Great readers unite!

I am so very proud to adapt my own 6-week Spar Lit Jr 5: Understanding Blue Balliett's "Chasing Vermeer" Through Debate into a 6 session 2-week class with exactly the same lessons and content as the long term 6-week version of the class.  Same lessons, same enjoyment of the class except we get to finish the book faster!

Spar Lit Jr:  Understanding Literature Through Speech and Debate (A Wrinkle in Time)
Spar Lit Jr. 2: Understanding Literature Through Debate --A Long Way From Chicago. 
Spar Lit Jr. 3: Understanding Literature Through Debate--The Westing Game
Spar Lit Jr. 4: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Spar Lit Jr. 5: Understanding Blue Balliett's Chasing Vermeer Through Debate
Spar Lit Jr. 6: Understanding Harriet the Spy Through Speech and Debate

are all my own self-created classes.  All of these classes have now been adapted from long-term multi-week classes into multi-session 2-week Spar Lit Jr. Boot Camp versions.

Chasing Vermeer tells the story of  Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay, 6th graders at the renowned University School in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, who find themselves unexpectedly thrown together and linked by a series of odd and unexplained occurrences in their quirky neighborhood.  Mysterious letters are sent and received.  An eccentric old woman befriends and confounds them. Coincidences abound--if in fact they really are coincidences. Puzzles confront them, friendships blossom. And most importantly a rare Vermeer painting disappears as if into thin air.  Before they know it, Calder and Petra find themselves coiled in a labyrinth of international deception, racing against time to bring this rare masterpiece back to the world.   

Both first time students and learners who have taken any of my previous  Spar Lit Jr. classes ( A Wrinkle in Time, A Long Way from Chicago, The Westing Game, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Harriet the Spy)  are welcome in this class. No previous experience with Spar debate is necessary. 

Our 6 session 2-week Chasing Vermeer  class will focus on blending the acknowledged technique of Spar debating with understanding literature through debate and discussion.  Spar means “SPontaneous ARgumentation” a quicktime technique that is used to prepare students for formal debate.  Our class will use  Spar debating the key points of literature to explore the essential and critically-acclaimed Chasing Vermeer.

The result?  Students will learn to take a position on key issues involving intriguing and provocative  literary questions, while gaining a nuanced and thorough understanding both sides of every issue. All students will gain an enhanced exploration of literature while expanding debate techniques. 

This class has been purposely limited to six students to maximize the participation of every learner.  

Moreover, optional homework assignments have been created to support the learning in each and every class. Learners who choose to complete the optional assignments will receive immediate feedback. 

Spar is quick debate! With debaters given the Pro or Con position, a short Spar debate can illuminate ideas and provide for more nuanced critical thinking. 

Each of the classes will run as follows:

5 minutes of general introduction

20 minutes of interactive  discussion on the chapter or pages set for the class

20 minutes of ongoing Spar pro/con debate involving key literary questions from the weekly reading

15 minutes of recap of the Spar discussions and the points raised by the students.

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How does SPAR debating work?

10 MINUTE MINI DEBATES!

Students face off in pairs to debate a Pro/Con question involving the specific reading from literature for the day.

COIN FLIP TO DETERMINE PRO/CON

2 minutes

Both students have 1 to 2 minutes to brainstorm ideas for their position (evidence/arguments)

1 minute
Pro student gives a 1 minute opening statement to make their case (Con student listens quietly and takes notes)

1 minute
Con student gives a 1 minute opening statement to make their case (Pro student listens quietly and take notes)

30 seconds
Both students think!

3 minutes
Mini crossfire discussion where both students can ask each other questions about opposing statements.

30 seconds
Both students think again to prepare their closing statements

1 minute
Con student gives a 1 minute closing statement (Pro student listens quietly)

1 minute
Pro student gives a 1 minute closing statement (Con student listens quietly)

***

Our 6-session class will run as follows:
Week 1
Class  1: Chapters 1 through 4
Class 2: Chapters 5 through 8
Class 3: Chapters 9 through 12
Week 2
Class 4: Chapters 13 through 16
Class 5: Chapters 17 through 20
Class 6:  Chapters 21 through 24
No previous experience with speech and debate or Spar debating required, However,  this class also provides an excellent outlet for speech and debate students interested in enhancing their ability to communicate their ideas with clarity and style that will be useful in classrooms and in ongoing discussions everywhere.