CYOA Novel Unit

Acronyms are vogue in education so I thought I'd use one here.  CYOA stands for Choose Your Own Adventure.  This is the novel unit I've designed for my College Composition II students.  It's pretty rad & my students have been knocking it out of the park! Allow me to elaborate.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE NOVEL UNIT

The next unit will be divided thematically into two parts.  You are required to research and choose one of the novels on the list.  You must have a copy of the novel and begin reading by April 15, 2013.  

Write ONE paragraph for each book detailing:

1) Whether or not you plan to satisfy your heart or your head, or both... and make a prediction HOW this book could help you.  BE sure to describe one "thing" about this book you think you will like, and one "thing" you might not like.

2) What method of response do you think this book will lend itself to.  Why do you think this?
Due April 12 with your final decision.

Journey of the Individual
The following selections are thematically related to one another in that they ask the question “how should a life be lived?”  Each novel asks the question and answers it in its own unique way.

Siddhartha                                               Hermann Hesse
Grendel                                                   John Gardner
The Catcher in the Rye                            JD Salinger
The Inferno                                              Dante Alighieri

Dystopia / Satire
The following selections are thematically related to one another because they all acknowledge the concept that “life is a constant struggle between being an individual and being a member of a larger society.”  
 
1984                                                        George Orwell
A Clockwork Orange                              A. Burgess
Feed                                                        MT Anderson
Ready Player One                                   Ernest Cline

You must turn in this form and your research by April 12, 2013.
Your selection:
Your strategy to obtain a copy of this selection:
Your rationale for choosing this selection:
By signing below you are agreeing to take responsibility for your own learning and agree to obtain a copy of this book by Monday, April 15, 2013.  You also agree that failure to participate in this novel unit may jeopardize your chances at obtaining college credit for College Composition II.

Your Signature _________________________________________________

Date ______________

You will be asked to complete a long-term research-based writing project with your selection.  You will be asked to choose any of the following options as a method of writing about your book.

Reader Response:  Attempt to connect what happened in your book with something from your life.  Stories work best.  How can I use this book as an opportunity to reflect on my own life and make some generalization about the past?  Must use primary source quotes.

Historical Inquiry:  How has events of your author’s time period impacted or influenced the writing of the book itself?  Think of how the McCarthyism period influenced Miller’s writing of The Crucible.  Or ask yourself how can research of historical names, places, events, etc enhance my appreciation for the text?  Either way, write about what you’ve found and how it relates to the book you read.  Must use primary and secondary source quotes.

Biographical Inquiry: Sometimes we wonder what gives an author the authority to write about their subject matter.  How did what they live influence what they wrote?  Look into it. This is not simply a biography of your author.  This option attempts to draw comparisons between the text and the author’s life. Must use primary and secondary source quotes.  
   

Arguing a Position: This paper attempts to prove an interpretation of the book that falls outside of historical or biographical inquiry.  It may be that you want to argue something the writer is trying to say by attempting to prove a certain theme exists in your book.  Maybe you want to argue a certain character is the same astrological sign as you.  This option is very open ended therefore you should feel strongly about your position in order to write it.  Must use primary and secondary source quotes.

 Final paper due:  May 13, 2013.