The Contender by Robert Lipsyte - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 11
About This Presentation
Title:

The Contender by Robert Lipsyte

Description:

We show resiliency when we are able to face our conflicts, use good judgment, ... James Coney Island praying. Jelly Belly Eptein's training. Major gym relaxing ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:801
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 12
Provided by: deleo
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: The Contender by Robert Lipsyte


1
The Contenderby Robert Lipsyte
  • Cyberlesson by Renée DeLeon
  • 8th grade language arts

2
Introduction
  • We face conflicts in our lives everyday. A
    conflict is a struggle between two opposing
    forces. We show resiliency when we are able to
    face our conflicts, use good judgment, and
    overcome them.
  • The novel that we will be reading deals with a
    teenage boy, Alfred Brooks, who faces several
    conflicts growing up an African American during
    the Civil Rights Movement, dropping out of school
    to help pay the bills, avoiding the neighborhood
    gangsters, and avoiding drugs.
  • We will find out if Alfred has the resiliency to
    deal with the numerous conflicts in his life.

3
Materials
  • Copies of the novel for each student
  • Reader response journals for each student
  • Pens
  • Internet access
  • Copies of writing assignment
  • Copies of writing rubric

4
Before Reading
  • Quick Writes
  • In your reader response journals, respond briefly
    to the following questions.
  • Why do you think some students decide to drop out
    of high school?
  • What kinds of jobs are available for high school
    drop outs?
  • Why do you think some adolescents experiment with
    drugs?
  • What kind of goals have you set for yourself and
    how have you gone about accomplishing your goals?
    What difficulties do you have in reaching your
    goals?

5
Before Reading
  • Setting
  • Setting has a lot to do with the difficulties
    that Albert Brooks faces in the novel. Shortly
    before writing this novel, Robert Lipsyte was a
    sports writer for The New York Times. He often
    covered the career of Muhammad Ali, who heavily
    influenced this book.
  • How much do you know about
  • The Civil Rights Movement
  • Harlem
  • Black Nationalists
  • Reader Response After reading these sights,
    write about the problems you think Alfred may
    face during the course of this book.

6
During Reading
  • Read chapters 1 9
  • In your reader response journals, address the
    following
  • Your first impression of Alfred Brooks .
  • Describe the influences that each of the
    following have on Alfred at this point Mr.
    Donatelli, Henry, Major, Jeff
  • How has Alfred changed both physically and
    mentally by the end of chapter 9?
  • Respond to the following quote from Mr.
    Donatelli Its the climbing that makes the man.
    Getting to the top is an extra reward.

7
During Reading
  • Read chapters 10 20
  • In your reader response journals, address the
    following
  • Why do you think Spoon spends so much of his time
    helping Alfred?
  • What does it mean to be a contender?
  • How do you feel about the way Mr. Donatelli
    handles his boxers?
  • What impact, if any, did this novel have on you?

8
During Reading
  • Make a chart of each of the following influences
    on Alfred. As you come across them in the novel,
    indicate if they are a positive or negative
    influence and why. Support with evidence from
    the text.
  • People Places Happenings
  • Aunt Pearl cave boxing
  • Henry church eating
  • Hollis clubroom partying
  • James Coney Island praying
  • Jelly Belly Epteins training
  • Major gym relaxing
  • Donatelli movies thinking
  • Lou Spoons house
  • Jeff Madison Square Garden

9
After Reading / Assessment
  • After thinking carefully about his life, Alfred
    Brooks has decided to go to night school in order
    to earn his high school diploma. The school that
    Alfred has chosen to go to requires two letters
    of recommendation. One of the letters must be
    professional and one must be personal. Think
    about all the characters that Alfred has
    relationships with. Choose one character to
    write the professional letter (ex Lou Epstein,
    Vito Donatelli) and one character to write the
    personal letter Aunt Pearl, Jeff, etc.).
  • You must write these two letters as if you were
    these characters. Explain in as much detail as
    possible why these characters would recommend
    Alfred. In other words, why should this school
    accept him?
  • One of the main things that I will be looking for
    are examples from the book to support your
    statements and powerful, fluent, persuasive
    writing!!
  • Please refer to your writing rubric for scoring!

10
Rubric / Criteria for Writing Assignment(Each
letter will be evaluated according to the 8th
grade writing rubric used in our district. Keep
in mind the following key components.)
  • ORGANIZATION 5 4 3 2 1
  • IDEAS/CONTENT 5 4 3 2 1
  • WORD CHOICE 5 4 3 2 1
  • VOICE 5 4 3 2 1
  • FLUENCY 5 4 3 2 1
  • CONVENTIONS 5 4 3 2 1

11
Beyond Reading
  • You may choose one of the following options for
    your additional writing component for this unit.
    Choose the type of writing you feel you are best
    at!
  • Option 1 (Research) Research the career of one
    of the following boxers mentioned in the novel.
    Write a two page biography and be sure to include
    what their life was life after their boxing
    career. (Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Cassius
    Clay
  • Option 2 (Editorial) Write a column for our
    school newspaper on the value of sports in
    students lives.
  • Option 3 (Creative) Write an additional chapter
    to the book describing either Alfreds or James
    life in ten years from now.
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com