My final project for the Whirligig unit can be described as an "alternative assessment." It includes a creative/artistic piece as well as a "paper and pencil" part to the assignment. The assessment will assess several of the learning targets in the Unit.
Target 2: Students can make connections between the protagonist of a novel and their own experiences.
Target 4: Students can use literary elements to explain a theme.
Target 5: Students can prioritize their own values and how they play into their decisions.
Target 6: Students can compare and relate similar life situations from a novel to their own lives.
Target 7: Students can show the effects one has on another by creating original fictional pieces.
Hidden Effects
You have just completed reading the novel Whirligig, by Paul Fleischman. In the novel, you learned that the “effects of an act travel[s] far beyond one’s knowledge” (70). We may not know the importance of the things we do or how they may affect another’s life in the future, but what we do know is that we can make good decisions now to be sure of the good that will come in the time to come.
For this final project, you will become “Brent,” the protagonist from the novel. Brent experienced many events that helped him to grow as a person. As Brent, you will be assigned one more state to create a whirligig for. Just as Brent built his whirligigs in the four corners of the United States, (Washington, California, Florida, Maine), you will create a whirligig that symbolizes Lea and the happiness she may have spread had she lived. You will design a whirligig that not only represents Lea, but one that also represents the state or region that you are assigned.
The second part of the project involves a creative writing activity. Once all of the designs have been created, you will then have to write a short story (with a two page, typed minimum) in which someone is affected by the whirligig you are assigned. Each of your whirligigs will be assigned to another student within your class. In this part of the project, you will make use of at least 3 literary elements to show the effects that the whirligig has on each of your characters. Your story should be fictitious. It is up to you to come up with a storyline in which someone is affected by the whirligig you are assigned. Your protagonist should have to make a major decision that is influenced by the whirligig. In the end, we will have many more stories in which something as small as a whirligig has played a large role in changing one’s life.
Your Task:
Part 1: You should draw a whirligig that is representative of both Lea and the state that you are assigned. This should be done professionally. Your drawing should look like a picture from a Polaroid camera. In the story, Brent took pictures of each whirligig for Lea’s mother. Your project should appear to be one of these pictures. You may use any media that you choose (markers, crayons, pencils, paint), but you should make the drawing look authentic like a picture taken on a Polaroid camera. You should label your “picture” with the state and significance of the design that you choose. This should look presentable, like it took a lot of time and effort to create. You will be graded on effort/craftsmanship and creativity. This part of the project will be worth 50 points.
Part 2: You will be assigned one of your classmate’s whirligig designs to write a fictitious story based around. You must write a story in which the protagonist has to make a big decision, ultimately influenced by the whirligig that you are assigned. Your story should be at least 2 pages, double spaced in a 12 point font. You must also include at least three literary elements within your writing. The storyline is completely up to you, but it must be appropriate. It should resemble one of the chapters in Whirligig in which someone was affected by Brent’s whirligig. Finally, your story should display the theme that the effects of one’s acts travel far beyond one’s knowledge. You will be graded on effort, creativity, grammar usage, and the inclusion of literary elements as well as the given theme. This part of the project will be worth 100 points.
This project sound really great. I will want to see three things from you:
ReplyDelete1. The assignment sheet. Just format what you've written above into a handout.
2. The grading rubrics. You should have analytic rubrics for each of the two sections of the assessment.
3. Two sample works of each section of the assessment: One A-level and one B-level. You should grade these samples with your rubric.
Email me if you have any questions.