Q3: Opportunities for Empowerment
“Selves and Society”
English I
Ms. Nicholson
haileysnicholson@gmail.com
Overview: Understanding how our
individual voice can impact society
paramount in our age of rapid
change. Correspondingly, we must
also understand the responsibility
that using this voice entails. The
exploration of voice will come
through looking at seven plays that
all confront ideas of morality and
personal responsibility.
“In all free societies there is a constant
and unavoidable tension between liberty and responsibility. Every right has a corresponding duty.”
-U.S. Department of State
………………………...
“Do not believe that you alone can be right.
The man who thinks that,
The man who maintains that only he has the power
To reason correctly, the gift to speak, the soul—
A man like that, when you know him, turns out empty…”
Antigone, by Sophocles
“Listen to my tale:
when you have heard that,
abandon or commiserate me,
as you shall judge that I deserve.
But hear me.”
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
Essential Questions:
EQ1: How can we be “just” and “human” at the same time?
EQ2: What makes us “speak out” when we risk everything by doing so?
Reading:
All
Antigone, by Sophocles
is
Choose as a class from the following:
The Laramie Project, by Moises Kaufman & the Tectonic Theatre Project
A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry
Clybourne Park, by Bruce Norris
Streamers, by David Rabe
Water by the Spoonful, by Quiara Alégria Hudes
Sweat, by Lynn Nottage
Watching:
Antigone, BBC Production (1985)
Lessons:
The Purposes of Greek Tragedy
Introduction to Antigone
Structure of an Essay (and Thesis)
Supporting your Thesis with Textual Evidence
Vocabulary:
You will continue to work on the next six chapters in your JOC Vocabulary Workbook. After
completing three, you may take the vocabulary test for the unit.
Grammar:
The grammar focus will be sentence diagramming. There will be daily lessons and work and a test
every two weeks.
Reading work:
We will decide as a group about how to break up the reading (for discussion) for Antigone. When we
get to the second essential question, we will decide on a play as a group and break up the reading.
Writing:
A portion of your grade will rely on participation in weekly writing prompts/exercises. In addition,
after we complete the reading of Antigone, you will complete an in-class essay response to the play.
This should occur sometime in Week 4 of the Quarter. As always, final projects should include a 500word explanation of your project that includes the connections you made with the texts, as well as an
explanation of the choices you made in answering the essential questions in relation to the play.
Module 1: Work Choices
Complete 20 points of work in this module.
Discovering Understanding
Developing Understanding
1. Art: Make a visual representation or map
1. Writing: Make a modern-day, dramatic
of the characters’ relationships.
scene of one scene in Antigone.__/6pts.
Remember to add icons for the different
2. Drama: Choose and act out a key scene
characters’ relationships.___/4pts.
from Antigone. Afterwards, explain why
2. Vocab: Make a mini-book of icons for four
you chose that scene. The scene needs to
vocab words in Antigone, which are
be memorized.__/6pts.
unfamiliar to you.___/4pts.
3. Drama: Vocabulary skit-Create a skit
3. Grammar: Make six sentence diagrams of
from five words in either your reading or
sentences about speaking up for
your vocab workbook.__/6pts.
yourself.___/4pts.
4. Reading: Read an excerpt from a different
4. Writing: Make a 250+ word story using
translation of Antigone. Respond in 500+
five unfamiliar words from
words about the differences you see and
how that impacts your reading of the
Antigone.___/4pts.
play.__/6pts.
5. Writing: Rewrite one of Antigone’s
5. Writing: Prepare an outline in response
monologues in your own words. You
to the in-class essay question for Week 4.
must provide a copy of the monologue
We will provide the question in
you have chosen.___/4pts.
advance.__/6pts.
6. Music/Writing: Create a ten song
playlist that embodies one of the
characters in Antigone. Explain in
writing how these songs apply to the
character.
Module 2: Work Choices (more choices will be provided when we pick our second play)
Complete 20 points of work in this module.
Discovering Understanding
1. Art: Create a mind map of the
relationships between the characters in
your chosen play.
2. Writing: Write a character breakdown of
the relationships in your chosen play.
What kind of descriptors would you give
these characters?
3. Writing: Lighting in plays helps to
convey mood. Write a descriptive essay
about how the lighting changes
throughout the course of your chosen
play.
4. Art/Writing: What color scheme do you
see being used in the play? Write and
explain why. Make sure to include
swatches of color you would use.
5. Vocab: Make a mini-book of five
unfamiliar vocabulary words from your
chosen play.
Developing Understanding
1. Writing: Identify and explain the main
issues in your chosen play. Explain in
500+ words using examples from the
dialogue.__/6pts.
2. Art: How would you design the set for
your chosen play? The author often gives
direction for this, but it is also often left
up to interpretation.
3. Art: Design costumes for all the
characters in your chosen play. You must
watercolor and ink.
4. Music/Writing: What kind of music
might be present in your play. Either
write a song, or listen to and analyze one
of the songs mentioned in the chosen
play.
5. Additional Reading: Read another play by
the playwright of your chosen play.
Highlight specific lines from this
additional reading which stand out to you
and be ready to share why.
Module 3: Challenging Project Choices. You are Expected to Present your Project. (More choices will
be provided when we pick our second play.)
1. 3-D: Make a sculptural symbol of your playscript choice. Go BIG on this one!
2. Poetry: Make a poem telling the story of your playscript choice.
3. Writing: Narratives rely on tension between the characters to drive the story. Write 1000+
words about how tension manifests itself in your chosen play. How do the characters come
into conflict? What would have to change in order to negate this conflict?
4. Group Drama: Present a re-enactment of three moments from your chosen play reading. You
must use three+ specific lines of text highlighting your three moments. You and your group
members need to be in costume.
5. Music: Make an original music score (think real instruments, no lyrics, garageband, protools)
representing the story of your chosen play reading OR Antigone.
Expectations for your Challenging Project
● To use an art medium you have not tried yet. For example, trying your hand at using pastels on
paper in place of a digital art program.
● To type a 500+ word write-up on your creative process, discoveries along the way, etc.
● Context: To be purposeful about the size of your project. Asking yourself, “What message am I
sending to the audience with a miniature house?”
● Level of Audience Engagement: Ask yourself this question: “One a scale of 1 (needs more) to 10
(audience is riveted), How engaging is my project?
● Content: How much substance is in my project? If asked, how do the parts of your project
connect back to the specific moments in your reading(s)?