Instructions for Reading and Class Work

Complete the reading and class work before the class session each day.  Be prepared to present or lead group, then overall class discussion.  Create and employ strategies to get all students actively participating.  

Daily/Weekly Assignments

Read the chapter(s) or pages and complete all of the following:
1) Identify the overall claim / main idea / purpose of the chapter (and/or the characters' & narrator's (author's) claims/arguments) and evidence used to support the claim.  Look for & explicitly identify kinds of evidence (rhetorical strategies, etc.) and reasons.  Analyze their effectiveness.  Note: overall claim, message, theme, purpose may often be implicit or left unstated; you must deduce or infer these based upon the chapter.  While often similar, each chapter contains its own aspect or portion that builds to an overall theme and purpose.  

2) Identify the components of the rhetorical situation (use judgment to discern which components of the rhetorical situation are relevant).  Focus especially on the author's awareness & use of the intended audience and their intelligence and knowledge of history, literature, America & its philosophies, beliefs, and values (through riddles of allusion [and ellipsis: purposeful omission of key words or ideas]).

3) Identify and analyze at least 1-2 examples of rhetorical devices and their purpose.  (Find combos if present!).

4) Create a 3 question quiz (Events, main idea, facts, key details important in the particular chapter/section).

Note: Create or Use Key Discussion Questions to complete the topics above & Use them for discussion IN CLASS.  Discussion should also be used to complete some, though only a small sum, of the above work.

Assignment on Background Information related to Characters, Events, Topics:
Objectives: 

Content Objective: I will learn background information about four or more people, events, and topics relevant to the historical non-fiction book The Devil in the White City.

Language Objective: I will develop a slide presentation for the class on one or more characters, events, or topics relevant to The Devil in the White City.

Use the website (or research online) to preview background information and characters.  Create and post a google doc.  Divide up the content and research at least 4 characters and 4 topics from the website page (note: topics and characters might be the same thing).  The main characters include: 

Daniel Burnham; 

H H Holmes; 

Frederick L. Olmsted; 

John Root; 

Topics: 

The Chicago World's Fair; 

There is a great amount of background content below. Use the following information and sources to research some background info about the characters, events, and topics relevant to the book.
Note: some links may not work so research topics on your own (using Google Scholar searches and/or Youtube video sources).  

BACKGROUND... 

on the characters and topics - especially architecture, landscape architecture, The Chicago World's Fair, and the criminal investigation technique(s).