IRONY & AMBIGUITY Research and Application Project/Presentation 100 points

Introduction… Instead of having a unit test over irony and ambiguity, you are going to be doing a required group research project that will be presented to the class in a formal way. Because this project is replacing a unit test, it will be treated as an assessment, which means it will be graded quite harshly. You need to take this project seriously, using time wisely, and not procrastinating. Your grade will reflect your work as a group, but also your work and effort individually.

Overview of the Project You will be working in groups of 4-5 to research and apply either irony or ambiguity to the real world. I will be picking your groups and whether you are researching irony or ambiguity; however, you will be selecting the direction you go from a list of 5 options. Your group will not only have to research a real world example of your topic, but you will also have to create your own example of the topic as well. Each group will present their projects to the class revealing the real world example found in research, but also revealing the example the group created to show their understanding of irony or ambiguity. Your group will have 3 days in the computer lab to research, followed by 2 days in the classroom to work as a group. Groups will begin presenting this information to the class starting on Fri. (15 th ).

Parts to Completing Project Part 1 – After learning your group members and whether or not you will be researching irony or ambiguity, you will need to choose the path your group wants to use to complete project. Options are listed below: Political cartoon Song lyrics Saturday Night Live Skit Movie clip Poem Part 2 – Your group needs to find a real world example of irony or ambiguity in one of the above topics. You need to present this example to the class, explaining how it is ironic or ambiguous clearly and completely. Feel free to get creative, but remain accurate and formal. If you are doing irony, you MUST also reveal the type. Part 3 – Your group then needs to create your own example of irony or ambiguity. However, you must follow the path you chose for part 2. Example: If you chose to find an example of a political cartoon for part 2, then you must create your own example of a political cartoon for part 3. Also, you still must incorporate irony or ambiguity. If you found an example of something ironic, your creation must also be ironic.

Parts to Completing Project Part 4 - Honors English 9 only: In addition to finding an example of irony or ambiguity with one of the options already presented, each group must also find an example of irony or ambiguity in a piece of literature (something not read in class). You may use a novel, short story, or poem. Treat this just as you treated part 2. You must present your literary example to the class, and explain why it is ironic or ambiguous clearly and completely.

Keep in Mind… Part 2 (real world example) and Part 3 (your creation) must relate to one another so your presentation flows nicely. Part 2 should simply serve as an example that you use to introduce and set up your own creation in part 3. This transition is necessary for a successful presentation. All examples MUST be school appropriate. If you question whether or not it is appropriate to share, then that means it is NOT. If you choose something that is inappropriate in our opinion, you risk obtaining a zero on that specific portion of the project. There is NO written piece that will be turned in for this project. This means your grade will ONLY come from the presentation. Anything you want to share that serves as support, explanation, or an example must be incorporated into the presentation for this reason. Be organized ahead of time! You have one shot at your grade, so make it good!

Keep in Mind… You are being graded on an assessment (test) level. Your work must be handled in a serious, formal, and organized fashion. If I feel this is not the case in any way, your grade will be lowered accordingly. Creativity is absolutely allowed, as long as you handle it appropriately. At the end of the project, each of your will fill out a group evaluation sheet that will be completed and turned into us privately. This will allow you to share what each group member contributed, as well as how much they did or did not do. In this specific instance, group members who do not contribute in an equal way will lose points on their grade individually, rather than the whole group suffering.

Timeline Thursday (7 th ) Introduction of project in classroom Announcement of groups and topics Brainstorming session with group Friday (8 th ), Monday (11 th ), and Tuesday (12 th ) Meet in computer lab for group research. 1 st, 5 th, 6 th, and 7 th – you will meet in A3 every day (next to library) 3 rd – you will meet in library on Fri. and Mon. and A3 on Tues. Wednesday (13 th ) and Thursday (14 th ) Meet back in classroom to work in groups on project organization and completion Friday (15 th ) Project is due! Presentations begin!