MIDDLE EARTH 12Senior Humanities Elective Course - a personalized approach

to the study of language and landscape, self and the world

Glen Thielmann • D.P. Todd SecondarySD57 Prince George • Board Authorized Course Proposal

BACKGROUND

part of an effort to try new ideas & develop new programs at our school

need for students to develop a personal & authentic approach to learning and creating

need to field test the BCED Plan

room for a challenging senior elective in the Humanities

other rationale... note the links and further reading

(photo source: Rhea Woolgar 2012)

OVERVIEW

try what Tolkien did

survey literary and environmental themesfrom diverse sources

critical thinking and decoding skills

self-assessment and narrative skills

historical, geographic, and “fantastic” exemplars

cross-curricular learning -- inquiry from many disciplines

CURRICULUM

Organizer - A. The Shape of Our Thoughts

It is expected that students will:

1. become familiar with benchmarks of thought in different disciplines (e.g. Benchmarks of Geographic Inquiry)

2. develop a personal approach or synthesis of thought and craft (a “pattern language”) from the study of language, literature, and landscape (e.g. how individual students read, view, work in a group, what they look for in a story, leverage their skill sets for research and presentation)

3. understand how themes connect creative works (like literature) and establish relevance for a various audiences (e.g. identify exemplars of innocence vs experience, the cycle of life, the nature of heroism)

4. understand the need for and develop a thoughtful web presence and semi-public representation of identity (e.g. decide on ethical and creative criteria for a digital portfolio)

CURRICULUM

Organizer - B. Sense and Purpose

It is expected that students will:

1. recognize the different history of British, American, Canadian, and World English (e.g. research background of peculiar “Canadianisms”)

2. compare basic characteristics of real languages (e.g. English, French, Gaelic), invented languages (e.g. Quenya, Sindarin, Khuzdul), and jargons (e.g. Chinook)

3. develop ability to study language and cultural origins through etymology (e.g.trace the path backwards of Old English and Norman French in our modern English)

4. compare representational writing systems or alphabets (e.g. Hieroglyphics, Celtic Runes, Tengwar, and The Cirth)

5. use graphic and non-written analysis of and response to creative works through artwork and digital media (e.g. express ecological relationships through watercolour painting of a landscape sketch)

CURRICULUM

Organizer - C. Landscapes Around Us

It is expected that students will:

1. recognize common landform features and processes (e.g. geomorphology associated with rivers and glaciers)

2. compare landform features processes in British Columbia and Tolkien’s Middle Earth (e.g. Rocky Mountains and Misty Mountains)

3. find parallels of landform processes in exemplars submitted by students from other works of fiction (e.g. gauge the accuracy of C.S. Lewis’s description of deserts in The Horse and His Boy)

4. analyze ecosystem processes in real and imagined locales (e.g. examine why Tolkien’s forests such as Fangorn and Mirkwood area concentration of magical processes, examine processes in real ecosystems that are still mysterious to scientists)

CURRICULUMOrganizer - D. Landscapes We Imagine

It is expected that students will:

1. develop listening & story-telling skills through study of oral and epic traditions (e.g. scan through the kinds and purposed of tales told at Rivendell)

2. recognize and apply correct language conventions in a variety of genres (e.g. use peer editing to polish written entries in student portfolios)

3. establish and identify voice of “self” and “other” in works of fantasy and historical fiction (e.g. take a position and defend it on which characters’ personas drive the story-telling in Lord of the Rings)

4. apply a personal approach to interpreting myth and allegory in a variety of genres, especially fantasy and historical fiction (e.g. apply a Personal Pattern Language to two selected legends)

5. apply a personal approach to reading, analyzing, writing, and responding to creative works in a variety of genres such as poetry and short fiction (e.g. apply a Personal Pattern Language to three selected works)

CURRICULUMOrganizer - E. Culture Adapts to Change

It is expected that students will:

1. understand multiple perspectives on resource and sustainability issues on land, air, and water (e.g. habitat loss for owls, ents, and oliphants, fouling of waterways: Great Lakes vs Dead Marshes, resource issues in literature, current events, and social media)

2. relate the story of soil and the challenge of soil conservation (e.g. see Sam’s gift of earth from Galadriel as an indication of the importance of soil management, modern issues and efforts at conservation)

3. become familiar with climate change science, literature, impact on culture, and possible responses (e.g. find Tolkien’s references to industrial landscapes and fumes polluting the atmosphere)

4. apply a personal approach to self expression and inquiry through digital media such as blogs, social media, and digital portfolios (e.g. take on an issue or problem and build a digital response based on research, connection, and creativity)

5. develop skills to create, edit, revise, and publish for an audience (e.g. share a project publicly with parents, peers, and/or an online community)

LEARNING RESOURCES

works (and creative model)of J.R.R. Tolkien

local/BC landscapes & writing

works & exemplars submitted by students - start with the spark

existing learning resources where they benefit

http://www.amazon.com/Ents-Elves-Eriador-Environmental-Tolkien/dp/0813124182/

AMBITIONS

What if...? If only we could...

new paths for students to explore their “sparks”

leverage Learning Commons

project- and problem-based learning

assessment based on “capacity”

cross-curricular & blended learning

new methods and audiences for student learning

FULL STORY

Course blog:http://middleearth12.blogspot.ca

Middle Earth 12 documentation:http://db.tt/Uziz9EBU

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Grade 11 Students2 blocks, 8 grad creditscomplete English 11 and Geography 12

Grade 12 Students1 block, 4 grad creditscomplete BAA courseMiddle Earth 12

shared learning environmentdifferent learning outcomes