AGENDA:
Return Montana 1948. Go to library for The First Part Last by Angela Johnson.
Work on short stories.
In twos or small groups, peer edit each other's stories. Proofread carefully for spelling and grammar errors.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Montana Quiz/Work on Short Stories
Work on Montana Quiz and Essay
Use a word document for your essay.
Continue to edit and polish your short stories for a final grade. All stories should be at least 4 pages long, double-spaced, Times New Roman font.
Be sure that that you have proofread and revised them before turning them in.
MISSING STUDY GUIDES????
SUBJECT/PREDICATE VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdUXxdmhIsw
Friday, September 19, 2014
Montana 1948 Discussion groups
AGENDA:
Discussion about the book:
Divide in to groups A and B
Each group will have a discussion LEADER and 2 NOTE-TAKERS
Discuss your questions, take notes, and be prepared as a group to report back to the other group
Discussion Questions A (in A239)
1. What motivates Frank Hayden's final act? (The author has characterized it as both a selfish and a selfless act.)
2. Late in the novel, Gail Hayden changes her attitude. She no longer wants her husband to continue the course of action that earlier she encouraged him to follow. What causes her to change?
3. What does Wesley Hayden mean by his admonishment not to "blame Montana"?
4. A great deal of attention is paid to locating Bentrock (a fictional community) on the map. Why? What role does the setting play in the novel?
5. Whose story is this? Wesley's? David's? Why?
6. Who is the moral center of the story? Why?
7. How does prejudice play into the story?
8. Why is Wesley Hayden especially concerned when his son David tells him that Len McAuley might "know something"?
9. What would the outcome of the story have been had David's father publicly arrested his uncle? Would things have turned out better? Worse? Would you have done the same thing as Wesley had it been your family?
10. Was there any justice for the crimes committed by Uncle Frank?
11. Most of the novel's action takes place in 1948. Why did the author choose that year? Could the events occur today?
12. In what ways is the novel about privilege and the abuse of power?
13. What is the effect of David Hayden telling this story so many years after the fact?
(Questions issued by publisher.)
More Discussion Questions B (A238)
1. Bentrock is a fictitious prairie town in Montana that recurs as a setting in Larry Watson’s novels. How would you characterize Bentrock? In what ways is the setting, both time and place, reflected in the characters?
2. What is the role and importance of loyalty in the Hayden family and how does it influence Wesley’s reaction to the accusations brought against his brother? How would you characterize the relationships between the Hayden men, Grandpa Hayden, Frank, Wesley and David?
3. How would you characterize Wesley’s opinions about the Indian characters in the novel, such as Ollie Young Bear and Marie Little Soldier? Do you think his prejudices complicate his role as sheriff?
4. David idolizes many of the adult characters in the novel—for what qualities does he admire Marie, Gloria, Uncle Frank and his parents? How do these affections contradict one another as the story unfolds? How do David’s opinions of these characters evolve as the novel progresses?
5. Did you form any predictions as to why Marie was reluctant to see Dr. Frank Hayden, and if so, how accurate were they? At what point in the story did you begin to suspect Frank’s character?
6. David’s mother, Gail readily accepts Marie’s allegations against Frank, while Wesley is reluctant to investigate. What factors do you think make Wesley hesitant to investigate Marie’s accusations and what factors prompt Gail to believe her?
7. Toward the end of the novel, David observes a reversal of his parents’ roles: “My mother now represented practicality and expediency; my father stood for moral absolutism” (144). What, in your opinion, causes this reversal? Do you agree with the assessment that releasing Frank is the practical and expedient option? Do you agree with the alternate implication, that prosecuting him is morally absolute?
8. At the novel’s conclusion, it is decided to keep the scandal a secret from the larger Bentrock community. What do you think motivates this decision? If the accusations against Uncle Frank were publicized, who would it have affected and how?
9. In the epilogue David states that he “could never believe in the rule of law again” (164). Why do you think he is disillusioned with the justice system? To what extent do you think his father’s, uncle’s and grandfather’s actions in 1948 shaped this opinion?
10. Montana 1948 has been featured as required reading for high school students while simultaneously appearing on a few banned books lists. In what ways and to what degree is Watson’s novel controversial? In what ways is it educational?
(Questions issued by publisher.)
WRITING: Work on Montana stories Per. 4
HMWK: Prepare for a test on Montana 1948 on Tuesday. Short identifications and an essay.
Discussion about the book:
Divide in to groups A and B
Each group will have a discussion LEADER and 2 NOTE-TAKERS
Discuss your questions, take notes, and be prepared as a group to report back to the other group
Discussion Questions A (in A239)
1. What motivates Frank Hayden's final act? (The author has characterized it as both a selfish and a selfless act.)
2. Late in the novel, Gail Hayden changes her attitude. She no longer wants her husband to continue the course of action that earlier she encouraged him to follow. What causes her to change?
3. What does Wesley Hayden mean by his admonishment not to "blame Montana"?
4. A great deal of attention is paid to locating Bentrock (a fictional community) on the map. Why? What role does the setting play in the novel?
5. Whose story is this? Wesley's? David's? Why?
6. Who is the moral center of the story? Why?
7. How does prejudice play into the story?
8. Why is Wesley Hayden especially concerned when his son David tells him that Len McAuley might "know something"?
9. What would the outcome of the story have been had David's father publicly arrested his uncle? Would things have turned out better? Worse? Would you have done the same thing as Wesley had it been your family?
10. Was there any justice for the crimes committed by Uncle Frank?
11. Most of the novel's action takes place in 1948. Why did the author choose that year? Could the events occur today?
12. In what ways is the novel about privilege and the abuse of power?
13. What is the effect of David Hayden telling this story so many years after the fact?
(Questions issued by publisher.)
More Discussion Questions B (A238)
1. Bentrock is a fictitious prairie town in Montana that recurs as a setting in Larry Watson’s novels. How would you characterize Bentrock? In what ways is the setting, both time and place, reflected in the characters?
2. What is the role and importance of loyalty in the Hayden family and how does it influence Wesley’s reaction to the accusations brought against his brother? How would you characterize the relationships between the Hayden men, Grandpa Hayden, Frank, Wesley and David?
3. How would you characterize Wesley’s opinions about the Indian characters in the novel, such as Ollie Young Bear and Marie Little Soldier? Do you think his prejudices complicate his role as sheriff?
4. David idolizes many of the adult characters in the novel—for what qualities does he admire Marie, Gloria, Uncle Frank and his parents? How do these affections contradict one another as the story unfolds? How do David’s opinions of these characters evolve as the novel progresses?
5. Did you form any predictions as to why Marie was reluctant to see Dr. Frank Hayden, and if so, how accurate were they? At what point in the story did you begin to suspect Frank’s character?
6. David’s mother, Gail readily accepts Marie’s allegations against Frank, while Wesley is reluctant to investigate. What factors do you think make Wesley hesitant to investigate Marie’s accusations and what factors prompt Gail to believe her?
7. Toward the end of the novel, David observes a reversal of his parents’ roles: “My mother now represented practicality and expediency; my father stood for moral absolutism” (144). What, in your opinion, causes this reversal? Do you agree with the assessment that releasing Frank is the practical and expedient option? Do you agree with the alternate implication, that prosecuting him is morally absolute?
8. At the novel’s conclusion, it is decided to keep the scandal a secret from the larger Bentrock community. What do you think motivates this decision? If the accusations against Uncle Frank were publicized, who would it have affected and how?
9. In the epilogue David states that he “could never believe in the rule of law again” (164). Why do you think he is disillusioned with the justice system? To what extent do you think his father’s, uncle’s and grandfather’s actions in 1948 shaped this opinion?
10. Montana 1948 has been featured as required reading for high school students while simultaneously appearing on a few banned books lists. In what ways and to what degree is Watson’s novel controversial? In what ways is it educational?
(Questions issued by publisher.)
WRITING: Work on Montana stories Per. 4
HMWK: Prepare for a test on Montana 1948 on Tuesday. Short identifications and an essay.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Montana Short Stories
AGENDA:
1. Adjectives!
2. Work on Montana Study Guide Part II
3. Work on your short stories
Homework for Friday: Finish Montana 1948
1. Adjectives!
2. Work on Montana Study Guide Part II
3. Work on your short stories
Homework for Friday: Finish Montana 1948
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Comma Rules
| Rule No. 1: In a simple series, use a comma to separate the elements, but don’t put a comma before the conjunction. | Rule No. 2: Use a comma to separate two independent clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction. |
| Rule No. 3: Use a comma following an introductory clause or prepositional phrase of four words or more. | Rule No. 4: Use commas to set off modifiers that are not essential to the reader's ability to identify a particular person, place or thing. |
| Rule No. 5: Use commas to separate adjectives of equal rank. | Rule No. 6: Use commas to set off words that add emphasis, shift attention or provide a fuller explanation (parentheticals, "yes," "no," names in direct address). |
| Rule No. 7: Use commas to set off participial modifiers that come at the beginning of a sentence or after the verb. | Rule No. 8: Use a comma, carefully, to set off quotes or paraphrases. |
| Rule No. 9: Use a comma with hometowns, ages, years with months and days, names of states and nations with cities, affiliations and most large numbers. | Rule No. 10: Use a comma to separate duplicate words to eliminate confusion. |
Bildungsroman/Montana 1948
AGENDA:
Bellwork: Pronouns
HMWK: For Monday, read Part II Montana 1948
1. With a partner, work on Montana 1948 Part 1 packet (if you have not finished it) and go over questions from the last post. in groups 1-4. Post your answers as a comment for credit today.
2. Literary Word of the Day: Bildungsroman
n literary criticism, a Bildungsroman (German pronunciation: [ˈbɪldʊŋs.ʁoˌmaːn]; German: "novel of formation/education/culture"),[1] novel of formation, novel of education,[2] or coming-of-age story is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood (coming of age),[3] and in which, therefore, character change is extremely important.[4]
3. Grammar Exercise:
Eights parts of speech
Noun: a person, place, thing or idea (chicken, dancehall, ocean, belief)
Pronoun: replaces a noun (he, she, it, her, them, who, which)
Adjective: describes a noun or Pronoun (lovely, tattered, obese, violet)
Verb: an action word (ransack, stir, rejuvenate, are)
Adverb: modifies or describes an adjective, verb, or other adverb (gladly, helpfully, subtly, slowly)
Preposition: links nouns and pronouns to phrases (over, under, in, near)
Conjunction: links lists, phrases, and clauses (and, but, or, when)
Interjection: conveys emotion (wow, what, ouch, man)
Writing practice:
Write four sentences in which you use all eight parts of speech. The catch? You can't use any part of speech more than once in each sentence.
Period 4: Work on your own short story
Work on short story:
Your Montana story is to be written in the first person POV (I). It should begin with a prologue in the present that may be only a paragraph or so long from the point of view of the protagonist several years after the main incident in the story (he or she is older and wiser). Then FLASHBACK to the key incident that made him or her "grow up." Let your story be a "coming of age" story. At the end, write an epilogue from the point of view of the character in the present.
USE MLA HEADING, TIMES NEW ROMAN font 12 pt. only, and double space!
Bellwork: Pronouns
HMWK: For Monday, read Part II Montana 1948
1. With a partner, work on Montana 1948 Part 1 packet (if you have not finished it) and go over questions from the last post. in groups 1-4. Post your answers as a comment for credit today.
2. Literary Word of the Day: Bildungsroman
n literary criticism, a Bildungsroman (German pronunciation: [ˈbɪldʊŋs.ʁoˌmaːn]; German: "novel of formation/education/culture"),[1] novel of formation, novel of education,[2] or coming-of-age story is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood (coming of age),[3] and in which, therefore, character change is extremely important.[4]
3. Grammar Exercise:
Eights parts of speech
Noun: a person, place, thing or idea (chicken, dancehall, ocean, belief)
Pronoun: replaces a noun (he, she, it, her, them, who, which)
Adjective: describes a noun or Pronoun (lovely, tattered, obese, violet)
Verb: an action word (ransack, stir, rejuvenate, are)
Adverb: modifies or describes an adjective, verb, or other adverb (gladly, helpfully, subtly, slowly)
Preposition: links nouns and pronouns to phrases (over, under, in, near)
Conjunction: links lists, phrases, and clauses (and, but, or, when)
Interjection: conveys emotion (wow, what, ouch, man)
Writing practice:
Write four sentences in which you use all eight parts of speech. The catch? You can't use any part of speech more than once in each sentence.
Period 4: Work on your own short story
Work on short story:
Your Montana story is to be written in the first person POV (I). It should begin with a prologue in the present that may be only a paragraph or so long from the point of view of the protagonist several years after the main incident in the story (he or she is older and wiser). Then FLASHBACK to the key incident that made him or her "grow up." Let your story be a "coming of age" story. At the end, write an epilogue from the point of view of the character in the present.
USE MLA HEADING, TIMES NEW ROMAN font 12 pt. only, and double space!
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Montana/Close Reading
AGENDA:
Bell Work: Grammar--nouns
Go over 12 1/2 Writing Rules
HANDOUT: CLOSE READING MONTANA
Montana, 1948, prologue (and chapter one, pages 11-54)
CLOSE READING:
Guiding Questions
1. Before you even begin reading, the novel story announces in its title the importance of its setting. What expectations are established with this title? What do you know about Montana, about 1948, about Montana in 1948? What do you know about novels and stories set in the West?
2. In the prologue, the narrator, David Hayden, explains a few things: how old he was when the story took place, how old he is now, and what has happened since. List this information, and then speculate: why, perhaps, is he telling the story now? What expectations does this establish for the story to come?
3. Also in the prologue, David offers a list of images. What do these images suggest? And what do you make of his insistence, on the following page, that these images, and others like them, be viewed simultaneously, not chronologically?
4. Lastly, David describes himself at the bottom of page 12 as "a witness." What does this word mean? List all its possible meanings.
5. On page 15, David introduces the setting promised in the title. What are the important facts, figures and details of this description? What kind of place is Mercer County?
6. On page 16, he describes that time in his life as "a new, blessedly peaceful era." How so? And how is this related to David's own age? (Why is 12 more peaceful than, say 10, or 15?)
7. On the same subject, what do we already know about Mercer County that tells us to be suspicious of this idyllic description?
8. The following pages are devoted to a description of David's father, in particular his job. In what ways does he defeat our expectations of the typical Western lawman?
9. Along the same lines, a great deal of time is devoted to a description his gun and holster. How does this encapsulate his failure to conform to our image--and David's image-- of a "typical" Western sheriff? How does Dave seem to feel about this?
10. The badge, too, gets some attention, and here David comments on something he later learned about it (page 19). What is the significance of his new, adult understanding of the reason his father never wore a badge?
11. On pages 19-21, we learn that the Hayden family is something of a dynasty in law enforcement. Later, on page 21, David describes his father as a man "who tried to turn two ways at once." Describe this conflict, including in your answer some thoughts on David's reference, in the same paragraph, to his "grandfather's domain."
12. A patriarch is a father figure, one who heads a family. A patriarchy is a society that is ruled by men. If the world of Mercer County is a patriarchy, what values are its principle values? What is the LAW?
13. On page 22, David lays out a second conflict. What is it?
14. Why is it significant that David and his family live "in the middle of town"? (page 23) What does this positioning suggest?
15. Comment intelligently on David's other life--his country life--at his grandfather's ranch. Is he, like his father, a man pulled two ways?
16. What do you make of the story of the toothless Indian woman on page 25? What does it show about Bentrock, and the general attitude of whites toward Indians? And how does this foreshadow the accusations later made against David's uncle?
17. On the following pages, 25 to 29, David descibes Marie Little Soldier and his feelings for her. Comment on two details: the incident, mentioned on 29, in which he accidentally sees her naked (what else in the story does David see that is naked?); and his remark on page 25 that "her body could be ready, at a moment's notice, for sex or work."
18. Why do you think David mentions his own encounter with chicken pox on page 28? Hint: he's speaking of a childhood disease, suffered as an adult.
HOMEWORK: Review Part One, finish handout for Thursday on Part One
Bell Work: Grammar--nouns
Go over 12 1/2 Writing Rules
HANDOUT: CLOSE READING MONTANA
Montana, 1948, prologue (and chapter one, pages 11-54)
CLOSE READING:
Guiding Questions
1. Before you even begin reading, the novel story announces in its title the importance of its setting. What expectations are established with this title? What do you know about Montana, about 1948, about Montana in 1948? What do you know about novels and stories set in the West?
2. In the prologue, the narrator, David Hayden, explains a few things: how old he was when the story took place, how old he is now, and what has happened since. List this information, and then speculate: why, perhaps, is he telling the story now? What expectations does this establish for the story to come?
3. Also in the prologue, David offers a list of images. What do these images suggest? And what do you make of his insistence, on the following page, that these images, and others like them, be viewed simultaneously, not chronologically?
4. Lastly, David describes himself at the bottom of page 12 as "a witness." What does this word mean? List all its possible meanings.
5. On page 15, David introduces the setting promised in the title. What are the important facts, figures and details of this description? What kind of place is Mercer County?
6. On page 16, he describes that time in his life as "a new, blessedly peaceful era." How so? And how is this related to David's own age? (Why is 12 more peaceful than, say 10, or 15?)
7. On the same subject, what do we already know about Mercer County that tells us to be suspicious of this idyllic description?
8. The following pages are devoted to a description of David's father, in particular his job. In what ways does he defeat our expectations of the typical Western lawman?
9. Along the same lines, a great deal of time is devoted to a description his gun and holster. How does this encapsulate his failure to conform to our image--and David's image-- of a "typical" Western sheriff? How does Dave seem to feel about this?
10. The badge, too, gets some attention, and here David comments on something he later learned about it (page 19). What is the significance of his new, adult understanding of the reason his father never wore a badge?
11. On pages 19-21, we learn that the Hayden family is something of a dynasty in law enforcement. Later, on page 21, David describes his father as a man "who tried to turn two ways at once." Describe this conflict, including in your answer some thoughts on David's reference, in the same paragraph, to his "grandfather's domain."
12. A patriarch is a father figure, one who heads a family. A patriarchy is a society that is ruled by men. If the world of Mercer County is a patriarchy, what values are its principle values? What is the LAW?
13. On page 22, David lays out a second conflict. What is it?
14. Why is it significant that David and his family live "in the middle of town"? (page 23) What does this positioning suggest?
15. Comment intelligently on David's other life--his country life--at his grandfather's ranch. Is he, like his father, a man pulled two ways?
16. What do you make of the story of the toothless Indian woman on page 25? What does it show about Bentrock, and the general attitude of whites toward Indians? And how does this foreshadow the accusations later made against David's uncle?
17. On the following pages, 25 to 29, David descibes Marie Little Soldier and his feelings for her. Comment on two details: the incident, mentioned on 29, in which he accidentally sees her naked (what else in the story does David see that is naked?); and his remark on page 25 that "her body could be ready, at a moment's notice, for sex or work."
18. Why do you think David mentions his own encounter with chicken pox on page 28? Hint: he's speaking of a childhood disease, suffered as an adult.
HOMEWORK: Review Part One, finish handout for Thursday on Part One
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