After reviewing the meaning of "foreshadowing ", Bobby located examples of foreshadowing in the first chapters including George's portentous comment that Lennie should return to the brush to hide in the event of trouble. I then commented on the genre of realism as depicting real people in real places with relatable problems. Bobby located in the text and placed in his notebook descriptive phrases from the text realistically describing Slim, Curley, and Curley's wife. With respect to Curley's wife, we noted Steinbeck's negative view of women in contrast to his admiration for the male friendship between George and Lennie. Last, we discussed the significance of Candy's old dog. Bobby did a good job recognizing the similarities between Candy and his dog, old lame and considered to be of little use to society. I discussed Steinbeck's novels as depicting how society treats outsiders, and the weak. For homework, read to end of Ch 3 and complete study guide work.

During our first segment, Marcel discussed and took notes on the novel's overarching theme that money and arbitrary social class distinctions do not create moral character . I discussed how in the bildungsroman , the main character becomes aware of his true identify ,and pointed out parallels between incidents in the novel wherein a lack of authenticity is parodied as a literary foil to PIp's similar pose as "an upper class gentleman" . We then analyzed the difference between Pip's relationship with Estella and the more healthy relationships between Herbert and Clara and Wemmick and Ms. Skiffiins, noting how Herbert is willing to marry Clara despite her lower class upbringing. As both Wemmick and Clara care for elderly parents, we then focused on the contrasting relationship between Estella and her adopted mother ,Miss Havisham. We took parts and read aloud the vicious argument between the two wherein Miss Havisham at last realizes she has created in Estella a monster who is not even capable of loving or having any feelings for her own mother. During our next segment, we reviewed Marcel's research on the Victorian criminal justice system which he will integrate into one of his final essays on the novel. I distributed material on proper MLA citations and discussed how to properly cite his research in the essay and in the Works Cited page. Last, we completed reviewing the SAT practice test Marcel worked on last week. I provided instruction on grammatical issues where needed such as using consistent tenses within a sentence and maintaining parallel structure. For homework, read chapters 42 and 43, complete study guide work, and prepare MLA citations for research.

For our "board work" today, in her notebook Lena completed sentences discussing parallels between the "secret" lives of bees and Lily's secret life as a runaway who accidentally killed her mother. We then continued reading chapter 8. We focused on why Lily's seeing the happy family pictures on the office wall of Mr. Clayton prompts her to call her estranged father , T .Ray, hoping that somehow his character has radically changed. Inevitably , she is disappointed and hurt by T.Ray's violent reaction to her overture.

After reviewing the two major themes of the novel- the American Dream and loneliness- we examined the provenance of the novel's title. To do so, Bobby re -read and discussed the opening scene wherein Lennie has accidentally killed a "pet "mouse by crushing it. We discussed Lennie's strength and innocence as well as the irony of his name -Lennie Small. We then studied Robert Burn's poem "To A Mouse", with an emphasis on the critical line,"The Best laid schemes of Mice and Men oft go awry". We discussed the meaning of this line and the poem and after defining "foreshadowing " analyzed what the poem might foreshadow with respect to George and Lennie's future and dreams. In the context of the poem, I further discussed the novel's fatalistic naturalist genre. For homework, read pages 33-47 and complete assigned study guide questions.

After reviewing chapter 7, Lena completed a chapter review exercise. I then outlined on the board the bee metaphor from the prologue of chapter 8 wherein the author notes bees need companionship or they die. Lena did a good job recognizing the metaphor and offered: as bees need companionship people need- "family" . She then, on her own, looked up the word"companionship " and placed the definition in her notebook along with her notes on the prologue's metaphor. We then began reading chapter 8. At the segment where Lily , the main character, discusses the things she loves in her life, we stopped reading ,and I had Lena underline in the text the things Lily loves .Lena then made a list in her notebook first of things Lily loves ,and then of things /places/ people she loves.

After reviewing the concept of "The American Dream" ,we examined the text to identify the novel's metaphor for the dream -George and Lennie's ' Edenic quest for a farm where they can "live off the fat of the land." We discussed the novel's theme questioning whether the "American Dream" was achievable by anyone given the novel's Depression context. I further elaborated on the novel's biblical allusion to the Garden of Eden in the characters' description of their vision of the "American Dream". Last, we placed in the notebook the novel's secondary theme of "male bonding" and loneliness .For homework read to page 32 and answer study guide questions.

Having reached the big reveal in the novel - the identity of Pip's secret benefactor - Marcel raised numerous questions regarding the benefactor's motivations as well as Pip's reasons for deciding not to accept any more money from his revealed benefactor , a convicted criminal . We examined how Pip's life has been a self delusional fantasy wherein he believed Miss Havisham was his benefactor and the beautiful Estella, Pip's ultimate legacy. Marcel further discussed how Pip sacrificed the one person who truly cared for him, Joe, heedlessly , for the sake of a woman who only used him . I further addressed Marcel's questions about where the convict had been for years by explaining that convicts were transported to Australia ,forbidden to return to England under penalty of death. I made some modifications and offered suggestions to Marcel's study guide answers on the reading, and we then discussed the development of the novel's theme. Marcel took notes on this topic specifically noting how a privileged social class and money do not create or foster moral character. Marcel perceptively noted that the convict is at heart a more generous caring person than Pip . In contrast to Pip, the convict is not concerned with social standing or the status symbol of money. He has risked his life to return to London to see Pip as a "gentleman." At the end of the session , we continued to review and discuss Marcel's SAT prep work on the practice Writing Exam noting how to address any errors . For homework due Thurs: research two aspects of Victorian Penal System (Transport Law,Newgate Prison ,Capital punishment) for research essay and read the next two chapters. Bring any completed research to class on Wednesday .

The session commenced with a writing exercise wherein Lena composed a letter from the main character,Lily, to her father . I placed a form letter on the board with numbered blank spaces.Next to the letter I wrote a series of questions corresponding to the numbered blank spaces. By answering the questions,Lena worked on drafting the letter. Lena was very cooperative in indicating where she encountered difficulty and ,for those items, I provided a series of multiple choice answers from which she could choose to insert into the letter. After Lena had completed the exercise ,she read her letter aloud. We then completed reading chapter 7. I placed highlights of the chapter on the board, such as where the author mentions a character reading the novel,Jane Eyre,I noted how ,like Lily ,Jayne Eyre's mother died when Jane was a little girl.

Bobby was absent today.

During the majority of the session, Marcel completed a quiz on chapters 27-29. We then reviewed his SAT prep homework. He did very well with the practice exam which I am using for grammar instruction. . I reviewed when and where to use commas to set off an appositive phrase, and suggested some process of elimination strategies to employ when taking the SAT . For homework due Monday, read chapters 39-41, answer study guide material, complete SAT practice exam.