Lesson Overview 

The Quiz

Begin with the quiz - because the reading for "Big Two-Hearted River" is so large - it is that rarest of beasts, a novella, I usually counted the quiz for 200 points rather than the usual 100.  On each version of the quiz, I like to ask "What is the name of the river in the story, "Big Two-Hearted River"?"  The answer is, of course, "Big Two-Hearted River".  More than 1/2 of the students usually get it wrong (some will say the "Black" river which Hemingway mentions in the story - and I usually give them 1/2 credit for that answer.  But the question is a good reminder to not think TOO hard.

Timekeeping & Group Assignments

Because each part of this JIgsaw Group Work done in time (to complete the entire assignment), I have a chart at the very top of the Group Work Handout.  I will often put the same time deadlines up on the white board and I will remind students when they need to move on to the next part.   By now (this time of year), students are very comfortable in their groups (see my page on Group Work) - usually 3 to 4 students (rarely 2 students).  However, for this particular Group Work, it's important to have at least 4 students in each group (they are each assigned one of four tasks).  Because of that - the teacher may need to get involved and cannibalize groups;  breaking up or combining smaller groups - making sure that every group has at least 4 students (and no more than 5).

Part I - As a Group (6 minutes)

This part should take no more than 6 minutes - but it is important.  Ah - the wonder of having students first see "not much" and then as they do a close reading (the Group Work) having multiple light bulbs shine forth!  Anyway here is the very general set of questions for Part 1 to get the group going:
Briefly discuss the story (parts 1 & 2); what stood out in your head?  What left an impression?  Was this story any different than the others?  How?  Is there a plot?  A point?  What is Nick's condition?  Is he happy, depressed?  What?  Say 3 specific things about Nick.  Any time left, talk about whatever comes to mind.

Part IIA - As a individuals (9 minutes)

Now its time for time for each member of a given group to choose a task related to the story: A) It's geography  B) The style of the prose  C) Nick's interaction with living things  D) The Chronology of this story (where it fits in).  For more on their tasks see the actual Group Work.

Part IIB - As different groups made of like tasks (4 minutes) - The Jigsaw Aspect

If you have Block scheduling or longer periods, you can spend more time on this.  Otherwise, the students have only 4 minutes to get together with like tasked students.  The teacher will have to help out here in corralling students together.  I usually help them get into two groups of each letter , for instance two groups of A's - the geography of where Nick is in the story.  The only thing that the students have to do in these four minutes is to write down what they came up with during their research and share it with others who were looking for the same thing.  They should take as good of notes as they can on what others came up with .

Part III - Back to Original Groups - Seeing the Pattern (7 minutes)

Here are the instructions for Part 3 - now that they get back together:
DO YOU SEE A PATTERN?  Do you have a possible explanation for Nick's emotions, for the writing style, etc.  Remember the iceberg theory.  What is under the surface here.  Could this story, and how it is presented, be a reaction to something that happens in Nick’s life?

I must say that for 95% of my Group Works - I never walk around and comment on what the groups are talking about, or ask them questions.  This Group Work is different.  I walk around the room and see what they're coming up with.  Surprisingly, most groups get to a beautiful moment of epiphany without any coaxing.  They see the burnt out geography of where Nick is as echoing a burnt out battlefield from World War I.  They know Nick is based on Ernest Hemingway - and that Hemingway was in the war and wounded there (see "Soldier's Home" - even though it's Harold in the story - not Nick - it really is Nick Adams).

Most groups also put the story somewhere between "The Three-Day Blow" and "Soldier's Home".   The prose style aspect can be tricky BUT that's what the wonderful jigsaw aspect of the Group Work is for.  Someone will mention that this prose is spare, even for Hemingway - it sounds like a "How To" book or a manual.

Then they wonderfully put it all together: "Big Two-Hearted River" is the story of a shell-shocked veteran - coming home and trying to do the things he used to do - that he used to find pleasure in - but now finds so difficult to do - almost foriegn.  He doesn't want to "rush things" and knows that coming up - there will be "plenty of days to fish the swamp" - the swamp being those thoughts from the war that are now too hard to contemplate.

Part IV - Looking back at significant quotes through their new lens (10 minutes)

Is there anything better in a classroom than when students use what they came up with (mostly on their own) and get that profound feeling of recognition.  On the back of the Group Work are a series of quotes that illustrate exactly what they came up with.  When done right - you can literally hear the excitement as the students go through the quotes and see them in a new light.  Another reason that it is so important to assign reading for homework.  They will see something together today - that they didn't see when they are on their own.  The next time they read on their own, they will read differently.