Group Discussions and The Woman Warrior

1. Group Discussions andThe Woman Warrior Mr. Josefino Rivera, Jr. AOSR: AP Language and Composition September 24, 2010

2. Homework • Inside circle of seminar: Seminar Reflection • Upload to turnitin.com • Daily journals (due 28.9.2010) #___ • optional: revise essay (due 28.9.2010)

3. Today’s Objectives To showcase reading comprehension. To analyze group discussion. To critically discuss “No Name Woman.”

4. Exit Card Summary • I will continue to relate cultural context to stories I read. • I will summarize what I read, and then try to predict what will happen. • I will try to analyze the word choice of the text. • I will make more emotional connections. • I will connect the text to myself and ask more questions.

5. Reading Log • Pair share reading log with partner. • Turn in reading log.

6. “No Name Woman” Card Quiz • For self preservation, women had to learn to take the feelings in their guts and… • Kingston speculates that her aunt might have actually enjoyed the company of the man, and then says… • Women who cared about their appearances were considered… • Kingston says she hopes the man her aunt had sex with “appreciated a smooth brow, that he wasn’t just a tits and ass man” because… • Kingston speculates that one reason her father never returned to China was… • Kingston tries to make herself “American feminine” by… • According to Kingston, being raped by a family member would be equally abhorrent to being raped by a villager because… • After the villagers raided the house, the aunt’s family said to her… • In response, the aunt… • There she had visions of… • The aunt had birth in… • After the birth, the aunt worries… • Kingston thinks the baby was a girl because… • She also thinks there’s more to her family silence… • The aunt haunts Kingston because…

7. Exit Card Summary: Socratic Seminars • By inviting others to speak, everyone can participate. • By finding examples in the text, statements are better supported. • Use hand motions to emphasize points. • Eye contact engages other students into the discussion. • Some students discuss but some are left out. • The sentence starters keep the discussion going. • Some students talk more than others. • You must listen carefully and think quickly. • Building on a point is incredibly hard to do. • Don’t hold back. Speak. • Group discussions help analyze the text and therefore understand it better. • You need to pay attention. • Think of ideas while someone else is speaking. • You must pay attention to the details or you may get picked on and won’t know what to say. • Many people have thoughtful input.

8. Socratic Seminar Analysis 2 7 # 6 # 1 # 4 4 4 1 3

9. Socratic Seminar: Inside Circle Norms • One person speaks at a time. • Connect your comment to the previous comment. • Support a point with evidence from the text. • State your opinions and agree/disagree with the opinions, not the person. • Ask questions to clarify ideas. • Define abstract terms. • Invite others into the discussion. • Use body language and eye contact to communicate active listening.

10. Socratic Seminar Reflection In your reflection, you should discuss the following categories 1. Specific ideas you found particularly interesting and why. Give specific examples and explain your reasoning. Please include who said the idea (this shows me you were listening carefully). • For example, I found _______’s speculation that …. interesting because I had not made that connection myself. However, I am not sure I agree with this connection because …. I need more information on this; however, ______’s comment jumpstarted my thinking on …. 2. Unanswered questions or ideas you are still grappling with regarding the topic. Explain why you still have these questions or intellectual tensions. • For example, I question ________’s argument that …. Is…really possible? I need more evidence suggesting that …. 3. Discussion of why you scored yourself on the rubric for each category the way you did and specific examples supporting your self-score. • For example, I responded to … I referred to the …and connected this to …. This example reflects how I was listening intently to the conversation, following the ideas, and extending them by providing a relevant example that pushed the discussion forward, which is why I gave myself an “excellent” in listening and speaking and reasoning…

11. Socratic Seminar Rubric Key Categories • Conduct • Speaking and Reasoning • Listening • Reading

12. Socratic Seminar:Outside Circle Analysis • Examines how well the inside circle follows the norms. • Offers evaluations to make the inside circle stronger speakers.

13. Exit Card Summary • Drowning herself in the well could have been an act of revenge. • Women’s submission to men may only refer to spouse and father. • The adulterer is more to blame than the aunt. • The aunt is also to blame; she could have wanted it. • Kingston’s mom wanted to raise her daughter in Chinese culture. • Kingston heeds her mother’s warnings. • Women had no rights in old China; they had to obey all men. • They had an outcast table for wrongdoers. • There is more than one reason for the aunt’s death. • The humiliation might not have been the only reason for her being outlawed. • Why Kingston began the “No Name Woman” the way she did. • The family must have been really humiliated. • Kingston is more American than Chinese. • The aunt’s death could have been a blessing for the family as the problem could have gotten worse.

14. Discussion Questions • What is the purpose of the first paragraph? Why does Kingston launch into this story without a prefatory explanation? How would the impact of the story have changed if Kingston had provided an “introduction”? • What is the mother’s attitude toward the aunt, as revealed in her story? • According to the mother, what is the purpose of telling the story? • What does Kingston mean when she says of her mother, “She will add nothing unless powered by Necessity, a riverbank that guides her life” (¶ 13)? Why does Kingston capitalize “Necessity”? • Why does Kingston repeat the word “perhaps” throughout paragraph 16? Is she calling her own credibility into question? Explain. • Kingston speculates that her aunt must have been raped because “adultery was an extravagance” women could not afford. What does that mean? • What is the purpose of using various voices in her essay?

15. Discussion Questions

16. Exit Card How is the class going for you? What is working? What do you need?