Plan for the Final Quarter
I. Critical/Creative Project: first part due May 1stsecond part due May 8th (all revisions June 12th).
For the first part of this project (50 points), we will be putting the lessons of the first three quarters together. I want you to choose a poem or short storyof literary merit to analyze. Please submit your choice for approval before beginning paper. This means that, based on a close reading, you establish a thesis that identifies the purpose and theme of the text and the methods by which the author develops them. To argue your thesis, you will provide and interpret key passages to demonstrate the author’s use of language to shape meaning, showing direct textual evidence in support of your thesis. You should consider style and voice and the literary elements and techniques that contribute to them. This portion will be three pages in length, formatted to MLA standards, including full documentation.
For the second part (50 points), I want you to write your own creative, literary answer to the text you have chosen to analyze for the first part. This work should be in the same genre as the inspiring work, it should address the theme you have identified and analyzed, and it should adopt a style similar to the original. What you say in response is up to you, whether you pay homage or offer a challenge. Make sure to make some direct reference to the original work somewhere in the title or the body of the text so casual readers can appreciate the allusion. Whether poetry or prose, the length should be at least two to three pages. If writing poetry, you may write a series of shorter poems to meet the length requirement. You will be assessed not necessarily on artistry, you’re not a professional writer (yet), but on the degree to which your creative composition offers an answer to the above text.
II. Response Papers: Due by June 5th.
III. Long Essay: 100 points, due Thursday, May 18th.
This quarter, your long essay shall be a retrospective (a “looking back”) of your time here at Delaware Academy, a memoir in which you sharea particularly meaningful aspect of your high school career, looking back at your own experiencetobetter understand it and offer insight to those who have yet to reach twelfth grade. Nonetheless, your memoir presents an argument: What has been the significance of your time here? Why was it important? Do not simply list your memories! (“Remember that time when…wow. You really had to be there!”This is boring and will not be meaningful to anyone who was not there! Trust me.) It is far better to choose one event, one “slice-of-life” that bests represents your experiences as a D.A. student.
This composition will be presented as a speech, so it is important that you remember your audience—your classmates before you. And because it is a speech, make sure the paper reads smoothly and coherently when it is read aloud, allowing for pauses to take breaths and make eye contact. Finally, please use discretion in choosing appropriate information to include. And as always, at least three double-spaced pages, 12 pt. font, carefully proofread and revised to perfection.
IV. Final Portfolio Project (FPP): 300 points, beginning June 4th.
Your culminating effort for this class, which will factor into the 4th quarter grade, shall be a project in which you select, edit, and present a representative sampling of your writing from the creation of your portfolio to the present, as well as compose a number of original, summative works. The FPP should be arranged in the following order, with the pages after the table of contents numbered:
--Title Page
--Table of Contents
--Preface
--Edited portfolio selections
--4th quarter retrospective
--“This I Believe” essay
--Conclusion
--Original drafts of portfolio selections
Title Page—Six-Word Memoir: You must title your work with 6 words—no more, no less. The idea behind this comes from a recent publication entitled Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs, by Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser. The authors got this idea from the legend that, when asked to write a complete memoir in six words or less, Ernest Hemingway responded: “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Just for kicks, here are a few examples taken from the aforementioned text:
“Fifteen years since last professional haircut.” -Dave Eggers
“Couldn’t cope so I wrote songs.” –Aimee Mann
“Well, I thought it was funny.” –Stephen Colbert
“Bespectacled, besneakered, read and ran around.” –Rachel Fershleiser
“Revenge is living well without you.” –Joyce Carol Oates
“Brought it to a boil, often.” -Mario Batali
“Some cross-eyed kid, forgotten then found.” -Diana Welch
“I still make coffee for two.” -anonymous in California
Notice that all of the above infer something beyond their literal meanings. Yours should do the same. Get creative and have fun, butthink carefully about what each word contributes.
Table of Contents: The table-of-contents should be self-explanatory.
Preface: The preface should be a two-page essay that analyzes your intellectual progress this year using the evolution of your response papers as evidence. Essentially, looking at the record of your responses (or lack of them), what can you learn about yourself? Analyze yourself as if you are the story narrated through your response papers (which you are). Of course, I would hope you quote yourself freely to better make your points.
Portfolio Selections: These selections should ideally present a variety of styles (i.e. narrative, critical, expository, persuasive, etc) to demonstrate your range of capabilities, so don’t hesitate to exceed the following list, which should be considered minimal expectations:
a. Favorite work from 6-8th grade.
b. Favorite 9thgrade essay.
c. Favorite 10th grade essay
d. Favorite creative work(s) from any school year.
e. 11-12th grade essay that best reflects the way you see yourself.
f. 11-12th grade essay that best reflects the way you see the world.
g. 11-12th grade essay that best reflects your appreciation of art.
Each selection must be polished and proofread, but without changing the voice (i.e., making a 7th grade paper sound like a 12thgrade paper)Include the originals at the back of the portfolio. This revision effort will constitute a sizable portion of the grade for this project. Also, for each selection, please include a brief explanation for why you chose that particular work. Keep in mind you are not limited to papers from English classes. Feel free to include lab reports, social studies papers, personal compositions, etc. If you cannot generate such a selection, either because you have recently moved into the district or you have managed to lose all of your papers (doh!), you will not necessarily be penalized. However, you should do your best to find old papers and use samples from this year to meet the above requirements.
Memoir: Fourth Quarter Long Essay
“This I Believe:” Next, I would like you to write a short essay that describes a belief that best defines you. This is inspired by the National Public Radio (NPR) audio series entitled “This I Believe,” which was itself the renaissance of a project begun in the 1950s in which participants “from all walks of life share the personal philosophies and core values that guide their daily lives” (npr.org). These essays are short, typically about 300 words. I will likely provide you with some of these essays so you get the idea, but for this composition you are tasked with explore your personal belief and/or core value in 350 words or less. Examples can also be found at
Conclusion: Lastly, bring closure to this project through a brief (about a page) but satisfying conclusion, considering what this project, this year has taught you. You need not cover everything, obviously, but make it good. It is your final word.
Because this project is a reflection of you and provides the defining artifact of your development as a writer and as a thinker, your effort counts highly. Your success this year is measured by this project. Neatness counts. Organization counts. Grammar counts. Write as if your life depends on it. Bring as much of yourself to the project as you can through illustrations, photography, quotes, magazine cut-outs—whatever you think best. Creativity and artistry beget extra points.
V. Presentation: 100 points, beginning June 4th.
The final step will be the presentation. You will take your place at the podium, introduce your FPP by informally summarizingthe preface and describing the selections, optionally sharinga favorite work (or excerpt, if lengthy), reading your “This I Believe” piece, and, finally,delivering your long essay/speech from this quarter. This is NOT a reading of your speech, so you should do your best to memorize as much of it as possible. The less you need to use your cheat-sheet (a.k.a. written page), the more points you will earn. This final speech is formal, so make sure your posture, volume, and eye contact are all good. Dress accordingly. Try not to exceed 10 minutes per presentation. Afterwards, everyone will have a chance to look over each other’s work.
A note on due dates: These presentations will be conducted over a 7-day period. Your FPP is due the day of your presentation.