“The Lottery” Creative Projects
English 10
Select one of the following activities. Your final project will count as one test grade.
Builders
Build a black box and fill it with items that are examples of symbols, characters, and other ideas related to the story.
Artists
Create a PowerPoint or cartoon flip book that tells the story of “The Lottery” without words—using music, pictures, symbols, etc.
Directors
Create a dramatic adaptation to “The Lottery.” You can modernize it or make it reflect a past event, whatever your group decides, BUT it has to relate to the central themes and ideas from “The Lottery.” I will need a copy of your performance.
Journalists
Write a newspaper article discussing the events of June 27th. Be sure to include, who, what, where, when, and why in the column.
Game Developers
Make a board game (or video game) in which some sort of lottery is involved. Be sure to include the rules, directions, and objectives of the game.
Authors
Write a story that reflects either prompt A or B:
A) When we look at the lottery, it seems like an evil, barbarous practice from the outside. Choose a practice/tradition that we think is normal but that might seem very strange or even immoral from someone who is not from our society. (Examples might include hazing in fraternities, ignoring homeless people on the streets, bombing other countries i.e. Hiroshima & Nagasaki, death penalty, etc.) Write a story about this practice from the perspective of an outsider who is appalled.
B) Think about traditions, practices, celebrations, and situations in the world or in your community
that you do not understand. Many cultures have unique traditions that we do not understand. For instance, why do people in India revere cows? We have a whole industry based on butchering these animals? Why do females in the Middle East have to wear Burkas? If you choose this writing prompt, your assignment will be to create a short story from the perspective of a person from that culture and demonstrate why that practice is acceptable and understandable. There are many traditions and actions in this world that we do not understand, which is perfectly normal, but we must try to see the other side.
You will be working with a partner for this assignment (see board for who your teammates are). Your assignment will be to create a PowerPoint that tells a story without words—using music, pictures, symbols, etc. Before you start working on this, discuss what you know about the themes and symbols of “The Lottery.” Have a person in your group be the scribe and write down your ideas so that you can refer back to them. If you’re not sure, ask me and I will come discuss the story with your team. After you’ve discussed the story’s themes and symbols start working on ideas for your project.
Here are my suggestions for how you can approach generating ideas for project:
-Brainstorm songs that relate to the themes
-Google images that could relate
-Bring in magazine articles and clips that relate to the story and its message
After you have an understanding of how the story relates to your research you can create your PowerPoint. See me if you do not have access to a computer, we can work something out. As a group, I would make sure you exchange email addresses and come up with a plan on how you want to investigate the media for this project. I will give you your rubric for the project when I come around to meet with your group. Also, you will be able to publish your project on the class blog after presentations.
Finally, each group member must write a 1 page double-spaced reflection that explains what you learned and what your thinking was as you were working on this project. What did you struggle with? What are your proud of? What problems did you face as you worked in a group? We usually call this the “behind-the-scenes” reflection. What do you want me to know as I view your project? What have you learned about literary devices/techniques? This is to be handed in on presentation day.
Good luck and remember to have fun!
--Ms. Janson
Actors
You will be working in teams of 3. Your group discussion assignment for today will be to compare and contrast “The Lottery” with current and past events.
Consider these questions:
-What traditions do we have that seem strange?
-What situations around the world don’t we understand?
-Has there been someone you know who has been used as a scapegoat in a situation?
-Think about all these situations and compare them to the characters and plot of “The Lottery.” What do you think Shirley Jackson is trying to say?
After you’ve discussed these questions, it’s your turn to be playwrights. Create a dramatic adaptation to “The Lottery.” You can modernize it or make it reflect a past event, whatever your group decides, BUT it has to relate to the central themes and ideas from “The Lottery.” Today, I would suggest that you’d sketch out how you want your vignette to look and divide up the work. Remember to exchange emails so that you can correspond through email and AIM. I will give you your rubric for the project when I come around to meet with your group. Also, you will be able to publish your project on the class blog after presentations. I will have a video camera if you want to have your project filmed.
Each group member should prepare a 1 page double-spaced reflection that gives me a “behind-the-scenes” look at what you were trying to accomplish with this play and what you have learned. In addition, you have to prepare a brief concluding address for the class, explaining your rationale for your play or film.
Good luck and remember to have fun!
--Ms. Janson
Writers
You will be writing your own story that reflects the themes of “The Lottery” and then you will be peer-reviewing them. Right now you should brainstorm about current and past events that relate to “The Lottery.”
Consider the traditions that we all have. Discuss different traditions that you all have within the group and/or different traditions you know about.
i.e What traditions do you have that outsiders might not understand?
Again your assignment is to individually write a short story that uses the themes of “The Lottery” as a basis. I am giving you two writing options to help you generate a story.
Writing Prompts:
C) When we look at the lottery, it seems like an evil, barbarous practice from the outside. I want you to choose a practice, tradition, or celebration that we think is normal but that might seem very strange or even immoral from someone who is not from our society. (Examples might include hazing in fraternities, ignoring homeless people on the streets, bombing other countries i.e. Hiroshima & Nagasaki, death penalty, etc.) Write a story about this practice from the perspective of an outsider who is appalled.
D) Think about traditions, practices, celebrations, and situations in the world or in your community that you do not understand. Many cultures have unique traditions that we do not understand. For instance, why do people in India revere cows? We have a whole industry based on butchering these animals? Why do females in the Middle East have to wear Burkas? If you choose this writing prompt, your assignment will be to create a short story from the perspective of a person from that culture and demonstrate why that practice is acceptable and understandable. This might require some research or it may just involve critical thinking. Consider this as an opportunity to answer or research something that you don’t understand. There are many traditions and actions in this world that we do not understand, which is perfectly normal, but we must try to see the other side.
You can discuss these prompts as group. There is no assigned story format. That is your decision. It can be a children’s book, a comic book, a traditional short story, etc, but your story must be approximately 1,500 words. Please discuss with me if your story is going to be shorter than that, and we can work something out.
As you write your story consider the rhetorical devices that Shirley Jackson used to appeal to our senses, create imagery, suggest mood, and to set the tone. Think of your word choice and the literary elements that you use. Be creative and have fun!
After you finish writing the story, you will peer-review your stories to get different perspectives. Just like the other groups, you will have an oral presentation at the end. As a group, you will decide which story you all will read to the class. However after I correct your stories, I may want you to share them with the rest of the class. I will give you your rubric for the project when I come around to meet with your group. Also, you will be able to publish your project on the class blog after presentations.
Finally, you will also write a reflection or a “behind-the-scenes” look that explains what you were trying to convey with your story and what literary devices you used. This is your chance to explain to me what you were hoping to accomplish or what you were struggling with. The length is up to you, but you should try to keep it to approximately 1-2 pages double-spaced. A paragraph most likely will not allow you the space needed to provide a critical reflection on your piece.
Good luck and remember to have fun!
--Ms. Janson