Hello Students!
Today, genius struck in 3rd period.
Like, seriously.
We decided to have a contest for the classes to see which class can earn the highest median average, and here's what we came up with:
*For any class that earns a median grade of 80%, *all* students in the class will receive TWO POINTS on top of their final grade for the semester. So...if you have a 63...you'll receive a 65!
*The class that earns the HIGHEST median grade will receive THREE POINTS on top of the final grade for the semester. So if you have a 77, you will earn an 80!
If you are wondering how your class can win, it's easy: turn in make up homework and missing assignments! The biggest gains in class median scoring are made by students who have a grade between 50-75; once you raise your score to a 75 the entire class benefits. Go for it!
Here are the MEDIAN AVERAGE numbers for this week:
Pd. 3: 77%
Pd. 4: 69%
Pd. 7: 72%
Pd. 8: 69%
Pd. 9: 69%
I will post class median scores each week on the blog and track the scores throughout the week on the whiteboard in my room!
Good luck!
Ms. Smith
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Is she *EVER* going to finish grading my essay???!!!
Hello Students, Parents, and Families:
I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that I've graded a whopping 146 of the 170 essays on The Crucible and "Half-Hanged Mary". I will finish grading the last 25 essays next week.
Thanks for your patience; grading these papers takes a long time, and I want to make sure I give each student detailed feedback on their writing.
Remember, if you receive a rubric score below 100, you can complete a rewrite of your essay for extra credit. See me in the Writing Center (Room 4000) 5th period any day to discuss your
rewrite.
Best,
Ms. Smith
I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that I've graded a whopping 146 of the 170 essays on The Crucible and "Half-Hanged Mary". I will finish grading the last 25 essays next week.
Thanks for your patience; grading these papers takes a long time, and I want to make sure I give each student detailed feedback on their writing.
Remember, if you receive a rubric score below 100, you can complete a rewrite of your essay for extra credit. See me in the Writing Center (Room 4000) 5th period any day to discuss your
rewrite.
Best,
Ms. Smith
Important Upcoming Deadlines!
Hello, Folks!
Here are the important upcoming deadlines for my English class:
Friday, Dec. 19th: Final Projects for A Streetcar Named Desire due in class.
Monday, Dec. 22: Finish reading your companion texts!
Tuesday, Dec. 23rd: Early submission deadline for your four-paragraph controlling idea (theme) essay on A Streetcar Named Desire and your Companion Text. If you turn this essay in early, you receive 10 points on top of your final grade for the paper. :)
Monday, January 5th: All four-paragraph controlling idea (theme) essays on A Streetcar Named Desire and your Companion Text are due IN CLASS.
Thanks for keeping yourself updated, and an early Happy Holidays!
Ms. Smith
Here are the important upcoming deadlines for my English class:
Friday, Dec. 19th: Final Projects for A Streetcar Named Desire due in class.
Monday, Dec. 22: Finish reading your companion texts!
Tuesday, Dec. 23rd: Early submission deadline for your four-paragraph controlling idea (theme) essay on A Streetcar Named Desire and your Companion Text. If you turn this essay in early, you receive 10 points on top of your final grade for the paper. :)
Monday, January 5th: All four-paragraph controlling idea (theme) essays on A Streetcar Named Desire and your Companion Text are due IN CLASS.
Thanks for keeping yourself updated, and an early Happy Holidays!
Ms. Smith
Homework: Dec. 15-19th
Monday, Dec. 15th
AIM How do I *KNOW* I created a rubric for my project that will help me succeed?
Do Now
1) Put your rubric on your desk for notebook check.
2) Trade rubrics with a partner. Using one of my rubrics from class as a model, analyze and evaluate your partner’s rubric. Are the categories appropriate for the project? Is the language specific to the project? Are the points appropriately weighted in each category?
Class Work & Discussion
Is there any such thing as a rubric for a rubric?
Review criteria of a good rubric with students.
Work with students 1:1 who are struggling with the assignment.
While students work, conference with each group and assist as needed. During group work, sign up students for 1:1 conferences about their projects.
Share Out Students share out categories/descriptions for their rubrics.
HW: Complete a FINAL draft of your rubric. You can use rubistar, or type the rubric, but you must be able to print it out and it is always better if it fits on ONE PAGE J
LESSON PLAN Tuesday, Dec. 16th
AIM
Why is it important to plan out the steps in a large project?
Do Now
1) Compare your progress on your project so far to your original work plan. What do you have left to do? Do you need to revise your plan?
Class Work
This is a work period. Work independently and quietly and I will call you up for your conference when it is your turn. If you have a question, write it down at the end of class and I will answer it during reflection time.
Share and Reflection
Ask students to turn in written questions.
In the last ten minutes of class, allow students to conference with a partner of their choice about the project they are working on, or continue to work independently.
Respond to student questions about their projects.
HOMEWORK
· Continue working on your project You can also come to my class period 3-4-7-8-9.
· Remember to submit your rubric along with your project!
LESSON PLAN Wed. Dec. 17th
AIM
How can I use class time today to prepare for my final project?
Do Now
1) Quickwrite: What do you need to do tonight to be prepared to present your project Friday?
Class Work
This is a work period. Work independently and quietly and I will call you up for your conference when it is your turn. If you have a question, write it down at the end of class and I will answer it during reflection time.
Share and Reflection
Ask students to turn in written questions.
In the last ten minutes of class, allow students to conference with a partner of their choice about the project they are working on, or continue to work independently.
Respond to student questions about their projects.
HOMEWORK
· Projects due Monday and Tuesday in class! I am looking forward to your GALLERY WALK! J
· Remember to turn in your rubric. You will be evaluated using the rubric that you created in class on Monday.
LESSON PLAN
Thursday, Dec. 18th
AIM
Why is it important to be prepared for tomorrow’s deadline?
Do Now
1) Class meeting re: Streetcar/ Companion text essays, and project presentations.
Class Work
This is a work period. Work independently and quietly and I will call you up for your conference when it is your turn. If you have a question, write it down at the end of class and I will answer it during reflection time.
Share and Reflection
Ask students to turn in written questions.
In the last ten minutes of class, allow students to conference with a partner of their choice about the project they are working on, or continue to work independently.
Respond to student questions about their projects.
HOMEWORK
· Projects due Monday and Tuesday in class! I am looking forward to your GALLERY WALK! J
· Remember to turn in your rubric. You will be evaluated using the rubric that you created in class on Monday.
LESSON PLAN: Friday, Dec. 19th
AIM
Why is it important to celebrate our success and share what we have learned?
Do Now
You have 5 minutes to prepare for your presentations.
Student Presentations:
1) Student presentations and rubric assessment.
2) Shout outs & compliments for “Best Of”
SHARE & REFLECTION
In a quickwrite, explain how your final project will help you write your essay on A Streetcar Named Desire and your companion text.
HOMEWORK
Finish reading your companion text over the weekend! You have two days in class next week to write your essay. Early deadline: Tues, Dec. 23rd. On Time Deadline: Monday, January 5th.
AIM How do I *KNOW* I created a rubric for my project that will help me succeed?
Do Now
1) Put your rubric on your desk for notebook check.
2) Trade rubrics with a partner. Using one of my rubrics from class as a model, analyze and evaluate your partner’s rubric. Are the categories appropriate for the project? Is the language specific to the project? Are the points appropriately weighted in each category?
Class Work & Discussion
Is there any such thing as a rubric for a rubric?
Review criteria of a good rubric with students.
Work with students 1:1 who are struggling with the assignment.
While students work, conference with each group and assist as needed. During group work, sign up students for 1:1 conferences about their projects.
Share Out Students share out categories/descriptions for their rubrics.
HW: Complete a FINAL draft of your rubric. You can use rubistar, or type the rubric, but you must be able to print it out and it is always better if it fits on ONE PAGE J
LESSON PLAN Tuesday, Dec. 16th
AIM
Why is it important to plan out the steps in a large project?
Do Now
1) Compare your progress on your project so far to your original work plan. What do you have left to do? Do you need to revise your plan?
Class Work
This is a work period. Work independently and quietly and I will call you up for your conference when it is your turn. If you have a question, write it down at the end of class and I will answer it during reflection time.
Share and Reflection
Ask students to turn in written questions.
In the last ten minutes of class, allow students to conference with a partner of their choice about the project they are working on, or continue to work independently.
Respond to student questions about their projects.
HOMEWORK
· Continue working on your project You can also come to my class period 3-4-7-8-9.
· Remember to submit your rubric along with your project!
LESSON PLAN Wed. Dec. 17th
AIM
How can I use class time today to prepare for my final project?
Do Now
1) Quickwrite: What do you need to do tonight to be prepared to present your project Friday?
Class Work
This is a work period. Work independently and quietly and I will call you up for your conference when it is your turn. If you have a question, write it down at the end of class and I will answer it during reflection time.
Share and Reflection
Ask students to turn in written questions.
In the last ten minutes of class, allow students to conference with a partner of their choice about the project they are working on, or continue to work independently.
Respond to student questions about their projects.
HOMEWORK
· Projects due Monday and Tuesday in class! I am looking forward to your GALLERY WALK! J
· Remember to turn in your rubric. You will be evaluated using the rubric that you created in class on Monday.
LESSON PLAN
Thursday, Dec. 18th
AIM
Why is it important to be prepared for tomorrow’s deadline?
Do Now
1) Class meeting re: Streetcar/ Companion text essays, and project presentations.
Class Work
This is a work period. Work independently and quietly and I will call you up for your conference when it is your turn. If you have a question, write it down at the end of class and I will answer it during reflection time.
Share and Reflection
Ask students to turn in written questions.
In the last ten minutes of class, allow students to conference with a partner of their choice about the project they are working on, or continue to work independently.
Respond to student questions about their projects.
HOMEWORK
· Projects due Monday and Tuesday in class! I am looking forward to your GALLERY WALK! J
· Remember to turn in your rubric. You will be evaluated using the rubric that you created in class on Monday.
LESSON PLAN: Friday, Dec. 19th
AIM
Why is it important to celebrate our success and share what we have learned?
Do Now
You have 5 minutes to prepare for your presentations.
Student Presentations:
1) Student presentations and rubric assessment.
2) Shout outs & compliments for “Best Of”
SHARE & REFLECTION
In a quickwrite, explain how your final project will help you write your essay on A Streetcar Named Desire and your companion text.
HOMEWORK
Finish reading your companion text over the weekend! You have two days in class next week to write your essay. Early deadline: Tues, Dec. 23rd. On Time Deadline: Monday, January 5th.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Bring Companion Text to Class Dec. 10th!
Dear Parents, Students, and Families,
*Please bring your companion texts to class tomorrow. we will be using them all day in class.
*Also the annual HSES Book Fair is Thursday, Dec. 11th. We will be visiting the Book Fair during class time.
*Last but not least, you can check here at the class blog for more information on homework assignments, homework help, and links to educational websites:www.smithlessonplans.blogspot.com
Best wishes,
Ms. Smith
*Please bring your companion texts to class tomorrow. we will be using them all day in class.
*Also the annual HSES Book Fair is Thursday, Dec. 11th. We will be visiting the Book Fair during class time.
*Last but not least, you can check here at the class blog for more information on homework assignments, homework help, and links to educational websites:www.smithlessonplans.blogspot.com
Best wishes,
Ms. Smith
Friday, December 5, 2008
Homework Dec. 8-12th!
Monday, Dec. 8th
AIMHow do humans’ primal behaviors both strengthen and destroy them?
Do Now
· Notebook check questions 34-36.
· Put Book Report #3 in HW Basket.
· During NB Check: Quickwrite-- What is a “primal instinct”? Can people be expected to resist their primal instincts?
Class Meeting:
· Class Meeting: Respecting peers during discussion of violence in Streetcar.
· Choose a Companion text for Streetcar by Friday, Nov. 30th and bring it to class for 50 points.
· Share “Do Now”
Class Work & Discussion:
· Ask student to summarize scene 10.
· Watch Scene 10 on film, compare/contrast to the book.
Discussion Questions:
· Who does Blanche tell Stanley she heard from? What invitation does she say he extended?
· Blanche tells Stanley that Mitch came to see her that night. What does she tell him the reason was?
· What happens at the end of Scene Ten?
· As a class, discuss the AIM and debate it using examples from the text.
ReflectionAnswer the AIM in a well-written paragraph.
HomeworkReview the R.A.F.T. letter writing assignment. If you would like to get a head start on it, you may begin working on it tonight. Also, if you missed Friday’s quiz on your companion text, you can complete it tonight for HALF CREDIT.
*****************Lesson Plan:*******************
Tues. Dec. 9th
AIM
Are any of the characters in Streetcar worthy of our sympathy? Explain why or why not.
Do Now
· Notebook check question 37.
· During NB Check: Quickwrite—with which character in Streetcar do you most strongly sympathize? Explain why. (You cannot say “no one!” J )
· Share “Do Now”
Class Work & Discussion:
· Watch Scene 11 on film, compare/contrast to the book.
· Break into groups by character to make a case for “character sympathy” discussion. Students have 5 minutes to find at least one quote and two examples why their character deserves sympathy.
Shared Inquiry Preparation:
· Review “Rules of Shared Inquiry”, “Types of Questions”, and “Steps for Writing a Shared Inquiry Question” with the class.
· Coach students through writing questions.
· Discuss unit “Essential Questions” with the class.
ReflectionAnswer the AIM in a well-written paragraph.
HomeworkR.A.F.T. Writing Assignment (See Streetcar Assignment Packet)
Identify and read a selection from the text that deals with abuse. Next, you will write an advice letter to a character in the play. In this letter, you will state why you are writing the letter and why the character needs help. You must also explain how the character might go about getting help. Tone is especially important during the writing of this assignment!
*****************Lesson Plan:*******************
Wed., Dec. 10th
AIM
How can our companion texts help us understand themes in Streetcar?
Do Now
· Notebook check- Companion text.
· 10 minutes silent reading of your Companion Text. If you forgot your book, select a “theme” from the “theme” worksheet and write a paragraph explaining how Williams evokes this theme in Streetcar. Be sure to include text evidence to prove your case.
Class Work & Discussion:
· Remind students about respectful discussion rules for controversial topics.
· Ask if students wish to share “RAFT” letters.
· Review main themes in Streetcar.
· Ask for student volunteers to discuss their companion texts and compare shared themes they have identified so far.
· Group students according to companion texts for 10-minute “theme” meeting.
Unit Project Declaration:
On a separate sheet of paper, choose one of the final projects. Explain which project it is, and give three reasons you are choosing it.
Reflection:
Answer the AIM in a well-written paragraph based on your reading of Streetcar and your companion text.
Homework
Remember that your Comparison Essay on A Streetcar Named Desire is due in class on Friday, Dec. 19th.
Lesson Plan: Thursday, Dec. 11h and Friday, Dec. 12th.
AIM How do I create a rubric for my project that will help me succeed?
Do Now Reread the directions for your project. Make a list of 6-8 categories you will use to judge your project’s success. Prepare to share.
Class Work & Discussion
As a class, review extant rubrics. Ask students to identify helpful aspects/less helpful aspects of rubrics (take notes and update class rubrics accordingly).
Review how to make a rubric—meets standards, does not meet, exceeds.
Remind students of importance of specific language.
Split class into groups according to each project, and instruct them to complete a rubric for their own project by the end of the class period.
While students work, conference with each group and assist as needed. During group work, sign up students for 1:1 conferences about their projects.
Share Out Students share out categories/descriptions for their rubrics.
Homework Complete a draft of your rubric. Type it/neatly rewrite it and turn it in Monday for a TEST GRADE of 50 Points! Remember to use my rubrics as a model text. And KEEP READING your companion text if you aren’t finished yet, you need to complete all your reading by Monday, Dec. 15th.
AIMHow do humans’ primal behaviors both strengthen and destroy them?
Do Now
· Notebook check questions 34-36.
· Put Book Report #3 in HW Basket.
· During NB Check: Quickwrite-- What is a “primal instinct”? Can people be expected to resist their primal instincts?
Class Meeting:
· Class Meeting: Respecting peers during discussion of violence in Streetcar.
· Choose a Companion text for Streetcar by Friday, Nov. 30th and bring it to class for 50 points.
· Share “Do Now”
Class Work & Discussion:
· Ask student to summarize scene 10.
· Watch Scene 10 on film, compare/contrast to the book.
Discussion Questions:
· Who does Blanche tell Stanley she heard from? What invitation does she say he extended?
· Blanche tells Stanley that Mitch came to see her that night. What does she tell him the reason was?
· What happens at the end of Scene Ten?
· As a class, discuss the AIM and debate it using examples from the text.
ReflectionAnswer the AIM in a well-written paragraph.
HomeworkReview the R.A.F.T. letter writing assignment. If you would like to get a head start on it, you may begin working on it tonight. Also, if you missed Friday’s quiz on your companion text, you can complete it tonight for HALF CREDIT.
*****************Lesson Plan:*******************
Tues. Dec. 9th
AIM
Are any of the characters in Streetcar worthy of our sympathy? Explain why or why not.
Do Now
· Notebook check question 37.
· During NB Check: Quickwrite—with which character in Streetcar do you most strongly sympathize? Explain why. (You cannot say “no one!” J )
· Share “Do Now”
Class Work & Discussion:
· Watch Scene 11 on film, compare/contrast to the book.
· Break into groups by character to make a case for “character sympathy” discussion. Students have 5 minutes to find at least one quote and two examples why their character deserves sympathy.
Shared Inquiry Preparation:
· Review “Rules of Shared Inquiry”, “Types of Questions”, and “Steps for Writing a Shared Inquiry Question” with the class.
· Coach students through writing questions.
· Discuss unit “Essential Questions” with the class.
ReflectionAnswer the AIM in a well-written paragraph.
HomeworkR.A.F.T. Writing Assignment (See Streetcar Assignment Packet)
Identify and read a selection from the text that deals with abuse. Next, you will write an advice letter to a character in the play. In this letter, you will state why you are writing the letter and why the character needs help. You must also explain how the character might go about getting help. Tone is especially important during the writing of this assignment!
*****************Lesson Plan:*******************
Wed., Dec. 10th
AIM
How can our companion texts help us understand themes in Streetcar?
Do Now
· Notebook check- Companion text.
· 10 minutes silent reading of your Companion Text. If you forgot your book, select a “theme” from the “theme” worksheet and write a paragraph explaining how Williams evokes this theme in Streetcar. Be sure to include text evidence to prove your case.
Class Work & Discussion:
· Remind students about respectful discussion rules for controversial topics.
· Ask if students wish to share “RAFT” letters.
· Review main themes in Streetcar.
· Ask for student volunteers to discuss their companion texts and compare shared themes they have identified so far.
· Group students according to companion texts for 10-minute “theme” meeting.
Unit Project Declaration:
On a separate sheet of paper, choose one of the final projects. Explain which project it is, and give three reasons you are choosing it.
Reflection:
Answer the AIM in a well-written paragraph based on your reading of Streetcar and your companion text.
Homework
Remember that your Comparison Essay on A Streetcar Named Desire is due in class on Friday, Dec. 19th.
Lesson Plan: Thursday, Dec. 11h and Friday, Dec. 12th.
AIM How do I create a rubric for my project that will help me succeed?
Do Now Reread the directions for your project. Make a list of 6-8 categories you will use to judge your project’s success. Prepare to share.
Class Work & Discussion
As a class, review extant rubrics. Ask students to identify helpful aspects/less helpful aspects of rubrics (take notes and update class rubrics accordingly).
Review how to make a rubric—meets standards, does not meet, exceeds.
Remind students of importance of specific language.
Split class into groups according to each project, and instruct them to complete a rubric for their own project by the end of the class period.
While students work, conference with each group and assist as needed. During group work, sign up students for 1:1 conferences about their projects.
Share Out Students share out categories/descriptions for their rubrics.
Homework Complete a draft of your rubric. Type it/neatly rewrite it and turn it in Monday for a TEST GRADE of 50 Points! Remember to use my rubrics as a model text. And KEEP READING your companion text if you aren’t finished yet, you need to complete all your reading by Monday, Dec. 15th.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Urgent Reminder: Please bring companion texts to class tomorrow (Dec. 5th!)
Dear Parents, Students, and Families,Please bring your companion texts to class tomorrow. As a reminder, you will have a quiz on this material! If you miss class, you miss the quiz--- so make sure you are prepared. :)
Best,Ms. Smith
Best,Ms. Smith
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Student Packet for A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
A Streetcar Named Desire
By Tennessee Williams
About the Author
Tennessee Williams is one of the foremost playwrights of the twentieth century. He won numerous awards and has created some of the most memorable characters in American theater. In an interview, Williams said, “I have always been more interested in creating a character that contains something crippled. I think nearly all of us have some kind of defect, anyway, and I suppose I have found it easier to identify with the characters who verge upon hysteria, who were frightened of life, who were desperate to reach out to another person.”
Written in 1947, A Streetcar Named Desire explores the themes of “desire, loneliness, and human fragility” (Andrews 628). The story is set in New Orleans, Louisiana in the month of May, sometime after WW II.
Background
Tennessee William’s play A Streetcar Named Desire is set in New Orleans in the late 1940s. Blanche Dubois leaves her dismantled life in Mississippi to start over in New Orleans.
She arrives at her sister’s home, but quickly falls into conflict with her macho brother-in-law, Stanley. Their lives get tangled up as Blanche falls deeper into despair.
Blanche misuses alcohol to deal with her overwhelming problems. She is forced to deal with poverty, sexual assault, domestic abuse, and depression.
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE:
UNIT PLAN
Essential Questions
In what ways does fantasy help and harm people trying to cope with reality?
How far should people go to show loyalty to people they love? To friends? To family?
What are the consequences of pursuing overwhelming desire?
Is “deliberate cruelty” the only unforgivable crime?
How do characters simultaneously represent and deconstruct the “American Dream”?
How do humans’ primal instincts both strengthen and destroy them?
Unit Goals
Answer the “Essential Questions” using examples from the text, both orally and in writing.
Respond to class texts in journals and analytical writing assignments.
Read a Young Adult Literature book that parallels the themes in A Streetcar Named Desire.
Complete a student-selected final creative project that explores one of the themes in Streetcar: deliberate cruelty, noble vs. primal instinct, desire, loneliness, illusion vs. reality, the decaying “American Dream”.
Unit Assessments
Maintain a notebook of reading reflections which demonstrate mastery of analytical writing, text interpretation, and understanding of literary devices used in the text.
Participation in class discussions and activities.
Various quizzes on vocabulary, reading comprehension, and text interpretation.
Complete a “Character Trait Poster” on one of the main characters in the play.
Write an R.A.F.T. Letter to a character from Streetcar.
An Alternative Book Report project which compares A Streetcar Named Desire to your Young Adult Fiction Companion Text.
Streetcar Companion Texts: Independent Reading Project
You can read any of the following Young Adult texts for independent reading. The goal of using Young Adult Fiction to supplement A Streetcar Named Desire is for you to read about similar experiences that happen to people your own age in a contemporary setting. You will be required to write a text comparison essay addressing both a Young Adult novel, and A Streetcar Named Desire.
Young Adult Selections:
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, 1999.
Cormier, Robert. Tenderness. New York : Delacorte Press, 2004
Dessen, Sarah. Dreamland. New York: Viking, 2000.
Flinn, Alexandra. Breathing Underwater. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2001.
Plummer, Louise. A Dance for Three. New York : Delacorte Press, 2000.
Character Trait Poster Project
Choose one of the four main characters (Stella, Stanley, Blanche, or Mitch). Draw a picture or illustration of your character in the middle of a poster board. Then find and write the following neatly and attractively on the poster:
Two quotes that show the character’s personality(and page #’s)
Two quotes that show the character’s wants/desires/ambitions (and page #’s)
Two quotes that show relationships with other characters (and page #’s)
Two quotes that show the character’s appearance (and page #’s)
This project will be graded on appearance (attractiveness) and appropriateness of quotes in each category. See the project rubric for more info. Make your project unique!
R.A.F.T. Writing Assignment
One assignment that you will complete is a Role, Audience, Format and Topic (R.A.F.T.) writing task. In order to complete this activity, you will identify and read a selection from the text that deals with abuse. Next, you will write an advice letter to a character in the play. In this letter, you will state why you are writing the letter and why the character needs help. You must also explain how the character might go about getting help. Tone is especially important during the writing of this assignment!
Vocabulary Assignments
Vocab #1: appraise, cosmopolitan, decay, evoke, improvident, incongruous, lunacy, perpetual, peruse, preen, primitive, treachery, valise, vivacity, vulgar, illusion, allusion, blanche, courtesan.
Vocab #2: bestial, contemptible, coquettish, deluded, dote, emphatic, incredulous, morbid, peal, precede, quaint, row, serene, solemn, vicinity, wince.
Vocab #3: anxiety, callous, conceit, dismal, enrich, grotesque, implore, obscure, partial, protrude, repertoire, sinister, slander, sullen, transitory, uncouth.
Extra Credit Vocabulary (5 points per word!) : neurasthenic, contrapuntal[ly], sotto cove, bohemian. **NOTE** You cannot turn in extra credit if you have missing assignments. Make up missed work first!
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE: Final Projects
Create a Soundtrack:
Create an 11- song “mix tape” (CD only, please!) of songs that retell the story of Streetcar. You may choose songs that tell the story from a specific character’s point of view. For each song, you must write a 1-paragraph explanation of why the song suits the scene and the character’s perspective in that scene. You must also design a CD jacket that is appropriate for the project.
Design a Graphic Novel:
Design and illustrate a comic book that tells the story of Streetcar. Your graphic novel must include a frame for at least six major scenes in the play. You must complete this in pen-and-ink, colored pencil, or marker (no messy graphite pencil drawings, and no crayons, please!). Each frame of your graphic novel must include a quotation from the text of Streetcar that is seminal to the scene.
Create a Character Journal:
Write at least four one-page journals (8.5” x 11” page, no more, no less), told from the point of view of a character in Streetcar. Describe the character’s feelings about the events that occur during the play. Because a diary is very personal, remember to include the character’s hopes, dreams, and fears. Your journals should be very creative, and include collage elements and artifacts from the characters’ lives (Such as scraps of clothing, faded flowers from Blanche’s dress, Stella’s receipt from the hospital, Stanley’s winning poker card, and so forth).
Rewrite the Ending of the Play:
Write a three-to-four page alternative ending for Streetcar. Remember to include sound, lighting, and music to make your movie dynamic. You will need to use proper script format and you will have to recruit a few friends from class to read aloud and act this out for us in class. Be creative—use costumes and props to entertain us! (Note: I can give you an example of proper script format. If you choose this project, you should have reliable computer and printer access at home because you will need to print the script).
NOTE: You can also write a “talk show”—but it must be more “Oprah” than “Jerry”. J
How you will be graded:
Create a rubric for the project = 50 points*
Conference with teacher = 30 points
Final Product = 100 points*
Class Presentation = 30 points*
*These assessments count as a test grade.
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
When we first meet Blanche DuBois, she has traveled to see her sister Stella. She took streetcars named Desire and Cemeteries to arrive at her sister’s apartment. What might these names represent?
What does Blanche do while she is waiting for Stella to come home?
What does Belle Reve mean? What does it refer to in the play?
Why does Blanche say that she has left her teaching job to visit Stella?
Why does Blanche say that she lost Belle Reve?
Near the end of Scene One, what do we learn about Blanche’s husband?
In Scene Two, Stanley finds out about the loss of Belle Reve. What is his reaction?
What does Stanley think that Blanche has done with the money he believes she made from selling Belle Reve?
What does Stanley tell Blanche about Stella as they are going through her business papers?
Where are Stella and Blanche going while the men play poker?
When Blanche and Stella return to the apartment, the men are still there playing poker. Which one does Stella introduce to Blanche? What does Blanche say about him?
Blanche goes to the back room, a bedroom, to relax until the men finish playing. She turns on the radio. Stanley asks her to turn it off, but when she doesn’t, what does Stanley do?
Why does Blanche lie to Mitch about being younger than Stella? Why doesn’t she like bright lights?
What happens between Stella and Stanley that ends the poker game?
How did Stella say she reacted to Stanley’s breaking all the light bulbs on their wedding night?
What idea does Blanche have to escape New Orleans with Stella?
When Blanche and Stella are discussing Stanley, what does he hear Blanche say about him?
In Scene Five, Blanche discusses astrological signs. What sign does she think Stanley was born under and why? What sign does she say she was born under? What does it mean?
Seemingly out of the blue, Stanley asks Blanche if she knows someone named Shaw. What is Blanche’s response?
Who is coming over to see Blanche on this night?
After Stella and Stanley leave, a young man comes to the door collecting money for the local newspaper, The Evening Star. What does Blanche do when he arrives?
Blanche and Mitch discuss Stanley. She asks him if Stanley talks much about her and explains how horrid he is making her life there with them. What does Mitch respond?
At the end of Scene Six, Blanche is confiding in Mitch by telling him the story of how her husband died. How did he die? What events led to his death?
Stanley lets Stella know that he has learned some things about Blanche. What things?
During their talk, Blanche is in the tub and singing. What does she sing about?
Who is supposed to come over for Blanche’s birthday? Why does Stanley say this person won’t be coming?
What has Stanley bought for Blanche?
Stanley gets angry at Stella for telling him his face and fingers are disgustingly greasy. What does he do in response?
What happens at the end of Scene Eight?
In Scene Nine, who stops by unexpectedly to see Blanche?
Blanche makes a very telling statement about reality. What does she say?
What does Blanche admit happened after her husband’s death? Why did she say she did this?
Why does Mitch say he won’t marry Blanche now?
Who does Blanche tell Stanley she heard from? What invitation does she say he extended?
Blanche tells Stanley that Mitch came to see her that night. What does she tell him the reason was?
What happens at the end of Scene Ten?
37. Several weeks have passed and Stella is packing Blanche’s things. Where does Blanche think she is going? Where is she actually going?
Recommended Young Adult Literature Selections:
You will select one of the Young Adult Literature books described below and read it as your Independent Reading Book / companion text for our unit on Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. If you know of another book you would like to read, bring it to class and get my approval in writing, in advance. I am open to your suggestions! J
A Dance for Three by Louise Plummer: "Milo wasn't the first boy to kiss me but he was the first one to bite me." He's also the first boy to slug her when she tells him she's going to have his baby. Hannah Ziebarth, 15, had felt loved by rich, good-looking Milo and his cool, elegant family, and as she leans on the dumpster in the alley bleeding on her dowdy Burger Bar uniform, she is in shocked denial. The pregnancy is only one of Hannah's troubles. Her beloved father has died suddenly from a freak accident, and her mother has retreated into agoraphobia; Hannah must care for her feeble and self-absorbed Mama just when she needs mothering herself. When she hides in Milo's car and overhears him having sex with his old girlfriend, her world finally collapses. A psychotic break lands her in a mental hospital for juveniles, and she begins the long step-by-step process of putting the pieces of her life back together with the help of a compassionate young therapist.
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn: It was only a slap. Well, maybe more than one. And maybe Nick used his fist at the end when the anger got out of control. But his girlfriend Caitlin deserved it--hadn't she defied him by singing in the school talent show when he had forbidden her to display herself like that? Even though he'd told her that everybody would laugh at her because she couldn't sing and was a fat slob? Both were lies. Because Caitlin was so beautiful, the only person who understood him. Out of his desperate need for her came all the mean words and the hitting. But now Caitlin's family has procured a restraining order to keep Nick away, and the judge has sentenced him to Mario Ortega's Family Violence class, to sit around every week with six other angry guys who hit their girlfriends. And to write a journal explaining how he got into this mess.
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen: Strange, sleepy Rogerson, with his long brown dreads and brilliant green eyes, had seemed to Caitlin to be an open door. With him she could be anybody, not just the second-rate shadow of her older sister, Cass. But now she is drowning in the vacuum Cass left behind when she turned her back on her family's expectations by running off with a boyfriend. Caitlin wanders in a dream land of drugs and a nightmare of Rogerson's sudden fists, lost in her search for herself.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson: Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis." What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute...
Tenderness by Robert Cormier: A psychological thriller told from the points of view of a teenage serial killer and the runaway girl who falls in love with him.
Text Comparison Essay Rubric
Teacher Name: Ms. Smith Student Name: ____________________________TOTAL POINTS: ______
CATEGORY
25
20
15
10
5
Evidence Paragraphs
Evidence Paragraphs and quotes selected clearly related to and supportive of thesis.
Both evidence paragraphs and quotes clearly support thesis. One paragraph has minor weaknesses or is incomplete.
One of the evidence paragraphs/ quotes support thesis. One or more paragraphs have minor weaknesses or are incomplete.
An attempt has been made to add support information, but it was unrelated or confusing.
Response is off-topic, illegible, blank or incoherent.
CATEGORY
25
20
15
10
5
Text Evidence
Text evidence consists of specific, developed details and direct quotes from both texts.
Text evidence consists of some specific details, but no direct quotes, or only quotes one text.
Text evidence consists of general and/or undeveloped details; uses examples instead of quotes from texts.
Elaboration is sparse; almost no details, no quotes from texts.
Elaboration is almost nonexistent, missing, partial, or illogical.
CATEGORY
10
8
6
4
2
Thesis Statement
Thesis statement is clear, insightful, accurately relates to both texts, and can be proven with text evidence.
Thesis statement is sound, accurately relates to both texts, and can be proven with text evidence.
Thesis attempts to relate to both texts, but reflects a flawed interpretation and/or cannot be proven with text evidence.
Thesis relates to only one text, and/or cannot be proven with text evidence.
Thesis statement is missing, off-topic or incoherent. Or, no thesis statement exists.
CATEGORY
10
8
6
4
2
Conventions
Exhibits expert control of conventions writing task: including use of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
Exhibits control of grammatical conventions appropriate to the writing task; including use of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
Exhibits some control of conventions including use of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling; errors do not hinder comprehension.
Exhibits emerging control of conventions appropriate to the writing task: but some errors hinder comprehension.
Exhibits little control of conventions, is incoherent, illegible, or unreadable.
CATEGORY
20
16
12
8
4
Organization
Information is very organized with well-constructed paragraphs and subheadings. Contains a well-crafted introduction and conclusion, and at least two evidence paragraphs.
Information is organized with well-constructed paragraphs. Contains an introduction and conclusion, and at least two evidence paragraphs.
Information is organized, but paragraphs are not well-constructed. Contains an introduction and conclusion, and at least two evidence paragraphs.
An attempt was made at organization but disorganization hinders comprehension. May not contain required paragraphs.
Shows little or no organization. Writer rambles, include irrelevancies; work is messy or illegible. Work may also be incomplete.
CATEGORY
10
8
6
4
2
Reader Response
The essay is engaging, interesting to read and takes a definitive stance on both texts that gives the reader a precise sense of both texts and the reader's response to the each.
The essay is interesting to read and takes a definitive stance on both texts that gives the reader a sense of the reader's response to the both texts.
The essay is somewhat interesting, but the reader's response seems detached or disinterested. The essay does not reflect a response to both texts.
The essay relies on plot summary, repeating details; does not give insight into the reader's response to both texts.
The essay contains scant or no detail about either text, and makes no attempt to connect to text.
Text Comparison Essay:
A Streetcar Named Desire
All Essays MUST Meet the Following Requirements:
1) All essays are a minimum of four paragraphs: an introduction, two evidence paragraphs (which must include at least one quotation from each text), and a conclusion. Remember—there is a seven- sentence minimum per paragraph.
2) You must use formal, academic language.
3) Your essay must be typed in 12 point Arial or Times New Roman Font, and it must be double-spaced. If you do not double space, your essay will be returned to you and you will accrue late penalties until it is resubmitted.
4) Appropriate Themes: Fantasy vs. Reality; Cruelty; Primitive/Primal instinct; Desire; Loneliness; Violence and Passion. See me if you have other ideas and I will accommodate you if you can justify it via the text.
· Theme essay: Select a concept or theme from your themes shared by your companion text and A Streetcar Named Desire. Explain how the characters’ actions, plot, setting, and style reinforce this theme throughout both texts. You may also refer to other literary elements such as symbolism, metaphor, tone, and motif.
This essay is worth 100 points !!!!
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Main Themes
Fantasy/Illusion: Blanche dwells in illusion; fantasy is her primary means of self-defense. Her deceits do not carry any trace of malice; rather, they come from her weakness and inability to confront the truth head-on. She tells things not as they are, but as they ought to be. For her, fantasy has a liberating magic that protects her from the tragedies she has had to endure. Unfortunately, this defense is frail and will be shattered by Stanley. In the end, Stanley and Stella will also resort to a kind of illusion: Stella will force herself to believe that Blanche's accusations against Stanley are false.
The Old South and the New South: Stella and Blanche come from a world that is rapidly dying. Belle Reve, their family's ancestral plantation, has been lost. The two sisters, symbolically, are the last living members of their family. Stella will mingle her blood with a man of blue-collar stock, and Blanche will enter the world of madness. Stanley represents the new order of the South: chivalry is dead, replaced by a "rat race," to which Stanley makes several proud illusions.
Cruelty: The only unforgivable crime, according to Blanche, is deliberate cruelty. This sin is Stanley's specialty. His final assault against Blanche is a merciless attack against an already-beaten foe. On the other hand, though Blanche is dishonest, she never lies out of malice. Her cruelty is unintentional; often, she lies in a vain effort to please. Throughout Streetcar, we see the full range of cruelty, from Blanche's well-intentioned deceits to Stella self-deceiving treachery to Stanley's deliberate and unchecked malice. In Williams' plays, there are many ways to hurt someone. And some are worse than others.
The Primitive and the Primal: Blanche often speaks of Stanley as ape-like and primitive. Stanley represents a very unrefined manhood, a romantic idea of man untouched by civilization and its effeminizing influences. His appeal is clear: Stella cannot resist him, and even Blanche, though repulsed, is on some level drawn to him. Stanley's unrefined nature also includes a terrifying amorality. The service of his desire is central to who he is; he has no qualms about driving his sister-in-law to madness, or raping her.
Desire: Closely related to the theme above, desire is the central theme of the play. Blanche seeks to deny it, although we learn later in the play that desire is one of her driving motivations; her desires have caused her to be driven out of town. Desire, and not intellectual or spiritual intimacy, is the heart of Stella's and Stanley's relationship. Desire is Blanche's undoing, because she cannot find a healthy way of dealing with it: she is always either trying to suppress it or pursuing it with abandon.
Loneliness: The companion theme to desire; between these two extremes, Blanche is lost. She desperately seeks companionship and protection in the arms of strangers. And she has never recovered from her tragic and consuming love for her first husband. Blanche is in need of a defender. But in New Orleans, she will find instead the predatory and merciless Stanley.
By Tennessee Williams
About the Author
Tennessee Williams is one of the foremost playwrights of the twentieth century. He won numerous awards and has created some of the most memorable characters in American theater. In an interview, Williams said, “I have always been more interested in creating a character that contains something crippled. I think nearly all of us have some kind of defect, anyway, and I suppose I have found it easier to identify with the characters who verge upon hysteria, who were frightened of life, who were desperate to reach out to another person.”
Written in 1947, A Streetcar Named Desire explores the themes of “desire, loneliness, and human fragility” (Andrews 628). The story is set in New Orleans, Louisiana in the month of May, sometime after WW II.
Background
Tennessee William’s play A Streetcar Named Desire is set in New Orleans in the late 1940s. Blanche Dubois leaves her dismantled life in Mississippi to start over in New Orleans.
She arrives at her sister’s home, but quickly falls into conflict with her macho brother-in-law, Stanley. Their lives get tangled up as Blanche falls deeper into despair.
Blanche misuses alcohol to deal with her overwhelming problems. She is forced to deal with poverty, sexual assault, domestic abuse, and depression.
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE:
UNIT PLAN
Essential Questions
In what ways does fantasy help and harm people trying to cope with reality?
How far should people go to show loyalty to people they love? To friends? To family?
What are the consequences of pursuing overwhelming desire?
Is “deliberate cruelty” the only unforgivable crime?
How do characters simultaneously represent and deconstruct the “American Dream”?
How do humans’ primal instincts both strengthen and destroy them?
Unit Goals
Answer the “Essential Questions” using examples from the text, both orally and in writing.
Respond to class texts in journals and analytical writing assignments.
Read a Young Adult Literature book that parallels the themes in A Streetcar Named Desire.
Complete a student-selected final creative project that explores one of the themes in Streetcar: deliberate cruelty, noble vs. primal instinct, desire, loneliness, illusion vs. reality, the decaying “American Dream”.
Unit Assessments
Maintain a notebook of reading reflections which demonstrate mastery of analytical writing, text interpretation, and understanding of literary devices used in the text.
Participation in class discussions and activities.
Various quizzes on vocabulary, reading comprehension, and text interpretation.
Complete a “Character Trait Poster” on one of the main characters in the play.
Write an R.A.F.T. Letter to a character from Streetcar.
An Alternative Book Report project which compares A Streetcar Named Desire to your Young Adult Fiction Companion Text.
Streetcar Companion Texts: Independent Reading Project
You can read any of the following Young Adult texts for independent reading. The goal of using Young Adult Fiction to supplement A Streetcar Named Desire is for you to read about similar experiences that happen to people your own age in a contemporary setting. You will be required to write a text comparison essay addressing both a Young Adult novel, and A Streetcar Named Desire.
Young Adult Selections:
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, 1999.
Cormier, Robert. Tenderness. New York : Delacorte Press, 2004
Dessen, Sarah. Dreamland. New York: Viking, 2000.
Flinn, Alexandra. Breathing Underwater. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2001.
Plummer, Louise. A Dance for Three. New York : Delacorte Press, 2000.
Character Trait Poster Project
Choose one of the four main characters (Stella, Stanley, Blanche, or Mitch). Draw a picture or illustration of your character in the middle of a poster board. Then find and write the following neatly and attractively on the poster:
Two quotes that show the character’s personality(and page #’s)
Two quotes that show the character’s wants/desires/ambitions (and page #’s)
Two quotes that show relationships with other characters (and page #’s)
Two quotes that show the character’s appearance (and page #’s)
This project will be graded on appearance (attractiveness) and appropriateness of quotes in each category. See the project rubric for more info. Make your project unique!
R.A.F.T. Writing Assignment
One assignment that you will complete is a Role, Audience, Format and Topic (R.A.F.T.) writing task. In order to complete this activity, you will identify and read a selection from the text that deals with abuse. Next, you will write an advice letter to a character in the play. In this letter, you will state why you are writing the letter and why the character needs help. You must also explain how the character might go about getting help. Tone is especially important during the writing of this assignment!
Vocabulary Assignments
Vocab #1: appraise, cosmopolitan, decay, evoke, improvident, incongruous, lunacy, perpetual, peruse, preen, primitive, treachery, valise, vivacity, vulgar, illusion, allusion, blanche, courtesan.
Vocab #2: bestial, contemptible, coquettish, deluded, dote, emphatic, incredulous, morbid, peal, precede, quaint, row, serene, solemn, vicinity, wince.
Vocab #3: anxiety, callous, conceit, dismal, enrich, grotesque, implore, obscure, partial, protrude, repertoire, sinister, slander, sullen, transitory, uncouth.
Extra Credit Vocabulary (5 points per word!) : neurasthenic, contrapuntal[ly], sotto cove, bohemian. **NOTE** You cannot turn in extra credit if you have missing assignments. Make up missed work first!
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE: Final Projects
Create a Soundtrack:
Create an 11- song “mix tape” (CD only, please!) of songs that retell the story of Streetcar. You may choose songs that tell the story from a specific character’s point of view. For each song, you must write a 1-paragraph explanation of why the song suits the scene and the character’s perspective in that scene. You must also design a CD jacket that is appropriate for the project.
Design a Graphic Novel:
Design and illustrate a comic book that tells the story of Streetcar. Your graphic novel must include a frame for at least six major scenes in the play. You must complete this in pen-and-ink, colored pencil, or marker (no messy graphite pencil drawings, and no crayons, please!). Each frame of your graphic novel must include a quotation from the text of Streetcar that is seminal to the scene.
Create a Character Journal:
Write at least four one-page journals (8.5” x 11” page, no more, no less), told from the point of view of a character in Streetcar. Describe the character’s feelings about the events that occur during the play. Because a diary is very personal, remember to include the character’s hopes, dreams, and fears. Your journals should be very creative, and include collage elements and artifacts from the characters’ lives (Such as scraps of clothing, faded flowers from Blanche’s dress, Stella’s receipt from the hospital, Stanley’s winning poker card, and so forth).
Rewrite the Ending of the Play:
Write a three-to-four page alternative ending for Streetcar. Remember to include sound, lighting, and music to make your movie dynamic. You will need to use proper script format and you will have to recruit a few friends from class to read aloud and act this out for us in class. Be creative—use costumes and props to entertain us! (Note: I can give you an example of proper script format. If you choose this project, you should have reliable computer and printer access at home because you will need to print the script).
NOTE: You can also write a “talk show”—but it must be more “Oprah” than “Jerry”. J
How you will be graded:
Create a rubric for the project = 50 points*
Conference with teacher = 30 points
Final Product = 100 points*
Class Presentation = 30 points*
*These assessments count as a test grade.
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
When we first meet Blanche DuBois, she has traveled to see her sister Stella. She took streetcars named Desire and Cemeteries to arrive at her sister’s apartment. What might these names represent?
What does Blanche do while she is waiting for Stella to come home?
What does Belle Reve mean? What does it refer to in the play?
Why does Blanche say that she has left her teaching job to visit Stella?
Why does Blanche say that she lost Belle Reve?
Near the end of Scene One, what do we learn about Blanche’s husband?
In Scene Two, Stanley finds out about the loss of Belle Reve. What is his reaction?
What does Stanley think that Blanche has done with the money he believes she made from selling Belle Reve?
What does Stanley tell Blanche about Stella as they are going through her business papers?
Where are Stella and Blanche going while the men play poker?
When Blanche and Stella return to the apartment, the men are still there playing poker. Which one does Stella introduce to Blanche? What does Blanche say about him?
Blanche goes to the back room, a bedroom, to relax until the men finish playing. She turns on the radio. Stanley asks her to turn it off, but when she doesn’t, what does Stanley do?
Why does Blanche lie to Mitch about being younger than Stella? Why doesn’t she like bright lights?
What happens between Stella and Stanley that ends the poker game?
How did Stella say she reacted to Stanley’s breaking all the light bulbs on their wedding night?
What idea does Blanche have to escape New Orleans with Stella?
When Blanche and Stella are discussing Stanley, what does he hear Blanche say about him?
In Scene Five, Blanche discusses astrological signs. What sign does she think Stanley was born under and why? What sign does she say she was born under? What does it mean?
Seemingly out of the blue, Stanley asks Blanche if she knows someone named Shaw. What is Blanche’s response?
Who is coming over to see Blanche on this night?
After Stella and Stanley leave, a young man comes to the door collecting money for the local newspaper, The Evening Star. What does Blanche do when he arrives?
Blanche and Mitch discuss Stanley. She asks him if Stanley talks much about her and explains how horrid he is making her life there with them. What does Mitch respond?
At the end of Scene Six, Blanche is confiding in Mitch by telling him the story of how her husband died. How did he die? What events led to his death?
Stanley lets Stella know that he has learned some things about Blanche. What things?
During their talk, Blanche is in the tub and singing. What does she sing about?
Who is supposed to come over for Blanche’s birthday? Why does Stanley say this person won’t be coming?
What has Stanley bought for Blanche?
Stanley gets angry at Stella for telling him his face and fingers are disgustingly greasy. What does he do in response?
What happens at the end of Scene Eight?
In Scene Nine, who stops by unexpectedly to see Blanche?
Blanche makes a very telling statement about reality. What does she say?
What does Blanche admit happened after her husband’s death? Why did she say she did this?
Why does Mitch say he won’t marry Blanche now?
Who does Blanche tell Stanley she heard from? What invitation does she say he extended?
Blanche tells Stanley that Mitch came to see her that night. What does she tell him the reason was?
What happens at the end of Scene Ten?
37. Several weeks have passed and Stella is packing Blanche’s things. Where does Blanche think she is going? Where is she actually going?
Recommended Young Adult Literature Selections:
You will select one of the Young Adult Literature books described below and read it as your Independent Reading Book / companion text for our unit on Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. If you know of another book you would like to read, bring it to class and get my approval in writing, in advance. I am open to your suggestions! J
A Dance for Three by Louise Plummer: "Milo wasn't the first boy to kiss me but he was the first one to bite me." He's also the first boy to slug her when she tells him she's going to have his baby. Hannah Ziebarth, 15, had felt loved by rich, good-looking Milo and his cool, elegant family, and as she leans on the dumpster in the alley bleeding on her dowdy Burger Bar uniform, she is in shocked denial. The pregnancy is only one of Hannah's troubles. Her beloved father has died suddenly from a freak accident, and her mother has retreated into agoraphobia; Hannah must care for her feeble and self-absorbed Mama just when she needs mothering herself. When she hides in Milo's car and overhears him having sex with his old girlfriend, her world finally collapses. A psychotic break lands her in a mental hospital for juveniles, and she begins the long step-by-step process of putting the pieces of her life back together with the help of a compassionate young therapist.
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn: It was only a slap. Well, maybe more than one. And maybe Nick used his fist at the end when the anger got out of control. But his girlfriend Caitlin deserved it--hadn't she defied him by singing in the school talent show when he had forbidden her to display herself like that? Even though he'd told her that everybody would laugh at her because she couldn't sing and was a fat slob? Both were lies. Because Caitlin was so beautiful, the only person who understood him. Out of his desperate need for her came all the mean words and the hitting. But now Caitlin's family has procured a restraining order to keep Nick away, and the judge has sentenced him to Mario Ortega's Family Violence class, to sit around every week with six other angry guys who hit their girlfriends. And to write a journal explaining how he got into this mess.
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen: Strange, sleepy Rogerson, with his long brown dreads and brilliant green eyes, had seemed to Caitlin to be an open door. With him she could be anybody, not just the second-rate shadow of her older sister, Cass. But now she is drowning in the vacuum Cass left behind when she turned her back on her family's expectations by running off with a boyfriend. Caitlin wanders in a dream land of drugs and a nightmare of Rogerson's sudden fists, lost in her search for herself.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson: Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis." What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute...
Tenderness by Robert Cormier: A psychological thriller told from the points of view of a teenage serial killer and the runaway girl who falls in love with him.
Text Comparison Essay Rubric
Teacher Name: Ms. Smith Student Name: ____________________________TOTAL POINTS: ______
CATEGORY
25
20
15
10
5
Evidence Paragraphs
Evidence Paragraphs and quotes selected clearly related to and supportive of thesis.
Both evidence paragraphs and quotes clearly support thesis. One paragraph has minor weaknesses or is incomplete.
One of the evidence paragraphs/ quotes support thesis. One or more paragraphs have minor weaknesses or are incomplete.
An attempt has been made to add support information, but it was unrelated or confusing.
Response is off-topic, illegible, blank or incoherent.
CATEGORY
25
20
15
10
5
Text Evidence
Text evidence consists of specific, developed details and direct quotes from both texts.
Text evidence consists of some specific details, but no direct quotes, or only quotes one text.
Text evidence consists of general and/or undeveloped details; uses examples instead of quotes from texts.
Elaboration is sparse; almost no details, no quotes from texts.
Elaboration is almost nonexistent, missing, partial, or illogical.
CATEGORY
10
8
6
4
2
Thesis Statement
Thesis statement is clear, insightful, accurately relates to both texts, and can be proven with text evidence.
Thesis statement is sound, accurately relates to both texts, and can be proven with text evidence.
Thesis attempts to relate to both texts, but reflects a flawed interpretation and/or cannot be proven with text evidence.
Thesis relates to only one text, and/or cannot be proven with text evidence.
Thesis statement is missing, off-topic or incoherent. Or, no thesis statement exists.
CATEGORY
10
8
6
4
2
Conventions
Exhibits expert control of conventions writing task: including use of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
Exhibits control of grammatical conventions appropriate to the writing task; including use of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
Exhibits some control of conventions including use of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling; errors do not hinder comprehension.
Exhibits emerging control of conventions appropriate to the writing task: but some errors hinder comprehension.
Exhibits little control of conventions, is incoherent, illegible, or unreadable.
CATEGORY
20
16
12
8
4
Organization
Information is very organized with well-constructed paragraphs and subheadings. Contains a well-crafted introduction and conclusion, and at least two evidence paragraphs.
Information is organized with well-constructed paragraphs. Contains an introduction and conclusion, and at least two evidence paragraphs.
Information is organized, but paragraphs are not well-constructed. Contains an introduction and conclusion, and at least two evidence paragraphs.
An attempt was made at organization but disorganization hinders comprehension. May not contain required paragraphs.
Shows little or no organization. Writer rambles, include irrelevancies; work is messy or illegible. Work may also be incomplete.
CATEGORY
10
8
6
4
2
Reader Response
The essay is engaging, interesting to read and takes a definitive stance on both texts that gives the reader a precise sense of both texts and the reader's response to the each.
The essay is interesting to read and takes a definitive stance on both texts that gives the reader a sense of the reader's response to the both texts.
The essay is somewhat interesting, but the reader's response seems detached or disinterested. The essay does not reflect a response to both texts.
The essay relies on plot summary, repeating details; does not give insight into the reader's response to both texts.
The essay contains scant or no detail about either text, and makes no attempt to connect to text.
Text Comparison Essay:
A Streetcar Named Desire
All Essays MUST Meet the Following Requirements:
1) All essays are a minimum of four paragraphs: an introduction, two evidence paragraphs (which must include at least one quotation from each text), and a conclusion. Remember—there is a seven- sentence minimum per paragraph.
2) You must use formal, academic language.
3) Your essay must be typed in 12 point Arial or Times New Roman Font, and it must be double-spaced. If you do not double space, your essay will be returned to you and you will accrue late penalties until it is resubmitted.
4) Appropriate Themes: Fantasy vs. Reality; Cruelty; Primitive/Primal instinct; Desire; Loneliness; Violence and Passion. See me if you have other ideas and I will accommodate you if you can justify it via the text.
· Theme essay: Select a concept or theme from your themes shared by your companion text and A Streetcar Named Desire. Explain how the characters’ actions, plot, setting, and style reinforce this theme throughout both texts. You may also refer to other literary elements such as symbolism, metaphor, tone, and motif.
This essay is worth 100 points !!!!
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Main Themes
Fantasy/Illusion: Blanche dwells in illusion; fantasy is her primary means of self-defense. Her deceits do not carry any trace of malice; rather, they come from her weakness and inability to confront the truth head-on. She tells things not as they are, but as they ought to be. For her, fantasy has a liberating magic that protects her from the tragedies she has had to endure. Unfortunately, this defense is frail and will be shattered by Stanley. In the end, Stanley and Stella will also resort to a kind of illusion: Stella will force herself to believe that Blanche's accusations against Stanley are false.
The Old South and the New South: Stella and Blanche come from a world that is rapidly dying. Belle Reve, their family's ancestral plantation, has been lost. The two sisters, symbolically, are the last living members of their family. Stella will mingle her blood with a man of blue-collar stock, and Blanche will enter the world of madness. Stanley represents the new order of the South: chivalry is dead, replaced by a "rat race," to which Stanley makes several proud illusions.
Cruelty: The only unforgivable crime, according to Blanche, is deliberate cruelty. This sin is Stanley's specialty. His final assault against Blanche is a merciless attack against an already-beaten foe. On the other hand, though Blanche is dishonest, she never lies out of malice. Her cruelty is unintentional; often, she lies in a vain effort to please. Throughout Streetcar, we see the full range of cruelty, from Blanche's well-intentioned deceits to Stella self-deceiving treachery to Stanley's deliberate and unchecked malice. In Williams' plays, there are many ways to hurt someone. And some are worse than others.
The Primitive and the Primal: Blanche often speaks of Stanley as ape-like and primitive. Stanley represents a very unrefined manhood, a romantic idea of man untouched by civilization and its effeminizing influences. His appeal is clear: Stella cannot resist him, and even Blanche, though repulsed, is on some level drawn to him. Stanley's unrefined nature also includes a terrifying amorality. The service of his desire is central to who he is; he has no qualms about driving his sister-in-law to madness, or raping her.
Desire: Closely related to the theme above, desire is the central theme of the play. Blanche seeks to deny it, although we learn later in the play that desire is one of her driving motivations; her desires have caused her to be driven out of town. Desire, and not intellectual or spiritual intimacy, is the heart of Stella's and Stanley's relationship. Desire is Blanche's undoing, because she cannot find a healthy way of dealing with it: she is always either trying to suppress it or pursuing it with abandon.
Loneliness: The companion theme to desire; between these two extremes, Blanche is lost. She desperately seeks companionship and protection in the arms of strangers. And she has never recovered from her tragic and consuming love for her first husband. Blanche is in need of a defender. But in New Orleans, she will find instead the predatory and merciless Stanley.
Study Packet: Arthur Miller's THE CRUCIBLE
Courage, Heroism and Goodness:
Interpreting The Crucible
Dear Students,
This study packet is a valuable resource for you and contains the majority of the homework assignments for this entire unit. You MUST keep this in your binder. This packet will explain what we are doing in this unit, what to expect, and provide you with due dates whenever possible. Please DO NOT LOSE this packet.
Ms. Smith
Essential Questions
What makes a person a hero?
What does intolerance cost a democratic society, and what is the result of tolerating “too much”?
How much influence should religion exert in a democratic, pluralistic, and multiethnic society?
How does literature reflect American society’s ongoing struggle to live up to the ideals of democracy?
What constitutes true courage?
How do both art and hysteria influence society’s perception of justice, heroism, courage and intolerance?
Unit Goals
Describe and explain the evolving nature of heroism and courage.
Answer the “Essential Questions” using examples from the text, both orally and in writing.
Define a tragedy, plot, rising action, irony, theme, characterization, motif, symbolism, and other literary devices using examples from the text.
Identify tragic hero, tragic flaw, antihero, antagonist, protagonist.
Identify and explain character motivation and dramatic structure (plot, rising action, climax, resolution).
Respond to class texts in journals and analytical writing assignments.
Complete a “critical lens” essay which analyzes “Half-Hanged Mary” and The Crucible through a quotation on themes shared by these texts.
Unit Assessments
Maintain a journal of reading reflections which demonstrate mastery of analytical writing, text interpretation, and understanding of literary devices used in the text.
Participation in class discussions and activities.
Planning, composing, editing, and publishing an analytical essay exploring themes in the class texts through a quotation used as a “critical lens”.
Various quizzes on vocabulary, reading comprehension, and text interpretation.
Reading Assignments
A note on the reading assignments—because we are not all using the same edition of the play, I have divided most of the reading assignments by “French Scenes”, i.e., the entrance or exit of a major character. I included the page numbers in my book, but if your page numbers differ you are still responsible for reading the assigned passages. See me if you have questions.
Reading #1: “A Note on the Historical Accuracy of This Play”, and Act One, up to Ann Putnam’s entrance (p. 12).
Reading #2: “Enter Mrs. Ann Putnam” through “I say shut it, Mary Warren!” (p. 20)
Reading #3: “Enter John Proctor”, through “Enter Reverend John Hale of Beverly” (p. 32).
Reading #4: “Enter Reverend John Hale of Beverly” through “The Curtain Falls” (p. 48).
Reading #5: Beginning of Act II, through Reverend Hale’s entrance into the Proctor home, (p. 62).
Reading #6: Reverend Hale’s entrance through the end of Act II (p. 81).
Reading #7: Appendix to Act II, Scene 2, entire scene. (p. 148-152) AND the beginning of Act III, through “Giles Cory makes a rush for Putnam…” (p. 98).
Reading #8: Giles’ Cory’s attack on Putnam, through Elizabeth’s entrance, “Come here, woman” (p. 112).
Reading #9: Elizabeth’s entrance, through the end of Act III (p. 120).
Reading #10: Beginning of Act IV, through John Proctor’s entrance (p. 133).
Reading #11: John Proctor’s entrance, through the end of the play, AND “Echoes Down the Corridor” (p. 146).
Reading #12: “Half-Hanged Mary” by Margaret Atwood. Read the entire poem.
For each reading assignment, you will be assigned comprehension questions, as well as a reading response journal entry. These will be collected as homework, and you should keep completed assignments in your binder for your use when writing your paper.
Reading Response Journal Questions
Directions: All journal entries must discuss the relationship between the personal examples you provide and examples provided in The Crucible. If you choose not to relate your journal to The Crucible, you will not receive credit for your journal entry. All journal entries must be written in complete sentences, follow the standards of academic English, and must be at least 7 sentences long.
Act I
You thought you might be in trouble and you lied to avoid it.
Rumors were flying . . . did someone try to dispel them?
Your emotions prevented you from making a wise choice.
You found yourself "in over your head" because of a poor choice you made.
Act II
You or someone you know was judged unfairly.
You asked to be forgiven for a wrong you'd done but weren't.
Jealously (your own or someone else's) caused a problem for you.
Honesty (yours or someone else's) played a role in a conflict in your life.
Your emotions in a particular situation clouded your judgment.
Act III
You (or someone you observed) was on a "power trip."
You were frustrated by the blatant lies someone was telling and everyone was believing.
You sacrificed a principle that is important to you for a person that is important to you.
You (or someone you know) was asked to "name names" or implicate others in a problematic situation.
Act IV
You pretended to be something or someone you are not.
You became totally disillusioned with someone or something that you believed in..
You were afraid to admit you were wrong.
You gave up something or someone important to you for a principle.
Think of what you mean when you use the words “honor,” “truth,” “justice,” or “courage.” Choose one character that exemplifies your idea of one of these ideals and explain how he/she lives up to your standards (or do the reverse: fails to live up to your standards).
“Half-Hanged Mary”—Journal #1
What does the poet’s point of view have in common with The Crucible?
How does the perspective of the poem’s narrator inform your understanding of the events that led to the Salem Witch Trials?
“Half-Hanged Mary”—Journal #2
Pick other historical or contemporary women whose lives parallel the women of Salem. Write a monologue or poem that gives the women who suffer injustice a voice. (Note: this may require some research on your part—be prepared to share this in small groups in class).
Reading Comprehension Questions
Directions: Write out your answers to the following questions in complete sentences. You must use text evidence (an example that you explain or a direct quote from the play) in your response.
Act I
Why do you think Rev. Parris has so many enemies?
After Parris begins to believe his daughter to be afflicted by witchcraft, what is Thomas Putnam’s advice to him?
What truths come out when the adults leave the girls alone?
Who is the leader of the girls? How would you describe Mary Warren in relation to the other girls?
What’s going on between Abigail and John Proctor?
Why does Betty start screaming?
Why are some people, including John Proctor, inclined to stay away from Sabbath meeting?
Why does Hale believe the Devil would strike Rev. Parris’s house?
Though Rev. Hale is trying to get Tituba to name her accomplices, who is the first person to actually mention names?
Why isn’t it difficult for Ann Putnam to believe that Goody Osburn is a witch?
What are the “symptoms” of witchcraft that indicate the Devil is hard at work in Salem?
Why has Goody Proctor turned Abigail out of the Proctor household? How does this act backfire?
What is the effect of Tituba’s “confession” on Mrs. Putnam, Betty, and Abigail at the end of Act I?
Act II
What is the primary center of tension in the encounter between John Proctor and Mary Warren?
What “symptoms” can be added to the Act I list of “evidence” that the Devil has invaded Salem?
What do you know about the relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor from the stage action and opening dialogue of Act II?
Describe the power Abigail has in the court room.
What’s going on between the Proctors on pages 52-53 (________)?
Though Mary Warren cannot say who accused Elizabeth Proctor, who do you believe accused her and why?
Ironically, which commandment can John not remember?
John Proctor seems to be the only voice of reason in the confusing end of Act II. What are some examples to support this idea?
Why is Mary Warren afraid of telling the truth about Abigail, for herself and for John?
At the end of Act II, what is your impression of Elizabeth Proctor? What is her relationship with her husband like?
Describe how Miller builds up tension in Act II? What are the series of events leading to the dramatic climax? How does he use figurative language to increase this tension?
Act III
What is Danforth’s role in the court proceedings?
Over and over, Danforth says that the good have nothing to fear. What evidence can you give to show that the opposite is true?
Danforth gives the premise for judging a witch. Summarize his guidelines.
How would you describe the encounter between Danforth and Abigail? Who “wins” this confrontation, and why?
Mary Warren's testimony is destroyed in the end because she cannot do something. What? How does she explain the problem?
Finally, Proctor admits that he and Abigail have been lovers. This truth could be the end of Abigail’s control. Why isn’t it?
What is the importance of John Proctor’s last speech (in Act III)?
What is Hale’s point of view on John Proctor at the end of Act III?
Explain why the end of Act III is the “turning point” in the play. What techniques does Miller use to achieve such heightened drama at the end of Act III?
Act IV
What has happened in Andover that has Parris so agitated? What has contributed to his softening attitude?
What is Hale’s mission in Act IV?
Parris tells Danforth, “You cannot hang this sort”. What does he mean?
Why won’t Danforth pardon the prisoners?
What does John Proctor refuse to do, because he wants his sons to “walk like men in the world”?
Do you think Elizabeth Proctor would confess if she were in her husband’s place? Explain.
In the end, what is it that is of utmost importance to John Proctor?
What does Elizabeth mean when she calls out, “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!”
Vocabulary Assignments
Directions: For all vocabulary assignments you must copy down the word, underline it, and write out the definition of the word. Vocabulary assignments may not be typed.
Vocab #1: savor, dogmatically, indigenous[ly], orthodox, heretic, inert, sect, innate, parochial, predeliction, ingratiating, junta, autocratic, paradox, dissembling, conjure, vindictive, propriety, diametrically.
Vocab #2: , defamation, malign, fiend, quaking, deference, vindictive, abyss, iniquity, malevolence, contempt, prosecutor, deposition, plaintiff, guile, reprieve, indictment, conspiracy, purged, penitence, corroborating.
Vocab #3: formidable, trepidation, hypocrisy, partisan, prodigious, defamation, bemused, malign, methodical, abrogation, resurgence, wily, malevolence, exaltation, prudent, licentious, ecstatic, pallor, ameliorate, indignant.
Vocab #4: begrudge, base, calamity, blasphemy, contentious, contempt, effrontery, reproach, confounded, placidly, sublime, augur, gaunt, adamant, beguile, conciliatory, incredulously, rescinded.
NOTE: All these vocabulary words consistently appear on the SAT!
Courage, Heroism and Goodness:
Interpreting The Crucible
and “Half-Hanged Mary”
Analytical Writing Assignment
Task:
Write a three to four page essay in which you discuss The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, and “Half-Hanged Mary” by Margaret Atwood, from the particular perspective of the statement that is provided for you in the quotation you choose.
In your essay, provide a valid interpretation of the quote, agree or disagree with the quote as you interpret it, and support your opinion using at least three specific references from each text.
Guidelines:
• Provide a valid interpretation of the quote that clearly establishes how you analyzed it.
• Indicate whether you agree or disagree with the quote as you interpret it.
• Use examples from the texts to support your opinion about the quote.
• Do not summarize the plot.
• Use specific references to appropriate literary elements (for example, theme, characterization, language, point of view) to analyze the quote and make your point.
•Follow the conventions of standard written English including spelling, capitalization, grammar, punctuation, and citation of quotes from the play and the poem.
How You Will Be Graded
You will be graded on your class work, and need to turn in the following documents to satisfy the requirements for this assignment:
Rough Draft (30 points)
Thesis paragraph draft (30 points)
Introduction draft & rewrite (30 points)
Conclusion draft and rewrite (30 points)
Peer Editing Checklist (30 points)
Final essay, typed and double-spaced using either 12 point Arial or 12 point Times New Roman, minimum of three entire pages. (100 points)
Your essay will be assessed based on the rubric used for the New York State Regents Examination (see following page).
Interpreting The Crucible
Dear Students,
This study packet is a valuable resource for you and contains the majority of the homework assignments for this entire unit. You MUST keep this in your binder. This packet will explain what we are doing in this unit, what to expect, and provide you with due dates whenever possible. Please DO NOT LOSE this packet.
Ms. Smith
Essential Questions
What makes a person a hero?
What does intolerance cost a democratic society, and what is the result of tolerating “too much”?
How much influence should religion exert in a democratic, pluralistic, and multiethnic society?
How does literature reflect American society’s ongoing struggle to live up to the ideals of democracy?
What constitutes true courage?
How do both art and hysteria influence society’s perception of justice, heroism, courage and intolerance?
Unit Goals
Describe and explain the evolving nature of heroism and courage.
Answer the “Essential Questions” using examples from the text, both orally and in writing.
Define a tragedy, plot, rising action, irony, theme, characterization, motif, symbolism, and other literary devices using examples from the text.
Identify tragic hero, tragic flaw, antihero, antagonist, protagonist.
Identify and explain character motivation and dramatic structure (plot, rising action, climax, resolution).
Respond to class texts in journals and analytical writing assignments.
Complete a “critical lens” essay which analyzes “Half-Hanged Mary” and The Crucible through a quotation on themes shared by these texts.
Unit Assessments
Maintain a journal of reading reflections which demonstrate mastery of analytical writing, text interpretation, and understanding of literary devices used in the text.
Participation in class discussions and activities.
Planning, composing, editing, and publishing an analytical essay exploring themes in the class texts through a quotation used as a “critical lens”.
Various quizzes on vocabulary, reading comprehension, and text interpretation.
Reading Assignments
A note on the reading assignments—because we are not all using the same edition of the play, I have divided most of the reading assignments by “French Scenes”, i.e., the entrance or exit of a major character. I included the page numbers in my book, but if your page numbers differ you are still responsible for reading the assigned passages. See me if you have questions.
Reading #1: “A Note on the Historical Accuracy of This Play”, and Act One, up to Ann Putnam’s entrance (p. 12).
Reading #2: “Enter Mrs. Ann Putnam” through “I say shut it, Mary Warren!” (p. 20)
Reading #3: “Enter John Proctor”, through “Enter Reverend John Hale of Beverly” (p. 32).
Reading #4: “Enter Reverend John Hale of Beverly” through “The Curtain Falls” (p. 48).
Reading #5: Beginning of Act II, through Reverend Hale’s entrance into the Proctor home, (p. 62).
Reading #6: Reverend Hale’s entrance through the end of Act II (p. 81).
Reading #7: Appendix to Act II, Scene 2, entire scene. (p. 148-152) AND the beginning of Act III, through “Giles Cory makes a rush for Putnam…” (p. 98).
Reading #8: Giles’ Cory’s attack on Putnam, through Elizabeth’s entrance, “Come here, woman” (p. 112).
Reading #9: Elizabeth’s entrance, through the end of Act III (p. 120).
Reading #10: Beginning of Act IV, through John Proctor’s entrance (p. 133).
Reading #11: John Proctor’s entrance, through the end of the play, AND “Echoes Down the Corridor” (p. 146).
Reading #12: “Half-Hanged Mary” by Margaret Atwood. Read the entire poem.
For each reading assignment, you will be assigned comprehension questions, as well as a reading response journal entry. These will be collected as homework, and you should keep completed assignments in your binder for your use when writing your paper.
Reading Response Journal Questions
Directions: All journal entries must discuss the relationship between the personal examples you provide and examples provided in The Crucible. If you choose not to relate your journal to The Crucible, you will not receive credit for your journal entry. All journal entries must be written in complete sentences, follow the standards of academic English, and must be at least 7 sentences long.
Act I
You thought you might be in trouble and you lied to avoid it.
Rumors were flying . . . did someone try to dispel them?
Your emotions prevented you from making a wise choice.
You found yourself "in over your head" because of a poor choice you made.
Act II
You or someone you know was judged unfairly.
You asked to be forgiven for a wrong you'd done but weren't.
Jealously (your own or someone else's) caused a problem for you.
Honesty (yours or someone else's) played a role in a conflict in your life.
Your emotions in a particular situation clouded your judgment.
Act III
You (or someone you observed) was on a "power trip."
You were frustrated by the blatant lies someone was telling and everyone was believing.
You sacrificed a principle that is important to you for a person that is important to you.
You (or someone you know) was asked to "name names" or implicate others in a problematic situation.
Act IV
You pretended to be something or someone you are not.
You became totally disillusioned with someone or something that you believed in..
You were afraid to admit you were wrong.
You gave up something or someone important to you for a principle.
Think of what you mean when you use the words “honor,” “truth,” “justice,” or “courage.” Choose one character that exemplifies your idea of one of these ideals and explain how he/she lives up to your standards (or do the reverse: fails to live up to your standards).
“Half-Hanged Mary”—Journal #1
What does the poet’s point of view have in common with The Crucible?
How does the perspective of the poem’s narrator inform your understanding of the events that led to the Salem Witch Trials?
“Half-Hanged Mary”—Journal #2
Pick other historical or contemporary women whose lives parallel the women of Salem. Write a monologue or poem that gives the women who suffer injustice a voice. (Note: this may require some research on your part—be prepared to share this in small groups in class).
Reading Comprehension Questions
Directions: Write out your answers to the following questions in complete sentences. You must use text evidence (an example that you explain or a direct quote from the play) in your response.
Act I
Why do you think Rev. Parris has so many enemies?
After Parris begins to believe his daughter to be afflicted by witchcraft, what is Thomas Putnam’s advice to him?
What truths come out when the adults leave the girls alone?
Who is the leader of the girls? How would you describe Mary Warren in relation to the other girls?
What’s going on between Abigail and John Proctor?
Why does Betty start screaming?
Why are some people, including John Proctor, inclined to stay away from Sabbath meeting?
Why does Hale believe the Devil would strike Rev. Parris’s house?
Though Rev. Hale is trying to get Tituba to name her accomplices, who is the first person to actually mention names?
Why isn’t it difficult for Ann Putnam to believe that Goody Osburn is a witch?
What are the “symptoms” of witchcraft that indicate the Devil is hard at work in Salem?
Why has Goody Proctor turned Abigail out of the Proctor household? How does this act backfire?
What is the effect of Tituba’s “confession” on Mrs. Putnam, Betty, and Abigail at the end of Act I?
Act II
What is the primary center of tension in the encounter between John Proctor and Mary Warren?
What “symptoms” can be added to the Act I list of “evidence” that the Devil has invaded Salem?
What do you know about the relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor from the stage action and opening dialogue of Act II?
Describe the power Abigail has in the court room.
What’s going on between the Proctors on pages 52-53 (________)?
Though Mary Warren cannot say who accused Elizabeth Proctor, who do you believe accused her and why?
Ironically, which commandment can John not remember?
John Proctor seems to be the only voice of reason in the confusing end of Act II. What are some examples to support this idea?
Why is Mary Warren afraid of telling the truth about Abigail, for herself and for John?
At the end of Act II, what is your impression of Elizabeth Proctor? What is her relationship with her husband like?
Describe how Miller builds up tension in Act II? What are the series of events leading to the dramatic climax? How does he use figurative language to increase this tension?
Act III
What is Danforth’s role in the court proceedings?
Over and over, Danforth says that the good have nothing to fear. What evidence can you give to show that the opposite is true?
Danforth gives the premise for judging a witch. Summarize his guidelines.
How would you describe the encounter between Danforth and Abigail? Who “wins” this confrontation, and why?
Mary Warren's testimony is destroyed in the end because she cannot do something. What? How does she explain the problem?
Finally, Proctor admits that he and Abigail have been lovers. This truth could be the end of Abigail’s control. Why isn’t it?
What is the importance of John Proctor’s last speech (in Act III)?
What is Hale’s point of view on John Proctor at the end of Act III?
Explain why the end of Act III is the “turning point” in the play. What techniques does Miller use to achieve such heightened drama at the end of Act III?
Act IV
What has happened in Andover that has Parris so agitated? What has contributed to his softening attitude?
What is Hale’s mission in Act IV?
Parris tells Danforth, “You cannot hang this sort”. What does he mean?
Why won’t Danforth pardon the prisoners?
What does John Proctor refuse to do, because he wants his sons to “walk like men in the world”?
Do you think Elizabeth Proctor would confess if she were in her husband’s place? Explain.
In the end, what is it that is of utmost importance to John Proctor?
What does Elizabeth mean when she calls out, “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!”
Vocabulary Assignments
Directions: For all vocabulary assignments you must copy down the word, underline it, and write out the definition of the word. Vocabulary assignments may not be typed.
Vocab #1: savor, dogmatically, indigenous[ly], orthodox, heretic, inert, sect, innate, parochial, predeliction, ingratiating, junta, autocratic, paradox, dissembling, conjure, vindictive, propriety, diametrically.
Vocab #2: , defamation, malign, fiend, quaking, deference, vindictive, abyss, iniquity, malevolence, contempt, prosecutor, deposition, plaintiff, guile, reprieve, indictment, conspiracy, purged, penitence, corroborating.
Vocab #3: formidable, trepidation, hypocrisy, partisan, prodigious, defamation, bemused, malign, methodical, abrogation, resurgence, wily, malevolence, exaltation, prudent, licentious, ecstatic, pallor, ameliorate, indignant.
Vocab #4: begrudge, base, calamity, blasphemy, contentious, contempt, effrontery, reproach, confounded, placidly, sublime, augur, gaunt, adamant, beguile, conciliatory, incredulously, rescinded.
NOTE: All these vocabulary words consistently appear on the SAT!
Courage, Heroism and Goodness:
Interpreting The Crucible
and “Half-Hanged Mary”
Analytical Writing Assignment
Task:
Write a three to four page essay in which you discuss The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, and “Half-Hanged Mary” by Margaret Atwood, from the particular perspective of the statement that is provided for you in the quotation you choose.
In your essay, provide a valid interpretation of the quote, agree or disagree with the quote as you interpret it, and support your opinion using at least three specific references from each text.
Guidelines:
• Provide a valid interpretation of the quote that clearly establishes how you analyzed it.
• Indicate whether you agree or disagree with the quote as you interpret it.
• Use examples from the texts to support your opinion about the quote.
• Do not summarize the plot.
• Use specific references to appropriate literary elements (for example, theme, characterization, language, point of view) to analyze the quote and make your point.
•Follow the conventions of standard written English including spelling, capitalization, grammar, punctuation, and citation of quotes from the play and the poem.
How You Will Be Graded
You will be graded on your class work, and need to turn in the following documents to satisfy the requirements for this assignment:
Rough Draft (30 points)
Thesis paragraph draft (30 points)
Introduction draft & rewrite (30 points)
Conclusion draft and rewrite (30 points)
Peer Editing Checklist (30 points)
Final essay, typed and double-spaced using either 12 point Arial or 12 point Times New Roman, minimum of three entire pages. (100 points)
Your essay will be assessed based on the rubric used for the New York State Regents Examination (see following page).
Monday, December 1, 2008
Homework Dec. 1-5th
Lesson Plan: Monday. Dec. 1
AIM In what ways does fantasy help and harm people trying to cope with reality?
Do Now
Quickwrite:
1) Describe a (school appropriate) time when you or someone you know did not want to face reality. What did you do to “get away”?
2) Is there any such thing as “harmless fantasy”? Is it better to face reality or is it all right to view the world the way you want to see it?
Class Work & Discussion1) Assign Roles: Stella, Blanche, Eunice, Steve, Young Man, Narrator (to read stage directions)
2) Read scene 5 aloud and discuss questions 18-21 in class.
3) If time allows, watch film and compare/contrast reading with film.
Group Work:
Break class into groups to answer scene five questions, then share out (if time allows).
HomeworkRead A Streetcar Named Desire scene six, questions 18-23. You should be reading your companion text as well; by Friday, Dec. 5th you should be about halfway through your companion text.
Lesson Plan: Tuesday, Dec. 2
AIM -- Is Blanche correct in stating that “deliberate cruelty” the only unforgivable crime?
Do Now-- Homework on desk for notebook check.
During Do Now: Find an example of “deliberate cruelty” in the play. Why do you think this act is cruel? What does it reveal about the character?
NOTE: Ask two students to write their answers to HW questions on the board.
Class Work & Discussion1) Watch scene 6 on DVD.
2) Discuss “Do Now” examples of cruelty.
3) Debate Blanche’s husband’s death—what was her culpability in his demise?
4) Debate AIM
Reflection: Answer the Aim!
Homework: Read A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene 7. Complete questions 24- 26. You should be reading your companion text as well; by Friday, Dec. 5th you should be about halfway through your companion text.
Lesson Plan:
Wed. December 3
AIMHow far should people go to show loyalty to people they love? To friends? To family?
Do NowDescribe a time that you found out a good friend or relative was dishonest with you about their past. How did you feel when you learned the truth? Did your relationship change, and how?
OR
Describe a time you found out a secret about a person you did not like. What did you do with that information? Are you happy about the way you handled the situation?
Share “Do Now”
Class Work & Discussion1) Watch Scene 7 of Streetcar. (Or read aloud—student choice!)
2) Discuss in class questions 24-26.
2) Class debate: What should Stella do about what Stanley knows.
HW:
Read Scene 8 from A Streetcar Named Desire. You should be reading your companion text as well; by Friday, Dec. 5th you should be about halfway through your companion text.
AIMWhy does Mitch come to see Blanche one last time?
Do Now
· Notebook check questions 27-29.
· Class Meeting: Companion Text for Streetcar
· During Notebook check, assign each row a question 30-33 as a quiz grade. Complete your assigned question (30-33) and prepare to share your answer with the class.
Class Work & Discussion:
· Ask student to summarize scene 8.
· Class review of HW questions 27-29:
1. What has Stanley bought for Blanche?
2. Stanley gets angry at Stella for telling him his face and fingers are disgustingly greasy. What does he do in response?
3. What happens at the end of Scene Eight?
· Watch video of Scene 9.
· Discuss/Write answers to questions 30-33
1. In Scene Nine, who stops by unexpectedly to see Blanche?
2. Blanche makes a very telling statement about reality. What does she say?
3. What does Blanche admit happened after her husband’s death? Why did she say she did this?
4. Why does Mitch say he won’t marry Blanche now?
· As a class, discuss the AIM. What is Mitch’s objective in this scene?
ReflectionAnswer the aim in a well-written paragraph using at least one quotation from the text.
Homework
Read scenes 9 and 10 from A Streetcar Named Desire; complete questions 34-36.
As a reminder: Scene 10 contains a violent act that is very disturbing. Please be prepared for this, and if you are upset by this scene, see me after class and I will make arrangements for you to work in another classroom tomorrow, no questions asked. J
You should be reading your companion text as well; by Friday, Dec. 5th you should be about halfway through your companion text.
AIMHow do humans’ primal behaviors both strengthen and destroy them?
Do Now
· Notebook check questions 34-36.
· Put Book Report #3 in HW Basket.
· During NB Check: Quickwrite-- What is a “primal instinct”? Can people be expected to resist their primal instincts?
Class Meeting:
· Class Meeting: Respecting peers during discussion of violence in Streetcar.
· Choose a Companion text for Streetcar by Friday, Nov. 30th and bring it to class for 50 points.
· Share “Do Now”
Class Work & Discussion:
· Ask student to summarize scene 10.
· Watch Scene 10 on film, compare/contrast to the book.
Discussion Questions:
· Who does Blanche tell Stanley she heard from? What invitation does she say he extended?
· Blanche tells Stanley that Mitch came to see her that night. What does she tell him the reason was?
· What happens at the end of Scene Ten?
· As a class, discuss the AIM and debate it using examples from the text.
ReflectionAnswer the AIM in a well-written paragraph.
HomeworkRead scene 11, complete question #37. Get caught up with your reading over the weekend!
AIM In what ways does fantasy help and harm people trying to cope with reality?
Do Now
Quickwrite:
1) Describe a (school appropriate) time when you or someone you know did not want to face reality. What did you do to “get away”?
2) Is there any such thing as “harmless fantasy”? Is it better to face reality or is it all right to view the world the way you want to see it?
Class Work & Discussion1) Assign Roles: Stella, Blanche, Eunice, Steve, Young Man, Narrator (to read stage directions)
2) Read scene 5 aloud and discuss questions 18-21 in class.
3) If time allows, watch film and compare/contrast reading with film.
Group Work:
Break class into groups to answer scene five questions, then share out (if time allows).
HomeworkRead A Streetcar Named Desire scene six, questions 18-23. You should be reading your companion text as well; by Friday, Dec. 5th you should be about halfway through your companion text.
Lesson Plan: Tuesday, Dec. 2
AIM -- Is Blanche correct in stating that “deliberate cruelty” the only unforgivable crime?
Do Now-- Homework on desk for notebook check.
During Do Now: Find an example of “deliberate cruelty” in the play. Why do you think this act is cruel? What does it reveal about the character?
NOTE: Ask two students to write their answers to HW questions on the board.
Class Work & Discussion1) Watch scene 6 on DVD.
2) Discuss “Do Now” examples of cruelty.
3) Debate Blanche’s husband’s death—what was her culpability in his demise?
4) Debate AIM
Reflection: Answer the Aim!
Homework: Read A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene 7. Complete questions 24- 26. You should be reading your companion text as well; by Friday, Dec. 5th you should be about halfway through your companion text.
Lesson Plan:
Wed. December 3
AIMHow far should people go to show loyalty to people they love? To friends? To family?
Do NowDescribe a time that you found out a good friend or relative was dishonest with you about their past. How did you feel when you learned the truth? Did your relationship change, and how?
OR
Describe a time you found out a secret about a person you did not like. What did you do with that information? Are you happy about the way you handled the situation?
Share “Do Now”
Class Work & Discussion1) Watch Scene 7 of Streetcar. (Or read aloud—student choice!)
2) Discuss in class questions 24-26.
2) Class debate: What should Stella do about what Stanley knows.
HW:
Read Scene 8 from A Streetcar Named Desire. You should be reading your companion text as well; by Friday, Dec. 5th you should be about halfway through your companion text.
AIMWhy does Mitch come to see Blanche one last time?
Do Now
· Notebook check questions 27-29.
· Class Meeting: Companion Text for Streetcar
· During Notebook check, assign each row a question 30-33 as a quiz grade. Complete your assigned question (30-33) and prepare to share your answer with the class.
Class Work & Discussion:
· Ask student to summarize scene 8.
· Class review of HW questions 27-29:
1. What has Stanley bought for Blanche?
2. Stanley gets angry at Stella for telling him his face and fingers are disgustingly greasy. What does he do in response?
3. What happens at the end of Scene Eight?
· Watch video of Scene 9.
· Discuss/Write answers to questions 30-33
1. In Scene Nine, who stops by unexpectedly to see Blanche?
2. Blanche makes a very telling statement about reality. What does she say?
3. What does Blanche admit happened after her husband’s death? Why did she say she did this?
4. Why does Mitch say he won’t marry Blanche now?
· As a class, discuss the AIM. What is Mitch’s objective in this scene?
ReflectionAnswer the aim in a well-written paragraph using at least one quotation from the text.
Homework
Read scenes 9 and 10 from A Streetcar Named Desire; complete questions 34-36.
As a reminder: Scene 10 contains a violent act that is very disturbing. Please be prepared for this, and if you are upset by this scene, see me after class and I will make arrangements for you to work in another classroom tomorrow, no questions asked. J
You should be reading your companion text as well; by Friday, Dec. 5th you should be about halfway through your companion text.
AIMHow do humans’ primal behaviors both strengthen and destroy them?
Do Now
· Notebook check questions 34-36.
· Put Book Report #3 in HW Basket.
· During NB Check: Quickwrite-- What is a “primal instinct”? Can people be expected to resist their primal instincts?
Class Meeting:
· Class Meeting: Respecting peers during discussion of violence in Streetcar.
· Choose a Companion text for Streetcar by Friday, Nov. 30th and bring it to class for 50 points.
· Share “Do Now”
Class Work & Discussion:
· Ask student to summarize scene 10.
· Watch Scene 10 on film, compare/contrast to the book.
Discussion Questions:
· Who does Blanche tell Stanley she heard from? What invitation does she say he extended?
· Blanche tells Stanley that Mitch came to see her that night. What does she tell him the reason was?
· What happens at the end of Scene Ten?
· As a class, discuss the AIM and debate it using examples from the text.
ReflectionAnswer the AIM in a well-written paragraph.
HomeworkRead scene 11, complete question #37. Get caught up with your reading over the weekend!
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