Chapters 5 and 6

Chapters 5 and 6 must be completed...on your own....we will go over them when we return from break! Enjoy your time off.
If you did not turn in your journal before the break it will be accepted on Jan 4th ONLY ...for partial credit!

Chapter 4
1. What does Scout think of current fashions in education?
Scout is very bored in school. She wants to read and her teacher won’t let her. She can already hand write and her teacher wants her to wait until third grade to do that. Scout feels school is a waste of time.
2. What superstitions do the children have in connection with the Radley house?
The nuts that fall off the tree into the school yard are poison. Boo comes out and haunts the town at night. They run past the house whenever they pass it alone.
3. Why do the children make Boo's story into a game?
They are bored with all their other “plays.” Boo is a mystery to them and they want to imagine what his life must have been like. They know they are doing something wrong and that might add an element of excitement as well.
4. What do they do in this game? Do you think the game is an accurate version of what happens in the Radleys' home?
In the game they act out everything they have ever heard about Boo’s life plus they make up dialogue that they think might have happened. Scout plays Boo’s mother, Dill plays the father, Jem plays Boo. For all the other roles, they double up parts as needed. The big scene is where Boo attacks his father with a pair of scissors which they sneak out of Calpurnia’s sewing basket.
5. What might be the cause of the laughter from inside the house?
Maybe Boo watches the children and he thinks it looks funny to see a little girl rolling in a tire then crashing into his gate.

Chapter 3
9. Who is Calpurnia? What is her place in the Finch household?
Calpurnia is the Finch’s black housekeeper and nanny who has been with them since Jem was born. She cooks, cleans, sews, irons and does all the other household chores, but she also disciplines the children. Atticus holds her in very high esteem and insists that the children respect her completely. Scout argues with Cal a lot, but never gets her way. Although Cal seems stern, she clearly cares about the family and takes good care of them.
10. What is Walter Cunningham like? What does his behavior during lunch suggest about his home life?
Walter is from a poor farming family. He is polite and shy and very proud—he will take no charity from anyone. When he eats with the Finches it is clear from his conversation with Atticus that he takes on adult responsibilities at home and understands about farming. He does not have very sophisticated manners, a fact he shows by pouring molasses all over his food.
11. What do you think of the way Atticus treats Walter?
Atticus shows respect for Walter, as he does for everyone. He may want to be an example to his kids of how important it is to interact respectfully with everyone, regardless of social standing. Atticus talks to Walter like he is an adult, talking to him about crops and his family’s farm.
12. Does Scout learn anything from Walter's visit? What do you think this is?
Scout learns that judging other people just shows your own lack of class. Calpurnia sees to it that Scout learns this lesson. When Scout criticizes Walter for pouring syrup all over his food, Cal calls her out to the kitchen and gives her a verbal lashing. Scout is humiliated and eats the rest of her meal in the kitchen.
13. Atticus says that you never really understand a person “until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”. What does this mean?
Everyone has his own perspective and experience that form the decisions he makes and the actions he takes. Until you understand these things about a person, you should not judge him. So you have to try to imagine another person’s life and try to understand why she is the way she is instead of judging.

Chapter 2....... Miss Caroline Fisher

Chapter 2
• Why is Scout so looking forward to starting school?
Scout loves learning and wants to show off her skills and learn more
• Why does Jem not want anything to do with Scout at school? Is his behavior typical a big brother?
Jem doesn’t want her to embarrass him, this is typical of an older brother
• What do you think of Miss Caroline Fisher as a teacher? Can you find qualities that would make her good or not so good at her job?
She is a very poor teacher because although Scout is advanced she sees that as a problem, she doesn’t understand her students. She belittles children. She thinks she knows better than others and is mean

Chapter one questions!!!!!

Chapter 1
• What do you learn in this chapter about Maycomb, Atticus Finch and his family?
Maycomb is 20 miles east of Finch’s Landing, it is a tired, old town hot, people move slowly, boring town
Family: Atticus is a lawyer, studied law in Montgomery, his kids Jem and Scout liked him, he played, read and treated them with courteous detachment. Their mother died when Scout was 2 sudden heart attck, 15 years younger than Atticus. Calpurnia live with the family since Jem was born.
Atticus, from the family of Simon Finch, He has a (younger) brother(John Hale Finch) who studied medicine in Boston and a sister Alexandra married and stayed in Finch’s Landing.
• What do you learn about Dill's character?
Dill came for the summer, to stay next door with Miss Rachel Haverford. His name is Charles Baker Harris he is going on 7 , he is from Meridian Miss. His mom was originally from Maycomb.
Blue lined shorts buttoned to his shirt, snow white hair, short, blue eyes, cowlick in the middle of his forehead. No dad, not dead
• What, briefly, has happened to Arthur “Boo” Radley.
When he was young he would hang with the wrong crowd, the Cunninghams, they stole a car, resisted arrest, locked a cop in an outhouse. They were sent to industrial school but Mr Radley took his son home (his word was his bond) Arthur was not seen for 15 years
Rumor has it that Boo once stabbed his father in the leg with scissors at 33 years old, (he wasn’t crazy) he was locked in the courthouse basement, he was eventually sent home to the Radley place

• Why does the Radley place fascinate Scout, Jem and Dill?
It is the subject of rumors, Boo hasn’t been seen in years, mystery surrounds it

• What do you notice about the narrative voice and viewpoint in the novel?
Scout tells the story. Voice/ viewpoint is that of a young girl.

Background .... The Great Depression

1. What was the Great Depression?
An economic crisis, worldwide economic depression and mass unemployment

2. When did it occur? How long did it last?
1929 About 10 years

3. What is considered to be the starting point?
Black Thursday, 10-24-29

4. Explain the top five causes of the Great Depression.
• Stock Market Crash
a steep fall in stock prices, due to financial panic.
• Bank Failures (Website?
banks failed because the panic caused people to withdraw their money from banks
• Reduction in Purchasing
people panicked and stopped buying things, this caused unemployment which meant people couldn't buy
• American Economic Policies with Europe
taxes on imports meant that trade with the US slowed.

• Drought Conditions
Drought in the Mississippi Valley in 1930, farmers couldn't pay bills and lost theirs farms etc.
5. Who was the president at the beginning of the Great Depression?
Herbert Hoover

6. What was the Smoot Hawley Tariff Act? Why did it cause more problems?
It put taxes on imports, trade stopped

7. Explain three programs of The New Deal introduced by president Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Agricultural Adjustment Act AAA 1933 Protected farmers from price drops by providing crop subsidies to reduce production, educational programs to teach methods of preventing soil erosion
.
Civil Works Administration CWA 1933 Provided public works jobs at $15/week to four million workers in 1934.

Civilian Conservation Corps CCC 1933 Sent 250,000 young men to work camps to perform reforestation and conservation tasks. Removed surplus of workers from cities, provided healthy conditions for boys, provided money for families.

Federal Emergency Relief Act FERA 1933 Distributed millions of dollars of direct aid to unemployed workers.

Glass-Steagall Act FDIC 1933 Created federally insured bank deposits ($2500 per investor at first) to prevent bank failures.

National Industrial Recovery Act NIRA 1933 Created NRA to enforce codes of fair competition, minimum wages, and to permit collective bargaining of workers.

National Youth Administration NYA 1935 Provided part-time employment to more than two million college and high school students.

Public Works Administration PWA 1933 Received $3.3 billion appropriation from Congress for public works projects.

Rural Electrification Administration REA 1935 Encouraged farmers to join cooperatives to bring electricity to farms. Despite its efforts, by 1940 only 40% of American farms were electrified.

Securities and Exchange Commission SEC 1934 Regulated stock market and restricted margin buying.

Social Security Act
1935 Response to critics (Dr. Townsend and Huey Long), it provided pensions, unemployment insurance, and aid to blind, deaf, disabled, and dependent children.

Tennessee Valley Authority TVA 1933 Federal government build series of dams to prevent flooding and sell electricity. First public competition with private power industries

Wagner Act NLRB 1935 Allowed workers to join unions and outlawed union-busting tactics by management.

Works Progress Administration WPA 1935 Employed 8.5 million workers in construction and other jobs, but more importantly provided work in arts, theater, and literary projects.

8. What happened that ended the Great Depression?
World War II

Background To Kill A Mockingbird

1. What is Harper Lee’s full name?
Nelle Harper Lee

2. When and where was she born?
4-28-26 Monroeville Alabama

3. What is her father’s name and occupation?
Amasa Coleman Lee Lawyer, teacher, bookkeeper, teacher

4. What is her brother’s name and who represents him in the novel?
Edwin Lee, Jem

5. Who was Truman Capote and who represents him in the novel?
A childhood friend and famous writer, Dill

6. What colleges did Harper Lee attend?
a.Huntington College

b.University of Alabama

c.Oxford University
7. When was TKAM started and when was it published?

a. Started 1957


b. published 1960

8. What is the time period in which the novel is set?
1930's (The Great Depression)

9. What was the first draft of the novel called?
Atticus

10. What award was given to TKAM?
Pulitzer Prize

11. Describe Harper Lee as a child.
Tomboy, liked to read

12. List 3 other interesting facts you have read or heard about Harper Lee.

a.She never published another book
b.Used crates for furniture in NYC
c.Quit law studies, worked for the airlines

Rosemary!!!!!

In chapter 18 we find out about the previous receiver, Rosemary. She asked to be released after just 5 weeks of training! The Giver seems to be thinking about a way "out" for Jonas! Hmmm......I wonder........?

Chapter 17

Today is an unscheduled holiday! Jonas is happy but he realizes that his family really feels NOTHING! Jonas sees Asher playing in a field. The kids are all playing "war." He asks the children, "please don't play it anymore", he can't help but relive the memories he has of warfare. Asher gets smart with Jonas and then apologizes. Fiona asks Jonas to go for a bike ride, he says "no".
In the evening at home, Father talks about the releasing tomorrow. He tells how he will make the lighter twin comfy and prepare it for Elsewhere. Jonas asks if someone from elsewhere gets the twin....father says yes. In the end Lily is chattering about the idea of everyone being a twin......maybe she would be a good storyteller.

The Giver's favorite memory!

The Giver shares his favorite memory......it includes family, love, grandparents, warmth, happiness. It is Christmas!
Jonas goes home and asks his parents. "Do you love me?" They laugh and tell him that "love is a very generalized word, so meaningless that it has become obsolete." Jonas lied and said that he understood why the word was inappropriate, even though he had never felt anything so meaningful.
The December ceremony is now 2 months away. Gabe has been doing well in Jonas' room. He will be given to a family at the next ceremony. Jonas tells Gabe....Things could be different, and there could be "love." Jonas throws away his pill!

Take some of the pain........

Jonas arrives for work and The Giver is in terrible pain, he begs Jonas to take some of the pain. Jonas enters into the memory of WARFARE! It is a horrific memory of young soldiers dying on a battlefield. When Jonas opens his eyes...The Giver says "Forgive me"

Chapter 14 New pain and realization!

Jonas gets the painful memory of a broken leg from a sledding accident. Jonas is feeling more and more apart from everyone he knows, except The Giver. Everyday of training now includes some pain, and Jonas is beginning to realize how unfair his situation is. The Giver talks about why a receiver is needed for the community.
Jonas' father is preparing for the release of an identical twin to be born soon. Father is responsible for choosing the baby to be released, hopefully the choice will be an easy one. Jonas' father also talks about Gabe and how he is still having trouble sleeping. Jonas volunteers to have Gabe's crib in his room for the night, so his family can sleep. Gabe wakes during the night and Jonas accidentally gives Gabe the memory of a soothing sailboat ride. Gabe wakes again during the night and Jonas is able to soothe him back to sleep with the memories. Jonas decides not to tell The Giver.

It isn't FAIR!!!

The Giver talks to Jonas about the idea of having choices and Jonas decides "We really have to protect people from wrong choices."
Jonas tries to give away the memory of color to Asher, it doesn't work. Next he tries to give his dad and Lily the heart wrenching memory of the elephant's tusks being poached, he can not do it and he seems to know that he shouldn't. Jonas asks The Giver if he has ever had a spouse. He says that he did have a spouse, but now that they are no longer needed to create families, his spouse lives with the Childless Adults. The Giver begins to help Jonas understand that there is a whole part of his life that he can not share with a family, that his life is the memories. The Giver says that the community needs them, to prevent the chaos that was caused by the memories being released 10 years ago when the other selection failed.
Jonas is often sent away from his training when The Giver is in too much pain. One afternoon, following a day when Jonas has been sent away, he asks The Giver what causes him pain? The Giver decides it is time to show him and has Jonas recall the sled and the snow. .......

COLOR vs BLACK and WHITE:

Jonas dreams of the sled ride over and over all during the night, but he is not allowed to tell his dreams. It is a relief to him because there is no way to explain it to his family.
On his way to training, Jonas is with Fiona and something about her hair changes. Jonas asks The Giver about it. The Giver tests him and decides that it is the Capacity to See Beyond and that what Jonas sees is color! Specifically the color RED!
Jonas learns that years and years ago the community decided to get rid of color. The Giver tells him "we gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others." Jonas decides that the community "shouldn't have" gotten rid of the colors. The Giver is surprised at how fast he came to that conclusion. In the end he decides to give Jonas the memory of a RAINBOW!

THE GIVER!!!!

WOO HOO!!! Chapter 11!
Jonas gets a memory of something very unfamiliar to him.....SNOW!!! We find out that the community has something called "climate control" so that they have no changes in weather, and "sameness", so that they have no hills. The old Receiver makes an interesting statement that "Honor is not the same as power." He says that this job that they have has a lot on honor not power.
The second memory that Jonas is given is SUNSHINE. He gets the word for it without being told and he enjoys the feeling of warmth on his body. When he has finished the second memory he and the old Receiver talk and the old Receiver tells him that he has learned from the failure of the previous Receiver. Jonas tells him that he wants to experience some of the pain and that he is brave.
The old Receiver gives Jonas some pain in the form of sunburn. Jonas thinks that the pain isn't really going to be that bad after he receives it. Jonas thanks the old Receiver and prepares to leave, but asks the old Receiver before he leaves "What should I call you?" and he is told to call him "The Giver."

Chapter 10...Off to his new assignment!

Jonas goes off to his first day of training. He is surprised by all kinds of things in the Annex. First, there is a lock on the door. Second, the attendant stands when Jonas enters the Annex. Third, the room he enters is FULL OF BOOKS!!!! Fourth, the speaker in the room can be turned off.
The old Receiver looks tired and worn. He has light eyes like Jonas and Gaberial. He tells Jonas what his job will be. He must transmit to Jonas all the memories he has within himself. The memories of the past. Jonas is confused. The old man decides that he will start with Snow, Sled, and Downhill. He tells Jonas to take off his tunic and lay on the bed. He will transmit these memories by placing his hands on Jonas' back.

QUIZ TOMORROW!!!!! Chapters 7-10

Chapter 9: Separate and alone

Jonas is feeling separate and different. He thinks that the other people in the community are treating him differently as well. He goes home and his parents talk to him about this "great honor." They also tell Jonas about the failed Receiver (10 years ago) and how HER name is never to be spoken or given to a newchild again. No one really knows what happened to her.
Alone in his sleeping room Jonas opens his training folder. He has a list of 8 rules. Each of the rules is surprising to him. The last one makes him question everything he knows...YOU MAY LIE!!!!!!
Jonas wonders, does everyone have this in their rules?....WOW !!!!!Has everyone been lying to him?

Chapter 8......at last!!!!

"The audience is clearly ill at ease."
Chapter 8 begins with Jonas being called to the stage and the Chief Elder apologizing for the confusion. She begins to explain Jonas' selection as Receiver of Memory. She tells Jonas that it is the most honored position in the community and that his training will require him to be alone and apart. Jonas is concerned. The Chief Elder goes on to explain the qualities that they have found in Jonas.
Intelligence, Integrity, Courage, Wisdom, and the Capacity to See Beyond.
She also goes on to talk about the PAIN that Jonas will need to endure.
Although he is nervous, Jonas' heart swelled with gratitude and pride as the community chanted his name.
WOW...I don't think I would be excited about a job that involved indescribable pain. Would you?

BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT

Today was an independent reading of Chapter 7. How did you do? Did you read carefully? Did you remember how to answer the open ended question?

In the chapter, Jonas is waiting for his assignment to be given to him. (when his number "19" is called) The Chief Elder talks to the crowd about the Ceremony of Twelve being a celebration of differences, the only time when being "different" is a good thing in this community. Jonas' group mates get their assignments one by one and Jonas is not really surprised by any of them. Asher receives the assignment of Assistant Recreation Director. Fiona is Caretaker of the Old.
When it is Jonas' turn....the Chief Elder skips his number! Jonas wonders what had he done wrong?

MONDAY MONDAY

Today was a notebook test.....keeping your notebook organized is VERY important!!!!
If you didn't do such a great job so far.....change that!

Ahh....the ceremonies begin!

The first day of the Ceremonies has begun. Hmmmm...what do we know so far?
At 1 babies get a family and a name.
At 7 kids get a front buttoned jacket.
At 8 start volunteer hours. Get a jacket with smaller buttons and a pocket. Lose comfort object
At 9 girls get rid of their hair ribbons.
At 9 both boys and girls get their bicycles.
At 10 kids get their hair cut.
At 11 new clothing ...undergarments for girls and longer trousers for boys with a small pocket.
At 12 kids get their assignment.

On the first day, they had the ceremonies of one through eight. The second day began with the nines and they all left for lunch after the elevens.

We also found out that the "committee" watches people, pairs them together with a spouse and after 3 years they may apply for children.

What else? What else?......Oh, yeah.....If you get released, you go Elsewhere. There is a ceremony for the loss of a child....."The Ceremony of Loss" and a ceremony to replace that child...."The Murmur-Of-Replacement" ceremony. (Totally strange and kind of spooky) At the end of the chapter the crowd of people head into the auditorium for the ceremony of 12. FINALLY! :)

Stirrings!

So, today we find out that there is another ritual in this community.....Dream Telling. Citizens are required to tell their dreams in the morning. Jonas doesn't dream very often but last night he had a dream. He dreamt about Fiona in the bathing room at The House of the Old. He wanted to bathe her, but she was laughing and wouldn't let him. He says he knew something was wrong about it, but it was a pleasurable dream. His parents explain that this is his first "stirrings" and he will need to take a pill.....for the rest of his days until he goes to The House of the Old. (when he is old) Jonas takes the pill, it is a kind of "rite of passage" toward adulthood. He begins to forget his dream right after he takes the pill and leaves his house for school.
There are a lot of strong feelings in class about this whole idea! Isn't having feelings for other people what makes us human and not robots? Isn't have feelings for others part of what makes life exciting? WOW, most 8th graders don't want to live in this community!
Keep Reading!

Rules about Nakedness????

In chapter 4 Jonas and his friends, Asher and Fiona, go to the "House of the Old" (a euphemism for a nursing home) to BATHE the old people as part of their volunteer hours. How weird is that? This is where we find out the rules about nakedness. No one can view another person's nakedness. (this rule does not apply to newchildren or the old)
Jonas does a little bit of everything when it comes to his volunteer hours, so he has no idea what his assignment will be.
Larissa (the woman he bathes) tells him about Roberto's release. She describes the ceremony and then says that no one really knows what happens after the ceremony, the person just goes through a door into the releasing room. Hmmmmm???? I wonder........???

Term to remember: EUPHEMISM: a word or set of words used in place of other words that may seem offensive. (eg. used car = pre-ownwed vehicle)

NO MIRRORS??????

Chapter 3......What did we discover today? Jonas has pale eyes and so does Gabriel. (the newchild that father has brought home)Pale eyes are unusual and we discovered that it is rude to bring attention to differences in this community. There are very few mirrors ....they don't need them! Wow, how different would our society be if we had no mirrors! It would take a lot less time to get ready to leave the house everyday!
Jonas noticed an apple change as he had a catch with Asher. He can't figure out what happened exactly so he takes it home for further study. The Speaker makes an announcement that food is not to be taken home....hmmmm.....how does the Speaker know he took it??????
There might just be a quiz tomorrow! 5 questions on chapters 1-3 and vocabulary. You must choose 3 vocab words and write effective sentences for each......good luck!

Rachel's Challenge

Wow! what a powerful assembly. I hope you accept Rachel's challenge!

Here are the FIVE GOALS/PRINCIPLES
1. Eliminate prejudice
2. Dare to dream
3. Choose positive influences
4. Practice small acts of kindness
5. Start a chain reaction

Did I get those right? I was so choked up during the assembly I can hardly remember it all. Were you affected by the assembly?

Chapter 2......

The EXPOSITION!!!!
So, chapter 2 is still part of the exposition.....we are getting to know the characters and we are discovering the "setting" .....a Utopia?????
The language they use in this community is curious, it seems to be devoid of emotions. A baby is called a "newchild" and a home is called a "family dwelling." (among others) We are wondering why they chose to use this type of language. Does it reflect some of the rules in this community? Does it reflect a theme in the book?
One other interesting fact is that there are no animals in this community. Your assignment for Monday is to write a creative description of an animal, without using the name of the animal and using the language of the community. Good Luck!

Finally!!!!

WE HAVE FINALLY STARTED TO READ!!!! Today we begin the novel .....October 21st......and we are, at last, reading a book!
The first chapter establishes the setting and introduces us to Jonas and his family! We learn about the evening ritual in their community. Things seem to be very strange in this place.
Jonas is almost 12 and his sister Lily is a 7. Jonas' father is a "nurturer," an important job in the community. Nurturers care for the newchildren in the community, in their earliest days. Jonas' mom works for the Department of Justice.
The big question is, WHAT IS RELEASE? We have found out that it can be a punishment, something that is celebrated by old people, and it can happen to newchildren. (that is a sad occasion)
As we continue one other question is: Why is Jonas so apprehensive about the upcoming ceremony?

Let's start reading already!!!!

Today we finish up the group presentations and answer some pre reading questions.

1. What if you were only allowed to read books that were chosen for you? How would you feel about that?

2. What are some daily routines or schedules that are followed by your family?

Describe them


3. How far back can you remember in your life? What is that earliest memory?

4. Think about the rules and regulations that affect you at home, in school, and in your community. Are there any that you consider unfair? Do you think there are ever circumstances under which you would be justified in breaking an important rule? Explain your reasoning.


I ask you to give The Giver a chance. The first couple chapters of the book are the "exposition" and sometimes they can seen boring and pointless...I promise it will get better! Please don't make any judgment until after chapter 4!
I am looking forward to reading this with you! It is one of my favorites!

Utopia!!!!

The last two weeks have been all about exploring the idea of Utopia. We have looked at the history of Utopias both real and imaginary. We are preparing to read The Giver by Lois Lowry. Today the presentations started, We have seen Utopias that contain sports arenas, campgrounds, water parks, and movie theaters. On Wednesday, we will begin reading the novel, exploring the vocabulary, and themes, as well as figurative language.