In this section I want students to use skills they have practiced to explore novels of their choice in groups. I will provide students with a list of classic and contemporary coming of age novels. I have attached this list but there are many other titles that would be suitable for the project and engaging for students.
The groups will meet three times. After choosing their novels I will ask students to devise a plan for reading and divide their book into three sections. During the first meeting they will discuss the first third of the book, during the second the second third and during the final meeting they will discuss the concluding chapters.
To prepare for each chat, students will do the following:
1. Consider the world the writer of your novel has created. Look closely at the various aspects of that culture. For example:
·
|
List the
rules, laws, policies,
(written
and
unwritten), which have been designed to govern the behavior of the individuals within that particular society.
|
·
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List the
dominant
views and assumptions that form the belief system of many of the individuals in this society regarding your characters: gender, age, socioeconomic class, race or ethnicity.
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2. List a few things you’re wondering
why
about.
·
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I wonder
why
[name of character]……….
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·
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I wonder
why
[name of writer]
chose
to………
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3. Identify two or three of the most important
passages
that you want to bring to attention of your group (you’re looking for the longer, more
philosophical
excerpts; we’ll show you what one sounds like as soon as somebody finds one). [Don’t forget page number]
After each book club meeting, students will type up and submit a reflection outlining the discourse they participated in and summarizing their response to those discussions. Detailed instructions for the book chat are attached