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

The Wonders of TV

My TV is my comfort zone. My area where I can be free. My TV is my teacher. It teaches me life lessons. It teaches me right and wrong. My TV is my teacher. Whenever I need to relax from a long day, I can confide my time into a good show. My TV is one of my  teachers in life. There are always hundreds of shows going on every day. There are always different genres, and times. Funny shows, Always entertaining me no matter what.  I can be myself there. I can be as loud as I want without being told to quiet down. I am amazed at what my TV can do for me. It can change my emotions. When I go to it I could be sad, and leave feeling happiness and joy. My TV is a source of relief. It relieves me from any burden I have on my shoulders. While cleaning dishes or cleaning my shoes, I can always watch TV to keep me going harder. My TV is my motivator. While doing tasks it motivates me to finish what I am doing so I can direct my attention to the show I am watching. My TV is my rewarder. One of my favorite rewards is to be able to have a TV marathon on the Weekends or in the summer. I watch hours and hours of TV. Though it is probably not good for my eyes, it is amazing. TV is a different world for me. A world with twists and turn all over. It makes me want to guess what will happen next. TV is my tutor.  I can watch my favorite teams from any sport. I can learn from what I watch, and try to mimic what is going on. This helps me grow as a student. I can train my memory, by trying to memorize what happened. My TV is where I am comfortable. 

 ~ Jared M.

2 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 10:21 AM

    Your writing is very deep, but funny at the same time. It shows how much you like your TV and how much time you spend watching TV.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 12:56 PM

    You must love your TV. Great vignette.

    ReplyDelete

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