Objectives: Demonstrate your understanding of an aspect of a text of your choice Demonstrate your competency with a particular medium by creating your own version of that medium Select a style of language appropriate to a task The Product: Part 1: A proposal that explains what youd like to produce and why Part 2: (after receiving feedback on proposal) An 800 to 1,000-word creative piece that conveys your understanding of a language or literary text Part 3: A completed rationale that explains your choices regarding text type, audience, purpose, and the nature of your task (200-300 words) Selecting a Text to Analyze: 1. Decide if youd like to analyze a language text or a literature text. a. Language texts (first WT1 - September): Political speeches News reports Photographs TED Talks Op-ed articles Twitter feeds Memes Viral videos Music videos Television shows Films Advertisements Other - make a suggestion! b. Literature texts (Second WT1: Later in the year): The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman c. Select the actual text you will analyze. 2. Narrow your ideas and develop a central focus for your analysis.
Selecting a Text Type to Create:
1. Think about the best way to present your analysis. This means you must select a text type. Keep in mind that a formal essay is not an acceptable text type for this assignment. Ideas (this list is not all-inclusive): Twitter feed News report Opinion Column Police report Extra scene Screenplay Parody Diary Letter Magazine article Set of instructions/recipe Advertisement Infographic Blog* *Be careful if you select blog. Theyll most likely be overdone, and they can sometimes be a formal essay in disguise. Remember that you will need to write a rationale that justifies your choice of text type. Be sure to select something that makes sense in the context of your analysis. Completing the Proposal: 1. Complete proposal form to help solidify your thinking, and also to help me understand what youd like to do. 2. I will give you feedback before you write your paper. Writing the Paper: 1. Begin working on your text. Begin early so you can ask for help along the way. 2. Use the information you have in your proposal to guide you. 3. Remember that your paper must be between 800 and 1,000 words long. There is no leeway with these limits. 4. Cite sources (including images) appropriately. You may use parenthetical citations or footnotes, but be consistent. 5. Include a reference page. 6. Where possible, include an appendix with a copy of or link to your source text. 7. Submit managebac by the due date Writing the Rationale Use your proposal form to write a rationale that is between 200 and 300
words long (no leeway - must fall within these limits).
In your rationale, you must address: how the content of the task is linked to a particular part of the course how the task is intended to explore particular aspects of the course the nature of the task chosen information about audience, purpose and the social, cultural or historical context in which the task is set. The rationale should not only include knowledge about the text or topic studied, but also about the formal conventions of the text type produced and how they relate to the aims of the task. Format: You may format the actual task in a way that is appropriate to the text type. Use the template on the blog for your title page, overall layout, and reference page. Remember that your task should look like the text type you are emulating. Include an MLA works cited page that includes your source text (and any secondary sources you use, if any). If you include direct quotations or other textual references that should be cited, using MLA citations or footnotes. Regardless of your choice of format, your work should be neat and organized, and your name should be easy to find on your document. TL;DR: Pick a source text to analyze. Pick a text type to use to present analysis. Fill out proposal form. Write a paper (800-1000) words that uses your chosen text type to illustrate your understanding of the source text. Use information in proposal form to write a rationale that explains your work. Due Dates Proposal : Thursday, 18 September 2014 Task and Rationale : Thursday, 2 October 2014 Assessment Ideas You can write a letter to the author of The Future is Fidgetal, including new words that you have come across and explaining their meaning. As letters to the editor tend to be rather short, you may want to write two or three to meet the word count (800-1,000). You could write another letter from a critical reader who feels these words are corrupting the English language. You could write a letter from a frustrated older person, who struggles to follow the latest linguistic trends. Be sure to refer constantly to the main article in your written task. In other words, root it in the primary source.