Pop Culture: Music Culture Continues & Blog Options for the Week

We only managed two out of three today and that's ok.  We're going to make up for it on Thursday with piles and piles of songs and politics and country and hip-hop, though we did get started today by talking about the unifying nature of hip-hop and country as essentially storytelling.

It may be one reason why this song has found such an audience.

All of that thinking came about from mapping musical roots up on the board.  I'm  going to post you some post-game thinking of which you may want to take advantage in the service of your musical roots project.

Here is the explosion of lines and doodles that were my marker board today.  I was trying to rush.  Wish I had taken my time . . .  y'know . ..  I might just do a sketchnote today to capture what I missed and through which I rushed . . .

Um. . .  yeah.  This.  The cow in the middle is the US.  I think.  I was manic.

A big deal.  Taylor Swift. Kendrick Lamar.  Even when T.Swift goes back to her country roots & even when Kendrick Lamar goes back into M.A.A.D. City, they are both storytellers at heart.  

The 1970s were a pivotal time for underground music.  Punk in England.  Hip-hop in New York. All informed by the migration of sound and people from the Caribbean and the economic struggles.  Hip-hop grew out of street dances & emceeing & rap culture out of the need to share their stories -- later it grew more aggressive.  Punk grew out of rejection of normalcy and authority -- it was aggressive from onset but less a need to share story & more to express raw emotion -- though really, all music tells a story.

Jamaica.  Caribbean.  Huge, massive importance in music culture.  Colonialism and slavery brought African sounds to those islands where they collided with indigenous sounds.  Those beats and rhythms and instruments then made it to North American and the US.  Those formed the backbones of blues and jazz -- jazz especially the most uniquely American music form.  Blues was really the transformation of spirituals into song.  Once blues was recorded, it started making its way across the Atlantic to England where it had major influence on The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Cream and The Who.  All five of those bands established themselves first as cover bands, covering amped up version of blues, country and rockabilly records.  

A lot going on here but basically a focus on economic struggle times being a motivator of musical innovation.  I wonder if this is true in our first real digital era as well.  Who came about in 2007 or so and has had a major impact?   

Here are just some of the songs I got to and didn't get to.  Really check out that early stuff and see how much it informs the music you enjoy.  It gets to a place quickly where there are so many genres it become difficult to draw an exact timeline.

Music Culture Project Rubric.  

Project Due. Wednesday.  Oct. 7th.

Blog. 3+ Posts.

Due. Friday. 10.2.15.
Pinterest.  1 Post.
Due.  Friday. 10.2.15.

Here are three options for creative blog posts for the week:

1. Musical Roots.  Choose a band or artist and create a map of that band's musical influences back at least three layers deep.  Explain your thinking and post links/embed content that shows evidence of your thinking.  Use our work from last week and today to inform this.

2. Create a Beat for the News.  Use Beatlab.com, Garage Band or another beat generator to create a beat to be played while a news story (from this week) is being viewed, heard, or read.  Post the link to the news story, embed/link to the beats, and explain your thinking.

3. Musical Color Palette.  Use Colourlovers.com to create a color palette for your musical tastes.  Name each color and explain its association to the music to which you connect.  For example, I might create an off-white color & call it "Middle School Hip-Hop Mindset" when the depth of my hip-hop knowledge went to Beastie Boys, Vanilla Ice (yup), and 3rd Bass with a little Fresh Prince and Rob Base on top of that.

Any of the the above could be expanded upon and further developed into your Musical Culture project due next week.  Consider this a way to build a first iteration or prototype for your finished project due next Wednesday, Oct. 7.

AP Lit: Guidance Visits & True Grit

Hi folks,

Guidance will be visiting on Monday and Tuesday, so I'm keeping our plans flexible.  Whatever time we are afforded will be focused on True Grit.  The nature of the work will depend entirely on the amount of time we have.  I hope we are able to make something things to help us with True Grit.  I sure do enjoy making things and seeing how making things helps others to understand.

Here are some absolutes.

Synthesis Essay 1.  Due Wednesday.  Submit by sharing your Google doc with me.  Huzzah.
How to Read Lit.  Chapter & prompt week.  See below.
Creative Blog Challenge. Color Palette.  See below.
Vocab.  Quiz NEXT week.  See below.

Blogging.  3+ Posts.  

Due. Friday. 10.2.15 

Creative Challenge.  Create a color palette for True Grit on Colourlovers.com.  Post a link/embed screenshot.  Name each color and provide an overall title for your palette.  Be intentional.  Then explain your intentions with a brief rationale for each color.  

Need an example?  

Read.  How to Read Lit Like a Professor.  "Every Trip Is a Quest . . . "

Answer the Following Question in a Blog Post: Based on your understanding of Foster's POV, what do you believe he would say about True Grit? To what extent would you agree with him?

Due. Friday. 10.2.15

Design & Submit.  Synthesis Essay 1.

Due. Wednesday. 9.30.15

Study. Roots Quiz #1  Monday/Tuesday next week. (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.  Monday/Tuesday. 10.5-6.15 

Eng 9: Cardboard Challenge: Day One

A couple of weeks ago, you were introduced to Caine's Arcade and the Global Cardboard Challenge while I was away.

This week, we start meeting this Global Cardboard Challenge, our second design challenge on the heels of our Playlist for Others challenge.

Design Challenge: Global Cardboard Challenge

Design Challenge: How might we use cardboard to solve problems, create joy, and share passions?

Today we start our Discovery Phase by watching another video: Adventures of a Cardboard Box.

But first!  Box Doodles.  We've done Thirty Circles.  Now, we'll take three minutes and see what we can do with just a box.  Or as many boxes as you can muster.   (10 min.)

Keep those.  You'll need them as we watch . . .


The Adventures of a Cardboard Box from Studiocanoe on Vimeo.

Think-Pair-Share. (30 min.)

Think. You'll have time to sketch more ideas from the video & see which ideas of yours show up in the video. (5 min.)

Pair. Then you will get together with a partner to share your notes and answer this question: What do you think the filmmakers want us to take away from "Adventures?" What's the message being delivered? The theme? (5 min.)

Share.  On index cards, doodle one of your box ideas.  On another (the bigger one) write the message you believe is being delivered. (5 min.)

Map & Sort.  We'll work in two groups.  One to sort the box ideas, one to sort the messages.  See what trends are emerging. (10 min.)

10 Minute Mini-Make. (Discover & Experiment.) (10 min.) 

I won't be giving you a box.  I'll be giving you a manilla folder, tape, 4 paper clips, and whatever is in your design kits to create something that either solves a problem, brings joy, or shares a passion.  These might become prototypes for your cardboard challenge.

This would fall under both of the Discover & Experiment phases of our design process.  (Next class, we'll be practicing some Empathy, experimenting some more, and getting into our design teams.)

Blogging.

We're going to add a new routine -- something I've never tried before.  Every class will end at 9.  You will have until the end of class to blog your takeaways from the class, to post evidence of your understanding, to read what others are saying.  I'll be-bop around the room to answer questions, help with technical problems, etc.

Show Your Learning.

Blog: 3+ Posts 

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

Sketches. Doodles. Maps.  Lists. Ideas.  Mini Makes. 

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 3G/4B Update: True Grit, Literary 3x3 & Synthesis Essay and More

Hi folks,

You six are doing a fantastic job of keeping up with my crazy.  The conversations have been strong, the thinking has been even stronger, and I am feeling good about the drafts I am going to receive next week.

Reminder that blog posts are due on Fridays.  Last week you had a Five Card Flickr in the voice of Mattie Ross challenge, this week a Soundtracking True Grit challenge.  (Next week: Color!  The week after?  Sketchnotes!)  The rest of the posts?  Anything related to class and thinking and creativity and drafts and annotations and thoughts and connecting and what not.

Starting NEXT week, I will be holding you to the expectation you connect to another students blog post.  There will be enough content from the weeks prior that you should be able to do this with little trouble.

Next week, True Grit should be completed (Monday for 3G, Tuesday for 4B) and synthesis essay first submission drafts completed as well. (DUE WEDNESDAY!)   We'll dive into the book on Monday & Tuesday and use SCOUT to do some close readings.  We'll also look at a bunch of other writings.  Excerpts. Poetry. Etc.

Here are the two Literary 3x3 Throwdowns from the two classes.  Though you'd like to see what the other is thinking.

Show Your Learning.

Blog. 3+ Posts

Creative Challenge.  Soundtrack True Grit (3+ Songs.)

Due. Friday. 9.25.15

Finish. Reading True Grit.

Due. Monday & Tuesday.  9.28-29.1.15

Annotate.

Design. 1st Submission Draft of Synthesis Essay 1.

Due. Wednesday.  9.30.15

What if we don't have class?  Yay for Google Docs!

Humanities 2BG: Multigenre Projects Continued; Blogging Continued

On Thursday we followed up the discussion & instructions of Wednesday with time to work in small groups exploring genres/styles/storytelling and blogging.

Here is the rubric for the Who Am I (At  the Moment)? Multigenre Project.




Here are pictures of our notes.

Our due date for this multigenre project is Monday, Sept 28.  If you turn it in on Friday, you will have the weekend to better recharge.  However, turn in your best quality work.  We'd much rather receive quality work on time than rushed work early.

Remember, too, that you have blog posts due this week.  At least one of the blog posts needs to be about your multigenre -- either a draft of a genre, a plan for your design, or the whole blessed thing.

To turn in your blog posts, go to our Humanities Blog Tracker.  BE SURE YOU PUT WEEK ONE POSTS IN WEEK ONE, WEEK TWO POSTS IN WEEK TWO!  Otherwise, you may not get credited as providing evidence of your Habits of Mind for each week.

Here's the blogging rubric again to help remind you of expectations.

Show Your Learning.

Blog. 3+ Posts.

Required Creative Challenge. Multigenre Project #ShowYourWork.  

Include any part or all of your MG.

Due. Friday. 9.25.15.
Post. Humanities Blog Tracker.

What else could I blog?  Oreo Challenge. Manilla Folder Challenge.  Lego Challenge.

Any and all of the graphic organizers so far.

Any and all of the LNG work so far.

Any draft or planning or sketchnoting or doodling so far.

Your personal flag.

Your Thirty Circles.

Poetry.  Creative Writing. Reflections. Things You are Seeing that Make You Think. 

Comments and Critiques and Dialogues

Videos That You Want to Talk About.

Music That You Want to Talk About.

Memes That Make You Think and Laugh And Think.

Articles That Make You Think.

Design.  Who Am I (At This Moment) Multigenre Project

Due. Monday. 9.30.15.

Next Week. Global Cardboard Challenge Begins.

Pop Culture 3B: Soundtracking of Our Lives & Music Culture Project

Soundtracking of Our Lives.

Monday in Pop Culture we dove further into our music unit using a Who Am I (At This Moment) tool.  We then tried to connect the dots between the items on the Who Am I to music and musical experiences.

My example:  Based on the family box, I remember my mother and I driving to our family camp, her telling me stories of my grandparents and my great grandparents while Starship's "We Built This City" played on the radio, KISS 94 FM out of Ellsworth to be precise.  (I got the cassette tape from a music club that summer as well. )

Your creative blog challenge for the week is as follows:  How might we create a soundtrack of our lives? Your constraints are as follow:

* Must be at least three songs in length

* At least three songs must include rationales of why each song was chosen

* You must use a digital tool to create and then post the actual soundtrack on your blog

Then you had time to work on your soundtrack.

On Wednesday, we will talk about the first project, due in two weeks on Wednesday, Oct 7.

Music Culture Project.

And I will circulate, make sure everyone knows how to publish blog posts and then submit them to our blog tracker.   I will also make sure everyone has access to our Pinterest board.

Show Your Learning.

Blog. 3+ Posts

Required Creative Challenge.  Soundtrack Your Life.  See the criteria above.

Due. Friday, 9.25.15

Curate.  1 item for Pinterest Board.

Due. Friday, 9.25.15

Design.  Music Culture Project.

How might we demonstrate our understanding of music culture?

Due. Wednesday, 10.7.15

AP Lit 4B: Literary 3x3 Throwdown: True Grit & Synthesis Essay Workshop

Literary 3x3 Throwdown: True Grit

On Monday we started with a Literary 3x3 Throwdown over Portis' True Grit.  We used our 3x3 decks from our readings thus far and then uncovered the first 113 pages of True Grit by laying out one card at a time until meaning revealed itself.

Here's that it looked like.

Synthesis Essay Workshop

From there we workshopped our synthesis drafts.  They are excellent exploratory drafts and another working draft is expected in class on Wednesday.

We also discussed blogging and this week's creative challenge: soundtracking True Grit.

Show the Learning.

Read & Annotate.  Complete True Grit 

Due. Tues. 9.29.15

Blog. 3+ Posts.

Creative Blog Post of the Week. Soundtrack True Grit.  How might we use music media to design a soundtrack of three or more songs for True Grit?  Include a rationale for each song include and embed the playlist on your blog as well.

Due. Friday. 9.25.15

Design.  Working Draft.  Synthesis Essay #1

Next Draft Due for Workshopping.  Wednesday, 9.23.15