1984 Projects

*post updated 3/11 to include students' descriptions of projects*

A couple weeks ago, Ms. Bluhm assigned a summative 1984 project. Students could write a fairly traditional analysis to a reference to 1984 in pop culture, or they could make their own, creative reaction to 1984. Ms. Bluhm has barely started grading the projects, but I couldn't wait to share two of my favorite projects that so beautifully illustrate the passion and creativity of the students who made them.

From Vivan R. comes this portrait of Big Brother in beads! It turns out he's creepy even when he is pearlescent.



Here is Vivian's description of her project:

My original work of art directly references 1984 with a beaded representation of Big Brother. I started with a Big Brother propaganda poster, pixilated the image, and changed the medium from a large inked piece to a small glass one. I think the pixilated effect of the beads makes the image a little harsher, and the metallic color with pastels makes the image more interesting than black on white. I originally created this piece working with the theory that if an item seems to be watching you, you are less likely to steal or tamper with it. Along that line, the suitcases most recently acquired by my family have staring eyes painted on. You are not really being watched, but if you feel like you are, you may act the part. This matches 1984's use of telescreens and propaganda posters to keep inhabitants in line. If Big Brother's face can deter thoughtcrime in 1984, perhaps his face can deter theftcrime in 2009. Opening one flap gives a better emphasis on BB himself, opening the other reveals the caption from the propaganda poster. When both flaps are open, the beadwork hangs in the center window, letting light pass through.

And from Maddy L., who will be going to culinary school next fall, we have the social hierarchy of 1984 in cake form.



Here's a description of the cake in Maddy's words:

For my representation of 1984 I made a cake creation. There are three layers which represent the prole, outer circle, and the inner circle. The first layer is the prole. I made a box cake because their food is controlled by the government so they do not get to make things from scratch. Also, it is just a plain yellow cake which represents their boring food. There is no icing because they are limited on how much sweet things they can eat. The next layer up is spice cake with cream cheese icing. The outer circle gets slightly more privileges and so they have a slightly more complicated cake with icing. There are less people in the outer circle and so they have more individuality so they are represented by cupcakes. The final top layer is mini chocolate truffle cakes. This shows how superior the inner circle is because they get the richest and best cakes. There are few members of the inner party so there is not much cake in the top layer.

The cake has all the components of the social structure shown by the type and flavor of each layer of cake. The increasing deliciousness of each layer can also represent the amount of power that each person has. The richness of the cake increases as you get to the inner circle where people have the most power. The message of the cake is to show how different the separate social groups are.

The cake of course simplifies the complex fight for power in 1984. However, it does get at the really message of inequality of the social classes and the superiority of the inner party.

What I like so much about these two in particular is that they took the project in a direction that is authentically their own. Cake? Beads? Who would have thought it possible?

Blog Commenting Instructions and Link

Remember that blog commenting assignment? Here's the link to my reflective teaching blog: http://reciprocalteaching.blogspot.com/

For those of you who are confused: many of you responded positively to my request for your input on my blog. We all agreed that you would each comment on a specific day's proceedings/activities three times during my placement here at Uni. Your feedback is important not only for me to learn and improve but also for you to learn to be advocates for what you need, specifically in the classroom. So comment away! The settings do require you to be logged in when you comment. This will enable me to give you credit for your comments and also might deter you from falling prey to the effects of internet anonymity on your otherwise kind nature. :) I do welcome criticism, but there is a distinct difference between constructive criticism and complaints. I look forward to reading what you think. Thanks!!

Updates to the Syllabus

A few changes were made in class on Tuesday. The 1984 projects will now be due Monday, March 9th. The five annotations are still due by the end of class on Friday, March 6th. Also, we will be doing a jigsaw style discussion in class on the following dates: Wednesday, March 4th; Monday, March 9th; and Wednesday, March 11th. See the description below for how these classes will function and what is expected of you (extra preparation is required).


Preparation:

In the class prior to a jigsaw day, I will assign you one of four themes. You will be responsible for completing that night’s reading while paying special attention to that particular theme. You will also be responsible for writing one quality discussion question that relates to your theme and references a specific moment in the text (a page number is required).

My expectation in requiring only one question is that you will give some real thought to developing this question. Although it may be handwritten, it must be completed before entering the classroom. Though it should go without saying, a discussion question should prompt interpretation and analysis. There is not necessarily one right answer to a discussion question and the question should not be phrased in a manner that elicits a simple yes-or-no response.

I will occasionally collect these questions unannounced for a grade and will also check to make sure you have them in class daily.


Jigsaw day proceedings:

The first portion of the class period will be an opportunity for you to meet in a small group setting with the other students that focused on your theme. This discussion should consist of group members sharing their discussion questions and highlighted passages. It is also an opportunity for the group to discuss the theme’s development over the course of the novel. Each group member should take notes detailing their peers’ ideas and their group’s discussion.

After meeting in these groups, I will reassign you to a new small group. This group will consist of one student from each theme group. Each student will act as the expert on his/her theme by summarizing their first group’s discussion and posing a discussion question to the group. The discussion question could be the student’s own or one of the other discussion questions shared in the first group. Each student will act as the discussion facilitator while the group considers his/her question.

We will follow these discussions up with a whole-class review or a brief writing activity, depending on the amount of time remaining in the period.

Internet as Utopia

Earlier this semester, I asked students to respond to the concept of utopia on the internet--either the idea that the internet will bring about a more utopic form of education and community or how the concept of utopia is used to market products. For the first question, notions of the internet as a utopia, I asked students to read Will Richardson's article World Without Walls: Learning Well with Others published on Edutopia (itself an example of using the concept of utopia for marketing purposes).

I left the response assignment intentionally vague, hoping that students would feel free to respond in creative ways. I was not disappointed. The response that most perfectly melded form and content was Jasmine's Facebook note (*disappointed sigh* for the school district that just outlawed teachers and students communicating via web 2.0 software)

Below is Langton's brilliant (and artistically rendered) response to Richardson's article (click images to view full-sized):



One thing that surprised me was how emphatically my students argued for the role of teachers in mediating the online educational experience. I don't think that Richardson suggests that the internet makes teachers obsolete, but he does suggest that it requires a significant redefinition of teaching and learning. They also felt that Richardson ignores the vast swamps of dreck (primarily anonymous youtube comments, 4chan users and pornography) that seem to thrive on the web.

What do you think? I would be particularly curious to hear from my students if I am representing your view correctly.

Wikitopia

Wikitopia: the collected wisdom of Uni High students about popular and not-so-popular utopian and dystopian fiction.

The assignment for the research project you will be working on for the next few months just dropped. You can preview the assignment here or wait until Thursday when it is introduced in class.

We will be meeting in Seibel 0218, a PC lab in the basement of the Seibel Center, Thursday and Friday of this week to begin our research. In preparation for the assignment, please join my wiki by clicking on the "join this wiki" link in the upper left hand corner of any wiki page. Once you have requested membership, I will approve you before class on Thursday and you can start editing.

I'm looking forward to seeing the work you produce!

1984 Project

Your final project for 1984 aims to synthesize much of what we’ve discussed in class and does so in a format that allows you to be creative. We have discussed the prevalence of the suffix “topia” on the internet and how it is used (accurately or not) in order to sell products or convey a certain message. We have also talked about 1984 as a warning and how its themes are both applicable today and potentially applicable in the future. This project allows you to engage with both these ideas: how 1984 is used or misused to convey a message and how those messages apply to today’s world and the future. This project will be due Wednesday, March 4th.

Your project can take on one of two forms.

1. Find an example of art/media/pop-culture which explicitly or implicitly references 1984. Compose a written analysis of the messages and themes conveyed in your chosen piece. Your analysis should address the following questions:

• How is 1984 referenced? This should include direct quotes from both your chosen piece and the original text.

• What is the general theme or message of your piece? This part will vary greatly based on what form your chosen piece is. A song, for example, might have a message that you can pinpoint. If you were to choose a piece of architecture for your piece, the theme of the work would be interpretative in terms of the mood conveyed by the design and aesthetics of the structure.

• Based on your interpretation of 1984, is the reference/allusion that you are analyzing “correct?” Does the piece oversimplify the ideas that it is referencing? Perhaps it misinterprets them? Or maybe it is an incredibly effective use of 1984? What do you think?
  
  
• How does the specific form of the piece (visual art, music, television, cinema, etc.) affect the message?

2. Compose an original work of art that utilizes 1984 in some way. It could reference it explicitly or it could incorporate one of the fundamental ideas from the text. If you choose this option, you still must have a written analysis explaining your intent with the creation (and your analysis should generally cover the subtopics outlined in option one). However, the expectations for the written analysis will not be as high as in option one, as with this route your creation is primary and the analysis is secondary.

Regardless of the option you choose, you must attach a sample of what is being analyzed. This could be in the form of a photocopy, url, cd, sketch, etc. depending on your topic.

Please feel free to talk with me if you are unsure about your ideas.

Though I am not requiring that each student work with a different piece, I will be reading your analyses carefully and will notice if you have not done your own work.

Player Piano Syllabus

All dates are when you are responsible for the reading and vocabulary.

Tue, Feb 24 George Orwell’s Politics and the English Language

Thu, Feb 26 Siebel 0218—wiki project assigned and time to research

Fri, Feb 27 Siebel 0218—research time (5 annotated bibliographic entries due 3/6)


Mon, Mar 2 No School—parent/teacher conference

Tue, Mar 3 Chapters 1-3, vocab: patois (1), ennui (4), Rube Goldberg machine(5), éclat (19), patina (23)

Wed, Mar 4 Chapters 4-6, vocab: commensurate (34), Dubonnet (38), enervating (43), cretin (43), assuage (48) / 1984 projects due

Thu, Mar 5 Chapters 7-9, vocab: supernumerary (90)

Fri, Mar 6 Siebel 0218—research time / 5 annotations due


Mon, Mar 9 Chapters 10-12, vocab: soporific (106), potentates (115)

Tue, Mar 10 Chapters 13-16

Wed, Mar 11 Chapters 17-19

Thu, Mar 12 Chapters 20-22, vocab: lazaretto (224), De mortuis nil nisi bonum. (225)

Fri, Mar 13 no reading homework / work on 5 more annotations, due 3/20


Mon, Mar 16 Chapters 23-26

Tue, Mar 17 Chapters 27-30

Wed, Mar 18 Chapters 31-end

Thu, Mar 19 no reading homework / work on 5 more annotations, due tomorrow

Fri, Mar 20 Siebel 0218—research time / 5 annotations due