Think about the following quotes.

I am human and nothing

human is alien to me.

My own group aside, everything human is alien to

me. Terence, 163 B.C.

Renato Rosaldo, 1984

What do they mean?

Do you think we are more shaped by “The Universal Human Experience” or specific cultural experiences?

In your writer’s notebook, respond to this question…

The Universal

Human

Experience

Specific

Cultural

Experiences

Philosophical ChairsDo you think we are more shaped by “The Universal Human Experience” or specific cultural experiences?

Choose which side of the room you will go based on your answer. The opposing sides will face each other, just like these arrows.

By Markus Zusak

The Book Thief

*Use a star for

significant information, devices, and

strategies you notice.

!Use an

exclamation point to indicate

what you feel strongly about in

the article.

?Use a question mark next for parts that are

confusing or next to any

information that you’d like to

explore further.

FFigurative Language

IImagery

DDiction.

After reading the excerpt from The Book Thief, consider the following question. We’ll walk through it together.

How would you describe the narrator in the excerpt from The Book Thief?

Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

Short Answer practice: in your writer’s notebook

Think about the way the narrator (Death) feels in the passage from The Book Thief. These key quotes may help– pay attention to specific word choice (DICTION).“Please believe me when I tell you that I picked

up each soul that day as if it were newly born. I even kissed a few weary, poisoned cheeks.”

“I watched their love visions and freed them from their fear.”

“I took them all away, and if ever there was a time I needed distraction, this was it. In complete desolation, I looked at the world above.”

Short Answer practice: in your writer’s notebook

Why do you think Death “kissed a few weary, poisoned cheeks” of the victims?What does a kiss indicate about how he feels?What does the word “weary” suggest about the

victims?What does Death’s use of the word “weary”

indicate about how Death perceives the victims?

Short Answer practice: in your writer’s notebook

Emotions Associated With KISS

1.2.3.

Emotions Associated with WEARY

1.2.3.

After examining the text, let’s answer the question using the evidence we found.

How would you describe the narrator in the excerpt from The Book Thief?

Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

Refer to the table below as an example:

Short Answer practice: in your writer’s notebook

ASSERT(Answer the

question.)

In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, the narrator, Death, is…

PROVE(How do you

know?)

He “kissed a few weary, poisoned cheeks” and “freed them from their fear.”

EXPLAIN(What does that

mean?)

Zusak chose for Death to use the words “kissed” and “freed” because they convey…

Now put the A(ssertion), P(roof), and E(xplanation) all together!

Use TEN LINES in your writer’s notebook to do so.

TRADE with a PARTNER! Make sure he or she ANSWERED the question, PROVED their answer with text, and EXPLAINED the significance of their quote.

Short Answer practice: in your writer’s notebook

After the timer goes…

Find your own evidence to support the answer that the narrator is sympathetic. Use the APE format to write your answer.

Now, it’s your turn…

Reflecting back to The Book Thief

What does the image on the book cover convey about Death, the narrator of The Book Thief?

Does it accurately reflect the way you characterized Death in your short answer? Why or why not?

Does this depiction influence the way you think about the Holocaust? Why or why not?

By Michael Kimmelman of The NY Times

“Auschwitz Shifts From Memorializing to

Teaching”

The NY Times article implies that your generation, Generation Z (New Millennials), ought to be taught differently than the ones that came before because they need to be guided to feel “responsibility to the present.” Is that true?

Choose where you will sit based on your position:

Philosophical Chairs: Round Two

Our generation

is fundamen

tally different than other generation

s

Our generation

is not that

different from other generation

s

The Book Thief tells the story of the Holocaust in a very different way than the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, but both seek to engage and educate young people. How do you think the story of the

Holocaust should be told to people your age?

How should it not be told? Why?FIND EVIDENCE FROM THE SELECTIONS

TO SUPPORT YOUR ANSWER. Be prepared to share.

Comparing text with a partner

Today, we read a persuasive piece, wrote from a particular point of view and supported our thoughts, and we debated.

Let’s look back at our Hero Expository Essay Prompt:Define the characteristics of what makes a hero.Consider how you would approach the prompt if it asked

you to take a particular position:Write an essay stating your position on whether helping

others is the most important characteristic of being a hero.

Write a THESIS statement for this essay prompt and ONE BODY PARAGRAPH.

Persuasive Writing Introduction