House of the Scorpion: final day!

House of the Scorpion:  what's it all about?

First we will take a quiz on the last section of the book, "La Vida Nueva".

Then, we will write about a theme (What does House of the Scorpion say about life?) from the story--you will find the meaning and MAKE THE CLAIM today!

We will start with a brainstorming exercise on padlet:
1st period: http://padlet.com/wall/tmkevay4bs
3rd period: http://padlet.com/wall/jeg2k0eh3u
5th period: http://padlet.com/wall/2wk8hbk1ai

Then, you will have the rest of the period to write a "defense" of this lesson from the novel.

THE SEQUEL: http://www.amazon.com/The-Lord-Opium-Nancy-Farmer/dp/1442482540

Monday: Making claims about the "Old Age" section in The House of the Scorpion

Finding details that connect....

Today we will work on finishing this chart: FORMING EBCs

I mentioned that a good way to do this is to think of a THEME or big idea that you see after reading the text closely, ( THEMES HOS) and then find other details in the chapter that are related to that theme.

FORMING A CLAIM...

This is difficult, because it requires you to look even closer at those key details and figure out, just like a detective, what meaning is hiding behind them.

Remember my sample claim from the "The Thing on the Bed" chapter?

Even though Tom wants to hurt Matt, showing Matt the truth does not destroy him, but instead makes him stronger. 

Here are samples of claims from class today:

Monday's class: Making Evidence Based Claims

House of the Scorpion--check in

We started by discussing the quiz from Friday.  We also looked at the themes at work in HOS and I awarded Dojo Points to students who were able to recall parts of the story that related to those themes.  The reading assignment is to read to page 101 by Friday.

Apology:  Making Evidence Based Claims

We reviewed the group answers from Thursday.  Then, I supplied you with a claim "Socrates is arrogant."  We decided that the text does not support that claim, so we revised it to say the opposite!

Tomorrow the class will evaluate the evidence presented to each group in a Gallery Walk.

REMINDER:  Tuesday and Wednesday we are on the CAHSEE schedule.    

Monday's class: Chapter 1 of House of the Scorpion

Today we read the first chapter from The House of the Scorpion in order to get acquainted with the story and practice making claims based on details from the reading.

First, students filled out the ANTICIPATION GUIDE that will help students be aware of some of the big ideas at the heart of the book.

Then, we read Chapter 1. Students filled out the "FORMING EVIDENCE-BASED CLAIMS" chart using details that seem connected from only that chapter.

Most students are still struggling with the claim portion of this exercise.  A few students were able to tell me that, based on the examples they chose, they could see that this society seems pretty "messed up."

I shaped that into the following claim:  This story takes place in dystopian future.

We talked about how the word DYSTOPIAN comes from the word UTOPIAN, which refers to a perfect or ideal society, where everyone is happy and fulfilled.  DYSTOPIAN refers to a society where most are unhappy, a society that is diseased.  Many science fiction books, like The Hunger Games or The Giver, have a similar kind of setting, where there is little respect for human life.

see dystopian definition

Read to page 49 by Friday.