Essential Questions:
1. In what ways do our experiences inform our identity?
2. How can we understand the relationship between the individual and society?
3. To whom do we have a responsibility: our parents; society; or ourselves?
4. How do our relationships with others affect our identity?
What you should be able to do as a result of this unit:
- Demonstrate an exceptional ability to annotate by utilizing all types of margin notes
- Articulate an understanding of the text as a whole, using examples from the text to support your understanding
- Identify and support ideas about “symbolism” and “theme”
- Discuss and support ideas about a character’s change
Final Assignment
- Literary analysis essay
Tues 12/4
*Catcher essay due
Reading Independent Books
Turning in assignment and Writing Center conference form
Writing reflection
Wed 12/5
Reflecting on the Catcher Assignment
Thurs 12/6
“Blackberry-Picking” by Seamus Haney
- Simile
- Metaphor
- Personification
- Symbolism
- Diction
- Alliteration
- Assonance
- Consonance
- Onomatopoeia
- Rhyme
Multiple readings of the poems
- First read – “I see”
- Second read – “Lumping”
Questions for discussion
- How does Heaney describe the blackberries?
- What are the different stages?
- What movement is there in the poem?
- What might Heaney be saying?
Fri 12/7
Pre-writing our own fruit poems
Mon 12/10
Writing the fruit poem
- Working with diction, figurative language, sound devices and structure
Tues 12/11
Writing the poem reflection
Intro to The Secret Life of Bees
Reading to break on page 16
- Identify a quote that reveals insight for characters of Lily, T. Ray, and Deborah
- Identify a quote that reveals insight for the bees
Wed 12/12
Working with quotes and initial understanding
In-class reading of rest of chapter 1
HW: Chapter 2
Thurs 12/13
Drop
Fri 12/14
Looking at epigraphs
Chapter 2 annotations
Mon 12/17
Finish the handout from Friday
- Epigraphs
- Paragraph about what stood out to you from the reading
Reading independent books
- Tweet about your book on google classroom
Tues 12/18
Chapter 3 – The Secret Life of Bees
- Epigraph
- Annotations
- Writing about the first part
HW: Finish handout and reading Chapter 3
Wed 12/19
Chapter 4
- Reading in groups and answering the reading questions
HW: Finish answering questions for Chapter 4
Thurs 12/20
Reading Chapter 5
- Annotations
- Intro to August and your thoughts about her
Fri 12/21
Reading Independent Books
Wed 1/2
Happy New Year!
Summarizing chapters 1-5
Reading Chapter 6
Thurs 1/3
Drop
Fri 1/4
Reading and annotating chapters 7 & 8
- You and your group are going to read chapters 7 & 8 together. Use this time to discuss your annotations and answer the question:
- How has Lily begun to change based on her experiences at the Boatwright house?
- Use the large paper to show that change. Include 3 quotes with corresponding annotations from chapters 5, 6, and 7 that provide insight to this change.
- Finish reading
Mon 1/7
Continue group reading of chapter 7 & 8
HW: Finish reading Chapter 8
Tues 1/8
Working with Chapter 8 and the middle of the text
- You and your group are going to read chapters 7 & 8 together. Use this time to discuss your annotations and answer the question:
- How has Lily begun to change based on her experiences at the Boatright house?
- Use the large paper to show that change. Include 3 quotes with corresponding annotations from chapters 5, 6, 7, 8 that provide insight to this change.
HW: Read and annotate bottom of p. 179
Wed 1/9
Presenting changes in Lily
HW: Rest of Chapter 9
Thurs 1/10
Reviewing annotations for rest of Chapter 9
Reading Chapter 10 together (first few pages) before annotating for:
- Lily
- Mother (figures/daughter relationships)
- Racism/prejudice
- Metaphor of Bees
- Other?
HW: Read the rest of chapter 10
Fri 1/11
Choosing annotations from Chapter 10
What is a theme in the passage? Choose ONE of the following quotations and analyze how the author uses literary elements such as metaphor, imagery, motif, and/or symbolism to effectively develop that theme? (Please indicate which quotation you are responding to by indicating the letter.)
- August closed her eyes, used her fingers to smooth out the skin on her forehead. I saw a shiny film across her eyes–the beginning of tears. Looking at her eyes, I could see a fire inside them. It was a hearth fire you could depend on, you could draw up to and get warm by if you were cold, or cook something on that would feed the emptiness in you. I felt like we were all adrift in the world, and all we had was the wet fire in August’s eyes. But it was enough. (181)
HW: Read and annotate chapter 11
Mon 1/14
Reviewing Chapter 11
Reading Chapter 12 together
HW: Finish chapter 12
Tues 1/15
Drop
Wed 1/16
Reviewing Chapter 12
End of the Semester reflection
Tues 1/22
Exam
Thurs 1/24
Second Semester starts
Library Book Talks
HW: Reading Chapter 13 to top of page 271
Fri 1/25
Reviewing Secret Life of Bees so far
Finish reading Chapter 13
Predictions for the end
HW: Reading and annotating Chapter 14 to p. 289
Mon 1/28
Finishing the novel
HW: Finish reading and annotating
Tues 1/29
Reviewing the end with annotations and response
HW: Preparing for Socratic Seminar
Wed 1/30
Socratic Seminar
Thurs 1/31
Finishing Socratic seminar
HW: 1st page of essay packet (thesis)
Fri 2/1
Drop
Monday 2/4
Review thesis statements
Writing topic sentences and outlining body 1
HW: finish writing body 1
Tues 2/5
Opening short story lit essay and re-reading feedback. After reading, reflect on what you need to work on with this lit essay on the doc on google classroom.
Then, include your thesis and draft your first body paragraph for The Secret Life of Bees essay
HW: finish drafting
Wed 2/6
Outlining body 2 & 3
HW: finish the outlining for bodies 2 & 3
Thurs 2/7
Outlining Body 4
HW: Outlining Introduction
Fri 2/8
Outlining conclusion
Revising body 1 and using feedback in drafting
Mon 2/11
Drafting day
Tues 2/12
Drafting day
Using semi-colons and creating a title
Wed 2/13
Drop
Thurs 2/14
Essay due
Book choices for next unit
Arri Weeks 