Essential Questions for The Adventures of Hucklberry Finn

  1. To what extent does the society that we live in shape who we are as individuals?
  2. To what extent do our parents' views influence our views?
  3. How is Huck Finn (and all the characters in this book) shaped by a society where it's legal to own another human being?
  4. In what ways does Twain use the river (nature) as a symbol for freedom?
  5. In what ways is Jim, surrogate father to Huck, the true hero of this story?
  6. In what ways does Huck change over the course of the novel?
  7. Should The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn be included in the curriculum of Saugatuck High School?  Why or why not?
  8. How does Mark Twain use satire to critique various aspects of society within the Antebellum South?
  9. How does Mark Twain often develop themes indirectly?



        WHAT WE ARE DOING TODAY:
  1. Welcome! Hand out novels
  2. Review Huckleberry Finn Background Information.
  3. What is satire?  Click here for more information on satire.

         WHAT WE ARE DOING TODAY:
  1. #1 RHETORICAL ANALYSIS
  2. Read and discuss Chapters 1-3, pages 1-15.
  3. Click here if you'd like to read along with the audio book.

Wednesday, April 20

        WHAT WE ARE DOING TODAY:
  1. Read Chapter 4 together.
  2. #2 SUMMARIES
  3. Click here if you'd like to read along with the audio book.
  4. Discuss Chapters 3 and Chapter 4.
  5. Read Chapters 5 together, pages 20-24.

Thursday and Friday, April 21-22

       TODAY'S AGENDA:
  1. ​Discuss Chapters 6 & 7 together.
  2. Click here to find out the answer to the following question:  Will shooting a cannon over a body of water cause a drowned body to rise to the surface?
  3. #3 FOOLING PAP

Monday, April 25

        TODAY'S AGENDA:
  1. ​Read this piece of satire and take the one-question quiz on Schoology.
  2. Quiz tomorrow on Chapters 8-10.
  3. Read and discuss as far as we can get.

Tuesday, April 26

        WHAT WE ARE DOING TODAY:​
  1. Chapter 8-10 Quiz.
  2. Translate Balum's Investment into standard English and share with me.
  3. Discuss significant parts of Chapters 8 through 10.
  4. Read Chapters 11-12 pages 58 to 73.

Wednesday, April 27

       WHAT WE ARE DOING TODAY:
  1. Review Balam's investment translation into standard English.
  2. Discuss Chapters 11-12.  Click here to view Chapter 11-12 questions.
  3. Homework:  Read Chapters 13-15, pages 74 to 90.
Picture
". . . we got it all settled satisfactory, and concluded to drop crabapples and p'simmons. "

Thursday, April 28

        TODAY'S AGENDA:
  1. Reading Check Quiz on Chapters 13-15
  2. Discuss the last four paragraphs of Chapter 15 "Fooling Poor Old Jim"
  3. Read and discuss Chapter 16 "The Rattle-snake Skin Does Its Work" ~ parts for Jim, Huck, and Man.
  4. Discussion:  What is illustrated in the following examples from Chapter 16? Huck Finn:  "'They're after us.'" & "Then we talked about the money.  It was a pretty good raise--twenty dollars a piece."
  5. #4 JUXTAPOSITION  
  6. Read the rest of Chapter 16​.

Friday, April 29

        TODAY'S AGENDA:
  1. #5 AUTHOR'S PURPOSE
  2. Read Chapters 17-18 which chronicles how Huck gets drawn into the brutal family feud between the Grangerfords and the Sheperdsons.
  3. Be able to identify two examples of satire having to do with the following:  the family feud and the topic of the sermon.

Monday, May 2

       TODAY'S AGENDA: ​
  1. Discuss Chapters 17 and 18.
  2. Read Chapters 19 and 20.

Tuesday, May 3

        TODAY'S AGENDA:
  1. Discuss Chapters 19 & 20.
  2. Read Chapters 21 and 22, pages 139-155.

Wednesday, May 4

          TODAY'S AGENDA: 
  1. #6 ROOM FOR DEBATE
  2. Read Chapters 19-20.

Thursday, May 5

          TODAY'S AGENDA:
  1. Read Chapters 21-23
  2. View and discuss 60 Minutes episode "'Huckleberry Finn' and the N-word."
  3. Classroom Debate ~ Argue a side

Friday, May 6

          TODAY'S AGENDA
  1. Huck Finn Business Letter Assignment explained
  2. ​Work on Huck Finn business letters for 45 minutes.
  3. Read Chapters 24-26 for Monday.

Monday, May 9

        TODAY'S AGENDA
  1. ​Work on Huck Finn business letters for 45 minutes.
  2. Read Chapters 27-28 for tomorrow.

Tuesday, May 10

       TODAY'S AGENDA
  1. Finish Huck Finn business letters for 45 minutes.
  2. Quiz on Chapters 21-28.
  3. Finish reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
  4. Test upon return.
Picture
The muddy Mississippi