Family Folklore
Project
Assigned: Monday, January 14, 2013
Due: Tuesday, March 5, 2013
NO PROJECTS ACCEPTED LATE!
Family Folklore Project
Guidelines, Requirements, & Recommendations
· All pages must be typed in Final Copy Format (no block lettering)
· All pages must be visually attractive (Look at the examples in class. What do people like to see with public presentations of material? What grabs their attention?)
· Use this section as a check-off list to make sure all of the items are completed, and that you’ve followed directions
· Make notes on this packet as we discuss each section
ð Cover
o It must be attention grabbing. Think of books that you’ve seen that have attention-grabbing covers. This entire project is about YOU, YOUR life, YOUR family, YOUR friends. The cover should represent the “feel”/mood of your project. My suggestion: do this page last! You won’t know the “mood” until all the text is written.
ð Dedication Page
o This is NOT a numbered page. It is also not a required page. If many of your family members have assisted you in doing this project, it might be nice to thank them.
ð Introduction and Vital Statistics Pages
o The introduction is a one-page summary of highlights from your life to date. See the “What to Include” page for details. The Vital Statistics page is required and FACES (meaning that the pages are next to each other when your project is open) the Introduction page. Note: I can print the Vital Statistics page in color for you when we go to the Computer Lab.
ð Name Description
o A page that tells about your name. You’ll have to research: What does it mean? Does the meaning change depending on what language it’s in? How did you get your name? Is there a story behind it?
ð Comparison/Contrast 5 Paragraph Theme
o You must compare/contrast yourself to one of the following: a character from a novel we’ve read in class this year, or one of your relatives.
ð Poem
o About you, written by you. At least 10 lines long. Any type of poem EXCEPT a “name” or formula poem.
ð Family Tree & History
o Family Tree: must include two generations (you & siblings, plus your parents), but you may put more if you wish.
o History Page: a list of 10 interesting events that have occurred on your birthday. These are facing pages.
ð Four Journal Entries
o Use facing pages (putting 2 journals on each page). Use the “Family Folklore Journal Choices & Directions” page to help you.
ð Family Stories
o You must write 3 family stories. Include a title for each story. Each story on a separate page!! Use the “Family Folklore Story Themes” page to find topics/stories to write about. You may do more than one story from a single theme.
ð Family Words/Phrases
o A page of words or phrases that you and your family use with each other. Think of examples we’ve talked about in class (doing an “Erkle”, “YOLO”, etc.) Lines that your parents/siblings use when you do something very “YOU”. When do something dumb, not clean your room, leave the refrigerator open, appearance comments, etc. Most people who see these lines out of context will NOT know what you’re talking about, and THAT’S OKAY! These are things you say with your family! Please use (!@#$%) if you must write an expletive!
ð Friends Words/Phrases
o Just like the family words page, but ones you use with your close friends. Keep expletives to a minimum! Think of nicknames, slang terms, etc. You may even want to include words/phrases that you used a long time ago, like 6th grade. J
ð Family Rituals
o A list of at least 10 family rituals with short explanations. OR a 2-paragraph explanation of one longer family ritual (the long one might be something you always do starting on Christmas Eve and goes thru Christmas day! – especially if your routine is the same from year to year!)
ð Pictures
o You should have at least 10 pictures although the more the better!! Especially if you have pictures that go with certain items that you’ve written about! DO NOT CUT UP, TEAR APART, OR OTHERWISE DESTROY IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR MANNER YOUR FAMILY PHOTO ALBUMS!! ASK your parent(s) if you may borrow the ones you need and make COLOR COPIES of them. If you put several on a “page” it will be cheaper than doing it individually. Cord Camera or Office Max are booth good places for making color copies. Your project will look best if your pictures are scattered throughout, but if you choose, you may put them all in one “Picture” section.
ð Family Quilt
o Believe it or not, this is the hardest part of the project. It requires some thought, time and creativity on your part. It is a 2-page spread. See “Family Quilt” page. BE CAREFUL – this page is a picture/character/symbol page; there are NO WORDS!!! You are not limited on where/how you get the pictures (cut from magazines, photos, online, drawing, etc.)
ð Family Quilt Description Page
o A page describing your “quilt”. You may do this page as a list describing things in a clockwise manner, or in paragraph form.
ð Collage
o Simply a collage of pictures/words/stores/foods/places/events/items that you like! This page should be completely covered with pictures of things you like/have interest in. IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!!
ð Thoughts about Me
o Since we just finished studying A Christmas Carol and “It’s a Wonderful Life”, I hope you’ve thought about how your life has affected other’s lies. This page will be a sort of two-way mirror of how you affect others. I want you to be creative as to how you set up the page. It can be a graffiti page, or it can list things, or look similar to your family words page. It will tell you what others think are your strongest characteristics, and/or how you have affected them.
ð “It’s All About ME!”
o This page is for ONE of the following:
§ To tell me about anything you’d like to that you haven’t already had a chance to do, like a page about your hobbies, activities, things you like to do in your spare time.
§ You could use this as a page for more ethnic-related items. Tell about where you’re from, so I can learn more about you!
§ A lot of people like to write about friends on this page. After all, friends are the family that you choose for yourself!!
o This page is designed for whatever topic you feel has been “left out” of this project. Be creative!
Vital Statistics
Little Known Facts about …
First 7 are REQUIRED
Then choose no more than 7 MORE from the list
REQUIRED
Full Name
Birth Date
Astrological Sign
Birthplace
Height
Eye Color
Nickname(s)
Choose 7 (or fewer) from this list
Favorite Food
Favorite Restaurant
Favorite Color
Lucky Number
Can’t live without my daily …
Favorite Movies
Favorite TV shows
Best Day EVER
Best day of the week This is a REQUIRED page
Song of the moment that goes right next to your
Favorite Book Introduction Page!
Favorite Flower
Least Favorite Thing
Biggest Pet Peeve
Favorite Sport
Greatest Living American
Best Date Idea
Best Vacation Spot
Pets
Favorite Season
Favorite Holiday
Favorite Vegetable
Favorite Fruit
Favorite Store
Family Folklore Journal Choices & Directions
Directions:
1. Choose 4 of the following questions you would like to answer.
2. Answer the journal by including the question in your answer.
3. Put all 4 journals on one page (or 2 facing pages) in your project.
Questions:
1. If your entire life was made into a movie, what would the title of the movie be, and why?
2. If you had a suggestion box in your home for ways to improve things, what would be 2 items you would suggest?
3. What kind of parent do you hope to be?
4. What part of your personality do you like the most, and why?
5. What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?
6. If a family member was describing you to someone who had never met you, how would they describe your personality?
7. What is your greatest feat for your future?
8. If you were not a human, but an animal, which animal would you be and why?
9. As you become an adult, what are you looking forward to the most?
10. If you were given a million dollars that you could not keep for yourself (it must be distributed to benefit others), how would you divide it, who would get it, and why?
11. If you could travel back in time to meet anyone from history, who would it be and why?
12. If you plan on going to college, where do you think you’ll go, what do you plan on majoring in, and what job would you like after you graduate?
13. As a middle school student, what are students’ greatest peer pressures in today’s world?
14. If you were invited to be on the Ellen Show to discuss concerns of your gender and age, what do you feel would be the most relevant topic to discuss, and what is your opinion on it?
15. What is the title and artist of your favorite song? What is this your favorite song?
16. What kind of places do you find the most relaxing? What place or places can you totally be yourself? What do these places have in common?
17. What would be the perfect climate for you to live in? Does the weather ever affect your personality?
18. Who would you prefer to live with if something tragic happened to your family? What would you choose these people?
19. A perfect friend is someone who …
20. Do you feel that schools are given too much or too little responsibility in what is taught to students? Support your answer with examples.
Family Folklore Project
Themes for Stories
Choose 3 themes to write on
THEME 1: Stories about hard times. Divorces, deaths, accidents, natural disasters, illnesses, etc.
THEME 2: Stories of things you’ve learned from your older relatives (parents or grandparents). How to … ? Cooking of special dishes (include recipe), and when your family serves this dish, manners, games, etc.
THEME 3: Stories of practical jokes played on or by family members.
THEME 4: Stories of when parents, grandparents and other relatives influenced your decisions or choices in a good way. Think about decisions or choices you’ve made with school, athletics, academics, friends, etc.
THEME 5: Stories of memorable moments with your family. Bad/excellent trips or vacations, stranded in the car or someplace, lost somewhere, lost luggage, bad or good service, etc.
THEME 6: Stories of most embarrassing moments, funny times, inside jokes, stories about your pets or animals, etc.
Family Quilt
This is a picture/symbol ONLY assignment!
1 LARGE PIECE OF PAPER
Section into 8 areas
1. Where you were born or where your family lives.
2. Things you like to do together as a family.
3. Things your parents enjoy doing.
4. Pictures representing each family member.
5. Favorite places (vacation spots, restaurants, hide-outs).
6. Favorite holidays or celebrations.
7. Things that your family dislikes.
8. Your family’s nationality (German, Italian, Spanish, Scottish, etc.)
“Family” for this assignment will mean your immediate family only. If that is not applicable, then write on the family you live with.
“Thoughts About Me”
Family Folklore Project
This page of your project can be set-up any way you’d like. It can be in a letter format, a “graffiti” looking page, a journal-entry page, page from a diary, however you’d feel most comfortable presenting the information that you gather from others, and what you already know about yourself.
WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THIS PAGE:
· Survey your friends and family (on paper) to get their thoughts about you. Don’t just come out and ask, “What do you think about me?” Or “What would you say about me?” Have them write down qualities or traits that they believe you have that are outstanding or unique to you.
· You can have someone tell a story about a time when you really helped them do something, solve a personal problem, get out of a bad situation, or were especially supportive, etc.
· If you know of a story from your past that your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins like to retell because it was about a time when you did something for the benefit of someone else or a group of people.
· Also, ask some people who you know, but perhaps not as well as some of your close friends. Do this with caution. It will take tactful wording, and sometimes a swallowing of your pride to hear what people have to say who truly do not know you very well. (For example, if you just don’t happen to smile that often you might be seen as “sad” or “depressed” or “mean-looking”. These won’t make you feel great, but it will give you a better picture of the non-verbal messages that you’re sending out without even meaning to send them!)
· Include some of YOUR thoughts. After all, it is about you. It’s very important how you see yourself, because whether you like it or not, people can “see” it. Include skills, personality strengths that you have, maybe some traits that you need to work on, or learn how to deal with better!
· Obviously, don’t include things that you do not feel comfortable sharing. If there is something very personal that you’d like to add, save it for AFTER I return the project to you. Then you can add a page or additional information so that when you take it out in a few years and look at it, you can read about what you really thought about yourself. You will do a lot of growing-up in the next few years, and you’ll really amaze yourself!