3rd Period English on September 14th

Hey Guys!

Today was day three of "The Experiment". As you all know, we have broken into groups to research the broad topic of "Early American Literature." We have been given very few instructions and are allowed to use the internet freely. Ms. Flournoy strongly encourages us to talk amongst ourselves and with other groups. Borrowing ideas from other groups is totally legal as well. In class today, Ms. Flournoy clarified that we should focus on literature before the 1800s. She also reminded us that each group will be allowed to ask her two questions on Tuesday and that all work for this project is due on Friday. Some of you might be wondering what exactly what type of "work" is Ms. Flournoy looking for. As much as I wish I could answer that for you, I can't. However, I do remember her suggesting to us to think about how you learn best and use that to help arrange what you've learned while researching with your group.

My group, consisting of Taylor Dickey, Kate Chernosky, and myself, has decided to make an iMovie to present as our work on Friday. So, after researching different people and subjects last night at home, we came together during class today and started filming. We have decided to take "Early American Literature" and break it down into three phases. In each phase, we have a general overview of the themes of writing at that time as well as "interviews" with various authors and poets. Some of these include Anne Bradford, Thomas Paine, and even Captain John Smith. While my group worked hard, we definitely had a good time filming because some of us got really into character. I think this will help us remember what we have learned because we can connect the facts back to the funny interviews we conducted with our friends. Although I have enjoyed parts of this project, there are a few aspects that make me uneasy. First of all, I am the kind of person that likes knowing what I am working towards. Not knowing exactly what is expected of me is difficult, and is a little stressful. But, I have found this experiment interesting and different- and I actually have learned things from randomly surfing the internet! One thing that has really helped me has been talking with Taylor and Kate. We shared one computer, forcing us to work together. Although we sometimes got off on random tangents, we generally collaborated and came up with some interesting ideas!