Teaching Relationships and Changes in Literature Presented by Richard Fanning

READING RUBRIC—LITERARY SELECTION OBJECTIVE 2SCORE POINT 2 — SUFFICIENT In sufficient responses, the student must offer a reasonable theme, character trait, conflict, or change and support it with accurate/relevant textual evidence must offer a reasonable analysis of a literary technique or figurative expression and support it with accurate/relevant textual evidence In addition, sufficient responses must be clear and specific. Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.

READING RUBRIC—LITERARY SELECTION OBJECTIVE 2SCORE POINT 0 — INSUFFICIENT In insufficient responses, the student may offer an incorrect theme, character trait, conflict, or change may offer a theme, character, conflict, or change that is too general or vague to determine whether it is reasonable may incorrectly analyze a literary technique or figurative expression may offer an analysis that is too general or vague to determine whether it is reasonable may present only a plot summary may not address the question in any way or may answer a different question than the one asked may offer only incomplete or irrelevant textual evidence In addition, insufficient responses may lack clarity. Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.

READING RUBRIC—EXPOSITORY SELECTION OBJECTIVE 3SCORE POINT 2 — SUFFICIENT In sufficient responses, the student must draw a reasonable conclusion, offer a reasonable interpretation, or make a reasonable prediction and must support it with accurate/relevant textual evidence must offer a reasonable analysis or evaluation of a characteristic of the selection and must support it with accurate/relevant textual evidence In addition, sufficient responses must be clear and specific. Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.

READING RUBRIC—EXPOSITORY SELECTION OBJECTIVE 3SCORE POINT 0 — INSUFFICIENT In insufficient responses, the student may draw a conclusion, offer an interpretation, or make a prediction that is not based on the text may draw a conclusion, offer an interpretation, or make a prediction that does not address the question may draw a conclusion, offer an interpretation, or make a prediction that is not reasonable may draw a conclusion, offer an interpretation, or make a prediction that is too general or vague to determine whether it is reasonable may incorrectly analyze or evaluate a characteristic of the text may not address the question in any way or may answer a different question than the one asked may offer only incomplete or irrelevant textual evidence In addition, insufficient responses may lack clarity. Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.

Theory When students wait for questions to be asked of them, either by the textbook or the teacher, they assume an essentially passive role.—Building Success Program, College Board Like learning to write about literature, learning to engage with texts the way these texts ask to be read and learning to talk about literature in complex ways are skills that must be modeled, explicated, supported, practiced, reviewed, and revised.—Strategic Reading. By Wilhem, Baker, Dube My students will read actively, setting a purpose or reading for the purpose given them. Students will question the text, make predictions, make observations, and be able to accurately summarize the text. Students will practice and learn what I model for them.

What I want my students to do while reading Read for the purpose given to them or create a purpose for reading on their own Make observations and connections Question the text and create questions that a teacher might ask that they can answer by reading the text Make predictions as they read and then determine if they were accurate Summarize frequently what they have read Check frequently for understanding Reread difficult sections

What is the relationship between the human and the cat? What is happening in this picture? What might we predict?

What I Teach My Students Characters / characterizations Setting Plot / conflict Point of view Theme Relationships Changes / shifts

How to Think About Literature Identify and Understand the Characters What do they look like? (You can imagine this.) How do they behave; what do they do? What are their personalities like? Can you imagine what it would be like in their positions? Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? How do they talk? Does the character change in any way during the story? Static characters DO NOT change during the course of the story.. Dynamic characters DO change during the course of the story (emotionally, physically, maturity,). Understand the Plot Identify the different kinds of conflict, both internal and external: Person vs. person. Person vs. nature Person vs. society Person vs. himself/herself Person vs. Fate What happens first? Second? Third? Track the course of events (pyramid organizer-see other side) Exposition Complications Crisis or Turning point Falling action (leads to resolution of crisis) Climax Resolution or denouement Understand the Setting The geographical setting (physical location) The time period of the story (present day, future, or olden days) Occupations and daily living habits General environment (religious, mental, moral, social, and emotional conditions) Be specific (For instance, the story takes place at night during the winter just outside Houston.) Understand the Point of View and why it is important Who is telling the story? On whom is the story focused? First person (The story is told from an “I” perspective Third person limited (The story is told from “he did” “she did” perspective and knowledge is focused on just one character Omniscient (The all-knowing narrator of the story who is not a character in the story and is able to tell everything about what is going on in the story.) Understand Theme What truth does the story reveal about human behavior? What is the underlying reason for telling the story.

Exposition / Introduction Establishes conflict Complications / Problems that lead to the crisis Crisis / Turning Point / Climax Reversal of fortunes Falling Action that leads to resolution of conflict Climax-the moment of greatest emotional response/highest interest Resolution/Denouement-the wrap-up of the climax The sequence of a story How to Read a Text Activate any prior knowledge-What do you know about this subject? Connect with the text-Find similarities between what you are reading and what you already know so you can categorize the new information. Ask yourself questions about what you do not understand and then try to find answers Answers may be found in the text, you may have to draw a conclusion from what is read and what you already know. Make predictions about what you think will happen. Interpret what the text means as a whole and how its parts work together. Place the text into areas that are known to you; what is its “big picture and how does it fit into what you already know?” Challenge the text-what makes sense, what seems “right” or “not right,” verify that what is read can be put into your experience. Literary Elements to Know SarcasmBiography / Autobiography Essay types -Narrative, Persuasive, Compare/Contrast, Descriptive, Cause/EffectPoint of View ImageryMetaphor SimileFigures of Speech Tone Irony ConnotationDenotation ForeshadowingSymbol

In the following slides, please note any changes in the pictures. You should try to be as clear and specific as possible.

Text evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis. A paraphrase is a restatement of story details in one’s own words. A specific synopsis is specific pieces of text linked together over time. 1.The boy goes from an introvert to an extrovert. 2.His eyes indicate that he might be full of himself. He goes from fairly solemn looking to mischievous looking. 3.The way he dresses changes from rather plain to more colorful. 4.The older boy gains weight. This is clear and specific.

Ask yourself: 1.What has changed in this story? 2.Why are these changes important? 3.What is the most significant change in the story? 4.What is the man’s relationship with nature? 5.What is the man’s relationship with the tadpoles? 6.What is the relationship of the weather to the tadpoles’ environment? Read the first story in your Reading Samples packet.

Changes Look for changes that take place during the course of a text. Changes can take place in different forms.  Changes in attitudes  Changes in behavior  Changes in situations  Changes in activities  Changes in settings  Changes in personality  Changes in relationships Relationships  Relationships between characters—how do characters relate to one another; are they related, what are their relationships like toward each other?  Relationships between characters and settings—how does a setting affect the characters?  Relationships between causes and effects—how does one thing lead to another?  Relationships between character traits and actions—how does a character’s personality affect what he or she does, and how does a character’s actions help reveal the character’s personality?

Teach Your Students to be Clear and Specific The weather changes—vague. The weather changes from rainy to sunny and breezy—clear. The weather is affecting the puddle where the tadpoles live—vague. The sunny, breezy weather is drying up the puddle where the tadpoles live—clear. The man likes the tadpoles—vague. The man appreciates all the tadpoles turning into bug-eating toads—clear. The earlier students learn to be clear and specific, the better they can answer open-ended questions.