Mr. J’s Book Club
Reminders:
· This reading and writing assignment can be completed by either handwriting or typing.
· Write down each question before writing your response.
· NO EXCUSE for homework delayed or missing
· Hand in your assignment to the teacher when you come to the class
The Book of the Month - The House on Mango Street
October 4, 2015
Due 10/11
Short answers:
1. Where did the narrator live before she moved to The House on Mango Street? How were her previous homes different?
2. In what kind of house would she like to live? Does her new home live up to her expectations? Why?
"Hairs"
3. Who are the members of Esperanza's family?
"My Name"
4. After whom was Esperanza named? What does her namesake's story tell you about the status of women in Mexican society?
"Cathy Queen of Cats"
5. Why is Cathy's family about to move?
"Our Good Day"
6. How does Esperanza make friends with Lucy and Rachel? What makes them better friends than Cathy?
October 11, 2015
Due 10/18
Prompt:
Write a description of your own home, mirroring the description in Chapter One and using the elements of the style of a vignette. Write about the physical description of your home and any family members who live with you. Also describe what ‘home’ means to you.
Answer the following questions: Does your home make you who you are/define you? How does it affect your identity? Does it depict your culture?
October 18, 2015
Due 10/25
Prompt:
Pick one vignette and write a short response paper about it. Write about your personal feelings, relate it to something that has happened to you or someone you know, etc. Also explain what the theme of the chosen chapter is and support your idea with evidence from the text.
October 25, 2015
Due 11/1
Short answers:
"Marin"
7. Who is Marin? Why is she unable to leave her house? How does she plan to change her situation? Why do Esperanza and her friends admire her?
"Those Who Don't"
8. How do outsiders see Esperanza's neighborhood? How does Esperanza feel when she visits other neighborhoods?
"There Was an Old Woman She Had So Many Children She Didn't Know What to Do"
9. Why does Rosa Vargas cry every day? Why do her children misbehave? What happens to her son Angel?
"Alicia Who Sees Mice"
10. How does Alicia's father treat her efforts to get an education?
"The Family of Little Feet"
11. What happens to Esperanza when she and her friends are given some cast-off shoes? How do the shoes change them? What effect do they have on the men in the neighborhood?
"A Rice Sandwich"
12. Why does Esperanza want to eat in the school canteen? How does she get her mother to help her?
"Hips"
13. What are the girls doing as they talk about hips? What are hips good for? What does their conversation tell you about their ages?
"The First Job"
14. Why does this story have a misleading title? What happens to Esperanza on her first day at work? What does this episode tell you about her family and their expectations?
"Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark"
15. Why does Esperanza's father cry? How does his crying make her feel?
November 1, 2015
Due 11/8
Prompt:
Write a response paper in response to the following prompt: “As you read, you are starting to see a change in Esperanza. She is beginning the transition from childhood to adolescence.
What is happening physically, socially, and emotionally? Cite specific examples from the novel when necessary.
November 8, 2015
Due 11/15
Short Answers:
"Born Bad"
16. What happens to Aunt Lupe? Why does Esperanza believe she deserves to go to hell? What special relationship did Esperanza have with her aunt?
"Geraldo No Last Name"
17. Why does Geraldo have no last name? From the information Cisneros provides, do you believe that his death was inevitable?
Prompt:
Write a response paper about the vignette “Geraldo No Last Name.” Respond to “Geraldo” according to the following prompt: “Who was Geraldo? What did we as the reader know about him? oes he have an identity? How does Esperanza feel about Geraldo’s death in comparison to the deaths in the other two chapters?”
Reading/Writing Assignment 1
Instructions: Make a list of each unfamiliar word. Look up each unfamiliar word in a dictionary and write down its definition. Write one or two sentences about the main idea of each chapter. After you have finished reading, write an essay (250 words) in response to the literacy questions.
Week 1 Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
What are the most important lessons Brian learns about the natural world? How does the time he spent in the wilderness affect his attitude toward the land and the animals?
Week 2 My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
What does Sam Gribley learn about survival during the time he spent on the Catskill Mountains? How does Sam change during the course of the novel? In what ways is he still the same?
Week 3 Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Discuss George’s actions at the end of the novel. How can we justify what he does to Lennie? How can we condemn it?
Week 4 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
How do Jem and Scout change during the course of the novel? How do they remain the same? What lessons do they learn about race and prejudice from Tom Robinson and their father Atticus Finch?
Week 5 Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
What does Kit Tyler learn about Puritan life in late 17th century? In what ways does Kit deal with her new surroundings? How does she confront the prejudices other people have toward her?
Week 6 Black Pearl by Scott O’Dell
In what ways is Ramon similar to his father? In what ways are they different? How does Ramon change through the course of the novel?
7th Grade:
Themes: Introduce literary analysis, help students develop comfort and fluency in creative, personal, and responsive writing:
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- Of Mice and Men
- Persepolis
- The House on Mango Street
8th Grade:
Themes: Questions of identity, coming of age, understanding the perspectives of those in other cultures or circumstances:
- Macbeth
- The Comedy of Errors
- The Joy Luck Club
- A Tale of Two Cities
- Black Boy
- The Chosen
- The Secret Life of the Bees
9th Grade:
Themes: Defining oneself in terms of family and society:
- Romeo and Juliet
- Huckleberry Finn
- Catcher in the Rye
- 1984
- Great Expectations
- All Quiet on the Western Front
10th Grade:
Themes: Analyze and compare alienation, family, heroism, destiny, and identity in both classical and contemporary literature:
- Hamlet
- Oedipus Rex
- The Odyssey
- Song of Solomon
- The Metamorphosis
- Pride and Prejudice
- Chronicle of a Death Foretold
11th Grade:
Theme: American literature
- The Scarlet Letter
- poetry of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman
- The Great Gatsby
- Their Eyes Were Watching God
- The Woman Warrior
- Invisible Man
- The Things They Carried