English 11Grapes of Wrath Unit Project (2010)
YOUR PROJECT MUST BE APPROVED BYME BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR WORK.
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You are to work on this project for several weeks, not just the weekend before it is due.
No Late Projects Accepted!
Point Value: 140 (a major grade) Due Date: January 25th
All projects must be approved by me before you begin your work. . If you do not work well in groups, work alone. Remember what has happened to you in past group projects for other classes. Do not repeat the same mistakes. Do not involve yourself with people who are unreliable, lazy, or have the potential to destroy your project or make it impossible to complete. This is your grade; take this assignment seriously.
Select one of the following projects.
GROUP PROJECT: VIDEO
1. Groups will consist of five or fewer students. (You may include a cast of thousands if you wish, but a
maximum of five students will receive the grade for the project.)
2. Each student in the group earns the same grade. It is your responsibility to make sure that all participants
contribute equally.
3. Remember that you are responsible for the success of your project.
4. Work with people who are reliable. Focus on your work and complete it on time.
- DO NOT JOIN A GROUP IF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING APPLIES TO YOU.
A. You do not work well with others.
B. You are too busy to meet with people after school or on weekends.
C. You rarely complete your own homework.
- You are simply joining a group to be with your friends.
- You spend more time playing than working when you are in a group.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE VIDEO PROJECT:
1. Film a section of The Grapes of Wrath
2. The group must write a script with dialogue and set directions. You may use Final Draft, a professional editing program I have. You must integrate 15-20 quotations m the text into the film, you can do it in period costume or update it. You may use dialogue straight from the story if you wish, as well as add your own creative touches. You should also consider using those portions of the narrative that will contribute to your description of settings, as well as descriptions of character behavior and emotion. A typed copy of script must be submitted for the final grade. Follow format guidelines. Points will be marked off for skills errors.
3. The video will be graded on how well it follows the original story line, the quality of the acting, filming, and the use of costumes and sets, originality, coherence, and entertainment value. I will alsoconsider shot angles, soundtrack, audio problems, and scenery. Minimize voice-over narration.
4. Videos should be around fifteen minutes in length (long enough to cover the plot thoroughly), but should not exceed thirty minutes. All videos will be shown in class.
5. Viewing Videos and DVD formats: All videos will be watched during class time, but I also need to
evaluate them on my own time. You need to provide me with a copy of your video on a DVD. It is your responsibility to make sure your DVD is compatible with the DVD player in the room; all DVD formats are not the same. I have had several experiences with DVDs that will not play at all, or the video plays without sound. Please note: I will not take possession of any hardware (i.e. video cameras or video capable iPods, etc.) in order to evaluate your video. Figure out the technology BEFORE you begin your project.
Typed Script Format:
Use a standard twelve-point font
Single-space lines of dialogue for a single character.
Double-space between characters, for stage directions, and setting instructions.
See the format example for what a script should look like and use it as a guideline.
Video Notes of Caution:
1. Make sure someone in your group has a video camera before you form a group. Take care of it while you are using it. Make sure the battery is charged. Make sure you put in a DVD or memory card (some cameras will operate when the camera has no card in them), or tape if you’re using VHS.
2. Make sure everyone in the group participates.
3. Take responsibility for your own work.
4. Inappropriate Content: Watch your use of inappropriate language and behavior, as well as references to drugs, alcohol, anything you wouldn’t want your parents to see or hear. If you think it’s inappropriate, it probably is. If it’s in the video when I watch it, you will lose credit. This includes lyrics to music that you might include on your soundtrack, as well as bleeping out words that can be understood through lip reading.
5. Allow time to take care of technical difficulties. Do not wait until the project is due to start filming or typing your project. I do not want to hear about broken cameras, broken printers, or any other excuse about why your project is not done on time. You have enough time to complete this project and overcome problems.
6. I will not listen to excuses on the due date. Plan ahead. Anticipate problems. Complete your work on time.
Historical study/documentary film/Power Point
Chose a topic from the novel and complete a presentation that connects to our society today. You might choose the controversy surrounding illegal immigration, the current economic crisis, the historical struggle of balancing the needs of individuals in capitalism with the power and economic influence of corporations, migratory movements of large groups of people in the world (Rwanda, Africa, Middle Eastern Immigration to Europe), poverty and hunger, drought and climate change and its affect on commerce and economy, etc.
You must present the idea s it exists in the Grapes of Wrath with a minimum of 20 quotations analyzing Steinbecks’ claim in the novel. You must have a minimum of eight outside sources
- Interviews with experts, scientists, politicians, teachers, officials, participants in the process an interview wit a border patrol official and an illegal immigrant counts as two sources (even if you interview five people this still counts as two sources
- Source documents (not wikepedia!!!) that are acknowledged as central studies in the field
- References to previous documentaries or books on the subject
- Interviews with common man (a maximum of two credits for sources even though you might interview 10 or 12.
- A final summary of the issue and the challenges facing the world today in dealing with the issue. This is not an opinion piece, i.e. global warming is not real…..illegal immigration should be stopped (these are opinions but fail to engage in the real problems and the affects of the problem on the worlds and the individuals involved. )
Musical Interpretation
- Write and perform a minimum of five songs that connect to the themes and ideas of the novel
- Include 5 quotations with interpretations from the novel from each song to explain the connection between text and novel
- These can be modern day folks songs, protests songs, social commentary or ????????
CREATIVE WRITING (Individual or Paired Project)
Write an original story in which you recreate a new ending for the novel, extend the novel in a creative way or mimic Steinbeck’s style in a story that concerns of theme in today’s society that relates to the text. . Incorporate the use of plot devices (those in bold are required): character development, point of view, conflict, setting, initial incident, climax, concluding crisis, resolution, conclusion, and denouement, as well as the inclusion of other elements such as dialogue, use of contrivance, figurative language, irony, focused theme, and foreshadowing.
LITERARY ANALYSIS/CRITICISM (Individual Project)
Find three outside critical analysis articles on the Grapes of Wrath. Perhaps focus on an Jungian interpretation with the idea we went over in class. Develop an analytical paper in which you focus on a recurring theme, or assess the author’s stylistic tendencies. See me for approval of the author and discussion of your responsibilities. An analysis should be from eight to twelve pages typed and double-spaced (estimate a 1 ½ page discussion of each story you have read, as well as your introduction and conclusion. A basic analysis will include the following elements: 1) a basic summary of each story; 2) a discussion of similarities in theme, writing style, or plot elements; 3) the effect of each story on you as the reader; 4) a discussion of the intended effect of each story and whether the author successfully achieved this effect.
OPEN PROJECT
If none of the above ideas appeal to you, you may create a project of your own in relation to the short story unit. Submit your proposal for approval before you begin to work on it.
A few ideas:
- An art-related assignment might involve a series of well drawn illustrations of several scenes in the novel (at least six). These illustrations must be a minimum size of 8 ½ x 11 and fill the entire page (no blank space). Be forewarned that the expectation for the quality of the artwork is very high. Don’t expect to earn credit for stick figures drawn on lined paper. Large areas of blank space will result in lost credit.
Bottom line: If you can’t draw well, do another project.
- .
You may work with students from other periods with the following conditions:
1. When class time is given for project work, each person in each period will be working
on some aspect of the project. I will not accept excuses for not having project
materials to work on during class.
2. Any groups which appear to not be working well together and appear not to be
accomplishing the project are subject to being disbanded and assigned individual
projects at my discretion.
3. You have two weeks from the start of the assignment to organize your group and determine
compatibility. After two weeks have passed, you will be stuck with each other until the end of the
project.
WARNING: DO NOT EXPECT ME TO SOLVE INTERPERSONAL PROBLEMS THAT ARISE IN YOUR GROUP BECAUSE YOU DO NOT GET ALONG, OR BECAUSE SOMEONE IN YOUR GROUP IS A SLACKER!
SCRIPT FORMAT
STAGE DIRECTIONS:
On the back of this page is an example of what a script should look like. This sample is the final page of the play version of “The Lottery.” Pay close attention to how the story was adapted into the play format. Especially important is the inclusion of the stage directions, the instructions to the actors regarding what their behaviors, emotions, and facial expressions should be. Your script should include similar parenthetical and italicized stage directions that indicate what your actors are supposed to be doing.
SETTING DESCRIPTIONS:
Every scene should begin with a detailed description of the setting of the scene. Your setting description should reflect what the audience will see in your video, not what the story requires. For example, if you are shooting “A Sound of Thunder,” describe what you are using to create a prehistoric jungle, or the interior of the time machine, or the office of Time Safari, Inc. If the scene changes, you must describe the changed setting. If a scene returns to a previous setting, you do not need to describe it again; simply state what the setting is.
Use the story to your advantage by using dialogue and action directly from the text. You are free to edit dialogue to shorten lines, or add original dialogue of your own. You may also change the time frame of a story and put in it a contemporary setting. For example, you could change the Grapes of Wrath to the present time frame in the United States, using the dialogue to show the Joads moving from Oklahoma (Or Latin America) today to California to pick peaches. You will have to be culturally and politically sensitive to do this.