To remind you, the following summative writing pieces are due on Monday. Any late assignments will be accepted; however, students who do so will forfeit the opportunity to rewrite for improved grades.

1. Thematic Analysis Informal Essay: Identify the main idea that the novel suggests; the theme at the heart of the story and the author’s purpose for telling the tale. Support your statement of the novel’s controlling idea with reference to key story details
2. Write at least one paragraph thoroughly explaining how a previous diploma exam questions connects to the controlling idea of your novel.
3. Find a poem, story, or visual that fits with the same diploma exam question. Write at least one paragraph thoroughly explaining how a previous diploma exam questions connects to the controlling idea of your selected short text.
4. Write a Personal Response to Literature using your diploma exam question, novel, and short text.

You can download a copy of the Literature Circle assignment overview here.

You can download a copy of the Personal Response assignment here.

If you did not select a short text, you may choose from these to complete this assignment.

You can download a copy of the Jan. 2007 diploma exam standards of writing here.

1. Literature Circle – We had a meeting today and the next meeting is on Tuesday. Please continue your reading and bring selected passages to each meeting to discuss.
2. Complete the Comprehension Strategies worksheet. As per the sheet, read the appropriate selections in the textbook Writing Themes on Literature. Make notes which demonstrate your understand of the literary elements as they apply to the text “The Large Ant,” by Howard Fast.
3. Read these three poems. Choose one that believe best thematically connects with Fast’s story. They all have much in common with the story, so you preference may be based on your personal level of enjoyment. Make thorough annotations of these thematic links, as you will be asked to write a short essay on this in Monday’s class.

Update: In today’s class we wrote our 250 word essay analyzing the shared theme between “The Large Ant” and any of the three poems above.  This informal essay must contain a thesis and cite specific textual evidence as per MLA guidelines [download those guidelines here].

Download a copy of the story here.

Answer these analysis questions.  Answer in full sentences – always give specific textual evidence through quotations or paraphrase to support your beliefs and arguments.  You may work with a partner if you wish.  Save to the Shared folder or put in your Learning Log when you are finished.

1. On Monday, March 21, the day you return from March Break, we will write a unit test on Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night. The expectation is that you reread the book during your holiday, slowly and thoughtfully, so you gain a deeper understanding of the significant events he experienced during the Holocaust and the people he encountered. This test will consist of 20 multiple choice questions, 8 significant quotes identification, and a written response question (which you can preview here). This is an open book test, but you will only have 85 minutes to complete it. No rewrites.
2. As you’ve been reading, you should have been creating a character chart. This chart is due on Monday, March 21. See the unit assignment for a full description of this chart.
3. On Tuesday, March 22, we will share your Personal Presentations. See the previous post for a full description of this assignment.
4. We are going to have an essay writing intensive review on Wednesday, March 23.
5. Finally, on Thursday and Friday, March 24 -25, that week you will have two periods in which to write your first Critical Response essay. You have already been given your potential topics. I strongly recommend that you prepare for this essay during March Break.

* Updated test information

When asked why he became a writer, Elie Wiesel responds by speaking of those who did not survive to tell their stories:

I owe them my roots and memory. I am duty-bound to serve as their emissary, transmitting the history of their disappearance, even if it disturbs, even if it brings pain. Not to do so would be to betray them, and thus myself.

Ask yourself, to what human events must you bare witness?  Each of us has been in the position to bare witness to a significant event of human suffering or human celebration.  There are events, or stories, that we carry with us, which have become part of us and the way we see the world.   These may be our own experiences, the experiences of others we have witnessed, or the experience of being told someone else’s story.

What true story do you carry with you?  What true story do you know which you not only should share with the world, but must share, because it offers insight into our shared narrative and the human condition?

Do not minimize the significance of your experiences and observations by comparing them to Elie Wiesel’s.  Every human story that contains truth is important.

Your Assignment:

In a short personal presentation, bare witness to a true story of human suffering or celebration.

In telling that story, you should answer the following questions:

• What happened?
• Why did it happen?
• What were your thoughts about the story at the time it happened?
• What are your thoughts about the story now?
• How does your story relate to the way you see yourself and others?
• What lessons does your story teach others?

You will be asked to share this story with others following March Break on Tuesday.

Assessment

This is a formative assignment, worth 5 marks (equivalent to 5 journals or worksheets).  However, if you were unhappy with your Research Presentation mark, you may replace it with this assignment as a summative assessment

An I-Search is a semester-long assignment that will help you to develop many skills.  It is an inquiry, or type of research assignment, and as such requires you to pose a question and then look for answers.

You will look for answers in three pieces of literature that have something in common.  You may choose a genre study; for example, you could examine three different mystery stories.  You may choose an author study; for example, you could read some of Margaret Atwood texts.  You may choose a thematic study; for example, you might read three texts that all explore a human’s desire for escape.

Once you have found answers to your question, you will write an Inquiry Report.  In this report you will write a formal literary analysis essay.  However, you will also be asked to practice metacognitive learning strategies, which means you will reflect on the internal process of completing this project: what you did, how you did it, and what you learned as a result.

Why?

You will be given minimal time to complete this assignment in class and will be required to work on this report on your own time, teaching you responsibility and initiative, as well as goal setting and time management.

You will create a lengthy piece of writing, demonstrating the critical skills you have developed throughout your learning in an academic program.  This report is indicative of the type of writing that will one day be required of you in a university program.

Text Selection

Your first text must be a novel.  You may choose your Literature Circle novel or another novel you have previously read and enjoyed.  The second text must also be a novel, but one that is new to you.  For your final text, you may select a third new novel or select a short story, a film, or a poem; however, you must have this text approved by your teacher before proceeding with your Inquiry.

How do I proceed?

There are four phases in an I-Search and they are outlined below. Your inquiry will culminate in an Inquiry Report.

Phase 1:  Until March 22^nd

Begin formulating an idea of what texts you would like to read for your I-Search. By either choosing texts that are interesting to you and then beginning to develop a suitable question, or by choosing a question and then seeking out appropriate texts, you should have a good idea how you would like to proceed with this project.  Begin reading, selecting and discarding books that you believe will best suit your intention for this project.

Phase 2: March 22^nd – May 3^rd

You will have six weeks to fully immerse yourself into your reading, making notes as you go that will help you with your I-Search.  Inquiry Progress Reports will be completed during this time.

Phase 3:  May 5 – May 26

Write your Inquiry Report.  Communicate regularly with your teacher throughout this process. Rough draft progress check to be completed on May 19.

Your Inquiry Report is due Wednesday, May 26, 2010.

Phase 4:  June 3, 4, 5

I-Search Presentation – You will present your Inquiry question and results to the class.  An essential part of this project will be to visually represent your conclusion in a way that is visually interesting and creative.

You can download the entire assignment here, which includes suggestions for note-taking strategies, sample questions, and assessment criteria.

Remember, this is a self-directed assignment.  You are responsible for finding texts, creating and adhering to personal deadlines, and maintaining effective note-taking strategies.  Class time will not be provided.  You are also responsible for asking for additional help when it is needed.  Your teacher can help you track down texts, refine and develop your question, and proofread drafts, but only at your request and on your own time.

Download the PowerPoint to view the entire assignment.

These should be done for Monday’s class; however, I will accept them until the end of the week.   Make them visually appealing as I would like to display them in my classroom.

1. Wednesday, Feb 16 – page three to the first sentence on page six (journal #1)
   
2. Thursday, Feb 17 – page six to page 12 (ending with “it was ruled by delusion.”) (journal #2)
   
3. Friday, Feb 18 – page 12 to 22 (the end of the first section). We also completed this worksheet in class. Mrs. Stewart was away attending a conference.  (journal  #3)
   
4. Monday, Feb 22 – page 23 to 28.  (journal #4)
   
5. Tuesday, Feb 23 – page 29 to 46.  (journal #5)
   
6. Wednesday, Feb 24 – no journal
7. Thursday, Feb 25 – page 47 to page 56 (ending with “I had lost my crown for nothing.”) (journal #6)
   
8. Friday, Feb 26 – page 56 – 64 – no journal response is due Monday. See post on Blackout Poetry
9. Monday, Mar 1 – PowerPoint discussion and assignment, read pages 66 – 84 for homework. Know this chapter well for tomorrow’s discussion.
10. Tuesday, Mar 2 -  read page 85 – 97 for tomorrow’s class.
    
11. Wednesday, Mar 3 -  pages 98 – 103.   (journal #7)
    

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PART I -  Daily Response Journal (2 marks per journal entry; formative assessment)

A journal is a student’s ongoing record of ideas, thoughts, experiences and reflections.  Your reading journal will represent your own personal dialogue with the novel. It is designed to provide the foundation for original literary analysis. Think of it as a conversation that you are having with the novel as you are reading it. You want to continually be relating to and making connections with the text.

Response Journal Criteria

1.    Ideally your response should reflect on specific moments or passages in the text, rather than making sweeping generalizations about the events.  Identify the specific page to which you are referring and, ideally, copy key words and phrases from the text to strengthen your response.

2.    An entry must be a minimum of ½ page typed (approximately 250 words) or one full handwritten page (single spaced).  Underdeveloped responses will be marked as insufficient.

3.    You will write an entry every day on the reading conducted during class.  You may not always be given class time in which to complete this.  Place in your learning log.  The week’s entries will be checked several times throughout the week.

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PART II -  Character Charts (5 marks; formative assessment)

There are many characters in Night, many of whom are only in the text for a brief time.  Most of the names are unfamiliar in Canadian English, thus it can be difficult to remember the details of their lives.  However, each character has an important impact on Wiesel’s experience during the Holocaust and is important to understanding the memoir’s themes.

As you read, you are responsible for creating a character chart.  This may take any form you like, but it must include details such as:
•    a brief summary of the events surrounding each character,
•    the characteristics of that person’s personality, motivations, etc.
•    the impact they have on Elie Wiesel or his father
•    any thematic connections to the overall understanding of the text

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PART III -  Personal Presentation (5 marks; formative assessment)

To what extent are we all witnesses of history and messengers to humanity?

In an informal personal presentation, you will bare witness to a significant event of human suffering or celebration.  This will take place at the end of the unit.  More information to follow.
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PART IV -  Critical Response to Literary Text (major assignment; summative assessment)

The Critical / Analytical Response to Literary Texts Assignment asks you to demonstrate your understanding of a literary text that you have studied in detail in your ELA30–1 course. You will be asked to write an essay about how the topic is reflected in the ideas developed by the text creator. You are expected to write a thoughtful, well-developed essay in which you synthesize your thinking about both the topic and your interpretation of your text.

Possible essay topics include:

•    Discuss the idea(s) developed by Elie Wiesel in Night about the effects of adversity of the human spirit.

•    Discuss the idea(s) developed by Elie Wiesel in Night about the interplay between fear and foresight when individuals make life-altering choices.

•    Discuss the idea(s) developed by Elie Wiesel in Night about the ways in which individuals struggle to restore honour and certainty.

While you will not be assessed on your preparation for this essay, it is strongly recommended that you organize your ideas and plan your supporting evidence while reading the text.

A brief essay writing intensive review will precede this assignment

Download a copy of the assignment here.

The only written component of this assignment is your Works Cited. As discussed in class, you must adhere to the Modern Language Association’s (MLA) standards for writing. You can download a copy of the PowerPoint shown in class, and a comprehensive guide to writing a Works Cited (published by University of California Berkeley)

Preview the rubric with which you will be assessed.