How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay: Logical Structure

Independent Reading (SSR) Project

From Book to Screen

To encourage the reading of books from beginning to end, and not just skipping around and putting in your time, we are going to do an SSR project. This will be an ongoing project that can be submitted any time up to January 7th, but will not be accepted after that date. Reading time will be provided in class, but not work time on this project as some will finish in a week and others will drag it out until the final day.

From The Wizard of OZ to The Hunger Games and many books in between, books have often provided the fodder for screenplays. The list is substantial: The Notebook, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, The Godfather, Snow White, Les Miserables (various movies), and many many more.

Your task is to take a book that has not been made into a movie and plan a screenplay based upon that book. You do NOT need to write the actual screenplay, but you will need to plan it taking the following into consideration:

• Characters: Also consider which characters would be eliminated, featured, or combined?
• Actors: Who would play the different characters? How would you want them to play those characters?
• Story: How would the story be adapted? What portions of the story would be left out or expanded or changed?
• Location(s): Where would this book be filmed?
• Director: Who would direct the movie?

For all of these elements, you MUST to provide your rationale (the reasons that explain your thinking and choices) for your decisions.

Additionally, you MUST include some visual elements in your screenplay plan. Some ideas include headshots, location drawings or photographs, and scene storyboards.

This assignment will be graded using the following criteria:

• Completion -- Are all elements of the project accounted for? 40%
• Quality -- How well-thought-out are the decisions and how well developed are the explanations/rationales? 50%
• Professional appearance 10%

DUE: Anytime up to and including January 7, 2014. No projects will be accepted after January 7th.

Cultural Eye Poster

Here are the requirements for the Cultural Eye Poster assignment.

Letter to Mr. Giddings

Write a letter to Mr. Giddings (C'est moi!) containing to following elements:

• At least one interesting thing about you
• Your expectations for the class, i.e. what are the areas in which you want/need to learn more
• Your goals for this year in the areas of reading, writing, and speaking
• Anything else I should know that you think might help me teach you more effectively this year (Yes, I do realize that I am the teacher, but no one knows you and your individual situation like you do. For instance, if you can barely read but you're smart and can fake it, I could probably help you more if I knew that in September, rather than figuring it out in December or even May depending on how good you are at hiding it. It could also be something like you've never finished a novel or you have ADD or, or, or.)

Due Wednesday September 3rd.