Study Plan

Words and Images

| Drama | Prose | Poetry | Films | Photography |

Authors and Artists

Titles

John Steinbeck
John Ford
Henry Fonda
James Stewart
John Wayne

Of Mice and Men
The Grapes of Wrath
The Searchers
My Darling Clementine
Stagecoach
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Woody Guthrie

Bound for Glory
Ballads and Folk Songs

Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird

Carson McCullers

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Clint Eastwood

Honky Tonk Man

Raoul Walsh

High Sierra

Coen Brothers

O Brother, Where art Thou

Dorothea Lange
Margaret Bourke White
Walker Evans
Arthur Rothstein

Depression Era Photographs

Frederic Remington
Albert Bierstadt
Charles M. Russell
Charles C. Schreyvogel

Period Paintings


Supplementary Resources

Biographies:
John Steinbeck: Jay Parini
John Ford: Joseph McBride
John Ford and the American West: Peter Cowie
The American West of John Ford (DVD)
Woody Guthrie: This Machine Kills Fascists (DVD)

Music CD's and Song Lyrics

A. The Search for Freedom
| hope | justice | prosperity | identity | escape | fulfilment |

Essential Organising Question 1:
Why do people go "on the road"?

Plot and Settings
- Circumstances, Expectations, Necessity, Adventure

Essential Organising Question 2:
What problems do people encounter "on the road"?

Dialogue and Relationships
- Manner of Speech, Expressions, Emotions

Character Study
- Roles and Types: Searcher, Adventurer, Nomad, Fugitive

Essential Organising Question 3:
What aspirations do they carry "on the road"?

Dramatic and Literary Analysis
- Style and Dramatic Form: Revelations through Dialogue and Description
- Imagery and Sequencing: Rhythm, Flow, Juxtapositions, Symbolism
- Suspense and Contrasts: Safety - Danger, Love - Hate, Wealth - Poverty, Courage - Cowardice

Use of Music and Songs
- The blend of tune and words, dance rhythms, the ballad, protest songs

 
B. Exploring the Past
- How myths are created through the art forms
- How imagery remains indelibly as our knowledge of the past

Essential Organising Question
How do the artists’ own experiences affect their work?

Biographical Study: The relationship between artists' lives, their ideals and their creativity

C. Research
Essential Organising Question
What was life actually like "on the road" in the pioneering days and during the Great Depression?

    Research Topics
  • The Dust Bowl Refugees
  • The Drought and the Great Dust Storm
  • The Great Depression
  • The Cowboy Era of Wyatt Earp
  • The lives of women in the pioneering days
  • Period Fashions
  • The lives of Indian tribes
  • The Wagon Train Journeys
  • The US Military in the 19th century

D. Dramatisation
Essential Organising Question
How do people behave "on the road"?

- Performance of scenes and songs from the written and visual texts

E. Assessment

Assignments

  • Writing: Personal, Analytical and Creative Responses
  • Research Task - Study of the authors, artists and historical background (Group Powerpoint)
  • Analysis - Identify and select examples of literary techniques from texts
  • Vocabulary - Meanings, spelling, root words, parts of speech
  • Discussion - Exchange of views and oral presentations
  • Reading: Reading/Listening to texts
  • Rehearsals: Setting up the dramatic presentation
  • Songs: Listening/Reading lyrics
  • Reading: Individual reading program during library lesson

Summative Tasks

WRITTEN: major essays on each unit : Sample Assignment Sheets

ORAL: research and dramatic presentations

Assessment Criteria
    Written Work:
  • Comprehension
  • Editing
  • Accuracy
  • Fluency
  • Thoughts and Ideas
  • Composition
  • Presentation
  
    Oral Expression:
  • Clarity
  • Accuracy
  • Fluency
  • Thoughts and Ideas
  • Presence
  • Cooperation