Subject Area/ Grade: English/ 12th Grade
Students will understand creativity as a muscle that everyone can develop. Students will apply multimedia skills as a final product.
Goals
Students will display their understanding of creativity as a muscle that everyone is capable of by deliberately turning a “boring” or ordinary topic into something extraordinary. Students will apply multimedia skills as a final product.
Content Area and Standards
Literacy 6-12 Anchor Standards for Literacy
STANDARD 2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and
information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and
analysis of content.
STANDARD 3: Write narratives to understand an event or topic, using effective techniques, well-chosen
details, and well-structured sequences.
STANDARD 4: Develop personal, cultural, textual, and thematic connections within and across genres
through responses to texts and personal experiences.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
STANDARD 6: Gather relevant information from multiple sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the
information while avoiding plagiarism. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and
collaborate
with others.
STANDARD 7: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support anaysis, reflection, and
research.
Activity
Students will choose a boring topic from a grab bag of a list to eliminate the paradox of choice. Next they will research, write, and prepare a multimedia presentation that showcases how creative they can be with a topic or subject that the world seems dull. This project will reinforce a lifelong idea that creativity is not something special for the elite but rather an everyday muscle that anybody can call upon.
Joy2Learn Artists /Videos that Support Project
Richard Serra on Physical Art
Richard Serra: Equal | ARTIST STORIES
Wynton the Early Years
Jazz with Wynton Marsalis – Early years
Art Forms that May Be Included
Prezi, slides by Canva, YouTube, Video, music
Connections to Students Passion Areas and Interests
The connection to students’ passions and interest in this project is unique. By definition, the topic will not be in their passionate interest. However, this project will ask them to find their passion and interests within curiosity and apply it to an otherwise seemingly dull topic. In this way, students can draw upon their life experiences and relate them to something that seems mundane on the surface. An example of this, would be using the stapler. On the surface, a stapler has no intrinsic passion associated with it, but as artists and craftspeople begin to imagine how vital a stapler has been in their creative lives, all of a sudden passion and connections can come alive.
Materials Needed
Optimally students will have access to computers, E65 display boards and sound projection, but this project can absolutely be done in
Brick and Mortar style with no technology.
Collaborators
I envision this as an individual project midway to late into a course once fundamental skills have been sharpened and class culture has been established. There is no question that this could be adapted to partner or group work.
Assessment
A rubric that leans heavily on creativity is attached below.
Timeline
From assignment to delivery is two weeks. This assumes class time, mini-lessons, scaffolding, and mentor texts (projects) will be utilized.
Other Notes
I am excited to put this project into play in my classroom this Fall. I think students will enjoy it while reinforcing vital skills of efficacy and self-belief.
