Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Magazine Novel Study Project

Homework for Monday December 19th

Now that you have been introduced to the elements of inDesign, for Tuesday December 19th please complete the interview portion- pages 4-5- of your magazine. Ensure to include a title, images, and a pull out quote. See this slide show for Four Elements to consider when designing your layout.
By the end of this week I am hoping we can have a good start on the cover, inside page with quote or prologue, and table of contents for your Magazine. Continue to read magazines to get inspiration for your cover, table of contents and general style of your magazine.
Please post your interview into the Google doc. and I will begin marking it this week. Note the elements I will be looking for.


Word choice-

Ensure to introduce sophisticated and descriptive language.


Flow-Using transitions


Basic transitions (i.e. Further, In addition)

Repeating parts of previous thought (i.e. Not only does he do racing but he also... )

Setting time (Recently, Meanwhile, Last week, Now, After this)


Introduce a variety of sentence types-Avoid a continual stream of Subject-Verb-Object sentences (i.e., Hanna was extremely beautiful)

Start with a ing verb i.e.

Forsaking Hollywood blockbusters, he opted to appear in a series of eclectic roles.

Fighting his greatest nemesis, Charlie now must face his toughest challenge yet.

Provide context and be concise:

Ensure that someone who has never read your book has enough background knowledge to understand what is going on in your book.





Humanities 8 Independent Novel Study
For this independent novel study the goal is to discover a fascinating piece of literature, dig deep into the themes and conflicts within the story, and powerfully represent what you have learned through a variety of mediums including poetry and art. To accomplish this goal you are asked to work through a series of tasks designed to expose you to these different mediums. As a way to bring your work together in one space, you are asked to imaginatively represent your work for each task in a 1 or 2-page magazine spread, which will be showcased using the on-line publication program issu.
See this blog post on CSS Connect (scroll down to the bottom) for the kind of magazine layout we are looking for.

12 pages total:
p. 1 Cover
P. 2 Quote or prologue
P. 3 Table of Contents
P. 4-5 Interview 1
You can change the order for the following
Soundtrack for your book (1 page)
Song Analysis page (1 page)
Poem (1 page)
Poem analysis (1 page)
Feature Long essay-Book Review (2 pages)
Ad (1 page)
Assignments

Task 1:
By Monday December 12th you should be 1/4 of the way into your novel.

Task 2:

Please finish three journal reflections reflecting on events and developments using the talking to the text framework below:
  • Identifying main ideas and summarizing
  • Making connections to other things you have read or seen
  • Asking questions
  • Monitoring for meaning by writing down new and unfamiliar words
  • Sketching out images that connect to what you are reading
  • Pulling out golden nuggets-key quotes, ideas, and passages
  • the novel, key quotes, and emerging themes and conflicts

For the first entries take particular note of your main character's problems/struggles, opinion of other characters, and personality/physical traits including how they speak. For each entry take note of the date and the page that you are currently on. This will be collected on Tuesday December 13th to see how your progress is going.

Task 3
As part of your talking to the text entries, identify and write down the definition for 15 unfamiliar words or words worth knowing. From this list, choose one in particular to post on a classroom word wall. Do this in a Pages or Word Document using a cool font that can be seen from far away and include the definition and a sentence where the word is used in context.
Task 4: Interacting with the characters (choose one): Due Friday, December 19th
1. Interview: Take on the role of a reporter and interview one of the major characters in your novel. Your questions should involve how this character feels about the other characters, their thoughts on the problems they are facing, and how they think things are going to turn out. Ensure to ask the kinds of questions that will be of interest to your readership.
Begin by going on-line to find some examples of interviews. Interview Magazine is a good place to start. Notice the design elements in the spread. There are two more interview examples here and here.
2. Advice column: Take on the role of an advice columnist and choosing two characters in your novel have them write a letter to you outlining the central problems or conflict they are facing. Provide a response as to how you feel they can effectively deal with these problems or conflicts.
Begin by going on-line to find some examples of advice columns. Here are some sites to get you started: Advice-The Globe and Mail, Elle, Sweet Designs Magazine.

Artistic Expression (choose one):
1. Create a collage of images that speak to either the theme in your book including noticeable symbols or the central conflict/struggle of the main character. In this 2 page spread creatively incorporate 3-4 pieces of dialogue or passages from the book that powerfully reflect this theme or conflict.
2. Do the same as above, but create your own piece of artwork to illustrate a central theme or conflict within your novel. Include 3-4 pieces of dialogue or passages from the book that powerfully reflect this theme or conflict.
Musical Expression (complete both)
1. Find a song that speaks powerfully to a theme or conflict within your novel. Find the lyrics on-line and then using a powerful image (you could create your own image as well) write an explanation on the relationship between this song and your novel. Represent this by creating a visually appealing spread in your magazine.
2. Create a five-song play list for the main character in your novel. Link these to videos on YouTube.
Poetic expression (complete both)
1. Choosing from the poetic mediums provided, create a poem that speaks to the central theme and conflict within your story.
2. Find a poem that similarly speaks to the central theme and conflict within your story and explain the connection between the two.
Book Review (not a book report!)
1. Write a concise review of the novel either recommending it to a friend or taking on a more critical stance by outlining the strengths and weaknesses of your book. Include this review both in your magazine and post this on a blog.
Extension
1. Write an alternative ending for your book.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

December 1st Update

I plan to have the SES paragraph, debate, and podcast marked by the end of the weekend which will allow me to give you an indication of your progress to date on Monday.

Note that many people have not posted their podcast on Box.com. If you haven't done so already you have until Friday to do so. After this you will receive a 0 on this project and then I will only accept it after a conversation with your parents and you coming in at lunch hour next week. See the post below to place it in Box.com:


http://www.box.com/files/0/f/157617123



The first three Renaissance questions I provided yesterday are due Tuesday December 6th.