Finishing Strong
Finishing Strong
Purposes:
(1) To assist students in the understanding that “finishing strong” isn’t always about winning. It’s about learning from life, from its successes and failures.
(2) To challenge students reading/comprehension and writing abilities
Classroom: 9th Grade English/Literature
Insight:
I chose the “Derek Redmond: Dad and Son Finish the Race” clip from YouTube for a number of reasons. First of all, the summer Olympics will begin in August of this year, and the Olympic spirit seems to bring out the best in everyone. The race for Derek Redmond in 1992 did not end in victory, not technically. He faced hardship and fell, but he picked himself back up again. He never quit, but he didn’t finish the race alone. After being told by everyone, including his father, that he had nothing to prove, he kept on keeping on, and to the thunderous applause of a standing ovation, Derek Redmond finished the race.
Two stories are told here. One is obvious, Redmond did not quit; he finished the race and found personal victory. The second story, though, is one that might be less obvious (but shouldn’t be). It is the story of a father and a son finding the strength within each other to persevere among a great cloud of witnesses. This is a story of pride and honor. As Redmond’s father would later explain, they had begun his career together and they would finish it together. It is a story of belief, that no matter what happens, the father will protect his son while still letting him run. Together, they will find victory.
Another reason that I chose this is due to the fact that I believe a connection can be made between Redmond’s race and Odysseus’ journey home in Homer’s Odyssey. Redmond ran a 400m race with a strained hamstring. He stumbled and limped his way to the completion of his task. In the same way, Odysseus journeyed home from Troy for twenty years. He had hiccup after hiccup along the way, but he never gave up. And when he finally got home it took the faith of his son to help him finish the task. In both cases, father and son find victory.
I want to challenge my students to think of a time when someone believed enough in them to help them to succeed in some venue and to write about it in a “Feather Circle.” Additionally, with Creed’s song, Arms Wide Open, added, the video clip was enhanced and the story of father and son was emphasized. I want my students to come up with a theme song for their event in order to add to the impact of their own “Feather Circle” pieces. In the meantime, I want them to compare the stories of Odysseus and Derek Redmond and to discuss the themes of Finishing Strong and “father/son victory” via the medium of a 5-minute PowerPoint presentation.
Related Questions/Hypotheticals:
1. How much pain do you think a strained hamstring causes a runner?
2. Do you think Redmond would have won the race if he hadn’t been injured?
3. Why do you think the officials attempted to keep Redmond’s father from getting to him? Why did they attempt to keep Redmond from finishing?
4. What do you think the Redmond’s dad said to him when they embraced?
5. What is the impact of the music on the video clip? Does it help tell the story or to emphasize a theme?
6. Why do you think the crowd gave Redmond and his father a standing ovation? I mean, after all, he lost the race.
7. Can you think of any other sports figures that have played through pain in order to finish their task?
8. Do you feel that Redmond won?
9. How important was “not giving up” to Odysseus? To his son?
10. Are Odysseus’ victory and Redmond’s completion identifiable? If so, how?
Challenges:
1. There is the possibility that certain students might not want to take part in the “Feather Circle.” There is an unwritten rule that all students do not have to read their work aloud, but they do have to write the piece. I think they will all take part, because I will not inform them of this rule.
2. There could be some difficulty with students coming up with a theme song or with comparing Redmond’s race to Odysseus’ journey. I would have the students get together in groups of 3 to brainstorm.
3. There could be some trouble acquiring a room with a smart board or projector for the use of the students during their PPT presentations. To avoid this, I would hopefully be a Teach 21 teacher with this technology in my room. If not, I would request its use or the room in which it is located.
ELA Standards for GPS:
1. ELA9RL2: The student identifies, analyzes, and applies knowledge of theme in literary works from various genres and provides evidence from the works to support understanding.
2. ELA9RL3: The student deepens understanding of literary works by relating them to contemporary context or historical background.
3. ELA9RL4: The student employs a variety of writing genres to demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of significant ideas in selected literary works. The student composes essays, narratives, poems, or technical documents.
Finishing Strong
“Feather Circle” Think Piece (50 Points)
(Due July 01, 2008)
While viewing the video clip of Derek Redmond and his father completing the 400m race in the Barcelona Olympics (1992), consider the theme of “Finishing Strong.”
In order to accomplish this writing assignment, you will need to begin by journaling. Consider your life, and write a timeline of life-events where you have found particular success. While thinking of these events, reflect on those around you at the time. Did you have anyone who “believed you into success?” Did you win, or like Derek Redmond, did you feel successful by merely completing the task at hand?
From your journal entries, write a one-page piece (your choice of genre: narrative, poem, essay) about one of your successes and focus on the influence that a mentor, parent, or friend had on you as you worked to “Finish Strong.”
Additionally, stories of heroism, struggle, and perseverance often contain musical accompaniment in order to emphasize the thematic imperative. This YouTube video clip is no different, for Creed’s Arms Wide Open helps to weave the themes of “Father/Son Victory” and “Finishing Strong” together. I want you to attach a theme-song, that fits your success story, to your “Feather Circle” Think Piece.
Finishing Strong
The PowerPoint Comparison (50 points)
(Due July 03, 2008)
You have already completed your reading of Homer’s The Odyssey in the text, so now, you must compare the primary themes of this great classic with that of the YouTube video clip of Derek Redman and his father finishing the 400m race at the Barcelona Olympics.
You must discover the themes in both stories (classic and contemporary) and produce a 5-minute PowerPoint presentation discussing these themes. Use evidence from the text to support your comparisons. Additionally, use as many visuals as possible, from clip art to videos, to help tell your story of discovered themes.
Rubric
Finishing Strong
“Feather Circle” Think Piece |
50 Student has thoughtfully considered the assignment and has completed the Think Piece and Theme-Song |
25 Student has only partially accomplished the assignment. The Think Piece and the Theme-Song are not entirely cohesive. |
0 Student has not accomplished the task at all |
Finishing Strong: PPT Presentation
|
|||
|
Visuals |
10 Creative use of Clip-Art, Video, and Audio |
5 Some use of Clip-Art, Video, and Audio |
0 Slides contained mostly paragraphs with little to no use of visual additions |
|
Oral Presentation |
10 Student spoke clearly, loudly, and annunciated well. Well Prepared |
5 Student spoke with some clarity, but lacked confidence. |
0 Student was disorganized and unprepared to present |
|
Overall Creativity |
10 Student displayed a great deal of creativity in preparation and completed the task confidently |
5 Student showed an average amount of effort in preparation and displayed the task with some confidence |
0 Student was unprepared, disorganized, and lacked confidence |
|
Support of Comparisons |
10 Comparisons were fully backed up from evidence in text |
5 Comparisons were somewhat backed up from evidence in text |
0 Comparisons were not backed up by text |
|
Organization/Structure |
10 Project was well organized. Structure made sense |
5 Project showed some thoughtful organizational structure |
0 Project was confusing to follow. The student jumped around between topics |
