UNIT LESSON PLAN The Curious Incident of the Dog in the

Night-time  

I. Introduction to the Novel Unit 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon is a very moving book about a boy named Christopher John Francis Boone who happens to be suffering from Asperger’s syndrome. Throughout the novel, we follow him as he tries to find the murderer of his neighbor’s dog, Wellington. While searching for the murderer, Christopher decides to write a murder mystery novel, which happens to be what we are supposed to be reading. Due to the fact that Christopher is the supposed narrator of his book, we have the opportunity to see the world through his eyes and we are given a chance to understand what it is like to live with a disease like Asperger’s syndrome. This novel is very enjoyable, and I firmly believe that most students will not be able to put it down. When the reading experience is pleasurable in school, it promotes an environment that will hopefully yield life long learners and readers.

This novel unit is meant to be taught on the secondary level. My personal recommendation would be to teach this novel in either tenth or eleventh grade. The unit will take place over the course of a two-week period. In order to scaffold instruction, students will participate in one before reading exercise, multiple during reading exercises, and two final after reading exercises. This unit plan implements articles, technology, music, art, films, poetry, and performance in order to develop a wide range of text for students who learn differently to approach the novel. Students will be expected to keep a journal of their readings and class activities during this unit. They will have several other tasks to complete and they will be given rubrics and explicit instructions in order to clearly process what is expected of them. A grading policy will also be handed out to the students. In this case, both parents and students will have no questions about how they were graded. Enjoy the unit plan!

 II. Calendar 

Day 1Before Reading Activity: Information on Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism

Day 2Facial Expressions

Day 3First chapter of The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Day 4Literal Thinking: Similes, Metaphors, and Signs

Day 5The Land of Aspergia: Creative writing exercise

Day 6Poetry

Day7WebQuest

Day 8Films: Rain Man, Mercury Rising, and Silent Fall

Day 9Performance

Day 10Performance Continued

  III. Lessons Lesson #1 What’s On For Today and Why?-Prior to reading the novel, students will work in groups of three in order to become familiar with Asperger’s syndrome. I believe it is always crucial to have a before reading exercise in order to make sure that the reading is active and purposeful. Building prior knowledge can only enhance the learning experience. Learning will be achieved through jigsaw groups.What To Do-Students will be placed into groups of three. Each one of the students will receive a separate handout and will be responsible for reading and understanding their assigned text. After they have a good understanding of their handout, they will be expected to teach the other members of their group what they have learned. Students will also be given a question sheet in order to keep them on task. Resources-Handout #1- “Asperger’s Syndrome” by Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D.Handout #2- Frequently Asked Questions about AutismHandout #3- “The Savant Syndrome: Islands of Genuis” by Darold A. Treffert, M.D.Handout #4- Question Sheet For Jigsaw GroupsHow Did It Go?-The lesson was a success if the students were able to teach the other members of their groups what they have learned. It is also important that the students walk away with a basic understanding of what Asperger’s syndrome and autism is. Students should be interested in what the novel is about.

Homework- Students will be asked to read up to page 32. Lesson #2 What’s On For Today and Why?-Right at the beginning of the novel, we learn that Christopher John Francis Boone has some very special abilities. He states, “I know all the countries of the world and their capital cities and every prime number up to 7,057.” However, we also learn that he is unable to perform what is normally thought of a rather simple task. He does not have the ability to discern facial expressions. The purpose of today’s lesson is to show how this small disability can lead to problems in a society where people need to be able to read facial expressions in order to communicate.What To Do?-1)When students come into the classroom they will be given a piece of paper with an emotion written on it and they will not be able to tell anyone else what they have. The different emotions will be anger, happiness, anxiety, calm, depression or sadness, guilt, impatience, inferiority, jealousy, and excitement. The students will then walk around the room with a facial expression that coincides with their emotion and try to find the other students with the same emotion. There will be absolutely no talking during this exercise. Once the students believe they have found their groups, the pieces of paper can be turned over to see if they have correctly matched themselves. This should be interesting, especially with some of the emotions that are similar in nature. 2)Students will find their seats and discuss as a class the purpose of this exercise and its effectiveness. 3)Students will be given a handout on emoticons and will work as a class to figure out the answers. 4)Students will then read the sentences out loud expressing them by using the appropriate emotion. 5)Students will spend the remaining time of the period writing in their journals about something they have learned while reading the novel. They may also write about the class activities and how they relate to the novel. Students must write at least one significant paragraph in there journals every day. Resources-Handout #5- Emoticon handoutHow Did It Go?-The lesson was successful if students were able to understand the difficulty of communication when the ability to read facial expressions is lacking.Homework-Students will be expected to read up to page 61. LESSON #3 What’s On For Today And Why?-We learn that Christopher is a big fan of murder mystery novels, especially Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Perhaps Christopher is obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, because he exhibits many of the same traits as himself. He is known for using logic and a keen sense of observation in order to solve his mysteries. It is Sherlock Holmes who inspired Christopher to write his own murder mystery novel and find out who killed Wellington.

What to Do- 1)For today, students will read the first chapter of The Hound of the Baskervilles in class and discuss the similarities between Christopher and Sherlock Holmes. 2)Students will work with a partner and answer the corresponding questions for The Hound of the Baskersville. 3)If there is time left students will write in their journals.Resources-Handout #6- The first chapter of The Hound of the BaskersvilleHandout #7- Question sheet for The Hound of the BaskersvilleHow Did It Go-The lesson was a success if the students were able to make parallels between Christopher and Sherlock Holmes. Homework-Students must go home and find three examples of famous people who may or may not have been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. Students must justify why this famous person or famous character may have this disease. Students will also read up to page 102 and finish their question sheet if they have not done so in class. LESSON #4 What’s On For Today and Why?-Throughout the novel, we learn that Christopher has trouble understanding anything that is not literal. He considers metaphors to be lies, because he does not understand them. He also has trouble reading signs because they are not literal enough. Students will try to look at the world through the eyes of someone who has Asperger’s syndrome by dealing with some of the problems Christopher encounters in everyday situations and conversations.What to Do-1)Students will take out their homework and talk about the famous people they have found that may have Asperger’s syndrome. 2)Next, students will engage in an activity where they will once again be able to look at the world through Christopher’s eyes. For today, students will work in groups of four and think of ten similes and ten metaphors. Next, the groups will swap their lists. Each group will now have to put themselves in Christopher’s shoes and write down what the simile or metaphor would mean if it was taken literally. They must also write down the figurative meaning. Once they are finished with this, the students must pick one metaphor and one simile they would like to act out for the class in its literal form. The rest of the class will then guess what the student is trying to portray through their actions. Then they will state what the figurative meaning is. 3)Christopher also has trouble understanding some signs. He thinks that they should be more specific. He gives an example of a sign that says KEEP OFF THE GRASS but thinks that it should say KEEP OFF THE GRASS AROUND THIS SIGN or KEEP OFF ALL THE GRASS IN THIS PARK because there is plenty of grass that you are allowed to walk on. Students will look at different signs and make them more explicit for people with problems like Christopher.Resources-Handout #8-Examples of similes and metaphors from the novelHandout #9-Signs Handout

How Did It Go?-This lesson was a success if the students were able to grasp the concept of a simile and a metaphor. Students must take this knowledge and relate it to how a society which uses similes and metaphors all the time may be confusing to a child with Asperger’s syndrome who takes everything literally.Homework-Students will read up to page 140. Students will also make sure that their journals are up to date. LESSON # 5 What’s On For Today and Why?-Students will engage in creative writing. As we see in the novel and in some of the literature we have looked at about the disease, some people with Asperger’s syndrome often seem like they are in their own world. Students will create a Utopia where they would like to go when the world is too stressful for them. What to Do-Students will form a circle and as a class we will read chapter 229. We will read collectively. Each student will read one sentence and then move on to the next person, until the chapter is complete. We will read the chapter twice like this. 2)Students will next read as a group, the story of Aspergia. Aspergia is a made up place that was created on the website <http://www.aspergia.com/index.htm> in order to give people with Asperger’s syndrome a mythology to account for their existence. It is a tale of what it would be like if all 20 million people with Asperger’s syndrome lived in one land. 3)Students will begin brainstorming for their own Utopia’s. They may either write about a Utopia for a person with Asperger’s or they can write about a place to escape for themselves. They must describe what type of people would live there, who would not be allowed, what activities the people would do, what type of society would exist, etc.Resources- Handout #10- AspergiaHow Did It Go-The lesson was a success if the students were engaged in the reading. Students must also show that they have really thought about their ideal Utopia’s through their writing.Homework-Students must finish their creative writing assignment over the weekend and be ready to read them out loud in class on Monday if they are called upon. Students will read up to page 177. LESSON #6 What’s On For Today and Why?Students will read some of their creative writing assignments in the beginning of the period. Students will then be given different samples of poetry pertaining to Autism and Asperger’s syndrome.

What To Do- 1) The class will be divided into five different groups. Each group will be given a poem. Each person in the group will read the poem silently to themselves. After they have done this they will then discuss the meaning of the poem with their group members. The groups will then collectively figure out a way to dramatically read the poem to the rest of the class. 2)Groups will perform their dramatic readings and then students will try to determine if the poem was written by a person with Asperger’s syndrome or if it was written by a person without the disease. Later it will be revealed that all of the poems were written by people with Asperger’s syndrome. We will then discuss the criteria used by the students to determine who wrote the poems. 3)For the remainder of the period, students will be asked to write in their journals. They will be given a specific topic. After students have read poetry written by people with Asperger’s syndrome, they will write about whether or not they think Mark Haddon has done a good job of writing from the viewpoint of a boy with this disease. They must justify their answer using the novel, the poems, and any other literature previously given to them about Asperger’s syndrome. Resources-Handout #11-Poem “We Too Shall Grow”Handout #12-Poem “That Asperger Kid”Handout #13-Poem “Autistic Identity”Handout #14-Poem “Flying Away”Handout #15-Poem “The Clock Ticks On”How Did It Go?-This lesson was a success if the students were able to appreciate the actual writing of people with Asperger’s syndrome. Hopefully students are surprised that all of the poems were written by people with this disease. Through examining these poems, students should also gain an understanding of how well Mark Haddon has portrayed the feelings and actions of Christopher.Homework- Students will read up to page 198. LESSON #7 What’s On For Today and Why?-Today students will be going to the computer room to work on a mini webquest pertaining to Asperger’s syndrome. What To Do-Students will log onto http://www.geocities.com/curiousdogmh/ and begin the webquest. The webquest focuses on both art and music. The students are asked to view different websites. They must complete the two tasks in which they are guided in what to write in their journals. Resources--The computer roomHow Did It Go?-The lesson was a success if the students listened to all of the songs and were able to view all of the artwork. The students must exhibit understanding and appreciate the skills that a person with Asperger’s syndrome may possess. They must fully engage with the technology and have thoughtful and comprehensive journal responses. Homework-

Students will finish reading the book LESSON #8 What’s On For Today and Why?-Students will view scenes from the movies Rain Man, Silent Fall, and Mercury Rising. They will be given a handout on film techniques and be expected to take notes on how Asperger’s Syndrome/Autism is portrayed through the media of film. They will be asked to determine whether or not they think the characters do a good job of portraying a person with this disease.What to do-1)Students will view the following scenes from Rain Man: 1. The scene where Raymond Babbit freaks out because of the smoke alarm. 2. The scene where Raymond memorizes the phonebook. 3. The scene where Raymond learns how to kiss a girl. 4. The scene where Raymond is able to count the correct number of toothpicks. 2)Students will view the following scenes from Silent Fall: 1. The scene at the dinner table where Tim rips the kitchen apart. 2. The scene where Tim exhibits echolalia and repeats a curse word that his father has said to him. 3)Students will view the following scene from Mercury Rising: 1.The scene where Simon cracks the United States governments communications code. 4)After viewing the different videos, students will work in pairs and discuss with a partner what notes they have jotted down. The pairs of students will then form groups of four and merge their ideas together. 5)The groups will then be responsible for comparing and contrasting the autistic characters from the movie to Mark Haddon’s character, Christopher.Resources--The DVD Rain Man-The DVD Silent Fall-The DVD Mercury RisingHow Did It Go-The lesson was a success if the students were able to take careful notes on the film techniques used to help portray the autistic characters. They must also be able to compare these film techniques with the literary techniques that Mark Haddon uses in order to portray a child with Asperger’s syndrome. Homework-Students will begin to brainstorm what parts of the book they would like to act out. LESSON #9 What’s On For Today and Why?-Students will begin preparing for their performance of a critical scene from The Curious Incident of the dog in the Night-time. Students will begin by reviewing Christopher’s behavior problems. Students will pick their scene and then begin working in their groups in order to prepare for their performance the following day.What To Do-1)Students will turn to page 46 in their books and the class will go around the room and read the list of Christopher’s behavioral problems. Students will then volunteer to act out his different problems. The class will be reminded prior to

this exercise to not really hit one another. It is possible to act these behavioral problems out without be harmful to the other students. 2)Students will next form groups of three to four students. In some scenes not every student will have a part, but each group member must demonstrate that they have worked collectively to achieve the final product. Some scenes may be changed slightly in order to fit the classroom environment. Dialogue may be added or subtracted from the novel in order for students to portray their scenes in the manner in which they want. 3)Students will write out a script and have it approved by the teacher before leaving class. 4)Students will be expected to bring in props and where costumes if necessary. For example, the person playing the part of Christopher would not want to wear something that would irritate his skin. He would most likely be wearing cotton. These types of details need to be placed into the script. Resources--Suggested scenes: 1)Pages 54-61 When Christopher speaks with Mrs. Alexander outside of the shop. 2)Pages 112-115 After Christopher discovers his mother’s letters.3)Pages 121-122 Christopher’s father explains himself and admits killing Wellington. 4)Pages 158-164 Christopher and the policeman on the train 5)Pages 190-198 Christopher meets his mother 6)Pages 207-210 Christopher, his mother and father all together.How Did It Go?- The lesson was a success if the students were comfortable acting and understood the mannerisms and behaviors of Christopher. Students were expected to pick out a scene and create a short skit with a well-written script. If the scripts were complete and the students clarified their actions, then the lesson was successful.Homework- Students will practice their scenes LESSON #10 What’s On For Today and Why?-Students will get with their groups and practice their scenes. Students will put on their performances for the class and briefly explain what they did and discuss things like character placement, use of props, costume choice, etc. The novel unit will be wrapped up by discussing the rubric for their essay.What To Do-1)Allow a short amount of time for students to organize with their groups and practice their scenes. 2)Have students give performances. 3)Hand out the rubric for the take home essay exam.Resources--Handout #17-Rubric for Essay ExamHow Did It Go?-The lesson was a success if the students exhibited learning through their performances. They will be graded based on their effort and ability to show a greater understanding of the novel through their actions. The students were successful if they were able to properly explain what they were doing and why they chose their particular scene. Homework-Students will have one week to turn in their critical lens essay.

 Final Essay-Purpose-To demonstrate understanding of the novel and all of the supplemental material given to the students during the course of the unit, students will be expected to write a comprehensive essay on the novel using a critical lens.  Task-Write a comprehensive essay using one of the two critical lenses provided below.

 -#1 “Sometimes people are born with disabilities, but it’s communities that handicap them.” Anonymous -#2 “You see, but you do not observe.” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930), (Sherlock Holmes) A Scandal in Bohemia, 1892

Using the novel, movies, the first chapter of The Hound of the Baskersville, or any other material provided for this unit, write an essay based on one of these two quotations. You must provide direct quotes and/or evidence from the text to support your thesis. Feel free to review your journals for ideas.  IV. Grading Policy Homeworks and Question sheets- 10% -To receive the full percentage, students must make sure that they complete all of their assignments and that it clear that they have made a significant effort to do so. Journals- 20%- To receive the full percentage, students must have well-written and thought provoking journal entries. They must exhibit that they have understood the material that was provided to them in class. Creative Writing Essay- 20 %- To receive the full percentage, students must have created an imaginative essay that fulfils the idea of a Utopian society for either themselves or people with Asperger’s syndrome. Students must provide evidence that they have carefully edited their work and have brainstormed prior to writing.Performance- 25 %- To receive full percentage, students must demonstrate through their performance that they have taken the activity seriously and that they understand the material through their actions. Students must also properly explain to the class what they were trying to portray through their actions, costumes, props, etc. Critical Lens Essay- 25%- To receive full percentage, students must exhibit that they have a strong understanding of the material presented in class and what Mark Haddon was trying to portray in his novel. They must properly explain how the critical lens fits into the ideas conveyed in the novel and relate it to other texts from this unit. The essay must be well organized and follow a proper format. The essay must be edited and lacking grammatical errors. V. HANDOUTS AND SUPPLEMENTAL READINGSHANDOUT #1

Asperger's SyndromeWritten by Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D.Center for the Study of Autism, Salem,

Oregon Asperger's syndrome was first described by a German doctor, Hans Asperger, in 1944 (one year after Leo Kanner's first paper on autism). In his paper, Dr. Asperger discussed individuals who exhibited many idiosyncratic, odd-like behaviors (see description below).

Often individuals with Asperger's syndrome have many of the behaviors listed below:

Language:

lucid speech before age 4 years; grammar and vocabulary are usually very good

speech is sometimes stilted and repetitive voice tends to be flat and emotionless conversations revolve around self

 Cognition

obsessed with complex topics, such as patterns, weather, music, history, etc.

often described as eccentric I.Q.'s fall along the full spectrum, but many are in the above normal

range in verbal ability and in the below average range in performance abilities.

many have dyslexia, writing problems, and difficulty with mathematics lack common sense concrete thinking (versus abstract)

 Behavior

movements tend to be clumsy and awkward odd forms of self-stimulatory behavior sensory problems appear not to be as dramatic as those with other forms

of autism socially aware but displays inappropriate reciprocal interaction

Researchers feel that Asperger's syndrome is probably hereditary in nature because many families report having an "odd" relative or two. In addition, depression and bipolar disorder are often reported in those with Asperger's syndrome as well as in family members.

At this time, there is no prescribed treatment regimen for individuals with Asperger's syndrome. In adulthood, many lead productive lives, living independently, working effectively at a job (many are college professors, computer programmers, dentists), and raising a family.

Sometimes people assume everyone who has autism and is high-functioning has Asperger's syndrome. However, it appears that there are several forms of high-functioning autism, and Asperger's syndrome is one form.

The Autism Research Institute distributes an information packet on Asperger's Syndrome.

Click here to learn how to obtain this packet.

©1995, Copyright information

  

HANDOUT #2

Frequently Asked Questions about Autism Temple Grandin, Ph.D.

Assistant ProfessorColorado State University

Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA 1. How do I know if my child has problems with sensory over sensitivity?

Sounds or visual stimuli that are tolerated by normal children may cause pain, confusion and/or fear in some autistic children. Sensory over sensitivity can vary from very slight to severe. If your child frequently puts his hands over his ears, this is an indicator of sensitivity to noise. Children who flick their fingers in front of their eyes are likely to have visual sensitivity problems. Children who enjoy a trip to a large super-market or a shopping mall usually have relatively mild sensory sensitivities. Autistic children with severe sensory sensitivities will often have tantrums and other bad behavior in a shopping mall due to sensory overload. These children are the ones who will most likely need environmental modifications in the classroom. Older children and adults, who remain nonverbal and have very little language, often have more severe sensitivities than individuals with good language. Children with auditory or visual sensitivity will often have normal hearing and visual acuity tests. The problem is in the brain, whereas the ears and eyes are normal.

2. What sights and sounds are most likely to cause sensory overload or confusion in the classroom?

Every autistic child or adult is different. A sound or sight, which is painful to one autistic child, may be attractive to another. The flicker of fluorescent lighting can be seen by some children with autism and may be distracting to them. It is mostly likely to cause sensory overload in children who flick their fingers in front of their eyes. Replacing fluorescents with incandescent bulbs will be helpful for some children. Many children with autism are scared of the public address system, the school bells or the fire alarms, because the sound hurts their ears. Screeching electronic feedback from public address systems or the sound of fire alarms are the worst sounds because the onset of the sound canNOT be predicted. Children with milder hearing sensitivity can sometimes learn to tolerate hurtful sounds when they know when they will occur. However, they may NEVER learn to tolerate UNexpected loud noise. Autistic children with severe hearing sensitivity should be removed from the classroom prior to a fire drill. The fear of a hurtful sound may make an autistic child fearful of a certain classroom. He may become afraid to go into the room because he fears that the fire alarm or the public address systems may make a hurtful sound. If possible, the buzzes or bell should be modified to reduce the sound. Sometimes only a slight reduction in sound is required to make a buzzer or bell tolerable. Duct tape can be applied to bells to soften the sounds. If the public address system has frequent feedback problems, it should be disconnected.

Echoes and noise can be reduced by installing carpeting -- carpet remnants can sometimes be obtained from a carpet store at a low cost. Scraping of chair legs on the floor can be muffled by placing cut tennis balls on the chair legs.

3. Why does my child avoid certain foods or always want to eat the same thing?

Certain foods may be avoided due to sensory over sensitivity. Crunchy foods such as potato chips may be too loud and sound like a raging forest fire to children with over sensitive hearing. Certain odors may be overpowering. When I was a child I gagged when I had to eat slimy foods like jello. However, some limited food preferences may be bad habits and are not due to sensory problems. One has to be a careful observer to figure out which foods cause sensory pain. For example, if a child has extreme sound sensitivity, he should not be required to eat loud, crunchy foods; but he should be encouraged to eat a variety of softer foods. When I was a child my parents made me eat everything except the two things which really made me gag. They were under-cooked slimy egg whites and jello. I was allowed to have a grilled cheese sandwich everyday for lunch, but at dinnertime I was expected to eat everything that was not slimy.

To motivate a child to eat something he does not like, it is recommended to have a food he really likes such as pizza right in front of him along with the food he dislikes. He is then told that he can have the pizza after he eats a few bites of peas. It is important to have the pizza right there in front of him to motivate eating something he does not like.

4. How do I toilet train my autistic child?

There are two major causes of toilet training problems in children with autism. They are either afraid of the toilet or they do not know what they are supposed to do. Children with severe hearing sensitivity may be terrified of the toilet flushing. The sound may hurt their ears. Sometimes these children can learn if they use a potty chair which is located away from the frightening toilet. Due to the great variability of sensory problems, some children may like to repeatedly flush the toilet but they are still not trained. The thinking of some autistic children is so concrete that the only way they can learn is to have an adult demonstrate to them how to use the toilet. They have to see someone else do it in order to learn. Some children with very severe sensory processing problems are not able to accurately sense when they need to use the bathroom. If they are calm they may be able to feel the sensation that they need to urinate or defecate, but if they experience sensory overload they cannot feel it. This may explain why a child will sometimes use the toilet correctly, and other times he will not.

5. Why do some autistic children repeat back what an adult has said or sing TV commercials?

Repeating back what has been said, or being able to sing an entire TV commercial or children's video is called 'echolalia.' Echolalia is actually a good sign because it indicates that the child's brain is processing language even though he may not be understanding the meaning of the words. These children need to learn that words are used for communication. If a child says the word 'apple,' immediately give him an apple. This will enable the child to associate the word 'apple' with getting a real apple. Some autistic children use phrases from TV commercials or children's videos in an appropriate manner in other situations. This is how they learn language. For example, if a child says part of a breakfast cereal slogan at breakfast, give him the cereal.

Autistic children also use echolalia to verify what has been said. Some children have difficulty hearing hard consonant sounds such as "d" in dog or "b" in boy. Repeating the phrase helps them to hear it. Children who pass a pure tone hearing test can still have difficulty hearing complex speech sounds. Children with this difficulty may learn to read and speak by using flash cards that have both a printed word and a picture of an object. By using these cards they learn to associate the spoken word with the printed word and a picture. My speech therapist helped me to learn to hear speech by lengthening hard consonant sounds. She would hold up a ball and say "bbbb all." The hard consonant sound of "b" was lengthened. Some autistic children learn vowel sounds more easily than consonants.

6. How should educators and parents handle autistic fixations on things such as lawn mowers or trains?

Fixations should be used to motivate schoolwork and education. If a child is fixated on trains, use his interest in trains to motivate reading or learning arithmetic. Have him read about trains or do arithmetic problems with trains. The intense interest in trains can be used to motivate reading. It is a mistake to take fixations away, but the child needs to learn that there are some situations when talking about trains is not appropriate.

The idea is to broaden the fixation into a less fixated educational or social activity. If a child likes to spin a penny then start playing a game with the child where you and the child take turns playing with the penny. This also helps to teach turn taking. A train fixation could be broadened in studying history. A high-functioning child would be motivated to read a book about the history of the railroad. One should build and broaden fixation into useful activities. My career in livestock equipment design started as a fixation on cattle chutes. My high school science teacher encouraged me to study science to learn more about my fixation.

High functioning autistic and Asperger teenagers need mentors to help them develop their talents into a career skill. They need somebody to teach them computer programming or graphic arts. A local computer professional could serve as a mentor or the individual may be able to take a programming class at a community college. Many parents wonder where they can find a mentor for their teenager. Try posting a notice on a bulletin board at a university computer science department or strike up a conversation with the man in the supermarket checkout line who is wearing a badge with the name of a computer company on it. I found one of my mentors in the business world when I met the wife of his insurance agent.

7. What is the difference between PDD and autism?

Autism and PDD are behavioral diagnoses. At the present time there are no medical tests for autism. Autism is diagnosed based on the child's behavior. Both children diagnosed with autism and PDD will benefit from education programs designed for autistics. It is essential that children diagnosed as PDD receive the same education as children diagnosed with autism. Both autistic and PDD children should be placed into a good early education program immediately after diagnosis. Children diagnosed with PDD tend to fall into two groups: (1) very mild autistic symptoms, or (2) some autistic symptoms in a child who has other severe neurological problems. Therefore, some children diagnosed as PDD may be almost normal; and others have severe neurological problems such as epilepsy, microencephaly or cerebral palsy. The problem with the autism and PDD diagnoses is that they are NOT precise. They are based only on behavior. In the future, brain scans will be used for precise diagnosis. Today there is no brain scan that can be used for diagnosing PDD nor autism.

8. Why is Early Intervention important?

Both scientific studies and practical experience have shown that the prognosis is greatly improved if a child is placed into an intense, highly structured educational program by age two or three. Autistic children perform stereotypic behaviors such as rocking or twiddling a penny because engaging in repetitive behaviors shuts off sounds and sights which cause confusion and/or pain. The problems is that if the child is allowed to shut out the world, his brain will not develop. Autistic and PDD children need many hours of structured education to keep their brain engaged with the world. They need to be kept interacting in a meaningful way with an adult or another child. The worst things for a young two to five year old autistic child is to sit alone watching TV or playing video games all day. His brain will be shut off from the world. Autistic children need to be kept engaged; but at the same time, a teacher must be careful to avoid

sensory overload. Children with milder sensory problems often respond well to Lovaas-type programs. However, children with more severe sensory processing problems may experience sensory overload. There are two major categories of children. The first type will respond well to a therapist who is gently intrusive and pulls them out of their world. I was this type. My speech therapist was able to "snap me out of it" by grabbing my chin and making me pay attention. The second type of child has more neurological problems, and they may respond poorly to a strict Lovaas program. They will require a gentler approach. Some are 'mono-channel' because they cannot see and hear at the same time. They either have to look at something or they have to listen. Simultaneous looking and listening may result in sensory overload and shutdown. This type of child may respond best when the teacher whispers quietly in a dimly illuminated room.

A good teacher needs to tailor his/her teaching method to the child. To be successful, the teacher has to be gently insistent. A good teacher knows how hard to push. To be successful, the teacher has to intrude into the autistic child's world. With some children the teacher can jerk open their "front door;" and with other children, the teacher has to sneak quietly in their "back door."

9. Why does my child want to wear the same clothes all the time?

Stiff scratching clothes or wool against my skin is sandpaper ripping off raw nerve endings. I am not able to tolerate scratching clothes. Autistic children will be most comfortable with soft cotton against their skin. New underwear and shirts will be more comfortable if they are washed several times. It is often best to avoid spray starch or fabric softeners that are placed in the dryer. Some children are allergic to them. [Note: Caretakers and teachers should also avoid the use of perfume because some children hate the smell and/or they are allergic to it.]

Even today at the age of 49, I have had to find good clothes and work clothes that feel the same. It takes me up to two weeks to habituate to the feeling of wearing a skirt. If I wear shorts during the summer, it takes at least a week before long pants become fully tolerable. The problem is switching back-and-forth. Switching back-and-forth can be made more tolerable by wearing tights with skirts. The tights make the skirt feel the same as long pants.

HANDOUT #3The Savant Syndrome: Islands of Genius

Darold A. Treffert, M.D.

Savant Syndrome is a rare, but spectacular, condition in which persons with various developmental disabilities, including Autistic Disorder, have astonishing islands of ability or brilliance that stand in stark, markedly incongruous contrast to the over-all handicap. In some, savant skills are remarkable simply in contrast to the handicap (talented savants). In others, with a much rarer form of the condition, the ability or brilliance is not only spectacular in contrast to the handicap, but would be spectacular even if viewed in a normal person (prodigious savant). There are fewer than 100 reported cases of prodigious savants in the world literature. The condition was first named Idiot Savant in 1887 by Dr. J. Langdon Down (better known for having named Down's Syndrome). He chose that term because the word "idiot" at that time was an accepted classification level of mental retardation (IQ below 25) and the word "savant" meant knowledgeable person derived from the french word savoir, meaning "to know". The term idiot savant has been largely discarded now, appropriately, because of its colloquial, pejorative connotation and has been

replaced by Savant Syndrome. Actually Idiot Savant was a misnomer since almost all of the reported cases have occurred in persons with IQs of 40 or above. The condition can be congenital or acquired in an otherwise normal individual following CNS injury or disease. It occurs in males more frequently than in females in an approximate 6:1 ratio.

Savant skills occur within a narrow but constant range of human mental functions, generally in six areas: calendar calculating; lightening calculating & mathematical ability; art (drawing or sculpting); music (usually piano with perfect pitch); mechanical abilities; and spatial skills. In some instances unusual language abilities have been reported but those are rare. Other skills much less frequently reported include map memorizing, visual measurement, extrasensory perception, unusual sensory discrimination such as enhanced sense of touch & smell, and perfect appreciation passing time without knowledge of a clock face. The most common savant skill is musical ability. A regularly re-occurring triad of musical genius, blindness and autism is particularly striking in the world literature on this topic. Premature birth history is commonly reported in persons with Savant Syndrome.

In some cases of Savant Syndrome a single special skill exists; in others there are several skills co-existing simultaneously. The skills tend to be right hemisphere in type--nonsymbolic, artistic, concrete, directly perceived--in contrast to left hemisphere type that tend to be more sequential, logical, and symbolic including language specialization.

Whatever the special skills, they are always linked with phenomenal memory. That memory, however, is a special type--very narrow but exceedingly deep--within its narrow confines. Such memory is a type of "unconscious reckoning"--habit or procedural memory--which relies on more primitive circuitry (cortico-striatal) than higher level (cortico-limbic) cognitive or associative memory used more commonly and regularly in normal persons.

Approximately 10% of persons with Autistic Disorder have some savant abilities; that percentage is much greater than in other developmental disabilities where in an institutionalized population that figure may be as low as 1:2000. Since other developmental disabilities are much more common than autism, however, the actual percent of persons with Savant Syndrome turns out to be approximately half Autistic Disorder and half other Developmental Disabilities.

Theories to explain Savant Syndrome include eidetic imagery, inherited skills, concrete thinking and inability to think abstractly, compensation & reinforcement, and left brain injury with right brain compensation. Newer findings on cerebral lateralization, and some imaging and other studies that do show left hemisphere damage in savants, suggest that the most plausible explanation for Savant Syndrome to be left brain damage from pre-natal, peri-natal or post-natal CNS damage with migratory, right brain compensation, coupled with corresponding damage to higher level, cognitive (cortico-limbic) memory circuitry with compensatory take over of lower level, habit (cortical-striatal) memory. This accounts for the linking of predominately right brain skills with habit memory so characteristic of Savant Syndrome (Treffert, 1989). In talented savants, concreteness and impaired ability to think abstractly are locked in a very narrow band but, nevertheless, with constant practice and repetition can produce sufficient coding so that access to some non-cognitive structure or unconscious algorithms can be automatically attained. In prodigious savants, some genetic factors any be operative as well, since practice alone cannot account for the access to vast rules of music, art or mathematics that seems innate in these persons. Once established, intense concentration, practice, compensatory drives and reinforcement by family, teachers and others play a major role in developing and polishing the savant skills and memory linked so characteristically and dramatically by this unique brain dysfunction.

One of the pre-natal CNS injury mechanisms, which has implications not only for Savant Syndrome but other disorders as well in which male sex in over-represented, is the neurotoxic effect of circulating testosterone on the left hemisphere in the male fetus based on observations and reported by Geschwind and Galaburda. Since the left brain completes its development later than the right brain, it is at risk for CNS damage for a longer period of time to circulating-testosterone (which can be neurotoxic) in male fetuses and that left CNS damage, with right brain compensation, may account for the high male:female ratio not only in Savant Syndrome, but in autism, stuttering, hyperactivity and learning disabilities as well.

The movie Rain Man depicted an autistic savant and that term became almost a household word. It is important to remember, however, that not all autistic persons are savants, and not all savants are autistic. What one sees in Rain Man are savant skills (lightening calculating, memorization etc.) grafted on to autism (narrowed affect, obsessive sameness, rituals etc). It is also important to point out that the savant in the movie is a high functioning person with autistic disorder, but the disorder consists of an entire spectrum of disabilities ranging from profoundly disturbed to high functioning; not all autistic savants function at such a high level.

For many years it was feared that helping the savant achieve a higher level of functioning with treatment--"eliminating the defect"--would result in a loss of special skills, i.e. there would be a trade-off of right brain special skills for left brain language acquisition, for example. That has not turned out to be the case. Quite to the contrary, "training the talent" is a valuable approach toward increasing socialization, language and independence. Thus the special skills of the savant, rather than being seen a odd, frivolous, trivial or distracting, become a useful treatment tool as a conduit toward normalization in these special persons. Some schools have begun to include persons with Savant Syndrome into classes for the gifted and talented as a method of enhancing further this conduit toward normalization.

There are probably fewer than 25 prodigious savants living at the present time. Some of those include Leslie Lemke (music), Alonzo Clemens (sculpting), Richard Wawro (painting), Stephen Wiltshire (drawing), Tony DeBlois (music) to name some. Other prodigious savants more recently described are in England, Austrailia and Japan. A 1983 60 minutes program on Savant Syndrome was particularly useful in bringing this remarkable condition to more general attention and of course the move Rain Man catapulted the condition to national prominence. There have been a number of other television specials and several movies about Savant Syndrome over the past 10 years. My book Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome reviews the condition in depth.

HANDOUT #4

Question Sheet for Jigsaw Groups 

Name____________Group #__________    

1. Name three characteristics of a person with Asperger’s syndrome?  

 2. Why do researchers believe that Asperger’s syndrome may be

hereditary?  

 3. What is the difference between Asperger’s syndrome and autism?  

 4. Describe three problems that might arise due to sensory of over

sensitivity.  

 5. What is meant by the term echolalia?  

 6. Do all people with autism exhibit the same symptoms?  

 7. What is a savant?  

 8. What are the six skills that are characteristic of a savant?  

 

9. The novel you are about to read is told through the point of view of a boy with Asperger’s syndrome. What do you expect from this novel?

 

10.Do you know anyone that is autistic or who has Asperger’s syndrome? If so, explain what they are like. If you do not know someone personally, have you ever read about or seen a person with autism in a movie?

HANDOUT # 5

Name__________Date___________  

Now that you have walked around the room and tried to figure out your classmates’ emotions, imagine how hard that exercise would be if you had Asperger’s syndrome. Christopher does not have the ability to recognize facial expressions. It is very similar to talking to a friend through instant messenger. You can communicate with another person, but sometimes without the ability to read their facial expressions, the message can get jumbled. It is your job to use the corresponding emoticon to determine what the person is trying to say. Make sure you explain how the same sentence can change meaning based on different facial expressions.  

1. I lost my little brother in the mall today………………………… L

  1a. I lost my little brother in the mall today………………………… J  2. Can you believe that math homework……………………………

:-/   2a. Can you believe that math homework……………………………. :D  3. Stephanie is most definitely the coolest girl I know………………

;)   3a. Stephanie is most definitely the coolest girl I know……………… :”>  4. Donald ate a bug today……………………………………………. :-O

  

4a. Donald ate a bug today…………………………………………… :-&  5. If it wasn’t attached, her head might fall off……………………….

:X   5a. If it wasn’t attached, her head might fall off……………………… :-S

 HANDOUT#6

 The Hound of the Baskervilles

Chapter 1Mr. Sherlock Holmes

  Mr. Sherlock Holmes, who was usually very late in themornings, save upon those not infrequent occasions when he wasup all night, was seated at the breakfast table. I stood upon thehearth-rug and picked up the stick which our visitor had leftbehind him the night before. It was a fine, thick piece of wood,bulbous-headed, of the sort which is known as a "Penang law-yer." Just under the head was a broad silver band nearly an inchacross. "To James Mortimer, M.R.C.S., from his friends of theC.C.H.," was engraved upon it, with the date "1884." It wasjust such a stick as the old-fashioned family practitioner used tocarry -- dignified, solid, and reassuring. "Well, Watson, what do you make of it?" Holmes was sitting with his back to me, and I had given himno sign of my occupation. "How did you know what I was doing? I believe you haveeyes in the back of your head." "I have, at least, a well-polished, silver-plated coffee-pot infront of me," said he. "But, tell me, Watson, what do you makeof our visitor's stick? Since we have been so unfortunate as tomiss him and have no notion of his errand, this accidentalsouvenir becomes of importance. Let me hear you reconstructthe man by an examination of it." "I think," said I, following as far as I could the methods ofmy companion, "that Dr. Mortimer is a successful, elderlymedical man, well-esteemed since those who know him givehim this mark of their appreciation." "Good!" said Holmes. "Excellent!" "I think also that the probability is in favour of his being acountry practitioner who does a great deal of his visiting onfoot." "Why so?" "Because this stick, though originally a very handsome onehas been so knocked about that I can hardly imagine a townpractitioner carrying it. The thick-iron ferrule is worn down, so itis evident that he has done a great amount of walking with it." "Perfectly sound!" said Holmes. "And then again, there is the 'friends of the C.C.H.' I should

guess that to be the Something Hunt, the local hunt to whosemembers he has possibly given some surgical assistance, andwhich has made him a small presentation in return." "Really, Watson, you excel yourself," said Holmes, pushingback his chair and lighting a cigarette. "I am bound to say thatin all the accounts which you have been so good as to give of myown small achievements you have habitually underrated yourown abilities. It may be that you are not yourself luminous, butyou are a conductor of light. Some people without possessinggenius have a remarkable power of stimulating it. I confess, mydear fellow, that I am very much in your debt." He had never said as much before, and I must admit that hiswords gave me keen pleasure, for I had often been piqued by hisindifference to my admiration and to the attempts which I hadmade to give publicity to his methods. I was proud, too, to thinkthat I had so far mastered his system as to apply it in a waywhich earned his approval. He now took the stick from my handsand examined it for a few minutes with his naked eyes. Thenwith an expression of interest he laid down his cigarette, andcarrying the cane to the window, he looked over it again with aconvex lens. "Interesting, though elementary," said he as he returned tohis favourite corner of the settee. "There are certainly one ortwo indications upon the stick. It gives us the basis for severaldeductions." "Has anything escaped me?" I asked with some self-importance. "I trust that there is nothing of consequence which Ihave overlooked?" "I am afraid, my dear Watson, that most of your conclusionswere erroneous. When I said that you stimulated me I meant, tobe frank, that in noting your fallacies I was occasionally guidedtowards the truth. Not that you are entirely wrong in this in-stance. The man is certainly a country practitioner. And he walksa good deal." "Then I was right." "To that extent." "But that was all." "No, no, my dear Watson, not all -- by no means all. I wouldsuggest, for example, that a presentation to a doctor is morelikely to come from a hospital than from a hunt, and that whenthe initials 'C.C.' are placed before that hospital the words'Charing Cross' very naturally suggest themselves." "You may be right." "The probability lies in that direction. And if we take this as aworking hypothesis we have a fresh basis from which to start ourconstruction of this unknown visitor." "Well, then, supposing that 'C.C.H.' does stand for 'CharingCross Hospital,' what further inferences may we draw?" "Do none suggest themselves? You know my methods. Applythem!" "I can only think of the obvious conclusion that the man haspractised in town before going to the country." "I think that we might venture a little farther than this. Lookat it in this light. On what occasion would it be most probablethat such a presentation would be made? When would his friendsunite to give him a pledge of their good will? Obviously at themoment when Dr. Mortimer withdrew from the service of thehospital in order to start in practice for himself. We know therehas been a presentation. We believe there has been a changefrom a town hospital to a country practice. Is it, then, stretchingour inference too far to say that the presentation was on theoccasion of the change?"

"It certainly seems probable." "Now, you will observe that he could not have been on thestaff of ohe hospital, since only a man well-established in aLondon practice could hold such a position, and such a onewould not drift into the country. What was he, then? If he was inthe hospital and yet not on the staff he could only have been ahouse-surpeon or a house-physician -- little more than a seniorstudent. And he left five years ago -- the date is on the stick. Soyour grave, middle-aged family practitioner vanishes into thinair, my dear Watson, and there emerges a young fellow underthirty, amiable, unambitious, absent-minded, and the possessorof a favourite dog, which I should describe roughly as beinglarger than a terrier and smaller than a mastiff." I laughed incredulously as Sherlock Holmes leaned back in hissettee and blew little wavering rings of smoke up to the ceiling. "As to the latter part, I have no means of checking you," saidI, "but at least it is not difficult to find out a few particularsabout the man's age and professional career." From my smallmedical shelf I took down the Medical Directory and turned upthe name. There were several Mortimers, but only one whocould be our visitor. I read his record aloud.  "Mortimer, James, M.R.C.S., 1882, Grimpen, Dartmoor, Devon. House-surgeon, from 1882 to 1884, at Charing Cross Hospital. Winner of the Jackson prize for Compara- tive Pathology, with essay entitled 'Is Disease a Reversion?' Corresponding member of the Swedish Pathological Soci- ety. Author of 'Some Freaks of Atavism' (Lancet 1882). 'Do We Progress?' (Journal of Psychology, March, 1883). Medical Officer for the parishes of Grimpen, Thorsley, and High Barrow."  "No mention of that local hunt, Watson," said Holmes with amischievous smile, "but a country doctor, as you very astutelyobserved. I think that I am fairly justified in my inferences. Asto the adjectives, I said, if I remember right, amiable, unambi-tious, and absent-minded. It is my experience that it is only anamiable man in this world who receives testimonials, only anunambitious one who abandons a London career for the country,and only an absent-minded one who leaves his stick and not hisvisiting-card after waiting an hour in your room." "And the dog?" "Has been in the habit of carrying this stick behind hismaster. Being a heavy stick the dog has held it tightly by themiddle, and the marks of his teeth are very plainly visible. Thedog's jaw, as shown in the space between these marks, is toobroad in my opinion for a terrier and not broad enough for amastiff. It may have been -- yes, by Jove, it is a curly-hairedspaniel." He had risen and paced the room as he spoke. Now he haltedin the recess of the window. There was such a ring of convictionin his voice that I glanced up in surprise. "My dear fellow, how can you possibly be so sure of that?" "For the very simple reason that I see the dog himself on ourvery door-step, and there is the ring of its owner. Don't move, Ibeg you, Watson. He is a professional brother of yours, and yourpresence may be of assistance to me. Now is the dramaticmoment of fate, Watson, when you hear a step upon the stairwhich is walking into your life, and you know not whether forgood or ill. What does Dr. James Mortimer, the man of science,ask of Sherlock Holmes, the specialist in crime? Come in!" The appearance of our visitor was a surprise to me, since I

had expected a typical country practitioner. He was a very tall,thin man, with a long nose like a beak, which jutted out betweentwo keen, gray eyes, set closely together and sparkling brightlyfrom behind a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He was clad in aprofessional but rather slovenly fashion, for his frock-coat wasdingy and his trousers frayed. Though young, his long back wasalready bowed, and he walked with a forward thrust of his headand a general air of peering benevolence. As he entered his eyesfell upon the stick in Holmes's hand, and he ran towards it withan exclamation of joy. "I am so very glad," said he. "I was notsure whether I had left it here or in the Shipping Office. I wouldnot lose that stick for the world." "A presentation, I see," said Holmes. "Yes, sir." "From Charing Cross Hospital?" "From one or two friends there on the occasion of mymarriage." "Dear, dear, that's bad!" said Holmes, shaking his head. Dr. Mortimer blinked through his glasses in mild astonishment. "Why was it bad?" "Only that you have disarranged our little deductions. Yourmarriage, you say?" "Yes, sir. I married, and so left the hospital, and with it allhopes of a consulting practice. It was necessary to make a homeof my own." "Come, come, we are not so far wrong, after all," saidHolmes. "And now, Dr. James Mortimer --" "Mister, sir, Mister -- a humble M.R.C.S." "And a man of precise mind, evidently." "A dabbler in science, Mr. Holmes, a picker up of shells onthe shores of the great unknown ocean. I presume that it is Mr.Sherlock Holmes whom I am addressing and not --" "No, this is my friend Dr. Watson." "Glad to meet you, sir. I have heard your name mentioned inconnection with that of your friend. You interest me very much,Mr. Holmes. I had hardly expected so dolichocephalic a skull orsuch well-marked supra-orbital development. Would you haveany objection to my running my finger along your parietalfissure? A cast of your skull, sir, until the original is available,would be an ornament to any anthropological museum. It is notmy intention to be fulsome, but I confess that I covet yourskull." Sherlock Holmes waved our strange visitor into a chair. "Youare an enthusiast in your line of thought, I perceive, sir, as I amin mine," said he. "I observe from your forefinger that youmake your own cigarettes. Have no hesitation in lighting one." The man drew out paper and tobacco and twirled the one up inthe other with surprising dexterity. He had long, quivering fin-gers as agile and restless as the antennae of an insect. Holmes was silent, but his little darting glances showed methe interest which he took in our curious companion. "I presume, sir," said he at last, "that it was not merely forthe purpose of examining my skull that you have done me thehonour to call here last night and again to-day?" "No, sir, no; though I am happy to have had the opportunityof doing that as well. I came to you, Mr. Holmes, because Irecognized that I am myself an unpractical man and because I amsuddenly confronted with a most serious and extraordinary prob-lem. Recognizing, as I do, that you are the second highest expertin Europe --" "Indeed, sir! May I inquire who has the honour to be thefirst?" asked Holmes with some asperity.

"To the man of precisely scientific mind the work of Mon-sieur Bertillon must always appeal strongly." "Then had you not better consult him?" "I said, sir, to the precisely scientific mind. But as a practicalman of affairs it is acknowledged that you stand alone. I trust,sir, that I have not inadvertently --" "Just a little," said Holmes. "I think, Dr. Mortimer, youwould do wisely if without more ado you would kindly tell meplainly what the exact nature of the problem is in which youdemand my assistance."  HANDOUT #7  Name__________Date___________ 

Question Sheet for The Hound of the Baskersville   

1) 1)      Name some of the characteristics of Sherlock Holmes that might suggest that he has Asperger’s syndrome.

   

2) 2)      Take the following quote and relate it to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time: “Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it.”

   

3) 3)      Christopher often notices things that other people take for granted. In The Hound of the Baskersville, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle makes a joke of this when Watson asks Holmes how he knew Mortimer had a curly-haired spaniel and the dog is standing at the door. Give an example of something that Christopher notices that others may not.

   

4) 4)      Based on the following sentence, what conclusion can you draw about the similarity between Sherlock Holmes and Christopher?: “Now is the dramatic moment of fate, Watson, when you hear a step upon the stair which is walking into your life, and you know not whether for good or ill.”

   

5) 5)      Remark on the amount of detail Sherlock Holmes notices when first meeting Mortimer. Compare this to the detail Christopher notices when meeting a person.

  

HANDOUT #8  

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-timeEXAMPLES OF SIMILES AND METAPHORS

  Definition of Simile- A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as, as in "How like the winter hath my absence been" or "So are you to my thoughts as food to life" (Shakespeare). Definition of Metaphor- A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison, as in "a sea of troubles" or "All the world's a stage" (Shakespeare). 

Definitions courtesy of: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.

Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 Metaphor examples given by Christopher:

I laughed my socks off.

He was the apple of her eye.

They had a skeleton in the cupboard.

We had a real pig of a day.

The dog was stone dead.

Simile example given by Christopher:

It looked as if there were two very small mice hiding in his nostrils.

I went upstairs and sat in my room and watched the water falling in the street. It was falling so hard that it looked like white sparks 

*It is important to note that Christopher thinks that metaphors are

lies, but he does not think similes are lies unless they are bad ones.

 

HANDOUT #9

Making Sense of These SignsPut yourself in Christopher’s shoes and try to change these signs so that they are more reasonable. You may add or subtract from these signs in order to change them so that they make sense to someone that thinks in a logical

manner and takes things literally.  

#1 #2 #3    

#4 #5  

HANDOUT #10

Courtesy of http://www.aspergia.com/ethos.htm

THE MYTHOS AND ETHOS

  A forgotten civilisation  We call this land Aspergia. We pronounce it so because no one knows what its real name was, or the tongue spoken by its people. Aspergia; a land surrounded by oceans, as far as the eye can see. A land of sea-gazing people, Aspergians, who venture into the great waters for fishing, but never the great distances required to find others, although they fiercely believe they exist.. 

  Many, Many eons in the past, this new civilisation was founded, building great towers and dwellings, and thriving in a social structure, very different to that which we observe today. The Aspergians celebrated an individual's uniqueness and devotion to their cause. They taught their young that each and every person is born with a very specific talent, their "special gift", which they must identify if they are to live a full and fulfilling life. Because you are born with this  talent you will excel in it and find it rewarding and enriching. Anything else you choose to do will not bring you as much happiness, and once you have found and  attained this direction in life,  you are respected by your people for achieving a oneness with your destiny. The Aspergians held an annual "destiny ceremony" to celebrate the transformation of the Seekers

into the Initiated. This can happen at any age, and some Aspergians have found their destiny at 13 whilst others did so towards the end of their lives.

Despite being surrounded by oceans and no knowledge of another land, far or near, the Aspergians strongly held that  there are others beyond the great waters. They had a social class of priests named Gazers, who were self-appointed, after finding their destiny was to serve their community in this role. They gazed daily into the blueness of the water, awaiting to record the every sign that life is there beyond. Each Gazer held records of every sighting and possible sighting. They have done so for generations, and were revered by their community for this important role.

There were ancient stories told of encounters with other peoples from beyond the sea, who landed on Aspergia and even took some of its residents with them. They were described as looking similar to the Aspergians, but having different customs, and producing very loud sounds, which were painful to the ears of the Aspergians. But these were old stories, and time has passed since there was a sighting of a tiny image on the horizon.

The Aspergians did not build their dwellings close to each other. They had a complex social structure which allowed individuals to invest most of their seeker years in searching for their destiny, and most of their time as Initiated in fulfilling it. This helped their culture to achieve great things. 

Their weekly conventions and annual gatherings always obeyed strict rules of ceremony, and each member knew exactly what their ceremonial role would be. Although solitude is a central pillar of the Aspergian life, it can not be real solitude unless it is defined by "Communitude". Communitude  allows for kinship, and relationship. It also ensures the continuity to the next generation. Communitude ensured Aspergians had a plentiful dose of company, in a defined and easy to manage way, and without complications. It also allowed them to spend their solitude time by themselves, observing the concept of Stillness.

  The Aspergian dispersal   It may be that the tales of the great flood, all go back to the Aspergian story. After the civilisation of Aspergia survived for millennia without danger or strife, the ocean itself sought its own destiny and found that it had to take over the land on which the Aspergians lived. The water rose and rose, until there was no doubt that Aspergia would cease to exist within a short period of time.

The Aspergians were not ever faced with the task of building a boat that was bigger than for the purpose of local fishing. Other than the oft told story of the great Son of Aspergia, who set to sea in search of other lands, and was never seen again, they had not dared try and go beyond the borders of the visible waters, because they knew there were great currents there; currents which take you to sea and never let you return.

But now there was no choice and dozens of bigger boats were constructed in haste by the talented architects and builders of the land. As the full moon set into the sea, the Aspergian people had one last Communitude gathering on their beloved land. 

They left at dawn, in utter silence, their minds were full of fear and focussed on the task ahead.

The boats reached the high currents and drifted apart, each to its own direction. The Aspergian civilisation started a journey into the unknown, and not all of its sons and daughters would make it safely to the world beyond.

  The Diaspora and accommodation  The boats that did survive had finally reached many a dispersed shore, and it was always the Gazers in every boat that identified the approaching land first. When they landed, they started by huddling together after the ordeal of the jouney, but this was against the nature of Aspergians. 

The peoples they came across were very different to them: they valued a sort of constant Communitude, they were afraid of their destiny, and were afraid of being alone or pursuing their talents. But the Aspergians were a minority everywhere they went,. and their nature dictated that they integrate, and learn the ways of the land.

Integrating was not easy, but they had a talent for it, and after a few generations any trace of Aspergians and their culture had all but disappeared. Their story was swallowed into the general mythology, and made a part of human heritage. They intermarried with the people of their new lands and their children would sometimes express Aspergian traits, and sometimes not. Occasionally their children were born with a severe Aspergian gaze that never went away, and an inability to speak or act independently. In early generations these were recognised as the results of intermarriage. Later on, even this realisation had been forgotten.

Nevertheless, throughout history, those who were born with a strong Aspergian persona, mostly knew that something was different. The sound of the ocean would calm them down, and they needed a great deal of solitude. They did not understand the practice of "constant Communitude", and did not know how they should behave in the social structure they were born to, with strange and taxing ways of interaction. They were mostly saved if they managed to seek and find their destiny-interest and excel in it. This was always revered by the people around them, and allowed them to be a little "different". Not all Aspergians immediately understood they had strengths rather than weaknesses. Being a minority always creates unease and alienation. It took great courage for those who did to tell themselves that they were different, and that it was fine to be so. Others spent their lives fighting it, and one who fights oneself always loses.  

  The heritage  The Aspergian civilisation has all but disappeared, but its biological and genetic heritage is still very much with us. Their genes are strong and persistent, reminding us throughout our history, that there were other ways of being, and other possibilities.

In some periods of history, Aspergian manifestations were hunted down and destroyed. Aspergian women burned at the stake as witches, Aspergian inventors and creative minds persecuted for daring to be different. There were Aspergians who discovered a destiny-talent for design and formulation, and secretly created ancient Aspergian symbols in crop circles. There are Aspergians that are Gazers to this day, watching for trains, planes, boats or searching for life in outer space. These traits are so different to "normal" human ones that they persisted through their genes.

 And those of us who have, against all odds, found their destiny and their pride, are now ready to revive that notion that we have a proud ethos to relate to - and we can once again build a proud heritage. Aspergia lives on - and we will be the lost sons and daughters, coming home to our history, our heritage and our future.

HANDOUT #11

We Too Shall Grow Written by Frank Gillett

As trees in a forest grow, standing tall,Bending to external pressuresAnd holding fast by internal strengths,We too shall grow.

Even as each new day brings their rootsMore tightly intertwined, not chokingOr stunting growth but strengthening andProviding a stronger base for one another,

We too shall grow.

As they are careful not to overshadowThe others so as to stunt growth or toSelfishly sap energy to stand taller,We too shall grow.

As God beckons them to spread, and reach up So they may grow to new heights,We too shall grow,Together

 

HANDOUT #12

That Asperger Kid

by Dave Spicer

                 He gets upset and runs off screaming -                 that or sits there fish-eyed, dreaming                 who knows what from who knows where -                 so weird, that kid, he sits and stares                 at nothing. Nothing! Every day                 the same act. I give up, okay?

                 I mean, we tried to understand him.                 Couldn't do it. Gotta hand him this -                 he's good at being strange                 he damn well better change                 because we're right. No little pansy                 any more, he's gonna learn to be a man                 and take his orders....                  Now what? What's the use of trying?                 Look - he's down there crying on the floor                 I just can't take this any more.

                 We never know what's going to happen                 wish he'd shape up, cut the crap and                 grow up, join the world of men,                 but whadja expect? he's one of THEM.

 

HANDOUT #13 

 Autistic Identity

by Dave Spicer

             They ask me questions.             Carefully, I answer, so deliberate, explaining

             Once again the sense in why I do things as I do.             They show me aspects of "the world"             like cheating, violence, lies, deceit,             and tell me I must know all this             to function in it. Simply put,

             They cannot see the path I follow.             Me, I know it's there - it doesn't seem             like home somehow, but nowhere does, and look what             their religion says - to "be not of this world but in it".             That's about             just how it is             and how it goes             this path that leads a different way             that what they'd hoped for.

             Then they cry - I see the track             a tear makes down a face, and wonder            why they aren't at peace. The weather's             not so bad inside here, really, kind of quiet             watching through the window, seeing, hearing,             sitting, thinking, contemplating all the noise outside

             They say "that's how the world is". Fine, but their frustration,             living in that world, gives pause             to folks like me who feel their pulling             hear their pleas             receive their training             all designed             so we can "join them" -             do we have to? There?

HANOUT #14 Flying Awayby sparkplugloy

 Walking through the paths I find on my way,Swimming through the lakes that come ahead,Trying to spread my wings and fly away,Wiping from my face all the tears I shed,

I see my life running before my eyes,Everything that I have said and done,The words I heard, with all these lies,Being the one they all wanted to shun.

I will go wherever there is a place for me.I am searching for the place where I do belong,Where I will stand, not be sent down on my knee,Find friends that are willing to bring me along.

This place may seem far away from everywhere,But I am strong-willed to discover it on my own.This Utopia would be the answer to my prayer.So I am hurrying towards the deepest unknown

 HANOUT #15 The Clock Ticks Onby Emelia

 alone in my room full of people....and yet the clock ticks on... alone in my classroom full of people...and yet the clock ticks on... alone on the yard full of people... and yet the clock ticks on... alone in the mall full of people.... and yet the clock ticks on... and yet the clock ticks on, and on, and on.... HANDOUT #16 

 

Glossary of Film Language

 

I. NARRATIVE

What story, plot and action transpire in the shot, the sequence, the film? What is the function of a given sequence within the larger narrative? How does it contribute to ongoing themes, conflicts, and oppositions at work throughout the film? What are the underlying issues and conflicts propelling the narrative? What element(s) of the narrative does a given sequence introduce, explain, suggest, and/or resolve? How is the narrative told (does it unfold in a linear fashion? is it fragmented? episodic? does it use flashbacks? flashforwards?)? How many simultaneous narratives unfold? How do they relate to one another? Which elements of film language are most prominently used to narrate the story? Is there an identifiable source of narration? How does the narrative position the spectator? Is our knowledge restricted to, or greater than, that of particular characters? If so, who, how and why? What are the consequences and effects of these various narrative forms?

II. EDITING

Editing determines how shots are joined. We can consider the transitions and relations from shot to shot, from scene to scene and throughout the film as a whole. While a clean break from one shot to another is described as a "cut," we can be far more specific about the kinds of cuts and other transitions that join shots together. Whatever the editing devices used, we should ask: does the editing function? What is the effect of a given dissolve? or wipe? or cross-

cut? What elements are associated and how? What rhythms, patterns, continuities and discontinuities does the editing produce? Is it consistent? Disruptive? Does it encourage us to passively consume the image? Critically interrogate it? Both? Neither?

Straight Cut: Two shots joined/spliced together with no obvious continuity device. Cross-cut: Editing that alternates shots of two or more lines of action occurring in two different places, usually simultaneously.

Parallel Cut: Editing that alternates shots of two or more lines of action with no implied temporal connection between them. Often used for associative or symbolic purposes.

Fade-in: A gradual lightening of the image from black to light. Fade-out: A gradual darkening of the image to black.

Dissolve: Shot A gradually disappears and shot B gradually appears in its place with momentary superimposition of the two.

Iris-in: Image gradually revealed from blackness through expanding circle of light. Iris-out: Reverse of iris-in.

Wipe: One image is gradually replaced by another at a boundary which moves across the frame. This boundary is often a straight line which moves across vertically the screen, but it may take other directions and shapes.

Direction Match: The direction of a person or object is consistent across the cut.

Eye-line Match: A cut in which two characters in different shots appear to look at each other because of the direction of their glances.

Movement Match: An action begun in one shot is continued or completed in the next shot.

Axis Match: The angle of the camera in relation to the object remains the same from shot to shot.

Graphic Match: Any juxtaposition of graphically similar images.

Jump Cut: A break or jump in time, caused by removing a section of a shot and then splicing together what remains

of it. On screen the result is often jerky.

DURATION & PACING: The duration and rhythm of shots and scenes.

 

III. CINEMATOGRAPHY

The position and movement of the camera are also critical in determining not only what we see but how we see it. Each of the cinematographic elements below can be interrogated in every instance that it is used to consider how it functions and what it signifies. Consider how the camera is placed in relation to the material being filmed (profilmic event): at what distance? at what angle? with or without movement and of what kind? How does the use of the camera present and comment upon the material?

CAMERA DISTANCE

Close-Up: A shot taken very close to the subject. Often a person's head, or other significant object which fills the screen.

Extreme Close-up: A shot in which the scale of the object is even larger, as when a small object, detail or body part (face, eyes, etc.) fills the screen.

Medium Close-up: A shot framing the human figure from the chest up. Medium Shot: A shot framing the human figure from the waist up. Medium Long Shot: Frames human figure from the knees up.

Full Shot: Frames the human figure in its entirety.

Long Shot: A shot in which the object shown is small in relation to the size of the screen. Frequently an interior establishing shot.

Extreme Long Shot: The subject is extremely small in relation to the size of the screen. Frequently an exterior establishing shot.

Establishing Shot: Usually a long shot which establishes the spatial relations between figures, objects and the setting of a film or scene.

CAMERA ANGLE:

Straight on or eye level: The camera is located at normal eye level in relation to the subject.

High angle: The camera is positioned above the subject and shoots down at it.

Low angle: The camera is positioned below the subject and shoots up at it. Tilted or Dutch angle: The frame is not parallel to the horizon.

CAMERA MOVEMENT:

Pan (Panorama Shot): The camera rotates from a fixed position along a horizontal plane (pan right/left; 360 degree pan).

Swish Pan: The camera moves very rapidly along the horizontal plane so that the action appears blurred.

Tilt: To camera tilts up or vertically (tilt up/ tilt down).

Tracking shot: The camera travels in any direction (track backward, forward, left, right). The camera can be mounted on a truck or dolly to permit high-speed movement.

FRAMING: Consider the edges/borders of the image. How are shots framed and what vantage point does that framing provide for the spectator? Are things framed frontally, centrally? Are they cropped and fragmented?

IV. STAGING/ MISE-EN-SCENE

This refers to everything that is staged before the camera. As you screen films you should consider how the elements below are manipulated and what effects they create.

SETTING:Where is the action staged? Is it shot on location, in a studio? What are the indicators of period and place? Is the set "naturalistic" or stylized? How are landscapes and architecture used? What do props and sets signify?

COLOR & TONE: Film stocks, developing processes, tinting and other means can be used to alter the intensity and texture of color and contrast. Consider when color technologies are used and to what ends? When and how is black and white used? Is the tone sharp, grainy, modulated? Are colors naturalistic and/or artificial? What

are the effects of the various uses of color and tone?

LIGHTING: Consider what is illuminated and what isn't. Is the lighting harsh, hard, soft, diffused, tinted? Does the lighting appear naturalistic, artificial? Are certain places, objects or characters lit in particular ways? What moods and atmospheres are created through light?High-key lighting: Bright illumination, few or no shadows, and minimum contrast. Low-key lighting: Dim or dark lighting effect.Three-point lighting: A common set up using three directions of light on a scene: from behind the subjects (backlighting); from one bright source (key light); and from a dimmer source opposite the key light (fill light).

ACTING and FIGURE MOVEMENT: What are the characteristics of the acting? What do gestures, expressions and body language signify? How are figures placed and choreographed within the shot, scene, frame?

COSTUMES and MAKE-UP: What are the cultural, economic, and political connotations of clothing and make-up? Are they obvious and showy, "natural" and unobtrusive?

COMPOSITION: The main graphic composition of the shot. Consider the framing of the image, the placement of figures within the frame, the organization and division of space, and the special relations of figures and objects within the frame. Is the space open, tight, ordered, chaotic? What is included and excluded? How does the frame construct the image? You should also consider the movement of figures within the frame and their relations in space.

V. SOUND

The possibilities for manipulating film and sound are as varied and complex as those for manipulating filmic images. We need to consider all of the different kinds of sound (and silence) that punctuate a film, the relations between these various elements, and the relations between sound and images.

SOUND EFFECTS: What kind of sound effects are there? Do they sound artificial or "natural"? Are they subjective? What is their purpose and significance?

DIALOGUE: What kinds of languages, dialects, accents,

and slang are spoken? Who speaks and in what ways? What kinds of characterizations are made through dialogue?

VOICE-OVER/VOICE-OFF: Voice-over narration is a narration told from an off-screen voice. Consider who the narrator is--a character, a disembodied authority? What power and interpretations do the voice-over represent? How does the voice-over narration relate to the camera's narration? Is the voice-over omniscient, reliable, unreliable?

MUSIC: Is the source within the story world of the film (diegetic) or not (non-diegetic/extradiegetic)? Is the source of the music visible (on-screen) or beyond the frame (off-screen)? What does the music signify? How does it relate to the image?

SYNCHRONIZATION/ASYNCHRONIZATION: Does the sound match the image? Are they in synch? Does sound carry over from one scene to another (sound bridge)? What relationships are established between sound and image?

SILENCE: When is there silence and why? Are particular characters prone to silence?

VI. ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS OF FILM

Innovations in technology, computer graphics and animation, screen size and shape, special effects, sound effects, etc. continue to build and modify the possible ways in which films are constructed. Watch and listen for any additional elements you discover beyond those listed here.*borrowed from Susan Courtney, University of South Carolina

 HANDOUT # 17 

RUBRIC FOR CRITICAL LENS ESSAY 

  Unity Support Coherence Sentence Skills

Excellent Essay

The essay is unified and sticks to the main point. The thesis statement is clearly

The main point has at least three supporting examples. The author uses quotes

The essay is well organized. The author utilizes transitions between

There are little to know grammatical errors, the sentences flow nicely

stated. and evidence from text to back up main points.

paragraphs. and are written in a coherent manner.

Average Essay

The essay is generally unified but will sometimes stray from the main topic. There is a thesis statement.

There are three supporting examples but they might not all be strong. Author uses some quotes and evidence.

The essay is slightly unorganized. There are some transitions between paragraphs.

There are some grammatical errors. A few sentences may be choppy.

Poor Essay The essay is very hard to follow and often strays from the main topic. There is no thesis statement.

The essay is lacking supporting examples. Author hardly uses quotes and evidence is lacking.

The essay is not organized. There are no transitions between paragraphs

The essay contains many of the following: run-ons, fragments, irregular verbs, subject-verb agreement, misplaced or dangling modifiers, confused words, misspelled words, faulty parallelism, slang, or contractions