From essay to museum

Having revised your object essay, the next step is to translate the information about your object into the kind of informative card that might accompany your object in a museum display. Refer to your peer response sheet; your peer reader can represent your imaginary museum-goer. Be sure the physical description is as complete as possible.

Then it's time to consider the narrative description. The slide-show on Writing effective Museum Text is a good place to start. So, think about the audience for an exhibit in which your object, as well as those of other students, might be displayed. You'll need to decide what the most important facts about the object are, explain its use (assuming that museum-goers will know nothing of you or your history), account for any significant features (damage, wear, stains, etc.), and assign it to a place and period. What would a typical person of the period do with such an object? What's different about what you have done? What additional significance does this object have for its owner (you)?

The final placard should look somewhat the one pictured here, though the description should be a bit briefer -- aim for no more than 150 words. Remember, this doesn't take the place of your essay -- but it will accompany the object in the imaginary museum you and your group will create this week.

Once you and others in your group have completed your individual placards, you'll be ready for the next step, which is to design a small museum in which your several objects can be displayed, along with the title or your exhibition and a longer description. Share your completed cards, and then discuss your ideas in the page for your group -- I've set up boards for Group #1 and Group #2 for this purpose. You can also share your files with each other -- I've also set up folders where you can drop your files so that your fellow group members can see them; they're linked to our blog at "shared class documents," or you can go directly to the Group 1 shared folder or the Group 2 shared folder to upload your own, and see others.

If you have any general questions about this process, please leave them in the comments field below this post, and I'll answer them there -- that way, if other students have the same questions, the answer will be there for them as well.