Ciao, Dude!

Get into groups of 3 or 4 and write a script to match the Pogo America video you just saw in class. Use the information from our class discussion on Pogo America and use your creative writing techniques that we have been working on for this project. The link to the video at You Tube is located here (or at http://www.youtube.com/v/qWCJShGA5MM&hl=en&fs=1&).  Your script must include at least two different examples of literary devices we have covered in class such as allegory, alliteration, foreshadowing, irony, personification, metaphor, and simile. Other examples are seen here (http://mrbraiman.home.att.net/lit.htm) or in your textbook.

The groups will also make a poster for the video representing ideas from your script using some of the techniques we discussed on our advertising and propaganda section and you will make a timeline based on the man’s journey in the video. The timeline should help your group come up with ideas to put in the script.  Remember, the timeline needs to be in linear order, but the video does not have to be.  That is up to your group.  Don’t forget to use some of the creative writing techniques we have been using in class such as journaling before you write your script and doing a workshop of your script after it is written with another group from class.

PROJECT DUE DATE This is an end of semester class project utilizing concepts we have studied this semester.  The project is being assigned today, Monday, November 30st and will be due on Wednesday, December 9^th.  You will be given two full class periods and any extra time left in class to work on the project. Be aware you may have to work outside of the classroom or work through e-mail/facebook/blogs.

PROJECT PRESENTATION Each group will read their script in class and will present their movie poster.  Groups will explain to the class which literary devices were used in the group’s script and the group must explain the advertising and/or propaganda techniques that were used in the poster.  Please make sure that every group member participates in the presentation by either reading the script and/or discussing the techniques used in the poster and the script. Presentations will be on Thursday and Friday, December 10^th and 11^th.

RESOURCES: The Odyssey, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Lord of The Rings, The Hobbit, books and movies seen in class and their own experiences.  The class lessons on advertising and propaganda.  The class lessons on literary devices and this website on literary devices.

PROJECT EVALUATION: In effort to prevent one or two people doing all of the work, you will turn in a participation sheet evaluating the role of each group member.  Each group member will receive forms to evaluate other groups.  Your evaluation will be based upon your group’s presentation and the following checklist.  I will take your evaluations into account when grading the assignment.

Here is a checklist of the Ciao Dude Projct points and requirements:

_____ SCRIPT – Write a script for the film Pogo America about a journey using the journeys we studied in class as inspiration.  Use the creative writing techniques such as journaling and workshop for these scripts.  All group members must contribute to the script.  The script should be no longer than 5 minutes when presented.  Remember the dialogue and the visuals from the video will tell the story.

_____ LITERARY DEVICES – Use a minimum of two of the literary devices in your script that we studied in class.  

_____ TIMELINE – Make a timeline for your script before you start journaling and writing as a way to organize the events.

_____ MOVIE POSTER – Create a poster for your video based on the story of your script.  Use some of the advertising and propaganda techniques we studied in class.

_____PRESENTATION – The actual performance and explanation of your script, timeline and poster.

 

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Rationale for the assignment 

Context: Journeys, such as The Odyssey, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and a review of previous class lessons on creative writing, literary devices and advertising/propaganda techniques. 
Intended grade level: 9,10 
 
Insight:  This video clip shows a man on an ongoing journey. It is inspirational, amusing and short.  The students should be able to make the link between The Odyssey and the video on their own.   
 
Achieve and Understand: Students will take the readings and movies on journeys from class and from their own experiences and apply them to this video. They will write a script based on visual concepts from Pogo America. The class will obtain skills and develop creativity to convert a storyline into a script. Students must consider dialogue when writing. The class will learn convergence of ideas with multiple authors writing the script.  They will also be utilizing techniques learned in past lessons by using literary devices in their script and by making a poster using advertising/propaganda techniques that were also studied in past classes.  By breaking the project into parts, it will give group members the opportunity to contribute more effectively by having the script, timeline, movie poster and oral presentation as parts of the project.  This is meant to be a “fun” project for students. Students are excited when they can make a connection with a lesson in life.  Many of the connections they will make with the Odyssey will be while watching television.  There are many comedy shows and cartoons that spoof these classic tales and it is fun to “get the joke”.  Students may start paying more attention to movie posters to see how studios and/or advertisers may be trying to manipulate them into seeing a film or buying a product.  Additionally, understanding literary devices and knowing when to use them will help students when they enter the higher grades and they begin to study more classic works of literature and delve deeper into poetry.

 
Class discussion questions:

• Where did he start? End? Why?
• Has it even ended?
• How long did the journey last? It it ongoing?
• Did he shower or bathe during his trip?
• What did he eat?
• What did he learn?
• What was accomplished?
• What did he say to his friends? Did he talk to them? Text?
• What music did he listen to?
• Did he pogo alone the whole time?
• Is the person who filmed the video part of the journey?
• Is time linear in the video, or does he go back and forth in time?
• Is it an imaginative journey or a real journey?
• Did his journey end with the end of the video or does he need to complete the journey?
• Did he post updates of his journey on a blog, if so, what might he say?
• How is his journey like that of Odysseus and how is it different?
• What types of journeys have you been through in your life?

Challenges:  Will need to be organized and request use of video equipment in advance to ensure it is available when needed.  Students will need class time to work on this project, so that has to be included in class planning.  Because this project is a review of several lessons, it is important that the students understand the concepts previously studied.  We may also need to have posters available for students if we are working in a financially challenged school district.