Spring Break Extra Credit Opportunity
In his autobiography, The Periodic Table, Primo Levi tells about his life by framing important chapters of his life in the
context of elements from the Periodic Table. The chapter that you will read is called Hydrogen and tells the story of one
of Primo’s first encounters with chemistry.
What you need to do: Read the Hydrogen chapter from The Periodic Table and then write your own autobiographical
chapter (Typed, 12 pt., Times New Roman, double spaced, 1” margins, minimum of 3 pages, no extra spacing!). Your
“chapter” should tell about a specific story or time in your life (in the same way that Primo does) that relates to an
element from the Periodic Table. This will definitely require a little bit of thought and planning! Things to remember: 1)
This story is autobiographical so it must be something that has actually happened to YOU! 2) Even though you are
writing this for Chemistry class, I fully expect you to write as if this is for English class. Pay attention to the language and
literary tools that Primo Levi uses to tell his story so beautifully; I have HIGH expectations! 3) The extra credit points are
a maximum possible point value; if you do not adequately meet the aforementioned criteria, you may receive only
partial extra credit or even no extra credit.
What you will get: You may add 10 points to any test score that you have received or replace any failing test grade with
a 75. (Yes…really!) (This only counts for exams, you may not replace any non-exam test grades such as your Soap
Preparation Lab Report.) (Also, this extra credit may ONLY be used for the 5th six weeks)
Due Date: Monday March 21, 2011 Please submit an electronic copy by email to ms116@ssttx.org
Spring Break Extra Credit Opportunity
In his autobiography, The Periodic Table, Primo Levi tells about his life by framing important chapters of his life in the
context of elements from the Periodic Table. The chapter that you will read is called Hydrogen and tells the story of one
of Primo’s first encounters with chemistry.
What you need to do: Read the Hydrogen chapter from The Periodic Table and then write your own autobiographical
chapter (Typed, 12 pt., Times New Roman, double spaced, 1” margins, minimum of 3 pages, no extra spacing!). Your
“chapter” should tell about a specific story or time in your life (in the same way that Primo does) that relates to an
element from the Periodic Table. This will definitely require a little bit of thought and planning! Things to remember: 1)
This story is autobiographical so it must be something that has actually happened to YOU! 2) Even though you are
writing this for Chemistry class, I fully expect you to write as if this is for English class. Pay attention to the language and
literary tools that Primo Levi uses to tell his story so beautifully; I have HIGH expectations! 3) The extra credit points are
a maximum possible point value; if you do not adequately meet the aforementioned criteria, you may receive only
partial extra credit or even no extra credit.
What you will get: You may add 10 points to any test score that you have received or replace any failing test grade with
a 75. Yes…really! (This only counts for exams, you may not replace any non-exam test grades such as your Soap
Preparation Lab Report.) (Also, this extra credit may ONLY be used for the 5th six weeks)
Due Date: Monday March 21, 2011 Please submit an electronic copy by email to ms116@ssttx.org