Monday, November 30, 2009

Neighborhood Photo Essay Project Due 11/30

Your final project is the day we return from Turkey-Day Vacation. Remember we are having a presentation day in class!!!

Predictions Summary

Example Overview: PREDICTIONS

Park Slope is in its Third Wave of Gentrification. It is hard to imagine that the neighborhood could get much more upscale. Before the recession hit the country, Park Slope was developing along Fourth Avenue into Third Avenue, and south towards Twentieth Street. Now that we are in an economic downturn I predict that development will occur at a slower pace. This does not mean that the neighborhood will not continue to develop however. I believe that once the economy picks up that the area will continue to attract residents with upper-middle-class incomes, and that the upscale shops and restaurants and expensive housing will continue their spread. I hope that the diversity of people that live in the neighborhood south of Ninth Street and along Fourth Avenue remains, and, because these areas are last to develop, perhaps it will be so. I believe Park Slope will continue to be a desirable place for families because of its excellent schools, parks and other amenities. Unless there is a huge shift, I believe that more and more people will be migrating to Brooklyn to live and that Park Slope has developed the reputation for being an excellent place to settle down. This means that the neighborhood will only become more crowded, more popular and more expensive. Buy now! That’s the way to stay.


OUTLINE: HOW TO WRITE PREDICTIONS

Which trends in your neighborhood do you think will continue?

Which trends do you think will end or reverse?

Who do you think will live in your neighborhood in 5, 10, 15 years?

What do you think is best for the neighborhood and the people who live in it?

Personal Neighborhood Connection Summary

Example Overview: PERSONAL NEIGHBORHOOD

Walking down the street in Park Slope I am bound to run into someone that I know, be it an acquaintance or a good friend. It is rare that I take a straight path home because I want to dip into any number of stores or coffee shops, to grab a cup of tea, a coffee, or to say hello to someone. When I moved here 15 years ago it was hard to imagine that this neighborhood, let alone NYC, would ever feel like home, but it has become so. Park Slope is the place where I matured into an adult, where I became truly independent, and where I began building my private New York.
Over the 15 years that I have lived here I have seen the neighborhood change a great deal. Fifth Avenue has sprouted into a boutique store and restaurant mecca, the rents have gotten much higher, and the amount of young families has at least doubled. Its hard to believe that the “fancying up” of Park Slope has happened, as the neighborhood when I moved here was still affordable for a young person making very little money in a non-profit job. At that time there were more mom-and-pop shops, and more of a funky vibe that has all but disappeared. Still, there are things that have remained the same, and for which I am thankful. Prospect Park continues to be a haven for all of the communities that surround it, and the neighborhood maintains its community feel – whether that means organizing block parties, watching any number of parades down Seventh Avenue, or just going out on errands and seeing people stopping to chat with each other on the sidewalk.
Park Slope holds numerous places that have become part of my personal landscape and where I have developed layers of memories. Like all people, the memories I hold are both joyful and painful, but that just makes my experience in the area all the more rich. I am grateful for what the neighborhood has offered me and am glad that after so many years I am still living here.
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OUTLINE: HOW TO WRITE ABOUT THE PERSONAL NEIGHBORHOOD
Include the following details in personal neighborhood piece:

What you like to do in the neighborhood
How long you have lived there
Whether or not you feel a part of your community
Why the neighborhood is important to you (if it is)
FEEL FREE TO ADD OTHER DETAILS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU

Character of Neighborhood Summary

Example Overview: CHARACTER OF GREENPOINT

Greenpoints’ character changes depending upon which part of the neighborhood you are in. If you are walking along Manhattan Avenue from Greenpoint Avenue towards Newtown Creek, you will see a mix of young hipsters, Polish residents and Puerto-Rican old timers. People often are hanging out in front of stores, talking to friends, often with a dog, speaking in English, Spanish or Polish. It is not an uncommon site to see older women with scarves tied around their heads pushing shopping carts of groceries, or on their way to one of the large Catholic churches in the community. The industrial past of Greenpoint is evident everywhere you look – old factory buildings line the water’s edge and piles of lumber still exist ready to be picked up by construction workers. The side streets are primarily residential with small wooden or stone walk-up homes, trees and fences. The commercial streets have a mix of Polish bakeries, 99cent stores, and fancy boutiques. Southern Greenpoint has more new development and is closer to McCarren Park where all neighborhood residents use the fields to play soccer, softball, or in the case of the young hipsters, dodgeball. On summer weekends Greenpoint is a crowded attraction, though it is not uncommon to walk some of the more industrial streets during a weekday and feel as if you are the only person who exists in the world.


OUTLINE: HOW TO WRITE ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD - Include the following details in your character overview:

What do you see when you are walking down the street?

Who do you see when you are walking down the street?

Where do people hang out and what do they do while hanging out? (shop, eat, sit on stoops, play ball, hang-out, barbecue, block parties, get their hair done, argue, stay inside etc.)

Languages spoken
Types of shops
Where there are residences, businesses and factories
If its noisy or quiet, empty or crowded
What types of buildings you can see
(single-family homes, apartment buildings, housing projects, two-story walk-ups, etc.)

What makes your neighborhood unique?

Trends Summary

Example Overview: TRENDS OF GREENPOINT

Like much of New York City, Greenpoint has been changing a great deal in the past ten years. Prior to the late 1990s, the most prevalent trend in Greenpoint was immigration. Greenpoint was the neighborhood with the highest population of Polish residents in all of New York City, and anyone walking the Greenpoint streets would see Polish bakeries, restaurants, stores and the Polish language on many signs. While there is still a strong Polish presence, the neighborhood’s demographics have recently changed quite a bit. Starting in the late 1980s, young artists and students began to make their way into the largely abandoned and run-down loft spaces alongside the East River and Newtown Creek. This was the first wave of gentrification, and while Greenpoint wasn’t speeding through the process as fast as its neighbor, Williamsburg, the new population was still laying down its roots. McCarren Park, the park that separates Greenpoint from Williamsburg began to be developed with condominiums in the early 2000s, and this change greatly impacted the community. Young people wishing to move to rapidly gentrifying Williamsburg found that Williamsburg was too expensive, and therefore looked to Greenpoint as a more affordable option. Prior to the recession of late 2008, Greenpoint looked as though it would go the way of its next-door neighbor – homes were being renovated, restored and new condominiums were bringing in residents with a higher income. Boutique clothing stores, high-end coffee shops, restaurants and bars, as well as independent bookstores began to sprout in Greenpoint. Though the recession has stopped gentrification’s spread for now, the neighborhood is primed and ready for more newcomers when the economy picks up.


OUTLINE: HOW TO WRITE A TRENDS OVERVIEW

Description of trends you can see while visiting the neighborhood

When these trends began to appear in the area

Any reasons for why these trends are occurring

How the trends are impacting the neighborhood (bringing new people in, or upgrading the neighborhood, or displacing people, or diversifying the neighborhood, etc.)

Monday, November 23, 2009

First Summar - History and Introduction Due 11/23

Example Overview: INTRODUCTION TO and HISTORY OF GREENPOINT

The neighborhood of Greenpoint is situated at the very northern end of the borough of Brooklyn. It is separated from Queens by a three-mile long body of water called Newtown Creek, which at one point was as busy an industrial waterway as the entire Mississippi River. Greenpoint is actually a peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides. Along with Newtown Creek to the north and the East River to the neighborhood’s west, Bushwick Inlet lies to the south, dividing the area from its neighboring community, Williamsburg. Water has played a large role in the history of the neighborhood, from the time that the Lenape Indians fished along Newtown Creek’s shores, to the Industrial Revolution when the port of New York housed numerous factories on the bank of Greenpoint. Walking along the streets of Greenpoint today it is easy to see the neighborhood’s industrial history. Abandoned factories stand side by side with small manufacturing businesses. Newtown Creek remains one of the most polluted bodies of water in the country due to a great amount of illegal dumping of toxic chemicals during its industrial heyday. However, despite this blight on the community, the neighborhood is thriving. The water treatment plant has just been remodeled, and along with it a new city park has been built. The area holds a strong Polish community that own many shops and restaurants, and attend several large and beautiful churches. In addition, for the past ten years the area has been gentrifying, and a walk along Manhattan Avenue today will bring you past Thai restaurants, boutiques and organic grocery stores. Still, the most compelling feature of the neighborhood is Newtown Creek itself. While it is hard to imagine what it was like when many barges were going back and forth, carrying goods such as lumber, oil, glass and sugar, the creek remains the neighborhood’s focal point and reason for being.


OUTLINE: HOW TO WRITE AN INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY OVERVIEW

Where your neighborhood is located in Brooklyn (south, north, east, west, middle)

Basic geographical features (next to water, landlocked, hilly, flat, etc.)

Why the neighborhood developed (for example: industrial history, or a “bedroom community” for commuters to Manhattan, or farmland that turned into residences)

What remains of the history of the neighborhood today (old buildings, or
undeveloped land, or old shops, or brownstones built to house wealthy, early commuters)

Who has lived in the area over the years

A quick summary of how the neighborhood has changed

Any interesting facts

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Check out this Link!

This link has good examples of how to write photo captions.

http://www.urban75.org/photos/newyork/greenpoint-brooklyn.html

Neighborhood Photo Project Checklist

Step One: Information Gathering

I have read my neighborhood essay and highlighted turning points

I have visited the Brooklyn history blog and viewed the sites about my neighborhood, specifically “Forgotten New York” and the NY Times links

I have searched Google Images for photographs of my neighborhood’s past and present

I have looked through family photographs for old photos of my neighborhood

I have found historical photographs of my neighborhood that I can use

I have read Wikipedia information about my neighborhood

Optional:

I have done further research about my neighborhood’s history


Step Two: Photo Walk

I have chosen the route I will walk around my neighborhood
*Tip: using the neighborhood essay map is helpful

I have figured out which camera I will use for my walk

I have taken my photo walk

I have completed my note-taking sheet

I have reviewed my photographs to see if they cover the topics I need to cover for my project

If needed, I have taken extra photos

Step Three: After the Walk

I have downloaded my photographs to the computer

I have saved my photographs on a flash drive or CD
*Tip: see Mr. Salak if you need a CD

Step Four: Organizing Information

I have categorized my photographs into the topics on the assignment outline

After categorizing my photos according to the outline, I have chosen the best photographs to use to tell my neighborhood’s story
*Tip: DON’T use all of your photographs – only the ones that best tell your neighborhood story

I have written comments about each of the photographs I have chosen

I have put my photographs in the order I want to discuss them

Recommended Outline for the Photo Essay

Part 1 – The story of your neighborhood
a. History
b. Present Trends – including signs of gentrification
c. Current Development
d. Character of Neighborhood

Part 2 – The story of you and your neighborhood
a. First Impressions
b. Personal and Community Landmarks

Part 3 – Predictions and Reflections
a. Signs of what’s to come for your neighborhood
b. Places you think might disappear
c. Current Development
d. Commentary – how you feel about what you observe happening in your neighborhood

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Neighborhood Walk Assignment - Due 11/18

Assignment:

Choose a route in your neighborhood that you will walk while photographing places of interest that help define your neighborhood’s identity. You may use the ideas and terms you studied in the Park Slope and gentrification units, and build on these concepts to capture the character of your neighborhood, its trends, development, history, landmarks and places you predict might disappear. Notice whether or not your neighborhood shows signs of gentrification. Observe and photograph the neighborhood with these topics in mind, and remember, neighborhoods do not all share the same trends. Be thoughtful when identifying the specific qualities of your neighborhood. Follow these steps toward the completion of the portfolio assignment.

Steps:

1. Figure out what camera you will use: Determine whether you have a USB cable to go with your camera. If you do, use that camera. If you do not, see if you can share a camera with a friend from class; then coordinate a schedule with him or her to borrow his or her camera. Tell your teachers what camera you will use before the walk. If you do not have one, your teachers will discuss arrangements with you individually.

2. Choose landmarks to photograph: designated landmark(s) (city, state or national), community landmarks that are a focal point of life in your neighborhood (parks, churches, stories, pizza shops) and personal landmarks that holds personal significance just for you. You may change your mind and use different landmarks once you go on the walk.

3. Determine in class and at home which street route you will walk: Your route should be for an area that takes at least a half-hour to walk.

4. Complete the neighborhood walk: Make sure to take many photos of buildings, people, landmarks and overall, what goes on in your neighborhood.

5. Complete the neighborhood walk handout sheet during the walk. You will use this to write your labels and, later on, an essay. Bring it to class with your photos to show your teacher.

Due Date to bring in your pictures from the photo walk: Wednesday, November 18, 2009.

6. Download the photos to the school laptops and, if possible, your computer at home.

7. Select the photos to use in your photo and text presentation.

8. Label the photos as you have been taught.

Note: We will cover each step in-class on a consistent basis. Please make sure you are in class everyday or find out what you missed.

Photo Essay Project - Due 11/30

WHERE IS YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AT? WHAT IS IT DOING? WHERE DID IT COME FROM? WHERE IS IT GOING?

Neighborhood Study Assessment

How do you encourage change while preserving neighborhood character? What is best for neighborhoods and the people who live in them? These are questions that were raised by you in our unit on Gentrification, and they lie at the center of our Brooklyn history class. We have already begun to talk a little about these issues, but it is now time for you to use these questions to turn a critical eye to your own neighborhood (or one that you choose).

How to do this:

You will create a photo and text presentation with specific information about your neighborhood or the neighborhood you choose to study for this assignment. This presentation may take any of the following three forms. PLEASE CHOOSE A FORM with which you already feel comfortable and that you do not have to learn how to do. Most of the creation work for this project will be taking place at home, with emphasis on information gathering in class.

Neighborhood Booklet (for the artistic soul).

This will consist of pages of photos and labels interspersed with required text. The photos can be a combination of single-photos, doubles, or a collage, so long as the images are clear. You can add scrapbook elements as well. The purpose of the booklet is to tell the story of your neighborhood in a creative way, interspersed with historical facts, trends, and reflection.

Power Point (for the technology wiz).

This power point presentation will use your photographs and outside historical images as well as the required text to present your information. The purpose of the power point is to create a digital story of your neighborhood in a creative and technological way, interspersed with historical facts, trends, and reflection. If you know how to overlay your power point with an audio analysis you may do so as well.

Photo Essay (for the analytical thinker or the writer in you).

This will primarily be a written paper addressing the required topics with an appendix of photographs and labels. This is best for people who like a straightforward, more analytical approach to presentation, or for those who enjoy the writing process. The purpose of this essay is to provide an overview of the history and trends that have affected or are affecting your neighborhood, with images that illustrate your points.

Presentation Requirements:
ALL neighborhood study assessments will include the following:

Photos from your neighborhood walk with labels and/or descriptions of the photographs’ meanings

Historical research to contextualize how your neighborhood became what it is today

Description of neighborhood landmarks (recognized, community and personal)

Analysis of trends occurring in the neighborhood, and an evaluation of the sate of your neighborhood (is what is happening helpful or harmful? What is for the Greater Good?)

Predictions for the future of your neighborhood

Personal reflections on your neighborhood, your connection to it (or lack thereof), how you feel about it and how you feel about the changes occurring in it

Grading:
You presentation will be graded on the following:

Thoroughness of information and analysis
Accuracy
How well photographs are linked to your information
Clarity of presentation

Neighborhood HW # 2 - Due 11/13

Read your neighborhood reading and complete the turning point handout based on your reading.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Neighborhood HW # 1 - Due 11/10

Read "Faces in the Rubble" by David Gonzalez. Write a response:

1. Who do you think is his audience?
2. How does he feel about his neighborhood?
3. What does he choose to capture?

Monday, November 9, 2009

CALLING ALL WRITERS: ESSAY CONTEST!

Write some love for your favorite part of NYC.

We've got a contest that eager writers should sharpen their pencils for. On November 18th at 7:30 pm (during the First Independent Bookstore Week NYC), we’re hosting an event to celebrate the paperback release of State by State, a wonderful collection of essays from acclaimed writers, about the states they love.

We're hosting a contest in the same spirit - called Neighborhood by Neighborhood! Write an essay (500-1000 words) about your favorite neighborhood in NYC: from Washington Heights to Vinegar Hill to, of course – Greenpoint. Open to high school students and up. (We will pick a student winner and an adult winner.)

Send submissions to kelly@wordbrooklyn.com by November 12th to be entered. Winners get an autographed copy of the book, a gift certificate to WORD and might get to read their piece at the event. But you do not need to be present to enter or win – so send your entry even if you can’t make it on Nov. 18th. We’d love to read your essay!

Monday, November 2, 2009

SEMINAR PREP: Does Gentrification Harm or Help Neighborhoods?

YOUR TASK:

Develop an essay with a thesis statement stating whether you think gentrification harms neighborhoods, helps neighborhoods or does both in varying degrees.

Reference evidence from the texts, speakers, websites etc. we have used in class and that you have looked over at home. Use direct quotes and summaries of arguments, stating the author’s name (or, in the case of the websites, The NY Times).

Explain why the quotes and references to texts you have chosen are significant.

Example: According to the article Towers and Tenements, the city has developed a proposal to slow the effects of gentrification by giving landlords in newly gentrified areas tax credits so that they can afford to keep their lower paying residents. This is significant because even though it does not stop the spread of gentrification, it allows for lower-income residents to not be displaced, therefore, they can benefit from the good things that gentrification brings to an area.

Use the language of nuance. Gentrification is a complex issue and often contradicts itself. Use the language of nuance such as:

Even though
At the same time,
Primarily,
In spite of
Although

Organization: Use TEAL (Topic sentence, evidence, analysis and link back to thesis) to organize your essay. LOOK AT YOUR ROADMAP!

Proofread, proofread, proofread!

**WARNING!!** The word “Gentrification” is a NOUN. But it can also act like a verb. As a verb it acts just like a word in Spanish. Below are the conjugations of the verb To Gentrify:
PRESENT TENSE PAST TENSE
I gentrify I gentrified
You gentrify You gentrified
He/she gentrify he/she gentrified
We gentrify We gentrified
They gentrify They gentrified

Finally it can also act like an adjective, which is a word used to describe a noun. Example: This is a gentrified (adjective) neighborhood (noun).

Gentrification HW # 8

Work on reviewing and organizing your information. This is a very important step in the writing process. Use your Roadmap to your Thesis handout to help do this.