGHT

we cut the legs off of our pants
threw our shoes into the ocean
sit back and wave through the daylight
sit back and wave through the daylight

slip and slide on subway grates
these shoes are poor mans ice skates
fall through like change in the daylight
fall through like change in the daylight

i miss yellow lines in my roads
some color on monochrome
maybe i’ll paint them in myself
maybe i’ll paint them in myself

these sidewalks liquid then stone
building walls and an old pay phone
it rings like all through the daylight
it rings like all through the daylight

chorus
and in the daylight we can hitchhike to maine
i hope that someday i’ll see without these frames
and in the daylight i don’t pick up my phone
cause in the daylight anywhere feels like home

I have five clocks in my life
and only one has the time right
i’ll just unplug it for today
ill just unplug it for today

open hydrant rolled down windows
this car might make a good old boat
and float down grand street in daylight
and float down grand street in daylight

and with just half of a sunburn
new yellow lines that i earned
step back and here comes the night time
step back and here comes the night time

chorus
and in the daylight we can hitchhike to maine
i hope that someday i’ll see without these frames
and in the daylight i don’t pick up my phone
cause in the daylight anywhere feels like home

We started by watching the video a couple of times and following along with the lyrics.

Then we marked up everything we thought could be symbolic.

Kindly ignore the WATER bottle ON the LAPTOP . . . for crying out loud people . . . 

And then we created remixes to emphasize the symbolism.  We cut and pasted and moved and drew and wrote to create versions of "Daylight" focused exclusively on the symbolic meanings.

It was pretty neat.

Then we moved our thinking over to Double Entry Journals (DEJs) and looking at how we can explain our thinking in writing.  This is something you will need to do on Speak this week and next.  

• We looked carefully at what makes the difference between a MEETS, DOES NOT MEET, and EXCEEDS the standard response.  
• Keys to meeting?  
• Identifying the symbol that is being used. 
• Explaining what the symbol means to the overall idea the author is trying to get across.  
• Identifying the author and the work. 

HOMEWORK

Blog: 3+ Posts

Req'd Post: Take pictures of three items that symbolize who you are.  They may be things you own, they may be objects you see, they may be in the school, they may be around town.  Take three pictures and explain how each represents you.
If you HAVE to find pictures off the web, ok.  Try to make that your LAST option.
Due: Friday, March 14

Double Entry Journals: 3 on SymbolismDue: Wed, March 19

Roots: Roots 11
Quiz & Product
Due: Thursday, Mar 20

8th Grade Transition Video

Due: April 15