Lesson Report:
Title
Bridging Past and Future through Texts and Language: Jamilia, “Blue Haze,� and Multilingual Word Deconstruction
This session closed the first major writing assignment (final essay) and introduced the capstone portfolio. Students then moved from thematic discussion of Jamilia and “Blue Haze� to a structured, multilingual “word deconstruction� sequence that moved from denotation to connotation and ended with a creative constraints poem. The objective was to deepen textual analysis, highlight how language shapes meaning, and prepare materials that can later feed into the diagnostic portfolio for FYS.
Attendance
– Absences mentioned: 0
– Late arrival: 1 (Zalkar)
– Submission status: Instructor confirmed all students reported turning in the final essay.
Topics Covered (chronological)
1) Administrative wrap-up: First major essay submitted; minimum passing criteria clarified
– Instructor confirmed receipt of final essay from all students.
– Grading/pass criteria reiterated:
– Clear, strong position on the prompt/topic.
– At least two integrated quotations.
– Coherent topic sentences.
– A thesis statement.
– Basic intelligibility/clarity; students only at risk if these elements are missing.
– Framing: This was the first major university assignment; reassurance provided to reduce anxiety.
2) Preview of final capstone: Portfolio assignment (details tomorrow)
– What it is: A compiled document including several notebook responses, selected short texts/responses written in class, and the final essay.
– Logistics/path: Students send the compiled portfolio to the instructor; instructor forwards to Kamelia; then to FYS professors as a diagnostic for the semester start.
– Status: Submission format may have changed (previously a Word document); instructor will double-check and confirm due date and format next session.
3) Thematic bridge discussion: Jamilia and “Blue Haze�
– Prompt: Read aloud “bracketedâ€� lines from earlier writing prompts (no context required), then share brief interpretations.
– Student contributions (selected highlights):
– Jamilia:
– Conflict between following one’s heart vs following tradition.
– Jamilia’s pursuit of “personal truth/happinessâ€� despite public opinion and potential shame.
– Her younger brother’s acceptance is framed as prioritizing her happiness.
– Clarification needed on husband’s name (students alternated between Daniyar/Baniyar in comments).
– “Blue Hazeâ€�:
– Reader’s initial fear/uncertainty with archives and literature that becomes confidence through reading.
– The power and plurality of stories; how history is partial and mediated by what is preserved/told.
– Instructor synthesis:
– Both texts foreground the relationship between past and future:
– Jamilia as a metaphorical bridge between communal traditions (past) and personal agency (future).
– “Blue Hazeâ€� (author referenced as Magawin/McGinn) posits that “the seeds of the future are scattered within [the archive’s] sacred walls,â€� suggesting the past’s preserved texts seed future cultural creation.
– This thematic link sets up the next exercise that interrogates meaning at the word level.
4) Activity I: Word Deconstruction (Pairs)
– Grouping: Initially pairs (shifted from trios to pairs for manageability); instructor facilitated pairing, with one trio to accommodate an odd number.
– Step 1: Word selection from both texts
– From Jamilia (Aitmatov) and “Blue Hazeâ€� (Magawin), groups selected:
– 3 words per text they fully understand (total 6).
– 2 words per text they are unsure about (total 4).
– Note: These lists can be used later in the portfolio as process artifacts.
– Step 2: Choose one known word to analyze
– Denotation task:
– Define (not translate) the selected known word in at least three languages, in sentence form (dictionary-style definition), without phones/translators.
– Emphasis: Definition must explain meaning with more than a single-word gloss; no lookups allowed.
– Step 3: Connotation task
– Write 1–2 sentences about the word’s connotations (emotional tone, whether pejorative/complimentary/neutral/academic, frequency of use).
– If connotations differ across languages, note differences; otherwise, one connotation note is sufficient.
– Submission checkpoint:
– One person per pair posted the chosen word and the three denotational definitions (not connotations) to the class Telegram group. A QR code was provided to those not yet in the group.
5) Language landscape survey (to scaffold Activity II)
– Hands-up survey to inventory working literacies (read/write/speak):
– Broad: Russian (nearly all), Kyrgyz (many), English (assumed).
– Also represented: Shugni (3), Turkish (about 4), French (1–2), Persian (2), Spanish (minimal knowledge).
– Late arrival, Zalkar: Russian/English; some Turkish, Uzbek, Kazakh; Spanish for songs (no third Uzbek/Kazakh speaker located).
– Purpose: Form language-based groups for the next stage.
6) Activity II: Language-Based Word Deconstruction and Creative Constraints Poem
– Regrouping by language:
– Shugni/Persian group chose which to use (students bilingual).
– Kyrgyz: two trios; a pair formed where needed.
– Russian: multiple trios formed; instructor intentionally mixed frequent collaborators.
– Uzbek group attempt abandoned due to insufficient numbers; those students redirected to Kyrgyz or Russian as preferred.
– Step 4: Mining vocabulary from peer definitions (in-language)
– In each language group, students scanned the Telegram-posted denotational definitions and selected five words from within those definitions (not the headwords). Example: If a definition says “a small place where people live,â€� eligible picks include small, place, live.
– Step 5: Identify uncertainty within the five words
– From the five, select the word least understood or with unresolved questions.
– Step 6: Creative constraints poem (five lines)
– Write a five-line poem in the target language about the least-understood word.
– Constraint: Each line must begin with one of the five selected words (use all five as line starters).
– Goal: Surface nuance and connotation by forcing relational usage in context, reinforcing the theme that language choice shapes conceptualization.
– Instructor circulated to check constraints (definition vs translation; no phones; use of all five starter words; poem in target language).
Actionable Items
Urgent (before next class)
– Portfolio logistics:
– Confirm final portfolio format (platform/file type) and due date; communicate in writing to students.
– Share a short checklist for portfolio contents (which in-class artifacts are acceptable: word lists, definitions, connotations, poems, bracketed passages, final essay).
– Citations/terminology:
– Verify correct author’s name and exact wording for the “Blue Hazeâ€� quote (“seeds of the future…â€�), and standardize the spelling of Daniyar (vs. Baniyar) for Jamilia references.
– Communication:
– Ensure every group member joined the Telegram channel and successfully posted their word + three denotational definitions; follow up with any missing posts.
– Archive today’s Telegram posts for later portfolio use (export/chat backup).
Soon (next 1–2 sessions)
– Collect artifacts:
– Decide how students should submit the connotation notes and the five-line poems (Telegram thread, LMS upload, or hard copy) so they can be included in portfolios.
– Feedback planning:
– Determine when and how high-level feedback on the final essay will be delivered (rubric snapshot, pass/fail risks noted in class).
– Continuity of learning:
– Plan a brief share-out next session: select a few poems across languages to read aloud and connect back to Jamilia/“Blue Hazeâ€� themes (past-future bridge; archive as seedbed).
– Provide a quick mini-lesson on definition vs translation (why definition tasks deepen comprehension) using examples from student work.
If needed (contingent)
– Make-up procedure:
– If any student ultimately missed pieces of today’s activity, assign: (1) 3 known + 2 uncertain words per text; (2) three-language definitions (no translator) for one known word; (3) connotation notes; (4) five-line constraints poem using five internal words from peer definitions. Submit to Telegram and add to portfolio.
Homework Instructions:
ASSIGNMENT #1: End-of-Program Writing Portfolio
You will compile several of your texts from orientation—including selected notebook responses and your final essay—into one single document to be handed in at the very end of the program; this portfolio will be sent to Kamelia and shared with your FYS professors as a diagnostic of your reading/writing abilities, echoing our lesson’s focus on bridging past work into your academic future (Jamilia/Blue Haze).
Instructions:
1) Gather your work
– Include: your final essay; several responses you wrote in your notebook during the program (for example, your writings on Aitmatov’s Jamilia and McGowan’s Blue Haze); and any short in-class writing you want to showcase.
– You may include materials from today’s word-deconstruction and five-line poem activity if you wish.
2) Select what to include
– Choose several pieces that best represent your skills and progress (variety is helpful—analysis, response, language work).
– Prioritize clarity and quality over quantity; aim for a concise, representative selection.
3) Transcribe and clean up
– Type up any selections that currently exist only in your notebook so everything can live in one document.
– You may correct surface-level errors for readability while preserving your original ideas.
4) Organize into one single document
– Create a clear order (for example: earlier notebook responses first, other short pieces next, final essay last).
– At the start of each piece, add a simple heading with the piece’s title/topic and date/context (e.g., “Response on Jamilia – Day 2â€�).
– Ensure all pages are in one file so it can be forwarded as a single document.
5) Give helpful context (brief)
– At the top of the file, add a simple cover section with your name and a short list of contents (titles of included pieces in order).
– If a piece is in a language other than English, you may note that in its heading.
6) Final check
– Confirm that what you selected reflects your strongest work and the range of what you did during orientation.
– Make sure the document is readable from start to finish (consistent fonts, spacing, and headings).
7) Submit
– Submit the single compiled document to your instructor; it will then be forwarded to Kamelia and shared with your FYS professors as a diagnostic.
– Deadline: at the very end of this program (exact file format and submission specifics will be confirmed in the next class; for now, plan to compile everything into one single document).