More Work on Theme

Mr. Stone shared a poem on prayer for his devotional thought.

Students reviewed their homework and marked in preparation for sharing their ideas with classmates. Students circled their selection of thematic topic, numbered their examples from the novel's primary plot and subplots, and underlined their thematic statement(s) on the story's insight in to life on the selected topic.

Mr. Stone checked for the completion of the initial prewriting for the essay on theme/major idea in Great Expectations.

Students shared with the class from their homework.

Mr. Stone distributed a sample essay of writing about a theme/idea in literature. Most sections had time to read it and discuss it.

Homework: Continue to study for the first part of the Great Expectations test to be taken during the last class period of this week. The second part of the test will be given during the first class period of next week.

Great Expectations Review: Plot, Subplot, & Theme

After prayer, Mr. Stone reviewed the basic parts of a story:

1. characters
2. plot
3. setting
4. point of view
5. theme

Parts of Setting
1. geographical location
2. historical period
3. time of day
4. weather
5. cultural milieu

Types of Conflict
1. human v. human
2. human v. self
3. human v. society
4. human v. nature
5. human v. God/gods
6. human v. fate
7. human v. machine
8. human v. the unknown

Parts of a Plot
1. exposition
2. narrative hook/initial complications
3. rising actions/complications
4. climax
5. falling action
6. resolution

Mr. Stone emphasized the difference between a topic in a story (a thematic topic)and the story's theme (insight into life).

The class used a list of subplots in Great Expectations from the Internet to facilitate a conversation about the various conflicts and thematic topics in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.

Pip's Conflicts in Great Expectations
(listed in no particular order)
Pip v. self-perceptions/expectations
Pip v. British social class expectations
Pip v. Orlick
Pip v. Drummle
Pip v. Joe
Pip v. Mrs. Joe
Pip v. Trabb's boy
Pip v. Magwitch
Pip v. the pale young gentleman/Herbert
Pip v. the Pockets
Pip v. Estella



Other Characters' Conflicts in Great Expectations
Mrs. Joe v. Joe
Mrs. Joe v. Pip
Mrs. Joe v. Orlick
Mrs. Joe v. Pumblechook
Miss Havisham v. society (specifically men)
Miss Havisham v. the Pockets
Miss Havisham v. Arthur
Herbert v. Mrs. Pocket
Herbert v. society
Magwitch v. Compeyson
Magwitch v. society
Molly v. Magwitch's other woman
Drummle v. his classmates
Drummle v. Estella
Wemmick v. Jaggers
Wopsle v. society
Wemmick v. society

Clearly, there are many more.


Thematic Topics in Great Expectations
wealth/financial gain
social status/class
love
marriage
hate
revenge
jealousy
bullying/abuse
use of others
eccentric individuals
friendship
expectations

Determining Theme
1. Identify the major conflicts in the story.
2. Consider what the results of the central conflicts say about life/one of the story's thematic topics.
3. Look at the story's title as an indicator of what is central to the story.
4. Identify the story's subplots.
5. Consider what the results of the subplots say about life/one of the story's thematic topics.
6. Identify how the characters grow and/or change.
7. Consider what the growth or change of characters says about life/one of the story's thematic topics.


Homework: Write a half a page (single-spaced if handwritten, double-spaced if typed) about one of the thematic topics of Great Expecations. Describe the subplots that go with this thematic topic. Describe the similarities and differences in the outcomes of these subplots. Describe what these stories/subplots reveal about life/write out a thematic statement (what this story says about the way life is regarding the specific thematic topic you have selected.).

Great Expectations Review Part One

Quiz: Great Expectations Chapters 58-59 Quiz

Students received a review sheet for their up-coming test over Great Expectations. (The Test will be at the end of next week or the beginning of the following week.)

Mr. Stone discussed the first two pages of the review sheet: author, genre, publishing history, point of view title, plot, and subplots, and characters.

Homework: Study the novel's characters and publishing history.

Great Expectations Chapters 56 to the End

Quiz: Chapters 54-55

Students read and listened to Chapters 56 and 57 in class.

Homework: Finish the novel.

Great Expectations Chapters 53-55

Tuesday, February 19th for Periods 2, 5, 6, & 7. Wednesday, February 20th for Period 1.

Students read/listened to all of Great Expectations Chapter 53 and the first part of Chapter 54 in class.

Homework: Finish reading Chapter 54 and read all of Chapter 55.

Great Expectations 45-52

Day Three
Students wrote a dialectical for Great Expectations Chapters 45-46.

They read/listened to Chapters 47-48.

Homework: Read Great Expectations Chapters 49-50.


Day Four
Students wrote a half-page journal entry making predictions of how the novel would end. The entry should be headed "GE 50+ Predictions."

They read/listened to Chapters 51-52.

No homework was assigned since it is a holiday weekend.

Great Expectations 41-46

Students wrote a dialectical in response to Chapters 41 and 42 of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.

They listened to Chapters 43-44.

Homework: Read Chapters 45-46.

Minimum Day: Great Expectations Ch. 40-42

No Quiz

In class, students read and listen to Great Expectations Chapter 40.

Homework: Read Ch. 41-42


(This will be the schedule of assignments for the seventh period's class on Tuesday, February 12, 2013.)

February 4-7, 2013

Day One
Quiz: Great Expectations Chapters 24-25

Listen/Read to Great Expectations Chapter 26

Homework: Read Great Expectations Chapters 27-28

Day Two
Quiz: Great Expectations Chapters 27-28

In class students wrote a half-page journal entry making predictions about what would happen to various characters based on their reading of the first twenty-eight chapters of the novel.

Students also selected five words from their reading so far for which they did not know the definition. They looked up these words using a personal electronic device/a traditional dictionary from the classroom set and wrote out the definition.

Homework: Read Great Expectations Chapters 29-30

Day Three
Quiz: Great Expectations Chapters 29-30

Listen/Read to Great Expectations Chapters 31-32

Homework: Read Great Expectations Chapters 33-35

Day Four
Quiz: Great Expectations Chapters 33-35

Listen/Read to Great Expectations Chapters 36-37

Homework: Read Great Expectations Chapters 38-39

January 28-31, 2013

Day One
Quiz: Great Expectations Chapter 8

Listen/Read to Great Expectations Chapters 9-10

Homework: Read Great Expectations Chapters 11-12

Day Two
Quiz: Great Expectations Chapters 11-12

Listen/Read to Great Expectations Chapters 13-14

Homework: Read Great Expectations Chapters 15-16

Day Three
Quiz: Great Expectations Chapters 15-16

Listen/Read to Great Expectations Chapters 17-19

Homework: Read Great Expectations Chapters 20-21

Day Four
Quiz: Great Expectations Chapters 20-21

Listen/Read to Great Expectations Chapters 22-23

Homework: Read Great Expectations Chapters 24-25