Differentiated Instruction: Enrichment Projects & Activities...Differentiated Instruction:...

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Grade 10

Differentiated Instruction: Enrichment Projects & Activities

Differentiated Instruction: Enrichment Projects & Activities, Grade 10

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iii© EMC Publishing, LLC Differentiated Instruction: Enrichment Projects & Activities

CONTENTS

Selection Projects & ActivitiesUnit 1: Fiction Connections Through the Tunnel 1 Science Connection Project: Decompression Sickness The Masque of the Red Death 2 Informational Text Activity: Symptoms and Effects of the Plague On the Rainy River 3 Independent Author Study: Tim O’Brien from The Kite Runner 5 Cultural Connection Project: Traditional Sports and Games

Unit 2: Nonfiction Connections from My Left Foot / from The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 7 Figurative Language Activity: Autobiographical Metaphors from Desert Exile 9 Social Studies Project: An Educational Tour of Modern Japan Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People 11 Historical Context Project: The Journal of a Freedom Seeker Getting It Right at Ground Zero 12 Literature Connection Activity: Finding Thematic Links

Unit 3: Poetry Connections Making a Fist 13 Science Connection Project: Motion Sickness from Holidays 14 Literary Style Study: From Prose to Poetry Poetry 15 Primary Source Project: Interview an Author Immigrants 17 Author Study: Hispanic Authors

Unit 4: Drama Connections The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act I 19 Internet Research Activity: Finding Information About Act I The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act II 20 Social Studies Project: The Role of Women in the Roman Republic The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act IV 22 World History Project: Pivotal Battles Antigone 24 Political Science Project: Tyranny versus Democracy

iv © EMC Publishing, LLCDifferentiated Instruction: Enrichment Projects & Activities

Unit 5: Folk Literature Connections Orpheus 25 Humanities Research Project: Visions of the Underworld The Drowned Maid, from The Kalevala 27 Cultural Connection Project: The Arts and Nation Building from The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha 28 Literary Style Study: The Chivalric Style from The Iliad 30 Heroic Character Study: Types of Heroes

Unit 6 The Legend 32 Primary Source Project: Found Poems Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket 34 Informational Text Activity: Finding Relevant Information Miriam 35 Literature Connection Activity: Comparing Ghost Stories The Hitchhiker 37 Urban Legend Study: Create Your Own

Unit Projects & Activities

Unit 1 Studying Famous Characters from Literature 39

Unit 2 In-Depth Study of a Primary Source 42

Unit 3 Delivering an Oral Interpretation of a Poet’s Work 45

Unit 4 Understanding Julius Caesar’s Rome 48

Unit 5 Studying the Origins of Fantasy and Folk Tales 51

Unit 6 In-Depth Study of an Author and Novel 54

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

UNIT 1 1© EMC Publishing, LLC Differentiated Instruction: Enrichment Projects & Activities

Through the Tunnel, page 26

SCIENCE CONNECTION PROJECT

Decompression Sickness

In “Through the Tunnel,” Jerry works hard to expand his lung capacity for a long free dive. If he had been scuba diving using compressed air, he would not have needed the same preparation. Recreational divers wearing compressed air tanks routinely stay underwater for half an hour or more at depths of up to one hundred feet. Professional divers must often work longer and at greater depths. Divers carefully monitor their air supply so that they do not run out of air. However, scuba diving has other hazards as well. One is decompression sickness (DCS), also known as the bends. In this activity, you will study the science behind DCS and write a narrative combining accurate scientific information with a story line of your own invention.

Start with Research

Using Internet or print sources, research the condition known as decompression sickness, or DCS. Answer questions such as the following:• What causes DCS?• Under what conditions does a person typically get DCS?• What are the symptoms of DCS?• What measures can prevent this illness?• How is someone suffering from DCS treated? Write notes and record any questions you may have about the science behind the illness. Then get together with two or three other students and share your knowledge about DCS. Use this opportunity to clarify your questions about its causes and effects.

Write a Story

Using your research, write a narrative about a person who experiences DCS. Be as imaginative as you like about the setting and situation. The victim may be you, writing in first person, or it may be a fictional diver, astronaut, or other susceptible person. Include only information about DCS that is in accordance with your research. Keeping the writing lively and the science sound, describe the situation, symptoms, and medical response.

Present and Reflect

Present your narrative to the class. Afterward, invite your audience to ask questions. Then get together in small groups and make a list of the facts that interested, surprised, or impressed you the most about decompression sickness. Share your group’s observations with the class.

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

UNIT 12 © EMC Publishing, LLCDifferentiated Instruction: Enrichment Projects & Activities

The Masque of the Red Death / Questions and Answers About Plague, page 68

INFORMATIONAL TEXT ACTIVITY

Symptoms and Effects of the Plague

Readers of Poe’s story “The Masque of the Red Death” can find many parallels between the plague Poe calls the Red Death and a pandemic known as the Black Death. The Black Death, or bubonic plague, decimated a third of Europe’s population in the fourteen century. This plague struck terror in the heart of medieval society because it was utterly unfathomable and because infection meant almost certain death. In this lesson, you will research the bubonic plague to learn its symptoms and effects on individuals and the whole of medieval society. You will complete a chart comparing and contrasting the Black Death with Poe’s invented Red Death. Then you will discuss how a historic understanding of bubonic plague enhances your understanding of Poe’s story.

Get Started

Begin by reading “The Mask of the Red Death,” on pages 68–73. As you read, fill out column 2 in the Evidence Chart below. Next, read the Informational Text Connection “Questions and Answers About Plague,” on pages 75–76 of your textbook. Then research bubonic plague using books and websites that discuss the history, symptoms, and effects of the plague. Use information from those sources to complete column 3 of the chart.

Topics Red Death (Poe’s plague) Black Death (Bubonic plague)

Symptoms

Course of illness

Effects on individuals

Effects on society

Analyze Social and Literary Contexts of Plague

With your classmates or in a small group, answer the following questions:• What were the short-term effects of the bubonic plague pandemic of the 1300s?• What were the long-term effects of the bubonic plague on individuals and

society (including the Church and governments)?• What similarities do you see between the Black Death and Poe’s invented Red

Death? What differences do you see?• How do you think Poe wanted readers to feel about the Red Death?• What might Poe have wanted the Red Death to symbolize?

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


On the Rainy River, page E41

INDEPENDENT AUTHOR STUDY

Tim O’Brien

Tim O’Brien’s short story, “On the Rainy River,” is part of The Things They Carried, a collection of stories about the Vietnam War. Several of these stories were based on O’Brien’s own experiences as an American soldier who was drafted for military service in 1968. Although many consider O’Brien primarily a writer of war stories, O’Brien’s stories go beyond the war experience to reveal the human experience: the struggle between right and wrong, courage and cowardice, hope and despair, and truth and illusion. In “On the Rainy River,” O’Brien writes about a moral dilemma that he faced in his own life: whether he should serve his country despite his own antiwar beliefs or face the humiliation and shame of being branded a draft dodger. Although the conflict was real, the circumstances of the story were not. This blurring of the lines between truth and fiction—or, as O’Brien calls it, “happening-truth” and “story-truth”—is called metafiction, a technique that O’Brien uses throughout this story as well as other stories in The Things They Carried. To understand this literary technique, read O’Brien’s explanation for his creation of “On the Rainy River”:

None of it’s [this story] true. Or very little of it. It’s—invented. No Elroy, no Tip Top Lodge, no pig factory….I’ve never been to the Rainy River in my life….But, although the story I invented, it’s still true, which is what fiction is all about….It’s for getting at the truth when the truth isn’t sufficient for the truth. The pig factory is there for those dreams of slaughter—they were quite real inside of me. And in my own heart, I was certainly on that rainy river, trying to decide what to do, whether to go to the war or not go to it, say no or say yes. The story is still true, even though on one level it’s not; it’s made up.

In this writing assignment, you will use O’Brien’s metafiction technique to create “a true story that never happened.”

Get Started

The title of the short story collection The Things They Carried has a double meaning: On one level, the title refers to the many objects that the soldiers carried during the Vietnam War. These objects included pocketknives, gum, malaria tablets, C rations, mosquito repellent, can openers, and Kool-Aid packets, as well as weapons and mine detectors. On another level, the title refers to the things that humans carry within their hearts and minds: love, compassion, memories, responsibilities, burdens. To play off of this idea, ask yourself the following questions and write your answers on a separate piece of paper:

• What objects do you carry every day in your pockets, wallet, backpack, gym bag, or purse?


• What emotions do you associate with these objects?• What stories surround these objects? • What do these objects say about you as a person? Next, choose one of the objects as the basis of your story. Think of this object as the trigger that initiates the storytelling process. For example, if you carry a favorite photograph in your wallet, you have a treasure trove of ideas to work with for your story. If you carry a favorite object in your pocket, you have the basis for an interesting story as well. For example, if you carry a souvenir such as a key chain, you could write a story about your memories of the trip where you purchased the key chain, or you could write about the meaning of a particular key that the key chain holds. No matter what object you choose, you will need to show a struggle or internal conflict that you experienced and that you associate with the object that you carry. You will also need to show how the impact of that experience shaped who you are. Finally, you will use metafiction to tell your story, blending actual events with embellished details to make the story interesting.

Connect and Create

For this writing assignment, follow the format of “On the Rainy River” to tell your own story. Here are your writing guidelines for the first draft of your story:

I. Introduction. Begin your story by confessing what object you carry with you at all times and hint at the emotion that you associate with that object. Just as O’Brien reveals the ending of his story in advance, briefly discuss the insights you learned from the experience represented by that object.

II. Body. Introduce a flashback to the incident and then relate the rest of the story in chronological order. Use vivid details to embellish the story and make it interesting for readers (use of metafiction). Be sure that the incident shows an internal conflict or struggle.

III. Conclusion. Finish your story by revealing what decision you made, path you chose, or lesson you learned. In other words, explain how that incident shaped who you are. Offer an explanation as to why you continue to carry that object.

Check and Reflect

Exchange your story with another classmate to get his or her reaction to your story. Be sure to correct any errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar that your classmate marks on your paper, and write a final draft of your story. When you have finished the assignment, answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper:

1. How do “the things we carry” offer insight into our identities?

2. How does the use of metafiction or manipulation of the actual events help the writer approach difficult memories?

3. Does knowing that O’Brien used metafiction to relate his ethical dilemma in “On the Rainy River” change your feelings about the story? Explain.

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


from The Kite Runner, page E54

CULTURAL CONNECTION PROJECT

Traditional Sports and Games

Kite fighting is a key element in Khaled Hosseini’s book The Kite Runner, which is excerpted on pages E54–E60. This sport is practically unknown in the United States, but in Hosseini’s Afghanistan, it was an exciting winter tradition. Most nations or regions of the world have their own unique sports and games like kite fighting. Some of these are vigorously surviving, while others are withering away in the bright lights of information technology and Western culture. In this activity, you will describe a traditional sport or game from another culture and demonstrate an aspect of the sport or game for the class.

Get Started

Conduct some preliminary research into national or regional sports or games. (Exclude international sports and games, such as basketball and chess, from your study.) You might begin with a country and investigate its traditional recreations. Alternatively, you might start with the general subject of sports and games, and look at examples that are particularly associated with one region or nation. From your research, choose two sports or games that you think are interesting, and prepare a note card about each of them. Model your cards on the example shown below. Fill out information for the source that gave you the most complete description of that sport or game.

Country

Sport or game

Brief description

Source

Research in Depth

In class, combine your cards with those of the other students, mix the cards, and place them facedown on a desk. Choose any two of the cards. Then select one of the sports or games that you have chosen at random to research further.


Start your research by referring to the source recorded on the card. Find at least two other reliable print or Internet sources that give information about the activity. Record these new sources on the card. As you conduct your research, create an information sheet that includes facts about the following areas:• origin of sport or game• where and when played• number of players• equipment needed• description of field, board, or other playing surface• brief summary of rules• status today

Rehearse and Present

Rehearse your oral presentation using the notes on your information sheet. Concentrate on important rules and aspects of the game. Don’t get involved in giving too many details. Remember, your aim is to describe and explain a tradition, not coach a team! Now select an aspect of your topic that would be suitable for a practical demonstration in front of the class. If you are not able to perform the entire activity in confined quarters and with limited resources, choose a specific technique to demonstrate or a piece of equipment to exhibit. If necessary, organize partners to assist in the demonstration. Practice your oral presentation and practical demonstration until you feel comfortable integrating these two elements into a single performance. Finally, present your information and practical demonstration to the class. If appropriate, invite audience members for hands-on participation in your activity.

Reflect

After all presentations and demonstrations have been completed, answer the following questions.

1. Is the game or sport you researched one that you would enjoy playing? Why or why not?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

2. How likely is it that your game or sport would find participants in modern North American culture? Explain your assessment.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


from My Left Foot / from The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, page 133

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE ACTIVITY

Autobiographical Metaphors

In My Left Foot, Christy Brown speaks of his mother pulling down a brick wall that stands between himself and his siblings. In The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Jean-Dominique Bauby refers to himself as living inside a diving bell. In both cases, the authors are using metaphors to help readers understand their difficult lives. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken or written about as if it were another. My heart was a stone is a metaphor. On the face of it, the statement is completely untrue. One’s flesh-and-blood heart cannot be a stone. However, there is often more to a statement than its face value. The true meaning of this metaphor depends on its context. Perhaps the writer was sad and means that his heart felt as heavy as a stone. Or perhaps the writer was feeling pitiless and means that her heart was as hard as a stone. Metaphors give power to our thoughts by letting us use words in new ways, thus encouraging our readers to view the world from a different perspective. Understood metaphorically, the “wall” that stands between Brown and his siblings prevents communication, and the “diving bell” isolates Bauby from the outside world. In this activity, you will create metaphors about your own life and design a poster incorporating these autobiographical figures of speech.

Get Started

Use the following exercise to practice thinking about life metaphorically.

1. Hand this page to a partner and ask him or her to quickly write four nouns on the lines below. These nouns should name tangible objects, not abstract ideas. They might be geographical landforms, household appliances, or tools from the workplace.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

2. Take your paper back and read the nouns. Then choose two of them to use to construct metaphors starting with the words “My life is a…” Include a brief explanation of your metaphor.

Example: My life is a computer. It is full of things I will never understand.

Metaphor 1: ______________________________________________________________________

Metaphor 2: ______________________________________________________________________


Write Life Metaphors

The previous exercise was a fun way to get you to start thinking about how metaphors can be used to describe life. Now consider metaphors that actually describe your life as you experience it. In a chart like the one below, jot down at least five nouns that come to mind when you think about your life. Then use each word in a metaphor—for example, My life is a journey, A new window opened for me that day, or I was in a swamp of self-doubt.

Word to Use Used as Metaphor

Design a Poster

Choose one of the metaphors you listed in the chart above, and design a poster in which you elaborate on that metaphor. Your poster should include the following items:• an autobiographical metaphor used in a short paragraph that expands creatively

on your central figure of speech• photographs, drawings, or other images chosen to illustrate your metaphor Create your poster, taking care to integrate text with visual elements. Present your poster to the class and then display it as part of a gallery of metaphorical self-portraits.

Reflect on Figurative Language

After completing your poster presentation, rewrite your autobiographical paragraph in straight prose, without using metaphorical language. Compare the two paragraphs and answer the following question: Which paragraph is more effective? Explain how and why it is more effective.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


from Desert Exile, page 144

SOCIAL STUDIES PROJECT

An Educational Tour of Modern Japan

As Yoshiko Uchida makes clear in Desert Exile, during World War II, many Americans had little sympathy for the Japanese people or understanding of Japanese culture. Today Japan is a staunch ally and loyal friend of the United States. Japan has launched a high-tech lifestyle that many Americans emulate. The two countries have close entertainment, trade, and business relationships. There is still much for us to learn about each other, however. American visitors to Japan may find themselves in a world with an unfamiliar history, unexpected food, and surprising social expectations. In this activity, you will work in a small group to help create a tour for a group of Americans visiting Japan. Each small-group member will assume a role in explaining aspects of Japanese life that the visitors may find unfamiliar.

Get Started

You will work in one of seven groups. Your assignment is to create a day tour for one day of a week-long tour of Japan, starting and ending in Tokyo, for a group of Americans. Your teacher will assign one of the following places for you to research:• Tokyo metropolitan area • Osaka• Northern Honshu • Western Honshu• Mount Fuji and the Japanese “Alps” • Tokyo metropolitan area• Kyoto First, as a class, use a map of Japan to sketch out the places you will visit. Decide on which day of the week you will visit each place. Then do some independent research. Using Internet or library sources, make a list of attractions in your assigned location. Look for the following elements as possible attractions:• places of historical interest • places of natural beauty• forms of entertainment • exposure to Japanese culture

Make Initial Plans

Get together with your teammates and share your ideas for places to visit in your assigned areas. In making your plans, remember that you only have one day to spend in each location. Think about which sites in the location you will visit. Consider answers to the following questions to help decide how to spend your time:• What sights are essential to see? • How will you travel to each place?• How long will these activities take?• What will you be able to see and do in the short time that you spend there? Cost is no issue on this imaginary trip, but time must be taken into consideration: you have only one day to spend at your site.


Create an Itinerary

A travel itinerary is a detailed outline of daily travel plans and sightseeing activities over the course of a trip. Any group tour, such as the one your class is planning, will create an itinerary for the benefit of the clients. Each group should make an itinerary entry for its day trip, and groups should combine their entries into a single travel itinerary. The class should display the itinerary throughout the presentations.

Itinerary

Date Travel Activities

July 14 Bullet train and bus from Tokyo to hotel by Lake Kawaguchi at foot of Mt. Fuji

Hiking and photography on lower slopes of Mt. Fuji

July 15

Specialize

Each member of your group will become the expert on one or more aspect of the touring site. Read the following descriptions and allocate roles among yourselves:• Tour Guide will identify where in each place you will visit and how much time

you will spend there. • Modern Expert is the guide to modern Japan, describing the site as it is today

and including information about traditional Japanese entertainment, such as theater and sports, in the location.

• Tour Historian gives background about the site’s history.

Rehearse and Present

Your portion of the presentation will be introduced by your Tour Guide. After he or she describes the day trip, the other experts will contribute information relevant to that day’s sights. For example, the Modern Expert might describe the appearance of Mt. Fuji and its importance as a tourist destination. The Tour Historian might explain the religious and historical significance of the mountain. Rehearse your portion of the presentation, giving each expert equal opportunity to speak. Imagine that you are trying to persuade the audience members to visit your site. Encourage your audience to ask questions.

Reflect

After all presentations, answer this question: Which part of the tour of Japan would you most want to experience in real life? Why?

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People, page 158

HISTORICAL CONTEXT PROJECT

The Journal of a Freedom Seeker

Harriet Tubman’s heroic efforts to free her fellow slaves is just one of many moving stories in the history of the Underground Railroad. Thousands of American men and women helped keep the “trains” moving in the cause of individual freedom. In this activity, you will adopt the role of a slave escaping to the North via the Underground Railroad. You will write a journal describing your journey, and present your journey to the class.

Get Started

Read about the Underground Railroad, using print or Internet sources. Investigate some of the routes that parties of freedom seekers most frequently took on their trip to Canada, also known as the Promised Land. Take notes about real people or places that played significant roles in operating the Underground Railroad. These will include the following:• Conductors: people who led escaping slaves to freedom• Preachers: public figures who campaigned against slavery• Stations: places where runaways could stop, also known as safe houses• Station masters: owners or operators of stations

Prepare and Draft

For this project, you will adopt the character of a slave who is escaping to Canada via the Underground Railroad. Choose a route for your journey, calculate its distance, and estimate how many days the trip might take if you travel ten to fifteen miles a day. Write a first-person journal describing your experiences, especially the people who help you along the way. You need not write an entry for every day of the journey, but do include major incidents along the way. Create realistic details, and be sure to include at least two real people and two real places in your account.

Present and Reflect

Playing the role of the character you adopted for this activity, introduce yourself to the class, summarize your account of your journey, and read brief excerpts from your journal. Use a map to indicate the route that you took. After completing your journal project, answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper:

1. Distinguish fact from fiction, identifying the historical people and places that you included in your journal entries.

2. How would you characterize people who maintained the Underground Railroad? Identify and describe the personal qualities and characteristics that those people shared.

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


Getting It Right at Ground Zero, page E143

LITERATURE CONNECTION ACTIVITY

Finding Thematic Links

Literature appears to have many different themes, but this seemingly endless variety of ideas is deceptive. In fact, the same themes repeat themselves frequently, often in very different places. The theme of a love poem may appear in a science fiction novel. The theme of a political speech may turn up in a tragedy by William Shakespeare. Rudolph Giuliani’s essay “Getting It Right at Ground Zero” may appear to have little in common with fiction, poetry, or drama, but a closer reading may surprise you. In this assignment, you will examine some of the themes in “Getting It Right at Ground Zero” and find connections to other literary works.

Identify Themes

Reread Giuliani’s essay. Note passages in which the author states a new idea. Copy each passage in the first column of a chart like the one shown below. In the second column, translate the idea from the passage into simpler language. One passage and thematic restatement have been done for you. Find and record three more themes.

Passage ThemeConnection to Another Work of

Literature

“A year has done nothing to erase these images from my mind.”

Memory is a powerful force.

Now think of works of literature with themes related to the ones you listed in the chart. These literary works may be essays, like Giuliani’s, or they may be stories, novels, poems, epics, dramas, or biographies. In the third column of the chart, record the titles of literary works with the same themes as the ones you identified in column 2, and briefly explain each similarity.

Share, Compile, and Reflect

In a small group, share information from your completed charts. Choose the literary connections that you agree are most accurate or interesting, and fill out a new chart with just this information. Share your group’s collaborative chart with the class. On the board, make a master chart that includes contributions from all groups. After the class discussion, answer the following question individually on a separate sheet of paper: Which of Rudolph Giuliani’s themes resonates most strongly with you? Explain why.

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


Making a Fist, page 242

SCIENCE CONNECTION PROJECT

Motion Sickness

The speaker of “Making a Fist” is lying on the back seat of her mother’s car, suffering from motion sickness and wishing she could die. As anyone who has ever experienced this condition knows, death might seem a welcome alternative! In this assignment, you will learn about motion sickness and teach a lesson about this condition that is appropriate for a group of younger students.

Test Your Knowledge

With a partner, take the following test. First ask yourself these questions:• What causes motion sickness?• Who becomes motion sick? Pool your knowledge and discuss any questions you have. Then fill out the treatment chart below.

Treatment for Motion Sickness Yes No Unsure

Avoid food and water.

Keep your eyes fixed on a stationary point within the moving vehicle.

Stay as low and far back as possible on a ship.

Don’t sit facing backward.

Keep your head and body still.

Prepare the Lesson

You will work in pairs to present a lesson on motion sickness for a target audience of ten-year-olds. One of you will be the Scientist and present an explanation of motion sickness. The other will be the Trip Adviser and give practical information about avoiding motion sickness. Both of you will prepare for both roles because you will find out which role you will perform just before your presentation. Preparation will require researching the causes and effects of motion sickness and understanding effective methods of first aid and medication.

Teach the Lesson

Shortly before your presentation, ask a classmate or your teacher to flip a coin to determine which role each of you will assume. Teach your lesson as if your classmates were your target audience. The Scientist should explain the causes and effects of motion sickness, using simple diagrams and demonstrations. The Trip Adviser should then give informative, appropriate, and entertaining advice about the do’s and don’ts of travel for people who are prone to motion sickness.

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


from Holidays, page 274

LITERARY STYLE STUDY

From Prose to Poetry

Jamaica Kincaid’s “Holidays” is a prose poem. A prose poem appears to be written as prose but includes so much poetic language that it reads like a poem. The line between prose and poetry is not always clear. Prose is defined as writing that is not poetry or drama. Poetry is defined by the elements it often, but not always, contains: imagery, figurative language, lines, rhyme, rhythm, heightened emotions, and freedom from grammatical restrictions. “Holidays” is also distinguished by its use of the stream-of-consciousness style. Kincaid describes her thoughts and actions in a continuous flow as they occur in real life. In this assignment, you will compose a stream-of-consciousness prose passage, a prose poem, and a poem.

Write a Prose Passage

Think of an ordinary experience that you can describe in a stream-of-consciousness style. It might be an event as simple as eating breakfast or as physically demanding as playing basketball. Write your description in plain, simple prose, following these rules:• Write in the first person and in the present tense.• Observe standard grammar and conventional punctuation.• Write in complete sentences and use paragraphs where appropriate.• Avoid obvious use of imagery, figurative language, rhythm, or repetition.

Write a Prose Poem

Take your prose passage and write it as a prose poem. It should still look like prose and tell the same story, but now it should have elements of poetry in it. Consider adding imagery, figurative language, rhyme, and repetition.

Write a Poem

Transform your stream-of-consciousness paragraph into a lyric or narrative poem. This will be written in lines and stanzas, can take advantage of as many poetic elements as you wish, and can ignore the conventions of Standard English. For a review of the elements of poetry, see pages 234–235.

Reflect

After completing the assignment, compare and contrast your three writings. List qualities they have in common and qualities that are unique to each.

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


Poetry, page 282

PRIMARY SOURCE PROJECT

Interview an AuthorWhat questions would you ask a poet such as Nikki Giovanni, the author of “Poetry,” about her writing? The answers she gives you would be a primary source because they come straight from the author. Primary sources are the foundation of accurate, reliable information, and interviews are an important primary source. It is possible for you to create a piece of literary history simply by persuading an author to talk to you. In this activity, you will create a primary source by interviewing a local author about his or her life, work, and thoughts on writing. Before beginning this assignment, review Language Arts Handbook 7.5, Conducting an Interview.

Find an Author

The first step is to find an author who is willing to be interviewed. Perhaps you already know one who will be receptive to your request. If so, you can start researching and preparing questions. If not, then you will need to do some investigating. There are probably more authors in your community than you might think, but they are not easy to find. Discover their whereabouts using one of the following methods.• Teachers, family, and friends are a good place to start. Ask people you know

about authors living locally and how they might be contacted.• Libraries often hold events at which authors come to speak. Ask your reference

librarian about how you might contact the author beforehand.• Authors frequently come to sign (and sell) their newly published books at large

bookstores. Find out who is scheduled for a signing and ask the bookstore for contact information.

• Bookstores and libraries often promote the work of local authors. Inquire about who lives in the area and how you might get in touch with them.

• Many writers teach at colleges and universities. A phone inquiry to the academic department (English, History, Political Science, and so on.) might uncover a number of local authors.

• Don’t forget your own high school. There may well be published authors among your faculty.

If interviewing a local author is impossible, you can try to contact a national (or international) celebrity. An author’s Internet website will give contact information. Your reference librarian will also be able to help you find a mail or e-mail address. The problem here is that well-known authors are generally committed to speaking tours and other contract obligations. Your attempt to contact them may end up deleted from their agent’s inbox. A final word on the selection process: Try to find an author whose work is accessible to you. The author of a college textbook on quantum mechanics may not be a suitable choice if geometry is not your best subject.


Research Your Author

Good interviewers know enough about their subject’s work to ask intelligent, sometimes probing, questions. You will not be able to become an expert on your author’s work, but you should become generally familiar with what he or she has written and—if relevant—what critics have said about it. You can do this research in several ways:• Read as much about your subject as possible. Most authors have their own

websites. Well-known writers have websites others have made about them.• Read short works or excerpts from longer works written by your author. Take

notes on points that interest you.• Ask your reference librarian for access to academic databases that may include

reviews of your subject’s work.• Ask people you know for their thoughts about your subject. Encourage them to

provide reasons for their opinions. Take notes on all your reading and research.

Write Interview Questions

The trick to asking good interview questions is to become interested in the answers yourself. By learning about your writer’s work, you will find that the questions begin to generate themselves. Jot them down as they occur to you during research. Organize your questions in a logical progression, starting out with the general ones and moving on to more specific ones. Don’t treat your list of questions like a script, however. Be prepared to improvise different questions if a live interview takes a surprising turn.

Conduct Your Interview

After getting your subject to agree to an interview, you need to set up a meeting and conduct the interview in a way your author prefers. This may take three forms:• By E-mail. You have little choice here but to submit a list of questions. Ask

your subject if he or she is willing to answer follow-up questions in one or more additional e-mails.

• By Telephone. This allows you to deviate from your list of questions, depending on the responses, and to hear the tone of your subject’s voice, but it still lacks the important visual contact.

• In Person. Meeting and talking directly to your subject is the best way to conduct a fruitful interview. Your body language and tone of voice can encourage honest answers.

In telephone and personal interviews, be sure to ask your subject if you may record the conversation.

Publish and Reflect

Type and print your interview. Your teacher may wish you to read aloud your interview in class. Design and create a class anthology of author interviews. After completing the assignment, answer the following question on a separate sheet of paper: On rereading your interview, what question would you still want to ask your author? Why?

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


Immigrants, page E208

AUTHOR STUDY

Hispanic Authors

Pat Mora, the author of “Immigrants,” is not alone in wanting to promote what she calls the “Hispanic perspective” in writing. She is one of many authors whose home is the United States but whose ethnic background lies in Mexico, Central America, or South America. Many of Mora’s professional colleagues share her desire to describe the anxieties, barriers, joys, and achievements of Hispanics in the United States. Their writing has made a significant contribution to America’s dialogue about race and ethnicity. In this assignment, you will research a U.S. author with a Hispanic background and role-play him or her in a class presentation.

Research

Using Internet or print sources, choose an author of Hispanic ethnicity living in the United States whose biography or thematic concerns you find interesting. Fill out a chart like the one below with preliminary information about the person you chose.

Name:

Dates of birth/death

Country of origin/ethnic background

Best-known works

Principal concerns or themes

Key events that influenced writing

Internet and print sources consulted

Read

Based on your research, choose a representative selection of your author’s work to read. Depending on genre, you might consider reading poems, short stories, essays, children’s books, and excerpts from novels or memoirs. List your reading choices below.

1. _____________________________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________________________________

4. _____________________________________________________________________________


Explore

How important is ethnicity to the author you selected? Write a brief assessment on the lines below.

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Rehearse

For this part of the assignment, you will assume the role of your author in a class discussion. Practice for the presentation by working with a partner and asking each other relevant questions about your author’s life history, literary works, ideas and concerns, and the influence of ethnicity upon his or her writing. Remember to respond as though you are the author. Take this opportunity to compile a list of questions that you can use when you are a member of the audience.

Present

Briefly introduce yourself to your audience, assuming the role of the author you have studied. (“Hello, my name is Pat Mora.”) After outlining your life and major achievements, ask your audience for questions. The more thorough your research, the more accurate and convincing your responses will be. As a member of the audience, be prepared to ask questions that will encourage your guest “author” to reveal interesting information.

Reflect

After completing the assignment, answer the following question: What was the most important thing you learned from this assignment?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act I, page 332

INTERNET RESEARCH ACTIVITY

Finding Information About Act I

Almost all modern editions of Shakespeare’s plays, including your textbook, include annotations, or explanations of any language or allusions that might confuse the reader. These annotations are generally brief, serving to clarify without distracting a reader’s attention. But what if an annotation catches your interest? Where can you find out more about it? Increasingly the Internet can provide reliable information about topics from the very broad to the most specific. In this assignment, you will review Internet websites that relate to topics in Act I of Julius Caesar.

Research

Search the Internet for information about the major and minor topics listed below, all of which are referred to in Act I of Julius Caesar. Look first at sites with the domain name .edu or .org. Other sites may be reliable, but watch out for those with personal opinions or sales pitches. Fill out a note card for each topic. Write the topic and where the topic is referenced in the play. List three good websites for each major topic and two for each minor topic. Review a number of sites for each topic.

Major Topics Ancient Rome: principal buildings, geography, society Julius Caesar Contemporary politics: rivalry of Pompey and Caesar

Minor Topics Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Lupercalia (Feast of Lupercal) Aeneas Cicero the Capitol Colossus of Rhodes omens in ancient Rome Roman astrology

Share and Vote

Share your note cards with your classmates in a brief presentation and view websites you did not visit. Then as a class vote for the site you consider the most outstanding for each topic. Compile a list of the winners and worthy contenders.

Reflect

After completing the assignment, answer these questions on a separate sheet of paper: Which website did you find to be outstanding? Why do you think it was outstanding?

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act II, page 360

SOCIAL STUDIES PROJECT

The Role of Women in the Roman Republic

In many ways, Julius Caesar is a masculine play. Its plot revolves around politics, a field from which women in the Roman Republic were excluded. Yet Act II opens a window onto the domestic lives of both Brutus and Caesar and offers a glimpse of the woman’s world in ancient Rome, at least as Shakespeare imagined it. In this assignment, you will compare the status of Portia and Calphurnia with what is known about a woman’s role in the Roman Republic.

Assess

Fill in these two charts giving your assessments and evidence from the play.

Portia and Brutus

My assessment of their relationship

Evidence from the play to support my assessment

Calphurnia and Caesar

My assessment of their relationship

Evidence from the play to support my assessment


Research

Research the place of women in the Roman Republic (a period that came to an end between 44 and 27 BCE). On the lines immediately below, write what you consider to be the most important or interesting facts about the role of women in that period. Use at least three Internet or print sources and list them on the numbered lines under Sources Used. After each fact, write the number of the source where you found the information.

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Sources Used

1. _____________________________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________________________________

Share and Discuss

In small groups, compare your observations about the two marriages in the play and your research about the role of women in ancient Rome. Then think about this question: Is Shakespeare’s portrayal of Roman marriage historically accurate? Share your ideas in a class discussion.

Reflect

After the discussion, answer the following question on a separate sheet of paper. If you were transported back to the Roman Republic, what aspect of a woman’s life there would you find most difficult to accept?

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act IV, page 406

WORLD HISTORY PROJECT

Pivotal Battles

Act IV of Julius Caesar concludes with a fateful decision: Brutus’s insistence that he and Cassius should advance to meet the enemy at Philippi (scene 3, lines 196–225). Cassius reluctantly agrees, but both he and the audience fear that this is not a good idea. As it turned out, the resulting conflict was a pivotal battle in world history. Those who conspired against Caesar were finally defeated, and the tide of Roman history swung away from Republicanism toward autocracy and empire. In this assignment, you will choose and explore another battle in which the tide of history turned.

Research

Investigate a battle—fought at any time and in any place—that influenced the course of history. Record your findings on the graphic organizer below.

Battle: ____________________________________________________________________________

Date: ______________________________________________________________________________

Location: ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

War or conflict: _____________________________________________________________________

Principal generals or leaders: ___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Sizes of armies: ______________________________________________________________________

Types of weapons used: _______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Background to war or conflict: __________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________


Reason for battle: ____________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Key decisions made: __________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Outcome of battle: ___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Effect of battle on war or conflict: ________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Effect of battle on world history: _________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Present

Present your findings to the class, using note cards as needed. Give enough background information to make the causes and importance of the battle clear to your audience. Use visual aids such as political maps, battle diagrams, and photographs or paintings to accompany your presentation.

Reflect

After all presentations have been made, answer the following question in a paragraph on a separate sheet of paper: How might history have been altered if the losing side in the battle you described had won instead?

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


Antigone, page 448

POLITICAL SCIENCE PROJECT

Tyranny versus Democracy

Creon. My voice is the one voice giving orders in this City! Haimon. It is no City if it takes orders from one voice.

This key exchange between Creon and his son, written more than 2,400 years ago, has echoed through the centuries as those who favor democracy confront the tyrants who would oppress them. The dialogue is still heard today in countries throughout the world, even within democracies themselves. In this activity, you will explore and write about a contemporary conflict between those who press for individual freedoms and those who favor autocratic rule.

Research

Identify three places in the world where democratic forces are struggling with those who favor autocracy (rule by one) or oligarchy (rule by a few). Record your findings in a chart like the one below.

Country Description of Conflict

Share the information in your chart with your classmates. Then together create a master list of conflicts on the board. Discuss what you know about each situation and add important details to the list.

Analyze

Choose one of the conflicts you discussed in class and write a report telling about the situation in greater detail. Be sure to give sufficient historical background to make the conflict understandable. Present explanations for both sides in the dispute. Remember that even the most tyrannical power will have reasons for its actions. Read your papers in small groups and discuss the similarities and differences between the situations you chose.

Reflect

After the discussion, answer the following question in a paragraph on a separate sheet of paper: Do you believe that those who favor democracy will eventually prevail throughout the world? Why or why not?

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


Orpheus, page 518

HUMANITIES RESEARCH PROJECT

Visions of the Underworld

Orpheus’s visit to the underworld is a gloomy expedition. The Greeks did not have high expectations for life after death. The underworld awaited everyone, they believed, and it was a depressing, even scary, place. The heroic and the virtuous, it is true, would be rewarded, but the prospects of happiness for the ordinary person in the realm of Hades were not promising. In this activity, you will explore visions of the underworld and present a creative interpretation of life after death in ancient Greece.

Explore and Share

Use print and Internet sources to familiarize yourself with the underworld of Greek mythology. Make notes on the sources you found most helpful and the facts you found most interesting or unusual. Share your research with a partner and together write the information below.

Three useful sources for information about the Greek underworld

1. _____________________________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________________________________

Three facts that struck us as most interesting about the Greek underworld

1. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Three sentences about the role and importance of the underworld in Greek culture

1. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________


Discuss

Share your sources, facts, and summaries in a class discussion. Use this opportunity to discuss the vision of the underworld that evolved during the ancient Greek era. Make notes about sources that other students recommend and about stories or interpretations that you may have missed in your initial research.

Develop

On your own, you will now do a project in which you present some aspect of the Greek underworld to the class. Here is a list of ideas for possible projects.• a radio or television interview with an explorer who ventured into the

underworld—and returned• a written or oral survey of myths and legends that include descriptions of visits

to the underworld• a poster identifying and describing important elements of the underworld• a monologue by an inhabitant of the underworld, perhaps Hades himself• an original myth about a visit to the underworld• a map of the underworld or perhaps an aerial view using a new software called

GoogleUnderearth• a written or oral description of how different authors had different visions of the

underworld• an article in the travel section of a Sunday newspaper about taking a tour of the

underworld• the home page of a website for the underworld, complete with links Use one of these ideas for your project or come up with an idea of your own. However, make sure that any project you create includes accurate information about the Greeks’ vision of the afterlife.

Present

Rehearse your presentation at least once. This will help you detect any problems you may need to correct in either your form or your material. When you are presenting your project to the class, remember to• speak clearly and make eye contact with the audience.• pause before the introduction of a new idea.• use and explain visual aids where appropriate.• invite questions afterward.

Reflect

After you have completed your presentation, answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper:

1. Imagine you were an ancient Greek. How would you feel about the prospects of the afterlife? Base your response on your research.

2. In your opinion, can the nature of a culture’s afterlife determine how a person lives his or her life on Earth? Explain your answer.

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


The Drowned Maid, from The Kalevala, page 574

CULTURAL CONNECTION PROJECT

The Arts and Nation Building

As explained on pages 574 and 577, Elias Lönnrot, author of The Kalevala, was an influential figure in the rise of the Finnish nation. How could a scholar and an author play such an important role in history? In this activity, you will research the role of the arts in the building of nations.

Brainstorm and Discuss

With your classmates, brainstorm an answer to this question: What is a nation? Write your ideas on the board. Then in small groups, select the three items from the list that you feel are most important. While the groups are narrowing the meaning of the term, designate classmates to look up the word nation in a dictionary, in an encyclopedia, and online. Compare their findings with the chosen ideas. Compose a definition of nation that satisfies the class. Now answer another question: How can the arts help create a nation? Think of examples of writers, musicians, and artists who contributed to the rise of national awareness and pride in their countries. Take notes on the thoughts and questions your classmates contribute.

Research and Develop

Building on the class discussion, research specific examples of how the arts have contributed to a people’s sense of nationhood. You might refer to books on nationalism or conduct an Internet search using key phrases such as nationalism and music, national folk literature, and arts nationalism. Choose a nation that interests you and explore more closely how artistic movements contributed to the national spirit of its people. Alternatively, select one artist and investigate how his or her work inspired a nation’s emergence. A third possibility is to select a genre—music, literature, or the visual arts—and learn how it helped build a nation’s identity. Develop an oral presentation in which you describe your findings. Illustrate your talk with recordings, readings, or reproductions of works by the artist or from the genre you selected.

Reflect

After you have completed your presentation, answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper:

1. What was the most surprising thing you learned from your research or from another student’s presentation? Explain your choice.

2. Can the arts be a negative force for a nation as well as a positive one? Explain your answer.

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


from The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha, page 591

LITERARY STYLE STUDY

The Chivalric Style

In Don Quixote, Cervantes took a familiar style of writing and turned it on its head. The genre known as the chivalric romance told tales of beautiful maidens and true knights; of quests, courage, courtesy, and combat; and of the conquering of formidable opponents. Chivalric romances were very serious and—since the invention of the printing press—very popular. Cervantes’ famous novel uses parody to point out the humor in many aspects of these romances. In this activity, you will study the subject of Cervantes’ parody and rewrite the lines in the lavish chivalric style.

Evaluate and Write

Cervantes affectionately parodied the chivalric style. Look at the opening sentences of Chapter 1, for example:

In a village in La Mancha, the name of which I cannot quite recall, there lived not long ago one of those country gentlemen or hidalgos who keep a lance in a rack, an ancient leather shield, a scrawny hack and a greyhound for coursing.

This is Don Quixote, the hero of Cervantes’ mock romance. The author is making fun of the unreal wealth and beauty that was part of the setting of so many chivalric romances of the day. A reader thinking the novel was the usual chivalric romance might have expected it to begin like this:

In a great castle on a plain there lived a prince whose horses and armor were the finest in the land and whose knights were famed for their feats of arms.

Read each passage below. Identify what Cervantes is parodying. Then rewrite the passage as it might have appeared in a chivalric romance of the time. Remember that details should be lavish and almost everything was extraordinary.

1. He maintained a housekeeper the wrong side of forty, a niece the right side of twenty and a jack of all trades who was as good at saddling the hags as at plying the pruning shears.

Object of parody: ______________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Chivalric style: _________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________


2. Our hidalgo himself was nearly fifty, he had a robust constitution, dried-up flesh and a withered face.…

Object of parody: ______________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Chivalric style: _________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. His first step was to clean a suit of armor that had belonged to his forefathers and that, covered in rust and mold, had been standing forgotten in a corner for centuries.

Object of parody: ______________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Chivalric style: _________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

4. The fact was—or so it is generally believed—that in a nearby village there lived a good-looking peasant girl, with whom he’d once been in love…She was called Aldonza Lorenzo, and this was the woman upon whom it seemed appropriate to confer the title of the lady of his thoughts.

Object of parody: ______________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Chivalric style: _________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Reflect

After you have finished writing, answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper:

1. In what forms of literature and popular culture do you detect evidence of the chivalric romance today? Explain your answer.

2. Why do you think Cervantes parodied the chivalric style? What was his purpose?

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


from The Iliad, page E288

HEROIC CHARACTER STUDY

Types of Heroes

Achilles and Hector, in the selection from The Iliad are epic heroes. They are intelligent, strong, courageous, charismatic, and willing to put their lives on the line to do what they think is right. See Understanding Epics on pages E260–E261. Today, we have everyday heroes, who are ordinary human beings who sometimes do the extraordinary. Who are these heroes and how do they compare to the epic heroes of The Iliad? Think about the journalist who sacrifices her safety to uncover organized crime, the human rights worker who goes to jail for a cause he believes is more important than his life, or the government whistle-blower who willingly jeopardizes her future by reporting corruption in high places. What do these everyday heroes have in common with Achilles and Hector? Perhaps the answer lies in one word: risk. Both the epic hero and the everyday hero are willing to risk their safety or reputations to do the right thing. In this activity, you will work first in a group to explore narratives about heroes and then with a partner to create two specific narratives that tell about a specific epic hero and a specific everyday hero.

Brainstorm and Share

Begin by working in a small group and brainstorming scenarios in which the following characters might act heroically. Summarize your ideas below.

1. a firefighter: __________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

2. an accountant: _________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. a soldier: _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

4. a student: _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

5. a politician: ___________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Share your group’s story ideas with the class. Raise questions if you think a particular behavior is questionable for a hero.


Plan and Record

Working with a partner, choose Hector or Achilles as your example of an epic hero and choose an everyday hero and plan to create more detailed narratives about them. Identify the qualities of an epic hero your chosen character from the story exhibits. Then record the heroic qualities of the everyday hero. Record you ideas about both heroes in the chart below.

Epic Hero Everyday Hero

Heroic qualities

Special strength

Challenge or conflict

Climax

Conclusion

Write and Discuss

Still working with your partner, use your chart as you write a paragraph about each of your heroes, summarizing his or her achievements. You might each write one of the paragraphs, or you might write both paragraphs together. Then share your concise narratives with the class. Discuss what makes the actions you have described heroic.

Reflect

When you have completed your heroic narratives, answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

1. The introduction to this activity suggests that the epic and everyday heroes are in some way distinct. Do you agree with this idea, or do you feel that all heroes are fundamentally alike? Explain your answer.

2. In your opinion, what makes a person capable of heroic behavior?

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


The Legend, page E301

PRIMARY SOURCE PROJECT

Found Poems

Garrett Hongo explains that a primary source for his poem “The Legend” was a legend about the stars he heard when he was a boy. A primary source is direct evidence, or proof that comes straight from those involved. A writer’s primary sources can take many forms: letters, photographs, interviews, paintings, government documents—almost anything, in fact, that serves as direct evidence for an argument or inspiration for creativity. In this activity, you will write a kind of poetry that requires you to rely entirely on a primary source for your inspiration.

Learn About Found Poems

What is a found poem? It is a poem that consists only of words, phrases, and sometimes entire sentences taken from writing that has already been published and was never intended as poetry. The poet extracts interesting or striking parts from the primary source and arranges them to create a poem. The shape of the writing certainly changes, and the meaning often changes, but the words all come directly from the original passage. The two paragraphs below are from an article about Mars on NASA’s website. They form the primary source for the found poem that follows.

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun. The planet is one of Earth’s “next-door neighbors” in space. Earth is the third planet from the sun, and Jupiter is the fifth. Like Earth, Jupiter, the sun, and the remainder of the solar system, Mars is about 4.6 billion years old. Mars is named for the ancient Roman god of war. The Romans copied the Greeks in naming the planet for a war god; the Greeks called the planet Ares. The Romans and Greeks associated the planet with war because its color resembles the color of blood. Viewed from Earth, Mars is a bright reddish-orange. It owes its color to iron-rich minerals in its soil. This color is also similar to the color of rust, which is composed of iron and oxygen.

As We See ItEarth’s next-door neighbor(fourth planet from the sun)owes its color to iron-rich minerals:the color of rust.

Viewed from Earth—a war god—the color of blood.


The writer of the found poem “As We See It” has rearranged phrases and organized them in lines and stanzas, but all the words, apart from the title, are just as he found them in the paragraphs; hence, the name found poem.

Find a Primary Source

Begin by choosing your primary source. You won’t have to look very far because almost any text can be used. However, for convenience, find a source that is relatively short. You might consider the following:• a news story in a newspaper• an informational article• a feature story in a magazine• a political speech• a travel brochure• a letter from a friend or relative

Mine Your Source

Read through the text and highlight words, phrases, or sentences that strike you as interesting, strange, touching, or funny. Type or copy your highlighted phrases in the order that they appear. Examine your selections, looking for any logic or theme to your choice. When an idea begins to surface from the apparently random phrases, delete or cross out material that does not fit the idea.

Shape and Present Your Poem

Now it is time to create your poem. You can• cut as much material as you wish• rearrange the sequence of phrases as they appear in the original• organize phrases or sentences into lines and stanzas• punctuate freely• insert line breaks in the middle of phrases• place a word to stand all alone on a line• put extra spacing between words or runthemalltogether• compose an original title• add a maximum of three words not in the text to clarify your intent Write a final copy of your poem and then participate in a found-poetry slam, or an informal reading of your poetry, with your classmates. Each poet should read the primary-source text followed by the poem it inspired.

Reflect on Found Poems

After all the found poems have been presented, answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

1. How did you select the text for your found poem?

2. What is “poetic” about your found poem?

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket, page E307

INFORMATIONAL TEXT ACTIVITY

Finding Relevant Information

“Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” is not a story that most people would read for its informational content. Yet even this gripping tale touches upon areas of scientific and academic concern that might send an interested reader in search of further information. Why, for example, are people afraid of heights? An article on vertigo would help answer that question. How does work-related stress affect a person’s judgment? Your textbook includes a fact sheet in the Informational Text Connection “Mind/Body Health: Stress” on page E320 that helps explain the strange behavior of the story’s protagonist. In this assignment, you will practice making connections between your reading and informational texts.

Connect with Informational Text

If you always ask questions when you read, you will have no trouble finding areas you could investigate further. However, if you have difficulty making connections between your reading and other ideas, visualize an Internet article with underlined words in blue that indicate links to related articles. The paragraph below is from a U.S. Park Service website.

When Congress set Yellowstone’s boundaries in 1872, the primary goal was preservation of the geysers and other geothermal wonders. Little thought was given to the migratory habits of its wildlife, about which little was known. The park’s higher elevations provide summer range for an estimated 40,000 ungulates—elk, bison, pronghorn, deer, bighorn sheep, and moose.

These three sentences alone contain several references that could direct motivated readers to sources with more information.

Select and Research

Choose a short piece of writing, either fiction or nonfiction, that interests you. Review it to find three topics that you could investigate further. Then locate texts that could supply that information. While some relevant articles will be freely available on the Internet, your school librarian can refer you to general academic indexes and periodical databases that should provide what you need.

Publish and Present

Print copies of your original reading and the informational texts, or relevant excerpts, and bind them together in a folder. Talk about your reading and related inquiries in a brief presentation to the class.

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


Miriam, page E353

LITERATURE CONNECTION ACTIVITY

Comparing Ghost Stories

The reader is never sure whether the mysterious little girl who takes over Mrs. Miller’s life is a ghost, but “Miriam” certainly classifies as a ghost story. As such, it has a significant literary ancestry. While we may think of the ghost story as a lesser form in the literary family, such is not the case. Tales about spirits go back to the beginning of storytelling, and some of the greatest writers in English have taken ghosts very seriously. The plot of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Hamlet hinges on a ghost. Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, one of the best-loved short novels ever written, includes three visitors from the spirit world. In fact, few literary genres exercise such a consistent appeal with the public as the ghost story. In this activity, you will compare two ghost stories from different eras and make some generalizations about the genre.

Brainstorm and Analyze

In a small group, brainstorm ghost stories you have heard, read, or seen in movies or on television. Take turns summarizing the stories. What, if anything, do these tales have in common? Think about their setting, characters, atmosphere, plot development, narrator, and tone. Then on the lines below, note three elements that effective ghost stories often include, besides ghosts, of course.

Elements of Ghost Stories

1. _____________________________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________________________________

Compare your list with those of the other groups. Write your ideas on the board. Then discuss this question: What makes a ghost story scary? Different people will have different explanations. After hearing their views, write an explanation of what constitutes a scary ghost story for you:

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________


Read and Compare

Choose two ghost stories to compare and contrast: one written in the second half of the twentieth century and the other written at least 75 years earlier. Your librarian can help you find anthologies of classic ghost stories. Alternatively, go directly to the work of authors who wrote in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Some of the best known include M. R. James, Sheridan Le Fanu, Walter de la Mare, Edith Wharton, and Henry James. The works of the earlier writers are often in the public domain and freely available online. Use the chart below to record facts and observations about your two stories.

Story 1 Story 2

Title

AuthorDates

Setting

Principal characters

Description of spirit

Fate of protagonist

Author’s purpose

“Scariness factor”

Report and Reflect

Report back to your group and summarize your reading. Review the elements of a ghost story that you recorded earlier. Refine and edit your ideas now that you have more experience with the genre. Then discuss the following questions with your group and record your answers on a separate sheet of paper:

1. How would you explain the lasting appeal of the ghost story?

2. What did you learn about ghost stories from this activity?

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


The Hitchhiker, page E391

URBAN LEGEND STUDY

Create Your Own

As explained in the Literature Connection on page E391, the radio drama The Hitchhiker has much in common with an oral story about a phantom hitchhiker, who eerily appears and disappears in many variations and in many places throughout the country. This type of tale has become known as an urban legend. The term is used to distinguish it from a traditional legend, which is set in the distant past and includes characters whose historical reality may be questionable. By contrast, an urban legend is told as a true story. Here are some qualities that typically define an urban legend:• told as the truth• involving a recent occurrence• authenticated by the narrator (for example, “This really happened to a friend of

my second cousin.”)• set in a real place, often a nearby city or town Oddly, urban legends need not have urban settings. Sometimes, as in “The Vanishing Hitchhiker,” they take place in a rural area. Urban legends tell stories that catch our attention and make us want to pass them on. Sometimes they are intended only to amuse, but frequently they have a serious, often darker purpose. Here are some typical themes and concerns of urban legends:• a fascination with personal embarrassment or humiliation• a suspicion of technology or other aspects of modern life• the consequences of risky behavior• the development of a common fear (for example, spiders, germs) to a

nightmarish conclusion• a general feeling that the world is a dangerous place In this assignment, you will create an original urban legend and tell it as the absolute truth to your classmates.

Investigate

Go online to one of the websites devoted to urban legends. Find two different stories that interest you. Briefly summarize them and match their themes with one of those listed above.

1. Story: _______________________________________________________________________

Theme/Purpose: _______________________________________________________________

2. Story: _______________________________________________________________________

Theme/Purpose: _______________________________________________________________


Collaborate

Working in small groups, brainstorm scenarios for possible urban legends about the topics listed below. Make sure the ideas are appropriate for the classroom. Write summaries of the stories’ plots.

the public water supply: ____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

airport security checks: _____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

the Internet: _____________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

hanging out at the mall: ____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Create and Present

Using one of the above ideas or an idea of your own, construct an urban legend that meets all the criteria listed on the previous page. In other words, make it sound as true as possible. When writing your legend, try to imitate the familiar voice and the serious, urgent tone of many of these stories. Read your urban legend aloud to your classmates. Imitate the delivery of a person who has something important to tell them. Remember, you are telling a “true” story.

Reflect

After presenting your urban legend, answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Why do you think people tell urban legends? Support your answer with specific examples.

2. Are urban legends dangerous? Rate them on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 representing “not at all” and 10 representing “extremely.” Explain your rating with reference to specific legends.

unit 1

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

39© EMC Publishing, LLC Differentiated Instruction: Enrichment Projects & Activities

UNIT 1

Studying Famous Characters from Literature

Build Background

From the moment they were born of the writer’s imagination, many fictional characters reflect history and society as clearly as do real-life citizens, politicians, and soldiers. In Unit 1, you meet a variety of characters that hold a mirror up to social, cultural, and political events in which their stories are set. For example:• In “Lather and Nothing Else,” a barber resists killing an enemy army captain who

has come to him for a shave.• “The Moment Before the Gun Went Off” is set in a racially divided South

Africa. It tells the story of a prominent leader of the white party in power, who accidentally shoots a black farm worker.

• In “The Masque of the Red Death,” the Medieval European Prince Prospero seals himself and his friends in an abbey to avoid the plague of the Red Death.

• “Cranes,” which is set in Korea during the Korean War, is the story of two boyhood friends, who after a long separation are reunited as soldiers on opposite sides of the war.

These and many other fictional characters are dynamic individuals with characteristics and conflicts to which generations of readers can relate. Readers tend to remember these characters, talk about them, and compare them with other characters. Think about fictional characters you have met in your own reading. Which ones come to your mind first? What makes these characters memorable?

Get Started

In this assignment, you will select a famous literary character and compare that individual with a modern fictional character or real person that has similar characteristics or that has experienced similar events. Begin by looking over this list of fictional characters that have stood the test of time:• Odysseus, in The Odyssey, by Homer (1200 bce)• Hamlet, in Hamlet, by William Shakespeare (1601) • Oliver Twist, in Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens (1838) • Uncle Tom, in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852)• Huck Finn, in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain (1884)• Alice, in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll (1865)• Robin Hood, in The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, by Howard Pyle (1883) • Count Dracula, in Dracula, by Bram Stoker (1887) • Anne Shirley, in Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery (1908)• Tarzan, in Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1914)

unit 140 © EMC Publishing, LLCDifferentiated Instruction: Enrichment Projects & Activities

Circle the stories that you have read. What traits do the characters in those stories have in common? If you are not familiar with any of the characters and stories listed above, make a list of other famous stories and characters that you do know about, and describe the traits those characters have in common.

Choose a Fictional Character

Choose a famous fictional character from the list or from your own reading. Record that character’s name below

Chosen fictional character:

What makes this famous fictional character memorable or unique?

What is this famous fictional character’s role in society?

In what time and place does this famous fictional character exist?

Can you think of characters in modern stories, novels, TV shows, or films that may have been modeled after this character? Does this character remind you of a modern literary character or real-life person? Do you know of a contemporary character or person who has had similar experiences? List as many as possible.

Choose a Modern Character

Review the list of similar modern characters and people you just created, and choose one to compare with your chosen fictional character. Record this modern individual’s name below.

Chosen modern character or person:

What makes this modern character or person memorable or unique?

What is this modern character’s or person’s role in society?

In what place does this modern character or person exist?

unit 1 41© EMC Publishing, LLC Differentiated Instruction: Enrichment Projects & Activities

Organize Your Information

After you have chosen the two characters to compare, draw a Venn Diagram like the one below, and in that diagram list the similarities and differences between the two characters. Write their similarities in the middle, combined part of the circles; write their differences in the outer circles.

Write an Essay

Write an essay comparing and contrasting your chosen famous fictional character with the characteristics of your chosen modern character or person. For example, you might compare Odysseus with a soldier returning from the Iraq War. Discuss character traits the two share that make them memorable characters. What aspects of their characters or situations make them timeless? How do their differences make them unique? How does each character represent the society in which his or her story (real or imagined) takes place? Finally, what lessons can we learn from each character?

Both Characters

Famous Fictional Character

Modern Character or Person

unit 2

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

42 © EMC Publishing, LLCDifferentiated Instruction: Enrichment Projects & Activities

UNIT 2

In-Depth Study of a Primary Source

Build Background

You look for sources when you research an event or idea. A source is a person, place, or object that you refer to when you need information. When you want to find out the who, what, where, and when of an event, your best source of information is a primary source. When you want to find out the why and how of an event, you can read such explanations in a secondary source. A primary source is direct evidence from the creators of an idea or the witnesses and participants of an event. Primary sources include first-hand accounts such as visual artwork, literary works, diaries, letters, autobiographies, government documents, photographs, interviews, court records, records of speeches, and news articles that give firsthand accounts. An example of a primary source is Coretta Scott King’s memoir “Montgomery Boycott” on pages 121–131. In this excerpt King recalls events that led to the Montgomery bus boycott. The memoir is King’s first-hand experience, so it is a primary source. A secondary source gives an interpretation of the direct evidence. This type of source is created by people who have studied an event or idea using primary sources. Information that you may have missed in a primary source may be found in a secondary source. This is because secondary sources look for connections among several primary sources related to an event or idea. Secondary sources include dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks, biographies, news articles that are not written by participants or witnesses of an event, and books and articles that interpret or review original works. “Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People,” on pages 158–169 of your textbook, is a secondary source; it uses several primary sources to put together a description of Tubman’s life and work. When you do research, you will most likely find much of your information on the Internet. Websites can be classified as either primary or secondary sources depending on the website type and the information found on that site. For example, if you find a news article that gives a firsthand account on a newspaper’s online website, then you have found a primary source. However, if you find a recent article written about a historic event, such as the Montgomery bus boycott, then you have found a secondary source. It’s important to closely examine the material you find on the Internet to determine if it is a primary or secondary source.

Sort Your Sources

Unit 2 of your textbook contains both primary and secondary source selections. Review each Unit 2 selection to determine if it is a primary or secondary source. On your own paper, create a chart with a column for primary sources and secondary sources. Write the title of each selection in the appropriate column.


Distinguish Fact from Opinion: The Effects of Perspective and Bias

Both primary and secondary sources have their own merits and uses in research. However, you still need to choose appropriate and credible sources. You may think that first-hand accounts are authentic, or absolutely truthful. In a sense, they are. But the first-hand accounts of a single event can vary. Why is that? Let’s examine this scenario:

A reporter is investigating a tsunami that devastated a beach town in Thailand a month ago. He interviews three witnesses of the tsunami. The first interviewee is a fisherman who has lived in the beach town all his life and is not very familiar with reporters. According to him, the tsunami was “a tragic event, but only one of many that happened before.” The second interviewee is a scientist who studies tsunamis. This scientist has never been to the beach town, but has used computers to gather data about the tsunami. According to the scientist, the tsunami was “not as big as another tsunami in Indonesia a year ago.” The last interviewee is a young tourist in the beach town who has already been interviewed by another reporter. According to her, she chose a bad time to go to her first beach resort. She says that the tsunami “must have been the biggest wave in history. I never thought I’d see a tsunami here!”

Primary sources of a single event or idea vary because of the perspective and bias of the people who created these sources or first-hand accounts. In the passage above, each interviewee had a unique perspective. Each interviewee’s description of the tsunami is also different because of his or her bias. A person’s perspective is his or her point of view from which he or she experiences an event or understands an idea. A person’s bias is his or her preconceived ideas and feelings that are rooted in his or her background, such as race, class, gender, age, culture, and other personal interests. To understand bias, it is important to be able to distinguish between fact and opinion. A fact is a statement that can be proven by direct observation or supported by reliable resources. An opinion expresses an attitude or a desire, not a fact about the world. A person’s opinion can shed light on his or her bias.

OPINION: Tsunamis are common at the beach.

OPINION: The tsunami was an unexpected, rare event on the beach. The tsunami was also the largest one in history.

FACT:A

tsunami wave hits a beach town.

OPINION: The tsunami that hit was not as big as others.

Perspective 1: fishermanThe tsunami was “a tragic event, but only one of many”..many…”

Perspective 3: touristThe tsunami “must have been the biggest wave… ”

Perspective 2: scientistThe tsunami was “not as big as another tsunami…”

Given the scenario presented here, which of the interviewees would you consider to be a valid or trustworthy primary source? Why?


What can you infer about each interviewee’s words? Why do you think they chose to describe the tsunami the way they did? What information about these interviewees tells you about their respective bias in answering the reporter?

Interviewee #1: Fisherman Interviewee #2: Scientist Interviewee #3: Tourist

Write an Impartial News Article

We can understand bias and perspective better not only through reading, but also through writing exercises. Imagine that you are the reporter in the scenario. Compile the information from the diagram into a news article that will be published. Be sure to keep your report impartial, or free from bias. Your news article should be only a paragraph long. A good news article:• answers the questions who, what, when, where, why, and how• reports factual information that is free from bias• begins with the most important information followed by less vital details• uses clear, simple language• avoids repetition and is written concisely

Analyze a Primary Source

Study the tips for analyzing informational texts on pages E130–E131. Then choose one of the selections in Unit 2 that you have identified as a primary source. Write a one- to two-page essay analyzing the author’s perspective and bias. Be wary of any use of propaganda or faulty arguments in the selection. Use the following guide questions in your analysis:

1. What is the main idea of the account? 2. What local, national, or world events occurred immediately before or during

the creation of the account? How might these have influenced the author? 3. Who is the author’s intended audience? What is the author’s purpose for

creating the account? 4. What biases or preconceived ideas of the author are apparent in the account? 5. What questions does this account raise in you, as a reader? How does this

account connect to what you already know about the issue or event? 6. What evidence does the writer use to give support to his or her main idea? 7. Does the evidence come from reliable sources? Is the evidence convincing? 8. Does the writer include factual information? Does the writer include opinions

that are not supported by facts? 9. Is there another side of the story? What is a possible opposing viewpoint? 10. Does the writer use propaganda, or false arguments to persuade the reader?

unit 3

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


UNIT 3

Delivering an Oral Interpretation of a Poet’s Work

Interpreting Poetry

Remember that poems use imaginative and musical language to communicate experiences, thoughts, or emotions. Each word of a poem is carefully chosen to convey a tone, viewpoint, and perception of an object or experience. Some poems—such as “I Am Offering This Poem,” by Jimmy Santiago Baca, on page 239—seem straightforward, but are not. If you look closer, or interpret, what the speaker is saying, you can often find a new or different meaning than you originally understood. When you interpret a poem, you act a little like a researcher. You begin with a question about something you notice in the poem. Then you gather evidence to answer your question. Finally, you review your evidence and develop an answer to your question that provides an interpretation of the poem. On a first reading of “I Am Offering This Poem,” you might ask yourself, Why does the speaker say the poem is given for a time in life “when the world outside/no longer cares if you live or die”? You might wonder this because until this point, the speaker is offering warmth, safety, and protection, and these two lines shift to revealing a bit about what the speaker has experienced in life. On rereading the poem, you might note that in the lines “I will answer, give you directions,/and let you warm yourself by this fire,/rest by this fire, and make you feel safe,” the speaker expresses familiarity with the situation and offers to stand as a guide for the listener. You might also see that the two lines you questioned after your initial reading suggest that the speaker believes that the world has not yet treated the listener as harshly as it has treated the speaker. From this evidence, you might decide that this is a poem from a parent to a child, or from an older lover to a younger one. In this lesson, you will learn to deliver your own interpretation of a poem. The following activities will guide you through the steps.

Step One: Choose a Poem

Choose from the textbook any poem, other than “I Am Offering This Poem,” that is meaningful to you. You might select another poem from Unit 3 or one from the books suggested in For Your Reading List on page 488. On the lines below, document your choice.

Title: Author: Page number: Why I chose this poem:


Step Two: Interpret the Poem

Read the poem, looking for something that you wonder about in it. It may be a word or phrase that sticks out, or it could be an overall feeling you have about the poem. Write the question you have at the top of the following chart. Then read the poem again, looking for evidence that answers your question. When you find a piece of evidence, record the line number in column 1 of the chart, copy the evidence in column 2, and describe what the evidence means in column 3. When you are finished, review your evidence and meanings, and write your interpretation of the poem on the lines below the chart.

My Question:

Line Number What It Says What It Means

My interpretation of the poem:


Step Three: Create Note Cards

Now that you have an interpretation of the poem and evidence to support it, you can prepare to share your interpretation with your classmates. Use the information from your chart to create note cards with your main points. You will use the note cards to deliver the interpretation, so start with your interpretation, review your evidence, and conclude with a summary of your interpretation. You should organize your note cards as follows:• Note card 1: Introduce the poem. Give a brief summary without revealing your

interpretation. You may hint at your interpretation, but do not yet give it away. For example, you might say, “The poem ‘I Am Offering This Poem,’ by Jimmy Santiago Baca, is written from the speaker to someone the speaker loves, offering the words of the poem to protect and provide for the listener, in lieu of physical gifts or objects.” Make sure to tell your audience the page numbers so they can quickly locate the poem in the textbook.

• Note card 2: Write your interpretation of the poem on this card.• Remaining note cards: Use these note cards to record evidence from the text

that supports your interpretation. Make sure to include line numbers so that the audience can quickly refer to the specific line in the poem during your explanation.

• Final note card: Restate your interpretation and ask for questions from the audience.

As you compose your note cards, you might find that you need to write only bullet points to remind yourself of what you’d like to say, or you would prefer to write out complete sentences. During step four, when you practice your delivery, you can edit your note cards to help you best deliver your interpretation.

Step Four: Practice Your Delivery

After you have finished your note cards, use them to practice delivering your oral interpretation. Try not to read directly from the note cards, but use them to help you remember what you wanted to say. Make notes on the cards about gestures you want to make, important ideas to emphasize with your voice, and when to slow down or speed up. Practice with a partner, and discuss your delivery. Practice until your presentation seems natural and comfortable to you. Use these questions as a guide:• Are you speaking too quickly or too slowly?• Are you too quiet or too loud?• Is your interpretation clear from your delivery?• Did you include line numbers, so your listener can follow your argument?• Did you provide enough evidence to support the interpretation?• Are you using appropriate gestures and eye contact?

Step Five: Deliver Your Oral Interpretation

Once you have practiced delivering your oral interpretation, it’s time to present it to the class. Don’t forget to introduce yourself, and wait for your classmates to turn to the correct page in the textbook. Take a deep breath, deliver your interpretation, and answer questions your classmates may ask after you have finished. Remember that different readers will have different interpretations, and that your position is your own.

unit 4

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


UNIT 4

Understanding Julius Caesar’s Rome

Build Background

The drama The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, on page 332 of your textbook, is based on real events that occurred in the last years of the Roman Republic (c. 45–42 bce). This was a time characterized not only by military expansion and technological and social progress, but also by constant warfare and political conflict. Shakespeare used different sources to research the events in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Scholars suggest that he studied a collection of biographies of famous Greek and Roman personalities written by Greek author Plutarch (46–120 ce). From the collection, called Parallel Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans, Shakespeare constructed the plot for his own tragedy and even quoted many lines of dialogue almost verbatim. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is more a study of the main characters’ psychological conflicts than an accurate representation of the economic and social influences that shaped ancient Rome. To fully understand and appreciate what is happening to the characters, however, you need to put the events of the drama in historical context. For example, knowing that ancient Romans feared the end of a democratic society will give you a better understanding of why Brutus and his followers worried about Caesar’s ambition. Think about what you have learned about Caesar’s Rome from reading Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. What have you learned about the Roman government? What have you learned about Roman citizens and noblemen? Record your ideas on the lines below.

Get Started

In this assignment, you will research various aspects of Caesar’s Rome to help you build the historical context for understanding what motivates the characters in Shakespeare’s tragedy. You can use the drama itself as a starting point. Additional information must come from reliable sources (printed or online) such as the ones that follow:• textbooks• history books and articles• historical documents• time lines• encyclopedias• documentaries


Tip: You may want to refer to the same historical documents that Shakespeare used, such as Plutarch’s Parallel Lives or Julius Caesar’s account of the Civil War, De Bello Civili. You can also visit credible websites such as those of television channels PBS, BBC, and the History Channel.

Research Caesar’s Rome

As you research Caesar’s Rome, use the chart below to list the information you find. Include at least three facts for each topic listed in the chart. Record your notes in the middle column and list the sources in which you found the information in the rightmost column. Consult the Language Arts Handbook to find the proper format to report the information about your sources. While you are researching, you will most likely come across interesting information that is not included in the categories already listed in the chart. Add any information that sheds some light on the culture of Julius Caesar’s Rome in the blank rows at the end of the chart. If you need more room, expand the chart on your own paper.

Topics Notes SourcesGeography

Government

Laws

School life

Careers

Family life

Social organization

Medicine

Religion

Fashion


Connect the Research to a Character in the Play

Now connect what you have learned about Caesar’s Rome to the psychological conflicts of a character in the play. Choose one of the main characters and write a paragraph or two explaining how your research helped you better understand that character’s motivations.

Share Your Findings in an Electronic Presentation

As a final assignment, organize the results of your research and analysis in an electronic presentation (such as PowerPoint) to share with your class. First, devise an outline for your presentation. Go through your summary paragraphs and your chart, and list the research topics that support your character analysis. Each of those topics should be explained through at least two or three slides, and the entire presentation should include a total of at least fifteen slides. The presentation should include an introductory slide, and a concluding slide that explains what your research has told you about the motivations of one of the main characters in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Create your slides by selecting only the most important information and presenting it in a concise yet clear manner. Whenever possible, add maps, photographs, and other images to make your presentation appealing and easy to follow. For example, you can insert a map of the Roman Republic at the time of Julius Caesar’s death, a diagram representing the division of power in the Roman Republic, or a picture of a painting depicting Julius Caesar’s assassination Finally, create additional slides to list all your sources in alphabetical order.

unit 5

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


UNIT 5

Studying the Origins of Fantasy and Folk Tales

Build Background

Cultures around the world develop their own traditional stories, or folk tales. Folk tales—a genre of literature that includes tall tales, fairy tales, parables, and fables—are brief stories passed by word of mouth from generation to generation. Over time, people began writing these stories down to preserve them for generations to come. Many of the folk tales that we read or hear today are products of centuries, if not millennia, of retelling by storytellers, family members, and common people. For this reason, studying the elements of a folk tale can reveal many cultural aspects of the place that originated it. By analyzing the setting, characters, symbols, and motifs of a folk tale, we can get in touch with the unique nature of a given culture, including its values and beliefs. In Unit 5 of your textbook, you read a variety of folk tales from the Yiddish, German, and Slavic cultures. One important characteristic that these folk tales share is an element of fantasy. Mischievous spirits, supernatural occurrences, and nonhuman characters displaying human characteristics are included to help the authors express their message. The literary genre of fantasy—literary works that contain highly unrealistic elements—includes many characteristics of folk tales. Fantasy comes not only from oral tradition, but also from Germanic and Anglo-Saxon epics and poems. Fantasy often displays more supernatural elements than do traditional folk tales. J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter are two popular fantasy novels. Think about a folk tale you have read in Unit 5, such as “Naked Truth and Resplendent Parable” on page 558, “Mother Holle” on page 563, or “The Wonderful Hair” on page 567. What elements of fantasy are present in your selection choice? What do these elements tell the reader about the culture that produced the folk tale? Write your responses below.

Folk tale title:

Fantasy elements:

What these elements tell the reader about the culture of the folk tale:


Get Started

In this lesson, you will work with a partner to analyze the characteristics of fantasy and folk tales and find differences and similarities between the two genres. First, you will need to go to the library or use the Internet to locate folk tales from various cultures. You can find a collection of folk tales from around the world on websites such as:• Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts (http://lit.emcp.net/folktexts)• Project Gutenberg (http://lit.emcp.net/gutenberg)• From Around the World: Stories, Legends, and Folktales (http://lit.emcp.net/

worldfolktales )

Tip: Be sure to look for folk tales that are rich in fantasy elements. Folk tales from the German, Irish, Indian, Japanese, Scottish, and Swedish cultures are likely to contain elements of fantasy.

Choose and Research a Folk Tale

After you’ve had time to see the folk tales that the library and Internet have to offer, choose one folk tale that you are familiar with or that you find interesting. In the blank lines below, record the title of the folk tale, the culture of origin, and the name of the source in which you found the folk tale. Then, read the folk tale, pay attention to the fantasy elements used, and complete the rest of the chart as you read. Include at least three pieces of information per category.

Title of Folk Tale:

Culture of Origin:

Source Name:

Setting

Characters

Magic and Supernatural Elements

Motifs and Symbols

Plot Structure (What kind of conflicts and resolution are described?)


Choose and Research a Fantasy Story

Choose one fantasy story or movie that you are familiar with. To help you think of ideas, you can find book titles in the Reading List on page 602. You can also look for movies based on the following book series:• The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis• Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

On a separate sheet of paper, create a chart like the one on the previous page. Record the title of the fantasy, the culture of origin, and the name of the source in which you found the fantasy. Then, read the fantasy story or view the movie, paying attention to the fantasy elements used, and complete the rest of the chart as you read or watch. Include at least three pieces of information per category.

After you have completed your charts, draw a Venn diagram like the one below, and in that diagram list the similarities and differences between the two genres. Write the similarities in the middle, combined part of the circles; write the differences in the outer circles.

BothGenres:

Folk Tales: Fantasy:

Cultural Statements

Remember, studying the elements of folk tales and fantasies can reveal a great deal about the culture that originated it. For example, the German fairy tale “Mother Holle” reveals that the culture rewards and values those who work hard. Think about the folk tale, fantasy story, or movie you studied in the previous assignment. What did the stories teach you about the cultures that originated those stories? What story elements contributed to your understanding of the culture? On a separate piece of paper, write a brief essay in which you examine the statements that the two stories you studied make about their originating cultures.

unit 6

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


UNIT 6

In-Depth Study of an Author and Novel

Build Background

Some literary works successfully capture and express the unspoken feelings of their times and display these emotions for the world. In 1929, German writer Erich Maria Remarque published the novel All Quiet on the Western Front. The novel, inspired by Remarque’s own experience on the battlefield, is a first-person narration of the horrors of World War I as seen through the eyes of young German soldier Paul Bäumer. In the novel, Paul, who has strong ideals of courage and patriotism, is forced to confront the reality of one of the bloodiest conflicts of all time. Hidden in the trenches and seeing senseless death and destruction all around him, Paul understands that the life of a soldier is a life of constant terror and loss. All Quiet on the Western Front is different from earlier war novels. Instead of celebrating and romanticizing the glory of combat, Remarque’s novel shows the cruelty of war and the physical and psychological toll on its victims. According to Remarque, even when soldiers manage to survive, they come home feeling disillusioned and alienated, incapable of communicating their experiences to their families. All Quiet on the Western Front was an instant success. Ten years after the end of World War I, Europe was still shaking from the unprecedented violence and the millions of lives lost in the conflict, and Remarque’s novel articulated the shock that the veterans and their families were suffering. Even now, this novel is considered one of the most passionate anti-war novels of all time. Think about what you know about warfare in World War I. How was that conflict different from previous wars?

Get Started

In this assignment, you will research Erich Maria Remarque’s life and study his novel All Quiet on the Western Front to analyze how an author’s personal life informs aspects of his or her writing. Your study will consist of three steps. First, you will research biographical information about Remarque. Then, you will read the novel and write a brief summary of the plot. Finally, you will carefully explore the novel’s setting to find out how Remarque’s life influenced this story element.


Step 1: Research the Author’s Life

Before you read the novel, use print and online resources to research the biographical and historical information about Erich Maria Remarque. In particular, focus on any war experience that Remarque may have had. Also, search for information about the places in which Remarque lived. The chart below includes several categories that will help focus your research. In the middle column of the chart, list 1–2 facts for each category. In the rightmost column, record the source in which you found the information.

Erich Maria RemarqueCategory Facts/Details Source

Date of Birth/Date of Death

Birthplace

Childhood

Family/Children

Education

Career

War Experience

Achievements

Other

Step 2: Summarize the Novel’s Plot

Once you have learned about the author of All Quiet on the Western Front, read the novel. As you read, use sticky notes to flag passages that you find interesting or poignant. On a separate piece of paper, write or type a brief synopsis of each chapter to help you remember the main events and the order in which they appear in the book. Then, use your synopses to write or type a brief summary of the novel’s entire plot.


Step 3: Connect the Novel’s Setting to the Author’s Life

After you write your summary, analyze the setting of All Quiet on the Western Front. Ask yourself the following questions: • In what year(s) is the novel set?• Where do the majority of the events take place?• How is the setting described? What kind of mood does the setting create?• What is trench life like?• What does home represent for the characters?

Then, create a chart to record the details about the novel’s setting. In the first column, name the setting. In the middle column, write a description of the setting as it is presented in the novel. Finally, in the third column, explain how that setting was influenced by Remarque’s life. For example, you might note whether the novel is set at the same time that the author lived, describe where the author drew inspiration for the setting, or explain why the author might have chosen the setting. Use your previous research on the author to help you find connections. You may need to do additional research.

Setting Text Description How the Setting Relates to Remarque’s Life#1

#2

#3

Read Essays and Criticism for a Class Discussion

After you have completed your research and analysis of the settings of All Quiet on the Western Front, find 3–4 commentaries by literary critics using print or online resources. Reading commentaries written by experts will increase your understanding of Remarque’s work. As you read the commentaries, ask yourself whether you agree with the ideas that the critics are presenting, and write down your thoughts. Then, discuss your findings with the rest of the class. Have a two-part discussion about the themes, settings, and characters of All Quiet on the Western Front. During the first part of the discussion, students should exchange their findings. During the second part of the discussion, students should discuss their own interpretation of the novel, asking other students questions and challenging or expanding on each other’s statements. Students should also discuss how studying the author’s background helped them better understand or appreciate the novel.

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