Reader’s Workshop

1. Reader’sWorkshop Reading Response: Due Next Workshop Wednesday

2. Mother to Sonby Langston Hughes • How does the dialect affect the meaning of the poem? • What poetic devices do you notice? • What is the theme? What is the author suggesting about life?

3. Chapter 1, Catching Fire: Katniss is alone in the woods, checking the snares she and her best friend, Gale, have set up. Though her family is now very wealthy and has plenty of food to eat due to her having won the Hunger Games, Katniss still illegally hunts every day in the woods outside of District 12 because she needs to provide food for Gale's family. Gale is the main provider for his family; however, he no longer has time to hunt as he now works 12 hours a day in the mines since finishing school. Katniss doesn't mind providing food for Gale's family as she has nothing to do all day and yearns for her old life, the one before she won the Hunger Games.During the Games, Katniss publicly played along with the love story and, as a result, began to develop feelings for Peeta. However, conflicted over her feelings for Gale and confused by the complicated strategy of the Games, Katniss privately refused to acknowledge her feelings for Peeta. Angered by her deception, Peeta has barely spoken to Katniss since the Games when he realized her flirting was just part of strategy.After gathering the game trapped in the snares, Katniss returns to town so she can be ready in time for the Victory Tour, an event placed midway between the annual Games during which the winning tribute tours each district. She dreads having to face the families of tributes she killed, but she knows there is no way of getting out of it.Katniss returns to her old home in order to switch out her hunting clothes for more "acceptable" attire. The tiny, dirty home that she used to live in with her sister, Prim, and their mother is no longer their official home; instead, they have been moved into a comfortable house in the Victor's Village. However, Katniss misses their former home because it is the only reminder of her old life — before she became a Hunger Games victor.After dropping off the game at Gale's house, Katniss heads for the Hob, District 12's black market, to purchase supplies. She visits with Greasy Sae, who sells soup, and Darius, a kind city official whom Katniss enjoys joking around with, and they try to cheer her up about the Victory Tour. The camera crews and style team soon will be arriving at Katniss' house, so she says goodbye and walks to Haymitch's house in the Victor's Village. Describe what has happened in the novel so far. (Summary)

5. The Hunger Games Setting Where It All Goes DownPanemPanem is the name of the country where Katniss lives with her family, a country that – after a series of vague disasters – rose from the ashes of North America. Droughts, storms, fires, war: it's all pretty post-apocalyptic. We learn the history of Panem, and the Hunger Games, and the thirteen districts in the first chapter from the mayor. The uprising of the Districts is known as the "Dark Days" (1.74). After the destruction of District 13, the Treaty of Treason was signed to end the conflict, and the Hunger Games were instituted to remind the districts that the uprising must never be repeated.Suzanne Collins has said that Panem is supposed to be like ancient Rome: "Panem itself comes from the Latin expression 'Panem et Circenses' which translates into 'Bread and Circuses'" This term refers to the techniques used by the Roman Empire to keep the masses happy and docile by keeping their bellies full and their minds entertained.District 12District 12 is a very poor coal-mining district located in the region formerly known as Appalachia (3.50). Katniss and her family live in the poor section of District 12, the Seam, where the coal-miners live and work. There is also the Hob, the black market. The district is surrounded by a sometimes-electrified fence from woodlands.Stephen King calls District 12 "the Chicago Cubs of the postapocalypse world" meaning that they almost never win the Hunger Games. The poverty of District 12 is often contrasted with the wealth of the Capitol.The CapitolSpeaking of which, the Capitol is a shining city of wealth and grandeur city located where the Rockies used to be (3.50). The people of the Capitol are shallow, speak in a funny, affected accent and value surface appearances, plastic surgery, and entertainment. Being one of the richer districts, they also view the Games as television entertainment. Katniss, of course, despises the place Describe the setting in the story and explain why it is important to the plot. (Make predictions if you have to)

6. Katniss EverdeenCharacter AnalysisLadies and gentleman, a brief statement of the facts: Katniss Everdeen is a teenage girl who lives in District 12, an impoverished coal-mining region in the country of Panem. She's a volunteer tribute in Panem's annual Hunger Games, having taken the place of her younger sister in an act of heroic self-sacrifice.Likes include: bows, arrows, and lamb stew. Also: a certain guy named Gale. Dislikes include: Haymitch Abernathy, tracker jacker stings, getting her leg hair waxed, and the family cat. Also: occasionally her mother.Katniss the ProviderEver since the death of her father in a tragic coal-mining accident, Katniss has taken on the role of her family's head of household. While Katniss's mother was unable to cope with the loss, falling into a deep depression, Katniss stayed focused and took charge. Filling her father's shoes, she became the chief cook and bottlewasher, bringing home the food and income that would save the family from starvationKatniss the SurvivorIt's been a hardknock life for Katniss. As Peeta's mom comments, rather coldly, "She's a survivor, that one" (7.31).Whether she's in the woods of District 12 or the Gamemaker's arena, Katniss is concerned with one thing: how to stay alive. This, of course, makes her a fierce competitor. She can hunt, fish, trap, and fight. Draw a character from the book and write a brief description.

7. Recreate the plot of the story on a plot diagram.

9. Draw 3 illustrations depicting different important moments in the book. Include captions explaining your illustrations.

10. 3 finger Salute – Touching three middle fingers of your left hand to your lips and holding it up. The salute is an old and rarely used gesture of District 12′s, occasionally seen at funerals. It means thanks, it means admiration, it means goodbye to someone you love. Almost everyone in District 12 silently does this gesture to Katniss during the Reaping ceremony for taking Prim’s place as tribute. Create a timeline of ten or more important events in your novel.