Final Product: Voices in Society Documentary

In this interdisciplinary unit, you will integrate your music and English knowledge to create a documentary. Here are the final project details with examples.

Resources to use throughout the unit

Poetry Foundation - Excellent source for finding poems and poets

How to cite images using the MLA format - EdPuzzle video

How to tell if websites are credible - EdPuzzle video

Activity 1: World on Fire

Watch the music video for Sarah McLachlan's "World on Fire."  Record your initial thoughts and questions in your journal.

Once, you have finished writing, discuss your own ideas and questions, along with these discussion questions.

Activity 2: Aisha’s Song

Read this article on the short documentary Aisha's Song; then, watch the documentary.

1. How is music used in the video?

2. What story does the documentary tell?

3. How does the music enhance the film's message?

4. What questions arise from the film?

5. What do you like about the film's production?

Activity 3: Digging in to Research

Before starting your research, it's important to note that there are multiple sides to every story.  As a researcher, you need to make sure that the sources you encounter are reliable.  Watch the Shmoop video "How to Know if a Source is Reliable."  Use the ideas from the video, along with this CRAAP Test handout, to determine if a source is reliable or simply a piece of crap.

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Use this gathering research document to walk you through the process of evaluating sources.

Activity 4: Organizing Information

So you've found some reliable info, and you know it's reliable because it passed the CRAAP test; however, your research isn't done yet. Use this Google doc to stay organized and keep track of information, poems, and images in order to produce an effective documentary.

Activity 5: Reading Poetry

Now that you have gathered some possible poem options, you need to figure out how you would like to recite them. Let's practice a bit with the two poems below. The first is "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll and the second is "IF-" by Rudyard Kipling.

Read through the poems several times. What kind of mood (feelings) do the poems convey?

Now, take a listen to two different interpretations for each poem.

1. How does the mood change in each?

2. What techniques are employed during the recitals to enhance the poems' meanings?  

3. How do these recitals compare and contrast with your own interpretations?

JABBERWOCKY 1                                                                              IF- 1

JABBERWOCKY 2                                                                              IF- 2

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Activity 6: Reading Poetry - Part II

Now that you have practiced reading some poems with class, practice reciting the poem(s) you found and wish to include in your documentary.  Practice reading the poem(s) with the following moods:

• Angry

• Joyful

• Mournful

• Hysterical

• Somber

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Record yourself reciting the poem with different moods, then pair up with another group to share. You should:

1. Identify the mood trying to be created;

2. Point out what they did well in the delivery and to create the mood;

3. Offer suggestions for improving the mood and/or delivery;

4. Other general comments.

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Please use this time for some serious practice - you need to make sure you are creating an appropriate mood for your documentary!