Grading criteria

Jessie and I are not creating a unit for our final project, so these are sort of "imaginary" criteria.

Our final project revolves around the cinematic interpretation of Beowulf. Specifically, we are looking at:

• the filmmakers choice of casting
• character development
• choice to make the film in 3D
• directors choice to animate real actors (vs. strict animation)

If I were to incorporate this type of activity into a classroom, it would most likely be woven into a unit on the literary text Beowulf. The movie would serve as a supplement to the reading of the poem. We would talk about the movie both during whole-class and small-group discussions. Ultimately, students would work in small groups to create a 5 minute presentation focusing on one of the aspects of the cinematic interpretation mentioned earlier. I would here are some of the criteria I would use to evaluate students:

• Depth of analysis (Do the students offer a thesis/hypothesis about the topic and support it with more than one example?)
• Accuracy (Does their interpretation make sense?)
• Relationship to today's culture (Do the students relate their interpretation to modern sensibilities, technology, etc.?)
• Individual participation (all students would have to turn-in a one-page essay about their contributions and ideas on the topic)

Yep, I'm on the bandwagon

I've been trying to think of something more original but nothing is coming to me. It feels so canned to say I'd use film versions of Shakespeare to augment the literature, but I do think it is a very wise way to incorporate media in an English classroom. Shakespeare's plays were meant to be seen and heard; reading them is just not the same.

Sample activity: Students read a passage of a Shakespeare play (it doesn't really matter which one) either in class or on their own. Then, students would work in small groups and create a short performance of a section in that scene. Thirdly, we would watch a film version of the same scene. Students would take notes commenting on how their views of the story changed after each successive activity and comparing the dramatic scenes staged in class with the cinematic interpretation. We would then have a class discussion about this.

I don't do favorites

This week we are supposed to "pick one song" that illustrates our preferences. I can't do that. In general, I am terrible at picking favorites. It stresses me out. So, I narrowed it down to two artists that I really like. Although there is a pretty wide range of music that I like to listen to, there are certain types of music that really touch me. Like some of my classmates, I am drawn to lyrics. However, every now and then a fun, zippy song is pretty sweet.

Sara Groves
I received my first Sara Groves CD from a friend of mine who was painting her house (she lives in the Twin Cities). Sara Groves is a Christian singer/songwriter, so I think it's pretty neat that my Atheist friend introduced me to her music. One thing that I really like about Sara is that she writes all of her own music. Like I said before, I am drawn to lyrics more than anything else. If the singer is singing someone else's words, it just doesn't feel as genuine. Sara doesn't always sing about her own life though, which sometimes bugs me. I like to feel that I am connecting with the person who is saying/singing the words. Again, not as genuine if they're speaking someone else's words. It's like when the presenter at the Oscars reads the acceptance speech for some Joe Schmoe too cool to come to the award show. My friend gave me the "All Right Here" CD during a pretty rough time in my life. I was just beginning to wonder about God and on the downward slope of a pretty deep depression (coincidence? probably not). That CD could have been mine. Well, if I could sing and had any knack for writing songs, and had a record label, and...The point is that it SPOKE TO ME. In a huge way. I can remember driving home while listening to "Maybe there's a loving God," bawling my eyes out because I was in the exact same place. Here are some of the lyrics that really touched me:

I'm trying to work things out

I'm trying to compare

Am I the chance result of some great accident?

I spend each night in the backyard staring out at the stars in the sky.

[...] I have another meeting today with my new counselor

my mom will cry and say, "I don't know what to do with her"

she's so unresponsive, I just cannot break through

Another song on that CD is called "Less like scars" and is about the transformation that takes place when you put your trust in God. This song still touches my heart like no other. I feel so comfortable and confident about where I've come and where I'm going in my life. This is her music video of that song. It's not the best video ever, but the song is great.


I actually wrote a 3-page, handwritten letter to Sara about how much her music meant to me. I gave it to her guitar player at one of their concerts; I'm pretty sure she thought I was nuts when she read it. Maybe I am... The next CD I got of hers is called "The other side of something." It's really weird, but once again her music spoke to where I was in my life. It was a little less sad (like me) and more about being "compelled" to live her life to the fullest. I could go on and on about that one, too, but I'll spare you. If you really want to know, I'd be glad to talk/email with you about it. Recently, I was given "Add to the Beauty," which is her most recent CD. This CD doesn't speak to me quite as much as the others have, but it's still pretty fantastic. Here is a song that I really like from that CD called "Something changed." She talks a little bit about it in the beginning, and she has the cutest voice ever! Plus, the quality is significantly better than the last one.


And, if you're curious, this is the song I played at my wedding...It's called "Fly"



Wow, this is already a long post. Okay, I'll speed it up.

Newsboys
The Newsboys are a Christian rock band from Australia, and I have to say, I wasn't terribly thrilled with them when I first heard them. And then. I saw them in concert. Wow. Awesome performers. I've seen them twice--once each at the Xcel and Target Centers--and both shows were sold out. Their concert last spring at the Target Center was hands-down the best concert I've ever been too. Here are two videos of them playing my current favorite song (that's how good it is, I have a favorite) called "Something Beautiful." The first is a recording (from a cell phone? cameras were not allowed...) that someone made of them during the concert at the Target Center. It's not the best quality video ever, but I like it because it brings back memories from that AWESOME night. The second video is the same song, but a better recording of it with still images. Feel free to pick one.




This is the final song they played at the Xcel Center in 2004. That was the most unbelievable concert moment I've ever experienced. The band actually left the stage while still playing the music, but I don't think anybody even noticed. We were so caught up in the beauty of the music. It's called "He Reigns."



Okay, okay, I'm done.