Contemporary Literature

Contemporary Literature Week 12 November 7-11, 2011

Monday, November 7, 2011 Due Today: Walk-IN: Take out The World According to Garpand sit with a partner. Learning Objective: • Students will collaborate with instructors, peers, and experts to discuss potential relationships between literary work(s) and selected critical lenses. • Students will assume responsibilities for effective dialogues by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; listening to a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarifying, verifying, or challenging ideas and conclusions; and promoting divergent and creative viewpoints. Agenda: • The World According to GarpDiscussion Day Homework: Read and prepare for Book Club # 3 on Tuesday (Page 157)

The World According to GarpRotating Discussion 1 You will take turns discussion different ideas and passages from The World According to Garp. You will alternate who speaks first according to where you are sitting. You will be asked to share out responses by paraphrasing what your partner said and then build off of this comment by sharing your response. When responding, consider the novel as a whole and other readings from this semester. Discussion 1: Discuss your impressions of Jenny Fields. • Possible areas of focus: her view of herself, her family, men/women, and her ultimate decision to start a family. • Passage # 1: pg 1: Bottom paragraph… “Jenny was twenty-two….insemination” through 1st paragraph on pg 2 • How does Jenny view herself? Why? How do expectations of men/women affect how she feels? • Passage # 2: pg. 13: “In this dirty-minded world. . .well shod” (pg 14) and pg. 15: “I wanted a job and I wanted to live alone. . .” Teacher reads passages and asks students guiding questions. • What were the things in Jenny Fields life that made her feel like a sexual suspect?

The World According to GarpRotating Discussion 2 You will take turns discussion different ideas and passages from The World According to Garp. You will alternate who speaks first according to where you are sitting. You will be asked to share out responses by paraphrasing what your partner said and then build off of this comment by sharing your response. When responding, consider the novel as a whole and other readings from this semester. • Discussion 2: Why do people resort to violence? • Passage # 1: pg 8-9. “When the soldier…but I missed” • What contributed to Jenny’s act of violence against the soldier? • Do you feel the soldier acted violently? Was Jenny’s response reasonable?

The World According to GarpRotating Discussion 3 You will take turns discussion different ideas and passages from The World According to Garp. You will alternate who speaks first according to where you are sitting. You will be asked to share out responses by paraphrasing what your partner said and then build off of this comment by sharing your response. When responding, consider the novel as a whole and other readings from this semester. • Discussion 3: What makes or breaks a family? Discuss Jenny’s family and her decision to start a family. • Review what we learned about what makes or breaks a family. • Areas of focus—lack of escape, sacrifice, obligation, selflessness, purpose is to raise the next generation… • Passage # 1: pg 4-5 “She felt detached from her family…In fact, she had” • Respond to passage • Is this true about families? Is this a successful family? Why or why not? • Passgage # 2: pg 54 Top page “For what…forever on his mind” • Is Jenny a good parent? Do you think her and Garp’s family will be successful? What are some things that threaten to break it apart?

The World According to GarpRotating Discussion 4 You will take turns discussion different ideas and passages from The World According to Garp. You will alternate who speaks first according to where you are sitting. You will be asked to share out responses by paraphrasing what your partner said and then build off of this comment by sharing your response. When responding, consider the novel as a whole and other readings from this semester. • Discussion 4: What is the difference between love and lust? How does Jenny see them as two separate entities? Why? (return to somebody’s wife/whore) • Passage #1: Top of pg 89 to the bottom. “From the beginning. . . Helen knew how to get the words in” to “when he finally saw the real thing” AND pg 97 – 101: “Cushie Percy took Garp’s hand …” to pg 101 “ he was counting on Cushie for her experience” • Compare and contrast how Garp feels about Helen vs. Cushie? (Think again about Jenny Field’s assertion that “you are either somebody’s wife or somebody’s whore.”) • How does each woman see Garp? • How does seeing love and lust as two entirely different things pose problems for men/women? How does seeing love and lust as the same thing pose problems for men/women?

The World According to GarpReflection Questions • How is language a powerful tool for understanding and expression? • How does a text affect my perspectives? How do my perspectives influence my understanding of a text? • What was the author trying to make us feel, see, and believe? • Why consider the viewpoints in a text? How does reading help me understand others’ experiences? • Why and how does reading change my thinking? • Why do readers make sense of texts in different ways? • How do authors create the aesthetics of a literary work? How does the aesthetics of a literary work affect the meaning of the text? • How does constructing a generalization affect my thinking? What and why do I need to generalize in order to draw a sound conclusion? • How do the generalizations and conclusions that I form and draw from various literary works stretch, compress, and focus my perspective?

Due Today: Book Club #3 Creative Job Tuesday, November 8, 2011 Walk-IN: Sit with your book club group and take out your book, book club jobs, and a new sheet of paper. Learning Objective: • Students will increase enjoyment and understanding of a novel by discussion questions, passages, characters, vocabulary, artistic interpretations, and areas of synthesis. • Students will assume responsibilities for effective dialogues by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; listening to a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarifying, verifying, or challenging ideas and conclusions; and promoting divergent and creative viewpoints. Agenda: • Book Club # 3 Homework: Read and prepare for Book Cub # 4 (Page 212)

Book Club before discussion Set up header: Book Club #3 Name: Novel: Date: Collage of Jobs: Pages Read: Summary Paragraph • Write a summary paragraph about what happened in your book so far. Include information about the setting, characters, conflict, and any other important ideas or events. When finished, discuss your summaries with your group.

Book Club Discussion Question Job Procedures Lead the group in a discussion about each question. Allow everyone in your group to participate before you say anything. Take notes on who said what during the discussion of each question. Once everyone has contributed, share your own ideas about the answer to the question. Repeat with each question Passage Job Procedures Direct your group to that passage in the book, and have them read along with you as you read the passage out loud. Allow everyone in your group to comment on your passage before you say anything about it, and take notes on who said what during discussion. After everyone has participated, share your written explanation with the group. Character Job Procedures Share your Introduction/Update about each character with your group. After sharing about all characters, lead your group in a discussion about relationships, conflicts, and predictions about each character. Allow all members of your group to participate before you offer your own ideas, and take notes on your chart about discussion. Art Job Procedures Present artwork to the group. Allow all members to make observations and ask questions before you say anything about the image, and take notes who said what during discussion. Share your ideas about your image after everyone has participated. Vocabulary Job Procedures Identifyword/phrase/term and direct group to where it appears in the text. Read the sentence/paragraph in which the word appears out loud with the group. Ask the group to share ideas about the word’s meaning and/or significance to the story, and take notes on who said what. After everyone has participated, share your definitions, explanations with the group. Repeat process with each word. Synthesis Job Procedures One example at a time, lead the group in a discussion of each example, how it relates to the question. Allow your group to suggest In-Class and Beyond-Class connections BEFORE you suggest any. Fill out your chart as you discuss with your group. For each question, discuss with your group what how all the examples work together to suggest a common answer to each question, the Emerging Message; this should be written in the form of a theme statement.

Book Club After discussion • Reflection Paragraph: • In a detailed paragraph, explain how your overall experience in book club increased your enjoyment or understanding of the novel. Was your group successful? Were you successful? How did your creative selection of your jobs and others help you better enjoy or understand The World According To Garp?

Due Today: Wed/Thurs November 9-10, 2011 Walk-IN: Pick up a white binder, sit in your groups, and turn to your synthesis writing. Learning Objective: • Students will reread and reflect on a variety of texts to locate examples in order to support conclusions or messages based on their synthesis of a variety of texts. • Students will use meta-cognitive reading strategies to improve reading stamina and engagement in a new and challenging text. Agenda: • Synthesis Essay Work Time • The World According to GarpReading and Prep Time • Silent Reading Expectations • Book Club Preparation Homework: Read and prepare for Book Club # 4 (Page 212)

Synthesis Writing • Although at its most basic level a synthesis involves combining two or more summaries, synthesis writing is more difficult than it might at first appear because this combining must be done in a meaningful way and the final essay must generally be thesis-driven. In composition courses, “synthesis” commonly refers to writing about printed texts, drawing together particular themes or traits that you observe in those texts and organizing the material from each text according to those themes or traits. Sometimes you may be asked to synthesize your own ideas, theory, or research with those of the texts you have been assigned. In your other college classes you'll probably find yourself synthesizing information from graphs and tables, pieces of music, and art works as well. The key to any kind of synthesis is the same.

Synthesis in Everyday Life • Whenever you report to a friend the things several other friends have said about a film or CD you engage in synthesis. People synthesize information naturally to help other see the connections between things they learn; synthesis is related to but not the same as classification, division, or comparison and contrast. Instead of attending to categories or finding similarities and differences, synthesizing sources is a matter of pulling them together into some kind of harmony. Synthesis searches for links between materials for the purpose of constructing a thesis or theory.

Synthesis Writing in the Workforce • The basic research report (described below as a background synthesis) is very common in the business world. Whether one is proposing to open a new store or expand a product line, the report that must inevitably be written will synthesize information and arrange it by topic rather than by source. Whether you want to present information on child rearing to a new mother, or details about your town to a new resident, you'll find yourself synthesizing too. And just as in college, the quality and usefulness of your synthesis will depend on your accuracy and organization.

Features of a Synthesis • Key Features of a Synthesis • (1) It accurately reports information from the sources using different phrases and sentences;(2) It is organized in such a way that readers can immediately see where the information from the sources overlap;.(3) It makes sense of the sources and helps the reader understand them in greater depth.

The Background Synthesis • The background synthesis requires that you bring together background information on a topic and organize it by topic rather than by source. Instructors often assign background syntheses at the early stages of the research process, before students have developed a thesis--and they can be helpful to students conducting large research projects even if they are not assigned. Frequently writers of background synthesis papers develop a thesis before they have finished.

The Thesis Driven Synthesis • Sometimes there is very little obvious difference between a background synthesis and a thesis-driven synthesis, especially if the paper answers the question "what information must we know in order to understand this topic, and why?" The answer to that question forms the thesis of the resulting paper, but it may not be a particularly controversial thesis. • The difference will be most visible in the topic sentences to each paragraph because instead of simply introducing the material for the paragraph that will follow, they will also link back to the thesis and assert that this information is essential because... • On the other hand, all research papers are also synthesis papers in that they combine the information you have found in ways that help readers to see that information and the topic in question in a new way. • A research paper with a weak thesis (such as: "media images of women help to shape women's sense of how they should look") will organize its findings to show how this is so without having to spend much time discussing other arguments (in this case, other things that also help to shape women's sense of how they should look). • A paper with a strong thesis (such as "the media is the single most important factor in shaping women's sense of how they should look") will spend more time discussing arguments that it rejects (in this case, each paragraph will show how the media is more influential than other factors in that particular aspect of women's sense of how they should look").

A Synthesis of Literature • In many upper level social sciences classes you may be asked to begin research papers with a synthesis of the sources. Your primary purpose is to show readers that you are familiar with the field and are thus qualified to offer your own opinions. But your larger purpose is to show that in spite of all this wonderful research, no one has addressed the problem in the way that you intend to in your paper. This gives your synthesis a purpose, and even a thesis of sorts.

Preparing to Write your Synthesis • Regardless of whether you are synthesizing information from prose sources, from laboratory data, or from tables and graphs, your preparation for the synthesis will very likely involvecomparison. It may involve analysis, as well, along with classification, and division as you work on your organization. • Sometimes the wording of your assignment will direct you to what sorts of themes or traits you should look for in your synthesis. At other times, though, you may be assigned two or more sources and told to synthesize them. In such cases you need to formulate your own purpose, and develop your own perspectives and interpretations. • Begin by summarizing briefly the points, themes, or traits that the texts have in common.Explore different ways to organize the information depending on what you find or what you want to demonstrate. You might find it helpful to make several different outlines or plans before you decide which to use. As the most important aspect of a synthesis is its organization, you can't spend too long on this aspect of your paper!

Planning out your body paragraphs of your synthesis • The body of a synthesis essay:This should be organized by theme, point, similarity, or aspect of the topic. Your organization will be determined by the assignment or by the patterns you see in the material you are synthesizing. The organization is the most important part of a synthesis, so try out more than one format. Be sure that each paragraph: 1. Begins with a sentence or phrase that informs readers of the topic of the paragraph; 2. Includes information from more than one source; 3. Clearly indicates which material comes from which source using lead in phrases and in-text citations. [Beware of plagiarism: Accidental plagiarism most often occurs when students are synthesizing sources and do not indicate where the synthesis ends and their own comments begin or vice verse.] 4. Shows the similarities or differences between the different sources in ways that make the paper as informative as possible;

Synthesis Essay Work Time • Search, mine, plan out your paragraphs by developing your ideas and examples. One way to plan this would be: • Paragraph # 1: • General Topic: Family • Titles of sources from Non-Fiction Articles and Stories in Class: Is There Hope for the American Marriage, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been • Textual Evidence: • 1. “a lasting covenant…can be a vehicle for the nurture and protection of each other, the one reliable shelter in an uncaring world—or it can be a matchless tool for the infliction of suffering on the people you supposedly love above all others, most of all your children” (Flanagan). • 2. “Connie’s mother kept picking at her until Connie wished her mother was dead and she herself was dead and it was all over” (Oates). • 3. “This place you are now—inside your daddy’s house—is nothing but a cardboard box I can knock down any time” (Oates) • Main Idea/Conclusion: When a family is focused on their own selfish feelings, instead of the emotional well being of each other, it will cause the family to be vulnerable to the cruelties of the world.

Synthesis Essay Work Time • Search, mine, plan out your paragraphs by developing your ideas and examples. One way to organize this would be: • Paragraph # 2: • General Topic: • Titles of sources from Non-Fiction Articles/Stories in Class and Book Club Novel: • Textual Evidence: • 1. • 2. • 3. • Main Idea/Conclusion:

Synthesis Essay Work Time • Search, mine, plan out your paragraphs by developing your ideas and examples. One way to organize this would be: • Paragraph # 3: • General Topic: • Titles of sources from Independent Research and Stories from Class and/or Book Club Book. • Textual Evidence: • 1. • 2. • 3. • Main Idea/Conclusion:

Synthesis Essay Work Time • Search, mine, plan out your paragraphs by developing your ideas and examples. One way to organize this would be: • Paragraph # 4: • General Topic: • Titles of sources from Articles in Class or Independent Research and Stories from Class and/or Book Club Book and The World According to Garp. • Textual Evidence: • 1. • 2. • 3. • Main Idea/Conclusion:

Synthesis Paragraph Rough Draft • According articles and stories studied in class, when a family is focused on their own selfish feelings, instead of the emotional well being of each other, it will cause the family to be vulnerable to the cruelties of the world. In the article from Time magazine it states that, “a lasting covenant…can be a vehicle for the nurture and protection of each other, the one reliable shelter in an uncaring world—or it can be a matchless tool for the infliction of suffering on the people you supposedly love above all others, most of all your children” (Flanagan). Many people feel that the purpose of a family is to make them more content with life than they already are; this is a fallacy. If a family is to be successful, a sense of obligation, self-sacrifice, and caring is necessary. In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been Connie and her mother have a selfish and volatile relationship. Her mother, embarrassed by what she has become, takes her own anger out on her daughter; this causes Connie to hide her true self from her parents and escape into a world filled with dangers because “Connie’s mother kept picking at her until Connie wished her mother was dead and she herself was dead and it was all over” (Oates ). This family has become as Flanagan says “a matchless tool for the infliction of suffering, on the people [they] supposedly love above all others,” and it ends up costing Connie her life. When Connie, once again, avoids and escapes from her family obligations, she is left at home to become lost in her thoughts, a pop-culture safe-haven. When an older man, who has been following her, shows up at her house he is able to see the vulnerability in Connie. Literally she is alone because her family is at a barbecue, but she is also alone and hollow on the inside because of the lack of support and love from her family. Arnold Friend, a serial killer, notices this and emotional lybreaks her down in order to manipulate her. He says, “This place you are now—inside your daddy’s house—is nothing but a cardboard box I can knock down any time. You know that and always did know it” (Oates). Connie is defenseless, she is lost, without any strength to resist the dangers that await her where she is going, which is why she allows Arnold Friend to convince her to give up her family, her self, and her life and go with him to her death. If Connie and her family had been focused on the obligation to each other, the emotional wellbeing of each other, and the happiness of each other, instead of their own feelings and needs, then she would have been able to avoid the perils that lurk in the world’s harsh reality.

The World According To Garp: Reading and Preparation Day • While reading be conscious or aware of the strategies you use to improve your stamina and engagement while reading (these are most likely similar to strategies you use to stay involved in the moment in anything new you are learning). • Be aware of the things that distract you. • Keep in mind the creative ways in which you may want to represent you learning, analysis, and reaction to the novel for your Book Club Preparation. • Begin creating your prepartion:

The World According to GarpBook Club • Book Club Job Expectations • Creative Freedom for Jobs: collage approach to Book Club Jobs. • Students will need to collage or piece together 4 aspects of the previous six jobs. This may include one passage, a smaller detailed drawing, two level 3 questions, 3 vocabulary words, a character chart on one person, or a smaller synthesis chart. Your choice, just chose 4 of the above and have fun and be creative.

Due Today: Book Club #4 Creative Job Friday, November 11, 2011 Walk-IN: Sit with your book club group and take out your book, book club jobs, and a new sheet of paper. Learning Objective: • Students will increase enjoyment and understanding of a novel by discussion questions, passages, characters, vocabulary, artistic interpretations, and areas of synthesis. • Students will assume responsibilities for effective dialogues by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; listening to a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarifying, verifying, or challenging ideas and conclusions; and promoting divergent and creative viewpoints. Agenda: • Book Club # 4 Homework: Read and prepare for Book Cub # 5 (Page )

Book Club before discussion Set up header: Book Club #4 Name: Novel: Date: Collage of Jobs: Pages Read: Summary Paragraph • Write a summary paragraph about what happened in your book so far. Include information about the setting, characters, conflict, and any other important ideas or events. When finished, discuss your summaries with your group.

Book Club Discussion Question Job Procedures Lead the group in a discussion about each question. Allow everyone in your group to participate before you say anything. Take notes on who said what during the discussion of each question. Once everyone has contributed, share your own ideas about the answer to the question. Repeat with each question Passage Job Procedures Direct your group to that passage in the book, and have them read along with you as you read the passage out loud. Allow everyone in your group to comment on your passage before you say anything about it, and take notes on who said what during discussion. After everyone has participated, share your written explanation with the group. Character Job Procedures Share your Introduction/Update about each character with your group. After sharing about all characters, lead your group in a discussion about relationships, conflicts, and predictions about each character. Allow all members of your group to participate before you offer your own ideas, and take notes on your chart about discussion. Art Job Procedures Present artwork to the group. Allow all members to make observations and ask questions before you say anything about the image, and take notes who said what during discussion. Share your ideas about your image after everyone has participated. Vocabulary Job Procedures Identifyword/phrase/term and direct group to where it appears in the text. Read the sentence/paragraph in which the word appears out loud with the group. Ask the group to share ideas about the word’s meaning and/or significance to the story, and take notes on who said what. After everyone has participated, share your definitions, explanations with the group. Repeat process with each word. Synthesis Job Procedures One example at a time, lead the group in a discussion of each example, how it relates to the question. Allow your group to suggest In-Class and Beyond-Class connections BEFORE you suggest any. Fill out your chart as you discuss with your group. For each question, discuss with your group what how all the examples work together to suggest a common answer to each question, the Emerging Message; this should be written in the form of a theme statement.

Book Club After discussion • Reflection Paragraph: • In a detailed paragraph, explain how your overall experience in book club increased your enjoyment or understanding of the novel. Was your group successful? Were you successful? How did your creative selection of your jobs and others help you better enjoy or understand The World According To Garp?

Contemporary Literature