En. 11 Term 4

A. Novel Unit

The first major assignment for Term 4 will be a novel study. You will have two choices: Lord of the Flies or October Sky. If you do not have your own paper copy, both come in the epub, mobi and pdf format. Epub and mobi are to books what mp3 is to music. All desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets and e-readers (except for Kindle) offer free epub reader apps. All those apps, and Kindle, should accept mobi. Text size can be altered in an epub and mobi, but not pdf files.

You can read the book in a browser or, better yet, download the book, open it in a free epub reader, and get a head start for Term 4:

Here is a free audiobook for Lord of the Flies. Unfortunately, I can't find one for October Sky.


How do I get the file onto my phone or tablet, Mr. Welch?

1. Most phones and tablets have built-in pdf reader apps. Both iPhone and Android stores offer free epub and mobi reader apps; install one before you head to step 2 below. I recommend epub or mobi, because both will allow you to modify the text size, which is important if you're reading on a phone!

2. Email the file to yourself  as an attachment and open up the file on your phone or tablet. Then, save it to your device. Alternatively, navigate to this website with your phone, tablet or computer and click on one of the files above. Once the file is open, save it to your device.

 Here is an unabridged audio book version of Lord of the Flies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDb-4m4O9QE - I haven't listened to all of it, so let me know what you think of its quality.


Novel Project

Here is the novel project for English 11. It is due Monday, June 1st. June 8 (Monday).

Lord of the Flies
  • Make sure you have read the novel and watched the videos on Teams and studied the following video on the themes of Lord of the Flies.
    • You should also re-watch our online classes:
  • Identify six (6) [not 9] specific examples from the novel of the descent (i.e. slide downward) from a civilized society to savagery and an uncivilized dictatorship. You must present two examples from each of the three sections of the novel (1. Chps. 1-4 / 2. Chps. 5-8 / and 3. Chps. 9-12). Thus 2x3 = 6 examples overall.
    • Want some help with examples? Try this brainstorm from the Chps. 9-12 online class:
  • For each example, I want you to place a quotation at the top in quotation marks. Note the chapter location. Then, below the quotation, I want you to write a short paragraph (5-8 sentences) that explains what is going on in this quotation and how it describes a civilized society and/or a savage, uncivilized dictatorship.
  • This short video should help explain the project:
    • We'll create a T-chart of examples on Thursday's online class.
    • The quotations might look like this:
      • “We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything.” (Golding, Chp. 2) 
  • Here is a good example from a Grade 10 student who completed a similar project on John Wyndham's The Chrysalids:
  • Most of your examples from the first four chapters will likely demonstrate civilization (but there could be some foreshadowing). Most, but not necessarily all, of the examples from the later chapters will demonstrate savagery. 
  • At the beginning of your project, include a cover page with a title and your full name. 
  • After the cover page, provide a short introduction to the topic of the project (i.e. a slide into an uncivilized dictatorship). This might be 2-5 sentences.
  • At the end, provide a short conclusion of 5-10 sentences, and explain what has happened in the novel and why. You may also editorialize as to whether you agree with Golding's assumption about human nature. Is he right? Why or why not?
  • You may complete this project using a number of tools:
    • Word: Create a document-based project that looks similar to an essay;
    • PowerPoint or equivalent: Create a presentation that takes advantage of graphics and transitions; 
    • Podcast: Create an audio file in which you describe the elements described above;
    • Video: Create a video file where you present your ideas.
  • ***When you're finished, send the document to me as an email attachment or, if applicable, send me a link. Your name must be on the front/beginning of the document.
OR

October Sky
  • Make sure you have read the novel and watched the videos on Teams and studied the following video on the themes of October Sky.
  • Identify three (3) specific examples from two of the the novel's themes (see above). You must present at least one example from each of the three sections of the novel (1. Chps. 1-9 / 2. Chps. 10-18 / and 3. Chps. 19-Epilogue). Thus 2x3 = 6 examples overall.
  • For each example, I want you to place a one or two sentence quotation at the top in quotation marks. Note the chapter location. Then, below the quotation, I want you to write a short paragraph (5-8 sentences) that explains what is going on in this quotation and how it describes one of the two themes.
  • This short video should help explain the project:
    • We'll create a T-chart of examples on Thursday's online class.
    • The quotations might look like this:
      • “Until I began to build and launch rockets, I didn’t know my hometown was at war with itself over its children and that my parents were locked in a kind of bloodless combat over how my brother and I would live our lives.” (October Sky, Chp. 1) 
  • Most of the themes should have examples throughout the novel, but anti-intellectualism might be tough to find in the second half of the book, so be warned!
  • Here is a good example from a Grade 10 student who completed a similar project on John Wyndham's The Chrysalids:


  • At the beginning of your project, include a cover page with a title and your full name. 
  • After the cover page, provide a short introduction to the topic of the project (i.e. the themes of the novel). This might be 2-5 sentences.
  • At the end, provide a short conclusion of 5-10 sentences, and explain what has happened in the novel and why. What lessons about life and the human condition have you learned from October Sky?
  • You may complete this project using a number of tools:
    • Word: Create a document-based project that looks similar to an essay;
    • PowerPoint or equivalent: Create a presentation that takes advantage of graphics and transitions; 
    • Podcast: Create an audio file in which you describe the elements described above;
    • Video: Create a video file where you present your ideas.
  • ***When you're finished, send the document to me as an email attachment or, if applicable, send me a link. Your name must be on the front/beginning of the document.


B. Essay Analysis

For the second assignment, please review the following:

 Types of Writing

Narrative: The narrative essay tells a story, just like a narrator in a play (though it should be a true story, unlike a short story or a play). Narrative writing is best used to illustrate the "personal developmental path" a person (often yourself) has taken to reach a particular point in his/her life. As a result, it is normally written in a first person point of view. True narrative essays are unusual, because they are demanding. A narrative must have a conflict that is overcome. This is the core of any narrative form of writing, be it a paragraph, an essay, or a story). In an essay, it can mean a single incident/anecdote, where the narrator experiences some brief challenge that is met and (hopefully) survived, or a series of challenges (often one per paragraph) that have some common connection. This "overcoming" should in turn lead to some form of understanding. Simply describing or explaining one's surroundings is not a narrative. You need a (brief) establishment of setting, an explanation of the challenge, and the resolution of this challenge. In other words, you need a plot.

Descriptive: Descriptive essays paint a picture. In their pure form, they are essays in which nothing happens. "Description" tells us what something looks like, feels like, tastes like, sounds like or smells like - without action or events. It doesn't explain a relationship or a process beyond oneself; it focuses on one's immediate subjective perceptions. Thus, descriptive writing connects the outer world with our inner feelings. It is usually concerned with creating a verbal picture of what we experience and feel at one moment, and it will use many rich and vivid adjectives and adverbs. So, as a writer, you should make the reader long to smell the rich essence of the trees, the haunting call of the wolves, or the rank odour of the sewer... if that's what you're writing about! Descriptive paragraphs are usually written in the first person point of view, and are much more emotional and personal than expository writing.

Expository: The expository essay "exposes" or explains things about a subject. It is also sometimes called "information writing" because it gives information about a person, place, thing, relationship or idea. To accomplish that, it is best developed by the use of clear reasons, facts and statistical information, cause and effect relationships, or examples. Since expository essays are factual, they are written without emotion and usually written in the third person. Nevertheless, you can use "I" in your expository writing if the focus is on external, neutral descriptions and explanations, rather than personal feelings (personal feelings move you into "descriptive writing"). Indeed, expository paragraphs and essays are sometimes confused with descriptive writing, because both can spend a lot of time describing things. But again, the big difference is that expository description tends to focus on external objects, situations and processes, in order to explain something in a neutral, matter-of-fact manner. Descriptive paragraphs, on the other hand, tend to focus on our emotional responses as we perceive the world at one point in time.

Persuasive: This type of writing is probably the most common form of writing at the university level. Persuasive (or argumentative) writing attempts to convince the reader that the point of view or course of action recommended by the writer is valid. To accomplish this, the writer must develop a limited topic which is well defined and debatable, and has more than one side. Persuasion becomes more "argumentative" when it presents both sides of a controversial topic, so that the strongest information to counter the others can be presented. You may present these opposing points of view, but they must be summarized at the beginning and then quickly refuted (to refute something means to show it is false or not particularly important). If you're not sure how to do this, then simply stick to your side of an argument. While persuasive writing attempts to prove your point of view, it's usually written in an objective, third person point of view; such a stance helps demonstrate your objectivity.

Topic vs. Thesis

One of the key distinctions in the analysis of essays is the difference between topic and thesis. In general, the topic is the basic issue or question that the essay addresses. A topic statement is neutral and objective; it doesn't take sides. The thesis, on the other hand, is the author's opinion about the topic. It does take a side.

For example, capital punishment is a topic; one's belief that capital punishment is justified (or not) is a thesis.

 Essays

Choose one (1) of the following essays and complete the small assignment (below). Feel free to download any and all of the four essays before deciding which particular essay to analyze.

  1. "Our Daughters, Ourselves" - by Stevie Cameron [Persuasion/Argument]
  2. "The Seven-Minute Life of Marc Lepine" - by Nathalie Petrowski [Persuasion/Argument]
  1. "Hidden Lesson" - David Suzuki [Expository/Cause and Effect]
  2. "Growing up Native" - Carol Geddes [Narrative]

Essay Assignment:

  • Watch this video on the final essay analysis assignment.
  • Download the Essay Analysis Sheet.
    • You may print out and write directly on the sheet or re-create it on your own Word or Google document. Send the results to me via my email (colin_welch@sd33.bc.ca).
    • Aside from Question #1, all answers MUST be in full sentences. Fragmented responses = 50%!
      • In other words, avoid starting with To, That, So, Then, Because or Although. 
    • The response will be marked holistically out of 24 using the six point scale.
  • I will give extra consideration to those students who provide properly blended and cited quotations!
    • Here is a simple citation format: "____________" (para. 7).
    • For more detail on blending and citing, take a look here.
  • The essay analysis assignment is due no later than Monday, June 22. If you can send it in earlier, that would be great.



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