Class+Discussion+Leading+AP

I want our discussions of the literature we read to center around our collective interests, not just mine. As such, I will hand the discussion leading over to small groups of you much of the time. We will go systematically so that everyone has equal number of opportunities to lead, and each time you lead, you will be given a participation grade based on how prepared and engaged you are. As a part of this assignment, you will also be evaluated on your contributions to your classmates' and my discussion topics. To earn full credit for this assignment during each novel, you need to both lead a good discussion and contribute to others' discussions. See the guidelines below. For each novel, you will do one presentation and be evaluated on your contributions to the discussions.

1. You need to lead into your discussion with some creative approach to help others contemplate the idea(s) you are presenting. Play a song that leads us into the theme you are addressing; have us write a journal entry about an interesting topic; show us a clip that pertains to what you will talk about, etc. This needs to be purposeful...not just fun and entertaining. Take no more than 5 minutes with this. 2. You need to be START WITH with at least **2 open ended questions** about the text at hand. These need to be typed and handed in. Open ended questions might be something like these: What is your reaction to what Smith says on page 299 about God's will? Why do you think Jones feels so strongly about nature, as he says on page 34? How could Longfellow's ideas from this poem apply to us at Wesleyan? As you pose these questions, you will be in charge of leading the class discussion. **These questions should be the crux of your "presentation." The discussion prompted by these questions need to take up more than half of your presentation time.** 3. Either concurrently with the discussion or after the discussion (preferably integrated with the discussion), you need to teach/show us at least 2 separate things from the assigned reading by using examples from the reading to make your point. Much like writing an essay paragraph, you need at least **3 bits of specific evidence (quotes that you read to us)** from the text you've read that point out something you found insightful, interesting, or applicable. You should spell these points out on your handout. Be specific and organized in your presentation of these ideas - both on the paper and in your class leading. 4. You need to incorporate outside academic research. Read an article from JSTOR and summarize this information in one paragraph on your "hand-in" sheet. Share this with the class as we discuss. 5. Most importantly, you need to help your fellow classmates **apply each of the lessons/morals/ideas** that you present to their lives. In other words, have an application for each point you make. This should also be typed on the sheet you will hand in. It can be summarized in a sentence or two or written in bullet point format. 6. Your leadership should take up the full period, so please be prepared to be in charge the whole time. Pace yourself accordingly.
 * Here's how your group will be evaluated:**

At the end of your class leading day, you will hand me **1-2 piece(s) of paper** with all of the above typed out on it. Your grade will be a minor grade out of 100 points.

Note: Please focus on what **genuinely interests you** and what genuinely relates to you, not on what you think a teacher (me) would like to hear you say.

1. What questions does the story bring up, either about the plot or about philosophical issues outside of the story? 2. What quotes do you find appealing/confusing and why? 3. What does the outside research have to say about your discussion topics? Please use academic sources, not Google and Wikipedia. 4. What connections can you make between the story and something(s) going on in your own life or in the "real" world?
 * Here are some key things to look for as you read:**