Color of Water Take-Home Test

“I’m dead.” This startling sentence begins the book The Color of Water. Death plays many roles in this book. Describe three different “kinds” of death, literal and metaphorical, in The Color of Water. Explain your reasoning. What is the significance of each kind of death? How does it connect to larger themes in the book? Provide a specific example and a quote for each kind of death you highlight.

The essay should be no longer (or shorter) than 5 paragraphs—introduction, 3 body paragraphs and conclusion—typed (12-point font) and double-spaced.

This paper must be submitted electronically. Please email it to me (and make sure you spell my email address correctly) at tgrattan@manhattancountryschool.org.

8th Grade Due Date: Friday, March 27th (by midnight)
7th Grade Due Date: Thursday, April 2nd (by midnight)

"Color of Water" Final Blog

Toward the end of the book, we learn more about James' early adulthood. Why do you think he quits so many of the jobs he had after graduate school? What other symbols, themes and characters does his perpetual quitting connect to?

7th Grade Farm Week (8th Grade Should Read This Too!)

A reminder that your Power of the Moon Essay (draft 1) is due before the 7th grade leaves for the farm.

Please complete the following by Monday, 3/23:

- Finish The Color of Water
- Answer Blog Post
- Be ready for a quiz
- 7th Grade, Wordly Wise 8

Homework for Week of 3/9

MONDAY, 3/9
- "Color of Water" Chapters 15-17 and blog

TUESDAY, 3/10
- Power of the Moon Outline
- 7th GRADE: Hobbies and Passions Rewrite

WEDNESDAY, 3/11
- 8th GRADE: Wordly Wise 8

THURSDAY, 3/12
- "Color of Water" 18-19
- 7th GRADE: Lesson Learned Chapter

MONDAY, 3/16
- Power of the Moon Essay, Draft 1

"Color of Water" Chapters 15-17

How and why do Ruth and James begin to "recover" from the emotional turmoil and extreme changes they experienced in the previous several chapters? What keeps them going? Who/what do they rely upon? What slowly "turns them around"?

"Color of Water" Chapters 11-14

In these chapters, we see James fall from grace. What do you think prompts him to change?

Revised Homework, Week of 3/3

Wednesday, 3/4
- Wordly Wise Quiz (both 7th and 8th Grade)
- Independent Reading Essay Due

Thursday, 3/5
- Color of Water, Chs 11-14 and blog post
- Power of the Moon Sheet

Friday, 3/6
- Revised Heracles Essay
- 7th Grade - A Day in the Life Chapter