September 15

ELA 20: Sept 15 Symbolism in “Penny in the Dust” story…

  1. ... like the one my dad found that day!

    ... like the one my dad found that day!

    The students asked to arrange it that they used their third (of three) writing periods for their essay on Friday. (They are to continue working on developing it on their own time and either use Friday to write more or use Friday to type out their good copy.)

  2. Today, that meant we continued on with the literature. I introduced the story by explaining that in it a father who is slightly uncomfortable expressing his affection for his son makes a gesture, instead, to try to show his love for his son. The token given symbolizes the relationship the father would “like” to have with his son. In the same way, I shared with them how my own dad gave me a gift, a tiny plastic army figurine he found while we were out for a walk one morning together. He dusted off the toy soldier and passed it to me, somewhat jokingly. I’ve kept that figurine, though, as a token of the bond I share with my dad, and to remember that special day he let me come along to share with him his time when he goes out for his walk every morning alone with their dog, Dougie.
  3. We read the story together, and as I did I asked them to add comments or underline parts of the story. Once finished, we discussed the gesture, what the penny represented to the father when he first gave the gift and what it represented at the end when it was left for the son to discover. The ending of this story is an especially touching one.
  4. Students worked on questions individually that we will discuss tomorrow.
Category: ELA 20 | LEAVE A COMMENT