Farm Weeks

Hello Everyone,

Here is a detailed overview of the work you need to complete during the farm weeks. Remember that you should work on these assignments a little bit each day!

Tom

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Fall Farm Week

The following is an explanation of the assignments to be completed by 9/29, the Monday after the farm weeks. Please work on these assignments a little bit every day.

Literature
Read Chapters 3-6 in To Kill A Mockingbird. In the Reading Response section of your notebook, please do the following:
q Find 3 quotes that reveal something significant about Scout’s character. Write a 1 page explanation focused on what we learn about Scout in the first 6 chapters. How would you describe her personality? Her strengths? Weaknesses? In what ways is she both an insider and an outsider in Maycomb?
q Find 3 quotes that reveal something significant about Atticus. Write a 1 page response focused on the kind of father Atticus seems to be. What lessons does he teach his children? What does it seem like he thinks is most important in being a parent?
q We’ve discussed the idea of theme in literature, defining theme as a concept or idea the author is trying to express in a story. So for example, a theme in the opening chapter of To Kill a Mockingbird might deal with the nature of curiosity. The Radley family is interesting to Dill, Scout and Jem in part because they are mysterious. So it seems that is a theme in the chapter relating to the connection between mystery and curiosity. Identity a theme that has begun to emerge in Chapters 3-6. Write a 1-page response explaining.
q Finally, check the MCS English blog - mcsenglish.blogspot.com. I will post 3 messages about To Kill a Mockingbird over the next two weeks. Each post will ask a particular question, or for a comment about a quote from the book. Please respond to one of the posts (in the comment section). Your response should be at least a paragraph long.
q Due in triplets on Monday, 9/29

Writing
Your writing work needs to take place at the farm, so be sure to bring your writing notebook to the farm with you!
q Take two walks at the farm with your notebook and something to write with. It would be great for you to take these walks at different times of day. It’s amazing how much the farm changes from first thing in the morning to twilight. Find a place at the farm that interests you, a place full of details that stand out.
q For each walk, write a 1-2 page freewrite in your notebook. This is not something that needs to be polished. Focus on finding as many details as you can. Write about the larger, immediate details you observe, but focus on the smaller ones too. The more details you can cull the better. Be sure to move beyond the visual. What sounds and smells make this place unique? What does it feel like to sit there?
q After you’ve completed both of the freewrites, look back at what you’ve written. What images seem the strongest? What details from the natural world might serve as a symbol for something else?
q Next, write the first drafts a two poems inspired by the poetry of Robert Frost. The first will be an homage to his poem “October.” Since you will be at the farm in September, however, it should be about September. What are the main symbols in the “October” poem? What does October represent? How can you write your own poem using September to symbolize an idea or emotion?
q The second poem should also incorporate symbolism from the natural world, yet it needs to follow the same rhyme scheme and meter as Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” The actual rhymes don’t need to be the same, but the structure should be. Remember that the rhyme scheme of that poem was AABBCCDD and that each line except for the eighth and last had the same number of syllables. So for this poem, the subject, tone and theme are up to you, but you’re following Frost’s structure.
q Bring both poems to Writing/Grammar on Monday, 9/29.

Vocabulary
Review the words from Wordly Wise, Lesson 1. You need to be able to:
q Define each word clearly
q Identify and use all the words correctly in a sentence
q Spell each word
There will be a quiz on these words on Monday, 9/29!

Independent Reading
Your first independent reading assignment will be due on Monday, October 6th. By the end of the farm trips you should be more than halfway through an independent reading book. Your first book is a free choice, so pick any full-length book that appeals to you.