English (H/SAS) P. 4

 

Narrative Unit

2 November 2009

Narrative Book Report

Due 30 November 2009

 

IMPORTANT: This is a no excuses assignment. It is due on or before 30 November. No assignments will be accepted after 30 November. If you are ill, the assignment must be delivered to Mrs. Wexler’s mail box in the main office or emailed to Mrs. Wexler by noon on 30 November. To receive the five points extra credit, Mrs. Wexler must have the assignment by 3:00 PM on 25 November (the last school day before the Thanksgiving holiday). If you email me the assignment, I will grade it and make comments electronically and then you will have the assignment returned to you quickly. I do not expect, nor do I want to see, a rough draft of the assignment.

 

I will be posting a style guide for this assignment. The style that we use is MLA formatting. There is no cover page. You will use the following font: Times New Roman, 12 point. The paper must be keyboarded (typed). Please see me if there is a problem with typing the book report.

 

Type of book: Mystery (you must show me your selection by Friday, 6 November 2009). No anime, manga, Twilight series or Harry Potter series books. Your book must have a minimum of 150 pages.

 

The title of the paper will be the name of the book (underlined) and the author.

 

Paragraph One WHAT: Give a synopsis of the book. Each paragraph must have a minimum of seven sentences.

 

Paragraph Two WHO: Who is the main character of the book? What is this character’s main character trait (not a physical trait)? You must give two examples from the book that will back up your assertion. You must state the page number from the book after the citation. Each paragraph must have a minimum of seven sentences.

 

Paragraph Three WHERE and WHEN: Where does the book take place? Describe the location. When does the book take place? Each paragraph must have a minimum of seven sentences.

 

Paragraph Four WHY: Why is there a mystery? How does the problem get set up? Be specific. Each paragraph must have a minimum of seven sentences.

 

Paragraph Five HOW: How is the mystery resolved? Be specific. Each paragraph must have a minimum of seven sentences.

 

Remember: This is no room for “I” (or me, my, mine, and so forth) in this narrative book report. You will lose points each time you use these pronouns.

 

20 October 2009

Copy the following words into your English notebook. Write the definitions for each word. Use your literature textbook for the definitions.

"The All American Slurp"

Vocabulary (page 495)

stated theme: expressed directly from the author
implied theme: suggested, or stated, indirectly
drawing inferences: reaching conclusions based on evidence
emigrated: left one country to settle in another
etiquette: acceptable social manners
consumption: eating, drinking, using up
plight: awkward, sad, or dangerous situation
jubilation: great joy, triumph
rue: regret
fallow: inactive, unproductive
pluperfect: the past perfect tense of verbs in English
inflections: the changes in the forms of words to show different tenses
smugly: in a way that shows satisfaction with oneself
chow mein: thick stew of meat, celery, and Chinese vegetables
systematic: orderly

Reading Strategy: Drawing Inferences

What can you infer based on the Lins' surprised reactions to the raw vgetables? (page 497)

What can you infer about the narrator after reading this paragraph? (#4 on page 498)

How does the narrator feel about her family's behavior? (page 502)

What can you infer about the Lins' dinner customs based on the narrator's reaction to the Gleasons' actions? (page 503)

Literary Analysis: Theme

What does the narrator's statement about almost passing for an American suggest that the theme might revolve around? (page 499)

What lesson is the narrator learning about people's experiences? (page 503)

Reading Checks

Why is the narrator embarrassed? (page 497)

What does the reader think is wrong her appearance? (page 499)

Why does the Lin family slurp their soup? (page 501)

What happens when the Gleasons come over to the Lins' for dinner? (page 503)
 

6 October 2009

Copy the following words into your English notebook. Write the definitions for each word. Use your literature textbook for the definitions.

"Breaker's Bridge" Vocabulary (page 391)

character traits: the qualities that determine a person's or character's personality and actions
theme: the message of the story
cause: the reason why something happens
effect: the result
obstacle: something that stands in the way
writhing: twisting and turning
piers: heavy structures supporting the sections of a bridge
executioner: one who carries out a death penalty imposed by the courts or a ruler
immortals: beings who live forever

"Dragon, Dragon" Vocabulary (page 433)

plot: the sequence of events arranged a problem, or conflict
exposition: introduction of the problem of the plot
rising action: development of the problem of the plot
climax: turning point of the story / plot
falling action: after the problem is solved in the plot
resolution: how the problem turns out in the plot
compare and contrast: when you examine similarities and differences
plagued: tormented
ravaged: vilently destroyed, ruined
tyrant: cruel, unjust ruler
reflecting: thinking seriously
craned: stretched out one's neck for a better view

29 September 2009

We are currently reading "Dragon, Dragon" in class. Students were assigned this as reading homework tonight. We will discuss the story tomorrow in class. There will be a quiz on Friday (October 2).

9 September 2009

We will be doing several 'getting-to-know-you' activities this week. It
should prove to be fun and enlightening.

As many of you know, you were to read a book on the reading list over the
summer. There will be an in-class essay this Friday (9/11). Be prepared to
write. You may use your book for citations.