Day 1: Tuesday, January 21

 Smoke Signals (89 minutes).

 Collect Lone Ranger, distribute Sula
 HW: read to pg. 41 by next Tuesday.

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Day 2: Wednesday, January 22
 Journaling: 8 hrs. of free time per week. 9000 min. over the semester, or 150 hrs.
 explain independent reading assignment.
 reviewing the final
 cut up all the questions and distribute them to students. students are responsible for finding out
the correct answers and explaining to the class.
 read a good interpretive essay
 Finish watching Smoke Signals
 students work on Smoke Signals review questions
 class discussion on Smoke Signals

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Day 3: Thursday, January 23

 SSR
 “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy

pre-reading:
stanza
abundant: (adj) plentiful
dexterity: (n) physical or mental skill
coy: (adj) shy and reserved, flirtatiously shy and modest
exhort: (v) to strongly urge
wheedle: (v) to persuade by flattering
consummation: (n) fulfillment, ultimate goal
Who played with Barbie dolls when they were young?
Is there a single woman who looks like Barbie?

reading: read silently. speaker, setting, tone, mood, imagery, theme.

Barbie Doll, by Marge Piercy

This girlchild was born as usual
and presented dolls that did pee-pee
and miniature GE stoves and irons
and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.
Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:
You have a great big nose and fat legs. What is the effect of this line?

She was healthy, tested intelligent,

possessed strong arms and back,
abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity. Was there anything wrong with her?
She went to and fro apologizing. So why was she apologizing?
Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs. Did anyone focus on her strengths? What did they focus on?

She was advised to play coy,

exhorted to come on hearty,
exercise, diet, smile and wheedle. Tried to fit the correct image, both physically and emotionally.
Her good nature wore out She wasn’t allowed to follow her nature
like a fan belt. Where do you see a simile?
So she cut off her nose and her legs
and offered them up.

In the casket displayed on satin she lay

with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,
a turned-up putty nose,
dressed in a pink and white nightie.
Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said.
Consummation at last.
To every woman a happy ending. What is ironic about this stanza?

Questions:
Different standards of beauty. Burmese tribe, Nigeria, 2001 – 1st black African woman to be crowned Miss
World.
Why do we force people to conform?
Should parents prevent their children from playing with Barbie dolls?

 begin Sula into activities – students journal on each of their chosen topics first, and then must prepare
poster and presentation
 life of Toni Morrison
 use articles on Toni Morrison and independent research
 traditional role of women in society
 what is the traditional role of women in society?
 chaos and instability vs. order and stability
 examples of chaos vs. examples of order
 sex and love
 what is the relationship between sex and love? how are they similar? how are they different?
  how mothers may influence their daughters
 What is the ideal mother/daughter relationship? what is a mother’s responsibility towards her
daughter? what is a daughter’s responsibility towards her mother? how might a mother
influence the way her daughter turns out?
 morality: good vs. evil
 how do we construct morality? how do we decide what is good, and what is evil? list some
things or actions that are good and some that are evil.
 community vs. individual
 what is a community? what is the role of the individual within a community? how might a
community affect an individual? what happens when there is a conflict between the
community and an individual?
 mortality/transience vs. permanence
 why are we afraid of death? in what ways do human beings, who are transient, attempt to
achieve permanence?
 identity
 What factors or categories might we use to construct our identity (race, gender, social group)?
What are some possible groups of people with whom you might identify?
 friendship
 What makes a best friend? What are some ways in which friendship can be betrayed? Is it
more important to be loyal to your best friend or to your significant other
(boyfriend/girlfriend)?
 fantasy & magic vs. reality
 How is fantasy different from reality? List some examples of things that occur and appear in
fantasies and things that exist in reality.
 fire vs. water?
 What feelings, images, people, and things do you associate fire with? How about water?

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Day 4: Friday, January 24

 Journal
 group work on Sula into presentations
 poem of the day: “Slim Cunning Hands”.
pre-reading vocab:
pun, ambiguity
cunning: (adj, n) skilled in deception; pretty or cute
cozening: (adj) deceitful
fair: beautiful, just, impartial
student copies the poem onto the board while the class thinks about:
speaker, setting, imagery, tone/mood, theme

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Day 5: Monday, January 27

 journal
 poem of the day: “At the San Francisco Airport”

terminal: (n) limit, boundary, end, final; station at the end of a transportation line
old/young, light/dark, past/present, security/adventure
fear: small, contained fragile contrasted with great planes

 complete group work on Sula into presentations

 begin Sula into presentations.
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Day 6: Tuesday, January 28

 SSR, journal check

 HW: read up to p. 48 by next Tuesday, February 4
 quiz on pp.1-41 of Sula and vocab
 What is “the Bottom” and how did it get its name?
 What is National Suicide Day? Who created it and why?
 Describe Helene and Nel’s encounter with racism.
 What is Eva Peace’s physical disability?
 The crafty spy displayed great ________.
 The sycophant kept complimenting me; he wanted to ___________ me into buying his products.
 complete Sula into presentations
 write down master list of themes, and students copy. assignment: students must continue to trace their
themes throughout the book. page number, quote/paraphrase
 vocab
 raze (3): to level to the ground, demolish
 consolation (5): a comfort (to deal with grief or defeat)
 fastidious (7): displaying careful attention to detail, hard to please
 inverted (8): upside down or inside out, reversed
 repugnance (8): extreme dislike
 unequivocal (13): clear and unambiguous, leaving no room for doubt
 apprehension (13): fear
 indifference (21):
 accost (22): to approach and speak to boldly and aggressively (with a demand or request)
 query (27): a question, to question
 disgruntled (32): discontent
 exude (36): to ooze forth gradually, to exhibit in abundance

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Day 7: Wednesday, January 29
 journal
 grammar: subject-verb agreement
 discussion on Sula
 3; flashback, setting. Medallion, Bottom. nightshade/blackberry – plants as symbols for the
people. layers of meaning, a stratified society. transformation: from fertile farm land to worthless
nigger joke land to vibrant black community to white suburb’s golf course
 4; perspective of the white valley man. emotions, stories, people, events, all hidden beneath the
surface. behind the stripped and faded buildings, behind the “adult pain that rested somewhere
under the eyelids”. laughter to deal w/pain, the pain of the “nigger joke”. whites laugh at blacks,
blacks laugh at themselves.
 layers of meaning project
 students work in pairs on art project. they must illustrate the several stages of Bottom in layers.
layering effect will be furnished by folding the paper into four layers. top layer: Medallion City
Golf Course; 2nd layer: vibrant black community (Time and a Half Pool Hall, Palace of
Cosmetology, etc), 3rd layer: poor farming land, 4th layer: what the blacks originally imagined the
Bottom to be
 poem of the day: “The Bells,” by Edgar Allan Poe, p.41 of The Raven and Other Favorite Poems
 read aloud while the students graph the tone

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Day 8: Thursday, January 30
 SSR, book check
 chaos/order activity
materials: stopwatch, post-it notes, markers (in 2 different colors), 2 sets of cards marked 1-17 (each in a
different color), 2 balls
procedure: pass out cards randomly. students must write their number down in the same color as the
number on the card. the class will be divided into two teams based on the color of their number. the game
is quite simple; students must throw the balls from the lowest number to the highest number. (variations
are possible: highest to lowest number). the students must try to complete the ball pass, from lowest to
highest number, as fast as possible (teacher will stopwatch). at first, students will not be allowed to move
their seats, so the ball pass will be inefficient and chaotic. then, students will be allowed to move, and they
must figure out for themselves that organizing themselves from lowest to highest in a circle is the most
efficient ordering. both teams of students will compete with each other for fastest time for EC. must be
done without talking – talking results in one second being added to the score.
 discussion on Sula
 WWI
 7: something inexpressible, using only vague words
 maker order/chaos chart
 8; sublime death of soldier – death described in terms of energy and grace. loss of identity
(“private,” hands).
 9-14; order/chaos, identity. Symbols: paper dolls, food plate. Blackness = identity.
 15-16; community, cultural accommodation and adaptability
 timeline: First National Suicide Day: January 3, 1920, Bottom destroyed way in the future
 rituals assignment (50 pts – due Monday; since we need it for class, the late penalty will be 20 pts)
 remind students that layers of meaning project is due tomorrow
 display ritual: all windows closed, tuck under desk (felt trapped), throw out piece of paper (wrote
problem on paper and discarded it), open windows (freedom), then explain the significance of the
ritual
 write two paragraphs
 1st: describes an elaborate ritual. Rituals can include verbal chants, actions like tapping,
gestures
 2nd: interpret/explain the significance of the ritual
 the best ritual that can be conducted in the classroom will be adopted. we will share rituals on
Monday.

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Day 9: Friday, January 31
 Journal:
 assign test prep, go over old test prep
 poem of the day: “We Real Cool” p.82 of Norton Anthology: read w/style, colloquial – difference in
diction/tone from Slim Cunning Hands, scansion
 scansion
 alliteration: repetition of consonant sounds at beginning of words
 rhyme!
 “We” is in an uncertain position, and is also the only unstressed syllable – identity. a group
identity, wouldn’t work w/ “I”.
 pride in flouting conventions, breaking rules of English grammar
 “jazz” can mean “give great pleasure to”
 abrupt ending
 announce poetry quiz for Monday
use poem as example of how to analyze a poem for the poetry quiz:

Speaker: From the sentence, “We / Left school,” the reader knows that the speakers are still young enough
that they should be attending school, but are skipping out instead. Therefore, they are probably group of
rebellious teenagers.
Setting: The setting is a pool hall, where the teenagers “strike straight” at the pool table.

Imagery: school, gin.

Mood/tone: The tone is initially one of the self-confidence as the speakers proudly proclaim, “We real
cool.” The poem continues to carry a haughty tone as the speakers brag about their exploits. However, the
tone shifts abruptly with the last line of the poem: “Die soon.” Suddenly, the mood becomes somber and
sad. Thus, the poem is mixed between pride and regret, liveliness and death.

Theme: Though a life of youthful rebellion may initially be filled with pride and excitement, it can
ultimately end in tragedy and disappointment.

 Sula discussion
 the problem of genealogy is the problem of identity
 chart family tree
 Cecile -> Rochelle (whore) -> Helene -> Nel
 18; Helene attempts to quell wildness in Nel
 20; racial containment, borders, and order
 21-22; Helene’s passive acceptance of that social order, image of custard
 27-29; Helene rejects her mom, but Nel finds inspiration in her, finds individuality. Nel attempts
to separate her identity from her genealogy – no longer wants to be her mother’s daughter. Leads
her to Sula.
 civil rights video: Eye of the Prize

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Day 10: Monday, February 3
 progress checkups, w/progress checkup explanation sheet
 journal
 reading schedule for the week – there will be at least one closed-book, open notes reading quiz this
week
 49-57 by Wed., 57-66 by Thurs., 67-73 by Fri
 themes assignment (40 pts) due by Tuesday, February 10th. Find as many examples as you can from
anywhere in the book. Cite example and use page number. Length requirement varies depending on
the theme.
 assign skits/independent oral presentations. 35 points, NO LATE WORK ACCEPTED. Find most
important scene, act it out. Maximum of 4 people per group.
2/7: 67-73
2/10: 73-78
2/11: 79-85
2/12: 89-94
2/13: 94-104
2/14: 104-111
2/17: 112-117
2/18: 117-125
2/19: 125-131
2/20: 131-137
2/21: 138-146
2/24: 147-155
2/25: 155-162
2/26: 163-174
 group sharing of rituals
 students share rituals and decide on the best one, which they will demonstrate to the class
 independent discussion questions for those who haven’t completed the assignment
  Looking at pages 41-48, what is Eva and Hannah’s attitude towards love and sex? What does
Sula learn from her mother about sex?
 How did Eva save Plum’s life when he was a baby?
 How does Plum die and why was he killed?
 Name all the characters that live in Eva’s household, and provide a brief description of each.
 vocab: vocab quiz on Friday, Feb 7 (30 pts). won’t be allowed to use your notes.
 guileless (adj., 42): not deceitful, naïve
 spontaneous (adj., 43): arising from natural inclination or impulse, unconstrained
 awry (adj., 52): in a position that is turned or twisted, away from the correct course
 acquiesce (v., 54): to consent or comply, to give in
 saunter (v., 54): to walk at a leisurely pace, to stroll
 strenuous (adj., 58): requiring great energy, effort, or exertion; vigorously active
 restlessness (n., 59): inability to rest, relax, or be still
 elated (adj., 60): proud or joyful
 mimic (v., 60): to copy or imitate, especially in speech, gesture, or expression; to ridicule or mock,
to resemble
 avert (v., 62): to turn away, to ward off or prevent
 preoccupied (adj., 77): absorbed in thought, distracted

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Day 11: Tuesday, February 4
 SSR, journal check
 poetry quiz (50 pts): My Papa’s Waltz. Your arguments are more convincing if you quote from the
poem.
 Sula discussion: 30-41
 Eva Peace (+ BoyBoy) -> Hannah (and Plum) -> Sula
 30; Eva as creator. She gives all names
 34-35; Plum’s constipation, Eva’s leg. Eva’s tenacity
 36; BoyBoy’s rich appearance, but hidden defeat. BoyBoy’s name.
 38: tracing love – the Dewey’s love for each other. Eva takes away their identity, their
individuality.
 39; Tar Baby – ironic name, just like “Bottom”
 Sula discussion: 41-48
 41; “It was manlove that Eva bequeathed to her daughters.”
 43-44; Hannah’s sex scene, love/sex theme, influence on daughter Sula
 45; Plum’s drug addiction
 47-48; Plum’s death, water & fire. Should she have killed him?

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Day 12: Wednesday, February 5 (shorter day)
 Journal
 HW: bring independent reading book tomorrow for in-class assignment on the book
 Sula discussion: 49-57: Nel and Sula, best friends. What are some memories you’ve shared w/your
best friend?
 50; “pig meat”
 (51-52; Nel and Sula as dreamers)
 53; Irish boys
 54; showdown w/Irish boys, Sula & her finger. How like her mother, Eva?
 55; identity, white features for Nel
 (56-57; role of women in society)
 What social issues have come up in the novel so far?
  horror of war, care of veterans, treatment/care of mentally ill, racism, drug addiction, alcohol
addiction, infidelity, absent parents, divorce, domestic violence, poverty, murder, prostitution,
insurance fraud, euthanasia. In the poems: girls’ self-image, infidelity, rebellious youth.
 bring in at least two articles or books that you can find on a topic of your choice by Monday,
February 10 (15 pts)
 vocab taboo
 students are assigned to groups by teacher. Put master list of vocab words up on transparency.
Students are given mini-index cards and, with their group, must make a set of taboo cards. Each
card would have the vocab word, along with four other words the opponent is NOT allowed to say.
Choose 20 words, and use both sides of the card. (35 pts)

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Day 13: Thursday, February 6
 SSR, in-class assignment on independent reading book: identify main characters, setting, conflict,
prediction as to what will happen. an adequately detailed response would be almost a page. will be
graded on degree of detail. (30 pts) for those w/out in independent reading book, they automatically
lose 10 pts, but must still summarize and comment on a news article from the newspaper.
 Next, on same sheet of paper, make timeline of major events in the book so far: open notes, closed
book. (20 pts)
 Vocab taboo: finish making cards

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Day 14: Friday, February 7
• Journal
• Common grammar error: incorrect pronoun use
 “In the book Sula, by Toni Morrison, it’s about a woman living in the 1920’s.”
 Vocab taboo
 Teacher uses two groups to model how to play. Students are given a few minutes to study the
vocab words and their definitions.
 Play time: each group of students faces off with another group. Victors should collect the
signatures of the vanquished. Each signature will count as a point of extra credit. The cards will
be kept in a safe place after play is done; each group will label their set of cards with a sticky note.
• Vocab quiz, no notes (30 pts).
1. to ooze forth gradually, to exhibit in abundance
2. inability to rest, relax, or be still
3. to level to the ground, demolish
4. fear
5. absorbed in thought, distracted
6. arising from natural inclination or impulse, unconstrained
7. displaying careful attention to detail, hard to please
8. to strongly urge
9. discontent
10. extreme dislike
11. clear and unambiguous, leaving no room for doubt
12. requiring great energy, effort, or exertion; vigorously active
13. to consent or comply, to give in
14. proud or joyful
15. a comfort (to deal with grief or defeat)

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Day 15: Monday, February 10
• Journal
• Ritual
 HW: pass back work. class will receive the same exact vocabulary quiz, in a slightly different order,
tomorrow. Sula test on Thursday.
• Go over test prep answers
 social issues report of information paper
 freewriting
 choosing a topic. example: “drugs” – too vague.
 students assemble into interest groups to share articles. students must find quotes/paraphrases
from at least four different sources. teacher will model citations.
 Discussion questions for those w/out articles based on 67-73. 30 pts. Will also have to do
independent research over the weekend.
 How would Hannah define “love”? How would Eva define “love”? Compare and contrast
their two different versions of love. Which type do you think is more important? (at least 2
paragraph answer, 20 pts)
 How does Eva feel about killing Plum? (1 paragraph, 10 pts)
 Sula discussion: 57-66
 58-59; sexual imagery, phallus
 61; Chicken Little drowns - mortality. Nel’s reaction. Water & death. Neatness of Shadrack’s
house.
 63; what did Shadrack mean by “Always”? permanence
 64-65; guilt
 66; don’t sound guilty anymore. “the bubbly laughter and the press of fingers in the palm.” Dying
with delight. Compare to top of p.61. morality and permanence. Butterflies in the winter.

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Day 16: Tuesday, February 11
• SSR/journal check
• Vocab quiz
 Vocab: assignment – write one sentence for any seven words, due Thurs.
 stamina (n, 79): Physical or moral strength to resist or withstand illness, fatigue, or hardship;
endurance
 prosperity (n, 81): the condition of having success, wealth, or good fortune
 industrious (adj, 83): skillful, clever, and hard-working
 distinguish (v, 83): To perceive as being different or distinct, to cause oneself to be recognized
 mischievous (adj, 84): playful in a naughty or teasing way, troublesome, irritating
 trivial (adj, 89): minor, insignificant
 intractable (adj, 96): stubborn, difficult to manage
 commiseration (n, 103): feeling of sympathy for the sorrow or misfortunes of others
 malevolence (n, 109): malicious behaviour, evil disposition toward another person, inclination to
injure others, ill will
• Student presentations begin
• Sula discussion: 67-73: go over discussion questions

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Day 17: Wednesday, February 12
 Journal
 Student presentation
• Sula discussion: 73-78
 75-76; Hannah’s burning, fire & water, death & joy
 77; Eva killing Hannah
 78; Sula interested in Hannah’s death
 Student presentation
• Sula discussion: 79-85
  81-82; Jude’s dreams. Jude’s Oedipus complex (Plum also had Oedipus complex)
 83-84; Nel giving up her own dreams and individuality

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Day 18: Thursday, February 13
 SSR/journal check for 2/5, 2/7, 2/10, 2/12
• Student presentation
 Sula discussion: 89-94
 what separates Part I from Part II?
 90; good & evil in the world
 91-94; dramatic reading of Sula/Eva dialogue
 92; traditional role of women
 93; fire, fiery personality
 Taboo
 Groups work on cards, adding in 2 of this week’s vocabulary words, and all of the following
characters: Sula, Nel, Hannah, Rochelle, Helene, BoyBoy, deweys, Eva, Plum, Shadrack, Chicken
Little, Jude
 Report of information paper
 clustering: clusters are due tomorrow! (20 pts)

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Day 19: Friday, February 14
 Journal
 Student presentation
 Sula discussion: 94-104
 95; Sula brings life back to the town
 96; the chaos looked right, the town needs Sula
 99; where did Sula go all these years?
 100; what did Sula do to Eva?
 103; defeated attitude of the men in this novel. Sula confronts Jude w/combativeness
 103-4; good becomes bad, Sula’s unique perspective
 Report of information paper
 outlining: outlines are due on Monday! (30 pts)
 Taboo: play!
 review for test on Sula
 Sula discussion: 104-111
 105; Jude leaving Nel. “you knew me,” but she had given up her “me-ness”. shift in narrative
point of view
 106; how Jude like soldiers on the train? shame.
 107; what is the ideal place for you to deal with grief?
 108; Nel and Sula’s different hells: stability vs. instability
 111; shift in narrative point of view, inadequacy of society’s role for women

If class behavior becomes problematic, switch to seminar mode:

The Marshal may give warnings and deduct points for talking and
walking around.

Marshal:
Seminar participants:

pp.94-104 (35 pts, 5 points per question)

1. How does Sula make Nel feel?
2. Explain how the appearance of Nel’s house (top of p.96) is related
to Sula’s presence.
3. What did Sula do to Eva?
4. On page 103, what emotions or reactions was Jude trying to evoke
from the women?
5. How does Sula have “an odd way of looking at things”?

pp.104-111 (35 pts, 5 points per question)

1. How was Nel wronged by her loved ones?
2. Who is the narrator on p.105? How is this different from most of
the book?
3. Why does Nel compare Jude to the soldiers on the train when her
mom turned to custard?
4. When you are sad or grieving, where do you like to go?
5. Compare and contrast Nel and Sula’s different conceptions of
“hell”.
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Day 20: Tuesday, February 18 (shorter day – reading assessments)
 SSR
 Vocab (9 vocab sentences due Thursday- 18 pts)
 distinct (114, adj): distinguishable from all others, easily perceived by the senses or intellect, clear,
notable
 aberration (118, n): a deviation from the proper or expected course, something that is abnormal or
atypical
 annihilate (118, v): to destroy completely
 pariah (122, n): a social outcast
 idle (127, adj): not busy, lazy, avoiding work, not in use or operation
 reverie (128, n): a daydream
 tangible (134, adj): discernable by touch, touchable, possible to be treated as real and concrete fact
 retribution (139, n): something justly deserved, repayment (especially revenge)
 gloat (140, v/n): to feel or express great, often malicious, self-satisfaction; a feeling of great, often
malicious, self-satisfaction
 Review for Sula test
 Report of info paper
 cluster/outline

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Day 21: Wednesday, February 19
 Sula test
Sula test: You should use your book. If you use your notes, no points will be deducted, but the maximum
score you can achieve will be an 85. Each question is worth 8 points, and you get 4 points simply by
handing in a test. This test is worth 100 points. Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of
paper. When you complete your test, you must staple these questions to your answers and turn them in.
Then you may read silently or pretend to be a statue. I would like to remind you that statues are very, very
still, and are very, very quiet.

1. Looking at pages 3-5, describe the history of the Bottom’s development

2. “Before he could register shock, the rest of the soldier’s head disappeared under the inverted soup bowl
of his helmet. But stubbornly, taking no direction from the brain, the body of the headless soldier ran
on, with energy and grace, ignoring altogether the drip and slide of brain tissue down its back” (8).
Comment.
3. “All their repugnance was contained in the neat balance of the triangles – a balance that soothed him,
transferred some of its equilibrium to him” (8). Comment.
4. How does Shadrack reestablish his identity on page 13?
5. Why does Nel describe her mother as “custard” on page 22?
6. How are the symbols of fire and water related to certain events in this book? Use specific examples to
support your answer.
7. Compare and contrast Nel and Sula’s houses, as described on page 29. How are their houses relevant
to their upbringing and personalities?
8. After reading page 54, explain how Sula takes after her mother.
9. How is page 66 related to the themes of mortality and permanence?
10. Which characters in Sula have an Oedipus complex? How do you know?
11. Why did Jude marry Nel? What failure was he trying to compensate for? What desire was he trying to
fulfill?
12. “The two of them together would make one Jude” (83). Comment.
Extra Credit (1 point): Explain why Mr. Wang is “da bomb”. Please use evidence to support your answer.

 Report of info paper

 introduction: tell an anecdote, describe a problem or condition, ask a question, cite some startling
or interesting facts or statistics, quote a powerful or intriguing idea. introduction is due by the end
of class. (20 pts)
 body: topic sentence usually at the beginning of the paragraph. Write one body paragraph and the
topic sentences for your other two body paragraphs. (30 pts)
 Student presentation: reminder – speak to the class, have a solid conclusion

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Day 22: Thursday, February 20
 SSR
 teach electronic citations. Must have three sources, and at least one of these must be a book. For
computer lab, must copy down facts or quotes, with citation of sources, to be checked off by the end of
class. Research paper is due Tuesday, Feb. 25

World Wide Web Sources

Format:
Author. “Title of Document”. Title of Web page. Date site was last revised.
Institutional or organizational association. Date accessed.
<Electronic address>.

Example:
Beardsley, Tim. “A Clone in Sheep’s Clothing.” Scientific American. 22 Sep. 1999
<http://www.sciam.com/explorations/030397clone/030397beards.html>.
 Report of info paper
 Go to the computer lab

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Day 23: Friday, February 21 (was absent)
 Journal
 Report of info paper
 conclusion: leave the reader with something to think about. Offer a judgement, make a final
comment or observation, end with a quotation that pulls it all together, summarize your main
ideas, refer to your introduction.
 Don’t use “I think” in your research paper; it’s not an opinion piece.

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Day 24: Monday, February 24
 Journal
 Ritual
 Student presentations
 Sula discussion: 112-117
 112-113; Sula sleeping w/white men. Breaking social rules
 113; superstitious reaction to Sula, and community’s accommodation of an evil
 115; ironically, Sula has positive effect on community
 116-117; Sula and Shadrack grouped together. How are they similar in the eyes of the
community?
 Sula discussion: 117-125
 117-118; Sula’s positive effect on the community. An evil becomes a good. sense of community
strengthened by unity against a common evil (Sula).
 118-119; Sula has a different morality and system of values.
 120-121; Everybody is the same, friend more important than lover.
 121-122; inadequacy of society’s standard expectations. Defeated people.
 124; Ajax & permanence.
 125; influence of mother. Hannah lives on through her daughter – in a way, achieves permanence.
compare to p.43
 Sula discussion: 125-131
 126, 127, 127-128; Ajax’s Oedipal complex
 130; Ajax’s layers, just as Bottom had layers
 Sula discussion: 131-137
 131-132; Sula becoming domesticated. possession (131) sets her up for loss.
 133; Ajax’s reaction
 134; butterflies & the impermanence of Ajax’s love, loss.
 135; she was so sure of his presence. Ajax’s layers. reality beneath the surface.
 136; Sula feels like she never knew anything, loss of identity
 grammar: pronouns and their antecedents
Pronoun antecedents
Antecedent – the word that a pronoun refers to or replaces in a sentence
After David got up, he fixed his breakfast.
The girls set their book bags under a tree.
Alan and Jean are washing their car. They are almost finished.
From Sula, identify 3 pronouns and their antecedents.

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Day 25: Tuesday, February 25
• SSR
• vocab: 16 point quiz on Thursday, right after SSR
  dictate (v/n, 141): to say or read aloud to be recorded or written by another; to issue orders or
commands; a command
 disrepair (n, 153): the condition of being in need of repair
 dirge (n, 155): a funeral hymn or lament; a slow, mournful musical composition or poem
 unsullied (adj, 157): spotlessly clean and fresh
 befuddle (v, 159): to confuse, perplex, or stupefy
 respite (n, 160): a short interval of rest or relief
 solicitous (adj, 160): expressing care or concern; full of desire; eager
 scorn (n/v, 160): contempt or disdain felt toward a person or object considered despicable or
unworthy, to consider or treat as contemptible or unworthy
 Rorschach blots
 http://www.deltabravo.net/custody/rorschach.htm
 Show class Rorschach blots. Students write down what they think they see in the blots and share.
 Explain Rorschach blots, the concept of psychological projection, and discuss. Relate to Sula’s
birthmark.
 Introduce extra credit essay: Trace the descriptions of Sula’s birthmark. How might Sula’s
birthmark tell the reader more about the characters viewing the birthmark than Sula herself?
(pages 52, 74, 96, 97, 103, 104, 138, 156). 2-page interpretive essay. Up to 50 points EC.
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Day 26: Wednesday, February 26
 Journal
 “Hecka lame” things to do in a research paper: addressing common errors
 Don’t use second person (“you”)
 Minimize using first person (“I”)
 Avoid wishy-washiness: probably, maybe, perhaps
 Research paper is not an opinion piece
 No contractions in formal essays
 Explain editing symbols
 Student presentation
 Sula discussion: 138-146
 switch to Nel’s perspective, visiting Sula as Sula lays dying. Nel is living the life of a responsible
single mother. Sula dying young, much like Achilles.
 142; woman’s role in society
 143; Sula’s individualism, rejection of woman’s standard role
 145; morality, friendship over significance other
 146; morality
• Sula discussion: 147-155
 147; permanence
 148-149; Sula’s death
 song: “Shall We Gather At the River”
 everybody is happy about Sula’s death. good fortune appears to lie ahead – promise of work at the
tunnel for black folk
 152; ice kills the harvest. Sula’s fire is gone.
 153; death of Sula, the source of disorder, ironically causes the social order to dissolve.
 Sula discussion: 155-162
 156-157; Shadrack’s slow embrace of chaos. explanation of “always” – permanence.
 158; mortality threatens Shadrack’s paradigm. Sula, and her death, interrupts the orderly routines
of his life.
 159; now that they’ve lost everything, the community no longer fears death. they rush to join
Shadrack.
 160; disorder, feeling of freedom and liberty
 162; mass death, or suicide?
 Dreams
 How have my dreams changed over the years?
 What are my dreams?
 What are the obstacles that stand in the way of my dreams?
 How can I overcome these obstacles?

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Day 27: Thursday, February 27
 SSR
 Vocab quiz (15 pts) with reading pop quiz (15 pts)
Vocab quiz (15 pts)

Word bank: dictate, disrepair, dirge, unsullied, befuddle, respite, solicitous, scorn

1. contempt or disdain felt toward a person or object considered despicable or unworthy, to consider or treat as
contemptible or unworthy
2. to confuse, perplex, or stupefy
3. to say or read aloud to be recorded or written by another; to issue orders or commands; a command
4. spotlessly clean and fresh
5. expressing care or concern; full of desire; eager

Reading pop quiz (15 pts)

1. In the last chapter, who does Nel visit?

2. How did Nel feel about Chicken Little’s death?
3. At the end of the book, how does Nel feel about Sula?

 Test prep
 Student presentation
 Sula discussion: 163-174
 time shift. establish the setting.
 164; transience
 165; Nel’s acceptance of standard role in society
 166; transience – how Bottom transformed
 167; Nel visits Eva
 170; Nel’s enjoyment of Chicken Little’s death
 171; the town’s spite – a matter of malicious misinterpretation.
 birthmark assignment
 174; ball of fur breaks up. circularity of the narrative.
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Day 28: Friday, February 28
 Journal
 Sula & death
 Have two student artists. Students will brainstorm common images that signify death, and student
artists will sketch them on the board.
 Go over the images of fire and water in Sula, and what they have to do with death (rebirth and
purification).
 Students must come up with their own original image or symbol for death (i.e., they cannot use
any of the images on the board). Students draw the image.
 Students make up with a one-paragraph explanation of what happens to you after you die. Does it
hurt? Where do you go? Etc.
 grammar: correct pronoun reference, correct comparisons