9th Grade:

Vocab:
hearth- the floor of a fireplace
salamander- a mythical being, esp. a lizard or other reptile, thought to be able to live in fire


Answer the following questions on Symbols based on what you already know and the definitions above.
1.     Part One of the book is called “The Hearth and the Salamander.”  The “Salamander” is also the name of the fire truck, and Montag wears the symbol of a salamander on his uniform.  What do you think could be the symbolism behind the title of Part One?

2.    Guy also wears the symbol of a Phoenix on his uniform—the Phoenix was a bird that burned itself, then was reborn from the ashes.  What could the Phoenix symbolize in this book.

3.    What do you think the Mechanical Hound could symbolize?  Remember that it is programmed to attack whatever a person wants it to attack!


10th Grade:

Use the packet given to you in class, develop questions on your topic and write them down on the fourth page of the book.  Remember what we covered in class.Problem topics:


Problem Topics
1. Are too general - like racism, prejudice 

2. Can not be argued (too obvious) - 
like "To Kill a Mockingbird deals with racism". We know this already.  But what about -"Harper Lee uses To Kill a Mockingbird as a call to action, addressing, racism in the American judicial system."

3. Compare but makes no claim- 
"Steinbeck and Lee both address the lack of presence women have in American society." This topic compares but does not argue anything.  I would suggest something along the lines of  "Steinbeck perpetuates female subjugation while Lee's book seeks to break the confines of femininity."  This is not a finely honed thesis, but it is a good starting point for research.


Solutions

1. Is your topic obvious?  (Racism in to Kill A Mockingbird?)
2.What does the author want to show, or teach the reader?
3. What personal motivations might the author have?  

Below are the pictures of the notes we took in class.  

HW: 5 probing questions about your topic.

Extra Credit- Use the mindmap template or complete your mindmap on your research topic.  Extra Credit is due Monday. 

Hi Students,  this weekend you need to develop topic sentences for your paragraphs.
Remember that each paragraph needs to have a theme that is being discussed.  (The theme with support your thesis.) Like I have modeled in class my themes are the following:

My thesis:  The Gods are tormentors of Mankind.

Paragraph 1:  The Gods are too easily provoked.
Paragraph 2: The Gods' punishment is often unjust.
Paragraph 3: The end result is often bad for humanity. 

I found a great site that breaks it down into small pieces:  English for University Blog posts:
A good topic sentence will:
1. put forth an argument
2. it uses some words from the title (which means you are hopefully answering the question!)
3. it tells you what the rest of the sentence is going to be about.

After this sentence you need to support what you have said. That means giving evidence which justifies what you said in your topic sentence. Often this is when you will bring in your sources from your wider reading. (Hence, the supporting detail homework I gave you earlier this week)Some examples of Topic sentences are:

1. One of the strongest arguments in favor of a relaxed approach to immigration is that the UK benefits economically from immigrant labour.  (This topic sentence makes clear that the thesis is about immigration benefiting the U.K. Specifically, this topic sentence also lets the reader know that the paragraph supports the thesis by arguing immigrant  labor will benefit the U.K. economically.)

2. One of the most important factors leading to the outbreak of World War One was the arms race between Britain and Germany. (Again, the readers know the paper is about the outbreak of WWI.  More specifically this paragraph addresses the arms race between Britain and Germany as being a key factor.)
Generally speaking, topic sentences are:
• Short
• Simple
• Clear
• Give a strong idea
• Often use phrases such as:
One of the main reasons for …..
One of the major factors in ………… is…………….
Generally speaking, ………
One of the strongest arguments against/ in favour of………is ….
One of the main advantages / disadvantages of ………….is ……
Resources for this post:"Topic Sentences: How to Write Good Topic Sentences." English For University. Web. <http://englishforuniversity.com/?page_id=1126>.