Starter:  With a partner, discuss your questions and apprehensions about POL's.
Task Statement
Question Bank
Rubric


Goal for the Day

• Integrate the content a narrative film into your thinking about our current studies.
• Make connections across genres.

Film Screening:  Smoke Signals

As you watch the film, look for evidence that relates to the themes we have been discussing in the other texts.  Look for connections.  Have the project essential questions in the back of your mind. Take notes in such a way that will help you  be able to write the response and process our course content.

Film Response should be written in Comp Book .

Goals for the Day

• Identify themes across fictional and non-fictional works by Native authors
• Make a claim about theme in multiple works

Trailer from the Lone Ranger
Starter 12.8:  Why do you think the title of this book (and/or the story of the same name) is called The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven?

Brainstorm ideas in small groups for two of the themes
1. Pick two themes
2. Come up with one example from the Dartmouth student essays and one example from Alexie's short stories that support illustrate that theme.
3. What is the point that the author is making about that theme? What is the message or big idea the authors are trying to show the reader?



Making Claims 
PRACTICE!!!  
Following the guidelines in the Powerpoint, write or rewrite a potential claim for your analytical response essay.  Get feedback from a peer.  Revise again?  Show me when you are finished.

WORK TIME
1. Plan (see outline templates on page 3 of essay description)
2. Write
3.  See this SAMPLE ANALYSIS for a better idea of what this assignment is calling for.




POL PREVIEW
1. The Bobs
2. Task Statement
3. Question Bank
4. Rubric


HOMEWORK
1. Look closely at POL description.  What questions do you have?
2. Continue to plan and write your essay.  If you haven't finished all of the readings for this assignment, get after that first!

• We will have a mini-critique about 1/2 way through Wednesday's class.  Please have a working draft during class on Wednesday.  This means that you should have already written your claim, gathered evidence, and planned your writing before class Wednesday.

3.  Be sure your comp book is caught up!  Click here for Table of Contents.
4.  Send my DP link if you have not already done so.

Dear beautiful students:
Staying home with Luca today.  I will miss you terribly.  Perhaps I will run into you on your Digital Comp Books second period, as you work through the day's tasks.  If you are struggling with technology and can't access my DP, please look on with a partner and do the work on paper.  If you are struggling with Friday-itis, please persevere.  If you are struggling with analyzing literature, ask Nicholas Turco what themes the stories contain:)

Zoe will be here 3rd period to talk to you about LINK.

Announcements:
Avalanche 1 course information meeting in Ashley's room at lunch today. 
DP link for Rhetoric Project due by the end of the day!

Today's Goals:

• Identify overarching themes in Alexie's stories and find textual evidence that supports the themes
• Get information and clarification about LINK from Zoe

Starter 12.5
For either story you read last night ("This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, AZ" or "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven"), try to make an interpretive claim about the story.  What do think might be a thematic statement that Alexie is trying to make?

Themes Brainstorm Activity
1. You may work with your peers on this, but everyone should have his or her own work in the comp book.   
2. Create a T-chart table in your digital comp book or copy and paste this one.  One side should say "Themes" and the other "Textual Evidence."  
3. Think about all five of the stories we have read.  What overarching themes emerge from Alexie's work?
4. You may note evidence from any of the stories.  The evidence does not just have to be direct quotes. You can also paraphrase things that happen in the stories as evidence.  Note the page numbers to make it easier to incorporate the evidence into your writing later.  (See example)
5. Try to identify at least 5 themes, but feel free to do more.  This brainstorm is designed to help you process your ideas for the writing assignment.  

READ Essays from First Person, First Peoples
1. Paper copies of this on the front table.  THIS IS YOUR HOMEWORK THIS WEEKEND!
2. Read the info on the book cover to contextualize the writing.
3. Read and annotate these essays with the analytical response assignment in mind.

THIRD PERIOD:  WELCOME, ZOE!!!!

Goals for the Day
Clarify expectations of the analytical response assignment
Identify themes in Sherman Alexie's stories
Make interpretive claims about literature

Verbal Starter:  Turn to a partner and discuss your reaction to reading Alexie's stories.  What do you notice about his style?  Do you like his work?  Why or why not?


GO OVER:  Analytical Response Writing
What questions do we have?

GROUP WORK: "A Drug Called Tradition"

• Take notes on a shared google document with me and all group members
• Elect one note-taker.  Put everyone's name on the document and share with all.
• Everyone should have their book open and be working to analyze the lit
• Don't divide and conquer- work through each question as a group and make sure everyone understands.

1. What does it mean to be a "real Indian" according to the characters in "A Drug Called Tradition"?

2. How does Alexie divide dreams from reality? What is the difference between dreams and reality for the three boys?

3. What does this quote mean: "When Indians make lots of money from corporations that way, we can all hear our ancestors laughing in the trees.  But we never can tell whether they're laughing at the Indians or the whites. I think they're laughing at pretty much everybody"(13).

4. Where else do you see evidence of a tension between Western society, or the U.S. government and Native culture? What does Alexie seem to suggest about the way these boys feel about the government and/or white society?


5. How does tradition function like a drug for Native Americans? What does it offer them? What does it let them dream of?

6. The narrator talks about skeletons that represent the past and the future. How does he describe these skeletons and how must a young Indian relate to them?  What is he saying about tradition in this selection? 


WHOLE CLASS:  What do you think are the primary "thematic concepts" in this story? What are the passages and quotes that seem to represent the themes?


What do we mean when we say "Make an interpretive claim about literature?"



INDEPENDENT WORK:  "Indian Education"

• Re-read story and revisit annotations
• Exit Ticket: Make a claim!  Write a paragraph explaining what you think might be the "thematic statement" of the story.  That is to say, what does the story "say" about the subject matter, in this case, Indian education.  What evidence in the story points to this theme?

HOMEWORK:

"This is What is Means to Say Phoenix, AZ" (p. 59) and "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" (p. 191)
(Read and annotate with larger assignment in mind.  Interpret, analyze, identify evidence that may help you on the writing assignment.)

Essays from First Person, First Peoples (for Monday)

NO STARTER!

Goals for the Day:

• Process and synthesize readings and film
• Understand the perspective of Sherman Alexie's work
• Define "theme" 

1. Wrap up yesterday....
Finish Reel Injun
20 minutes to work on your response to the film

2. Circle up!!  Discussion: Chapter 1, Bury My Heart

3. Assign Books

4. About the Author:  Sherman Alexie and Colbert

5.  Read together:  "Imagining the Reservation"

• Powerful Images?
• What strikes you about this writing?
• What is Alexie doing here?

What is a theme?

• Central idea of a literary work

• Categories of theme in contemporary literary studies:
• Thematic concept:  what it's about
• Thematic statement:  what the work "says" about the subject matter

What themes emerge from this story?

Why does Alexie say, "Imagination is the only weapon on the reservation"?

7. Preview: Analytical Response Writing

8.  Timeline of due dates for December

9.  Google folder of project resources

HOMEWORK:
Read "A Drug Called Tradition" (p. 12) and  "Indian Education" (p. 171) for tomorrow.
As you read through Alexie's work, try to pick out passages that seem to represent the themes of the stories.  Annotate on post-it's or stand-alone notes in ways that will ultimately help you analyze the stories in your written response.

Starter 12.2:  What stereotypes and ideas about Native Americans have you seen perpetuated in the media and popular culture?


Film Screening:  Reel Injun
1.  A resource:  Film Guide (read fact sheet on page #4)
2.  Annotate film as desired in order to do the assignment below.
3.  Keep the project essential questions in mind as you watch the film.

• How do the historical experiences and ideologies of America’s indigenous tribes impact their contemporary identity?
• How can an examination of multiple sources and perspectives lead to a more enlightened understanding of history AND contemporary social, cultural and political realities?
• Where do history and creative expression intersect to reveal the human experience?

Reel Injun Film Reaction
IN COMP BOOK:  In at least 2 solid TEA paragraphs, write a reaction to the film.  What did you find interesting or striking about the film's content?  What new perspectives did you gain from watching this film?  (You may also respond to elements of the film guide.)

WELCOME BACK!!!!  How was break?

Chat about Ferguson verdict....

Announcements

• DP update extension.    Please send me link when this is complete.  New Ospreys:  Does Dusty have your link?
• Honors lunch meeting on Wednesday.  Please sign up for a meeting on the calendar!
• I'm still grading reflections:)

NEW PROJECT!!!




Starter 12.1:  Read the poem "Crazy Horse Speaks"

• What historical content do you think this is referring to? 
• What questions do you have about this poem, its significance?
• What people/places/events do you think you need to research/study to better understand this poem’s meaning?
• Can you formulate any interpretations of this poem right now? 
• Choose a passage from the poem and make an interpretive claim about its significance.

Goals for the Day

• Understand the goals for our Native American Studies project
• Explore the place where history intersects literature (that is to say: use historical information to understand literature and use literary interpretation to understand history)

Project Description

• Questions and Clarifications

Group Work:  "Crazy Horse Speaks"

• Take turns sharing your starter responses
• One group member open up the google document 
• Make a copy and share it with all of your group members AND Jessica
• Divvy up research on the people/places/events and add notes to Google Doc.

Video:  Where Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse Defeated Colonel Custer


Whole class discussion:  What new understandings do we have about the poem? What further questions do you have?


We are going to be exploring the intersections between history and literary expression.


Reading:  Chapter 1 of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Who was Dee Brown?
Read intro aloud; establish bias of the history.


Bury My Heart Chapter One Response (HOMEWORK)
Annotate with the following questions it mind and then respond to them it your COMP BOOK: 

1.  How does this version of America’s history diverge from how you have traditionally learned it? 

2.  Where do you see evidence of a different ideological lens or worldview in the way the history is being told?  

3.  Why is it important to look at this version of the history of the West?