English 10 Honors--11/17/2014

Jump Off
--Pick up a copy of each of the following documents from the front table:

• “Article of the Week #7 (11/17-11/21)--2014-2015 School Year”
• "The Alchemist Novel Unit--Genre Notes"

S. the C.
--agenda/HW
--You should leave class with:

• a general sense of the background surrounding this week’s Article of the Week
• a solid understanding of magical realism as a literary genre/mode  (What is magical realism?  What are magical realist authors "up to"?  Etc.)
• a deeper understanding of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist based on:
• our work with magical realism
• our work with background information about Coelho
• the continuation of our discussion from last class

--Reminder: Keep the "Intertextuality Unit--The Alchemist and The Old Man and the Sea Culminating Essay Assignment" document in mind, as this is where we are headed as we continue working through our first major literature unit of the school year.
--FYI: According to Wikipedia, space tourism is "space travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes."  Basically, with the advent of space tourism, an everyday, ordinary individual (with, of course, enough money to do so) will be able to pay to take a ride in a spaceship. 
--view the following YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny-5NuI7LH4

Transition
--numbers (1-3) assigned--each number corresponds with a portion of text from the "The Alchemist Novel Unit--Genre Notes" page

Mini-Lesson/Discussion Preparation #1 -- Magical Realism
*SMARTPHONES ARE ALLOWED DURING THIS BLOCK OF TIME!*
--read assigned "chunk" of text for the gist
--read assigned chunk a second time and annotate--let's set our purpose here!
--in small groups based on like chunk, discuss annotations, looked-up items, etc., considering how Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist “fits the bill”, so to speak
--Closure

• Reconsider your preliminary theme statement from the assessment a few classes back and those shared by Mr. Martin earlier in the class block.  As magical realism, Paulo Coelho’s novella contains elements of fantasy, and yet these elements help provide an insight into the true human condition, the way that real human beings think and act.  How so?  Write your response somewhere on your magical realism notes page and be ready to share during today’s circle discussion.

Transition
--Take out your notebook and date the page (11/17/2014).  Label this section of your notes as follows: "Paulo Coelho--Author Background".

Notetaking/Discussion Preparation #2 -- Paulo Coelho--Author Background
--as I read information aloud about author Paulo Coelho, jot down notes
--Closure

• Based on significant information about Coelho, why might The Alchemist be the way that it is (genre, basic storyline, themes, etc.)?  Write your response in your notebook and be ready to share during today’s circle discussion.

Transition
--Form a circle out of the desks. Have your "The Alchemist Novel Unit--Genre Notes" page, notebook, "Transition #1/Discussion Preparation" items from last class (The “Have You…” list), active/purposeful reading notes, and any additional discussion ideas handy.

Circle Discussion – Magical Realism, Paulo Coelho Author Background, and The Alchemist up to the Page Break on Page 127
--engage in discussion via protocol

Items for discussion:

• What is magical realism?  What are magical realist authors "up to"?
• How does Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist “fit the magical realism bill”, so to speak?
• Magical Realism Mini-Lesson closure pieces
• Connections between Paulo Coelho’s life and the novella
• The "Have You..." list
• Application of new terms/concepts (e.g., dilemma, fable, foil) to the novella
• Active/purposeful reading notes

Transition -- re-column the desks

Closure -- "Today, I learned..."
--On a scrap of paper (or an index card from the front table if you prefer), finish the sentence-starter above in no fewer than three sentences. Practice writing in a detailed and explanatory fashion.
--You must properly use at least one of the 75 vocabulary words with which we have dealt somewhere within what you write, and try not to force it!

HW
--Actively/purposefully finish reading The Alchemist by the beginning of next class. (See me if you need more Post-it Notes.)  I reserve the right to conduct a reading assessment at any time--prepare accordingly!
--Remember that you are expected to both understand and apply your understandings of the following terms/concepts to your reading of the novella (in addition to the typical terms/concepts such as setting, symbolism, theme, etc.): aphorism, dilemma, fable, foil, genre, interior monologue, leitmotif, magical realism, monomyth (hero's journey), motif, myth, and quest.
--The due date for submitting a revised Thematic Writing Assignment--Partner Interviews essay for the Cumulative Writing Portfolio has been extended to Friday, November 21st (four days from today)--YOU MUST schedule a meeting with me to go over your revisions; simply handing in the revisions is unacceptable as per the protocol.  Time for meetings will exist in class on Friday, which is a half-day, on a first-come, first-served basis.
--Begin your work with Article of the Week #7, which is due at the beginning of class on Friday (11/21). This task will include purposefully reading the directions in the box at the top of the page and completing your best work with regard to the directions. You might consider visiting the following web address in order to have access to the hyperlinks included within the article:
http://time.com/3554609/branson-twitter-virgin-galactic/
--Don't forget about your free reading book.  ALWAYS BRING YOUR FREE READING BOOK TO CLASS.