Day Eleven:
Images of the Fall
What’s on for
Today and Why
Students have spent their weekend writing their essays. To encourage revision and the help students develop their ideas, students will engage in a share and respond session. Also on today’s agenda is a review of the myth of Icarus. Students have been tracking images of flight and fall throughout the novel. Now they will have the opportunity to relate their work back to the myth as well as to some biblical figures.
What to Do
1. Sharing and Responding
Have the students break up into groups of four. Give a short lesson on responding to writing. Share response methods with the students from Pat Belanoff and Peter Elbow’s “Sharing and Responding.” Have each student read their essay to their group. Make sure each student records the responses they have received to their writing. This exercise will probably take some time, but it is a valuable one. Once all of the students have read and responded, have them hand in their essays along with their peer responses. This essay will be graded as a draft.
2. Review of the Original Myth
Students will be asked to recall the myth they read on day one and to share some of their related word tracking. Ask students questions like: Why did Icarus fall? Do you think Stephen is like Icarus or Dedalus? Why?
3. Homework
Have the students read pages 116-126 of Portrait. Along with the reading, have students create a chart that shows the similarities between Lucifer, Adam and Eve, Icarus, and Stephen.
How Did it Go?
Sharing and responding is a not an easy exercise. If students were willing to read their pieces aloud and each piece had some constructive feedback with it, then the session went well.
Hopefully, students have been able to see the correlation between the myth and the novel.
Day Twelve:
Hell! Hell! Hell! Hell!
What’s on for
Today and Why
Today students will be introduced to some ideas related to Stephen’s religion. In order to understand what is happening to their protagonist, the teacher will relate to the students some basic Catholic beliefs about the sin and death. After this mini-lesson, students will be able to share their thoughts from their homework assignment. Once this has been completed, students will engage in a new kind of read around session to introduce the next section of reading.
What to Do
1. Catholic Views of Sin and Death
Being that Chapter Three of Portrait is based on a sermon given by a Catholic priest, it is important for students to have some background information on Catholic beliefs regarding sin and death. With this information, students will be able to understand the motivation of the priest in giving this kind of sermon, determine in what kind of tone this sermon is being delivered, and be able to debate about Stephen’s reaction to what he is hearing.
2. Homework Review
After the mini-lesson, the teacher will go around the room to make sure that students have completed their assignment. Students will have the opportunity to share some of their ideas concerning allusion in the novel. As the students share their correlations between Stephen, Icarus, Adam and Eve, and Lucifer, the teacher will write down the students’ responses on the blackboard in chart form. This information will be available for students to write down in their notebooks.
3. The Sermon Comes to Life
In order to introduce the next section of reading, another type of read around session will be performed. Students will receive a handout containing pieces of the sermon in dialogue form. Students will be asked to read around the room, reciting each numbered piece of dialogue with all the fire and fury of hell. This will give students a chance to create subtext for their reading assignments, as well as give life to this very dense section of reading.
4. Homework
Students will be asked to read pages 126-143 of Portrait. Ask students to write down the images of hell that the text portrays while they are reading.
How Did it Go?
· What kind of correlations did the students draw between the characters discussed in class?
· Are the students able to see similarities across genres?
· Do the students recognize the allusions that Joyce in employing in the text?
If so, the students are beginning to see the text as more than just plot.
· Did all of the students participate in the read around session with fire and brimstone?
If the students did just read the text, but performed it, then the class is becoming more aware of subtext, tone, and motivation in the context of the novel.
Day
Thirteen: Guilt and Fear
What’s on for
Today and Why
Today’s lesson will include Joyce’s use of imagery, a creative writing exercise, and some word association. By reviewing the homework assignment, students will have refreshed their memory about the imagery used in last night’s reading assignment. This will help students in their creative writing exercise. This exercise will allow students to create their own imagery, as well as prepare them for tonight’s reading assignment. The word association exercise will get students to think about the actions of their main character. All of this will provide a greater understanding of the text they have already read, as well as assist them in further readings.
What to Do
1. Homework Review
Students will work in groups of four to discuss the imagery they found in the sermon. As the students discuss the text, the teacher will go around to each group to check the homework. After about ten minutes, tell the students that they can have some time to work on their maps. This should only take a few minutes being that this chapter is not very plot driven.
2. Exercising Creative Writing
With images of hell fresh in their mind, have students write down a dream that these images might cause someone to have. Give the students some blank unlined paper for this creative exercise. Allow students the freedom to draw pictures if they feel compelled to do so, but also tell them that they must use words to describe their dream images whether they choose to draw or not. After about 20 minutes, ask for volunteers to read some of their work. Collect these pieces after the volunteers have read.
3. Word Association
While the students are in a creative mode, it is time to do some word associations. Put the word “fear” on the blackboard. Tell students to write down some words or thoughts about the word fear. Next, put the word “guilt” on the board. Repeat the same procedure for this word. If time permits, have the students share some of their thoughts with the class. Tell the students that they will need these lists for their homework assignment.
4. Homework
For homework, have the students read pages 143-152 in Portrait. Have students answer the following questions in a brief essay:
Is Stephen’s reaction to the sermon based on fear or guilt? Why do you think so?
How Did it Go?
Did the creative pieces written by the students reflect the imagery used in Portrait?
Day Fourteen:
Driven to Confess
What’s on for
Today and Why
Today students will discuss the motivation of their protagonist in his decision to confess his sins. This discussion will incorporate the students own response to the sermon (creative writing from yesterday), their interpretations of fear and guilt, and call on the student to make judgments about Stephen’s decision in regard to their own thoughts about these matters. Trying to evaluate the character’s decision will allow the students to relate the text to their own real-life thoughts and emotions. This transaction will give the students even more ownership of the text.
What to Do
1. Homework Review
Ask for volunteers to read the essays from their homework assignment. While students are reading, return their dream writings from yesterday’s class with comments on their use of imagery.
2. Group Discussion
Have students break up into groups of four. Try to mix the groups up with two students who thought Stephen was motivated by guilt and the other two who thought he was motivated by fear. This split will create a livelier, debate-like atmosphere in the groups. Have students defend their viewpoint within the groups. Tell them to use their dream writings, their homework essays, and their lists about guilt and fear as reference points for their discussion. Then, turn the group discussion to a class discussion to see if either side had changed their mind about Stephen’s decision.
3. Individual Map Work
Now that the class has completed another chapter, it is time for them to finalize their maps. This time let the students work individually but permit them to ask questions after about ten minutes of quiet work. They can either address the teacher or the class with their question. This will allow for individual thought with group assistance.
4. Homework
For homework, students will begin reading Chapter Four, pages 153-159. Tell the class that for this chapter they will not be provided with a map outline. Instead, they must track the events of the chapter on their own. This map will be checked on a daily basis, and will be collected, and graded at the end of the chapter. Before class ends, all of students will be told to track the word “fall” for this chapter.
How Did it Go?
If students were capable of defending their judgments of Stephen by citing the text, then they have truly understood the words they have read.
Day
Fifteen: Writing Conferences
What’s on for
Today and Why
Today students will get their essays back from the beginning of the week. During class time, students will be asked to evaluate their own work. While the students work individually, the teacher will go around to each student to have a writing conference. This will be done so that students will have the opportunity to think critically about their own work and have some one-on-one guidance from the teacher so that they can write their final copy over the weekend.
What to Do
1. Homework Review
Teacher will check to make sure that students have started a new map for Chapter 4. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions about what they have read so far in the chapter.
2. Self-Assessment and Writing Conferences
First, students will get back their essays along with their peer comments and the teacher’s comments. The teacher will also distribute Nancie Atwell’s student writing assessment sheet (from In the Middle). As the students re-read their work and try to assess it with the aid of the rubric, the teacher will hold individual writing conferences with each student. This will probably take the entire class period, but it is not a waste of time. This exercise will give students the time to really look at what they have written, as well as provide a good starting point for writing their final drafts.
4. Homework
For homework, students will have to write the final version of their essays. No reading is required for this weekend, so students can have enough time to work on their papers.
How Did it Go?
Self-assessment is not an easy exercise. If the students were able to accept constructive criticism as well as recognize through their own assessment points in their work that could be improved, then the class is on their way to a good final copy of their essays.