8th Grade Done Your Way: January 2009

YOUR MISSION: To complete the following challenges within the way-too-short month of February and then submit your completed packet to the yellow folders on Friday, February 27th. Your goal will be to begin (or continue) a life-long process of exploring experiences (in this case, the African-American experience) that come together to form the “American Experience.” Our dream for you is that you’ll develop a passion for knowing in a real way and for finding meaning in a life-changing way through an ongoing exploration of stories and their impact on our shared yet varied experience.

This challenge is by no means comprehensive or complete. We encourage you to find ways to augment this experience that are particularly meaningful to you on your journey.

Due Date for the entire Project Packet: Friday, February 27th. (See additional deadlines embedded in the various assignments!!)

1. VIEW AND THEN REVIEW A FILM THAT DIRECTLY ADDRESSES THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. (Use the posted “Film Analysis Sheet” to respond to your film selection.)

2. ATTEND AT LEAST ONE FILM IN OUR LUNCH TIME BLACK HISTORY FILM FEST OFFERINGS.
(Shown in the 8th grade library: 12:45-1:15 daily) This film needs to be reviewed as well. (See #1)

3. READ A NOVEL, MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHY, AUTOBIOGRAPHY, NONFICTION ACCOUNT THAT HAS DIRECT RELEVANCE TO THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. Write at least three journal entries in your Reading Journal as you read your selection: two to peers and one to Sally, Bert or Darin. Of course, you may write even more as the spirit moves you. Also be ready to discuss the following points in small, informal group sessions:

a. What aspect of the African-American experience was highlighted and/or powerfully portrayed in your reading selection?
b. What did you learn or were you made aware of for the first time through reading this selection?
c. What, if any, specific knowledge that you felt you already possessed was reinforced through your reading selection?
d. What questions were you left with when you finished your selection?
e. To what degree would you recommend this reading selection and why?

In addition, you will need to write a word-processed book analysis, using the posted “Book Analysis Sheet” to guide you.

4. FIND / RESEARCH A SONG OF PARTICULAR SIGNIFICANCE WITHIN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.
Due Thursday, February 12th; please submit a Word Document “clean copy” of your song’s lyrics to my SGS email as an attachment
(smclaughlin@seattlegirlsschoolorg.) At this time Sally will let you know if she already owns a copy of your song selection. If not… give her access to your song via CD, iTunes, etc. We will compile an 8th grade “mixed CD” of all our songs for each of us to have at the end of February. (See Sally sooner rather than later with any issues on this aspect of the project!)

REMEMBER: Your email AND attachment should be titled: YOUR NAME: SONG TITLE (so I can drop them into folders and they will be automatically alphabetized!)

Some examples might be:
a. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” also known as the African-American Anthem
b. “We Shall Overcome”, the anthem of the Civil Rights Movement
c. “Go Down Moses” (Let my people go...) or “The Drinking Gourd” …coded slave anthems
d. “Dear Mama” by Tupac Shakur
e. “Oh Freedom” or “I Shall Not Be Moved” by Harry Belafonte
f. “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around” by Sweet Honey in the Rock
g. “Wade in the Water” African American spiritual
h. “All Falls Down” by Kanye West
i. Any song you might know of that speaks eloquently of/to the African-American experience.

To make this part of our exploration more meaningful, try to gather some background information on your song selection. If the song/singer/songwriter has a history, include that in a short paragraph above your song’s lyrics.

5. RESEARCH AN IMPORTANT PIECE FROM THE CANON OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN ORAL TRADITION.

Some examples of possible selections might be:

a. Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I A Woman?”
(http://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/genwom/sojour.html)
b. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech (http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html)
c. Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman”
(http://www.poemhunter.com/p/m/poem.asp?poet=6834&poem=33052)
d. Frederick Douglass’ 1952 Speech “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro”
(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2927.html)
e. Mary McLeod Bethune’s 1939 speech “What Does American Democracy Mean to Me?”
(http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/sayitplain/mmbethune.html)
f. Langston Hughes’ “I, Too, Sing America”
(http://www.poetryconnection.net/poets/Langston_Hughes/2383)
g. Shirley Chisholm’s 1969 Speech to Congress, “Equal Rights for Women”
(http://www.infoplease.com/t/hist/equal-rights-for-women/index.html)
h. Tupac Shakur’s “And Tomorrow”
(http://www.tupacnet.org/poetry/poetry.htm)
i. ANYTHING written by President Barack Obama!
j.
…to name ONLY A FEW!!

(SEE SALLY WITH YOUR OWN IDEAS FOR THIS SECTION OF THE CHALLENGE!! I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU INTRODUCE SOMETHING NEW AND IMPORTANT!)

Once you’ve made your selection, please email Sally a copy of the text: smclaughlin@seattlegirlsschool.org
Be sure to title both your email AND your attachment in this manner: Your first name / Title of oral piece (EX: Sally/Ain’t I a Woman?)

Include as an introduction to your selection, a short, pithy paragraph describing why you chose your piece. What’s its specific meaning to/for you? What about this piece spoke to you? Why do you deem this piece significant? We will post our selections on a blog created for this purpose. This part of the challenge is due Monday, February 23rd.

6. INDEPENDENT PROJECT: This is your opportunity to develop an “experience” or project, which is particularly significant for your personal journey to fuller awareness. Some possible ideas might be to interview an African-American elder about her/his experiences, the creation of a poem, story or song that addresses African-American experience, a “field trip” that leads to further understanding of the African-American experience, or whatever you can think of that would be particularly meaningful. This is a place where you can use your imagination and creativity! (Please run your ideas by Sally first by mid-February.)

Have fun...and learn A LOT!! (The best of both worlds!!)