All Boys, All Blogged: October 31, 2014

Focus: How can we augment our vocabularies and our reading skills?

1. Warming up: Enjoying our very first book talk

2. Asking questions and/or quickly reviewing The Kite Runner vocabulary, Chs 7-10

3. Taking a Halloween-themed vocabulary quiz

4. Delving into the world of independent reading

HW: 
1. Please read Chapter 13 of The Kite Runner for Monday and prepare your five journal entries or sticky notes.

2. Start preparing for Tuesday's fishbowl discussion, which will cover Chapters 14, 15, and 16 of The Kite Runner.

3. Don't eat any unwrapped candy and avoid masks that obstruct your peripheral vision.

All Boys, All Blogged: October 30, 2014

Focus: How can student-led discussion lead us to a better understanding of The Kite Runner, Chapters 11 and 12?

1. Warm-up: Building up your background knowledge to better understand The Kite Runner

a. As a class, brainstorm which words, people, historical events, terms, etc. have come in The Kite Runner that you don't quite understand.

b. With your grid groups, select the two or three topics that you'd most like to know about, and take a little time to research them.  Discuss how the research helps you understand what's happening in The Kite Runner (be sure to write down research and responses in your grids).

2. Participating in Fishbowl #2: Chapters 11 and 12

3. Wrapping up a discussion with a whip-around: What are your take-aways and questions?

HW:
1. Study for tomorrow's vocabulary quiz over Kite Runner words in Chapters 7-10.

2. Bring your independent reading book or The Kite Runner to class tomorrow; also bring your sticky notes or blue journals.

3. Start reading and annotating Chapter 13 for Monday.

All Boys, All Blogged: October 29, 2014

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

1. Warming up: Nope (no time--PLC day)

2. Recapping Fishbowl expectations:

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

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

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

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

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

6. 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. Participating in Fishbowl #1: Chapters 9 and 10

4. Wrapping up the discussion with a "whip-around" (go around the circles 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)

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 7-10; finish your flashcards by tomorrow.

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

All Boys, All Blogged: October 27, 2014

Focus: What is the hero's journey, and how can it help us deepen our understanding of The Kite Runner? 

1. Warming up with happy, happy Monday

2. 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.

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

Finding Nemo
Frozen

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?

3. Discussing in your grid groups:

1. Which characters appear to be following this heroic pattern in The Kite Runner? How so?
2. 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. Be sure to write down the brilliant ideas your group members are offering!  You do need to read passages aloud, but you don’t need to rewrite all the passages (just discuss them and include page numbers in your grids).

HW:

1. Continue reading and annotating Chapters 9 and 10 to prepare for Wednesday's fishbowl discussion. Leaders of Fishbowl #1: Make sure you FOLLOW THE SAMPLE SYLLABUS, creating one syllabus together and creating copies for each member of your group as well as a copy for your teacher. These should be ready to go as you walk into class.

2. Start making vocabulary flashcards for the next Kite Runner list (Chapters 7-10); these are due Wednesday.

All Boys, All Blogged: October 24, 2014

Focus: How can we augment our vocabularies and our reading skills?

Please have out your journal/annotations so I can check them!

1. Warming up: Playing Round 2 of Scattergories to further familiarize yourself with the vocabulary words for Chapters 1-6

2. Taking time to look over the other words and ask any questions you have

3. Enjoying your first vocabulary quiz on The Kite Runner, Chapters 1-6

4. Independent reading / The Kite Runner reading and annotating

HW:

1. Start making flashcards on www.quizlet.com for the next set of vocabulary words (due Wedensday): The Kite Runner, Chapters 7-10.

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

All Boys, All Blogged: October 23, 2014

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 was most upsetting part 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?

3. Finishing an exciting round 2 of Scattergories vocabulary (Kite Runner, Chapters 1-6)

HW:

1. Study for tomorrow's vocabulary quiz over the words in Chapters 1-6 of The Kite Runner.

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!

All Boys, All Blogged: October 22, 2014

Focus: How can we use good questions to lead us to a deeper understanding of The Kite Runner?

1. Warming up with your inner and outer circle triumphs from yesterday (as well as a few suggestions from Ms. Leclaire)

1. ZacharyMOctober 21, 2014 at 7:15 AM

   On page 42, Hassan defends Amir from Assef by threatening to blind Assef, and yet Amir doesn't think of Hassan as a friend. What does that say about Amir and Hassan's relationship?

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   WillH2017October 21, 2014 at 7:18 AM
   I think Amir and Hassan have a very bad relationship because the relationship is affected by their social standing and Amirs jealousy.
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   ChristianSOctober 21, 2014 at 7:19 AM
   This shows that Amir probably takes advantage of their relationship, and he might not realize how special his relationship with Hassan is. Also, he might feel a little embarrassed by Hassan because he is lower than he is.
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   Reply
2. 
   Joey E 2017October 21, 2014 at 7:16 AM

   What does winter mean in the story? Winter is cold and dark. Does that mean the story is going to turn cold and dark?

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   1. 
      MaxMOctober 21, 2014 at 7:17 AM

      I think the change is foreshadowing something bad that is going to happen soon.

      Delete

2. Trying out a different role in fishbowl discussion for practice

3. Playing Scattergories to review the 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. Start studying for Friday's vocabulary quiz; remember that repetition is key (which is why I'm a big fan of having quizlet on your phone).

2. Read Chapters 7 and 8 for Thursday.  It's going to be a rough read.  Very sad.  Please prepare five annotations for this reading assignment (journal entries or sticky notes).

3. If you'd like to read another independent reading book, please bring it to class on Friday.