CYCLE 8 - DAY 2 - SEM 1: Watership Down 93-118

Today, we continued with you running the show. Each of you will take on the role of leader, typist and bouncer.

The LEADER, not surprisingly, leads the discussion. The leader must:

• make sure that all the basics of the reading assignment are well-understood,
• determine the pace of discussion,
• elicit contributions from all members of the class in a way that encourages the more silent types,
• acknowledge/make room for additional lines of inquiry
• direct readers into the text for substantiating evidence/passages of interest

The TYPIST takes notes for the whole class to be made available on the wiki. To do this effectively, the typist must:

• track conversation
• provide written summaries of ideas
• organize the flow of conversation into logical format
• provide enough detail for the notes to be useful

The BOUNCER makes sure the typist is able to keep up. To do this, the bouncer must:

• keep an eye on the screen and make sure all aspects of the conversation are making it into the notes;
• interrupt the conversation when the typist needs to catch up
• summarize main points for the typist
• quietly intervene to stifle sidebar conversations
• work to get conversations back on track when they stray

So far, we have had volunteers for these roles. As we move ahead, all of you should take on each of these roles at least once. Like the rabbits of Watership Down, you are developing your own team dynamic here, and the group can benefit from everyone's strengths. And, as we have all spoken about, good teams help each member discover and build strengths, too.

The notes from today's discussion are on the wikispace, as is the study guide for tomorrow's assigned reading.

HOMEWORK:

We'll have a quick vocabulary quiz to start the period, predomonantly on unit 4, but words from unit 1-3 will be included. The format is the same as earlier quizzes: sentence matching, sentence writing, finding the correct sentence.

Then it's back into Watership Down. Use study guide #6 to guide you're thinking (it will not be checked). Discussion questions are printed on the study guide! Start think about which role you'll be volunteering for!