Our “Time Capsule”
Multimedia Journal – TEST GRADE
“For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day, and from hour to hour.”
Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl
The Background:
We have studied this idea of a meaningful life from several angles using teacher-selected texts as a guide. Now
it is time for you to select and present a variety of texts that demonstrate your own unique perspectives on this
quest for understanding and enlightenment. In this journal, you will use a variety of media to record what
makes your life meaningful at this point in time. We will be using these journals as “Time Capsules.” In other
words, we will be pulling these back out in May to reflect on how your meaning has changed throughout the
year.
The Task:
Each of you will undertake 3 broad topics relevant to the question “What brings meaning to my life at this point
in time?” Possible topics include: art/media, friends, education/intellectualism, fate, love, nature, politics,
spirituality, and employment (this is not a complete list). You will create a multimedia journal that brings
specificity to these broad topics. Each topic you choose should have a 2-page spread in your book. And finally,
you will have time to read and discuss the books created by your peers. Remember to be thoughtful about
choosing your 3 topics because you will be using them again later on in the year.
The Audience:
You, your peers, and your teacher are the audience for this assignment.
The Purpose:
The multimedia book you create will deepen and challenge people’s thinking on how these elements bring
meaningfulness to life. We are trying to deconstruct these broad ideas as they relate to the essential unit
questions.
The Procedure:
Day 1
Introduce project and the Time Capsule Guide. Assess example projects and choose your 3 topics. Work
on Time Capsule Guide. Begin listing texts to cite and select quotes from your own writing to include in
the journal.
Day 2
Continue working on writing and constructing your book.
Day 3
Sharing, reflection, and locking up the Time Capsule.
Requirements for each two-page spread:
 Clearly stated topic (examples include Art, Love, Work, etc).
 One quote from a text we studied during the unit and a developed paragraph explaining how that quote
relates to the topic. You should identify the text you are citing and the page number where it can be
found.
 One quote from something you wrote during the unit (classroom reflections, essays, or questions you
wrote) related to your topic and a developed paragraph explaining how your thinking has been
deepened, challenged, or changed since you wrote that sentence. You should put quotation marks
around your original quote.
 Representation of at least one text of your own choosing from outside our classroom studies. These can
be song lyrics, artwork, cartoons, album covers, still pictures from a film, personal photographs,
personal mementos (brochures from a trip you took, ticket stubs, etc). CLIP ART IS NOT
ACCEPTABLE. Write a caption with information about the text and why you chose it.
Requirements for additional writing to be included in your Multimedia Journal:
 A personal mission statement:
o “A personal mission statement is like a personal credo or motto that states what your life is
about. It is like the blueprint to your life” (Covey 81). “A personal mission statement is like a
tree with deep roots. It is stable and it isn’t going anywhere but it is also alive and continually
growing” (Covey 83). Your mission statement should record the essence of how you want to
live your life and the standards of your character. It should be specific enough that you can
reread it in a year and still know what you meant, but broad enough that it will still have
relevance.
 Your mission statement will be the first page of your book and the springboard into the topics you
choose to analyze. Creating your mission statement should help you consider how each topic affects
your life outlook, decision making, and personal character.
Assessment List:
Excellent books will –
 Begin with a meaningful Personal Mission Statement.
 Deconstruct 3 topics in relation to your life’s meaning (one 2 page spread per topic)
 Include no less than 3 passages from texts we’ve studied during the unit along with a paragraph of
thoughtful analysis of that passage (at least one for each 2 page spread)
 Include representation of no less than 3 outside texts with a thoughtful caption about the text and why
you chose it (at least one for each 2 page spread)
 Include no less than 3 quotes from your own writing during the unit along with a paragraph of
thoughtful analysis of that quote (at least one for each 2 page spread)
 Effectively balance visual images, quotes, graphic design, and writing to deconstruct each topic you
undertake
 Document how your thinking about these topics have been deepened, challenged or changed (this should
be shown in the quotes from your own writing)
 Show craftsmanship and attention to detail (quality construction). Books should be neatly bound with a
hand-made cover and hand-crafted pages (that means scissors and glue/tape!) No premade, store-bought
journals should be used. The cover should include a creative title and neatly display your name.
**The journal itself will count for one major grade. The sharing and reflection activity will count as a separate
daily grade.
Works Cited: Covey, Sean. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. Fireside: New York. 1998. Print.