10th Grade World Literature
Unit Two: Q & A
Holly Fritz
Week Seven: 10/18-10/22
Learning Goal: SWBAT
1. Recall the main events from “A Thought for the Crippled” and “How to Speak Australian” by
taking and passing a reading quiz and working with a partner to add to their narrative plot list.
2. Construct a chronological plot line by reordering the events on the narrative plot list.
Do Now:
http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=a1Y73sPHKxw
• Take out loose leaf paper
and get ready for the quiz
(name, date, quiz 2 as
heading)
Homework: Notebooks will be
collected at the end of the
week for notebook check 1.
Agenda:
1. Quiz #2
2. Partner work: review plot
list (hw) and add to it if
necessary. Order the plot
list in chronological order.
Follow the steps for the
chronological plot line.
Quiz #2: “A Thought for the
Crippled” and “How to Speak
Australian”
Learning Goal: SWBAT
Recall the main events from “A Thought for the
Crippled” and “How to Speak Australian” by taking and
passing a reading quiz and working with a partner to
add to their narrative plot list.
1. How and where did Ram meet Salim? How old were the two boys
when they met?
2. What happened to Salim’s family?
3. How does Ram save Salim?
4. Who is Maman?
5. What does Maman have planned for Ram and Salim?
6. Where do Ram and Salim run away to at the end of “A Thought for
the Crippled”?
7. Describe the Taylor family. What is Ram’s life like with the Taylor
family?
8. Why is Salim not with Ram in this chapter?
9. What is Colonel Taylor’s secret?
10. Describe how this chapter ends?
Partner Work: Creating a
Chronological Plotline of the
novel
Learning Goals: SWBAT
Construct a plot line that reflects both the narrative and the
chronological order of the events in the novel.
Directions: Complete the following steps with your partner: We will continue to add to our plotlines
throughout the rest of this unit, so leave space if you realize there are holes in Ram’s story (example,
we still don’t know what happened to him at Neelima Kumar’s house). Your finished plot line at the
end of the unit will be graded as a unit test.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Step One: Share/read through your lists of events that you did for homework last night. Add to your
list if you realize that your partner remembered something important that you didn’t have on your list.
Once you both have complete lists then move on to step two.
Step Two: Hilight events on your list that are moments of transgression.
Step Three: Put a star next to events on your list that are examples of agency.
Step Four: Get 9 sheets of paper and glue them together (see example)
Step Five: Make a timeline in the center of your paper.
Step Six: Label one side of your plot line “chronological order” and the other “narrative order”
Step Seven: Transfer your list of important events from your notebook to the “narrative order side” of
the plot line. Make sure you mark moments of transgression and agency and include 3 quotes.
Step Eight: Illustrate at least 5 events on your list by drawing or attaching pictures or symbols that
relate to these events.
Step Nine: Re-order the events on your “narrative order” side so that they are in chronological order
(the order of Ram’s life from birth- age 18, when the book begins).
Learning Goal: SWBAT
1. Review the important events from “A Thought for the Crippled” and “How to Speak
Australian” by going over the answers to yesterday’s quiz.
2. Finish constructing a narrative plot line and identify moments of transgression and
agency in the novel on the plot line.
Do Now:
• Update your table of
contents
Homework: Find three
important quotes to add to
your timeline.
Agenda:
1. Do Now
2. Review partner work
guidelines
3. Partner work: your goal is
to finish both sides of your
timeline by the end of
class.
Learning Goal: SWBAT
1. finish constructing a narrative plot line and identify moments of transgression and
agency in the novel on the plot line.
2. Begin organizing the events on the plot list into chronological order.
Do Now: On page 34
Vocabulary Review!!
• What is the connection
between transgression and
agency? What do these two
words have in common?
• Draw a picture that shows
the connection.
Agenda:
1. Do Now and share (vocab.
review)
2. Partner work on timeline!
Homework: Read “Hold on to
Your Buttons” and answer
the guided reading
questions on page ______.
Q & A: “Hold On to Your Buttons”
Directions: Answer the following guided reading questions on page ____ of your INB.
Answer in complete sentences and be specific!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Where is Ram living and working in this chapter?
When does this chapter take place? Before “How to Speak Australian” or after?
Describe the slums of Dharavi.
Who is Prakash Rao? What is his story?
Prakash Rao tells Ram, “Nothing is an accident, and everything is possible.” (p. 139).
What does he mean? How does this connect to Ram’s story?
6. How does this chapter end?
7. What does Ram take from Prakash Rao at the end of his story?
8. How does Smita react to this story? How would you react if you were her? Do you
believe Ram is telling the truth here? Why/why not?
9. What do you think was the purpose of this chapter? What does this chapter reveal
about Ram?
10. Why is this chapter called “Hold on to your Buttons”?
Monday 10/25/10
Learning Goals: SWBAT
1. Recall the main events from “A Soldier’s Tale”.
2. Identify the qualities of a good thesis statement by evaluating several examples.
Do Now:
• Why do you think Balwant
Singh lies?
Agenda:
1. Do Now and HW check: “A
Soldier’s Tale”
2. HW review (Sophie and
Mario)
3. Thesis statement minilesson/review.
4. Tridads: Thesis statement
inquiry.
Review: What is a
Thesis Statement?
Learning Goal: SWBAT
Identify the qualities of a good thesis
statement.
• A thesis statement is an argument. It should state your
position on an essay question or piece of literature.
• It should clearly reflect your ideas about a piece (or more
than one piece) of literature and the essay question.
• Your thesis statement should include two parts: your
argument/answer to the essay question as well as
information about how you are going to prove your
argument in the body of your paper.
• A thesis statement should not be too broad or too narrow
(see my examples).
• A thesis statement is the heart of your essay. Your entire
essay needs to be organized around supporting your thesis.
Where Does My Thesis
Statement Belong?
Learning Goal: SWBAT
Identify the qualities of a good thesis
statement
• Your thesis statement belongs at the end of
your introductory paragraph.
• Your thesis statement can be more than one
sentence in length. However, it should be no
more than three sentences long.
How will I know if I’ve
written a good thesis
statement?
Learning Goal: SWBAT
Identify the qualities of a good thesis statement
You should ask yourself the following questions:
1. Always refer to your rubric!
2. Did I answer one of the essay questions?
3. Can I think of at least three examples to support
my thesis statement?
4. Can I imagine someone else disagreeing with my
thesis statement? If not, then is my thesis
statement merely a summary statement? How
can I make it into an argument that reflects my
own unique understanding of the texts and
ideas from unit one?
Directions: Read the sample essay question and the
three sample thesis statements below. Then, use your
review notes on thesis statements and your thesis
statement rubric to evaluate each of the three
examples.
Learning Goal: SWBAT
Identify the qualities of a good thesis
statement.
• "The city may have chosen to ignore the ugly growth of Dharavi, but a cancer
cannot be stopped simply by being declared illegal" (pg. 134). Often in life,
problems go unacknowledged because they’re too painful to face. How does this
happen throughout this book and what impact does this have on the characters?
Sample Thesis Statement #1:
Throughout the novel, the characters ignore problems that are too painful to face. This has a negative
impact on the characters.
Sample Thesis Statement #2:
In the novel Q & A, the landlord of the chawl tells Ram he should ignore the situation in Shantaram and
Gudiya’s family because what happens in a man’s family is only his business. This happens because this is a
problem that is too painful to face.
Sample Thesis Statement #3:
In the novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup, Ram encounters many problems that go unacknowledged because they
are too painful to deal with. Ram transgresses this norm throughout the novel by confronting these painful
truths and in doing this he exerts his own agency. Examples of these transgressions and agency include
Ram’s murder of Shantaram, and his exposure of both Gupta in the juvenile home for boys and of Colonel
Taylor’s treason. In all of these examples Ram brings major problems to light and forces those around him to
deal with the painful truth.
Learning Goals: SWBAT
1. Recall the main events from “Murder on the Western Express” by taking and passing a
chapter quiz.
2. Identify the qualities of a good thesis statement by evaluating three sample thesis statements with a
partner.
Do Now: On page 34 or 36
Agenda:
•
1.
2.
•
•
•
•
•
Answer the following question in at
least 3 complete sentences.
Restate the question as the topic
sentence for your response.
On p. 155 Ram says, “That dreams
have power only over your own
mind. But with money you can
have power over the minds of
others.”
What does he mean by this?
Why does he say/think this?
Do you agree or disagree with
him?
Explain your feelings about this
quote.
3.
4.
5.
Do Now/Pair share
Quiz “Murder on the Western
Express”
Erik and Kira– quiz review
Thesis statement notes review
Thesis Statement Inquiry:
partner work.
Homework: Read “A Soldier’s Tale”
and complete the during reading
and post-reading assignment.
Reading Quiz: “Murder on the
Western Express”
Learning Goal: Recall the main events from
“Murder on the Western Express” by taking
and passing a chapter quiz.
Directions: Answer the following questions by citing specific details from the
chapter.
1. Where is Ram going at the beginning of this chapter?
2. How/why does Ram feel different in this chapter?
3. Where does Ram hide his money?
4. Describe Ram’s fellow passengers.
5. What is a dacoit?
6. What do the dacoits do on the train?
7. How does Akshay betray Ram?
8. Towards the end of the chapter, Ram imagines that Meenakshi is someone
else. Who does she become in his imagination? What do you think this
might reveal about Ram?
9. Why is this chapter titled “Murder on the Western Express”?
10. How did this story help Ram answer another question on the game show?
HW: Pre-Reading for “A Soldier’s Tale”
1. India and Pakistan are two different countries that
share a border. There is a long history of conflict/war
between these two countries.
2. In 1971 there was a war called the Indo-Pakistani war
that lasted only 13 days (the shortest war in history).
This war is described in this chapter.
3. There continues to be tension between these two
countries and alleged terrorist attacks.
4. This chapter takes place when Ram is living with and
working for Neelima Kumar (he has the week off and
is spending the week with Salim in the Chawl), before
the movie theater scene and before Ram kills
Shantaram.
HW: Guided Reading Questions for “A Soldier’s Tale”
1. Where does this chapter take place? Why are Ram and
Salim in this place?
2. How do Ram and Salim and the other kids feel about the
war?
3. Who is Balwant Singh?
4. Why does Balwant Singh say that “this is not a real war”?
5. Summarize the story he tells everyone in this chapter.
6. What effect does his story have on his audience?
7. How is the truth about Balwant Singh revealed?
8. What does Balwant Singh do after he is exposed as a liar?
9. What was the purpose of this story? How did it help Ram
correctly answer another question on W3B?