Birthmarked

Welcome to the __Birthmarked__ wiki!
===Your task involves several parts. Read the site entirely and post on Google Docs what you think you will have to do. Label your entry - "On my own" and "As a group". Discuss this after you have posted your entry so that each member shares a his/her idea of the task. Ask any questions of me that you have, but do not ask questions that are obviously the result of failure to read the task closely. Other discussions, reflections, and group essays will be posted on your special space on Google docs.===


 * INDIVIDUAL** pre-reading activities - You will need to post and sign your information and your comments on Google docs. These comments must be respectful and thoughtful. Your information and summaries must be complete and show you have read the material. Your discoveries and discussion will be based on your opinions and your __thorough__ reading of the information.

Go to:

http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_birthregistration.html

Summarize this article on Google docs. Then discuss what questions this brings up for you. One question might be: What happens to children who are not registered? What conditions have to be in place in a country or a home that would make it an unsafe place for children?

Pretend you are an investigative reporter. You are "digging into" illegal adoptions. You come across the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9giCG8OThI4

Do you believe the information contained in the video? What is your next step? Discuss your findings on Google docs. Dig deep into the organization and the issue. Is this credible? (Look up the word credible if you don't know it.)

Check out the following link on the author's site:

http://www.caraghobrien.com/book/links/ Click on the left side entitled Anne Diebel on the cover art. Discuss the evolution of the cover art on Google docs. What is your opinion of the evolving title and art? What did you learn about the book from this article?

Another link on this site is the Global Greengrants Fund. The author is donating a portion of the profits from //Birthmarked// to this fund. Click on the link and find out about the Carteret Islanders. What are their challenges? Imagine a future in which the whole world is presented with challenges like the Carteret Islanders. What might happen to our culture? Our way of life? Our government? Discuss this on the discussion tab.


 * AS A GROUP**: Look at your discussions. Think about what you have read and viewed. Craft a well-written, thoughtful reflection of 250-400 words that predicts what you may read in //Birthmarked// using what you have read and discussed. Post this reflection on Google docs with the heading: Reflection #1 //Birthmarked//. Pay attention to conventions, organization, and ideas and content. Make every word count. Sign your work. THEN: Read and comment on the other groups' work individually. Your comments should be __intelligent, thoughtful, and respectful.__


 * As a group**: Talk about the following. Come to an agreement about your opinion of the statements. Copy and paste the table below into Google docs. Write "agree" or "disagree" in the //Before Reading// boxes. You must be able to support your opinions orally when asked. Sign your names.


 * = **//Before Reading//** ||= **//After Reading//** ||= **//Statements//** ||
 * ||  || Injustices are a matter of opinion. ||
 * ||  || Parents will do anything to ensure a secure future for their children. ||
 * ||  || Success often has as much to do with luck as with our choices, actions, or abilities. ||
 * ||  || When in danger, it is best to play it safe rather than take a risk. ||
 * ||  || In a life-or-death situation, almost any action is forgivable. ||
 * Routines for work in class:**
 * Monday - review the tasks. Read part of a chapter out loud to each other. Begin your vocabulary work. Assign reading to each other for each night so that you all finish by Thursday. You may also have a quiz on your vocabulary. Begin researching your essay assignment. Think about your two final pieces.
 * Tuesday - Do part of your reading out loud to each other. Review the questions and see if you can answer any of them. Research and begin your essay, if it is assigned, by discussing online what you want to put in and how you will put this together into a finished post. Do your vocabulary templates.
 * Wednesday - Do part of your reading out loud together. Review the questions. Do the rough draft of your essay. Finish your vocabulary.
 * Thursday - Do part of your reading out loud together. Keep answering questions. Polish your essay. Pay attention to your final pieces. Help each other study the vocabulary.
 * Friday - Post your final weekly essay on Google docs. Finish your discussion questions. Study your vocabulary. Think about your final project. Help each other study for the vocabulary quiz each Monday.


 * Routines for work at home:**
 * Each night, do the reading that is assigned by the group. You also must write email me a summary paragraph of each chapter. Do any work the group assigns you. You may post questions about the group assignments and have conversations with your group members. Please sign your posts. Think about your final. Study your vocabulary for the quiz on Monday. Comprehension questions will also need to be emailed to me. See the page on this wiki for emailing me correctly.


 * DAILY/WEEKLY TO DO LIST:**


 * INDIVIDUAL:**

1. **YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO READ EVERY NIGHT.** Most weeks require you to read 50+ pages. Each night, after you read, you will need to **write a 5 sentence paragraph about what happened in each section.** You need email me by **the beginning of the next class; you can do this from home the night before or quickly at the beginning of class.** //Don't forget to include your name.// Also, you should **preview the questions and assignments for each time period/chapter before you read.**


 * 2. Vocabulary for __Birthmarked__. Look at the vocabulary acquisition page on this wiki and follow the directions.** For three weeks, vocabulary is extensive and should be done at home when you cannot finish in class. //When you see a page number after a word, you need to read the sentences around the word and make a prediction about the word's meaning before you look it up//. Make sure you have the template for the vocabulary on any computer you work on. These should be kept on your computer at school, but you may send them to yourself if you work from home.

Week 1: For winter term, you will only do the words that are **bold; don't forget to use the kids' Yahoo dictionary**. These are the ones that will be on your test!

Ch. 1: **subsided**, satchel, **redolent**, **plaintive** (p. 6), scrutiny Ch. 2: quota, pacifists, **deferential** (p. 20), **furtively**, **incredulous** Ch. 3: desultory, residual(p. 28), palliative escapism, **perpetual** Ch. 4: **impoverished**, avuncular, **hypothetically** Ch. 5: cisterns, **intuitive**, amphitheater

Week 2:

Ch. 6: **jovial**, **vitality**, **prodigious** (p. 63), obelisk Ch. 7: abomination, fathom, **pernicious** (p. 72), **flagrant**, incestuously, apertures, **unceremoniously**, **skeptical,** genteel Ch. 8: **impassive,** anguished, prism, pivotal, **injustices** Ch. 9: **expendable** (p. 98) Ch. 10: apex, gossamer

Week 3:

Ch. 11: **morose**, **taciturn**, effulgent, soporific, sartorial (p. 124), **chastised** Ch. 12: **apathy**, **palpable** (130) Ch. 13: foundry, **unfettered**, **affronted** (p. 152), alluring Ch. 14: unbidden, **reconcile**, speculation, callous, thwarted Ch. 15: preternaturally, **aberration**, **ethical**, modicum

Week 4:

Ch. 16: **fathomless**, **ethical** (p. 180), autodidactic Ch. 17: **grave**, **abyss**, **condoned**, **conviction**, **complicity** Ch. 18: tedious Ch. 19: **precocious** (p. 219), **altruistic**, **mitigating** Ch. 20: inured, paupers (p. 238)

Week 5:

Ch. 21: **deference**, **contrite** Ch. 22: **rotund**, **surreptitiously** Ch. 23: **cursory** Ch. 24: **sustenance**, **emanated**, **intrepid**, **derisively**

Week 6:

Ch. 25: **defunct, discernible, inundating** Ch. 26: **peremptory, endearing** Ch 27: **surfeit** Ch. 28: **surreal, staccato, revolt, shroud**

3. **Individua**l comprehension questions. These must be emailed to me. I will adhere to due dates to which your group has agreed and posted Google docs.

Week 1: Ch. 1: A. Gaia is conflicted in this chapter; describe her conflicts. B. What is a conflict that you have? Explain thoroughly. C. Look up "Gaia" in the dictionary. What does it mean, and why do you think the author chose this name? Ch. 2: A. What does Old Meg say about why Gaia's mother may have been taken? B. On p. 11, there is a simile that describes the "brown parcel". Why do you think Caragh chose these words to describe the parcel? C. On p. 13, Gaia makes a several judgments. Is she fair? Support your opinion. D. Describe Sergeant Grey. Do you think he is what he seems to be? What is your evidence? Ch. 3: A. What is the purpose of the Tvaltar? B. What is the purpose of this chapter? Ch. 4: A. Contrast the two settings, Wharfton and the Enclave. B. A light goes on in Gaia's head on p. 44. What is it? C. Look up the term //foreshadowing// if you don't know it. How could the text on the bottom of p. 48 and part of p. 49 be an example? Ch. 5: A. What do you know about Gaia's parents? B. How does Gaia find the meaning of the message and what does it tell her to do? C. Is there foreshadowing in the color that Gaia must dye her clothes? Why or why not?

Week 2: Ch. 6: A. What threatens Gaia's disguise? B. Why do you think the Enclave population has assembled for the execution? Do a little research - Where in the world are there public executions? How does this contrast with who views executions in the U.S.? Ch. 7: A. Describe Rita. Why is she an interesting character? B. Were the people who were hanged really brother and sister? Support your answer. C. The chapter is extremely descriptive and exciting. Write about your feelings and cite (look it up if you don't know this word) the descriptions the author crafted to make them come alive for you. Ch. 8: A. Gaia thinks to herself that she is “grossly ignorant”. Of what is she grossly ignorant in the situation in which she finds herself? B. The Enclaves problems are revealed in this chapter. What are they? C. Gaia’s character is revealed in this chapter. Describe it fully, using examples. D. Compare and contrast Gaia’s character to Captain Grey’s. Chapter 9: A. On p. 97, Sephie says, “…everyone know what you did today, saving that baby…You’ve forced people to think.” What do you think she meant by this comment? B. On p. 98, Sephie says, “We’re all accused of crimes against the State, like falsifying the results of genetic tests, or helping women who want abortions, or not killing faulty babies.” Take each one of these accusations, explain what the State might find objectionable, and defend the actions of the midwives. Chapter 10: A. Reread pp. 100-104. Why do you think the author had Gaia remember these scenes in particular? What do you think it says about her father and mother? B. Gaia understands that being a midwife is a hard one. Why do you think she chooses it? C. What are some pros and cons to being a midwife in our society?

Week 3: Ch. 11: A. Why might the author’s choice of Sephie’s first name “Persephone” be appropriate for her character? You might have to look up the name and who originally had it. B. How many times bigger was the market in the Enclave than the one in Wharfton? (a. 10 times. b. 20 times. b. 15 times.) C. Gaia, due to her disfigurement, sees people in a different way than some. What is the evidence that she is right? What is the evidence that she is wrong? D. What do you think causes Gaia’s change of heart at the end of this chapter? Ch. 12: A. What is the purpose of this chapter? B. Why do you think Myrna acts the way she does? Ch. 13: A. Orion is Gaia’s mother’s maiden name. Why would the author choose it? What significance does it have? B. How could the information in the chapter help Gaia? C. How could the information about the freckles help the Enclave? D. What do you think Leon’s crime against the state might have been? Why wouldn’t he have been punished more severely? Ch. 14: A. The Protectorat believes in no extreme measures to keep people alive. There are only morphine and antibiotics. The focus is on the whole population, not the individual. Read the following article, then using the article and the Protectorat’s opinion, create an opinion of your own and defend it if you have to, because it might be different from the ones expressed here. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article2045207.ece B. Gaia’s scar is like another character in the story! Why does the author keep coming back to it? Ch. 15: A. Chapter 15 can be divided into two parts. Create titles for these two parts. B. Iris is a girl’s name that originated at the ancient Greek goddess of the rainbow. Why do you think Caragh chose this name for such a character as Mabrother Iris? C. What is the purpose of the video that Iris showed Gaia at the end of this chapter?

Week 4: Ch. 16: A. On p. 181, Iris says the Dear Forest is a place that doesn’t exist. How does he know? What are the consequences for him if it does exist? B. Her father was killed due to his own killing of guards who were trying to prevent him from getting to her mother. Do you think his killing was justified? In what instances would you break the law? C. Why do you think Gaia’s mother can’t decipher the code? Ch. 17: A. What is/are Leon’s reason(s) for helping Gaia in this chapter? B. The term “Advance” mocks her. Why? C. Gaia realizes that her mother and father’s record keeping was a “record of loss”; why do you think it took so long for her to come to this conclusion? Ch. 18: A. Closed circuit cameras (CCTV) are everywhere in Great Britain. It is estimated that there is one for every 20 people, and that someone may be recorded as much as 300 times per day. This is supposed to catch criminals. In addition, Britain has placed cameras in the homes of parents whose children are delinquents in order to monitor their parenting behavior. CCTV cameras are also used to catch speeding cars. What do you think of this? Explain. Ch. 19: A. The obvious solution to the problem of inbreeding in the Enclave is tearing down the wall. Why do you think this is not an attractive solution for the Enclave? B. Is the Jacksons’ loss of their daughter really worse than the loss of the Wharfton babies? Support your answer. C. Prediction: Given that Gaia has the only obvious “deformity”, and she is being hunted, how do you think she will get her mother out? Ch. 20: A. What does Pearl think is the origin of Gaia’s burn? Does this surprise you? Why/why not? B. How does Leon find them? C. Play the genome games! Explore the site! [] then list at least five facts you learned from your research. D. What would be so bad about the Enclave plan proposed in this chapter? It would bring hope to many families. E. Briefly explain Gaia’s plan. Is it a good one? Why or why not?

Week 5: Ch. 21: A. How does Leon’s appearance complicate Gaia’s plans? How does it help? B. A more complete descriptions of Gaia’s looks appear in this chapter. Please describe Gaia’s looks. C. Predict how Gaia might use the sugar cubes. Ch. 22: A. How does Gaia know that Sephie recognizes her before the end of the chapter? B. What could have happened in this chapter as an alternative to what did happen? You cannot end the book with your alternative explanation. C. What are the extra challenges Gaia faces that she didn’t anticipate? Ch. 23: A. What are the reasons that Rita acts as she does? B. How does Rita’s choice of location help them? B. “This is all my fault. At least in the tower you’d be safe.” “You couldn’t be more wrong. Now take care of this baby.” Find these quotes on p. 290, and tell why you think Gaia’s mother responds as she does. C. List at least three things Gaia finds out in this chapter. Ch. 24: A. In this chapter, we are confronted with perhaps more information about why Leon has been disowned. Using the additional opinion and information, what do you think happened that led to Leon’s outing? B. What doesn’t make sense about Gaia’s scar and the Protectorat’s opinion about her unsuitablilty? C. What are the arguments for keeping Gaia and Leon alive?

Week 6: Ch. 25: A. What would be the point of "reversing the code?" It's kind of stated in the book, but what's the point? Be careful. B. Gaia is concerned about the ladies who are taking care of the infants in the nursery, then she says, "Do it." What's more important? C. They have to get out of the Enclave, or hide somewhere. What would you recommend they do now? Ch. 26: A. Why wouldn't the Protectorat want a public execution if Leon and Gaia are caught? B. Look up the name Leon. Is the meaning of this name appropriate? C. Leon tells Gaia about his problem with Fiona. Is this argument air-tight? Could he have proven his innocence? Why or why not? D. Why does Leon love Gaia? Ch. 27: A. Why do you think Leon acted as he did? Ch. 28: A. Why might this chapter signal the "beginning of the end" for the way the Enclave does business? B. Is Gaia being selfish by taking her sister to the Dead Forest? Explain. C. "She pivoted right, and sensed the vast, open space of the wasteland stretching before her under the opaque sky, a darkness as thin and final as the velvet lining of a shroud." How could this simile and this sentence be an example of foreshadowing? //Shroud// is one of your vocabulary words.


 * GROUP:**

4. Group weekly essays: These are collaborative and must be submitted on Google docs every Friday (or by Monday if we don't have a Friday class). They must be signed by all group members. They must be 250-350 words long.

Week 1: Gaia, due to a series of unfortunate events, makes some choices. Summarize the unfortunate events and what her plans are. THEN - pretend you're Gaia and you have made other choices. Write how these choices would "play out" and what their consequences would likely be. What part does luck play in your alternative?

Week 2: The punishment for serious crimes against the Enclave is death. In the U.S., capital punishment (the death penalty) is legal. Read the following article: http://usliberals.about.com/od/deathpenalty/i/DeathPenalty.htm. What are some arguments for and against capital punishment? What is your opinion? What are your reasons for this opinion?

Week 3: By the end of this week, you know the Enclave's laws. What are the Enclave's choices? What are the pros and cons of these choices? Read the article about Haiti and the Baptist group that "took" the children. Compare and contrast the actions of the Christian group to those of the Enclave. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35162046/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake/

Week 4: Chapter 20 is a very important one. For this essay, you will need to explain what hemophilia is and what causes it. You will also need to imagine what it would be like having a child with the condition. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/hemophilia/hemophilia_what.html. If you knew that you were pregnant with a child who would be affected in some way by extreme genetic problems, what would you do? For more information on genetic birth defects, go http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/geneticsbirthdefects.html. This may inform your essay and your decisions.

Week 5: In Chapter 2, Old Meg says, "Remember, we're all vulnerable. Especially if we love someone." Is this the most important statement in the book? Use examples from throughout book to support your opinion.


 * INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP:**

Final project: Pretend you are an archeologist who arrives at the ruins of Wharfton and the Enclave 500 years later. Archeologists are like detectives at a crime scene. They sift through artifacts for clues about the cultural "story" that is presented to them. You have found 10-12 artifacts. What are they and why are they important to the story? Write them down with your complete explanation for me to grade and email them to me at montgomery@4j.lane.edu.

On Google docs, talk with your group about your choices and decide which 12 artifacts best represent what you want to convey. You and your group will gather or make the artifacts that your group chooses and present them in some way (your group chooses the way) without explanation to another group in class. They will then become the architects to try to reconstruct the "story".

Revisit the table above with your group. Do the "After Reading" section. Be prepared to support your opinions orally.


 * INDIVIDUAL:**

Final reflection. Email me answers to the following questions in complete sentences which are correctly punctuated. You should write thoughtful answers. Write more, not less. What did reading this story and doing the activities mean to you? Would you ever be friends with someone like Gaia? Why or why not? On what side of the wall would you rather be; why? Be complete. Minimum word count: 500.