The Invisible Man
March 19, 2019 Update:
You will be reading the rest of the novel, The Invisible Man, with three days in class to hit specific page goals. You will not be able to choose another book in place of The Invisible Man.
We will then watch the 1933 film version of The Invisible Man. It will take two days. See the course calendar for the planned dates.
Finally, you will write a character analysis essay comparing the film to the novel. The majority of this will be completed in class. Again, see the course calendar for the planned dates.
Direct Link to the Novel Online
Reading Assignments
Page numbers are taken from the Dover Thrift Edition available in the classroom. Use the direct link above if reading online.
- Due Friday, March 22 — Chapters 13-17 (Pages 43-59)
- Due Monday, March 25 — Chapters 18-21 (Pages 60-77)
- Due Tuesday, March 26 — Chapters 22-26 (Pages 78-97)
- Due Friday, March 29 — Chapter 27-Epilogue (Pages 98-110)
Writing Assignments
- Due Thursday, April 4 — Character analysis essay
An Explanation of These Changes
We started The Invisible Man on February 7. For the next few weeks, we tackled essential questions, in-class discussion, and the next round of 20% projects. Most recently, we did close reading of later chapters in The Invisible Man to practice analytical writing.
Here is what that looks like in Google Classroom:
You were also given a daily calendar for the rest of the year and a streamlined process for choosing between the assigned novel and a work of equivalent literary merit.
This degree of preparation and planning was meant to give you choice. Consider the updated makerspace FAQ or this recently published overview of a makerspace: It takes much more work on our end to give you choices, because we are setting up individual feedback and flexibility.
Consider, too, the transparent attempt this year to focus first on skills while promoting choice in what we read. We gave you time to build stamina and develop good habits, which helped us, after A Long Way Gone, to choose to read instead of being forced to read.
We even showed you empathy and patience by studying, through close reading and discussion, the nature of your struggle with focus and self-control. That was back in October, and we’ve returned to your need for self-regulation and self-discipline repeatedly, most recently by banning phones to increase productivity.
Unfortunately, you have struggled collectively to stay focused. You aren’t meeting deadlines, and the lack of reading means your “choosing to read” analysis is ineffective.
To help you, we are having everyone read The Invisible Man. We may return to choice novels in Q4, but this novel and Macbeth will be mandated. We are also making these changes:
- You now have assigned seats and group members.
- You will not be given Fridays to work on your 20% projects until April 12.
You will need to work on your Pareto Projects on your own time, carving out 20% of your schedule elsewhere. You are still responsible for the project itself. On April 12, before Spring Break, we’ll dedicate the period to these projects again, with the hope of using every Friday after that to plan and create.
Instead of your projects, you’ll be using the next three Fridays to catch up on the required reading and writing. You can see in the daily calendar what this specifically entails.
You will first finish the SOAPSTONE analysis assigned for this week:
We will update the daily calendar to reflect these changes. We will note page counts and other specifics, too. Ask questions in the comment section below.