For 1st Hour Eyes Only: October 2, 2015

Focus: How can we strengthen our reading of The Kite Runner through vocabulary and a focus on how the past "claw[s] its way into the present"?

3rd Hour Only: Meet in the Forum. Bring something to write with and on.

1. Warming up with a vocabulary game (finally!)

Round 1

1. Something you might find in an affluent household.
2. An unscrupulous celebrity.
3. A food you disdain
4. An example of unruly behavior in the classroom
5. A trend that is fleeting

Round 2

1. A store where an impeccably dressed person might shop
2. Something you might implore your parents to buy for you
3. Something you would say to feign happiness
4. An animal that makes you feel trepidation
5. A viable excuse for missing curfew

2. Taking the quiz o' vocabulary, Kite Runner Chapters 1-6

3. Enjoying your independent reading book (or The Kite Runner)

4. Starting Chapter 13 together with the following focus for your annotations:

Find five lines/passages that show the past "clawing its way into the present," and create a journal entry/annotation for each.

HW:
1. We will finish Chapter 13 in class on Monday, but if you're leading fishbowl discussion, you may wish to get ahead. Remember that  our next fishbowl is Tuesday, and it will cover Chapters 14, 15, and 16.

2. Independent reading.

The First Step of the Hero's Journey: October 1, 2015

Focus: What is the hero's journey? How does it start? How does it deepen our understanding of The Kite Runner?

1. Warming up: Figuring out the first step of the hero's journey

What is the hero's journey?

• Some critics believe that there exists a “collective unconscious,” or inner thoughts, feelings, instincts, and memories that reside in the unconsciousness of all people.

• The hero’s journey ties into this, as heroes across all times and cultures share certain traits and experiences.

2. Viewing two examples of the first step of the hero's journey:

Finding Nemo
The Lion King

Batman Begins

As you watch, please respond to the following questions in your notes:

What do these clips have in common? Try to go beyond the obvious here.

What heroic patterns do they reveal?

How do these moments affect the main characters?

Which characters appear to be following this heroic pattern in The Kite Runner? How so?

How has the separation (physical or emotional) affected these characters’ self-perception, behavior, and motivation?  Please include at least one specific passage from the novel to support your response.

3. Entering Fishbowl #3: Chapters 11 and 12 of The Kite Runner

HW:
1. Study for tomorrow's vocabulary quiz (Chs. 1-6). We will review at the beginning of class.

2. Bring your independent reading book and/or The Kite Runner for independent reading time. If I have not yet checked your annotations, I will be doing so tomorrow.

3. We will be reading Chapter 13 on Friday and Monday, then we will fishbowl Chapters 14, 15, and 16 on Tuesday (those three chapters put together are only 23 pages long).

Shifting Conflicts: September 30, 2015

Focus: How do the characters' conflicts shift because of their surroundings?

1. Warming up with a focus on conflicts, both internal and external

Try finishing these sentences:

So far, Amir's greatest external conflict is with _________________.

So far, Amir's greatest internal conflict is with _________________.


2. Reading Chapters 11, 12, and 13 and trying to finish at least two of the following statements (these can be entries in your reading journal/annotations if you wish):

In America, Baba's greatest external conflict is with ________________.

In America, Baba's greatest internal conflict is with _________________.

In America, Amir's greatest external conflict is with ________________.

In America, Amir's greatest internal conflict is with _________________.


3. Conferencing with you on your journals and annotations; tomorrow's fishbowl leaders may use this time to prepare


HW:
1. Prepare for tomorrow's fishbowl by reading and annotating Chapters 11, 12, and 13. Fishbowl leaders should finish this reading tonight so that they have time to prepare a syllabus. 

2. Spend a few minutes with the first ten words from The Kite Runner on www.quizlet.com

3. Keep bringing your annotations/journals to class so that they can be checked off.

Kite Runner Fishbowl: Chapters 9 and 10: September 29, 2015

Focus: How can student-led discussion lead us to a better understanding of The Kite Runner, Chapters 9 and 10?

1. Warming up: Celebrating your outer circle fishbowl successes from yesterday!

2. Recapping Fishbowl expectations:

• Everyone should have his or her Kite Runner book and annotations out.  This applies to both the outer and inner circles.

• Reference the text frequently, reading passages aloud and giving people time to find the right page numbers.  

• Leaders can and should jump into the discussion as well.

• All participants in the outer circle should include at least one quotation in their blogs to receive full credit.

• Outer circle participants must participate on the blog throughout the entire discussion; you should not disappear for large periods of time.

• If you haven't read, you should not participate in fishbowl.  Instead, use this time to read and post on the blog tonight for homework.

3. Entering Fishbowl #1: Chapters 9 and 10

4. Wrapping up the discussion with a "whip-around" (go around the circle and state what went well and/or what we need to improve upon and/or one take away from today's discussion you have regarding The Kite Runner)

5. Starting Chapter 11 together

HW:
1. Prepare for Thursday's fishbowl by reading and annotating Chapters 11 and 12. Fishbowl leaders should finish this reading tonight so that they have time to prepare a syllabus.

2. Start studying for Friday's vocabulary quiz over Chapters 1-6; we will review these words tomorrow with a little game.

3. Keep bringing your annotations/journals to class so that they can be checked off.

Dipping Your Toes in the Fishbowl: September 28, 2015

Focus: How can asking good questions deepen our understanding of characters and conflicts?

If you have not yet signed up for your fishbowl dates, please do so now.

1. Warming up with an overview of fishbowl (and your reflections on fishbowls past)

2. Reviewing Level 1 and Level 2 questions and forming sample fishbowl questions

Sample Level 1 and 2 Questions:

• What happened to Amir's mother?

• How does the way Amir's mother died impact Amir's relationship with his father?  

• What was happening politically in Afghanistan in the 1970s?

• How does the political unrest of Afghanistan mirror the inner turmoil of Amir's family?

To prepare for our sample fishbowl today, please prepare FIVE questions with your assigned partner on Chapters 4-8 (look to your journals and sticky notes for help).  At least FOUR of them should be Level 2 questions, but feel free to ask a Level 1 question about anything that's confusing you.

Wondering what to do on the outer circle?  Click HERE to see a sample fishbowl blog.

3. Trying out fishbowl discussion in ten minute intervals so that you get to try out at least two of the roles

4. Debriefing what worked well and what didn't work so well in today's practice fishbowl

HW:
1. Read Chapters 9 and 10 for tomorrow; fishbowl leaders need to prepare their syllabus and print hard copies of it for each leader and for me. Discussers should be ready to discuss.

2. Our vocabulary quiz over Chapters 1-6 will take place this Friday.

3. Independent reading.

Six Weeks Strong: September 25, 2015

Focus: What do we need to accomplish to stay on top of the game?

1. Warming up with setting your goal: What are you going to accomplish in the next 40 minutes?

Start your sentence with "I will..."

2. Taking time to get your English 10 self into shape:

Is your summary-response done?

      Have you included a title?

      Have you removed all editing comments (including mine)?

      Have you successfully submitted it to the "Final Draft" folder in www.turnitin.com?

      Remember these are due by 3 pm today.

Do you need to retake any grammar quizzes?

Do you need to revise any of your old reading journals?

Are any of your grades in IC incorrect? Come talk to me right now.

Are you on schedule for your independent reading book?

Are you caught up with your Kite Runner reading and journals/annotations?

Do you aspire to be ahead of the game? Chapters 9 and 10 are due Tuesday.

3. Signing up for fishbowl discussion and enjoying a round of Scattegories to review Kite Runner vocabulary for Chapters 1-6

Round 1

1. Something you might find in an affluent household.
2. An unscrupulous celebrity.
3. A food you disdain
4. An example of unruly behavior in the classroom
5. A trend that is fleeting

Round 2

1. A store where an impeccably dressed person might shop
2. Something you might implore your parents to buy for you
3. Something you would say to feign happiness
4. An animal that makes you feel trepidation
5. A viable excuse for missing curfew

HW:
1. Make sure your summary-response final draft is in the "Final Draft" folder in www.turnitin.com by 3 pm today.

2. Read Chapters 9 and 10 in The Kite Runner for Tuesday; complete your reading journal or five annotations.

Confronting Literary Violence: September 24, 2015

Focus: Why does Khaled Hosseini include the violent scene in Chapter 7?

1. Approaching the violence of Chapter 7 of The Kite Runner; either writing about or discussing Chapter 7 while keeping the following in mind:

“Violence is one of the most personal and even intimate acts between human beings, but it can also be cultural and societal in its implications.  It can be symbolic, thematic, biblical, Shakespearean…Violence in real life just is.  If someone punches you in the nose in a supermarket parking lot, it’s simply aggression…Violence in literature, though, while it is literal, is usually also something else.  That same punch in the nose may be a metaphor.”  --Foster, How to Read Literature Like a Professor

• What were the most upsetting parts of reading Chapters 7 and 8?

• How do you feel about Amir right now?

• What questions do you want to ask the author about this scene?
• What might the violence in Chapter 7 represent on a larger scale? Think about the world of Afghanistan and how it's starting to change in these chapters.
• What other stories does this scene of violence make you think of? Can those connections help you understand the nature of the rape in Chapter 7?

• Why this sort of violence and not some other?  For example, why not just have Assef beat up Hassan?

• Wondering what the author has to say about this convtroversial scene?

2. Exploring the symbolism of the kite and kite running

Find three different quotations about kites and kite running; try to spread these passages out, finding one quotation from one of the first few chapters, one from the middle chapters, and one from the chapters you've just read.

With your membership grid groups, read your passages aloud and discuss the following:

• In each quotation, which specific words and images stand out and why?
• What might the kite symbolize in each quotation?
• Is the meaning of the kite changing? If so, how?

HW:

1. Make sure your vocab flashcards for Chapters 1-6 of The Kite Runner are done (via Quizlet).

2. Bring either The Kite Runner or an independent reading book to class tomorrow.

3. Please read and annotate Chapters 9 and 10 for next Tuesday, which is the date of our first official fishbowl!

This Friday, September 25, marks two important deadlines for this class:

• Final drafts of the summary-response are due in Turnitin.com (we will set up your accounts tomorrow) by 3:00 pm. Remember that final drafts are, in fact, final and cannot be revised.

• Any revised work/retaken quizzes are due by the end of this day. You may use class time on Friday to revise journals or retake quizzes. If you requested to retake a quiz in the letter you wrote on Friday, your quiz is waiting for you in www.noredink.com.