English 9 - Mr. Ubriaco

You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture.
    Just get people to stop reading them.
~ Ray Bradbury

English 9:   Journal requirements for First Semester – Quarter 1
see assignment choices below

Overview: Journal entries are an opportunity for you and I to carry on a discussion about the work of literature you have chosen and/or explore the work in a creative way.  Every week is an opportunity for you to hand in your journal to earn your points towards your A.  But you need to hand in a journal on the appropriate assigned day of the following weeks beginning on:  Oct. 16 & Oct. 30.  In order to submit your journal for credit, you must read 50 pages or more since your previous entry. 

Additional requirements:

• Turn in your journal on time (in class)
• Write the required # of pages for a genuine reflection/reaction.  The quality of your thought is the most important consideration in the grade you receive for your journal entry. Say something.
• Start your entry with the proper heading: see classroom
• Answer any question(s) I posed in the previous entry
• Include one direct quotation from the section you have most recently read

Grading: 

There are two categories of entries you can choose from this quarter.  All assignments from Category A can earn you up to five points.  All assignments from Category B can earn you up to 10 points. All assignments from Category C can earn you up to 15 points. The goal is to accumulate as many points as you can by the end of the quarter.  Here is the grade break down:

A= 15 points

B = 12 points

C = 9 points

D = 6 points

F = 4 points or lower

0 = nothing turned in

So, if you do one Category A assignment each week (there are 3 weeks) and earn five points on all of them, you will have accumulated 15 points, which will earn you an A.

If you do 2 assignments-from category B and earn 7 points on both of them, you will have accumulated 14 points, which will earn you a B.  If you then do one more assignment from Category A and earn the full 5 points, then you will have accumulated a total of 19 points, and yes, that earns you an A.

So you see there is almost an endless combination of ways for you to earn an A.  Now you ask, “What if I earn enough points in the first three weeks to earn an A?  Do I then no longer have to write entries fro the rest of the quarter?”  The answer is yes!  You are then free from the task of journal entries for that quarter.  Any other questions?  If not, then lets proceed to our choices for this quarter.

Note:  The amount of points needed to earn an A will change each quarter, depending of the amount of time we have (The big print giveth, the small print taketh away – Tom Waites)

Assignment Choices
Reading Journal Topics for 3rd Quarter - 2007

20 points - A; 16 points - B; 12 points - C, 8 points - D

Due Dates are during the following weeks: 3/12 & 3/26

Category A - 1  full page per entry
(worth up to five points each)

_____ 1.  Letter:  Write a letter to me about your novel.  It must include a) a quote from the text and b) a literary element (ex: setting, characterization, theme, irony, symbolism, etc..).  Be sure not to write a plot summary.  Say something meaningful!

_____ 2.  Is there a minor character or an event that plays an important part in the plot?  Identify this character or describe this event and explain what impact the minor character or event has added to the plot (Avoid plot summary).

_____ 3.  Identify several metaphors/similes from your novel, copy them down, and then explain what idea the author is trying to get across with these metaphors/similes.

______4.  Choose the most important quote/information from your travel book and explain why you have chosen it.  Discuss with some depth.

_____ 5.  Create your own (must be pre-approved)

Category B – Must be Two full pages!
(each worth up to ten points)

_____ 1.  Create your own.  Must be pre-approved.

_____ 2. Point of View:  Discuss why the author’s choice of point of view and narrator is essential to the story.  Be sure to identify if it is 1^st person, 3^rd person, or omniscient point of view.

_____ 3.  Choose two passages from the book that reveals important conflicts/obstacles to your character. Copy both passages and discuss whether or not your character overcomes these conflicts and why.  Also discuss if the conflict has changed the character in any way.

_____ 4.  Create a power point of your novel that covers at least five literary elements.  Include quotes from text for each element and explain why they are a strong example of that element. 

_____ 5. Find a print source (editorial, magazine or newspaper article) that you can connect to the text.  Try to connect the article to one of the themes of the novel.  Try to go beneath the surface.  Be sure to attach a copy of the article.

You can only choose category C (15 points) once you have finished your book.

_____ 8.  Theme:  Say something!  What was the most important message or lesson you think the author was trying to get across?

_____: Total points earned