Goals

To build excitement, set clear expectations, and begin thinking about possible interviewees

 

Details

Duration: N/A

Materials: "Twilight Los Angeles" by Anna Deavere Smith

 

Description

The launch has multiple components:

1. We watched clips from the PBS production "Twilight Los Angeles" to show students examples of first person dramatic narratives. Anna Deavere Smith transforms herself into scores of individuals - using only their words and duplicating their speech patterns, mannerisms, dress, and attitudes - in a mosaic set in the violent aftermath of the 1992 Rodney King verdict. (from PBS)

2. The "Detailed Overview" handout was used by the teachers as a planning tool to keep our objectives clear. This includes:
a.Context and rationale
b.Process and content
c.Mapping to the graduation portfolio and leadership skills

3. Two pieces of exemplary "Student Work" are included.

4. The "Simple Project Overview" handout was distributed to students and includes project expectations. The requirements for the writing component is complete but the performance requirements need to be updated.

5. An introductory activity that got students thinking about who they wanted to interview and who they had access to. We asked students to respond to the following questions on an index card and share their answers with the class:
a.Do you have someone you know to interview that was an immigrant to America?
b.If yes, who is this person in relation to you, and how easily can you get in touch with her/him? What do you already know about their immigrant experience? What is interesting about it?
c.If no, who would you want to interview? Describe this potential interviewee (ethnic background, how old, etc.).

6. We had a connection with the San Francisco Institute of English and organized a day when students would interview immigrants about their experience. We polled students about their interest in taking this field trip. As you can expect, most students were excited to go.

Detailed Overview
Download (56K)

Sample Student Monologue
"My Cancion" by Alma Herrera...
Download (25K)

Sample Student Monologue
"Life is Like a Boz of Chocolates" by Morgan Chan...
Download (26K)

Sample Student Monologue
"I am Happy" by Ramona Labat...
Download (33K)

Sample Student Monologue
"The 38th Dong" by Yvette Ly...
Download (45K)

Simple Project Overview
Student friendly expectations...
Download (49K)

Author Reflections

We should have spent more time analyzing "Twilight Los Angeles." Ultimately, this serves as a perfect example of the kind of dramatic monologue we expected. I could see dissecting a different clip each day as a "Do-now." Students enjoyed watching this. The subject matter is engaging and Deavere-Smith is impressive.

Students LOVED the field trip to the SFIOE. On the night of the exhibition, students were excited to see the person they interviewed in the crowd! One concern that students had was the "correct analysis/interpretation" of their immigrant's story.