Monday, January 25, 2016

January 25, 2016 - January 29, 2016 Weekly Agenda; The Hero's Journey Group Assignment









Monday, January 25th:
BIC:
Silent Sustained Reading
Read your AR book from 8:15
Write a brief summary of what you have read. Please include a comment  (what you thought about what you have read) and a prediction.
Make sure you date it and write the pages you have read.

1st Period:
Break into your groups and continue working on your “Hero’s Journey”
Conferences

EACH GROUP’S “HERO’S JOURNEY” MUST BE FINISHED AT THE END OF THE PERIOD ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 26TH. Presentations will start on Wednesday, January 27th!

How to do a reading log:
Example of a Reading Log: Friday, January 22nd, pages 1 - 20:
Example of a section of your reading log: Brief summary of what you have read. Please do not write an entire summary of the story in one solid chunk. That will result in a fail. Divide it up into smaller "chunks" of ten to twenty pages or by chapters. 
Comment: I can really relate to what Rosario is going through. I think Rosario should get out of the gang.
Prediction: The gang might start following him and either try to get him back in the gang or kill him!
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Story Conferences with: 
Christian, Dalicia, Jasmine, Jonathan:
The Ordinary World:
Miami, Florida
Protagonist: Michael
Age: 23 turning 24
Michael wants to throw a party to celebrate his 24th birthday.
Michael’s best friend Brian brings in his mail. The mail is one week old. In the mail is Michael’s draft notice, but the draft notice passes unnoticed.  Days later, Michael finally notices the letter from the draft board. He freaks and calls Brian who comes over.  Due to bad luck, an army representative knocks on Michael’s door and demands that Michael go with him.  But Michael panics, becomes hysterical, and the soldier punches him in the face.  Brian accompanies Michael to the army base and decides to join the military with Michael.
The Threshold:
Michael and Brian are in Boot Camp
The gate keeper is the sergeant
Who is the enemy?
Syriana
Why are we fighting them?
They attacked us.

Boot Camp Scenario (The Threshold):
Michael is sensitive and is having a hard time at boot camp. He does okay, but the macho mindset and the killing is upsetting to Michael, but is also particularly upsetting to Brian, who is a pacifist. Neither Michael nor Brian is an outstanding recruit, nor a loser, but both are in the middle ranking of their fellow recruits.

The Special World (The Battlefield):
Once the guys are on a real battlefield, things become really difficult for them.  They don’t understand the reasons for the war and how it’s being run – why are so many civilians being killed in the battles?  The platoon commander is a gung-ho military guy who doesn’t like to be questioned. From the very beginning Brian has rubbed the commander the wrong way with all his questions about the war effort, which the commander sees as insubordination.  There causes bad blood between Brian and the commander.

During one particularly difficult battle, Brian tries to save a small child whose father is an enemy combatant.  The platoon commander orders Brian to abandon the child, who is wounded, but Brian refuses. The platoon commander gets into a fierce argument with Brian amid the firefight with the rebel forces. The enemy is getting closer and the firefight is getting more intense, endangering the lives of all the men in the platoon. Finally, in a moment of insanity, the platoon commander shoots and kills Brian, in front of Michael.  This instantly changes Michael from who and what he once was. He now becomes hardened.

The Special World needs the following:
The Forest - metaphorically
The Belly of the Whale/Cave – metaphorically
The Hunt 
The Treasure
The Chase
Victory

The Return of the Hero
“Death”
“Resurrection”
The Elixir – knowledge


Period 3: 



Silent Sustained Reading
Reading Log

Conference:
Johan, Nicole, Isabel, Cooper
The Ordinary World:
A group of kids is going to a bon fire party to celebrate their recent high school graduation.  The kids run out of gas and walk to an abandoned carnival where they encounter an evil ringmaster who has trapped the spirits of the carnival workers. He now wants to entrap the souls of the kids.
Protagonist: Alec
Description: a friend to everyone
Setting: 1980’s America, California
Conflict: Carnival spirits trap them and they cannot escape
Antagonist: The Ringmaster is sort of a vampire. He was cursed by what he did to the people of the carnival by a gypsy.  The carnies were tortured by him and killed.

Ordinary World: The students’ car stops when it runs out of gas and Jake, one of the students, is thrown from the convertible and is badly injured.
The kids get out and search for help. 

The Special World: They stumble upon a carnival. The students enter the big top and suddenly the lights go on and they find the ringmaster eerily swinging on the trapeze, while spirits are performing, but the spirits are crying and have obviously been tortured and injured. 
The students are forced to participate in the circus acts and are killed in the process.
The clown forces the other students to kill one of the girls. She is turned into a marionette doll.
Stray and very hungry lions and tigers are prowling the carnival looking for food. The big cats spot the students and are suddenly hungry for student-kibbles! 
The stilt walker is a motif throughout the Special World. The sound of the stilt walker occurs throughout, and holds particular horror for the kids for he is the one who pursues them as they look to escape. He is a recurring nightmare of pursuit throughout the story.

Elements of the Special World: (Can be metaphorical or real)
Forest
Cave/the Belly of the Whale
Sacrifice
Treasure  - their lives
Hunt
Chase
Alec is the only one who survives
Jessica sacrifices herself so that Alec survives.

How does he escape? Alec summons the gypsy lady who cursed the evil ring master.

Elements of the "The Return of the Hero": 

The Return of the Hero
“Metaphorical Death”
Resurrection
Return to the Ordinary World with an elixir – knowledge
What is the knowledge Alec has gained from this experience?
Alec has been so hurt by this experience that he no longer trusts and now keeps things to himself.

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Story Conference:
Jaynice, Amanda, Josselyn, Reyna
Protagonist:
Khaleesa, a 17 year old girl, from New York
Conflict: Wants to go into the forest to find herself.
The Special World:
Forest
Cave
Belly of the Beast
Treasure
Hunt
Chase
Victory

“The Hero Returns”
“Metaphorical Death”
“Resurrection”
Knowledge gained or the elixir!

Khaleesa meets the old man’s son, Hassan, when she gets lost in the forest. Hassan helps her and warns her about his father.
Approach: The old man has been controlling her family but she doesn’t know that. He has forced her father to be a “hit man”.  By killing the old man she will free Hassan and her family from his evil.

The story must be completed by the end of the period on Tuesday, January 26th.  You will begin presenting on Wednesday, January 27th! 

Tuesday, January 26th: 


BIC
1st Period:
Everyone break into groups and work on their “Hero’s Journey” story.
Due at the end of the period!

3rd Period:
Everyone break into groups and work on their “Hero’s Journey” story.




Wednesday, January 27th: 

BIC
1st Period: 
Break into groups and rehearse your presentation of your Hero's Story. 
8:20: 
Begin presenting 
At the end of the period, turn in your story and your peer evaluation sheet. 
Presentations: Jelani, Salome, Ki, Jennifer
The audience is expected to take notes and identify the following in each story: 
 The Ordinary World
Protagonist
The Mentor
The Conflict
The Call to Adventure
The Threshold Guardians
The Special World
The Cave
The Belly of the Beast
The Hunt
The Chase
The Return of the Hero
The Death
The Resurrection
The Elixir


Period 3:

Break into groups and rehearse presentations.
The audience: please take out a sheet of paper and try to answer the questions as you listen to the presentations.
Note Taking:
Please write down what you think are the following:
The Ordinary World
Protagonist
The Mentor
The Conflict
The Call to Adventure
The Threshold Guardians
The Special World
The Cave
The Belly of the Beast
The Hunt
The Chase
The Return of the Hero
The Death
The Resurrection
The Elixir
Presentations:
Timerica, Arturo, Jonathan, Emily

Thursday, January 28th: 


BIC
Presentations of “The Hero’s Journey”
Continuation from yesterday:

Jelani, Salome, Ki, Jennifer, Michael

Regina, Taylor, Arath, Natalie – had props, blocking, and characterizations!

Christian, Dalicia, Jonathan, Jasmine – didn’t finish

Student are to take notes and identify the stages of the hero’s journey – the ordinary world, the protagonist, the conflict, the call to adventure, the refusal, the mentor, the threshold guardians, etc.

3rd Period: 


Presentations of the “Hero’s Journey”
Kristina, Mutasim, Tyrone, Yubendi
Scientist attempts to find a cure for an epidemic with his stricken mother, a research scientist.

Jaynice’s group was allowed to postpone due to “getting kicked in the head by Johan”(?)

Cooper, Johan, Isabel, Natalie – “Carnival”
Cooper read the story – it’s 13 pages long!

Friday, January 29th: 
1st Period: 
Friday, January 29th:
BIC
Silent Sustained Reading

8:30
Presentation of the final group work on The Hero’s Journey
Anselmo, Angie, Stephanie

On Monday we will go to the library to be retested on the AR program

Assignment:
Choose a book or a movie and write an essay showing how the book or movie fits the structure of the Hero’s Journey.


This is a 1, 000  word essay. Each pages should have 250 words. The essay must be typed in 12 font, double-spaced, and have a minimum of six paragraphs. 



The due date for this assignment is Wednesday, February 3rd.

The due date for this assignment is Wednesday, February 3rd.

The first paragraph should briefly recount how and why the structure of the hero’s journey began. 

The second paragraph should briefly recount the structure of the hero’s journey.

The third paragraph (and perhaps, the fourth) should recount the Ordinary World of your book or movie. This should include a brief description of the “ordinary world”, and the protagonist’s life in the ordinary world. There should be the “Call to Adventure”, the protagonist’s first refusal, and her/his final acceptance. You should include the appearance of the “Mentor” and her/his relationship with the protagonist. Finally, the “Threshold Guardians” should be mentioned. These are the ones who block the hero’s transition into the special world and they must be overcome, tricked, or made into allies so that the hero or heroine can move into the special world and fulfill her or his destiny.

The next paragraph(s) should discuss the “Special or Magical World”. The special world comprises the largest part of the story and is considered the second act. This part of the story contains the most adventures, and should include the “Ordeal”, “the Forest or Sacred Grove”,  “the Belly of the Beast”, “the Sacrifice”, “the Hunt”, and “the Chase”.

The next paragraph(s) should comprise the “Hero’s Return”. This occurs after the hero is successful in his adventure and has the prize or is triumphant in accomplishing his destiny. There is a bridge, which joins the “Special World” with “the Return of the Hero”, which is often the hunt and the chase. The end of the chase ends in success but at a great cost to the hero, who may suffer a “death” or severe loss of some sort. After the death (real or metaphorical) the hero is resurrected and returns to the “Ordinary World”, but bearing the “elixir”, which may be a treasure of some sort, or knowledge, or wisdom.

The final paragraph should be a brief summing up of the main points of the essay and a conclusion. Remember, there should be no new information given in the final paragraph.

Period 3: 
Collaborative The Hero's Journey Presentation:

Arisbeth, Tyler, Yulma, Kimberly 

Amanda, Jay-Nice, Reyna, Josselyn

Looking Ahead: 
On Monday, we will be in the library for AR retesting 
On Wednesday, the Hero's Journey Essay will be due 


Assignment:
Choose a book or a movie and write an essay showing how the book or movie fits the structure of the Hero’s Journey.

This is a 1, 000  word essay. Each pages should have 250 words. The essay must be typed in 12 font, double-spaced, and have a minimum of six paragraphs. 

The due date for this assignment is Wednesday, February 3rd.

The first paragraph should briefly recount how and why the structure of the hero’s journey began. 

The second paragraph should briefly recount the structure of the hero’s journey.

The third paragraph (and perhaps, the fourth) should recount the Ordinary World of your book or movie. This should include a brief description of the “ordinary world”, and the protagonist’s life in the ordinary world. There should be the “Call to Adventure”, the protagonist’s first refusal, and her/his final acceptance. You should include the appearance of the “Mentor” and her/his relationship with the protagonist. Finally, the “Threshold Guardians” should be mentioned. These are the ones who block the hero’s transition into the special world and they must be overcome, tricked, or made into allies so that the hero or heroine can move into the special world and fulfill her or his destiny.

The next paragraph(s) should discuss the “Special or Magical World”. The special world comprises the largest part of the story and is considered the second act. This part of the story contains the most adventures, and should include the “Ordeal”, “the Forest or Sacred Grove”,  “the Belly of the Beast”, “the Sacrifice”, “the Hunt”, and “the Chase”.

The next paragraph(s) should comprise the “Hero’s Return”. This occurs after the hero is successful in his adventure and has the prize or is triumphant in accomplishing his destiny. There is a bridge, which joins the “Special World” with “the Return of the Hero”, which is often the hunt and the chase. The end of the chase ends in success but at a great cost to the hero, who may suffer a “death” or severe loss of some sort. After the death (real or metaphorical) the hero is resurrected and returns to the “Ordinary World”, but bearing the “elixir”, which may be a treasure of some sort, or knowledge, or wisdom.

The final paragraph should be a brief summing up of the main points of the essay and a conclusion. Remember, there should be no new information given in the final paragraph.