Assessments

Assessment 1:

Outcome:

·         Students will become familiar with the ways in which certain events—big or small—can profoundly impact their lives.

This is a bit of a pre-assessment, meant to gauge the students’ level of understanding of how our modern world can often be very quick-paced and frantic. I believe that many students lead multiple lives—at home, at school, and often in the virtual world (the Internet)--an issue which the students sometimes do not realize. Thus, they can easily be overrun with problems from each of these generally-distinct spheres of life; issues that stir within their conscious or subconscious mind and affect their thoughts and actions every day.

With this journal, students will assess their lives objectively or subjectively, and will determine how they see themselves and their surroundings before we begin discussing Romantic and Transcendental thought. As we discuss Romantic/Transcendental theory, students will return to this assignment for comparison.

Life Journal

                Life in our modern society can sometimes become very hectic, either from the amount of work to do, the people that surround us, or even from our most leisurely activities. Indeed, the world around us can sometimes overwhelm us and become an unbearable burden. Many of us often forget to sit back and reflect on ourselves—how we feel, what we need, where we want to “be.”

                Today, you will begin a week-long journal. It will begin as a simple journal in which you record the events of your day—that is, what things did you do, or happened to you, during the day? From the time you woke up to when you got to school and until you were ready to go to sleep, a thousand different things happened to you. Each event can become “white noise” in your memory, and can have a profound effect on your thoughts, actions, and feelings.

                In this journal, you are to respond to a prompt and record the events that affected you emotionally or physically—like hearing something from a friend that upset you, or spraining your ankle playing basketball. Then, you will provide a reflection of at least 1 page in length in which you assess how those events impacted your day, and maybe even future days.

·         Did your sprained ankle hinder you from other activities that day? Did it make you feel angry frustrated out of pain? Did that frustration make you alienate others?

·         Did your friend say something unforgiveable, leading you to avoid talking to them? Will what they said affect your relationships with other people? Will it change how you see them, or yourself?

These are the kinds of questions that you could ask yourself in your reflection. This will help you to understand how you view yourself in relation to the rest of the world—other people, the natural world, even the virtual world.  We will return to these entries later in the Unit to compare them to future entries. Label each entry for the appropriate day that it is written.

Follow these prompts for each of the days this week. Write a response to the appropriate prompt and reflection (at least 1 page in length)

Journal Day 1 (Monday): Where have you been today? Describe the places you’ve been to—Were they noisy? Quiet? Disorganized? Fun?—and when you were there. Then, reflect on how you felt about being in those places.

                            Perhaps you were happy to be at school because it was free ice cream day, but you were also upset about being there because your favorite teacher was replaced by your least favorite substitute. Write these feelings down.

Journal Day 2 (Tuesday): Who have you been around today? Describe the type of people that were around you—Your classmates? Your friends? Your family?—and how long you were with them. Next, reflect on how those people changed your day.

                            Did your best friend’s support make a threatening test less scary? Were you surrounded by people who lowered your self-esteem? Were you around anyone at all? Would anything be better if you had been alone? Think about these things as you reflect.

Journal Day 3 (Wednesday): Did you spend any time alone today? How much time? During your free time, was there a point where no one else was around, and you had the room to yourself? If so, what did you do with that time of peace?

                            Did you read a book, or meditate? Did you play video games or surf the Internet? Did you create a work of art or completely destroy something? Reflect on how you used your alone time today by considering if you enjoyed it and why you did or did not enjoy it.

Journal Day 4(Thursday):  What was—in your opinion—the most significant event of the day? It can be god or bad, but it has to be something that made a larger impact on your day than anything else. It can be as simple as a grade on schoolwork, or as major as finding you have a new sibling on the way.

                            Reflect on why you feel this is so important and how it changed other events in the day, or you approach to those events. Perhaps you looked at school a bit differently after receiving the highest grade in the class, and tried harder than you normally would in the rest of your classes, for example.

Journal Day 5 (Friday): The Internet is now a major part of our everyday lives. Today, you will do your best to avoid using the Internet. There may be certain circumstances in which the Internet is needed, but for simple tasks (such as finding directions from place to place, or checking social networking sites) you should avoid using it.

                            Then, reflect on how the loss of the Internet affected your day. Did tasks seem harder than usual? Did you feel helpless/happy to be without it? Did you notice a change at all? Explain your feelings for this entry.

Category	4	3	2	1
Organization	Journal is in chronological order, and includes five distinct entries. All entries are appropriately labeled.	Journal is in chronological order, and there are five distinct entries. Most entries are appropriately labeled.	Journal is not in chronological order, or does not have five distinct entries. Most of the entries are appropriately labeled.	Journal is not in chronological order, or does not have five distinct entries. Very few of the entries are appropriately labeled.
Focus on Topic	Each entry is consistent with the corresponding prompt, and contains a relevant reflection.	Most entries are consistent with the corresponding prompt, and contain largely relevant reflections.	Two or three entries are consistent with the corresponding prompt, and not all contain relevant reflections.	One or fewer entries are consistent with the corresponding prompt, and few contain relevant reflections.
Understanding and Following of Prompt	Student demonstrates an understanding of the impact of daily events on their lives, and uses several details and examples to show their understanding.	Student demonstrates a decent understanding of the impact of daily events on their lives, but uses 1 or 2 details and examples to show their understanding.	Student demonstrates a basic understanding of the impact of daily events on their lives, and gives no details or examples to show their understanding.	Student demonstrates very little understanding of the impact of daily events on their lives, and does little to support their understanding.

Assessment 2:

Outcome:

·         Students will gain a deeper understand of Romantic and Transcendentalist thought and theory.

This is an activity designed to place the students in the shoes of The Scarlet Letter’s Hester Prynne. As the students will create their own “scarlet letter,” they will have to assess themselves, isolating a particular defining characteristic that they can highlight using their letter. The activity empowers the students to embrace themselves (for the good and the bad) and show the world that they can withstand its criticism.

This kind of thought is synonymous with Emerson and Hawthorne’s ideas of individual empowerment, and serves as a fun activity for students to show off their best and worst traits in a creative way.

Your Scarlet Letter

                We have been reading Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter in class, and have discussed the important themes behind the story of Hester Prynne. One of the most prominent points is how Hester is initially burdened by the letter symbolizing her adultery, but eventually comes to embrace it—“own” it—and becomes her own woman, rather than an easily recognized mark of disgrace.

                In this activity, you will create your own “scarlet letter.” This can be any letter you chose, so long as it symbolizes a trait that is very prominent in your personality, and it is something that you are sometimes ashamed of. If you think that you sometimes obnoxious to others, you would have “O” as your letter. This does not have to be the trait that you dislike most, or that others would necessarily dislike most, but it should be a trait that you believe can seriously impact your relationships with others and with yourself.

                After you have decided on your trait and letter, you will create a large version of that letter (using paper, cardboard, plastic, or anything you wish) to hang around your neck. The letter should be decorated in order to truly stand out in the way Hester Prynne’s scarlet did. You may choose to make it vibrantly colored or even cover it with a collage of pictures symbolizing your trait, if you choose. However, the decoration should be relevant to the word you chose.

                Once you have completed your letter, you will wear it for an entire day at school. This will give other students an opportunity to see your letter, and respond to it as they will. While some responses may be negative, it is important to remain confident and wear the letter as a rebellion against other peoples’ opinions.

                You will also write a 1-page rationale for and reflection on why you chose your letter and how the experience made you feel. In this, you should state why you think this letter was best suited for you and what feelings you had when the letter made you the focus of many peoples’ attention.

·         Did you feel like others were judging you?

·         Were you afraid to let others see one of your worst traits?

·         Were you relieved to acknowledge your flaws?

                Consider these questions as you reflect. Like Hester Prynne, you may be subjected to social pressures that make you uncomfortable, but you may also overcome the “haters” and let your flag fly in defiance.

Category	4	3	2	1
Creativity	Letter is highly-decorated. Student uses several artistic techniques in tandem to create an ornate letter that will stand out in a crowd.	Letter is highly-decorated. Student uses only one artistic technique to create their letter. (Collage, pattern, etc.)	Letter is lightly-decorated. Student shows decent effort in creating a mildly ornate or vibrant letter. (Letter is brightly colored, or made of unique material)	Letter is hardly decorated. Student put forth minimal effort in creating a letter that will stand out.
Originality	Student uses a completely unique and thoughtful trait, one that is not shared by others in the room.	Student uses a thoughtful trait, but one that is being shared by one or two other people in the room.	Student puts uses a trite trait, but one that is not shared by others in the room.	Student uses a completely unoriginal trait, perhaps one that is shared by multiple others in the room.
Relativity	Student uses a trait that is completely relevant to their personality, and their rationale explains why in detail.	Student uses a trait that is completely relevant to their personality, but their rationale does not exactly explain why.	Student uses a trait that is vaguely relevant to their personality, but their rationale does not explain why.	Student uses a trait that is not relevant to their personality, and their rationale does not explain why.

Assessment 3:

Outcome:

·         Students will relate 19^th Century Romantic and Transcendental theory to the modern, 21^st Century world.

This assessment is a key component of Romantic/Transcendental study, as the 21^st Century presents a community- and society-driven world, in which the individual is often overlooked in favor of the masses. As such, I feel it is vital for students to understand the ways in which they can maintain their individuality, despite the heavy focus on networking in the world around them. Therefore, the students should be able to identify examples of persistent Transcendental/Romantic thoughts in the modern world.

Videos, images, cultural artifacts, music, comic strips, and more can contain references to this vein of thought, and can serve as models for the students as well. For instance, the now-defunct Calvin and Hobbes comic strip often used higher-level thinking as a basis for its plots and messages, while maintaining the playful and innocent backdrop of a boy and his stuffed tiger. Such things can include powerful messages without beating the students over the head with them.

Transcendentalism Today

                Your goal in this assignment is to find a song, video, image, comic strip, or poem made within the last 15 years which exhibits signs of Transcendentalist or Romantic thought. It should use themes discussed in class which reflect the ideas of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau—such as self-reliance, the power of the individual vs. the power of society, or the mystical qualities of the natural world, which cannot be found in civilization.

                Once you have identified your chosen work, you will write a 1- to 2-page essay in which you describe how the work relates to the things we have discussed in class. You should also include the year in which it was made, and identify the purpose of its creation. That is: the creator of the work integrated Romantic thought for a reason, and it may have been to make a statement about today’s society. Your job is to identify that statement and explain its importance.

                Be sure to include lyrics to songs, and a copy of any image, video, or poem you choose as a reference for your essay. Use examples from the works we have read as well to support your connections.

Category	4	3	2	1
Relevance to Topic	Student provides an artifact which is relevant to the Transcendentalist ideas, and their rationale clearly explains the connection between 19th and 21st century thought.	Student provides an artifact which is relevant to the Transcendentalist ideas, but their rationale does not effectively express the connection between 19th and 21st century thought.	Student provides an artifact which is not relevant to the Transcendentalist ideas, but their rationale shows some connection between 19th and 21st century thought.	Student provides an artifact which is not relevant to the Transcendentalist ideas, and their rationale shows no connection between 19th and 21st century thought.
Organization	Student has written an essay which assesses their artifact in a Transcendental light, draws a connection between the worlds of the 19th and 21st centuries, and has a complete rationale for choosing their artifact.	Student has written and essay which assesses their artifact in a Transcendental light, has a complete rationale for choosing their artifact, but does not draw a connection between the worlds of the 19th and 21st centuries.	Student has written an essay which assesses their artifact in a Transcendental light, but does not have a complete rationale and does not draw a connection between the worlds of the 19th and 21st centuries.	Student has not written an essay which assesses their artifact in a Transcendental light, does not have a complete rationale for choosing their artifact, and draws no connections between the worlds of the 19th and 21st centuries.
Appropriate Artifact	Student has chosen an artifact from the last 15 years, and has some way of sharing the artifact with the class.	Student has chosen an artifact from outside the last 15 years, but has a way of sharing the artifact with the class.	Student has chosen an artifact from the last 15 years, but has no way of sharing the artifact with the class.	Students does not have an artifact, or has one from outside the last 15 years, and has no way of sharing the artifact with the class.

Assessment 4:

Outcome:

·         Students will have a firsthand experience with Romanticism that will help solidify the abstract concepts they had previously discussed.

This is an activity which I have actually done before to some good success. In it, students will continue their journal entries from the beginning of the Unit—but this time they will be operating like Transcendentalists, rather than how they normally would.

As such, the students will be changing different parts of their lives or doing different things every day—things they might not normally do. In the first set of journal entries, the students had to describe and assess their normal day-to-day lives. With this, they will be upsetting the normal balance of their lives in subtle ways and will be observing the resultant changes.

The Transcendental Challenge

                Choose 5 of the following activities, and do one each day. Highlight the five you choose and turn this paper in along with your journals. After you have completed each activity, you will write a reflection which explains your experience—how it made you feel, how it was different from other days, and so one. With the exception of poems, each reflection should be at least 3 paragraphs in length. Then, after you complete your final activity, you will write a final reflection on which activity you found to be the most meaningful. Be sure to consider which activities had the boldest impact on your life, which ones you liked the most, and which ones you really disliked.

1.       Go out and do something alone, such as going to a movie, a restaurant, or even eating in the cafeteria or being in a crowded place by yourself. Reflect on the experience and what it told you about yourself.

2.       Spend half an hour alone in nature, in the same place, at two different times when you are in two completely different moods. Describe (in writing) the same scene in different ways based on how nature mirrors your inner state. This counts as 2 activities and should be done on 2 different days, with 2 separate reflections.

3.       Spend an hour or two with a child, exploring nature (if you can). Experience the place through the child’s eyes and sensory perceptions. Write in the 1^st person about the experience, as if you were the child.

4.       During a class discussion, say something that you are afraid to say because you thinks other will judge you badly, think you’re stupid, think it’s cheesy, etc. It must be something you truly mean, something vulnerable. Reflect on the experience and what you discovered about yourself.

5.       Live without two of the basic need or wants on your “simplicity” list created in class, for one full day. They must be things that you truly do use every day and that you struggle to live without. Reflect on the experience.

6.       Look up another piece by Thoreau, Emerson, Hawthorne, Poe, or another Transcendentalist author we have not read. Read it, respond to it in writing, and explain how it connects with your own life. ALSO, you may write your own poem in response to how your chosen poem made you feel.

7.       Question a belief you have always held because it is something that “everyone: believes. Analyze it from a new standpoint, and see how it fits into your life, and what effect it has on you.

8.       Write a poem based on these questions:

a.       What is beauty?

b.      What is the purpose of beauty?

9.       Live without technology (as much as possible) for one day—no TV, cell phones, laptops, tablets, iPods, game systems, etc. During that day, find and experience one fulfilling activity that does not require these things. Reflect on what that was and why it was satisfying.

10.   Get up early and watch a sunrise. Watch a sunset. Spend time stargazing and really think about what’s out there, beyond humanity. Reflect on these experiences—your thoughts, emotions, revelations, etc.

11.   What you are ready to hop in the car out of boredom or to go somewhere relatively close-by, walk or ride a bike, instead. The experience will take longer, but will also give you the freedom to explore and take-in your surroundings. Reflect on this experience.

Category	4	3	2	1
Organization	Student has organized their entries chronologically, and has labeled each entry to signify the completed activity. Student turns in highlighted prompt sheet with journals.	Student has organized their entries chronologically, but has either not labeled each entry appropriately or has not turned in highlighted prompt sheet with journals.	Student has done only 1 of the following: Organized their entries chronologically, labeled each entry appropriately, or turned in highlighted prompt sheet with journals.	Student has not organized their entries chronologically, labeled each entry appropriately, or turned in highlighted prompt sheet with journals.
Focus on Topic	Each entry is consistent with the corresponding prompt, and contains a relevant reflection.	Most entries are consistent with the corresponding prompt, and contain largely relevant reflections.	Two or three entries are consistent with the corresponding prompt, and not all contain relevant reflections.	One or fewer entries are consistent with the corresponding prompt, and few contain relevant reflections.
Following and Understanding of Prompt	Student demonstrates their understanding of the Transcendental theories at work during their activities in each entry.	Student demonstrates their understanding of the Transcendental forces at work in some of their entries.	Student demonstrates their understanding of the Transcendental forces at work in only 1 or 2 entries.	Students does not demonstrate an understanding of the Transcendental forces at work during their activities in their entries.