In this unit we will take deeper look at the big idea of "fall from innocence" as we read A Separate Peace by John Knowles.
Jan. 8, Tues. - SWBAT write an opinion on themes they will encounter in ASP, and discuss how their opinions of the themes might affect perception of the characters.
IR - pass out IR notebook checklist. Notebooks Due & Book Talks THIS FRIDAY
Pre-reading activity for A Separate Peace; Themes will be posted on the board along with instructions to individually write their reaction to each theme on a Post-it note and sign the note. Students must pick a side, no maybe answers.
On the board draw a chart with agree on one side, disagree on the other, and the themes down the side.
As students will placed finished Post-it notes on the appropriate side to the board. One student will be the moderator and pull notes off the board to read. The student who wrote the note can then explain, elaborate, or defend their position. Repeat the process with at least two notes from each side.Classmates discuss how they view the theme, what impact the theme may have on the book, and whether they might change their minds.Repeat the process through the remaining themes. When the discussion is finished, students place their Post-it notes in their notebook.
Agree/Disagree anticipation chart of themes in ASP
*HW: Find five facts that relate to ASP looking specifically at the author John Knowles, New England in 1942-1943, and Exeter Academy. Use credible sources in your research; write the sources next to your facts.
Jan. 9-10, Wed/Thurs.- SWBAT [1] discuss their collected five facts to enhance understanding of time and place in the novel, [2] create a dual entry journal to record questions, answers, and observations of the text as they demonstrate close reading skills, [3] discuss themes, ideas, and literary elements encountered in the readings and how they affect the novel’s development.
Pick up A Separate Peace
Jan. 11, Friday - IR Notebooks & Book Talks Due Today
BOOK TALKS
Jan. 14 - SWBAT
IR
Discuss five facts hw with your group. Share your facts and write down one facts from each person.
Notebook set-up
Chapters 1 -3 vocabulary:
Journal entry about fear.
Powerpoint on novel introduction
Cover Art Discussion: students examine the cover art and quote, write down their observations and discuss.
Read through Chapter 1 together to discuss expectations for Dual entry Journal
Jan. 15, Tuesday- SWBAT [1] gain an understanding of the text's historical background by taking notes on important information.
Powerpoint on novel introduction
Discuss chapter 1 and its main parts.
*HW - 1) Finishing reading Chapter 1; study guide and reading quiz on chapters 1-3 on 9/29.
Jan. 16, Wed.- SWBAT understand the context and language of Chapter 1 by defining the vocabulary words and locating its part of speech and placement within the text.
ASP Study guide - chs. 1-3 - Fill out this guide before next Friday's class. Follow the example given in class.
Do chapter 1 study guide together
Chapters 1-3 vocabulary
Blitzball Handout
*HW - study guide and reading/vocab quiz on 1/18.
Jan. 17, Thurs. - SWBAT take inventory on a major motif by documenting Finny's commandments.
IR
review vocabulary activity
*HW - Read chapter 3; study guide and reading quiz on 1/18.
Jan. 18, Fri. -SWBAT analyze the etymology of the ASP character's names by studying the history and predicting the character's behavior.
IR + BBB
Chapter 2 - study guide
Etymological look the at the character's names. Characterization of Gene and Finny. Narrator as nonconformist; Finny as iconoloclastic leader. Finny establishes the anarchistic rules for blitzkrieg as a reaction to the "civilized" sport of badminton. Gene passively follows.
Chapter 3 dicussion; work on chapter 3 study guide.
Write down five favorte lines from Chapters 1-3
HW: Five favorite lines due Thursday.
Jan. 21 - MLK Jr. Day
Jan.22, Tues. - SWBAT
IR
Discuss chapters 4-5
ch. 4-6 vocab
Taking Inventory: Begin a running list of Finny's "commandments" in your notebooks as we read the novel.
Blitzkrieg Activity
HW- Remember to write down five favorite lines from chapters 4-6 and complete the study guide. Read chapter 6.
Jan. 23, Wed. - SWBAT analyze Finny as a god-figure in the context of Greek notion of athletics.
IR
Discussion: Causes of War
Synopsize the Cain and Abel story from the Bible
Close read: reread the passage describing Finny's home. Student will use words and phrases from the text (vocabulary) to explain the narrator's reaction to being in Finny's house.
Chapter 6 - reread the last two paragraphs of this chapter and write an account of a sporting event who you saw or participated in. Use language that suggests the sporting event was more like war.
Journal entry: Personal Response Writing - Finny's Fall
*HW - Remember to write down five favorite lines from chapters 4-6 and complete the study guide.
Jan. 24, Thurs. - SWBAT review for the reading quiz by answering questions on a Kahoot.
Online District Survey
Pass back and review chapters 1-3 reading quiz.
*HW - complete the study guide and study for the quiz tomorrow
Jan. 25, Fri. - SWBAT discuss in small groups why the main character's injury affects the masters the way it does in chapter 5 and analyze how this conflict affects the theme. explain the similarities between what happens in the story to the Biblical characters and to Gene and Finny in chapter 4.
ASP Reading Quiz chapters 4-6
IR + BBB
Discussion: Finny's injury
HW - Read chapter 7. Five favorite lines due Thursday. Reading quiz chs. 7-9 and study guide on Friday.
Jan. 28, Mon. - SWBAT
Chapter 7-9 vocabulary
Create character online profiles
Writing/Comparing: Choose ONE of the following prompts, and type a response on Google Classroom. Your response must contain at least ONE quote from ASP
Option A: Leper and the Others: Leper's view of the world and his role as an outcast begin to emerge as we see him hunting for a beaver dam, refusing to play Blitzball, etc. Compare the scene with Leper's skiing to the boys' work in the railroad yard. What conclusions about the boys can be drawn from the comparison? How might these incidents establish Leper as an outcast? Consider how Leper's nickname might add to the motif. Use one at least one quote from ASP and one quote from the Etymological dictionary entry here.
Option B: Irony: The fight between Gene and Quackenbush is ironic, especially by the fact that Quackenbush perpetuates the fight by calling the narrator "maimed." Compare the situational irony in Chapter 6, where Quackenbush calls the narrator "maimed," with the irony of the narrator's description of Brinker in chapter 7.
Option C: Humor as a Defensive Weapon: Gene uses his wit to defend himself and attack those in the Butt Room who ask about Finny's accident. He turns their accusations into jokes. Evaluate the reasons why he might do this by reading what this article has to say about humor being used as a weapon. Make one connection between ASP and this article.
Create a Fakebook for a main character in ASP.
HW- Read chapter 7. Reading quiz and study guide due next Friday.
Jan. 29, Tues. - SWBAT evaluate the attitudes of the characters toward the war and what it reveals about them. HW - [1] Read chapter 8. [2] Five favorite lines, reading quiz and study guide due Thursday; [3] finish chapter 7 in-class response.
Jan. 30, Wed, - SWBAT track the development of a character by creating a Facebook profile for one main character in ASP.
Jan. 31, Thurs. 12 - SWBAT [1]create a "found poem" from favorite lines in the text to demonstrate synthesis of textual themes, [2] create a visual with the lines, [3] present "found poems" to the class and explain how their lines represent a theme, character, or emotion in the novel.
In groups of three, cup apart your five favorite lines from chs. 1-3 and create a found poem using between six and ten lines. You will concentrate on developing a poem that represents a theme, character, or emotion form the novel. You will neatly write out the chosen lines on colored paper and illustrate to enhance the meaning of a poem.
Present your poems - students will "round robin" and read each other's poems. Select the poem you liked and read them aloud.
Class discussion of poems: why did you like that poem the best? How did the poems represent the themes, characters or emotions of the novel? What connections to today can you make?
five favorite lines due from chapters 7-9
HW- reading quiz chs. 7-9 tomorrow; study guide due tomorrow.
Feb. 1, Fri. - SWBAT
IR + BBB
Chapters 7-9 Reading Quiz
Study guide due
Handout study guide for chapters 10-12 + vocabulary
HW: Read ch. 10; Reading quiz and study guide due next Friday
Feb. 4, Mon.- SWBAT -understand what is expected of them to complete the prep work for the Socratic Seminar
Go over the ASP project guidelines. Choose a project, and complete the written proposal.
Chapter 10 Discussion
Leper's accusation, because it is an underlying truth of the human personality, is able to wound Gene cruelly. Write a personal response in which you consider Gene when Leper calls him a savage. Would you agree with Leper? And further are we all "savage[s] underneath"? (1-3 analytical paragraphs).
Review analytical paragraphs
HW: Read Chapter 11; study guide; 5 favorite lines
Feb. 6, Wed. (BLOCK) - SWBAT personally respond to an underlying truth of the human personality, answering the prompt "are we all savages underneath" in 1-3 analytical paragraphs.
Return Quiz chs. 4-6.
Chapter 11-12 Discussion/ Activity
Are we all "savages"? Write 1-3 analytical paragraphs exploring this question.
Work on Socratic Seminar Materials Prep
Work on chs. 10-12 study guide
HW- Find 5 favorite lines from chs. 10-12. Due tomorrow.
Feb. 7, Thurs. SWBAT complete a found poem using their favorite lines from chapters 10-12.
Five favorite lines due.
Found poem activity
HW - Finish reading chapters 10-12. Reading quiz and study guide tomorrow.
Feb. 8, Fri - SWBAT use their novel notes and trace how humor is used in different ways and for different purposes by writing a short expository analysis.
IR + BBB #13
Reading Quiz Chapters 10-12
HW - Read Chapter 13. Complete the study guide.
Feb. 11, Mon. (Block) - SWBAT participate in a collaborative discussion about the 6 prompts regarding A Separate Peace.
Socratic Seminar
Review for the novel exam
Feb. 13, Tuesday - SWBAT demonstrate an understanding of the novel by completing a novel exam with an in-class essay.
Unit Novel Exam
Dates to Remember: ASP Socratic Seminar Feb. 11 ASP Novel Exam - Feb. 13(*This exam is two parts. Part A will be regarding content of the novel-- study your study guides, class notes, and reading/vocab quizzes. Part B you will write an in-class essay responding to one prompt.