Kathleen OConnor

EDSL 560: Pathfinder

Pathfinder: Preparing to Read In the Time of the

Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
Ms. OConnors English 10
Potomac Senior High School

Virginia Standards of Learning

10.4 The student will read, comprehend, and analyze literary texts of different cultures and eras.
a) Identify main and supporting ideas.
b) Make predictions, draw inferences, and connect prior knowledge to support reading
comprehension.
c) Explain similarities and differences of techniques and literary forms represented in the
literature of different cultures and eras.
d) Analyze the cultural or social function of literature.
e) Identify universal themes prevalent in the literature of different cultures.
f) Examine a literary selection from several critical perspectives.
g) Explain the influence of historical context on the form, style, and point of view of a
literary text.
h) Evaluate how an authors specific word choices, syntax, tone, and voice shape the intended
meaning of the text, achieve specific effects and support the authors purpose.
i) Compare and contrast literature from different cultures and eras.
j) Distinguish between a critique and a summary.
k) Compare and contrast how rhyme, rhythm, sound, imagery, style, form, and other literary
devices convey a message and elicit a readers emotions.
l) Compare and contrast character development in a play to characterization in other literary
forms.
m) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading process.

Introduction and Rationale

Julia Alvarezs beautiful work of historical fiction is a relatively new addition to the
English 10 reading list in Prince William County. It is the true story of the brutal 30plus year (1930-1961) reign of Raphael Trujillo, one of historys most villainous
dictators, in the Dominican Republic. The story is told from the semi-fictional pointof-view of four real-life freedom fighters: Patria, DeDe, Minerva, and Maria Teresa
Mirabal. Three of these sisters died for the cause of liberty for the Dominican
people, and their memory is still honored annually throughout the Caribbean, South
and Central America. The Organization of American States (AOS), as well as the

Kathleen OConnor
EDSL 560: Pathfinder

United Nations (UN), has designated the day of their murders, November 25 th, as
a day against violence against women by the first Feminist Encuentro for Latin
America and the Caribbean held in Bogota, Columbia in.1981. It originally marked
the day that the three Mirabal sisters from the Dominican Republic were violently
assassinated in 1960 during the Trujillo dictatorship (Violence Against Women
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
Retrieved from UN.org July 24, 2014).
I initially read this book during my graduate program in 1994, shortly after its
publication, in a course at GMU devoted entirely to Latina literature. It became one
of my favorite books, and I was beyond thrilled when PWC added it to the English 10
curriculum. It is everything a high-school novel should be for the population that I
teach, and I use it for all of my English 10 classes, including ESOL, inclusion, and
regular; the advanced classes in our school read it as well. The heroines are not
only women, but they are also Latinas. There are Spanish words and phrases used
throughout the narrative. The book takes place in a region of the world from which
many of my students come, and the themes of violence, fear, and political unrest
are ones that many of them have experienced first-hand.
While the novel appeals to everyone, it quickly became clear that my American
students, both Caucasian and African-American, were lacking background
knowledge to fully understand the novel. This was an interesting (and not
necessarily negative!) phenomenon to witness, because my Latino/Latina students
got to be the experts for once! American students often could not locate the
Dominican Republic on a map, some had never heard of it. Not a single Americanborn student had ever heard of Raphael Trujillo or known about his brutal reign of
terror. Because the Dominican Republic is almost exclusively Catholic, there are
many references to Catholicism, as well as Biblical allusions, in the novel that leave
non-Catholic students confused. The rationale for this Pathfinder Project is to build
background knowledge that will help students gain a deeper appreciation for the
cultural, historical, and theological context that is so crucial for getting the most
meaningful read possible from this novel. Students will be provided with an
extensive list of relevant topics from which to choose. They will research their topic
using this pathfinder, and produce a 3-minute presentation to give to the class.

Collaboration
The teacher and the Library Media Specialist will meet after school or during the
classroom teachers planning period. The phases of collaborative planning will be:
explaining and clarifying the goal and use of the pathfinder, locating appropriate
sources for students to use, solidifying the plan for the pathfinder, and conducting a
trial run in the library before bringing students there to the computer lab. It would
be helpful if the LMS had also read the novel prior to collaborating on the Pathfinder.

Kathleen OConnor
EDSL 560: Pathfinder

Upon finishing the unit, the classroom teacher and LMS will meet again to discuss
how the preparing-to-read pathfinder activity helped students build essential
background knowledge to bolster their understanding and appreciation of the novel.
Throughout the unit, the classroom teacher can take note of any gaps in
understanding so that those elements can be added to the pathfinder for the next
year.

Impact on Student Learning

Classroom Teacher: It is the hope of the classroom teacher that by exploring
background information about the Dominican Republic, Latin Customs and Social
Norms, Spanish language, Catholicism, Raphael Trujillo, the OAS, the Mirabal sisters,
etc. that students will come into the reading of the novel with a greater
understanding of the cultural and historical context, and thus come away with a
richer reading experience.
Library Media Specialist: Students come to the library in ninth grade to learn
about evaluating websites and other sources to determine their quality and
appropriateness for academic use, and they have a refresher during their library
orientation at the beginning of the year. Therefore, the goal of the pathfinder is to
get students directly to the content that they need, without having them spend time
on source evaluation. In using the pre-selected sources on the pathfinder, it will
reinforce the concept of what quality academia-appropriate information looks like.

Sources
Dictionaries: Two online dictionaries will be provided on the Pathfinder, and of
course students will have classroom and library access to print dictionaries as well.
These will help in understanding vocabulary, defining words for their presentation,
and they may refer back to them during reading as well.
Encyclopedias: I have included links to two of the encyclopedias that we
subscribe to at Potomac High School. These would be an excellent starting point for
any topic a student may have chosen for her research.
Library Catalogs: Students may access both the Potomac High school library
catalog and the Prince William County library catalog to locate print sources or other
more in-depth information if they need to go a little deeper that what they can
locate electronically, or if they have interest in pursuing more deeply for
enrichment. This will be very helpful to students who have picked more specialized
topics like food or religion, for which they will probably need print resources.
Biographical sources: Several of the students topic choices for their
presentations will be characters in the novel, but since they are all real people,

Kathleen OConnor
EDSL 560: Pathfinder

biographical sources will be essential. One topic choice will also be the author, Julia
Alvarez.
Geographical sources: Many students do not know where the Dominican
Republic is located, and this is general information.there are many locations
within the DR that are important to understanding the plot.
Government sources: Websites from the CIA and State Department with
interesting information on counties around the world, including those relevant to
this project: the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Haiti, and all of the member nations of
the Organization of American States.
Websites: I have included websites for the United Nations and the Organization of
American States. The OAS plays an important role in the novel as well as the
historical trajectory of events that led to the murder of the Mirabal sisters and the
subsequent assassination of Raphael Trujillo as a direct result. The link that I have
provided for the United Nations will take students directly to the section of the
website about activism to prevent violence against women around the world,
especially when said violence is carried out with a political agenda. It is
enlightening and inspiring to know that the legacy of the brave Mirabal sisters
continues to this day.

The pages that follow are the

handouts that we would actually
distribute to students.

Kathleen OConnor
EDSL 560: Pathfinder

Pre-Reading Project
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
English 10
Ms. OConnor

Before we begin our third quarter novel, each of you will prepare a brief presentation about
an aspect of the novel. You will choose a topic from the list you have been given. You many
choose your own, but you must clear it with me, as the topics have been chosen specifically
to support your, and your classmates, understanding and appreciation of the novel. You will
research your topic and prepare a brief (3 minute, maximum) PowerPoint, Prezi, or movie to
present your information to the class. By listening to a presentation from each classmate on
a different aspect of the novel, we will all begin with a solid understanding of background
knowledge that will result in a richer reading experience.
This pathfinder has been created to help you locate quality information for your
presentation. Yes, you must USE it! (i.e. I do not expect you to arrive at the library and begin
madly Googling!!) We will have three class periods in the library for you to collect your
information and prepare your presentation. Our first session in the library will begin with
Mrs. Garnto briefly reviewing MLA format and how to cite the sources you use in your
presentation. Though this is review, please give her your undivided attention. The last slide
of your presentation MUST BE A WORKS CITED PAGE. Even though the sources have
been pre-selected for you, they still must be properly cited to avoid plagiarism.
Remember: www.easybib.com is your best friend! See me or Mrs.
A word about spoilers:
Garnto if you EVER have a question about citations! We are happy
This novel is told in a series
to help.
of flashbacks, and the
I will give you the dates your class will be visiting the library. Please
record them here. If you are absent on one of these days, you may
access the pathfinder and all of the links on both my SchoolFusion
page and the library website. It is your responsibility to keep up if
you are absent on a library day!
Library Session 1: ______________________

narrative begins at the end

of the story, and cycles back
and forth through time. We
will talk more about this
later, but you do not need to
worry about spoiling the end
in your presentation. We
find out how the story ends

Kathleen OConnor
EDSL 560: Pathfinder

Library Session 2: ______________________

Library Session 3: ______________________
On the following page is your pathfinder.your gateway to all the information you may
need. This is for you reference only. You will not need to type in the URLs for the various
sources. Once we get to the library, you will bring up this page from the library resource
page and simply click on the links.
Email your complete project to me at [email protected]
File name should be your last name, first initial and class period. Example:
(JonesR2)

Pathfinder: In the Time of the Butterflies

Pre-Reading Presentation Project
Dictionaries
Dictionaries are always good to have on hand in any reading or research situation. You may
use the dictionaries below to define words for your classmates in your presentation or simply
to help you with vocabulary you come across in your research. I have also included an
English-Spanish dictionary to assist in translations if needed.
Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/
Use this source to find definitions, parts of speech, and an audio feature to help you
pronounce the word.
Translate Spanish words to English: http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp
There are a few Spanish words sprinkled throughout the novel. For the most part you can
figure out their meanings using context clues, but use this site for precise translations.

Encyclopedias
The online encyclopedias are excellent resources that our library pays an annual
subscription fee for you to access! The log-in information is located at each workstation in
the library, and be sure to take home a bookmark (at the circulation desk) with login
information you can use to access these sources from home.
CultureGrams: Cultures and customs around the world, with maps, flags, statistics and
more!
http://online.culturegrams.com/index.php
World Book Online: Includes the online reference center, World Book Kids, Spanish
Encyclopedia, the U.S. and Political Science & Law research libraries, in addition to the World
Book Encyclopedia, atlas, dictionary, and more. http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Login?
ed=wb&tu=https%3A%2F%2Fptop.only.wip.la%3A443%2Fhttp%2Fwww.worldbookonline.com%2Fstudent%2Fhome

Library Catalogs
Prince William County Library Catalog: Hopefully everyone still has their public library
card that Mrs. Garnto arranged for you at the beginning of the year! Use the barcode
number on your card for your user ID, use the last four digits for your password.

Kathleen OConnor
EDSL 560: Pathfinder

http://librarycatalog.pwcgov.org/polaris/Search/default.aspx?ctx=1.1033.0.0.3
Potomac High School Library Catalog: You can use this link to access the school library
catalog from home. While at school, you can simply click on the catalog icon that is on the
desktop of each workstation in the school.
http://stafflib.pwcs.edu/common/welcome.jsp?site=320

Biographical Sources
The Mirabal Sisters, 50 Years Later: This fascinating video produced by the AARP
features interviews with DeDe Mirabal and the children of the martyred sisters, and a tour of
the family home and gardens, and the Mirabal memorial museum.
http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/history/info-03-2011/the-mirabal-sisters.html
Mirabal Sisters of the Dominican Republic: This source provided biographical
information about each of the sisters, as well as information about Raphael Trujillo, his
regime, and the political climate of the Dominican Republic during the time period of the
novel.
http://www.therealdr.com/dominican-republic-history/mirabal-sisters-of-the-dominicanrepublic.html
Biography.com: Search here to find extensive biographical information about Raphael
Trujillo, Fidel Castro, and the author, Julia Alvarez as well as other key players in the Cuban
and Dominican revolutions.
http://www.biography.com/people

Geographical Sources
Interactive Map of the Dominican Republic. This National Geographic site will be
helpful in understanding where the Dominican Republic is located, and its proximity to Haiti
and Cuba. It will also allow you to virtually explore the island: the towns, regions, and
roadways that are important to the plot.
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/dominican-republic-map/

Government Sources
U.S. Department of State. This website describes the United States current relationship
with the Dominican Republic, as well as what to expect if traveling there today.
http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/dominican-republic.html
The CIA World Factbook. Information from the CIA with a special section for students,
categorized by grade level. Very interesting!
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html#People

Websites
The United Nations Campaign to Eliminate Violence Against Women. Learn about
how November 15th, the day of the Mirabal sisters deaths, is recognized around the world as
a day to raise awareness about violence against women.
http://www.un.org/en/events/endviolenceday/index.shtml
The Organization of American States. The OAS plays an important role in the end of the
novel as well as historically in rescuing the political prisoners of Trujillos regime. Learn more
about what this organization does to support democracy, peace, development, and human
rights throughout the Americas.
http://www.oas.org/en/default.asp

Kathleen OConnor
EDSL 560: Pathfinder

Creative Commons. A great source for artwork, pictures, and music that you can use for
your presentation without fear of copyright violation, as the content of this site is public
domain, as agreed upon by contributors and users. You should still give credit to Creative
Commons on your Works Cited Page!
www.creativecommons.org

ENJOY
YOUR
RESEARCH!