Since March all AP Literature students have been reading and analyzing the text of Circe, by Madeline Miller. At the conclusion of the reading students were invited to virtually meet Miller via Zoom in the auditorium. Miller discussed what made her pursue writing, how she came to the idea to write fiction surrounding greek mythology, and focus on the lesser thought of goddess, Circe. Miller also discreetly touched on some future projects she is currently working on that she believes needs to be written and told by someone, so might as well be her. Students were invited to stand and ask some of their questions they had brainstormed and had during their reading of the novel, and had the opportunity for Miller to answer them right then and there. Miller was asked about her writing style, how she plans and maps out the path for her novels, and how her personal life influences have contributed and had an impact on her writing as a whole.
Prior to this meet and greet students were placed into groups who were then given a traditional greek mythology character who appeared in Circe, who would also act as the main focus for their project. Some of these characters included but were not limited to Athena, Hermes, Telemachus, and Helios. For this project students were to be graded on the quality of their body of research, response to the essential question, what role their character plays in traditional greek mythos and compare to their role in the novel Circe, of the entire project, quality of their final product, audience reception to the physical project, and the individual engagement of each group member.
The final physical project was due mid April for students. The projects were to be displayed in the library in a small exhibition were all students and staff members throughout the school would be able to view the work of AP literature students. Some of the final projects included posters, painted clocks, clay figures, hand made board games, and more.
This project for many AP literature students was huge as it required heavy research, digging to find scholarly sources, developing correct citations, analytical and critical thinking skills. This project also looked to prepare students for college and higher education that would require more in depth skills such as the ones learned during this project.
