Final assignments for AP Literature!

Final assignment for Death of a Salesman is here: American Dream hoax assignment
Here is REVISED the rubric I'll use to assess this assignment: American Dream project rubric
Due block day, May 14th or 15th.

If you need the online text, see last week's post.


Final portfolio:
For the portfolio, I am modifying an assignment Kurt Vonnegut gave his students.  You can read the original assignment here: Vonnegut assignment
Here is our assignment: Final portfolio instructions
You should review your notes for each quarter to refresh your memory as you make your selections and write your letter.
This portfolio is due in your Google folders by Tuesday, May 27th at 2 p.m. I'll make comments in the folder by Friday, May 30th.

Liner notes and songs due on Friday, May 16th. Please send me your song as well as a brief liner note (in the voice of your Costello essay) about why this song is suited for the hour you have.

Class survey: We'll complete this in class on block day. If you are not here on block day, you will need to complete this anonymous survey and present your project. Please see me so we can work out details.

Homework for May 5 and beyond

Poetry blog: Please make sure you have posted your poem by 2 p.m. on Monday. Please respond to at least four poems by this Friday, 5/9.

Literary terms exam will be on Wednesday to reflect the seven period day shift.
 Absences and Death of a Salesman: I know that many of you have AP exams at least once in the next two weeks. If you miss class and we viewed/read the play, please read online.


Here is the online text: http://chatt.hdsb.ca/~IrvineA/FOV1-0013DC8B/FOV1-0013DC8C/ARTHUR MILLER%20Death of a Salesman.pdf?Plugin=Loft 

Here is an interview with Phillip Seymour Hoffman, on his role as Willy Loman:
http://www.npr.org/2014/02/03/270874323/philip-seymour-hoffman-on-his-portrayal-of-willy-loman

Final assignment for Death of a Salesman is here: American Dream hoax assignment
Here is the rubric I'll use to assess this assignment. Depending on the genre, some of these indicators will have more emphasis: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/printouts/Persuasion%20Rubric.pdf

Final portfolio:
For the portfolio, I am modifying an assignment Kurt Vonnegut gave his students.  You can read the original assignment here: Vonnegut assignment
Here is our assignment: Final portfolio instructions
You should review your notes for each quarter to refresh your memory as you make your selections and write your letter.

This portfolio is due in your Google folders by Tuesday, May 27th at 2 p.m. I'll make comments in the folder by Friday, May 30th.

Homework for week of April 28th

I hope you feel accomplished for finishing your literary research paper! Good work! As you know, I am in DC for the Poetry Out Loud National Finals from Tuesday through Thursday of this week. Here are the things on your homework list:

Monday: Select five works of literary merit that have changed your thinking in some way over your high school career.
All week: Complete sonnet or sestina by Friday.
Tuesday: Study literary terms for Poetry and fiction. Quiz will be on Tuesday, May 6.
 Friday: Please post an original poem of your choice to the poetry blog by Monday.

Have a good week! See you Friday!

Literary Research Project and fixed forms poems

This week, your priority is to continue to work on your literary research project paper. Please allow time for drafting and revising. Also, I would strongly recommend you read an exemplar paper (or two!). Also, make sure to consult the rubric which I sent you in Google. It also appears here on the blog post for 3/17.

Meanwhile, in poetlandia, we are going to try our hand at one other fixed form poem.

Here are rules for a sestina:
http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue197/sestina.html

Here is an example of a sestina:
http://faculty.washington.edu/rmcnamar/383/bishop.html

Here are the rules for a Shakespearean sonnet:
http://www.sonnetwriters.com/how-to-write-a-sonnet/

Here is a famous example from Shakespeare:
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/18.html

You'll choose one of these fixed forms and write your own original sonnet or sestina. This work will be done in class, as your out-of-class hours will be spent on your masterpiece. You are welcome.

Literary Research project work

This week and next, you should have laser focus on your paper. I have sent you three examples on Google for introductions and body paragraphs, as well as a sample paper on Stephen Crane. In addition, I sent you the rubric a few weeks ago. Please review.

I am including three more links here, as well as the Steinbeck paper which is on the blog already. The American Dream is much longer than the requirement, but it offers a very complex insight. The first two papers in the list discuss multiple authors, but one is on Jane Austen and has a thematic focus. I think the thematic focus is the way to go, as my individual conferences with you suggest. I hope these are helpful.

American Dream exemplar

European dystopia exemplar

Austen exemplar

Steinbeck exemplar


Deadlines: Three pages (minimum) and an outline due Friday
Final draft due: Monday, April 28. This is a firm deadline. Even if you are not in school, I expect the paper to be turned in on Google docs. Late penalties of 10 points per day will apply.

Homework for the week of 3/31

Monday: Read and annotate beginning of Book Three, through page 309 for Tuesday.
Block day will consist of in-class writing. Novel should be completed by Friday, 4/4.

Summative assessment for Beloved will be due on Monday, 4/7.
Examine a claim Morrison makes in Beloved about one of the following topics and how it relates to contemporary American society:
1. The legacy of slavery
2. The idea of collective memory in a society
3. The ways in which race and gender interconnect

CHANGE TO SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT:
Instead of a paper, you will be expected to participate in a graded discussion. I sent an email out with the rubric and specifics of the process.
 Due on Monday, April 7. 

Literary Research paper work:
Now is the time to get focused on your paper. Please come see me if you have questions, confusions or concerns. Here is the remaining timeline:
A portion of the rough draft of paper is due on April 11. The minimum you need to turn in:
 1. Three pages of a rough draft, including an introduction and thesis as well as the beginning of your argument. 
2. A clear outline, preferably with clear topic sentences and  some references to primary and secondary sources.
You may turn in more than this, but it is not a requirement.  

The final paper is due on Monday, April 28th. The requirements are outlined on the rubric I sent you in Google docs. In addition:
1. The paper should be between 4,500-5,500 words, about 12-15 pages double-spaced in Times New Roman font. There should be a Works Cited page that has a minimum of six sources. See the Literary Research page for exemplar papers.

This paper will count 50% of your fourth quarter grade. Time and revision are keys to success. Also, I hope you know that any whiff of plagiarism will mean you receive a 0. Every year, this is an issue, so please cite carefully.

Homework for week of 3/24

Monday: Read and annotate Beloved through page 235.
Tuesday: Read and annotate  Beloved 236-255. As you read, make a note of point of view and syntax. As always, mark confusion and connections or ideas.
Block day: Finish Book Two (through page 277).  Review your annotations from earlier in novel. Are there questions you can now answer? Are there thoughts that have expanded? How? How has the motif you have followed appeared in Book Two?

Monday: Read and annotate beginning of Book Three, through page 309.
Novel will be finished by Friday, 4/4. Block day will consist of in-class writing.

Summative assessment for Beloved:
Examine a claim Morrison makes in Beloved about one of the following topics and how it relates to contemporary American society:
1. The legacy of slavery
2. The idea of collective memory in a society
3. The ways in which race and gender interconnect