A Separate Peace Final Project

A Separate Peace Final Project

150 Points

Due: Monday, May 2nd, 2011

This final project will allow you to display your knowledge of A Separate Peacein a comprehensive and creative way. The novel deals with the lives ofteenage boys, two in particular, and how themes such as friendship, rivalry, and suspicion have changed them. There are many ways to document the changes one faces in life. You may choose from the three options below to document the lives of the characters in A Separate Peace.

Option 1 – The Yearbook

Yearbooks can serve as a mirror into the past; they show others what you might have been like a lifetime ago, and allow you to relive cherished memories. Your first option is to create a yearbook for Devon that includes detailed information about the boys who walked its halls in 1942. Things to include in your yearbook:

- Pictures (Student and faculty, with correlation to descriptions in novel)

- Superlatives (Most Athletic, Most Likely to Succeed, etc.)

- A signature page (At least 250 words)

- Sports information (At least 250 words)

-Additional Element: Example -- The history of Devon or “Best of Page”

The more you include in the yearbook, the better it becomes as a project. If you do the yearbook, it must be bound and have a decorated cover. You must also follow the project guidelines at the bottom of the page.

Option 2 – The Scrapbook

Many people choose to gather their memories into scrapbooks, which can include pictures, postcards, letters, and other memorabilia. A scrapbook is like an artistic interpretation of the past, showing both style and understanding. Your scrapbook should contain the following items:

- Letters (2- 250 words each)

- Graduation Announcements (At least 2, with dates correlating to novel)

- Mementos (At least 3)

- Newspaper articles (2 – two major events from novel)

- Additional Element: Example – Invitations or Sports Page

Again, the more you include, the better off you'll be. If you choose to do a scrapbook, it must be in scrapbook form, whether that be an actual scrapbook that you buy or a book/binding of some sort. Include a fun cover too! You must also follow the project guidelines at the bottom of the page.

Option 3 – The Time Capsule

Time capsules preserve memories, but unlike scrapbooks and yearbooks, those memories stay hidden until you decide to dig up the past. Many items can be added into a time capsule. Yours should at least include:

- Letters (2 – 250 words each)

- Pictures (All major characters, using descriptions from novel)

-Newspaper Articles (2 – two major events in novel)

- Items of remembrance(at least three)

-Additional Element: Example – Music of the time or Clothing of the time

Show your understanding of the characters in A Separate Peace by adding as many telling items as possible. If you choose this project, you must find a creative way to contain all the mementos, along with a cover of some sort that displays correlation to the novel. And, of course, follow the project guidelines.

Regardless of what project you choose to do, you must follow these guidelines.

a)Your project must include at least fiveadditional quotes/passages (along with page numbers) that display important elements of the novel. It is up to you to decide where or how to use these quotes/passages. It should be obvious to your audience why you chose the quotes/passages that you did. For example: You could make an entire scrapbook page explaining the significance of the tree. Your quotes would defend the fact that the tree has importance in the novel. If you are doing a yearbook, you could have a “Friends” page full of quotes that prove how important friendships were at Devon. This requirement is to prove that you not only read the book, but you understand the significance of the writing.

b)Your project must include information about all the major characters. These include Gene, Finny, Leper, Brinker, Chet, Quackenbush, and Mr. Ludsbury. Don't simply say who they are. Give information about why they were important to the story and how they interacted with each other. Additional quotes from the book would be a great way to show these characters. For example: If you did a yearbook, you could put a quote under each character’s picture. That quote should be definitive of that specific character. The same could be done with the time capsule or scrapbook. These quotes do not count towards your five additional quotes/passages needed. The information must come in writing. A picture of each character is not good enough. I want to have a clear idea of who each character is. You may also add minor characters, such as Mr. Patch-Withers or Brownie Perkins. The more, the better.

c)Find a way to include specific references to three major scenes from the novel. This component is fairly wide open. You can include these references wherever and how ever you want, as long as they are clear and specific. They may be in either writing or art forms as long as quotes or page numbers are included. (Again, if you choose to use quotes, they do not count as your five required.)

d)You must express atheme that you think was apparent throughout the novel. The only restriction on this element is that it must be a piece of writing. Possibilities include writing an entry in a journal as Gene, creating a poem, or writing a newspaper article. This piece of writing does not count as any of the requirements for your chosen project. As long as the theme is clearly discussed in writing, you may choose to write in any form. If you choose to write in anything other than a poem, it must be at least one page. If you choose a poem, it must be 20 lines.

e)Your project must be in final draft form. No pencil, no lined paper (unless it is your letter), and no half-finished pieces of work. Take some pride in this project and show what you are capable of doing. The more creative you are, the more likely you are to have fun with project. Again, this project is fairly wide open so ask questions throughout your creation process.

Overall Project / Excellent:5 / Good: 3-4 / Satisfactory: 2 / Unsatisfactory: 0-1
Project (Details) – (10) / Several details that elaborate upon the storyline / Enough details to understand the storyline / Some details missing from storyline – hard to follow / Hardly any details – storyline undetectable
Project (Effort) – (10) / Neat, concise, and articulate project – obvious that much time was spent preparing / Nice project with minimal flaws – obvious that time was put into project / Project has some sloppy aspects that seem thrown together – effort is obvious only sometimes / Project exhibits careless and messy aspects – minimal time spent preparing
Five quotes/passages – (10) / Five quotes included – quotes detail important elements of story / Four quotes included – 4 quotes detail important elements of story / Three quotes included – 3 quotes detail important elements of story / Two or less quotes included – quotes do not pertain to important elements of story
Main Characters – (15) / All major characters included – Details about importance for all / One major character missing – Some details of importance lacking / Two major characters missing – Many details of importance lacking / Three or more major characters missing – Details of importance missing
Three Major Scenes – (15) / Specific references to three major scenes / Specific references to three scenes – but not all were major in storyline / Specific references to two scenes – not all were major in storyline / Only one or zero references to major scenes – Scenes chosen were not major
Theme– (15) / One page / 20 lines – clearly discussed theme / Less than one page / 20 lines – theme lacks clear discussion / Only half a page / 10 lines – theme was not apparent in novel / Theme not included in project
Creativity / Thinks outside the box to create a project of own / Creativity shown in some aspects of project but not all / Creativity shown in minimal aspects of project / Project lacks creativity – no exciting elements
Mechanics – (10) / 0-2 Spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes / A few spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes / Several spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes / An abundance of spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes
Yearbook / Excellent:8-10 / Good:6-7 / Satisfactory: 4-5 / Unsatisfactory: 0-3
Pictures / Pictures of all major characters – found pictures that display characteristics from book / One major character missing- some pictures correlate to characteristics from book / Two major characters missing – few pictures correlate to characteristics described in book / Three or more major characters missing – no relation to characteristics described in book
Superlatives / Superlatives for all major characters – fit descriptions from novel / One superlative for a major character missing – some fit descriptions from novel / Two superlatives for major characters missing – few fit descriptions from novel / Three or more superlatives for major characters missing – no relation to descriptions in novel
Signature Page
(at least 250 words) / Includes quotes from characters – contains specific references to novel – 250 words / Includes quotes from some characters – includes some specific references to novel / Missing quotes from characters – missing specific references to novel – not 250 words
Sports Page (at least 250 words) / Includes all concrete facts from novel – includes at least two sports from book / Include concrete facts from novel but some information does not match novel / Lacks concrete facts from novel / Has less than two sports from book
Additional Element / Creative element that displays specific information about novel / Creative element but lacks specific reference to novel / Has element but shows no creativity or specific reference to novel / Missing additional element
Cover/Binding / Has a detailed cover and found a way to relate back to novel – has binding / Has a detailed cover but lacks relation to novel / Has a cover but lacks details / Does not have a cover – has no binding
Scrapbook / Excellent:8-10 / Good:6-7 / Satisfactory: 4-5 / Unsatisfactory: 0-3
Letters (at least 250 words each) / At least two letters that include specific references to novel – 250 words each / Two letters but one lacks specific references to novel – one letter not 250 words / Two letters but both lack specific references to novel / Only one letter or less – both letters less than 250 words
Graduation Announcements / At least two graduation announcements – dates correlate with novel / Two graduation announcements but dates do not correlate with novel / Only one graduation announcement / Missing graduation announcements
Mementos / At least three creative pieces from major characters – direct references from novel / Three creative pieces from major characters – only some have direct references from novel / Two creative pieces from major characters – lacking direct correlation to novel / Missing mementos
Newspaper Articles / Two newspaper articles that explain important events that took place during the novel – direct textual evidence / Two newspaper articles – but one was not an important event in the novel / Two newspaper articles but neither were important events in the novel / Only one newspaper article included
Additional Element / Creative element that displays specific information about novel / Creative element but lacks specific reference to novel / Has element but shows no creativity or specific reference to novel / Missing additional element
Scrapbook/Cover / Has a detailed cover and found a way to relate back to novel – is in scrapbook form / Has a detailed cover but lacks relation to novel / Has a cover but lacks details / Does not have a cover – is not in scrapbook form
Time Capsule / Excellent:8-10 / Good:6-7 / Satisfactory: 4-5 / Unsatisfactory: 0-3
Letters (at least 250 words each) / At least two letters that include specific references to novel – 250 words each / Two letters but one lacks specific references to novel – one letter not 250 words / Two letters but both lack specific references to novel / Only one letter or less – both letters less than 250 words
Pictures / Pictures of all major characters – found pictures that display characteristics from book / One major character missing- some pictures correlate to characteristics from book / Two major characters missing – few pictures correlate to characteristics described in book / Three or more major characters missing – no relation to characteristics described in book
Newspaper Articles / Two newspaper articles that explain an important event that took place during the novel – direct textual evidence / Two newspaper articles – but one was not an important event in the novel / Two newspaper articles but neither were important events in the novel / Only one newspaper article included
Items of Remembrance / At least three creative pieces from major characters – direct references from novel / Three creative pieces from major characters – only some have direct references from novel / Two creative pieces from major characters – lacking direct correlation to novel / Missing mementos
Additional Element / Creative element that displays specific information about novel / Creative element but lacks specific reference to novel / Has element but shows no creativity or specific reference to novel / Missing additional element
Cover/Container / Has a detailed cover and found a way to relate back to novel – has creative container / Has a detailed cover but lacks relation to novel / Has a cover but lacks details / Does not have a cover – does not have a container