The Poisonwood Bible:
Cultures, Nations, and Families in Conflict

“Everything you're sure is right can be wrong in another place. ” 
― Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible

The slideshow above shows images of the beauty of the Congo.

Agenda

Mon 2-4-2019
     -MC Monday
     -"Sound and Sense" by Alexander Pope and "Mythology" by Louise Gluck
Tues 2-5-2019
     -Review MC performance
     -Commonlit Article: "The Scramble for Africa" (Mike Kubic, 2016)
Wed 2-6-2019
​     -Discuss article
     -Introduce Kingsolver and sticky notes, narration terms, read Part 1 in class
     -HW: read pgs 15-49 (Book 1)
Thurs 2-7-2019
     -Discuss reading, stylistic voice terms, character analysis activity
     -HW: read pgs. 50-82 (Book 1)-use sticky notes
Fri 2-8-2019
     -Discuss reading, stylistic voice terms, character analysis activity: allusions, narration, stylistic voice (e.g., Rachel vs. Ruth May)
     -HW:complete reading TPB Book 1 as necessary and complete Independent Reading Project (Mindmap)
*****
Mon 2-11-2019
     -MC Monday
​     -Mindmap Gallery Walk
     -HW: continue reading TPB Book 2 (remember sticky notes)
Tues 2-12-2019
SNOW DAY - SCHOOL CANCELLED!! Lesson below postponed to Wednesday!
     -Poetry Tuesday: "The White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling, 1899
     -Allusions, Epigraph, and Narration Terms: POV, narrative perspective/ narrative voice, shifting narration, epistolary, frame story
     -Stylistic Voice Terms: diction, tone, selection of detail, figurative language
     -Reading Quiz
     -HW: "The Black Man's Burden" by Rev. H.T. Johnson, 1899 (Commonlit packet)
Wed 2-13-2019
Snow Day for MEEE!!!
     -Poetry "Wednesday": "The White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling, 1899
     -Allusions, Epigraph, and Narration Terms: POV, narrative perspective/ narrative voice, shifting narration, epistolary, frame story
     -Stylistic Voice Terms: diction, tone, selection of detail, figurative language
     -Reading Quiz (Book 1) POSTPONED TO THURSDAY!
     -Pick your characters to track! 
​Thurs 2-14-2019
Happy Valentine's Day
     -Discussion Thursday
     -Reading Quiz (Book 1) 
     -discussion of "The White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling, 1899 AND "The Black Man's Burden" by Rev. H.T. Johnson, 1899
     -Allusions, Epigraph, and Narration Terms: POV, narrative perspective/ narrative voice, shifting narration, epistolary, frame story
     -Stylistic Voice Terms: diction, tone, selection of detail, figurative language
     -Humor Terms: satire, parody, farce, comic relief, sarcasm
     -HW: Pick your characters to track! Remember: the final Summative Essay for this unit will be based upon comparing how these characters deal with or are affected by cross-cultural transition.
     -Biblical Allusions: class running record
     -Characterization Graphic Organizer
     -Humor in AP Literature Graphic Organizer
     -Begin reading Book 2: The Revelation for discussion on Thursday 2/21
Fri 2-15-2019
     -Blogger Friday
     -HW: Continue with reading (Book 2: The Revelation through pg. 134), Characterization Graphic Organizer, Humor Graphic Organizer, Primary and Secondary Blog Entries
*****
Mon 2-18-2019
     -Presidents' Day-NO SCHOOL!
Tues 2-19-2019
     -Professional Development-NO SCHOOL!
Wed 2-20-2019
REMINDER: Vocabulary Week 15 (?)
     -Writing Wednesday (maybe)
     -Housekeeping Topics:
          -character sticky note activity
          -analyzing characterization G.O.
          -humor G.O.
     -TPB and Post-Colonialism G.O.
     -Discussion of  Book 1
     -HW: continue reading Book 2 (through pg. 134)
Thurs 2-21-2019
     -Discussion Thursday
     -Book 2 through pg 134
     -HW: Keep reading, sticky notes, characterization
Fri 2-22-2019
     -Scholar Hour (meet in library)
In light of yesterday’s rather sad and somewhat painful discussion (?), we will be grappling with the novel in a more prescribed manner. While you are still focusing upon 2 characters in the novel for your final essay, I am now requiring that you use the sticky notes for each character’s “chapter” in every book in The Poisonwood Bible.
Purpose: We will collect these sticky notes for each character at the end of the reading of a “Book” on a poster in order to build our understanding of each character’s development within our unit’s focus on culture and cross-cultural interactions.
Steps:
1. Read each chapter with an eye on how that specific character endures cross-cultural struggles that could relate to differing customs, cultural values, or even culture’s complex relationships with religion.
2. On each sticky note: record the character’s name, cite a passage (page number and first few words), write a short analysis of the quote about why this quote is important and/or the insights it reveals about that specific character,
3. and, YES, you will need to write small (you may use bullets, single words, and/or notes).

At the end of that reading period, we will have a class discussion in which every student will be required to comment upon their sticky notes and at the end of that class, we will collect all of the sticky notes on that character’s specific poster. Please write your initials in the lower right-hand corner of the sticky note.
     -Blogger Friday (postponed for this week)
     -HW: Go back through Books 1 and the first half of Book 2 (through page 134) to compose sticky notes for "your" characters IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY! After this, the new rules apply as far as the sticky note strategy goes.
Continue to read Book 2 in order to finish by next Thursday, Feb 28th.
*****
Mon 2-25-2019
     -Multiple-Choice Monday
     -"Gospel" and "Thanatopsis"
     -HW: MC Monday Justifications and Sticky note strategy and completion of Book 2 by Thursday
Tues 2-26-2019
     -Poetry Tuesday
     -3-column activity
     -TPCASTT
     -HW: "Explication Introduction" paragraph- (Rhetorical Precis-like) and Sticky note strategy and completion of Book 2 by Thursday
Wed 2-27-2019
     -Writing Wednesday
     -in-class timed essay prompt
     -HW: Sticky note strategy and completion of Book 2 by Thursday
Thurs 2-28-2019
     -Discussion Thursday
     -Book 2
           -Character Charts and Sticky Note Textual Evidence
          -Pop Quiz
     -HW: Begin reading Book 3
Fri 3-1-2019
     -Blogger Friday
     -
*****
Mon 3-4-2019
     -Snow Day
Tues 3-5-2019
     -"The Flea" by John Donne
Wed 3-6-2019
     -TPB pgs 8-10 Intro Paragraph Response
Thurs 3-7-2019
     -Discussion of Books 1-3
Fri 3-8-2019
     -Blogger Friday
​*****
​

Materials and Resources

Multimedia Resources Specific to "Book 1: Genesis"

Background Information

Picture
Please click the image above to read and view Barbara Kingsolver's autobiographical slideshow.
Picture
Click on the image above to listen to Barbara Kingsolver discuss her novel, The Poisonwood Bible.
Picture
If you are interested in learning about the history of the international missionary work that the Price family is involved with, click on the image above.

Allusions

Above you will find a clip from the film, The Chronicles of Narnia. What biblical allusion is being made here?

Narration

Think about the purposes and effects of Kingsolver's narration strategies, such as the frame story, shifting narrators, epistolary, and unreliable narration. The film clips below show this in action.
Forrest Gump - frame story
Crash - shifting narrators
Gone Girl - unreliable narrator
Dangerous Liaisons (based upon a novel written totally in letters) - epistolary

Humor

Key & Peele "Teaching Center" - Satire
Weird Al Yankovic "Fat" - Parody

Multimedia Resources Specific to "Book 2: The Revelation"

Below, you will find an 8 part series published by the British Broadcasting Company in 2018 about the Congo River Valley.
Below you will find a documentary featuring Belgian-Congo History.
***Please note: some images are of amputations and can be shocking.
Click on the image below to go to Boston University's Pardee School of Global Studies to find information on European Colonialism in Africa.
The videos below will give further information on European Colonialism of Africa.

"Book 1: Genesis" Paper Resources

kubic-thescrambleforafrica2016.pdf
File Size: 864 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
kipling-thewhitemansburden.pdf
File Size: 229 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
johnson-theblackmansburden.pdf
File Size: 211 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

"Book 2: The Revelation" Paper Resources