Attention Parents and Guardians! 
Please ask your student if he or she recieved a Scholarship Warning for the 4th Quarter.  These went out on May 16th and 17th.  It is due to me with your signature by May 20th.

Final Exam Assignments

 

These are your final projects for the year. Everyone will complete an “I AM” poem as well as an essay. The poem and essay are due on Wednesday June 1^st for A day and Thursday June 2^nd for B day.

 

Complete this “I am” poem. You may select any character from the book to do this poem about. Be sure to write this from his or her point of view and think about the things he or she would feel. You may use some short one word answers, but do not make each line only a few words. You should try to provide support from he novel to really develop this poem so that it reveals information and insight about the character you select.

 

I am (2 characteristics your character has)

I wonder (something your character wonders)

I hear (something real or imaginary your character hears)

I see (something real or imaginary your character sees)

I want (something your character desires)

I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

 

I pretend (something your character pretends to do)

I feel (something real or imaginary your character feels emotionally)

I touch (something real or imaginary your character would touch physically)

I worry (something your character worries about)

I cry (something that makes your character upset)

I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

 

I understand (something your character knows)

I say (something your character believes in)

I dream (something your character would dream about)

I try (something your character makes an effort to do)

I hope (something your character hopes for)

I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

 

Be sure to type your poem. Check for spelling / grammar errors. Decorate your poem with a drawing or collage related to the person you have chosen to write about.

 

Essay options (choose one):

A. Write an essay explaining how Melinda demonstrates any or all of the following effects of her incident. Include page numbers from the book to support your claims.

* Psychological:

1. Fear of an authority figure                       
2. fear of being threatened
3. sense of not being believed
4. being blamed for other’s actions
5. sense of helplessness
6. depression

* Physical

1. sleep disruption
2. eating disorders
3. headaches
4. stomach ailments
5. listlessness
6. inability to concentrate

 

B. Chose three of the symbols from the novel and write an expository essay explaining the significance of the symbols in the novel. You must use textual evidence to support your claims as well as show how the symbols are important and are developed throughout the novel.

  Symbols: turkey bones, mirror, rabbit, closest, apple, tree, mouths, mascots

 

C. In “Code Breaking” Melinda discusses her English class where the students are reading “The Scarlett Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In “The Scarlett Letter” there is a great deal of symbolism. The book, which is set in colonial New England, takes place in a conservative, religious, Puritan community. The main character, Hester, becomes pregnant in the absence of her husband. This is a mortal sin in this community. Hester is arrested and punished by the town. During this era punishment for adultery was extreme. Hester is shunned by the community (no one will speak to her, associate with her, or be friends with her) and she is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” on the exterior of all her clothing. The “A” stands for adultery and is meant to mark her as a sinful, shamed woman.

Melinda identifies with Hester. She, too, feels shunned by her community. She imagines that she has a giant “S” on her clothing.  Write an essay addressing the following:

            Why does Melinda relate with Hester?

            What would the “S” stand for on Melinda’s clothing?

            How do both women suffer from shame over what has happened to them?

            Should Melinda feel like Hester? Should she feel shame?

 

________________________________________
Original Poem
Due 4/20 A day
Due 4/19 B day

Requirements:

* 15-20 lines long
* must incorporate the theme (Theme is making a choice and living with that choice)
* Honors students must use the ABAAB rhyme scheme
* must include a visual that compliments your writing
* must use descriptive language (imagery, metaphors, similes...)