Language Arts Challenge

Global Lit, You…and Your Friends 

Submission Due Date: April 1, 2022 

Designed for Middle and High School Students 

Table of Contents

·      The Challenge

·      Assumptions and Logistics

·      Process

·      Presentation of Learning

·      Meridian Support Resources

·      Evaluation Rubric

·      Essential Questions

·      Student Proficiencies

·      Curricular Correlations:

Range of Activities

·      Literary Analysis

·      Exploration of Global Literary/Cultural Perspective

·      Persuasive Storytelling

·      Scriptwriting

·      Digital Literacy Skills – Video – Pre-production, Production and Post-Production

·      Emphasis on use of Music, Sound and Text on Screen

·      Human Skills: Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Presentational Skills

The Challenge

What fictional book or story, written by a non-American author, do you want your peers to know about? This Challenge asks you to persuade an audience of your peers about the essential value of a specific work of fiction that was written from a non-American perspective. Your audience is an American group of peers and you are trying to convince them that if they were to read one book or story by a non-American author that might change their lives for the better, this would be the one.

Essentially, you are being asked to think inside of a global dialogue about storytelling. What stories are being told outside of this country that Americans should know about? And why?

This Challenge also asks you to be creative with the tools of digital storytelling in the formatting of your persuasive story. The specifications are as follows:

  1. You must begin your digital story with a quote from your chosen book and end your digital story with a different quote from the book.
  2. You must convey at least three reasons why this book is a must-read for your audience.
  3. In your digital story, you must use:
    1. A passage of music, original or otherwise (keeping in mind rights issues) to help create an emotional connection to the ideas informing your digital story;
    2. A sound effect or two, placed strategically, to provoke thought and enhance the experience; and
    3. Words on screen in a way that is unusual and brings renewed attention to the book’s command and use of language.

Deliverables include:

  • Persuasive Video (this is the only Meridian Stories deliverable)
  • Two Page Summary of Key Points (at teacher’s discretion)
  • First Draft Script (at teacher’s discretion) 

Assumptions and Logistics

Time Frame – We recommend that this digital storytelling project takes place inside of a three to four-week time frame.

Length – All Meridian Stories submissions should be under 4 minutes in length, unless otherwise specified.

Slate – All digital storytelling projects must begin with a slate that provides:

  1. the title of the piece;
  2. the name of the school submitting;
  3. the wording ‘Permission Granted’ which gives Meridian Stories the right to a) publicly display the submission in question on, as linked from, related to or in support of Meridian Stories digital media; and b) use or reference it for educational purposes only in any and all media; and
  4. We strongly recommend that students do not put their last names on the piece either at the start or finish, during the credits.

Submissions – Keep in mind that each school can only submit three submissions per Competition (so while the entire class can participate in the Challenge, only three can be submitted to Meridian Stories for Mentor review and scoring).

Teacher Reviews – All reviews by the teacher are at the discretion of the teacher and all suggested paper deliverables are due only to the teacher. The only deliverable to Meridian Stories is the digital storytelling project.

Teacher’s Role and Technology Integrator – While it is helpful to have a Technology Integrator involved, they are not usually necessary: the students already know how to produce the digital storytelling project. And if they don’t, part of their challenge is to figure it out. They will! The teacher’s primary function in these Challenges is to guide the students as they engage with the content.  You don’t need to know editing, sound design, shooting or storyboarding: you just need to know your content area, while assisting them with time management issues.

Digital Rules/Literacy – We strongly recommend that all students follow the rules of Digital Citizenry in their proper usage and/or citation of images, music and text taken from other sources. This recommendation includes producing a citations page at the end of your entry, if applicable. See the Digital Rules area in the Meridian Resources Center section of the site for guidance.

Location – Try not to shoot in a classroom at your school. The classroom, no matter how you dress it up, looks like a classroom and can negatively impact the digital story you are trying to tell.

Collaboration – We strongly recommend that students work in teams of 3-4: part of the educational value is around building collaborative skill sets. But students may work individually.

Process

Below is a suggested breakdown for the students’ work.

During Phase I, student teams will:

  • Choose a book (throughout the rest of the Process section, the Challenge refers to a ‘book.’ But you can base this challenge around a singular short story). The idea here is to choose a book that has had a profound influence on you (and your team if working collaboratively). But this is also about exploring a cross-cultural experience; about choosing a book that has what you think may be a distinctly ‘non-American’ perspective from which your American peers will benefit.
  • Examine why this book deserves the attention that you want to bring to it. This can include both an objective analysis that looks at the author’s use of language; the structure of the story; the universality and/or distinction of the characters; and the themes addressed. And a subjective exploration that examines the impact this book had on you (and your team, if working collaboratively). Why did this particular book move you in memorable and, perhaps, perspective-shifting ways?
  • As you are discussing the distinguishing qualities of this book, be searching for passages that may help you find new meaning in your select work of fiction. Good books never fail to surprise – to reveal more upon a second reading. Look to the text to inform your discussions and reinforce your emerging arguments.
  • We recommend brainstorming two or three times and writing down your ideas during each session. Then prioritize the main ideas that you want to communicate in your persuasive digital story.
    • Be sure that one idea addresses why you believe that this book positively adds a needed and distinct perspective to the experience of being brought up in the US.
  • Select your starting and ending passage.
    • Teacher’s Option: Two Page Summary – Teachers may require that student teams create a two-page summary of their select passages and the three main points, for review and feedback.
  • By the end of Phase I, you should have:
    • Selected your starting and ending passages
    • Identified the three main talking points designed to persuade an audience of your American peers that reading this book will bring awareness, understanding, and perhaps, joy, to their lives.
    • Identified, as part of the three main talking points or in addition to, why this book adds a vital cultural perspective to the canon of available literature.

During Phase II, student teams will:

  • Brainstorm about an overall approach to the narrative. You have your Challenge specifications about sound, music and text. Those are a given. What is the narrative structure within which you are going to create this persuasive digital story and embed those specs? Options include (but are not limited to):
    • Straight-up talking heads, as presented as if you are on a TV talk show and you are discussing your latest interests.
    • A mystery – you tease the audience about this amazing story that does this and does this, and makes you feel like that, and the book is called…. And you reveal the name of the book. The mystery approach is simply structured on a tantalizing hook, which creates suspense, which is maintained (and built up) throughout until the end when you reveal …the solution.
    • A parody of the book that entertains viewers and makes them want to read the real thing. Other kinds of comic approaches can work as well.
    • A vlog that takes the audience on a journey that parallels your journey with the book. In this instance, we are learning about the book through your subjective experience.
  • These are just a few options to consider, and the extra specifications about music, sound and text should inform your discussions about your choice of digital storytelling format. The end goal is this: you want to entice people your age to want to desperately read this book. So, what kind of digital storytelling will engage them and convince them to go find this book right away? Put another way: what are your tools of persuasion?
  • Outline your story, beginning and ending with your select quotes.
    • We recommend including some sort of summary of the main action or the main characters prior to presenting your three points so that the audience will have a clear sense of what the story is about. This might include where and when the story takes place, the general narrative trajectory, and the overall tone of the select work of fiction.
  • Brainstorm about the specifications on music, sound and text. Where in your story would the placement of music be compelling and, perhaps, create an emotional moment? Where would a sound effect add both emphasis and meaning? What are you planning to do to present select language in an ‘unusual’ way? And what is your desired effect from this choice?
  • Script your story – noting where the music, sound and text will be added – and rehearse.
    • Teacher’s Options: First Draft Script – Teachers may require student teams to hand in a first draft script for review and feedback.
  • If possible, present your proposed digital story to an audience of trusted friends for their feedback. Are they engaged? Do they laugh when you hoped they would. Are they emotionally moved when you hoped they would be? Bottomline: do they want to read your book? Previewing a rough outline of your final product to a few select people can be very useful.
  • Review and finalize the script.

During Phase III, Student Teams will:

  • Pre-produce the scene:
    • Scout locations for shooting (if this is being shot on location);
    • Create costumes, props and other set pieces, as needed;
    • Prepare the logistics for the actual shooting of the scene; and
    • Rehearse the scene.
    • Shoot the video.
    • Edit the video, adding stills and graphics as desired.
    • Post-produce the video, adding music, sound effects and graphics.

Meridian Support Resources

Meridian Stories provides two forms of support for the student teams:

1.    Meridian Innovators and Artists – This is a series of three to four-minute videos featuring artists and innovative professionals who offer important advice, specifically for Meridian Stories, in the areas of creativity and production.

2.    Media Resource Collection – These are short documents that offer student teams key tips in the areas of creativity, production, game design and digital citizenry.

Recommended review, as a team, for this Challenge include:

Meridian Innovators and Artists Media Resource Collection
On Scriptwriting and Comedy – Kent Pierce

On Music in Film – Mary Hunter

On Sound Design – Chris Watkinson

On Producing – Tom Pierce

“Producing: Tips for the Shoot”

“Creative Brainstorming Techniques”

“Sound Editing Basics”

“Video Editing Basics”

Presentation of Learning

Meridian Stories is a proud partner of the non-profit Share Your Learning, which is spearheading the movement of over five million students to publicly share their work as a meaningful part of their educational experience.

The workforce considers Presentational Skills to be a key asset and we encourage you to allow students to practice this skill set as often as possible. These short digital stories provide a great opportunity for kids to practice their public presentational skills. This can be achieved in a remote learning environment by inviting parents to a Zoom/Google/Skype screening of the student’s digital stories.

According to Share Your Learning, Presentations of Learning (POL) promote…

  • Student Ownership, Responsibility & Engagement. POLs can serve as a powerful rite of passage at the end of [a project]. By reflecting on their growth over time in relation to academic and character goals, grounded in evidence from their work, students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning. Just as an artist wants their portfolio to represent their best work, POLs encourage students to care deeply about the work they will share.
  • Community Pride & Involvement. When peers, teachers and community members come together to engage with student work and provide authentic feedback, they become invested in students’ growth and serve as active contributors to the school community.
  • Equity. POLs ensure that all students are seen and provide insight into what learning experiences students find most meaningful and relevant to their lives.

Meridian Stories’ own research indicates this to be a really useful exercise for one additional reason:  Students actually learn from their peers’ presentations – it is useful to hear a perspective that is not just the teacher’s.

It is with this in mind that we you encourage you to plan an event – it could be just an end-of-the-week class or an event where parents, teachers and student peers are invited – to allow the students to showcase their Meridian Stories projects. For more free resources that will support this planning, visit Share Your Learning.

Evaluation Rubric – Global Lit, You…and Your Friends

CONTENT COMMAND

Criteria 1 – 10
Presentation of Book/Story The narrative essence of the book is presented clearly, allowing the viewer to understand the basic characters and/or actions driving the story
Presentation of Three Key Ideas The three ideas that inform the argument are well articulated and elucidate our understanding of why this story is important
Global Perspective The argument for why this non-American perspective is valuable to American audience is compelling

STORYTELLING COMMAND

Criteria 1 – 10
Use of Digital Storytelling Tools – Text on Screen The ‘unusual’ use of text as a distinct narrative component is enhances your persuasive objectives.
Digital Story Structure The narrative choice of how to present the reasons for why this book is essential reading – including the choice of quotations that start and end the piece – is creative, insightful and effective
Persuasion The digital story effectively persuades the audience of the books value for an audience of peers

MEDIA COMMAND

Criteria 1 – 10
Visualization The visualization of your digital story is creative, engaging and reflects a thoughtful professionalism
Editing The video is edited cleanly and effectively, resulting in an engaging digital storytelling experience
Sound and Music The required use of sound effects and music enhances the dramatic appeal of the story and helps engage/entertain viewers

HUMAN SKILLS COMMAND (for teacher’s use only)

Criteria 1-10
Collaborative Thinking The group demonstrated flexibility in making compromises and valued the contributions of each group member
Creativity and Innovation The group brainstormed many inventive ideas and was able to evaluate, refine and implement them effectively
Initiative and Self-Direction The group set attainable goals, worked independently and managed their time effectively, demonstrating a disciplined commitment to the project

Essential Questions

  1. What in a book (or story) makes for a remarkable and thought-provoking reading experience?
  2. How does one utilize passages from a work of fiction to bolster and reinforce analytical arguments?
  3. What is meant by a ‘non-American’ perspective in the telling of stories? And why is this important to identify and discuss?
  4. How does one craft a digital story that is intended to persuade?
  5. How has immersion in the creation of original content and the production of digital media – exercising one’s creativity, critical thinking and digital literacy skills – deepened the overall educational experience?
  6. How has working on a team – practicing one’s collaborative skills – changed the learning experience?

Student Proficiencies

  1. The student will explore, analyze and articulate the relationship that a select work of fiction has to an understanding of their selves and the world.
  2. The student will research language from the book to help define and support how the book has created impact.
  3. The student will build awareness around how an author’s background and nationality shape their narrative; and the student will explore why different perspectives are critically important to one’s intellectual growth and development.
  4. The students will experiment with what it takes to create a persuasive narrative, targeting peers.
  5. The student will utilize key Human Skills, with a focus on creativity, critical thinking and digital literacy, in their process of translating a book analysis into a visual narrative.
  6. The student will have an increased awareness of the challenges and rewards of team collaboration. Collaboration – the ability to work with others – is considered one of the most important Human Skills to develop in students as they prepare for life after secondary school.

Curricular Correlations

The Global Lit, You…and Your Friends Challenge addresses a range of curricular objectives that have been articulated by the Common Core Curricular Standards – English Language Arts. Below please find the standards that are addressed, either in whole or in part.

Common Core Curricular Standards – English Language Arts Standards

Standards 8th 9th/10th 11th/12th
RL1

 

READING: LITERATURE

 

Key Ideas and Details

 

Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

 

Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

 

Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

 

RL3

 

READING: LITERATURE

 

Key Ideas and Details

 

 

Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision. 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. Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
RL4

 

READING: LITERATURE

 

Craft and Structure

 

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text,

including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

 

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful.
RL 6

 

READING: LITERATURE

 

Craft and Structure

 

NA Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.

 

NA
W1

 

WRITING

 

Text Types and Purposes

Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence

 

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

 

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

 

W3

 

WRITING

 

Text Types and Purposes

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
W4

 

WRITING

 

Production and Distribution of Writing

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

 

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

 

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

 

W5

 

WRITING

 

Production and Distribution of Writing

With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

 

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

 

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

 

W6

 

WRITING

 

Production and Distribution of Writing

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

 

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

 

NA
W9

 

WRITING

 

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

 

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

 

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

 

SL1

 

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

 

Comprehension and Collaboration

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher- led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one- on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
SL5

 

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

 

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest. Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
L1

 

LANGUAGE

 

Conventions of Standard English

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L3

 

LANGUAGE

 

Knowledge of Language

Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

 

Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

 

Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

 

L5

 

LANGUAGE

 

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.