Thursday

 

11/7 FINISH Book and FINISH Journals

11/8 Review

 Novel Unit:

Unit Learning goal: Students will be able to create a multi-part literary project that details the following items:

The Literature Project  

Rationale: The purpose of this project is to assess your ability to read, summarize, analyze, and connect pieces of literature as well as assess your writing skills.  This is your chance to show me everything you know and have learned.  This is your chance to dazzle, shine, dance, sing, shout (during your presentation).

Assignment: You will read A Catcher in the Rye .  This final project will consist of five parts. 

1) A reading log revealing your engagement with the literature.  This part should be very thorough and should contain all the things listed below.

2) A creative connection

3) A book summary/personal response paper

4) An analysis focusing primarily on the development of one striking element in the novel: symbolism, characterization, figurative language, theme, plot and how that element contributes to the development of the novel’s overall meaning.

5) A connection—a one page paper connecting the book to a short story or novel read last year by either symbolism or theme. 

6) A presentation (this could be creative—and has to be 3 minutes with visual aids): this is an overview of your project and your understanding of the novel.

POINT VALUES: The analysis is worth 100 points each.  The log, creative connection, personal response, presentation, and connections are worth 50 points each.  Therefore, the total point value is 350 points.  This is nearly your entire project grade for the semester.

 

EXPECTATIONS:

 

THE READING LOG:  The reading log reveals your engagement with literature.  Furthermore, a detailed reading log will significantly aid you in the development of the rest of the project.  After reading each chapter, you should write in your log:

n  A short synopsis of the action and character development

n  Your interpretation of the significant events occurring in the chapter

n  Noteworthy figurative language and other literary elements

n  Vocabulary—unfamiliar words

Please note that the copying of Cliff Notes or Internet Sites is plagiarism.  I want only your thoughts, don’t steal.  Cheating will equal a ZERO. 

THE CREATIVE PART:  Choose one of the three options below:

Take a minor character and write a 1-2 page monologue / journal entry about what they think of the situation / action / motivations in the book so far. 

Make a newspaper story about one of the major events of the novel. How 
would a journalist take on those events and how would that story be different than Holden's perspective.

  Draw a picture (or some sort of visual representation) drawing from the reading. Be sure to include a written component explaining why you chose to create your visual representation.

Book Review/ Personal Response:  Give a detailed summary of the book.  What did you like?  What did you not like?  Would you recommend this book to a friend?  Why or why not?

THE LITERARY ANALYSIS: Choose one literary element of the book and develop a thesis around it.  Back up your thesis statements with proof from the text.  This paper should be at least 3 pages.

THE CONNECTION: 1-2 pages connecting the novel to a short story read in class.  You may focus on theme, characterization (think dynamic), or figurative language.

THE PRESENTATION:  3 minutes—this should be an overview of your project and what you learned.  It should include a visual aid.  

   

Scale/Rubric relating to learning goal:

4 – The student can create A Catcher in the Rye project that relates the novel the real world citing both textual evidence and examples from contemporary society. 

3 – The student can create A Catcher in the Rye project that incorporates all sections of the project.

2 – With some direction/help from the teacher the student is able to create A Catcher in the Rye project that incorporates all sections of the project.

1 – Even with help from the teacher the student is unable to create A Catcher in the Rye project that incorporates all sections of the project.  The student may be able to do some sections, but not all of them. 

 

 

Catcher in the Rye is a story about a young teenage named Holden Caulfield.  Holden has a conflict with himself – he feels that everyone around him is a phony.  He seems to hate everyone and everything.  The only thoughts of innocence and childhood bring him joy.  Perhaps he struggles to accept the hypocrisy of the adult world.  Holden is the narrator and anti-hero.  The novel is a coming of age story or a bildungsroman novel.  You will need to look at the following themes, symbols and conflicts while reading:

 

 

 

MAJOR THEMES:                                                         SYMBOLS:

 

Loss of Innocence                                                            Alle’s Baseball Glove

 

Rebellion From Society                                        Holden’s Red Hunting Cap

 

Mental Instability                                                            The Duck Pond

 

Death                                                                            The Carrousel

 

Hypocrisy                                                                      Holden Caulfield’s name

 

Sexual Confusion                                                            Kings in the back row

 

                                                                                    Prep School Life

 

 

 

Major Conflict: Person vs. Self.  Holden has a hard time dealing with the people around him believing that they are all phonies and either pretending to be something that they are not, or selling themselves for some reason.  Everyone is untruthful. 

 

 

 

OBJECTIVES:

 

 

 

At the end of the unit students will be able to

 

 

 

1)    Define character development, irony, metaphor, personification, subplot, atmosphere, tone, allusion, symbol, bildungsroman. Antihero.  

 

2)    List all the characters that appear in the novel and describe their physical appearance, motivations, social class.

 

3)    List various allusions and foreshadows and discuss what they mean in relation to plot.

 

4)    List the various types of conflict that occur throughout the novel and discuss who the conflicts are between.

 

5)    Keep a journal that outlines the novel – and the plot

 

6)    List three themes and in a paragraph or more discuss how these themes work in the novel.

 

7)    In an essay of a page or more discuss how Salinger uses particular images or characters as symbols and discuss how these symbols reflect larger themes or ideas in the novel.

 

8)    Outline the character development (inward change) of various characters (to be mentioned later).

 

9)    List and outline the central plot.

 

10) In a paragraph or more discuss how the title and the images of innocence or childhood

 

11) Pick out two or three examples of similes and/or metaphors and in a paragraph discuss how they are used.

 

12) Given a quotation identify the speaker.

 

13) Write an essay on Catcher in the Rye.

 

Catcher in the Rye: Study Guide

 

Be able to explain the following themes and give examples of three scenes that fit each theme:

 

Loss of Innocence

 

Rebellion From Society

 

Mental Instability

 

Death

 

Hypocrisy

 

Sexual Confusion

 

 

 

Be able to explain the following symbols – what they represent and why they are important:

 

 

 

Allie’s Baseball Glove

 

Holden’s Red Hunting Cap

 

The Duck Pond

 

The Carrousel

 

Holden Caulfield’s name

 

Kings in the back row

 

Prep School Life

 

The title

 

 

 

List and explain five allusions.

 

Explain the major conflict.

 

List the point of view.

 

Discuss how Holden is an unreliable narrator.

 

Discuss how Holden in an anti-hero.

 

Discuss how Catcher in the Rye is a Bildungsroman novel.

 

Pick out and explain three ironies.

 

Discuss Holden’s character development.

 

Outline the plot.

 

Briefly discuss Holden’s relationship with girls (Jane, Sally, Sunny, Bernice, Marty, Larverne, Faith Cavendish, Mrs. Morrow)

 

 

 

Discuss the importance of the following characters:

 

Achey

 

Stradlater

 

Horwitz

 

Ernie

 

D.B.

 

Phoebe

 

Allie

 

Maurice

 

Carl Luce

 

Lillian Simmons

 

Mr. Antolini

 

Mr. Spencer

 

 

 

List some schools that Holden got kicked out or (or left).

 

Given a quotation be able to identify the speaker

 

Compare Holden Caulfield to Scout Finch.