Embedded Files
"We are tired of being beautiful."
Too Much Sky - pages 33 to 52 Group Work : After a great opening discussion, it's important to set the students loose on their own (well, kind of on their own - group works have very pointed questions designed to take students in a certain direction - though the only thing that I really cared about was that they answer the question and back it up with text from the novel). Because we have so little time on this novel, this group work covers a lot of ground: from "Darius in the Clouds" through "Hips". And like the wonderful discover of Esperanza getting older that we glimpse in "Hips", everything is changing fast - and yet, she is just learning to discover what is she really wants.
Lesson Overview
Lesson Overview
The quiz
The quiz
If they didn't read - they can't get into a group. See my page on Group Work for more.
The Group Work
The Group Work
PLEASE NOTE: This group work, unlike most that designed for 2-4 students - is done by two students. However, as you can see from the handout, that's simply because students will be currently working on a long term project (an Illuminated Text project) and will be working with partners on that - so it make sense to have them work on this Group Work with the same partner so that they can touch base. If you are not doing the Illuminated Text project, it is an easy enough fix to the handout to make for the usual 2-4 students.
Please see the actual Group Work below for precisely what's in it and my page on Group Work for more of the "why" do it. Here are some of the points that the Group Work goes over. After they are done with the quiz, they begin the Group Work. Those who did not read should not get into a group. (I always scanned or graded the quizzes immediatly while they get started on the GW).
Please see my page on Group Works for more - but the usual procedure applies - one person writes (that should be switched from lesson to lesson). They are due at the end of the period. It is intense and designed to utilize their group knowledge and differing perspectives.
Some main points of the Group Work (see the handout for much more)
What does the "too much sky" phrase mean exactly? It is linked with upcoming reading.
Darius's character is a surprise and goes against expectations.
Connects with "The Family of Little Feet" and what came earlier.
The whole business with the high heal shoes and the objectification of women (even as young girls)
Be careful what you wish for...
Esperanza's humiliation at the hands of the Mother Superior
What happens at the dance - and the precursor to "Hips"
Group Work
Group Work
Most Recent Handouts
Most Recent Handouts
Here is my opening to the Group Work: "This group work is to be done by two people – you and your Illuminated Text partner for the final project (if that person is not here, you may work with someone else) – only turn in one paper. With only two people, you will need to be extremely focused. Make sure you also touch base on the project. If you did not read – read now, and turn this in tomorrow without penalty."
Quiz
Quiz
Most Recent Quiz
Most Recent Quiz
The reading quiz - like most my quizzes - is designed simply to see if the students did the reading - not, if they understood it. As always, I ask the students to first answer if they did the reading or not - if they didn't - they are expected to not guess.
A Sample Reading Page with my notes
A Sample Reading Page with my notes
These are some page with my 30 years of notes. My group work is generated from the text and my notes - and I'm always looking for connections to what has come before (and what will follow). So much gets added over the years - and of course, as I've stated many times on this site - I believe the teacher should reread every work that they assign to their students and they should stop teaching a text when they see nothing new in it.
Remote Enhancements
Remote Enhancements
Group Works can be done wonderfully using remote "rooms".
Somewhere, someplace there must be Discussion Notes for a teacher-led (Ringmaster Teacher) type discussion or (perhaps, more likely) - the notes for the discussion are contained with the pages of the book with my overlaying notes. In any case, towards the end of my career (maybe as long as the last 10 years), I started covering these pages with a Vertext. And since this book is very much like a long, prose poem - the words are so beautiful - they are so succinct and powerful. Which means a Vertext makes even more sense.
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
Thoughts on the Lesson
Thoughts on the Lesson
Because the book and our time together is SO short - I almost hate to give that time up with a Group Work. However, it is also a time of year when students are absent a lot - especially for AP Testing. Originally - my first 10 years or so of teaching - students were only excused for the the 1/2 of the day that their test was - that changed - making it almost impossible to hold classes that built one lesson upon the next.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse