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| Keith Scott | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Catherine, Called Birdy | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content Area Reading | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| June 28, 2002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| This particular exercise is designed with 7th graders in mind. The book has appeal to a broader range in ages. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Catherine, Called Birdy is written by Karen Cushman, who wrote this fictional history account, setting it in the Middle Ages because she liked "...to think of the Middle Ages moving into the Renaissance as like a child growing into adolescence. At this point in history, people began to have concerns about identity and concerns about appearance. Men and women began to pay attention to how they looked, and all of a sudden, there were books written about manners. There were also concerns about accountability and privacy. These are some of the same issues that today's adolescents face." | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| In this introduction, it's important to set up the concept that there will be a "Compare and Contrast" exercise coming up. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Summary Birdy has been promised in marriage to a rich knight by her father. The suitor is old, crude, and disgusting. She resents being bought and sold (via a dowry) in order to make her father richer, and she has driven off previous suitors. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| In your Learning Log, cite some examples of how Birdy made herself unattractive to suitors. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| The story is written in diary form, from Birdy's viewpoint. It portrays domestic life in the late 13th century, and contains vocabulary peculiar to the time and place. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pass out vocabulary lists (Exercise I) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Refer to Vocabulary Worksheet) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Using the context clues within the sentences where these words are found, see if you can define the word. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Students need to know how to inquire into the meanings of unknown words by using context analysis and dictionary skills." The emphasis in this exercise is on context analysis. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Venn Diagrams. Compare and contrast the choices Birdy had with choices that today's adolescent girls have. Show differences and similarities. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draw a Venn Diagram on the board and ask for help filling it in. One circle will represent 13th Century choices, the other 21st Century choices. The overlap will contain similarities. (Exercise II) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Venn Diagrams provide an excellent tool for "Compare and Contrast" exercises, especially when comparisons and contrasts are part of the preview exercises. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| For your Learning Log---What was the decision that Birdy made? Do you agree or disagree with her decision? | |||||||||||||||||||||||