Pygmalion Reading/Writing Portfolio
You will be assembling a portfolio of writings in response to your reading
of Pygmalion. Your goal is to complete one Act per week. You are
welcome to work ahead if you choose to do so (especially if you want to
avoid doing work over the Thanksgiving break).
All work is expected to be your own response to the characters, events,
and messages of the play.
Important dates to remember:
11/11 – Act 1 reading due/view video
11/18 – Act 2 activity due on turnitin.com
11/25 – Act 3 activity due on turnitin.com
12/2 – Act 4 activity due on turnitin.com
12/9 – Act 5 activity and After Reading Questions due on turnitin.com
12/10 – ENTIRE PORTFOLIO hardcopy due
Weekly Pygmalion Portfolio Selections
 Complete your reading goal and one activity for each week.
 Type each of your weekly activities and submit it on turnitin.com by the deadlines.
 Unless otherwise noted, all written activities should be a minimum of one typewritten
page, (double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt., 1 inch margins), written in paragraph
form, not lists.
 At the end of the project you will turn in a hard copy of all the activities assembled
together.
Include a heading on each paper (single space your heading):
At the top, right, of your paper type your name, and under that type the Act number for the
activity and the title of the activity:
Jane Thornton
Act 2 Cause and Effect
Choose 1 of these Activities to complete for each week.
Act 2
Character Description
Cause and Effect
Sports Page
Act 3
Letter to Character
Word Choice
Essay on Setting
Act 4
Stick Figure
A Game
Celebrity
Act 5
Theme
Style
Change
DON’T FORGET THE AFTER READING QUESTIONS – SEE END OF ASSIGNMENT
Activity Details:
Remember you only have to do one activity per week.
Character Description:
Choose three characters in the play so far. Describe their physical appearance, importance to the
story, and character traits. Formulate an opinion of each of the three characters, describe them in
your own words, and back up what you have to say with quotes from the play; make sure to use
page numbers.
Cause and effect:
Choose six events in the story. What caused each event? What was the effect of each event?
Formulate an opinion of the six events, explain the cause and effect in your own words, and back
up what you have to say with quotes from the play; make sure to use page numbers.
Sports Page:
Describe an exciting event from the play as if you were a sports broadcaster. Your broadcaster
story needs to have specific details and show deep understanding of the events of the story.
Letter to Character:
Write a letter to a character in the play. Include your reaction to the events in the play, your
feelings about the character’s choices, and what you think the character should do now.
Word Choice:
Choose ten interesting or unusual words from the play. Create a vocabulary square for each.
Part of Speech and Word Origin
Synonym/Short definition
The word
Illustration or symbol that would
Analogy using the word
help you remember the word and its
meaning.
The sentence and page number where the word is used.
Essay on Setting:
Think about the relationship of the setting to the story. Could this story have happened in another
place? Why or why not? Write an essay explaining your beliefs and use quotes from the story to
help back up what you have to say.
Stick Figure:
Many good stories have two opposing characters. Choose either the protagonist or the antagonist
and write his/her name at the top of your paper. Using only symbols create a stick figure
drawing/collage of the character. You need to have a symbol in place of a head, torso, each hand,
and each foot (6 symbols). Remember symbols are not the actual thing; they represent a larger
idea. On a separate page, list your symbols and briefly (1-2 sentences each) explain their
significance.
A Game:
Many good stories have two opposing characters. Choose either the protagonist or the antagonist;
if this character were a game, which game would they be and why? Write an essay explaining your
theory.
Celebrity:
Many good stories have two opposing characters. Choose either the protagonist or the antagonist;
if this character were a celebrity, which celebrity would they be and why? Write an essay
explaining your theory.
Theme:
Theme is the underlying message of a piece of text. Write an essay to express a primary theme of
this book; be sure to include plenty of quotes to back up what you have to say.
Style:
Style is the way an author writes a text. How do you feel about the author’s style in this book? Is it
formal or informal? Do you like the way the sentences sound? In an essay, discuss the style of
writing your author uses; be sure to include plenty of quotes to back up what you have to say.
Change:
Often, characters change as a result of events in a novel. Choose two characters and describe the
changes each one went through in this book; be sure to include plenty of quotes to back up what
you have to say.
.
After Reading Instructions
Before submitting your independent reading/writing portfolio,
on a separate sheet paper answer each of these questions in a 57 sentence paragraph. Total of 3 paragraphs.
Title your paper “After Reading Questions”
1. Would you recommend this book to other students? Why or why not? (Be
specific.)
2. What was your favorite or least favorite part about this book?
3. What is your reaction to reading this book; was there a lesson learned?
After you have answered the “After Reading Questions,” start
putting your Pygmalion Reading/Writing Portfolio together.
Stack the assignment together neatly in this order:
 Top page: your approved Introduction Page
 Under that your 5 typewritten Weekly Selections in order by week, properly
labeled.
 Lastly, your After Reading Questions
 Place one staple in the upper left hand corner of stack of papers
Points deducted for not following instructions as well as sloppiness.