Reverberator: Your Role

“Reverberators focus on echoes and patterns, finding similarities between what they are now reading and what the have already read, scene or done. A reverberator would read “Oranges,” for example, and think about how the situation is similar to that of Victor in “Seventh Grade” as well as that of Rudy in Novio Boy. A reverberator would also think about other books or films or TV shows that show guys falling in love and about the people in their own lives who have gone through those early stages of forming a relationship with someone.”


If you have been chosen as your group’s reverberator, then your responsibility is to find the connections within the text. Without confusing the issue any more, a reverberator is simply that, someone who makes connections. Whether it is text to world, text to self, or text to text, these connections “echo” throughout most of the writings of Gary Soto. That is, when you read Gary Soto, the first thing that should come to mind are the patterns that Gary Soto uses. Within these patterns (see previous post on patterns) you will find some of the connections between the various writings of Soto.

But do these connections have to be on the writing of Gary Soto, or can they be from other sources as well? Yes, they can be from other sources too. For example, if you can "connect" to a movie that you saw the other day, then yes, that would be a connection. But remember, just because you might have something in common with a character, or seen something similar in the movies, that does not, necessarily, make it a connection. It is only a connection if it helps you to understand/relate to that text.

Let me give you an example: Just because the main character of a story has a cat and you have a cat, that does not necessarily make it a text to self connection. You need to be able to relate to that main character through your cat. Does the cat help you to understand what the main character is feeling? If you answered yes to that question, then yes, it is a text to self connection. Otherwise you need to keep on looking.

Philosopher: Your Role

“Philosophers are people who ask big questions, who do not necessarily accept things at face value but think about the implications, assumption and possibilities of what people do and say.”

If you have been chosen as your group’s philosopher, then you have the responsibility to find those “big questions.” First of all, we are not talking about questions like these: “What does the author mean when he says: ‘You’re in this dream of cotton plants.’” The author, in this case Gary Soto, has a very specific meaning for that line. Philosophers ask bigger questions. They ask the questions that has many different possible answers. For example, what is the meaning of life? What is our purpose? Every single person who tries to answer that question will, for the most part, have a different answer.

These are not math problems where there is a right or wrong answer. Rather, philosopher’s are meant to be broad - they are meant to be interpretive. So, instead of asking “What does the author mean,” you might say “what does it mean…” By eliminating the author, you are now asking everyone a question that they might have a different answer for.

Sketcher: Your Role

“Sketchers are visualizers who quickly sketch the images that are important in or about a story. Sometimes, they sketch a scene from the book; other times, they invent symbols or maps or diagrams to try to explain it. Sketchers are not always great artists – often, they use stick figures and labels – but they are intrigued by showing things in pictures and graphics rather then the words and sentences used by writers.”

If you have been chosen as “Sketcher” within your book group, then your job will be to draw a scene, symbol or image from that particular book, poem, or short story. Remember, this is your interpretation, nobody else’s. This is not a drawing competition, just try to draw what you see in your head.

Linecatcher: Your Role

“Linecatchers are people who celebrate the images, sounds, and ponderings caused by words on pages. They read, they ponder, and they read things aloud to watch the reactions of their friends and families.”

If you have been chosen as “Linecatcher” in your book group, then you have certain responsibilities. While you are reading, you are to keep an eye open for lines that you like. For example, when reading “Oranges” by Gary Soto, perhaps you liked the lines “I took the nickel from/ My pocket, then an orange,/And set them quietly on/ The counter.” It is not, however, enough to simply record the lines that you like. You need to explain why.

If you recall, we discussed out favorite song. Often, when we listen to the radio, a CD, or our MP3 player, we are listening to our favorite songs. But what makes them our favorite? What about the song do you really like? You need to define and explain your opinions as a linecatcher. It is not enough to say: “I enjoyed this line because it was good.”

You need to articulate/explain your answers. For example, you might say: “I enjoyed this line because it made me think of a time when…,” or “I liked this line because I could envision the scene in my mind (then explain what you see).”

Theme

Simply put, a theme of a particular work is not the subject but the central idea of the story. It is a broad idea (main idea), or a message conveyed by a work. This message is usually about life, society or human nature. The tricky part is trying to distinguish between a pattern and a theme.

For starters, a theme can be a pattern (and in Gary Soto’s case, usually is) but a pattern is not always a theme. For example, the setting in Gary Soto’s writing often take place in Fresno, California. This, as we have discussed in class, is a pattern. We see it time and time again – whether in short stories like “The Karate Kid” or poems like “A Red Palm.” This pattern, as you might have already guessed, is not a theme. A theme has to be a part of the main idea of the story.

This is how you can tell the difference: If you can take a pattern and replace it with another place, race, or experience and the overall main idea of the story stays the same, then you do not have a theme.

So, if we were to set the location of “The Karate Kid” in Florida, would the main idea change? Probably not. What if we put the characters in Canada? Nope, the main idea would still stay the same. Thus, the setting is not a theme (at least in this case), and is only a pattern.

Some themes in Gary Soto’s writing include:

Love

What would happen if you took the search for love out of Novio Boy? Do you think the main idea of the story would change?

Friendship

What would happen if you took the friendship out of Novio Boy? Do you think that Rudy would be the same without the support of his friend?

Family

In “A Red Palm,” why is he working so hard in the fields? What is his motivation to cut another row?

These are only a few of the themes that can be found throughout the works of Gary Soto. Remember, a theme does not have to be a pattern. But, if you look hard enough, you just might find some of these themes in other stories as well.

Gary Soto: Patterns

A pattern is something that happens over and over again. It can be a model, design, plan, or simply anything that is worthy of imitation. Whether it is a theme or a character trait, finding the patterns in a particular book, short story or poem can help us to fully understand the text.

As we have discussed in class, Gary Soto writes with patterns. Some of those patterns include:

• Writing about personal experiences
• The settings of his stories often take place in or around Fresno, California
• Mexican Americans
• Life as an adolescent
• Falling in love
  
  What are some of the other patterns that you found while reading?

Gary Soto: A Brief Biography

Gary Soto is a poet, essayist, short-story writer, novelist, dramatist, and a celebrant of adolescent life. His works take his readers to “ground level” to the sights, sounds, smells, and textures of growing up in Fresno, California, a farming community with big-city overtones.

Soto first found his writing voice through poetry, working with Philip Levine and other poets of the Fresno School to chronicle the life of his family and friends as they toiled in the fields and factories of California’s Central Valley. Soto has won many awards throughout his writing career and his poetry in particular has warranted many acknowledgements which include the Bess Hokin Prize for poetry.

Soto’s early poetry was written for an adult audience. It details a grim life of hard work, violence, despair, family relationships, and grief over the loss of the innocence of childhood. His later work, however, has spoken to children as well as adults, and it celebrates the human ability to overcome such difficulties and focuses on people’s loyalty, humor and kindness.

In the mid-1980’s, Soto began experimenting with prose, producing collections of memoirs and short stories. His first collection of memoirs, Living up the Street, received the American Book Award, both for its depictions of childhood and adolescence and for its poetic language. Since that time, he has written for children ,adolescents, young adults, and adults, producing picture books, poetry, collections of short works, plays and – more recently – novels, all of which reflect his love of language, youth and Hispanic culture.

Reading Log Prompts

Responding in your Reading Log…

As you read, write your personal response in your reading log. State your feelings, thoughts, reactions, and questions about situations, ideas, actions, characters, settings, symbols, plot, theme, and any other elements of the book. You can't be wrong in your responses, so take some risks and be honest. Write about what you like or dislike, what seems confusing or unusual to you. Tell what you think something means. Make predictions about what might happen later. Relate your personal experiences, which connect with the plot, characters, or setting. Let me hear your voice.

1. I really like/dislike this idea because...
2. This character reminds me of somebody I know because...
3. This character reminds me of myself because...
   
4. This character is like (name of character) in (title of book) because...
   
5. I think this setting is important because...
   
6. This scene reminds me of a similar scene in (title of book) because...
   
7. I like/dislike this writing because....
   
8. This part is very realistic/unrealistic because....
   
9. I think the relationship between ______and ______ is interesting because...
   
10. This section makes me think about, because...
    
11. I like/dislike (name of character) because...
    
12. This situation reminds me of a similar situation in my own life. It happened when...
    
13. The character I most admire is ________ because...
    
14. If I were (name of character) at this point, I would...
    
15. Any questions you might have after reading – Be sure to explain them.
    
16. Did I learn anything from this part of the book? Can I take anything from it to improve myself?
    
17. Can I make any predictions on what may happen next? Why do I think these things will happen? What details in the section support my prediction.
    
18. Write about what your feelings are after reading the opening chapter(s) of the book. How do your feelings change (or do they) after reading half the book? Do you feel any differently after finishing the book? Would you read the book again?
    
19. What emotions did the book invoke: laughter, tears, smiles, anger? Or, was the book just boring and meaningless? Record some of your reactions.
    
20. Sometimes books touch you, reminding you of your own life, as part of the larger human experience. Are there connections between the book and your own life? Or, does the book remind you of an event (or events) that happened to someone you know? Does the book remind you of what happened in another book you've read?
    
21. Would you like to be one of the characters (acquire a personality trait)? Which of the characters would you become, if you could? Why? If there's something about the character that you'd want to change, what is it?
    
22. If you were the author, would you have changed the name of a character, or altered the location of a scene? What does the name mean to you? Do you have a negative connotation associated with the name (or the place)? What would you name the character instead? What would you use as a setting?
    
23. Does the book leave you with questions you would like to ask? What are they? Would you like to direct your questions at a particular character? What questions would you like to ask the author of the book? Are they questions that you may be able to answer by reading more about the author's life and/or works?
    
24. Are you confused about what happened (or didn't happen) in the book? What events or characters do you not understand? Does the use of language in the book confuse you? How did your confusion affect how you liked the book? Is there anything that the author could have done to make what happened (or didn't happen) more clear?
    
25. Is there an idea in the book that makes you stop and think, or prompts questions? Identify the idea and explain your responses.
    
26. What are your favorite lines/quotes? Copy them into your reading log and explain why these passages caught your attention.
    
27. How have you changed after reading the book? What did you learn that you never knew before?
    
28. Who else should read this book? Should anyone not be encouraged to read this book? Why? Would you recommend the book to a friend or fellow classmate?
    
29. Would you like to read more books by this author? Have you already read other books by the author? Why or why not?
    
30. Write about the characters? Which one is your favorite? Is there a character you hate/detest/despise? Why? What traits could you change about the characters that would change how you think about them? Do you think that any of the characters represent real people? Does anything about a particular character seem to be related to the author's true personality--who the writer is?
    

After you have asked yourself these questions, decide which would make the best entry from your response journal. You may certainly use other ideas of your own. Just make sure you include more than just a summary of what is happening. Support your summaries with what you are feeling as you read your book. Doing this will help you get the MOST from your book.

Reading Logs

Throughout the course of the year, you will be required to write in your reading log. Your reading log, not to be confused with your annotated bibliography, is where you write out your thoughts about your nightly reading assignments within your independent reading book.

You have all be given an entry format sheet as well as a reading prompt sheet (both of which may be downloaded via this website). I expect each entry to follow the specific format – your grade will be determined by the amount of effort you put in to the reading log as well as the quality of the responses.

Example reading log entry:

(Name) Mr. Kunz
(Date) 9/30/06
(Title) Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles
(Author) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
(Genre) Mystery
(Time) 8:22 – 8:47
(Total pages) 22 pages read

(Summary) Tonight I found out who the other man was on the moor. I had my suspicions, but I was not entirely sure. The man turned out to be Sherlock Holmes. By the time Dr. Watson made his way into the hut, he too had made up his mind that it was Holmes who had been sneaking around the moor at night. When Dr. Watson was getting ready to leave, Sherlock Holmes came up from behind and scared him half to death. The two of them then had a long conversation in which they talked about the case up until Dr. Watson left from London.

(Prompt) Prompt #2
One particular character in this book reminds me of an old professor that I once had. Dr. Watson not only looks like Professor Plank, but acts like him as well. From the way he holds his pipe to the way he talks (I love the English accent). But while there are some strong similarities, not everything is the same. Professor Plank, for example, loves camping. Dr. Watson, I would wager, would not like to spend 1 night out in the wilderness let alone a full week like Professor Plank. The two, however, could pass as brothers on looks alone.

Seven Habits of a Proficient Reader

Activating Schema
(Making Connections)
Text to Self – Text to Text – Text to World

Decide on Big Ideas
What are the most important ideas?
What are the most important themes?

Questioning the Author and Text
What are the character’s motives?
Why did the author include this?

Evoking Sensory Images
How can we visualize a scene from the story?
How can we hear a sound as described by the author?

Drawing Inferences
Anticipate events
Make predictions
Draw conclusions

Retelling or Synthesizing
What are the important point of the story?
What is the order in which events occur?

Using Fix-up Strategies
Re-Read
Skipping ahead
Using context
Structural or visual cues

*Make sure you are using your post-it notes as you read so you can write down how you are using these strategies!