• 
  Characters:

  • Protagonist: Main character facing challenges.

  • Antagonist: Character or force opposing the protagonist.

  • Deuteragonist: The second most important character, often a companion.

  • Foil: A character contrasting with the protagonist to highlight traits.

• Conflict:

  • Person vs. Person: Conflict between characters.

  • Person vs. Self: Internal struggle with emotions or decisions.

  • Person vs. Society: Conflict with societal norms or laws.

• Setting:

  • Spatial: Where the story takes place.

  • Temporal: When the story happens (time period, season).

• POV:

  • First Person: Told from one character’s view ("I").

  • Third Person - Omniscient: Narrator knows everything about the characters.

  • Third Person - Limited: Focuses on one character's thoughts and feelings.

• Plot Stages:

  • Exposition: Introduction of characters, setting, and situation.

  • Rising Action: Conflicts arise, building tension.

  • Climax: Turning point, peak of conflict.

  • Falling Action: Consequences of the climax unfold.

  • Resolution: Conflicts are resolved.

• Topic vs. Theme:

  • Topic: What the story is about (e.g., "friendship").

  • Theme: The deeper message (e.g., "true friends support each other").

• Example of Literary Devices in TOTEM:

  • Symbolism: The totem pole symbolizes Indigenous culture and resilience.

  • Imagery :imagery creates a vivid picture in the reader's mind.

  • Foreshadowing:Foreshadowing is a hint to a part in the story later on.

Memoirs

• Memoir: Personal account focused on specific life events.

• Universal Truth: Message that resonates across cultures (e.g., love, loss).

• Themes in Mother Teresa & Baghdad Burning:

  • Mother Teresa: Small acts of kindness can make a big difference.

  • Baghdad Burning: War disrupts lives, highlighting the importance of home and belonging.

Novel Study

• Literary Devices:

  • Personification: Giving human traits to nonhuman things.

  • Imagery: Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

  • Foreshadowing: Hinting at future events.

  • Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds.

  • Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds.

  • Direct Characterization: The author directly describes a character.

  • Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate sounds (e.g., "buzz").

  • Cliffhanger: A suspenseful ending that leaves the reader wanting more.

• Topic and Message Examples:

  • Survival: Purpose is key to survival (e.g., Frenchie wants to reunite with Isaac).

  • Death: Death is inevitable (e.g., RiRi, Minerva, and Frenchie killing Travis).

Poetry

• Imagery: Language that creates sensory experiences.

• Themes in "Mother of Invention" & "Ode to Technology":

  • Mother of Invention: Technology advances but has unintended consequences.

  • Ode to Technology: Technology has both positive and negative effects on human connection.

Media

• Bias in Media: Showing preference for one side of a story.

  • Types of Bias:

    • Bias by omission: Leaving out facts.

    • Bias by emphasis: Giving more weight to one side.

    • Bias by language: Using terms that shape perception.

    • Bias in photos: Using misleading images.

    • Bias by headlines: Sensationalized headlines.

    • Bias by repetition: Repeating ideas to make them seem more important.

    • Negativity bias: Focusing on bad news.

    • Spin bias: Framing a story with one perspective.

•              Fallacies in Media: Logical mistakes that mislead.

  • Types of Fallacies:

    • Strawman: Misrepresenting an argument.

    • False cause: Incorrect cause-and-effect assumption.

    • Slippery slope: Small actions leading to big consequences.

    • Ad hominem: Attacking the person, not the argument.

    • Tu quoque: Dismissing criticism by accusing hypocrisy.

    • Burden of proof: Shifting responsibility to disprove.

    • Bandwagon: Arguing something is true because it's popular.

    • Red herring: Distracting from the main issue.

    • Middle ground: Assuming truth lies between two extremes.

The story follows Frenchie, an eleven-year-old boy from a Métis community. His life is upended when his father leaves to protest residential schools. Shortly after, Frenchie’s mother becomes depressed and is taken by the Recruiters, leaving Frenchie and his older brother, Mitch, to survive on their own. After a dangerous encounter, Mitch sacrifices himself to allow Frenchie to escape.

Frenchie begins a journey north, alone and struggling, until he is found by Miig, who saves him from near death. Now sixteen, Frenchie has been living on the run for five years with Miig and a small group of survivors, including Chi-Boy, Wab, the twins Tree and Zheegwon, RiRi, Slopper, and the Elder Minerva. They form a makeshift family, learning to survive in a world that has torn them apart.

Miig shares the history of the world’s collapse, including how residential schools destroyed Indigenous cultures, languages, and communities. The group faces dangers, hunger, and emotional trauma, but they are determined to stay together and preserve their heritage. Frenchie also develops a bond with Rose, a member who joins the group.

Amid their struggles, they are betrayed by Travis and Lincoln, leading to the loss of RiRi. Frenchie and the group suffer more losses, but they press on. Eventually, they learn that Frenchie’s father is leading a resistance group, offering hope for the future. Despite complex family dynamics, Frenchie decides to pursue his own path with Rose.

The story ends on a note of hope when Miig is reunited with Isaac, symbolizing the enduring strength of their dreams and the possibility of healing from past wounds.