ACT

You can see some student samples of answers to the ACT Writing Test here, plus the scores they would receive and the reasoning behind those scores.

PHILLIS WHEATLEY

Some biographical background on Wheatley.

"On Being Brought from Africa to America"

"To His Excellency General Washington"

"Phillis Wheatley on Trial" by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" by Langston Hughes

INDEPENDENT READING ASSIGNMENT

Your task is to keep a reading log, and to complete 3 Reader Responses, each one to two pages double-spaced typed (Times New Roman font size 12) per entry, or equivalent length hand-written.  Responses should address the following questions, but are to be written in paragraph form. Be sure to clearly include the title of the book you ware working with in each response.

Response 1 Guiding Questions     (For the early chapters of the book – by your determination)

1.      What is the time and place of the book? What evidence in the book tells you this?

2.      Name and describe the main character in the book. Describe him/her physically and describe his/her personality and history, if known. Then give your impression of him/her.

3.      Describe the initial or first conflict faced by the main character.

4.     Name and describe a secondary character. Describe him/her physically and describe his/her personality and history, if known. Explain how she/he is important to the story and the ideas of the book.

5.    Describe one important event in the book and explain why it is significant to the story (to the plot, the characters, the ideas of the book).

6.    Explain one specific aspect of the culture described in the book. Tell how it compares to a specific culture you are familiar with.

7.    Find one specific idea, event, or behavior in the book that relates to real life. Explain how it relates to real life.

8.    Tell about a connection you made with the story (text-to-self, text-to-text/media, or text-to-world). Explain how your connection helps you understand the story better.

Response 2 Guiding Questions     (For the middle chapters of the book – by your determination)

1.    What new events are added to the original problem as the novel progresses?

2.     Describe any new characters that are introduced. What is their purpose and how do they fit into the story?

3.     If the time or place changes during the book, explain how and give examples. How does this switching serve the story?

4.     What is the general feeling or mood of the book? Give specific examples of how the author creates that feeling or mood.

  

5.     Compare and contrast two characters psychologically. To do this, consider their behavior and personality.

6.     Who is the narrator of the story? Is he or she inside or outside the story? What is his or her relationship to the story?

7.     Pick a key quote from this section of the book and record it here. Who says it? What does it mean? Does it fit with a larger theme that is being developed in the book?

Response 3 Guiding Questions     (For the final chapters of the book – by your determination)

1.       Does the author use humor, irony or symbolism within the book? Pick one of the three and give a specific example and explain how it functions within the book overall.

2.       Is the main character static or dynamic? Give evidence.

3.       What is the climax of the novel? What major events lead up to it and what is the resolution?

4.       What is the theme (or themes) of the book? How does the author show this idea? Give evidence that you have correctly discerned the theme. How does it relate to everyday life? Do you agree with the author or not and why?

5.       Having finished the book, why do you suppose it is considered a “classic”? In other words, why do people still read it today?