English II
Honors
Independent
Project
Spring 2016 Due:
May 16, Monday
This
spring, you have a number of options. As
we have been limited in creativity this semester, I would like for you to have
some fairly creative options:
a) Think of
someone whom you admire—a character, a celebrity, athlete, writer, etc. Research that person—via interviews, texts,
etc.
· Provide a
works-cited list of the resources you used, as well as a description of the
kinds of information you found from that source.
· In honor of
the person whom you admire, compose a monologue poem expressing some aspect of
their life, or compose a bio poem.
b) This year,
we have examined ideas or texts that tend to leave us thinking. Consider some of the texts we have read. If I asked you to present your understanding
of that text in the form of art, what would you create? Think about the text or idea. Using the artistic medium of your choice,
create a piece representing either a question, statement, or other
understanding of the text. With that
art, turn in a 150-200 word summary of how the art represents your experience
with the reading.
c) (Opportunity
for collaboration.) Last semester, you seemed to enjoy reading A Raisin in the Sun, as well as the
small scenes from Shakespeare’s A
Midsummer Night’s Dream. Write a
mini-play of your own including dialogue, stage directions, and narration. Your play should include a symbol as well as
thorough characterization. Act out the
scene, either in front of the class, or on film. This cannot be something you might have done
for another class.
d) Grab your instruments! Compose a song reflecting some theme or idea
explored this year. It’s okay if you
want to borrow a few chords, but keep it as authentic as possible. Collaborate
with a partner to add music and voice! Consider
use of the poetic elements.
e) Several of
you have expressed an interest in looking at a historical film and comparing
its presentation of a historical event to the actual event as it has been
documented. If you choose this option,
you will not have a partner. You will
also need my approval and your parents’/guardians’ before doing the study. Your
work will include the following:
· A journal of
observations as you watch the film. What
is your reaction to key scenes? (4 entries)
· Your
research, using at least two sources and how their presentation of events
either counters or confirms what you saw in the film. Include proper MLA Works Cited entries for
these two sources.
· A reflection
concerning the changes and why you think they were made. Obviously, the purpose of film is different
than the purpose of a novel. Why must a
story be reformed for a film?
Rubric: 40 points
Your work will be scored to the degree to
which it shows the following characteristics:
Authenticity—Your work
is your own, and does not appear to have been borrowed from any source. There is no evidence of plagiarism. Plagiarism warrants a score of zero.
Quality—Your work
has been designed, created, and refined.
It is not rough or shabby in quality, and has been checked for errors.
Writing has been proofread for sense, and explanations are not rough.
Depth—Your work
is not hastily thrown together nor is it elementary in level of thought. There is evidence of creativity,
consideration and application. The writing components of your work are thorough
and show evidence of thinking beyond surface-level or recall.
Completion: Your work
has each of the items associated with your choice of options.
Please understand:
· I cannot
accept this assignment late. It will be crunch
time and I need a reasonable window of time in which to grade them.
· Please
submit your work electronically, via OneDrive, unless you are going for the art
project. I do not want a paper copy.
