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Characters and Actors
Curt
Steve
John
Bob
Laurie
Terry
Blonde in T-Bird
Wolfman Jack
Richard Dreyfuss
Ron Howard
Paul Le Mat
Harrison Ford
Cindy Williams
Charles Martin Smith
Suzanne Somers
Wolfman Jack
Debbie Candy Clark
Carol (Judy’s little sister) Mackenzie Phillips
Setting: Modesto, California, 1962
Plot Sketch: “Two boys [Curt and Steve] are scheduled to leave for college in the morning. Each has his own doubts. They spend a final evening cruising the strip and have every adventure possible before dawn when they will each have to decide what they will do.” –International Movie Database
The Project: We will be watching American Graffiti during the first few days of class. In that time, I will ask you to type out three journal entries that draw on the themes of the film, themes we will also encounter in American Literature over the coming year. After you have finished your journal entries
(they will be short stories about your life), I will ask you to develop one of the journals into a personal narrative. That narrative will be your first conferenced essay. The developed personal narrative will be due—for a peer review--on Wednesday, August 26.
 Please use the MLA heading + header + title, double spacing, 12-point Times or Times New
Roman, etc. (Your format should follow the format at the top of this sheet.)
 Add a creative title
 Put the number on the journal. Thanks.
 Write in first-person. These journals will tell stories about your life. You are the protagonist.
 Make sure your stories have a beginning, middle, and end.
 Make sure you are communicating new information about yourself. Please do not recycle stories you have written in previous years. ‘Keep it fresh!
 Make sure you have a point to your journal. Underline your THESIS.
 Please remember that we will be sharing these stories. Pick compelling stories, but be sure that they are ones you do not mind non-best-friends hearing.
 Journals should be about 1 1/4- 1 1/2 pages long. 2 pages max, please.
The Prompts:
Journal #1—Due at the beginning of class on Friday, August 14, 2015.
 Tell a story about a travel experience you had, one that was fulfilling and illuminating OR tell about a journey that was a failure (though you may have learned something from the journey).
 Tell a story about the natural world (setting is an important element of life—the beauties of the
California coast offer the backdrop to American Graffiti). Describe the significance of an unusual chunk of the natural world to your story. Describe the locale but do not forget the narrative.

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 Tell a story about pride, a time you felt proud of yourself OR a time you embarrassed yourself. OVER
Journal #2—Due at the beginning of class on Monday, August 17, 2015.
 Tell a story about gender, for example, a story about gender roles (Debbie says, “Boys pay.”),
OR about a crush you had, OR about dating, OR about breaking up.
 Tell a story about getting an education, formal or informal. (Most of our lives are spent
 outside of the classroom.)
Tell a story that evokes nostalgia, a story about a time or place you yearn for.
Journal #3—Due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, August 18, 2015.
 Tell a story about authority, external (a law or rule) OR internal (your own ethical code).
Tell about a time you broke a code of behavior OR about a time you consciously or unconsciously followed a code of behavior.
 Tell a story about music and/or dance. Are you musical? Do you like to dance? Tell about a time you succeeded--OR did not--at one of these activities.
 Tell a coming-of-age story. Tell about a time you felt you made progress toward adulthood
OR about a time you felt you slid backwards towards childhood.
The Personal Narrative—Due at the beginning of class on Monday, August 24, 2015. Length: 2-4 pages, max.
 Please use American Graffiti as a frame for your personal story.
 MLA Style: heading, header, creative title, double spacing, 12 point, Times or Times New
Roman, etc.
 Works Cited on a separate page.
 Staple your three journal entries to the back of your peer review draft.
Creative Title
Introduction:
Hook
A summary of American Graffiti, crafted so that it leads into the story you will tell about yourself.
Thesis—An Opinion!
Body:
The central personal narrative, i.e., your revised and expanded journal entry. This narrative must have a beginning, middle, and end.
Conclusion:
 Re-state your thesis in different words.
 Write at least three sentences.
 Make reference to American Graffiti AND make reference to some specific aspect of your opening summary (to bring your paper full circle). One way to tighten the link between intro and conclusion is to repeat a memorable word from the introduction. Another way to tighten the link is to rephrase and repeat an idea from the introduction.
 Exit by making a connection to the larger world, to the realm of American film, to the realm of American literature, or to 2015, etc.
 You might consider closing with a quote from the film to tie your paper together. This quote must be incorporated in such a way that it can make sense and stand alone to end your essay. (For this option, you will need a citation and a Works Cited page.)
 Alternatively, especially if your conclusion talks about American literature, you might want to quote a relevant passage from one of the authors listed on the course overview. (For this option, you will need to add a citation to your Works Cited page.)

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August 12-14, 2015
Wednesday: Introduce American Literature + American Graffiti sequence
Thursday: Begin viewing American Graffiti—Participation Points! American Graffiti runs for 113 minutes, about 3 days of class.
Homework: Journal #1
Friday:
American Graffiti
Due: Journal #1—Don’t forget your title. Please underline the thesis.
Homework: Journal #2
August 17-21, 2105
Monday:
Due: Journal #2—Don’t forget your title. Please underline the thesis.
Finish American Graffiti
Homework: Journal #3
Tuesday:
Due: Journal #3—Don’t forget your title. Please underline the thesis.
Take review “quiz”: Get the characters straight. Review the epilogue.
What big questions would you like to discuss in relation to Graffiti?
Review the essay assignment.
Homework:
 Choose which of your journal narratives you will revise for your personal narrative.
 Begin to narrow your response to Graffiti. In other words, which character(s), theme(s), etc., will you focus on.
 WRITE OUT a preliminary thesis—an opinion! Have that sentence ready to show me at the beginning of class.
Wednesday: Go to Writing Lab—Begin writing introduction to paper!!!!!
Homework: Finish your introduction. Remember to use proper MLA format. (See page one of this handout.)
Thursday:
Review titles, hooks, thesis statements.
Homework: Begin putting your Graffiti essay together. It is due on Monday, August 24, 2015—FOR
A PEER REVIEW.
Friday: TO LIBRARY—IRA BOOKS
Homework: Finish your Graffiti essay. It is due on Monday, August 24, 2015—at the beginning of the period. We will have a peer review on that Monday.
August 24-28, 2015
Monday: DUE for a PEER REVIEW—Graffiti Essays