Huck Finn Project

Overview

While we are reading Huck Finn we will use various strategies to better understand the book and what it has to tell us. We will draw, write poems, discuss, dramatically act parts out, and, of course, read and write about the story. It will take us six weeks to read and finish this project. After that we will have earned our two weeks off. You may propose some projects be done as a team but these must be approved. Any project that is turned in as a team and yet has not been approved by me will not be accepted. Also, my expectations for projects done as a team are higher: two heads are better than one and so should a project done by two people be.

Option I: Jim’s Journal: This option asks you to get in character as Jim and keep a journal as the story unfolds. In other words, you will keep a journal as if you were Jim. The quality of work here will be reflected in the following components:

* extent to which you inhabit the character (e.g., sound and think like he would)

* overall quality of your writing (note: you may write in the same vernacular style that Twain used but you must be consistent and effective in your use of this style)

* thoroughness: extent to which your journal reflects on and includes the entire novel

insight: extent to which your entries show insight into the characters and the story

(Option: you could, if you prefered, write your journal as Mark Twain. Many writers keep journals of what they think while they write their books. What would Twain be thinking and saying to himself about this book as he writes it?)

Option II: Graphic Novel: This option allows the artistic students to use their skills to recreate the story in a graphic novel (i.e., comic book) format. If you are really technologically oriented and want to show off, you could make yours animated and interactive like Maus . The quality of your work here will be determined by the following:

* quality of the art work: it should look sharp--both the pictures and the text.

* extent to which your graphic novel includes the entire story of Huck Finn

* inclusion of an introduction in which you explain what you tried to capture in your recreation of the novel (e.g., "I wanted to emphasize the extent to which they reject society and reveal themselves as rebels in the American spirit. I did this because...and showed it by...")

(Note: if you do this option as an interactive electronic "book" you need to check with me first. Also if you do your work on a PC you must provide the necessary equipment to show it)

Option III: Formal Essay: This option asks you to choose an idea or character central to the book and examine that idea in depth in an essay. You may also consider taking some recurring aspect of American history or culture and writing an essay in which you discuss how Huck Finn relates to that theme (e.g., the American spirit of independence). Your essay must accomplish the following:

* it must be at least five-pages typed (double-spaced, 12-point font)

* it should clearly identify the thesis of the paper early on and maintain that focus throughout. (see "Five Elements of a Good Essay" and check list; ask for this if you plan to do this option.)

* it must examine its subject carefully, supporting each of its supporting elements with examples from appropriate sources (e.g., Huck Finn , your history book, etc.)

* it must be original in its focus so as to avoid questions of whether it was or could have been lifted off the Internet.

(Note: you must approve your topic with me first.)

Option IV: Be the Teacher: You will teach an entire class period in which you lead a discussion on a particular set of themes or some other focused topic as it relates to Huck Finn. During this 30-minute period you will prepare and be ready to do the following:

* facilitate a class discussion on selected, important themes

* introduce your lesson with some opening remarks

* use visual aids--video clips, handouts, posters, overheads--to help the class think about and understand the ideas you present

* write a follow-up analysis of what you set out to accomplish, how well they/you accomplished this goal, and what you learned from the whole experience.

Option V: Publish your Own Newspaper: This option asks you to create a six-page newspaper with all the appropriate elements common to a newspaper of that era. (You can find examples of newspapers on the web by visiting the Cyberguide for Twain’s novel.) Your work will be assessed according to the quality of the following:

* the writing

* the formatting and overall appearance and layout of the paper

* the extent to which the paper shows understanding of and insight into the novel Huck Finn

* demonstrated mastery of the computer to create the paper

Option VI: CyberGuides: This option requires access to the internet on a regular basis. While you could use the internet connections available at school, for the moment these are not so easy to use. This assignment asks you to go to the CyberGuide website for Huck Finn (http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/huckcen/huckcentg.html) and, using that site's guidelines and directions, create your own "cyberguide." You will turn in your work at the end with all the assignments together. This idea is very new but this particular website has won several awards and is very "user friendly." I really hope someone will take the opportunity to try this out.

Option VII: American Voices: This last option invites students to create a project that somehow includes a wide range of "American voices" that discuss a particular subject (e.g., racism, what it means to be "American") or that reflect the complex nature of our society through the range of things they want to talk about. It can be done using audio-taped interviews which are then edited into one audio interview (see National Public Radio "Teen Diaries" website at http://www.well.com/user/jkr/. Here is an example of what you will find there this month:

"Teenage Diaries" is a radio series about---and by---teenagers. This month's story: Melissa's 2nd Story: "Raising Issaiah" Last year, Melissa brought us her story about becoming a mother. Now her son, Issaiah, has turned one year old. Melissa is raising Issaiah on her own, trying to make ends meet with welfare benefits and food stamps. But recently Melissa decided she needed more money, so she took a new job. Now she's dancing four nights a week at a local club...and finally making enough money to buy the things her son needs.

Other options for this project might include "My American Odyssey" in which you imagine you and a companion travel across the country or throughout California gathering "American Voices" and what they have to say about America in your interviews. Your work on this project will be evaluated based on the following criterion: