Work Sample #1
Name of Assignment: Bechdel Test Essay
Subject: Humanities 9
Facilitator/Teacher: Mr. Adam
Description of Work/Assignment: In this assignment, we were tasked with writing an essay about a movie, book, or TV show we knew. We were to compare our piece of media to the criteria of the Bechdel test and see if it passed.
Which 21st Century Skill do you feel this assignment addresses, and why?
This project addresses the Civic Literacy and Engagement skill. Though it may be in a roundabout way, we learned through this project that representation does indeed affect society. Through learning about the Bechdel test, we learned how scarce proper female representation is in media. This will help us to recognize and help with this issue when we grow into our future careers.
What are you most proud of from this assignment, and why?
I am most proud of my analysis of the movie. I pride myself in being able to critique my favorites, so being able to analyze one of my favorite movies under the lense of feminism and coming up with little to no complaint made me happy.
How did you develop and/or improve upon your 21st Century Skill with this assignment?
Before completing this assignment, I didn't even know what the Bechdel test was. Now, I know that every year, the list of movies that pass it grows bigger. With the help of teachers and educators teaching students about things like the Bechdel test, we can make it so that a majority of movies have good representation.
What was most difficult about completing this task?
I have a lot of thoughts about this particular movie, so approaching it with only one topic in mind was difficult. Unfortunately, this caused me to lose half a point because I neglected to elaborate on a certain point in favor of talking about one of my thoughts instead. Luckily, a lot of said thoughts were about the nature of this movie in relation to the Bechdel test, so I didn't do too bad.
How could you improve this work? If you could start over, what would you do differently?
If I could do it again, I would try to keep my personal feelings out of it. Like I said, taking a single-minded approach was difficult and I gave in to the temptation to just talk about my all time favorite movie. Nonetheless, I believe I could have achieved a perfect score if I had dedicated my second-to-last paragraph to something more appropriate.
How does this relate to what you have learned in the past?
Though I did not know about the Bechdel test, I have always been well aware of issues with representation for all sorts of minority groups. Even then, my favorite type of essay to write is the argumentative sort, so I had prior experience in that, too.
How can you apply this to future learning?
I think that I can definitely apply what I learned from my mistakes to my future learning. I believe that this experience will help me to take more caution while reading the essay prompt and writing the essay itself.
Subject: Humanities 9
Facilitator/Teacher: Mr. Adam
Description of Work/Assignment: In this assignment, we were tasked with writing an essay about a movie, book, or TV show we knew. We were to compare our piece of media to the criteria of the Bechdel test and see if it passed.
Which 21st Century Skill do you feel this assignment addresses, and why?
This project addresses the Civic Literacy and Engagement skill. Though it may be in a roundabout way, we learned through this project that representation does indeed affect society. Through learning about the Bechdel test, we learned how scarce proper female representation is in media. This will help us to recognize and help with this issue when we grow into our future careers.
What are you most proud of from this assignment, and why?
I am most proud of my analysis of the movie. I pride myself in being able to critique my favorites, so being able to analyze one of my favorite movies under the lense of feminism and coming up with little to no complaint made me happy.
How did you develop and/or improve upon your 21st Century Skill with this assignment?
Before completing this assignment, I didn't even know what the Bechdel test was. Now, I know that every year, the list of movies that pass it grows bigger. With the help of teachers and educators teaching students about things like the Bechdel test, we can make it so that a majority of movies have good representation.
What was most difficult about completing this task?
I have a lot of thoughts about this particular movie, so approaching it with only one topic in mind was difficult. Unfortunately, this caused me to lose half a point because I neglected to elaborate on a certain point in favor of talking about one of my thoughts instead. Luckily, a lot of said thoughts were about the nature of this movie in relation to the Bechdel test, so I didn't do too bad.
How could you improve this work? If you could start over, what would you do differently?
If I could do it again, I would try to keep my personal feelings out of it. Like I said, taking a single-minded approach was difficult and I gave in to the temptation to just talk about my all time favorite movie. Nonetheless, I believe I could have achieved a perfect score if I had dedicated my second-to-last paragraph to something more appropriate.
How does this relate to what you have learned in the past?
Though I did not know about the Bechdel test, I have always been well aware of issues with representation for all sorts of minority groups. Even then, my favorite type of essay to write is the argumentative sort, so I had prior experience in that, too.
How can you apply this to future learning?
I think that I can definitely apply what I learned from my mistakes to my future learning. I believe that this experience will help me to take more caution while reading the essay prompt and writing the essay itself.