An Eye on Next Year

As I look forward to developing a curriculum for English 4 next year, I am also looking at developing a system of Project Based Learning that helps to deliver the content.  To that end, a rough approximation of the content that I am considering is as follows:

1. An introductory unit on hero archetypes, particularly Epic and Tragic Heroes-
• Beowulf
• Oedipus
2.  A unit on Dystopian literature and film-
• 1984
• Lord of the Flies
• Brave New World
3. A re-tooled Senior Project

For the literature units, it is likely that I will develop WebQuests to deliver a large portion of the material.  This isn't enough, though, as I will need to engage students in using tech tools such as iMovie, Web 2.0 applications, and other methods to fulfill the "Public Audience" aspect of PBL.

Implementing Senior Projects in the mold of PBL appears to be the most pressing issue, for I am becoming increasingly more concerned that students are learning very little from the way research is currently taught.

Feedback, suggestions, and tips are welcome and encouraged.