Amir's Family Dynamics: September 21, 2015

Focus: How can making personal connections and asking questions help us understand the family in The Kite Runner?

1. Warm-up: Creating a symbolic family drawing  for the family in The Kite Runner:

• What does the house/estate look like? Where do the different characters belong?
• Which characters are symbolically small and powerless, and which ones have power?
• Which characters are close to each other, and which maintain an emotional distance?
• Find passages from the text to back up at least THREE of your symbolic choices and write them in your drawing.

Follow-up class discussion: What important choices did you make, and what do they symbolize?  

Can you relate to the family in The Kite Runner?  Anybody here overshadowed by siblings? How does your relationship with your parents compare to Amir's relationship with his dad?

2. Discussing Chapters 2 and 3 with your membership grid groups

Topic #1: Each member shares a significant question from Chapter 2 or 3; all members discuss possible answers to each question.

Topic #2: Each member shares a significant passage (quotation) from Chapter 2 or 3; all members discuss the passage and its possible significance.

Topic #3: Each member makes a text-to-self connection to understand the text on a more personal level.  In other words, can you relate to any of the characters or their relationships so far?

3. Start reading and annotating Chapter 4 together, continuing to ask and discuss level 1 and 2 questions

HW:
1. Read and annotate Chapters 4 and 5 using sticky notes or a reading journal; remember to use your reading strategies as you annotate (make personal connections, ask questions, make inferences about important little details, build up your background knowledge by looking up things you don't understand).  Make sure you have annotations or reading journal in class each day for checks.

WE WILL READ CHAPTER 6 IN CLASS TOMORROW.

2. Work on your summary-response essays, which are due Fri, September 25. Remember that final drafts are final in the class; all revisions need to happen BEFORE you submit the final draft.

3. Finish your www.quizlet.com flashcards for Kite Runner words, Chs 1-6 by Wednesday.

Remember that this Friday marks the end of the first 6 weeks; all make-up work, revisions, grade corrections, and re-taken quizzes are due this Friday.