Don't Call Me Ishmael

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In this unit we will:

  • Read sections of the book aloud in class
  • Read the rest of the book individually
  • Complete a series of formative tasks
  • Complete a Summative Task
dont_call_me_ishmael.pdf


YOU MUST DOWNLOAD THIS PDF file, store it in your One Drive English folder - Don't Call me Ishmael - and use it as the basis for all your work.


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SOMETHING ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND THE CONTEXT OF THE BOOK

What is "Moby Dick" about? Moby Dick Wikipedia entry

SUMMARY OF THE UNIT'S ACTIVITIESIshmael cover.jpg


BEFORE READING - we will read through the introductory sections from the author in class

Then you will read the book at your own pace. At the end of each Part you are to complete the appropriate questions from the Resource Booklet. Copy and past the questions from the PDF file into a blank Word document labelled "Don't Call Me Formative tasks" and then type underneath

PART 1 - Chapters 1 - 11 questions. Discussion questions.
PART 2 - Chapters 12 - 20 questions. Discussion questions.
PART 3 - Chapters 21- 37 questions. Discussion questions.
PART 4 - Chapters 38 - 44 questions. Discussion questions.
PART 5 - Chapters 45 - 50 questions. Discussion questions.
AFTER READING
KEY THEMES

SUMMATIVE TASK.

Prepare a Literary Essay that explores FOUR of the six key themes that are highlighted on the class wiki page for Don’t Call Me Ishmael.

You must explain what each theme means, give examples and quotes from the book to support your ideas and structure the essay with an introduction and conclusion.

Remember to include some direct quotes in your monologue to give greater depth to your response.


We will go through how to approach this task in class

Here is an example from last year for you to look at.....
ZTh.docx


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HOW TO WRITE A LITERARY ESSAY
For some of you, writing a literary essay will be a new experience. For others, they are a difficult and confusing part of your English study.Here is a great Prezi to start us thinking about how to write them effectively and intelligently
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Text analysis
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOWAny text study requires you explore five key areas:

  1. The Plot - what happens in the story and in what order. This is the most basic level of understanding required.
  2. The Setting - where and when the events take place. It's important to establish whether and how the time and place of the story affects the characters and events.
  3. Characterisation - The main characters - their physical attributes, their personalities, and their key relationships (and how these change through the course of the story).
  4. Key Themes - the general ideas that the story is trying to explore. Clearly, Bullying is a critical theme that the author is exploring as well as individuality and how people on the 'outside' of social groups find their own place in a community
  5. Author Techniques - how the story is put together. The structure of the Parts, the references to Moby Dick, and the style and tone of the writing, are all important elements to understand here.

Put together, these five areas will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of this entertaining and provocative novel.


KEY THEMESkey2.jpg

These are explained in greater detail in the PDF file from above. We will also talk about them in class.
TASK: For each theme get at least 3 quotes from the novel that support the ideas of the theme.
This is crucial when it comes to completing the Summative Task.

  • The Power of Language

  • Bullying

  • Self-esteem and Self-image

  • Acceptance of Individuality

  • The Importance of Friends and Family

  • The Importance of Humour



Here's a short clip with the author reading from the book










And now for a great PREZI that will help you understand the book even more.