Students: Writing assignments will appear on this page. Please remember that unless otherwise directed, you must turn in all writing assignments to Turnitin.com. Homework and reading assignments will not appear here. They are listed on the calendar.
Click here to explore the 6 Traits and to download rubrics |
Satan's Last Speech from Milton's Paradise Lost
Among the most famous passages in Paradise Lost are these words from Satan’s last speech:
The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven. In a one typed double spaced page, explain what these words mean and whether they address something that is true about the human condition. In your opinion, are Satan’s words an accurate description of what the mind can do? Back up your answer with examples from your own knowledge and experience. Please upload your response to Turnitin.com before our next class. |
Your Own Shakespearean Sonnet
Your task: Write a Shakespearean sonnet in which you present a problem or question and then offer a solution or answer to that question.
Your sonnet must fit these parameters:
Your sonnet must fit these parameters:
A
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B
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C
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Your English 12 Midterm Exam
Reply Poem
Write a reply to a classmate's carpe diem poem, responding to his or her entreaty. Provide reasons for or against the entreaty by responding to every part of the author's argument. Compose your reply in the style of Sir Walter Raleigh's "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd".
Upload your poem to Turnitin.com and bring a printed copy to class.
Upload your poem to Turnitin.com and bring a printed copy to class.
Carpe Diem Poem
Carpe Diem. Latin. “Seize the day”: Make the most of your time. Enjoy the present.
entreaty. noun, plural: entreaties. earnest request or petition; supplication.
Assignment: Christopher Marlowe's shepherd entreats or asks his love to live in the moment. His words are a request, an expression of the maxim carpe diem. Write your own poem in the style of Marlowe's, urging a friend to seize the day and do something rash or unexpected. Be sure to include lots of specific details and sensory images. Your poem should be six stanzas in length and should match Marlowe's AABB rhyme scheme.
Some thoughts to consider:
- What request or entreaty will you make of your friend? What will you try to convince them to do?
- What sorts of things will you have to describe in order to pursued your audience or listener? What are the components of your argument?
Please upload your poem to Turnitin.com and also bring a printed copy.
Be creative!
Renaissance Research Activity
renaissance_research_activity.docx | |
File Size: | 542 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Motifs in Arthurian Legends
What motifs are important characteristics of Arthurian legends? Choose three Romance motifs and discuss how and why they are important in the stories we read. Then, evaluate how these motifs are parodied in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Please use at least two direct quotations from the texts and as many indirect references to the texts as you wish.
Submit your response in the form of a multiparagraph essay two pages in length, in MLA format submitted to Turnitin.com. See the class calendar for specific deadlines and due dates.
Submit your response in the form of a multiparagraph essay two pages in length, in MLA format submitted to Turnitin.com. See the class calendar for specific deadlines and due dates.
Exemplum
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Situational irony: a contrast or discrepancy between what one expects to happen and what actually happens.
Exemplum: an anecdote or narrative that is designed to teach a moral lesson.
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The Pardoner's Tale is an example of an exemplum; it is meant to teach a moral lesson. You will try your hand at writing an exemplum.
Choose a popular maxim or proverb and compose a short (2-3 doubles spaced pages) exemplum, or story designed to teach a moral lesson. Your story can be based on a real situation or completely made up, but it should feature a situation in which characters act in a way that demonstrates a what can happen if that lesson is not followed. You should write in the third person, as Chaucer does and your story must feature at least one example of situational irony.
You may choose a proverb or saying from the list below, but you are not limited to this list:
Please see the class calendar for specific due dates.
Situational irony: a contrast or discrepancy between what one expects to happen and what actually happens.
Exemplum: an anecdote or narrative that is designed to teach a moral lesson.
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The Pardoner's Tale is an example of an exemplum; it is meant to teach a moral lesson. You will try your hand at writing an exemplum.
Choose a popular maxim or proverb and compose a short (2-3 doubles spaced pages) exemplum, or story designed to teach a moral lesson. Your story can be based on a real situation or completely made up, but it should feature a situation in which characters act in a way that demonstrates a what can happen if that lesson is not followed. You should write in the third person, as Chaucer does and your story must feature at least one example of situational irony.
You may choose a proverb or saying from the list below, but you are not limited to this list:
- The love of money is the root of all evil
- Behind every great man is a great woman
- Beggars can’t be choosers
- Fortune favors the bold
- Better slip with foot than tongue.
- Fish and visitors stink after three days.
- God helps those who help themselves.
- People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
- A penny saved is a penny earned
- The clothes make the man
- Neither a borrower nor a lender be
- Keep your friends close and your enemies closer
- A friend in need is a friend indeed
- You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink
- An apple a day keeps the doctor away
- As we live, so we learn
- Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know.
- Blood is thicker than water.
- Curiosity killed the cat.
- Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Please see the class calendar for specific due dates.
The Pardoner's Tale: Discussion Questions
Read the Pardoner's Tale. Then compose 6 discussion questions to bring to class with you. Three of your questions should be factual and the other three should be either interpretive or evaluative. Please create your questions in a Google document that is shared with me. For guidelines and examples of various types of discussion questions, please see the Inquiry and Discussion page here. Please see the class calendar for specific due dates.
Chaucer's Pilgrims - Analysis
- First, in a separate document, describe the character’s physical and personality traits in your own words. What does this character do for a living? What does he or she look like? How would you describe his or her personality, thoughts or behavior? What needs or desires motivate this pilgrim? Are his or her intentions good and honorable?
- Medieval society was generally comprised of three groups of people: the feudal system (related to the land), the Church (clergy), and the city (merchants and professionals). Which group does this pilgrim fall into? Describe this person’s role in medieval society.
- Then, analyze how Chaucer’s description—his choice of words and details—brings out the traits you described. Finally, discuss how your chosen character represents English life in the Middle Ages. You may refer to your research on the Middle Ages to address this.
Type your analysis in a separate document and upload it to Turnitin.com.
Research Assignment: The Middle Ages
Instructions: You will each research an important historical aspect of the Middle Ages and present your findings to the class. Using your Holt textbook and at least one other reliable source, find out as much as your can about your topic. You will teach your classmates about your topic in a 7-10 minute lesson. Your presentation must include at least five slides. You must compose a quiz of at least five questions that can be answered from the information in your lesson. These quiz questions will become the Quia quiz taken by the class at the end of the week. Your presentation will take place next class. Please see the calendar for specific dates.
Grading Criteria:
Visual Aids (10 points) – Your quality visual aid must include at least five slides composed of images and text. Your information must be clear, concise and relevant. Your visual aid should be neat and not distracting. Your slides must be shared with your teacher ([email protected]) and all six of your classmates through Google Drive before your presentation day.
Oral Presentation Skills (10 points) – Your presentation is delivered clearly and confidently on the assigned presentation date. You convey only the most relevant information in a natural and knowledgeable way, not just reading from your slides. You become an expert in your topic and are able field questions from your classmates.
Research (10 points) – Your research includes information from the Holt book and from one other reliable source. Your sources are cited in MLA format on your last slide. Please refer to easybib.com if you need a refresher on MLA.
Quiz (5 points) – You compose at least five relevant quiz questions that can be answered from the information in your lesson. Your quiz questions must be uploaded to Turnitin.com.
The topics for this assignment are as follows. Please see your teacher for your topic:
Grading Criteria:
Visual Aids (10 points) – Your quality visual aid must include at least five slides composed of images and text. Your information must be clear, concise and relevant. Your visual aid should be neat and not distracting. Your slides must be shared with your teacher ([email protected]) and all six of your classmates through Google Drive before your presentation day.
Oral Presentation Skills (10 points) – Your presentation is delivered clearly and confidently on the assigned presentation date. You convey only the most relevant information in a natural and knowledgeable way, not just reading from your slides. You become an expert in your topic and are able field questions from your classmates.
Research (10 points) – Your research includes information from the Holt book and from one other reliable source. Your sources are cited in MLA format on your last slide. Please refer to easybib.com if you need a refresher on MLA.
Quiz (5 points) – You compose at least five relevant quiz questions that can be answered from the information in your lesson. Your quiz questions must be uploaded to Turnitin.com.
The topics for this assignment are as follows. Please see your teacher for your topic:
- The Norman Invasion and Feudalism
- The Black Death
- Thomas Becket and Pilgrimages
- The Role of Women
- Knights, Chivalry and Romance
- The Church and the Crusades
- Geoffrey Chaucer
Hero Essay: First Draft
Using my revisions and the revisions suggested by your peers in our peer review session, revise your first body paragraph. Then, compose the rest of the body of your essay. Don't worry about the intro and conclusion just yet. We'll tackle those soon. Just compose strong body paragraphs and upload them to Turnitin.com under the "Hero Essay assignment. All the due dates for this assignment will be posted to the calendar.
peer_review_questions.docx | |
File Size: | 15 kb |
File Type: | docx |
The Hero: A Literary Essay
Choose a hero from popular books or movies and examine how he or she fits the hero archetype echoed in literature throughout history. Compare your hero to two of the epic heroes we've studied in class.
In this essay, you will be defending the following thesis:
_______________ fits the model of the archetypal hero as evident in his/her similarities to epic heroes such as _______________ and _______________.
Requirements:
In the body of your essay, defend this thesis by choosing 4-5 hero characteristics (from the chart we created in class) and discussing how the heroes you've chosen fit these characteristics. You must include at least six direct quotes from the source texts. Your essay must be between four and five pages long, be in MLA format, and have an original title.
Remember that all written work must be uploaded to Turnitin.com to receive credit. Please see the calendar for assignment due dates.
In this essay, you will be defending the following thesis:
_______________ fits the model of the archetypal hero as evident in his/her similarities to epic heroes such as _______________ and _______________.
Requirements:
In the body of your essay, defend this thesis by choosing 4-5 hero characteristics (from the chart we created in class) and discussing how the heroes you've chosen fit these characteristics. You must include at least six direct quotes from the source texts. Your essay must be between four and five pages long, be in MLA format, and have an original title.
Remember that all written work must be uploaded to Turnitin.com to receive credit. Please see the calendar for assignment due dates.
Click here to see Mr. Cyphers' example hero essay outline:
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The Villain's Perspective: Reflection
Log into Turnitin.com and open your Villain's Perspective Assignment.
Read the comments left by your teacher and note your Six Traits
writing score. Then, in a separate document, answer the following questions:
Upload your reflection to Turnitin.com.
Read the comments left by your teacher and note your Six Traits
writing score. Then, in a separate document, answer the following questions:
- What are my strengths as a writer?
- Where are these specifically evident in this assignment?
- What are my weaknesses as a writer?
- Where are these specifically evident in this assignment?
- Which of the Six Traits for Writing do I need to work to improve?
- Which of the Six Traits is my strongest?
Upload your reflection to Turnitin.com.
The Villain's Point of View
Using John Gardner's Grendel (Holt p39) as inspiration, your assignment is to write from a villain's perspective.
Choose any villain, real or imaginary (or create one yourself) and write a short narrative describing a specific battle or conflict from that character's point of view. Your story should be no less than 1.5 and no more than 3 pages double spaced and should be typed in MLA format. Please give your story a creative and original title.
If you are unsure of the conventions of MLA format, please refer to Purdue University's Online Writing Lab for an overview of the format: Purdue OWL.
Upload your "villain story" to Turnitin.com no later than Saturday, September 14th at midnight.
Choose any villain, real or imaginary (or create one yourself) and write a short narrative describing a specific battle or conflict from that character's point of view. Your story should be no less than 1.5 and no more than 3 pages double spaced and should be typed in MLA format. Please give your story a creative and original title.
If you are unsure of the conventions of MLA format, please refer to Purdue University's Online Writing Lab for an overview of the format: Purdue OWL.
Upload your "villain story" to Turnitin.com no later than Saturday, September 14th at midnight.
Write your own Anglo-Saxon riddle
It's your turn to be an Anglo-Saxon scop or storyteller. The riddles we read in class describe objects and creatures the Anglo-Saxons saw in the world around them.
Write a riddle of at least ten lines that describes an object that is familiar to you, using kennings, variation and alliteration.
Please submit your riddle to Turnitin.com before class on Friday, September 6th.
Refer to the slides in Unit 1 if you need to refresh your memory of the Anglo-Saxon poetry terms.
Write a riddle of at least ten lines that describes an object that is familiar to you, using kennings, variation and alliteration.
Please submit your riddle to Turnitin.com before class on Friday, September 6th.
Refer to the slides in Unit 1 if you need to refresh your memory of the Anglo-Saxon poetry terms.
Student Bio
In order for your teacher to get to know you better and to begin our practice of writing, you will write on a topic you know best - yourself! Compose a bio that answers all of the questions listed below. Submit your bio by uploading it to Turnitin.com. Your bio is due before class on Tuesday, August 27th.
What is your name? By what nickname do you prefer to be called?
How long have you been in Schweinfurt?
Where are you from?
Where else have you lived? Are any of these places particularly important to you? Why?
What is your favorite place in the world?
What extracurricular activities do you participate in outside of school?
Do you have any allergies or specific medical conditions? What do you do with your free time? Do you have a job?
What did you do this summer?
What kinds of movies do you like to watch? What is your favorite movie?
What kinds of books do you like to read? What is your favorite book?
What is your favorite kind of music? Who is your favorite artist?
What is your biggest strength? What is your biggest weakness?
What are your expectations for this course?
What are your expectations of me, your teacher?
Name some of your specific goals for this school year.
How can I best help you to achieve those goals?
Describe one thing that you will contribute to make this class successful this year.
In order for your teacher to get to know you better and to begin our practice of writing, you will write on a topic you know best - yourself! Compose a bio that answers all of the questions listed below. Submit your bio by uploading it to Turnitin.com. Your bio is due before class on Tuesday, August 27th.
What is your name? By what nickname do you prefer to be called?
How long have you been in Schweinfurt?
Where are you from?
Where else have you lived? Are any of these places particularly important to you? Why?
What is your favorite place in the world?
What extracurricular activities do you participate in outside of school?
Do you have any allergies or specific medical conditions? What do you do with your free time? Do you have a job?
What did you do this summer?
What kinds of movies do you like to watch? What is your favorite movie?
What kinds of books do you like to read? What is your favorite book?
What is your favorite kind of music? Who is your favorite artist?
What is your biggest strength? What is your biggest weakness?
What are your expectations for this course?
What are your expectations of me, your teacher?
Name some of your specific goals for this school year.
How can I best help you to achieve those goals?
Describe one thing that you will contribute to make this class successful this year.
First Day Business
Welcome, students. The first day of school has come and gone. If you were in class, you received a copy of the syllabus (downloadable on the main page of this site) and you should have received your network login username and password. These will allow you to log into any computer in the school. When you try your login for the first time, the system will ask you to change your password. Change it to something that is at least 14 characters long and has one upper and one lower case letter, a number and a special character ($?!%^*).
I directed students to create Turnitin.com accounts. The instructions are on the "Turnitin" page on the main page of this site. Once you're able to log into Turnitin, you'll be able to complete your first assignment, due before our next class.
You got three hall passes that you can use for trips out of the classroom this quarter. You also got login information for the Holt Elements of Literature textbook.
If you didn't leave class with these things, please contact me and let me know!
Please see the calendar on this site and remember that on Friday you will have a supply check and a quiz on the syllabus!
I directed students to create Turnitin.com accounts. The instructions are on the "Turnitin" page on the main page of this site. Once you're able to log into Turnitin, you'll be able to complete your first assignment, due before our next class.
You got three hall passes that you can use for trips out of the classroom this quarter. You also got login information for the Holt Elements of Literature textbook.
If you didn't leave class with these things, please contact me and let me know!
Please see the calendar on this site and remember that on Friday you will have a supply check and a quiz on the syllabus!