1/17/2017
Unusual Holidays
This assignment will
require that you use
two things to the
highest level…
Your Imagination!
Credit: http://pics-editing.org
And…
Your Writing Skills!
Credit: c2educate.com
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Assignment
Using the list of Unusual Holidays found on
my website, choose ONE and write a
detailed brochure informing the reader of
everything about that holiday.
Massive Hint:
Everything that you write about will be
COMPLETELY MADE UP!
But, everything you write must sound like a
real, legitimate holiday; like a holiday that
someone would actually celebrate.
Credit: presidiacreative.com
Credit: http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com
And…
Rules:
You cannot use
April 2 & May 6
(those are mine!)
• You CANNOT use a standard holiday,
i.e., Christmas or Halloween.
• You CANNOT make up your
own holiday, i.e., no
Purge Day!
• You MUST choose a holiday from the
list provided.
Credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org
Credit: http://holidaydoodles.com
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Specifics
The Big Picture: How it will look in the
end.
Your brochure must:
• Be at least seven (7) pages long.
• Have at least five (5) pictures.
• Be made on publishing software (i.e.
Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher,
Macintosh Pages, Google Docs or on any
other software that you can make a
newsletter).
• Be saved as a PDF. (I’ll show you how).
Specifics
The Writing: How it will be written.
With this assignment, you will practice your
technical (informational) writing skills while
creating something completely original.
Credit: http://mamanyc.net
Taking notes
is sexy!
This just in…
We’re Taking
Notes!!!
Credit: http://1.bp.blogspot.com
Credit: http://static.guim.co.uk
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Technical Writing
Don’t I
know it!
Is the type of everyday writing that
surrounds us from the time we wake until we
climb in bed at night.
• Directions on the toothpaste tube.
• Nutrition benefits on the cereal box.
• Business letters and catalogs that come in
the mail.
• Written instructions for assembling a new
product.
• Tax receipts and notices.
• Product safety information.
Credit: http://img.gawkerassets.com
How is it different?
Important
• The information is organized, presented and
communicated in a specific format.
• The writing is concise, clear and accurate.
• The writing takes into account the audience’s
needs, biases and prior understanding.
• The writing presents information to help readers
solve a problem or gain a better understanding
of a topic.
• The writing presents technical, complex, or
specialized information in a way that is easy for
a non-technical reader to understand.
Technical writing is a natural partner to
academic writing. It is descriptive,
creative, and expository, but the format
is different and the standards are
higher.
Technical writing requires
100% accuracy.
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Important
Use Present Tense, Active
Voice:
For Example:
• Passive: Dolphins were taught by
researchers in Hawaii to learn new
behavior.
• Active: Researchers in Hawaii taught
dolphins to learn new behavior.
Important
Use Simple Sentences:
For Example:
• Fancy: The corporation deemed it
necessary to terminate Joseph
Anderson.
• Simple: Joseph Anderson was fired.
Important
Use Gender-Neutral Words.
No “he” or “she” pronouns. Try to
rewrite the sentence in the plural to
avoid the issue of gender.
3 Key Points to
Technical Writing
For example:
• Instead of: “A programmer would see the flaw in this logic. He
would correct it immediately.”
Use: “Programmers would see the flaw in this logic. They
would correct it immediately.”
• Use gender-neutral nouns and pronouns, such as chair
instead of chairman, and their, they, or them rather than he,
she, her, or him.
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1st Key Point
2nd Key Point
Understand the Content
Write Well
If you don’t know what you are writing about,
no one else will, either.
You must understand what’s going on and
then be able to explain it in such a way that
the reader – the audience – can understand
it too.
The information has to be concise, correct,
easy to understand, and easy to find.
3rd Key Point
Make it Look Pretty!
So once you’ve figured out how the thing
works and how to describe how it works, you
have to make the document look good.
I swear, if
you don’t
stop with
these notes,
I’m gonna
drop a
kidney!
Credit: pointsincase.com
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The Writings
When you have chosen your Unusual
Holiday, you will write using four different
genres or formats:
• Description
• Sequential
• Comparison/Contrast
• Cause & Effect
Description
In this genre, you will write a history of your
holiday.
• How it started.
• What it celebrates.
• What the holiday means.
This genre must be a minimum of five (5)
paragraphs.
Credit: http://3.bp.blogspot.com
Sequential
In this genre, you will describe the process
of how to celebrate your holiday.
• What things are needed.
• What do we exactly do to celebrate.
This genre must have a minimum of eight
(8) items that demonstrate how to celebrate.
(…and don’t just list things!)
Compare/Contrast
In this genre, you will describe how your
holiday is the same as or different to another
holiday.
This genre must be a minimum of five (5)
paragraphs, and must include at least three
(3) ways your holiday is the same or
different.
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Cause & Effect
In this genre, you will create a GRAPH showing
some cause or effect of celebrating this holiday.
• There must be a legend explaining the parts
of the graph.
• The graph should clearly explain your cause
or effect.
The following are examples of
holiday write-ups taken from
Fact Monster
<www.factmonster.com>
This genre will NOT be written. It must be a
GRAPH that explains your information.
They are not examples of the
work you’ll be doing. They just
show about how some holidays
have been written.
Groundhog Day,
Groundhog Day,
by Holly Hartman
by Holly Hartman
February 2 brings the most-watched weather forecast of the year—and
the only one led by a rodent. Legend has it that on this morning, if a
groundhog can see its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If
it cannot see its shadow, spring is on the way.
Why now? Early February is midway between the winter solstice and
the spring equinox. Throughout history numerous holidays have
marked this seasonal crossroads. Among these is Candlemas Day,
February 2, a Christian holiday that celebrates Mary's ritual purification.
Early Christians believed that if the sun came out on Candlemas Day,
winter would last for six weeks more.
Why the Groundhog? Since a groundhog (or woodchuck or "whistle
pig") hibernates for the winter, its coming out of the ground is a natural
sign of spring. In Europe centuries ago, people watched for other
hibernating animals, including badgers, bears, and hedgehogs, as
signs of winter's end. Germans who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the
mid-1800s began keeping an eye on the groundhog. The widespread
population of the rodent made it a handy agent for this particular
weather superstition.
The ancient Romans observed a mid-season festival on February 5,
and the pagan Irish celebrated one around February 1. In many parts of
Europe early February might herald the start of spring, when crops
could be planted.
And a superstition it is. But there's a grain of truth: the winter days
when you can see your shadow clearly are often especially cold,
because there are no clouds overhead to insulate the earth.
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Groundhog Day,
Groundhog Day,
by Holly Hartman
by Holly Hartman
Punxsutawney Phil and Friends In the 1880s some friends in
Punxsutawney, Penn., went into the woods on Candlemas Day to look
for groundhogs. This outing became a tradition, and a local newspaper
editor nicknamed the seekers "the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club."
Starting in 1887 the search became an official event centered on a
groundhog called Punxsutawney Phil. A ceremony still takes place
every year.
Canada's Groundhog Day relies on the predictions of an albino
groundhog named Warton Willie. Although Punxsutawney Phil gets the
most attention, various American cities have their own special
groundhogs; New York City's official groundhog is called "Pothole
Pete."
Today, Punxsutawney Phil lives in a climate-controlled habitat adjoining
the Punxsutawney Library. A local celebrity, he gained national fame in
the 1993 movie Groundhog Day (which was shot in scenic Woodstock,
Illinois). The weather-watching rodent's predictions are recorded in the
Congressional Records of our National Archive. So far, Phil has seen
his shadow about 85% of the time.
Christmas,
by David Johnson
From its modest beginnings, Christmas has evolved into the biggest
celebration in the world.
Christmas is the fourth most important Christian date after Easter,
Pentecost, and Epiphany, a feast held January 6 to commemorate the
manifestation of the divinity of Jesus. Roman Catholics and Protestants
celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25. Many Orthodox
Christians use the Julian calendar, which places Christmas around
January 6.
Early Christians, however, did not celebrate Christmas. There was
disagreement about when Jesus was born and some early Christians
opposed celebrating his birthday. In the fourth century Christmas was
added to the Church calendar as a feast day.
Christmas,
by David Johnson
A Common Date. December 25 was a significant date for various
early cultures. The ancient Babylonians believed the son of the queen
of heaven was born on December 25. The Egyptians celebrated the
birth of the son of the fertility goddess Isis on the same date, while
ancient Arabs contended that the moon was born on December 24.
The Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a feast named for Saturn, god of
agriculture, on December 21, the winter solstice in the northern
hemisphere. They believed the shortest day of the year was the
birthday of the sun. The Roman emperor Constantine was a member of
the sun-cult before converting to Christianity in 312.
Some scholars suspect that Christians chose to celebrate Christ's birth
on December 25 to make it easier to convert the pagan tribes.
Referring to Jesus as the "light of the world" also fit with existing pagan
beliefs about the birth of the sun. The ancient "return of the sun"
philosophy had been replaced by the "coming of the son" message of
Christianity.
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Christmas,
by David Johnson
Joyful and Religious. Gradually, Christmas celebrations began to
adopt the joyful, often boisterous, holiday traditions of pagan cultures.
The story of the nativity was told through music, art, and dance.
Christmas,
by David Johnson
Christmas celebrations became more common in America during the
mid-1800s. The introduction of Christmas services in Sunday schools
reduced religious opposition, while the Charles Dickens novel A
Christmas Carol popularized the holiday as a family event.
Some Medieval Christians objected, however, maintaining that
Christmas should be a somber religious day, not a secular festival. After
the Reformation, certain Protestant groups opposed Christmas
celebrations. Oliver Cromwell banned them in England. King Charles II
restored Christmas when he ascended the throne.
In the American colonies, Puritans, Baptists, Quakers, and
Presbyterians opposed the festivities, while Catholics, Anglicans
(Episcopalians), Dutch Reformed, and Lutherans approved.
New Year,
New Year,
by Borgna Brunner
by Borgna Brunner
The celebration of the new year on January 1st is a relatively new
phenomenon. The earliest recording of a new year celebration is
believed to have been in Mesopotamia, c. 2000 B.C. and was
celebrated around the time of the vernal equinox, in mid-March. A
variety of other dates tied to the seasons were also used by various
ancient cultures. The Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Persians began their
new year with the fall equinox, and the Greeks celebrated it on the
winter solstice.
January Joins the Calendar. The first time the new year was
celebrated on January 1st was in Rome in 153 B.C. (In fact, the month
of January did not even exist until around 700 B.C., when the second
king of Rome, Numa Pontilius, added the months of January and
February.) The new year was moved from March to January because
that was the beginning of the civil year, the month that the two newly
elected Roman consuls—the highest officials in the Roman republic—
began their one-year tenure. But this new year date was not always
strictly and widely observed, and the new year was still sometimes
celebrated on March 1.
Early Roman Calendar: March 1st Rings in the New Year. The early
Roman calendar designated March 1 as the new year. The calendar
had just ten months, beginning with March. That the new year once
began with the month of March is still reflected in some of the names of
the months. September through December, our ninth through twelfth
months, were originally positioned as the seventh through tenth months
(septem is Latin for "seven," octo is "eight," novem is "nine," and decem
is "ten."
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New Year,
New Year,
by Borgna Brunner
by Borgna Brunner
Julian Calendar: January 1st Officially Instituted as the New Year.
In 46 B.C. Julius Caesar introduced a new, solar-based calendar that
was a vast improvement on the ancient Roman calendar, which was a
lunar system that had become wildly inaccurate over the years. The
Julian calendar decreed that the new year would occur with January 1,
and within the Roman world, January 1 became the consistently
observed start of the new year.
Gregorian Calendar: January 1st Restored
In 1582, the Gregorian calendar reform restored January 1 as new
year's day. Although most Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian
calendar almost immediately, it was only gradually adopted among
Protestant countries. The British, for example, did not adopt the
reformed calendar until 1752. Until then, the British Empire —and their
American colonies— still celebrated the new year in March.
Middle Ages: January 1st Abolished. In medieval Europe, however,
the celebrations accompanying the new year were considered pagan
and unchristian like, and in 567 the Council of Tours abolished January
1 as the beginning of the year. At various times and in various places
throughout medieval Christian Europe, the new year was celebrated on
Dec. 25, the birth of Jesus; March 1; March 25, the Feast of the
Annunciation; and Easter.
New Year,
by Borgna Brunner
A traditional southern New Year's dish is Hoppin' John—black eyed
peas and ham hocks. An old saying goes, "Eat peas on New Year's day
to have plenty of everything the rest of the year."
Another American tradition is the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
The Tournament of Roses parade that precedes the football game on
New Year's day is made up of elaborate and inventive floats. The first
parade was held in 1886.
Probably the most famous tradition in the United States is the dropping
of the New Year ball in Times Square, New York City, at 11:59 P.M.
Thousands gather to watch the ball make its one-minute descent,
arriving exactly at midnight. The tradition first began in 1907. The
original ball was made of iron and wood; the current ball is made of
Waterford Crystal, weighs 1,070 pounds, and is six feet in diameter.
April Fools Day,
by David Johnson & Shmuel Ross
April Fools' Day, sometimes called All Fools' Day, is one of the most
light-hearted days of the year. Its origins are uncertain. Some see it as
a celebration related to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it
stems from the adoption of a new calendar.
New Year's Day Moves. Ancient cultures, including those of the
Romans and Hindus, celebrated New Year's Day on or around April 1.
It closely follows the vernal equinox (March 20th or March 21st.) In
medieval times, much of Europe celebrated March 25, the Feast of
Annunciation, as the beginning of the new year.
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April Fools Day,
April Fools Day,
by David Johnson & Shmuel Ross
by David Johnson & Shmuel Ross
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar (the Gregorian
Calendar) to replace the old Julian Calendar. The new calendar called
for New Year's Day to be celebrated Jan. 1. That year, France adopted
the reformed calendar and shifted New Year's day to Jan. 1. According
to a popular explanation, many people either refused to accept the new
date, or did not learn about it, and continued to celebrate New Year's
Day on April 1. Other people began to make fun of these traditionalists,
sending them on "fool's errands" or trying to trick them into believing
something false. Eventually, the practice spread throughout Europe.
Problems With This Explanation. There are at least two difficulties
with this explanation. The first is that it doesn't fully account for the
spread of April Fools' Day to other European countries. The Gregorian
calendar was not adopted by England until 1752, for example, but April
Fools' Day was already well established there by that point. The
second is that we have no direct historical evidence for this
explanation, only conjecture, and that conjecture appears to have been
made more recently.
April Fools Day,
April Fools Day,
Constantine and Kugel. Another explanation of the origins of April
Fools' Day was provided by Joseph Boskin, a professor of history at
Boston University. He explained that the practice began during the
reign of Constantine, when a group of court jesters and fools told the
Roman emperor that they could do a better job of running the empire.
Constantine, amused, allowed a jester named Kugel to be king for one
day. Kugel passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day, and the
custom became an annual event.
by David Johnson & Shmuel Ross
by David Johnson & Shmuel Ross
"In a way," explained Prof. Boskin, "it was a very serious day. In those
times fools were really wise men. It was the role of jesters to put things
in perspective with humor."
Observances Around the World. April Fools' Day is observed
throughout the Western world. Practices include sending someone on a
"fool's errand," looking for things that don't exist; playing pranks; and
trying to get people to believe ridiculous things.
This explanation was brought to the public's attention in an Associated
Press article printed by many newspapers in 1983. There was only one
catch: Boskin made the whole thing up. It took a couple of weeks for
the AP to realize that they'd been victims of an April Fools' joke
themselves.
The French call April 1 Poisson d'Avril, or "April Fish." French children
sometimes tape a picture of a fish on the back of their schoolmates,
crying "Poisson d'Avril" when the prank is discovered.
Spring Fever. It is worth noting that many different cultures have had
days of foolishness around the start of April, give or take a couple of
weeks. The Romans had a festival named Hilaria on March 25,
rejoicing in the resurrection of Attis. The Hindu calendar has Holi, and
the Jewish calendar has Purim. Perhaps there's something about the
time of year, with its turn from winter to spring, that lends itself to
lighthearted celebrations.
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Checklist
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Brochure must be in digital newsletter format.
The Brochure must be in PDF format.
The Brochure must be a minimum of seven (7) pages.
✓ A cover page
✓ Internal pages
✓ A Back cover page
The Brochure must have a minimum of five (5) pictures or illustrations.
You can place your writing anyway you’d like in the brochure, but you must have all
the writing present.
✓ Description
✓ Sequential
✓ Comparison / Contrast
✓ Cause & Effect (graph)
Your writing must:
✓ Be written in present, active voice
✓ Use simple sentences
✓ Use Gender-neutral words
✓ Be concise, clear and accurate
✓ 100% “accurate”
Finally…
… for this assignment, you DO
NOT have to cite your images.
In other words, you do not have
to tell us from which web site
you got the images.
Grading
Just Sayin’…
Your Unusual Holiday will be
assessed using the
Publishing Rubric
If you want the option of a higher
grade, don’t do what everyone else
will do!
• Bubble Bath Day (Jan. 11)
• Flex Your Muscles Day (May 1)
• Do-Something-Real-Dumb Day (Dec. 2)
Credit: http://mamanyc.net
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Deadline
Important!
The Due Date for this project is:
Write this down:
Friday, Jan. 27
[email protected]
(by 11:59 p.m.)
(Subject Line: Unusual Holiday)
Using any email other than this will be considered missing your
deadline.
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