mctoon – 30%

For this task, you or you and a partner are going to use Moovly to create an animation/cartoon using the Green Terror that teaches McDaniel students an important lesson about McDaniel (i.e. the importance of citing sources, football game eticquette, a history of McDaniel in two minutes, or not using your phones while eating on a date Glar). Think of the animation/cartoon as a way to make a memorable argument or tell a story about something you think is important for students at McDaniel to know.

I’m lookin’ for G-PG rated animations/cartoons and ya gotta get approval for the cartoon before you start makin’ it.

cartoon storyboard – 5%

Provide me a storyboard of the cartoon with a purpose. You know, describe the lesson or theme you are trying to teach and tell me the story.

Link to storyboard – Word Doc or PDF

A – your storyboard is critical and thoughtful. Follows directions and meets requirements. If called for, it cites and/or summarizes the text in order to support points, and illustrates a clear grasp of the topic at hand. No grammar, punctuation, or spelling problems unless done for effect. Your storyboard makes sense and is easy to follow/understandable.

B – your storyboard lacks some level of critical engagement. If called for, it cites and/or summarizes the text to some degree, but a clear grasp of the topic is not fully illustrated and/or one of the requirments is not performed correctly. May have grammar, punctuation, or spelling problems. Your storyboard is not as easy to follow as an “A.”

C – your storyboard lacks critical engagement with text, and uses little to no support. Illustrates little understanding of the text, the initial response, and/or one or more of the requirments is not met. Many grammar, punctuation, or spelling problems. Your storyboard is confusing or feels incomplete.

D – your storyboard indicates some level of awareness of topic at hand, but very minimally and/or one or more of the requirments is not met. Many grammar, punctuation, or spelling problems.

F – your storyboard indicates zero level of awareness of topic at hand and/or one or more of the requirments is not met. Your storyboard makes me ask a question: Huh?

cartoon – 15%

You and your partner will create a well designed cartoon. It should have a clear purpose, be well-organized (have a beginning, middle, and end), and be free of grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes.

Your cartoon should include the opening disclairmer that I’ll send you through email

Your cartoons shouldn’t go over 100 textual or printed words (doesn’t count audio [talking]).

Your cartoon must use pictures and video from approved visual image or pictures or videos you’ve taken.

Your cartoon use approved audio resources – resources that are in the public domain or that you have created or researched and found out can be used.

Your cartoon should be 2-4 minutes long.

Your cartoon must have a works cited portion at the end (doesn’t count towards printed word count).

McToon rubric

learning reflection – 10%

For this final task of the semester, you alone will reflect on your learning about cartoons over the WHOLE semester by composing an essay explaining and showing what you have learned and how your thinking and/or writing has changed. In other words, this final essay is your opportunity to reflect on the concepts you’ve learned over the semester. This essay is not meant to be a critique of the class or for you to reflect on your grades. It is instead an opportunity for you to show me and show yourself that you can think critically about writing, reading, cartoons, and communication, that you and have learned important lessons about language.

The following is a set of questions to help guide you in writing this reflection:

What is the main thing you learned about rhetoric or communication and cartoons this semester? Why is it important
How do the writings and readings you’ve completed this semester showcase your
development as a rhetor/writer/reader?
What are your weaknesses in writing and reading? What are your strengths? How do you want to change them and why?
How has your understanding of cartoons and language changed?

When writing your reflection, you must use evidence from your writing and your reading throughout the semester (quote yourself, analyze yourself, analyze your peer reviewers, use our class texts, use the class definition of literacy). You must demonstrate you recognize your work changed through multiple drafts. You must analyze your own style of writing and identify future areas of growth in your writing. Finally, when discussing the peer reviews you included if you don’t have a best or feel you didn’t get anything out of your peer reviews, describe what you wish your reviewer had done in the reviews you include. Remember, thought this may be written in first person, it should be an analytical essay that maintains a consistent tone.

what you will get out of the task

An understanding of your own learning.
Experience reflecting and critiquing one’s own abilities.
A solidification of the terms and concepts we’ve covered so far – makes you smarter.

expectations

Your reflection must be between 900-1250 words – works cited not included.
Your reflection must use formal language! Instead of “totally awesome” try “important” or “successful.”
Your reflection must incoporate at least four sources from class readings and from your own writings as evidence.
Your reflection must use MLA format for in-text and end-text (works cited) citations.
Your reflection must be free of grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes.

evaluation
Your reflection will be evaluated using this rubric: Rubric