Friday's lesson

Re-read pages 124 -126 of Maestro 

Write a letter from Paul to Keller in response. You may choose to write it at the time or to have Paul write it at the end of the novel, bringing to it his more developed understanding of himself.

Consider how different these two versions of Paul’s letter might be.

Try to achieve the right voice for Paul both in general terms and in matching his tone to the timing of the letter.

Remember to re-read as you write rather than reading only at the end. Use the editing checklist to edit your response.

Proof-read and post to your blog.

Planning your rationale

Narrative Intervention Rationale Guide

Please use this as a guide when planning your narrative intervention for Maestro. Remember you are asked to consider in your response the concept of Growing Up, considering what affects people as they grow towards maturity and what attitudes towards growing up are expressed.

Your response must:

explore a gap or silence in the text.

    
     your narrative perspective should indicate how the character challenges or empathises with      Paul's point of view.

 

address the ideas, attitudes and values of your chosen character towards the concept of growing up and show how these ideas, attitudes and values influence his or her view of Paul.

 Details for Cover sheet:

  Narrative Intervention Point of view      

 Entry Point in the novel:

Style of genre:

Rationale: (approx 100 words)

Whose point of view are you writing from and how does this address a gap and/ or silence in the text? How will your choice of genre help you address the task? 

Will this narrative perspective indicate how a character challenges or empathises with Paul’s point of view? 

How do you plan to represent the concept of growing up?
 

Show how these influence his or her view of Paul.

   
  (i.e.)   What are your character’s ideas towards the concept of growing up?
             What does your character value?
             What are their attitudes towards this concept?

 

 

 

Wednesday's lesson

Next section of Maestro – Intermezzo.

Two important things happen for Paul during this holiday break.

What is your reaction to Paul’s response to the lovers in the library? Does it affect your view of Paul?

What do we learn about Keller from the conversations at the end of the previous section and from his surprise gift to Paul?

Maestro 1968.

What do we learn about Paul, his development and his attitude to growing up?

Make notes for yourself on these sections of the book.

Monday's lesson

Look at the gap on page 13 after Paul runs out of Keller’s room.

Write the next section from Keller’s point of view. What did Keller do next? What did he think as he contemplated the scene which had just taken place? Use your narrative to reveal Keller’s attitude to growing up and to Paul. In planning, consider Keller’s experiences and how these might affect his attitude to what growing up entails.

Read the section pages 63 – 67. What does this  section tell the reader about the way each of them might understand growing up?

Wednesday's lesson

Read the story “My Father’s Axe” by Tim Winton.

Choose a point in the story and write a monologue in which the mother talks to her husband about watching her son grow up and what that means to both him and his father. In other words, what does the boy think it means to grow up or to be grown up? What does the father think it means? Are there differences in their views?

What does the mother think it means to grow up?  What would she say about their relationship?

She gives a new (perhaps female) perspective. Try to give her an authentic voice. This may vary from person to person according to your view of the character but try to make it clear and consistent. 

Understanding Paul

Darwin 1967

The novel begins with Paul giving his first impressions of Keller.

 

Identify each of the sections in which Paul describes Keller. Note the use of language. Describe Paul as you see him, using language as effectively as you can. Try choosing a scene and imagining what Paul looks like in this situation.

What are your first impressions of Paul as an adolescent? What is his relationship with his parents like? What aspects of Paul's life are affecting his development to adulthood? Justify your answers with evidence from this section of the novel. Discuss in a group and take notes. Write up your answers and post to your blog.  

Writing checklist

“Imaginative response”

1.Sentence length – varied length or deliberately chosen length.

2.Sentence openings – varied openings.

3.Punctuation – used correctly?

4.Have you tried to use something other than commas and full stops?

5.Vocabulary – try to find two or three places where you can use a more effective word – look at verbs particularly.

Class work Monday week 2

Look at the advertisement picture again and plan an imaginative response which involves the girl as a character and which challenges the representation of growing up constructed in the advertisement. Your choice of genre and your choice of point of view. You could write as the girl or as one of her friends or as her parent.  You could narrate an event, write a letter, write a journal entry or a news report.