Socratic Seminar Question Types: The Pearl

Submit two (2) of each of the following by Wednesday, December 1. I will pick several and post them to the website that evening. Be prepared to discuss them in class on Thursday., December 2nd. Questions may address any and all aspects of The Pearl.


WORLD CONNECTION QUESTION
Write a question connecting the text to the real world.

Example: When you realize how badly you’ve mistreated someone, how do you go about making things right between you?


CLOSE-ENDED QUESTION
Write a question about the text that will help everyone in the class come to an agreement about events or characters in the text. This question usually has a “correct” answer.

Example: Based on evidence in Chapter Two, how is a pearl made?


OPEN-ENDED QUESTION
Write an insightful question about the text that will require proof and group discussion and “construction of logic” to discover or explore the answer to the question.

Example: How does the pearl change Kino?


UNIVERSAL THEME/ CORE QUESTION
Write a question dealing with a theme(s) of the text that will encourage group discussion about the universality of the text.

Example: After reading Steinbeck’s Pearl, how do you feel cooperation should be balanced with individuality?


LITERARY ANALYSIS QUESTION
Write a question dealing with HOW an author chose to compose a literary piece. How did the author manipulate point of view, characterization, poetic form, archetypal hero patterns, for example?

Example: In The Pearl, how does Steinbeck use simile and metaphor to show Kino’s loss of humanity when he kills the trackers?

Pearl Chapter 4-6 Test Terms and Vocabulary Preview

In addition to having read the second half of Steinbeck's Pearl here are some things you should know before Monday, Nov. 29th.

Literary Terms

• Alliteration
• Allusion
• Analogy
• Assertion
• Fable
• Fairy Tale
• Foreshadowing
• Hyperbole
• Legend
• Metaphor
• Myth
• Naturalism (as literary style/trend)
• Onomatopoeia
• Oxymoron
• Parable
• Paradox
• Personification
• Sensory Imagery (Auditory, Gustatory, Olfactory, Tactile, Visual)
• Simile

Mood/Tone Words

• Acceptance
• Anxiety
• Bitterness
• Contemplation
• Frustration
• Joy
• Rage
• Sorrow
• Sweetness
• Tenderness

Vocabulary

• Aspirations
• Dehumanize
• Renege
• Reptilian Brain

Mythological Characters

• Cyclops
• Erymanthian Boar
• Hydra
• Kraken
• Medusa
• Pegasus
• Perseus

Time Is Short. Get to Reading!

For some of you this week has passed by unbelievably fast, and your good intentions to get to a bookstore and/or do some reading have gone the way of Thursday's turkey legs. Please come to class prepared for success on the Pearl chapters 4-6 test.

If you haven't already managed to get a book, you may read it online here (or print it out or use an app like Stanza to transfer the text to your iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch. (Any Android/Blackberry users know an app that will allow you to transfer texts to your Book Reader apps?)

Also, Dickens' Christmas Carol can be downloaded for free here. Only the first stave/chapter is due this week.

Look for the test preview later today.

Preview: "Dover Beach"

Part way through Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (the book week be reading in the final six weeks of the year), the protagonist reads a poem by Matthew Arnold: Dover Beach.

Here's the full poem read by Angela Lansbury (you may know her as the voice of Mrs. Potts in Disney's Beauty and the Beast): Listen. (Right click and choose "Save As" to copy to your computer, then move it to your iPod)

There are more classic poems to be listened to and downloaded here.

"Celebration of Grandfathers" Persuasive Argument Analysis

After reading “Celebration of Grandfathers”…

Summarize Anaya’s CLAIM and provide three (3) pieces of evidence he uses to support his claim. For each piece of evidence, indicate if it is ETHOS-, LOGOS-, or PATHOS-based.

Identify two (2) places where he addresses COUNTERCLAIMs and rewrite them in the “I know that…” “and I agree that…” “…but…” format

In 3-5 sentences conclude and explain why you were or were not persuaded by Anaya’s argument.

Persuasive Argument Powerpoint Notes

Thank you Ms. Farinas!

Pearl Chapter One Graphic Organizer

On Friday, November 19, you'll be writing an essay on the following prompt:

Read Chapter One of John Steinbeck’s Pearl. Then, in a well-organized essay, compare and contrast the portrayal of the doctor both before and after the reader actually meets him. Pay particular attention to the diction, the narrator’s attitude toward the doctor, and the overall tone created by the author.

In class, graphic organizers to assist in writing the essay were distributed. If you were absent or lost your, download the graphic organizer, again.

Pearl Chapters 1-3 Powerpoint Notes

Thank you Ms. Farinas!

Pre-AP: New Books, New Password

I picked up two copies of How to Read Literature Like a Professor book tonight. If you've got $7 (I don't make change) and the new password -- swordfish -- you've got yourself a copy of the book.

First come, first served (stop by starting at 7:30 for your best chance of getting one).

Pre-AP: IWA #3

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Money often costs too much.” Both The Pearl and A Christmas Carol explore the paradox that wealth can carry a great cost to an individual, a family, and/or a community. In a well-developed essay explore the literary strategies Steinbeck or Dickens uses throughout his novella to communicate this idea to the reader.

This is the final IWA where a REWRITE (70 point) grade will be awarded. Please submit a draft early in the six weeks’ grading period so you can rewrite/revise and understand what is expected of you during the 4th Six Weeks.


Tips to success:

Do not simply recount the tragedies the characters encounter. Extensive plot summary will result in a REDO grade (no points), not a REWRITE (70 points). Look at diction, metaphor, imagery, etc., and how the author’s use of these techniques changes over the course of the story to help you explore the subject of the cost of wealth/money.

Focus on only one of the novellas. If you want to use A Christmas Carol, you must complete reading it in time to proceed through the IWA process.

All essays must be typed and adhere to the MLA formatting requirements (see below). All essays must be submitted with the draft in the LEFT pocket (inside front cover) of a 2-pocket portfolio folder. Failure to meet these minimum requirements will result in the draft being returned to the student unevaluated and with no score recorded.

• Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.


• Double-space the text of your paper (paragraph settings). Use Times New Roman (Garamond if you're “fancy”); the font size should be 12 pt. (font settings).


• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks.


• Set the margins of your document to 1" on all sides.


• Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times, or set your paragraphs to indent the first line 0.5". Do not skip a line (i.e., leave a blank line) between paragraphs.

Drop-Dead Deadline: Friday, January 7, 2011.

Pearl Chapter 1-3 Test Terms and Vocabulary Preview

For the test covering the first three chapters of Steinbeck's The Pearl on Nov. 15, you should know the meanings of the following literary terms, vocabulary words, etc.:

Literary Terms

• Alliteration
• Allusion
• Analogy
• Anaphora
• Antithesis
• Assonance
• Cliche
• Foreshadowing
• Hyperbole
• Imagery
• Irony
• Metaphor
• Onomatopoeia
• Personification

Vocabulary

• Adequate
• Chastise
• Discrepancy
• Illuminate (not with light)
• Juxtapose
• Parallel (as a verb)

Mood/Tone Words

• Apathetic
• Condescending
• Contemptuous
• Expectant
• Indifferent
• Reverent
• Sarcastic
• Sinister
• Tragic
• Tranquil

TAKS Prep: Reading Skills

Using the novel you've been reading in class, complete the following:

1. Find two (2) sentences where you've figured out the meaning of new words based on how they are used in the sentence. Explain how you figured out their meaning.


2. Make a prediction about what you think may happen later in the story based on one character's personality trait(s).


3. Summarize what the book is about, so far.

Pre-AP: Vocabulary for Six-Week's Final

These words (or noun/verb/adjective/adverb variations) will appear on the Six-Weeks' Final. Knowing what they mean will work to your advantage. (The page number where they appear in the most-common paperback versions of Lord of the Flies appear in parentheses.)

• Interminable (135)
• Iridescent (192)
• Lamentation (116)
• Malevolently (94)
• Muted (29)
• Obscurely (95)
• Obtuseness (153)
• Officious (50)
• Opalescence (75)
• Opaque (95)
• Parody (94)
• Parried (253)
• Pinnacles (251)
• Ruefully (159)
• Tacit (71)
• Vexed (194)
• Vicissitudes (63)
• Vivid (266)
• Vulnerable (159)

Timeline Illustration

Select one (1) of the ten (10) items on your timeline and illustrate it on a separate sheet of paper.

Be sure to fully use the space of the page; enhance with color, as appropriate; and place the date and time in large print at the bottom of your illustration.

Artistic ability is secondary to your attempt to portray an event in the Storm King Mountain disaster, but if it looks like you put the least amount of effort into the assignment, don't expect much time or effort to go into the consideration of your grade.

Pre-AP Reading for Week of 11/15

On Monday, November 15th, there will be a quiz on the first three (3) chapters of The Pearl. Please have it read. Thank you.

Lord of the Flies Socratic Seminar #2 Questions

Be prepared to discuss these questions in class on Tuesday, November 9, 2010.

If you missed the seminar, submit well-thought out written responses to two questions (100%; one question=80%).

If you were in class and did not respond twice, use the back of your remaining half-sheets ("buns") to respond to the questions. If you respond to a question discussed in class, your response must add to the conversation we had. (+10 pts. each.)

WORLD CONNECTION QUESTIONS
Which character do you most closely identify with? Why? -- J.C. (1st)

When you are afraid, what do you do to overcome your fears? -- M.A. (3rd)


CLOSE-ENDED QUESTIONS
Why did Jack say "I'm Chief" after Piggy's death? -- R.V. (1st)

Why don't Jack and Piggy get along? -- M.M. (3rd)

What is signified by the breaking of Piggy's specs? -- R.R. (8th)


OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
If the pilot were to have survived, how would the story have changed? -- T.B. (3rd)

Why was it important to the story for the boys to believe in The Beast, even though there wasn't any real threat? -- N.G. (7th)


UNIVERSAL THEME / CORE QUESTIONS
What did you like about the book? What did you dislike? -- A.R. (7th)

How is evil represented in the story? -- J.N. (8th)


LITERARY ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
What details of the boys' characters did Golding alter over the course of the novel to show their descent into savagery? -- V.E. (1st)

How did Golding foreshadow Piggy's death? -- K.M. (7th)

What did Golding accomplish by choosing to make the weather a thunderstorm when Simon was killed? -- L.G. (8th)

In what ways is the ending ironic? -- Mr. Mikesell

IWA: Last Chance

Because Ms. Perry was administrating P.A. this afternoon, you have until 11:59 P.M., Central Time, to email me your IWA. Because district email is iffy right now, attach the file (.doc or .rtf, only -- .docx will not be accepted) to an email to my personal account: chris-dot-mikesell-at-gmail-dot-com (where -dot- is a . and -at- is an @).

This will not be allowed for IWA #3.

Socratic Seminar Question Types: Lord of the Flies, Chapters 4-12

Submit two (2) of each of the following by Monday, November 8. I will pick several and post them to the website prior to the socratic seminar. Be prepared to discuss them in class next week.

World Connection Question
Write a question connecting the text to the real world.

Example: How do you stand up to peer pressure?


Close-Ended Question
Write a question about the text that will help everyone in the class come to an agreement about events or characters in the text. This question usually has a “correct” answer.

Example: What was "The Beast"?


Open-Ended Question
Write an insightful question about the text that will require proof and group discussion and “construction of logic” to discover or explore the answer to the question.

Example: In what ways is Simon revealed as a Christ figure?


Universal Theme / Core Question
Write a question dealing with a theme(s) of the text that will encourage group discussion about the universality of the text.

Example: Do the boys truly escape the horrors of the island once they are "rescued"?


Literary Analysis Question
Write a question dealing with HOW an author chose to compose a literary piece. How did the author manipulate point of view, characterization, symbolism, imagery, metaphors, allusions, archetypal hero patterns, for example, to help the reader better understand the story?

Example: Golding characterizes Piggy as myopic or (literally) shortsighted. In what ways does he metaphorically behave shortsightedly?

Blowup/Storm King Mountain Timeline

If you didn't finish the timeline in class, finish reading the Storm King Mountain article at my.hrw.com. Use the login-ID you received in class and the password mikesell (all lowercase). The story begins on Page 558.

If you lost your timeline, the first item is:

July 2 - Lightning strikes hills, starting fire

You need nine (9) more significant moments on your timeline.

Alternate Email Address for IWAs

On my school email account tonight I've received several emails that were sent a week ago. It is possible that IWAs may be being held up, so please send them to my personal account: chris-dot-mikesell-at-gmail-dot-com (where -dot- is a . and -at- is an @).

Thank you.

Pre-AP: 8-Step Writing Process

Be sure to have the graphic organizer copied and ready to turn in on Thursday, November 4th.

In case we didn't get to finish in your class, here are explanations for the final three steps.

Rough Draft: Don't worry about getting it right the first time, just get everything you can think of down on paper as quickly as possible. "Once upon a time..." is a perfectly fine way to start out your Rough Draft.

Revise/Edit: Things to look for when revising/editing:

• That "Once upon a time" intro? Replace it. Start with dialogue, a flash-forward to an exciting moment two-thirds of the way through your story's rising action, or something interesting that happens early on in your story.


• If your story opens with you waking up, showering, getting dressed, and eating breakfast, scrap it. Start your story with something interesting happening.


• Look for places to add similes, metaphors, personification, onomatopoeia, etc.


• Make sure everyone has a name. Only Mom and Dad should be generalized as "mom" and "dad" -- your siblings, friends, teachers, etc., should be named.


• Double-check your organized bubblemap to see if everything essential has been included.


• Other than a brief flashback or flash-forward, does everything flow in sequence? It should.


• Make sure you've mentioned or implied the prompt's keyword(s) toward the end of your introduction/exposition and during your "lesson learned"/conclusion.


• Plus, fix grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.

Final Draft: Make sure you re-copy your revised draft carefully. It's easy to make a mistake and think you're copying accurately because you know what you "mean" to write. Wait a half hour after you've written your Final Draft before you submit it so you can look at it with as fresh of eyes as possible one last time before you call it "done." (During the TAKS test you'll have the Revising and Editing section to do after your "essay," so look at your Final Draft again when you're done with that last section.)

Open-Ended/Crossover Questions for Haiti Article

Use the article on Haiti, "Amid Haiti horror, stories of survival and hope*," to answer the following question:

What similarity do the Prudhommes and the Schlenbakers share? (No, it's not "odd last names.") Support your answer with evidence from the text. (3-5 sentences)

Use the Haiti article and the "Man in the Water" to answer this crossover question:

How does the theme of this article (Haiti) compare with the theme of "Man in the Water"? Support your answer with evidence from both articles. (5-7 sentences)

*The article cuts off mid-sentence on the jump page. Click the "Show more text" tab to see the end of the article.