Uncovering Patterns and Themes: October 12, 2016

Focus: What are Foer's central motifs, and how does he use them to reveal larger themes?

1. Warming up by generating a class list of Foer's motifs (patterns)

• 1st row: Book cover, images and unusual pages
• 2nd row: Fishbowl comments from first three discussions
• 3rd row: Fishbowl comments from the last two discussions
• 4th row: 4th hour syllabi
• 5th row: 6th hour syllabi
• 6th row: Your journals

2. Working in small groups to unpack the patterns and lay out the themes

• Pick your 5-10 of your favorite motifs.
• Create a concept map that visually shows how these motifs relate to each other.
• Please include quotations in your concept map to keep it connected to the text.
• Things to consider:

• What do these motifs have in common? How do they connect?
• What larger, complex idea is Foer trying to get us to understand better or differently through these motifs? 

3. Final day for reading, conferencing, and journaling

HW:
1. By tomorrow: Finish the book, Finish your journal. Feel like a rock star. 

2. By Friday: Revisit the Time page linked HERE that we explored on the first day of this unit. Watch two or three more interviews (or re-watch ones that you liked). Make a final entry in your journal about what new understanding you've gained from reading this book about 9/11, loss, survival, strength, or any other topic that surfaces in these interviews.