Response to Literature: Prewriting

Eliezer Wiesel, Holocaust survivor
and author of Night

Aim:
IWBAT plan my ideas for an expository response to literature that describes how Eliezer Wiesel is a dynamic character in Night.

Key Points:
1. A dynamic character changes (in a big way) during the course of the story, whereas a static character stays the same.
2. A response to literature is writing that shows your understanding and interpretation of literature.
3. During the prewriting phase of the writing cycle, we brainstorm ideas, select a topic, and begin organizing ideas.


Tasks:
1. Read and comment on two teammates' education essays:

• Open this spreadsheet.
• Click on the link (on the right side) for one of your teammates to open his/her essay.
• Read your teammate's essay.
• Make two comments: one positive (something you love) and one critical (something you wish he/she had done differently).
• To make a comment, select the part of the text that you want to comment on and click Comment under the Insert menu. You can also push CTRL + ALT + M.
• If you finish early: Read and comment on another teammate's education essay.
• If you were absent on Friday: View Friday's lesson (find the link to 12/07 using the drop-down menu on the right side of this site) and follow the directions to submit your essay to Mr. T.

2. This week we are completing a new writing project: a response to literature in which you describe how Elie Wiesel is a dynamic character in Night -- that is, you will describe how his personality changes in one big way during his experience in the Holocaust. Today, you will complete the prewriting stage of the writing process using this paper classwork form.

• You can view an exemplar for this assignment here. (Note, this exemplary essay focuses on Vladek Spiegelman from Maus, rather than Elie Wiesel from Night.)
• If you finish early: Read Elie Wiesel's biography on his foundation's website.

Homework: finish planning your body paragraphs on pp. 3-4 of today's classwork