All Quiet 12 - Talismans- Group Work Chapter 7 part 2
"Words, Words, Words—they do not reach me. Slowly I place the books back in the shelves. Nevermore.."
All Quiet on the Western Front - Talismans - Group Work (Chapter 7 Part 2) : One class should logically follow another - ideas, texts, concepts should build on what has come before. In the previous lesson - we discussed the "deflating" of the Romantic Idyll that Paul and his friends have with the French Women. The second part of Chapter 7 is a wonderful bookend to those events. Paul comes home - and the expectation, of course, that leave is a wonderful thing. To be away from this horrific war - how can it be bad. And of course - as with the encounter at the "Front"; this encounter at "Home" proves just as detrimental to Paul's mental (and as it turns out later, physical) well-being. Because the parts of this Chapter mirror each other - it's a great opportunity to do the first part as a discussion - and this part as a Group Work.
Lesson Overview
As always the class begins with a quiz. Reminder: Grade or glance through the quizzes right away - students that have not done the reading, should not be in a group. They can finish their reading in class and do the Group Work for homework (in addition to whatever reading is assigned). In this particular Group Work - I let the students know (we may have a shortened period) that they can get together on their own (in my classroom - lunch or before school) and finish their work.
Please see the actual Group Work below for precisely what's in it and my page on Group Work for more of the "why" do it. Here are some of the points that the Group Work goes over.
Some main points of the Group Work
Paul repeating the name of his street to assure himself he is home, and linking that to Norman Bowker driving around the lake in The Things They Carried.
Paul's father & mother and their respective understanding of what Paul is going through.
Paul's belongings as "talismans" to try and bring him back to this "home" world he cannot find.
The butterflies under glass that Paul has and linking it to The History of Love.
A connection to the film we watched - Everything is Illuminated.
Paul repeating the "incantation": "Words, words, words" - how he is trying to use it and of course the irony of it, given that we are reading a book.
Of course there is much more in the actual Group Work.
Remote Enhancements
Group Works are great for Remote Learning - but they do take a lot of logistical preparation.
Links
All Quiet 13 - Chapter 7 pt. 2 & 8 A Vertext Discussion - No Man's Home: 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.
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
All Quiet on the Western Front 11 - Chapter 7 Part 1 Discussion
Thoughts on the Lesson
There are so many connections in this Group Work. Connections between Chapter 7 Parts 1 and 2. Connections to earlier works - The Things They Carried, History of Love, Candide, our first day of class. I believe by letting students find and appreciate these connections, we lay the groundwork for having them connect all of the texts that we study - to their own lives as well.