SENIOR Scrapbook

Lorraine Fussell

Parkville High School, Lilburn, GA

 

“. . .  I wished to live deliberately,  to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach,  and,  not,  when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. .”    

                                                                                        --Thoreau                                 

 

“The life which is unexamined is not worth living. “  --Plato

 

 “If you write about the things and the people you know best, you discover your roots.  Even if

   they are new roots, fresh roots, . . . they are better than . . . no roots.”  --Isaac Bashevis Singer

 

 

You have as an on-going assignment to write/compile a journal that has your senior year as its connecting theme.  There will be periodic checks for progress.  The finished product is due in May. 

 

 

 

Ultimately, and more importantly, this effort will result in a gift to yourself—a personal yearbook of sorts and a sourcebook for later writing.

 

O        Written entries should be made two to three times a week, with non-written entries being made as the need arises.   Your completed journal should include FORTY written entries (your original writing—of varying length, around 150 words minimally, and there should be at least ten non-written entries.  Checks will equal a test grade (50 points) as will the final grade.

 

O        The final project grade will be based on the following:

                        (You don’t have to be an artist to do this well!)

                --Apparent depth of thought and clarity of written expression

                (Although most of the writing is informal, do adhere to standard English conventions.)

                --Constructive use of time and space

                --Incorporation of other materials (non-written) entries into the journal

 

 

You may incorporate the following into your scrapbook as non-written entries:

1.       Clippings from newspapers and magazines

2.       Sketches

3.       Photos

4.       Mementos (ticket stubs, programs, etc.)

5.       Clip art

6.       Song lyrics

7.       Cartoons

8.       Poems

9.       Favorite quotations

             10.    Stickers

 

Use whatever sort of notebook or binding that suits your needs best.

O      Written entries should be in ink.

 

 

 

 

 

TOPICS

 

(Others will be suggested—a few may be required—as they emerge from  in-class and out-of-class reading and discussions.)

 

1.       Important places—in your life, in the world

2.       People (classmates, siblings, friends, parents, teachers)

3.       Parkview

4.       Sports and clubs

5.       Books, movies, music

6.       Letters (ones that you’d like to send but may never)

7.       Observations of the everyday, questions

8.       The natural world

9.       Response to poetry/quotations

10.    Hopes, dreams, regrets, goals

 

 

O        Ideally, topics will emerge as you become a more astute observer of the world around you so that you may live thoughtfully and record carefully as you experience this pivotal year.

 

Your completed project may  provide source material for the following essays:

 

I.                     Personal narrative

II.                   Descriptive essay

III.                 Other essay forms

A.      Comparison/contrast

B.       Example

C.      Essays with documentation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This unit addresses the following Massachusetts Frameworks  for grades 11 and 12:

 

19.9      Continue to address earlier standards as needed.

 

20.7      Use effective rhetorical techniques and demonstrate understanding of the                                     elements of discourse . . . .