DAY 03 - CYCLE 01 - SEMESTER 02: 01-06-09

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:

There were no handouts for today.

IN CLASS TODAY:

1. We began with Sentence Diagramming, going over "Exercise 6: Predicate Nominatives and Predicate Adjectives."  This is review for you, but some of the sentences were a bit tricky.  A good trick is to circle the subjects and verbs in the original sentence, as we did in the sentence: He became angry and silent and left the room. Once you have that identified, it's easier to pick apart the sentence and figure out where things go.  Also, don't forget the flow chart tricks!

1. 
2. Then, I checked your homework--a list of four reasons to consider Wes guilty or innocent of the charge of being liable for Frank's death.
3. Then, you were asked to consider yourself in one of four possible roles for the purposes of today's discussion, depending on how strong an opinion you had:
   Prosecuting Attorney: Your job is to convince others that Wes is accountable for Frank's death. That means you need to prove your case; you might be convinced of his guilt, but others are not, and your job is to get them to think like you do. How will you do that? Cater to their emotions? Show them through logical analysis of facts? Dazzle them with your clearly superior knowledge of the subject matter?
   Defense Attorney: Your job is to defend Wes from these charges, and prove to others that he cannot reasonably be held responsible for Frank's death. Like the Prosecuting Attorneys, you are out to make a compelling case that cannot be ignored. How will you convince others? Through an appeal to reason? An appeal to emotion? By demonstrating your own clearly superior insight into the novel's details?
   Character Witness: Your job is to provide evidence. When either of the attorneys make their cases, your job is to give back up by providing the evidence they seek, offering details, and if you can find them, citing specific passages for the attorneys to talk about. This requires a good sense of the book's details.
   Judge: Your job is to ask questions of the attorneys and witnesses in order to get a clearer picture and to force attorneys to make better, more compelling cases. You will need to listen carefully to discussion and ask good follow up questions, and be willing to demand substantiation from others: What makes you think that? But if that is true, then why this ?, etc.
   
4. We then discussed the charges, and I took notes.

CLASS NOTES:
Notes for today may be found here.

HOMEWORK:
WE WILL CONTINUE DEBATE ON FRIDAY.  We will spend the first 5 minutes devising a structure for making sure the conversation does not turn into a free for all.  Like a regular courtroom, we will allow both sides to make their cases in full, without interruption, and judges need to be impartial.

Homework for Friday, then, will be the following:

Using Wednesday's and Friday's notes to help you, you are to write a full summary of both the case for and the case against Wes.  That means you will have two summaries.  Each should outline both the argument and the key pieces of evidence.  No matter which side you agree with, do both sides justice, and represent them as fairly and thoroughly as possible. 

These documents will be extremely useful in the in class writing assignment in which you issue a verdict for or against Wes, making a case for your decision.  Your goal is to convince me that your verdict is the right one because it is reasonable given the facts of the case, inspires in me an appropriate emotional response to Wes's character, and demonstrates a firm command of the novel's evidence. You may use the 12-sentence format, or deviate from it as your argument requires, but your final product must have three pieces of evidence.

You will turn in both your summaries and your verdicts at the end of the period.

DAY 02 - CYCLE 01 - SEMESTER 02: 01-05-10

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:

There were no handouts for today.

IN CLASS TODAY:

1. We opened with some sentence diagramming review of the following sentences.  This week, we will continue with sentence diagramming.
   Wes was very frightened.
   Did he really believe Frank?
   David feels absolutely unmoored
   Gail shot the cumbersome shotgun.
   
   
2. Then, I checked your homework--a prepared set of notes for today's discussion on the following questions:

• What allows Grandpa Hayden to be so dismissive of the law? Consider internal and external factors (e.g. personality, culture, socio-economic status, etc.)
• To what extent is Wes Hayden dismissive of the law?
• Much of the book considers law vs. lawlessness, or civilization vs. wilderness.  Where do we see these forces conflict with one another, specifically for Wes,for Gail, and for David?
• Is Wes Hayden master of his own fate? Is Frank?
• ADDED: Is Wes a good brother?

    3.  Your reading quizzes were returned to you yesterday in your mailboxes. Please see me with questions or concerns.

CLASS NOTES:

Notes for today may be found here.

HOMEWORK:
Wes Hayden has been charged with being liable for Frank's death.  That means he can be held legally responsible.  Do you agree or disagree that this is a reasonable charge?  Come up with at least four reasons as to why Wes can be held responsible or why he can't; you may have reasons for both sides.  One of your reasons must appeal to a sense of REASON (e.g. be a logical argument), and another must appeal to a sense of EMOTION (e.g. try to make the listener angry at or sorry for Wes).  You are to write dow your reasons and bring them to class with you tomorrow, where they will be spot-checked.  Please bring your sentence diagramming workbook as well.

DAY 01 - CYCLE 01 - SEMESTER 02

WELCOME BACK everyone!
HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:

You were given your grade printout at the end of class.

IN CLASS TODAY:

1. Montana 1948 reading quiz.
2. Small group activity centered on selecting scenes from the novel that best help us answer essential questions about the book's main themes:

• What allows Grandpa Hayden to be so dismissive of the law? Consider internal and external factors (e.g. personality, culture, socio-economic status, etc.)
• To what extent is Wes Hayden dismissive of the law?
• Much of the book considers law vs. lawlessness, or civilization vs. wilderness.  Where do we see these forces conflict with one another, specifically for Wes,for Gail, and for David?
• Is Wes Hayden master of his own fate? Is Frank?
• ADDED: Is Wes a good brother?

    3.  Review of final exam, grades, comments.


CLASS NOTES:

Notes for today may be found here.

HOMEWORK
The four questions addressed in today's group activity will form the basis for discussion tomorrow.  You are to use the notes from today's class, review the scenes selected by the groups, and select ONE question to talk about.  You are to prepare a separate page of notes for class discussion tomorrow that outlines your answer to the question, lists pages on which evidence can be found, AND an explanation of how that evidence proves your point.  I will spot check notes at the beginning of class on Tuesday.

COMING UP:
On Wednesday and Thursday, we will be putting Wes Hayden on trial in class as being liable for Frank's death.  I will be asking you to use evidence from the novel, and to make appeals to both reason and emotion.

On Monday, you will arrive to class with a summary of the arguments for and against Wes, and you will be hand-writing a verdict in which you declare him guilty or innocent of the charge.  You may use your book and your summary that you prepared as homework to help, but that is all.  You will not be able to use class notes.  At the end of the period, I will collect both your argument summary and your verdict.

ESSAY QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER FOR THE EXAM

• What results when you allow someone else to define who you are?
• Is having a sense of belonging worth what it costs?
• How does power affect relationships?
• Is conformity always bad?
• How do corrupt systems of power corrupt relationships within those systems?
• What does it take to build a genuine, healthy sense of community and connection?
• Who deserves to have power?
• 
  

 Limited by culture (discrimination, customs and traditions within a community prevent personal growth)

- Pai, Zoo Island, New African, Efrafa

 The importance of belonging to a community

- Zoo Island, New African, Whale Rider, Watership Down

- Example thesis: Having a sense of belonging within a community is essential because the growth of a community is essential to the development of the individual, it’s easier to accomplish goals with help of others, and because giving up resources to benefit the community benefits the individual too

o Teamwork

- “While belonging to a community involves sacrifice for the individual, ultimately the benefits to the individual as well as the community make it worthwhile. In Tomas Rivera’s ‘Zoo Island’ and Richard Adams’s Watership Down”

o Zoo Island: all the workers had to do a good job in order to be recommended elsewhere (evidence)

Don simon sacrifices being with everyone  safety for everyone

o Miriam: Proves the point  in this story, isolation leads to distress and despair (idea)

o Watership Down:

Hazel is willing to sacrifice himself for his people  protection for his people

o SACRIFICE  Safety/Protection

 Who deserves power?

DAY 02 - CYCLE 12 - SEMESTER 01: 12-09-09

HANDOUTS FROM TODAY:

Bagels. I can't post any here, but wish I could.

IN CLASS TODAY:

You indicated that you would like a number of practice sentences to diagram.  Voila:

1. Miriam is nuts.
2. Fiver is also nuts, but he is also smart.
3. Do you remember his visions?
4. You should remember them.
5. Don't worry.
6. You will remember.
7. Studying is very important.
8. Do not forget that.
9. Thinking, memorizing, and reviewing are absolutely essential.
10. Listen, boys and girls!
11. This is a very important and essential truth!
12. Are you listening?
13. Excellent studying is reviewing and imagining.
14. Do not just review.
15. You must really think creatively.
16. This will help you enormously.
17. I am not kidding.
18. Don't you believe me?
19. Why are you laughing and rolling your eyes?
20. Stop mocking me!

We need to go over themes in preparation for the essay.  In talking about "Miriam" today, we decided that repressing fundamental aspects of yourself leads to instability and isolation. You could certainly say the same is true of Woundwort's warren.  From just this connection, we might ask, "What leads to instability in people and communities?" That's a useful question to ask of Antigone as well.  This is the sort of questioning we need to do to arrive at a list of potential essay topics for the exam.

To effectively do this, you need to refamiliarize yourself with key elements of the plot and character, and start asking why characters start taking the actions they do.  Tomorrow needs to be a really productive day in class, so come prepared to focus, think and elaborate.

CLASS NOTES:

Notes for today may be found here.

HOMEWORK & EXAM PREP
Prepare for review tomorrow and add to the study guides on the wikispace.

We've gone as far as we are going to go with sentence diagramming today - we're up through adverbs. READ ALL THE TYPED STUFF in the diagramming book. It really does help. Then, we started recitations--not as easy as they look, are they? Practice it in the mirror, or better in front of someone else. We'll continue these tomorrow.

A number of you have yet to post anything on the studyguides on the wikispace. What gives?

See syllabus for what you were to have done by now. I won't chase you down to remind you (you're old enough not to need that), but I am checking your work.

DAY 04 - CYCLE 11 - SEMESTER 01: 12-04-09

We went over Unit 5 words, and then discussed and viewed a performance of the poem "Facing It." For Monday, you must be ready to give a recitation of your poem to the class. Like the performance we saw, your recitation must go beyond technical accuracy to present the poem in a way that pays homage to its meaning and allows the listener to understand it better than he/she would if just reading it on the page.