Winter Break

I can hardly believe we've arrived at Winter Break! I hope you all have a great two weeks off and come back refreshed.

From my perspective, it's been a great year so far. I'm enjoying you all very much, and I'm looking forward to our further literary adventures.

Over break, please read the rest of All My Sons. There won't be a test on the play, but it will appear on your final exam at the end of January.

Best Wishes and Happy New Year!

A Message for Kids Who Missed Class on 12/15

Be sure to check out all of the podcasts at my Edublog site here.

Also, catch up on your reading of All My Sons. I've been told by many that the plot resembles that of the new Natalie Portman movie, Brothers. How about that!

6th hour, read through page 20
5th hour, read to the middle of page 24
4th hour, read to the middle of page 25

Also, everyone needs a complete rough draft of their compare/contrast essay for tomorrow. See you then!

New Podcasts from Fresh Press and iMpress!

The kids in fourth and fifth hour have a new podcasts! I'm very proud of myself for editing their podcasts, even though I did make a mistake on David K.'s segment in the 4th hour effort. I accidentally deleted seven of his twenty reasons that "book banning is dumb." I'm really sorry about that, David. Still, you can listen to the podcast by visiting my Edublog site here.

Go! Comment! Yay!

Finishing The Road

One purpose for literature (and all art) is to shed light on what’s important in life. Every author is essentially giving us his or her opinion on the age-old question, “What is the meaning of life?”

Ok, so what IS the meaning of life, according to Cormac McCarthy? Is his view different in ATPH than it is in The Road? What matters in the worlds he creates? How do you know?

We'll be talking about these issues in class today. I'm so excited to discuss this text with you. I know it's been powerful for many of you, and I'm really looking forward to hearing your reactions to the end of the novel.

For me, the book has been a life-changer. I think I’ll have to put it in my all-time Top 5. It’s the type of book that sticks to your bones – I’m not going to forget this one, even though (and probably because) it hurt me so much to read it. I honestly hated reading this novel, but it affected me so profoundly. If so many kids are buzzing about it, if the teachers are talking about it at lunch for months, and if the parents are weighing in on its meaning and appropriateness for study, you know there's something to this text.

Deep Thoughts

I'm a little backlogged on grading, but I'm working late tonight to catch up. Just me. Alone here in 262. Sigh.

Anyway, to prove that I've been making some progress (and to help you understand what makes a great literary analysis) I'm posting some exemplars for the ATPH test passage.

To get an A on this part of the test, you had to do the following: 1) Respond to all elements of the question; 2)Correctly identify a motif and articulate a theory about what it represents that goes beyond the obvious (Not just "blood symbolizes death." What else could the blood symbolize, or at the very least what truths about death is McCarthy hinting at); 3)Comment clearly on how the passage contributes to a thematic idea. Your comment should include inightful ideas that go beyond the surface; and 4) Use your three supporting passages to inform a well-written thesis statement that answers the question "What about your thematic idea is important in this novel?"

Here are some examples of parts of successful papers:

From Erik R.:

"This passage expands upon the idea of nature's ability to both give and take away. John Grady Cole has just killed a doe, which is a gift from nature. However, as the doe dies, Cole begins to recognize nature's ability to take away. Not only does he indirectly compare Alejandra and the doe, but he also eventually recognizes that nature's 'heart beat at a terrible cost' and that no matter what he did "the world's pain and its beauty moved in a relationship of ... equity.' this is a moment of epiphany for Cole since his opens his eyes to the little beauty for which he has suffered so much."

from Maureen K.:

"Red is repeated several times within the whole book, as is blood, and I think that it symbolizes death. Wetness is also repeated several times in this passage, and I think it symbolizes tears or lack of them. Through everything that happened while he was in Mexico, he only cried once or twice. He dwelt a lot on what had happened but didn't show any emotion attached to the events. Pain and beauty are grouped together which is odd, but it comments that they moved together in a relationship of equality, one never overpowering or making itself more present than the other. "Cold" and "blue" I think could hint at the melancholy disappointment that John is feeling at this point before he leaves Mexico."

From Annie D.:

"Throughout the book, McCarthy uses the motif of darkness, death and cold to reinforce the idea of loneliness. In this passage, specifically, McCarthy uses works like "dark," "cold," "cold blue," "dying light," and "darkening landscape." Even though these are in relation to the setting, it strengthens the motif of darkeness and cold while simultaneously enhancing the theme of loneliness because he shows that John is all alone in a dark, cold world. This is seen throughout the book when Alejandra leaves John, when Rawlins returns home, when John must face the judge alone, and finally when he rides off in the sunset alone at the end of the novel. The effect of the motif is that it further reinforces the idea that John is rebelling against the rest of society and striking out on his own to try to reconnect with an older era. This is because the darkness and loneliness that he encounters is a direct result of the choices he made along his journey. Theis motif could symbolize the empirical truth about humanity that is if we pursue womething whole-heartedly, especially if it stands in contrast to the rest of society, we will inevitably face obstacles such as loneliness."

Podcasting Project!

We're going to do a podcasting project with some third graders at Fairview Elementary School in Bloomington, Indiana.

On Wednesday, we're going to listen to the third graders' podcast, and then we're going to think about how to respond. Our topic will be censorship and literature.

To help us, I've compiled some links relating to these topics. You can find them on my Diigo page here:

Links!

I hope that works.

Here's the link to the Fairview kids' podcast!

Overdue Comments from 6th Hour

Here are some comments about the pieces published by Hot Paper Press:

Regarding Kelly D.'s piece: "As a haiku book, the style was very minimalistic but the theme was deep and made you think about each issue brought up."

Regarding Annie D.: "It made a lot of sense and I felt really happy after I finished reading it."

"Emma Cooperstein wrote the poem 'Hope.' I thought her poem was intriguing because it gave different definitions of hope, faith, life, etc. that were really thought-provoking."

"'The Repercussions of War' by James Neville was a piece that stood out for me because it was in depth and had very prominent point of view."

Regarding Jackie W.: "I like how there are so many little things that make people happy; they don't have to be big."

Regarding Addy Z.: "Lots of work was put into it, clear and insightful analysis, educational and interesting."

"I really liked Tyler's play. From what I read, it was very witty."

"I liked Addy's project because it was a good insight into the religions of the world and it was multicultural."

"I really liked Maureen's piece because it related to a very interesting topic and all of the information she included was true, which make it more exciting."

5th Hour Publishing Party!

Here are some of the comments from 5th hour:

"I liked [Fletcher's] because it was an argument/discussion about the laws and instincts of man."

"[Mary and Justin's] was a really cool idea and had lots in common with Davita's Harp."

"Patchy the Polar Bear was creative and I could tell they put effort into it."

"[Jon's] were fun and light-hearted. They were also creative in their word choice."

"I liked [Fumi and the Bird of Peace] becaues it used simple but powerful experiences to portray meanings that go deeper than words."

"I really liked the whole presentation of [Fumi and the Bird of Peace], from the music to the origmai bird."

"Caitlin R.'s untitled piece was intriguing because it reflected a teenager's voice."

"I liked Jon's Here Ye Here Ye piece because it rhymed well, had a beat, and made me laugh."

"Micaela's book was well organized and showed how to reach Buddhist enlightenment."

"I would like to hear more about Max's. It was about The Odyssey and how Odysseus shouldn't be considered a hero because he killed so many people and sought revenge."

"I liked Elsa's poem because it wasn't just describing feelings, but there was irony incorporated."

"Lisa's poem/story looked very well done and touching."

"I liked Jeff B's Darkness and Repentence because it sounded mysterious yet intriguing."

Thanks for doing all of that thought-provoking work! I'm looking forward to discussing ATPH on Monday - finish the book!

Creative Writing Party!

Yesterday, you got to share your creative writing with each other. I wanted to share some of the comments you made about each other's work. We'll start with the comments from 4th hour:

"I really liked Kalyna's 'Lonely Face' piece because the drawing was detailed and cool and the metaphor was great."

"I really liked ER's story. I wanted to hear more about her main characters and the life they lead. The story seemed very thrilling."

"I liked Emily's because she made a great point about gender inequality. David also made good points about how inflated sexuality has become in society."

"I really liked Rebecca's idea! Very controversial... we could discuss that for a long time."

"I really liked David K's because the piece had clever sources, and was somewhat an uncomfortable thing to write about, and I think he pulled it off well."

"I really enjoyed Jerry's project because of the 'change' quotes that were in it."

"I really liked Molly's. I liked her drawings and thought it was really creative. She should do more of those! It made me happy. And it made ER happy."

"Anna B. drew a face made of words that were saying 'no make-up,' etc. and the girl was gcrying since it wasn't true. I thought it was creative and had good insight into society."

"I really enjoyed Anne's because it covered an idea that I often think about, she voiced her thoughts very well, and it really challenged the term 'happiness.'"

There were also a few others expressing appreciation for the more visual pieces - Kalyna's, Molly's, and Anna's.

We Made It Through Quarter One!

We're on to another quarter. Hooray!

One thing I want to stress is that quarter grades are an important benchmark; however, they never appear on a permanent record. Your semester grade is what you'll carry on your transcript. Your semester grade is an average of your two quarter grades, with your semester exam grade figured as 10% of your second quarter grade.

I also want to stress that As and Bs are very solid grades - a great way to begin your sophomore Enriched English. A C is not terrible, but rather a reminder that you'll need to put a high percentage of your time and effort into your English work in the coming months.

Overall, about a third of you earned As this quarter. More than a half of you earned Bs, and about ten percent of you have Cs.

And with that, I think it's time to move on and discuss more important matters. Like your creative writing. Look for a post about your first publishing house pieces later today.

Once Upon a Time...

Holy moly, this week has flown by! We have a lot happening with today marking the end of the quarter and the middle of ATPH rising up and swallowing us whole. As I mentioned when we began, McCarthy takes about 100 pages to really bring you into the belly of this story, but now we're there. Enjoy! And read to page 180 by Monday.

Also this week, I assigned a short story to be written in the pattern of the hero quest. Our writing schedule is as follows:

11/6: Work day in computer lab.
11/11: 1st publishing house piece due! Launch party!
11/13: Work day on short stories. You must be settled on an idea/plot by the end of the hour.
11/18: Peer review on short stories. Rough draft due.
11/20: Story sharing - final drafts due.

Have a good weekend, Sophs!

Cormac McCarthy!

Today we begin All the Pretty Horses. I love this novel! I am confident that many of you will, as well; but, I want you to reserve judgement for at least fifty pages. Can you do that? Try hard. Read pages 1-30 for Monday.

And this next announcement is mostly for parents and guardians: I am attending the National Council of Teachers of English Conference in Philadelphia this year. This will be an opportunity for growth and reflection that will benefit me and my students this year and beyond. The timing, however, is unfortunate: I'll miss teacher conferences on the evening of November 19th. I will be available for conferences during the scheduled sessions on November 23rd and 24th. If you cannot attend at those times and would still like to have a conference with me, please let me know. I will schedule meetings and phone calls during the afternoons of November 16th, 17th, and 18th to accommodate as many families as possible.

Do Not Seek The Tresure

We're finishing up O Brother today, and moving on to All the Pretty Horses at the end of this week. You'll notice that ATPH is yet another story that follows the monomyth pattern, but this time the setting is the American Southwest and Mexico. The hero is a teenaged cowboy named John Grady Cole. The novel is wonderful and spare. I hope you like it.

Tomorrow, we'll be in the computer lab, where you can work on your creative writing piece. At the end of the hour, I'll ask you to give me a print-out of what you've accomplished so far. The final copies of those pieces will be due on November 11th.

In-Class Essay

Tomorrow, you'll write an in-class essay addressing this prompt:

"Compare and/or contrast Siddhartha and The Odyssey in terms of one element of the monomyth. Your thesis should go beyond commenting on the presence of the element in both works; rather, your thesis should make a claim about the importance of that element to the human condition and the human story."

Through the afternoon, I experimented with a couple of different ways to brainstorm ideas and come to a thesis statement. The least complicated way is to use a double-bubble map comparing and contrasting your element in each of the texts. For differences, include plot points and emotions unique to each character. In the center, include characteristics the texts share in terms of your element of the monomyth.

Here's a photo of the map we did during sixth hour:



To the right of the map is a draft of a thesis. The thesis needs editing, but you can see what we were thinking. Click the photo for a larger view.

Good luck! If you have questions, email me before 9:00. I'm old, and that's when I go to bed.

The Odyssey Concludes

I had fun listening to the dramatic readings of Book 22 today in class. Of course, I love Book 22 for all of the blood and guts and gore. Who wouldn't love life blood shooting like geysers through Antinous's nostrils, or the genitals of Melanthius cut out and thrown to the dogs?!

I'm just saying.

Jerry, Matthew, and Erik were all excellent as Odysseus in their respective class periods.

We're finishing up the text for Thursday and completing an exam on Friday. The exam is an in-class essay, and I'll give you the prompt, as well as some instruction on how to approach the essay, on Thursday.

Sentence Stretchers

Here I am in 262 on Thursday of MEA Break. My kindergartner is drawing on the white board, and I'm recording your best sentences from Tuesday's activity.

There were some great ones! Here they are:

A couple of weeks ago, boisterous Hermes trekked zealously to Circe's island.
Radiant Penelope cries continuously at her palace.
As Odysseus sailed, enraged Poseidon tortured persistently in the ocean.
In the morning, one ugly Polyphemus sat lonely in his cave.
After being blinded, one brash Polyphemus mourned terribly on his island.
A couple of days ago, gregarious Alcinous hailed lavishly in his dining room.
During the war, envied Achilles perished heroically on the battle field.
Last week, dangerous scylla killed brutally at the cave.
Many years ago, lavish Aeolus gave his children gave his children to each other in marriage gaily in his palace.
Every day, all mighty Zeus dictates prowerfully from above.
Long ago, one despondant Penelope deluded deceitfully in Greece.
Long ago, one lithe Calypso coaxed Odysseus benevolently into her island.
While Odysseus is off at sea, one abject Penelope gapes frantically at the evil suitors.
Colossal Helios shines radiantly in the sky.
One colossal Polyphemus upbraided the men dauntingly in the cave.
A long time ago, many tranquil lotus eaters savored incessantly in the Mediterranean.
One persuasive Eurylochus goaded incessantly on the island.
Years ago, one formidable Odysseus trekkend steadfastly on the sea.


Phew! Have a great break, and remember - quiz on Books 13-18 on Monday!

Epic Lives

It was fun to hear the Invocations of the Muse today in class. You described your epic adventures in all sorts of situations. Here's a smattering of the topics:

• Performing in a musical
• Choosing between soup and salad
• Finding a bathroom in Ikea
• Taking an AP Euro test
• Witnessing a zombie apocalypse
• LaCrosse try-outs
• Going to Chipotle

Actually, several people wrote about going to Chipotle. Who knew it could be such an ordeal?!

For Monday, read through Book X. See you then!

Into the Odyssey

As the days go by, we'll get deeper and deeper into the Odyssey. In Book V, we finally meet Odysseus himself, who is captive on Calypso's island. It's in this section of the text - Books V-XII - that we encounter the most well-known events of The Odyssey, including the Cyclops, the Sirens, Circe, and the Cattle of the Sun God.

In between assignments, check out this link to a Google Earth map of Odysseus's travels. You can even zoom in on present-day Ithaca. Look at all the zig-zagging he does! I'm frustrated for him.

Tuesday Update

I'm sure today was exhausting for you with the PLAN test and then a quick run-through of your daily schedule. In English, you took a vocabulary quiz and then we talked briefly about the precursors to The Odyssey. We'll continue this discussion tomorrow and Thursday.

A quick preview of the rest of the week: We'll be talking about our small press tomorrow, and I'll introduce the writing proposal. On Thursday, you'll have a quiz on Books 1-4 of The Odyssey. Friday, we'll be trying our hands at epic poetry by writing our own invocations of the muse.

Best wishes for a great week!

Siddhartha Palooza

Today, we did a review of the plot of Siddhartha using a flow map, as shown above. For tomorrow, you're finishing the book. At the beginning of the hour, groups will present on characters and major topics, and then you'll be able to use the notes sheets and the Hinduism/Buddhism terms sheet on your test. We'll take the test in the last half-hour of class.

Small Presses

Today we developed mission statements and names for each of the English 10 small presses that run out of room 262.

4th hour's is called Fresh Press, and the mission is to produce works that are enjoyable and that expose the reader to new ideas.

5th hour's is called iMpress (I think that's how the caps go?), and the mission is to produce works that are intriguing and influential.

6th's hour's is called Hot Paper Press, and the mission is to produce works that are engaging and that enhance readers' creativity and knowledge.

Exciting! News on how to propose a piece for publication coming next week!

I Gotta Feelin'

Hey, did you know you can learn that cool Black Eyed Peas dance from Oprah by clicking this link on Oprah.com? I say we all learn it. Maybe dancing leads to enlightenment?

Speaking of, today you worked on identifying the tenets of Hinduism and Buddhism in Siddhartha. You can add to this sheet as you read this week and use it on your test on Friday. We'll be talking more about that test as the week goes on.

Tomorrow, we have vision screening. And also, more people will get their papers back every day. This is my solemn vow.

Homecoming Weekend!

Hi, Sophs! I hope your first high school Homecoming was a big success!

I'm checking in today with the schedule for next week, for those of you who like to plan ahead.

As I mentioned, you should finish part one of Siddhartha by Monday. We'll have a quiz! On Tuesday, we're headed up to the nurse's office to do vision screening. You'll bring your books and read in the hallway. I'm giving you one huge reading assignment, which will be due Thursday: Read pages 45-129.

On Wednesday, we'll leave Siddhartha for a bit to talk about our creative writing workshop, and for Friday, you'll finish the book. We'll have an open discussion on it for the first 20 minutes, and then you'll take a multiple-choice test on it.

It'll be a full and fun week! See you Monday!

Peer Editing-palooza

Today was a busy day in class, with everyone angling to improve their Davita essays. I was very happy to have the multi-flow, root cause, uber-effect frame -- it worked for every person I helped except Fresa. Her topic is parenting, and her thesis is that each parent's life experiences influences their particular style, with varying outcomes on Ilana. We figured that she will write body paragraphs on each of the parents, discussing both causes and effects within each one.

Here's the peer-editing list, in case you need it tonight. Remember, you can hand in your essay either Thursday or Friday for full-credit; but after Friday at 3:10, 20% will be deducted from your score.

1. Read introductory paragraph.
2. Identify the thesis statement.
3. Circle the causes mentioned in the thesis.
4. Underline the effects mentioned in the thesis.
5. Before continuing your reading, check the topic sentences of each body paragraph – does each correspond to a cause or effect mentioned in the thesis?
6. Read the first body paragraph.
7. Identify the Points (P from PIE). Put a star by each P.
8. Identify the Illustrations. Underline each one.
9. Evaluate each Explanation – does the writer clearly explain how each illustration proves the topic sentence of the paragraph? Write +/check/- in the margin next to each E.
10. Repeat for each additional body paragraph.
11. Read the conclusion. Circle the section wherein the author explains the “So what?” of her/his argument. Does the author show how this topic connects to life?
12. Go back to the essay to help the writer with her/his particular question or concern. Talk together about it, and come up with a plan for the writer.

Essays Due Tomorrow!

I'm excited because today we're working on our History Trail. It's a visual record of the texts we've worked with through the year. You'll use it for inspiration for your creative writing as we go forward, and I think you'll have a good time making the History Trail Collage pieces.

Also a reminder, and I know you know this, your complete essay is due in class tomorrow. We'll be doing some peer editing, and I'll answer your individual questions. You must have a typed, complete essay in class to get credit for the day.

Good luck! And don't hesitate to email me if you run into problems tonight. (I do have an early bedtime; however, so get your questions in before 9.)

Picasso and Eisenhower

Yesterday, in addition to going into more depth about how to turn those multi-flow maps into cause-and-effect essays, we talked about Picasso, his life and his art. All of the classes shared insightful observations of the painting Guernica. I want to especially thank those of you -- David K., Dan N., and Elaine are standing out in my memory -- for sharing your prior knowledge of history to help in the analysis.

For homework, you read Eisenhower's Farewell speech, and in class today you're working through the causes and effects of war that he highlights. Sadly, I cannot join you because my youngest is feverish. Alas.

The full-text of the speech, in case you were absent, is avaialable at this link.

In addition, here's an article on a PBS site about Guernica that also includes some images of the sketches Picasso made to prepare to paint.

Multi-Flow Madness

Today I modeled how you go from a multi-flow map to a thesis statement for your cause-and-effect essay.

Here are the steps:

1) Identify the causes and effects that are most interesting and relevant to the novel.

2) Then, construct your thesis statement like this: In Davita's Harp, Chaim Potok shows that divergent religious and political beliefs cause war, which then leads to drastic personal and political change.

3) The body paragraphs are identified in the thesis: there will be one for each cause, and one for each effect. To determine your PIEs for each paragraph, think of the root causes of your "causes" and the uber effects of your "effects." In class we decided that the root causes of divergent religious beliefs were past experiences and cultural differences. Also, the root causes of divergent political beliefs included past experiences and different worldviews. The uber effects of personal change were the family restructuring that Anne and Ilana experienced and the depression and breakdowns they both experienced. Each of those would be a PIE in the paragraph about personal change.

Are you following? If not, don't fret. We'll work on it again in class tomorrow. See you then!

Many Views on Parenting

It's been a couple of days since I've posted, and a lot has happened! We had a fruitful discussion about parenting. This was especially interesting for me because I tend to have a lot more sympathy for the parents in Davita than many of you. I'm sure this is because I'm a mom already. Some of you also thought the story showed that kids do better with at least one stay-at-home parent. Others wrote on their notecards that staying home wasn't important, but rather balancing career and family or allowing kids to develop their own ideas was the most critical factor in being a good parent.

The different reactions are a great example of that transactional theory of reading I told you about - the meaning you make with a book depends on YOU, including your life experiences and your values.

Here are just a few of the ideas that people took away from the discussion:

"I really liked the idea that parents should always respect what their children choose to do, but should enforce boundaries at the same time." -- David N.

"I thought that the adults in Davita's life (except maybe Aunt Sarah) treated her way too much like an adult. She didn't get a chance to be a kid." -- Molly L.

"An idea that stuck with me was how Anne's mothering and dictating ideas to Davita actually was encouraging free thinking." -- Rebecca K.

"I thought that Ezra was a very religious-based father and Michael was a very opinion-based father." -- Stephanie K.

"One thought: Ezra is a good parent, but Ilana really throws him off, so he had to rethink his values about family." -- Anna B.

"I found it interesting that many people thought Ezra to be the better father because when I think of Ezra, he seems a bit detached." -- Danielle K.

"I think Ezra wasn't really a good parent because he keeps David in only one environment with all Jewish tradition, people, and culture up to the point that David doesn't really care about anything. David says to Ilana that politics are boring, and she responds by saying that you think politics in general are boring, but if they're Jewish you're interested." -- Meghana V.

"The idea that Channah and Michael are foils is an interesting concept that changes the meaning of the book slightly." -- Sophia C.

And this comment wasn't about parenting, but it was something I hadn't noticed in the text that I thought was cool/interesting:

"When Jakob Daw was at the beach with the Chandals, he never went near the water, refused to even put on a swimsuit. When Ilana 'forsaw' his death, he walked into the sea." -- Lisa J.

What do you make of that?? Go ahead and comment on it below!

Love for the MLA!

Well, the reactions to the MLA rules were about what I expected. The bottom line is: the MLA rules for formatting and citation are hard to learn and remember. However, they are necessary, as they give us a standard way to cite sources. Properly using MLA also shows you care about entering into the larger scholarly community.

For homework tonight, you're preparing for our first big discussion on Davita. Please answer the following in your notebook. You must have this assignment completed in order to participate in the discussion tomorrow!

Answer these first two questions about parenting on two levels: First, explore your personal opinion regarding the question; and second, answer in terms of the text.

1. What is a good mother?

2. What is a good daughter or son?

Now, further explore Ilana Davita's parents by completing the following tasks:

3. What are the pros and cons of Anne's mothering? What does she do well? What does she do poorly? Make a t-chart to show your thinking. Support each pro and con with a quote from the text.

4. Make a double-bubble map comparing Michael and Ezra as fathers.

5. For you personally, and in the text, what makes a good father?

Finally, write a theme statement on Potok's beliefs about parenting. For example: In Davita's Harp, Potok claims that a good mother ________________.

I'm looking forward to hearing your ideas on these topics! See you tomorrow!

Research One-Pager

Today we did a version of Give One, Get One designed to increase our cultural and historical knowledge. Then, I assigned a one-page research paper on your chosen allusion from Davita.

I sensed some apprehension here, but I think you're already well on your way to completing this assignment! The most important aspect of this assignment is to think about how your allusion enhances your understanding of the book. How does knowing more about Aunt Sarah's story help illuminate a theme regarding storytelling? How does knowing more about famous communists help illuminate a theme regarding political ideology? Explain your answer in this paper.

Do not worry too much about being correct in terms of MLA citations and works cited. We will do some work with that on Monday.

Check Edline if you need a copy of the assignment - I posted it in the folder labeled "Assignments."

Have a great weekend!

Allusions!

This first week is really grueling, isn't it? My voice is already going, and it's only the third day!

Today in class, we talked about allusions in Davita's Harp. There are many, and as I read it, I imagined the history buffs among you were having a great time reading about real-life events. Groups came up with various categories of allusions during the List-Group-Label activity. Very common categories were "Related to Judaism" and "Related to Politics."

A few groups had slightly different ways of grouping, including the "Annas and Davids" group of 4th hour (it's comprised of two Annas and two Davids.) Their categories included: Imaginary Characters, Different Political Views and Ideas, Leaders, Related to Judaism, Positive Events/Organizations, Inspirational Men, and Negative Events/Places.

For homework, each student chose an allusion to research further using the EHS online databases. I suggested that ABC-CLIO and World Book would be the most useful of the resources for this particular assignment. Check the comments for the Usernames and Passwords for these, if you've lost them. Each student has to find a resource on his/her chosen allusion, read it, and print it.

Those who had to leave early from 6th hour can choose from the following allusions, which were not chosen by anyone else in any class:

Book of Psalms
Pilgrim Smith
Coup d'etat
Jerusalem
Debs
Sabbath
Basque
Yiddish
Hasidim
Chanukkah
Prayer Shawl
Rabinnical Judaism

See you tomorrow! And see your families at Open House tonight!

Test!

It was a sad day for this extrovert, having to sit silently by while you took your test on Davita. Testing on the second day feels a little bit wrong, but I do think it's important to verify that we've all read the text. And now it's over with.

Moving on! Tonight, you're doing an A to Z taxonomy on the book. This is an alphabetical list of elements that are important to the novel. Use the taxonomy as a brainstorming tool - be creative and try to come up with something other people might not. Focus on symbols, important events, and other literary devices. We'll be back to conversing tomorrow, thank goodness.

A Paragraph About Yourselves

I just came from the Welcome-Fest in the gym. You were all sitting on the bleachers looking ready. I'm excited to get into the swing of things. In a few hours, you'll be sitting right here in 262!

Tonight, I'm asking you to write a paragraph about one of your personality traits. Below you'll find a sample paragraph about me. I asked my friend Ms. Hatten what she thought I'd chosen to write about. Positivity? She guessed. Cheerful? Delightful? I didn't choose any of those, but isn't it nice to know that she thinks I have them?!

Here's my paragraph about being an extreme extrovert. I'm looking forward to reading yours tomorrow!

My brother Kevin and I are total opposites in temperament. To put it simply, I am extremely extroverted. I love to be with people. I wake up in the morning talking. I fall asleep mid-sentence. And, I express almost every thought that enters my consciousness. I complained once to my husband that a friend of mine wasn’t forthcoming enough with news of her new boyfriend. Dan rolled his eyes at me. “Not everyone expresses every single emotion she has at the moment she has it,” he said, pointedly. “Like you do.” One person who doesn’t, for instance, is Kevin. He’s two years younger than I am. He likes peace and quiet. His favorite activity growing up was playing video games all by himself, or sometimes with the dog. My mom, a single parent for much of our growing up, tried to keep the peace between us as best she could. In the car, she’d give us alternating five-minute intervals during which we could choose activities. During my five minutes, I’d sing or tell a story or play twenty questions. When it was Kevin’s turn he’d say, “I want five minutes of quiet.” It was torture! I couldn’t do it! I’d make it 90 seconds and start complaining about the unfairness. That’s one of the reasons I’m here, sophomores. In this job, I can talk almost as much as I want. Thank goodness.

Welcome!

It's August 27th, and I'm sitting in our small classroom planning for the year.

I am optimistic about 2009-10 and excited to meet you all.

On this blog, I'll write about the life of our class. While you won't be required to maintain a blog of your own, you will occasionally be required to post a comment here. It will probably be fun. I hope it will.