Fahrenheit 451

1. Fahrenheit 451

2. Day 1 - Discussion of Forward Choose the strongest sentence(s) in the introduction and explain why it’s the strongest. (Is it the idea? The word choice? The depth of the statement? The punctuation?)

3. Day 1 - Read in Groups & Discuss “Ray Bradbury” “Literature and Censorship” “Bradbury and His Other Works” “Bradbury and Film Then, one representative share to the whole class – What did you learn? Take notes.

4. Fahrenheit 451 Part I Reading Schedule • Day 1: 1-16 • Day 2: 16-37 • Day 3: 37-65 (finish Part I)

5. Begin reading Fahrenheit. Consider the differences between Montag’s life and Clarisse’s life. Use sticky notes: three notes per night (so, should have at least 12 sticky notes for Part I).

6. Day 2 - Bell Work Of all the traits ascribed to salamanders, the ones relating to fire have stood out most prominently. This connection probably originates from a behavior common to many species of salamander: hibernating in and under rotting logs. When wood was brought indoors and put on the fire, the creatures "mysteriously" appeared from the flames. The 16th-century Italian artist Benvenuto Cellini (1500–1571) famously recalled witnessing just such an appearance as a child in his autobiography.[22] According to some writers, the milky substance that a salamander exudes when frightened and which makes its skin moist gave rise to the idea that the salamander could withstand any heat and even put out fires.[22][2 • Define: How does a salamander connect to Fahrenheit? • Bradbury opens the novel with a quote from Juan Ramon Jimenez: “If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” Why did Bradbury select this statement, and what does it mean? • Write 3-5 important things/ideas from what you read yesterday

7. “It was a pleasure to burn.” Why does Bradbury start the novel this way? Why might it be more pleasurable to burn books rather than read them?

8. Day 2 - Videos from the 1950’s • “Are you Popular?” • “A Date with your Family” Make a connection from each video to the text – Share with your table group & then whole class!

9. Day 2 – Reading: pp. 18 - 37

10. Day 3 - Bell Work: Vocabulary • On a sheet of computer paper: • Sketch a vocabulary term & connect it to the text • Must include: • Word (spelled correctly) • Definition • Direct quote w/ citation • If you finish early: • Sketch a different term • Challenge: Incorporate two terms on one paper

11. Day 3 - Table Group Question Why does the narrator introduce us to Montag at this time of his life, when he encounters Clarisse and confronts Mildred’s overdose?

12. Day 3 Reading: pp. 37-65 • (finish Part I)

13. Day 4 - Captain Beatty’s Monologue (55) • Discuss his view that school cultivates anti-intellectual sentiment. Do you think it accurately depicts our school? Do books violate the idea that “everyone is made equal?” • Compare this to Clarisse’s description of school. (26-27)

14. The narrator tells the story with a specific perspective informed by his or her beliefs and experiences. Narrators can be major or minor characters, or exist outside the story altogether. The narrator weaves her or his point of view, including ignorance and bias, into telling the tale. A first-person narrator participates in the events of the novel, using “I.” A distanced narrator, often not a character, is removed from the action of the story and uses the third person (he, she, and they). The distanced narrator may be omniscient, able to read the minds of all the characters, or limited, describing only certain characters’ thoughts and feelings. Ultimately, the type of narrator determines the point of view from which the story is told. Bradbury employs a third-person limited narrator in Fahrenheit 451. We know only Montag’s movements and thoughts. The narration follows Montag like a camera, and the reader is never allowed into the lives of other characters, except for what they say to him. This inevitably increases our sympathy for Montag.

15. A New Point of View • How might this story be narrated in the first-person from the point of view of a government official that believes burning books protects society? (Such as Beatty) Brainstorm the outline of a new version of Fahrenheit 451 told from this perspective.

16. Day 4 - Socratic Seminar The goal of a Socratic seminar is for students to help one another understand the ideas, issues, and values reflected in a specific text. Students are responsible for facilitating a discussion around ideas in the text rather than asserting opinions. Through a process of listening, making meaning, and finding common ground students work toward shared understanding rather than trying to prove a particular argument. A Socratic seminar is not used for the purpose of debate, persuasion, or personal reflection, as the focus is on developing shared meaning of a text.

17. Socratic Seminar Rules 1)      Talk to each other, not just to the discussion leader or teacher. 2)      Refer to evidence from the text to support your ideas. 3)      Ask questions if you do not understand what someone has said, or you can paraphrase what another student has said for clarification. (“I think you said this, is that right?”) 4)      You do not need to raise your hands to speak, but please pay attention to your “airtime” – how much you have spoken in relation to other students. 5)      Don’t interrupt. 6)      Don’t put down the ideas of another student. Without judging the student who you may disagree with, state your alternate interpretation or ask a follow-up question to help probe or clarify an idea. 7)      Common statements or questions used during a Socratic seminar include: • Where does that idea come from in the text? • What does this word or phrase mean? • Can you say that in another way? • Is this what you mean to say… • What do you think the author is trying to say? • What else could that mean? • Who was the audience for this text? How does that shape our interpretation of these words? • Who was the author of this text? What do we know about him/her? How does that shape our understanding of these words?

18. Socratic Seminar What do you think this text means?

19. Socratic Seminar Reflection • At any point did the seminar revert into a debate/discussion rather than dialogue? If so, how did the group handle this? • What evidence did you see of people actively listening and building on others' ideas? • When were you most engaged? • When were you most disengaged? • How has your understanding of this text been affected by the ideas explored in this seminar? • What would you like to do differently as a participant the next time you are in a seminar?

20. Day 5: Conflicts in the Story Identify who you think is the antagonist in the story. • Why is this character opposed to Montag? • How does this character force Montag to reevaluate himself? • What other characters present conflict with Montag?

21. Day 5 - Part One Quiz

22. Day 6 - Podcasting - • Podcast handout - This has space to put the due dates for each podcast. If you post it on Classroom, there is a link to the Anchor app.

23. Day 6 - Podcasting - Example • Podcasting example - Harry Potter and the Sacred Text - Find Chapter 13 “Hope:  Nicolas Flamel” -

24. Podcasting - Themes • Possible themes document - Groups choose one theme to talk about for each podcast. This theme can come from the sheet or be developed by the group. Your task is to define and discuss the theme as it’s found in that Part.

25. Podcasting - Rubrics • Podcast rubrics - There are two here:  the individual rubric and the group rubric. Groups get time during class to plan for their podcasts (usually 10 minutes a few days before so that they can decide on a theme) and then they record during class (usually 45 minutes). You will be placed in the classrooms and in the hallways in places that aren’t too far away so that I can walk around but they’re far enough away from each other that they aren’t causing background noise.

26. Day 6 - Podcasting - • Discuss with group possible themes of Part 1 using the themes document or coming up with a theme on your own. • Decide on a theme to use. • Homework: Using the podcast handout prepare for the next day. • Here’s what should be included in each podcast, minimum: • Intro/Intro music • Story that relates to the podcast’s theme • 30-second recap • Discussion of the theme - this will most likely be the longest segment of your podcast • Specific discussion practice • Bring a question • Answer your question/provide a potential answer • Group members offer other potential answers • Repeat with another member’s question • Response to one voicemail (2nd, 3rd, & 4th podcasts ONLY) • Sign off/Outro music

27. Day 7 - Podcasting • Organize information for Podcast • Begin Podcasting • Submit • This first one will be a formative assessment so that you can have practice and I can provide feedback before a podcast episode that is graded. • Have Fun!!!

28. Fahrenheit 451 Part II Reading Schedule • Day 8 : 67-88 • Day 9: 88-106 (Finish Part II for Monday)

29. Day 8 - Begin reading Part Two • Montag • Mildred • Beatty • Faber Make lists of what motivates each of these characters Begin Day 8 Reading: pp. 67-88

30. Day 9 – The central character in a work of literature is called the protagonist. The protagonist usually initiates the main action of the story and often overcomes a flaw, such as weakness or ignorance, to achieve a new understanding by the work’s end. A protagonist who acts with great honor or courage may be called a hero. An antihero is a protagonist lacking these qualities. Instead of being dignified, brave, idealistic, or purposeful, the antihero may be cowardly, self-interested, or weak. The protagonist’s journey is enriched by encounters with characters who hold differing beliefs. One such character type, a foil, has traits that contrast with the protagonist’s and highlight important features of the main character’s personality. The most important foil, the antagonist, opposes the protagonist, barring or complicating his or her success. • Captain Beatty, the fire chief, is a key foil and a historian of sorts. While Montag once followed Beatty’s values, he now resists Beatty’s commitment to burning books. • Meanwhile, Faber represents a musty, academic link to the past. • Clarisse McClellan, a teenager, longs for the romantic days of front porches and rocking chairs, complaining, “we never ask questions.” • Mildred, the model citizen, attempts suicide while living in a world enchanted by television.

31. Thoughts of Day 9: Role of Foils • Mildred • Clarisse • Faber • Beatty Review the first ninety-one pages of the novel and look for occasions when this character brings out dramatic responses from Montag. How does the character lead Montag toward self-realization? How does Montag’s relationship to the character change? Use specific text evidence as support.

32. Day 9 Reading: pp. 88 - 106

33. Day 10 • Review Part 2 and discuss • Part 2 Quiz Enjoy you Holidays!

34. Day 11 - • Review: SparkNotessummary; graphic novel reading

35. Explain the significance of the title of Part II: The Sieve and the Sand. • The title of chapter 2 is important because it tells us how Montag sifts through his past and prior knowledge to search and find more about the importance of books. Montag digs or sifts through information about books and it is described as him using a sieve to sift through sand. • If you put sand through a sieve, most sand will fall through. There will be clumps of sand that remain. Also, some seashells or maybe garbage; but for the most part, clumps of sand. If the sand doesn’t want to fall through the sieve, it must get together with other pieces of sand and band together. If said sand doesn’t wish to become like every other grain, it can’t be alone. More the merrier, as the larger clumps are even harder to get through a sieve. • This title is derived from a miniscule detail on the train. He recalls a childhood memory at the beach. I believe they are bringing back his childhood because within this past he starts to not only question himself, but society. He thinks back to a more innocent time and his thoughts at that time. Almost in an effort to escape his current situation. “The Sieve and the Sand” represents Montag trying to keep himself sane and sort his thoughts.

36. Poetry in Fahrenheit 451 • Dover Beach (96) Overarching question to answer: Why does Montag read Dover Beach to Mildred and her friends?

37. Dover Beach Vocabulary • Tranquil = calm • Grating = irritating • Tremulous = shaking or quivering slightly • Cadence = modulation or inflection of the voice • Sophocles = wrote plays in Ancient Greece; famous for tragedies – deep thinker • Turbid = murky; cloudy • Girdle = belt worn around the waist • Furled = rolled up • Melancholy = pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause • Certitude = certainty

38. Dover Beach Why did Bradbury select this poem out of all of the other poems in the world for this section of the book? How does analyzing and understanding the poem help us to better understand Fahrenheit 451 and/or its characters?

39. Podcasting - Themes • Possible themes document - Groups choose one theme to talk about for each podcast. This theme can come from the sheet or be developed by the group. Your task is to define and discuss the theme as it’s found in that Part.

40. Day 11 - Podcasting - • Discuss with group possible themes of Part 2 using the themes document or coming up with a theme on your own. • Decide on a theme to use that is appropriate for part 2. • Homework: Using the podcast handout prepare for the next day. • Here’s what should be included in each podcast, minimum: • Intro/Intro music • Story that relates to the podcast’s theme • 30-second recap • Discussion of the theme - this will most likely be the longest segment of your podcast • Specific discussion practice • Bring a question • Answer your question/provide a potential answer • Group members offer other potential answers • Repeat with another member’s question • Response to one voicemail (2nd, 3rd, & 4th podcasts ONLY) • Sign off/Outro music

41. Day 12 - Podcasting • Organize information for Podcast • Begin Podcasting • Submit • This one is graded. Use your prior experience and what you learned last time to guide you. • Have Fun!!!

42. Day 13 – Bell work - Vocabulary – • On a sheet of computer paper: • Sketch a vocabulary term & connect it to the text • Must include: • Word (spelled correctly) • Definition • Direct quote w/ citation • If you finish early: • Sketch a different term • Challenge: Incorporate two terms on one paper, incorporating a common theme

43. Icarus Allusion • “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” • Icarus myth • Painting • Poem by William Carlos Williams • What do you notice about the poem? • How does this connect with Fahrenheit? • How does the painting add to your understanding? • Compare Montag and Icarus.

44. Day 13 • Icarus and Montag Comparison

45. Reading Schedule – Part 3 Day 13 – pp. 107 – 133 Day 14 – pp. 133 - 158

46. Day 14: Focus on: Symbols • List anything you associate with fire • adjectives • events • descriptions • Positive connotation vs. negative connotation

47. What is the role of fire in this novel? • Use statements shared in class + text evidence to support your thoughts Claim Evidence Reasoning

48. Day 14 • Read pp. 133 - 158

49. Day 15 - Questions to Consider • Beatty calls Montag "Icarus." Why is this an effective allusion? • Why did Millie report her own home? What do you think of her? • Why does Montag feel "good" burning his own home? • Unlike Mrs. Hudson, Montag chooses not to die in his house with his books. Instead he burns everything, asserting even that "it was good to burn" and that "fire was best for everything!" Are these choices and sentiments consistent with his character? Are you surprised that he fails to follow in her footsteps?

50. Day 15 –Preparation for Socratic Seminar • Write 3 thick questions in your LA notebook • Answer those questions using text evidence (in your LA notebook)