Potomac's eighth grade English students read and discuss The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. The book is a series of short vignettes that together capture the characters, setting, and stories of a particular neighborhood in Chicago. The vignettes are written from the perspective of a fictional narrator and are based loosely on Cisneros's own experiences as well as those of her students. Some of the vignettes are humorous or action-packed; some are heart-wrenching or shocking. All are deliberate in their use of figurative language, poetic elements, grammar conventions, and pacing.

Each eighth grader composed at least one vignette for inclusion in this digital collection. They wrote in the style of Sandra Cisneros, as they interpreted it based on their notes and our class discussions, yet they set it in a time and place of their own choosing. While some of these vignettes are based on the author's personal experience, many of them are purely fiction, an imagining of characters and circumstances that seemed ripe for this assignment. Students also used this assignment to experiment with new vocabulary words and techniques involving punctuation and sentence structure.

We encourage you to leave comments below vignettes that strike you in some way. Please keep your comments positive and specific; this is not the place for critiques or suggestions. Enjoy the creativity and vibrancy of these students' literary efforts.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

My Home

The two story house where we stay every other year. The house that takes about 16 hours to get to, is where we can enjoy our winter breaks. It was hand-built, with 4 bedrooms, and enough space for the whole family to stay there. It was built by my granddad on my mom’s side, for us four families to stay there, my grandparents and their children. 

We can do a lot at the house. It was built on two plots of land, so there is a huge yard for all of us to play in. We have a badminton net, soccer balls, footballs, and other toys like helicopters. Or, inside, we can play games, hangout, and watch tv. 

There, we can also walk to the market and get some gum. On the way, we can feed random cows some fresh bread. Sometimes, cats come to our door and we give them milk. Our house in India is where we can have a good time.  

~ Arjun K.

No comments:

Post a Comment