Welcome to Freshman English
Honors!
We look forward
to an exciting, challenging, and rewarding year of education. We have high expectations
of you as a student.
First,
please select and read one of the novels from the approved list. The list of novels will be given to you by your 8th grade teachers shortly.
Once
completed, please respond to the following writing prompt in a typed open-ended response of one to three paragraphs. Be certain to proofread and utilize MLA formatting.
Consider the following
themes and choose one that relates to the novel you chose to read:
These six qualities
are viewed by many as being the key to being an ethical and good person. Select and explain one of those qualities that you
believe is epitomized by a character in your novel:
·
Use specific examples as proof.
·
Be certain to consider how this
quality affects the character in the novel through his/her dealings with other characters and in his/her decision making processes.
·
You may refer to the Jefferson Township High School website for a description
of the themes.
Second, read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
Answer the following in a well-developed essay. Your essay should contain an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Be sure to give examples from the story that support your statements:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn has been described as a Coming of Age Story. This means the novel traces the development of the young protagonist. Choose one lesson that Francie learns, and trace her education socially or emotionally on that issue throughout
the novel. Use examples from the story that explain how Francie has learned an
important lesson in life.
Your paper must adhere
closely to the rules of an essay and Modern Language Association (MLA) rules. See
below links for MLA rules and example setup. Your responses will be graded using
the holistic scoring rubric. This
is due on the first day of school, September 2, 2009; no late assignments will be accepted.
Helpful links:
Shows how to set up your paper in MLA formatting:
http://www.jefftwp.org/HighSchool/PDF%20files/ResearchGuide.pdf
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html
http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml
Mrs. Vandigriff’s website http://mrs.vandigriff.tripod.com/
Mrs. Cimaglia’s website http://www.freewebs.com/mrscimaglia/
Betty Smith Biography and Background information
on novel http://web.njit.edu/~cjohnson/tree/index.html
Some of the vocabulary defined for
you! J http://quizlet.com/set/21714/
Formatting Your
Paper in MLA Style
Margins: 1 inch (top, bottom, sides)
Spacing: double space
Font: size 12, Times New Roman
Ink: black
Paper: standard white only
Heading: sample is provided
below
Student Name Your Name
Teacher Name
Mrs. Vandigriff or Mrs. Cimaglia
Name of course
English 9 Honors
Date
2 September 2009
Centered Title
Begin typing your paper here. Use a five space indent for each paragraph. The days of cover
sheets and binders are over! You will simply put one staple in the upper left
hand corner of the paper when you hand it in.
Make
sure your paper is completely double-spaced. Points will be deducted for wide
margins, improper font size (this entire handout is in font size 12, Times New Roman), and incorrect headings. Please notice that the title is not bolded, italicized, nor is it underlined or in
font size 50. If you use sources, you must include a works cited page.