We have finished testing over The Great Gatsby. We have been begun the state Smarter Balance test. It will take place over two or three class periods. There are two parts. The A Day classes will not test on Friday, April 28. They will resume on Tuesday.

On Friday for the A day classes, we will introduce the choice reading assignment and the characters from our new play, "Raisin in the Sun." Yea for character tea parties.

The handout for the choice reading is copied here. Some classes may not get it in class until the following week. But now you can get a head start.

American Lit. Choice Book—50 points+ 50 points Student name __________ period ___
Requirements:

1. Read at least one book written by an American author listed on the back of this sheet.
2. You may need more than one book. Maybe a second book by the same author? See pages= grades chart lower in this blog.
3. It cannot be a book that you have read previously, or been assigned to have read before.
4. Have at least one classmate as a partner who is reading the same book.
5. Pick a book that potentially answers one of these questions:
• How is this a book about the American Dream?
• How is this a book about what it means to be an American?
• How does this book fit into the traditions of American Literature?
• How does this book compare in terms of characters, conflicts, or ideas to another book from this year?
6. Complete reading of your book by______________________.
Choice Reading project ideas
It is expected that you will be able to pass a test on any book you read. These would just be general comprehension questions
The grades for choice reading will be based on the number of pages + effort put on your project. Sample ideas:
Letter to the author- Teacher needs to see this before it is sent.
Acting out a scene- This could incorporate more than one person’s project, or on video
Artwork- Include some writing to explain or explore the artwork.
Movie trailer- design and act out in class, or film. Maybe upload to youtube.
Poster- This should not be just a bunch of pictures. Arrange and explain the reason for the arrangement in a paragraph or two.
True color essay- Pick three colors and three shapes to explain the character. Write a paper explaining each choice.
Contrast the movie, if there is one, with the book in essay format.
Write a poem, or a series of poems, dealing with the focus of the book.
Due date juniors: Thursday or Friday, June 9 or 10.
You a senior? Due date Wednesday or Thursday, June 1 or 2

+450 pages = possible 45-50 +350 pages = possible 40-45
+250 pages = possible 35-40 +150 pages = possible 30-35



FICTION TITLES AUTHOR plus Pages
1. Flight Alexie (200)
2. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven Alexie (235)
3. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents Alvarez (336)
4. Fahrenheit 451 Bradbury (175)
5. Tortilla Curtain Boyle (355)
6. A Yellow Raft in Blue Water Dorris (375)
7. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky Durrow (272)
8. All The Pretty Horses McCarthy (300)
9. A Lesson Before Dying*** Gaines (256)
10. Snow Falling on Cedars Guterson (460)
11. Their Eyes Were Watching God*** Hurston (200)
12. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest*** Kesey (320)
13. The Secret Life of Bees*** Kidd (300)
14. Shoeless Joe*** Kinsella (265)
15. A River Runs Through It plus other stories Maclean (100 or 215)
16. Locas Murray (250)
17. 1984 Orwell (250)
18. Fight Club Palahnuik (210)
19. The Catcher in the Rye*** Salinger (250)
20. The Laughing Sutra Salzman (272)
21. The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck (464)
22. The Joy Luck Club*** Tan (410)
23. Pudd’nhead Wilson Twain (340)
24. Into the Beautiful North Urrea (340)
25. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater Vonnegut (220)
26. The Color Purple*** Walker (260)
27. Native Son Wright (544)

DRAMA TITLES AUTHOR’S LAST NAME
28. You Can’t Take It With You Hart and Kaufman ( 72)
29. Death of a Salesman Miller (135)
30. Clybourne Park Norris ( 88)

NONFICTION TITLES AUTHOR’S LAST NAME
31. Into the Wild Krakauer (225)
32. Nickeled and Dimed Ehrenreich (225)
33. Fast Food Nation Schlosser (384)
34. Sacco and Vanzetti: The Men, the Murders... Watson (448)
35. The Devil’s Highway Urrea (272)
BIOGRAPHY/ MEMOIR TITLES AUTHOR’S LAST NAME
36. Farewell to Manzanar Houston (175)
37. A Girl Named Zippy Kimmel (275)
38. ‘Tis McCourt (600)
39. The Other Wes Moore Moore (250)
40. Wise Guys Pileggi (400)
41. Lost in Place*** Salzman (225)
42. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Skloot (381)
43. This Boy’s Life*** Wolff (300)