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

Pick 6

I had just gotten home from school: Madden Mobile time. I rushed up to my room, slumped on my bed, and started to play. Me vs. Buckbobo, the ultimate showdown. It was my ball and I was up 14-13, final drive. I didn’t even have to score. I didn’t even have to score.

First and ten, HB blast, second and four, Double slants. It was almost too easy. I was nearing half field and I thought I might as well have a bit of fun. Long pass, Hail Mary. Matthew Stafford dropped back into the pocket, plenty of time. I waited a couple more seconds to let my receivers get down the field. My offensive guard was beat, I had to throw it or I would be sacked. I shifted right two yards, and released. Intended for Jeremy Maclin, the throw was deep. It looked like he was going to catch it, no doubt about it. It looked like he was going to catch it, no doubt about it.

The ball was on its way down, and I was feeling confident. All of a sudden, Maclin stopped running. “#@$*&%  @&%$!!!” I started to think. The ball came down. Directly into his safety’s arms. I started getting nervous. The safety had time and space to run. None of my men were in sight. Uh oh. He was passing the fifty and I could only see one of my players... trailing 5 yards behind his man. He was passed the 30 now.  My QB was my last man back, and my only chance of stopping this adversity. Quarterbacks usually are not known for being the best tacklers, but I had hope. It was going to be close. The safety drew nearer, my quarterback ready to pounce! He came in, and the safety came out.  Touchdown Buckbobo.  My quarterback lay helpless on the ground. 

I didn’t even have to score. I didn’t even have to score.

~ Garrett S.

4 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2015 at 9:19 AM

    Creative topic

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2015 at 9:22 AM

    “#@$*&% @&%$!!!” I started to think.--This line stands out to me, it is interesting that you anticipated the interception before it happened. Why didn't you tackle with Jeremy Maclin?

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 10:13 AM

    Should have done QB kneel. Should have done QB kneel

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 10:48 AM

    Nice last line. Very effective.

    ReplyDelete

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