--Pick up the following documents from the front table:
- "Dragonsong Unit Final Essay--Grading Sheet"
- "Dragonsong Unit--Final Essay Outlining Notes and Template"
*MR. MARTIN RETURNS TICKET-OUT-THE-DOOR HALFSHEETS FROM LAST CLASS*
S. the C. (10-15 mins.)
--a few Ticket-Out-the-Door exemplars shared from last class ("sealing the deal" on "Trifles"):
Often, individuals who are stereotypical are ignorant and fail to see reality. Susan Glaspell, based on her ideas in "Trifles," agrees with this statement. She makes this clear when she portrays the men as ignorant men who lack intelligence and do not listen to the women, for the men assume that what the women say is not important and wrong. An example of this is when Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters tell the men that they found the dead canary, and in a sarcastic tone, the County Attorney replies with "[w]ell, that's interesting, I'm sure." The men believe that women aren't important. This belief stems from the time period, which is the late-1800s/early-1900s. During this time period, women were often viewed as little more than stay-at-home wives, which is how the men treat the women in this play. Throughout the play, Glaspell makes it clear that ignorant stereotypes need to be broken down through both irony and setting.
People who believe in stereotypes are usually ignorant and are led to wrong assumptions. Susan Glaspell uses verbal irony to help her readers realize something about stereotypes. An example of verbal irony is when the men are sarcastic toward the women talking about "trifles." This is ironic because while the men mock the women thinking they are just talking and uncovering useless items, the women are actually solving the crime. Glaspell's use of verbal irony shows that the men were so blinded by stereotypical ideas that they were not able to solve the crime even though the women were.
Susan Glaspell wants her readers to realize that ignorantly stereotyping can have dangerous consequences. One symbol in "Trifles" is the the canary, which represents Mrs. Wright. Mr. Wright kills the bird by strangling it, just like Mrs. Wright did to Mr. Wright. The bird was also in a cage which has been broken open, which is similar to how Mrs. Wright was caged by the stereotypical thinking of her husband, who basically believed she should work quietly in the home while he is outside working the land. If the men looking for clues realized that the bird was like Mrs. Wright, as the women did, they might have been able to piece together Mrs. Wright's motive. Instead, like Mr. Wright, the men ignorantly stereotype the women, too. Glaspell's symbolism helps readers realize that instead of being close-minded and stereotypical, people should be open-minded in order to reach their full potential. If Mr. Wright wasn't stereotypical, Mrs. Wright would happily sing and not kill him, and if the men weren't stereotypical, Mrs. Wright would be convicted of the crime of killing Mr. Wright.
--agenda/rationale/HW
Mini-Lesson -- Dragonsong Unit Final Essay (40-45 mins.)
--link our Dragonsong Unit Final Essay work to the multitude of well-developed paragraphs that we have written this school year (answering questions, structure, etc.--"building out" from there):
- Chapter 1 paragraph exemplar shared again--keep in mind your Chapter 4 writing piece that was recently returned for the sake of comparison
- Potential essay idea "fleshed out" based on paragraph exemplar
- Oral gist reading of the notes
- Mr. Martin models use of the template with the potential essay idea from earlier in class
--begin brainstorming, outlining, detail-hunting, etc.
--Closure
- On a scrap of paper, write down your rough thesis statement.
- Place your completed paper scrap in the black basket on the front table and pick up the "Dragonsong Unit--'The Lottery' Viewing and Discussion Questions" sheet from the front table, which we will purposefully read together momentarily.
--after reading through the questions, view "The Lottery" via the links below and respond to the questions--remember, too, that one of your purposes when viewing, reading, etc. additional unit materials is taking notes and detail-hunting through the lens of your essay idea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIm93Xuij7k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMhV3fwx5Sg
Closure -- Pair Work/Discussion (remainder of block)
HW
FYI:
--We are scheduled for full blocks in the Computer Lab on the following days: Thursday, 5/29/2014 and Monday, 6/2/2014. Plan accordingly!
--Your Dragonsong Unit Final Essay is due at the end of the day on Monday, 6/2/2014.
--Over the course of the next few weeks, we will continue dealing with additional unit material (e.g., Mulan, poetry, etc.) that can be used as the second work in your essay. One of your purposes when viewing, reading, etc. will be taking notes and detail-hunting through the lens of your essay idea.
--Finish any "Purposeful Film Viewing" items that we do not get to in class (if necessary).
--YOU MUST BRING YOUR DRAGONSONG BOOK TO CLASS EVERY DAY BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF THE DRAGONSONG UNIT. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE YOUR BOOK, EXPECT CONSEQUENCES FOR LACK OF PREPARATION.
--BRING YOUR VOCABULARY BOOK TO CLASS DAILY. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU MIGHT NEED IT!
--BRING YOUR VOCABULARY BOOK TO CLASS DAILY. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU MIGHT NEED IT!
