Novel+Study

**What are Literature Circles?**
Basic roles Connector– Connects reading to your own life, feelings, experiences, current events, other books or authors Discussion Director- Where is this text going? Why do these characters act as they do? How did the author evoke this feeling? Is this a plausible outcome? May seek clarification or understanding or challenge/critique. Literary luminary/passage master- Picks the memorable, special, important sections of the text to savor, reread, analyze, or share aloud. Illustrator/Composer- Reminds the group that visualization is important and provides a nonlinguistic, graphic response to the text. (Daniels p. 103)

When we return from Spring Break, we will be starting **literature circles** based on two fantastic texts, **//To Kill a Mockingbird// and //Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl//.**


 * Make sure to have read the first chapter of your book by March 30th.
 * Students assigned to the **literature circles reading //To Kill a Mockingbird// will report to the LLH on Monday, March 30** for class with Ms. Muench and Dr. Brown.
 * Students assigned to the **literature circles reading //Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl// will report to class with Mr. Gilli and Mr. Small on Monday, March 30.**

Please take a look at the reviews on each novel in order to help choose which you would prefer to read. You will at times work in groups to discuss your novel but the majority of your work will done independently so reading the same book as a friend will not mean you get to work together.

Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank - Book Review By Alexa B., Cranberry Township, PA

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is a very inspirational and moving journal that should be read by everyone, especially students. Not only will many relate to it, but it is valuable for both the mind and the heart. Touching and poignant, the story reveals the history of World War II, unforgettable people, and lessons that will stay in your heart forever.

While reading Anne Frank, I learned lots about what really happened during World War II. It was an unimaginable horror: millions of innocent people dying at the hands of biased obsession. Reading this really took me back to 1944 and put me right there in the Secret Annex with its residents, holding my breath as Nazi troops passed by on the streets below.

The wisdom I gained will remain with me forever. Now I see the Holocaust as something more than a tragedy we learn about in school: it seems more real, more horrific, and somehow bigger and worse than I had imagined.

Each character clearly has its own personality, ranging from extremely argumentative to unbelievably gregarious, and each adds a different flavor to the journey. I truly felt connected to these eight hiding away, as if I had known them forever. Sometimes, it was as if Anne and I were best friends, sitting there and talking. Other times I could feel Mrs. Van Daan’s stinging comments.

Knowing these people were real, that they lived and died at the hands of the Nazis, brought an interesting perspective to the story. These weren’t made-up characters, they once walked this earth. In the end, I felt attached to them and their stories, and I know other students will, too.

No one can read The Diary of Anne Frank and not take away a very valuable lesson. Focusing on the problems of growing up, dealing with tough times, and the never-ending power of hope, these concepts really strengthened my morals and virtues. Throughout the book, young people will be able to relate to Anne’s quarrels with her sister and parents, and everyone understands how hard it is to face your biggest fears. Anne will teach us all something to save forever: I know she taught me.

After reading this treasured book, I felt humbled, more knowledgeable and genuinely touched. Anne Frank’s diary will help everyone through the toughest and most confusing times with her famous words, “Despite everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” http://www.teenink.com/Poetry/article.php?link=Past/2005/December/19630.xml To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Book Review

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee tells of Scout and Jem's childhood in Alabama and how a series of events shook their innocence, shaped their character and taught them about human nature. Lee examines racism and other prejudices through a page turning story told in a wonderful, Southern voice. This is a must read American classic.To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is rightly considered an American classic. Lee writes wonderfully, in the voice of a Southern child. The story is easy to read and the action is entertaining. While all these characteristics would qualify To Kill a Mockingbird as a good read, they do not necessarily indicate a classic. What moves To Kill a Mockingbird to classic status is its morality and ability to draw sympathy out of readers as much today as when it was written in 1960. To Kill a Mockingbird deals with heavy issues--racism, oppression, injustice. Amazingly, it is able to handle these deep and sensitive areas without feeling depressing or preachy. Lee accomplishes this by making the narrator a child and allowing us to learn along with her. Lee's writing makes it is easy to enter the world of depression era Alabama. Despite all the flaws of the town, it is also easy to love many things about the place and many of the characters. If you have not yet read To Kill a Mockingbird, you will not regret picking it up. If you read it awhile ago, it may be time to visit this world again. Source: http://bestsellers.about.com/od/fictionreviews/gr/mockingbird_r.htm

The Giver by Lois Lowry- Book Review

Reviewed By: Matt Berman Lois Lowry earned the Newbery Medal for this book, so unlike any other for children--or for adults. There have been utopian novels before--though few for children--but none that give the utopia such a fair shake. It is this fairness that makes THE GIVER so riveting and thought-provoking, and so perfect for triggering discussions. Jonas's world is very appealing. The people are genuinely content, and there is no evil overlord forcing them into submission, no totalitarianism. Instead, logical decisions were made far in the past, decisions that involved giving up some good things in order to get rid of the terrible things. Now the community runs by common agreement to its rules; some freedom is sacrificed for security; joy, for avoidance of misery. We face the same choices every day in our own society. The choices, which provide the catalyst for discussion, all involve one central decision: to forgo the highs of life in order to get rid of the lows--to find the middle way. There is a lot to be said for this, though Jonas, speaking presumably for the author, ultimately rejects it. Some children will agree with Jonas, but others will find themselves attracted to a life that is uniformly pleasant, if never exhilarating. The author is true to her determination not to stack the deck for readers; the ending is deliberately ambiguous, with allegorical overtones, leaving readers to decide what they want to believe. From The Book From the distance, Jonas could hear the thud of cannons. Overwhelmed by pain, he lay there in the fearsome stench for hours, listened to the men and animals die, and learned what warfare meant. Finally, when he knew that he could bear it no longer and would welcome death himself, he opened his eyes and was once again on the bed. The Giver looked away, as if he could not bear to see what he had done to Jonas. "Forgive me," he said. http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/Giver.html

Listen to Martin Luther King give his speech 'I have a dream' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk

[|Oliver Messiaen] [|Quartet for the End of Time] Messiaen wrote his //Quartet for the End of Time// (//Quatour pour la Fin du Temps//) while in a prisoner of war camp, Stalag 8A, Gorlitz, Poland. He had been captured by the Nazis and interned in 1940. The work was actually played in the camp on January 15th 1941 for his fellow prisoners. Messiaen described his music as "//not 'nice' - it is certain. I am convinced that joy exists, convinced that the invisible exists more than the visible, joy is beyond sorrow, beauty is beyond horror//".

From the 3rd movement - Abyss of the Birds - to the 7th movement - A mingling of rainbows for the Angel who announces the end of time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSdXitBkFb0&eurl=http://rightsforall.wikispaces.com/

Introductory activities http://www.hrea.org/erc/Library/First_Steps/part4_eng.html


 * Anne Frank **
 * Go to the wiki page Anne Frank: http://human-rights.wikispaces.com/Anne+Frank
 * Watch the two videos on the wiki- look at the links that are there
 * Do guiding questions on wiki- choose four from the section: Who was Anne Frank? And four from Anne Frank in the World.
 * Then do connections
 * Post all answers on your blog and be sure to answer in paragraph form.


 * To Kill A Mockingbird **
 * Go to the wiki page To Kill A Mockingbird: http://human-rights.wikispaces.com/To+Kill+A+Mockingbird
 * Read the section- An abuse of rights- answer the questions for Jim Crow law, Interracial marriages, The Little Rock Nine and Emmett Till
 * Do the Guiding Questions
 * Do Connections
 * Post all answers on your blog and be sure to answer in paragraph form.


 * The Giver **
 * Go to the wiki page The Giver: http://human-rights.wikispaces.com/The+Giver
 * Read the section- Background Reading and answer the questions on utopian societies
 * What is a utopian community?
 * Films: What are the similarities? Think about the world we live in. What do our communities want? What would be your utopia?
 * Do the Guiding Questions
 * Do Connections
 * Post all answers on your blog and be sure to answer in paragraph form.