Objectives
- Students will reinforce their analytical and critical thinking skills.
- Students will practice working collaboratively.
- Students will collaboratively create a study guide for the book.
Overview
This is an ongoing activity that lends itself to working with books or other book-length works. Ideally, this can be done online. However, this activity can also be successfully done by making and distributing photocopies of student work.
Materials Needed/Preparation
- If working digitally, prepare your online documents (optional).
- Have copies of the sample template/outline (see below).
- Based on how the reading assignments are broken out, match each student or set of partners with a reading assignment (or part of one).
- ~This can be done in partners or in small groups.
- ~Books with chapters are more easily adapted for this activity. For books with “chapters” of widely varying length, such as Travels with Charley, break up the assignment into fair/equal parts for each student or set of partners.
- Create a list of takeaways that include important themes, scenes, symbolism, etc. for each section of reading.
- ~See Discussion by Section for more themes, scenes, symbols, etc.
Estimated Time
20 – 30 minutes to set up the activity. Then, students work on it primarily at home.
Procedures
- Introduce the activity, and distribute a sample outline/template.
- ~Consider posting this sample online as well.
- For their assigned section(s) of the readings, students will do the following:
- ~List the major themes/issues from the reading.
- ~Site specific examples, scenes, quotations, etc. that exhibit these themes.
- ~Explain/analyze the example.
- ~~How does it connect to the themes of the chapter (section, etc.)?
- ~~How does it connect to the themes of the book?
- ~~Why is this passage important?
- ~~Any form of analytical reaction can be valid.
- ~Submit write-up.
- ~~Ideally, this is done in a digital environment.
- ~~If done in hard copy form, students will turn in their write-up. Photocopies need to be made and distributed to the class.
- ~It is important to check student progress throughout the project. Check student write-ups on a daily basis; ensure accuracy and thoroughness.
- ~Consider doing this at the beginning of class while students are working on an opening activity/journal assignment.
- Student analyses can/should be used for class discussions, quizzes, etc.
- ~This activity can also serve as preparation for student-led discussions. (See Discussion by Section for more details.)
Post Activity/Takeaways/Follow-up
Takeaways
- Students are creating a study guide for the book and should have a more thorough understanding of the themes, characters, and important passages in the book. (Also see Study Guides.)
Follow-up
- It is important that student write-ups be examined by the teacher before distributing them to the entire class. Be certain that the write-ups are accurate.
Assessment
- When assessing student work, take into consideration individual student progress in analytical reading and writing.
- Based on the takeaways created by the teacher:
- ~Did the student address all parts of the outline/template?
- ~How thoroughly did the student examine the reading?
- ~Did the student use proper examples from the book to support her/his analyses?
California State Content Standards Met
- History-Social Science Content Standards 6-8
- ~Research, Evidence, and Point of View: 2, 3
- ~Reading Standards for Literature 6-12
- ~Key Ideas and Details: 1, 2, 3
- ~Craft and Structure: 4, 5, 6
Common Core State Standards Met
- Reading Standards for Informational Text 6-12
- ~Key Ideas and Details: 1, 2, 3
- ~Craft and Structure: 4, 5, 6
- Writing Standards 6-12
- ~Text Types and Purposes: 1, 2
- ~Production and Distribution of Writing: 4, 5, 6
- ~Research to Build and Present Knowledge: 9
- Speaking and Listening Standards 6-12
- ~Comprehension and Collaboration: 1
- ~Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: 5
- Language Standards 6-12
- ~Conventions of Standards of English: 1, 2, 3
- ~Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: 4, 5
- Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6-12
- ~Key Ideas and Details: 1, 2, 3
- ~Craft and Structure: 4, 5, 6
