E-Venture/Lesson 3: American Authors Autobiography

E-Venture 3:  American Authors Autobiography Part I

PART ONE:  American Author/(Auto)biographical Segment

Once you have selected your American author, you will begin by doing research on his/her life and written work.  You should concentrate on finding relevant biographical information, including the following major criteria:

1.     General biographical information relevant to author’s work (d.o.b., family background, childhood, economic status, occupation, places lived if important, etc.)

2.     Educational history (schools attended, subjects studied, etc.)

3.     Influences on writing (important relationships with other writers/mentors, literature studied/read that inspired the author, etc.)

4.     Particular style, movement, and/or genre (i.e. Nathaniel Hawthorne is a Romantic writer, known for his ornate, flowery prose and use of allusions and symbolism; he often wrote in the historical past dealing with the influence of his Puritan heritage.)

5.     Subjects/themes commonly examined in works (i.e. Nathaniel Hawthorne often wrote about his Puritan ancestry, focusing on the importance of individual freedom and the consequences of blind conformity on an individual’s spirit.)

6.     Well-known works written (include not only the novel or drama you are reading but also any other novels or plays written by your author; reception of the works written, whether good or bad, etc. For example, Nathaniel Hawthorne is best known for his allegory The Scarlet Letter, but he also wrote The House of the Seven Gables and several well-known short stories.)

Once you have completed your research, you will present your findings to the class in the form of an autobiographical presentation in which you will become your American author.  To do this successfully, you will need to organize your notes carefully on 3x5 (small) index cards.  You will NOT be permitted to read a report to the class but are EXPECTED to prepare your speech in advance so as to SPEAK to us, relying on the index cards as minimally as possible.  Your Presentation should be no more than 5 minutes.

Grade weight:  one test

Due:__________________

American Authors Choices Link:
Choose a traditional Presentation or an E-Venture
Choice Survey:
https://spreadsheets.google.co/viewform?formkey=dFp1bWJnNHBUUlJ3M1VIbDlOc3h5R0E6MQ

Rubric:
https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1KYj73ytlKlU7uCl35AjVd5Et-E9zpSQuZZ3nLu3mFGc&hl=en&pli=1# 
American Authors- Prezi Example:
http://prezi.com/4m-tfl3nt0wq/alice-walker-autobiography/ 
 American Authors-Animoto Example:
http://animoto.com/play/YOzq07h7GYCZlVbyQvxOOw?autostart=true
American Authors-Glogster.edu Example:
http://joscelyn.edu.glogster.com/Alice-Walker/