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"Do not be afraid; our fate cannot be taken from us; it is a gift." Dante Alighieri
Dante / Neruda 3a - A Spark & A Flame - A Creative Response Project for "The Inferno" : This is the second long-term project that I created to go along with the reading from Dante's "Inferno". The first, also found on this website, had to do with translating Cantos from our reading. After many years, and after feeling that I really wanted something different - and also strongly influenced by my English III students putting on their Macbeth scenes right around the time we read Dante, I came up with this project.
The assignment is two-fold - for the first part the students act out the scene from the Canto(s) that they have chosen. They act it out as it appears in the text, in the most creative way they can, to show the rest of - literally what takes place in that scene. The student who plays Virgil wears a white cape and hood; the student who plays Dante wears a black version of that same costume. After they are done acting that out - Part 2 of the project takes place: They need to show us what that scene (those lines from "The Inferno") that they just acted out - mean to them - mean to us in our modern world. They can do this in any creative fashion that they please - as long as it helps illuminate a deeper meaning of Dante's words. With that in mind, students over the years put on skits, read stories, created original songs, made Illuminated Texts, drawings and more. At the end of the class period we are all left with a much better understand of why Dante's words have lasted for so many years.
Lesson Overview
Lesson Overview
Getting Ready
Getting Ready
Please see the handout. The students are given about 3 weeks to get this project ready and I usually would remind them about it every class period. When I could (which was rare) I would give them time in class to work on it - but at the very least liked to give them a few minutes at the end of each class to check in with their groups. Most of their work is done at home or after school - especially rehearsing the scenes.
Signing Up
Signing Up
The day we go over this assignment - and it does usually take an entire period, the students get into groups of their own choosing (I will help if needed - BUT students tend to flock to people who work as hard as them). I have a sign-up sheet where the Groups can then choose with the part of the Canto (line numbers) they wish to do (I sometimes change the Canto that we perform). First we go over the assignment - and then I give them the rest of the period to get together with their group and to start planning things - especially Part 2 - the creative response (see the handout).
Instructions (from the Handout)
Instructions (from the Handout)
For this activity, you and your group will act out a section of Dante’s Inferno – you will have two main objectives – acting out and reading the actual piece of text that you are responsible for, and creating a story, a song, a poem, dance, a short Illuminated Text, that will accompany your reading.
There is much more in the instructions - detailed directions on acting out Dante's words and what they can do and what is expected from their Creative Piece.
Performance Day
Performance Day
The day it begins - I give them 5 minutes to prepare their scenes - and I remind them that when they are not performing - they need to be an attentive audience. I also ask that the students who are on next (see the handout - but the order is determined by their respective lines). If students have special set up (such as using the projector) I ask them to come in that morning before classes begin to make sure everything is ready to go.
Grading
Grading
I've included below the Rubric that I used to assign grades. As soon as students enter the room I ask them to fill it out with their names - and there is also a space to indicate if anyone did extra work (and should be rewarded accordingly). The Rubric breaks the performances down to 1) Overall original Dante Peformance (20 pts.) 2) Overall Creative Peformance (30 pts) 3) Practice & Preparation (30 pts.) 4) Use of music, costume, props (20 pts). And Something Extra - which is of course up to you. I then took that total and multiplied it by 4 (depending on the year and the time they had to do the project) resulting in 400 points (some years it was multiplied by more - 6 or even 8).
A Spark & a Flame - Performing the Inferno Handout
A Spark & a Flame - Performing the Inferno Handout
A Spark & a Flame - Group Sign-Up Sheet & Rubric
A Spark & a Flame - Group Sign-Up Sheet & Rubric
Note - some years the class was so small that we did this with partners rather than in larger groups.
Pretty self-explanatory. I graded while the students were performing and liked to share the results with them outside the classroom while the next group was getting ready.
The Reading (also found in the first lesson)
The Reading (also found in the first lesson)
This is the excerpt that the students read for most of the years that I taught Dante and The Divine Comedy.
Remote Enhancements
Remote Enhancements
This is tough to do remotely - especially the performance part. I didn't do it the year we were remote - but did do the other Dante project - "Something Beautiful About this Place".
It Came for Me - The Poems of Pablo Neruda: The students read these poems cold - which is a great thing to do every once in a while (like when we read poetry before each novel). We read the poems as a class - asking for volunteers - and after each poem - and sometimes after each stanza - we talk about what they mean and we talk about how the move us. We are able to do seven of his poems - and sometimes a song about Pablo Neruda by Patty Larkin. In our mix, there are love poems, political poems, poems about masculinity, poems about finding one's calling. They are all beautiful. I was blessed when I taught to have at least one fluent Spanish-Speaking student in each class. That meant we were also able to listen to a few of these poems in their native tongue
Thoughts on the Lesson
Thoughts on the Lesson
Wow! The students never failed to impress me - both with their work and their creativity. Getting them to show how Dante's words cross the centuries also shows them - and makes his words even more relevant.
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