Reading Seminar3rd six weeks

Clear as Mud:

You will NOT have an “Outside Reading” assignment during the third six weeks.

Don’t get too excited… I never said you wouldn’t be reading.

Clear as Milk: You may choose the seminar you participate in. You will be reading books. Note the plural. They will be chosen from as specified list of

books related to your seminar topic. Your group will decide the timeline for reading

completion. You WILL NOT be able to complete the

assignments for this seminar if you do not read. Assignments require ready in-depth knowledge of

books. Your group members will ‘vote you off the island’ if

you do not contribute due to a lack of effort.

Crystal Clear: You will be reading 40 points worth of books. Books vary in length and difficulty, with point

values ranging from 5 to 20 points. Point values reflect difficulty and literary merit, not

length. ▪ Ex: Against All Odds includes Any Harry Potter (5), Digital

Fortress (10), Into Thin Air (15), Sword of Shannara (20) It will be up to you and your group members to

decide how to earn your 40 points. Can be done in as few as three books in every seminar. No seminar requires more than six books to reach 40

points.

So… Grades? Reading and Discussion

Completion of 40 points worth of books* Participation in Seminar Discussion (including Ticket in and Notes)

Reader Reaction Tickets/Short Answer Quizzes Given at random to assess progress

Vocabulary Quizzes rhetorical terms wotd vocab from books- yes, I know… you’ll all be reading different books

Two Major Papers major/test grade iSearch paper (slightly different from Outside Reading assignment) Reflections paper (at end of seminar)

Knowledge Folder major/test grade

*- Completion of 40 points of books is necessary to receive full credit on ALL major grade assignments. The number of points you fall short x10 is the number of points that will be removed from EACH test grade at the end of the seminar should you not complete the appropriate readings. I will consider extra credit for going over 40 points if you can demonstrate depth of understanding.

The Book Seminars

What is a Reading Seminar? Six weeks of reading a series of books (40 points). Topics:

Against All Odds ▪ stories of human triumph

A Woman’s Place ▪ literature about the role of women in society

The Search for Identity▪ Coming of age stories

Diversity in America▪ Literature by and about different cultural groups in the United States

You will be stuck with these books for an entire six weeks, choose a seminar based on the books you want to read rather than defaulting to your usual group of friends.

Against All Odds

TITLE (POINT VALUE) Z is for Zachariah (5) Two Old Women (5) Inherit the Wind (5) Any Harry Potter (5) The Bean Trees (10) A Walk in the Woods (10) Digital Fortress (10) The Pleasure of My Company (10) The Lovely Bones (10) Nickel and Dimed (10) Nectar in a Sieve (10) Ender's Game (10) Angela's Ashes (15) Master and Commander (15) Seabiscuit (15) Cold Mountain (15) Into Thin Air (15)

Over the Edge of the World (20) Sword of Shannara (20) A Soldier of the Great War (20)

AUTHORRobert O'BrienVelma WallisJerome LawrenceJ.K. RowlingBarbara KingsolverBill BrysonDan BrownSteve MartinAlice SieboldBarbara EhremeichKamela MarkandayaOrsen Scott CardFrank McCourtPatrick O’BrianLaura HillenbrandCharles FrasierJon KraukerLaurence BergreenTerry BrooksMark Helprin

The Search for Identity

TITLE (POINT VALUE) Rules of the Road (5) The Giver (5) Of Mice and Men (5) What Should I Do with My Life? (10) The Honk and Holler Opening Soon (10) Tuesdays with Morrie (10) Expecting Adam (10) A Gracious Plenty (10) Ishmael (10) The Things They Carried (10) Shades of Simon Gray (10) Speak (10) The Catcher in the Rye (10) Life of Pi (10) Siddhartha (10) A Prayer for Owen Meany (15) A Separate Peace (15) Slaughterhouse Five (15) My Name is Asher Lev (15) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle

Maintenance (20)

AUTHORJoan BauerLois LowryJohn SteinbeckPo BronsonBillie LettsMitch AlbumMartha BeckSheri ReynoldsDaniel QuinnTim O’BrienJoyce McDonaldLaurie Halse AndersonJ.D. SalingerYan MartelHerman HesseJohn IrvingJohn KnowlesKurt VonnegutChaim PotokRobert Pirsig

A Woman’s Place

TITLE (POINT VALUE) Welcome to the World, Baby Girl (10) Tara Road (10) The Color Purple (10) Having Our Say (10) Reviving Ophelia (10) Black and Blue (10) Ellen Foster (10) Where the Heart Is (10) Herland (10) In a Different Voice (10) The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya

Sisterhood (10) Nectar in a Sieve (10) The Secret Life of Bees (10) So Long a Letter (10) In the Time of the Butterflies (10) Reading Lolita in Tehran (10) Jane Eyre (15) The Joy Luck Club (15) The Red Tent (15) The Poisonwood Bible (20)

AUTHORFanny FlaggMaeve BinchyAlice WalkerThe Delaney SistersMary PipherAnna QuindlenKaye GibbonsBillie LettsCharlotte Perkins GilmanCarol GilliganRebecca Wells Kamela MarkandayaSue Monk KiddMariamaBuJulia AlvarezAzar NafisiCharlotte BronteAmy TanAnita DiamantBarbara Kingsolver

Diversity in America

TITLE (POINT VALUE) The Watsons Go To Birmingham (5) Tunes for Bears to Dance To (5) The Bluest Eye (10) Black Like Me (10) Hijas Americanas (10) A Lesson Before Dying (10) When I was Puerto Rican (10) Their Eyes Were Watching God (10) Living up the Street (10) The Color of Water (10) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (10) The Color Purple (10) Nickel and Dimed (10) The Joy Luck Club (15) My Name is Asher Lev (15) Jubilee (15) Snow Falling on Cedars (15) Native Son (15) The Kite Runner (20) Post-ethnic America (20)

AUTHORChristopher Paul CurtisRobert CormierToni MorrisonHoward GriffithRosie MolinaryErnest GainesEsmeralda SantiagoZora Neale HurstonGary SotoJames McBrideMark Haddon Alice WalkerBarbara EhrenreichAmy TanChaim PotakMargaret WalkerDavid GutersonRichard WrightKhaled HosseiniDavid Hollinger

Where do I find these books?LIBRARIES

Spring/Harris County http://www.hcpl.net

Barbara Bush Library 6817 Cypresswood Drive

Northwest Library 11355 Regency Green Drive

Woodlands/Montgomery County http://www.countylibrary.org

South Regional Library 2101 Lake Robbins Drive

Woods Mitchell Library 8125 Ashlane Way

BOOK STORES Half Price Books:

1960 at Stuebner Airline Once and Again Books

www.onceagainbooks.com Sawdust Road across from

HEB Jill’s Used Books

27718 I-45 N Once Read Twice Sold

250 Cypresswood, Suite E Barnes and Noble

(Woodlands or 1960) Borders (Woodlands)

Discussions

Talking about it!

Seminar Discussions

Every Monday you and your group will get together to discuss what you have read.

Discussion Dates: 11/29 12/6 12/13 1/4 * for those reading four or more

books

1st Task

Once you have chosen a seminar, you and your group members need to create a schedule.

Include: List of titles to be read Discussion dates for each title▪ Where the group should be in each book by

the date of discussion (finished? Halfway?)

Tickets Please You will need to prepare five note cards for

each discussion- these will serve as your “admission ticket” to your seminar.

If you do not have your note cards fully prepared, you will not be admitted to the seminar (grr ...). That means you will not receive your points for

the note cards or the discussion! In other words, these are VERY important. The good news is that they are not difficult to prepare.

Notecards Three of the note cards:

On the front: page number and the first sentence of a significant passage

On the other side of the card, you need to write down either:▪ A) a personal connection, ▪ B) and ethical or social concern, or ▪ C) something you found upsetting, disturbing, confusing.

Write enough that the ideas are clear to you during the discussions.

Note card number four will contain stylistic techniques from your book(s) that you find interesting or bewildering.

The final note card will be blank, as it will be used during the seminar.

Seminar Discussion You will have the entire period to discuss what you

have read. During this time you should:

Share your note cards. Go around the group, one at a time, and ask everyone to read one of their note cards. The group will then discuss what the person has shared.

Continue taking turns until either the class period is over, or you have all run out of note cards (four rounds!)

Your ‘blank’ note card should be used to either: make note of something you found particularly insightful write down an idea or question for further research

Once the group has finished their discussion, check to make sure all group members are at approximately the same point in their reading, and that the original choice of the ‘next book’ is still valid.

GradingPart I- checkpoints and quizzes

Progress Checks Book Check

do you have your book, are you reading it? (you should have your book EVERY DAY, by the by)

Quick-Quizzes AP Multiple Choice questions over rhetorical devices

Ticket Out of Class Short-answer (OER style) connecting your reading to

things we have learned in class (ex: Modes of Discourse, Rhetorical Devices, etc.)

Vocabulary Quizzes Chosen from Word of the Day, Rhetorical Devices, and

context vocabulary from your reading Note Cards

From seminar discussion- will be checked before each discussion, and are included in your knowledge folder

GradingPart II- Papers

iSearch Paper Choose a topic, issue, or event from your reading that you would

like to know more about. This could be anything : ex: What was so special about Shelby cars? How

do people from Singapore adapt their culture when they come to America? The report will have five sections.

1. Present the Question. Write about the origin of your topic choice and why you want to know more about it.

2. Describe the Search Process. Write about how you conducted your research.

1. Where did you look first? Why? What surprises, if any, did you encounter in your research? Did these change the way you approached your questions?

3. Telling What You've Learned. This is the "report" section. Tell what you have learned that helped answer the initial question(s).

4. Saying What It Means to You. 1. Explain how this information helped you better understand the book.2. Explain how this information helped you better understand the theme of your

seminar.5. Citing Reference Works. Use proper MLA Works Cited format. (4 sources,

plus your original book)

iSearch Paper-Due Dates

Rough Draft for peer editing: December 8

Final Draft, with cover sheet and rough draft included, due by December 13th.

Both drafts must be printed out at due date.

Reflections Paper

This will be a one-period cold write asking you to reflect on your experience in the seminar.

Conducted after Winter Break.

Reminder Completion of 40 points of books is necessary to

receive full credit on ALL major grade assignments. iSearch paper Reflections paper Knowledge Folder

The number of points you fall short x 10 is the number of points that will be removed from EACH major grade at the end of the seminar should you not complete the appropriate readings.

I will consider extra credit for going over 40 points if you can demonstrate that the extra book added depth to your understanding

Knowledge Folder

Purpose

This major-grade assignment is intended to help you track and understand significant features and themes of the novels being studied.

It is an individual project, but feel free to ‘compare notes’ with other students.

Contents

Front of Folder: collage that is representative of the books

Inside folder: two-page spread for each book analyzing elements of the novel including plot, characters, literary devices, theme, and more!

Back of Folder: Reflection on the meaning of the seminar

Front of Folder Collage-style

representation of books you and your group have read.

Must Include: Titles and Authors Pictures that are

representative of the story

Suggested inclusion: Favorite line or quote

from each book

Inside

Each folder will have a two-page spread dedicated to each book you read.

You have been given two legal-sized folders. This allows for three books. If your seminar includes more than three books, I can provide you with an extra. I will not provide replacement folders-

you’ll have to get those on your own if something happens to the folders I gave you.

Inside Contents- pg. 1 Title and its significance Statement of Theme: including

a quote the context of the quote how the quote is related to the theme.

Connection to the Seminar’s Theme Seminar Discussion Notes Plot Synopsis: includes

major events Climax resolution.

3 ‘Level’ questions about the book:1. Level 1: recall/general knowledge2. Level 2: interpretation of something in the book3. Level 3: larger theme, connects to topics outside of the book

Inside Contents- pg. 2

Point of View and its significance Setting:

Time Place Significance Social setting

Inside Contents- pg. 2

Major Characters (up to 5): including changes they go through: how do they

develop? their motivation why do they do the things they

do? their function in the story what purpose does

the character serve? the narrator’s opinion does the narrator paint

the character in an overly negative or positive light? and your reaction to the character how do

you feel about the character? Do you dread it when he/she shows up?

Inside Contents- pg. 2

Literary Devices: Choose three rhetorical or literary

devices from each of the three columns on your CE assignment sheet. (Emphasis, Organization, Decoration)

For each device (total of 9):▪ Name of Device▪ Definition of Device▪ Quote where it appears in the book▪ Significance: How does it help the story or the

writing?

Inside Contents- pg. 2 Author information:

Background: date of birth/death; nationality; living conditions; education; major world events or conditions going on at the time of writing, etc.

Letter to the Author: Mention one thing you liked One thing you did not like One question you have for the author What has reading this book meant to you?

Back Cover

Answer the following questions about your experience during the seminar using quotes from various readings What does the theme of the seminar

and/or a book you have read mean in terms of:1. Your family 2. Your friends3. Your community (local or national)4. Your understanding of the human condition

TimeSo when am I going to get all of this accomplished?

Expected Schedule *dates subject to change

Nov. 19: Reading Day Thanksgiving Break Week of Nov. 29 (3-2):

Mon: Seminar Discussion Day 1 Tues: Reading Day, Quiz (CE Assignment Due) Wed/Thurs: intro iSearch paper, Reading Day, Quiz Fri: KF check, Quiz, reading day

Week of Dec. 6 (3-3): Mon: Seminar Discussion Day 2 Tues: Reading Day, Quiz (CE Assignment Due) Wed/Thurs: iSearch paper rough draft due, peer editing, Quiz Fri: KF check, Quiz, reading day

Week of Dec. 13 (3-4): Mon: Seminar Discussion Day 3, iSearch paper due Tues: Reading Day, Quiz (CE Assignment Due) Wed/Thurs: KF check, Reading Day, Quiz Fri: reading day (early release)

Winter Break Week of Jan. 3 (3-5):

Mon: Holiday Tues: Seminar Discussion Day 4, if needed, KF work day otherwise Wed/Thurs: Reflection Paper- cold write Fri: KF work Day

Week of Jan. 10 (3-6)/Finals: Mon: KF Due

Please note: you will only have 3-4 major grades this six weeks. Normally, you have 7-10. This means each of them counts for more than you are accustomed to, and a 70 hurts more.