Quarter 4 Independent Reading Project

For this quarter, you may create either a book poster or a tunnel book. The project is due on May 23. Please turn in the grading sheet with your completed project.

Movie Poster Grading Criteria:

1. Color picture (either your own drawing or a synthesis of two or more pictures from the Internet)
2. Book Title in an appealing font
3. Includes the phrase, “Based on the novel by _(author’s name)_”
4. Poster measures 22”x28”
5. Includes a catch phrase that hints at a central theme of the novel
6. Includes a casting list at the bottom of the poster indicating which celebrities will play the roles of the main characters. (For example, “Featuring Denzel Washington as Okonkwo”)
7. On the back of the poster, include your name and the number of pages you read out of the total number of pages in the book.
8. Overall professional appearance

Tunnel Book Grading Criteria:

1. Includes at least 8 frames
2. Each frame includes 1-3 pictures cut from a magazine
3. Frames are sequenced from front to back to show the main plot developments in the novel
4. The title of the book and the name of the author are included on the front frame
5. Frames measure at least 6”X6”
6. On the back, include your name and the number of pages you read out of the total number of pages in the book.
7. Overall professional appearance

Sprint 4 Video links

We are watching portions of two video series during class. The following links will take you to the first video in each series:

The Martian Chronicles

The Cold War

Sprint 3 Assignments

1. Propaganda worksheet (from field trip)
2. Three-way Venn diagram comparing French, Russian, and Chinese Revolutions
3. Read Maus I & II
4. Original comic describing your own experience of reading Maus
5. WWII presentation
6. MLA citation of sources for presentation

WWII Presentation Assignment

• Presentation lasts 15-20 minutes (no more, no less)
• Minimum of 3 sources (books, documentaries, reliable websites, interviews) cited in MLA format on the final PowerPoint slide
• 1 of the sources is a primary source (indicated by an *)
• Visuals enhance the presentation
• PowerPoint pictures are large and there is not too much text (bullet points)
• Includes interesting connections to pop culture
• Combined total time for all video clips is no longer than 5 minutes
• Presentation is interactive, involving the students in the class
• Presenter doesn’t just read a PowerPoint, but actually explains it

Topics

1. The Great Depression (focus on Europe, particularly Germany)
2. The WWII Lineup: Major Alliances and Key Political Leaders
3. German anti-Semitism (include discussion of the Night of Broken Glass)
4. Italian facism (Mussolini)
5. National Socialist German Workers' Party (AKA: Nazi; include discussion of Nazi Youth)
6. Nazis: myths and bizarre facts (human experimentation, the occult, treasure, etc.)
7. Hitler’s life—How did he become a monster?
8. British perspectives on WWII (Churchill; role in the war; how it affected civilians)
9. French perspectives on WWII (include a discussion of the French Resistance)
10. German perspectives on concentration camps (include a discussion of concentration camps)
11. Technology during WWII
12. War on the homefront
13. Major Battles of the European Theater (includes maps)
14. Major Battles of the Pacific Theater (include maps)
15. Japanese perspectives on atomic bombs (include influence on anime and manga)
16. Walt Disney's WWII propaganda
    

Creative Non-fiction Writing Assignment

1. Write a short creative nonfiction piece. Creative nonfiction is a type of writing that uses literary techniques (like the poetic devices we have studied in class) to report on actual people, places, and events. It includes various types of writing spanning from nature and travel writing to biography, memoir, or interview.

2. Please keep this project short. It should be 350—700 words (use your word processor word count function). You will need to overwrite at first and then cut out any words that are not absolutely essential. This process will make your final draft much sharper than your first draft. Put the final word count at the top right-hand corner of your assignment.

3. Pack your sentences with fresh poetic devices and strong images. Use the five senses. Focus on capturing a few moments with words. Slow down and show the details.

4. Avoid clichés like the plague (hah!).

5. Like a good poem, your piece should have a “turn” in it. In other words, your reader should have at least one “aha” moment where suddenly his understanding is expanded or opened up. He should look at your subject in a new light because of this “turn.”

6. Please select one of the following topics:

• An old family photograph
• A small moment that became a turning point in your own life
• A moment in your life that will be in your children’s history books
• An everyday object that says something important about you and/or your world

7. If you need inspiration, browse some of the short essays from past issues of the online journal for creative nonfiction called Brevity (http://www.creativenonfiction.org/brevity/pastissues.htm).

8. Your final draft should be typed, 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced. Include a creative title. Make sure you read your final draft aloud to someone for final editing.

9. The final draft is due on Thursday, April 28 at the start of class.

Speaking of Figures

A simile is like a pair of glasses
set up on the kitchen windowsill.
A metaphor is Tabasco sauce
sprinkled on clam chowder.
This word
is a symbol for experience.
This line is not punny at all.
I just don't get allusions;
they are my Waterloo.
Personification sneak
into my writing every now and then.
In school I hated writing—
do you see the irony?