Spar Mystery 4: Cómo entender el libro de Christie Un asesinato se anuncia a través del debate
En esta clase de 8 semanas de varios días, ampliaremos las habilidades de pensamiento crítico sumergiéndonos en uno de los misterios más populares de Marple de Agatha Christie, A Murder is Announced, a través de discusiones y debates Spar. Apto para ESL, nivel C1, C2 del MCER #académico
Qué está incluido
8 reuniones en vivo
7 horas 20 minutos horas presencialesTarea
1 hora por semana. Students will be required to read the portions of the text we will be considering for the upcoming week. We will be reading three chapters week for this class. There will be optional writing assignments given after each session that can be returned for comment and assessment.Evaluación
Families and/or learners will receive written assessments throughout the class. There are optional homework assignments given throughout the course. If learners choose to complete any of these assignments they will receive immediate written feedback on their work.Experiencia de clase
Nivel de inglés - B2+
Grado de EE. UU. 7 - 10
Nivel Advanced
Kindly note: This is an ESL friendly class, CEFR level — C1, C2 (Advanced) Please feel free to write me via Outschool email with questions. *** Clever, intriguing, and enthralling, Agatha Christie's A Murder is Announced is also the perfect book to employ both the technique of Spar debating and to maximize critical thinking to become as acute an observer and insightful a thinker as the redoubtable Miss Jane Marple herself. Spar Mystery 4: Understanding Christie's A Murder is Announced Through Debate is the fourth in my own series of Spar Mystery classes which began with my own Spar Mystery!: Understanding The Hound of the Baskervilles Through Debate and continued with Spar Mystery 2!: Understanding Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Through Debate and Spar Mystery 3: Understanding Christie's And Then There Were None Through Debate. It is not necessary to have taken Spar Mystery!: Understanding The Hound of the Baskervilles Through Debate or Spar Mystery 2!: Understanding The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Through Debate, or Spar Mystery 3: Understanding Christie's And Then There Were None Through Debate first before taking Spar Mystery 4: Understanding Christie's A Murder is Announced Through Debate. No previous experience in debate is necessary for this class. A Murder is Announced is one of Christie's best-selling mysteries and one of her personal favorites featuring her detective, Miss Jane Marple. A Murder is Announced is one of Agatha Christie's most ingenious creations, considered to be a "brilliantly concocted parlor game." A notice appears in the local paper of a small English village, stating in fact that a murder will occur in a specific time and place. The local residents gather at the appropriate time thinking that this can't be true, what will happen is simply a bit of excitement and fun--but in fact what occurs is nothing short of actual murder. Who, how, and why can only be determined by Miss Jane Marple herself, a seemingly quiet, elderly lady with a penchant for knitting, who also possesses one of the truly great detective minds in all of mystery fiction. Each class in Spar Mystery will feature an introduction with games and lateral thinking mind puzzles to give students the opportunity to further sharpen their critical thinking skills. Optional writing assignments will be provided as well to give learners the opportunity both to enhance oral speaking abilities and explore creative writing. Spar Mystery follows the same format as my own Spar Lit Sr: Understanding Essays Through Speech and Debate and Spar Lit Sr: Understanding Short Stories Through Speech and Debate. Our 8-session class will focus on blending the acknowledged technique of Spar debating with understanding A Murder is Announced 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 to explore dive deep into one of the finest mysteries in history, No previous experience in speech or debate is necessary for full participation in this class. The result? Students will learn to take a position on key issues involving intriguing 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. Spar Debate questions will focus on the literary aspect of each weekly reading from the book and the Spar debates are evidence-based from the chapters themselves. The 30 minute discussion at the beginning of each session, guided by me, will allow all students to engage in productive discussion. Guidance will be given as to the parameters of Spar debating which are evidence-based not guided by emotional responses. This class has been purposely limited to six students to maximize the participation of every learner. 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 ongoing class will run as follows: 5 minutes of general introduction 30 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 **** How does Spar debating work? 10 MINUTE MINI DEBATES! Students face off to debate a Pro/Con question involving the specific reading from literature for the day. COIN FLIP TO DETERMINE PRO/CON Students have 1 minute to brainstorm ideas for their position (evidence/arguments) 1 minute Pro students give a 1 minute opening statements to make their case (Con students listen quietly and takes notes) 1 minute Con students give a 1 minute opening statement to make their case (Pro students listen quietly and take notes) 30 seconds Everyone thinks! 2 to 3 minutes Grand Crossfire discussion where all students can ask each other questions about opposing statements. 30 seconds All students think again to prepare their closing statements 30 seconds Con students give a 30 second closing statement (Pro students listen quietly) 30 seconds Pro students give a 30 second closing statement (Con students listens quietly) Class Plan Week 1: Chapters 1 2 3 Week 2: Chapters 4 5 6 Week 3: Chapters 7 8 9 Week 4: Chapters 10 11 12 Week 5: Chapters 13 14 15 Week 6: Chapters 16 17 18 Week 7: Chapters 19 20 21 Week 8: Chapters 22 23 Epilogue
Metas de aprendizaje
*To gain confidence in speaking and organization
*Understand all the basic ideas of debate and rhetoric
*Gain deeper understanding of mystery literature through debate
* To communicate effectively through speaking, thinking adroitly and responding fluently
* Improve memory retention and organizational skills
* Gain confidence and poise in oral presentation
* Expand vocabulary and word usage
*To gain deeper understanding of the nuances of literature and the mystery novel
Programa de estudios
8 Lecciones
más de 8 semanasLección 1:
Introduction and discussion of chapters 1 2 3
Discussion of chapters 1 2 3 and Spar Debate sparked by: "Probably going to be a beastly bore.
Spar Statement: People are intrigued by the possibility of pretend murder and mayhem because they are bored with their day-to-day existence and yearn for what they hope will be a safe thrill.
Position 1: Agree with the above Statement. Explain
Position 2: Disagree with the above Statement. People are intrigued by the possibility of pretend murder because they want to witness someone else in difficulty
55 minutos de lección en vivo en línea
Lección 2:
Discussion of chapters 4 5 6
Discussion of chapters 4 5 6 and Spar Debate sparked by: “self-discipline to go slow, to check and examine each fact, and to keep an open mind until the end of the case.”
Spar Statement: Moving slowly, checking facts is always the best way to get to the answer of a problem or issue.
Position 1: Agree with the above statement. Explain.
Position 2: Disagree with the above statement. Sometimes it makes more sense to move fast, go with your intuition and “gut feeling” to get figure things out. Expla
55 minutos de lección en vivo en línea
Lección 3:
Discussion of chapters 7 8 9
Discussion of chapters 7 8 9 and Spar Debate sparked by: I have no gifts—no gifts at all—except perhaps a certain knowledge of human nature. "--Miss Marple
Spar Statement: Human nature is human nature. People are apt to be too trustful. But people are basically good, although they make mistakes.
Position1: Agree with the above statement. Explain.
Position 2: Disagree with the above statement: Human nature is human nature. People have evil tendencies that can easily take over their thinking.
55 minutos de lección en vivo en línea
Lección 4:
Discussion of chapters 10 11 12
Discussion of chapters 10 11 12 and Spar Debate sparked by: "Prior to the war everyone knew everyone else in a village..."
Spar Statement: People have a right to recreate themselves, to start over in a new place at any point in their lives and deserve to be accepted.
Position 1: Agree with the above statement. Explain.
Position 2: Disagree with the above statement. Others have a right to be suspicious and even non-welcoming to those they don’t know in an established community. Explain.
55 minutos de lección en vivo en línea
Otros detalles
Orientación para padres
A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie was originally published in 1950. It is essential for families to remember that at this period in history ideas of casual racism and anti-semitism were rife in throughout society, including in Britain where this novel is set. The essay “Death on the Nile and Addressing Racism in Agatha Christie” on BBC.com quotes Vike Martina Plock, a professor of modern literature and culture at the University of Exeter in the UK:
“However, she says that censoring the books in such a way was a mistake – as she believes that, for the most part, Christie was not being racist herself in her novels, but rather reflecting the racist attitudes of her time and leaving them open to critique. "It made the [censored] novels less socially critical as documents of their time because I do think Christie's novels criticise racism rather than perpetuating [it]," she says. "The racism depicted in the books draws attention to the fact that it was very dominant in the culture in which Christie was living.”
We will discuss how the world has changed and thinking has expanded since this period. It’s important to note that subsequent filmed versions of this novel and other Christie novels, including recent the recent Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express directed by Kenneth Branagh, consciously choose to significantly diversify the cast omitting hurtful stereotypes and focusing on the puzzle/mystery aspects of of the books. James Pritchard, great-grandson of Agatha Christie and head of Agatha Christie LTD quoted in an essay on RTL, that his great-grandmother ‘“would not have liked the idea that someone is hurt by his (sic) turns of phrase’ “When the book was written, the language was different. Agatha Christie was above all there to entertain.”
We will address these issues in the first class and throughout the sessions.
While A Murder is Announced was written for an adult audience, publisher HarperAcademic.com, a division of publisher William Morrow, notes that Christie novels work exceptionally well for developing critical thinking in both middle and high school students.
A Murder is Announced is of course a murder mystery, and while the descriptions of the murder or murders are not intensely graphic, there is mention of knives, firearms, and poisons as well as mentions of suicide that are essential to the themes of the story.
Kindly see the attached for further information and please feel free to be in touch with me via Outschool email if questions or issues.
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220214-death-on-the-nile-and-addressing-racism-in-agatha-christie
https://newsrnd.com/life/2020-08-26-why-agatha-christie-s-%E2%80%9Cten-little-negroes%E2%80%9D-changed-its-name-in-france.B1VNRN4mD.html
PLEASE NOTE: As of March 26, 2023 The Guardian has reported that "Several Agatha Christie novels have been edited to remove potentially offensive language, including insults and references to ethnicity.
Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries written between 1920 and 1976 have had passages reworked or removed in new editions published by HarperCollins to strip them of language and descriptions that modern audiences find offensive, especially those involving the characters Christie’s protagonists encounter outside the UK." It has not yet been determined which books will be reworked and the new editions are not yet published. As soon as these new editions become available I will be recommending they be used for this class. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/mar/26/agatha-christie-novels-reworked-to-remove-potentially-offensive-language#:~:text=Poirot%20and%20Miss%20Marple%20mysteries%20written%20between%201920%20and%201976,protagonists%20encounter%20outside%20the%20UK.
Lista de útiles escolares
Learners will need a copy of A Murder is Announced, available at your local library or via for purchase via amazon.com, local bookstores, or via second-hand bookstores such as Thriftbooks.com https://www.thriftbooks.com/ as well at reduced prices. We work with powerpoints in class and so it doesn't matter which edition of the book you choose.
Recursos externos
Además del aula de Outschool, esta clase utiliza:
Fuentes
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220214-death-on-the-nile-and-addressing-racism-in-agatha-christie
Experiencia y certificaciones del docente
Licenciatura desde The University of Michigan, 1982 Honors in The History of Art, Does not Expire
Longtime teacher of literature for both middle and high school students, I am also a mystery aficionado who has taught a high school class in genre literature, featuring numerous mystery novels including The Hound of the Baskervilles and other Agatha Christie novels. I am also the founder and former coach of an award-winning Speech and Debate team that competed at local, state and national levels, long-time speech judge for local, regional, national speech events for NCFL and National Speech and Debate Association, former teacher of high school debate and rhetoric, art history, literature, and AP Language and Composition.
Reseñas
Curso grupal en vivo
225 US$
por 8 clases1 x por semana, 8 semanas
55 min
Completado por 12 alumnos
Videoconferencias en vivo
Edades: 12-17
3-6 alumnos por clase