The House on Mango StreetREADING SCHEDULE

PART I:DUE:

Vignettes Monday11/6

The House on Mango Street – And Some Morepp. 3-38

PART II:DUE:

VignettesMonday 11/13

The Family of Little Feet – Four Skinny Treespp. 39-75

PART III:DUE:

VignettesMonday 11/20

No Speak English – Mango Says Goodbye Sometimespp. 76 - 110

The House on Mango StreetDISCUSSION BOARD ASSIGNMENT

Along with reading this book and being prepared for general quizzes (aka reading checks), you also need to use your technological skills for our online discussion boards. This activity is preparing you for upper levels of school as well as continuing our conversations from class while you are at home.

Your posts should include information from one of the following areas, and need to be analytical in nature, not just for clarification. Do not summarize! Be sure to include properly cited textual evidence!!

  • Themes(freedom, identity, community, outcast, hope, gender, home, coming of age)
  • Setting
  • Characterization
  • Conflict
  • Language
  • Passage Analysis
  • Connections to other literary works or the modern day

EACH QUESTION should directly cite phrases or sentences or perhaps even short paragraphs (marked with a page number in parentheses after the quote) in the QUESTIONS. When possible, use the text in your ANSWERS as well. DO NOT TAKE QUESTIONS FROM THE INTERNET!

You will sign up for Part I, II, or III for writing questions, but will need to reply to questions for EVERY PART. You must reply to 2questionsper section of reading.

Questions due dates:Posting due dates:

(One time on your assigned date!) (2 replies/person every time)

PART I- Monday 11/6Wednesday 11/8

PART II- Monday 11/13Wednesday 11/15

Part III- Monday 11/20Wednesday 11/22

*It is extremely important that you post your question by your assigned date because the discussion depends on having a variety of questions to which your classmates can respond!

Directions for Turnitin.com Discussion Boards

  • Log in to YOUR turnitin.com account with your unique password and e-mail (that you signed up for)
  • On your home page, click on Burge 7th English Period 1 or Burge 7th English Period 3
  • Along the top of the page, you’ll see a tab for “Discussion”. Click on this tab.
  • Click “Post a New Topic” to post your original questions. Once you’ve posted, I’ll approve and they will appear on the discussion board.
  • When you post your question, please write the following in your Topic Title: Part, name (first and last), specific topic of your discussion
  • example entry: Part I – Brigette Burge – Esperanza Wants a House
  • To reply, click on a post topic, when looking at the discussion board, then reply to the post of your choice, whether the original or a student’s response to the original question. I do not need to approve your replies, so make sure your responses are school appropriate – you will have points deducted or may not receive points if your post is deemed inappropriate. Be careful to proofread before you post – grammar and conventions matter!
  • It will be helpful to keep a journal of which questions you’ve replied to in case you need to quickly reference it, especially if I miss one when grading.

Sample Question:

Esperanza is a character who will “come of age” as the novella progresses. She will struggle to find her identity, as well as her self-worth. At the beginning of the book, she says she “knew then that she had to have a house. A real house” (5).Why is a real house so important to her? Why is she upset when the nun points and says, “You live there?”(5).

Sample Response:

Esperanza, like many teenagers, struggles with her self-worth. She feel dissatisfied because her family has always moved from rental to rental, and when she finally ends up in a house of her own, it “is not the way they (her parents) told it at all”(4). Esperanza is disappointed because her parents led her to believe when they owned a house, it would be grand, with “at least three washrooms” and “a great big yard” (4). But the house on Mango Street is “small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you’d think they were holding their breath” (4). Cisneros uses interesting personification to describe the house. I love the line about “windows holding their breath” because it gives the reader a true sense of the house…it is too small and very uncomfortable, especially for a family of six. As Esperanza describes it, it is apparent she is embarrassed by it, and wishes she did not live there. She has no appreciation for it whatsoever.

Please note that these samples contain properly cited textual evidence, which is skillfully embedded into the writer’s own words. This is the best way to create questions and respond to them.

RUBRIC FOR ONLINE QUESTIONS AND REPLIES

*For both the questions and responses, I am looking for content, effort, and timeliness!*

QUESTION

Category / 10 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5
1 Original post- Depth of knowledge and originality / Clearly displays knowledge of the assigned text, uses the text itself as a guide, quoting passages, is thought provoking and ignites discussion, original question / Shows some level of thought and analysis about the text, though not on the level of a 5 response, refers to text and stirs discussion, perhaps not as original / Is a basic question, perhaps repeating another post, or rewording a question from the directions. Shows minimum level of thought, minimal response needed to answer / Is a basic copy of a general question that has no tie to the text directly, could have been asked about any work of literature. Minimal response would answer the question / Does not post an original question or topic.

RESPONSES

Category / 10 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5
2 Responses to other posts, depth of discussion in responses, not simplified answers / Responses are insightful, helpful to answering the posted question, and show great care and knowledge of text, provide added discussion / Responses are helpful, clearly aligned to the question or topic, and provide additional information but not as insightful / Responses are sometimes generic, sometimes provide extra detail, and do not seem to stray from original post’s topic / Responses are rather generic overall, with little thought or effort given to the question. One or two word answers would fit here. / Missing 1 or more responses, and even if the majority are insightful did not follow directions.
Grammatically appropriate/correct
MLA Citation / No grammar errors are evident in the posts, citation is correct (for questions) / Grammar errors are minimal, MLA errors but citation is present / Perhaps words are misspelled or misused but post is well-written, no attempt at MLA citation / Grammar errors are abundant but still able to decipher question, no MLA citation / Grammatically the question or topic makes no sense and contains multiple errors, not cited