Latinx Writers Project
As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month over the next few weeks, it seems appropriate that we discover and learn about a few famous (& not-famous-enough) writers of Latin descent. This assignment will require group work in researching, reading, writing, and culminating with a class presentation. Vamos, ponganse las pilas! Let’s go!
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Research multiple writers in each box below, then choose one writer from each box that interests your group members:
Famous Latinx Writers
Isabel Allende Julia Alvarez
Jorge Luis Borges Alejo Carpentier
Sandra Cisneros Miguel de Cervantes
Paulo Coelho Carlos Fuentes
Gabriel García Márquez José Martí
Gabriela Mistral Pablo Neruda
Octavio Paz Mario Vargas Llosa
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Not-Famous-Enough Latinx Writers
Elizabeth Acevedo Reinaldo Arenas Richard Blanco Lorna Dee Cervantes
Junot Díaz Laura Esquivel
Eduardo Galeano Cristina García
Cristina Henríquez Daisy Hernandez
Cherríe Moraga Judith Ortiz Cofer
Esmeralda Santiago Juan Pablo Villalobos
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Your project will involve multiple tasks, so decide who is best to work on which part, but ultimately, you must all work together to complete a cohesive project. The tasks:
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Biographies – one or two paragraphs about each of the writers’ background & impact on Hispanic culture.
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Compare & Contrast – write one page detailing ways that the two writers share common ground & differ.
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Literary Analysis – present specific examples of their writing and analyze the literary elements employed.
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Presentation – use your poster or digital presentation to introduce your writers to the class in 3-5 minutes.
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Whole project is due on .
Road Trip Writing Project
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There will come a day, in the not to distant future, that you will be ready, and able, to travel beyond Hialeah, Wade County, and even past Orlando! You might be on your way to an out-of-state college, or visiting a friend across the country. You know what that means? ROAD TRIP! For this assignment, you will plan a road trip, mapping and budgeting your way across states, and seeking out points of interest along the way. You will document your experiences with short writings, and include pictures to make this trip a lasting memory in your life. Of course, road trips are best done with some trusted travelling companions, so yes, this could be a group project.
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Road Trip Rules:
Each traveler must travel between 500-1000 miles, & must leave FL.
Car can only travel 250-500 miles per day – trip must be at least 3 days.
Plan stops for fun / interest along each day’s route – at least 3 stops/places.
Calculate costs for gas, meals, activities, & sleep – max = $100/person/day.
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Caption This: Each day must be documented with short writings
(140-280 words) describing your adventures on the road.
This can be made up of multiple short tweets, postcards, or in a letter. Include at least 3 pictures with each day’s writing.
Map It: Plan & save your trip on either Google Maps or Roadtrippers.com Share your map to me at edvcruz@dadeschools.net
An epic road trip is highly dependent on the road-trippers involved. Each of you will have a vital role in planning this trip, but you should all share each of the responsibilities evenly. While the driver might decide where you go, a navigator might find the best route, including interesting stops. While one passenger might be writing the day’s events on social media or paper, the snack manager will need to figure out how much $ is left to buy food & get a hotel or campground for the night. A maximum of 4 people will fit comfortably in a car, so that’s the max for the group. If you prefer to travel with just one partner, or on your own, you won’t travel as far, but you will still have to complete all required tasks. Be sure to click on the diners and cafés, the landmarks and parks, and read the reviews and steal the pics as if you were there. You might not be there on this fictional trip, but try to get the feel of the American highways and people & places that make it unique.
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Presentation: Consider how you might present the story of your trip to the class. Just a Powerpoint (ugh)? Or a live map of your trip including pics and writings? Or a social media account & scrolling through your feed from the trip? Either case, be back in Hialeah by May to share your stories with the class.
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Be sure to include: 1) Writings for each day (+ 3 pictures) for each traveler. 2) Map of each day’s trip, with stops, miles, and driving time.
3) Budgeting – list the cost of meals, entertainment, gas, & lodging.
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Finally, you will also find some down time in the backseat when you might want to read a good book. Here are some suggestions… Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon, The New American Road Trip Mixtape by Brendan Leonard, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson, & of course, On the Road by Jack Kerouac.
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Project Assignments:
Social Issues Argumentative Writing
Over the next couple weeks, you will be researching, writing, or producing an editorial / argumentative piece on social issues for which you are passionate. Select readings from the following links to explore topics and writing examples that you might want to use, or select a topic close to your thoughts.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/ http://www.procon.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/teen/ www.isidewith.com/polls
Decide on your own topic of interest and narrow down that topic to a specific question or claim. Then, complete two of the following assignments:
* Write a 300-500 word argumentative essay
* Produce a 2 to 5 minute video
* Write an editorial letter to The Miami Herald/Laker
* Create a poster w/ images & paragraph
* Write a persuasive letter to a politician
* Deliver a 2-3 minute speech w/ visual aids
"...Goldfish...Wish?" Video Interview Project
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Your assignment is similar to Yoni's in the story by Etgar Keret. You will video record or transcribe & write at least one minute of interview footage with one or more people. Ask a question or series of questions that will reveal something poignant or meaningful, like Yoni says, "All that, combined with the three wishes, and maybe he'd end up with a poignant piece of social commentary, a testament to the massive rift between our dreams and the often compromised reality in which we live." Whether in one video take, in an edited production, or a written narrative with dialogue, you must turn in your interview by one of these means:
(1) Typed or hand-written on paper.
(2) Share it with me via OneDrive or USB
(3) Twitter or Instagram – post on social media & you must include #mrcengclass
Due date is Sept.
Be Your Own Shakespeare Project
Lights: This project will require quite a bit of research on your part before completion. You will need to seek out and learn more about one of Shakespeare’s plays. Study and discuss it together so that you understand the overall plot of the play and the roles of the main characters. Make sure you understand it well enough, because you are going to act it out ‘on stage.’ Use some of these resources to find out more about your selected play.
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Camera: Now that you’ve all learned the play well enough, you will need to make a summary of the main parts of the play. Write a one-page summary of your group’s play & turn it in for your first grade of this project. From that summary, write the dialogue that the characters involved will need to perform in order to tell the story of the play. The dialogue should use some of Shakespeare’s original lines and phrases, but may also include your own expression ‘in your own words.’ Keep the dialogue simple and to the point; the whole play should be a performance of about 5 – 10 minutes. The written dialogue of each characters’ parts will be another class grade.
Action: To make your ‘stage’ performance more entertaining, spend some time in creating costumes and props for the characters and background. Remember, Shakespeare’s stage at The Globe wasn’t too fancy, but it did have the necessary props to make the performance believable. Of course, your school uniform or Addidas doesn’t have the look of a Shakespearean character, so raid your abuelita’s closet and find whatever costumes you could wear to make your appearance as authentic as possible. (check out this site for costume tips = http://www.elizabethancostume.net/ ) The actual performance of your play could be done in class or recorded in advance. In either case, be sure to practice and rehearse often enough to make your performance spectacular.
Encore: A good play is always judged by the audience’s reaction. However, your play will also need to satisfy the harshest of critics… me! Your play will be evaluated on (1) the accuracy of its retelling of the original play; (2) the dialogue of the characters; (3) the individual performances of the actors; and (4) the overall group performance, including props and costumes. Therefore, you will receive a total of 4 (four) grades for the presentation of this project, as well as a couple of other grades along the way.
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Curtains: The first assignment your group will turn in is your re-written summary of the play. Summaries are due on . Next, you must convert the summary into the dialogue of your actors. The Dialogue Script is due on . Finally, the show date for Play Performances will be on . There are no make up dates and no excuses for not being ready on these dates! Remember, no matter what happens… the show must go on!
Roll Call: Obviously, you will need more than one actor to perform your play. Therefore, this is a group project. Your group can be of 3 or 4 persons. Choose your own partners & make sure that everyone works at learning their parts & presenting well. Everyone must act to earn credit!
Your Tale to Tell: The following titles are the list of Shakespeare’s plays that you may choose to present. When your group decides which play you want to study and present, let me know. Each play will be assigned on a first-come basis; no two groups in one period may present the same play. Turn in a paper with your group members’ names and the title you desire.
Antony & Cleopatra – Love & war between Rome & Egypt.
Hamlet - Hamlet seeks revenge for his father’s, the King of Denmark’s, death.
Julius Caesar - Romans assassinate J.C. then fight & die for power.
King Lear - Conflict between the King of Britain & his three daughters.
Midsummer Night’s Dream – Lovers & fairies intermingle in the Athenian woods.
Merchant of Venice – Lover borrows $$$ against his own flesh for his love.
Much Ado About Nothing – Two couples gossip on their course to marriage.
Othello – Jealousy in love & power results in vengeful plot against Othello.
Twelfth Night - Cross-dressers & twins confused in love on Orsino's island after shipwreck.
The Tempest – Magician rules island with daughter & messes with others.
Two Gentlemen of Verona – Friends are rivals for a woman’s love in Italy.
“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts…”
As You Like It - Act 2, Scene VII