1A
1. Students shared their paraphrases they did for homework with their groups. A few students forgot their scripts at home — don’t worry! I’ll give you credit for them next class.
2. Students identified places to use these speaking techniques in their scripts: Speaking Shakespeare. Then they read through their lines. We will work on blocking next class.
HW: None.
2AB
1. Freewrite.
2. Show and Tell/X-Raying a Book. See more at the end of this post.
HW: Finish reading approximately 1/4 of your novel by Friday. If you’re going to be gone on the band field trip you should read approximately 1/2 by Monday. Take your X-ray notes as you read!
4A
1. Freewrite: What do you know about your novel? How do you predict it might fit the bildungsroman?
2. Library time. Students chose a book to read or began reading their novel silently.
3. Show and Tell/X-Raying a Book. See more at the end of this post.
HW: HW: Finish reading approximately 1/4 of your novel by Friday. If you’re going to be gone on the band field trip you should read approximately 1/2 by Tuesday. Take your X-ray notes as you read!
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Every book has a skeleton hidden between its covers. Your job as an analytical reader is to find it.
A book comes to you with flesh on its bare bones and clothes over its flesh. It is all dressed up. You do not have to undress it or tear the flesh off its limbs to get at the firm structure that underlies the soft surface. But you must read the book with X-ray eyes, for it is an essential part of your apprehension of any book to grasp its structure.
Adler, Mortimer and Van Doren, Charles. How to Read a Book. New York: MJF Book, 1972. Print. p. 75
Read this wonderful, short essay by Mortimer Adler for more information on marking your book. I showed students a variety of examples of how to make notes on a book and today students decided what works best for them. Students must make notes on their books in some form, either in the book itself or on a separate sheet of paper, Google Document, or notebook.
Everyone must keep a chapter outline, where you write an extremely brief summary of each chapter. Here are some of mine:
You could also . . .
- draw a map of the story
- make a family tree
- list characters
- draw characters
- create a timeline
- write down words you don’t know
- anything else that might help you
Yes, it’s true — there is no one way to do this! As you continue reading, you will develop your own methods and habits that will help you in college and beyond.
Here are some more examples:
Here are some students X-Raying in 4A:
ALEXA GARVOILLE 