Build Your Own Government

Directions:  You will be working with groups of five to create your own island government using the information we have researched over the past weeks in English and History class.  The foundations of Democracy, Communism and Animalism all have things in common and fundamental differences.  You will take pieces of each to develop your own elements of government on your group’s island.  The island will be broken into five sections:

Article one:  Rule of Law

Article two: Rights of Citizens

Article three: Economic System

Article four: Public Services

Article five: Common Defense

Each group member will be responsible for one of these five sections.  There will be two products graded and counted in both History and English class.  These are:

1. 1.     A Visual representation of the island that clearly shows where the five sections are placed
2. 2.    An article written that is at least one page in length describing which political choices you have made for your section.

These will be graded based on MYP Rubrics included in the packet.    

As the year progresses the work will become academically more intense.  Let’s start the quarter strong!

-Stelzner

3. Children’s Videos (for per 2.) 

Please be sure to get these assignments in on time and finish the quarter strong.

Also, I wanted to remind students that the deadline for The Pearl thesis essay is Thursday! No late work will be accepted so be sure to print out a copy and email it to yourself if that is possible. This way if you happen to forget your essay you can just reprint it and turn it in. Good luck and make sure that you edit your work before handing it in.

1. While being chased by trackers, Kino asked Juana to leave with their son. Did Kino really love Juana? What kind of journey did their relationship take?

2. Did Kino believe in God or the gods?

3. Kino won the lottery, but what was the price he had to pay for such luck? Was the value of the pearl worth the journey that he was forced to take?

4. The theme of The Pearl comes from the following biblical passage. In a five paragraph thesis- based essay please discuss how the story relates to the quotation below:

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” – Matthew 13:45-46

*The deadline for this project is Thursday October 15. Any late papers will not be accepted and you will receive a zero. We will spend the next two class periods working in Lab 128 on this assignment.

HINTS: Remember to support your thesis with evidence from the text (in the form of cited quotations). Also remember to follow formal thesis conventions! (rules)

Calling all kids (and teachers and parents)! Young readers, grades 4 to 12, are invited to express their admiration for a favorite author and showcase their reading and writing talents by participating in Letters About Literature.

This national contest encourages students to write a personal letter to an author¬ from Carl Hiaasen to Anne Frank¬ that explores how the author’s work changed their thinking about the world and their place in it. Fans of any genre, fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic, are invited to participate, with the chance to receive awards and recognition at the state and national level. Contest guidelines are available at the Maryland Center for the Book website at www.mdhc.org/programs/maryland-center-for-the-book/letters-about-literature .

“This contest provides an opportunity for young readers to read a book of their choice and then let the author know how much the book meant to them,” explains Jean Wortman, director of the Maryland Center for the Book, which sponsors the contest in Maryland. “But the project can impact a whole school. National contest winners from Maryland in 2007 and 2008 excited interest in reading that was school-wide,” she notes.

1. We are told at the beginning that this is a story of black and white, of good and evil. What elements of good can you find in Chapter one? What elements of evil? How can readers tell which is which?

2. The doctor is from the ‘great world of civilized living’. What does this mean? He refers to Kino and his family as animals, are they?

3. There is a great deal of imagery littered throughout the first chapter. Discuss Steinbeck’s use of imagery and whether or not it is an effective tool for readers. Please use the following quotation as a reference, “The glaring sun threw the bunched shadows of the people blackly on the white wall.” (10)

4. Chapter one is the beginning of a journey for Kino and his family. What do you think of the way Steinbeck began his protagonist’s journey? Use literary terms that we’ve covered in class in your response.

*Good luck guys, email me if you have any questions and most importantly….

KEEP YOURSELF OUT OF IT!!!!

This is an assignment geared towards assessing what you’ve learned, not simply listening to music.  Once you have the lyrics be sure to break them down in the same way we have done with the poems. 

That being said- this should be a fun assignment and I’m excited to see what you come up with!