By Friday, Feb 3, you should read Ch. 2 in Hiroshima and take notes on the book according to your assigned Literary Circles Role. See the end of this post for the description of the roles.
In class on Monday, we will continue working through the roles based on Ch. 1 of Hiroshima, so you know what is expected of each role. Furthermore, you will participate in a mini-lit circles discussion for Ch. 1 on Monday.
Literature Circles
Hiroshima
Hiroshima
ROLES
1) Moderator
Your job is to get your group started and restarted when they have broken down. Your group may not need you at all, but if the discussion dies, you're the person who will be called upon for a jump start. Your job is therefore to develop a list of questions that your group might want to discuss about this part of the book. Don’t worry about small details; your task is to help people identify and talk over the “big ideas” in the reading and share their reactions. Usually the best discussion questions come from your own thoughts, feelings, and concerns as you read. It’s a good idea to keep your notebook handy while you read so you can write down questions as they occur to you. Bring at least five good, open-ended questions to class with you.
2) Lexicographer
Your job is to pay special attention to vocabulary, both English language and Japanese. If anyone has questions about word meaning, you're responsible for clearing up their questions. Bring to class a listing of at least ten vocabulary words, phrases, proverbs, or other short passages which you think might be hard to understand or interpret, along with explanations in your own words.
3) Psychological Critic
Your job is to watch carefully what the survivors say and do, and to try to make plausible, high-probability inferences, based on their words and actions, about how their minds work. What motivates each survivor? What is his/her state of mind? What shapes his/her point of view? Bring to class a short psychological profile of each major character in the section you have read.
4) Anthropological Critic
The events of this book take place in Japan in 1945. What observations and inferences can you make about the culture at that time based on what you have read in this section? What beliefs and behaviors seem strongest or most important? What factors affect the point of view of each of the survivors? What new information do you have in this section that allows you to understand this culture better? What conflicts exist within the culture? Bring to class with you a 50-100 word reflection paper summarizing your observations and inferences about the dynamics of the culture in this section.
5) Science Critic
Your job is to get your group started and restarted when they have broken down. Your group may not need you at all, but if the discussion dies, you're the person who will be called upon for a jump start. Your job is therefore to develop a list of questions that your group might want to discuss about this part of the book. Don’t worry about small details; your task is to help people identify and talk over the “big ideas” in the reading and share their reactions. Usually the best discussion questions come from your own thoughts, feelings, and concerns as you read. It’s a good idea to keep your notebook handy while you read so you can write down questions as they occur to you. Bring at least five good, open-ended questions to class with you.
2) Lexicographer
Your job is to pay special attention to vocabulary, both English language and Japanese. If anyone has questions about word meaning, you're responsible for clearing up their questions. Bring to class a listing of at least ten vocabulary words, phrases, proverbs, or other short passages which you think might be hard to understand or interpret, along with explanations in your own words.
3) Psychological Critic
Your job is to watch carefully what the survivors say and do, and to try to make plausible, high-probability inferences, based on their words and actions, about how their minds work. What motivates each survivor? What is his/her state of mind? What shapes his/her point of view? Bring to class a short psychological profile of each major character in the section you have read.
4) Anthropological Critic
The events of this book take place in Japan in 1945. What observations and inferences can you make about the culture at that time based on what you have read in this section? What beliefs and behaviors seem strongest or most important? What factors affect the point of view of each of the survivors? What new information do you have in this section that allows you to understand this culture better? What conflicts exist within the culture? Bring to class with you a 50-100 word reflection paper summarizing your observations and inferences about the dynamics of the culture in this section.
5) Science Critic
John Hersey includes a lot of
detail about the science of the atom bomb and the U.S. study of the effects of the
bomb. Your job is to record the data
about the bomb and its effects on the 6 survivors, the rest of the citizens of
Hiroshima and the environment. What did
the people of Hiroshima notice and observe from the time the bomb was detonated
and throughout the following year? If
there is information that intrigues you or puzzles, you should research it
further on the internet. Bring to class a list of the scientific
observations from the section you have read and any pertinent information you
have researched about those observations, so you can explain it to your group.
