Group Presentations/Discussions and Final Project for Frankenstein

Group Presentation/Discussion

For this portion of the unit, you have been divided into groups of 3-4 and each group has
been assigned a day to present. Your group’s task will be twofold. The first part will be
to present a brief (approximately one, double-spaced page) summary of the reading you
did for homework the previous night. The second part will be to devise three analytical
questions that focus on the reading you were assigned for class that day. Your group
will then lead a discussion (approximately 15 min.) with the entire class on the questions
you have developed.

Your group will receive a quiz grade for this assignment. You will be assessed on the
following:

 thoroughness (Was your summary complete? Did you craft three analytical
questions?)
 participation (Did all of your group members participate in the presentation and
following discussion equally?)
 effort/quality (Were your questions insightful and spawned from a deep reading
of the text? Did your group participate in a lively, reciprocal discussion with the
entire class?)

Please be prepared to hand in a typed copy, free of grammatical and spelling errors, and
in MLA format of your group’s summary and questions at the beginning of class on the
day that your group will present.

*Note: There are guidelines and tips for creating your questions on the last page of this
handout.

Final Project due in class on Friday, Novemeber 12th

You have two options from which to choose for the culminating project of this unit. This
portion will be done individually and you will receive a test grade for it.

Option 1 – Essay: You will pick one of the questions that your classmates created for
their group projects to explore in more detail (I will compile a list of the questions to be
given out on the last day of presentations). This essay will be 3-4 double-spaced pages,
using Times New Roman font, 1” maximum margins, and it must use MLA format.
You also must cite at least three examples or quotations from the text to support your
argument.

Option 2 – Independent Project: This option will give you greater freedom to choose how
you would like to explore an issue or issues in the novel. There are no restrictions on
what you choose to produce; it may be a letter, a video, a song, a mixed-media piece of
art, etc. – here’s your chance to get creative! However, whatever you choose to produce
must exhibit a deep reading of the text and explore one (or more) of the analytical
questions created by your classmates. You must also present me with a short
(approximately half-page) proposal concerning what you plan to do for the project on
Thursday, November 4th and be prepared to discuss it with me and amend it if
necessary. You are encouraged to present your project to the class on the day the final
project is due.

Groups, Presentation Dates, Readings, and Timeline

Tuesday, October 26
Read Letters 1-4 and Chapter 1
Group 1: Quinn Ernwood, Kathryn Johnson, Brian Lam, Gianna George

Wednesday, October 27
Read Chapters 2-4
Group 2: Quinn Donover, Kevin Guan, Fatima Rahman, Roy Baldwin

Thurday, October 28
Read Chapters 5-7
Group 3: Britney Davis, Allison Denenberg, Kevin Diep

Friday, October 29
No Frankenstein Reading
College Application Workshop Day

Monday, November 1
Read Chapters 8-10
Group 4: Annette Allen, Kelly Ca, Andres Vivas

Tuesday, November 2
Election Day – School not in session

Wednesday, November 3
Read Chapters 11-13
Group 5: Kenya Crawford, Zoe Goldberg, Alexander Goldman, Andrew Chau

Thursday, November 4
Read Chapters 14-16
Group 6: Michael Gulledge, Stephen Henderson, Katherine Liang, Shelley Lian
*Proposals Due (if you have chosen to do option two for the final project)

Friday, November 5
Read Chapters 17-19
Group 7: Randy Koonce, Adrian Lee, Mari Meas, Mashaal Syed
Monday, November 8
Read Chapters 20- 21
Group 8: Marcus Hines, Zackary Margolies, Paula Pacheco, Stephen Smith

Tuesday, November 9
Read Chapters 22-23
Group 9: Andrew Rudoi, Nick Tannen, Mackenzie Warren

Wednesday, November 10
Read Chapter 24
No Presentations

Thursday, November 11
Veteran’s Day – School not in session

Friday, November 12
No Reading
Independent Project Presentations
Final Essay/Project Due

Guidelines/Tips for Creating Analytical Questions*

Think of the question as something you’re truly interested in exploring as you read, an
exploration you want to guide the discussion, since not everyone reading the text will
come away with the same impressions and interpretations you do. Thus the question
should be answerable, given the available evidence, but not immediately, and not in the
same way by all readers.

A good analytical question:

(1) speaks to a genuine dilemma in the text. In other words, the question focuses on a
real confusion, ambiguity or grey area of the text, about which readers will conceivably
have different reactions, opinions, or interpretations.
(2) yields an answer that is not obvious. In a question such as “Why did Hamlet leave
Denmark?” there’s nothing to explore; it’s too specific and can be answered too easily.
(3) suggests an answer complex enough to stimulate a discussion. If the question is too
vague, it won’t suggest a line of argument. The question should elicit analysis and
argument rather than summary or description.
(4) can be answered by the text, rather than by generalizations or by copious external
research (e.g., “Why did Shakespeare depict madness in the way that he did?”).

Tips to keep in mind:

• “How” and “why” questions generally require more analysis than “who/
what/when/where.”
• Good analytical questions can highlight patterns/connections, or
contradictions/dilemmas/ problems.
*adapted from document retrieved at:
http://www.brandeis.edu/writingprogram/intensive/files/KWAskinganAnalyticalQuestion.doc