The God of Small Things - Putting the pieces together

Greetings!
Welcome back from Thanksgiving break! I hope it was restful and filled with the kind of things you enjoy and are thankful for!

As we move towards the end of the book in the next few days, I wanted to remind you of the many different things (see how I keep using "things"?) we've done with the novel so far:

• First meeting with small group - basic timelines
• Writing #1 - focus on repeated words / phrases
• Group work - visual cluster of information
• In-class reading days - written updates
• Writing #2 - climactic moment - see / think / wonder
• In-class writing about themes - naming a theme by taking a general idea and adding a specific point suggested by the novel.  We shared these aloud in class.
• Video about Untouchables and discussion about the role they play (especially Velutha) in the novel.
• Creating pictures to show the same event as seen from different perspectives

The God of Small Things - Clustering Ideas

Here is the worksheet for today's group work

Here is a sample - one I made using Lucidchart:
(and click here for basic directions on how to do this on your own!)

The God of Small Things - Naming and detecting themes

We started today by discussing a basic formula for naming and exploring a theme in a work of literature:

1. Name a general concept, for example:
1. love
2. truth
3. justice
4. power
5. childhood
6. history
7. faith
8. beliefs
9. family
10. prejudice
11. healthy relationships
2. Add a statement about what the book shows about this theme
3. Add an example from the book to illustrate your point

Individually you wrote potential themes - we shared these as a large group - then you got into your small groups for the rest of the period.  You then followed these steps;

1. Shared your potential theme statements
2. Chose one to work with today
3. Discussed the ways in which it applies to chapters 9 and 10
4. Wrote your journal entry about it!

The God of Small Things - Seeing from different persepctives; Untouchables

In class today you worked in groups to select a scene from either chapter 6 or 8 - a scene showing the same event from different perspectives. Remember we first discussed this in relation to the start of chapter 4 when Esta comes out of the bathroom and Ammu rubs his head - for her it is a sign of love, for him it is a frustration because she messed up his Elvis puff.  For today's work, you'll find a moment that functions in the same way and then illustrate it.

We'll then look at chapter 8 together, focusing on the arrival of the family at the house, especially the encounter between Rahel and Velutha on page 168.  We'll pause to watch this video, which provides us with helpful background information on Paravans - Untouchables.  Velutha was first introduced to us earlier in the book - I recommend re-reading pages 70-78 to remind yourself of some valuable information about him.

The God of Small Things - Language and Meaning

This week we've been looking at the ways in which Arundhati Roy uses language in new and innovative ways to tell the story.  In addition to the similes we discussed in chapter one, we now add an awareness of repeated words and phrases.  We focused on a few - ones used to describe certain characters.  Esta's "Elvis puff" and Rahel's "fountain in a Love-in-Tokyo" appear at different times in the narrative as key physical details. However other phrases, like Esta repeating "dum dum" (from the Popeye theme song) or "loved a little less" as Ammu shouts to Rahel, take on other layers of potential meaning.  By now the structure of the narrative and basic relationships should be clear, and an understanding of the stories and motivations behind each character should be developing.  As recent chapters have included the arrival of Sophie Mol - a 9 year-old character we know will die - as well as the introduction of other characters whose role is increasing - Velutha - we see the action and tension building.  Enjoy reading!

TGST - chapters 1-4

Here is a basic family tree:

Hamlet Buzzfeed quiz goes viral

Click here to take Sarah's Buzzfeed quiz - it is going viral - 150K+ views!!

The God of Small Things - small groups day 1

Today you will work in a small group - you will stay with this group throughout the unit.

Here is the handout describing your work for today.

Here is the handout about similes

The God of Small Things

We'll be starting our next book - our first novel - this week.
The first homework in it is tonight - be sure to check out the "TGST" tab above for a link to your calendar for this unit.