The Stranger Formative Assessment

The Stranger
1.       Silent Discussion
2.       Socratic Seminar: created four different questions (attach); made a comment voluntarily; gave feedback to your partner
3.       Read Sophie’s World and text-marked
4.       Actively watched the videos on contemporary interpretations of existentialism: Henry, Monty Python
5.       Completed the profile on Meursault
Round Robin Readings
1.       Read all articles thoroughly
2.       Contributed comments when asked (written on the quadrant and when discussing)
3.       Actively listened to other groups while reporting out
Student Led Discussions
1.  Prepared by reading the article
2. Contributed during the discussion
3. Reflected on what you learned

They Say/ I Say "The Art of Quoting"

The Art of Quoting

Here, you'll find templates for introducing quotes and explaining quotes.

All Templates
Here, you'll find all the templates found in They Say/ I Say.

The Stranger Short Answer Test December 16th

The Stranger

Short Answer Questions

You’ll be asked to answer 5 of these 7 questions.  You won’t know which 5 until the day of the test, so prepare for all 7.  All of the questions will be worth 5 points each even though some may be easier to answer than others.

1. What are three traits that define absurdism according to the Philosophy Index?

2. What are three traits that define existentialism according to the Philosophy Index?

3. What makes absurdism philosophically different from existentialism?

4. What does the Myth of Sisyphus have to do with Camus’s philosophy?

5. What part of the Myth of Sisyphus is Camus most concerned about and why?

6. In Sophie’s World Alberto tells Sophie that “We are partly instrumental in deciding what we perceive by selecting what is significant for us” (352).  He then proceeds to give examples of what he means by this.  Describe one of his examples or come up with one on your own that explains what he means.

7. Describe three of Camus’ events in his life history that may have influenced his philosophy and say how.

Analytical Character Essay

The Stranger—Analytical Character Essay

You have read The Stranger, discussed The Stranger, loved and hated The Stranger.  Now it is time to write about The Stranger.

Specifically, write about Meursault.  As we have seen, he is a fascinating character, sometimes quite upsetting, sometimes admirable, and sometimes just confusing.  But you all have feelings about Meursault.  How did you come to have those feelings?  How is the character of Meursault revealed to us?

As you noticed, Meursault rarely allows us more than the quickest peek into his heart or mind. Or, more accurately, throughout most of the book he reveals little about himself, his thoughts and feelings, in a direct and descriptive way.  Rather, Meursault’s character is largely revealed indirectly.

Assignment: Write an in-class essay (2-3 pages) about how Camus has Meursault reveal himself indirectly to the reader through his descriptions of an exterior object or image.  Keep the following in mind:

 Be specific and limited in the object or image you select to analyze.  For example, writing about Meursault’s character as revealed through his description of the sea would likely be far more successful than writing about Meursault’s character as revealed through his description of nature.

 Have a clearly stated thesis.  What is revealed about Meursault’s character?

 Support your thesis with specific facts from the text, including quotes and page citations.

 Use the model, claim, support, explain significance, for your body paragraphs

 Discuss how the object or image you have chosen to analyze is effective at revealing Meursault’s character.

 Consider change.  Meursault seems to change in some ways by the end of the book (while remaining the same in some other ways).  Does the way he views or relates to the object or image also change?  Why or why not?  To what purpose?

Remember, you have done a lot of work with this novel over the past several weeks.  That work can help you develop your thesis and your paper.  Use your notes from discussions and your memory of your reaction to the Silent Discussion questions to help you decide what is important to you. Use your sticky notes and your journal to find specific quotes and passages that struck you.  Use your Character Profile to find those traits about Meursault that were most noticeable. Come prepared with all of the above plus your book and an outline, graphic organizer, or brainstorming sheet.

One more thing: don’t summarize!  Yes, sometimes you need to summarize a bit for clarity, but spend most of your time doing analysis (explaining what is revealed about Meursault and how).  Only use enough summary to place a quote in context.

Your essay will be scored on the State Writing Rubric.  

Important December Dates

December 11: In-class essay on Meursault's Character

December 16: Short answer test on The Stranger unit

December 18: First draft of your out-of-class essay due

OSLIS and Multnomah County Library Resources

Places for research for your Stranger essay :

1.      multcolib.org  (you must have a library card for this to work)

   Ø  click on research

            Ø  scroll down to select research tools

            Ø  click on one of the following databases and begin your search:  Academic One File,

                      Academic Search Premier, Biography Resource Center, JSTOR, Literature Criticism 

                      Online, Literature Resource Center, Historical Abstracts (you may find other databases on                   this site that are helpful)

  2.      oslis.org

•  login from home
• login user name: port
•   password: oslis

The Stranger Essay Options

The Stranger

Essay Topics

Assignment:  Write an essay (3-5 pages) that covers one of the topics below.  Keep the following in mind:

Ø Be specific

Ø Have a clearly stated thesis.  Answer your prompt’s question.

Ø Support your thesis with specific facts from the text and from secondary sources, including quotes and page citations.

Ø Use MLA style

Remember!  You have done a lot of work with this novel over the past several weeks.   That work can help you develop your thesis and your paper.  Use your sticky notes and your journal to find specific quotes and passages that struck you.  Use the individual class assignments as guides for your thoughts.

One more thing:  Don’t summarize.  Yes, sometimes you need to summarize a bit for clarity, but spend most of your time doing analysis. 

1.   Research the philosophy of Absurdism (coined by Camus) and analyze its relevance to The Stranger: Secondary sources must come from books, multcoed.org databases or OSLIS.  Cite all sources.

2.   Research Camus’s life and beliefs and write an essay in which you demonstrate how The Stranger reveals and explores what was of importance to the author. Secondary sources must come from books, multcoed.org databases or OSLIS. Cite all sources.

3.   Research the historical relationship between France and Algeria and analyze The Stranger as a postcolonial critique of that relationship. Pay particular attention to the role of Arabs in the novel in your essay. Secondary sources must come from books, multcoed.org databases or OSLIS. Cite all sources.

4.   Read Nausea by Jean Paul Sartre, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, or Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, and compare the author’s perspective of Existentialism to that of Camus using your own opinion and secondary sources for support. You must not have read the novel before this assignment.  Secondary sources must come from books, multcoed.org databases or OSLIS.  Cite all sources.

5.     Compare and contrast contemporary Existentialist excerpts from film to Camus’s piece.  How do people today reflect and interpret Camus’s work?  What do they see right and what don’t they get in your opinion?  Possible pieces to consider: Pulp Fiction, Into the Wild, No Country for Old Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.  There are more that I found at IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/list/8Iapaxq39RQ/. Check with me before you start this essay. Cite all sources.

6.   Analyze the difference between the concepts of “Justice” and of “Law,” and write an essay in which you explore whether justice is served by the end of The Stranger. You may choose to write this as a persuasive essay in which you attempt to convince your audience one way or the other. (Feel free to pretend to be a lawyer who represents Meursault more capably than the one the court appoints!)

7.   Consider the importance of personal, moral, ethical, and civic responsibility in your own life and analyze how well Meursault handles his responsibilities. The essay asks you to balance personal exposition and literary analysis.

8.   Determined to remain true to himself, Meursault finds himself at odds with a society. Compare and contrast the The Stranger with (an)other literary text(s) you have read. Be sure to keep in mind the historical and geographical origin of the texts as you explore their similarities and differences.

Only Essay Topics Having Further Research or Reading Can Achieve an Exceeds Score (choices 1-4)

The Stranger Reading Schedule

Read to page 59 by Tuesday, November 25th.
Read the rest of the novella by Tuesday, December 2nd.
Your sticky note journal is due on Dec. 2nd.

America at a Crossroads Make-up Work

America at a Crossroads

Write down 5 observations/questions/comments you have after each segment in this video.

Homework for Nov. 18

Revise and edit your personal/college essays for Thursday.  If you can't get it done by then, turn it in on Monday.

November 3rd Homework

Edit and revise your personal/college essay.  Bring your final draft and all other drafts to class tomorrow.  Be prepared to read at least one paragraph of your essay.

Discussion Directions

WOW

Student-Led Group Discussion Directions

Before the Discussion:

1. Form a group of four people.  Your group will be assigned a Thursday where you will have to provide texts that focus on a specific issue related to what we are currently studying or have studied during the year and a discussion technique that allows all voices to be heard in the classroom.  You become the moderators for the discussion.  Any printed text must be copied and given to your teacher by Friday the week before your discussion.  Be sure to vet your issue with the teacher beforehand. 
2. Your classmates will be required to read and mark the texts in preparation for the week’s discussion.  (I expect the group to have read them as well.)
3. Your texts don’t all have to be written texts like articles or the current novel we are reading.  They can be visuals that are easily copied or ones found on the Internet that are projected.   Be inventive.  If using a written text other than the novel, limit the text to two pages.  One to two different sources should be enough. 

Roles For the Moderators During the Discussion

1. You are required to have a warm up exercise and to monitor the discussion as the class progresses.  In essence, you are the teacher for the day.  Try to maintain a neutral position and allow the students to talk rather than have you lecture.  In other words, stay out of the discussion as much as possible unless your discussion technique requires more interaction from the moderator.  Have one person keep track of who has spoken and who has not. (Ask me for a class list to mark your tallies.)  All students are required to make at least one comment during the discussion so insure that this happens.  Best teaching practices suggest that small group discussions work best.  See the list of discussion strategies at the end of this document.

Roles for the Classmates 

1. Read all the materials assigned to you before the discussion.
2. Mark the texts with pen in hand. 
3. Contribute at least one comment per discussion.
4. After the discussion, reflect on what was discussed in a discussion journal, which can be a spiral or three-ringed notebook.  Reflections should be at least one page long.  If you use a composition notebook, your reflections should be at least a page-and-a-half. You will be responsible for keeping track of your journal.  I will grade journals at the end of fourth quarter after our last discussion.

Discussion Strategies

Here is a list of a variety of discussion strategies you can choose from to help guide your discussion.  If a previous group used a discussion strategy, say Socratic seminar, then find a different one that will best fit your topic.  I have posted these on the blog, so you can find the links there.

Socratic Seminar

Fishbowl

The Futures Wheel

SeedDiscussion

Silent Discussion

Gallery Walk

Academic Conversations

October 28th Homework: Editing and Revision

Make all revisions including the ones on the revise and edit sheet seen below.  After all the highlighting and editions, print out your best draft with all your changes for Monday, November 3rd. Bring all drafts to class.

 Rough Draft – Personal/College Essay                       Name___________________

Revise and Edit

Do the following on your rough draft.  I need to see evidence of revision (highlight, mark up, change, etc.) and that you have worked hard to make your final paper your best possible work.

Overall

q  Read for a strong exploration of an idea or experience that led you to a new insight or discovery.

q  Read for how a confession of personal experience creates something that resonates beyond itself (Leslie Jamison).

q  Mark where you stray from the topic.

Introduction

q  Highlight the thesis statement.  Is it specific enough and well worded?

q  What kind of introductory lead did you create? 

Body

q  Check for your characters “voice prints” with your dialogue and character description.

q  Check for blocking and details about setting

q  Highlight any place where you don’t present your narrative in chronological order. If out of order, draw an arrow indicating where the discussion should be moved or indicate that that particular section is a flashback.

q  Mark any place where details or transition statements need to be added for clarity.

Conclusion

q  Highlight the phrases in conclusion, to summarize, and finally.  Take these out.

q  Check to see if your conclusion emphasizes the point of your essay, provides a climax, helps readers remember your piece, looks to the future, summarizes, and/or finishes with a quote.  Add more detail if your essay doesn’t do this.

Important Detail

q  Look for any place you can combine sentences and cut the fat.

q  Check for proper punctuation of dialogue.

q  Highlight where you included a list.

Style

q  Check for stylistic maturity using a variety of sentence structures.  Highlight your short sentence.

q  Appropriate paragraph breaks

q  Count how many commas you have in one of your average-length paragraphs.  Do you have too many commas, not enough?

q  Highlight where you used a dash, parentheses, or a semi-colon. Check usage.

q  Check for remaining in first person (I) instead of second (you).  One first-person exception: cut out the following phrase “I think that”.

Final Detail

q  Read out loud to yourself.

q  Spelling, grammar, punctuation.

q  MLA format.

Cutting the Fat Tool Kit

Cutting the Fat Tool Kit

Homework for the Next Week

Drafts of your personal/college essay are due:

October 27
October 28
November 3

Final draft due November 4

Bring all drafts to class to show me your changes from one draft to another.

Personal/College Essay

Personal Essay

Prompt: The culminating writing assignment for the students’ exploration of the concept of self identity and the individual in conflict is a personal essay or, alternatively, a college essay.  This essay should be about the writer’s exploration of an idea or experience that leads her/him to a new insight or discovery.  The previous work in this curriculum unit provided you with a portfolio of writings to draw from, but you may want to start fresh with your own idea. 

College Essay Option:  If you need a college essay, this writing assignment will work for that purpose.  Get the essay prompt and instructions for your college of interest.  These should be available at college websites.

Materials Needed:

-          portfolio of previous writings

-          Write Source for grade 12

Procedures:

1) Review the charts you filled in as a pre-assessment activity for this unit.  We looked at     “Salvation” by Langston Hughes – p. 210 and “Living Like Weasels” by Annie Dillard – p. 143.

For writing the essay and additional models, refer to Write Source for grade 12:

Personal Essay – Write Source p. 141 – 154

College Essay – Write Source p. 155 - 161

Length: 500-750 words (this is negotiable for those writing the college essay option)

Due Dates:

Draft 1: October 27

Draft 2: October 28

Draft 3: November 3

Final Draft: November 4 (80 summative points, 20 Non-academic)

Non-Fiction Group Project Due Thursday, October 23

Non-Fiction Group Project Instructions

Project Instructions: While reading your non-fiction book, you kept track in your journals of how individuals or groups of people were identified, categorized or discriminated against based on their gender, age, social class, religion, race, and national origin.  You also paid close attention to who had privilege and why, and who were the oppressed and why.  Another aspect you were to consider was how people define themselves and how they were defined by others and were different from others.  Now, you need to share what you noted with your partners and create a group project that visually reflects what you’ve learned.  You also need to have a connection to at least one of the other texts we have read, viewed, or listened to during this unit.  You will present this to the class.

How you do this is up to you, but here are some formatting suggestions: a scrapbook; a painting; pop-up book; video; musical performance where you create your own lyrics, and even better, a tune to go with it; a PowerPoint; a Prezi; found art.  Try to do something new that challenges you or something you’ve learned in another class that can be practiced through this project.

Requirements: Form a group of 2 or 3 people with those who have read the same book as you.  Somewhere in the project you need to have the following: 3 quotes from your book, 3 images that reflect ideas, concepts, or characters in your book, 3 connections to other works (these can be written, implied, or symbolically represented for example).  Your grade will also be based on your contribution to the project, the perceived care given to the project, and professional production.  You are also required to complete a final reflection on your personal growth while doing the project.  No one will receive credit for the group project without this personal reflection.

Due Dates:

Points Possible: 50

How To Write a Personal Essay

How To Write A Personal Essay Article

October 2 Homework due Tuesday, October 9

Moral Dilemma: Write about a time when faced with a moral dilemma.  Mention or indicate what written or unwritten law was violated, and describe the dilemma and the actions taken in detail.  Your narrative should be typed and at least one page long.  Due on Monday.

Wayne Joseph Radio Lab Interview

Wayne Joseph Radio Lab Interview

Casares Interview On NPR

Borderland: A Journey Along a Changing Frontier

September 23 Homework

Read Bharati Mukherjee's "American Dreamer" (114-119) and complete the QAR assignment.

Google Question-Answer Relationships to find out more specifics as to what kinds of questions you need to ask for each section.  I could only find pdf's that won't copy and paste here.  Here's an example below:

What Does This Look Like in Practice?
Good question. Just for practice and as an example, let's apply it to the following passage of text. One example for each type of QAR follows the passage.

The sun was setting, and as the senator gazed out his office window, he could see the silhouettes of some of the unique buildings and monuments of Washington, D.C. Directly in front of him at the other end of the National Mall, the stark obelisk of the Washington Monument thrust dramatically skyward, its red warning lights blinking in the approaching dusk. Although he couldn't quite see it, he knew that beyond the Washington Monument and the reflecting pool just past it, a huge statue of Abraham Lincoln sat thoughtfully in the Lincoln Memorial.       The senator was worried. A bill was before the Congress, called Safe Surfing for Safer Schools, that would deny federal education dollars to states that didn't have laws against internet pornography on their books. He was concerned about kids having access to dirty pictures, and even more concerned about internet predators having access to kids. But he also believed strongly in the right of people to freely access information, even if it meant sometimes children might be exposed to adult materials. And it seemed dangerous to take money away from schools, where the need was desperate, if state legislatures balked at this federal pressure on them.       His constituents had let him know in no uncertain terms that they supported strict standards of decency on the internet. He knew if he didn't support the bill, his next election opponent would paint him as pro-pornography, and anti-child. But he didn't want anything to get in the way of providing monetary support to schools through federal grants.       The unique spires of the original Smithsonian Institution were getting harder to see, but there was still a faint gleam on the green dome of the Museum of Natural History. What was the right thing to do?
Right There	What legislation is the senator worried about?
Think and Search	What arguments is he having to weigh in his mind?
Author and You	How would you advise the Senator, and why would you advise him so?
On My Own	What's a tough decision you've had to make?

Here's the graphic organizer I gave to students in class:

QAR Practice—“American Dreamer”

Bharati  Mukherjee (p. 114-119)

Directions: Think of some questions that could be answered from reading the text. Write at least   one question every two pages under each QAR heading. After each question write the answer in parenthesis.
In the Book---Right There 114-15 116-17 118-19	In My Head---On My Own 114-15 116-17 118-19
In the Book---Think and Search 114-15 116-17 118-19	In My Head---Author and Me 114-15 116-17 118-19

September 18 Homework:

Come prepared with two journal entries completed for Monday

Write a one page+ essay on one of the prompts below:

"Being Country" Pre-Reading Prompts

1. Write about a way in which you identify with food as an individual, family, community, or ethnic group.  Address how food contributes to defining one of these aspects. Be sure to describe a specific event that relates to the prompt. 

2. Think about the adage “the grass is always greener on the other side.” How has this idea affected your way of thinking at some time, either positively or negatively?  Be sure to describe a specific event that relates to the adage.

Non-Fiction Journal

WOW Non-Fiction Journal

Journal Instructions: While you read your non-fiction book, keep track of how individuals or groups of people are identified, categorized or discriminated against based on their gender, age, social class, religion, race, and national origin.  Pay close attention to who has privilege and why, and who are the oppressed and why.  Another aspect to consider is how people define themselves and how they are defined by others and are different from others.  What are the consequences of the way individuals are defined?

Requirements: 10 journal entries which include a quote and reference to a page number on one side, and your comments and thoughts on the other side.  Your comments should explain and discuss how the passage reflects on the themes of questions of identity, discrimination, privilege, and/or oppression.  Remember to have a conversation with the text and cover the scope of the book.  Each of your entries should be 100-150 words.

Here’s how to set up your journal:

Place the quote in the left column (you only need to include the first 8 words) along with the page number.

In the right column, write your thoughts based on the criteria found in the journal instruction description above.

The journal can either be typed or hand written.  All are due on Monday, October 13^th (30 formative assessment points possible).

Grading Criteria: 10 entries, follows format, legible, covers scope of novel, thoughts show depth and are purposeful (that is they don’t appear to be hastily done with little thought).  If you don’t meet the basic standards, then your journal will be returned to you without a grade.  You’ll need to resubmit the journal for a grade.

Quote and Page Number	Your Thoughts
Ex from “Ain’t I a Woman?” “he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ‘cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from? From God and woman! Man had nothing to do with Him”  p. 68	This passage is towards the end of Sojourner Truth’s speech. At first I thought Truth was talking about being black and not being able to vote, but she really is talking about being a woman and not being able to vote.   She is arguing that denying women the right to vote because “Christ wasn’t a woman” is illogical because ultimately, a woman created Christ.  She uses logic to counter the man’s logical fallacy. She is also frustrated by being denied the right to vote even though she is as strong, smart, and capable as a man (or even more so.) Here, Truth turns her gender into a point of pride and power, rather than one of weakness and servitude, by arguing that without a woman, there would be no Christ. Rather than being ashamed of her identity as a woman, she is proud of it.  (145 words)
Ex. From “The Way To Rainy Mountain”

Homework Due September 15th

        Current Event Reflection
Provide the following information along with a one page summary and reflection of your article:Your name; title of article; publisher/name of news organization; date of article.Summarize what you read providing details from throughout the article and reflect on your reactions to the article.  Consider the questions below if you need some help with this part.1)       What is the root of the conflict?
2)       To what degree did the military action or conflict achieve the reported result at this time?
3)       How was or could the conflict be resolved?
4)       What connections can you make between this conflict and another current conflict or one in history?

Genesis and Pandora Reflection

Directions: Your answers to these questions should be at least one paragraph each.

1) What do the similarities say about the nature of humans?  

2) What are women’s roles in the relationships? What are men’s roles?  

3) What is significant about the differences between the stories? 

4) What do these stories say about individuality and society?  

5) What lessons do the stories teach us?  

6) How is contemporary society reflected in these worlds, both before and after the fall?