Our Stories

A Documentary…BY YOU!!!
Honors Sophomore English Culminating Literary Project

“Celebrating the diversity of all people: recognizing our differences, our sameness,
holding dear the life each of us has been given; viewing others with tolerance,
kindness, and compassion.” At the heart of humanity, we are all the same.

PURPOSE:
As we begin our journey through Ancient Greek Civilization, Elizabethan England, Colonial
Africa, and Modern Day Afghanistan one fact will become crystal clear: people are people. We
have similar needs, desires, ambitions, and emotions despite our blatant differences. During
Sophomore year, you will study foreign cultures and will be amazed at how similar we are
really are. The overall goal of the documentary project is for you to track your ideas on the
course themes and ultimately show how at the “heart of humanity, we are all the same”.

OBJECTIVES:

I Can:
COLLEGE READINESS STANDARDS
1. Infer the main idea or purpose of more challenging passages or their paragraphs.
2. Summarize events and ideas in virtually any passage.
3. Understand the overall approach taken by an author or narrator (e.g., point of view, kinds of evidence used) in virtually any passage.
4. Locate and interpret minor or subtly stated details in more challenging passages.
5. Use details from different sections of some complex informational passages to support a specific point or
argument.
6. Understand the dynamics between people, ideas, and so on in more challenging passages.
7. Understand implied or subtly stated cause-effect relationships in more challenging passages.
8. Use information from one or more sections of a more challenging passage to draw generalizations and conclusions about people,
ideas, and so on.

21st CENTURY LEARNER SKILLS

1. Be globally aware 9. Analyze media
2. Think creatively 10. Create media products
3. Work creatively with others 11. Apply technology effectively
4. Make judgments and decisions 12. Manage goals and time
5. Communicate clearly 13. Work independently
6. Collaborate with others 14. Be a self-directly learner
7. Access and evaluate information 15. Interact effectively with others
8. Use and manage information 16. Work effectively in diverse teams

Your Assignment:
You will be placed on a multi-section team in collaboration with the other Honors English 10
courses during this half of the year. Your team will be assigned a specific topic which you will
explore and become experts on throughout your journey through sophomore English.
Ultimately, your team will be responsible for creating a documentary focusing on your thematic
word. You will need to create a film documenting the existence of your word in our world.
How has this theme been a thread throughout the entire course? Search for OUR STORIES to
illustrate the power of this word.

Individual Task:
Make TWO contributions to your Theme Wiki per UNIT accessible through your
course Wiki. Acceptable contributions:
A. A quotation with a brief analysis from the literature being studied in
class.
B. A link to a multimedia allusion to your theme (video, music, picture
with a brief analysis of the connection to your theme.)
C. A video-taped or typed-up interview with a peer, parent, or member
of the D-C community about your theme in relation to what is
being studied in class.
D. Post an essential question for your theme and analyze the meaning of
that question in context to what we are studying.
 You are required to post at least ONE of EACH type of contribution per nine
week term. You must do A, B, C, and D at some point in each term.
 “Brief” means no longer than a paragraph.
 Postings are due on the day that the culminating project is due for each unit.
 Late postings will not count for full credit.
 Be sure to attach your name to your contribution to earn credit.
WORTH: 10 points per contribution; 60 points per term

Course Themes:
Unconditional love The “haves” and the “have nots” Culture shock
Women vs. men Redemption Forgiveness
Prejudice Shame Guilt
Fate Bullies Betrayal

Your Assigned Theme: _________________________________________________________

Group Members: