Honors English IV Summer 2012 Assignment, Orange High School, Mr. Cox
Brief Description
You will read Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man and complete independently a series of related online assignments: blogs, supplementary readings, and a test. These can be reached at Honors English IV Summer 2012 Assignment. All parts of the assignment must be completed prior to the first day of class. You must have a copy of the novel with you in class the first two weeks of the course.
Questions or Concerns
If you have any questions or concerns, the quickest and easiest way for Mr. Cox to help you is to respond to emails you send to mitch.cox@orange.k12.nc.us. You may also call and leave him a voice mail at 919.732.6133, X20100.
Copies of the Novel
Copies of the novel may be checked out from Mr. Cox in Room 127 at OHS until June 8 or you may find copies at the local library or such bookstores as the Purple Crow, the Regulator Bookshop, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon.com.)
Evaluation
In addition to the five blog and an online test on Invisible Man (comprising about 5 to 8 percent of the first quarter grade), students will also write an explication essay on a passage from the novel the second day of class and a literary analysis essay on the whole novel the second week of class.
Plagiarism (Cheating, Copying without Permission or Attribution)
· You are expected to read the novel and the two brief supplementary texts (Dunbar poem and excerpt “My Name,” from The House on Mango Street), not Sparknotes or any other summary/analysis of the works.
· You are expected to write your own responses and complete all tests and quizzes by yourself and without the aid of Internet sources or your peers. (Exception: I do expect you to respond in each of the four blogs to the comments made by at least one peer.)
· Students who plagiarize this assignment are subject to the same penalties as plagiarism on any OHS assignment (up to ten days of out of school suspension and a 0 on the assignment).
· Remember that if you take more than 45 minutes on the online test, I will assume you’re Googling answers.
Before Reading the Novel
Background articles on Invisible Man. You may wish to read some background on the novel before, while, and after completing the novel. Click Background articles on Invisible Man. DO NOT READ SPARKNOTES OR OTHER SUMMARIES OF THE WORK.
Questions to Reflect on Before, While, and After Reading the Novel:
· What is the time period in which the novel takes place? How do you know? You cannot assume that since it is published around 1950, it takes place at that time. Two key clues to dating the novel are on page 1 of the first chapter.
· In what order do the events happen?
· What do you know about the narrator? Why does Ellison never give you his name? How does the narrator change over the course of the novel?
Steps to Completing the Assignment
Step One: Read from “The Prologue” through Chapter 6 of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man and complete Blog 1.
Step Two: Read Chapters 7 through 17 of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man and complete Blog 2.
Step Three: Read Chapters 17 through “The Epilogue” of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man and complete Blog 3.
Step Four: Once you’ve read the entire novel, complete the online test on Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man.
· You will be asked to submit your name and your email.
· Make sure you review items in Background articles on Invisible Man before you take this test. Remember that you follow the guidelines for not plagiarizing.
· You must do the test without receiving help from anyone else or any sites on the Internet.
· The email I receive tells me how long you spent on the test.
· If you spend more than 45 minutes on the test, I will assume you’re cheating by Googling answers.
Step Five: Read the brief poem “We Wear the Mask” and complete Blog 4.
Step Six: Read “My Name” and complete Blog. 5.