Lesson Four: “Thank You for Coming”
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What's on for today and why?
Chapter two marks the beginning of the grief that is to come for the rest of the novel. Margaret's death leaves a hole within her family, and Nico and her parents do not know how to deal with it. Aaron is also introduced in this chapter; though he is grieving as well, it is important for the students to note how Nico reacts upon first seeing him, and upon his proposition for the two of them to get together. Today, after discussing chapter 2 as a class, the students will be writing either a eulogy or a speech for Margaret, which is meant to be spoken at either her funeral or her graduation. If there is enough time at the end of the period, a few volunteers will be able to get up in front of the class and read their eulogies/speeches out loud.
Margaret's death is the first major occurrence in the family's life; this event creates the domino effect of grief that occurs throughout the rest of the novel. By having the students write either a eulogy or a speech, they are imitating the experience of the grief that Margaret's family is experiencing, which will help them to relate to the novel better. In addition, the act of writing a letter gives them the experience of writing for a “real audience”, and allows them to practice writing in a different genre, rather than just writing in essay format.
What To Do:
1. Discussion of Homework:
As a class, we will discuss the journal entries from the night before, which will lead to a discussion about the events that occurred in Chapter Two. We will see how many people actually predicted what would happen, and will discuss what Margaret's death means to the family. The family tries to bond together as a unit after Margaret's disappearance; we will discuss how effective they were in doing so, and what Aaron's presence at the funeral means to Nico. Hopefully, through this discussion, the students will begin to realize that there is a connection to be made between Aaron and Nico; though they may not know what that connection is just yet, they will be able to make predictions as to what they think is going to happen. As a class, we will consider the following questions:
1. How does the imagery of the lake change, for both Nico and Aaron? What does the lake represent now?
2. How does the word “sister” affect Nico? Does Nico feel that she has lost her connection to Margaret?
3. How do Aaron and Nico interact with each other? Are they able to help each other? How do you think Nico feels about Aaron, and why?
As a class, we will also discuss the events that occurred at the funeral, and how Nico felt, both at attending the actual funeral, and at the funeral itself. After this discussion, the students will be told that they will be writing either a eulogy or a speech, in honor of Margaret.
2. Thank You for Coming:
The class will be told that they will have roughly 20 minutes or so to write either a eulogy or a speech, in honor of Margaret. They will be able to choose which letter they want to write, and will also be able to choose whose voice they want it to be in; however, they have to choose the voice of one of the characters in the story. In addition, they must have supporting evidence from the previous chapters of any claims that they choose to make; for instance, if one of the students decides to write from Nico's perspective, they could recall a memory that the two of them shared prior to Margaret's death. Since this assignment is timed, it does not have to be perfect; however, the students must put their best effort into writing the best eulogy/speech that they possibly can.
3. Wrapping It Up:
If there is time left in the period, students who wish to share their eulogies/speeches with the class will be able to do so. The teacher will ask the class why they thought she had them write a eulogy/speech. As a class, they will discuss the power that words can have in any given situation, paying special attention to the family dinner scene that occurs from pages 29-33. The class will discuss the change in relationship that has occurred between Nico and her parents, and how everyone in the family has been keeping secrets from each other. In addition, the students will have the opportunity to ask any questions or make any comments they wish to regarding the hypertext assignment, which is due the next day.
4. Homework:
For homework, the students will read Chapter Three, and complete their third journals. When reading the chapter and writing their journals, they should do so with the following questions in mind:
1. What types of dreams is Nico having? How are these dreams affecting her daily life
2. How are Nico's parents dealing with Margaret's absence? How did you come to this conclusion?
3. On page 40, Nico talks about how music strengthened the bond between her and her sister. How does the song that you have chosen for this chapter affect you? Does it remind you of anyone in your own family, and if so, why?
In addition, the students should be putting the finishing touches on their hypertexts, as they are due at the same time as this journal entry.
How Did it Go?
The students have now been able to delve into Margaret's death, and the hole that it creates within Nico's family structure. The students have seen what an integral part of the family Margaret really was, and how Nico is trying to deal with her death. They were also able to practice their writing skills, and write for an authentic audience within a genre that they don't normally write in. In addition, through class discussion, the students will have a better understanding of the home life that Nico has been living since her sister's death, and how badly she wants Margaret to be a “spiritual presence” in her life. This will become more important as the novel progresses.
The students' journals will be graded as the previous journals have been, getting either a check plus for extraordinary work, a check for completing the assignment, a check minus for poor work, or a zero for incompletion. The hypertexts, however, will be graded out of 100 points. In order to do well on this assignment, the student must have:
- Put a decent amount of effort towards the assignment
- Have a substantial amount of hypertexts within their passage
- Have interesting and informative links for the words they have chosen to highlight
The more effort that the student has put into the assignment, the better their grade will be.
