The Girl from Ipanemais probably the second most recorded pop song of all time, behind The Beatles' Yesterday. It is a type of Jazz called the Bossa nova, and helped make that genre known worldwide in the 1960's.
Here is Astrud Gilberto singing the song in a live recording:
I love a good story, and I fell into this one a few years ago. As I was looking for more jazz to listen to I came across the story of The Girl from Ipanema. This BBC produced documentary gives us a good look not only into Bossa nova, but into the popular culture of Brazil. I hope you enjoy learning about this amazing musical art form as much as I have.
EQ:
Why is Bossa nova important to Brazilian popular culture?
The painting of "Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Emanuel Leutze is a historically significant piece of art in the United States. It is so iconic it has become inspiration for pop art. Read about pop art here.
Below is one example of using the painting to create a pop art piece. Compare the two pieces of art, what is similar and what is different?
Washington Crossing the Delaware is a very famous painting. Its use in popular culture probably even led to a contest to pick the best George Washington impersonator to re-enact the crossing every year. Watch this video to find out more about the contest.
After watching the video, lets look at the paining. What do you see? Can you find any historical inconsistencies? You can find more information about the painting of Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware.
The painting creates a lot of questions. Why was this painted? Is it historically accurate? Who is the artist Emanuel Leutze? Check out the article below to find out these answers.
Godzilla is probably a psychological response to the atomic bombs being dropped as well as the fear of nuclear proliferation that was very scary and very real in the 1950's. Who knows what monsters will be revealed?
Since 2015 the biggest musical, let alone history based musical has been Hamilton. Here is a clip from the Tony's.
What you may not know is there was a musical over the same time period that started on Broadway in 1969 and later became a movie in 1972. We are going to watch the movie and try to parse what is factual and what is changed for the medium (besides the congressman not randomly breaking into song.)
EQ: Why did the Declaration of Independence get written and who wrote it?
This is a political map of Mexico. You will color the states, but do not label (otherwise there will be way too much writing on the map when we are finished.)
Seven Samurai is arguably the greatest film from arguably the greatest Japanese director. Akira Kurosawa and his writers created the plot elements of recruiting heroes and starting the film with the hero undertaking a mission unrelated to the actual plot. He used multiple cameras and telephoto lenses to capture the action, which was almost as unusual as his insistence on creating the entire village away from the movie studio to make it more authentic.
Probably the most well known actor in this film is Toshiro Mifune, probably because he made 16 movies with Kurosawa. I suspect he is second only to Godzilla when it comes to recognition from audiences outside of Japan.
The most famous example of propaganda in United States history is the Paul Revere print of the Boston Massacre. The fact that we still refer to this incident as a massacre is proof of that.
The real story of the 'Boston Massacre' is more complicated than a bunch of soldiers indiscriminately firing into a peaceful crowd of Boston citizens. As we examine the evidence as revealed in the trial of the soldiers and find out the true story we need to ask ourselves why would Revere lie? What purpose did it serve? Who benefitted from the false narrative and who was harmed?
Your assignment will be to create a print using the facts of the incident. Obviously the medium we are using will make details very difficult so keep that in mind as you work on the design.
EQ: Why did Paul Revere create his famous Boston Massacre print?
Into the Woods (2014) is a movie based on a stage musical of the same name written by Stephen Sondheim. This is an amalgamation of classic fairy tales with the outcomes being much more like the original tales than the Disneyfied versions we may be more used to.
Whenever I watch this film with students I enjoy the surprise that they have to the end. We so rarely see the fairy tale end badly that when it does happen, it has a real impact. As you watch this film, identify as many fairy tales as you can. What happens to the characters in the movie compared to their stories as you know them.
Mr. C is wanting to visit Canada next summer. He wants you to come up with an itinerary for the trip. His only instruction to you is he wants to see the real Canada, not the one portrayed in movies like Strange Brew!!!'
You will need to come up with 6 places Mr C absolutely, positively, without a doubt must visit while there. Oh, and he wants it done by the end of class next Wednesday.
After watching the video above, what other sources will you use to to find information about 'must do' places in Canada? Here are some of Mr. C's suggestions:
1) Do a Google search of places to visit in Canada.
2) Do a Youtube search of places to visit in Canada.
3) Ask around to see if anyone has visited Canada, and ask them.
4) Ask Mr. C if he knows someone who might be willing to to answer some of your questions about Canada. (Don't wait until Friday)
5) Visit the library, maybe they have some of those old things called 'books' that might have some information.
6) Check Wikipedia, maybe they have some good information.
7) Do a search for the Canadian Visitors Bureau.
8) Sit around until Friday and write down any junk you think of. (This one is probably not a very good suggestion, but you know how Mr. C likes to joke.)
Mr. C has worksheet for you to use to gather information.
Assignment Requirements
Find the 6 most Canadian places for Mr. C to visit.
Write down each place with your explanation of why he should visit there.
Add some pictures of each place. Mr. C does require you to cite where you get the picture from and to make sure the picture you picked is copyrighted so that you can use it legally. Creative Commons has a search engine you might want to use https://search.creativecommons.org/
Hyperlink the address where the picture came from.
Let's first watch this video on the history of the building. If you pay attention you may be able to answer some of the tour guide's questions and look really smart!
Next is a video on the symbolic meanings of the Missouri state flag and the Missouri seal. In it you will learn about the colors of the flag and the reason we have grizzly bears all over the seal.
One of the most interesting parts of the capitol is the artwork that you find inside. We have two videos that talk about the artwork. While you are there you will tour the artwork with the guide and these videos will give you some insight into them.
After examining the role of the Seven Years War in the last lesson, today your job is to find out how other events continued to pave a path to independence. I have identified fifteen events that I want you to research. Tell me what happened and why it is important to the Revolution.
You will click on the link to the worksheet, put in your name, and start researching the events. All fifteen events need to be completed, you need to work with a purpose.
As a bonus, if we have time you will make a digital timeline of the events as well. Of course, you only get to do that after the worksheet has been completed. See me when you think you are ready to do it.
The story of the film Mary Poppins is really the story of how hard it can be to bring a novel to the screen. The differences between the Disney company and PL Travers are well documented and even, strangely enough, became a Disney film itself, Saving Mr. Banks.
There were over 30 songs written for the film, with most not making it into the soundtrack. That means only the best of the best made it in. So, for this film we will focus on the music. Identify the song you like best, the song you think moves the story forward the best, and the song you (or the film) could do without.
Does the drug make him crazy or just allow his crazy to 'show through?' That is the real question I am left after watching The Invisible Man (1933). How do you make the star of the movie invisible and continue to move the plot along while seeing nobody? The special effects in this movie at the time were state of the art.
For this activity, we will be making a couple maps of Canada. We are going to be creating a political, physical, and climate map. First, let's watch this EPCOT video from the Canada Pavilion:
Now that you get a feel for the 'flavor' of Canada, let's do a little learning about the country. You will be given two maps of Canada. The first map you will color the climate zones of Canada and create a key which will let me know what the colors represent.
Next you will color and label a landform map. Make sure you include all of the places I identify on the checklist.
Finally, you will be given a transparency sheet and a wet erase marker. You will place the transparency on top of the landform map and label the capitals, provinces and territories.
EQ:
What are the major climate areas of Canada?
What are the major landforms of Canada?
What are the provinces, territories and capitals of Canada?
This version of The Mummy (1932) is another classic that probably has had fewer views than we would expect. I also happen to think out of the four Universal classic horror movies that this one is the best. Interestingly enough, there was never an actual sequel to this movie. There were a couple reboots, most notably the 2017 version starring Tom Cruise which doesn't resemble this movie in any noticeable way. It also isn't as good as the original.
Now that we have a pretty good handle on what it was like to be an early colonist in the Americas, lets jet ahead a few years and look at the first defining event in the American Revolution.
Why is this the first defining event? Watch and see.
Here is a little more information on the Seven Years War with a little lagniappe thrown in. What new information is provided? Does that also move us closer to the Revolution?
What does smuggling have to do with taxes? What does taxes have to do with the American Revolution? What other events took place that bring us to the Revolution?
EQ:
How did the 7 Years War contribute to the unrest in the colonies?
The second movie in the Universal Studios horror movie series we will be watching is Dracula. It does follow the book much more closely than Frankenstein (1931) did.
As you watch notice the obvious transitioning from silent to talkies, there are still lots of long periods with no dialogue and close ups of the actors to convey mood.
Are you surprised about how tame this movie is? Why would audiences 80 years ago feel any terror from this film?
Happy Halloween! Today we are going to learn a little about the Salem Witch Trials, where mass hysteria and a couple mean kids caused the death of over 20 people. Is there anything more Halloween-like than that? Unfortunately real people suffered for things we tend to enjoy, the confluence of life and death.
As you watch try to identify what caused the trials to begin and what caused them to end.
These two videos are both about the history of Halloween. The first is from the 90's and the second from 2011. While they are over the same holiday, they have very different feels to them. We will watch one in class, you may want to watch the other later.
As you watch see how many cultures are represented by the holiday. Also, when did Halloween as we celebrate it come into being?
Today we are looking at how choices made by Europeans fundamentally changed Europe and the Americas.
In the first video we will look at what scholars call the Columbian Exchange. It encompasses the exchange of plants and animals, diseases, and ideas. As you watch identify the positive and negative exchanges. How important were they to the Americas? How important were they to Europe?
The second video is on the importation of kidnapped Africans to the Americas to be slaves. This, along with the attempted genocide of the indigenous peoples of the America, is the most shameful act of the European colonists of the Americas and later of the citizens of the United States.
EQ:
What were some of the effects of the Columbian Exchange on Europe and the Americas?
Understand the inhumanity of the transatlantic slave trade.
The first of the classic Universal horror movies we will be watching is Frankenstein (1931). You may want to look at the IMDB page for the movie as well. Although it is based on Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, it is if you can forgive the expression a whole different monster.
Some of the most iconic scenes from the movie never took place in the book. Obviously we won't be reading the book, but you may want to at least read the summary on Wikipedia.
It is important to remember a few things here, one is that the movie is different because the medium is different. It is also different because this is the story the director of the movie wants to share and not the author.
Other than being in black and white throughout, do you notice anything else strange about this film? Something that is different than a typical film today?
The United States is a nation of immigrants. The country was founded mainly by Englishmen who were part of the European colonization effort of the 15-17th centuries. After the US was formed immigration continued to be an important part of its world identity as memorialized by the Statue of Liberty.
While you may argue otherwise, the Statue of Liberty mainly celebrates European immigration as we saw it happen at Ellis Island. Below is a video outlining what it was like to come through Ellis Island as an immigrant.
Unfortunately for many of you, the Statue of Liberty may not capture the spirit of immigration from your ancestors, especially if your ancestors didn't come from Europe. I have done some research to see if I can find other memorials or monuments in the United States that celebrate the immigration of those who were not from Europe and they are indeed difficult to find.
This is your opportunity to remedy that!
You are tasked with the responsibility to create a monument that celebrates the immigration of your ancestors. You should research where they came from, why they came, and what symbols would be culturally appropriate to use as part of the monument.
If your ancestors, like mine, did come through Ellis Island and are represented very well by the Statue of Liberty you can still participate. Create a new monument celebrating your ancestors too. This is an opportunity for you to make it more specific to your original culture. For example I could choose my Scots Irish ancestry to celebrate or my German/Jewish ancestry.
Make your monument with the following guidelines:
Identify where your ancestors immigrated from
Incorporate symbols appropriate for their original country
Create a plaque that celebrates immigration. It doesn't need to be a poem like on the Statue of Liberty, but it does need to reflect your intent for the monument.
Create a drawing of your monument or create a model of your monument. If you make a drawing, make it very detailed and include the words on the plaque.
Show the pride you have in your family and the gratefulness you have for the sacrifices they made to immigrate.
Essential Question:
How would you memorialize your immigrant ancestors?
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