One of My Least Favorite Things to Do Is to Make Lesson Plans This Process Is Forced Upon

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One of My Least Favorite Things to Do Is to Make Lesson Plans This Process Is Forced Upon

Research Project for Gifted Language Arts – Kling 2014

  1. Students will reada novel or play of their choice. Strongly suggested novels/plays:
  2. Beloved… Toni Morrison
  3. A Farewell to Arms… Ernest Hemingway
  4. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter…Carson McCullers
  5. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings… Maya Angelou
  6. A Separate Peace... John Knowles
  7. Native Son…Richard Wright
  8. The Color Purple…Alice Walker
  9. As I Lay Dying… William Faulkner
  10. The Ox-Bow Incident… Walter Van Tilburg Clark
  11. Slaughterhouse Five…Kurt Vonnegut
  12. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest…Ken Kesey
  13. Their Eyes Were Watching God… Zora Neale Hurston
  14. The Catcher in the Rye… J. D. Salinger
  15. The Bell Jar… Sylvia Plath
  16. A Streetcar Named Desire… Tennessee Williams
  17. East of Eden… John Steinbeck
  18. The Joy Luck Club... Amy Tan

No more than two-three students per class per novel; novels chosen byMonday, March 10th.

On Friday, March 28th, students will take a 100 question selected response test on their novels. Should you receive a 75 or lower on this exam,you will have to retake it. If the grade doesn’t improve, you’ll have to explain how you managed this feat after having read the novel.

Should students wish to choose a novel not on this list, the novel must be approved by me (and the LA consortium) and students must prepare a 25 question multiple choice test. This assignment will be due on Monday, March 31st. A key must be provided designating page #s from the text where the correct answers are to be found and created tests must meet the following guidelines:

14 RULES FOR WRITING MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

Adapted from a text prepared by Timothy W. Bothell, Ph.D. at BYU

1. Use Plausible Distractors (wrong-response options)

  • Only list plausible distractors, even if the number of options per questions.
  • Write the options so they are homogeneous in content.

2. Use a Question Format – Experts encourage multiple-choice items to be prepared as questions (rather than incomplete statements).Incomplete Statement Format: The capital of California is in… NO Direct Question Format: In which of the following cities is the capital of California?

3. Emphasize Higher-Level Thinking

4. Keep Option Lengths Similar

  • Avoid making your correct answer the long or short answer.

5. Balance the Placement of the Correct Answer

6. Be Grammatically Correct

  • Use simple, precise and unambiguous wording.
  • Students will be more likely to select the correct answer by finding the grammatically correct option.

7. Avoid Clues to the Correct Answer (Mr. Kling often ignores this rule!)

  • Avoid extremes – never, always, only
  • Avoid nonsense words and unreasonable statements.

8. Avoid Negative Questions

  • 88% of testing experts recommend avoiding negative questions
  • Students may be able to find an incorrect answer without knowing the correct answer.

9. Use Only One Correct Option (Or be sure the best option is clearly the bestoption)

  • The item should include one and only one correct or clearly best answer.
  • With one correct answer, alternatives should be mutually exclusive and not overlapping.

10. Give Clear Instructions

11. Use Only a Single, Clearly-Defined Problem and Include the Main Idea in the Question

  • Students must know what the problem is without having to read the response options.

12. Avoid the “All the Above” Option

  • Students merely need to recognize two correct options to get the answer correct.

13. Avoid the “None of the Above” Option

  • You will never know if students know the correct answer.
  1. Concurrently, students will choose a contemporary American poet and read at least thirty to forty poems by that poet – if not more! There will be a listing of American poets to consider on my webpage. Students must choose their poet by Friday, March 14th. Poets must be okayed by Mr. Kling – to pass the Jewel and Tupac test. Be aware, too, that you will have to research these poets – so, the more famous, the more “canonized” – the easier it will be to find materials. Students will choose three poems by that author that they would “anthologize” in a textbook. Each of these three poems will be mapped – visually indicating at least 7 (seven) poetic/literary devices concerning each poem. Below the mapped poem, students will write a detailed paragraph or two concerning the poem’s theme/meaning and why they choose that poem. This “anthology” will look like a published work and include bogus publishing information as students will be using their critiques in a later paper. This anthology is due on Friday, April 4th.

Rubric Considerations for Anthology:

Mapping considerations: Choice of literary elements should include basic – alliteration, rhyme scheme – and more sophisticated choices – allusions explained, enjambment choices analyzed – to receive all 10 points.

Rationale considerations: Students are asked to write a detailed paragraph or two concerning the poem’s theme/meaning and why they chose that poem as representative of their poet.

Cover Page _____ / 10

Poem #1 Mapping _____ / 10

Poem #1 Rationale (Both questions addressed thoughtfully)_____ / 15

Poem #2 Mapping_____ / 10

Poem #2 Rationale (Both questions addressed thoughtfully)_____ / 15

Poem #3 Mapping _____ / 10

Poem #3 Rationale (Both questions addressed)_____ / 15

Professionalism of Presentation / Thoughtfulness of choices_____ / 15

TOTAL

  1. Next, students will write a poem in the voice of their researched poet concerning a character, theme, or other aspect of their chosen novel. The poem should reflect some aspect of the novel constructed cohesively with style of your chosen poet in mind. It can be a commentary, but it must specifically address some aspect of the story. It could mimic the style of a specific poem by their chosen poet. It cannot be a parody – at least not on purpose! The poem must be a minimum of sonnet length (or four short stanzas). Please include your poet’s name and your chosen novel on your final copy. This poem is due on Friday, April 18th.
  1. We will be in the library/computer labs doing research when we return from spring break. (There will be “output” requirements on these days!). In lieu of the traditional note cards, students will be required to keep a digital record – in EasyBib– of the notes taken from their sources – these compiled/printed notes will comprise the appendix of the final paper. Students will be responsible for 25 notecards gathered in 4 “piles”: Pile 1: poets’ style (10 cards here), Pile 2: poet’s biography, Pile 3: novel and novelist connections, and one pile designation decided upon by the student. Take notes knowing that your paper will include the following citations: 20 citations (8 direct (6 short, 2 long) and 12 paraphrased) from their research on their poet, novel, and novelist obtained from 4 (four) databases, 2 (two) websites, and 4 (four) physical texts. Your Easybib will be checked (quiz grade) on Monday, April 21st.
  1. Students will write anessay(5-6 pages) discussing their created poem’s authenticity and relevance to both their chosen poet and their novel. You’ll be required to cite yourown work from the“anthology” critiques in yourpapers – you will essentially be quoting your own academic texts. Students must include 20 (twenty) citations (8 direct (6 short, 2 long) and 12 paraphrased) from their research on their poet, novel, and novelist obtained from 4 (four) databases, 2 (two) websites, and 4 (four) physical texts. (I know I just repeated myself!) Phew! MLA format will be expected!

A great website:

A few guidelines to remember: Two of your texts will be your novel and created anthology, so, technically, only two physical texts are needed to bolster your notes. The following websites may not be cited: Sparknotes.com, Shmoop.com, or Wikipedia.com

  1. This paper is due on Wednesday, April 30th(with two bonus points added) or Friday, May 2nd (no bonus points added). Then you will patient with Mr. Kling as he realizes that, at this LATE date, he has nearly 100of these to read/evaluate. The paper should be whole-punched and placed in a folder with brads in the following order: Cover page, original poem, MLA formatted paper, Works cited. In the back pocket of the folder: anthology, appendix (all notecards from Easybibprinted).

DUE DATE REVIEW Novel ChosenMonday, March 10th

Poet ChosenFriday, March 14th

Multiple Choice Test Administered Friday, March 28th

(or) MC Test CreatedMonday, March 31st

AnthologyMonday, April 4th

Library/Computer Lab Research (A201)Week of 4/14-4/18

Original PoemFriday, April 18th

Notecards/Easybib CompletedMonday, April 21st

Final PaperWednesday, April 30th (2 points bonus!)

Friday, May 2nd

Important note: Because this is a long-range project, the five-day policy does not apply. The stages in the research process, including the final paper, will be completed on the assigned dates and handed in, whether the student is at school or not. These stages will not be accepted more than two days late. Ten points will be deducted each day for late work. Work is due by the end of the class and considered late after the final bell rings to end the class. Plan. Please.

If a student knows s/he is going to miss school on a due date, s/he should submit her/his work early. If a student is absent the day any stage of the research process is due, s/he must have that material delivered to Mr. Kling by the end of school that day.

STUDENT NAME:

Citations:12 paraphrased citations (___ / 16 points)_____ / 28

6 short quote citations (___/ 8points)

2 long quote citations(___ / 4 points)

Works Cited:(correctlyreferenced and formatted)_____ / 5

Appendix (Source/Notes Cards):_____ / 5

TOTAL for standard MLAcitation requirements:(nearly 40%)_____ / 38

CATEGORY / 8 7 / 6 5 / 4 3 / 2 or LESS
Focus on Topic (Content)
(X2.75)
____ / 22 / The focus on the original poem is maintained throughout with engaging, researched, and thoughtful arguments as to its authenticity – reflective of both novel and (poet)’s style. / The focus on the original poem is maintained with few tangents and with convincing and thoughtful arguments to its authenticity. Evidence may be more reflective of novel or poet connections. / The focus is a bit haphazard; arguments as the poem’s authenticity are simplistic and overt. Some cited evidence does not directly address the poet/novel relationship. / The poem’s authenticity is not the focus of the paper. The paper tends to ramble from poem, poet, to novel.
Organization
____ / 8 / Details are placed in a logical order and are presented effectively, keeping the reader engaged. / Details are placed in a logical order, but are presented / introduced formulaically and are uninspired. / Some details are not in a logical or expected order, distracting the reader. / Many details are not in a logical or expected order. There is little sense that the writing is organized.
Style/Voice Considerations
(X1.25)
____ / 10 / All sentences sound natural and are easy-on-the-ear when read aloud. Each sentence is clear and has an obvious emphasis. / Almost all sentences sound natural when read aloud, but 2 or 3 are stiff and awkward or difficult to understand. Some rereading required. / Most sentences sound natural, but several are stiff and awkward or are difficult to understand even after rereading. / The sentences are difficult to read aloud because they sound awkward, are distractingly repetitive, or difficult to understand.
CATEGORY / 10 9 / 8 7 / 6 5 / 4 or LESS
Use of sources
____ / 10 / Citations made with many (8+) sources. A variety of sources is spread throughout the text. Cited sources provide connection between poem and poet/novel. / Citations made with (5-7) sources; a reliance on 2-3 sources is demonstrated, however. Cited sources provide some nexus. / Citations made with few sources; one source used primarily. One or some reference(s) are not found in WC or vice versa. Cited sources provide general knowledge only. / Only one source cited. Many problems with citations and WC referents.
CATEGORY / 12 11 / 10 9 / 8 7 / 6 OR LESS
Mechanics / Word Choice / MLA formattingof paper
____ / 12
____/ 62 / No (or very close to none) grammatical, spelling, punctuation, or MLA formatting errors / A few grammatical, spelling, punctuation, or MLA formatting errors / Many grammatical spelling or punctuation errors with some interference of meaning. MLA formatting ignored. / Severe grammar errors that interfere with meaning. Sad.

TOTAL:

Notes:

Mr. Dana Kling, BrookwoodHigh School

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