MAKE THE CONNECTION

4th quarter project


“Nonsense and beauty have close connections.”

- E.M. Forster (English author)

There are many elements at work in our final three books of the year – I Am the Cheese, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Some of the books are challenging, namely due to changing narrative styles, suspense, and vocabulary. These elements keep us guessing until the end of the works.

As with any work of literature, it is important to make a personal connection. While you may not personally identify with the experience of Adam, Hermia, Charlotte, or any of the other secondary characters, there are certainly elements to their experiences that we all can relate to at some point during in our lives. For this particular project, your task is to make a connection with one of these novels and another work of art. Your challenge is as follows:

TASK A

Connect the book to a piece of art AND a poem/song. You must find a piece of art and a song/poem that together create a connection to the book. You must provide the piece of art (in color) with its title and artist. You must also provide the song lyrics or poem (a good copy) along with the author’s name. In conjunction with this, you will prepare a 400-word essay explaining how the two pieces connect to the book. What about the painting and song/poem make you think about the book? Is it the lyrics, the style of music, the color or images in the painting? Explain in great detail. The art piece/poem should be the work of a “master,” not an Internet source by someone who doesn’t post his/her own name.

TASK B

An adaptation to Task A. You must complete the above task as indicated with the following difference. You may either create a piece of art OR write a poem. You may NOT create both. If you are going to create the art piece, it should be a real piece of art – a detailed sketch on art-quality paper or a painting (not crayons on construction paper, not a collage, not a picture of a scene from the book). Choose this if you are comfortable with your artistic ability. If you are going to write the poem, it must include strong literary elements and be AT LEAST 32 lines.

TASK C

Musical? Write a song to connect to the novel. The difference here is that you need to write the music too. (This is NOT finding an instrumental on YouTube of your favorite Ariana Grande song.) The project would need to include the printed lyrics (AT LEAST 32 lines), and the music should complement the mood of the poem. The 400-word essay would accompany this as well.

TASK D

Techie? You may combine the elements of art and music to create a slide show. The slide show should incorporate images that help you connect a musical piece to the book. The slide show and music should coincide with one another. You must include a minimum of 10 slide transitions with images that help you connect with the theme. The song must also be relevant to the theme. The song lyrics should accompany the project. The 400-word essay would accompany this as well.

TASK E

Want to make a film? You can. Create an original film that focuses on the major theme of the work, not a retelling of the story. How will you show the elements of the theme as part of your original work? The video should be 3-5 minutes in length and should include some musical element to match the mood of the film/book. The 400-word essay should explain the connections between the film, music, and novel.

RUBRIC – 25 POINTS

TASK A
Art piece included w/ artist name / 3
Poem or song lyrics included w/ author name / 3
Music available / 1
Connection made with art piece to book / 2
Connection made with poem/song to book / 2
Connection made with art to poem/song / 2
Length / 5
Conventions/Organization / 4
Engaging Tone/Style / 3
TASK B
Art piece included w/ artist name / 4
(If you compete the art work yourself, it must be a legitimate attempt at art.)
Poem or song lyrics included w/ author name / 3
(If writing poem, it must be at least 32 lines.)
Connection made with art piece to book / 2
Connection made with poem/song to book / 2
Connection made with art to poem/song / 2
Length / 5
Conventions/Organization / 4
Engaging Tone/Style / 3
TASK C
Song lyrics included / 4
(Minimum of 32 lines)
Music to accompany lyrics / 4
Connection made with song to book / 5
Length / 5
Conventions/Organization / 4
Engaging Tone/Style / 3
TASK D
Slide show (Must include images w/ 10 slide transitions) / 5
Poem or song lyrics included w/ author name / 2
Connection made with slide show to song / 2
Connection made with visuals to book / 2
Connection made with song to book / 2
Length / 5
Conventions/Organization / 4
Engaging Tone/Style / 3
TASK E
Short film (Must be 3-5 minutes long and be connected with the overall theme of the novel) / 5
Must include music that corresponds with the mood / 2
Connection made with film to the book / 2
Connection made with music to the book / 2
Connection made with film to music / 2
Length / 5
Conventions/Organization / 4
Engaging Tone/Style / 3

YOU WILL EACH BE ASSIGNED ONE OF THE BOOKS.

The assignment will be due about one week after the conclusion of our reading. You need to follow this schedule unless you want to switch with another student. Otherwise the following will stand:

MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

Gia / Ava / Anna / Zach / Ethan / Matt / Kyle / Jeff / Grace

I AM THE CHEESE

Ryan / Julia / Tessa / Mollie / Anthony / Kailey / Adrienne / Bella / Legend

CHARLOTTE DOYLE

Tommy / Ashley / Alison / Alexandria / Colleen / Tyron / Brianna / Alex