AP Lit: Design Thinking & Book Projects

Tuesday and Wednesday were intended to be DEEP design thinking FlashLab experiences for us to get more familiar with the DEEP design thinking strategies and how to apply them to our work in class. Tuesday went well, while Wednesday was thrown off by us having a short class and my having to leave early unexpectedly.

I wanted to connect some of the dots for folks here in advance of you digging into your book projects.  The projects themselves are due on November 6 or 7, depending upon your class.  HOWEVER, you must have your books finished by the beginning of the week (Nov 3 & 4) so we can have our last graded class discussion for Q1.

INDIE BOOK PROJECTS.

By now you should have started your award winning/finalist (of last 20 years) OR AP Lit test suggested title.  There's a list in the Google Drive if you have yet to decide.  Also, our library has several of the titles in stock.

When you embark on creating your project this time, consider it a design challenge:  How might we demonstrate the qualities that earned that work its accolades?

You will be expected to complete the design thinking packet I've provided before -- and I'll provide again -- and submit alongside your project on the due date.

Key:  empathy.  Think about your user. What will engage them?  What will they understand?  What will draw them in and convey your thinking?  And think beyond your immediate user.

No more dumpster projects.  Create something that matters, that will reach your user and that demonstrates genuine understanding.  Consider the myriad possibilities.

AND . . . TRUST THE PROCESS.  Use the design process.  Interview people.  Ideate.  Brainstorm.  Find out what your users want to see, what makes them think, and then align that with your skill sets.

DISCUSSION.

We'll be looking at "Prufrock" on Thursday and Friday with our first graded class discussions.  We'll be using this rubric to assess your discussions.  Key here?  Pointing to specifics in the texts -- citing specific lines --  and building on, as well as refuting or challenging, others' points of view.

We are going to use slightly different formats in the two classes because one is so small.


HOMEWORK.

Read & Annotate: "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot

Read: Indie Reading Book.
Design: Project
Due: 1st Week of November

Complete: Synthesis Essay Revisions
Due: Friday!
(If you have submitted a revision this week, you will get one more shot at it.  It will be assessed this weekend.)

Humanities: More Work w 3x3s, Speak & Freaks & Geeks

Today we'll start with making sure folks have turned in their WNM portfolios.

Then we'll do some work with the 3x3s we did over Speak and the first ranking period.  There will be some sorting, then some remixing, some mashing up, and some connections to Freaks & Geeks.

Then we'll watch some more Freaks & Geeks.

And finally, return to Speak to finish the day.

HOMEWORK.

Read: Speak (End of 2nd Ranking Period)
Due: Tomorrow.

Complete: Speak Ranking Period 2 Graphic Organizer (Choose between Notice/Wish/Wonder and Three 4 Thinking.
Due: Tomorrow! Thursday, Oct 23rd

Humanities: Speak, Freaks & Geeks & New Vocab

VOCAB.
Today, we dig into Roots 3.  Quiz next Thursday (Roots 1, 2 & 3).  Roots-based word product due next Thursday as well.

CHARACTERIZATION.
Then we return to Freaks & Geeks and practicing our understanding of characterization with the graphic organizer we started in with yesterday.

SPEAK.
And then it's on to Speak where we will be using a technique called the literary 3x3 to help us recap what's happened in the novel so far and focus in on the big ideas.

HOMEWORK.

Read: Speak 61-72
Due: Tomorrow

Complete: Organizer 2
Due: Thursday

AP Lit: Rose, Bud, Thorn & Synthesis Essays

Today we'll be doing just as last Friday's class did.

We'll be using the Rose/Bud/Thorn DT strategy to explore first, the food court, and then, our synthesis essays.

You  can see some of what the other section came up with here.

This will lead to a synthesis essay workshop to help us with this last week for revisions.  (Pinning Frankenstein revisions can come in next week because not everyone has them back yet.)

HOMEWORK.

Blog: Graded blogs are done for the quarter.
Revise/make up/enhance

Read: T.S. Eliot's Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
Due: Friday, Oct 24th.

Check AP Lit Due Dates doc.

Humanities: Speak & Characterization

We'll start today with an LNG.

LNG View
Rather than using the form, however, we're going to ask that you post your thinking on your blog.  A) This should help folks who keep losing their responses.  B) You are writing so much good stuff, we're actually finding it harder to read through Google Forms than we thought.

STEAL Characterization

We'll do a little activity to familiarize ourselves with characterization and the STEAL methods of characterization.  I made this doodle to help you out.

Speech
Thoughts
Effect on Others
Actions
Looks

From there, we'll watch the first ten minutes of the pilot episode of Freaks & Geeks so we can practice applying our new STEAL knowledge.  We'll use this graphic organizer, doodling, and our own brain pieces to make this happen.


SPEAK.
We'll use the rest of time to read Speak and either complete the graphic organizer due today, or start working on your next.  Tomorrow we'll do an activity to help us make sure we know what's happening in Speak so far as well as the big ideas coming up.

HOMEWORK.

Blog: Catch Up.  No New Posts Required.  Be Certain to Post Links in Blog Tracker.

Read: Speak 49-61
Due: TOMORROW

Complete: Graphic Organizer 2.
Focus: On characterization.  How might you work in STEAL through your responses?
Due: Thursday, October 23rd.

AP Lit 3B: Rose Bud Thorn & Synthesis Essay Revision

On Friday, we're going to try something a little different.

We're going to use the Rose/Bud/Thorn strategy -- we use it in design thinking all the time -- to open up opportunities and problem solving with our synthesis essay revisions.

It should make for some interesting thinking.

HOMEWORK.

Revise.  Catch up.  Breathe.

Check the AP Lit Major Due Dates Schedule.

Humanities: Speak & Understanding

Today we'll be focusing on Speak and the  graphic organizers you are using to demonstrate your understanding of the characters and events of the book.  

We're going to try something a little different though.

You'll need your design kits and white paper and I'll have copies printed of the graphic organizers.  Before filling out the organizers online, we are going to try note taking and doodling on paper, first.  The idea is to try and eliminate some of the distractions working only digitally might be cause. Doodle and note on paper.  THEN, use those notes to fill out the graphic organizers online.

So first, we'll break up the work areas into four-seat desks, three people at each desk with an open seat for Ryder/Brackett.  Speak books, paper, design kits, graphic organizers.  The teachers will bounce around and help you out, check for understanding.

With about twenty minutes to go in class, I'll start reading from the beginning of tonight's reading assignment.

HOMEWORK.

Read: Speak 36 - 46 (End of the 1st Ranking Period) (Full Schedule Here)
Complete: 1st Graphic Organizer (Choice of Notice/Wish/Wonder or Three 4 Thinking)
Due: Monday, Oct 20