POET LAUREATE PROJECT
DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
The Poet Laureate project was the project we did that corresponded to our WW1 history block. The point was for each person to write a poem and essay on an event or from a perspective that isn’t usually talked about and that everyday textbooks don’t cover, during the WW1 era. Each poem was supposed to give a minority a voice. We then published each poem and essay (the essay described the poem/event/perspective) in our own anthology or history book for people to be able to have access to. This project required multiple different deliverables and products. It was truly up to each of us where and how we wanted to take each deliverable. There were four different areas of focus: the poem (including research on your event and on your poem style as well as researching poems in general), the essay (including event research), the presentation on your event and its significance during WW1 and finally our respective Book Launch Teams, this being the component that would make the creation of our anthology happen as well as put on a Book Launch Party.
The Poet Laureate project was the project we did that corresponded to our WW1 history block. The point was for each person to write a poem and essay on an event or from a perspective that isn’t usually talked about and that everyday textbooks don’t cover, during the WW1 era. Each poem was supposed to give a minority a voice. We then published each poem and essay (the essay described the poem/event/perspective) in our own anthology or history book for people to be able to have access to. This project required multiple different deliverables and products. It was truly up to each of us where and how we wanted to take each deliverable. There were four different areas of focus: the poem (including research on your event and on your poem style as well as researching poems in general), the essay (including event research), the presentation on your event and its significance during WW1 and finally our respective Book Launch Teams, this being the component that would make the creation of our anthology happen as well as put on a Book Launch Party.
My Personal Poem:
My Explanatory Essay:
My Presentation:
Link to my Project Archive:
Link to our Project Website:
Description of my Book Launch Team:
My Book Launch team was the Fundraising Team. Our job was to solicit enough money to both print our anthology and fund a Book Launch Party to celebrate our work. We called a lot of local businesses to see if they were interested in contributing to the "preservation and telling of history" through the eyes of those still alive. If they were interested, we had an email composed that we sent them with a more in depth description of the cause they were donating to. When we finished collecting monetary donations, we brainstormed other ideas in order to raise enough money to cover all of the expenses. Our idea? A silent auction. We began to call and email businesses asking for product. We were very successful in both areas of our fundraising. We had a lot of coordination with our business and fundraising coordinators at the school who helped us fill out ‘In Kind Donation Slips’ and various forms that asked the school for loans until we received the donated money and receipts. We also created spreadsheets of all the businesses who donated money and product. The silent auction was held at the Book Launch Party and it was a hit. We raised almost $600 from the silent auction alone and with book sales and previous monetary donations we hit almost $1800. This was a milestone in Animas High School history to have students raise that much money on their own.
Personal Project Reflection:
What I produced and accomplished during this project:
I worked on all of the deliverables for this project to the best of my ability and pushed myself to a deeper creative/more in depth level on each. When I look back on the project I feel very happy and proud of what I accomplished and the hours I spent working on each deliverable. The project started with the research which because of the low documentation and information of the event I chose, was rather difficult. A lot of my sources had conflicting facts, and it was difficult to know which were true. The research was a part of project that carried throughout the entirety of the project, I continually came back to refine and add and review. Because of the original broad region I was assigned (Eastern Europe), it was hard for me to narrow down a specific country and event. I would say this was the most challenging component for me due to the range of information I found involving Eastern Europe during WW1. Then came the poem element. I wrote my poem using a blues poem form. Researching and reading different blues poems was very enjoyable and enlightening to the history and roots of this style.The hardest part of the poem for me was starting. It was very difficult to know how and where to start, it took me a ridiculous amount time staring at a screen before I had a 24 hour period of "creativity boom" where I was thinking in rhyme and meter, I worked only on my poem and finally created something I was proud of. I would not do it this way again however. The next part was the essay, which was rather straightforward if you had good research and a well put together stuffed outline. The length of the essay is what got me. I had to lengthen it in order for it to fit in the book correctly, this posed a challenge. The last component of my personal project was the presentation. I struggled at making an engaging, image based PowerPoint and I spent a large chunk of nights finishing this up. I used stop animation and tried to gather visually stimulating images. The hard work paid off though. The last part of the project and a more communal aspect, was the Book Launch Teams, which actually spanned the entire project . I was on the Fundraising Team and without us, there wouldn’t have been an exhibition or a book. We were the ones who raised the money. We called businesses, wrote thank you notes to those who donated, put together a silent auction, came up with a budget and wrote emails asking for local businesses donations. In the end we raised almost $1800. It was liberating to have had such an obvious impact on this project.
What I'm most proud of achieving during this project:
I am proud of this project in general, however I am most proud of my presentation. I feel I went very in depth and I reached a new understanding about my event. My PowerPoint presentation itself is creative and each image was well thought out and the addition of a stop animation added to the presentation as a whole. The connection to present day and the research I did on Ukraine's instability helped me finally realize the long and tragic history this country has been thrown into and the effects today.
What I remember best from the project and a funny anecdote:
From this project I remember the exhibition. It was a great turn out and the feeling of accomplishment among my classmates and I was palpable. It was the culmination of a 3 month project. The event as a whole held a great vibe and it flowed very well. As I reflect I have a funny memory from the beginning of the project. My poem was due the next day and I was stressed. I was in Roxy’s room with a couple other people and I was rolling on an exercise ball, decompressing from the day. My day had been filled with stanzas of my poem being written in random places, whenever the inspiration hit, I hardly was able to concentrate on other classes. I had one stanza left to write. As I rolled on the ball the other people in the room and I brainstormed different end words or lines I could use. They would shout out different words and lines drawing from the very little information and context they had about my event. Some of them were of course very silly and during that time I actually came up with the best line in my poem!
Lessons I’ve learned:
I did not handle my time well on this project at all. I truly never had much motivation to get ahead or even stay on top of my assignments. And there was nothing anyone could really do about that, it was a mental and creative block of sorts. I had a lot of 2am nights trying to force the creation to come to me and as a result I usually went into each deliverable with a very stressed attitude. This project as whole taught me that even when the project is very long and drawn out, it’s best to stay on top of your assignments so you are still able to have a life outside of the project. It was frustrating to feel so stressed and lost when I was behind and didn’t have any creative inspiration. I had a very hard time working in class so I would always waste about two hours a day, on nothing. The next project we have, my goal is to use my class time as efficiently as possible and either find a quiet space to work or come up with a way to find my flow.
Transferable skills that I've developed doing this project:
I learned many different transferable skills during this project and within each deliverable I worked on. The first skill that came immediately to my head was how to make PowerPoints as engaging as possible. Although I very much dislike PowerPoint presentations, I practiced and researched tips and tools to making them more interesting, as they are and will be inevitable throughout my life. Some of these tips included...less words! video! and adding variety! Another skill I acquired was how to write poetry; the art of using language in a way that creates vivid imagery. We spent a good week covering rhyme and meter. After being taught this skill, studying all different types of poetry as well as writing my own; I feel I could take this skill and use it in other projects for other classes or as a creative and different perspective on a regular writing assignment. I could go on with the transferable skills that I learned and worked on during this project because it really did cover so many areas of focus, but the last one I will mention is my communication. The ability to work in a group and communicate with the other people in my Book Launch Team when I was absent or needed more direction on what to do, was challenging. The Fundraising Team was rather dysfunctional but I gained knowledge about being straightforward and asking questions right out, otherwise I would’ve had no say. All groups are different and I find that the more I work in different groups the more experience and knowledge I have under my belt for future situations and how to work effectively in them. This group definitely taught me patience, advocating techniques and communication with my group members which will be helpful in almost all areas of my life.
I worked on all of the deliverables for this project to the best of my ability and pushed myself to a deeper creative/more in depth level on each. When I look back on the project I feel very happy and proud of what I accomplished and the hours I spent working on each deliverable. The project started with the research which because of the low documentation and information of the event I chose, was rather difficult. A lot of my sources had conflicting facts, and it was difficult to know which were true. The research was a part of project that carried throughout the entirety of the project, I continually came back to refine and add and review. Because of the original broad region I was assigned (Eastern Europe), it was hard for me to narrow down a specific country and event. I would say this was the most challenging component for me due to the range of information I found involving Eastern Europe during WW1. Then came the poem element. I wrote my poem using a blues poem form. Researching and reading different blues poems was very enjoyable and enlightening to the history and roots of this style.The hardest part of the poem for me was starting. It was very difficult to know how and where to start, it took me a ridiculous amount time staring at a screen before I had a 24 hour period of "creativity boom" where I was thinking in rhyme and meter, I worked only on my poem and finally created something I was proud of. I would not do it this way again however. The next part was the essay, which was rather straightforward if you had good research and a well put together stuffed outline. The length of the essay is what got me. I had to lengthen it in order for it to fit in the book correctly, this posed a challenge. The last component of my personal project was the presentation. I struggled at making an engaging, image based PowerPoint and I spent a large chunk of nights finishing this up. I used stop animation and tried to gather visually stimulating images. The hard work paid off though. The last part of the project and a more communal aspect, was the Book Launch Teams, which actually spanned the entire project . I was on the Fundraising Team and without us, there wouldn’t have been an exhibition or a book. We were the ones who raised the money. We called businesses, wrote thank you notes to those who donated, put together a silent auction, came up with a budget and wrote emails asking for local businesses donations. In the end we raised almost $1800. It was liberating to have had such an obvious impact on this project.
What I'm most proud of achieving during this project:
I am proud of this project in general, however I am most proud of my presentation. I feel I went very in depth and I reached a new understanding about my event. My PowerPoint presentation itself is creative and each image was well thought out and the addition of a stop animation added to the presentation as a whole. The connection to present day and the research I did on Ukraine's instability helped me finally realize the long and tragic history this country has been thrown into and the effects today.
What I remember best from the project and a funny anecdote:
From this project I remember the exhibition. It was a great turn out and the feeling of accomplishment among my classmates and I was palpable. It was the culmination of a 3 month project. The event as a whole held a great vibe and it flowed very well. As I reflect I have a funny memory from the beginning of the project. My poem was due the next day and I was stressed. I was in Roxy’s room with a couple other people and I was rolling on an exercise ball, decompressing from the day. My day had been filled with stanzas of my poem being written in random places, whenever the inspiration hit, I hardly was able to concentrate on other classes. I had one stanza left to write. As I rolled on the ball the other people in the room and I brainstormed different end words or lines I could use. They would shout out different words and lines drawing from the very little information and context they had about my event. Some of them were of course very silly and during that time I actually came up with the best line in my poem!
Lessons I’ve learned:
I did not handle my time well on this project at all. I truly never had much motivation to get ahead or even stay on top of my assignments. And there was nothing anyone could really do about that, it was a mental and creative block of sorts. I had a lot of 2am nights trying to force the creation to come to me and as a result I usually went into each deliverable with a very stressed attitude. This project as whole taught me that even when the project is very long and drawn out, it’s best to stay on top of your assignments so you are still able to have a life outside of the project. It was frustrating to feel so stressed and lost when I was behind and didn’t have any creative inspiration. I had a very hard time working in class so I would always waste about two hours a day, on nothing. The next project we have, my goal is to use my class time as efficiently as possible and either find a quiet space to work or come up with a way to find my flow.
Transferable skills that I've developed doing this project:
I learned many different transferable skills during this project and within each deliverable I worked on. The first skill that came immediately to my head was how to make PowerPoints as engaging as possible. Although I very much dislike PowerPoint presentations, I practiced and researched tips and tools to making them more interesting, as they are and will be inevitable throughout my life. Some of these tips included...less words! video! and adding variety! Another skill I acquired was how to write poetry; the art of using language in a way that creates vivid imagery. We spent a good week covering rhyme and meter. After being taught this skill, studying all different types of poetry as well as writing my own; I feel I could take this skill and use it in other projects for other classes or as a creative and different perspective on a regular writing assignment. I could go on with the transferable skills that I learned and worked on during this project because it really did cover so many areas of focus, but the last one I will mention is my communication. The ability to work in a group and communicate with the other people in my Book Launch Team when I was absent or needed more direction on what to do, was challenging. The Fundraising Team was rather dysfunctional but I gained knowledge about being straightforward and asking questions right out, otherwise I would’ve had no say. All groups are different and I find that the more I work in different groups the more experience and knowledge I have under my belt for future situations and how to work effectively in them. This group definitely taught me patience, advocating techniques and communication with my group members which will be helpful in almost all areas of my life.