Subjects: English Language Arts/Ceramics/Art History
Grades: 10-12 - Grade 11 used for ELA Standards
Overview & Purpose: This PBL project/lesson integrates language arts reading & writing concepts to comprehend a text, craft a story, and use e-book making and ceramics methods to express ideas and visuals relating to a written story. The lesson guides students through reading a story of true survival, interviewing a person with a survival story, writing and illustrating a story based on a person's survival story, expressing an idea or visual from their story in clay, writing an artist statement to connect the art and writing, then compiling all these elements of the lesson into an e-book.
Objectives: Student will be able to:
Watch and discuss survival documentaries in groups.
Guide their own learning with a whole class generated "Need to Know List".
Read the book "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer.
Discuss reading assignments with guided literature circle activities.
Interview a person who has a survival story.
Write a story about survival based on research, interviews, texts, and documentaries.
Use student voice and choice in deciding the writing method. (Fictional, non-fictional, graphic novel, short story, poetry based story, combination, essay...)
Provide constructive peer feedback on all elements of research, reading, and writing in small groups.
Illustrate or create a visual to accompany the story about survival.
Plan, construct, and glaze a hand built ceramic object that visually communicates an important aspect, symbol, character, or idea about their story.
Write an artist statement about their ceramics work that clearly connects the art to the story about survival.
Compile and design an e-book that contains the student's story, illustrations and/or visuals that accompany the writing, images of the ceramics work, and artist statement.
Publish the e-book digitally and provide the link to the e-book on student websites and to instructor.
Learning Activities/Project Entry Event Description: To kick off the project, students will watch a documentary and a film clip on survival. Depending on student interests, the following films fit this project well and provide a variety of different survival stories for introduction. Having students watch different documentaries in groups and presenting a short recap of the film to the rest of the class would work for this entry event.
Documentaries:
Survival film clips:
Driving Questions: Based on student understanding and prior knowledge, here are some driving questions that can be chosen for this project. Use one or a few. Use all if possible! Another option is to divide students into groups and provide different driving questions to groups. This could enrich the experience and allow students to teach others about their findings as they relate their learning to the driving questions.
How do writers and artists develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences?
How do writers and artists produce clear and coherent writing and art in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience?
How do writers and artists develop and strengthen writing and artistic technique as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach?
How can writers and artists use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and art and to interact and collaborate with others?
How do artists and writers incorporate concepts of storytelling and narrative into their art to create visual meaning?
How do writers and artist capture the essence of a story and engage the reader/viewer?
How do artists and writers create and convey personal connections to their work?
What is the relationship between nature and the identity?
What is the relationship between self and society?
Is community essential to personal happiness?
Pre-Knowledge & Lesson Scaffolding
Literature Circles: Methods and purposes for literature circles should be addressed and practiced prior to the lesson for easy flow of group work.
Writing: Students should have a basic understanding of a variety of writing methods prior to the lesson so they can choose which type of writing fits their story and e-book: Short story, graphic novels, essay, novel, etc...
Illustration andGraphic: Students should have basic drawing and design knowledge for illustrating a topic with visuals. Ceramics: Students should have basic clay construction knowledge to construct and glaze ceramics.
Technology: Students should have basic word processing skills and basic experience with online platforms like Flipgrid, e-books, Google Apps and web content research.
Collaboration: Students should have knowledge of collaborating in groups in person and digitally.
Support: Instructors should assess student needs for pre-knowledge prior to lesson and offer support workshops as needed for skill building in any area above.
Activity #1: Reading Text, Literature Circles, & Creating an Interview Product
Student Collaboration:
Divide students into small groups for literature circle discussions, researching survival stories, and creating a product based on an interview.
Students will get into groups for the project and create a class "Need to Know List" on this Google Doc that will serve as the sustained inquiry throughout the project.
The Google Doc also includes a student generated vocabulary list.
Students will read "Into the Wild" & discuss topics in literature circles over 4 weeks:
Literature circles are planned weekly and topics are provided ahead to time to students in the reading and circle discussion guide and pacing document.
Students will work in literature circles to plan for survival interviews and to prepare a product from their interview:
In groups, students will discuss types of survival stories, people who have survived, interview possibilities, questions to ask in an interview, and support each other while preparing to interview a person for their own short story.
Activity #2: Writing and Illustrating a Survival Story
Writing: Students will write a survival story based on class readings, research, discussions, interviews, documentaries, and personal experiences. The story can be fictional or based on true events. Rubric for writing.
Student should keep in mind they are also creating an e-book with their final written story. The format and type of writing is based on student choice. It can be an essay, story, short story, poetry based reading, verbal story, fiction, non-fiction, video or other format. The content of the story must be placed into an e-book.
Illustration or Visual: Students will create a visual or illustration to accompany the story. Students will provide feedback to peers during literature circles and will be provided with a formative assessment from the instructor on their story progress at the rough draft stage.
Activity #3: Ceramics Work
Description: Students will plan and create a ceramics work that communicates a message, idea, important element, character, or symbol that is important in the story. Students will plan and create the clay work with a construction method of their choice. The work can be functional or non-functional. Students should consider the driving questions during the planning and construction stages of the clay work. Students can create the message in the actual form of the pottery or design on the surface of the clay. Students may use textured surfaces, glazing, or decal methods for their messages on their ceramics work. Ceramics Rubrics
Research:
Students will review the links below to learn about Ancient Greek and Contemporary Ceramics Artists that use pottery for story telling:
Students will plan, construct, and glaze their work with continuous peer and teacher feedback and refer to their planning documents while constructing and glazing.
Students can glaze their pottery with choice methods according to the purpose of their work.
Presenting:
Student will take photos of their final ceramics work to add to the e-book.
Students will write an artist statement that connects the ceramics work to the story and explains the meaning and messages in the ceramics work. Any symbols and representations that are visual should be explained to reveal intent to the viewer.
Activity #4: E-Book Creation
Rubric Creation: Each group should use ThemeSpark to create a rubric for creating an e-book using the ELA Standards based on the e-book requirements below. Links to group generated rubrics should go to the E-Book Rubric Ideas Google Doc.
E-Book Making:
Students will work in groups to support each other while they compile their stories into e-books.
Students will include their illustrations and/or visuals in their e-book.
Student will add images of their ceramics work and the artist statement to the e-book.
Students will add elements to their e-book to create a visually pleasing book.
Add e-book links to the assignment turn in location TBD.
Presentation: At the conclusion of the project, students will present their e-book to the class and to invited guests. Ceramics works and artist statements will be on display in the gallery or common areas for public showings.
Reflection: Students will create a Flipgrid reflection video that summarizes their project experience, learning, challenges and successes. The Flipgrid video should be 1 minute & 30 seconds long and be available for open commenting for class and invited guests. Link to project Flipgrid