Homework for the week of December 16

Your work for this week consists of two threads:

Poetry Out Loud:
Memorize poem #1 and practice your performance for block day. You will receive feedback on the following criteria:
Voice and Articulation
Physical Presence
Dramatic Appropriateness
Evidence of Understanding
Overall Performance
Accuracy

Poem #2 is due on block day: January 8th or 9th. If you are interested in the school-wide competition, please sign up with me by Friday, January 3rd.

Literary Research Project:
Remember that second novel, the one you vowed to begin earlier in the process to avoid late night stress? Hopefully, you are well on your way with it. If not, there is no time like the present to begin. Your work for this novel includes:
Annotations
Literary Analysis chart
Flash fiction assignment: Culling from your wisdom in reading two books by your author, construct a “short short” story where you imitate the style of your writer, using some of his or her signature “moves”. Length: no more than 1,000 words.  In addition, please include a process paragraph on how you chose to imitate the author. Pay careful attention to diction and syntax.
These three assignments are due on Friday, January 3.

Homework for the week of December 9

Monday: Draft your Cat's Cradle paper. Make sure it is a full draft, as if you were going to pass it in on block day. (Also remember that block days are flipped, so period 2, your due date is Wednesday!) Also, choose your first poem for Poetry Out Loud by block day: www.poetryoutloud.org
Tuesday: Same as Monday.
Block day: Comment to your writing partner. Comments are appreciated early, but no later than 7:50 on Friday morning. Begin to memorize poem #1.
Friday: Revise paper. Due Monday. Memorize poem #1. You should have the poem memorized by Tuesday, December 17th. Performances will be on block day.

Homework for week of December 2

Begin to formulate a BIG idea question that will guide your final assessment paper. Due Monday, December 2.

Schedule for Cat's Cradle:
Due Tuesday, December 3: Read chapters 102-109
Due block day, December 4 and 5: Read chapters 110-119
Due Friday, December 6: Finish novel
Due Monday, December 9: Thesis and outline or introduction due
Block day, December 11-12: Rough draft due
Due Friday 8 a.m., December 13: Comments to writing partners due
Due Monday, December 16: revised Cat's Cradle paper due

Details for Cat's Cradle paper:
In this paper, I would like you to analyze Vonnegut's authorial intent (also known as his commentary) on one of the bigger themes in the novel. I am interested in both the what (what IS he trying to say?) and the how (How does he convey that message?). If you are having trouble generating a thesis or question, think about the topics I suggested on the quiz or look at the BIG idea questions you generated that I sent to you in Google Drive. Reminder of the quiz items are below.
What does Vonnegut want to comment on in terms of:

a.     weapons of mass destruction

b.     the morality of science

c.      the role of religion in a society

d.     women’s role in society

e.     America

f.      Cold War politics

g.     economics  or class and its role in society

h.     capitalism

i.       secrets in government

j.       war

k.     patriotism

 
This paper will be 4-5 pages in length (12 pt Times New Roman, double-spaced). MLA format, including headers and citations. Textual evidence is required. Critical evidence is optional. Please include a Works Cited page, even if you only use the novel.
If you would like to see an exemplar essay: Exemplar Cat's Cradle

Thanksgiving week and Vonnegut schedule

I love this quote. I hope you create something this break. Relax. Eat turkey (or tofurkey). Enjoy some Vonnegut while you are at it. Here is the assignment:
Read chapters 83-101 of Cat's Cradle. Begin to formulate a BIG idea question that will guide your final assessment paper. Due Monday, December 2.

Schedule for Cat's Cradle:
Due Tuesday, December 3: Read chapters 102-109
Due block day, December 4 and 5: Read chapters 110-119
Due Monday, December 9: Finish novel