Partition of India Resources

• The Partition of India (interactive)
• Timeline: Bangladesh
• Pakistan and Bangladesh

Resources

• 2010-2011 Course Syllabus: PDF/iPaper
• Independent Reading Project | Project Ideas

Aphorism Books:

• Sample Aphorism Book (PPT format)

Research Paper Resources:

If you filled out the “Organizing Research – Problem” worksheet digitally, please submit it here.

• Sample Note Cards (PDF)
• Sample Bib Cards (PDF)
• Blank Note Card Template (PDF)
• EasyBib.com (site)
• Organizing Information – Problem (Word doc)
• Organizing Information – Solution (Word doc)

Course Resources

• 2010-2011 Course Syllabus: PDF/iPaper
• Independent Reading Project| Project Ideas

• Magic Realism Prezi

MLA Works Cited Practice

Use these sites for your in-class practice:

1. http://klarbooks.com/academic/catholic.html
2. http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h17-am3.htm
3. http://www.pbs.org/opb/conquistadors/home.htm
4. http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/Latin.html

For formatting, the site easybib.com may be useful.

Resources

• 2010-2011 Course Syllabus: PDF/iPaper
• Cultural Research Projects

However, it would be incredibly boring if I just told you about the cultures we’ll be encountering. So instead, you will be taking on the task of researching various aspects of the cultures of the Americas, Southwest and South Central Asia, Africa, and East Asia.

Project Guidelines

In groups of 4-5, you will select a topic related to a culture or country that we will examine through literature. At the beginning of each unit of literature, I will provide some sample topics for research; for example, when we cover Persia and read a chapter from Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel Persepolis (which is in my classroom library), an appropriate topic might be the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

As a group, you will be responsible for doing the research on your given topic and eventually presenting it to the class. All presentations must include a visual element of some kind. (If you prefer to use Powerpoint to base the presentation around, please notify me so that I can make arrangements to use a lab with a projector. Be warned, however, against reading all of your research directly from the presentation.) In addition, the responsibilities in presenting must be equally distributed among the group members; it would be recommended to find sections of material under the topic and have each member be responsible for presenting that material. Presentations should ideally be about 8-10 minutes long.

Each project will be worth 50 points for each member and will be graded on proper language use, accuracy of sources, effective use of visuals, neatness and organization, and documentation.

A research project will be due every quarter, and the deadlines will vary since they will be coordinated with the literature we are studying. Sign-up for the first unit on the Americas will begin in mid-September. More information about documentation methods will be provided as well as the projects approach.

[Word file]

• Character astrology signs. After reading brief descriptions of the astrology or sun signs, figure out which signs you think three of the main characters from your book were born under. Write a detailed explanation of why you think they fit the sign, drawing on their actions, attitudes, and thoughts from the book.†
• Heroes and superheroes. Select at least three people (real or fictional) your character would think of as a hero or superhero. Describe the characteristics of the heroes and why those characteristics would be important to your character. Also describe which characteristics your character would most want for himself or herself that the hero or superhero possesses.*
• Create a childhood for a character. If your main character is an adult, try to figure out what he or she would have been like as a child. Write the story of his or her childhood in a way that shows why he or she is the way he or she is in the novel.*
• Critique from the point of view of a specific organization. Select an organization that might have a lot to say about the actions or portrayals of character in the novel you read, and write a critique of the book from its point of view. For example, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals might have a lot to say about Lennie’s treatment of animals in Of Mice and Men, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on the portrayal of Crooks, and the National Organization of Women on the portrayal of Curley’s wife and the fact that she was never given a name.*
• Social worker’s report. If the events in the novel merit it, write up a report as a social worker would on the condition in the home and whether or not it’s a good environment for a child. For example, if a social worker went to the McNab’s house in Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, how would she describe the home and parenting style of Mr. McNab? What would her recommendation be?*
• College application. Create the application that a character you have just read about could write and submit to a college. Use all the information you know about the character and infer and create the rest of it. On the application, include Name, Academic Rank in Class, High School Courses Taken and Grades, Extracurricular Activities and Personal Activities, and Work Experience. Choose one of the following questions to answer in a two-page essay from the character’s point of view: What experience, event, or person has had a significant impact on your life? Discuss a situation where you have made a difference. Describe your areas of interest, your personality, and how they relate to why you would like to attend this college.*
• School counselor’s recommendation letter. Write a summary appraisal from the school counselor’s point of view that assesses the character’s academic and personal qualities and promise for study in college. The college is particularly interested in evidence about character, relative maturity, integrity, independence, values, special interest, and any noteworthy talents or qualities. Why do you feel this student would be well-suited to attend college?*
• Talk show invitation. Select a character, think about his or her involvements and experiences, then figure out which talk show would most want your character as a guest. What would they want the character to talk about? Who else would they invite on the show to address the issues the character is involved in? Write the correspondence between the talk show host and the character in which the host explains what the character should focus on while on the show. After the show, have them exchange on more letter mentioning how they felt about what happened on the show.*
• Movie recommendations. From all the movies you’ve seen in the last couple of years, pick five that you would recommend that your character see. Give a brief summary of each movie and explain why you think the character should see it. Your response should be at least 2 paragraphs long for each movie (one summary, one explanatory).†
• Create a home page. Select several characters and design a home page for each of them picking out appropriate backgrounds and pictures and then creating information that would tell a viewer about your character. Also create links to at least five sites that you think your character would be interested in. Then write up and post on the page an explanation of how you made the decisions you did and what you believe this tells us about the character.*
• Chat room conversations. Imagine that your character has found other people to talk with while in a chat room he or she found while surfing the Internet. Describe the chat room your character was in and why your character would be drawn to the kind of group that operates the chat room. Then construct the conversation your character had with others while in the chat room.*
• E-mail directory. Create the e-mail directory of all the people you can imagine your character keeping in touch with on e-mail. Explain why you selected the people you did and what it shows about your character. Then construct several exchanges between your character and some of the people in your character’s directory.*
• Word collage. Write the title of the book in the center of a sheet of paper. Then look through magazines for words, phrases, and sentences that illustrate or tell something about your book. As you look, think in terms of the theme, setting, and plotline, as well as characters. Work to get fifty (50) such words, phrases, or sentences so that the whole sheet of paper will be covered. The visual impact of the collage should tell a potential reader a lot about the book. Additionally, attach a response of no fewer than 2 paragraphs taking some of the words you included and explaining their interrelatedness and their relation to the book.†
• Yearbook entries. Imagine what three or four characters from your novel were like in high school. Cut out a picture of a person from a magazine to represent each character. Mount one picture per page and under each picture place the following information which you will create: Nickname of character; activities; clubs; sports they were in and what years; class mock award such as “class clown”; quotation that shows something about the person and what is important to him or her; favorites such as colors and foods; a book that has had a great impact on him or her; voted “most-likely-to” what?; plans after high school.*
• Letter exchange. Create a letter exchange between a character and the author or write a series of self-reflective letters from several characters on what the character learned about himself, others, and life.*
• Awards. Create an award for each of the main characters based on their actions in the novel. One might be awarded “most courageous” for fighting peer pressure; another might be awarded “wisest” for the guidance he or she gave other characters. For each award, write a paragraph that explain why this character deserves this award.*
• Dream vacation. Where do you think your character would most like to go on a vacation? Pick a spot, describe it, and explain why he or she would want to go there or download information from the Internet on the place. Then write a day-by-day itinerary of what the character would do each day and why you think the character would enjoy this activity.*
• Scrapbook. Think about all the kinds of mementos you would put in a scrapbook if you had one. Then create a scrapbook for your character, cutting out pictures from magazines or drawing the mementos he or she would have in a scrapbook. For instance, Willie in The Crazy Horse Electric Game by Chris Crutcher would probably have something in his scrapbook to represent his baby sister, his love of baseball, his accident, his experiences in L.A., and so on.*
• Photos or magazine pictures. Find two or three photos or magazine pictures that would have special significance to your character. Mount them on a sheet of paper and write an explanation (of at least a full paragraph each) of why they would be important to your character.†
• Music. After reading a novel, figure out how you would divide the book into sections. Then select music that you think captures the feel or tone of each section. Put together a CD of this music (in the correct order) and include an explanation of what is happening in the novel during the piece of music and why you felt this piece of music fit the section of the novel.†
• Poetry. Write three or more poems in response to the novel. The poems can be about the characters, where the book took place, or the themes in the book. The poems should be no less than 25 lines (combined total).†
• File a complaint. Adapt the persona of one of the characters who you feel was portrayed in a sexist or racist manner. Write a complaint explaining what you feel was unjust in your portrayal and explain the actions you would like the author to take to remedy the biased portrayal.*
• Tangible or intangible gifts. Select a character and figure out what two or three things you believe your character most needs or wants. Draw or cut out pictures to represent these “gifts” and write to your character an explanation of why you picked these things for him or her.*
• Talk to the author. Write a letter to the author of the book responding to the story either positively or negatively. If there are parts of the novel that seem unfair to a character, come to that character’s defense; if there are parts that do not seem to make sense, point them out and ask the author for clarification on what his/her vision was for this particular element of the novel. (If the author is alive, consider revising the letter and sending it to them via the book’s publisher – potential extra credit!)†
• Opinion column. Write an opinion column like those that appear on the editorial page of the newspaper. Choose a theme or topic from the novel you just read and write the column from the point of view of one of the characters. For example, your character might write about the importance of education or why we should accept people who are not like us.*
• Character monologue. Select an event in the novel that is viewed differently by the various characters. (For instance, Willie in Crazy Horse Electric Game, his girl friend, his mom, dad, and friends all had different views on his running away.) Then write two or three character’s opinions on the same event in the form of a monologue (one person talking to him-/herself).*
• Voicemail message. Messages on voicemail boxes are often very creative, reflecting the interests and idiosyncrasies of the owner. Select five characters from the novel you have just read and create a voicemail message from each of them. Pay particular attention to diction and tone. †
• Found poems. Select a chapter from the novel you have just read that you consider powerful or interesting. Then select words, lines, and phrases that you think project strong images and show the impact the chapter makes. Arrange this material into a poem.*
• Name analysis. Select a few of the characters from the novel. Look up each of their names in a name book to see what the name means. Write all the meanings down and then write a short essay explaining (for each character) in what ways the name is suitable and in what ways the name does not fit the character.†
• A character’s fears. One way we get to know characters is to think deeply about them and make inferences based on their actions and on what they and others say about them. Through a person’s actions, we can learn what they fear, what they want to avoid the most. Select several characters from your novel, and write a short essay on what you believe they fear the most and what evidence you used to come to this conclusion.†
• Current events. Select five current news or feature stories from a news outlet (e.g. television, magazines, online news sites) that you think would interest your character. Then explain how your character would respond to each of the stories and the opinions your character would have about what was happening in the story.†
• Advertisements. To show your understanding of a character, go through several magazines and newspapers looking for advertisements of goods you think your character would like. Cut out the pictures, mount them on a poster board, and under each picture write a few lines about why this product would appeal to your character.*
• Pamphlet. Think of an issue that was very important to your character. Then create a pamphlet aimed at persuading others of the importance of the issue. Include factual information, testimonials, pictures or graphics, etc. For instance, Charlotte from The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle might want to create a pamphlet explaining the reasons women should have more life choices.*
• Draw a scene. If you are artistic, think of an important scene and draw it the way you see it. Place the characters in the scene, too, and then figure out where you were in relation to the characters when you read the book. Then write or record (audio or video) your explanations of why you drew the scene the way you did and why you think you were where you were in the scene. What does it tell you about who you related to in the novel? (Explanations should be no less than 1 full page typed or 2 minutes recorded.)†
• New acquaintances. Select two characters. Then think about three to five people, living or dead, that you would like your characters to meet. Write about how you selected these new acquaintances and what you’d like the character to learn from the people you introduced to him or her. For instance, after reading The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, you might want Charlotte to meet Sojourner Truth so she can see other women who do important work, or Madame Curie who worked in a field not many women ever entered, and so on.*
• Community resources for characters. After looking in the phone book and on the Internet, create a file of community resources that would help a character in your novel cope with an issue. If the main character has alcoholic parents, you could collect pamphlets, names of self-help groups, and any agencies that address the problem. Then create a display board so others can see what is available.*
• Family history. Create the history of the family of one of the main characters in your novel. For instance, in Spite Fences, what would mama’s life have been like? What major events affected her family? How were such things as holidays and birthdays celebrated? What is important to this family?*
• Create a character’s room. We learn a lot about people by what they keep in their closets, what they have on their walls, what they select to put in a room. Select a character you know well and create a living room, bedroom, kitchen, or some other room that would mean a lot to the character. Draw it or write about it, making sure to include an explanation of why you designed the room as you did.*
• CD collection. Compile a CD collection for a character you know well, being sure that the collection includes music that expresses as many aspects of the character as you are aware of.*
• Character dialogue. Write or record (audio or video) a dialogue between two or more characters in your book discussing the events or major issues of the book. Each character should retain his/her distinct voice from the book. Alternate: You may also pair up with another classmate and create a dialogue between characters from different books, discussing a given issue (ideally, one common to both books) from the different perspectives.‡Graphic novelization. Take one or two scenes or chapters from the book and draw the events in the form of a graphic novel (a series of frame-by-frame illustrations, similar to a comic book). You may take some artistic liberties with dialogue, characterization, and other elements.‡

All books should be age-appropriate (no children’s books) and a substantial length. You don’t have to read volumes for this assignment, but don’t think that you can get away with reading a very short book just to get the assignment done. Forget about length and read for enjoyment so that you can digest the book well and respond to it. (You can find a list of recommended books here.)

Project Guidelines

In order to verify that you have read your book and read it thoroughly, you will also complete a project as a part of this assignment. This project will not be the typical book report sort of assignment – you will need to engage the major ideas in the book you read in order to complete the assignment, not merely provide plot summary. You should dig deeper.

A list of suggested ideas can be found here. Other ideas can be proposed and approved with me.

Each project will be worth 50 points and will be graded on proper language use, clear connection to book, creativity/originality, neatness and organization, and evidence of effort.

Other Things You Need to Know

• You may only read one book in a series (Harry Potter, Twilight, etc.).
• You will need to choose a different type of project for each book as well.
• There may be some opportunities to join up with one other classmate for a joint project, but you will each have to read a different book.

Deadlines

PDF download