Jaydn discussed the theme of alienation that was introduced in the first two chapters of A Thousand Splendid Suns. She reviewed what was read and discussed her interpretation of the characters, setting, and mood. Before reading, I told her I wanted her to make three predictions that might happen based on details from the chapter being read. She then continued reading and we discussed the predictions. We concluded by reviewing SAT vocabulary.
Cabo began the session with writing today. He wrote to describe the emotions the character of Miriam experienced as she endured the transition into her new life experience. After writing, I had Cabo go back and add to each point, how he felt about her experiences. This is to teach Cabo that extending the thought process in writing to include personal interpretation comprises higher level writing. He then read the next chapter and discussed the theme of verbal abuse that carried throughout. We reviewed SAT vocabulary and he identified the words as they were used in context in a reading passage.
Bella began the session by writing an outline for a 5-paragraph essay. We discussed the elements for a high-level essay. We began with just writing the first paragraph making sure she understood an attention-grabbing opening followed by a clearly stated thesis statement. She then understood she must have three completely different supports for her thesis so she does not repeat herself when writing the essay. She ended the first paragraph with a quote that would clearly transition into her second paragraph. She then reviewed SAT vocabulary being studied by playing a digital game. She then reviewed the first two chapters of the novel being read and then read the third chapter of A Thousand Splendid Suns. We discussed the comparisons of the two major characters at this point in the novel.
During the first segment, we studied vocabulary words from the book by first defining the words and then by reading from the text the word in context . We next studied the book's structure and discussed the author's decision to include within the narrative two full chapters about his life as a type of behavioral control group. As a work of non-fiction presents a definite point of view, we analyzed whether the author's interpretation of Chris' story advanced or detracted from the narrative ,and examined likely reasons for the author's structural decisions. I further reviewed the lives of other tragic adventurers referenced in the book, and we compared these stories to Chris' ,especially the tendency of these young men to take their own lives. HW due Thursday-quiz/ paragraph comparing other young male adventure seekers to Chris, read next chapter.
Jaydn was introduced to a new novel today: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, a historical fiction novel. After reading the first chapter, we discussed the setting of Afghanistan in the 21st century, the culture of the people, and the woman's role in the Afghan society. We discussed the themes of the novel: Control, Friendship, and Survival under Dire Circumstances. Jaydn discussed where she saw those themes in the first chapter and what they might come to mean. We reviewed her SAT vocabulary before closing the session.
Cabo read, analyzed, and discussed chapter 11 A Thousand Splendid Suns. He discussed the theme of control as it relates to the protagonist and her requirement to wear a burqa. He also discussed the use of the burqa as a symbol throughout the novel so far. He wrote a paragraph describing the character of Miriam and the details that contributed to those traits. Cabo reviewed SAT vocabulary that he was having difficulty remembering and applying.
Bella wrote an essay today centered around the use of vivid adjectives to create specific images in the mind of the writer. Bella wrote a three paragraph essay introducing her brother Sam. She first described his personality and then went on to describe him physically. She ended the essay combining the ideas and summarizing his overall traits. She enjoyed the writing assignment.
I distributed an article from last week's New York Times discussing the death of a young man,a bicyclist, who attempted to ride alone from the Arctic to South America camping in the outdoors during the entire trip. As the reading for today addressed other young men(beside Chris McCandles) who have challenged themselves to confront the most dangerous aspects of survival ,the article was remarkably timely. After discussing how Chris' father's bigamous lifestyle stoked Chris ideological rejection of his parents, we analyzed the impact of gender roles in young men's decisions to risk their lives in extreme survival adventures. I noted how the author cites at least 4 examples of people who undertook similar challenges to Chris' and all were young men, as was the subject of the New York Times article. Matthew discussed the male gender role of toughness and individualism as exemplified by the persons discussed in the book. We examined why so few women seem to be involved in these undertakings. Last ,we reviewed Matthew's persuasive essay he completed last week. We focused on the need to clearly articulate a position in the opening paragraph, and I offered suggestions in this regard. HW-Rewrite essay due next Monday, read next chapter and New York Times article , write a paragraph comparing the subject of the article to Chris McCandles.
Jaydn took a written assessment on the memoire A Glass Castle. She wrote an essay on the following topic: Jeannette describes the squalor she and her family lived in: hunger, poverty, garbage, lack of basic necessities. Conversely, she describes the rich intellectual world her parents imparted: discussions of geology, math, literature, art. Discuss what you believe is more important to a child’s development: comfortable living conditions or an enriching intellectual environment?
Jaydn used examples from the novel to support her points made in the essay.
Cabo read a passage on World War I which contained the SAT vocabulary being studied. He then answered questions about the words as they were used in the context of the passage. He then read chapter 10 of A Thousand Splendid Suns and orally discussed the theme of alienation as it relates to the setting and the protagonist.
