Instead of doing a traditional final exam, we will be doing a final project in ELAR. Here are the details:
This project will take the place of your spring ELAR final exam, and will also be a test grade for the 6th grading period. There is a long list of activities - you may choose which one(s) you do, but keep in mind that your final grade depends on your products.
All products will be graded on the following rubric: 65% for accuracy and quality of content, 25% for spelling and grammar, 10% for style and quality of presentation. Any complete projects beyond your first one will result in a higher overall grade.
This project is due by your final exam period. No late work will be accepted because the school year will be over.
Hamlet Timeline: Create a timeline of the play Hamlet. This may be a physical timeline or an electronic one. You must do at least 50% of the play. More than two acts will be extra credit. You may have up to 1 partner on this. The timeline must include the following things.
Neologism Infomercial: In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare coined several phrases that are still widely used today, from “To be or not to be” to “the lady doth protest too much, methinks”. Research Hamlet neologisms and phrases and create an infomercial (5 to 10 minutes) that explains them to an audience. You must turn in a script alongside the video. You may have up to 2 partners. The infomercial must contain the following things.
School Newspaper: Create a four-page newspaper that reports on recent events at Jarrell Middle School. You may turn this in electronically, or print it out on paper. More than four pages will be extra credit. You may have up to 2 partners on this. The newspaper must include the following things:
Commercial Break: Create a 7 minute commercial break for at least 5 products. These can be real products or ones you create yourself. Your goal is to demonstrate persuasive writing skills - don’t rely on flashy special effects or fast talking. You may have up to 3 partners on this. The commercials AND the script must be turned in for full credit. Each individual commercial must include the following:
Subject-Verb Agreement Teaching Aid: Using your knowledge of subject-verb agreement (go to tinyurl.com/svalesson if you need a refresher) design a teaching aid of some sort that could be used to help someone learn the basics. It can be a foldable, a video, a song or rap, a game, a puzzle, or anything else you can come up with. This can be done with up to 1 partner. You must include:
This project will take the place of your spring ELAR final exam, and will also be a test grade for the 6th grading period. There is a long list of activities - you may choose which one(s) you do, but keep in mind that your final grade depends on your products.
All products will be graded on the following rubric: 65% for accuracy and quality of content, 25% for spelling and grammar, 10% for style and quality of presentation. Any complete projects beyond your first one will result in a higher overall grade.
This project is due by your final exam period. No late work will be accepted because the school year will be over.
Hamlet Timeline: Create a timeline of the play Hamlet. This may be a physical timeline or an electronic one. You must do at least 50% of the play. More than two acts will be extra credit. You may have up to 1 partner on this. The timeline must include the following things.
- A list of characters present in each scene
- A Conflict Update that shows how character relationships change in a scene
- For example: “In Act 1, Scene 3, Ophelia agrees to break up with Hamlet.”
- Setting for the scene. (Time and place.)
- For example: “In Act 1, Scene 5, Hamlet follows the ghost into the mists above the castle at nighttime.”
- Extra credit: Create a meme-like picture for each scene. For example, see pictured. (You can’t use this one.)
Neologism Infomercial: In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare coined several phrases that are still widely used today, from “To be or not to be” to “the lady doth protest too much, methinks”. Research Hamlet neologisms and phrases and create an infomercial (5 to 10 minutes) that explains them to an audience. You must turn in a script alongside the video. You may have up to 2 partners. The infomercial must contain the following things.
- At least four phrases or words created in Hamlet that are recognizable today.
- A gif, meme, or short video showing the neologism being used in popular culture, such as a movie or TV show.
- How the phrase or word was used in Hamlet originally
- How the phrase or word is used today
- Any changes to the meaning that have taken place in the last 500 years
- A Works Cited page with at least three sources. You may use the play Hamlet as one of them.
School Newspaper: Create a four-page newspaper that reports on recent events at Jarrell Middle School. You may turn this in electronically, or print it out on paper. More than four pages will be extra credit. You may have up to 2 partners on this. The newspaper must include the following things:
- Three articles explaining current events, including the W5H and a way for readers to find more information if they are curious.
- Two opinion articles stating how the writer feels about something at JMS.
- Every article must have a location, byline, and headline
- Two advertisements - these may be to real businesses, or made up ones (for example, you may advertise your business from Couch Louder’s final project).
- One interview of a teacher, administrator, or staff member of JMS
- A logo at the top of the front page with the name of your newspaper.
- At least one photo per page. No more than six photos total.
Commercial Break: Create a 7 minute commercial break for at least 5 products. These can be real products or ones you create yourself. Your goal is to demonstrate persuasive writing skills - don’t rely on flashy special effects or fast talking. You may have up to 3 partners on this. The commercials AND the script must be turned in for full credit. Each individual commercial must include the following:
- The name of the product
- A comparison between the product and a competitor (again, may be real or made up)
- Facts about the product that convince the viewer to buy it
- For extra credit: Ask a teacher or staff member at JMS to participate in a recorded interview about one of your products. You must write the questions in advance and turn them in alongside the recording of the interview.
Subject-Verb Agreement Teaching Aid: Using your knowledge of subject-verb agreement (go to tinyurl.com/svalesson if you need a refresher) design a teaching aid of some sort that could be used to help someone learn the basics. It can be a foldable, a video, a song or rap, a game, a puzzle, or anything else you can come up with. This can be done with up to 1 partner. You must include:
- The “1 s” rule (“the dog walks” vs “the dogs walk”)
- Compound subjects (“An apple and an orange sound delicious” vs “An apple or an orange sounds delicious”)
- Group nouns (“Amy, Jessica, Nadia, and Daniela are going to the store” vs “The debate team is going to the store”)
- One further rule from the svalesson of your choice.