Open to all Middle and High Community Classes

Division I – 6^th – 8^th grade

Division II – 9^th – 12^th grade

Due: May 31, 2013

Table of Contents

1. The Challenge
2. Range of Activities
3. Process
4. Essential Questions
5. Student Outcomes
6. Evaluation Rubric
7. Curricular Goals

The Challenge

Mascots are an unusual breed of character. They are animated or costumed characters designed to represent the spirit of a community, as well as inspire that community to succeed (usually in sports!). This Challenge asks each team to design a mascot for their community; to create a graphic character – with a defined look, voice (yes, yours will speak!), personality, backstory and ‘mission’ — that reflects what the team learned from canvassing the community for input.

This Challenge begins with how each team defines community; winds its way through a research phase whereby the team interviews people in the community about the community’s character; works through an artistic design phase and ends up with a presentation that culminates with your mascot.

The final deliverable is a short documentary film that showcases the community research, the design phase and the mascot, in still or animated form.

• Optional (teachers decide whether or not to include this): Background Paper – Write a short paper that summarizes the research that your team did on the community, including a transcript of the interview(s) conducted.

Deliverables include:

• Script
• Documentary (this is the only Meridian Stories deliverable)
• Background Paper, as determined by your teacher

Range of Activities

• Historical research and community polling/interviewing
• Primary and secondary source data analysis
• Visual conceptualization of text-based ideas
• Script writing
• Video  - Pre-production, Production, Post-production
  • Directing, Video Editing, Audio Editing

Process

We recommend that this Meridian Stories Challenge take place inside of a three to four week time frame. The students must work in teams of 3-4. All internal reviews by the teacher are at the discretion of the teacher. Below is a suggested breakdown for the students’ work.

During Phase One, student teams will:

• Define ‘community’. The intention here is to reference your living, geographic community – not your school, church or club. This Challenge is about your town, village or city. But there is plenty of flexibility. If you live in a city, it can be about your neighborhood. If you live in a sparsely populated area, it can be about your county or region of that county. In the end, it’s about the place that your team lives, however you want to define that.
• Based on the steps below, create a general plan for how you will approach the process of developing and creating your mascot and what you plan to film.
  • Decide on a basic outline of visual shots that you will need to tell your story; to create your documentary. This is necessary at the start so that your team can determine when a camera should be present in the process and when it won’t be necessary. (You don’t want to do all of your research and design work, and then approach the filming piece of this and realize that you should have been shooting all along!)
  • Identify key members in your community that you might want to interview. The goal is to explore the people’s sense of your community’s identity and to explore their ideas for a mascot. (Per the note above, consider video taping your research efforts: this footage may be very useful in your final documentary.)
  • Set up the interview time and place with your select community members. Be sure to get permission to present them in your work for display on the Internet.
  • Consider creating a survey to gather information about how the community sees itself or wants to see itself. We recommend submitting a draft of the survey to your teacher for comments and direction.
  • Research the history of your community. What are some of the key stories or events that make up the history of your community? What are some of the key natural resources or dominant businesses in your community?  Consider selecting two that your team believes are defining elements and begin consideration of how you would want those stories/events represented in a character.
  • Search the Internet for some examples of mascots with which you are both familiar and unfamiliar. What do the familiar ones communicate to you? What about the unfamiliar ones (think Olympics, World Expos and other global games and or events that often create mascots)? Are they successful?

During Phase Two, student teams will:

• Conduct your interviews, surveys and/or polls.
• Gather, organize and analyze your research data. What does it say should be informing your design? (The results of your research can be the primary content for your Background Paper and be presented to the teacher for review and comments, at the teacher’s discretion.)
• Brainstorm ideas as based on the information that you have gathered. You are looking to create a mascot on the following levels:
  • First and foremost, graphically. A mascot is often only seen, so the visual design is the most important part of this.
    • Keep in mind that you are creating a character and not a ‘symbol’ or Community Coat of Arms. However, not all mascots are people or animals.
• Second, personality. This is a character with a backstory. Part of the conditions of this Challenge is to create a fully realized character with a past and a voice. Begin to brainstorm about the personality, backstory and sound of your mascot.
• Third, mission. Most companies in the world have a mission statement. All non-profits have a mission statement. Your mascot needs to have one as well. A mission statement is one sentence that explains the intended purpose of the mascot.
• Begin to design your mascot. Your team needs to decide exactly how you will represent your mascot in this documentary. Two-dimensional drawings? Three-dimensional rendering? As a costumed person? All of the above?
• Consider re-visiting people to re-interview them about their reactions to your current design. Or, consider creating several designs and then polling select members of the community for their favorite design.
• Solidify your video rundown. Determine a) what your research and design story is and how you are going to present that story visually; and b) how you are going to present the different dimensions of your mascot.
  • Write your script.
  • Begin the final design of your mascot. (The final design and script outline are presented to the teacher for review and comments, at the teacher’s discretion.)

During Phase Three, student teams will:

• Complete the design work on your mascot
• Complete the backstory and Mission Statement
• Cast the voice (it can be someone that is not on your team)
• Complete the video shooting, scripting and sound recording
• Complete the post-production
• Write the Background Paper (if necessary)

Essential Questions

1. What is the best way to research attitudes and gather ideas from a community of adults and youth in order to yield clear direction?
2. How has information gathered from primary sources – your interviews or surveys/polls – enhanced your understanding of your community? How is the information from these sources different from the information gathered from secondary sources?
3. What is the best way to analyze, synthesize and utilize data that is predominantly qualitative and subjective?
4. How does an idea get translated into a graphical representation that stays faithful to that idea and engages aesthetically?
5. How does the creation and existence of a mascot add meaning to your community and to your understanding of that community?
6. What are the challenges of creating a visual narrative that is designed to document your own explorations and conclusions?
7. How has working on a team changed the learning experience?

Student Outcomes

1. The student will participate in a variety of research methods for the purposes of culling community attitudes and ideas about a given topic.
2. The student will understand how combining primary and secondary sources can help one to reach a more complex and nuanced understanding of the topic at hand.
3. The student will learn how to synthesize information and data from a range of resources into a clear set of guidelines or conclusions.
4. The student will experience the challenge of translating an idea into a visual character that is intended to communicate or embody that idea.
5. The student will understand more about the history and character of their community.
6. The student will understand the narrative elements that go into creating a documentary.
7. The student will have an increased awareness of the challenges and rewards of team collaboration.

Evaluation Rubric – Community Mascot