Honors Project 3:The Catcher in the Rye Honors Project Overview
This document provides an overview of the tasks and time line for completing this assignment.
Assignment Instructions
ReadThe Catcher in the Rye and take notes and answer the questions in the Reading Guide provided. When you have completed the novel, you will complete three assignments for this project.
1. First you will submit a working thesis statement and supporting evidence for this thesis statement from the text.
2. You will then find relevant literary criticism that you may use to support your thesis statement and submit a summary of these criticisms to your teacher.
3. Finally, you will write an essay in which you defend a valid thesis statement using specific examples from the text of J.D. Salinger's novel and citations from at least two pieces of literary criticism.
Process
You should always use a process for your writing that includes planning and drafting. To complete this assignment, you will do the following:
· Review the assignment instructions and grading criteria thoroughly. The writing assignment you complete in this unit will be graded against a rubric that assesses the essay in the following five categories: purpose; ideas and content; structure and organization; language, word choice, and style; and sentences and mechanics.
o Read the rubric at the end of this document. Keep the criteria listed on the rubric in mind as you complete the writing assignment.
o Write in standard formal English, and use the third person and the present tense. This essay is a literary analysis, and your ideas should be expressed objectively and be supported with evidence from the novel. Avoid sentences that begin with “I think” or “I feel.”
· Complete a plan for your essay that includes a thesis statement and textual support for it. You will submit the completed plan for a grade.
· Identify several pieces of literary criticism that you may use to support your thesis statement. Turn in a summary of the ideas in these pieces of literary criticism for a grade.
· Begin drafting your paper, using your plan and your notes on works of literary criticism as a guide.
· Review and revise your first draft. You should try to have another person read your work and give you feedback as part of your revision process.
· Write the final draft of your literary analysis essay and submit it to your teacher.
Time Line
You will complete this project over the course of this unit.
Grading/Point Values
AnalyzeThe Catcher in the Rye Point Value: 50
Identify Literary Criticism Point Value: 50
Literary Analysis Essay Point Value: 200
Required Final Draft Length
Pages:3–5
Word Count: 900–1,500
Honors Project Grading Rubric:Evaluate student essays on the basis of the rubric below.
Grading Rubric
|
Criterion |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Purpose |
The literary essay fulfills its purpose of analyzing the characters, themes, symbols, and/or images of this novel. This purpose is clearly articulated in a valid thesis statement. |
The literary essay fulfills its purpose of analyzing the characters, themes, symbols, and/or images in this novel, but the analysis is not complete. The purpose is stated in a thesis statement. |
The purpose of this literary essay is not entirely clear. The essay provides some analysis of the character, themes, and/or literary or historical context, but there are significant gaps that leave the reader questioning. The thesis may not be entirely clear, or it may not state the purpose of the essay. |
The literary essay about the novel does not fulfill its purpose because it lacks significant analysis of the characters, themes, symbols, and/or images, or contains irrelevant information, or is mostly a summary of the novel. The literary essay has a thesis, but the thesis is not entirely clear or it is not valid. |
This essay is not a literary essay about the novel. It does not contain an analysis of the novel's characters, themes, symbols, and/or images. The literary essay does not have a thesis. Or the literary essay is plagiarized from another source. |
|
Ideas and Content |
The literary essay contains insightful analysis of the characters, themes, symbols, or imagery of this novel. The writer incorporates relevant literary criticism to support his or her original analysis. The writer explains the connections between the evidence and the thesis |
The literary essay contains examples and analysis, but some points remain unsupported, or the writer does not make a convincing connection between evidence presented and conclusions drawn. It may not incorporate literary criticism effectively, but it does incorporate literary criticism as part of an original analysis. The essay may present more summary than analysis. |
The literary essay contains examples, with some unsupported points, or it lacks convincing connections between evidence and conclusions drawn. The evidence is sometimes, supported by relevant paraphrases and quotations from the novel. It includes some irrelevant content and may offer more summary than analysis. The essay may only incorporate a single instance of literary criticism, and it may do so ineffectually. |
The writer does not present clear examples and analysis of the characters, themes, and historical or literary context. The writer does not use paraphrases, examples from the novel, or quotations to support his or her analysis. The writer draws conclusions for which he or she offers little or no evidence, and the essay presents more summary than analysis. The writer does not incorporate literary criticism. |
The writer does not present clear examples and analysis of the characters, themes, and historical or literary context. The writer does not use paraphrases, examples from the novel, or quotations to support his or her analysis. The writer does not draw conclusions from evidence, and the essay fails to show any insight into the novel. Or the literary essay is plagiarized from another source. |
|
Structure and Organization |
The essay has a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. The essay identifies the title of the novel and the name of the author, presents a thesis in the introductory paragraph, and ends with a concluding paragraph that summarizes the main points or restates the thesis of the essay. The body of the essay contains paragraphs that support the essay's thesis. The essay consistently follows an organizational pattern such as order of importance or a chronological progression through the novel. Transitions are well placed and make meaningful connections between ideas and paragraphs. |
The essay has a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. The essay identifies the title of the novel and name of the author, presents a thesis in the introductory paragraph, and ends with a concluding paragraph that restates the thesis of the essay. The body of the essay contains paragraphs that support the essay's thesis. The essay usually follows an appropriate organizational pattern, but a few details or ideas may be out of place. Transitions are generally used effectively. |
The essay has an introduction, body, and conclusion, but not all parts are well developed. The essay identifies the title of the novel and name of the author, but may not do so in the introductory paragraph. The essay presents a thesis, but it may not be in the introductory paragraph, or the essay may have a concluding paragraph that does not restate the thesis. The body of the essay contains paragraphs that support the essay's thesis, but there may be irrelevant or tangential content. The essay sometimes follows an appropriate organizational pattern, but it does not do so consistently. Transitions are occasionally used |
The essay may not have a clear introduction, body, or conclusion. The essay might not identify the title of the novel or the name of the author. The essay does not have a clear thesis that is identified in the introductory paragraph, or it may lack an introductory paragraph altogether. The conclusion, if present, does not restate the essay's thesis. The essay does not follow a clear organizational pattern, and the writer tends to jump around without connecting ideas. Minimal transitions are used. |
The essay does not have a clear introduction, body, or conclusion. The essay identifies neither the title of the novel nor the name of the author. The essay lacks a clear thesis and a clear conclusion. The structure of the literary essay is non-existent. The essay consists of only one long paragraph, or paragraph breaks seem random. There are no transitions between ideas. Or the literary essay is plagiarized from another source. |
|
Language, Word Choice, and Style |
The writer uses effective, compelling language to express key ideas. He or she considers purpose, audience, and tone in language and word choice. The essay uses present tense when referring to the novel. The essay incorporates literary terms and contains no colloquialisms or slang expressions. The essay is written in the third-person point of view without first-person expressions of opinion. The literary essay is written in a formal style. |
The writer uses effective language to express key ideas. He or she usually considers purpose, audience, and tone in language and word choice. The essay usually uses formal language, incorporates some literary terms, and does not contain colloquialisms or slang expressions. The literary essay is usually written in the third-person point of view, is mostly objective, and typically does not contain first-person expressions of opinion. |
The writer's language is occasionally compelling. The writer attempts to consider purpose, audience, and tone, but sometimes loses sight of one of these aspects and includes inappropriate language or wording. Few appropriate literary terms are used, and the writer sometimes incorporates slang, colloquialisms, or other informal language. The literary essay is not consistently objective, and third-person language sometimes lapses into first-person expressions of opinion. |
The essay lacks compelling language. The writer does not consider purpose, audience, or tone and uses inappropriate language or wording. Literary terms are not used, and the language is informal. The literary essay is not objective or is not written in the third-person point of view. The writer includes many first-person expressions of opinion. |
The essay's language is often incoherent. The writer does not consider purpose, audience, or tone. The literary essay contains personal opinions, comments, and exclamations. The essay contains informal language, including slang and other inappropriate expressions. Or the literary essay is plagiarized from another source. |
|
Sentences and Mechanics |
Each sentence expresses a complete thought. The title of the novel and the name of the author are capitalized correctly. The title of the novel is italicized, and quotations within the essay contain the exact words from the novel and are punctuated correctly. There are extremely few errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics, and those that exist do not impede understanding. The examples of literary criticism are quoted and incorporated appropriately and cited correctly. |
Most sentences contain complete thoughts. The title of the novel and the name of the author are capitalized correctly. The title of the novel is italicized. Quotations from the novel include the correct words, but they are sometimes not punctuated correctly. There are few errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics, and they rarely interfere with a reader's ability to understand. Most examples of literary criticism are quoted and incorporated appropriately and cited correctly. |
The title of the novel and name of the author might not be capitalized correctly, or the title of the novel is not italicized. Sentences do not all contain complete thoughts. There are several unintentional fragments and run-ons. Quotations do not contain all of the correct words or are not punctuated correctly. There are errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that sometimes interfere with the reader's ability to understand. The examples of literary criticism (if used) may be misquoted or incorporated or cited incorrectly. |
The title of the novel and name of the author, if present, might not be capitalized correctly. Many sentences are incomplete, and it is difficult to recognize quotations from the novel. There are errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that make the essay difficult to understand. |
Most sentences contain errors in structure. Quotations, if used, are incorrectly transcribed and punctuated. Multiple errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics make the essay difficult to understand. Or the literary essay is plagiarized from another source. |