Assignment for April 30

This assignment is one that all the senior English classes are doing (except those students who are doing the capstone and have already discussed this with me and worked out a timeline).

These are your last assignments for the year. They're all in one document, though I will send a reminder before each one is due.

Enjoy! If you have any questions, please email me so that I can help you out.

Final Creative Writing Assignments

Assignment for April 23

If you have not discussed the capstone with me, you'll be doing the weekly assignments for the rest of the year. 
Today is last call to email me to discuss your capstone if that's what you choose. After today, the capstone option is not available. (I have only had one student email me about it, and we've worked out a plan. If that student was not you, then you are in my non-capstone group.)

What: 

• Create a doc in your Creative Writing folder called First Initial Last Name Loss 
• (example B Desai Loss).
• Write a personal essay or a short story that has these two components: 
• What do you mourn the loss of in this shutdown? 
• What good things do you look forward to? 

You may write this in first person (personal essay) or, if it makes sense to you, 
write it in third person with a fictional character (which can make it easier to 
process and give you more control than first person). 

For fun, if you want to, you can include images-photos, drawings, doodles. 
(Please keep them appropriate for your teacher to see). 

This gets credit for content/completion and a separate credit for mechanics. 
(If google underlines a mistake, be sure to fix it, and fix any other mistakes that you catch.)

Due date: Thursday, April 30 by 2 p.m.
What credit looks like (content

• The story should include both components (loss and looking forward). 
• A completed essay or short story.

What credit looks like (mechanics)

• You have fixed your errors. You have overall blemish-free mechanics.
• The story should include both components (loss and looking forward).

What no credit looks like (content)

• No essay or story in your Creative Writing folder labeled "FI LN Loss"
• An incomplete story or essay.
• You don't follow the "prompt." 

What no credit looks like (mechanics)

• You have lots of typos and errors.

Assignment for April 13, 2020

FYI: Starting next week, you will have a choice of whether you want to do a mini capstone project (like the year-end project I've mentioned several times, only shorter) or if you want to continue doing small, individual assignments as we have all year. If you choose the capstone, you will need to discuss with me the scope of your intended project. So think about which you'd like to do, and if you have questions, just ask. I would like you to choose which you want to do by April 20.

This week's assignment: Read the story in this link. (It may be familiar already to you, but read it again with an eye to writing.) Gaston

This is a story of where a choice is made. It is a small choice that has a much larger meaning.

(Please read the story before reading any further: spoilers ahead.) The girl chooses to squash the bug, and in doing so, it's clear to the reader that she is, in this act, choosing to reject the newer, more authentic life she might have had. She's also rejecting a meaningful relationship with her father and a deeper understanding of herself.

Your assignment is to write a short story where a character makes a small choice that has a much larger meaning attached to it.

If you want a great student example, go to the May 2018 issue of the literary magazine (see link on the right side of the main page). It's called "Beauty and the Cheetah."

What: In your Creative Writing folder, create a doc called First Initial Last Name Choice (example: B Desai Choice)

Due date: Wednesday, April 22 by 2 pm.

What credit looks like

• A completed short story with dialog, developed characters, and plot.
• The story should contain a clear choice made by a character, a small one that they debate over because, even if they don't quite know it, it means a great deal more than it seems to on the surface.

What no credit looks like

• No story in your Creative Writing folder labeled "FI LN Choice"
• An incomplete story.
• You don't follow the "prompt."

Assignment for April 8, 2020

Good morning! This is our last assignment about procedure before we get into proper classwork tomorrow.

What:

1. Create a doc in your English folder.

2. Title the doc: First Initial Last Name Summary (example: B Desai Summary). 
This doc is where step four goes.

3. Read the section below called “A Note on Deadlines.” 

4. Summarize the information you read in step 3. (Write it in your doc.) Keep 
it brief. Hit the main points. I just want to know that you read and understood it.

When: Have this task completed (the document in your English folder) 
by Thursday, April 9, by 2 p.m.

What credit looks like

-The doc is in your English folder.

-The doc is titled as shown in the instructions (with your first initial and last name)

-It’s a summary of the material written below.

What no credit looks like

-There is no doc like this in the folder.

-The doc is improperly titled.

-There is no summary in the doc.

A Note on Deadlines: If you need an extension for any assignment, please 
let me know before the due date. Do not wait until the due date has passed 
to communicate with me. 

The late policy is different now because the situation is different. 

I know that there might be a number of reasons you need extra time. Some 
of you might have to take care of an ill parent or sibling. Some of you may 
be ill yourselves. Some of you have 504s or IEPs that allow you extra time 
on some types of work, and you may not always need it but you find that 
now you do. 

If you need more time, please tell me before the deadline. We can work 
out something to make sure you’re successful. Communication will be 
more important than ever in this new format.

Assignment for April 6, 2020

What: Send me an email (do not reply to an earlier one, please), so that I know 
you’re out there and ready to respond to assignments. 

You can tell me something as simple as “hi,” ask a question, tell me about 
your morning, whatever you like.

My email is bdesai@norfolkaggie.org.

Due date: Tuesday, April 7, 2020 by 2 p.m. (please keep in mind computers 
and the internet can be finicky. Send a few minutes before 1:59 is my advice.) :)

What credit looks like

You sent me an email (not a reply to an earlier one).

It arrived/is time stamped before 2 p.m Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

What no credit looks like

You sent a reply to an earlier mail instead of a new mail.

You replied after 2 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday, April 7, 2020).

You did not reply.

Please know, in the new system there is no partial credit. You either 
earn credit or no credit.

Common Scholarship Form

Ms. Caron asked us to pass on to you a link to the Common Scholarship form, which is due by April 27 and can be submitted electronically: Common Scholarship Form

Enrichment Work

March 30: for this week's enrichment, you could write an essay to entry an FFA contest. Prizes are:
First place: $7,500
Second place: $5,000
Third place: $2,500

To enter, submit an essay of 1,000 words or less responding to the prompt (listed in the link) by April 20, 2020. If you'd like feedback from me on in, please share the google doc with me before April 13. (That will give you time to polish up after feedback from me.)

Here's the link: FFA Essay Contest

March 23: If you have finished your genre story and have edited it, I recommend starting a journal. It's a good way to reflect and quiet the mind. We'll regroup and share work once the state allows us to do graded work. Feel free to reach out at any time with questions or just to say hi. :)