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"But she would bang forever to escape the velvet. The red velvet that had flown all over the snow that day when she and Lena and her mother had walked past the hospital on their way to the department store."
Song of Solomon 13 - Escaping the Red Petals - Chapter 9 (part 1) - Group Work / Discussion : This is such an important chapter - especially for Corithians. Macon and Pilate had their turning points - this is hers. Because I taught Song of Solomon for so many years - and the school and class schedules changed - I found that I had to be very flexible with how we held discussions in class. Some years, the students had already started on their AP Testing and of course there was a Pandemic and Remote Teaching thrown into the mix as well. Though for most years, we had a discussion on Chapters 7 & 8 - sometimes that was not possible. If we did have a discussion - the students covered Chapter 9 as a Group Work, and for good reason. There is so much they did or didn't discover while they were doing the reading (like Corinthians experiencing the "ginger" smell or the fact that Porter is a member of The Seven Days). It is so GREAT to have the students that missed those things - discover them together in a small group. On the other hand, if we didn't get to discuss Chapter 8 - we would have to cover 8 and 9 together - and no better way to do that (there is so much to cover in those two chapters) than a Vertext Discussion. There is also a Vertext for Chapter 9, alone. I know I used this to help focus the discussion during the first year of the Pandemic. In the next lesson - there is a version (see above for what I said about flexibility) of the Vertext for Chapters 9 & 10.
Lesson Overview
Lesson Overview
The Quiz
The Quiz
As (most) always - 5 questions and an extra credit question. If they did the reading, they should get 100%. And also as always - the first question they should answer is if they did the reading or not.
The Group Work
The Group Work
This Group Work focuses mainly on Chapter 9, alone. This is such an important chapter - especially for Corithians. Macon and Pilate had their turning points - this is hers.
A brief summary of the Group Work questions - please see the actually Handout (below) for much, much more.
Focuses on how Corinthians tries to fool her family and herself about the nature of her job.
Why is she "unsuited" for anything else?
Why does she get hired at all? How is it so terrible?
THIS IS BIG - it focuses on Toni Morrison subtly letting the reader know that Porter is, like Milkman, one of the 7 days.
Why does Corinthians jump on Porter's car?
How does Pilate act at the police station and WHY?
Lena's speech on how Milkman has disrespected his sisters for his entire life.
The Vertext
The Vertext
Vertexts are important quotes to be put up on the classroom screen - which the students read aloud and comment on. They are a great way to get a discussion going, keep it text-centered, and student-centered as well. See my page on Class Discussion Methods for more on this. There are a total of 29 quotes (and a few introductory slides) in the presentation - and I have written notes for each slide to help guide you in your discussion. Remember - let the students do both the questioning and the answering (and the reading of the quote as well). Your job is to gently guide along the way. You will never be more needed than in this discussion on this very sensitive and controversial Chapter.
Often when doing a Vertext - I will start at one end of the room and have students read the quote aloud - we will discuss it - then the next person in the row reads the next quote. However, if I feel everyone isn't speaking - or in an incredibly important discussion, like today's, I will ask that the student who read the quote aloud - also starts the discussion off on that quote. This assures that everyone's voice and thoughts will be heard during the lesson.
There are 29 quotes in this particular Vertext - meaning you will have to watch your time well to get through them all. On the other hand, 29 was perfect for my classes - ensuring that each student had a chance to read at least one aloud to start our discussion.
There is a Vertext for Chapter 9 alone, one for Chapters 8 & 9, and in the next lesson you will find one for Chapters 9 & 10.
Group Work - Escaping the Red Petals - Chapter 9
Group Work - Escaping the Red Petals - Chapter 9
See above in my Lesson Overview for a very detailed examination of the Group Work. You should also take a look at my Group Work page that describes how to use Group Work effectively - as well as why I do it.
This Group Work handout also includes a short Extra Credit assignment on an article from The Atlantic about the murder of Emmett Till. This fits in with both of these chapters covered in the Group Work.
Vertext - Chapter 9 - A Vertext Discussion
Vertext - Chapter 9 - A Vertext Discussion
See above, as well as my page on class discussion methods for how to run a Vertext discussion. There are 29 slides in this presentation - so plan your time well.
Just in case you need to combine these two Chapters into a single class period. There are 41 slides in this presentation - which of course means you will have to go through them at a quick pace (some more than others).
A Sample Reading Page with my notes
A Sample Reading Page with my notes
The text with my notes served as a guide for the questions, comments and ideas that I ask (including Group Works) - though I was always ready for and often elicited the students ideas, questions, etc. Over the years - as I wrote notes in this text - the previous years' notes and questions become incorporated into the lesson. Again - you will find that these instructions are flexible - and I had to be - they kept changing the amount of time that we had in the classroom. To me, these two pages are the heart and soul of the book.
Chapt8and9VertextDisc_2015.mp3Class Recording
Class Recording
We do a great job of covering these two chapters - using a vertext to go through some very important quotes and discussing them (and we go to some wonderful new places). We begin by talking about the meeting between Milkman and Guitar and the plans they make for stealing Pilate's "Inheritance" . Then we discuss the first part of Chapter 9 - the courtship of Porter and Corinthians, and Corrie's decision that she makes on the hood of Porter's Buick.
Most Recent Quizzes
Most Recent Quizzes
As always, you want to quiz the students on the reading. If they haven't read - nothing else matters that you do. Also - if they haven't read (I graded these right away), they shouldn't get into a group but should do the reading during class time and do the Group Work on their own for homework (in addition to any reading they need to do for the next class.)
Remote Enhancements
Remote Enhancements
Group Works are fantastic for Remote Teaching - once you get the hang of getting your students into group and virtual rooms. Vertexts are also great for focusing students during a Remote Discussion.
If what happened in the cave with Macon and Pilate was the heart of the story for them, Chapter 10 is the heart of the story of Milkman. It is where he starts losing all of his worldly possessions and where he starts to find those roots that have grounded Pilate all of her life. The second part of Chapter 9 - not really covered in depth in the previous lesson is also instrumental in appreciating and understanding the novel. That's when Lena gives Milkman the talking down that everyone around him his avoided for his entire life. He "uses" the people around him, she tells him - and somewhere in the back of his mind or soul - a change starts occurring. And yet, the old Milkman still dominates - even after he realizes that there is no gold in the cave - even after knowing the generosity and honesty of Pilate for his entire life - he still believes that she took the gold - and goes off to find out where. As I've said earlier - there are many configurations for these lessons - both in what is covered and how. For this lesson, you can find Ring Master Teacher Discussion, Row Reading Discussion, a Vertext Discussion - and finally a Group Work.
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
Thoughts on the Lesson
Thoughts on the Lesson
Again - this is one of those tricky Chapters that very overtly addresses race in this novel. It is also a great chapter for students to discover how close they are paying attention, ie Porter being a member of The Seven Days.
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