Mrs. Albanese’s Blog

          Short Story Unit –  To Build a Fire by Jack London   

English 8, Mariner Middle School

Mrs. Diane Albanese, NBCT  Winter 2008

MATERIALS

Best Texts – Short Story pages 102-125

Questions listed here are taken from this text   

Learning Objectives

In this lesson, students will learn how to:

• Examine critically the conflict of man and nature. 
• Discuss London’s juxtaposition of knowledge and instinct        
• Understand third person, omniscient point of view
• Conduct a plot analysis 

LESSONS 

1. 127 – Plot        
2. 129 Exposition – Read. Do Exercise A #1-2. Do Writing on your Own       
3. 132 Conflicts and Complications – Read. Do Exercise B. Do Writing on your own.  136 – Crisis and Climax – Read. Do Exercise C. Do writing on your own.       
4. 139 Beginning. Middle, End. Read.  Do Exercise D. Do Writing on your own. Do Questions #1-16 from pages 143-147 in your notebook.    

TASKS:

1. Keep a journal as you read this story. Part of the journal will be double entry as seen on page 312 of Readers Handbook. Stop and reflect in your two column notes about every 3-4 pages.  A two column journal consists of one column with a direct quote from the story and the other column that tells “What you think about it” meaning what is your interpretation of the quote: what did it mean to you?
2. Other work that you do from the above list will be included in your journal. If you do not have a notebook, you can use several pieces of looseleaf stapled together. This notebook will be collected for an over all grade.
3. Unit test at the end of this story.        

Questions for Reflection and Discussion after the story is read.  

(Discuss in small groups or whole class and then write answers in your notebook. Include the questions.) 

1. The author often uses a common theme or idea in a story to tie the plot together from beginning to end.  It is sometimes called a “thread” that runs through the story.  Cold and fire are used that way in this story.  How are they threads that run through the story?
2. One kind of conflict is a conflict between people.  The dog in the story isn’t a person but it is a character.  What kind of conflict does the dog experience?
3. In a way, each new problem in a story brings a new turning point or crisis. How was falling in the water a crisis? Was the snow falling on the fire also a turning point?
4. There is an old saying, Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Early in the story Jack London says of the man, “The trouble with him was that he was without imagination.” How are those statements alike?
5. In many of his short stories and novels, Jack London points out that people are frail creatures. How is the man in the story frail?
6. In the story, the man dies and the dog lives. Does that mean the dog is smarter than the man? Or is there some other reason why the dog survives and the man does not?
7. A good storyteller captures your interest at once. Review the first two paragraphs of the story. What do you find there that captures your interest?
8. Many of Jack London’s stories end with someone’s death. Is the man’s death a good ending for this story? Would you have ended the story some other way? Explain.

All work is to placed in your notebook and will be collected and graded. 

Notes on ThemeReader’s Handbook, 376-382 – reference. Test on Friday.  Study  Questions:

1. What are three steps in the plan for understanding theme?
2. What is a topic?
3. What is a theme?
4. What are three examples of common topics?
5. What are the three characteristics of a good theme statement? 

Answers

What are three steps in the plan for understanding theme?

• Finding the “big ideas” or general topics in the work
• Finding out what the characters do and say that relates to the general topics
• Coming up with a statement of the author’s point or message about the topic

What is topic?The topic is simply what the piece of literature is about. What is theme?The author’s point of view about the topic. What are three examples of common topics?Childhood, courage, death, faith, family, freedom, growing up, hate, hope, identity, independence, justice, love, loyalty, nature, patience, patriotism, prejudice, race relations, self-improvement, self-reliance, success, trust, truth, unhappiness, violence, and war.   What are the three characteristics of a good theme statement?Complete sentence that makes a point. It should be as precise as possible concerning what particular message about life that the writer is trying to get across.  Third, the theme statement should relate to people in general not just to specific characters in the story. 

Plot is the series of events that connects the beginning of the story to the end.

Parts of Plot

1. Exposition – opening
2. Rising Action – author describes the problem
3. Climax – the turning point in the story
4. Falling Action – how the problem is solved
5. Resolution – the ending

Reading Strategies

1. Use a graphic organizer for tracking plot. See the storyboard on page 371 in the Reader’s Handbook.
2. Flashback – a jump back in time. Use a timeline to help with this.
3. Subplots – a less important plot that has some elements in common with the main plot. Use a story organizer for this.
4. After Reading – Create a summary of the plot for each chapter.  Create a plot summary graph that gives details for each part of the plot. 

Transitions – how to get from one paragraph to another

Take a look at these websites to help you create smooth transitions

The University of Wisconsin – Madison http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/Transitions.html

Student Learning Services http://learning.concordia.ca/Help/handouts/WritingHO/transitions.shtml

English Works! English Tutoring http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/writing/transitions.html 

 We are studying Reading Skills to help increase our success on AR, STAR and DSTP! 

Make a choice to BE A BETTER READER!   

Notes on Dialogue in a Story

Taken from the Readers Handbook 360-367.

1.  What is the purpose of a speech tag? To identify a character and give clues about the speaker’s tone of voice
2.  How do writers handle dialogue from several speakers? Writers usually begin a new paragraph for each speaker.
3.  How does dialogue affect characters and the plot of a story? Characters reveal a lot about themselves by what they say and how they say it.  Dialogue can advance a plot, give readers clues about what will happen,  and it can also explain what happened before. 
4.  How can dialogue affect the mood of a story? You can tell the mood of a piece of literature – sad, funny, joyous by what is said and how it is said.
5.  What is one reading tool that is useful for reading dialogue – explain. Double entry journal (364).    Thinking Tree (367) Both of these tools help the reader to think about the meaning behind the dialogue.

Reading Skills – Fiction Notes taken from Reader’s Handbook

Elements of Fiction   

• Protagonist and antagonist – conflict exists in fiction usually between the protagonist (main character) and the antagonist (person, thing or force that works against the antagonist). 
• Author’s Purpose – to explain, inform,  entertain, persuade, enlighten or reveal an important truth. This is the reason for creating a work.
• Character – a person, an animal, or an imaginary creature that takes part in the action of the story.  A character can be directly identified and described or hinted at with clues.  Minor characters are less important. Static characters stay the same.  Dynamic characters change from the beginning to the end
• Dialogue and dialect – dialogue is words spoken by characters in a literary work. Dialect is a form of language that is spoken in a particular place or by a particular group of people. 
• Genre – the category or type of literature
• Mood – the feeling that a literary work gives to the readers.
• Point of view – the vantage point from which a story is told. First person the story is told by one of the characters. Third person the story is told by a narrator who stands outside the story and observes.

• Plot  - the action or sequence of events in a story. The plot diagram shows the five parts of a plot: 1- exposition, 2 – rising action, 3- climax, 4- falling action, 5-resolution. Five types of Conflict – person vs. person, person vs. society, person vs. nature, person vs. self, person vs. fate ( a problem that seems to be uncontrollable).
• Setting – the time and place in which the action of a literary work occurs.
• Style – the way the author uses words, phrases and sentences to express ideas.  Style includes the author’s word choice, sentence structure, and use of literary devices.
• Symbol – a person, place, thing or event used to represent something else.
• Theme – statement about life that the author wants to convey to the reader.  Sometimes this is clear; other times it must be inferred or guessed at.

Poetry Terms thanks to Ms. Stouffer and Mrs. Thomas!Updated 12/02/07 

We have been using these terms all year. Now is the time to study the definitions. A test is in  your future!

1.        Metaphor: A figure of speech that compares two things without using the words like or as.

2.        Simile: A figure of speech that compares two things using the words like or as.

3.        Rhythm: is the regular or random occurrence of sound in poetry.

 4.        Rhyme: is the similarity or likeness of sound existing between two words.  Example: sat and cat.

5.        Couplet: is a pair of lines of verse of the same length that usually rhyme.

6.        Sensory Images: Images that are experienced through the senses. They help readers to see, feel, smell, taste, and hear what is being described.

7.        Alliteration: is the repetition of initial consonant sounds in words.

8.        Assonance: is the repetition of vowel sounds without repeating consonants. 9.        Blank Verse: is an unrhymed form of poetry. Each line normally consists of 10 syllables in which every other syllable is stressed.

Metaphors and similes are amazing! Use them to spice up your writing! Do this exercise to practice. Write a metaphor for each of these. Remember, compare this idea to something. 

1. bright- (Tomiko) Her eyes were like a beacon that leads my lost ship back home.  
2. sleepy – (Taylor T.) Like a worn out puppy that played all day. 
3. smart – Like a walking dictionary she was able to comment intelligently on everything.
4. shiny
5. dirty
6. happy
7. hopeful
8. creative
9. ornery
10. peaceful 

Taken from Wikipedia- the links should be live!

Metaphor (from the Greek: metapherin) is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects. In the simplest case, this takes the form: “The [first subject] is a [second subject].” More generally, a metaphor is a rhetorical trope that describes a first subject as being or equal to a second subject in some way. Thus, the first subject can be economically described because implicit and explicit attributes from the second subject are used to enhance the description of the first. This device is known for usage in literature, especially in poetry, where with few words, emotions and associations from one context are associated with objects and entities in a different context.

Within rhetorical theory metaphor is generally considered to be a direct equation of terms that is more forceful and assertive than an analogy, although the two types of tropes are highly similar and often confused. One distinguishing characteristic is that the assertiveness of a metaphor calls into question the underlying category structure, whereas in a rhetorical analogy the comparative differences between the categories remain salient and acknowledged. Similarly, metaphors can be distinguished from other closely related rhetorical concepts such as metonymy, synecdoche, simile, allegory and parable.

The Writing Process

1. Prewriting
2. Drafting
3. Revision
4. Editing
5. Publish

1. PREWRITING   – a closer look rom Writers Inc

Thesis Statement – identifies the focus of your writingOrganization – 1. Study your thesis statement   2. Review the details that support your statement.   3. Consider the methods of organization listed below. 

Methods of Organization – pg 52    1. Chronological order    2. Order of location3. Illustration    4. Climax     5. Compare/Contrast     6. Cause/effect    7. Problem/solution   8.  Definition or classification 

2. DRAFTING – writing your ideas for the first time  

Introduction – beginning – includes thesis statement

Body – middle    

Conclusion – end 

3. REVISING  Find the best possible information and go with it. Reread your piece and find ways to add to the content so that the piece will be fuller, more interesting, and more developed. Reorder your piece if it needs it.  Don’t be afraid to cross out and add to.  Add sensory images – how did it look, sound, smell, taste, feel?    Rewrite your piece to include purpose and enthusiasm. Pg 67 

TAP=Task – what is the job?  Audience – who are you writing for?  Purpose – why are you writing?

4. Editing improving the accuracy and readability of what you have written.Check for spelling, punctuation and grammar. Editing checklist pg 79.

5.  Publish – save to your file on the server.  Write on computers, maybe send it out or put it on the blog.  

From Readers Handbook

Think about why we read (our essential question) and what skills you need to develop to become a better reader.

Study Guide

1. What are two things you should do when you read?

Read with a purpose, connect with what you read, concentrate, draw conclusions. Have a good idea of what the piece really is.  How does it touch you and what do you find surprising.

2. How is reading like a tool?

Helps you perform a number of jobs. Makes some things easier to do.

3. The handbook names six good reasons to read. Name two and explain each.

Enjoyment, information, for meaning, fun, beauty and ease.

4. What are two of the five steps of the writing process?

Pre-write, draft, revise, edit, publish

5.  What are three questions that are part of the reading process?

How can you remember what you are reading? Why are you reading? What are you reading about? What kind of reading is it? Should you re-read? What do you want to get out of the reading?

1.  Why is it helpful to preview before reading?

So you know what to expect when you start reading.

2. What are the two steps of the “During the Reading” stage?

Connect. Read with a purpose.

3. What are the three stages of the reading process?

Set a purpose, preview and plan. Before reading, during reading and after reading.

4. Why is rereading an important step?

So you get the right ideas, to help your memory, find out details.

5. What do you do in the Pause and Reflect step?

Take a moment and think about what you read. Think about how well you met your purpose and understood what you’ve read.