April 2

Today we will do two things:
1. Make characterization charts for characters in Where the Heart Is and
2. Brainstorm for your Bean Trees movies.

Characterization Chart
          What She's Like             Example
Novalee
1. superstitious                                  5 birthday candles.
2. afraid                                            she decides to tell Forney she loves him.
                                                       Forney's love helps her overcome her insecurity
3.
Sister Husband
1.
2.
3.
Lexie
1. Ready for what life throws at her.      Takes new kids gladly
A little bit like Taylor.  Optimistic
2. Depressed. Like Taylor.       Mattiew helps her understand that life isn't perfect but that we should still try to make it as good as possible for one another
3.
Forney
1.Has a good heart                          Takes care of Americus; Delivered Americus; takes care of sister
2.

In what ways is Novalee like Taylor Greer, and in what ways is she like Lou Ann?
What thematic similarities do you see in the two works?

Fear
Theme: _When we have the courage to face our fears we are then able to overcome them.  OR Friends and extended family can help us overcome our fears by showing us love.  Love conquers fear. 

Family
Theme: Care for one another makes you family.  A family is people who make you feel protected.  Willy Jack  NOT.  Abandoned his daughter. 
Sister Husband helps and loves Novalee _____________________
It's hard to be a family.

Movie
Movie Project Description

Bean Trees Video


Your final project for The Bean Trees is to create a 5-9 minute
video teaching a theme from the novel.

You are to work in groups of 4 but feel free to recruit friends to
help you--60 points
Due April 9

Pretend that you are a film student in the prestigious USC film program.  Your former teacher, Mr. Isom,  has hired you to make a video that will help his students understand one of the themes in the novel The Bean Trees and has given you carte blanche as far as your approach goes.  Although you know that Mr. Isom is offering a package of gummy bears for the top video, you are more motivated by thoughts of personal gain.  You know that the George Lucas Foundation gives a hefty $25,000 prize to the winner of its Educational Video Short contest in the literature category (see Edutopia.com).  Winning this prize will not only pay for your next film but could greatly help you reach your lifelong goal of working for LucasFilm.

As you begin to brainstorm ideas, your mind first turns to themes in the work.  You remember from your days spent in Mr. Isom’s class that a theme is the author’s statement (message) concerning a motif such as friendship, pride, alienation, mortality, family, etc.  In your movie group, write a theme for three of the following  motifs:
Common motifs found in the Bean Trees include: 
Family
Theme: ________________________________________________________
Rebirth
Theme: ________________________________________________________
Choices
Theme: ________________________________________________________
Racism
Theme: ________________________________________________________
Moral responsibility

Theme: ________________________________________________________
Feminism
Theme: ________________________________________________________
Fear
Theme: ________________________________________________________

Your 5-9 minute film will be graded as follows:

15 pts--Theme illustrated.  Most students film a scene from the novel.  It's possible, however, to get creative and make a movie about something else and then show its connection to the book in the director's explanation of the theme

15 pts--Director's explanation of theme covered in the film. 1-3 min of the total 7-9 minutes. You must make at least four references to the novel and explain how the film illustrates (or teaches) the theme.  Sometimes students focus on the acting, lighting, etc., and how it emphasizes the theme.

30 pts--Craftsmanship.  Including costumes and props, camera angles, lighting, editing

A’s go to excellent work that thoroughly and creatively develops a theme from the novel.  Director’s explanation clearly and insightfully shows how the film develops the theme.  Four (4) well-chosen references to the book show strong understanding of the novel.  Craftsmanship is superb.  Costumes, props, camera angles, lighting, and editing seamlessly develop the ideas covered.

B’s go to good work that develops a theme from the novel.  Director’s explanation shows how the film develops the theme.  Four (4) references to the book show understanding of the novel.  Craftsmanship is good.  Costumes, props, camera angles, lighting, and editing tend to develop the ideas covered.

C’s go to ok work that tries to develop a theme from the novel.  Director’s explanation does not adequately show how the film develops the theme.  References to the book don’t show strong understanding of the novel.  Craftsmanship is superb.  Costumes, props, camera angles, lighting, and editing seamlessly develop the ideas covered.

March 14

Quiz today over daily oral language sentences that we do at the first of the period.  Hand in sentences and other notebook entries.
Test over Bean Trees
Hand in Comic books and we will share!

Friday, March

1. Quiz--Vocabulary for the week is found here
2. Finish Reading Test
3. Work on comic books

Homework: finish The Bean Trees if you haven't already.  
Test on Bean Trees Tuesday.  Comic book version of the book due Thursday--30 points

Comic Book

• 40 points   Due March 14, 2013  NOTE: Comic book has to show understanding
• 10 pages. 
• Note: the novel covers 17 chapters but you only have to make 10 illustrated pages.  Since the comic book must cover the entire novel, your summary will need to cover chapters that aren't illustrated. The summary has to be well-written.  This is a 10th grade assignment, so don't whip it out the way you might have done in 6th grade
• Front cover: illustration that deals with a key scene in the book.  Most likely this scene will touch upon a theme in the novel.
• Page 1 Kingsolver biographical information OR interesting discussion of the book to hook the reader.  Your choice, but make it helpful to the reader.  No plagiarism!
• Next 10 pages are to consist of illustrations with dialog and page numbers.  
• Illustration with speech bubble (top half of each page)
• Summary (bottom half of each page).  Be sure to cover all of the most important parts of the book
• Theme (last page)
• Rear cover: your choice! Look at other books you own and see what is often done and do that

You may work with a partner.  
Not all chapters need to be covered, but be sure to include what you think are the most important parts of the book, including important quotes.  If something important happens in a chapter you don't have an illustration for, be sure to summarize just a bit of that important part.
Each page needs:
Picture with people talking to each other.  Quote the actual dialog and list page number
1/2 page summary of the story.
At the end you will write 1 page discussing a theme in the book. We will discuss themes later.

OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT:
Make Xtranormal.com animated video
If you make the video, it must do everything that the comic book does, but it can cover just one scene if you'd like.  Here are a few ways to do it:
1. Have Taylor Greer tell her story.  She could summarize the first part of the book for the reader and then you could show an important scene with other characters in it.  Then Taylor could finish up telling the rest of her story and she could discuss a theme.
2. You could interview Taylor and Lou Ann and cover the entire story and discuss a theme in the book
3. You could write a summary of the entire novel and have it scroll down.  This would probably take 1-2 minutes.  Then show your scene.  Be sure to fit in discussion of the theme somewhere.
4.  Film a scene and then type up the information mentioned in 3 above

March 4

Vocabulary for the week is found here

Homework: read chapter 15, The Bean Trees

I hope you're enjoying reading The Bean Trees.  This week we will make comic book versions of the novel.  Here's what you'll need to do:
Comic Book

• 30 points   Due March 12, 2013
• 10 pages. 
• Note: the novel covers 17 chapters but you only have to make 10 illustrated pages.  Since the comic book must cover the entire novel, your summary will need to cover chapters that aren't illustrated.
• Front cover: illustration that deals with a key scene in the book.  Most likely this scene will touch upon a theme in the novel.
• Page 1 Kingsolver biographical information OR interesting discussion of the book to hook the reader
• Next 10 pages are to consist of illustrations with dialog and page numbers.  
• Illustration with speech bubble (top half of each page)
• Summary (bottom half of each page)
• Theme (last page)
• Rear cover: your choice! Look at other books you own and see what is often done and do that, or . . 

You may work with a partner. 
Not all chapters need to be covered, but be sure to include what you think are the most important parts of the book, including important quotes.
Each page needs:
Picture with people talking to each other.  Quote the actual dialog and list page number
1/2 page summary of the story.

At the end you will write 1 page discussing a theme in the book. We will discuss themes later.

OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT:
Make Xtranormal.com animated video