Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Due Thursday, May 21st - Final Project - Time Capsule

Overview:  This is your final assignment for me, but it is more for you.  I would like you to spend some time reflecting on your life as a reader and writer of literature.  You are an A.P. student, after all.  When you go off to college, or whatever your next phase may be, it will be possible to NOT read anymore novels or write for reflection.  I hope this will not be the case, but this project is a way of helping your future self reconnect with the dreams and aspirations you have presently.  Given our current state, I hope this assignment helps you put your thoughts in order and meditate on where you are and where you would like to be.

Directions:  You will create a time capsule to be opened 20 years from now.  It will contain a letter to your future self, personal mementos, lists of your Tops Fives, a drawing or photograph of your ideal bookshelf, and a book you would like your future self to read.  We will share on our final Google Meet class.  See full directions, below:

Time Capsule

I.  Container – Any size is fine. A shoe box works best.  It will probably stay in your closet waiting for you to open it years from now. You may decorate it or not depending on how you feel. The only criterion is that it must be labeled somewhere – Do not open until 2040.


II.  Letter – Write a letter to your future self. Include the following in your letter:
  • How do feel about yourself at present? What obstacles are you dealing with at present? (Use your journal to cull ideas from our global citizenship work).
  • What positive things are happening? Think about Mr. Rogers and his positive ideas of self.
  • Where do you see yourself in 5 years? How will school turn out? What job do you expect to have? What will your love life be like? What will you relationship with family and friends be like?
  • Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Twenty years? Do you expect to be married? Children? Traveling? Working?
  • Reflect on the course. What worked for you? What did you learn? What lessons or units were most effective and why? What books, stories, poems had the greatest impact on you? What concepts will you take with you? Has your reading and/or writing style changed? Are there any other general, memorable moments?
  • Reflection on your Ideal Bookshelf
  • Reflection on your Top Fives
  • Tell yourself what book you want to read and why.

III.  Mementos – You may include anything that you want your future self to see from your present. 

IV.  Book – This is essential. What book would you like to give your future self to read?  Is there a novel from high school you never read, and would like to someday?  Is there a favorite you'd like your future self to revisit?  Explore the possibilities.

 V.  Top Fives - Lists of your all-time, desert island Top Fives of all media (See my lists at the bottom of the post)

VI.  Your Ideal Bookshelf – Visit the website.  Use the handout (see below), create a vivid image, or photograph of your ideal bookshelf. What books changed your life? What books shaped you into the person you are today. Can you see yourself in the list? Here are some "prompts" to help you make your list.  (See my ideal bookshelf, at the bottom of the post).

  • My Favorite Book 
  • The Book That Changed My Life 
  • The Book I Read Again and Again 
  • The Book I Love the Most 
  • The Best Book I Ever Read 
  • The Book That Makes Me Cry 
  • My Favorite Trashy Novel 
  • The Book That Changed With Me 
  • The Book That Makes Me Feel Inspired 
  • The Book I Couldn’t Put Down 
  • The Nonfiction Book That Felt Like Poetry 
  • The Author Who Makes Me Race to the Bookstore 
  • The Book That Made Me Fall in Love With Poetry 


Mr. Pellerin's Ideal Bookshelf





Mr. Pellerin's Top Fives (I had trouble narrowing some lists down)

Fiction
  • Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, Translated by Julie Rose
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
  • The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
  • Selected Stories by Andre Dubus
  • The Minority Report and Other Stories by Philip K. Dick
  • The House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
Plays
  • Wit by Margaret Edson
  • The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
  • Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen
  • Hamlet by William Shakespeare
  • Glengarry Glenn Ross by David Mamet
  • A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Non-fiction
  • Patient by Ben Watt
  • The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
  • The Instruction by Ainslie MacLeod
  • Little Girl Blue: The Story of Karen Carpenter by Randy L. Schmidt
  • Between the World and Me by Te-Neishi Coates
  • Townie by Andre Dubus III
Songs
  • Temptation by New Order
  • The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get by Morrissey
  • I Am Enough for Myself by Sinead O’Connor
  • Rainy Days and Mondays by The Carpenters
  • Here’s Where the Story Ends by The Sundays
  • Olympian by Gene
  • All Your Tears by Mojave 3
  • Brittle Heart by Brett Anderson
  • Sit Down by James
  • Megan by The Smoking Popes
Albums
  • Vauxhall & I by Morrissey
  • Singles 1969-1973 by The Carpenters
  • Louder Than Bombs by The Smiths
  • Les Miserables (10th Anniversary)
  • Amplified Heart by Everything But the Girl
  • Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic by The Sundays
  • Gospel Oak by Sinead O’Connor
  • Some Kind of Wonderful (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
  • The Stone Roses
  • Chronicles by Rush
  • Destination Failure by Smoking Popes
  • Out of Tune by Mojave 3
  • Eddie Reader
  • A Charlie Brown Christmas (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
  • Love Story by Lloyd Cole
  • Violator by Depeche Mode
  • Powerslave by Iron Maiden
  • Abbey Road by The Beatles
  • Kind of Blue by Miles Davis
Films
  • Defending Your Life
  • Happy-Go-Lucky
  • Amelie
  • Amadeus
  • Groundhog Day
  • Jaws
  • The Blade Runner
  • The Minority Report
  • The Empire Strikes Back
  • High Fidelity
  • Frank
  • Magnolia
  • The Wonder Boys
  • Castaway
  • The Shawshank Redemption
  • Broadcast News
  • Nothing in Common
  • Some Kind of Wonderful
  • Back to the Future
  • Rainman
  • It’s A Wonderful Life
  • Christmas Carol (1951)
  • Sideways
  • Pulp Fiction
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