A Quiet Sword; A Silent Shield

Today students focused their analysis on David Petrakis, paying particular attention to the confrontation with Mr. Neck. We also discussed Q1 and Q4 from the HW sheet (see link below)

After connecting David's direct-action, nonviolent protest to our summer reading selection Why We Can't Wait using the phrase "the sword that heals", we considered another character who consciously employs silence: Melinda herself.

This image pretty well sums up our conclusion about the nature of David and Melinda's silences:

I dare someone to recognize the fictional universe that sword is from.

Then, students transitioned to a consideration of the Sordino Family Thanksgiving by responding to this Journal Entry in their Composition Notebooks.

HW:

• Finish reading the Second Marking Period
• Respond to Qs 6-7 on the 2nd MP document.

The Rising Action: Melinda's 2nd Q

Today in class, I gave out this sheet: 2nd Marking Period Vocab / Characterization / Analysis

Students had time in class to look up the words, and more complex terms, on the front side of the sheet, using the class dictionaries. While we made great progress, some students may not have finished collecting these definitions.

If you're still looking for the meanings of words: Check out the Merriam Webster Online Resource.

Example.

Then, we read together in class, up to or around page 55.

HW: 

• Read up to page 74, stopping at the section FOUL. 
• Complete Q1-5 on the document linked above.

Also note: Pay special attention to Thanksgiving at the Sordino house. It will be our focus of analysis tomorrow.

Symbolism: Response Analysis

If you are reading this, and you were absent Friday, 9/6, see me ASAP about making up the Speak Vocab Quiz.

Today, after calling attendance and having a stretch, students reviewed and edited their responses to Friday's Symbolism Analysis Sheet. We did this, because many of the responses I saw (not all of them, but many) were lacking in development and quality.

So we look at some examples, and then improved the responses. Here is the PowerPoint we examined. Student examples (anonymous) are included. We discussed what made stronger responses versus weaker responses when addressing Symbolism.

Then I took it up.

Finally, we broke down how the end of Q1 of Melinda's year also marks the end of the book's exposition.

HW: Bring Speak to class tomorrow. 

Symbolism & Substitutes

Today, I was out sick.

During my absence, here's what the students focused their energies on:

Freshmen took a 15 Q Vocabulary Pop Quiz. This can be made up by any students who also missed Friday.

After the quiz, students were prompted to arm themselves with Speak, something to write with, and this document: Symbolism in Speak.

This sheet pointed the students to two passages that, while interesting enough on their own, become vastly more powerful when read in conjunction with one another.

The bottom line: It examines the dual nature of characters through exploring the dual nature of objects. Specifically, Melinda's family's white couch, the cheerleaders, and Melinda herself.

Students are probably already familiar with the idea that a person (character) might have a dual nature. They appear one way on the surface, but are another way on the inside.

Some characters have an easier time keeping their imperfections on the inside than others:

Harvey Dent a.k.a Two-Face
from Batman: The Animated Series

No, Harvey Dent is not going to be a character in Speak.

HW: 

• Finish the Symbolism Sheet
• Finish reading the First Marking Period (pg. 46)

Charting Melinda's Escape

Students contributed responses from their School Life / Home Life analysis document, so that I could record them on a T-Chart on the whiteboard. Students backed up their responses by sharing the quotes from the book that had informed them.

After some sharing, my board looked like this:

Excellent ideas courtesy of 3rd period.

We did this to understand Melinda better as a character, particularly to understand her actions. Using these ideas, we were able to trace Melinda's Path of Escape to a rather grim conclusion:

Melinda has a negative school life, so...

She escapes school to go home. But that's not much better, so...

She escapes her home by fleeing to her room. But it doesn't even feel like her room, so...

She escapes her room by crawling into bed, and pulling the covers over her head. But she can still see her reflection in a mirror, so...

She turns the mirror around, and puts it in the back of her closet, and gets back into bed.

So what is Melinda really trying to get away from?

She's running from HERSELF.

The problem is, this might look like an answer, but it only invites more questions:

• Why is she trying to escape from herself?
• No one can really get away from themselves. But what might this impulse drive someone to do? To themselves, and others?

HW:

• Bring Speak to class
• Study for a Vocab Pop Quiz (Melinda's 1st Day vocab)

Analysis: Melinda's Two Lives

Students began class by responding to the following Journal Response prompt in their Composition notebooks:

•Journal Response: Open your books to page 5. Number your papers from 1-10.

Examine the “FIRST TEN LIES” section.

•Which of these do you feel are lies that apply to the MLK high school experience? Do any of them not apply?

•Are there any “lies” you feel like you have been told about HS, that you would add to the list? Add them, and clarify why they are false.

After some shared responses, mild discussion, and more than a little venting, we bent our gaze in the direction of Melinda, and Speak. We examined Melinda's life, and the quality thereof, in two spheres: School Life, and Home Life.

Students were given this guide-document (School/Home Life), and asked to complete it. This included quotes from the book to support students' perceptions of her life.


HW: To complete the document from class (see link above), and also read the book to pg. 26, stopping at the section headed "DEVILS DESTROY".

Speak: Melinda's First Day of School

In class today, students began reading Speak.

As we read through Melinda's first day of high school, suffering the tragedies and injustices that befall her at nearly every turn, we focused our study and discussion on vocabulary the narrator uses, as well as characterization. We had this document to help us navigate these items:

First Day of School: Vocab & Characterization

I've gone ahead and filled in the names of the characters we "meet" through Melinda's eyes between pages 3-14. Some will prove to be major, others minor. That's not the point. The point is, what are we learning about Melinda herself from the way she interprets other people?

Cue the brain-bomb.

Students were asked to complete the sheet (look up the vocab you don't know) and read UP TO "HOME. WORK." on pg 14.

Though I suspect it'll be hard for some students to stop reading there...