Jessica Lowden & Emilie Klinger Critical reading, questioning, & competition Putting a spin on your average literature circle Jessica Lowden & Emilie Klinger

What is The BRAWL? Originally created by David Theriault, is a spin on your average literature circles. A BRAWL (Battle Royal All Will Learn) is a team- based competitive Socratic Seminar In the Book BRAWL, the teacher is both an organizer and facilitator, but it is the students who do most of the work.  It is an organized discussion group where students are responsible for both asking the questions and answering the questions. Inner circle and outer circle https://thereadinessisall.com/2012/12/21/lets- brawl-throwing-socratic-seminars-out-of-the-ring/

Preparing for The BRAWL Things to think about: Teams: how many students do you want on a team, whether they are teacher-selected or student-selected “When” you want to do this What we do: Try to keep it 4-5 students per team We pre-select the teams We don’t do it with the first unit that we do – need time to pre-teach questioning

Pre-teaching The BRAWL Purpose: to teach questioning techniques on a smaller scale (will help the BRAWL not seem as overwhelming) Use the unit/book before the BRAWL as an opportunity to pre-teach Use fiction or nonfiction Questions must be open-ended & debatable. Must use text as support.

Questioning the Text Types of Questioning PRACTICE! On the line – comprehension (avoid these!) Between the lines – application/analysis (inference) Beyond the lines – synthesis/evaluative (universal meaning) PRACTICE!

Use the following passage from The Scarlet Ibis to practice writing one of each of the types of questions. It was in the clove of seasons, summer was dead but autumn had not yet been born, that the ibis lit in the bleeding tree. The flower garden was strained with rotting brown magnolia petals and ironweeds grew rank amid the purple phlox. The five o'clocks by the chimney still marked time, but the oriole nest in the elm was untenanted and rocked back and forth like an empty cradle. The last graveyard flowers were blooming, and their smell drifted across the cotton field and through every room of our house, speaking softy the names of our dead.

Day 1: Prepare Pre-selected teams will prepare SCOUT questions (2 questions per chapter per SCOUT category) Students must hand in their group questions. I suggest electronically.  Receive 10 points per question that is chosen. Teacher must evaluate and choose the best questions that the student will answer.

SCOUT Questioning Specific Comparison Organization Unusual Theme +OCCASION: when and where was this written? Is there something specific that the art is responding TO or taking a stance AGAINST +choice of details +atmosphere: which creates *mood +diction- the author’s choice of words which can include: denotation, connotation, concrete, abstract, colloquial, dialect *people *places *verisimilitude: how “real” does the author attempt to make their work? +Allusion(s) +Metaphors/ Simile *Symbols +Personification: when an inanimate object or non-human takes on human mannerisms *Intertextuality-how the work relates to other works of art *Connotation *Hyperbole +Spatial- repetition and contrast +Sequential: what comes first, mid, last & why +Paradox: a statement that seems to say opposite things and yet is perhaps true +Thesis +Antithesis: a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else +Synthesis: how things work together *Things that don’t make sense *Things that seem out of place or time *Anachronism: a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists *Flashforward *Flashback +Ambiguities +Types of Irony: *Sarcasm *Situational *Dramatic *Figures of Speech *something in a list that doesn’t belong *quotes *symbols *motif: object or idea that repeats itself *extended metaphor *characters and actions +Epiphanies: the sudden realization of the “whatness of life” +Rhetoric: the art of persuasion

Day 2: Answer Easiest day for the teacher! Students spend time answering the questions. Make sure they are preparing notes as they are allowed to take notes into the “inner circle.” Need to use the text as support for their answer!

Day 3: BRAWL BRAWL Day! IF you can get someone else to judge – all the better! One student from each team is randomly selected. All meet in the “Inner Circle.” Other students sit with their teammates in the “outer circle.” Each student in the “Inner Circle” is asked one question. Given a chance to respond. Must use text as support. Question is then thrown to the “Outer Circle.” May add, question, disagree with the original response. Receives additional points. Round 1 & Round 2. Round 3: no “Outer Circle” response. Out of 100 points.

BRAWL POINT SYSTEM Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 (BRAWL): 10 Points for each question that is selected for the final BRAWL sheet Day 2 No points offered, but points may be taken away if your group is off-topic Day 3 (BRAWL): Inner Circle Round One—up to 100 points possible Initial Response—up to 50 points possible Outer Circle Retort—up to 50 points possible (optional; can only be done once per round) Inner Circle Round Two— up to 100 points possible Outer Circle Round Three—up to 100 points for group answers

Accountability “Inner Circle” Rubric Group Participation Evaluation Team points – can add as well as subtract

Inner Circle Rubric

Group Participation Rubric

Questions or Comments?