Summary Exercise; Joy Luck Club & Namesake Discussion/Examination
Period 1: Lab
Summary exercise: choose chapter one or chapter two of The Namesake or The Joy Luck Club. Summarize the chapter you chose. To do this:
Complete your summary of the chapter and print out your work by the end of period 1. Make about 5 copies of your work for your group.
If you finish before period 1, please continue working on your portfolio drafts. Writing assignments are due in your portfolio by the end of the marking period:
1. Continue working on your "How it Feels to Be Me..." essay draft.
2. Write a cultural poem draft or several cultural poem drafts.
3. Use any writing prompt exercises from our classes and work on creating drafts (short stories, plays, essays, etc.)
Period 2: Classroom
Please get into your reading groups (join either The Joy Luck Club club, or The Namesake group).
Together split your group into two smaller groups: chapter 1's and chapter 2's. Chapter 1's should read and comment on other chapter 1 summaries. Chapter 2's should read and comment on other chapter 2 summaries. After 20 minutes or so, please come back together to share your summaries with the entire reading group.
After sharing and getting comments on your summaries, discuss the use of culture (language, traditions, names, foods, history, music, art, leisure activities, fashion, philosophy or belief, etc.) in the book. How does the author present the character's culture in the writing? What is included? How is culture shared by the characters to each other and again by the author to the reader? What conflicts arise in the plot due to culture? Discuss.
HOMEWORK: Read chapters (for MONDAY, Sept. 25):
Summary exercise: choose chapter one or chapter two of The Namesake or The Joy Luck Club. Summarize the chapter you chose. To do this:
- Read critically: examine the content of the chapter, note the title of the book, identify the main point(s) of the chapter, identify the subordinate points or details that help you understand the main points, identify the different sections and POV of these sections for the chapter--note when shifts in narrative occur, examine transitions, notice white space, etc.
- You may need to reread parts of the chapter you chose to summarize.
- In a single sentence, identify the premise of the chapter (what is this chapter about?)
- follow this premise with a summary of the major events/characters/settings in the chapter. Write your summary as one-sentence per paragraph, for example--or one-sentence per scene.
- You may find outlining, mind-mapping, or using bullet points to create a list to be to your benefit.
Complete your summary of the chapter and print out your work by the end of period 1. Make about 5 copies of your work for your group.
If you finish before period 1, please continue working on your portfolio drafts. Writing assignments are due in your portfolio by the end of the marking period:
1. Continue working on your "How it Feels to Be Me..." essay draft.
2. Write a cultural poem draft or several cultural poem drafts.
3. Use any writing prompt exercises from our classes and work on creating drafts (short stories, plays, essays, etc.)
Period 2: Classroom
Please get into your reading groups (join either The Joy Luck Club club, or The Namesake group).
Together split your group into two smaller groups: chapter 1's and chapter 2's. Chapter 1's should read and comment on other chapter 1 summaries. Chapter 2's should read and comment on other chapter 2 summaries. After 20 minutes or so, please come back together to share your summaries with the entire reading group.
After sharing and getting comments on your summaries, discuss the use of culture (language, traditions, names, foods, history, music, art, leisure activities, fashion, philosophy or belief, etc.) in the book. How does the author present the character's culture in the writing? What is included? How is culture shared by the characters to each other and again by the author to the reader? What conflicts arise in the plot due to culture? Discuss.
HOMEWORK: Read chapters (for MONDAY, Sept. 25):
- Joy Luck Club chapters 7-12 (pg. 116-214)
- The Namesake chapters 7-9 (pg. 159-245)
Add to your summary for chapters 3-12 for JLC or 3-9 for Namesake. Note further cultural details used by the author as characterization, diction, conflict, theme, setting, dialogue, or plot. Look for a specific passage that defines, describes, or details a cultural aspect used as any of these literary devices. Take note of the page # or section that fulfills this category. Bring your notes/summaries and passage with you to Monday's class.
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