ENG 4U – Gr. 12 English 2007/8
J. Rice / C. Pfaff / A. Mozarowski
Summer Reading Discussions
You have read at least one of the following novels:
Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name by Vendela Vida
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Look For Me by Edeet Ravel
In each novel, the main characters try to determine their places or define their roles in an unfamiliar, unstable, or potentially threatening environment.
Before next class, skim through your chosen novel and mark two or three 2-4-page passages that you feel address one or more of these topics:
a character's struggle with his or her new role or place in the world
a scene in which two or more characters vie for physical or psychological power over one another
a passage that depicts why the character's new environment seems somehow strange, hostile, or unpredictable
Next class (Sept 6 or 7), you will be working with other classmates who read the same novel to choose ONE of the selected passages in your book that the group would like to contribute to a classwide discussion. One member of your group will be responsible for providing me with a CLEAN photocopy (i.e. no annotations) of your group's selected passage by Sept 10 or 11. You do not need to prepare any other visual aids.
On September 12 or 14, you will get a package that includes all the passages. To prepare for the discussions, you need to read and annotate all the passages. Underline, prepare questions you want to ask, look up unfamiliar words, etc. You do not need to know the rest of the book to be successful in a discussion of this passage -- just pay close attention to things that catch your eye.
Each discussion – one for each group/passage – will take approximately 20m. In each, half of the class, including those whose small groups prepared that passage, will be involved in the discussion; the other half the class will be assigned specific tasks to perform during the discussion. The discussions will give you a chance to establish and practise discussion norms for the year.
Discussions will take place on September 17 and 24 (Monday/Thursday class) and September 21 and 25 (Tuesday/Friday class).
This is a formative exercise designed to develop discussion skills. Feedback is provided anecdotally to the class as a whole, in terms of group strategies/participation and class response. Rubric is below.