All Quiet 13 - No Man's Home: A Vertext Disc Chapter 7 pt 2 -8
"A word of command has made these silent figures our enemies; a word of command might transform them into our friends."
All Quiet on the Western Front - No Man's Home - Chapters 7 pt 2 to 8 Vertext Discussion : The students have already talked about Chapter 7, Part 2 in the last lesson - in a Group Work. However - that section of Chapter 7 - when Paul is home from leave goes so incredibly well with Chapter 8 - when Paul is assigned to the prisoner of war camp - that we will go over it as a class - mainly focusing on those parts not covered in the Group Work. I call this lesson, "No Man's Home" because it becomes a 2nd "No Man's Land" for Paul. It is between those two worlds of "Home" and "Front" that have been talked about since the beginning of this our discussions on this novel. Paul is neither "home" nor can he leave the "front" behind. I found a Vertext - using the words from the text to spark conversation about these feelings and the rest of what happens in this chapter, ideal.
Lesson Overview
Please see the page on Class Discussions for more on Vertexts. Remember, have students read the quotes - I usually start on one side of the room and just go down the rows so that every student will get a chance to read. Sometimes, I will also ask the student reading the quote to make a comment on it - but usually after the quote is read - the discussion on it is open to everyone in the class.
Some main points covered in this Lesson (see the Vertext below)
Paul's return home and his reception there
Paul trying to find that old self that has been devoured by the war.
Paul's relationship with his family and the people in his town.
those people who live at "home" thinking they know better than those who are "the front"
the revenge they get on their old high school teacher (my students really enjoy this for some reason).
Once again - there is a comparison between the individuals (grain of sand, a star, a tree - and that individual getting lost in the whole: a beach, constellations, a forest)
Paul has lost all that is sacred - the war has taken it away
discovering the prisoners of war - are just like him - only words have made them enemies
if he continues thinking this way - he will be truly lost
how those at home have their own "front" that they must face and battle.
Vertext Chapters 7 (part 2) and Chapter 8
A Vertext is such a great way to cover a lot of material when you need to - and at the same time let the discussion be led by the students. Because the page numbers are included - in fact, students are asked to say the page number before they read the quote - it also gives students a chance to see what they saw when they did the reading on their own.
Most Recent Quizzes
As always - without a quiz, I believe the teaching is pretty empty. Students need to actually do the reading - and do it on their own. Today's lesson is a great example of this. When they see - about the men and the horses - and they've already read it - and some of them will have marked it up (on their own) - the experience can be transformational.
Remote Enhancements
Of course a discussion works in Remote - and a Vertext can really help keep the Vertext focused as well as making sure the questions and answers are student-centered.
Links
AllQuietCh7and8VertextDisc.m4aClass Recordings
Audio of a Class Discussion using a Vertext for Chapters 7 (pt 2) & 8
If you listen, I strongly urge you to download and follow along with the Vertext (see above) - but keep in mind it may have changed slightly from when this Vertext was recorded.
All Quiet 14 - Chapter 9 - The Death of Gerard Duval Group Work (and Row Reading): Having just come off of a Vertext Whole Class Discussion - it makes sense to get students into small groups. Especially given the intimacy of Chapter 9. There are two things that happen in Chapter 9 that especially lend themselves to smaller groups: 1) Paul killing, by hand, Gerard Duval - and the aftermath of that act; and 2) Paul making it back to his own trenches only to see a sniper cold-heartedly shooting enemy soldier after enemy soldier - and the discussion that ensues from that act about the varying degrees of morality within the world of the "front".
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
All Quiet on the Western Front 12 - Chapter 7 Part 2 - Group Work
Thoughts on the Lesson
Though it rarely happens (due to time) I think it's a great thing when there is an overlap between the Group Work and the Class Discussion. In this case it is the second part of Chapter 7. That overlap lets the students see what their classmates saw that they may have missed and it allows the teacher to see things that are born in the work that comes out of thier groups.