Final Project

So, Brittany and I created a two week unit on Urban Renewal when looking at Radio Golf by August Wilson and selected chapters from House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Here it is!

We will look at the social implications of certain neighborhoods and how they are constructed, ignored, gentrified, or demolished within the two texts.  I have been trying to fit this unit somewhere along the way but haven't been able to.  So, Brittany and I decided to finally create it!

We are reading fiction, but the students will be expected to create non-fiction texts.  Pick a neighborhood: it could be your own neighborhood, the school's neighborhood, or your grandmother's, etc.  Would you want to live to live there?  Do you like living there? Do you like being there?  What do you like/dislike about it?  Pick ONE or TWO aspects of a neighborhood (or you can compare two neighborhoods) that you want to focus on. 

Do some research on that issue or those issues.  Search the databases listed on the WIKI for information or other credible sources as well as some ideas for final projects.  These are some example issues: sidewalks, registered sex offenders, good bike paths, parks, too much trash, grocery stores, what did it used to be like?  How was it the same?  How was it different?

Take some pictures or shoot a video of your research, retrieve old photos of the neighborhood from city databases and/or other credible resources, interview your grandmother who's lived there for 40 years, etc. 

Present your research findings in a media format.  You can do a VoiceThread, podcast, Comic Life, iMovie, photo collage (with information).  Please talk to your teacher if want to explore an alternative format for your final project.

I would really like to use this unit in my future teaching.  I think high school kids are familiar with typical themes in texts they read.  Urban Renewal and Gentrification are interesting new themes to explore.  Of course, the issue of race in a text like Radio Golf will surely be touched on.  I feel that race ties in very closely with issues of Urban Renewal.

Teaching Film Adaptations of "The Tempest"

I am taking a look at "The Tempest" because a new film version just came out this year.  It is a fantastical, science-fictional take on Shakespeare's comedy.  Although it has been numerous years since I've read this play, this new way in which to read "The Tempest" seems worthy of exploring.

Here is the trailer for the new futuristic version from 2010 (in HD, of course).



The decision to make a science fiction adaptation to a Shakespearean play is not surprising; with the popularity of Harry Potter and LOST, a fantastical world seems necessary for rating's (and money's) sake.  This illustrates a huge media literacy "teaching moment"; Is this science-fiction reading of Shakespeare valid, or merely a money-making tactic off of an already successful story line?  My argument, not having seen the movie mind you, that this is merely a money-making reading of "The Tempest."  I argue this, first of all, because the movie setting is Hawaii, not far from where LOST was filmed: a direct link to a recent success.  More importantly, "The Tempest" does not have any supernatural tendencies in the story.  Therefore, it does not warrant a supernatural reading.  I think that it is far-fetched and unjustified.  On the other hand, this version adheres closely with the play's plot and vernacular.  There are a significant number of Shakespearean adaptations that do not follow the storyline.  It would be really interesting for students to critique this reading of "The Tempest" as a post-reading activity.

There are, of course, a couple other adaptations of "The Tempest."  this 1982 version, strays far from the story line, to much criticism.  The other criticism is the acting.  This version takes place in New York City and Greece.




There is also a 1979 version, which is not readily available anymore and a 1900's silent film version.

5172 Course Reflection

I've learned so much in this course.  I was terrified of technology and never thought I would have a blog.  I didn't know how to hyperlink or embed a You Tube video!  In another technology class, I even made my very own Google website!  I still want to add a few things, like a teaching philosophy some VoiceThread projects.  One concern I have for the future is being able to stay on top of all of new writing technologies that surface.  I'm afraid that I won't stay in touch with my groups I've formed on-line to stay current with new technologies.

If I were to have my future students use portfolios, I would use them as a collection of their drafts and final writing, research projects, and reflections.  I guess I don't know what criteria I would use until I knew what specifics I want to assess.  I am excited to build my own e-portfolio for future job searches.

Writing Assignment and Rubric

My final project is going to be a unit on Urban Renewal and Gentrification when looking at "Radio Golf" by August Wilson and House on Mango Street.  The final project in this unit will be a multi-media project of the student's choice depicting their research on a neighborhood of their choice.  They may choose to complete this project in one of these mediums: a documentary, VoiceThread, written essay, or podcast. 

Here is my preliminary rubric for evaluating this project.  I used Rubistar because I haven't built that many rubrics before.  I wanted to get my feet wet before I started creating my own.  I edited quite a few of the generic boxes to better suite my expectations.  As I complete a model for a student's final project, I will have a better understanding of what I am looking for and edit this rubric even further.   

Student Name:     _________________________
CATEGORY	Proficient 9-10	Exemplary 6-8	Satisfactory 3-5	Not Satisfactory 0-2
Content	Covers topic in-depth with details and examples. Subject knowledge is excellent.	Includes essential knowledge about the topic. Subject knowledge appears to be good.	Not enough essential information about the topic.	Content is minimal.
Originality	Product shows a large amount of original thought. Ideas are creative and inventive.	Product shows some original thought. Work shows new ideas and insights.	There is little evidence of original thinking.	Uses other people's ideas OR no evidence of original thinking
Organization	Content is well organized using effective techniques to group related material.	Uses effective techniques to organize, but the overall organization of topics appears flawed.	Content is logically organized for the most part.	There was no clear or logical organizational structure, just lots of facts.
Mechanics	No misspellings or grammatical errors.	A few misspellings and/or mechanical errors.	Many misspellings and/or grammatical errors.	Too many errors in spelling or grammar.
Presentation	Well-rehearsed with smooth delivery that holds audience attention.	Rehearsed with fairly smooth delivery that holds audience attention most of the time.	Delivery not smooth, but able to maintain interest of the audience most of the time.	Delivery not smooth and audience attention often lost.

Music and Language Arts

I wanted to explore the ways in which I could incorporate music into a 5-12 classroom.  Although rap is often considered a controversial topic in a classroom setting, educators are beginning to understand that the medium has its benefits.  If an option for student's final project was to rap a poem and the process engages that student, then I would consider it a success.  Here is an example of a recent high school graduate rapping "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe as well as the poem itself. 

"The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe

"The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe rapped by Jim Lian

Another way to incorporate music into the classroom is to add depth and a deeper understanding of a poem or novel.  Reservation Blues  by Sherman Alexie deeply revolves around the myth of blues "grandfather," Robert Johnson.  Alexie plays with Johnson's mysterious life and death and incorporates the myth into his story.  Knowledge about Robert Johnson is essential for a deeper understanding of the novel.  An introduction to Robert Johnson and the blues would be a great pre-reading activity for Reservation Blues. 

Here are the lyrics for Robert Johnson's "Cross Road Blues."  It was be useful to listen to the song as the students followed along with the printed lyrics.

Robert Johnson  "Cross Road Blues"  

This is a clip of the 80's movie, "The Crossroads."  (the Ralph Macchio movie, not the Britney Spears one).  I think showing the students a modern medium (in this case, film) containing the subject matter always validates the message for young adults.  This is the opening scene of the movie that shows Macchio, who currently studies classical guitar, "discovers" Robert Johnson's music.  




The Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Website

As the Rock and Roll website suggests in one of their lesson plans, linking the Blues to Langston Hughes is important as well.  An understanding of the form of the Blues enhances reading Hughes as well. Hughes' understanding and mimicking the blues in his poetry facilitates a study of the blues. 

In "The Weary Blues," Hughes describes watching a blues piano player and the vividly describes the feeling he gets while watching this blues piano player.

Langston Hughes  "The Weary Blues"

In "Po Boy Blues," Hughes mimics the blues' poetic and lyrical standards that the blues fosters.

Langston Hughes  "Po Boy Blues"