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

Homework for week of 3/17

This week, your work consists of two threads:
1. Continue to read and annotate Beloved. Note 1-2 motifs that have appeared in this book of the novel. Complete Book One (through page 195) for Friday.
2. Literary Research Paper: As I said in class, now is the time to move the focus of this paper up on your list of priorities. The two tasks that you should complete: a. Thesis question and draft of thesis is due on block day.  b. Annotated bibliography is now due on Monday, March 24. You should have the idea for your thesis guide your selection of critical essays for your bibliography.

Here is the rubric I sent you in Google, in full form: Literary Research rubric
Please see me or email if you have questions.

Beloved reading:  Begin Book 2 and read through p.235 for Tuesday.

Homework for week of 3/10

Monday: Read and annotate pp. 52-75 of Beloved.
Tuesday: Read and annotate pp. 75-100 of Beloved.
Block day: Read and annotate pp. 101-133 of Beloved.
Note: The annotated bibliography is now due on block day, 3/19 or 3/20.

Here is a concise description from Cornell University on what could go into an annotation entry:

1. Cite the book, article, or document using the appropriate style.
2. Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central theme and scope of the book or article. Include one or more sentences that (a) evaluate the authority or background of the author, (b) comment on the intended audience, (c) compare or contrast this work with another you have cited, or (d) explain how this work illuminates your thesis topic.

Homework for the week of March 3

Monday: Find two sources for biographical information. Read sources and begin annotated bibliography. Here is a sample entry here for an annotated bibliography: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/03/1-23
Tuesday: Begin Beloved. Read and annotate pp. 1-23. Online text available here:
http://vnsharing.net/forum/showthread.php?t=543504
Page 23 ends with: "Slowly, methodically, miserably she ate it."
Block day: Read and annotate 24-33 in Beloved. Begin villanelle. Here are some streamlined rules:
Rules for writing a villanelle.
Note: for a strict villanelle, each line should be in iambic pentameter (in brief, 10 syllables). You do not have to follow this rule exactly, but make sure the lines are approximately the same length.

Friday: Read and annotate 34-51 in Beloved. Villanelle due on Monday. Here is the rubric: villanelle rubric

Homework for week of February 24

Our work this week will focus on your literary research paper (at home) and begin our reading for Beloved by Toni Morrison. Beloved won the Pulitzer Prize (the highest honor for fiction) and Morrison won the Nobel Prize for literature five years later. Only seven other authors have won both prizes. She is a master of craft, but also pushes boundaries of content, exploring the ways in which the trauma and dehumanization of slavery echoes in individual and collective lives. I think you'll expand your thinking through our reading and conversations. This week, we'll write and read two essays as a way to begin this conversation. Here is the homework:

Monday: Work on your third literary research assignment. See details on last week's blog, both in terms of assignment and exemplars. Due Friday.
Tuesday: Ask someone to tell the story you wrote in class today. Either write down the version or ask them to write the story. Bring to class on block day.
Block day: Finish Emily Bernard essay and annotate, noting what you see as the central struggle AND your reactions to the events and perceptions of the writer. We'll discuss on Friday.
Literary research assignment due Friday.
Friday: Finish independent reading letter, if you haven't completed one yet.

Work for week of February 10

Monday: Continue reading for 2.5 hours. Check-in for those pages will happen on Friday.
Tuesday: Here is the link to the OWL overview of Critical Theory:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/1/
Work on your three points for your presentation of the critical theory. You should include:
2-4 sentence overview of your theory
Questions that a theorist from your camp may ask when looking at a text from this perspective.
Your analysis of "Reunion" in light of your theory.

Block day: Complete your reading!
Over vacation: Complete your author/literary research text for Monday. Lit chart and thread work due on Friday, February 28.

Welcome to second semester!

You made it! I am excited to work with you for another few months. As I said in class today, our reading work outside of class will be independent, but will include your third novel and synthesis. Here are the guidelines:
1. You must read for 2.5 hours per week. You decide what you read. Three times a week, I'll ask you to record what you have read on a sheet I'll pass around class. You must determine your reading rate for each book. Assessment will happen in weekly conferences, but may not happen on every book you read. I'll ask you to write a letter about a book every two weeks.
2. You are expected to read your third novel for your literary analysis project. This book and its work is due on Monday, February 24th.
3. We'll look deeply at short texts: poems, flash fiction and excerpts from longer works. You will have two analytical essays on these texts. One will be a take home essay and one will be an on demand essay.

Upcoming deadlines: comparative essay on the Wilbur and Collins poems due on block day next week: February 5 or 6. You will receive the poems this week during block day.

Independent book letter due Monday, February 10:
Note: If you are reading your author text, complete the work first and then complete this letter when you pick up your next book. For those of you reading an independent book, please complete a one page double-spaced which responds to this idea, below. If you have read more than one book, choose one:

Consider the questions the author is asking in the book you are reading and what you think about those questions. Most of these big questions are at the center of the character's struggle and journey and when we step back, we often understand more.  This letter is informal and the hope is you will write to think. In other words, you may figure out questions as you write that you didn't think of initially. In this assignment, that is great. Don't spend too much time on summary. 1-2 sentences at the beginning will suffice.


Third novel work:
This work may combine the literary analysis chart, as it did with the exemplars below. If you find it helpful to keep the literary analysis chart separate, that is fine too.
Analytical threads paper:
Identify 3-5 thematic or language oriented threads that seem to be significant to making meaning out of the novels you've read so far. Those might be significant to all three novels, but a marked absence or contrast might also offer you an opportunity for interesting analysis.You are exploring possible foci for your final project.

Write a narrative, casual voice exploration of each of your identified threads. How does each one work in each book? You aren't trying to arrive at a set thesis statement yet... it's more like you're mulling over the evidence and thinking about what potential theses might flow from the texts. In so doing, you should be considering specific details as well as overarching plot and theme trends. In the end, you might settle on one thread for your paper, or you might have more than one that interlock and compliment one another.
This paper will probably run 4-5 pages. If you work with fewer threads, you would want to do so in more depth.

Exemplar #1
Exemplar #2

Midterm information

Monday: Read and annotate the Etheridge Knight poem for Tuesday.

MIDTERM:
Your work this week is to prepare for your midterm next week. If you have questions, please see me. Here are the instructions and rubric again: AP midterm and rubric: AP Midterm and rubric

If you would like some sample introduction letters, you can look at these multi-genre papers. These are semester long projects, so the actual projects are different, but the letters are similar to what I am looking for. Specifically, think about the context of the novels or texts, what big ideas it made you think about and how those ideas translated. Engaging and vibrant writing is always expected. Tantalize us.
http://www.users.muohio.edu/romanots/mgrpapers.htm

Note: This will be the entire midterm in terms of grades, although you will be writing an in-class essay which will count on Quarter Two.

Happy New Year!

It is hard to believe it is already 2014! This week your work will focus around Poetry Out Loud and then poetry analysis as we close out this semester. Specifically, here are your assignments:

Tuesday: Memorize second poem for Poetry Out Loud. Performance will be on block day.
Block day: Complete Poetry Multiple Choice to discuss on Friday.
Friday: Read and annotate Etheridge Knight poem, "The Idea of Ancestry" for Tuesday, following the TPCASTT model. Brainstorm genres for Midterm. Here is the assignment and rubric, in case you need another copy: Midterm assignment and rubric