1. 9-25-12 Consider the goals for teaching literature. Consider settings: whole class, small group, individual. Now consider the relationship between goal and setting: Goals that can be met only in this setting Goals that are possible in this setting Goals that are not possible in this setting Whole class: Small group: Individual: If you like, you might even consider “classic” and “YA” lit.

2. Book Talk: Directed to students, not teachers. Goal is to entice listeners to read the book. (If you didn’t like the book, don’t book talk it.) One-two minutes max.

3. With chairs in a circle, please give us a two-minute summary of your paper. Two minutes. Really. What’s your topic? What’s your question or your thesis? What are your main arguments? What surprised you?

4. Book Clubs (30 minutes) In your groups, discuss these questions about your novel: What would you want students to “get”? How would you teach it? How would you assess it? What challenges might you face, and how would you prepare for them? Share your answers (and new questions) with the class….

5. After the break, be ready to give us the two-minute version of your formal paper.. As you talk, you might consider these elements of the lesson plan form: Learning Goals Student Background Knowledge and Experience Instructional Procedures (content & teaching methods) Resources and Materials Instructional Activities (sequence) Assessment/Evaluation Adaptations Reflection (after teaching lesson)

6. Tell us about your book and what you might do with it: Setting, characters, plot, conflicts, resolution Strengths; warnings (i.e., challenges) What students might “get” from this book The setting (whole class, small group, individual) you suggest Particular activities (instruction or assessment) you might use Anything else of note that came up during your discussion

7. Teaching Unit (due Nov 27) Could be for… …whole-class novel …book club novel …individual novel “Unit” simply refers to a coherent collection of lesson plans, generally over several days (or sometimes even weeks).

8. Unit Goals (What do I want students to “get”?) Unit Assessments (How can I tell how well students “get” the goals?) Unit Strategies/Activities (What activities will help students reach the goals?) Goals:1-to appreciate the beauty of Shakespeare’s language 2-to understand how literature can hold a mirror to life’s big issues 3-to evaluate current teenage decision-making processes Assessments:1-translate passages from R&J into current language; write a conversation in iambic pentameter 2-identify various points of conflict in R&J; identify parallel conflicts in current times 3-identify, explain & analyze decision-making processes of various characters (R, J, Mercutio, Tybalt); evaluate those processes (in light of their outcomes); identify processes available to today’s teens Strategies:watch clips from various film/stage productions practice “translating” (& maybe paraphrasing) lines explain meter in general & iambic pentameter in particular storyboard the plot; two-minute R&J (for YouTube) lecture on decision-making processes; do some role playing and lots more…

9. Looking Back: Goals for lit in general, YA lit in particular Woods Runner – short, easy companion novel Will Grayson, Will Grayson – challenging novel Readicide – perhaps our biggest challenge Individual topics (in formal paper) Looking Ahead: Various genres Teaching Units

10. For next week: Well discuss dystopian novels. Bring any that you have (including classics such as Brave New World, 1984, and Animal Farm). We’ll touch on some other genres as well and, we’ll talk more about teaching units, especially in terms of readicide and how to prevent it.