Puritan Grammar and Puritan Graves: August 21, 2017

Focus: What can we infer about Puritans from the artifacts they left behind?

1. Warming up with three good things

2. Setting up and sharing Google folders; establishing what you know and want to know about Puritans and the Salem Witch Trials

Step 1: Create a Google folder called ______(your last name only) American Lit

Step 2: Share it with me at kleclaire@lps.k12.co.us

Step 3: Within your American Lit folder, create a "1st Semester" folder.

Step 4: Within your 1st Semester folder, create a "Cultural Hysteria" folder.

Step 5: Within that "Cultural Hysteria folder, create a doc called "Puritans" (or something similar).

Random Step: Sign up for our class Remind account by clicking here.

In your "Puritans" doc, you need three sections, but the organization is up to you. Are you a chart kind of kid? More of a free thinker? Experiment until you figure out what works for you. Basically, here's what you need:

• What I already know about Puritans and the Salem Witch Trials:

• What I want to know / questions I have about Puritans and the Salem Witch Trials:

• What I'm learning about Puritans and the Salem Witch Trials:

3. Exploring the gravestones of a few famous Americans together

What does a gravestone reveal about a person?

• John Wayne

• Edgar Allan Poe, Jim Morrison, Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain

4. Walking through a Puritan graveyard individually

What do Puritan gravestones reveal about their society?

• Click here to explore descriptions of deceased Puritans (focus on 1600s and 1700s).

• Click here to view photos their actual gravestones. Here are two that are pretty clear:

• As you view these and make inferences, add to your notes: 

• What kinds of words/phrases are repeating? What do you make of that pattern?

• What images on gravestones are repeating? If you're one of my artists, try sketching them. What do you make of that pattern?

• Click here for a little help on what the images mean and how they've changed over the years.

• What are you learning about the Puritans from their gravestones? What further questions are these gravestones generating?

5. Close reading a Puritan Primer in small groups

• What is the purpose of the primer? What is this thing?

• Besides grammar, what patterns are you noticing? What kinds of words does the primer use? What you make of these words?

• What does the Puritan Primer reveal about the Puritans?

6. Returning to our semester focus:

So far, what do you think the Puritans feared? What might they have done to feel safe?

HW:
1. Post one big, important, unanswered question about Puritans or the Salem Witch Trials on today's class blog (underneath this post, there's a link that says "Comment(s)"--make sure you're logged into Google, then click on that link, write your question, and post it).

2. If you haven't done so yet, please get your course expectations and policies signed by tomorrow.

3. Consider purchasing your own copy of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.