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Civil War Novel Literature Circles

This term we will work in small groups (literature circles) to read and study novels set in the Civil War. Novel selection will take place in class and be random draw to determine novel assignments. The following will be our novel groups: Red Badge of Courage, Killer Angels, Across Five Aprils, With Every Drop of Blood, Rifles for Watie, and In My Father's House. We will meet as Literature Circles every Monday and Wednesday (unless otherwise indicated on the Web site calendar). Students will turn in a Literature Circle Discussion Guide each time we meet. Additionally, we will complete a few random assignments as well as a traditional essay at the end of the novel study. Students are expected to read and complete all work to be fully prepared for each group discussion. The Discussion Guides are printed below the essay instructions.

CIVIL WAR NOVEL PROJECT
Final Essay Instructions

Choose one of the following universal themes (this could be a thesis statement):

Individual loyalties can conflict with the values and loyalties of a community.
Our lives are often affected by circumstances beyond our control.
Some decisions are difficult to make because they are neither wrong nor right.

Write a critical essay explaining how the experiences of your novel’s protagonist illustrate or contradict the theme. You must follow the five-paragraph essay structure we have learned this year. Your body paragraphs may have either two or three chunks. This should be typed, double-spaced with a cover page. It is anticipated that your commentary sentences will be introduced smoothly and have progressed beyond the routine structure of “this shows that” while staying with the 2:1 ratio of CD:CM. Please remember to use topic and transition sentences at the beginning and end of each body paragraph. Write this essay in third person.

After completing your Rough Draft, you must have two students in American Studies complete a peer edit for you. Rubrics for the peer edit are available in the bottom tray under the TV. You must turn in two peer edits signed and dated by the students who evaluated your paper. These evaluations are due Thursday, May 10 / Friday, May 11 or sooner.

The final essay is due at the beginning of the next week, which will be Tues., May 15.

Literature Circle
Reading and Discussion Guide #1
Discussion/Due Date: _________

BEFORE DISCUSSION:
1. Read pages _____ - _____
2. Find out something about the author of this book (that is not printed in the book):
3. List two words in the reading which you didn’t know or which are challenging vocabulary:
4. Who is the main character? What do you know about this character at this point in the book?

DURING DISCUSSION:
1. Summarize the book so far:
2. Share and discuss responses from BEFORE DISCUSSION. List any new insights or ideas here.
3. Was there anything in this section of the book that was confusing? intriguing? exciting? frustrating? Can you make any inferences?
4. Pose questions for the group’s discussion. What issues of the novel did your group bring up?

Literature Circle
Reading and Discussion Guide #2
Discussion/Due Date: _________

BEFORE DISCUSSION:
1. Read pages _____ - _____
2. Pretend you are the teacher and write one test question and answer over this section of reading (Big Idea question).
3. List two words in the reading which you didn’t know or which are challenging vocabulary:
4. Name one supporting character in the novel. What do you know about this character?

DURING DISCUSSION:
1. Summarize key events from the most recently assigned pages:
2. Share and discuss responses from BEFORE DISCUSSION. List any new insights or ideas here.
3. Was there anything in this section of the book that was confusing? intriguing? exciting? frustrating? Can you make any inferences?
4. Pose questions for the group’s discussion. What issues of the novel did your group bring up?

Literature Circle
Reading and Discussion Guide #3
Discussion/Due Date: _________

BEFORE DISCUSSION:
1. Read pages _____ - _____
2. Find an example of figurative language in this part of the novel. Quote the passage and give the page number here:
3. List two words in the reading which you didn’t know or which are challenging vocabulary:
4. Name another supporting character in the novel. What do you know about this character?

Literature Circle
Reading and Discussion Guide #4
Discussion/Due Date: _________

BEFORE DISCUSSION:
1. Read pages _____ - _____
2. Find a passage in this section of the novel which you found to be particularly intriguing / well-written / perceptive. Copy it down here – include the page number. Be prepared to explain why you selected this passage.
3. List two words in the reading which you didn’t know or which are challenging vocabulary:
4. What is the setting (time & place) or your novel? Describe.
5. Pretend you are the teacher writing a test about this novel, write TEN (0) matching style questions on the back of this sheet. Indicate the correct answer for each.

Literature Circle
Reading and Discussion Guide #5
Discussion/Due Date: _________

BEFORE DISCUSSION:
1. Read pages _____ - _____
2. What is an event or theme in this novel which is relevant to society today? Explain.
3. List two words in the reading which you didn’t know or which are challenging vocabulary:
4. Find a passage in this section of reading that causes you to have emotion. Quote the passage here (include page number) and describe the emotion you had while reading this passage.

Literature Circle
Reading and Discussion Guide #6
Discussion/Due Date: _________

BEFORE DISCUSSION:
1. Read pages _____ - _____
2. Write down two things from this week’s reading that you could connect to personally, from your own experience, from other texts you’ve read, from things going on in the world right now, or from history.
3. List two words in the reading which you didn’t know or which are challenging vocabulary:
4. Good writing includes conflict. Typical conflicts are described as man v. man, man v. self, man v. nature, and man v. machine. Describe one conflict in your novel and identify the type of conflict.

Literature Circle
Reading and Discussion Guide #7
Discussion/Due Date: _________

BEFORE DISCUSSION:
1. Read pages _____ - _____
2. Choose a passage in which the author uses imagery or is especially descriptive. Quote the passage here (include page number) and explain why this passage created an especially effective image.
3. List two words in the reading which you didn’t know or which are challenging vocabulary:
4. On the back of this handout, draw a picture of one thing that can symbolize an important idea in the novel. Explain here why this is an effective symbol.

Literature Circle
Reading and Discussion Guide #8
Discussion/Due Date: _________

BEFORE DISCUSSION:
1. Read pages _____ - _____
2. List TEN (10) words that describe the personality of the main character.
3. List two words in the reading which you didn’t know or which are challenging vocabulary:
4. Pretend you are the teacher writing a test about this novel, write FIVE (5) multiple choice style questions on the back of this sheet. Indicate the correct answer for each.
5. What is the universal truth (theme/lesson/message) presented by the author through this novel?