Page 148 - ELA_CA_HighSchool_Sampler_Flipbook

68 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Senior English
ACTIVITY 1.18
continued
Reading with a Cultural Criticism Lens
My Notes
Preview
In this activity, you will study George Orwell’s reflective essay “Shooting an Elephant” from a Cultural Criticism lens and relate it to the topic of imperialism. After working with the text closely, you will apply what you have learned about the structure of a reflective essay to your own writing.
Setting a Purpose for Reading
• As you read the essay, put an asterisk (*) next to the central event, underline the narrator’s response to the event, and highlight the reflection.
• Circle unknown words and phrases. Try to determine the meaning of the words by using context clues, word parts, or a dictionary.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
George Orwell (1903–1950) was born Eric Blair in what was then British India, where his father was a government official. After an education in England, Orwell worked in the Indian Imperial Police, though he left his position at the age of 24 to turn his hand to writing. Throughout his career, Orwell wrote, under his pen name, about the poor and working classes in Asia, England, and France. Working for the BBC during and after WWII, he wrote his two most famous works: Animal Farm, a satire of collectivism,
and 1984, a stinging critique of totalitarianism. Orwell, who famously said, “Good prose is like a window pane,” is considered one of the most influential stylists of the 20th century. He wrote extensively on the art of prose, which he considered a powerful political tool.
bazaar: a kind of market that is often found in North Africa or the Middle East
Reflective Essay
Shooting an Elephant
by George Orwell
Chunk 1
1 In Moulmein, in lower Burma, I was hated by large numbers of people—the only
time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me. I was subdivisional police officer of the town, and in an aimless, petty kind of way an anti- European feeling was very bitter. No one had the guts to raise a riot, but if a European woman went through the bazaars alone somebody would probably spit betel juice over her dress. As a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so. When a nimble Burman tripped me up on the football field and the referee (another Burman) looked the other way, the crowd yelled with hideous laughter. This happened more than once. In the end the sneering yellow faces of young men that met me everywhere, the insults hooted after me when I was at a safe distance, got badly on my nerves. The young Buddhist priests were the worst of all. There were several thousands of them in the town and none of them seemed to have anything to do except stand on street corners and jeer at Europeans.
TEACHER
ACTIVITY 1.18 continued
5 Read the Preview and the Setting a Purpose for Reading sections with your students. Help them understand that a reflective essay may include multiple events, responses, and reflections, and that these elements do not necessarily occur in chronological order. To support reading comprehension, remind students to pause at the glossed and footnoted words to check definitions.
6 FIRST READ: Based on the complexity of the passage and your knowledge of your students, you may choose to conduct the first reading in a variety of ways:
• independent reading • paired reading
• small group reading • choral reading
• read aloud
Text Complexity Overall: Complex
Lexile: 1070L
Qualitative: Moderate Difficulty Task: Moderate (Analyze)
TO TEACHER
For vocabulary practice, you might have students read and discuss the glossed words in this text. Assist students as needed in using context clues, patterns of word changes, and/or reference materials to clarify meaning for these words. Model the correct pronunciation of unfamiliar words, emphasizing the production of sounds. Have students create their own pronunciation guides by marking the text for the sounds
of long and short vowels, silent letters, and consonant clusters. Reinforce students’ acquisition of new vocabulary through oral reading strategies, such as paired reading, read aloud, and shared readings.
SCAFFOLDING THE TEXT-DEPENDENT QUESTIONS
68 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Senior English
9178.14K57e30y468I2d_TeCaB_sSEa_Gn1d2_UD1_eBt2.aindidls68(RI.11–12.3) Based
on details in paragraphs 1 and 2, what can readers infer about what the narrator is like as
a person? How does he respond to the hatred of the Burmese? How does the narrator react to the young men’s “sneering faces” in paragraph 1? How does he describe his own feelings about the British Empire and his job in paragraph 2?
2. Key Ideas and Details (RI.11–12.3) How does Orwell use imagery in the first two paragraphs to create a contrast between the people of Burma and the narrator? What is the effect
on the reader? Look for words that reveal the actions of the people of Burma and the actions taken by the British toward them.
10/3/15 12:54 AM
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.