Jonathan+and+Mighty+Writers

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Mighty Writers is a nonprofit after-school program designed to awaken school-age city kids to the wonders of writing. More than 40 students drop by Mighty Writers after school between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to finish their daily homework, flex their creative writing muscles, play educational games and thrive in a fun and collaborative South Philly hangout. On weeknights and Sunday afternoons, ambitious young writers attend themed writing workshops where they produce and publish original writing projects, which in the past have ranged from blogs to science fiction stories to biographical poems. ======

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 Since the beginning of the 2009 school year, I have served as a tutor/mentor at MW, working with kids in both the after-school and evening workshop settings. This spring, I will develop and teach a workshop called "Writing Movie Reviews" for middle- and high-school students. ======

**Mighty Writers expectations of Jonathan**

 * ======Workshop will run for six classes, meeting Tuesday nights from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. beginning in early April ======
 * ======Students will produce a 1-2 page review suitable for publication in one of MW's anthologies or journals (all created in-house at MW by staff, students and volunteers) ======

**My goals**
 Though my curriculum and schedule is still in development, the workshop is meant to be interactive and engaging. It might start with a brief discussion of what makes a good review, integrating some in-class screenings and follow-up games and exercises. Students will choose their own movie to screen and review on their own during the workshop, leading to their final, published product. Also, I am hoping to recruit a local critic to join the workshop for an evening and help the students with their projects.
 * Help students develop a critical eye toward media and the different elements of the filmmaking process that knowingly (or unknowingly) shape their viewing experience (weaving in [|key questions of ML] by addressing -- through fun games, contests, and exercises -- topics like product placement, camera techniques, music, acting, audience, point of view / message, reality vs. fantasy)
 * Allow students to confidently assert informed opinions on popular culture
 * Encourage students to publish their reviews to a public forum (e.g., [|KidsPickFlicks], RottenTomatoes) to appreciate and feel proud of the impact of their final product
 * Popcorn and premiere parties: Have fun! (keep in mind, by 6 p.m. many students will have already spent a day at school and three hours in the MW after-school program)

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I will draw from the [|core concepts] of media literacy in the development of my curriculum and exercises. I also will examine studies on learning and literacy in the social and educational context of after-school programs ( [|Alvermann]) and those related to using popular culture texts to enhance writing skills and media literacy, particular in urban settings ([|Mahiri]).======

**The research project**
 * ======Development of full curriculum and in-class exercises, including handouts, worksheets, games, "homework," etc. ======
 * ======Auto-ethnography and first-hand analysis of my experience (including on-the-fly "Action Research") ======
 * ======Contribution to the field: Best practices and recommendations on how to incorporate popular culture texts in an after-school setting to build traditional and media literacies ======