Ms. Mork
Julia Alvarez's How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
Final Project

A Project of Choices: HTGGLTA


For this final project, you are going to have your choice of levels of work. 
Your final project should have a cover page with your name and desired 
level, and a table of contents of the options that you chose. Each piece 
within your bound packet should be labeled. Your work should be detailed, 
neat, thorough, interesting, and creative! 

In Class Working Days: 6
HW Nights: 3

 A Level Work

Complete 3 of the following options (one may be with a partner and labeled 
as such in your portfolio – you should each include your own copy):
1. Research the Dominican dictator Trujillo using a library book or reliable 
website and create a timeline showing his rise and fall. Be sure to cite 
your source.
2. Create a list of ten discussion questions that somehow create a 
connection between this novel and teenage life. Write responses for 
three of them.
3. Imagine you are Carla responding to a frequently asked college 
application essay question – what does diversity mean to you? Respond
 in ¾ of a page. 
4. Imagine you were creating a video game rendition of the book. 
Which character would be the hero / heroine? What would the levels be? 
What would be the eventual goal? Describe your game in one typed page. 
5. Imagine you were moving to another country tomorrow. Which words 
would you most want to know? Choose a language you have never studied 
(perhaps for a country you'd like to visit or one where you have friends) 
and create a survival dictionary for yourself of words and phrases in 
that language, using an online translator. Type up the results into a 
professional looking mini-guide to survival in ________. Then write 
one paragraph explaining why you chose those words and phrases.
6. Imagine you were creating an exhibit for the Garcia family in a 
museum about Immigration. What five items would you include in your
 display and why? What would the overall theme of the exhibit be? 
Include quotations to support the significance of the five items. 
Final Write up should be ¾ - 1 page typed. 
7. With a partner: each create a list of five discussion questions 
from last night’s reading and then interview each other, writing up 
the other’s responses. Go every other question, and as the interviewer, 
draw out your partner and ask for evidence. Type up your questions and 
your partner’s responses – 1 page typed. Be sure to label the final 
product with your partner’s name, although this does not count as the 
ONE allowed partner exercise, you may still work on another option with 
a partner. 

AND 1 of the following options:
1. Invent a thesis and then outline a paper for it showing three 
key points and 2 supporting quotations for each.
2. Choose a passage from the book and do a close reading, typing 
up the passage and then bulleting at least five important things 
you notice about it. 
3. Write a character analysis for one of the sisters, making two 
main points about her and using at least one quotation to illustrate 
each point (1 page typed)

AND 1 of the following options:
1. Create a one page interview between yourself and a character, 
asking him/her meaningful questions about his/her experiences.
2. Write a letter from one sister to another at some point in the 
events described in the book which clearly shows your understanding of 
the two characters and their relationship.
3. Write a poem (minimum 20 lines) in Yolanda’s voice (first person), 
about one of her experiences
4. Imagine yourself into the family and write a one page reflection on 
how you think you would fit in. Who would you be friends with? Who do 
you have the most in common with? Which color would you wear as a child? 
Who would you have conflicts with and over what? Etc. 
5. Write a 1-2 page chapter of the book about an event you think could 
fit in, imitating the narrative voice of whichever sister you choose as
 narrator (an example of a short chapter like this is "Snow").





B Level Work

Complete 3 of the following options:
1. Create an Itunes play list for one girl including five song titles, 
and the key 2-3 lines from the song with matching quotations from the 
book to show the connection
2. Type up voicemail messages for the whole family - first the message, 
then 2-3 sentences explaining why you chose the words you did.
3. Design a greeting card for one character to send another and write a
 message inside. Everything about the card should represent the sender 
and/or recipient.
4. Imagine you were creating an exhibit for the Garcia family in a 
museum about Immigration. What five items would you include in your 
display and why? What would the overall theme of the exhibit be? Include 
quotations to support the significance of the five items. Final Write up 
should be 1/2 – 3/4 page typed. 
5. With a partner: each create a list of four discussion questions from 
last night’s reading and then interview each other, writing up the 
other’s responses. Go every other question, and as the interviewer, draw 
out your partner and ask for evidence. Type up your questions and your 
partner’s responses – 3/4 page typed. Be sure to label the final product 
with your partner’s name, although this does not count as the ONE allowed 
partner exercise, you may still work on another option with a partner. 


AND 1 of the following options:
1. Come up with a thesis for the novel and list six supporting quotations.
2. Create an idea map of paper topic ideas and support (your map should 
have at least ten connecting arrows and the corresponding number of 
thoughts)
3. Find examples of five literary devices in the novel, quote and label 
(typed)


C Level Work

Complete 2 of the following options:
1. Create an Itunes play list for one girl including four song titles, 
and the key 2-3 lines from the song with matching quotations from the 
book to show the connection
2. Type up voicemail messages for each of the sisters - first the message, 
then 1-2 sentences explaining why you chose the words you did.
3. Design a greeting card for one character to send another and write a 
message inside. Everything about the card should represent the sender 
and/or recipient.
4. Imagine you were creating a video game rendition of the book. Which 
character would be the hero / heroine? What would the levels be? What 
would be the eventual goal? Describe your game in 3/4 of a typed page. 

AND 1 of the following options:
1. Come up with a thesis for the novel and list four supporting 
quotations
2. Create an idea map of paper topic ideas and support (your map should 
have at least six connecting arrow and the corresponding number of thoughts)