.....::A Myth Written with Stars
PROJECT OVERVIEW: The stars tell stories and one of them could be yours! In this project, students will create constellations and myths, and as a final product they will make a movie on one myth as a class. This project will cover multiple subjects, mainly Astronomy, English, Multimedia, and Historical Literature.
The project will begin with the students studying myths in Historical Literature, and how that played a major role in people's religions. Then, the students will go on a camping trip (preferably 4 days) and lean about different constellations and stars with an Astronomy expert. Upon return, they will create their own constellations in small groups of two or three. Along with their constellations, they will write their own myth about it in English. Afterwards, the class will decide which myth is the best and produce a full-length movie together, no less than 30 minutes long.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
- What is the significance of myths in history?
- Are myths valuable? What can you learn from them?
- How can a movie effectively educate a person about a specific topic?
PRODUCTS:
- An original constellation
- An original myth
- A Movie (No less than 30 minutes in length)
PRESENTATION:
The movie will be shown on the projector during exhibition, and the constellations and the myths will decorate the surrounding walls.
The project will begin with the students studying myths in Historical Literature, and how that played a major role in people's religions. Then, the students will go on a camping trip (preferably 4 days) and lean about different constellations and stars with an Astronomy expert. Upon return, they will create their own constellations in small groups of two or three. Along with their constellations, they will write their own myth about it in English. Afterwards, the class will decide which myth is the best and produce a full-length movie together, no less than 30 minutes long.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
- What is the significance of myths in history?
- Are myths valuable? What can you learn from them?
- How can a movie effectively educate a person about a specific topic?
PRODUCTS:
- An original constellation
- An original myth
- A Movie (No less than 30 minutes in length)
PRESENTATION:
The movie will be shown on the projector during exhibition, and the constellations and the myths will decorate the surrounding walls.
LEARNING GOALS:
- Teamwork - Perseverance - Significance of myths and constellations - How to write a myth - How to produce a professional movie |
LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Visual: Looking through the telescope, drawing constellations, story-boarding movies Hands-On: Using the telescope, mapping constellations, utilizing movie equipment Auditory: Lectures on constellations and myths |
CRITERIA:
For the Astronomy and English Section, please see Michael's Project page.
Historical Literature: The project will begin here. Students will spend the first week of the project learning about different types of myths from different cultures. They will focus on Greek myths, and will compare and contrast them to Roman and Nordic myths as well. They will learn about the role myths played in the ancient societies and their religion. The students will become familiar with various Gods from the Greeks, (Zeus, Poseiden, Aphrodite, etc.) and will be free to use them in their myths. They will only cover these stories very briefly and not dig too deep, but develop an understanding of the structure and purpose of myths.
Multimedia: The movie will produced in multimedia. This will mostly be up to the creativity of the students and how they want to do it. They will be taught how to basically splice video clips together and use effects of their liking. They will also learn how to use green screens (if they do not already know this from previous teachings). Students will also learn how to shoot a movie professionally, using camera angles to make it more dynamic and the rule of thirds to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
For the Astronomy and English Section, please see Michael's Project page.
Historical Literature: The project will begin here. Students will spend the first week of the project learning about different types of myths from different cultures. They will focus on Greek myths, and will compare and contrast them to Roman and Nordic myths as well. They will learn about the role myths played in the ancient societies and their religion. The students will become familiar with various Gods from the Greeks, (Zeus, Poseiden, Aphrodite, etc.) and will be free to use them in their myths. They will only cover these stories very briefly and not dig too deep, but develop an understanding of the structure and purpose of myths.
Multimedia: The movie will produced in multimedia. This will mostly be up to the creativity of the students and how they want to do it. They will be taught how to basically splice video clips together and use effects of their liking. They will also learn how to use green screens (if they do not already know this from previous teachings). Students will also learn how to shoot a movie professionally, using camera angles to make it more dynamic and the rule of thirds to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
PROJECT TIMELINE
Week 1:
Week 2: Week 3: Week 4: Week 5-7: Week 8: Week 9: Week 10-14: Week 15: Week 16: |
Learn about the myths
Prepare for the camping trip Camping Trip Create constellation in art class and begin brainstorm the story for the myth Write/edit/finalize the myth Voting for the best myth. People are assigned roles. (Director, Costume maker, Lights, SFX, etc.) Prepare for the movie. (Costuming, Casting, Scripting) Film/Edit the movie. Final draft due at end of week 14. Finalize the move. Make touch ups and changes. Prepare for exhibition. Exhibition |
Assessment Rubric:
ProductMovie: (100 points)
|
Requirements30 or more minutes long
Follows logical flow Follows original myth Professionally edited |
Constellation: (50 points)
|
Painted
Creative shape/drawing Makes a particular image |
Myth: (50 Points)
|
2-5 pages long
Incorporates constellation Logical Has a moral |