Project Overview
Welcome to your Final Project for English II - World Literature. Your goal is to become an expert on a particular country by completing several tasks that are intended to assess your mastery of English II CORE Curriulum Standards. This is a group project. You will have class time to complete some of the tasks; however, much of it will be done on-line using collaborative software. Failure to not follow directions, to not complete every task, and/or to not put forth your very best effort could have major consequences on your final grade.
Here is a basic breakdown of the assignments and points for this project.
Here is a basic breakdown of the assignments and points for this project.
project_breakdown.docx | |
File Size: | 13 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Process
STEP 1: Students will individualy choose one piece of literature from the Contemporary Literature section of their textbook. Students should consider both the piece and the country of origin when making a decision. Reading the background information on each selection will give you a quick overview before choosing. Students will also complete a worksheet (Independent Worksheet) on their chosen piece. This worksheet will serve a purpose in the upcoming group project, so take your time and do a good job. You may access the workhseet here: Independent Worksheet.
Students may choose from the selections below:
· “A Good Day” from Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi (Italy)
· “The Huger Artist” by Franz Kafka (Austria/Czech Republic)
· “The Ring” by Isak Dinesen (Denmark)
· Selected poems by Anna Akhmotova (Russia)
· “Song of a Citizen” by Czeslaw Milosz (Poland)
· Selected sonnets by Pablo Neruda (Chile)
· Selected poems by Octavio Paz (Mexico)
· “The Night Face Up” by Julio Carazar (Argentina)
· "Tuesday Siesta" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia)
· “The Censors” by Luisa Valenzuela (Argentina)
· “Life is Sweet at Kumansenu” by Abioseh Nicol (Sierra Leon)
· “Dead Man’s Path” by Chinua Achebe (Nigeria)
· “After the Deluge” by Wole Soyinka (Nigeria)
· “The Train to Rhodesia” by Nadine Gordiner (South Africa)
· “The Prisoners Who Wore Glasses” by Bessie Head (South Africa)
· “The Norwegian Rat” by Naguid Mahfouz (Egypt)
· “Laments on the War Dead” by Yehuda Amichai (Israel)
· “The Jay” by Yasunari Kawabata (Japan)
· “An Astrologer’s Day” by R.K. Narayan (India)
· “Love Must Not Be Forgotten” by Zhang Jie (China)
· “Quang Binh” by Y Nhi (Vietnam)
· “Ocean of Words” by Ha Jin (China)
STEP 2: Students will be assigned to a group. Each group will participate in an initial discussion. The intended purpose of this initital discussion is to come to a consensus on the piece of literature (and country) in which the final project will be based upon. Once the piece of literature has been selected, ALL students will read that story and brainstorm ideas for the upcoming Analysis Essay. Students will complete the Group Discussion worksheet as a group.
group_discussion.docx | |
File Size: | 11 kb |
File Type: | docx |
STEP 3: Students will need to attend “workshops” on a variety of topics in order to better their understanding on specific aspects of the final project and, thus, improve their grade. Here’s the catch -- some of the workshops will be held at the same time. Your group will have to send “representatives” to each workshop and then report back to the group. Workshops will include:
a. Charity Navigator, Research, Cause and Effect - For the student who did well on the cause and effect essay.
b. Literary Analysis Essays, Google.docs - For the student who did well on close readings and analysis.
c. Web Page Development - For the "leader" of the group. This workshop will provide an overview of the project.
d. Commercials and Persuasive Techniques - For the student who did well on the persuasive unit/essay.
e. How to Get an "A" on Oral Presentations - For your best notetaker.
Workshops will be conducted by English II teachers and Media Specialists.
STEP 4: The entire project will be done using weebly.com software. Your group will create a professional looking web page. The web expert (the one who goes to the workshop) will set up the web site, add group members as editors, and begin creating the home page.
Browse the rest of this web site for sample web pages, directions, and rubrics. You do not have to set your web site up like this one, but all of the following pages must be present:
Literary Analysis page
Rhetorical Tourism page
Research page
Group Updates Blog
Below is a detailed rubric for the website's first three pages. They are worth a combined 150 points. They are a group grade. The fourth page, Group Update Blog, is worth 20 points for each individual student. Students should go to the Group Updates Blog page for more details on how they will be graded for that particular page.
web_site_overview_rubric.docx | |
File Size: | 16 kb |
File Type: | docx |
STEP 5: On the day of your final exam, you will present your "country" to the class. Your presentation must include analysis and rhetoric; it must be 5-10 minutes in length (per group); and everyone must present equally (or close to it). A rubric is provided below.
individual_oral_presentation_rubric.docx | |
File Size: | 11 kb |
File Type: | docx |
CORE Curriculum Standards:In creating these pages, your group will have demonstrated that you have reached nearly all of the tenth grade Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts.
Reading Key Ideas and Details 1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing to support conclusions drawn from the text. 2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. 3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact throughout a text. Craft and Structure 4. Interpret words/phrases as they are used in a text, including technical, connotative, and figurative meanings; analyze how specific word choices shape meaning/tone. 5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text relate to each other and the whole. 6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. 9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity 10. Read complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently. Writing Text Types and Purposes 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. 2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. Production and Distribution of Writing 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 5. Develop writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, and rewriting 6. Use technology to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others. Research to Build and Present Knowledge 7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. 8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. 9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis and research. Range of Writing 10. Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. Speaking and Listening Comprehension and Collaboration 1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. 2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas 4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations. 6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. Language Conventions of Standard English 1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage. 2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. Knowledge of Language 3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style. Vocabulary Acquisition and Use 4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases. 5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language and word relationships. 6. Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words. |
21st Century Skills:In creating these pages, your group will have demonstrated mastery in all of the essential 21st Century Skills.
• Global Awareness • Financial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial Literacy • Civic Literacy • Health Literacy • Environmental Literacy • Creativity and Innovation • Critical Thinking and Problem Solving • Communication and Collaboration • Information Literacy • Media Literacy • ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) Literacy • Flexibility and Adaptability • Initiative and Self-Direction • Social and Cross-Cultural Skills • Productivity and Accountability • Leadership and Responsibility |