Course: Grade 12 English
Date: Winter 2021 – Remote Learning
Teacher: Marlene Regnerus
In Grade 12 English, students studied Life of Pi written by Canadian author Yann Martel. As part of their culminating task for their novel study, students chose one of three creative options to demonstrate their knowledge of important themes found in the novel – a personal zoo, an art gallery, or a photo essay. Below are two examples of student work.
In English 4U we consider how the stories we tell frame our lives. We ask how our past and our present shape our future and whether or not we can control who we become and how much we impact others and how much they impact us.
Driving Questions for this assignment include the following:
- How can literature and visual arts complement one another?
- As you’re surviving in the storm of life, who is with you on your lifeboat?
I was pleased at the seriousness with which students took the assignment. They clearly put tremendous thought and energy into these projects and into creating something that was significant to them. I appreciated their creativity and how some students included inanimate objects as part of their projects; for example, some students had buildings, countries, flags, or clothing that strongly influenced their lives.
Through this project, there was beauty in students developing their own artistic gifts and creating tangible expressions of God’s beautiful design for humanity. The students also reflected on the significance of relationships with their families and friends and how these have impacted their life journeys so far. Having to reflect on the significance of others in their lives is a meaningful activity and pausing to do that in a time when Grade 12’s are considering where they’ve been and what comes next after high school is worthwhile.
Marlene Regnerus, Teacher
When Ms. Regnerus first introduced this assignment to our class I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. After thinking about what I could do instead of drawing or painting I came up with the idea to sculpt the animals out of clay. I knew that I wanted to have the animals represent people in my life that are very special to me. The other four animals were animals from the book that meant the most to me. I think the most challenging part of this project was finding all of the information on all the animals and coming up with a creative idea for making my zoo.
The skills I developed during this project were problem solving and creativity. My problem solving skills have increased by doing this project because at first I had no idea what I was going to do to make my zoo but with a little bit of thinking I came up with the idea to make it out of clay. I first started this project just thinking I was going to draw my zoo but I knew I wanted to challenge myself to do something more creative. I learned that I am able to come up with creative ideas and execute them well if I put time and effort into.
Sariah Mehta, Student
Personal Zoo:
Students created a visual representation of a personal zoo that houses the student and at least 5 people/things/places in their life who are important. Students explained their choices and took us on a tour.
Take a tour of Sariah’s personal zoo below!
Art Gallery:
Students created a visual gallery of images related to the theme of the novel as explored in our context today. They explained their choices and took us on a tour of their art gallery.
Take a tour of Nadine’s art gallery below!