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By now you should have an understanding of the culture of the mountains that was used to create the Clampetts and their values. Your mid-term exam must be done through discussion and planning with Mr. Smith. The basic goal will be to create an awareness and appreciation of the mountain culture and its values at PCHS.
1. Arrange to have a teacher of Square Dancing come to the school and teach the art of square dancing to all those who have taken this class or a particular group/grade level in the school. You must participate too. In the process, you'll write a 3-5 page paper on the history and cultural significance of Square Dancing and it's impact on Mountain Culture.
2. Along with other members of this course, create a local cultural food day, where each person brings in a dish that is representative of our culture. EAch person would be required to provide a recipe of the dish, and write a 2-3 page paper on how this dish came about and it's impact on the mountain culture.
3. Utilizing the various agencies in our city, county or state, arrange for a Blue Grass band to come to PC and perform. Mr. Smith will work out logistics of the event with you and any costs. A 3-5 page paper on the development of the Blue Grass phenomenon and its impact on mountain society will also be due.
4. Once again using various agencies in our county or state, locate various local cultural artisans and have them come to PCHS for a day of history and crafts. A good idea might be to spend some time at the Harvest Moon festival in late Sept. early October, or the Honey Festival and see if any of these artisans will come. Mr. Smith and you will work out the logistics of the project if you decide to do this one. YOu will also need to create a survey for the student body for after the event to see what they liked, disliked and what they learned about this artisan and his trade.
5. Using the bulliten boards in both halls, and the display case in the main foyer of the school, create displays promoting local culture. This can cover music, art, crafts, stories, etc. Should be eye catching and educational.
6. Using any agency in the state or county, locate a Mountain storyteller and have him/her come to the school for a presentation to select classes. You will have to spend a part of the day he/she came to the school to interview this storyteller to find out how he/she got started telling stories, where he/she gets his/her material, and the importance of his/her stories to the culture of the mountain people. This will be written up in a report and submitted to Mr. Smith after the storyteller has left. A survey for the students who participated should be created as well for feedback purposes.
ANY OF THESE PROJECTS YOU CHOOSE TO DO ARE WORTH 200 POINTS, AND SHOULD BE GEARED FOR ALL AGE LEVELS. WE WOULD ALSO CONSIDER INVITING STUDENTS FROM PCES AND THE KINDERGARTEN TO PARTICIPATE AS WELL.
ONCE YOU'RE READY TO BEGIN YOUR PROJECT WE WILL SCHEDULE A TIME DURING 4TH PERIOD TO SIT DOWN AND BEGIN THE PROCESS. WE NEED TO DO THIS BEFORE CHRISTMAS BREAK SO THAT PROJECT CAN BE UNDERWAY BEFORE EXAM TIME.
