Asynchronous Academy

Following a Theme

Suggested Duration: 10 Hours

"Everybody's a mad scientist, and life is their lab. We're all trying to experiment to find a way to live, to solve problems, to fend off madness and chaos."

David Cronenberg

Being a great communicator involves more than just speaking clearly; it’s about understanding the "DNA" of a message. For centuries, directors and actors have taken Hamlet and reinterpreted it for their own times. Whether it is a gritty film set in modern-day Vancouver or a traditional stage play in Stratford, the themes remain the same, but the techniques change.

In this assignment, you will become the director. You will track a specific theme through the play and experiment with how to communicate that theme to a modern audience using both classic and digital tools.

Research

Since Hamlet is a complex text, you will use Gemini as your "Dramaturg" (a professional research consultant for plays).

  1. Identify Themes: Ask Gemini to identify the major themes in Hamlet. You should be able to come up with a list of 5-6 themes.
  2. Track Development: Once you find a theme that interests you, ask Gemini to show you how that theme develops from the beginning to the end of the play. Think about ways that the same things from the play happen today, although maybe dressed up differently than they were was then: Envy, greed, and murder are all things still present in our society today.
  3. Analyse Techniques: Look for specific scenes on YouTube to see different performances. Notice the writing techniques (like rhyme or foreshadowing) that are more evident in performances than the text, and the vocal techniques (like pacing and tone) the actors use.
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Choose a writing technique and a vocal technique you want to get better at.You will use the remainder of this assignment as a way to practice them.

Production

Your goal is to create a video (or series of clips) that traces your chosen theme through the play. Adapt the scenes you identified in the last step to teach your peers how Shakespeare developed your theme. Choose a style that fits your personal tastes and budget:

  • Creative Freedom: You don't need a cast of thousands! Use friends, record yourself playing multiple roles using costumes or makeup, or even use "low-fi" options like sock puppets or drawings on toothpicks. You can use Shakespearean English, or update the vocabulary.
  • Goal: Aim for 5 to 7 minutes of total footage. Focus on demonstrating the techniques you identified in the last section.
  • Polish with Canva: Use your Canva account to enhance your production. Choose another stretch goal for your production: It doesn't have to be Hollywood... It just has to be intentional!

Deliverable:

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Theme Video

Make a 5-minute video tracing your theme through the play. Your goal is to take a theme from the play and help your peers connect with it in a way that makes them stop and think. It's a lofty goal, but I believe in you!

Reflection Video

Record a separate video (or a screencast) where you "talk shop" about your creative choices:

  • Why?: What specific strategies did you use in your production to make the theme clear to your audience?
  • Growth Loop: Tell me one thing you will start doing, one thing you will stop doing, and one thing you will keep doing in your future video projects.
  • Your Expanding Toolkit: Which strategies from this unit helped you the most when breaking down the difficult language of the play?

Deliverable:

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Reflection Video

Discuss your process and the things you want to work towards in future assignments in a brief reflection.

Assessment

Pre-Submission

Before you submit, please complete the Pre-Submission Self-Assessment.

What to Turn In

  • 📤

    Your Theme Video

  • 📤

    Your reflection video

💡 A Different Way to Learn

Async Academy courses are inquiry-based. There are no rote answer keys or multiple-choice worksheets here. You learn by exploring, questioning, and building projects you care about.

Because your discovery path is completely unique, you need a human sounding board. Enroll to submit your projects and get personalized video feedback from an Ontario Certified Teacher to guide your work.

Learning Goals

We are learning to:

  • 🎯

    Identify and analyse the effectiveness of significant elements from printed and media texts

  • 🎯

    Present material verbally using a variety of strategies to engage and influence listeners

Success Criteria

I can:

  • ✅

    Identify and analyse effective communication strategies from the play and incorporate them into my own creative work

    Expectations Covered: OC1, MS1
  • ✅

    Analyse how oral and media texts use specific techniques to communicate themes to an audience

    Expectations Covered: OC1, MS2
  • ✅

    Explain and justify my communication choices and identify clear next steps for my growth as a creator

    Expectations Covered: OC3, MS4

Rubric

Category Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1
Knowledge/Understanding Identifies a wide and sophisticated range of techniques used to present written material orally Identifies a clear range of techniques used to present written material orally Often identifies techniques used to present written material orally Sometimes identifies techniques used to present written material orally
Thinking/Inquiring Provides an exceptionally insightful analysis of communication strategies from both written and video texts Provides an effective analysis of communication strategies from both written and video texts Provides a basic analysis of communication strategies from written and video texts Provides a limited analysis of communication strategies
Application Integrates identified strategies very effectively to enhance the impact of the production Integrates identified strategies effectively to support the production Integrates identified strategies with some success into the work Integrates identified strategies with limited effectiveness
Communication Incorporates identified strategies into oral communication with a high degree of professional polish and clarity Successfully incorporates identified strategies into oral communication Incorporates identified strategies into communication with some clarity Sometimes incorporates strategies into communication with limited success
Knowledge/Understanding
Level 4

Identifies a wide and sophisticated range of techniques used to present written material orally

Level 3

Identifies a clear range of techniques used to present written material orally

Level 2

Often identifies techniques used to present written material orally

Level 1

Sometimes identifies techniques used to present written material orally

Thinking/Inquiring
Level 4

Provides an exceptionally insightful analysis of communication strategies from both written and video texts

Level 3

Provides an effective analysis of communication strategies from both written and video texts

Level 2

Provides a basic analysis of communication strategies from written and video texts

Level 1

Provides a limited analysis of communication strategies

Application
Level 4

Integrates identified strategies very effectively to enhance the impact of the production

Level 3

Integrates identified strategies effectively to support the production

Level 2

Integrates identified strategies with some success into the work

Level 1

Integrates identified strategies with limited effectiveness

Communication
Level 4

Incorporates identified strategies into oral communication with a high degree of professional polish and clarity

Level 3

Successfully incorporates identified strategies into oral communication

Level 2

Incorporates identified strategies into communication with some clarity

Level 1

Sometimes incorporates strategies into communication with limited success