Thursday November 17, 2016 Bellwork Prompt: From what we have talked about in class so far this unit, what do you think a claim is? When you finish you will need your writer s notebook and your copy of Raymond s Run.
Learning Target 11/17/16 Today I want to teach you that when literary essayists write about a character, they work hard to come up with an idea, a claim, that captures the whole of that person so the claim (or thesis statement) is big enough to think and write about for a while and can maybe even become the central idea of the entire essay.
Add to our chart of How to Write a Literary Essay about Character Try to generate an idea about the character that encompasses the whole character and the whole text
Write-to-Think I notice that when people say mean things about Raymond, Squeaky reacts by saying, I much rather just knock you down I wonder why Bambara included this detail about Squeaky-that she wants to knock people down. Maybe the author wants to show us that Squeaky is really really angry over how people treat her brother. On the other hand, perhaps Bambara is showing us that Squeaky really loves Raymond-she loves him so much that she s willing to fight for him. Or it could be that Bambara is trying to show that Squeaky thinks it works better to fight than to talk through stuff.
Write-to-Think 2 I think Bambara wants to show that Squeaky is a good runner. I think maybe she also wants to show that Squeaky is really egotistical, like she is a rapper saying, I m the best! But it is sad she is running a relay race all by herself. Maybe the author is trying to show that Squeaky doesn t have any friends because she is running all by herself and winning all the spots. I bet maybe she doesn t have friends because she is always attacking kids.
Internal Motivation Write-to-Think Squeaky seems tough and angry, wanting to knock down people, but even though she seems tough, what shines through is how much she loves Raymond. He is disabled in some way, I am not sure how exactly, and having him tag along could make some people crazy. But she wants to stay near him to look out for him. They go everywhere together. If people tease her brother or treat him badly, Squeaky gets mad. She knows he is different and that he can t protect himself. Protect. That is a good word for what Squeaky does. Squeaky wants to protect her brother from the world. She watches that he walks on the safe side of the sidewalk and knocks anyone down who so much as looks at him. It is like she sees the whole world as enemies to her and to Raymond. Maybe she s gotten tough because people have made fun of her and she uses that toughness to protect Raymond. But while she thinks she is just protecting Raymond, she is also pushing people away and I sort of wonder if she is lonely, deep down.
Dive into your notebooks to decide: What is the main thing we really want to say about Squeaky?
Possible Claims *Squeaky seems tough and angry, wanting to knock people down, but what shines through is how much she loves Raymond. *Deep down, Squeaky just wants to protect Raymond. *Squeaky acts tough to people and pushes them away. *In spite of her big talk and her toughness, Squeaky is lonely BUT she doesn t want people to know.
Friday November 18th, 2016 Using my claim example from yesterday, come up with a claim for Raymond s Run: Squeaky is protective because she is willing to fight for her brother, because she stands up to people for him, and most of all because she is willing to sacrifice things she loves to make her brother happy.
Learning Target 11/18/16 Today I want to teach you that when literary essayists write about a character, they work hard to come up with an idea, a claim, that captures the whole of that person so the claim (or thesis statement) is big enough to think and write about for a while and can maybe even become the central idea of the entire essay.
fiercely protective of her brother B: When she threatens to knock anyone down that messes with her brother Raymond. M: She stands up to a whole group of girls that start trouble with Raymond. E: Squeaky decides to give up running in order to make sure her brother finds happiness.