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EMMANUEL CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL
A. KINGMA
ENG4U
Sep-Dec 2013
________________________________________________________
SUBJECT: ENG4U INDEPENDENT STUDY UNIT
______________________________________________________
Objectives:
By completing this Independent Study, the student will have
1. chosen and read a literary novel
2. written a personal review of the novel (in-class assignment)
3. orally shared his/her work on this novel to a peer assessment group
4. found research material in libraries or on-line, assessing them for quality
5. developed a thesis and an outline related to the literary novel
4. created a plan and monitored performance
5. improved research, library, analytical reading and writing skills
TASK DESCRIPTION
Grade 12 University Level students, to prepare themselves for writing research papers in
university for many of their courses without any guidance, especially in the humanities, are
required write a research essay in this course. Students need to select and read a novel
independently. They are then required to research on-line and in libraries to find articles that
deal with the novel they have chosen. Once the reading and the research is done, the students
then need to plan, structure, and write a research essay which argues a certain perspective or
opinion on the novel, using details from the novel and from the articles or other sources.
SELECTION of the novel
The novel to select should not be a “most recent” or a “best seller” novel, but one of literary
quality which has been studied, reviewed and analyzed by other writers. Older novels (from the
19th and 20th centuries) will generally have more written about them. Literary Classics, English
Literature, Canadian Literature and other subject titles can be used to locate a good quality novel.
Students may also wish to research the web for novels taught in other high schools or in
university classes.
STRUCTURE of the ISU
Students are responsible to structure their ISU tasks throughout the year. I will not provide any
specific deadlines for the students except two: one class in which you write a novel review and
the deadline for submitting the research paper. I will provide, however, various “in-progress”
requirements for this ISU. Students are asked to schedule their work, to submit the schedule, and
to follow it as closely as possible.
IN-PROGRESS requirements for the ISU
1. Submit a MEMO (need an official memo-handout will be provided) indicating what novel
you have decided to study, why you have chosen the book, and what you know about it thus far.
2. A written work schedule in which you provide yourself with deadlines.
3. Write an in-class review of your novel on Oct 31.
4. Maintain in the Student Work Folder an annotated bibliography at school which I can access
at any time.
5. Interview and evaluate peers (to point out weaknesses so that they can improve their work
before it is evaluated)
6. An official outline which needs approval by the instructor before you can write.
7. A rough draft (min of three days before publishable copy)
8. A final publishable copy due
EVALUATION and weighting of mark
Memo
Your WORK-SCHEDULE
Annotated bibliography
In-class review of novel
Outline (perfect format)
Rough Draft
Major paper (incl. title page, outline,
essay with in-text citations, works cited)
Total
10
5%
20
10%
20
10%
20
10%
20
10%
30
15%
80
40%
____ _____
200
100
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A List of AUTHORS AND THEIR WORKS
Geoffery Chaucer The Cantebury Tales
Emily Bronte Wuthering Heights
Joseph Conrad The Heart of Darkness
Pearl Buck The Good Earth
John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress
Morley Callaghan More Joy in Heaven
Charles Dickens Hard Times, Great Expectations, or Oliver Twist
Fyodor Dostoevsky Crime and Punishment
George Eliot Silas Marner (closed old man)
Shusaki Endo Silence (1966) or
The Samurai (1980)
Graham Green The Heart of the Matter or The Power and the Glory
Thomas Hardy The Major of Casterbridge, or Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Nathaniel Hawthorne The Scarlet Letter (Puritan, early Boston)
Aldous Huxley Brave New World (sci-fi)
Jan Karon, At Home in Mitford (1994)
(joys/frustrations of a pastor in smalltown America – little research info)
Margaret Laurence The Stone Angel (1964)
Margaret Atwood The Handmaid’s Tale
W.P. Kinsella Shoeless Joe (1982)
Stephen Leacock Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town (Small town America)
C.S. Lewis Out of the Silent Planet, Till They Have Faces
Hugh MacLennan Barometer Rising (Halifax Explosion)
Thomas More Utopia (social critique- not a novel)
James A. Michener The Covenant (slavery, long, but good!)
Susannah Moodie Roughing It in the Bush
George Orwell Nineteen Eighty Four (futuristic-sci-fi novel; published in 1948)
Chaim Potok The Chosen (young Jews dealing with Jewish faith/community)
A Book of Lights (Jews struggling with past/identity)
Erich Remarque All Quiet on the Western Front (war)
Sinclair Ross As For Me and My House (husband-wife relationship sours)
Gabrielle Roy The Tin Flute or Where Nests the Waterhen (early Manitoba)
John Steinbeck The Grapes of Wrath (American Depression Years) or Of Mice and Men
Harriet Beecher Stowe Uncle Tom’s Cabin (about slavery)
Jonathan Swift Gulliver’s Travels (political satire)
Katheryn Stockett The Help (2009)
Khaled Hosseini Kite Runner (2003)
A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007)
Timothy Findley The Wars (1977)
Stephen Crane A Red Badge of Courage
Yan Martel Life of Pi (2002)
Carol Ann Shields The Stone Diaries (1993)
W.P. Kinsella Shoeless Joe (1982)
Marilyn Robinson Gilead (2004) (small town American pastor)
Ann Rand Anthem (1994) (individualism or anti-socialism)
Yoko Ogawa The Housekeeper and the Professor (2003) (memory loss)
_________________________________
If you desire to study a novel not on this list, please show me a copy and seek my approval.
Please remember that the essay you write depends as much on what is written about your
novel (secondary sources) as it is on the novel itself (primary source).
MEMO
Many university level students will, in the near future, be involved in office work or inter-office
communications. A standard formal vehicle for inter-office communications is the
memorandum, known to most of us as memo. Various styles of memos exist; therefore, chose a
style which your word processor offers you. In Word7, choose from the pull-down menu under
NEW DOCUMENT. Do not choose a credit memo format.
Once you have opened a new document in a memo format, enter the required information (see
notes above and the rubrics below.)
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Memorandum Rubrics
1
Hardly
ENG4U ISU Project
2
Somewhat
3
mostly
4
completely
K/U

shares the three pieces of
info that must be in this
memo
Application


Use the correct memo
format (heading, spacing,
and paragraphing)
Sentences are grammatically
correct
Communication


Sentences communicate the
student’s choice,
knowledge, and thoughts on
the novel
Thought flows smoothly
from one sentence to the
other.
/20
ENG4U–ISU Project Novel Review
Name
________
This task is part of your ISU evaluation. In your review, which should be structured like the
examples provided in the handouts, gives evidence that you have read your novel and thought
about it.
The review should summarize the story briefly, analyze the main aspects of the novel succinctly,
and provide some personal evaluation of the novel. For the analysis and the evaluation, I’m not
looking for researched information, but simply for your thoughts and “gut reactions” to the
novel. Dare to share negative and positive opinions about the novel.
I expect the review to be a hand-written document, double-spaced. It is to be done in class only,
presently scheduled for October 15. You may need two class periods to complete this task.
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
K/U
-accurate contents in
plot synopsis
/12
Communication
Opening sentence
hooks the reader
Sentences show
opinion and tone
Sentences flow well
(good word choice,
transitions, etc)
Good use of:
Mechanics
Sp, gr, p,
Usage
/16
Thinking/Inquiry
Analysis of: Theme,
Characterizations,
Plot,Style,Point of
view(s),World view,
Provides proofs of
analysis
Evaluation of the novel
-reasons for this
evaluation
/12
Your Work Schedule
Your work schedule should include a number of key dates in which you desire to complete steps
of this ISU task. It should also include room for revisions in case you do not
meet the deadlines you have set for yourself.
STEP 1:
Write your MEMO as soon as you can, if you haven’t done so already.
STEP 2:
Prepare a written work schedule which includes all the steps you need to cover
(those mentioned on this sheet and/or other tasks that you may wish to include).
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The purpose of this personalized schedule is to give you the ability to organize a
mammoth task into smaller sections, giving yourself deadlines to help you
complete all the components of this unit on time. Completing work on time allows
for producing best quality work. I need a copy of this schedule. Your schedule
and how you work with it will be assessed.
STEP 3:
Finish your on-line research for any internet information on your book. Print a
copy of each worthwhile source for future highlighting/note-taking. Add the
sources into your Annotated Bibliography. Suggestion: Use on-line assistance
like easybib.com. Read and write summary notes on the sheets so that you will
know what that source is stating, and where to include the source in your essay.
Start thinking of a probable thesis (opinion which you can prove) for your project.
STEP 4:
Library Research: Go to libraries (including the U of G; class trip tentatively
scheduled for Nov 2/12) to take out/photocopy books or journal articles. To do
good researching:

determine if the source is authoritative (check the author’s credentials)

determine if the book has worthwhile (enough) information

ensure that you enter all bibliographic information on the photocopy of the
source
STEP 5:

take money along to pay for parking and photocopies, etc ($4.00)

record the sources into your Annotated Bibiography sheet.
Annotated Bibliography
This sheet keeps a log of your research. It should be organized in alphabetically,
with notes or summary under each entry. In your notes you will comment on the
author’s authority, how valuable the source is, and share a brief summary of the
author’s main points or arguments. A copy of your annotated bibliography
needs to be handed in as part of your ISU mark (see rubrics on page 10).
STEP 6:
Read, take notes, underline.

write key notes in margins of photocopies

write down key topical words

remember to write on one key aspect of the novel, connecting that aspect
to the THEME of the novel
STEP 7:
Thesis and Outline: Once the reading/notetaking is done, write the THESIS and
the subtopics (minimum of three). The thesis and outline needs to be approved
before you write.
STEP 8:
Write the First Draft Remember that the ISU project needs an introductory
paragraph. For the body paragraphs, stick to your outline! Remember that the
ISU needs a concluding paragraph. (It is sometimes easier to write the body
paragraphs FIRST; then write the intro and concluding paragraphs.)
STEP 9:
Peer and self-edit

Allow one or two other students to read a copy of it and to comment freely
on it in pencil.
STEP 10:

Severely edit and proof-read your work.

Save the peer edited copies and your own rough draft(s)
Hand in the Publishable Copy. This copy includes:

Title Page (with all required data)

Thesis/Outline page (added)

Essay - double spaced

Parenthetical notes (end-notes are not required) (MLA style)

WORKS CITED (MLA style) (Only the sources you directly or

indirectly used should be included in alphabetical order according to
author’s last name.)

Deadline:
All previous drafts/copies.
January 09, 2013 (or before)
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RUBRICS for your WORK SCHEDULE (You should use this rubrics for self-evaluation)
1
2
Somewhat
3
Satisfactorily
4
Well done
Providing
hardly
adequate/reasonable
time for the tasks
Application
sometimes
usually
Well thought out
Using the schedule
throughout the
semester/unit
Communication
Seldom
sometimes
regularly
faithfully
Poorly done;
Inefficient and
difficult to follow
Some
improvements
needed
throughout
Acceptably
organized, able
to follow the plan
adequately, able
to include
necessary
revisions
Well organized,
very workable,
carefully and
neatly formatted
Content (T/I)
Hardly
Divided into
manageable and
necessary tasks
Formatted in a
workable, readable,
flexible manner
RUBRICS for your ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY (to be used also for self evaluation)
Sources
Communication
Formatting
1
Most sources are
not evaluated for
their authorship or
reliability
2
Some sources are
not evaluated for
their authorship or
reliability
3
Most sources are
evaluated well
4
All sources are
evaluate well for
authorship and
reliability
Has few sources
that are useful
Some sources are
useful for thesis
Most sources help
to develop the
thesis
All sources help to
develop the thesis
Summarizes
sources poorly
(doesn’t highlight
main points of
source)
Poorly follows
MLA style and
alphabetical order
Clear and succinct
summaries; key
points clearly
outlined
Somewhat follows
MLA style and
alphabetical order
Usually follows
MLA style and
alphabetical order
Clearly follows
MLA style and
alphabetical order
Doesn’t
distinguish
between
bibliographic info
and notes
Sometimes
distinguishes
between
bibliographic info
and notes
Usually
distinguishes
between
bibliographic info
and notes
Distinguishes
clearly and
consistently (with
font) between
bibliographic info
and notes