Senior English Seminar

Seeing and Finding the Self: Who Am I This Time?

Perhaps one day men will no longer be interested in the unknown, no longer tantalized by mystery. This is possible, but when Man loses his curiosity one feels he will have lost most of the other things that make him human. Arthur C. Clarke

So, who are you? Such a deep question requiring such deep thoughts. But until you know how to question yourself, you will not know how to effectively question the world. Thus -- this project (which is a result of my own questioning about how we will all work together this year to discover whatever it is we will discover).

Step 1: Answer the following questions (using whatever method works for you -- pencil, pen, Google Drive). Think long and hard, or go with the “first thought, best thought” philosophy.

  1. Who are you now? How are you different from the child you once were?
  2. What is your main mood?
  3. What kind of reader are you?
  4. What inspires you the most?
  5. What do you normally never talk about?
  6. Where do you see joy?
  7. What is your main personality trait?
  8. What is your spirit animal?
  9. What is the meaning of life?
  10. What is the greatest page you have yet to write?

Step 2: Create your own additional quirky question.

Step 3: Disperse to take photos, ones that represent each of the 11 responses above. Just go with it. You may use your phone or your device. Wander the halls alone or with a friend. Be respectful of the quiet others may require for learning.

Step 4: Using Google Slides (or a digital writing tool of your choice), create a slideshow that uses the images to create a narrative about who you are. You must include at least 250 words (minimum) of text, which can take the form of a straightforward narrative or a poem. All text and photos must be original to you and new for this project. How you combine these elements (and in what order) will form the answer to the question, Who Am I This Time? Give your presentation a title.

Step 5: Share your presentation with at least one other person. (I will be able to access this in your shared Drive folder.) Ask each other at least 2 questions and really have a good chat about yourselves.

Step 6: Create at least 2 additional questions that you could ask. We will use these to create a class questions list on a Google Doc. What questions can we ask right now about ourselves, each other, and the world?

Step 7: Reflect on the process[1] (250 words minimum). What was this like for you? What did you learn about yourself? Where will I go with all of this? Submit all this to Turnitin and include also the text portion of your presentation.

Rubric

Exceeds Standard / Meets Standard / Partially Meets Standard / Does Not Meet Standard
The images connect to the 10 basic questions.
The 10 images are interesting in and of themselves.
The additional question and image provide significant insights.
Narrative (or poem) connects to the images.
The arrangement of the images and text creates meaning.
Overall design is pleasing.
Title is cool and connects to meaning.
Reflection contains a thesis.
Reflection delineates future goals for the self.
Sentence construction provides clarity and contains no confusing errors. No spelling errors.

[1]In your journal?