Author: D. Sader

Extinct Civilizations

Write a story in which your protagonist has discovered that s/he is a rare descendent of an extinct civilization – East or West.

Ancient Egyptian
The Inca
The Maurya
The Toltec
The Mayans
The Phoenicians
The Babylonians
The Sumerian
The Aztec
The Minoans

Extra ideas for consideration:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genealogical_DNA_test
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_genealogy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_profiling
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropology

Fences

What are the main purposes for building fences?

What ideas are suggested about fences in the following photos?

Collect images of fences. Can you find images that seem to suggest an idea related to a course focus question?

Create your own photo essay or bulletin board poster(try Adobe Indesign) featuring a photograph of a fence.

Make sure your poser can be read from about 2 meters away. Your photoessay should contain 3-5 images with only a couple sentences arguing your photo’s connection to your focus.

Legacy

Write your own poem to honour an ancestor.

You could use the person’s name and relationship to you as the first line of the poem. On the next line, write two adjectives to describe him or her, what he or she did, and a short description of the person’s desires, fears, and loves on following lines.

Use the following poem as a model.

Marcel Lévesque, great-uncle
Brave, adventurous sailor
Wanted to marry a Spanish lady
Feared he would be sent home to Gaspé
Loved his señiorita forever

Man in Motion

It seems that people are often fascinated by individuals who do extraordinary things to better the lives of others. Research Rick Hansen and write a report about him. Be sure to include a character description in which you suggest how Rick Hansen’s character might have influenced his life. Share your report with your classmates.

Include links to 3-5 sources of information. Check your information for relevance, bias, and accuracy.

Embed one or two images or media clips.

Adjectives to describe character traits.

“Pillars of Character”

Consider writing a report on another Canadian hero: fact or fiction.

Superman or Tarzan?

[youtube video=ihUIPlLw2ZE]
Crash Test Dummies music video “Superman’s Song” from their 1991 debut album “The Ghosts That Haunt Me”.
Written by Brad Roberts

Tarzan wasn’t a ladies’ man
He’d just come along and scoop ’em up under his arm
Like that, quick as a cat in the jungle
But Clark Kent now there was a real gent
He would not be caught sittin’ around in no
Junglescape, dumb as an ape doing nothing

Supermen never made any money
For saving the world from Solomon Grundy
And sometimes I despair the world will never see
Another man like him

Hey Bob, Supe had a straight job
Even though he could have smashed through any bank
In the United States, he had the strength, but he would not
Folks said his family were all dead
Their planet crumbled but Superman, he forced himself
To carry on, forget Krypton, and keep going

Tarzan was king of the jungle and Lord over all the apes
But he could hardly string together four words: “I Tarzan, You Jane. ”

Sometimes when Supe was stopping crimes
I’ll bet that he was tempted to just quit and turn his back
On man, join Tarzan in the forest
But he stayed in the city, and kept on changing clothes
In dirty old phonebooths till his work was through
And nothing to do but go on home

I. Responding to the Song:

  1. Use words or phrases to from the song lyrics to describe Tarzan and Superman. Which character, if any, do you think the songwriter, Brad Roberts, respects the most?
  2. When you think of these two characters, what images come to mind? Do your images match those of the songwriter?
  3. Why is Superman trying to save the “world from Solomon Grundy”?
  4. Why would Superman be tempted to stop what he’s doing and “join Tarzan in the jungle”?
  5. Are Superman and Tarzan symbols for types of people? If so, what might they symbolize?
  6. Which character, if any, would you rather be? Explain.

II. Writing a Short Story
Which superhero would you rather be, Superman or Tarzan? Explain. Develop your answer to this question into a short story, told in the first person, about your experiences as Tarzan or Superman for a day.

III. Presenting a Song:
Work with a partener or small group to plan a reading of another song.

  • First choose the song. Think about how you will read it to the class so the meaning is clear.
  • Practise reading the song, working together to read it effectively. Focus on tone, volume, gestures, and emphasis to use as you read the lyrics. Discuss how reading a song is different from singing it.
  • Record your reading with Garageband, save it as an mp3 and share it via your blog. What elements of your recording were most effective?

Consider the following:
http://www.crashtestdummies.com/#/music
Focus Questions: Decisions
tvtropes.org: Crime and Punishment
Superman @ wikipedia
Tarzan @ wikipedia
How to punctuate dialogue correctly

[youtube video=RimJ6BfQaTE]