7th pd: Exams have been posted

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Exam Review

Small Study guide available here:

You Can't Spell "Readjust" Without READ

Classes were warned today of an adjusted TKAM-reading schedule to compensate for the snow day yesterday.

In class, two volunteers re-enacted the striking revelation that Atticus makes during his examination of Heck Tate and Bob Ewell during the trial proceedings:

• Mayella (the victim) was bruised mostly on the right side of her face.
• Which means an attacker likely lead his attack with his left hand.
• Bob Ewell demonstrates his literacy by writing his name with his left hand.

This is what you should have heard in your head when you read this.

It's what Jem heard.

Then, we read most of Ch. 18, which focused on Mayella Ewell's testimony.

• Harsh, defensive, emotional, and confrontational are all words that come to mind regarding her time on the witness stand.

Students took home a document that asked them to analyze the different animals Harper Lee uses to describe some of the characters in the trial:

• TKAM Animal Comparison Sheet

And now, here are some handy hints:

Judge Taylor (undisturbed)

Judge Taylor (disturbed)

Bob Ewell

Mayella Ewell

All of the character/animal comparisons will be found in ch. 16-18.

HW:

• Finish Ch. 18, and read through 23
• Complete the Animal Comparisons handout.

IKWCBS Retake Info

• Complete this recovery work to retake the quiz on Ch. 16-20
• Complete this recovery work to retake the quiz on Ch. 21-25
• Complete this recovery work to retake the quiz on Ch. 26-30
• Complete this recovery work to retake the quiz on Ch. 31-36

Completed recovery work is due before 5PM, Friday, 12/13.

I will schedule a time to take a retake version of the quiz when you present your recovery work, and I give you the yellow Re-take Ticket.

Focus: Minor Characters

Today class was devoted to better understanding the often-taken-for-granted minor characters in TKAM.

After a brief refresher of the chapters, students received the following guide to work on, alone or in groups, in class:

• Minor Keys: Characterization in TKAM
• We did Mrs. Dubose together as an example in class.
• What's that you say? That's too much work for classwork? Aw, poor baby!
• Pipe down, whiner. I've also gone ahead and done this assignment. Here is a collection of my responses to these minor characters. It's probably nicer than you deserve, but it's the holiday season.

HW:

• Read TKAM Ch. 15-17
• Finish the Minor Keys packet. Or just download my .pptx above. Whatever works for you.

Enter Friday, Shortened by Ice

The threat of impending bad weather forced MNPS schools to close 2 hours early today. It was awesome.

On our short schedule, students who were present took a Quest over Part 1 of TKAM. If you were absent (and many students were), see me to set up a time to make it up.

HW for the Weekend:

• Read Ch. 12-14 of TKAM
• Be warned: Chapter 12 is AWESOME. There's poverty, church, Lula, Cal's character gets expanded, and there's a surprise waiting at the end! :)

TKAM End of Pt. 1: Don't Judge A Book...

There was a, you guessed it, Reading Quiz on Ch. 9-11.

Also, there were the following extension questions:

• Explain the title of the book. What does a mockingbird symbolize? Which characters might be considered mockingbirds?
• According to Atticus, what is "true courage"? How does this idea connect to Mrs. DuBose?
• Which characters connect to the old phrase, "Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover"? Whom has Scout been quick to judge, when really she learns more about them later?
• Atticus
• Mrs. DuBose
• Boo Radley

Oh! I almost forgot!
Are you curious to see what money was "worth" back in the Great Depression?
Check out this cool conversion website!
http://www.measuringworth.com/index.php

HW:

• Study & Review for a Quest over Part One tomorrow
• "Quest" = bigger than a quiz, smaller than a test
• No new reading for tonight

Foreshadowing & Making Predictions

Before the Reading Quiz over Ch. 4-8, students took some time in class to complete this foreshadowing activity:

• Veiled Visions: Making Predictions

Then there was the promised Reading Quiz. 5 Q's, one each from Ch. 4-8.

HW For Tonight:

• Read Ch. 9-11
• a.k.a. Finish Part One of TKAM

TKAM: Welcome to Maycomb, Miss Caroline!

Today, students enjoyed their first reading quiz on To Kill A Mockingbird. It featured 5 questions taken from Ch. 1-3, the HW assigned last night.

Classes then focused on 3 questions that were not on the quiz, because of their higher-order nature:

1. How does Miss Caroline teach us about the social environment of Maycomb?
• This was the hardest question.
• From Scout's recounting of her school day, we can tell that Miss Caroline just doesn't GET IT (Bless her heart). What is the IT she doesn't get? Life in Maycomb. Of course she doesn't, she's not from in-town. She's from North Alabama, and therefore an outsider. Even worse, she's different.
• Scout attempts to explain Walter's reluctance to accept her money by simply stating his last name. In Maycomb, everyone knows everyone, and minds everyone's business. And this social monitoring has been going on for generations. This means that, for better or for worse, families (last names) carry connotations, reputations, and understandings. For example:
• The Cunninghams: Don't bother trying to give them money. They're a proud family. They won't take anything they can't pay back.
• The Ewells: Filthy animalistic barbarians who operate outside the laws of Maycomb and Manners. They should be tolerated, but just barely. They don't help themselves, and can't be helped.
• The Tidymans: Don't buy them closed-toed shoes for Christmas, they're a hard-set flip-floppin' family. Have been for years. (I made this up. Duh.)
• Maycomb is tight-knit, and socially vigilant. They are connected by years of judgments and long-built family understandings. This knowledge connects everyone who's a "townie" just the way that all the strands of a spiderweb are connected. Miss Caroline is a fly who's gotten stuck, and she doesn't know what's up. What's worse for her, is that she's not a very good listener, and doesn't seem to be learning the ropes very quickly.
2. Why doesn't Walter Cunningham Jr. accept the quarter from Miss Caroline to buy lunch?
• This was the easiest question.
• Because his family has pride. The Cunninghams, though slammed by the Great Depression, have maintained their dignity. They shun charity, and make their own way in life, even though that way may be paved with hunger and debt.
3. How are the Cunninghams and the Ewells different? They're both poor; what sets them apart?
• This was a middling question.
• The Cunninghams have pride in themselves; the Ewells don't. Nor do the Ewells have any respect for authority (See Burris' exchange with Miss Caroline). Nor do the Ewells set any priority on personal hygiene. Nor do the Ewells find education important.
• I'll come right out and say it: the Ewells are the "powhitetrash" of this book. Thank you, Mrs. Angelou, for that word. The Cunninghams are at least trying. The Ewells seem to have given up on improving their lot in life.
• More of this will make sense once we meet the father in the family, Mr. Bob Ewell.

HW for tonight:

• Read Ch. 4-8

Welcome Back; Into the Home Stretch

Freshmen had two points of concentration for today's class:

1. To finish their written response portions of their IKWCBS tests
2. To begin reading To Kill A Mockingbird in class.

Tonight's HW:

• Read Ch. 1-3 (that's to the END of 3) of TKAM
• If you don't have a copy of the book, activate your technological literacy. Start up your googlers and browse the intertubes. Dedicated sleuths will find what they seek.