IDC 3O1 – Grade 11 Open African-Canadian History: Culminating Project
Novel Study – Dissecting The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
African-Canadian History contributes to the improvement of race
relations, cross cultural understanding and to students’ understanding
of human rights in the community, workplace and the society at large.
Throughout the semester, learning experiences have been designed
to help students understand the legacy of slavery and the effects of
colonialism on the continent of Africa and on people of African
descent. Lawrence Hill’s novel, The Book of Negroes is a stark and
vivid description of this struggle and details the life and journey of
Aminata Diallo, a fictional slave in the late 1700s.
Your Culminating Task (Worth 15% of your final mark!) will allow you
to examine in depth, Hill’s novel and at the same time demonstrate
many of the themes and concepts that were covered over the course of
the semester.
For your project, there are two parts to the culminating task. You will
all be required to complete PART A. You will ALSO be required to
complete 2 other options as well from PART B (Don’t worry, there are
a lot of choices!). Time will be provided in class, however, it is your
responsibility to conduct your research and work on your project also
on your own time. Your teacher will be meeting with you on several
occasions for one-on-one conferences to monitor your progress and to
assist you throughout your project. Several deadlines will be posted to
help you stay on task.
DUE DATE for ENTIRE PROJECT: Anytime during the week of
_________________________________________________________
Late projects will not be accepted and students failing to submit a project by the due date WILL receive a mark of ZERO !
PART A – Letter to Lawrence Hill (ALL STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE)
You are to write a letter to the author of The Book of Negroes,
Lawrence Hill. Your letter should highlight your understanding
of the novel and discuss what you learned over the course of the
semester, studying his book. In your letter, you should inform
Mr. Hill who you are, how was his book used in the class, and
what you liked or disliked about the novel (criticism/praise).
Your letter should follow standard letter format (i.e.
Greeting/Salutation, Address) Do not forget to sign your letter!
Who knows, Mr. Hill may actually receive your letter…
Assignment Specs:
- Proper letter format (Address, Greeting, Salutation)
- 300 word minimum (1.5 pages, single spaced)
- Do NOT shrink your margins!
**For more information about proper letter writing format,
see the “Letter Writing Activity” from early in the semester
on the course website.
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PART B
Examine the following
options and select TWO
more to be submitted
with the above letter.
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OPTION 1 – Monologue: A dialogue with Myself
A monologue is an extended
uninterrupted speech by a character in a
drama. The character may be speaking
his or her thoughts aloud, directly
addressing another character, or
speaking to the audience, especially the
former.
Assignment Description
For this option, you are a critically
acclaimed Broadway actor. You are to
choose one character in the novel and
create an “Inner-Thought” dialogue or
One-Person Oratory. Your monologue
should reflect the personality and views
of the character you’ve chosen as well as
a particular part in the novel. You will
be required to perform your monologue
in front of the class or it can presented
on Video/DVD. In order to add
authenticity to your performance, you
must perform your piece in full costume
in order to add to the realism and make
it more believable for your audience.
Performers should use props, music,
and proper dialect/vocabulary that
reflect the time period.
ALL COSTUMES and PROPS MUST reflect the time period to add to the authenticity of the
performance. While your performance does not have to be memorized, it should be convincing
and you should make every effort to capture your characters mannerisms and personality. Be
sure to submit your monologue as well (2-3 pages in length) Do not merely read off of your
sheet. Your performance can be comedic or tragic, but it must be DRAMATIC!
Option Specs:
- 2-5 minutes long for performance.
- Hard copy of monologue must be submitted (2-3 pages in length).
- Costumes/Props must be utilized in performance.
- Proper Dialogue/slang utilized in monologue to reflect time period.
- Monologue is not read directly off sheet.
OPTION 2 – Art: Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder!
Art is the process or product of deliberately
arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or
emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of
human activities, creations, and modes of
expression.
Assignment Description
For this option, you are a world renowned artist
who has been commissioned by Lawrence Hill to
create a 2-D (drawing/painting) or a 3-D
(sculpture) piece of artwork that captures the
“Essence” of the novel. Your piece must be
completely original work of art that you have
created yourself. You must also complete an
Artist Statement (1.5 – 2 pages in length) that
explains what exactly the art work represents,
the symbolism of the piece and why the
particular medium was chosen to work with. Feel
free to choose whatever medium you feel most
comfortable and most creative with. If you choose
to do a painting or drawing (water colour, oil paint,
charcoal, etc) it must be presented on a CANVAS
using your own materials. If you choose to make a
sculpture, include a stand with your final piece.
Be sure to entitle your original piece.
Option Specs:
- ARTIST STATEMENT must be 1.5-2 pages in length (typed).
- Drawing/Painting on Canvas or Sculpture on stand.
- Original Artwork has title.
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OPTION 3 – Alternate Chapter/Ending: What If?
Writing a book is no easy task. What makes a
writer? Perhaps it is a single incident — one that
happens early in life and shapes the writer’s
sense of wonder and self-awareness.
In an interview with The New Quarterly:
Canadian Writers and Writing, Lawrence Hill
discusses the ending of his best selling novel, “I
feel that the book's ending is realistic, but I've
heard from both camps: some who like the
ending and some who don't. I am still very
happy with the ending.”
Assignment Description
For this option, you have been hired by Harper
Collins Publishers and are to write an alternate
ending/chapter (minimum 5 pages) using
either Aminata or another character from the
novel. Your original piece should explore
“hypothetical situations” not answered in the
novel and “the road not traveled” by the reader
in the original writing. Your Alternate ending/chapter should detail a part of the story not told
and should be written in the same or similar style to that of Lawrence Hill.
Option Specs:
-
-
Minimum 5 pages (double-spaced) using Arial, Times New Roman or Verdana font, size 12 or 14
(do not shrink margins!)
Chapter is written using proper writing conventions (i.e. mechanics, spelling/grammar, etc).
OPTION 4 – Marketing: Movie Press Kit
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A press kit, often referred to as a media kit, is a pre-packaged set of promotional materials of a person,
company, or organization distributed to members of the media for promotional use. They are often
distributed to announce a release or for a news conference. They are promotional booklets for a film
typically handed out to theaters and distributors and are given out to market the film. They contain plot
details, cast and production information and usually a number of still photos from the film.
Assignment Description
The Book of Negroes is being made into a major Hollywood blockbuster film. For this option, you will
take on the role of a Public Relations (PR) executive for the upcoming film and it is your responsibility to
create a Press Kit in order to generate publicity for your new movie and market the film to big production
studios. Your kit should be contained in a folder that will have press releases and newspaper clips
concerning your film. You are to cast your movie with actors who you feel would be able to portray the
characters well on the big screen. You will also choose a director who you think will be able to bring the
story to life. As part of your kit, create a director’s statement that talks about the person behind the film
and as well as a synopsis. The synopsis needs to read like the back of a DVD cover and should be able to
describe the plot very briefly. You want to be able to catch the eye of the potential buyer! You should also
include your cast and short bio’s of each actor you’ve chosen to play each of the major characters. Usually
stills (pictures) of the cast and various locations as well as scenes are included with short descriptions or
captions. Feel free to include other promotional materials such as posters, stickers, buttons, action
figures, video games, toys, and other promotional tie-ins that you will use in order to market the film. If
you are still unsure, check out the following websites for more ideas:
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&rlz=1R2RNTN_enCA367&q=Movie+Press+Kit&meta=&aq=f&aqi=g4
g-m3&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=
http://popculture.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_find_movie_press_kits
http://www.ehow.com/how_2282611_create-press-kit-movie.html
Option Specs:
- Press packet is submitted in folder.
- Press release contains 1) Directors Statement, 2) Plot Synopsis, 3) Cast List and Bio’s
- Stills of Actors/locations/scenes included.
- Promotional materials used to market the film are included in final product submission.
OPTION 5 – Music: Create a Soundtrack and CD cover
A “Sound Track” or music score commonly refers to the collection of songs and music used in a
film. Often times, the use of music helps to drive the plot in a movie and is often utilized to help
convey a certain emotion or feeling in a particular scene.
Assignment Description
You are an Academy Award-winning music producer
who has just been hired to compose the music score and
soundtrack for the upcoming movie release of the novel
The Book of Negroes. Your job is to select a minimum of
5 songs that will capture the essence of the novel. Your
songs should be selected based on the lyrics and the
overall sound of the track. Before selecting each song,
you must first select a particular part of the novel that you
will be providing music for. Each song selected will help
to set the tone of the scene and will help to convey to the
audience the overall mood of what is happening at that
particular moment. For each song, provide a brief
explanation (1 paragraph or 200-250 words) describing
how the music will be used and what is happening in the
particular scene. Feel free to use modern, popular songs,
as long as you can justify how they can be used to
enhance the overall feel of the scene. Download and
burn the songs onto a CD.
You will also be required to create a CD jacket/sleeve for your soundtrack. Your jacket/sleeve
must list the titles of each track as well as the artist, plus the corresponding scene from the novel.
Include the lyrics for each of your tracks inside your jacket/sleeve. Your jacket should be
creative and should utilize symbols and graphics that will capture the overall meaning of your
song selections.
Option Specs:
- Minimum of 5 songs included.
- CD with all songs included.
- Rationale/justification provided
for each song.
- Each rationale/justification
meets paragraph/word
requirement.
- CD jacket/sleeve included.
- CD jacket/sleeve include track
list.
- CD jacket/sleeve include song
lyrics.
- CD jacket/sleeve creatively
designed artwork
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OPTION 6 – Aminata’s Journey - Travel Itinerary/Travelogue
A Travel Itinerary or Travelogue is an indispensable tool
used by travelers to plan out a journey or trip. Typically,
the itinerary includes a list of places to visit and tour as
well as a detailed description of the route intended to
travel.
Assignment Description
You are a travel agent who is designing a Book of
Negroes inspired world tour. You are to create a travel
itinerary/guide book that will highlight the major stopping
points throughout the world in Aminata’s life. For each
stop you must provide a detailed schedule of the day’s
events as well as all travel and lodging arrangements.
Assume that the traveler is a huge fan of the novel and is
traveling to each of the locations today. At each location,
you should have an agenda based around events that occurred in the novel. Include important
travel information such as expected weather, maps, travel brochures, etc. Do your best to
include popular places, local site-seeing attractions, area restaurants and other places of interest
that could be either directly or indirectly related to events that happened in the novel. Each
attraction should have a brief description describing what the traveler can expect to see or why
the location is worth going to during their trip. You should also include pictures/postcards and
testimonies of other travelers who have already gone on the trip.
Option Specs:
- Map included showing
proposed route of travel.
- Descriptions of each
attraction or agenda item
are included.
- Travel information included
(i.e. flight times, hotel
address, etc.)
- Schedule and time line of
each day’s events and
activities included.
- Daily agenda included
(minimum 3 separate
locations)
- Pictures/postcards and
testimonies of travelers
included.
- Other supplemental
materials included (i.e.
brochures, maps, etc)
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OPTION 7 – Illustrated Children’s Book/Comic Book
Writing a children's story requires a vivid
imagination, enthusiastic creativity and the ability to
put yourself in the mind of a child. For many writers,
writing children's books successfully will require
some effort to step back into the shoes of the very
young and to see the world from a very fresh and
curious perspective.
A Comic book is an art form that features a series of
static images in fixed sequence, usually to tell a
story. Typically, a comic book is printed on paper,
and text is often incorporated into the images.
Assignment Description
You are a literacy consultant and graphic artist who
has just been hired by the school board to make
Lawrence Hill’s novel, The Book of Negroes, more
accessible to a younger audience. To make the book easier to read and understand, you must
summarize the main points of the novel and present it in a “kid-friendly” format. Your job is to
create a children’s story or comic book that chronicles the life of Aminata and the main concepts
in the novel. Your Children’s book or Comic must include original illustrations on each page of
your book and each picture must be fully coloured. If you choose to present the story using a
comic book format, you must include panel borders and text boxes or thought balloons that will
contain the dialogue or scene descriptions. There is no minimum amount of pages that must be
presented; however, final product will be evaluated on how successfully you are able to capture
the essence of the novel in the format you’ve chosen.
Option Specs:
- 1 format (either Children’s Book
OR Comic Book) selected to
present story.
- Novel summarized and main
concepts discussed in format.
- All original illustrations
correspond with text.
- All original illustrations fully
coloured.
- Awareness of audience is clearly
evident throughout story.
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OPTION 8 – Photo Essay: Say Cheese!
The saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words"
refers to the idea that complex stories can be
described with just a single still image, or that an
image may be more influential than a substantial
amount of text. The photograph possesses the
tremendous power to visualize history, to capture the
movements and tensions within societies in the images
which it projects. It exhibits the capability of 'freezing
history' within the confines of the camera lens
Assignment Description
The editors of TIME-LIFE magazine have asked for
your help in preparing an upcoming issue
commemorating the success of Lawrence Hill’s novel,
The Book of Negroes. They want you to create a photo
essay detailing the life of the novel’s protagonist, Aminata Diallo. Given the fact that Aminata is a
fictional character, you will have to rely on your research skills to locate photo’s/images that are
as close to Hill’s description of the characters and setting in the novel. As a photo archivist and
historian, your photo essay will provide a visual narrative on the novel. Photo essays usually take
the form of a series of photographs, usually accompanied by a written text that will convey a
story. Your photo essay will be composed of a minimum of at least 10 (ten) pictures/images.
Be sure to organize your essay chronologically. Each photo must include a caption as well as a
detailed description. Your photo essay must include ONE paragraph (150-200 words) for EACH
picture describing what the image is representing, how it relates to the novel and why you
selected it. For a sample of what a typical photo essay looks like, click on the following:
http://www.neatorama.com/2007/01/02/13-photographs-that-changed-the-world/
http://dphoto.erhs.org/dp/lessons/13essay1_examples.htm
You will be evaluated on your selection of photos and
the rationale you use to justify its selection. Be sure to
explain why you think that photo successfully captures
the “essence” of that particular part of the novel.
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Option Specs:
- Minimum of 10 photos included.
- Each photo accompanied by caption
describing contents of image.
- Each photo accompanied with
description/explanation.
- All descriptions are minimum 150-200
words.
- Photos/Images selected successfully capture
essence of the novel.
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OPTION 9 – Create a Movie Trailer: Lights, Camera, Action!
Trailers or previews are film advertisements
for feature films that will be exhibited in the
future at a theater, on whose screen they are
shown. Trailers consist of a series of selected
shots from the film being advertised. Since the
purpose of the trailer is to attract an audience
to the film, these excerpts are usually drawn
from the most exciting, funny, or otherwise
noteworthy parts of the film but in abbreviated
form and usually without producing “spoilers”.
For this purpose, the scenes are not
necessarily in the order in which they appear
in the film.
Assignment Description
You are a block buster movie producer whose
newest film, The Book of Negroes, is about to hit theaters. Your job is to create a short, 2-5
minute movie trailer promoting the film that captures the essence of the novel and gives the
audience a glimpse into the soon-to-be released movie. You must submit your trailer in DVD
format. Actors in your film should use costumes and props reflective of the time period to add to
the authenticity of the movie. Feel free to use music or visual effects in the editing of your video.
Your trailer should list the name of the movie, the release date, and the names of actors starring in
your film. Remember, you are trying to attract audience members to come and watch your movie!
To give you a better idea of some movie trailers, check the following web sites for some ideas:
http://www.comingsoon.net/trailers/
You will also be required to submit a short
script of your trailer complete with dialogue,
director instructions, scene descriptions,
character motivations, setting, plot, etc. Your
trailer will be evaluated on production value,
effects, music and overall quality.
Option Specs:
- Trailer submitted in DVD format.
- Trailer length 2-5 minutes.
- Trailer promotes and markets film without giving away to much information.
- Trailer highlights key scenes from the upcoming movie.
- Scenes presented are performed with some authenticity.
- Script detailing scenes and directives included.
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OPTION 10 – Cook Book and Food Review
The food provided to plantation slaves varied widely
depending on several factors: time period, location, what food
the plantation produced, and the owner’s economic situation
all came into play. "Soul Food" This term originated from the
cuisine developed by the African slaves mainly from the
American South. “Slave Cuisine” was fashioned from the
meager ingredients available to the slave and sharecropper
black families. The meat used was often the least desirable cuts
and the vegetables, some bordering on weeds, were all that
was available for the black slaves to prepare nutritious meals
for their families. From these meager ingredients evolved a
cuisine that is simple yet hearty and delicious.
Assignment Description
You are an established and world renowned, 5-star chef who has just been hired by the Food
Network to publish a cook book of recipes inspired by the novel, The Book of Negroes. Your
cookbook must have a minimum of 5 recipes that reflect typical “Slave Cuisine” or “Soul Food”.
Your recipes should reflect the culture of the different periods and locations examined in the
book (i.e. African dishes, Southern U.S. dishes, Eastern-Canada dishes, etc). Recipes should be
made from the ingredients that typically would be available to slaves. Your cook book will
include all of your recipes and each recipe MUST include a picture of the dish, a list of the
ingredients and proper measurements and instructions on how the food is prepared and made.
You may also want to include what your dish might be served with.
You must also include 1 food review (minimum 1-1.5 pages in length) of at least one of the
dishes you’ve included in your cook book. Your review should describe your experience
preparing and then eating the food, the difficulty or ease in preparing the dish, a description of
the ingredients and where in the novel this type of food would have been typically consumed.
Feel free to include photos of your food experience to enhance your review.
Option Specs:
- Minimum of 5 recipes submitted.
- All recipes include picture of dish, list
of ingredients, proper measurements,
and instructions on food preparation.
- Recipes reflect culture of different
geographic locations.
- Ingredients reflective of foods
available and accessible to slaves.
- Food review included (minimum 1-1.5
pages in length).