Pre-AP English: Replacement Assignment Options
Choose one of the following options to replace one assignment, in any category—up to 100 points. Remember, the Replacement Assignment is only an option if you do not have any missing assignments in my class.
Option 1: The Game Board
The Assignment:
Odysseus faces many obstacles on his journey: gods thwart him, monsters try to kill him, enchantresses try to keep him for themselves, and extreme winds blast him away from home.
Assume that the challenges in the epic poem are not the only challenges Odysseus faced- they were merely the only challenges that were recorded.
Create a board game that includes the predicaments we read, and some probable predicaments that may have been omitted from the tale over time. Your board game should be systematic, and should follow rules that cause a player to both progress and regress on a journey, much like the game monopoly. Each square should include the name of the stop or danger, and an accompanying quote. If the quote is from the text, it should be followed by a page number. If the quote is created, it should mimic the style of Homer and/or W.H.D. Rouse.
You should have at least 36 stops, four character manipulatives (placeholders), and a stack of 50 cards with tasks. The tasks will be the most difficult to create because they need to be systematic. For example, “Poseidon’s anger surfaces intermittently. Every time you roll a “1” with the dice, move your character back three spaces.”
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Option 2: The Creative Response Essay
The Assignment:
As an extension of our Science Fiction short story unit, you will extend your literary experience. Reflect on the point of view and story elements of any of Ray Bradbury’s stories. Consider some of the questions and critiques that arose in our classroom discussion and then rewrite the story from another character’s point of view. The character you create should either be an existing character in the story, or a reasonable addition to the cast. Your revision of the story should be written as a legitimate, literary response to Bradbury’s original work—your piece should not be written as farce, satire, or parody. Your story should be approximately three typed pages.
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Option 3: Annotations Re-Do
“Re-do” your Summer Reading Assignment, this time as an opportunity to highlight all of the amazing critical reading skills you’ve gained in my class. Carefully annotate 50 pages of any full-length book we’ve read as a class. As a reminder, your annotations should represent a variety of critical analyses, such as:
· Comments and questions about the hero
· Thoughts, analyses, predictions, and opinions about plot
· Important plot events
· Circle interesting or unfamiliar vocabulary
· Highlight and comment on passages that reveal important information about the hero or plot
· Highlight and comment on vivid images
· Look for patterns in word choice, plot, or motive
· Analyze theme and symbolism
· Identify figurative language