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P B L U . O R G

CC BY 3.0 Buck Institute for Education | bie.org Last Revised 07-21-2012

Cyrano’s Funk

CC BY 3.0 Buck Institute for Education | bie.org Cyrano’s Funk 1

Table of Contents

SECTION I. Project Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

SECTION II. 8 Essential Elements of PBL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

SECTION III. Teaching Cyrano’s Funk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Sequence of the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Step-By-Step Teaching Guide

Preparing for the Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Launching the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Sca!olding and Managing the Project . . . . . . . . 12

Assessing and Showcasing Student Work . . . . . 21

Extensions to the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

SECTION IV. Student Handouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Character Analysis Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Soundtrack Planning Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Performance Pitch Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28


SECTION I.Project Overview

Subject English Language Arts

Grade Level 9 -10

Project IdeaIt is no secret that teaching literary canons in an ever-changing and technologically advanced world is challenging. Competing with roller coaster designs in a physics class or robotics in an engineering course across the hall makes the pages of a dense novel seem unmanageable for students. However, Project Based Learning offers a viable solution for literature teachers, by allowing them to teach a novel in the context of an authentic project.

Cyrano’s Funk focuses on the story of Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. Although it is over 100 years old, students in this project will feel like the characters and themes from this classic piece of literature are playing out on their Facebook page today. Students become engaged and motivated by making personal connections to the play by developing a forum through social media to share and exchange their knowledge and ideas.

During the project students complete assignments which parallel character traits and literary themes in the play to their favorite music. They share these connections through social media by designing a Facebook page for one of the characters in the play and assembling a soundtrack for the play consisting of these “paralleled” songs. The project culminates when student teams create either a live performance, video, or written product that is shared with an audience at a “red carpet” event.

ContentIn Cyrano’s Funk, students learn the following content and skills:

How to identify literary themes in a novel/play.

How to conduct a character analysis within a novel/play.

How to make connections between contemporary and classic social issues.

How to display their knowledge through multiple forums such as formal and informal writing and musical expression.

How to identify and respond to various audiences in writing.

Time Required15-20 hours of class time


Common Core State StandardsID STANDARDRL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well

as inferences drawn from the text.

RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

RL.9-10.7 Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment.

W.9-10.1 Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

W.9-10.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time to research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes and audiences.


SECTION II. Essential Elements of PBL

1. Significant Content This project teaches students about literary themes and character analysis within the context of a

classic piece of literature, which are important goals in 9th and 10th grade English Language Arts courses. The project also addresses Common Core State Standards for reading by determining themes and analyzing complex characters, in addition to writing in a formal style.

2. 21st Century Skills This project builds students’ skills in critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration, and

communication—and provides opportunities for creativity. Students must think critically as they conduct a rich analysis of a text and make modern connections to classic literature. Students collaborate as a team to make decisions related to their final product/performance, including brainstorming, editing, rehearsing, producing and performing. They communicate in writing about their content knowledge and build oral presentation skills during the project pitch and final performance for the community. Finally, students show creativity by displaying their content knowledge through the multiple forms of expression required by this project.

3. In-Depth Inquiry This project is intended to foster inquiry by asking students to make connections to classic literature

and their lives. Students will have multiple opportunities to consider their thoughts, questions, and insights about literary themes and their relevance to contemporary social issues. To successfully complete project products, students will need to inquire into how to create them as well as present them to an audience.

4. Driving Question The Driving Question for this project, “How can we connect contemporary culture with classic

literature?” is intentionally broad so that students have multiple access points for answering the question. The question is intended to elicit connections between themes of classic literature and social issues of today. The question is thought-provoking, open-ended and provides multiple ways of knowing: there is no single “right answer” to the question and the teacher does not “hold the knowledge” in this context.

5. Need to Know The project is introduced with the end in mind, meaning that students are immediately informed that

they will be exhibiting their work for multiple audiences—from pitching to their peers, drafting and revising with experts, to performing for the community. For this reason, students have a compelling reason to learn about the themes and characters of Cyrano de Bergerac, so that they have the knowledge necessary to make connections to social media and music, and their audience.


6. Voice & Choice There are multiple opportunities for students to have voice and choice in this project. At the onset

of the project students are able to choose the genre of music and individual songs to write about, as they relate to the themes and characters of Cyrano de Bergerac. As the project unfolds, students have the opportunity to pick the act of the play which they will focus on for their final performance. Ultimately, students have multiple options to choose a final product: a music video, written play, skit, etc. Students also are given the opportunity to have their voices heard when meeting as a team to collaborate, plan, rehearse, revise and perform their final product.

7. Revision & Reflection At several benchmarks throughout this project, students receive feedback from the teacher, peers, and

experts so that they can improve the quality of their work. Critique sessions are structured following the model of Ron Berger’s Ethic of Excellence, to guide students toward providing “kind, specific and helpful” feedback for one another. Drafts are turned in and revised until the teacher ensures that each student has content mastery before moving forward. Additionally, throughout this drafting process, students’ work evolves and improves—making the “process” an important part of the final product assessment.

8. Public Audience There are multiple audiences involved in this project. Through social media components, students

respond and reflect on various themes and characters in Cyrano de Bergerac. In this setting the audience is the student’s classmates. Experts are brought in later in the project to hear students’ ideas and provide feedback for improvement. Finally, the surrounding community becomes a public audience for the students to share their final product/performance.


SECTION III. Teaching Cyrano’s Funk

Sequence of the Project

Preparing for the Project

0 Teacher prepares for successful project implementation.

Launching the project

1 Entry Event: Students look at Shakespeare on Twitter and hear about the project.

2 Teacher introduces students to the project’s culminating “red carpet” event.

3 Students generate a Need to Know list.

4 Students write a reflection on and discuss social issues.

5 Students conduct a content analysis of various media.

6 Teacher shows trailers of the films Roxanne and Cyrano de Bergerac and students respond to guiding “parallel” questions.

7 Teacher provides an introduction to the play and its author.

Scaffolding and Managing the Project

8 Students begin reading Cyrano de Bergerac.

9 Students begin recording character analysis notes on major characters.

10 Students establish a Facebook-style page for one of the three main characters.

11 Students begin making musical connections to the text.

12 Students begin a soundtrack playlist for Act I.

13 Students conduct daily virtual dialogues on Facebook about characters and themes from the play.

14 Students form small teams of four based on an act from the play (I-V).

15 Students develop a “pitch” for their original transformation of Cyrano de Bergerac to present to an audience.


16 Students critique peers’ pitches through fishbowl and small consultancy protocols.

17 Students create a draft/storyboard of their product/performance.

18 Students receive critical feedback from professionals/experts on their storyboard.

19 Students rehearse in front of their peers for feedback/critique.

20 Students begin rehearsing/recording for their final performance.

Assessing and Showcasing Student Work

23 Teacher and students begin setting up for red carpet event.

24 Students do a dress rehearsal for the red carpet event.

25 Teacher and students conduct the red carpet event.

26 Students write a timed, in-class literary analysis of Cyrano de Bergerac.


Step-by-Step Teaching Guide

Each of the above instructional activities is discussed in more depth below, with tips for successful classroom implementation.

Preparing for the Project 0 Teacher prepares for successful project implementation.

There are a number of issues that must be considered before embarking on this project with students. These include:

! How much time will be devoted to the project?

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In addition to considering the above issues, be sure student handouts and lesson materials are ready — or at least underway.

To learn how to implement a

project, take classes at PBLU.org, and earn certification as a PBL Teacher if you try this project with students!


Launching the Project 1 Entry Event: Students look at Shakespeare on Twitter and hear about the project.

Locate websites and organize a presentation to show students how Twitter is used to modernize Shakespeare. (Do an Internet search of “Shakespeare Twitter” to find many examples.) Choose an example of a play students are likely to know, such as Romeo and Juliet. Have students discuss how the themes, characters and “staging” of the play were modernized on Twitter. Discuss how the themes of Romeo and Juliet remain modern, since teenagers still fall in love despite differences between their families.

Write the following Driving Question on the board and tell students it will be the focus for the upcoming project:

How can we connect contemporary culture with classic literature?

Explain the details of the project, pointing out to students that they will be transforming a classic play into new forms of media of their choosing.

2 Teacher introduces students to the project’s culminating “red carpet” event.

Prepare for this step by choosing video clips from one of the following websites:

! http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/video

! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1wcsg1BLwA, or

! http://news.moviefone.com/2012/02/26/oscars-2012-red-carpet-photos_n_1302414.html.

The goal of this step is to get students excited about the project–and motivated to do good work—by showing them the “big finish” in front of a public audience. Once class begins, tell students that they will be creating their very own “red carpet” event for the community to present what they’ve learned. Show the video clips. (Note: You may also choose to play background music and dress in formal attire to dramatize the feeling of a red carpet event.) Explain to students that they will be performing or premiering a piece of their original work at this red carpet event. Paint the picture of a red carpet leading to the entrance of the school (or whatever venue you choose), with a large audience filing in through the front doors in the evening, excited to see their work!

3 Students generate a Need to Know list.

Once students understand the project and are curious about the topic, lead them in creating a Need to Know list, to be recorded on the board, chart paper, or digitally. Ask them to share out what information or skills they will need to know in order to complete this project and answer the Driving Question.


Example of Initial Need to Know ListWhat do we need to know?

! What is Cyrano de Bergerac about?

! Who are the characters and how do we analyze them?

! What are literary themes?

! What are “social issues”?

! What are the connections between contemporary and classic social issues?

! How do you create a Spotify playlist?

! How can we use Spotify to represent what happens in Cyrano?

! How will we make our presentation?

4 Students write a reflection on and discuss social issues.

To warm students up to the topic of social issues, write the following prompt on the board and ask them to write about it for a few minutes.

What are some social issues you see facing your peers today? (for example, love, friendship, loyalty, etc.)

What does it make you think about? What does it make you wonder?*

Think about your immediate friends, classmates or acquaintances at school.

*”See, Think, Wonder” is a Visible Thinking Routine from Harvard’s Project Zero

Have students do a “pair share” for 3 minutes about one of the issues they wrote about. Then ask the class to share out what they discussed, recording ideas and topics the board. Prompt the class with the following questions:

! What are some common themes we are hearing?

! Do you think these are new issues? Old issues?

The purpose of this exercise is to help students see that social issues such as love, honor, friendship, etc. affect us all and are not new.

5 Students conduct a content analysis of various media.

For homework, ask students to print out or take a screenshot of one of the following examples of social media from “their world:” Internet forums, weblogs, social blogs (Facebook), microblogging (Twitter), wikis, podcasts, photographs or pictures, video, rating and social bookmarking. (Have several samples prepared in case some students forget their homework.)

Form students teams of four. Give students 15 minutes to look through the samples of social media provided by each student. Their task will be to review the samples and establish 3-5 themes or overarching categories that the content of these samples would fall under. Review the definition of theme, if needed. Wikipedia defines a literary theme as “a theme is the central topic, subject, or concept the author is trying to point out, not to be confused with whatever message, moral, or commentary it may send or be


interpreted as sending regarding said concept (i.e., its inferred “thesis”). Have students make a chart, with themes placed at the top of a column and specific examples from the social media samples written below. For example:

Love Friendship Anger“well she said they were on a break”

“hey, are you friends with Monica?”

“I can’t stand him!”

After 15 minutes ask students to tape their posters up on the wall. Facilitate a brief discussion in which the previous questions are revisited:

! What are some common themes we are hearing?

! Do you think these are new issues? old issues?

Connect the discussion to themes from Cyrano and explain that these issues are what will allow us to appreciate a book written in the 1800’s, because we can connect with the same feelings from our own experiences.

6 Teacher shows trailers of the films Roxanne and Cyrano de Bergerac and students respond to guiding “parallel” questions.

Ask students to be ready to respond to the following prompts after they watch the trailers:

What feelings/emotions do you see?

What similarities/differences do you see between the trailers?

Show students the trailers from the films

Roxanne:

! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yboZVSQIx4M

and Cyrano de Bergerac:

! http://movieclips.com/Ri7W-cyrano-de-bergerac-movie-trailer-1

Discuss what students saw in the trailers, reminding them that these same themes (love, friendship, beauty, honor, etc.) are themes that withstand the test of time and relate to their world and that of classic literature.

7 Teacher provides an introduction to the play and its author.

Provide a brief lecture to introduce the author and the book. Some key points to highlight are:

! Edmond Rostand was a French poet and dramatist who lived from 1868-1918.

! The entire play is written in verse, in rhyming couplets of 12 syllables per line.

! The play has been translated and performed many times, and is responsible for introducing the word “panache” into the English language (translate this word to “stylish swagger” for today’s teenagers).

! The play takes place in Paris in 1640 and involves three main characters who are involved in a love triangle.


Scaffolding and Managing the Project 8 Students begin reading Cyrano de Bergerac.

Since this book is a play it is helpful to read it aloud as a class. Because the language is often difficult for high school students, periodically stop students while reading together to check for understanding.

Note: A suggested pace for reading the book is 20 pages per day: 10 pages in class, 10 for homework.

9 Students begin recording character analysis notes on major characters.

As students read, they should maintain notes about each character. Character analysis comes in two steps in this project, and acts as a way to ensure that students understand the content of the reading deeply so they will be ready to prepare their culminating presentations. But as a first step, students will transform their character analysis notes into a public discussion of the characters, their motivations and their actions through a social-networking simulation, with Facebook-style pages.

At the conclusion of Act I the audience has been introduced to Cyrano and has been provided enough insight to begin an analysis of his character. By the conclusion of Act II the audience knows Christian and Roxanne and has been provided enough insight to begin an analysis of these characters. The purpose of the character analysis is for students to look at traits or actions of the main characters from the play to understand who they are and what these things say about them. Character analyses should be ongoing throughout the play and can take any of the various forms:

! drawing caricatures or epitaphs

! writing eulogies

! designing a scrapbook page

! completing basic graphic organizers such as this one: http://interactives.mped.org/view_interactive.aspx?id=30&title=

! responding to writing prompts such as those provided by http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/pdf/cyrano.pdf.

The more you scaffold this process for students, the better they will be able to make inferences necessary to develop a Facebook-style page (the next stage of the project).

You may use the Character Analysis Options handout provided with this project to help guide students.

Character Analysis Options may be found in Section IV, Student Handouts.

10 Students establish a Facebook-style page for one of the three main characters.

Have each student choose one of the three major characters and create a Facebook-style “page” for this person. You may wish to guide the character selection process, to ensure that there is a roughly equal distribution in the class.


Depending on your school, your community and relevant Internet policies, you may choose to do this online or as an artistic hard copy in class. If you are able to have your students work online, then each student should create a Facebook profile for his or her selected character. Should you choose to have students create hard-copy artistic Facebook-style pages, they should be hung on the walls in the classroom and regularly updated. A template like the one on the following website can be provided and students can type or handwrite/draw out their “wall”:

! http://teachone2one.com/wp-content/uploads/Facebook%20Assignment.pdf.

Students need to take on the perspective of their character and complete all of the information in the first person. Have students complete the following tasks for their character, but encourage them to add more:

create the Facebook profile, including: work, education, location, philosophy, sports, arts and entertainment, activities and interests, basic information, contact information

decide on and/or create a profile picture

show who they would be “friends” with (from the play)

”recommended pages”

”people they may know” (hypothetical)

3-5 pictures

This is an ongoing assignment, and is the in-class display of their character analysis. Set a schedule with the class for Facebook updates to be shared and displayed.

11 Students begin making musical connections to the text.

Similar to the way in which Facebook-style pages feed an ongoing conversation about characters, students will create a musical soundtrack for the play, which is the basis for a discussion of the play’s themes.

Students should imagine themselves as the musical director of either an on-screen or on-stage performance of Cyrano de Bergerac. As the class reads each act, students should keep notes about how they might make musical connections to the play. At the conclusion of each act, ask students to think about a song that represents a major theme from the play. Have them cite specific quotes and page numbers from the book, paralleled with specific lyrics from the song. Beyond this, ask students for other ideas for musical connections related to specific lines, scenes, or other components of each act. If you wish, distribute copies of the Soundtrack Planning Worksheet provided in this unit to help students record notes.

The Soundtrack Planning Worksheet may be found in Section IV, Student Handouts.

Many websites can be used to find song lyrics, such as http://www.anysonglyrics.com/.

Potential Hurdle: Sometimes students get caught up on hooks or choruses but don’t realize what the song is really about. Be sure to check in with students at each step of this process

to check for understanding within the context of their music choices and the play.


12 Students begin creating a soundtrack playlist for Act I.

At the conclusion of Act 1 (and at the conclusion of each act) students create a soundtrack, presented as a playlist. Depending on technology access in your school and for your students at home, you may choose to complete this step in a variety of ways. Students could create mixes in a program like iTunes that, when played in order, provide a soundtrack for the play. If you would like your students to turn this work in, their playlists may be burned to a CD. Students could also use an online service such as Spotify.com, which allows for the creation of playlists.

Regardless of how the music is presented, have students write liner notes for each song, which should be a minimum of one paragraph of reflective writing that illuminates the selection of the song for a specific section of the play. The liner notes for each song should show exactly where it physically fits in the play including a specific textual reference, and a brief explanation of how or why that song was chosen.

If you can use Spotify, students will be able to easily integrate this into their Facebook profiles for each character. Students will need to create a Spotify account for homework. Note: the first 30 days is free for this service. Once students have completed this step they should begin to familiarize themselves with this online music site. They will need to create a playlist that parallels all five acts of the play. In total the playlist will consist of 5-10 songs—at a minimum the playlist should include one song per act. These are the same songs which students will be writing about in their “musical connections” from step 10. As students add songs to their playlists they should be sharing their playlist by posting on their Facebook page (this option appears on the bottom right side of the Spotify page).

Below are some samples of well-known soundtracks for literary works or books students may have read. You may choose to review them as models with the class prior to starting this step of the project. You may need to provide a brief overview of the plot and then ask students, “Why do you think this song goes with the storyline?”

! Breaking Dawn: http://breakingdawnthesoundtrack.com/. (Scroll down to see the actual Spotify playlist)

! Romeo and Juliet: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117509/soundtrack

! Harry Potter: http://mp3bear.com/?q=harry+potter+soundtrack

! The Hunger Games: http://www.billboard.com/features/the-hunger-games-soundtrack-track-by-track-1006515752.story#/features/the-hunger-games-soundtrack-track-by-track-1006515752.story

Other movies may work well also, such as The Great Gatsby, which is due to be released in December 2012 and which students may have already read in an English class at school. Students may have also seen movies such as Shakespeare in Love or Pride & Prejudice, and be able to offer comments on their soundtracks and how they relate to the literature that provided the basis for the movie.

13 Students conduct daily virtual dialogues on Facebook about characters and themes from the play.

Every day the class meets, assign students the task of updating their Facebook pages, either by adding to or editing the hard copy in the classroom or by updating what they have posted online.


If you are working online, each student should post their “status” for the day (based on their character and what’s happening in the play at that time), in addition to a “comment” on 3-5 of their peers’ statuses. Students also should “comment” on their peers’ Spotify playlists.

You may choose to leave the requirements for posts open-ended, by simply allowing students to post about anything, based on a general prompt such as: “From your character’s perspective, what is something you are thinking about, wondering, questioning, hoping, actively doing, etc.?”

You may also encourage students to “check in” at a location related to the play or perhaps post a link, image or an article that relates to the character, an event, emotion or theme of the play at that point.

A final option is to provide specific prompts for students to respond to about that day or night’s homework. You may choose to allow students to write in the first person, as their character, or stray from their character by writing what they personally are thinking about the play. If you decide to try this option, the following has good guiding questions for each act: http://www.coreknowledge.org/mimik/mimik_uploads/lesson_plans/1471/7_Cyrano.pdf.

If you would like to simulate conversations on Twitter, this can be done on the walls of the classroom, as well. Another option is for students to create a “graffiti wall” in the classroom to serve as an ongoing dialogue space among students. “Chalk Talks” may also be used for this purpose.

14 Students form small teams of four based on an act from the play (I-V).

Students should have the option to pick which act they would like to work on for the next segment of the project. By being given choice in this crucial step, students are likely to be more motivated and engaged in the content of their final product/performance. Here are two ideas for ways to form students in teams:

Have students submit to the teacher which act they are interested in and why. From that point the teacher assigns heterogeneous groups, based on content interest.

Have students write a proposal which states which act they are interested in working on and three other students they would like to work with and why. If the proposals are legitimate, the teacher may agree to allow them to work together. If the proposals are insufficient or concerning to the teacher, the teacher should follow up with a conversation and alternative recommendation for students.

15 Students develop a “pitch” for their original transformation of Cyrano de Bergerac to present to an audience.

Once students are in their teams they create a pitch for their performance at the red carpet event. Remind students that they should consider themselves media moguls, who have identified archetypal characters and timeless themes in this classic play, and now wish to bring Cyrano de Bergerac to the current generation in the form that they choose. Have students use the Performance Pitch Worksheet to organize their ideas.

The Performance Pitch Worksheet may be found in Section IV, Students Handouts.


Explain to students the purpose of the pitch, which is to organize and share the team’s ideas in a succinct and efficient format with an audience of their peers, who will provide valuable feedback. The pitch should be a collaborative effort by all members of the team. The pitch should be a 2-3 minute presentation and it should include the following:

Which act of the play they will be working on and a 2-3 sentence summary of the plot of that act.

The chosen medium for performance (see options provided below)

Who will be involved (actors/characters, producers, writers, etc.)

Where your work will be done (e.g., if students are filming, where will this happen?)

What song students plan to use if they are doing a music video

What preparation you will need to do

Concerns or challenges you foresee

Students may choose to do any of the following—or suggest other ideas—for their performance:

Video projects, such as:

! A trailer for a movie of Cyrano de Bergerac

! An animated version of their act of the play

! A music video based on their act of the play

Live performance projects, such as:

! Act out a modern version of their act of the play

! Perform original music based on their act of the play

! Perform spoken word based on their act of the play

Publishing projects, such as:

! Write and publish a modern version of their act of the play

! Write and publish poetry based on their act of the play

! Write and publish a graphic novel of their act of the play

You and your class could also consider combining elements of these performances/products, such as writing, publishing and performing a modern version of the entire play.

Potential Hurdle: As you facilitate this stage of the process, it is important to consider the production schedules associated with each type of final product, and the expectations of your

class or school. Offering choices or allowing students to suggest their own final product creates entry points for many different types of learners, encourages creativity and critical thinking, and can lead to an exciting red carpet event. However, since different types of final products follow different production schedules, be careful that you feel comfortable with the equipment, deadlines, and production cycles associated with the different products. See the notes on each type of product below.


Video projects tend to require time in the middle of the project to log footage and edit footage. Video projects can be worked on until very close to exhibition night, but all classes should plan for “test audience critiques.” Also, teachers and students should be aware that some steps in video production can be time consuming, such as exporting final videos, which can take a day or more.

Live performances require time for both writing and especially rehearsal. However, they typically do not need a lot of technology or materials to be produced, apart from simple costumes and props. Sets may take longer to construct, if they are to be included, and for this you may need to enlist the help of other teachers, parents, etc. If you plan to use lights, sound, microphones and other things found in your school’s drama department or theatre, be sure you have a good tech crew.

Print media projects, such as a book or a collection of poetry, will need extra time at the end of the project to send the work to a printer, and have the hard copies printed, bound and shipped, if they will be showcased with the others at the red carpet event. English teachers may feel comfortable managing this kind of work, because the writing instruction can be structured similarly to many other writing assignments or projects your class is already familiar with. However, remember to leave plenty of extra time for layout and design at the end of the writing process, as well as time for books to be printed. Check with online printers, such as Lulu.com or Blurb.com for printing and shipping times.

Regardless of what type of project your students choose, you will need to keep technological requirements in mind. Fortunately, both video editing and print media production software has become inexpensive and relatively commonplace. Many computers come with simple video editing software, or video editing applications can be acquired relatively cheaply. Software such as Apple’s iMovie or Microsoft’s Windows Movie Maker are readily available and offer a wide range of capabilities. Online printers such as Blurb.com or Lulu.com offer their own free layout and design software. Adobe offers a program titled InDesign for book layout, which is used by many high school newspapers, yearbooks, or art classes. Check with experts on your school staff for support and guidance.

Potential Hurdle: It’s important to carve out class time for the preparation of the pitch to ensure all students are contributing to the process. During this time it is imperative that the teacher be fully

“present” by listening to student conversations and monitoring their work. Students can become easily distracted with this amount of freedom and the integration of technology (e.g., music and Facebook) required in this project. Students also tend to “dream up” ideas that extend too far beyond the scope of this project, so the teacher may often find it necessary to “rein students in.” Nevertheless, the teacher should be supportive and encourage students by helping them through challenges or providing insight and ideas when asked.

16 Students critique peers’ pitches through fishbowl and small consultancy protocols.

Show students how to give their pitch to another team through a “fishbowl” modeling experience. A detailed protocol is provided below. Have two teams (A and B) sit with their chairs across from each other in the middle of the classroom. The remaining students in the class create a circle with their chairs around the two teams, watching the protocol. Team A pitches their idea to Team B first. Team B provides feedback. Then the teams switch roles and repeat the protocol. Point out the importance of providing “kind, specific and helpful” feedback (see Ron Berger’s Ethic of Excellence for more on this topic).


Adapted “New Design Protocol” 1. Presentation: Students present project to the group by summarizing ideas, hopes, and fears for the

process and final product. (2-3 minutes)

2. Clarifying questions: The audience asks questions to better understand the project: the purpose, process, or final product. (3-4 minutes)

3. Warm feedback: The audience shares perceived strengths of the project design. The presenter may not respond during this time. (3-5 minutes)

4. Cool feedback: The audience shares any concerns they may have with the project design. Cool feedback may be presented as a probing question. The presenter may not respond during this time. (3-5 minutes)

5. Response to feedback: Presenters have the opportunity to respond to any of the feedback they received. (3 minutes)

6. New designing: The group (presenter and audience) work together to redesign a project that incorporates or responds to the feedback provided. (5-10 minutes)

* Adapted from The Power of Protocols by J. McDonald, N. Mohr, E. Dichter, (2007).

After watching this example, the remaining teams break off into pairings to follow the protocol and provide feedback on their peers’ work. Walk around the room to be sure students are providing meaningful feedback and following the protocol.

At the conclusion of this activity ask students to make any necessary changes to their pitch, including suggestions offered by their peers during the protocol. To check their work, you may do one of the following:

Have students write a bulleted list of their revised pitch and hand it to you on their way out the door that day.

Hold a short conference with each team to discuss their revised pitch.

You may decide that students still need to revise their pitch before moving forward. If this is the case, concrete suggestions should be given to students with the expectation that the changes need to happen quickly, as the project progresses quickly from this point. Once the pitch has been approved by the teacher they are ready to move on!

17 Students create a draft/storyboard of their product/performance.

Once the pitch has been approved students are ready to draft out their ideas. Again, time should be allotted in class for this so you can adequately support student collaboration. Check in regularly with teams on what they are doing, where they are at with things, challenges they are facing, etc. Remind students that the more detailed their draft is, the more feedback they will receive to make their work better. Similarly, the more planned out their performance is in their draft, the better the final product will be.


Drafts may take any of the following forms:

! storyboard for a trailer or music video (A template for a storyboard is at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/myplacemyspace/images/inline/!lming/storyboard-template.jpg)

! detailed outline for a story or play

! music sheets for composed music (Here is a website for printing blank sheet music: http://www.blanksheetmusic.net/).

To help keep students on track during this phase of the project, keep all production schedules highly visible in the classroom. Although they will have differences in the ebbs and flows of drafting, critique and revision, consider setting one or two critical whole-class check-ins, at which point every group shares their work and their specific plans for moving forward. As students draft and revise throughout this step and the ones that follow, the teacher may wish to hold “production meetings” with the various groups. In a production meeting, the students should explain their current progress, their upcoming goals and their back-up plans for future potential hurdles. This can be recorded on a class or group calendar, and/or in the students’ own notes. The production meetings can provide the evidence for future grades associated with progress, group work, etc.

Potential Hurdle: Be sure to communicate with parents what students are working on, how much time is expected to be spent on the project and how much time is given in class. This helps alleviate any

possible miscommunication about project expectations and support at school.

18 Students receive critical feedback from professionals, experts or other adults on their drafts/storyboard.

Once students have finalized their plans, their pitch should be given to an authentic audience. If possible, the teacher should line up “experts” to come into the classroom to hear these pitches. Experts may include other adults on campus, parents, community members such as musicians, individuals working in the field of multimedia, or an editor or producer. If an individual cannot come into the classroom, an email, conference call or Skype meeting can also work. The purpose is for students to get feedback from the “real world.” You may choose to do these pitches in front of the entire classroom or in smaller groups. Speak with the expert in advance to explain the project and provide a framework for discussing student work. A basic protocol for providing feedback on the drafts could be:

Something I liked was...Something I wonder is...

This benchmark should be evaluated to ensure that (1) students are prepared to meet with the expert, (2) students have completed their draft, and (3) students have thought through the necessary details and are confident with their content.

You should be present during the time allotted for expert feedback, but if this is not possible, plan to follow up with the expert and the students to hear what feedback was offered and provide further suggestions or support for students to address what the expert discussed.


19 Students rehearse in front of their peers for feedback/critique.

Students and teacher both serve as “evaluators” for this stage of the project.

Depending on the size of your class, full rehearsals scheduled one after another may be difficult to manage and take a lot of time. But if you do use this format, engage the other students in the audience by asking them to think about (and perhaps write about and/or discuss) how the rehearsal they viewed informs their own work. Simply requiring each student to record at least one new idea to improve his or her own product/performance can increase student engagement in their role as audience members for others’ rehearsals.

Another potential solution is to break your class into three groups: Rehearsals, Audience, and Working. Students prep for their rehearsal and debrief afterward in the Working group, and provide feedback in the Audience group. Set aside three areas of your room: one area for the Rehearsal group to present their work, another for the Audience group to watch, listen and provide feedback, and a third Working group area to prepare, decompress, form action plans, etc.

A third possibility for rehearsals is to use experts, guests or other school staff to assist in their facilitation. You may have a parent who studied theater and a multimedia teacher who are willing to lend some time to the project. If so, they may be great rehearsal facilitators and authentic audiences for this stage of the project.

Students should take the feedback they are provided and apply it to their draft. A revised draft should be turned in to the teacher for approval. Once you have approved the team they are ready to move on to the next (and final) step!

20 Students begin rehearsing/recording for their final performance.

Students will likely need a minimum of five hours in class to work on this stage of the project. Time should be provided in class so that you can monitor student progress and provide support, with the expectation that students will use this valuable time wisely. Here are some helpful tips for keeping students on task during project work time.

At the beginning of work time have students make a daily agenda/checklist with goals for the day and specific tasks for each person in the team. You can quickly provide approval and send students on their way to begin working. At the end of the period you can check these off as an exit strategy. This proves to be helpful in holding all students accountable during a time when they can easily get off task. You may want to attach grades to these checklists as well.

Develop a “check in” list on the board to include the following:

Name location technology used time out time returned1.

This allows you to know where students are at all times and to hold students accountable for technology that is used/borrowed for this project.


Tell students about the checkpoints/rehearsals coming up in the next steps. A good way to go about this is having the whole class create a calendar on a large board in the classroom, with upcoming due dates—the specific dates associated with the production schedules for each type of media produced in class. For example, deadlines for uploading files to a printer should be highly visible on the class calendar, as should deadlines to export final movie files from video editing software. Another way to go about this is to have them all get out the project calendar provided by the teacher and ask students to plug in upcoming due dates to their cell phone calendar, Google calendar, or a paper homework planner.

Assessing and Showcasing Student Work 21 Teacher and students begin setting up for red carpet event.

The following is a list of “to do” items to plan the event:

1) Decide where you will hold the event. Make reservations if necessary.

2) Invite the parents, experts, school and surrounding community. This can be done by email or flyers. If a student is interested in helping, they can design a digital “poster” or brochure to send out. Flyers can also be put up around the school and your students can personally invite classes during the school day.

3) Figure out what technology you will need. Reserve it and test it!

4) Order/rent/borrow a red carpet. http://www.partycheap.com/Red_Carpet_Runner_p/50087.htm

5) Order/rent/borrow lighting.

6) Create a program for the event (you or students can do this).

7) Decide on the order of performances for the night.

8) Establish a layout of your space to “station” students at certain areas.

9) Establish roles for that night (greeter/host, MC, paparazzi, E Channel red carpet interviews, etc.) and have students write scripts for what they will say.

10) If you will have refreshments/food, arrangements will need to be made. Perhaps your Parent Association will want to head this up to make money for the school!

11) Discuss costumes with students — perhaps have a “drive” at school which collects donated formal wear and then your students can donate to a good cause when you are done with the project.

12) Decide on a soundtrack for the night for background music — a student can do this job too.

13) If you plan to do an award ceremony, decide on the categories, who will be deciding and presenting, and what you will use for awards.

14) Invite classes from your school to come over the day before for a rehearsal and provide feedback for improvement.


22 Students do a dress rehearsal for the red carpet event.

To structure a “run through” for your red carpet event, set up a dress rehearsal in any available space. If you are using an off-campus venue, you may decide to do your run-through at the site a day prior to the event, or in your classroom. Have your students set everything up as it will be on the night of the event. Using other students, teachers or other adults as a “test audience” if possible, walk through the event and ask the audience for feedback.

23 Teacher and students conduct the red carpet event.

It’s time for the big show!

During the “red carpet event” audience members can provide feedback on a sheet of paper, which they may pick up at the door or be handed by a student greeter/host. The following are some possible prompts:

! I was struck by...

! A question I had was...

! I wanted to know more about...

! I want to celebrate...

Celebrate and reflect on the event when it’s over, using whatever methods you choose.

24 Students write a timed, in-class literary analysis of Cyrano de Bergerac.

Note: This step may be done before the red carpet event if you prefer.

At the conclusion of the play you should revisit major themes of the play with the class.

A discussion of themes should include: values and virtue (honor), inner and outer beauty, the danger of deception, love and friendship, etc.

To assess individual learning, have students write a timed, in-class literary analysis essay.

A useful resource for students to use to review content of the play is at: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/cyrano/themes.html. To prepare students for writing the literary analysis (i.e., the exam), review writing (organization and structure) and content (what they should discuss from the book) with the class. Possible prompts for the essay can be found at http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/cyrano/study.html.

Extensions to the Project Math: During the project launch students can further develop the idea of a content analysis of social media. This can be done by teaching them quantitative research methods, such as coding and quantifying words and phrases. If students would like to survey their peers about social issues they are facing, they can also design a survey to give out and then analyze the statistical results.


Performing Arts: A drama teacher may choose to have the class participate in a performance of Cyrano de Bergerac or compare it to the storyline of Romeo and Juliet. A performing arts teacher may also be able to discuss the impact of musicals (such as West Side Story) vs. plays. Cyrano de Bergerac also appeared on Broadway in 2008 and a drama class can look at the elements of theater in the play.

Science: A chemistry teacher may like to do some interdisciplinary work related to covalent bonding and elements of attraction. Metaphoric images could be designed by students to show connection between these chemistry concepts and characters of the play.

History: The play takes place during the year 1640, which is during the 30 Years War between France and Spain. A history class could further explore the setting of the play, in particular the battle scenes and experiences of Christian, Cyrano and the other soldiers.


SECTION IV. Student Handouts

Character Analysis Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Soundtrack Planning Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Performance Pitch Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28


Character Analysis Options1. Drawing caricatures Definition of “caricature”:

! In the arts or literature, an exaggerated distorted representation of a subject in art or literature. A portrayal of an individual or type, aiming to ridicule or otherwise expose the subject.

Task:

! Pick one of the three main characters in Cyrano de Bergerac to create a caricature.

Requirements:

! Your caricature should include 5 non-physical traits, that show your understanding of the character’s personality or role in the play. Please label each of these traits on your drawing with a brief description.

Sample: http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnnyquixote/3061920086/

2. Writing Epitaphs Definition of “epitaph”:

! An inscription on or at a tomb or a grave in memory of the one buried there. A brief statement commemorating or epitomizing a deceased person or something past.

Tasks:

! Create an epitaph for one of the main characters in Cyrano de Bergerac. Consider what that character should be remembered for by others. What were their contributions to the story?

Requirements:

! Your epitaph should be poetic in nature and include at least one literary device. It should be a minimum of four lines. Finally, it should show your understanding of the characters’ contribution to the story.

Sample: http://www.mainelyurns.com/epitaphs.html

3. Writing Eulogies Definition of “eulogy”:

! A speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially a set oration in honor of a deceased person.

Task:

! Write a eulogy for one of the main characters from Cyrano de Bergerac.

Requirements:

! Your eulogy should be one page, typed and include the most important contributions of the character to the story Cyrano de Bergerac.

Sample: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/opinion/mona-simpsons-eulogy-for-steve-jobs.html?pagewanted=all


4. Scrapbooking Definition of ”scrapbook”:

! A book with blank pages used for the mounting and preserving of pictures, clippings, or other mementos.

Task:

! Design one page that would be part of an entire scrapbook for one of the main characters of Cyrano de Bergerac.

Requirements:

! Your page should include a minimum of one picture, one memento from a significant event, and one diary entry written by the character. Your work should be creatively displayed and it should be student-generated.

Sample: http://www.disneyzone.net/scrapbooks/donaldl.jpg


Soundtrack Planning WorksheetTeam Members: __________________________________________________________________________

Scene number and brief summary of scene

Key quotes and who said them Song and specific lyrics that match


Performance Pitch WorksheetTeam Members: __________________________________________________________________________

Performance Medium:

Act: I II III IV V

Write a 2-3 sentence summary of the plot of that act here:

How does this summary connect to your pitch?

Roles: What roles will each group member take on for this performance? (actors/characters, producers, writers, etc.)

Location: Where your work will be done (i.e., if you are recording, where will this happen?)

Song: If you are doing a music video or musical performance, what song do you plan to use? Why?

Preparation: What preparation you will need to do to get ready for this benchmark?

Anticipation: What concerns or challenges do you foresee preparing for your final performance?

Resources: Who/what will you access as sources of support in preparing for your final performance?

Documents

Cyrano’sFunk - Onslow County Gifted Servicesonslowaig.weebly.com/uploads/7/6/3/6/7636030/cyranos__funk_final... · Cyrano’sFunk. CC BY 3.0 Buck ... bie.org Cyrano’s Funk 1