Mrs

Mrs. Quinn's Homework Page

May 12-29 2008

On this web page you will be able to find out what is going on in class and what should be getting done as homework.
Homework is due the next day unless specifically noted.

There are two on-going assignments -- the literature circles and the original mystery. See below for both.

Mystery Novels Reading Schedule & Literature Circle Jobs

The Hound of the Baskervilles &Tangerine

For each night listed, please read the corresponding chapters AND do the literature circle job you are assigned so that you are prepared for your small group discussion.

Remember, in literature circles, each person in the group is like a link on a chain. A chain won’t work if the links are weak. The discoveries you make and the information you search out while reading are important pieces of the chain. Please don’t let your partners down by not reading or being prepared with your part of the group work.

DATE The day you do the reading	TANGERINE Journal dates/pages you read		HOUND Chapters/pages you read
Wednesday, May 14	Intro- Aug. 28	1-37	Chap. 1	Pages 1-10
Thursday, May 15	Aug 30- Sept 6	38-54	Chap. 2	Pages 11-25
Friday, May 16	Sept 7-9	54-75	Chap. 3	Pages 26-38

Monday, May 19	Sept 11-end	75-92	Chap. 4 + 5	Pages 39-55
Tuesday, May 20	Sept 18-22later	95-123	Chap. 6	Pages 56-70
Wednesday, May 21	Sept 23- Oct 2	123-147	Chap. 7	Pages 71-84
Thursday, May 22	Oct 3 – Nov 2	147-165	Chap. 8	Pages 85-103

Tuesday, May 27	Nov. 4 –end pt2	165-194	Chap. 9	Pages 104-113
Wednesday, May 28	Nov 20-24 TG	197-223	Chap. 10 + 11	Pages 114-169
Thursday, May 29	Nov 24-30	224-245	Chap. 12	Pages 169-188
Friday, May 30	Dec 1-2	245-262	Chap. 13	Pages 189-202

Monday, June 2	Dec 3 -3 later	262-280	Chap. 14	Pages 203-218
Tuesday, June 3	Dec 4 -end	280-294	Chap. 15	Pages 219-end

ASSIGNMENT: Read the assigned pages and fill in two of the six boxes on the graphic organizer with information from that section of the novel. See the following page to understand each job. By the end of the novel you must have a balance filled in of all six boxes (meaning you can’t do the same two all the time).

Plot Person: Your role is to help clarify the events of the story so that all literature group members agree and understand the events that have taken place in the story and can envision possible future events in the story. Always begin your nightly journal with a quick somebody…wanted…but…so…

You can fill this box with any of the following –

Always begin your nightly journal with a quick somebody…wanted…but…so…
a written timeline for chapter events
predictions you can make about what will come in the story including what details from the story supports these predictions.
Your personal responses as you read the story—Was the action believable?

Character Sketcher: Your role is to help your group members better understand the characters in the book. You also help the group recognize any changes in personal growth of the characters and relationships with others.

Use any of the following ideas to help you develop your nightly reading journal response:

Who are the major characters in this chapter? What are they like in physical appearance and in personality? Have we met them before? Have they changed at all? Have they done anything surprising or that seems like it doesn’t match with what we know about them?
Who are the minor characters in this story? What are they like in physical appearance and in personality? Have we met them before? Have they changed at all? Have they done anything surprising or that seems like it doesn’t match with what we know about them?

Clue Keeper : Your role is to find interesting and important clues that move the mystery along. This means you keep track of the small details like factss, red herrings, and places. You focus on what the author adds to the story to make it interesting (or not).

Use any of the following ideas to help you develop your nightly reading journal response:

What mysteries are we focused on here?

What new places were introduced? What is important about them? How might they be used later in the novel?
Did the characters try anything new? What does this tell us about them?
Were any objects focused on? Why?
Were you confused about anything? What? Why?

Were there any ideas or details that seemed either significant or out of place? What were they? Why did they seem so?

Conflict Connector: Your role is to help your group members understand the type of conflicts that exist in the book overall and in each chapter. You must also focus on the various ways the character(s) works through the conflict in an attempt to solve/resolve it.

Use any of the following ideas to help you develop your nightly reading journal response:

Think of the chapter. What type of conflict is present?
Do the main characters struggle with other characters? How? Why?
Do the characters struggle with forces of nature? How? Why?
Do the characters struggle with themselves? How? Why?
Do the characters struggle with rules, laws, customs, or society? How? Why?
Which conflicts are most important to this part of the novel? Why?
What means do the characters use to overcome their struggles? What does this say about them?
Were any conflicts resolved? How?

Craft Cultivator and Vocabulary Builder: You have two jobs. One is to collect a list of quotes which show the great way your story lives on the page and the second is to collect words, page numbers and definitions to share with the group for new and/or difficult vocabulary.

VOCABULARY: You should collect at least 3 words per chunk of reading. If you don’t find 3 new/hard words for you, pick the ones you think other students or younger readers would have difficulty with. Consider selecting words which add life, drama or vividness to the story.

Example: fallacy (pg. 1229) a lie or untruth, something that is wrong. The detective thought the suicide note was a lie or a fallacy to hide the truth.

WRITING CRAFT: You should collect two quotes from each chapter that are examples of strong writing. These quotes can be anything as long as you can explain how they impact the story quality or enhance the reading experience. ***They don’t need to be the most important part of the chapter, they just need to be dramatic, descriptive, suspenseful, graceful or humorous and make reading more fun.

Mystery Maintainer:

You have the job of keeping track of all mystery elements. You need to keep a list of notes of where elements are seen in each chunk of reading.

Foreshadowing
Flashback
Suspense
Crime
Motive
Detective Actions
Victim/Villain Actions
Clues
Red Herrings

You need a sentence summarizing what exactly the mystery is in this small section of the whole.

Grading

Literature circles journals will be collected at the end along with the your individual group report packets from each literature circles discussion for a grade.

Nightly reading journals will be collected for a grade at the end of each section/week/chunk of time on schedule.

Only very thoughtful, indepth and detailed responses will earn an A.

Strong and insightful responses will earn a B

Average and basic responses will earn a C

Weak, summary based responses will earn a D or below.

If you are absent on discussion day, please do what you can on your own and then see your group for help on the next discussion day. Be sure to take advantage of each person’s knowledge to help you fill in your packet to the fullest and most thoughtful.

Only very thoughtful, indepth and detailed responses will earn an A.

Strong and insightful responses will earn a B

Average and basic responses will earn a C

Weak, summary based responses will earn a D or below.

BE SURE TO HAVE YOUR NIGHTLY JOURNALS EACH DAY IN CLASS FOR OTHER STORY WORK! YOU WILL LOSE POINTS IF YOU ARE UNPREPARED OR UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN DISCUSSIONS.

Name: __________________________________ Chapters: _____________

Plot Person	Character Sketcher
CLUE KEEPER	CONFLICT CONNECTOR
CRAFT & VOCABULARY	MYSTERY MAINTAINER

Write Your Own Three Minute Mystery

~Your Mystery Unit Project~

The culminating project for our mystery unit requires you to put together all you have learned about the mystery genre in the form of a short, original mystery. You may have murder, catnapping, theft, or even a romantic mystery. You may create a mystery based on reality (like who is leaving the bomb threats in the bathroom?) or one based on your own creative inspiration. Whatever setting you select, whatever characters you create, whatever crime you mastermind, please follow the rules below to ensure you earn the maximum credit possible.

THE REQUIREMENTS:

You must follow the steps of the writing process beginning with brainstorming. When it comes to organizing, an outline or timeline will work better than a paragraph house for a story.

You must turn in your final copy with all your draft work!

Your final mystery should be only 2-3 pages typed, double spaced. (If you write it on paper it should be 4-6 pages of skipped lines.)
You need to have the major components of mystery stories:
- Plot, setting, conflict, characterization….

PROJECT DUE ON THURSDAY MAY 29th

TIMELINE of PROGRESS

May 15 -Brainstorm and have "Murder, We Wrote" sheet complete.

May 16-17-18 : Organize/Plan out your mystery in detail. Create a timeline or an outline to do this.
A paragraph house will not work for writing a mystery.

May 19-20: DRAFT! Write out the whole story! Remember -- it is a short mystery.

May 21-22 : Finish drafting and do buddy checks in class.

May 22-23-24-25-26 : Revise -- Do this three times!

May 27: Edit for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc...

May 28: Organize draft work, do final editing, print copy to turn in, pack your stuff for school.

May 29: Turn it in and celebrate!!

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