Synthesis Assignment

On Wednesday, students will be asked to complete a synthesis assignment: an opportunity to demonstrate that they are able to make connections between and among the texts we have been reading in this unit. Yesterday, I distributed notes on synthesis, detailing what it is, and how to do it. Then, we used a chart to practice synthesizing two things, using an everyday example from Ms. Barsky's past. The key to quality synthesis is to ensure that your points of comparison are varied, and relevant, given the question or topic. Think carefully about the texts you select and try to choose the ones which best illustrate the question/topic. Finally, remember to use your filled in chart to guide you in your creation of a thesis statement. Your thesis statement should emerge from your findings. Once you are able to look over all of what you have "discovered" in the texts, you will be able to accurately and specifically state how those texts connect. Just a reminder that you will have the entire block to complete the assignment, and you are permitted to use your notes/texts for the assignment.

Analyzing Relationships in Literature

Okay... now that your hearts are beating back at a normal pace, here is what I promised to do today. I have taken "Returning to Harmony" and created a chart (and you can make a chart, or a web, or a list, or a paragraph...) and I have analyzed the main relationships in the piece. I took quotations from the piece to use as support. Notice that I am considering the nature of the narrator's relationship with each of the people/things, and I have tried to comment on who holds the power, or how they communicate, or how his sense of self might affect his relationships. Most important for you will be to include text evidence to support what you are saying about your character's relationships. If you would like any further explanation or clarification, send me an email: Jenifer.Barsky@sd41.bc.ca.

Returning to Harmony

Because so many students were absent today, I will hand back the quiz and go over correct answers on Tuesday. Today, students were given an opportunity to finish their Healthy Living Plan, vote for this year's Cariboo Reads books, and/or read "Returning to Harmony" by Richard Wagamese, an Ojibway author. The article depicts a man and the relationships he has with many people and things. We will use this article as a means to exploring how to talk about relationships in a meaningful and thoughtful manner. There are a set of questions to guide you in your reading, found on this blog. One question refers to some of the literary devices and techniques used by Wagamese: we will discuss these on Tuesday, as well. I had said I would collect your relationships log for your novel on Tuesday; however, if you would like to wait until we have talked about relationships in the context of this article, and then put together your log, you are welcome to submit your relationships analysis on Monday the following week.

Poetry Review and Quiz on Wednesday

We spent the majority of Friday's class completing a review of poetic devices. Your poetry quiz is on Wednesday, and will involve a set of multiple choice questions, as well as a set of short answer questions. The questions focus on poetic devices used in the poem, and comprehension. You will have as much time as you need to complete the quiz, so you should bring your novel, in case you complete the quiz before others. I handed out the novel project description on Friday as well. We have chosen December 9th as the due date, but of course you are welcome to submit your project prior to this date, if it is complete.

By Any Other Name

Yesterday, I collected the character work you have done regarding one of the characters from your novel. You have until tomorrow at the beginning of class to submit something for my feedback. Then, students wrote a bit about how their relationship with their culture/ethnicity affects their daily life, and we read a story called "By Any Other Name," which explores characters and their relationships to different cultures/ethnicities. I asked students to consider the following paragraphs and to comment on their significance: paragraphs 6, 13, 16, 20-21, 25, 37-39 and 45. Our goal here is to explore the importance of these quotations, and to begin to see how these excerpts help us understand the theme of this piece. We will discuss the paragraphs tomorrow, and we will begin to put together our thinking in an attempt to understand characters, their relationships, and the theme of the work.