Miss Collier: Elements of Literature

Miss Collier: Elements of Literature

Name:

Miss Collier: Elements of Literature

The Importance of Being Earnest

Author: Oscar Wilde

Play: The Importance of Being Earnest

Time period: Victorian Age (1837-1901)

Literary Concepts:

  • Imagery
  • Symbolism
  • Allegory
  • Reading a play

Themes:

  • Lies and deceit
  • Marriage
  • Gender
  • Versions of reality
  • Love
  • Respect and reputation
  • Society and class
  • Foolishness and folly

Assignments and Activities:

  • Allegorical iBook: A 5-8 page children’s “book” made in PowerPoint or another type of presentation software. The story will be an allegory of an event that has occurred over the past year.
  • Theme analysis paper: A 5-7 paragraph essay analyzing any of the themes listed above as they are presented in The Importance of Being Earnest.
  • Multi-Genre Narrative: A creative response to the play, The Importance of Being Earnest.

Allegorical Children’s iBook

Showcase: Monday, April 38, 2012

To practice what you have learned about allegory, you will work with a partner to create an electronic version of a children’s storybook in which the characters, objects, actions etc. have double meaning. Because allegory comments on society, you will base your story on an event that has happened in our own society lately.

You will be graded on the following criteria:

Conventions: Your story is written in complete sentences, is free of grammatical, spelling, punctuation and other careless mistakes. It also follows the traditional story structure, with an introduction, rising actions, climax, falling action and resolution.

12345

Preface: You write a 5-7 sentence paragraph introduction of the story and briefly explain the current event that serves as the foundation of your story. Your paragraph has a strong topic sentence, effectively uses transitions and is free of grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. It is single-spaced and is in the 2nd slide of your presentation.

12345

Allegory: At least 3 characters, objects, actions etc. clearly carry double meaning. The metaphor you choose is consistent throughout the story and makes sense in the context of both the story and the actual event.

3691215

Visuals: You include at least 7 pictures in your storybook. These can be pictures you have taken, pictures you have pulled from the internet, or pictures you have otherwise created. All pictures taken from the internet MUST be cited in MLA format at the end of your presentation. Pictures are clear and high quality and fit into the context of the story. Since you are writing an allegory, please do not use pictures of the actual people involved in the original event. Images also contribute to the symbolism of the story.

7142128

Presentation: Your presentation transitions smoothly from one slide to the next and is pleasing to the eye. Your reading of the story is rehearsed and you have clearly practiced. You read your storybook to the class as if you are reading to children.

5101520

Completeness: Your storybook contains 5-8 quality slides.

2468

Reflection: Each group member writes a 5-7 paragraph reflection on the iBook. What did you enjoy? What was difficult? How has this helped you understand allegory?

12345

Planning Materials: You have completed a pre-writing brainstorm and planning sheet prior to writing your iBook and have turned it in along with your rubric the day of your presentation.

246810

_____ / 30

iBook Planning Sheet

Current Events:

Pick 1-3 that particularly stand out to you:

Choose your favorite:

Summarize the event. Include the 5 W’s in your summary:

What does your chosen event reflect about American society in the 21st century?

Who are the people involved? Describe their personalities.

How can you characterize them? What symbols can you use to represent those people?

What types of images might you use in your story?

As a culminating project for The Importance of Being Earnest, you will be creating a multi-genre narrative. This project will include:

  1. A theme analysis essay. In this 5-paragraph essay, you will choose one theme from the book and provide evidence of this theme throughout the novel. Themes you may choose from include (but are not limited to):
  2. Lies and deceit
  3. Marriage
  4. Gender
  5. Versions of reality
  6. Love
  7. Respect and reputation
  8. Society and class
  9. Foolishness and folly
  1. 3 other responses to literature. This is the creative part of your project. You may choose from the following categories:
  2. Cook book. A collection of 3-5 recipes your character would make, complete with explanations why.
  3. Journal. A collection of at least 3 journal entries written in the perspective of a character in the novel. Entries will reflect that character’s ideas, attitudes and place in life and will include events from the beginning, middle and end of the novel.
  4. Poetry. 3 poems written from the perspective of a character in the novel in response to the events and themes found in the book.
  5. Letters. An exchange of letters from one character to another reflecting the play. At least 4 letters.
  6. A newspaper article
  7. A eulogy. Can be of your character or of a different character from the perspective of your character
  8. A comic strip of a scene in the play. (at least 6 frames)
  9. Alternative ending. (Written, illustrated, video etc)
  10. A collage illustrating one theme that can be found in the play. (8x10 piece of paper)
  11. Write a song about one of the events in the story. It may be a parody of an already-existing song, or an original piece.
  12. Scrapbook/Photo Album made by your character.
  13. CD / Sountrack.10 songs complete with explanations of why the song is appropriate.
  14. Added scene. You write a 25-50 line scene that would fit into the play.
  15. Facebook page of a chosen character. You will create a profile and include at least 4 posts from other characters.
  16. Twitter feed. Must involve at least 4 characters and 10 Tweets.
  17. Other idea (must be approved by Miss Collier)

Theme Analysis Rubric

Organization (5 points)

___ Introduction: Includes title of the play, the author, background information about the author, play and time period in which it was written.

___ Thesis at end of introduction: Thesis sets up the paper so the reader obviously knows what theme you will be discussing throughout the essay.

___ At least 3 body paragraphs

___ Conclusion

___ Logical and easy to follow

Conventions (20 points)

___ No spelling/grammatical/punctuation errors (15 points)

___ Correct and appropriate word choice (5 points)

Use of Quotes (72 points)

___ You have included at least 4 quotes from the play (12 points)

___ Each quote is integrated smoothly in the traffic-light paragraph format, with an introduction, the quote and an explanation (30 points)

___ Each quote is cited correctly (30 points)

___ Any outside resources are properly cited in MLA format

Writing Fluency (15 points)

___ Sentences vary in length (5 points)

___ Paragraphs flow smoothly from one to the other with strong transitions (5 points)

___ All sentences are complete and constructed correctly. (5 points)

Depth of Analysis (25 points)

___ Each paragraph supports the thesis with a thorough discussion of the theme you have chosen

___ Your analysis of the theme goes beyond obvious, surface-level statements and connects how Wilde is criticizing or celebrating his society through the characters and themes of the play.

Total ______/ 137

Multi-Genre Narrative Rubric

Introduction/Explanation. You write a 2-5 sentence introduction of each piece, explaining the context, character’s perspective and other information that might be important. You also explain why you chose that media to express this view.

Accuracy. The pieces you have created reflect that you have read the play, understand the main events and themes and have thoughtfully responded to them through your own work. Each piece reflects your character ‘s thoughts and opinions as well as the trends of Victorian society and the theme you have analyzed in your paper.

Quality. Anything written is done well, is free of spelling, punctuation and grammar errors, and flows smoothly. Any image or illustration is done with pride, is neat and pleasing to the eye. Any song is done thoughtfully, is played/performed in tune and has been practiced.

Presentation. Your narrative is presented in a binder or a folder with eyelets. It includes: theme analysis paper, your 3 multi-genre pieces, explanations and self-evaluation. Note: If multi-genre pieces are 3-D or difficult to fit in the binder, please include a picture of the piece.

Self-Evaluation. A 5-7 sentence paragraph discussing what grade you believe you have earned on this project and why. Your paragraph is well-written, follows the traffic light structure and is free of errors. Please evaluate yourself on a scale of 1-10, 1 being “the worst”, 10 being “couldn’t have done a better job”.

Piece 1:

Introduction/Explanation: 12345

Accuracy: 510152025

Quality:246810

Piece 2:

Introduction/Explanation: 12345

Accuracy: 510152025

Quality:246810

Piece 3:

Introduction/Explanation: 12345

Accuracy: 510152025

Quality:246810

Self-Evaluation: ______/ 10

Presentation: ______/ 10

Total: ______/ 140

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