Embedded Files
"Milk, I do believe my whole life's geography."
Song of Solomon 7 - Not a Serious Person - Chapter 5 - Discussion or Group Work : There is so much that happens in this Chapter (as well as the end of Chapt. 4 which is also brought into the discussion). Again - I believe the best way to go is with a Teacher Led discussion (the teacher knows all of the cool parts - that figure into later in the story and can point them out). The Group Work is good too - and I have an AP Lit version that focuses more on textual analysis. Here are some of the areas gone over (it's a lot!): Milkman & Guitar's relationship and Guitar's belief that Milkman is "not a serious person". Hagar and Milkman's relationship and her trying to kill Milkman and why his action is really just another form of "running waay". Milkman following his mother and his discovery that one of his paralyzing beliefs about his mother - has just been another of this novel's incredible misunderstandings. Then we talk about Ruth going to see Pilate and what happens there - and how it fits into the whole concept of Roots & Geography. And we end the discussion with what really happened between Pilate and Macon when they were children that set them on very opposite paths for the remainder of their lives.
Lesson Overview
Lesson Overview
The Quiz - An Integral Part of the Lesson
The Quiz - An Integral Part of the Lesson
I do something very different with this quiz: I give a "fake" quiz (before I give the real one) and that fake quiz contains a great opportunity for the students to discover something for themselves. The quiz has the students put Milkman's self-deception together for themselves.... Here are the questions: 1.What does Milkman hate about how his father buys Christmas presents?2. What does Milkman get Hagar for a Christmas present? 3. In the earlier chapter, does Milkman want to hear his father explain about why he (his father) hates Ruth? 4. How does Milkman react to Guitar’s telling him (in Chapter 4) about how they are different? 5.Who does Milkman want to be least like? EC: Who is Milkman most like?
Class Discussion - Ring Master Teacher
Class Discussion - Ring Master Teacher
We begin with Chapter 3 (and if the last lesson was a Group Work you may want to go over some of those points as well). After that chapter we go onto Chapter 4 - and if there is any time left play a short Radio Documentary on Emmett Till (if there is not enough time this can be saved until a later lesson - usually after the introduction of The Seven Days - I've found this documentary really gives students a great empathetic grasp of how the vengeful Seven Days even exists.)
Here are a few of the points we will go over in the discussion. Please see my hand-written notes for much more detail on the points that need to be discussed.
Chapter 3
Starting at page 77 - Milkman has a very wise theory that his father hates his mother so much because she wouldn't let him ask her father for money to buy the railroad stock.
77 - Milkman begins remember the green room and being breast-fed.
80 - The entire discussion about Emmet Till is SO important - especially how Milkman flippantly reacts to it (see my notes).
86 - Guitar's reaction to his Milkman telling him about his mother not giving his father money for the railroad: "Maybe she needs beating" - tells us how warped Guitar has become - and lays the groundwork for understanding The Seven Days
102 - What's the deal with the saddle shoes ? There are certain things that you can get your students to notice that will help immensely with giving them that "second reading" during their first.
105 - Guitar asks Milkman a great question when Milkman is recounting his dream about his mother being attacked: "Why didn't you help her?" THAT tells us an awful lot about Milkman.
109-111 Freddy's story about the bull is so important BUT Milkman's laughing at that heartfelt story is even more important.
Chapter 4
Milkman hates his father - and yet Chapter 4 shows him doing (giving Hagar money for Christmas ) the exact same thing that he hates his father for.
The whole thing with Milkman and his cousin, Hagar. How it starts - how it ends. His "Thank You" note says so much about Milkman and has led to some of the best discussions that I ever had in my class - NOTE: As with so much in this book, you will have to be very aware of the maturity level of your students.
Reeba going to the hospital when Pilate rescues her.
Milkman is a little suspicious of Empire State and his involvement in the murder of the young boy.
AGAIN these are less than 1/5 of the points that we go over in class - see my Lesson Notes below (a PDF) for much, much more.
Emmett Till Radio Documentary
Emmett Till Radio Documentary
You may - if you have time play the radio documentary on Emmett Till (found as the next lesson) - however, the more I taught this novel - the later I played it for my students - and I think the absolute best place is after the students have read about The Seven Days.
Group Work
If you need to utilize it, there is a Group Work for this lesson. However, I strongly recommend using thethe Ring Master Teacher procedure outlined above. Please see my page on Group Work for more on the how and why of Group Work - and please see the actual Group Work handout (found below) for the questions that I ask (many of them - if not all - are also found in the discussion questions above and in my Lesson Notes (also found below).
Also Note: This Group Work is for Chapter 4 alone. It is also one of my oldest surviving Group Works (from 1997)
Here is a summary & topics for the Group Work questions:
Having students look at a passage to see the connections between Milkman and his father.
This question explicitely asks students to make that connection and what evidence do they have.
An examination of Milkman's relationship with Hagar (it makes sense after 1 & 2).
Milkman's relationship to the rest of the world - and how much does he - or doesn't he care about anyone.
The true nature of Guitar as seen in his story about the doe.
Teacher Led - Discussion - Chapts 3 (cont.) & 4
Teacher Led - Discussion - Chapts 3 (cont.) & 4
I've included a couple versions of these Lesson Notes. Both of them are much more complete than what is given in the Lesson Overview above. The most recent was used from 2012 until the year that I retired (2021). The earlier one dates from 2010 - and before that I probably did the Group Work (found below). In both versions, I added to them every year (usually from student comment, questions, observations).
Group Work - The Wrong Direction - Chapter 4
Group Work - The Wrong Direction - Chapter 4
This Group Work was given for years before we moved to a Class Discussion. While much of what is covered in the discussion can be found here (see the handout) - it doesn't cover enough to really give the students that "Second Reading" in a way that we can do in the discussion. This Group Work may also go over some of the same ground found in the previous lesson - so you'll want to check them against each other.
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.
Most Recent Quizzes
Most Recent Quizzes
This Quiz is actually part of the Lesson! Though we will be covering parts of Chapter 3 as well - you can find that quiz in the last discussion. Remember (see the Lesson Overview above), you will be giving two quizzes - the first quiz is part of the lesson - give your students a few minutes (2-3) to take it in - then announce it is part of the Lesson and give the real quiz (for which I usually gave 5 minutes).
SoSendof3and4disc_20160321.mp3Class Recording
Class Recording
These two chapters deal so much with Milkman and Guitar, and Milkman and Hagar. We see the origins of both relationships - Guitar's hatred of those that he blames for killing his father, and how Milkman wound up getting involved with Pilate's daughter. We also see the men at the barbershop talking about the murder of Emmett Till.
Remote Enhancements
Remote Enhancements
Of course a discussion works in Remote - and there is also the Group Work if you find that works better with your remote students.
Thoughts on the Lesson
Thoughts on the Lesson
I found that - though this book does often require more discussions than Group Works - especially if I want to give the students that "second reading" during their first, Row Readings worked out just as well or better. It allowed the students to initiate most of the questions and discussion - and as long as I was ready to cover the necessary material that they didn't get to - it was ideal.
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