Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Challenge Projects for The Catcher in the Rye

All final assignments must be typed. Proposals must be typed. Look at the calendar for the due date. If you fail to turn in a proposal, a project will not be accepted. NO proposal or Challenge Project is EVER accepted late.

Choose ONE of the following topics for your challenge project:

1. Write a description of Holden through the eyes of a female his age. Use Holdenese. 3-4 pages minimum.
2. Draw a portrait of Holden or any other character in Catcher. Explain the technique used to convey your subject’s personality in a 1-2-page essay.
3. Write a paper describing the political climate of the fifties. Mention political slogans, presidential accomplishments, and legislative triumphs. 3-4 page minimum.
4. Create a video of TV segments reflecting the values of the fifties. Explain these values and Holden’s reactions to them.
5. Dress dolls in fashions of the fifties. Explain how these fashions reflect values/ life of the time in a two to three page essay.
6. Draw, exhibit photos, or show models of cars from the fifties. Explain how these cars influenced or reflected fifties’ values.
7. Play live or taped music of the fifties. Explain how the music reflects or influenced the fifties.
8. Video a scene from Catcher, using narration to represent Holden’s thoughts.
9. Serve the class popular foods of the fifties. Explain their social significance in a two to three page essay.
10. Video Central through the eyes of Holden. Narrate in Holdenese.
11. Keep a journal in Holdenese, covering one day in your life. Two to three page minimum.
12. Write a paper on the standards of censorship, comparing censorship in the fifties and censorship today.
13. Visit a treatment center for today’s teenagers and compare the services available now with the services available to Holden. Two to three page minimum.
14. Write a paper determining what parts of Holden and J. D. Salinger’s life are the same. Explain how these things are autobiographical to J. D. Salinger in a three to four page essay.
15. Write a three to four page paper explaining how Catcher would be different if written from the point of view of a female.
16. Teach the class two favorite dances from the fifties.
17. Analyze the words from three songs of the fifties. Explain how these songs reflect the values/life of this time.
18. Develop ten questions based on Holden’s viewpoint. Interview someone who was a teenager in the fifties. Do their views match Holden’s? Why or why not? Total of three to four pages minimum.
19. Rent Thirty-Nine Steps. Evaluate the film in Holdenese. Two to three page minimum.
20. Design your own challenge project. Must be pre-approved by Ms. Peifer.
21. Design a poll to reflect student and adult reactions to Catcher. Summarize your conclusions, trying to determine reasons for your findings.
22. Write a book review for Central’s school paper. Submit a copy to the paper as well as a copy to Ms. Peifer.
23. Compare/contrast the beginning of David Copperfield with Catcher. Why does Salinger mention David Copperfield? Three to four pages.

The Catcher in the Rye Dialogue Journal

Note: Choose a partner that you trust. You will journal with each other about The Catcher in the Rye. It is very important that both partners fulfill their responsibility to journal or you both will get a lowered grade due to less dialogue in your dialogue journal.

Here is what you do:
  • Write a journal of about 1/2 to 3/4 of a page long.
  • You can ask questions, write about their thoughts on Holden or the other characters Holden interacts with. You may write about the themes or the actions of the book. You may agree or disagree with Holden's thoughts. You may ask literary questions about the characters motivations. Basically, you need to react to what you read.
  • Your partner then reads this journal and responds. Write about what the first person journaled about either commenting, agreeing, or disagreeing with the journal. Then add your own ideas and thoughts so we can continue the process of responding to the text. This journal should be about 1/2 a page to 3/4 of a page as well. Make sure you give this back to the first journal-er and so on.
  • You will then respond to your partner's journal when he/she is responding to your journal. Each journal will then be a page to a page and a half long.
  • You should have at least 8 entries per person. You may choose to write shorter but more frequent journals. This is fine as well as you are responding to the text. Also, you may journal via e-mail as long as you follow the same criteria and you print the emails out to turn in.
  • The final journal should have minimum: 8 entries per person, 8 pages in length. These journals do not need to be typed but they must be legible for me to grade them. You will be graded on the depth of insights and the ideas generated.

The Catcher in the Rye Schedule UPDATED (10/15)

9 Quest The Catcher in the Rye Calendar
September/October

September 27:
In class--Finish autobiography presentations
Start Catcher in the Rye (check out books)
Handouts include: Journal handout, Challenge Project handout, Characterization notes handout

HW: Read Ch 1-3 and write in journal, and start characterization notes

28
In class--Independent Reading day
Reading Log Due

HW: Rd Ch 4-6 and write journal, continue with characterization notes

October 1
In class--Characterization notes and vocabulary assignment

HW: Rd 7-9 and write in journal

October 2
In class--Discuss book

HW: Rd Ch 10-13 and journal

October 3
In class--Challenge Project Proposal Due!

HW: Rd Ch 14-16 and journal

October 4
In class--Vocabulary 2 assignment

HW: Rd Ch 17-19 and journal

October 5
In class--Independent Reading day
Reading log due

HW: Rd Ch 20-22 and journal

October 8
In class--Discuss themes

HW: Rd Ch 23-26 and journal

October 9
In class--Work on paper
DUE: CHARACTERIZATION NOTES (please add this to the schedule I passed out in class!)

HW: finish journals…work on challenge project

October 10
In class--Journal due!

HW: work on paper/challenge project

October 11
In class--discuss book

HW: work on paper/Challenge project

October 12
In class--Independent Reading day
Reading log due

HW: work on paper/Challenge project

October 15
In class--Discuss book
Start Multi-genre paper

HW: work on paper/finish Challenge project

October 16
In class--Challenge Projects Due—
Presentations
Continue working on paper

HW: work on paper

October 17
Testing...
No class hour one and three
Hour five: continue working on paper

HW: work on paper

October 22
Work on paper

HW: finish paper

October 23
Paper Due!
Present papers

October 24
Final Catcher Test--don't forget to study your literary terms as well.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Independent Reading

Don't forget to bring your independent reading book to class on Friday! This is the book you are reading on your own with the theme personal identity.

Also, so many of you have asked me in class, "What do you mean by personal identity?" Remember back to our discussion on what makes a person's identity as well as when you created your personal identity visuals and wrote your personal identity essay. If that still leaves you stumped, here are a few definitions that I liked that I found on the web:
  • identity: the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity; "you can lose your identity when you join the army"
    wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
  • identity: The collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is definitively recognizable or known
  • The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group.
  • The distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity; individuality. http://www.answers.com/topic/identity?cat=health
A note about the reading log--
You do not have to write a long summary. A paragraph is fine for this entry. You should concentrate on the personal response and the literary appreciation sections of your reading log. The personal response should be at least two paragraphs long. The literary appreciation section should fully explain the quote, what it means to you, and why you liked the phrase you selected. Remember to cite the page number the quote comes from!



Autobiography Assignment

The autobiography project is due Tuesday, September 25th. Please have all the major components with you in class on Monday, September 24th to review the separate pieces and then put your project together. Also on Monday we will create your coat of arms and talk about your personal quotes.

Here are the things you should have with you in class:
  1. Title page
  2. Table of contents
  3. Timeline--this is the timeline that includes both your personal lives and what is happening around the world during the same time frame.
  4. The story of your birth OR your first memory
  5. Your two "I Am" poems
  6. Your personal composition--this is the 3-5 page essay about one major event in your life that we peer edited in class on Wednesday, September 19th.
  7. 100 dreams list
  8. "One Step Closer" journal
  9. At least 3 more journals

Welcome to English 9 Quest

Hello students!
This is a place where you can re-read the assignments for class and ask questions. You can post your questions under "comments" and then other students can learn from those questions and post their own comments to them.

Hopefully, this will be a great place to learn from each other and share ideas too. Don't be shy--ask questions, post comments, share your thoughts!

Ms. Peifer