English 11A Project Descriptions
Listed below are all of the project descriptions for English 11A. Scroll down to the corresponding folder to begin the project. Any written projects can be submitted by e-mail to [email protected]. Any projects requiring presentation can be done in person, or, if the project is online, can be turned in via e-mail. You must write a five paragraph essay for each unless noted otherwise.
After turning in a rough draft, please continue on in the class.
After turning in a rough draft, please continue on in the class.
New World Project
For this project, you’ll be writing a persuasive essay. A persuasive essay is as the name implies: an essay that aims to persuade. Your primary goal is to convince the reader to agree with your stance on an issue. Thomas Paine wrote about a topic he felt very passionate about, declaring independence from Great Britain. He did so with a combination of logical and emotional appeal, as well as his own credibility as an intelligent man.
You will be writing your own persuasive essay about a topic of your choice. Persuasive essays can be on a variety of topics. I will let you write on any topic you’d like, but I must approve it first. I encourage you to choose school topics, but that is not required. You may write about why you think the American colonies should have stayed with Great Britain, or you may write about why you think The Eagles are the greatest thing to happen to music. Politics often makes a good topic. Like Barack Obama? Tell me why he’s a great President. Think he’s garbage? Let me know why.
The choice is yours, but remember, I have the final say. You won’t be able to write an essay about why blue is better than green. Your topic must be a complex issue that has two or more sides and be controversial enough to afford an argument (you can’t argue that gravity doesn’t exist).
Your essay must meet these criteria:
Before you start your essay YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517) 667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 5 to 7 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference with me before you can start your essay. There is no excuse for not conferencing, and any rough draft turned in before conferencing will not be accepted.
After we conference and I clear you to begin, you will create your first draft. Once you complete that, you must submit it to me through e-mail. I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.
You will be writing your own persuasive essay about a topic of your choice. Persuasive essays can be on a variety of topics. I will let you write on any topic you’d like, but I must approve it first. I encourage you to choose school topics, but that is not required. You may write about why you think the American colonies should have stayed with Great Britain, or you may write about why you think The Eagles are the greatest thing to happen to music. Politics often makes a good topic. Like Barack Obama? Tell me why he’s a great President. Think he’s garbage? Let me know why.
The choice is yours, but remember, I have the final say. You won’t be able to write an essay about why blue is better than green. Your topic must be a complex issue that has two or more sides and be controversial enough to afford an argument (you can’t argue that gravity doesn’t exist).
Your essay must meet these criteria:
- Your essay must have an introduction, at least three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
- Your essay must use all of the modes of persuasion (logic, emotion, and credibility). You must appeal to your reader's sense of logic and emotional senses.
- Your essay must include at least three cited sources of information. Sources may be in print or online. Your essay must have a bibliography with proper citations (see easybib.com) as well as parenthetical citations for information used in the essay that did not come from your own brain. We will talk about citations and formatting in your conference.
- Your essay must be at least two pages, double spaced, in Google Docs.
Before you start your essay YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517) 667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 5 to 7 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference with me before you can start your essay. There is no excuse for not conferencing, and any rough draft turned in before conferencing will not be accepted.
After we conference and I clear you to begin, you will create your first draft. Once you complete that, you must submit it to me through e-mail. I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.
America's Voice Project
One of the things you're going to be doing throughout English 11 and 12 is analyzing how literature was influenced by the time period. It is important to remember that events in history will have an effect on the writing of that time period.
Each folder begins with an assignment that asks you to connect literature to the ideas and events of a time period. In this folder, we're going to take that a step further. From the selection of readings in the America's Voice folder, you're going to select one to analyze.
Your analysis will focus on how ideas and/or events from between 1800 and 1865 influenced your chosen story. It will be written in at the 5 paragraph essay format with an introduction, at least three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
In your introduction, you should identify what piece of literature you're looking at and introduce your thesis. Identify clearly what aspect from the years 1800 to 1865 you are connecting your story to. Below are some example theses:
If you were writing about Harriett Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, you would want your thesis to state:
"Harriett Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin depiction of the inhumane treatment of African slaves by their slave owners in early America reflects the what abolitionists resented about slavery."
Or, if you were looking at Caroline Lee Hentz's The Planter's Northern Bride, you might word a thesis as:
"The Planter's Northern Bride reflects the good that southerners saw in pre-Civil War southern society."
Your body paragraphs should look at three different things that are reflected in your story. Each should have at least one quote used as evidence. For this, you will be using the Compass text for citations, so you'll refer to sections and pages.
Your conclusion, as always, should restate your thesis and make mention of the main idea of each of your body paragraphs.
Your essay must be at least three full pages long, double spaced, and has a font size of 12, and have 1 inch margins. The margins are by default 1 inch in Google Docs, but you will have to change the spacing to double spacing and the font size to 12.
Be sure to refer to your notes on the reading you choose and the first lecture video in the America's Voice folder. If you did not take notes, you're going to have to go back and search for the information.
Before you start your essay YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517) 667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 5 to 7 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference with me before you can start your essay. At the conference, I will give to you a worksheet to begin using for your writing. That worksheet will help you organize your essay before beginning.
Each folder begins with an assignment that asks you to connect literature to the ideas and events of a time period. In this folder, we're going to take that a step further. From the selection of readings in the America's Voice folder, you're going to select one to analyze.
Your analysis will focus on how ideas and/or events from between 1800 and 1865 influenced your chosen story. It will be written in at the 5 paragraph essay format with an introduction, at least three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
In your introduction, you should identify what piece of literature you're looking at and introduce your thesis. Identify clearly what aspect from the years 1800 to 1865 you are connecting your story to. Below are some example theses:
If you were writing about Harriett Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, you would want your thesis to state:
"Harriett Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin depiction of the inhumane treatment of African slaves by their slave owners in early America reflects the what abolitionists resented about slavery."
Or, if you were looking at Caroline Lee Hentz's The Planter's Northern Bride, you might word a thesis as:
"The Planter's Northern Bride reflects the good that southerners saw in pre-Civil War southern society."
Your body paragraphs should look at three different things that are reflected in your story. Each should have at least one quote used as evidence. For this, you will be using the Compass text for citations, so you'll refer to sections and pages.
Your conclusion, as always, should restate your thesis and make mention of the main idea of each of your body paragraphs.
Your essay must be at least three full pages long, double spaced, and has a font size of 12, and have 1 inch margins. The margins are by default 1 inch in Google Docs, but you will have to change the spacing to double spacing and the font size to 12.
Be sure to refer to your notes on the reading you choose and the first lecture video in the America's Voice folder. If you did not take notes, you're going to have to go back and search for the information.
Before you start your essay YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517) 667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 5 to 7 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference with me before you can start your essay. At the conference, I will give to you a worksheet to begin using for your writing. That worksheet will help you organize your essay before beginning.
Realism and Frontier Realism Project
For this project, you will be writing a narrative essay. A narrative essay is a story that follows a strict “this leads to this, and then this leads to that, and so on” structure. You are basically telling a story about yourself with all of the events in chronological order. Here is a crappy example:
I woke up at 5 AM and had breakfast, then I got dressed. Then I brushed my teeth. I put on my coat and walked out the door . I got in my car and turned it on and then I drove to school. When I got to school, I sat at my desk and started checking my e-mails. Then, some students came into my classroom and got some computers. I had them sign them out. And then I…”
That is a narrative story, but it is a boring one. You will be creating an exciting one! Narratives should be about a particular time that was important to you and made a lasting memory. They can take place over any span of time. You can write about a single day, a week, a month, a year, or your entire life. All I ask is that is be something important.
You’d like some example stories? Okay! You can write about…
-that one time I went to the mall and ate a bunch of jelly beans, and then threw them up all over some lady.
-that week you went to summer camp and had a great time with your friends.
-that month when your mom was in the hospital.
-that year you lived in Australia and fought a kangaroo.
The requirements I have are simple: create a story that is true and about you. Before you write, you must tell me your topic. I just need to know before you start, and I likely won’t turn you down. You have two ways you can create a story:
Before you start your essay I encourage you to conference with me. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517)667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 5 to 7 PM), we can talk then. We'll discuss you story plans and what material you have that you want to write about. Additionally, if you can any questions, I can answer those for you.
Once you complete your rough draft, you must submit it to me through either Odyssey Writer, Google Docs, or e-mail. Within 24 hours, I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.
I woke up at 5 AM and had breakfast, then I got dressed. Then I brushed my teeth. I put on my coat and walked out the door . I got in my car and turned it on and then I drove to school. When I got to school, I sat at my desk and started checking my e-mails. Then, some students came into my classroom and got some computers. I had them sign them out. And then I…”
That is a narrative story, but it is a boring one. You will be creating an exciting one! Narratives should be about a particular time that was important to you and made a lasting memory. They can take place over any span of time. You can write about a single day, a week, a month, a year, or your entire life. All I ask is that is be something important.
You’d like some example stories? Okay! You can write about…
-that one time I went to the mall and ate a bunch of jelly beans, and then threw them up all over some lady.
-that week you went to summer camp and had a great time with your friends.
-that month when your mom was in the hospital.
-that year you lived in Australia and fought a kangaroo.
The requirements I have are simple: create a story that is true and about you. Before you write, you must tell me your topic. I just need to know before you start, and I likely won’t turn you down. You have two ways you can create a story:
- Write a three page story. The story should be double spaced, font size 12. Write your story in Google Docs to make sure you get three pages.
- Create a ten minute long video story. You must be the main character in your narrative.
Before you start your essay I encourage you to conference with me. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517)667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 5 to 7 PM), we can talk then. We'll discuss you story plans and what material you have that you want to write about. Additionally, if you can any questions, I can answer those for you.
Once you complete your rough draft, you must submit it to me through either Odyssey Writer, Google Docs, or e-mail. Within 24 hours, I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.
Depression and Reform Project
The 1920's and 30's in America were characterized by sweeping changes in how the government interacts with the people.
Along with changes in government, we also saw some radical changes in how people got their stories, as well as changes in what stories they heard. The "Lost Generation" of writers emerge from the rubble of World War I and write from their experiences they each had during and after that time. Ezra Pound, one of the poets you read poetry from, was one of them. F. Scott Fitzgerald is also a part of this group and wrote mainly about the Jazz Age culture of the 1920s, criticizing it for its focus on debauchery and materialism. African American culture enters the mainstream with jazz and the Harlem Renaissance, an emergence of a large number of African American poets whose poetry focused on the experiences and struggles of African Americans in the United States.
Radios were becoming much more commonplace in American homes. Though today they are mainly used by people driving to enjoy music or win tickets to concerts, back in the early 20th century they were used for much more. Sports fans could listen to their favorite teams play. Radio dramas, stories told on the radio, were a way people could entertain themselves, tuning in the same way people watch TV today. The radio became a conduit for people to hear the news. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was notable for using radio as a way to speak to the American people during the Great Depression in his "fireside chats," in which averages Americans could tune in to hear the President speak about his plans to get out of the depression and reassure the nation that things were going to get better.
For this assignment, you are going to create a 5 minute radio broadcast. The nation is in crisis. You are the President of the United States, and your task is to reassure the nation that your administration is doing all it can to make things better for the lives of average Americans.
You're going to select a current issue or event that you feel is a major problem that the United States must solve. You're going to:
The entire broadcast must last at least 5 minutes. You can use any device to record it (e.g. smart phone, iPad, or computer), but it must be audio only. No visuals can be included. Remember, radio is a purely audial medium; graph, charts, video, or pictures cannot be used. You will be graded on your ability to define the problem you want to fix, create and articulate a plan, and logically defend why your plan will work and why other plans will not.
A while back, Barack Obama gave a speech to the American people that basically follows my format exactly (seriously, it's like he read my instructions and then wrote a speech based off of them). I've included the YouTube link below for you to use as a reference.
And you really should check it out, because it's good.
http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/12/07/president-obama-oval-office-terror-speech-full.cnn
Additionally, here is the transcript if you want to read it too:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/12/06/address-nation-president
Along with changes in government, we also saw some radical changes in how people got their stories, as well as changes in what stories they heard. The "Lost Generation" of writers emerge from the rubble of World War I and write from their experiences they each had during and after that time. Ezra Pound, one of the poets you read poetry from, was one of them. F. Scott Fitzgerald is also a part of this group and wrote mainly about the Jazz Age culture of the 1920s, criticizing it for its focus on debauchery and materialism. African American culture enters the mainstream with jazz and the Harlem Renaissance, an emergence of a large number of African American poets whose poetry focused on the experiences and struggles of African Americans in the United States.
Radios were becoming much more commonplace in American homes. Though today they are mainly used by people driving to enjoy music or win tickets to concerts, back in the early 20th century they were used for much more. Sports fans could listen to their favorite teams play. Radio dramas, stories told on the radio, were a way people could entertain themselves, tuning in the same way people watch TV today. The radio became a conduit for people to hear the news. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was notable for using radio as a way to speak to the American people during the Great Depression in his "fireside chats," in which averages Americans could tune in to hear the President speak about his plans to get out of the depression and reassure the nation that things were going to get better.
For this assignment, you are going to create a 5 minute radio broadcast. The nation is in crisis. You are the President of the United States, and your task is to reassure the nation that your administration is doing all it can to make things better for the lives of average Americans.
You're going to select a current issue or event that you feel is a major problem that the United States must solve. You're going to:
- Explain what the problem is and how it came to be.
- Present a plan to fix said problem, outlining how you're going to execute that plan.
- Identify at least one competing plan to your plan and explain why their plan won't work.
- Explain to the American people why your plan is going to work.
The entire broadcast must last at least 5 minutes. You can use any device to record it (e.g. smart phone, iPad, or computer), but it must be audio only. No visuals can be included. Remember, radio is a purely audial medium; graph, charts, video, or pictures cannot be used. You will be graded on your ability to define the problem you want to fix, create and articulate a plan, and logically defend why your plan will work and why other plans will not.
A while back, Barack Obama gave a speech to the American people that basically follows my format exactly (seriously, it's like he read my instructions and then wrote a speech based off of them). I've included the YouTube link below for you to use as a reference.
And you really should check it out, because it's good.
http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/12/07/president-obama-oval-office-terror-speech-full.cnn
Additionally, here is the transcript if you want to read it too:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/12/06/address-nation-president
The Bean Trees Project
For this assignment, you will be writing a literary analysis of The Bean Trees.
Many of the English writing assignments are analytical in nature. Compare and contrast, cause and effect, argumentative writing; all are forms of analytical essays, and all of them have appeared as assignments for you at some point.
Literary analysis often seeks to explain how and why a piece of literature was written, focusing on how the author developed the story (usually connecting to their own life), or what message they wanted to send to the world with their story. Henry David Thoreau advocated in his book Walden that you don't have to support a government if you don't agree with it, even going as far as to refuse to pay taxes. He called it "civil disobedience." Perhaps a literary analysis topic could be how Thoreau's message was shown in his story.
Compare and contrast is a possible option. You can compare and contrast two stories, The Bean Trees and another story of your choosing, and write an essay focused on how they are similar or how they are different. You will choose some specific thing to focus on, such as the motif and motherhood, and explain how both stories use that as part of the story in the same way or in a different way.
You could analyze the use of cause and effect in a story. How do events cause other events to happen? How does a character's actions advance the conflict and plot? For example, how does Taylor's youth and naivety affect her choices and actions as they pertain to the plot? You'll be taking an aspect of the story and analyzing how it has an effect on the story.
Argumentative writing is also an option. Produce an argument relating to a piece of literature and back it up with facts from the essay. You must take a stance relating to a character, event, idea, etc., and convince the reader that your interpretation and thoughts are correct. It will look a lot like a persuasive essay with a focus on The Bean Trees. This one is a bit more nebulous but offers up a lot of options.
Before you start your essay YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517) 667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 8 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference before you can start. If you don’t you will receive no credit for your project and have to do it over again. If there is a conflict in conferencing, we can work something out. There is no excuse for not conferencing.
After we conference and I clear you to begin, you will create your first draft. Once you complete that, you must submit it to me through either Odyssey Writer or e-mail. Within 24 hours, I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.
Many of the English writing assignments are analytical in nature. Compare and contrast, cause and effect, argumentative writing; all are forms of analytical essays, and all of them have appeared as assignments for you at some point.
Literary analysis often seeks to explain how and why a piece of literature was written, focusing on how the author developed the story (usually connecting to their own life), or what message they wanted to send to the world with their story. Henry David Thoreau advocated in his book Walden that you don't have to support a government if you don't agree with it, even going as far as to refuse to pay taxes. He called it "civil disobedience." Perhaps a literary analysis topic could be how Thoreau's message was shown in his story.
Compare and contrast is a possible option. You can compare and contrast two stories, The Bean Trees and another story of your choosing, and write an essay focused on how they are similar or how they are different. You will choose some specific thing to focus on, such as the motif and motherhood, and explain how both stories use that as part of the story in the same way or in a different way.
You could analyze the use of cause and effect in a story. How do events cause other events to happen? How does a character's actions advance the conflict and plot? For example, how does Taylor's youth and naivety affect her choices and actions as they pertain to the plot? You'll be taking an aspect of the story and analyzing how it has an effect on the story.
Argumentative writing is also an option. Produce an argument relating to a piece of literature and back it up with facts from the essay. You must take a stance relating to a character, event, idea, etc., and convince the reader that your interpretation and thoughts are correct. It will look a lot like a persuasive essay with a focus on The Bean Trees. This one is a bit more nebulous but offers up a lot of options.
Before you start your essay YOU MUST CONFERENCE WITH ME. If you are at school now, come find me and we’ll talk. If it is after school, you send me an e-mail or text ([email protected] or (517) 667-8468 ), and request a day and time. If it is during my after-hours times (Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 8 PM), we can talk then.
Remember, you must conference before you can start. If you don’t you will receive no credit for your project and have to do it over again. If there is a conflict in conferencing, we can work something out. There is no excuse for not conferencing.
After we conference and I clear you to begin, you will create your first draft. Once you complete that, you must submit it to me through either Odyssey Writer or e-mail. Within 24 hours, I will return it to you with my marks and notes. You will revise your essay and make any changes you would like. After this is done, you will submit your final draft to me.