AP Language and Composition
Whole Class Text Study: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Overarching Essential Questions:
- How can readers of complex texts effectively discern, and then communicate what they have discerned, about author’s craft, structure content and style?
- What does it mean to be "American"? What themes and representation(s) of what it means to be American are evident in the Bluest Eye?
Our purpose(s):
- To have a shared experience around a "classic" text that is suggested as an 11th grade exemplar by the Common Core Standards. This text will be a resource for our argumentative unit, "What does it mean to be American"
- To continue to develop our skills discerning and analyzing complex literary texts at a college level
- To continue to develop our skills communicating our arguments about the text in writing and discussion at a college level (will be a source for a longer argumentative essay after our novel study is complete)
- To use this text to practice for the literary analysis writing task on the Common Core Regents (part 3)
Week 1- Due by 10/31
Read up to p.93 and complete these two literary analysis tasks!
Here's the Rubric!
Task 1: Quote Comment Question- Complete by Monday for any quotation pages 1-93. Linked Here....Due by Monday 10/31
Task 2: Create a Ted Ed account...Watch a video lesson and respond to the follow up questions Due by Monday 10/31 |
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This video, by another teacher named Amy Harter, is excellent advice about how to analyze literature more deeply so that you can create sophisticated theme statements (central ideas!). Click on the link to watch the video and answer the questions afterwards. This should help you with your analysis and discussion.
Week 2
This Week's Overview Link
Finish the book and complete literary analysis tasks 3-5 by Monday, 11/7
Task 3: For this 2-3 paragraph HAND WRITTEN response, you will need to identify a theme in the text and describe how Morrison uses a literary element or device to develop that theme. The regents calls a theme central idea - it's the same thing! This response mirrors part 3 of the common core regents.
Click here to visit my "literary language" page and take a look to refresh your memory and notice what you need to review. Then print it or copy it to your google drive. We will use this as a guide to review literary elements going forward.
The Bluest Eye Literary Response:
Please write a response (2-3 paragraphs) by hand/on looseleaf!
Identify a central idea (THEME) in The Bluest Eye and how the author’s use of one writing strategy (literary element or technique) helps to develop that central idea. Do not simply summarize the text.
- Linked Here is an Outline
Click here to visit my "literary language" page and take a look to refresh your memory and notice what you need to review. Then print it or copy it to your google drive. We will use this as a guide to review literary elements going forward.
The Bluest Eye Literary Response:
Please write a response (2-3 paragraphs) by hand/on looseleaf!
Identify a central idea (THEME) in The Bluest Eye and how the author’s use of one writing strategy (literary element or technique) helps to develop that central idea. Do not simply summarize the text.
- identify a central idea (a.k.a theme)
- identify one literary element/device (Examples include: characterization, conflict, denotation/connotation, metaphor, simile, irony, language use, point-of-view, setting, structure, symbolism, theme, tone, etc.)
- use text evidence to support your claim that demonstrates the element in action.
- explain how Morrison’s use of this element helps to develop the central idea
- Linked Here is an Outline
Here is a sampling of model essays from the regents. Note a 4 is the highest!
Task 4: Read the foreword (at the beginning of the book before it starts) and complete a QCQ for this section: Linked here
Task 5: Prepare for whole class socratic seminar discussion by reading at least 2 of these articles and viewing at least one of the clips. Consider: essential questions, excerpts/quotations, themes, this week's articles and any other tools that push your thinking!
- On Beauty: Banning Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye
- The Economist, "Book Banning Education Standards"
- Think Progress, "The Bluest Eye Banning in Alabama"
- Looking for a challenge? This is a lengthy essay as part of a PhD thesis on "Racialised Beauty"
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View: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED talk on "The Danger of a Single Story"
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View: Melissa Harris Perry (from MSNBC news channel) on the proposed Ohio state ban of The Bluest Eye
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Socratic Seminar Overview:
This method of discussion has some guidelines and protocol to help participants engage in meaningful conversation. You run the conversation and everyone has to talk at least once. I will not participate in the discussion unless there is a lull or I notice a potential talking point that may guide and push your conversation. Other than that, the floor is yours.
This method of discussion has some guidelines and protocol to help participants engage in meaningful conversation. You run the conversation and everyone has to talk at least once. I will not participate in the discussion unless there is a lull or I notice a potential talking point that may guide and push your conversation. Other than that, the floor is yours.
We are pushing ourselves to…
- ask sophisticated essential questions
- refer to the text, often, to support our arguments
- discuss literary elements
- discuss larger, universal themes
- take notes throughout the discussion so we can gather our thoughts and collect ideas
- consider and question the text as evidence to answer our essential question "What does it mean to be "American"