Projects Continued…Part 4

So you’ve made it this far in the “Alternative Endings” projects.  Congrats! This project is designed to make you do some heavy thinking; and once you’ve done the first three steps (which really is more like five), you’re ready to start continuing onto make alternative endings “happen”.

So…what happened? Now that you’ve started to identify what really happened, and what you think happened, it’s time to look at the “facts”.  The “facts” are things that are consistent across the various perspectives and are typically things that are not super debatable: time of day, course of events, who was there, etc.

Now that you’ve done that, it’s time to get imaginative.  There are a couple of ways you can do this.  Do you have a “desired outcome”?  Something you wish would have occurred in a perfect world?  If so, start there!  Think about that outcome and what that “new picture” looks like.  Who was there, what happened, etc.  Create a DSRP chart of this alternative reality, and include a box that it is from your perspective.

Or, maybe there were a lot of different factors that could have changed things.  Instead of focusing on one desired outcome, you can explore the various changes that could have impacted what happened and hypothesize on your outcomes.  You will also create DSRP charts for these options.  Again, include that this is from your perspective.

Once you have your updated DSRP Alternative Endings, consider what’s different from your original charts. Does the perspective have something to do with it? How about the distinctions (some of those facts and sensory items)?  Were there additional systems at play that could have changed the outcome? How were the relationships impacted?

Mull this over for a while.  There are a lot of things to consider before we get deeply into our alternative endings creative expressions, so spend some time on this.  Get weird with the alternatives and consider throwing in new perspectives or relationships along the way. Would your Mom’s presence at the school dance where you had first met your best friend have made a difference? Probably.  Could you and your sister being separated at birth impact your relationship with her and that time you dropped an entire birthday cake on her head? Totally.

Don’t be afraid to explore lots of different alternatives, or just consider one and the things you could have done differently to make that happen.

Share questions or comments with me-I’m always here to help! Email me at mcole@the-leader.com

Annual Winter Reflections Event 2017

On March 31, 2017 in the Rotunda of Cowles Hall at Elmira College, we will be hosting our Annual Winter Reflections Event, featuring student works from Elmira, Horseheads, Corning-Painted Post, and Addison School Districts.

Our students, grades 6-12, have worked diligently on their writing portfolios, reflection projects, and on the creation of their “Alternative Endings” projects to present during this event.  Each student will bring something unique and delightfully original to share with our community supporters.

We will be selling tickets to this event, both ahead of time and at the door.  Students will present from 6:00-8:00PM, with general admission beginning at 5:50.  Student performers and volunteers should arrive at 5:30PM.

Tickets for this event will be $5 for adults and $3 for students.  We ask that you take advantage of presale tickets if possible, but we will welcome audience members at the door.

Light refreshments will be available.  We look forward to seeing you all there!