Directions
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Because we are studying Their Eyes Were Watching God in the literature circle format, we'll engage in several discussions over the next five weeks. To keep everything tidy and organized, please follow the discussion posting parameters listed below. As well, please print the Quick Reference Chart (posted in Week 10) that lists the specific guidelines for each role and the participation expectations. Following these guidelines will make the completion of the final project much easier!
Lit Circle Role Requirements
Each week, you will each start a new topic thread for your lit circle role requirement. To keep things organized, please use common sense titles and indicate which section of the book you are working with, e.g., Discussion Director – Chapters 6-9 or Passage Master & Historian – Chapters 10-15.
Lit Circle Discussion Requirements
For each group member's role, post your thoughts as responses within the appropriate role's topic thread. For example, respond to the posted passages for Chapters 6-9 as directed in the Lit Circle Instructions in the Quick Reference Chart by replying to the Passage Master's & Historian's Chapters 6-9 topic thread.
Feel free to also post any comments or questions about your reading of TEWWG here. I will monitor and respond as needed, and I encourage you to respond to each other as well.
Grading:
You can earn up to 10 points in this forum. In Quick Reference Chart (posted in Week 10), review the requirements for the role that you are taking each week. Review the participation requirements in that same handout. Your instructor will grade your role and your participation based on the criteria communicated in that handout..
YOU CAN NOT DO THE ROLE PASSAGE MASTER AND HISTORIAN. IT HAS ALREADY BEEN TAKEN. the other 3 roles are still available.
LIT1100 Introduction to Literature University of Northwestern – St. Paul
Lit Circle Quick Reference Chart
Each week: 1. Communicate with your group to determine who will play each role. 2. Read the assigned chapters once to simply understand and enjoy the story. 3. Reread the chapters to analyze them as directed by your role description. 4. Post the required material by the mid-week deadline to fulfill your role. 5. Respond to your group members’ postings as directed to fulfill your participation role.
Throughout the unit, each student must play all four roles. Special circumstances: • Groups of three: Each group member selects a different role each week (One of the four
roles will not be represented each week.). • Groups of four: Each group member selects a different role each week. • Groups of five: Each week, two people play the same role. For participation, please respond to each group member’s role
posts.
Role Role requirements: Complete the tasks listed below for your specific role and post in it in the appropriate forum.
Participation requirements: Each group member should do each of the following:
Discussion Director
Reflect on significant issues with plot, character, theme and worldview from the assigned reading for the week.
Create 3 open-ended questions regarding plot, character, theme, or worldview.
Post these three questions in the group forum mid-week.
Engage in an authentic discussion on all three questions by responding to and interacting with each other at least two times per question.
Passage Master & Historian
Identify specific passages in the assigned chapters that are significant with regard to plot, character, theme and worldview.
Analyze the assigned chapters for potential historical connections that might provide context for the novel. For example, if we were reading “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, the historian might research arsenic poisoning, southern tax laws of the late 1800s, china painting, courtship customs of the late 1800s, or race relations to better understand the characters’ relationships and plot events.
Research one historical event that is connected to the assigned chapters.
Post 2 passages in the group forum by mid-week and provide a one paragraph rationale for group members as to the significance of each.
Post a brief summary of this historical connection in the group forum by mid-week; cite your source(s) for your research.
Comment on each passage and evaluate its significance as explained by the Passage Master.
Comment on the historical connection.
Note: The Passage Master does not need to participate here.
Literary Critic
Adopt the perspective of one school of literary criticism and analyze the assigned chapters from that perspective (a different school must be used each week).
Write a two to three paragraph evaluation of the assigned chapters using the “voice” of the chosen school of literary criticism.
Post the analysis in the group forum by mid-week (without identifying the type of criticism used!)
Identify the type of criticism and support your educated guess with three examples from the analysis.
Note: The Literary Critic can be the last to participate by posting the intended type of criticism.
Literary Device Analyst
Analyze the assigned chapters for well-crafted examples of foreshadowing, irony, mood, setting or any poetry devices.
Evaluate the examples as to which are the best constructed or the most significant to the overall story.
Post 3 examples in the group forum by mid-week (Note: each example should be a different literary device. For example, you might post an example of metaphor, an example of foreshadowing and an excerpt that reveals mood.)
Comment on the validity and strength of examples.
Note: The Literary Device Analyst does not need to participate here.