November 30 - Breadwinner

 Breadwinner final writing response. Today we're finishing with The Breadwinner. Here are your final writing prompts - please provide full and complete responses:

1. Predict. What will happen next to Parvana and her father? Think about where they are headed and what we might expect to see there. Use your knowledge of the novel to write an informed prediction. 1 paragraph
2. Movie. In what ways did the film differ than the novel? Explain in as much detail as possible. 1 paragraph.
3. How has Parvana changed over the course of the novel?

Chapter 15

1. How had the men brought Parvana’s Father home? 
2. Parvana was crying and clinging to her father. What was she supposed to offer the two men? 
3. Father was very ill after being in jail. Mrs. Weera nursed him until he was well enough to travel. What did Father say about Parvana when he was well enough to notice? 
4. How did all the women help Father during his recuperation?
5. What were Shauzia’s plans?
6. What did the visitor tell Mrs. Weera about Mazar-e-Sharif?
7. What did Father plan to do?
8. What did Father say when Parvana asked him why the Taliban let him go?
9. Where did Mrs. Weera plan to go? Who was she taking with her?
10. How does Parvana say good-bye to the Window Woman?
11. What does Mrs. Weera show Parvana as they are getting ready to leave? Why does she hide it under her burqa?
12. How does Shauzia leave Afghanistan? What does she give Parvana?
13. Parvana rode a truck with her father to go to find her mother and siblings. As they left Kabul, what did they see?

Chapter 14

1. Parvana offered to go home and get Mrs. Weera’s burqa. The woman would not let go of Parvana. After giving the woman some food, what decision did Parvana have to make?
2. How long had Kabul been under curfew? What was it like before that time?
3. What did Parvana think to herself to feel brave and take the woman through the city streets to her home?
4. Mrs. Weera was relieved when they arrived home. She wondered why Parvana had brought the woman without a burqa. What did Mrs. Weera do for the woman?
5. How long did it take before the young woman, Homa, talked? What did they learn from the woman?
6. What did Parvana do after learning the Taliban had captured Mazar-e-Sharif?
7. Who was in Parvana’s apartment late one afternoon? 

Chapter 11

1. Parvana’s family knew something was wrong when she arrived home late and wet. Parvana was planning to show only part of the money to her family, thinking she would save the money for the tray. Why did she cry when asked about her day, and why did she show all of the money?

Chapter 9

 Greetings team!

For chapter 9 today, we have something a little different. One question followed by a longer response

1. Tell about the friendship between Shauzia and Parvana, the “boys” who worked to feed their families. 
2. (long response) Explain the irony of Parvana and Shauzia being the breadwinners for their families.

Chapter 8

1. When Parvana returned home from working in the market, who was moving in? 
2. What did Parvana show Mrs. Weera and Mother? 
3. What do Parvana and Mrs. Weera use to move Mrs. Weera’s things? 
4. What happens when Maryam finally gets to go outside with Parvana after a year inside the room? 
5. Why can’t Parvana stay outside very long in the market?
6. After the family realized Parvana could help them go outside, tell about some of the things they did outside. 
7. Tell about when Parvana thought she saw her father in the market. 
8. What was happening from the window near the market place? 

Chapter 7

1. In this chapter, Parvana takes over the job her father used to have. She goes to market, sits on the blanket, and reads and writes for people. She tried to sell a few items, and then she shops for food. She was to say she was Father’s nephew, Kaseem, and not tell Father was in jail. Tell about the Talib who wanted a letter read and Parvana’s feelings about the experience.

Breadwinner Chapter 5 and 6

1.  Why was Parvana scared to go shopping alone? How were women supposed to shop? Why did the Talib hit Parvana with the stick for shopping? 
2. When Parvana ran away and upset some food along the way, she was clutching bread too tightly, and she ran into someone. Why did the person notice how she was carrying the bread? How did the person help Parvana’s family? 
3. Why couldn’t Parvana have a drink of water before it was boiled?
4. In this chapter, Mrs. Weera, Mother and Nooria help to turn Parvana into a boy. Describe what they do to make her look like a boy, the story to help, and how Parvana feels about becoming a boy.

Breadwinner Chapter 4

1. Describe how Mother and Parvana looked and felt after the long walk to and from the prison.
2. Who had to buy food now?

Breadwinner Chapter 3

Today we have some questions for chapter 3 - but more importantly, we have a letter to write! Remember, letters begin with a greeting. For this letter, you are Parvana, writing to her incarcerated father.

1. Why did Parvana want a light on in the night?
2. Why did mother decide to go to jail to try to help Father? What was the walk to jail like?
3. Given all that has happened, it seems impossible to reach Parvana’s father. Write a letter as Parvana to her father.

Breadwinner questions!

1.       What did the soldiers do to the family? Where do you think they have taken the father?

2.       Why do you think the books are so important to the family? What do they represent?

3.       Draw a sketch of the room where the family lives and its contents.

4.       What happened to Hossain, the oldest brother? 5. When you are reading, what techniques do you use to figure out a word you don’t know (e.g., read ahead and back to see if it is defined; use the glossary; use context)? How does the author give clues to a word’s meaning (e.g., how does “stretched out on a toshak” help a reader understand what a “toshak” is)?

Missing DEJ assignments!

 Greetings English 10 students!

I am missing a number of Double Entry Journals. District email was inaccessible the weekend before last. Please resend your DEJ if you elected to email your assignment. Right now, 9 assignments are missing.

Email

 Greetings!

Just a quick update - email is working normally again. For those of you who emailed your DEJ to me over the weekend or on Monday, please come see me to ensure that I have printed it out.

Practice Essay Tomorrow

 Time for a practice run.

Here are the list of topics!

Double Entry Journals!

Your first double entry journal is due today - based on The Tell-Tale Heart. It's linked above under TEXTS (or you can just click the link in this post. 

Today we'll learn about different types of quotes, and have a little practice run with the elements of fiction.

If we have time, we'll form groups for our short story presentations. Every group should have at least 2 but not more than 4 members - and everyone needs to speak!

SHORT STORY PRESENTATION CRITERIA AND RUBRIC.

Double Entry Journal criteria (for those of you who are still finishing it. Please do one for The Tell-Tale Heart.

Welcome back!

 Greetings, World!

This is where you'll find homework and important assignment updates. There are also a number of links under Resources and Texts where you can access some of the materials we're using in-class online. Some links have expired, but the ones for English 10 should still be just fine. 

Today - we reviewed the elements of fiction and a little how-to for our Double Entry Journal. Tomorrow we're reading Tell-Tale Heart!

English 11: Omelas, part 2

 After we finish the classwork on determining a working allegory for the Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, do a DEJ for homework. 

• 4 Quotes, one response each
• 3 questions, level 3 and 4 (see the DEJ guide)

English 11

 I'm back and all is well!

Today I'll be checking in with the class to see how far you got in your literary response for Thomas King's Totem. My understanding is that the writing portion of this response is yet to be done, so we'll dedicate some time to this for the first half of the class today. After our break, we're going to dive into The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas.

This one is a doozy. We're going to need some working vocabulary to discuss the philosophical implications of this story.

1. Hedonism: The decisions we make should prioritize the avoidance of personal pain and the pursuit of personal pleasure.
2. Utilitarianism: The decisions we make should prioritize the greatest overall happiness for as many people as possible. There are many varieties of this belief - we will discuss in class.
3. Egoism: Focuses on the role of the self - the individual.
4. Utopia: The world in a perfect state; happiness and plentiful, the world is thriving.
5. Dystopia: A setting where we discover the extent of cruelty people are capable of. Often makes arguments regarding human nature. Hopeless and despair are common topics here.
6. Scapegoat: A person who is blamed, or suffers for the wrong doings of others. The object of irrational hostility. (Merriam-Webster)
7. Existentialism: Branch of philosophy that concerns itself with exploring the purpose of our existence. Attempts questions such as "Why think?" "Who am I?" "What is my purpose?"
8. Absurd (literature): The meaningless struggle to find meaning through futile actions. Behaviors often seem irrational and ridiculous. 

English 11

 Finish reading Jackson's "The Lottery". You may begin the DEJ for this if you wish, but we will be discussing citations and quotes next day in order to properly prepare you for the DEJ.

English 12

 Crossgrades are marked. Come see how you did!