Your name:

Anna S.

PROJECT #1
1.

Topic area #1 you wish to explore for Capstone:

How theater can be used as a vessel to explore how a significant historical event can impact a
single human being.

2. List assorted questions that you would generate about your topic (feel free to enlarge the
box below if you need more space).
-How can somebodys history affect their day to day lives?
-Does knowing somebodys history affect the ways he or she is perceived by other people?
-How might knowing somebodys personal history affect how he/she is viewed?
-What historical events impacted a large amount of people?
-Are the effects of a significant event different on a crowd as a whole versus one person? If so,
how are they different?
-Were there significant events that only influenced a small number of people?
-Does a significant event have to affect a relatively large group of people?
-Could it still be significant even if it only affected a few?
-How do peoples history play into their lives immediately and long-term?
-Can events change peoples lives drastically to the extreme where a person completely
changes in character?
-How can theater be used as a way to generate understanding between people?
-Why do people act the way they do?
-Can becoming more aware to how events affect people foster greater understanding and less
judgement from person to person?
-Why do people judge?
-How is judgement useful and when is it excessive?

3. Revisit the questions you placed in the box above.

color the questions that are too simple/dead end: RED
color the questions that have some potential/possibilities: BLUE
color those questions that have significant potentialthose that could lead to other rich,
thought provoking questions: GREEN

4. From the questions youve colored, reformulate those questions into several possible
questions about your topic that approach what might be a potential essential question.
-How might a single person be affected differently by a significant historical event in
comparison to a large group of people?
-How are people affected by their histories? How significant a role do histories play in shaping
peoples lives?
-How can understanding peoples personal histories decrease judgement? Would knowing
histories increase or decrease judgement from person to person?

5. Now refine your questions in the box above into a single essential question that you think
might work for your project. Put that question in the box below.
How might a single person be affected by a significant historical event psychologically, socially
and economically and to what extent do these events shape peoples lives?

6. Now, evaluate your proposed essential question according to the following criteria:
Does your essential question meet the following criteria?
Your essential question is open-ended; that is, it typically will
not have a single, final, and correct answer.
X Yes

No

Your essential question is thought-provoking and intellectually engaging, often sparking

discussion and debate.
X Yes

No

Your essential question calls for higher-order thinking, such as analysis, inference, evaluation,
prediction. It cannot be effectively answered by recall alone.
X Yes

No

Your essential question points toward important, transferable ideas within (and sometimes
across) disciplines.
X Yes

No

Your essential question raises additional questions and sparks further inquiry.
X Yes

No

Your essential question requires support and justification, not just an answer.

X Yes

No

Your essential question recurs over time; that is, the question can and should be revisited again
and again.
X Yes

No

7. Based on the above assessment, do you have any revisions to your question? If yes, revise
it in the box below. If no, then copy the question you started with into the box below.
How and why might a single person be affected by a significant historical event
psychologically, socially and economically and to what extent do these events shape peoples
lives?
Hello Anna,
Your presentation was so exciting and inspiring. However, this question simply does not do it
justice.
Your question needs to reference the fact that you plan on translating this into performance to
give voice to individuals or a group of people whose voices are frequently left out of the
discussion on this topic. This crucial aspect of your project most definitely belongs in your
essential question.
You mentioned that you are considering a number of historical events. If you are leaning
towards the Vietnam War and the idea of talking, perhaps, to the folks left at home, you may
want to check out the Joiner Institute at UMass Boston. They are a center devoted to literary
expression and the Vietnam War. They have become a 2nd home for many veterans (both
American and Vietnamese) and their families.
Or perhaps you might consider other pivotal events here in the Boston area? For example:
the desegregation of the Boston public schools (there are many events and discussions about
desegregation this year because its the 40th anniversary of the court order). You could also
consider the impact of the Boston Marathon bombing.
The idea of this becoming a script and an actual performance is fabulous and the prospect of
what this could be and what a game changer it could be at Boston Latin is beyond thrilling to
contemplate. Great direction to pursue.
Best,
Mr. Mikalaitis and Ms. Freeman

8. Now, answer the following:

(a) Why are you pursuing this essential question?
Because I want to find out who/what/when/where/whether/why/how to:

I want to find out how peoples histories affect their day to day lives either in large or small
ways

(b) So why do I want to do that?

In order to:
i.

help my audience understand how/why/whether

how significant events affect a single person rather than a group of people which is how most
people become educated about historical events.

ii.

make change in this direction:

iii.

to call attention to these things:

to call attention to the deeply rooted effects of significant events on people singularly

(c ) Why is this relevant to anyone in todays world, to their daily lives, to the future of
the planet?
Because knowing peoples personal histories can potentially foster greater understanding
among people and lead to less judgement and more acceptance across socioeconomic levels,
cultures and even boundaries!

(d) Is that really the most relevant thing about it? Bottom line: so what? Why should we
care about your project?
By being educated about a single persons struggle in the effects of a significant event can
open peoples eyes to the truth that an impactful incident has longer-lasting repercussions
than many of population is aware of.

(e) Seriously, is that the most you can say? Really, truly: why should we care about your
project?

Becoming more aware that each person struggles with the repercussions of an impactful event
can decrease discrimination and judgement and cause people to become more forgiving even
if such an event happened a long time ago.