English II - The Chocolate War Questions #1

Hey guys!

Today we will be beginning a novel study for the novel The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. Here are your questions for the first third of the book. Your responses to each question should be three to four sentences, minimum, and should include a quote from the book wherever possible to justify your response. Your responses should be posted as comments on this post prior to the class of the due date on which they are assigned; you may also submit responses in handwritten or typed form.

Good Luck!

PRE-READING QUESTIONS

1. Read a biography of Robert Cormier. Write a summary of no less than 100 words describing him and the things you learned
about him from his biography.

(http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Library/Archives/WAuthors/cormier/bio.html is a good place to start.)

2. Read the short story "The Bully" here: http://www.thecockatoo.com/bully.html
Write a 100-word response to the story in which you consider the story and bullying in general.

READING QUESTIONS

1. What affect did the first sentence have on you? Why did the author use it? (ask this question again after reading the whole book)

2. Do you feel you have to stay on the good side of anyone in your life? Why?

3. What would you do/how would you feel if you found out someone was keeping private information about you? (like Obie’s notebook)

4. Why is the man at the bus stop contemptuous of Jerry? What does he mean when he tells him he’s “missing a lot in the world?”

5. Who is Brother Leon? Describe him.

6. Who are the Vigils? Why does everyone in the school ignore the Vigils?

7. Why does Goober have to comply with the assignment? What would you do?

8. What kind of a teacher is Brother Leon? Have you ever seen a teacher pick on a student? Have you ever been picked on by a teacher? What did the rest of the class do?

9. Do you know anyone with any of Emile’s characteristics? What are they?

10. Why do they choose to pick on Brother Eugene?

11. Jerry feels like he can’t talk to his father. How could he remedy the situation? Do you ever feel that way? How could you remedy the situation?

12. What have you had to sell for school fundraisers? Have you felt any pressure to sell? What drives the pressure to sell in this novel?

13. Describe the coach in chapter 12. What does his behavior suggest about his views toward the students at Trinity?

English II - The Chocolate War Questions #2

Hey guys!

Here are your questions for the second third of the book that you have chosen. Your responses to each question should be three to four sentences, minimum, and should include a quote from the book wherever possible to justify your response. Your responses should be posted as comments on this post prior to the class of the due date on which they are assigned; you may also submit responses in handwritten or typed form.

Good Luck!

PRE/POST READING QUESTIONS

1. Jerry has a poster in his locker that reads, "Do I dare disturb the universe?". Describe the universe that Jerry lives in and compare it to your own in a 100-word response.

2. Using the following vocabulary guide drawn directly from the novel, list 25 words and their definitions.

http://www.vocabulary.com/VUctchocolatewars.html

3. Jerry decides not to sell the chocolates, starting the war that is mentioned in the book's title. Describe Jerry's decision and why he chose not to sell them in a 100-word response.

READING QUESTIONS PART 2:

1. Describe the protagonist of the novel. (read what that is here:http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/glossary/g/protagonist.htm)

2. Describe the Goober.

3. Paul and “Tubs” have humiliating experiences selling chocolates. Describe them.

4. What are the conflicts in the story? Describe the major conflict in detail.

5. Why does Archie tell Brother Jacques about the trigger word?

6. Why does Jerry continue to refuse to sell the chocolates after the assignment is over?

7. Jerry feels sick every morning because he has to face Leon. How are physical and mental stress connected, and have you ever experienced them relating to each other?

8. Should the teachers do something about the Vigils? If they were in your school, would you want them to?

9. How do the other students in the school feel about the Vigils? Describe their reactions.

10. Describe the antagonist of the novel. (http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/glossary/g/antagonist.htm)

English II - The Chocolate War Questions #3

Hey guys!

Here are your questions for the final third of the book that you have chosen. Your responses to each question should be three to four sentences, minimum, and should include a quote from the book wherever possible to justify your response. Your responses should be posted as comments on this post prior to the class of the due date on which they are assigned; you may also submit responses in handwritten or typed form.

Good Luck!

Mr. Parsons
English II Honors

READING QUESTIONS

1. Who or what gives the Vigils such power?

2. Do you think Jerry should begin selling the chocolates? Why?

3. Is the quote “All schools [have] animals” true? Explain your response.

4. Should Jerry tell his dad what’s going on?

5. What’s the difference between a spirit of brotherhood and what the boys of Trinity have?

6. Did Jerry have to go to the field for the fight? What would you have done in Jerry’s situation?

7. Has Jerry really given up?

8. What does the novel suggest about disturbing the universe? Does this story leave us with any hope at all?

POST-READING QUESTIONS

1. Write a 150-word response in which you consider your final thoughts on the novel. Include your analysis of the ending - those reading the posts should have read the ending themselves and come to their own conclusions.

The Best Place in the World

Hey guys!

We have spent the last couple of weeks perfecting our open response writing, and I am sure you could use a break between now and when we start our novel unit on The Chocolate War next Monday. I definitely wanted to do something fun with you guys to give you a bit of a release, something that incorporated the fantastic technology we have in our classroom, something that made you think and utilized some of the skills we have acquired throughout our year in the English classroom.

So here it is.

THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD

We recently read the open response prompt "If I Were 17 Again..." by Jesse Stuart in which he discussed the things he appreciated about his home in Greenup County and Kentucky. The prompt reminded me that there are many things in this area that we take for granted, many beautiful and wondrous and amazing things, people, events, and places that make it a great place to live.

Two weeks ago, I got an email from a friend who is/was applying for the "Best Job in the World". You may have heard of the marketing event - a popular tourist island in Australia is offering a dream job as part of their way to entice travelers to the resort. You can see the website here - http://www.islandreefjob.com/ People were asked to submit three-minute videos in which they talked about why they are perfect for the job, which includes tourism work and being right on a beautiful resort island.

I thought about that and the Jesse Stuart narrative, and I thought that it would an excellent prompt for a multimedia project to break up the time before we go back to our next novel unit.

THE ASSIGNMENT

In pairs, you will be responsible for making three-minute videos that advertise Greenup County as a great place to live. You will focus on all that is great about the county; the people, the scenery, the events, the culture, and anything else that you think makes this a desirable place to live. Remember the Stuart narrative and the persuasive techniques you have learned in class - you are marketing Greenup County to the world.

You will be using iMovie and the iMacs for the assignment. You will only have one week of class time to complete the assignment, from writing to editing, and you will need to do some homework for this assignment to be a success.

Your assignment will be worth 200 points, and will be graded using the rubric given out in class on Tuesday, March 10.

English II - Time Machine Short Story Activity

Hey guys!

Since I am not at school today, I thought I would leave you some fun activities to do while I am gone.

1. Go to the following website and play some of the grammar games they have there:

http://www.english-online.org.uk/games/gamezone2.htm

2. Read this classic short story by H.G. Wells, "The Time Machine".

http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/timemach.html

3. Write a 150-word minimum response in which you discuss your thoughts on the story.

Have a great day!
Mr. Parsons

English II - Night Final Study Questions

The Night final that will begin on Monday, Jan. 19, and conclude Tuesday, Jan. 20, will be the same format as the Caesar final - five essay topics to study, with the final being your choice of two of the three that I have selected (revealed to you on Monday).

A few reminders before I get to the essay topics:

- I am still looking at your formatting!!!! Go to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/ if you have any questions about my requirements for formatting. THIS WILL BE PART OF YOUR GRADE.

- More quotes!!!! Justify everything that you are saying in your essay with quotes. NO EXCEPTIONS.

- Use the original text for the quote. Use the original text for the quote. Use the original text for the quote.

____________________________________

Now, for the essay questions:

1. The events of Night change the relationship between the narrator, Eliezer, and his father. How does the relationship change in the novel (cite specific examples)?

2. Eliezer goes through a serious of traumatic events. What effect does this have on him, both mentally and physically?

3. Discuss the various images and thoughts associated with the concept of "Night" in the novel. Why did Wiesel chose this for the title of his book?

4. How are the stories of Eliezer and Akiba Drumer similar? How are they different?

5. The Kaddish, the traditional prayer of mourning, does not mention the dead and instead praises God. In Night, what did it mean that living people recited it for themselves and why did this anger Eliezer?