A Tale of Two Cities - Day 29

😃🚲3⃣4⃣🌞!
👍🕰👎🕰...

It is emoji day as we wrap up third quarter! You'll work with your groups today as we think about and use emojis. But first, as a warm-up, try out these quizzes:

• Sporcle - Movies by Emoji
• Guess Emoji - the Emoji quiz

Then, your task sounds simple, but it's not exactly easy. You are going to re-tell chapters 6 and 7 using only emojis. No, not all of it, and certainly not word-for-word. Here's what you will do:

1. Discuss the chapter with your group and come up with 10 sentences / pieces of dialogue that capture the essence of each chapter (10 for each).
2. Using the emoji keyboard or any similar tool you'd like, create an emoji version of those ten lines.
1. 🇬🇧🏦🇫🇷🍷⚔☠👪👴
3. Put these into a Google Slide show. 
1. The first slide is a title, including emojis representing the people in your group
2. Then, have the emoji sentence by itself on a slide, followed by a slide with a "translation" of it
3. Continue this for all of your lines.
4. Then we'll read these together as a class and see if we can figure them out!

A Tale of Two Cities - Day 28

Today we'll spend some time talking about chapter 5 and the Carmagnole - check out the video above for a great visual of it.

After a short writing you'll have time to start your reading for tonight - chapters 6 & 7:

• Book 3, chapter 6, part 1
• Book 3, chapter 6, part 2
• Book 3, chapter 6, part 3
• Book 3, chapter 7, part 1
• Book 3, chapter 7, part 2

A Tale of Two Cities - Day 27

Happy Monday! I'm looking forward to seeing all of you!

After we catch up a little bit at the start of class we'll consider the historical background of the events Dickens brings to life in the novel.

• Here is a set of questions to guide your group work for today. 

For homework tonight you are reading chapter 5 - here are the links to the audio:

• Book 3, chapter 5, part 1
• Book 3, chapter 5, part 2
• Book 3, chapter 5, part 3

A Tale of Two Cities - Day 26

Greetings! Today we'll focus on the start of book 3.

Start with your group. Here is the handout you'll use to focus your work on chapters 1 & 2 of book 3.

• Book 3 - Return to France

When you are done you can use the rest of the time to start your weekend homework.

Homework - Book 3, chapters 3 & 4 - here are links to the audio:

• Book 3, chapter 3, part 1
• Book 3, chapter 3, part 2
• Book 3, chapter 4, part 1
• Book 3, chapter 4, part 2

A Tale of Two Cities - Day 25

Happy Wednesday! Yes, I continue to be out of town on a family emergency. Thanks for continuing to stay focused!

Here is the plan for today:

• Start in your groups. Together, answer these questions, using both a quotation from the text and a sentence or two of explanation. Please add your answers to your group work document - title this new page "end of book 2."

1. Who is Madame Defarge’s lieutenant in leading the women, and what does this “nickname” imply about her?
2. Who was Old Foulon and what was his fate?
3. What happens at the Marquis’s villa? What is this an example of?
4. What role does the mender of roads play at this point in the story?
5. In chapter 24, why is Mr. Lorry going to France? What is his mission?
6. What is Gabelle’s urgent plea? To whom is it addressed? Does that person receive the message?
7. What is Charles’s decision at the end of the chapter? Why does he decide on this course of action? What does this say about his character?

• Use the remaining time to get started on your reading for tonight

For homework, it is time to start Book 1! Here are the audio links:

• Book 3, chapter 1 - part 1
• Book 3, chapter 1 - part 2
• Book 3, chapter 1 - part 3
• Book 3, chapter 1 - part 4
• Book 3, chapter 1 - part 5
• Book 3, chapter 2 - part 1
• Book 3, chapter 2 - part 2
• Book 3, chapter 2 - part 3

A Tale of Two Cities - Day 24

Greetings! Sadly, I am out again today. Here is the plan:

• Sit with your groups. Here is a link to your work for the first part of the period.
• When you are done, if there is any time left, you can start the reading for tomorrow - chapters 23 and 24 - here are the links:
• Chapter 23, part 1
• Chapter 23, part 2
• Chapter 23, part 3
• Chapter 24, part 1
• Chapter 24, part 2
• Chapter 24, part 3
• Chapter 24, part 4
• Chapter 24, part 5

A Tale of Two Cities - Day 23

Happy Monday!
Unfortunately, I had to leave town for an emergency so I will not be with you today or tomorrow.

The plan for today is simple: reading time! You are reading chapters 21 & 22 for tomorrow. Here are the links to the audio:

• Chapter 21, part 1
• Chapter 21, part 2
• Chapter 21, part 3
• Chapter 21, part 4
• Chapter 21, part 5
• Chapter 21, part 6
• Chapter 22, part 1
• Chapter 22, part 2
• Chapter 22, part 3

A Tale of Two Cities - Day 22

We'll start off today with a focus on Dr. Manette and the ways in which he changes over the course of the chapters you read for today, 17 & 18. In your notebook, you will create an "EKG" to trace the high and low points he experiences and note where in the text that happens.

Once you have identified 2 high points and 2 low points, you will write out a brief response in your notebook:

• When is Dr. Manette at his best? What is happening then?
• When is Dr. Manette at his worst? What is happening then?

For homework, you have two parts. You are writing the paragraph about Madame Defarge and reading chapters 19 and 20. The paragraph is due by the start of class on Monday. Here are the links to the audio for chapters 19 and 20:

• Chapter 19, part 1
• Chapter 19, part 2
• Chapter 19, part 3
• Chapter 19, part 4
• Chapter 20, part 1
• Chapter 20, part 2

A Tale of Two Cities - Day 21

Last night you read the second chapter featuring Madame Defarge - "Still Knitting."

Today, after some work we'll do together as a class to understand the chapter, you'll begin working individually on this persuasive paragraph assignment about her.

Tonight you are reading chapters 17 and 18 - here are the links to the audio:

• Chapter 17, part 1
• Chapter 17, part 2
• Chapter 17, part 3
• Chapter 18, part 1
• Chapter 18, part 2
• Chapter 18, part 3

A Tale of Two Cities - Day 20

Happy Tuesday! Today you will work with your groups as we look at chapter 15.

First, share your notes and annotations about chapter 15 with each other. What questions do you have? Did you follow the different parts of it? Make sure you have clear conclusions about these characters:

• Mender of roads
• Monsieur Defarge
• Madame Defarge

Next, we'll look at some different on-line summaries of the book. Maybe you have been reading these, maybe not. Today we'll put them to the test - when are they helpful? When are they not helpful?

1. Shmoop
2. GradeSaver
3. Cliffs Notes
4. Spark Notes

Here is the sheet you will use to keep track of the information you find, followed by a group quote-finding quiz.

For tonight you are reading and annotating chapter 16 - here are the audio links (remember, if you want to listen to Mr. Hirsch's recording, you can find it under the Tale of Two Cities tab at the top of the home page of the blog).

• Chapter 16, part 1
• Chapter 16, part 2
• Chapter 16, part 3
• Chapter 16, part 4
• Chapter 16, part 5

A Tale of Two Cities - Day 19

Happy Monday! Hope you had a great weekend.
Get ready for our first full week of school in a while!

Here's a crazy illustration to go along with chapter 14 - is this the way you pictured it?

We'll focus on this chapter for a short discussion and activity today. You'll be able to use the remaining time to get started with the reading - chapter 15 for tonight. Here are the audio links:

• Chapter 15, part 1
• Chapter 15, part 2
• Chapter 15, part 3
• Chapter 15, part 4
• Chapter 15, part 5

A Tale of Two Cities - Day 18

We'll start off today with time to read chapter 13 - here are the links to the audio recording if you want to listen while you are reading:

• Chapter 13, part 1
• Chapter 13, part 2

Here is the link to today's group work.

Over the weekend you will be reading and annotating chapter 14 - here are links to the audio:

• Chapter 14, part 1
• Chapter 14, part 2
• Chapter 14, part 3
• Chapter 14, part 4
• Chapter 14, part 5

A Tale of Two Cities - Day 17

We'll start off the day with a look at your group work from the end of class yesterday - you were naming suspects for the murder of the Marquis.

After that and some discussion of last night's reading, you'll have time to work individually today, looking closely at one of the characters. Here are the instructions for that writing.

Tonight you are reading chapter 12 - here are the links to the recording:

• Chapter 12, part 1
• Chapter 12, part 2
• Chapter 12, part 3

A Tale of Two Cities - Day 16

Happy Tuesday! I hope you enjoyed Pulaski Day - the last three-day weekend until the end of May!

We'll get right into groups today for two activities:

1. The conversation between Darnay and the Marquis. You will re-enact this dialogue with one person from your group portraying each of these characters. The other 1-2 members of your group will help the rest of us to understand what they are talking about. Here's a little bit of what that might look like: 
 
2. Time to start solving the crime - the murder of the Marquis! 
1. Here's the sheet to guide your work. 
2. As usual, make a copy of it and paste it into your ongoing group Google Doc.

With any remaining time today you will be able to start reading chapters 10 & 11 for tonight. Here are links to the audio:

• Chapter 10, part 1
• Chapter 10, part 2
• Chapter 10, part 3
• Chapter 10, part 4
• Chapter 11, part 1
• Chapter 11, part 2

A Tale of Two Cities - Day 15

After a short piece of writing at the start of the period, you'll meet with your groups for about 15 minutes. Together you will identify:

• Two key scenes in the novel up to this point
• Two unanswered questions you have - and would like to discuss

Keep track of these in your group work document.

After 15 minutes we'll all come together to discuss the scenes and questions you selected.

For Tuesday (no school Monday!) you will be reading and annotating chapter 9 - here are links to the recordings:

• Chapter 9, part 1
• Chapter 9, part 2
• Chapter 9, part 3
• Chapter 9, part 4