Imagine that 75 years from now, someone decides to write a historical fiction novel about our times.

What events or happenings might the author write about?

Why are these events historically significant?

Monday, April 1 Bellwork

Imagine that you have suddenly been transported into the book that you are reading.

If you could give the main character one piece of advice, what would it be? Why?

If you could ask the main character one question, what would it be? Why?

Wednesday, April 03 Bellwork

Based on what you have read so far, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your main character?

What “lessons” do you think your character might learn over the course of the book?

These “lessons” might be about:

Thursday, April 04 Bellwork

LoveViolenceIdentityDeath

Speaking up/being silentFamilyBraveryFriendship

On a scale of 1-10, how realistic is your book? (1=not at all; 10=true to life) Why would your author want to distort reality/present things realistically? What purpose might that serve in the story?

Monday, April 08 Bellwork

According to your schedule, about what page should you be on right now?

What page are you on?

Taking into consideration that we will only meet on Monday and Thursday of next week, make a reading plan to finish your book by next weekend.

Thursday, April 11 Bellwork

What have you learned in History class that has helped you understand your book better?

What have you learned from your book that has helped you understand your History class better?

If you’re reading SPEAK, think “high school” instead of “history class”.

Friday, April 12 Bellwork

Pick out your BEST (so far) dialectical journal entry.

Read over it, revising and editing as you go. Look for mistakes in punctuation, spelling,

and word choice. Look for opportunities to make your analysis

deeper, or to connect this quotation with the themes of the entire book.

Remember our magic phrases, “The author wants us to understand that…” or “What this teaches us about the character is…”

Monday, April 15 Bellwork

After having heard your classmates’ dialectical journals, reflect on how your own is going:

What do you need to work on? What have you done a good job of?

April 15 bellwork, continued:

How has your character changed since the beginning of the book?

If you’re not finished yet, how might your character continue to change?

What point (about life, about the world, about war, etc.) do you think the author is trying to make by describing this character’s transformation?

Thursday, April 18 Bellwork