Response to Literature Final Project Description
The chapters of Sandra Cisneros’s Caramelo are, in some ways, like short stories or poems. Each chapter fits together as a completed piece unto itself. Each chapter should be savored and digested individually. With members of your literature circles group, you will choose a chapter that your group is going to bring to life. Be sure to pick a chapter that is particularly moving, funny, profound, dramatic, or striking to all of your team members. You will need to pick 2-3 chapters you would be willing to work on, because no two groups will have the same chapter. After you are assigned your chapter, you and your team will need to find a way to bring it to life in a skit. Your skit should include:
A one-page summary that discusses the chapter using standards-based vocabulary (theme, imagery, setting, mood, tone, etc.)
A Script of at least two double-spaced, typed pages that is memorized by all the characters.
Lines for a narrator, who will discuss the chapter using standards-based vocabulary beforehand.
Costumes / Props: be your character!
A set (A poster background and sound effects, for example)
Make sure that you have rehearsed your skit at least ten times before it is performed, because you will be on camera! Make your chapter live.
Example Script:
Chapter 5: Mexico, Our Nearest Neighbor to the South (p. 19)
Characters:
CELAYA (NARRATOR) / LALA: Jane
MEMO: Joey
MOTHER: Jasmin
FATHER: Jake
TIKIS: Jorge
PROPS MANAGER/GIRL ON ROAD: June
Set: In the background, silently, a film clip of the road rushing by is playing. Softly, “De Colores” is playing on the radio to provide a Mexican ambiance. A sign is set up in front of the room that says “You Are Entering Mexico” in both Spanish and English. Chairs are set up in the center of the room like a car, with FATHER at the steering wheel and MOTHER in the front seat. MEMO is between them. CELAYA and TIKIS are in the back. When CELAYA speaks to the audience as the narrator, she stands up. When she speaks as the younger “Lala,” she sits down in the car.
CELAYA (standing): I’m in the car with my family, and we’ve just crossed from Texas into Mexico. I’m nine years old. The car is swallowing the road, and the white stripes coming and coming, quickly quickly quickly, like the stitches on Father’s sewing machine, and the road making you sleepy.
MEMO (leaning over to take the wheel): I’m driving! (Father lets go).
MOTHER: Inocencio!
FATHER: Just playing. (Takes the wheel back) Excellent road—
CELAYA (standing, to the audience): He’s trying to change the subject. (Sits).
FATHER: Look how pretty this road is. Almost as good as the ones in Texas, right?
MOTHER: A hell of a lot better than the old Pan American Highway. What a headache!
CELAYA: I remember.
TIKIS: How could you remember? You weren’t even born yet!
TIKIS: Yeah, Lala, you were still dirt! (Laughs long and loud.)
CELAYA: I do remember. Honest!
MOTHER: You mean you remember the stories somebody told you.
CELAYA (Standing): One time, on the old highway, we threw all our clothes out the window just to see what it would look like! (Tikis and Celaya stand up and throw clothes out at the audience, then sit down again).
PROPS MANAGER pops up, carrying a cross along the side of the road.
MOTHER: Don’t look. It’s bad luck. (Everyone stares.)
MEMO: I have to pee!
FATHER: We’ll stop here.
Everyone stands and gets out of the car. A girl is sitting by the road with a cup, begging for money.
FATHER: Where do you live? Over there? Where’s your family?
The girl does not answer.
CELAYA (to the audience, narrating Father’s actions as everyone gets back into the car): Then he takes my rubber doll from the car and he says—
FATHER: I’ll buy you another one.
CELAYA (to the audience): Before I can say anything, my baby is in the arms of that girl! There isn’t another Baby doll like it in the world! Memo’s tonka truck disappears, too, and the kids run off with our toys!
(Celaya, Memo, and Tikis, all sitting back in the car now, start to howl and cry).
FATHER: You kids are spoiled!
CELAYA (standing): Over the shoulder of the running girl do I imagine or do I really see the rubber arm of my Baby Doll, the one with three fingers, raised in the air waving good-bye?
The music fades up, and the lights are turned off.
CURTAIN.
Tips:
You may simplify, change, and cut the chapter as much as you’d like. Be sure that you are not reading us the chapter in its entirety. Adapting a novel to the stage always means making things shorter and simpler.
However, you are encouraged to use Cisneros’s words as much as possible. This is not plagiarism, it’s adaptation.
Make sure that all the members of your group have a speaking role in the final skit. It is natural that some people will have fewer lines than others. Group members with fewer lines should be contributing more to props, stage direction, music, etc.
Try to engage all five of your audience’s senses! Bring food, bring music, rebozos: whatever will make your chapter live.
Practice, practice, practice!
Response to Literature Final Project Rubric
4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
COOPERATION | All team members play an approximately equal role in producing the final skit. | One team member does not play an equal role in producing the final skit. | Two team members fail to play an equal role in producing the final skit. | Two or three team members do all of the work towards producing the final skit. |
IDENTIFICATION AND DISCUSSION OF THEME IN SUMMARY AND DIALOGUE (8R3.5, 7R3.4) | Your summary and dialogue clearly identify a theme present in the chapter and discuss that theme using appropriate examples from the text and detailed, thoughtful analysis. | Your summary and dialogue clearly identify a theme present in the chapter and discuss that theme using specific examples and analysis. | Your summary and dialogue identify a theme present in the chapter, but does not discuss it in-depth. | Your summary and dialogue fail to identify a theme in the chapter. |
USE OF STANDARDS-BASED VOCABULARY | Your summary and/or dialogue correctly and appropriately use 4 or more response to literature vocabulary words. | Your summary and/or dialogue use 4 or more response to literature vocabulary words. Most of the usages are correct and appropriate. | Your summary and/or dialogue use 3 or fewer response to literature vocabulary words. Some usages are correct and appropriate. | Your summary and/or dialogue fail to use response to literature vocabulary words. |
VISUAL APPEAL, CREATIVITY, AND EFFORT | Your skit is extremely visually appealing, takes a unique approach, and demonstrates a high level of effort | Your skit is visually appealing and demonstrates a high level of effort. | Your skit demonstrates some visual appeal and effort. | Your skit lacks visual appeal and effort. |
PRESENTATION | Your skit is presented clearly and powerfully according to the guidelines for oral presentation. All group members have memorized their lines. | Your skit is presented clearly according to the guidelines for oral presentation. All group members have memorized their lines. | Your skit is presented clearly. Some group members have memorized their lines. | Your skit is not presented effectively. Most group members have not memorized their lines. |
PROPS, ARTISTIC DIRECTION, AND NEATNESS | There are 0-1 grammatical / spelling errors in the script / summary, and the skit makes highly effective use of appropriate props & set items. | There are 2-5 grammatical / spelling errors in the script / summary, and the skit makes effective use of appropriate props & set items. | There are several grammatical / spelling errors in the script / summary, and the skit makes some use of appropriate props & set items. | There are so many grammatical / spelling errors in the script / summary that it is hard to understand, and the skit makes little or no use of appropriate props & set items. |
30-27 =A 26-24 =B 23-21 =C
Your score: ____________/30
20-18 =D 17-1 =F
Letter Grade: ____
Score X 10 = ___________ / 300 points