Independent reading assignment and documentary viewings

Nonfiction/Documentary
Synthesis Essay/Speech
Objective: Students will critically read and analyze a nonfiction print text or film in order to write and present an original synthesis essay on a challenge/issue/question raised by the book or film.
FIRST STEP!
Please choose ONE of the following books or ONE pair of documentaries!!!!!!!!!!!
Book Choices:
The Color of Water—James McBride
The Year of Magical Thinking—Joan Didion
Into the Wild—Jon Krakauer
Three Cups of Tea—Greg Mortensen and David Oliver Relin
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (paired with some other articles on the anti-slavery movement we will provide you)
Being a Black Man—Washington Post editors
In Cold Blood—Truman Capote
The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich AND Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard (these are paired as they are SHORT and deal with similar topics)
OR, choose one of the following PAIRS of documentaries to “read:”
Film Options:
• Food Inc./Food Matters (food!!)
• Restrepo/ The Sorrow and the Pity/War Dance – CHOOSE TWO! (war and the human response)
• The Corporation/Inside Job (economic collapse, big business)
• Trouble the Water/When the Levees Broke (New Orleans/Katrina)
• It Might Get Loud/Tupac: Resurrection (music)
•
Due Dates:
March 25 – Start reading your book or documentaries
April 6 – Book/documentaries completely read!
April 13 – Synthesis essay/presentation due

You will receive the ACTUAL synthesis essay/speech assignment later this week. For now, consider, as you read, what issues are discussed or presented in the text. What questions are raised, what problems or challenges are presented, what different opinions are expressed? Ultimately, you will write and answer your own synthesis essay.





After school viewings of docs

It is my hope that you will watch some of these docs regardless of whether you are ultimately writing about them. To encourage your watching these films AND to assist you in the process of "reading" a documentary, I (Price) will show The Corporation after school Wednesday in my room, 250 (this film is one of your choices). Take a look at the trailer, below. I saw this movie at the Rehoboth Film Festival and was blown away --it is very clever and visually stunning.

http://www.thecorporation.com/index.cfm?page_id=46

On Thursday, Ms. Hendricks is showing Food, Inc. after school in her room, 215. This is also one of the films on our doc list. Watching this film turned two of my friends into vegans, so beware! :)

http://www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-film.php

THESE AFTER SCHOOL DOCUMENTARY screenings will be both enjoyable and educational. We will watch the doc, then discuss how to read it!!!


Ms. Fetterolf will try to show Restrepo after school on Wednesday 3/23, and will announce more dates of viewings for the following weeks.