1. Walk in Work: Label your next A and B page: Lit Circles Day 2 Copy the following table onto your A side: Label your next A and B page: Lit Circles Day 2 Copy the following table onto your A side: Theme Theory for ________________________________: Character Evidence of interaction with setting (Author’s last name #) Reasoning: How does this reaction between character and setting help to reveal the theme?

2. Warm-Up  Review your stories with your lit circle and come up with a theme theory as a group.  Write this theme theory on the top of your charts:  EX: Theme Theory for _”The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury: In our society, it is often considered “ideal” to escape reality by using some form of technology. This creates a dependency on technology and constant entertainment that can ultimately blur the lines between what is real and what is not. Character Evidence of interaction with setting (Author’s last name #) Reasoning: How does this reaction between character and setting help to reveal the theme?

3. As you re-read your story today…  Annotate for evidence of your characters interacting with the setting in some way.  Anytime the setting (time period, society, physical surroundings) affect the character in some way, this is a moment where the author might be revealing the theme.  After you have re-read and annotated, complete the chart in your notebook with 1 piece of evidence you have found and support it with 1 piece of reasoning that connects it with your theme theory.

4. Theme Theory for _”The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury: In our society, it is often considered “ideal” to escape reality by using some form of technology. This creates a dependency on technology and constant entertainment that can ultimately blur the lines between what is real and what is not. Character Evidence of interaction with setting (Author’s last name #) Reasoning: How does this reaction between character and setting help to reveal the theme? Wendy and Peter Hadley After David McClean arrived at the Hadley home to take them to their vacation, ” He stared at the two children seated in the center of the open glade eating a little picnic lunch […] The children smiled” (Bradbury 9). The children are sitting in the nursery, which they have turned into an African Veldt enjoying a picnic lunch after imagining the lions eating their biological parents. They have focused on this image so much, that it actually became real and their parents were killed. The constant access to technology has corrupted their thinking and made them choose technology over their own family.

5. Walk in Work  Turn to your next A and B page and label them: Literature Circles Day 3

6. Connotation vs. Denotation  Denotation – Dictionary definition of a word  Connotation – implied meaning of a word in context  Ex: Butcher and Slaughter  Both have the same denotation (To kill)  One feels more appropriate in certain contexts…  Would you rather have your steak butchered or slaughtered?  Which has a more positive connotation and which has a more negative connotation?

7. Group Practice  Decide which of the two following words have a more positive and negative connotation:  Thin, lanky  Aggressive, assertive  bright, cunning

8. Close Reading for Tone 1. Re-read the paragraph, annotating for word choice the author uses to convey the speaker’s opinion on the subject 2. Use the word choice (evidence) to identify a tone (Use the thesaurus to find the best fitting word) 3. Argue this tone in a CER paragraph

9. Close Reading for Tone - Discovery 1. Re-read the paragraph, annotating for word choice the author uses to convey the speaker’s opinion on the subject 2. Use the word choice (evidence) to identify a tone (Use the thesaurus to find the best fitting word) 3. Argue this tone in a CER paragraph that also includes a theme analysis (connection to theme)

10. Example: “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury  C: Ray Bradbury creates a solitary tone when he describes the nursery in his short story, “The Veldt.”  E: This is illustrated through specific word choices like “silent,” “empty” and “blank” (Bradbury 1).  R: The word silent usually means that there is no noise or talking, which implies limited interaction between people. When something is empty, it has a negative connotation that something is missing. Similarly, when something is blank, it has usually been untouched or left alone. All these words contribute to the solitary tone because they show how a person is alone.

11. Example: “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury- Discovery  C: Ray Bradbury creates a solitary tone in his short story, “The Veldt.”  E: This is illustrated through specific word choices like “silent,” “empty” and “blank” (Bradbury 1).  R: The word silent usually means that there is no noise or talking, which implies limited interaction between people. When something is empty, it has a negative connotation that something is missing. Similarly, when something is blank, it has usually been untouched or left alone. All these words contribute to the solitary tone because they show how a person is alone.  Theme Analysis: This informs a possible theme of technology can damage relationships because when a person is alone while in the presence of technology, they are not relating to or interacting with others.

12. Walk in work:  Title your next A page: Lit Circle Day 4  Title your next B page: Lit Circle Discussion Prep.

13. Walk in work: Discovery  Title your next A page: Lit Circle Day 4  Title your next B page: Lit Circle Discussion Prep.  Turn to your Tone CER from yesterday

15. Major and Minor Characters (A Side) Major Charact er Minor Chara cter Direct evidence of interactionReasoning: How does this interaction help reveal the theme? George Hadley Peter Hadley After George informs Peter that they are going to turn off the house and take a vacation, Peter whines, “That sounds dreadful! Would I have to tie my own shoes instead of having the shoe tier do it?” (Bradbury 7). Clearly, Peter has become so used to life being made easy through technology that he is now unable to see the value in being self-sufficient. This illustrates how excessive technology detaches people from what truly matters.

16. Individual Work - Discovery  Create three level two questions and two level three questions to be discussed in your Literature Circle groups on Friday in a Socratic Seminar  Remember we have recently been discussing/tracking:  Science Fiction Elements  Speculation  Author’s Tone  Setting  Character interaction and development  Theme

17. Lit. Discussion Preparation  Tomorrow you will be participating in a mini Socratic Seminar with your group and others  Your job is to come prepared. To do this, you must create two level 2 questions and 1 level 3 question about your story.  Remember we have recently been discussing/tracking:  Science Fiction Elements  Speculation  Author’s Tone  Setting  Character interaction and development  Theme