Final Exam Project
English 4A – Spring 2014
Ms. Brodsky
The final project, in its completed, finished, polished form MUST BE submitted to me no
later than June 12, 2014.
“Graduation” by Maya Angelou
I.
For the first part of your project, you are to read the essay
“Graduation” by Maya Angelou and respond to five guided
reading questions. Then, follow the directions to complete the
supplementary activities, in connection with the essay.
Part A - Reader Response & Analysis
1.
Angelou separates the essay into two sections. The first is a relatively brief
five paragraphs. How does it serve as an introduction?
2.
Cite five examples of figurative language in the essay. How do they serve the
speaker’s purpose?
3.
Cite three examples of hyperbole in “Graduation”. How does their presence
affect the essay?
4.
How does Angelou use emotion to affect the reader? Cite three examples.
5.
How do the achievements for which the graduation speaker praises recent
graduates from the narrator’s school differ from the narrator’s hopes for
herself and her classmates? Explain.
Part B – Making Connections
1.
2.
3.
4.
Write one page (minimum) – Write about your own graduation from high
school. From what else are you graduating? What does this day mean to you
in terms of your future and educational endeavors?
Find three poems - Select three poems by three different authors that connect
thematically to this essay, as well as to the concept of graduation (this has
many levels of meaning in itself).
Write one page (minimum) Explain why you chose the poems and explain the
connection you see between the texts.
What was the most influential lesson or teacher throughout all of your years of
schooling? How did that lesson or teacher shape you today? One page
minimum
The Philosophical “Me”
II.
A.
Now that you have almost completed this phase of your education, please
write your own philosophy of “learning”. This philosophy of learning must
be two pages minimum. What does this philosophy entail?
Some suggestions for where to begin/what to include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
B.
Why do we learn?
How do you define learning?
How has your educational experience benefitted you or harmed you in any
way?
Do you think we as humans benefit from standardized education?
How do you learn?
What is the point of school/education?
Do you believe in higher education (college) or are you not pursuing that?
Why does society place such emphasis on academic achievement and
would you change that? Why /Why not?
Consider the philosophical ideas, themes, and subject matter we have read
and discussed this year - for instance(but not limited to), Existentialism (The
Stranger), Feminism and Gender Issues (Streetcar), Politics and Human
Rights (1984). With which one do you connect or identify with the most?
Why do you identify with it OR why do you reject it?
C.
Select an author or character from the works we have read this year. How
does he/she represent or connect to your philosophical, emotional, or spiritual point
of view/perspective?
Why does this text represent that epiphany or that “A-HA!”
moment?
III.
The “Other” Me
A. Write a letter to anyone from the last twelve years of schooling. This does not have
to be a teacher. You may select anyone, and they do not have to be alive. Write to
them and reflect on your feelings about graduating high school. How do they fit into
this picture? Do you need to thank them, yell at them, or apologize? Take a moment
to decide how this person has shaped you as you embark on this new phase of your
journey in life.
B. Letter to you from someone who loves you
For this section, invite someone who loves you – a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle,
cousin, teacher, friend – to write a letter to you for the last part of this project. We
often communicate better by writing those feelings that are hardly ever verbalized to
our loved ones and closest friends.
IV. Explanation: For each of the following ideas, develop the statement into a
paragraph that includes a strong topic sentence, six-eight sentences of
development and a concluding idea.
A. Explain: “The farther you reach, the farther you go.”
B. Explain: “The problem with doing nothing is that you never know when you are
done.”
C. Explain: “Some say it’s holding on that makes you strong; others say it is letting
go.”
D. Explain: Of all of the characters you encountered throughout your high school
curriculum, select your favorite and write a conversation between yourself and him/her.
V.
Conclusion:
The whole project must have a conclusion that is at least 1 full page long. Who
are you now? How do you know? What conclusions can you draw about your
life right now? How have you created your identity? Will this change in the
future? Are you looking forward to being able to carve out a new you when
you go to college and meet new people or does the idea of change make you
feel a little nervous? How will you plan for your future success and what will
it take to make your dreams your reality? Come to a realization or conclusion
about your life and ideas at this moment, before you embark on the journeys
ahead of you.
The whole project / portfolio must be bound securely, but the design is up to you.
You can build the project / portfolio into a scrapbook, into a notebook or come up
with some other method of presentation that’s creative. It’s up to you! This is a
project that you’ll want to keep for a long time and if you don’t, your parents will.
Be proud of who you are and how that’s represented on paper. Take some time and
make it look good!
THIS PROJECT IN ITS FINAL FORM IS DUE TO ME NO LATER THAN JUNE
12, 2014.
Grading Rubric
Final Project & Essay
English 4A
Part I
“Graduation”
Part A __________________________________/20
Part B___________________________________/20
Part II The Philosophical Me ____________________ /25
Part III The “Other” Me _________________________ /10
Part IV Explanation______________________________/15
Part V Conclusion _______________________________/10
Project
Total Points= __________/100 (multiply by .75) = ____________
This I Believe – In Class Essay
Total Points= _______________/100 (multiply by .25) = __________
Final Exam Score =_______________________