Welcome back, and happy 2020! Please find your new seat - 4J Blog Server

Welcome back,
and happy 2020!
Please find your new seat.

Book Love Check-In

On your notecard, please write in pen
 — your name (first and last);
 — what you read over break (or, if you
   didn’t read, something else fun that you did!);
 — what you are reading now, or what
   you want to start reading when we
   resume our 10-minute daily reading
   time tomorrow.

Book Love Check-In

— Don’t forget to bring a book of your choice
  tomorrow.

— Reminder—Book Love is time for you to read books
  of your choice.

— Today you will check out an assigned novel, The
  Samurai’s Garden. You will have regular reading
  homework as we study this novel, and I will give
  reading quizzes to inspire you to keep up with the
  reading. Book Love time is not time for doing
  homework, including assigned reading.

Book Checkout

— We will go to the AV room to check out The
  Samurai’s Garden.

— Don’t forget to bring your school ID!

Gail Tsukiyama

— U.S. author born in San
  Francisco to a Chinese
  American mother (from
  Hong Kong) and a
  Japanese American father
  (from Hawaii)

— Has published seven
  novels and has taught at
  several universities and
  colleges in the Bay Area

Epigraph

— The epigraph for The Samurai’s Garden is a
  translation of a haiku by Oshima Ryota (1718-1787)

— What atmosphere does this epigraph evoke? What
  themes does it suggest?

No one spoke,
The host, the guest,
The white chrysanthemums.

Haiku

— This short poem is an example
  of a haiku.
— Haiku is a traditional form in
  Japanese poetry. You’ve
  probably heard of it—what do
  you remember?

Haiku

— 5-7-5 sound structure (these are the syllables
  per line in English, though it doesn’t work quite the same way in
  Japanese…AND in English this can be too rigid; the spirit of it is
  more important than sticking to a specific number.)

— seasonal elements (often taken simply as nature
  references in English)

— “cutting” word, or kireji (this doesn’t have
  a simple English equivalent, but it’s a word that “cuts” the stream
  of thought—it’s a sort of punctuation word that marks a transition
  or shift because a haiku often juxtaposes two images or ideas)

Winter Haiku

— Read the haiku on the handout to get a feel for the
  form.

— Take a deep breath…center yourself...clear your
  mind...and let an image of winter present itself to
  you. What do you see/hear/smell? What do you
  feel?

— Write down some words describing the image or the
  feeling—don’t worry about making it into a poem
  yet.

Winter Haiku
 Now try to shape this image/feeling into a haiku!

 Stick to three lines and keep the general 5-7-5 rule in mind, but
 don’t worry if you have 4 or 6 syllables!

 Two possible patterns if you need a way to start:

image                                 season statement
image                                 image
reflection/observation/question       reflection/observation/question

Snow on pine trees                    Winter is darkness
Ice on branches of old oak            Dark rainwater on roadway
Will I ever be warm?                  Time for retreat

Winter Haiku
 Now try to shape this image/feeling into a haiku!

 Stick to three lines and keep the general 5-7-5 rule in mind, but
 don’t worry if you have 4 or 6 syllables!

 Two possible patterns if you need a way to start:

image                                 season statement
image                                 image
reflection/observation/question       reflection/observation/question

Share if you wish…

Let’s start reading!

— Now that we have cleared and focused our minds,
  let’s start The Samurai’s Garden.

— In these first pages, focus on getting a sense of the
  narrator, a young man named Stephen.

Homework

— Read pages 1-12 in The Samurai’s Garden. Next class
  we will talk about your initial impressions.

— Don’t forget to bring a Book Love book next time!