The TRUTH and the Glass Castle
English 10 – Ms. Muzaurieta & Ms. van Lier
The TRUTH and The Glass Castle
September 2015
Day 1:
● Introducing the teachers and the class
→ Introducing: THE TRUTH ←
● What IS the truth???
o Informal Writing #1: “What is the truth? Is there one truth we can all believe?” You might want to consider issues of fact and opinion, but that is not required. (5 minutes)
o Discuss ideas
o Informal writing 2: “Write about a time or incident in which you and another person viewed the same incident very differently. How were your perspectives different? What was the result of the different views? Did either or both of you learn something new regarding the incident?” (15-30 min)
Homework: Due Day 2 - all of these are posted on my website
- Read Expectations
- Acrostic name poem
- Set up notebook
- Print & read “Elements of Fiction”
- Complete Informal Wtg #2
- Review TGC & bring to class daily.
Day 2: → LITERARY TERMS ←
The Glass Castle
by Jeannette Walls (born )
Published in
1. Genre
Content: nonfiction – memoir
Form: book-length narrative (not a novel!)
2. Elements of Nonfiction: Author’s purpose & related techniques
Inform – facts and statistics
Share opinion – loaded language/framing
Persuade – same as share opinion
Entertain – humor & anecdotes
→ Identify author’s main purpose.
→ More about WHAT IS THE THE TRUTH??? ←
● What does a person believe?
A. How was the person raised/what was the person taught?
o What was taught by
▪ parents/family of origin
▪ formal education
▪ surrounding culture
B. Related debate: John Locke’s tabula rasa (blank slate) theory vs. evolutionary psychologists, who say are minds are like computers, already programmed to behave in certain ways. What do you believe: are we products of nature or nurture?
Informal writing 3: “Is a person completely a product of teaching and experience, or do innate qualities and traits really affect who we are?” (10-20 minutes)
▪ Be sure you understand the question. Decide what you believe.
▪ Use 2 or 3 characters from The Glass Castle as evidence to prove your main idea.
Homework: Due Day 3
WRITE (or finish) Informal writing 3.
CREATE a simple outline of the plot.
Day 3:
→ More about THE TRUTH ←
● What does a person believe? (continued)
- First, we will look back at #3 and discuss it.
C. What does the person remember?
o consider how our own understanding of what we have learned changes over time
o consider the truth of memory – time alters all things – so how trustworthy is any memoir?
o Connect to JW - how her understanding and opinion might change
Informal writing 4 - TO BE ANNOUNCED (15 min)
→ LITERARY TERMS ←
3. Elements of fiction – discuss applicability to memoir
A. Point of view - 1st person narrator
B. Setting -
C. Character -
D. Plot
1. E
2. R
3.C
4. F
5. R
E. Quest and Conflict -
● internal and external quest
● internal and external conflict
Discussion:
Identify Jeannette Walls’s quests and conflicts.
Compare/contrast with other characters’ Q/C.
Consider how well the Walls met their children’s needs.
Related Question: Why does she seem to forgive her father more than her mother?
Homework: Due Day 4 - NONE