Memory Box Project

This project is for periods 6 and 8 students.

Jem keeps special items in a small box that he hides away in his room. He keeps souvenirs of his life so far, including the carved soap figures, the Indian head pennies, the ball of twine and the broken pocket watch that were left in the knothole.

Your assignment is to create your own memory box that contains 7-10 key items from moments in your own childhood. Memory boxes are decorative boxes that contain personal items important to their owner.

You may use a shoebox or other container to make your memory box; make sure to decorate the exterior of your memory box and make it look attractive! This should be something that you can be proud of. Suggestions for what can go inside include: letters, photographs, postcards and souvenirs. These can also be easily re-created. Be smart and don't bring valuable objects to school. Digital photos of important keepsakes and replicas can be used!)

Think about who you were close to, your experiences in school, your hobbies and sports, and whatever else you used to do for fun. What events have occurred so far in your life? What did you keep to remember these events?

If you don’t still have special keepsakes, you can construct your memory box by creating replicas or symbolic representations of the highs and lows of life so far. We have spent a great deal of time discussing childhood memories in your journals—look to the journals for inspiration if you are stuck.

Assignment specifics:

1. You must include 7-10 items in the memory box.
2. The exterior of the memory box needs to be decorated.
3. You need to type a brief description of each item included in the box and attach these explanations to the inside of the lid.
4. Be prepared to share 2-3 items with the class in an informal presentation time permitting.
5. Projects are worth 30 points.

Oh, yeah. If you want to know why there's a picture of The Incredible Hulk #2 up above, be sure to ask me in class. Long story short - it would be in my memory box if I were doing the assignment.

Pick One

The blog entry is for period 6 and 8 students.

Answer one of the following questions. Feel free to agree or disagree with your classmates. Good luck!

Which character from the novel do you think is most...

• Fair?
• Strange?
• Honest?
• Creative?
• Flawed?
• Mentally healthy?
• Caring?
• Angry?
• Scared?
• Intelligent?
• Conniving?
• Fearless?

Character Defined

This entry is for period 8 students.

Your task: First, select a character from the book - major or minor, it makes no diference. Second, select a single sentence or phrase from the book that you feel truly defines that character. Third, share your response in the comments section with a thoughful, thorough paragraph.

Your paragraph should be thoughtful and thorough. It should include a quotation with correct parenhetical citation. It should contain a claim (topic sentence), evidence (context and quotation), and a warrant (an explanation of how the quote proves the topic sentence). All rule of grammar and punctuation apply. Pay attention to your tense, your person, etc. Be sure to read all of the entries before you create your own. Remember, no repeats.

Through Scout's Eyes

This entry is for period 6 students.

Throughout the novel, we as audience memebers are forced to view the events of the story through the eyes of a child - Scout's. This creates an interesting dillemma for the reader. The story is in no way childish or simplistic (in fact, it's incerdibly sophsticated and adult), but it still manages to maintain a tone of child-like innocence. We see an adult world through the eyes of a child.

Your task: Find a passage in the novel in which we as readers must interpret the true nature of a given situation. In other words, discuss a passage in which Scout sees the events of her life one way, but we are supposed to see them another way.

Your paragraph should be thoughtful and thorough. It should include a quotation with correct parenhetical citation. It should contain a claim (topic sentence), evidence (context and quotation), and a warrant (an explanation of how the quote proves the topic sentence). All rule of grammar and punctuation apply. Pay attention to your tense, your person, etc. Be sure to read all of the entries before you create your own. Remember, no repeats.

Tone, Mood, and Scout's Narrative Honesty

This blog entry is for Period 6 and Period 8 students.

We spent a day-and-a-half in class watching some of A Christmas Story. You’ll remember that I asked you to pay attention to the tone of Ralph’s voice as an adult. He was excited, boisterous, overly enthusiastic, and easily swooped up into waves of deep emotion (hilarity, tragedy, fear, etc.). In short, Ralph as an adult sounded like Ralphie as a kid. Ralph as a narrator still believed in Santa, still believed in the almost magical power of an air rifle, and still believed in pure Christmas magic. At least, he sounded like he did. This is what made the movie so funny. Triple dogs dares just don't exist in the adult world.

So here we are a few days into To Kill a Mockingbird, and guess what? The same device is used in the novel. Scout as an adult is seeing the events of the novel through her eyes back when she was a little girl. Barely sad moments are full of grief, and tragic adult moments are hardly visible whatsoever. We might, for this reason, consider Scout what we call an “unreliable” narrator. In other words, we can’t always trust what Scout says.

After all, Scout already knows how the book is going to turn out. She lived it, right? She can’t give away the ending! She needs to create drama, suspense, humor.

One such example of Scout-the-adult-narrator mimicking the voice and vision of Scout-the-six-year-old is in chapter one when she recounts Jem’s description of Boo. According to Jem, Boo “was about six-and-a-half feet tall” judging from the tracks Boo left behind and “dined on raw squirrels, and any cats he could catch” (Hansberry 16). Scout thinks this is a “reasonable description” (16). The reader, of course, knows Jem’s description is anything but “reasonable.” In fact, it is far from it. Heck, he makes Boo sound like Frankenstein's monster. This is a great example of moment in which the tone (the narrator’s attitude) is contrary to the mood (the reader’s attitude).

Your Task : Find another example of this narrative discord – a moment in which Scout the narrator is being less than straight with the reader and thus creating a chasm between tone and mood. Your comments should be thoughtful and thorough, use correct textual citations (just like my example), and contain correct grammar and punctuation. Remember, we're looking for specific examples, not broad generalizations. Look for short, concise word clusters. Feel free to find your example anywhere within chpaters one through eight. One more thing: No repeats! (So be sure to read the comments posted before yours.)

Extra Credit: Feel free to comment on one another’s responses. Just be sure to move the conversation along. This is a discussion, not a list of repeated ideas. You may agree or disagree with one another as long as you support your claims with evidence.

Note: When you post your comment, be sure to select "name" on the drop down menu and include your first and last name so you can earn credit for your work.