Slaughterhouse-Five AP Literature & Composition 2019
Unit Work Albert Passages (4 @ 10 pts in classwork category) Vocab Quizzes (4 @ 10 pts in classwork category) FRQs (1 completion; 1 graded @ 20 pts in classwork category) Round Table Discussion (70 pts in assessments category) Round Table Discussion Reflections (2 @ 20 pts in assessments category) Sketch Notes (60 pts in assessments category in lieu of quizzes) Rough Draft of Essay (10 pts in essay category) Final Draft of Essay (100 pts in essay category)
Slaughterhouse-Five Annotations Guide Directions: First of all, your annotations will not be graded. However, I realize some of you need some guidance about what to underline and annotate. Use this guide to help you focus on some details that you might need to reference later in your reading. The following is simply a list of details that you may wish to react to / analyze as you are reading. Of course, you should annotate anything that you feel is connected to the essay question(s) you are considering answering. For each chapter, it is a good habit to make a bullet point list of key events / ideas. Do this on the first page of each chapter. Also, on the last page of each chapter, write a brief reaction to what you have read. Some Constants: Pay Attention to these Thematic Ideas: American culture War Capitalism Religion Chapter One Vonnegut tells his buddy, Bernard V. O Hare the moment that will serve as the climax. Vonnegut s description of his late-night drunken phone calls. Why is Mary O Hare so angry with Kurt Vonnegut? Vonnegut tells Mary O Hare that he will give his book a different title. Why the book is so short and jumbled and jangled. At the end of this chapter, Vonnegut tells us the opening and closing lines of Billy Pilgrim s story. Vonnegut s story is partially science fiction, and it describes a man who is bouncing around in time that eventually is captured by aliens. At the same time, the novel is about very real and very horrific historical events. Speculate as to why Vonnegut inserts himself into the text. In other words, why does Vonnegut open with his own voice and description instead of just jumping into Billy Pilgrim s story? Chapter Two Explain how the Tralfamadorians view time and death. The description of Billy s bare feet. Archetype? Describe Billy Pilgrim s appearance. Why does bob up and down? The description of Roland Weary s knife. Who are the three musketeers? Given that Dumas book is about brotherhood and loyalty, why is it ironic that Weary uses this name? Billy and Roland Weary s capture. Chapter Three What does the speaker at the Lion s club meeting talk about? Why do you think Vonnegut includes this? The prayer hanging on Billy s wall. Billy is under doctor s orders to take a nap every day. Why? The description of the corpse s feet. Vonnegut inserts himself into the story as a character when he says, I was there. So was my old war buddy, Bernard V. O Hare. Why do you think Vonnegut inserts himself into the story like this? The description of Christmas aboard the prisoner train.
Chapter Four The description of Billy s feet. Blue and ivory as a motif. What other motifs have you noticed so far? Take note of any motifs that you notice as you read through the text. Billy gets a wrong number in the middle of the night. Explain why this description is significant. Explain how Billy views the war movie in the middle of the night. The Tralfamadorian s metaphor involving amber. The reason that no one wants to sleep near Billy Pilgrim on the train. What does Roland Weary talk about as he dies? Who cradles Roland Weary s head as he dies? What do the Tralfamadorians say about free will? Chapter Five The only earthling book that the Tralfamadorians have to share with Billy Pilgrim. Explain Tralfamadorian novels. How might this relate to this book that Vonnegut is writing? How are the English prisoners different from the American prisoners? Eliot Rosewater. Description of the Tralfamadorian zoo. An epitaph is something that a saying that is written on a person s tombstone. Explain why you think Vonnegut ascribes this particular epitaph to Billy Pilgrim. Vonnegut once again inserts himself as a character into his own fictional story. Effect? Who is Howard W. Campbell? Summarize his thoughts on the American troops. Chapter Six Paul Lazzaro s act of revenge against the dog that bit him. Lazzaro s thoughts about the Dresden bombing. Lazzaro s promise to a dying Roland Weary. Billy describes being shot after giving speech, and then he explains what death feels like. The Englishman tells the Americans that they need not worry about being sent to Dresden. Vonnegut once again inserts himself as a character into the narrative. Find and underline/highlight Vonnegut s description of Dresden. The surgeon s response to Billy Pilgrim s appearance. The description of the objects that Billy finds in his fur coat. Chapter 7 Billy Pilgrim s plane crash. What is going on aboard the plane before the crash? The description of Werner Gluck. The work the Americans do in Dresden before the bombing. Chapter 8 In this chapter, we again see Howard W. Campbell. Define the Free American Corps and explain what makes Campbell different from other Nazis? Kilgore Trout. The robots in Kilgore Trout s story, The Gutless Wonder. Billy s reaction to The Febs performance at the anniversary party. What is a time window according to Trout? The barbershop quarter reminded Billy of a very specific image. Vonnegut s commentary about capitalism. The very end of this chapter describes a blind innkeeper. Where do the men sleep for the night? What does this image remind you of?
Chapter 9 Valencia s death. Professor Rumfoord is writing a book. What is the subject matter of this book? The Tralfamadorians tell Billy to focus on the happy moments in his life and ignore the unhappy ones. The description of the only moment in the war that Billy Pilgrim cries. Why is the epigraph of the book an excerpt from a Christmas carol? By the end of this chapter, we see that all of Billy s experiences on Tralfamadore are in some way based on real-life experiences. We can say the same thing of Billy s time travel. Make a short list of things that occur on Tralfamadore that are related to Billy s real-life experiences. Chapter 10 Like the opening of the book, the final chapter is written in Vonnegut s own voice. Also, like the opening, Vonnegut mentions current event like Vietnam and the death of Robert Kennedy. Why do you think Vonnegut chose to open and close his strange story with very realistic descriptions of current events? The corpse mines in Dresden. Vonnegut says in the beginning that he wants the death of poor old Edgar Derby to be the climax of the book. What makes Edgar Derby s death ironic? Why do you think Vonnegut chose to use bird songs as the final line of the book?
Slaughterhouse-Five Round Table Discussion Inner Circle We are approaching these discussions a little differently. Instead of me supplying you with questions, I would like you to find details you find interesting, intriguing, thought-provoking, bothersome, humorous, and so it goes. You need to prepare a list of three topics of conversation to bring up. It s possible you will not have the chance to bring up everything you want, but it s good to be prepared. For each topic of conversation, include at least two quotations to discuss and one question to ask. Your topics of conversation may include: Character development Vonnegut s style of writing Thematic ideas Vonnegut s commentary on religion, capitalism, war, American culture, etc. Setting Postmodernism elements Structure Symbolism Outer Circle While you are observing discussion, you will take notes as usual. Make sure your notes are detailed and attribute ideas to appropriate people. You will take a few ideas from your notes and expand on them in a written reflection that will be due two days after the discussion takes place. I recommend completing this as soon as you can after the discussion. Structure your reflection in two parts: A brief summary of 2-3 ideas from the discussion that you thought were interesting. In this part, it s important to attribute ideas to individuals from the inner circle. Your take on the topics of conversation. What are your opinions of the text? Why did you find these details to be interesting? What can you add to the conversation? How did your understanding of the text change because of this discussion? Whereas your tone in the reflection can be informal and casual, maintain proper grammar, mechanics, spelling, and formatting. Due Dates & Groups Chapters 2, 3, 4: January 28 Chapters 5, 6: January 31 Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10: February 5 Absent Work: If you have an excused absence on the day you were scheduled to participate, then you will have to prepare as usual and then present your ideas to the class upon your return to class. If you have an excused absence on a day you were to observe a discussion, then you will have to prepare a 300-word response to the chapters to make up for the reflection assignment.
Name Round Table Discussion Contributions /30 Exemplary A Offers numerous insights and supports ideas with evidence. Asks level 2 and 3 questions to further the dialogue. Demonstrates a deep familiarity with the text. Good Job! B Offers several insights and supports with evidence. Asks level 2 questions. Demonstrates an understanding of the text. Almost There C Participates by offering general commentary without evidence. Demonstrates a flawed or surface level understanding of the text. Keep Working D Offers one comment but does not contribute worthwhile insights to the conversation. No evidence to suggest an understanding of the novel. Incomplete/ Missing F Does not participate in the conversation. Conduct /5 Articulation /5 Preparation /30 Is respectful of other s opinions, is professional during the discussion, or refers to others by name. Does not monopolize the discussion. Speaks to all participants at a reasonable volume. Speaks in a coherent, focused manner. Written assignment is thorough, detailed, and complete. Is respectful of other s opinions and is focused on the discussion. Does not monopolize the discussion. Speaks to all participants at a reasonable volume. Speaks in a coherent, focused manner, but has moments of rambling. Written assignment meets the minimum requirements but could be more detailed and thorough. Is respectful of other s opinions, and but is not actively engaged the entire time. Tends to monopolize the discussion. Speaks too softly. Has no sustainable point; uses sound bites. Written assignment has incomplete elements. Needs more elaboration and evidence. Is indifferent to other s opinions. Not actively engaged in the conversation. Monopolizes the discussion. Is incoherent, rambles, and illogical. Written assignment has missing elements. Needs more elaboration and evidence. Disrespectful towards others, engages in other activities during the discussion. Reluctant to speak. Does not complete the written assignment.
Sketch Notes What are sketch notes? Sketch noting combines traditional handwritten notes with drawings, symbols, and other creative elements. The result is an engaging map of ideas with clear visual cues. Why use sketch notes? With sketch notes, you can: Use visual cues to boost memory retention. Keep your brain active and engaged with variety and stimulation. Develop ideas more comprehensively by creating connections between points. Make your notes more compact and easier to review at a glance. What are the rules of sketch noting? None really. Use your imagination and creativity. But, you should use color to emphasize or organize ideas. For example, notes concerning theme are written in red, tone ideas are written in blue, & vocabulary is written in purple. Basic Shapes: Icons & Symbols.
Slaughterhouse-Five Sketch Notes Assignment For our study of Slaughterhouse-Five, you are going to take notes as you read through the text. These notes will be both written and drawn to highlight important points. These notes are in lieu of reading quizzes. The point of sketch-noting is to create a visual representation of the piece that you are reading. It is not to prove that you are the best artist in the class. For some of you, the visual representation will look like simple arrows and stick people. For others, you may be creating elaborate drawings. What is important is to have a balance of words and visuals. Your sketch notes over the novel must include the following: Title and author prominently displayed. A representation of historical context. A representation of a thematic idea with explanation of how Vonnegut develops the theme. Include 3 quotations (with page numbers) as support. A representation of one character with a minimum of three character traits that can be gleaned from the text. Include 3 quotations. A representation of one conflict. Include a quotation. A representation of the setting(s). Include a quotation. A representation of one symbol or motif. Include a quotation. Representations of five memorable moments with corresponding textual support. A minimum of ten carefully drawn images. They do not have to be outstanding artwork, but I should be able to tell that you tried. Sketch Note Rubric /5 Historical Context /10 Theme w/ 3 pieces of support /10 Character w/ 3 traits + 3 quotations /5 Conflict w/ quotation /5 Setting w/ quotation /5 Symbol/motif w/ quotation /10 Moments w/quotations /10 Images /60 Total
Slaughterhouse-Five Essay Questions Directions: Choose one of the questions below and respond in a well-written essay. Your essay should: Have an engaging introduction, fully-developed body paragraphs, and an insightful conclusion. Directly quote the text several times and thoughtfully analyze evidence. Be formatted in MLA style Be free of grammar, mechanical, and spelling errors. Be written in third-person with present tense verbs. Include a works cited page (even if you are using one source). *Outside sources are not required, but you are welcome to use them. Have 3-4 pages of quality writing. 1. Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Choose a novel or play that contrasts two such places. Write an essay explaining how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work. 2. Critic Roland Barthes has said, Literature is the question minus the answer. Choose a novel, or play, and, considering Barthes observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers answers. Explain how the author s treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary. 3. In many works of literature, past events can affect, positively or negatively, the present activities, attitudes, or values of a character. Choose a novel or play in which a character must contend with some aspect of the past, either personal or societal. Then write an essay in which you show how the character s relationship to the past contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. 4. Many works of literature deal with political or social issues. Choose a novel or play that focuses on a political or social issue. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the author uses literary elements to explore this issue and explain how the issue contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. 5. Typically, the element of plot is discussed in terms of Freytag s pyramid a linear sequence of story events, each subsequent event growing in magnitude until a certain turning point is reached and a conclusion revealed. In a well-written essay, analyze the extent to which the author either follows or violates this principle and the impact the plot structure has on the overall meaning of the novel.
Slaughterhouse Five Exceptional Excellent Proficient Adequate Needs Improvement Ideas & Content 10 points Ideas are deeply insightful and original. The essay goes beyond general commentary and addresses challenging and complex concepts. Ideas are original and clearly presented. The essay attempts to address challenging concepts. Ideas are clear but less mature in thought and complexity. The essay goes beyond the superficial but is inconsistent. Ideas are general and superficial but not off the mark. The essay tends to address superficial concepts without digging into the text. Ideas are unclear and oversimplified. The essay tends to summarize rather than analyze. Organization 10 points The essay begins with a compelling introduction that contains a flawless thesis. Topic sentences are directly connected to the thesis statement and effectively guide the reader through the paper. Transitions seamlessly tie ideas together. Conclusion is equally compelling and reflects the introduction. The essay begins with a good introduction that contains a strong thesis statement. Topic sentences control the direction of paragraphs. Transitions effectively tie ideas together. Conclusion is complete yet straightforward. The essay begins with a complete introduction that contains a clear thesis. Some topic sentences are claims/some aren t. Rudimentary transitions tie ideas together. Conclusion reflects the introduction but is slightly underdeveloped. The introduction is underdeveloped and contains a thesis statement that needs further work. Topic sentences are not claims. Transitions are basic or inconsistently used. Conclusion is woefully underdeveloped or is simply a summary of main points. Introduction is woefully underdeveloped. Thesis is incomplete or unclear. The body of the essay is difficult to navigate may be missing topic sentences and/or transitions. Conclusion is simply a summary or a restatement of the thesis. Support & Analysis 50 points Language 10 points Thoroughly supported and expertly analyzed. Quotations are blended seamlessly and are tightly connected to the thesis. Sentences are sophisticated and varied. Word choice is powerful and thoughtful. Well supported and analyzed. Quotations are embedded, but, in minor cases, feel awkward. Evidence is linked to the thesis statement but could be stronger in a few areas. Sentences are clear. Diction is accurate yet not compelling. Some missed opportunities for quoted support. Elaboration could be slightly more developed. Quotations are integrated but feel awkward. Inconsistently linked to the thesis statement. There is clear sentence structure; few sentences are awkward. Diction is accurate. Support tends to prove factual information instead of insights OR support is slightly lacking. Quotations are not integrated. Not strongly linked to the thesis statement. Sentences are wordy or repetitive. Diction is quite simple and, in few cases, inaccurate. Support is lacking OR there is no analysis. Writer offers support but fails to analyze it. Quotations are not integrated. Sentences are repeatedly simple or unreadable. Diction is simplistic or inaccurate. Conventions 10 points No major errors related to syntax, grammar, mechanics, formatting, citations, or works cited page. Grammar is used to effectively and creatively communicate. Very few errors related to syntax, grammar, mechanics, formatting, citations, or works cited page. Some minor errors related to syntax, grammar, mechanics, formatting, or citations / works cited page. Some repeated minor errors related to syntax, grammar, mechanics, formatting, or citations / works cited page. Major errors related to syntax, grammar, mechanics, formatting, or citations / works cited page that impact readability.