Poet Laureate Project
In this project, each student chose a different country involved in World War 1 and became the "Poet Laureate" for that country to represent that country and speak for a perspective that is generally overlooked by or omitted from history. After spending multiple weeks researching and learning about a country or perspective, each student then picks a specific event to write about using our newly learned poetry skills including; poetic form, meter, and rhyme schemes. To accompany the poems, explanatory essays were written as well to explain the poem and the historical context behind it. The class was then split into separate "book launch teams", in which we carried out different tasks in order to successfully create, publish, and launch a book containing all of our poems and essays.
Links
Poem
Explanatory Essay
Presentation
Book Launch Teams
In order to create a book to house all of our work for the project, we all split up into our book-launch groups to accomplish different tasks that would unsure that the book could be made, and that it would be a success. The different groups included fundraising, event managers, designers, local promotion, global promotion, and copy editors. I was in the copy editor group, which only consisted of two people in my class. Our task was to proof-read, edit, and finalize every poem and essay that went into the book. Given only three days to complete this task, it took a fair amount of effort. However, it ensured that the book was ready to to be printed.
Reflection
There were many different elements that went into, and that came out of, this project. As an entire class, we were introduced to a wide array of knowledge and skills. One of the most notable skills that I learned during this project was the ability to write poetry that was metered and/or adhered to specific poetic form. We spent around two weeks learning only about meter, rhyme schemes, and form in order to prepare us for write the poetry that would eventually end up in the book. This, in itself, was a big accomplishment for me because I was able to refine and art form that I was not completely familiar with.
What I am most proud of achieving through this project is being a part of publishing a book, and through my own school work. In all of my previous years of school, projects and work, very rarely amounted to anything more than a paper that was to be tucked away and never seen again. Through this project we have created something that is beautiful and has been immortalized in the form of a book. It was very rewarding to see all of our hard work come together in one moment, to create work that we can show and be proud of.
What i remember best from this project, was the way that people reacted when it became more and more stressful as the deadline approached. Because the work was split between the two classes, there was bound to be miscommunication. Tempers ran high, and some groups became angry at other groups. When I look back at it now, I realize that this was because we actually cared about what we were doing. It mattered so much to us that this book turn out well, that we had a real, emotional reaction when something went wrong. Moving forward into the future, I hope that every time that I begin a project, I can feel that same sense of attachment and caring.
Something you are always bound to see in a reflection is, "what lesson did you learn." Unfortunately for me, this lesson rarely changes. I always struggle with interest and motivation. It is difficult for me to become engaged enough in something that I want to put fourth real effort. The lesson that I am continuously learning every year, it that it pays off to put fourth effort. When it comes to this project, that only thing there is to say is that my effort level was very minimal, and as a result, my end result came out mediocre. I was unable or unwilling to put in the effort that I was capable of, and that my peers deserved. As we reach the end of this project I know that I am still struggling, and I may not reach an acceptable point for a while, but every year I take experiences like these and use them to push myself up the hill that I have had in front of me as long I can remember. My lesson is hard, on-going, and ironically one that I can't give up, So I keep pushing and try the get past the obstacles that face me.
Finally, Animas High School prides itself on not only teaching its students usable and relevant knowledge, but skills that only serve to benefit them in today's people and tech oriented world. Many of the skills we strengthened in the project ran along the lines of collaboration and refinement. However, the one that I felt I improved tremendously was writing. It stands to reason that the more you write, the better at it you become. Through learning poetry and many of its ins and outs, I saw amazing improvement in my writing. Using such a wonderful tool of language, and practicing it was one of the most beneficial things I could have done. As a result, I can say that I walked away from this project with a new understanding of, arguably, one of the most important and transferable skills of all. Writing.
What I am most proud of achieving through this project is being a part of publishing a book, and through my own school work. In all of my previous years of school, projects and work, very rarely amounted to anything more than a paper that was to be tucked away and never seen again. Through this project we have created something that is beautiful and has been immortalized in the form of a book. It was very rewarding to see all of our hard work come together in one moment, to create work that we can show and be proud of.
What i remember best from this project, was the way that people reacted when it became more and more stressful as the deadline approached. Because the work was split between the two classes, there was bound to be miscommunication. Tempers ran high, and some groups became angry at other groups. When I look back at it now, I realize that this was because we actually cared about what we were doing. It mattered so much to us that this book turn out well, that we had a real, emotional reaction when something went wrong. Moving forward into the future, I hope that every time that I begin a project, I can feel that same sense of attachment and caring.
Something you are always bound to see in a reflection is, "what lesson did you learn." Unfortunately for me, this lesson rarely changes. I always struggle with interest and motivation. It is difficult for me to become engaged enough in something that I want to put fourth real effort. The lesson that I am continuously learning every year, it that it pays off to put fourth effort. When it comes to this project, that only thing there is to say is that my effort level was very minimal, and as a result, my end result came out mediocre. I was unable or unwilling to put in the effort that I was capable of, and that my peers deserved. As we reach the end of this project I know that I am still struggling, and I may not reach an acceptable point for a while, but every year I take experiences like these and use them to push myself up the hill that I have had in front of me as long I can remember. My lesson is hard, on-going, and ironically one that I can't give up, So I keep pushing and try the get past the obstacles that face me.
Finally, Animas High School prides itself on not only teaching its students usable and relevant knowledge, but skills that only serve to benefit them in today's people and tech oriented world. Many of the skills we strengthened in the project ran along the lines of collaboration and refinement. However, the one that I felt I improved tremendously was writing. It stands to reason that the more you write, the better at it you become. Through learning poetry and many of its ins and outs, I saw amazing improvement in my writing. Using such a wonderful tool of language, and practicing it was one of the most beneficial things I could have done. As a result, I can say that I walked away from this project with a new understanding of, arguably, one of the most important and transferable skills of all. Writing.