Projects Are In...some more!

Act II Assignment

Hello, Independent Scholars!

We are off to a great start and creating some great habits in our independent studies. As usual, you will continue with your timelines of the events that occur in the story. As soon as you have finished reading Act II, please complete a timeline and flow it in with your ELA homework in the morning. All timelines are due within one week's time  (by Monday, February 29th).  I will then post them for each of you to critique and make clarifying questions.

In addition, I will be posting questions for you to answer in the comments section. You will answer in a quote sandwich paragraph; be sure to frame your text evidence and, at the bottom of your post, give credit to the source of the quote using MLA format. You may use the EasyBib website for help, or email/text me if you have questions.

Choose one of the questions from below and write a quote sandwich paragraph answering the question: (Due by Monday, February 29th)

1. Describe the irony of the following quote: "Oh, John, the world's so full of hypocrites." (II, ii)
2. Explain how Hale has changed by the end of Act II.
3. Choose a symbol from Act II--candlesticks, rabbit, or poppet (doll)--and explain what it symbolizes.


Good luck, scholars. Contact me with any questions!

Projects Are In!

Thanks so much for your projects; if they haven't been submitted yet, get them in to me as soon as you can please.

I am going to post the projects below. The assignment is as usual: make sure you comment on each person's work. It can be a clarifying question (Why did you choose to include this event, but not this one?) or a probing question (Why did you think that character is one of the most important ones?) Be sure to give encouragement and check others' responses in case you need to answer any of their questions.

Ms. Ayala Family Tree

Ms. Ayala Act I Timeline

Ms. Garcia Family Tree

Ms. Garcia Act I Timeline

Ms. Morales Family Tree

Ms. Morales Act I Timeline

Assignment #2: Act I of The Crucible

Now that you have an understanding of the Salem Witch Trials, you are ready to begin reading the text!

The Crucible by Arthur Miller recounts the events of the Salem Witch Trials in a fictionalized way; though the dialogue and events may not actually have happened in this exact way, many of the events and characters are, in fact, based upon reality. This is important to remember as you read the text because, in the context of the play, it is easy to adore some characters and vilify others; do remember, however, that real people are composed of both good and evil and nothing is always as clear-cut.

Your first assignment, then, is to summarize the events of Act I. You may complete this in one of two ways; you may complete a summary paragraph that you can type and include in the comments section, or you may create a timeline (like the ones we create in class) and include it in the comments section, either by typing it or taking a photograph and posting it.

Your second assignment will be to create a "family tree" or character map of the major characters. How are they relevant to one another? What is the relationship they have to the setting, the events, the outcome? Here is an example, from Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.

Please post both by Monday, February 8. I will give you time to work with one another; you may work on this together, but each student must submit his/her own summary and character map. Also remember that you must be making comments on each others' work. If you cannot post them in the comments section, please email them to me and I will post them in a blog post for other students to see and make comments.

Good luck; please check back soon because I will post some more questions for you!

Assignment #1: Background Information

It's your first assignment! Here we go!

Before we begin actually reading the text, it is important to understand the historical and cultural background within which the text takes place. You will have some time to research the Salem Witch Trials. You will research this topic using your tablets and write a 2--3 paragraph summary of the event.

In your summary, answer questions like:
A. When/where did this event take place?
B. What were the major events that happened at that time?
C. Why did these events occur?
D. Who were some of the people involved in these events?

Remember that, in order to answer this question, you will have to research the Salem Witch Trials on the Internet or using a source. While you are not required to have quotations, you will want to cite your source so that I know where you got your information from.

Here are some sources to help you:

http://www.easybib.com/: This website will create a source citation for you; you just need to put in your source name or url.

http://www.plagiarism.org/citing-sources/cite-sources/: This website will also help you to understand how/why to cite sources.

As usual, contact me if you have any questions!

Welcome to your Independent Study Group Blog!

You have been chosen and agreed to participate in an independent study group that will explore an additional text throughout the quarter for an opportunity to deepen your skills and express yourselves and your understanding of text in a more personal way.

Here are the expectations of the group:

• A. Complete the assigned research and/or read the weekly required section of the text.
• B. Access your independent study group blog once a week (at least) to answer questions posted      there by your teacher. 
• C. Questions should be answered thoroughly, using text evidence. Some questions may involve      using research from the internet. Always be sure to reference your sources in these cases.
• D. Respond to each other, as well. Each student is expected to read and respond to at least two        other responses, either by agreeing, disagreeing, or adding on. Think of it as a conversation. 
• E. At the end of the quarter, there will be a project due. Choices will be published in a separate     blog post. 

Here is your reading schedule: 

Week one: (January 25--January 29) Research "Salem Witch Trials" on the Internet

Week two: (February 1--5) Read Act I

Week three: (February 8--12) Read Act II

Week four: (February 15--19) Research "McCarthyism" on the Internet

Week five: (February 22--26) Read Act III

Week six: (February 29--March 4) Read Act IV

All of this information will be provided for you in a handout that you can keep in your binder. Class time will be provided at least one class period per week to work in your partners, answer the questions, research, and respond to your reflection prompts. Each of you will have a tablet with which to work and access the blog.