Afghanistan

Sept. Week 4Monday

World Literature Sept. 30

Socratic SeminarChapters 1-6

Use your book, study guide, notes

» Chapters 1-6 Socratic Seminar

15-20 minutes for both groups Group A: Chapters 1-3 Group B: Chapters 4-6

Ask questions, discuss ideas

Support your ideas with proof from the text

Start with a brief summary of chapters 1-3

Chapter One

o How does the novel begin, and whom do we meet?

o Setting? Time frame

o How is this chapter “cryptic”? What hints / foreshadowing occurs that make you go, “Hmmm…”?

o Questions, ideas, observations you have

Discuss this quote:

"I thought of the life I had lived until the

winter of 1975 came along and changed

everything. And made me what I am

today" 

Chapter Two

o We meet and learn about various relationships– summarize: Baba-Amir Amir – Hassan Ali-Hassan-Sanaubar o Pashtuns, Hazaras???

o Cleft palette? Which characters seem “whole” and which seem to have physical deformities?

o What hints / foreshadowing occurs that make you go, “Hmmm…”?

o Questions, ideas, observations you have

Discuss this quote:

»“…a brotherhood between people

who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could

break" 

Chapter Three

o This chapter is all about Baba and Amir and how they relate to each other—discuss what you think you are beginning to understand about their relationship.

o What tidbits have we learned about each character here

o Baba…a bear…what’s going on here?

o Empathize! How does each character seem to feel about the other and why?

o Who is Rahim?

Discuss this quote… and how it creates character:

“…a boy who can't stand up for himself becomes a man who

can't stand up for anything" 

Discuss this quote:

Discuss this bit of wisdom from Baba to

Amir-- All sins proceed from a

single sin: theft.  Postulate ideas as to why

Baba feels so strongly about this:

Themes in the Novel

• How is the author beginning to create the THEME of FRIENDSHIP in the novel?

Brief Answer Go-Around: Everyone gives a short answer

1. Comment on your individual reactions to the book & the characters so far-- why you feel that way?

2. How are you feeling about Hosseini’s writing style?

Switch

places!

Seminar#2: Chapters 4-6

Start with a brief summary of chapters 4-6

Chapter Four

o Sum up the story of the Judge, the Hazara boy and Baba that Amir tells

o Discuss what you see & understand about the relationship NOW between Amir and Hassan- how do they treat each other? Why? What motivates each boy, do you think?

o What seems to be Amirs gift and passion? How do you know and what hints were there in chapters 1-3 about it?

Discuss how this quote creates character:

"My favourite part of reading to Hassan was when we came across a big word he didn't know. I'd tease him, expose

his ignorance.“

Chapter Five

o What happens in 1973 and how does it impact our characters?

o Talk about Assef, his buddies, and what goes down between them and Amir and Hassan:

o Discuss Hassan’s birthday gift and why this quote is significant:

"Because that was the winter Hassan stopped smiling”-foreshadowing?

Discuss these quotes:

"I wished I too had a scar that would beget Baba's sympathy. It

wasn't fair.“

"Why did I only play with Hassan when no one else was around?“

Chapter Six

oWhat do you learn about Afghanistan, children, and winter kite-fighting?

oHow does the author hint to the reader in a few different ways that he may win the tournament the next day?

oHow and WHY is the kite tournament important to various characters?

Discuss this quote:

"Baba and I lived in the same house but in different spheres of existence. Kites were the

one paper-thin slice of intersection between those

spheres."

Discuss this quote:

 Amir asks Hassan if Hassan would ever lie to him. Hassan says no, and that he'd "sooner

eat dirt“ –

What does this say about both characters? Amir for asking it…

and Hassan’s answer to it:

Themes in the Novel

• How is the author beginning to create the THEME of COURAGE in the novel?

Finishing up your seminar

Predict what you think will happen to Amir and Hassan, Rahim and Assef

further into the story:

Chapters 1-6…

» Everything so far has been a SET-UP for chapter 7

» Chapter 7 is THE chapter…

» Everything after this chapter is the fallout of events which occur at this point in the story

FRIDAY: TIMED IN-CLASS ESSAY

ESSAY SELECTION AND PREP

Warning: Lack of preparation on your part does NOT make an emergency on my part.

Friday’s Essay» Prepare for it: Choose Essay #1 or Essay #2 Determine 3 claims to answer question Locate 3 quotes, one to back up each claim, and

write them down for tomorrow Include the internal citation for each quoteAnalyze each quote– how does it support your claim

and prove your overall “big idea” answer? In the conclusion, how will you address “the big

picture” – what is the importance of your topic to people in general?

Essay #1

What is friendship?

In the novel The Kite Runner, one of the major themes is FRIENDSHIP. Evaluate this theme as it has been presented, so far, in chapters 1-6.

Consider Amir and Hassan:

What does it mean to be a friend? Can people from different backgrounds maintain friendships? Can friendship endure when the friends are not together? How does age influence friendship?

Essay #2

What is courage? In the novel The Kite Runner, one of the major themes is COURAGE. Evaluate this theme as it has been presented, so far, in chapters 1-6.

Consider various characters in the novel so far and perhaps choose one to focus on or three separate people:What does courage look like throughout the novel? Why is courage important? Can courage be silent?

45 minute TIMED ESSAY

In the novel The Kite Runner, one of the major themes is FRIENDSHIP. Evaluate this theme as it has been presented, so far, in chapters 1-6.

Consider Amir and Hassan: • What does it mean to be a friend? Can people

from different backgrounds maintain friendships? Can friendship endure when the friends are not together? How does age influence friendship?

Material you may use for the essay:

Novel

Study guide

Notes you took, including your quotes and citations

In the novel The Kite Runner, one of the major themes is COURAGE. Evaluate this theme as it has been presented, so far, in chapters 1-6.

Consider various characters in the novel so far and perhaps choose one to focus on or three separate people:

What does courage look like throughout the novel? Why is courage important? Can courage be silent?

OR

http://www.online-stopwatch.com/eggtimer-countdown/full-screen

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