1. Group Discussion “The Great Rat Hunt”
Characterization is revealed by
What characters say
What they do
What other people say about them
Description
What Characters think

2. Main Idea vs. Theme
Main Idea: (Tends to refer to nonfiction)The central idea that a writer wishes to express. It can be the central idea of an entire work or a thought express in the topic sentence of a paragraph.
Theme: (Tends to refer to literature: fiction, poetry, drama) A message about life or human nature that is communicated by a literary work. In many cases, readers must infer what the writer’s message is. One way of figuring out a theme is to apply the lessons learned by the main characters to all people.

3. Hyperbole
Hyperbole: A figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or for humorous effect.

4. Conflict
Conflict: struggle between opposing forces; may be internal or external
    A. Internal: within self                    (man vs. himself) 
    B. External: against outside forces  (man vs. man)  (man vs. nature)  (man vs. fate)

5. Group Discussion
Characterization: Choose a word to describe one of the following characters and then provide textual evidence to support your choice. Also provide the page # . Put evidence in quotation marks. Be prepared to defend your choice. Repeat until told to rotate papers.
Group 1: Father Group 2: Narrator Group 3: Ed Group 4: Mother
Main Idea:
Group 5: State what your group thinks is the main idea then find details in story that support the main idea. Directly quote these details using quotation marks. Also provide the page #
Hyperbole:
Group 6: Provide examples of the narrator using hyperbole and state why you think he is doing it in each case. Also provide the page #
Conflict:
Group 7: Find a passage that reveals conflict. Quote it and describe it. Tell whether it’s internal or external.