This is an optional assignment that students can take advantage of once per nine-week grading period. Students who opt to complete it have two choices about how to do so.
Option A: Quote Response
Students can choose to type a response (750 word minimum, paragraph/essay form) to any quote* from my Great Quotes page and submit their work using the turn-in form above. The response should thoroughly answer the following questions:
(1) What does the quote mean? What point do you think the speaker was trying to make here?
(2) What's your assessment of the idea expressed in the quote? Do you agree with the speaker? Is the idea valid? Why or why not?
(3) How can you apply the quote in your life? How can you use this quote to make your life better in the future?
Option B: Creative Writing and Reflection
Students can choose to write in the creative mode (e.g., short story, poetry, etc.) and then provide a brief reflection about the choices they made as an author and the ways in which those choices contributed to deep thematic meaning within their own creative writing. The creative portion of this piece must be at least 750 words in length (so for poetry, it would likely need to be a set of poems), and the reflection must be at least 200 words in length. Both pieces should appear in the same document (i.e., only one document should be submitted, and it should be easy to differentiate between the creative portion and the reflective portion). [Note: if you’re writing a Sentence-a-Day Story for this assignment, your reflection might be less about conveying deep meaning and more about the process of writing a S.A.D. story and/or what you learned from it.]
Option C: College App. Prep
Students can choose to write a personal response essay (with a length of between 600 and 650 words) in response to one of the prompts below (which were among the Common App prompts for 2022-2023). [And by the way, if you’d like to hear a little expert advice about best to craft a college essay, check out this short podcast episode.]
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
Students who complete the assignment (i.e., any one of the three options above) in a satisfactory manner (at the discretion of Mr. Lochamy) will earn a bonus grade of 25/25 for the nine week grading period (limit: one submission per nine-week grading period).
*Students who wish to complete this assignment more than once during the year must choose a new quote to respond to or must produce a new creative piece of their own to reflect on or must respond to a different college app. prep prompt each time.