Thursday, December 25, 2014

big questions: next steps over winter break

Hi Everyone,
Thank you for a very inspiring and thought-provoking Finals Week.  Special congratulations to Imanie on her work in Belize-- her video & presentation left a powerful impression on us all.

I will be posting more after I get back to town December 29; in the meantime, here are next steps for you to take over break and a list of everyone's Big Questions.  Please feel free to comment with additions, corrections, suggestions, questions, etc. etc.

Enjoy your time with friends and family.

Best,
Dr. Preston


NEXT STEPS
Now that you have experienced a full semester of Open Source Learning and you have identified a topic worth pursuing, it's time for you to take charge of your own education.  Here is how to start:

1. Write a post for your course blog in which you:
  • Describe your topic;
  • Explain how you came to be interested in your topic and why you care about it so much;
  • Predict how learning about this topic will enrich your life and provide value for learners and others in your community who read/see what you do;
  • List the academic disciplines and/or skills the topic requires (for example, game development requires an understanding of psychology, math, coding, literature, music, history/social studies, and many others);
  • Map out how you will begin learning about your topic (it's OK if you don't have a formal plan yet-- in fact, learning how to make a plan in this area may well be your first step);
  • Describe the resources you will need (wave the magic wand I just handed you and imagine for a moment that time, money and access are not obstacles. Who do you want to meet?  What materials do you need?  What types of experiences will you seek?);
  • Consider which tools you will use to tell your story.  Will you continue posting on your course blog?  Will you start a new blog, and if you do, will it be on Blogger, or WordPress, or Tumblr, or another platform?  Will you use other media and collaborative tools to curate, remix, and share your learning?  Do you have ideas about what would be cool but you're not sure what's out there? 
  • REMEMBER: At this point you are merely dreaming/thinking out loud.  It's important to express your thinking even if (especially if!) you're not sure of something, or if you have questions or doubts.  Plus, we learners are all in the same boat; these are the moments that restore a small sense of humanity to the learning process.  Imagine the comfort you'll provide to a student in New York or New Delhi who stumbles on your post and realizes she's not alone after all.  For us, certainty is overrated and uncertainty is a GOOD thing.  Have a look at what some very bright people have said and written about this.
  • ALSO REMEMBER: If you're still thinking of this as "homework" or an "assignment" you're missing the whole point.  This is you deciding what you think is important and telling the world about it.  Don't ask how long it needs to be or whether it fits a five-paragraph essay format-- it's time for YOU to decide how to most effectively express your thinking.  (And don't worry, if we don't understand something we'll ask!)  This is your chance to explore fearlessly so that you can: a) get the best information, b) learn something and/or get better at doing something, and c) begin to make a name for yourself in a community of interest, critique, and respect.  Therefore, you shouldn't just answer the items above to check boxes.  Go deep.  Take the opportunity to make this thing your own.  And, at any point you have questions or need help, reach out to Dr. Preston and your peers (and your friends, families, employers, mentors).  We're here for you and we want you to succeed so that we can all hit the ground running when we meet again in January.
2.  Find a fiction or non-fiction book that relates to your topic.  Read it over break and complete a literature analysis on it.  Post the analysis to your course blog.

3. Start a conversation with at least three other people in our network about their topics, and post to your course blog about your conversations (at least one post per conversation).  Networks function most effectively when their members actually network; this is a great way to get ideas and create innovation, and you will be surprised by the benefits your colleagues can offer!

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

finals week

Seems like we met just yesterday.

Soon we'll be congratulating each other on graduation and we'll part ways.

Right now, in this moment, we have the opportunity to reflect and imagine.

AGENDA:
1. Nourishment and storytelling
2. Performance/status conferences
3. Big Questions/Masterpieces
4. Over the break...

Monday, December 15, 2014

december 15

The Journals have been written and (mostly) read.  The Grades are in progress.

The Order of the Day:

1. Please evaluate your performance this semester by answering the following questions.

  • What did this course and the instructor ask of you?
  • What did you ask of yourself?
  • How much time and effort did you invest in what the course/instructor asked of you?
  • How much time and effort did you invest in what you asked of yourself?
  • Where does the sidewalk end for you?  Next semester can we meet in a field beyond ideas of rightdoing and wrongdoing? 
  • What is the biggest question on your mind right now?
  • Since you've spent so much more time with you than anyone else has, and you know exactly what you attempted and accomplished, what letter grade would you assign to your performance this semester? 
2. Return/discuss Friday's exam

3. Organize/prepare for the two-hour final

3. Preview of January 14, 2015

 

Friday, December 12, 2014

december 12

JOURNAL TOPIC: [Psych. There isn't one. If you haven't turned yours in, please do so now.]

AGENDA:
1. Final

HW:
Please post whatever you want considered for your semester grade by tonight.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

nathan's final review

Yesterday Nathan presented a strategy for review that he thinks will help us succeed.  Today is his show.  Looking forward to it!



december 11

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What have you learned so far in this course?

[***THIS IS THE LAST JOURNAL TOPIC FOR THE SEMESTER.  PLEASE TURN IN YOUR JOURNAL WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED WRITING.***]

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Review for final tomorrow

HW:
Last chance.  Think back.  Think ahead.  Then focus on right now.  Finish any work you want considered for the semester grade and review one last time for tomorrow.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

student: "airlines suck"

I used to like traveling by plane.  Now I don't, unless it's business or first class and someone else is paying.  Check out Mollee's account of her recent trip to the midwest.  Can Denham's Dentrifice be far behind?

december 10

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes are a video: "People Are Awesome"]

Are you awesome?  Why/why not?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Poetry remix presentations
3. Final schedule/logistics
4. Review (continued tomorrow)

HW:
1. REMINDER: All literature analysis work and any other catch-up assignments are due (either on your course blog or on paper) by the end of the school day on Friday, December 12.  Scroll through this blog for work on days you were absent, or consult American Literature Class Assignments for a more concise list.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Monday, December 8, 2014

december 9

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Learning to Fly" by Pink Floyd; "I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts" by X]

Using the word "final" to describe end-of-semester tests gives the wrong impression.  Learning is never over.  Think back on the semester and reflect on what you've learned, whether it was about the course content, your own thinking/habits, or even something that you couldn't stand and never want to do again.  How can you use this information to your advantage in the future?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. In-class essay

HW:
1. Review vocabulary for final Thursday

december 8

JOURNAL TOPICS: (today's tunes: your inner soundtrack)

What will you do this week to demonstrate your progress in this course?  Are you prepared for a final that reviews everything we've done since August?  What do you need to do prepare?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Beginning of the End

HW:
1. Finish literature analysis work
2. Do the work you committed to in your journal and post to your blog or turn in hard copy ASAP

Friday, December 5, 2014

there must be a mistake

I came in this morning expecting to read a pile of essays and make sure I wasn't missing any opportunities to give people credit for their work as we head toward finals.

I found only FIVE poetry essays.  This was an in-class essay.  It was supposed to be collected by the sub and piled on my desk.  I can't for the life of me figure out how only four people in period three (including the one who wrote in pencil) and one person in period seven turned it in.

Anyone want to help me understand this? 

I sincerely hope that:
  • Your remixes are finished and posted to your course blogs;
  • You have posted literature analyses; and
  • You remember to turn in your journal.
Have a nice weekend, but not at the expense of your grade.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

december 3-5

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3

Journal Topic:
Are all poems created alike?  What makes them similar or different?

Agenda:
Write a five-paragraph (minimum) essay in which you compare your poem with one of the others on the adoption list.


THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4

Journal Topic:
How does "Another Brick in the Wall" change and/or become more meaningful when it's experienced as a video instead of a song?

Agenda:
Remix your poem with your group.  Select media that will enhance the poem's meaning for your online audience.


FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5

Journal Topic:
Are you caught up on your work?  What do you still need to do this period?

Agenda:
Post your remix to each group member's blog.

december 2

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Another Brick in the Wall" & "Money" by Pink Floyd]

When the teacher disciplines the boy for writing poetry (in the first song, as we saw in yesterday's video clip from "The Wall"), the boy's words are the lyrics for "Money" -- another Pink Floyd song.  As you listen to both tunes today, ask yourself what you and your classmates think about while you're supposed to be thinking about what the teacher tells you.  Why is money and a fantasy world of success more compelling to the boy in the song/movie than the area of an acre?  What elements of the life you imagine for yourself grab your attention, no matter what else is going on around you?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Preview of coming attractions through Friday
3. Copy your group's poem
4. Answer the basics on your own paper/blog:
  • What is the significance of the title?
  • What is the tone of the poem? 
  • What is your mood as you read it?
  • Is there a Shift?  Where?  From what to what?
  • What is the theme of the poem?
HW:
1. Post the answers to your poetry questions (title: INTRO TO POETRY) with a brief (2-4 sentence) explanation of how thinking about these questions helped you understand the poem.
2. Work on literature analysis #3

Monday, December 1, 2014

december 1

Last week most of us ate too much, so:

JOURNAL TOPIC: ["Junk Food Junkie" by Larry Groce; "Whole Foods Parking Lot" by DJ Dave; "Alice's Restaurant Massacre" (abridged) by Arlo Guthrie]

Your friends invite you to a fancy restaurant in San Francisco for your birthday-- all expenses paid!  The waiter brings you a soda, calls you "sir" or "miss" and hands you a menu.  With horror you discover that each dish consists of insects and road kill in various states of decay/disembowelment.  How will you handle the situation? (Careful: if your friends eat here, they must be zombies/foreign agents who are trained to deal with this sort of thing.  They may turn on you if they consider you rude.  You can't just leave.  If you don't eat you'll have to talk your way out of it in a way that doesn't raise suspicion.)

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Why I busted a reporter on Twitter
3. Adopt a poem
4. Group ask/answer:
  • What is the significance of the title?
  • What is the tone of the poem? 
  • What is your mood as you read it?
  • Is there a Shift?  Where?  From what to what?
  • What is the theme of the poem?
HW:
1. Take inventory on your semester/blog

Sunday, November 30, 2014

apple laptops for <$200

RHS senior Noah Hernandez has found an online source for inexpensive, refurbished Apple laptop computers.  If you're interested in learning more please either comment to this post, visit Noah's blog, or mention it in class.

poems

Here are some poems I discovered, rediscovered, and/or fell in love with last week.

Summons
by Robert Francis

Keep me from going to sleep too soon
Or if I go to sleep too soon
Come wake me up. Come any hour
Of night. Come whistling up the road.
Stomp on the porch. Bang on the door.
Make me get out of bed and come
And let you in and light a light.
Tell me the northern lights are on
And make me look. Or tell me clouds
Are doing something to the moon
They never did before, and show me.
See that I see. Talk to me till
I'm half as wide awake as you
And start to dress wondering why
I ever went to bed at all.
Tell me the walking is superb.
Not only tell me but persuade me.
You know I'm not too hard persuaded. 



The Place Where We Are Right
by Yehuda Amichai

From the place where we are right
Flowers will never grow
In the spring.
The place where we are right
Is hard and trampled
Like a yard.
But doubts and loves
Dig up the world
Like a mole, a plow.
And a whisper will be heard in the place
Where the ruined
House once stood.


Everything is Going to be Alright
by Derek Mahon

How should I not be glad to contemplate
the clouds clearing beyond the dormer window
and a high tide reflected on the ceiling?
There will be dying, there will be dying,
but there is no need to go into that.
The poems flow from the hand unbidden
and the hidden source is the watchful heart;
the sun rises in spite of everything
and the far cities are beautiful and bright.
I lie here in a riot of sunlight
watching the day break and the clouds flying.
Everything is going to be all right.

Working Together
by David Whyte

We shape our self
to fit this world

and by the world
are shaped again.

The visible
and the invisible

working together
in common cause,

to produce
the miraculous.

I am thinking of the way
the intangible air

passed at speed
round a shaped wing

easily
holds our weight.

So may we, in this life
trust

to those elements
we have yet to see

or imagine,
and look for the true

shape of our own self,
by forming it well

to the great
intangibles about us.


Where the Sidewalk Ends
by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.


Out Beyond Ideas
by Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn’t make any sense.










Wednesday, November 26, 2014

the power of poetry

Here's a prompt you can use to create additional value on your course blog.

Pink Floyd's "The Wall" is a classic album (on the off chance you hadn't heard) that was made into a movie.  The scene below portrays how school can be isolating and teachers can be cruel.  Like Montag, one student thinks for himself and gets creative.  So here's the question: out of all the things he could be doing, why does he choose to write poetry to express himself?  Why did the filmmaker think this was an effective way to show individuality and nonconformity?  And why does the teacher make such a big deal out of it?

have you chosen a poem yet?

Not every poem is long and serious.  Consider this classic by Shel Silverstein:

Where the Sidewalk Ends

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

thank you

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

It reminds me that I don't say thank you often enough, even though I say it more than I used to.

So, in the spirit of the season:

Thank You.

Each and every single one of you, in some small way, has been my teacher this semester.

Thank You.

You have taught me patience, compassion, empathy, humor, and occasionally fussiness.

Thank You.

You have taught me how differently we respond to the good and bad in our lives.

Thank You.

You have inspired me.

Thank You.

You have responded to media-enhanced madness with maturity beyond your years.

Thank You.

You have given me reason to wish this weekend was over, just so I can see you smile as you put college application season in your rearview mirror.

Most of all, you have succeeded in reminding me why I do this job in the first place.  You matter a great deal in this world and I'm proud to be on your team.  I look forward to the second half of our journey; in a blink it will be June, and I intend to suck the marrow* out of every minute we have together.  For now, enjoy this time with family and friends, and tell at least one of them:

Thank You.

__________________________
[*There is a part of my brain that is still immature enough to imagine taking that quote out of context so that it reads "I intend to suck." That is most definitely not the spirit in which I intend it. The idea is actually an allusion to Henry David Thoreau, who wrote: “I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, To put to rout all that was not life and not when I had come to die Discover that I had not lived.”]

Friday, November 21, 2014

november 21

JOURNAL TOPIC: (today's tunes: "Taking Care of Business" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive; "Taking Care of No Business" by Jimi Hendrix)

What is it about routine that makes our lives both easier (more efficient) and harder to change (put down that third bag of Hot Cheetos!)?  Describe a routine you want to start, describe a routine you want to stop, and describe a routine you want to continue.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. "Immigrants in Our Own Land"
3. Granger, Montag, and You

HW:
1. What poem will you become over the Thanksgiving Break?  If it's not "Immigrants in Our Own Land" it should be personally meaningful to you and worth memorizing.  Please post a video of you reciting the poem to your blog by Monday, December 1.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

buddy system

I just realized that I'll have to be off campus today and tomorrow for periods 6 & 7.  That means that period 7 won't get the same guidance and structured discussions-- so period 3 students, we're all counting on you.  Today in period 3 I'll read the period 7 roster and make sure that everyone has a period 3 buddy who can help by sharing notes and explaining our conversations.  Mahalo.

this blog is super good

Check this out.

november 20

Sometimes life is our literature.  Yesterday, this happened:



So, today we'll be creating space for any discussion that needs discussing, and we will be integrating our ideas about reality with our ideas about poetry.

For starters: an exercise in Remix and "the medium is the message."  Watching the news visual with each of today's tunes: "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen & "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones

JOURNAL TOPIC:
As author Salman Rushdie put it, "A poet's work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it going to sleep."  Write a poem about yesterday's events, or what you think it says about our culture and the people in it, or anything else that fulfills Rushdie's description of the poet's work.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discussion
3. "Immigrants in Our Own Land" by Jimmy Santiago Baca



HW:
1. Write a 1-2 paragraph response to "Immigrants in Our Own Land" in which you describe your relationship with RHS and school in general.  Are you a proud native, a curious tourist, an optimistic immigrant, or a pessimistic immigrant?  Why?  Use real examples/stories to illustrate your ideas.


Wednesday, November 19, 2014

snow's up

"It's about 26 degrees outside. Winds are at 35 MPH. With the windchill, it says it feels about 13. We're gonna go check out the waves."

WNY - Blizzard Surfing from Kevin Cullen on Vimeo.

november 19

JOURNAL TOPIC:
1. Write a poem that no one will ever read.  Make it no shorter than a Haiku and no longer than "Dover Beach".
2. Write a poem that you would be willing, if not proud, to show someone.  Make it no shorter than a Haiku and no longer than 3 stanzas and/or 12 lines (total).

AGENDA:
1. Journal topic
2. Poetry 101: From "Dover Beach" to "Theme for English B"
3. Poets' Lounge

HW:
1. Post your notes and thoughts on today's class.
2. Find a poem that doesn't suck.  Post it to your blog and explain why you think it doesn't suck.  Even better, explain why you think it has something meaningful to say, and point out a moment in the poem when the author does something you think effectively gets that meaning across.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

hope you studied for the exam

Hope you studied for the exam.

november 18

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Make a prediction: How will you do on the test today?  Did you finish reading the book?  Did you understand it?  Did you review the literary terms?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Fahrenheit 451 exam

HW:
1. Be a good human being.
2. Find a literature analysis book if you're not already reading one.

Monday, November 17, 2014

november 17

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Describe a time when you thought you did everything right and lost or got punished anyway.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Do whatever you need to do on your essay & turn in at end of period
3. Review for Fahrenheit 451 exam tomorrow

HW:
1. Last chance: read. think. study.  Do these things and tomorrow will be easy.  Don't do them and tomorrow will be hard.

Friday, November 14, 2014

november 14

JOURNAL TOPIC:
1. Explain how you will go about researching and writing your essay.
2. Explain how working in the computer lab and posting to your blog today will help.

AGENDA:
1. Essay topic: explanation & recording
2. Journal
3. Computer lab

HW:
1. Write two personal statements (2-4 pp. total, typewritten, double-spaced, 12-point font, margins no wider than 1"), on the following topic.  Due Monday.  (AND you will have an exam on Fahrenheit 451 on Monday; this should help you review.)

Given what you learned about writing the personal statement essay on Wednesday, and given what you've learned about self-determination from reading Fahrenheit 451, write two personal statement essays to apply for college: one for yourself, and one for Guy Montag.  Consider Robert Barrera's advice about what colleges look for (leadership, overcoming obstacles, diversity, passion/commitment, goals).  For your essay, you will need one story that shows how you demonstrate at least one of these features.  For Montag's essay, you will need to address at least THREE of these features and you will need to support your ideas with at least two textual examples for each feature.  Please be sure to organize your essay in such a way that your reader can tell your main idea and follow your argument/s throughout.  Please also proofread for mechanics (grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation).

Thursday, November 13, 2014

you can't spell ukulele without the uk

Thanks Nathan and Laura Ritchie's class at the University of Chichester for a great time this morning!  Hoping this is the first of many collaborations.



november 13

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Summarize the last twenty pages of Fahrenheit 451.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Exam review

HW:
1. Study for Fahrenheit 451 exam and post your reading notes for the last 20 pp. of the book.

fahrenheit 451 online

I like the feel of a book in my hands: the edge of the page on my fingertip, the feel of the cover in my palm, the smell of my grandfather's library.

But if you can't get hold of a book there are ample digital alternatives.  Here is a link to Fahrenheit 451 online.

(*Note: Although I'm not reselling it, and I'm not taking away customers from Ray Bradbury's estate or publisher because you can get the book for free at our school library, this isn't technically kosher.  Whenever you have a choice, buy what authors write-- supporting their craft is the only way we will avoid Montag's fate.)

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

osl alum in the news

Congratulations, Nik! (full article here)


your post-hs education begins today

Thank you to Robert Barrera of UCSB's Early Academic Outreach Program for the brainstorm and the personal statement/scholarship/application ideas today!




the single most awesome resource for this course...

...was built by a student.  If you're one of the (many) people who has struggled with navigating the course blog for assignments, journal topics, and getting organized in general,

CHECK

          THIS

                    OUT:


this'll make you want to uke

Tomorrow Nathan will be leading a music class-- in England-- in a ukelele jam from Room 608 via Skype.  If you're in period 3 get ready to sing along; if you're not we'll post the video here afterward.


november 12

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Much of Montag's frustration seems to stem from the fact that he is so focused on his past and his future that he can't get a grip on his present.  Does this apply in your life?  When you think about your future, does it motivate/inspire you and make you happy that you're doing what you're doing, or does it worry you?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Your college education begins today: USCB representatives will join us to present on the application process, preparation, and financial aid/scholarships (*Note: if you're not planning on attending UCSB or even college in general, this will still be valuable in helping you "package" yourself for work, entrepreneurship, the military, or {?}.)

HW:
1. UCSB buys you a day, but you can't put it off forever-- by now you should have finished Fahrenheit 451.  During the UCSB presentation I will be reviewing the notes on your course blog.  Tonight you should think of any questions you want answered or ideas you want to discuss in class tomorrow, when we'll review.  Friday will be an in-class exam on the novel, and there will be an essay this weekend.

Friday, November 7, 2014

november 7

JOURNAL TOPIC:
1. Describe one interesting point from yesterday's class/Socratic seminar and comment on how it changed your mind and/or gave you an idea you didn't have before.
2. Describe your goal/s for your blog in the lab today.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Computer lab (with the option of continuing the seminar at the center table)

HW:
1. Catch up on reading notes to pp.140. (Forecast: 70% chance of test on Monday.)

Thursday, November 6, 2014

november 6

JOURNAL TOPIC: ("Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies)

Montag feels pressured by the culture that surrounds him into taking drastic action.  What elements of his circumstances resonate with you, and what elements seem far-fetched and exaggerated?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab/reading quiz
3. Socratic seminar: guided questions and (maybe) a good ol' fashioned argument

HW:
1. Read & take/post notes on pp.120-130


Wednesday, November 5, 2014

can this kid teach?

Yes, he can:


november 5

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Overheard in class on Tuesday: "Hey, fool!  It says it right there, dumbo!"  There are many ways to teach each other; when does it help to chide/shame/insult each other?  When can we laugh at our mistakes?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab definitions
3. Fahrenheit 451: summary & reading

HW:
1. Finish reading to p.120 & post notes to your course blog



Tuesday, November 4, 2014

november 4

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Today most Americans will continue to complain about our society and government, and they won't vote.  How will anything ever get better if we don't DO something about it?  For that matter, how will your education improve if you don't take charge of your own learning?

1. Journal
2. Vocabulary

HW:
1. Vote.
2. Nag someone to vote.

vocabulary: fall list 8

ruinous
quavered
certitude
notch
perspired
manifested
latrine
uttered
parried
oracle
conscious
feigning
leisurely
conjure
anesthetized
tyranny
folly
dreary
grotesque
reckoning

the nicest kid in the world

On Halloween it poured.  We went trick-or-treating early (with somersaulting Scooby Doo, below) and spent the rest of the evening watching "The Great Pumpkin" & answering the door for soggy Elsas and monsters.

Our next door neighbor James, who is eight years old, came to the door in a fighter pilot's jumpsuit and did something I had never seen in forty-four Halloweens.  Not only did he not ask for candy, he offered my daughter candy because he was worried she hadn't gotten a chance to trick-or-treat because of the rain.

Yesterday I repaid the favor.  We had a bunch of leftover candy, and I figured James was an excellent distributor.  So I brought a three-pound bag to his door and asked him to help me share it with people who didn't get to trick or treat.  His eyes got big and he looked up at his mom for permission.  She nodded, and he said, "I've just identified my first targets."  It's going to be a sweet day at his school.


Monday, November 3, 2014

november 3

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Over the weekend it rained for the first time in a long, long time.  How do authors use rain to establish setting and tone?  Consider this example from Ray Bradbury:

“I went to bed and woke in the middle of the night thinking I heard someone cry, thinking I myself was weeping, and I felt my face and it was dry.

Then I looked at the window and thought: Why, yes, it's just the rain, the rain, always the rain, and turned over, sadder still, and fumbled about for my dripping sleep and tried to slip it back on.”
Ray Bradbury, Green Shadows, White Whale: A Novel of Ray Bradbury's Adventures Making Moby Dick with John Huston in Ireland

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Paragraph explaining your grade
3. Grade conferences

HW:
1. Review Fahrenheit 451 to p.110
2. Contribute vocab word candidates in a comment to this post

Friday, October 31, 2014

october 31

Happy Halloween, everyone.  Be safe out there.  Dr. Preston will be back Monday.

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Halloween traditions began as a way of "using humor and ridicule to confront the power of death."  Why do we make fun of things we fear?  How does this help us cope?  When is using humor to deal with serious issues a positive strategy, and when does it backfire?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Read and take notes to p.130 of Fahrenheit 451.  If you finish the notes in class you may turn them in at the end of the period.  You may also post to your blog over the weekend, or bring them to class on Monday.

HW:
1. Finish reading and taking notes to p.130 of Fahrenheit 451


Thursday, October 30, 2014

member blogs

The only good thing about being home today is that I have the chance to look through your blogs earlier than usual.  Overall: GREAT JOB!  Most of you are making excellent progress in posting, adding features, and showing what you're learning/thinking in ways that interest readers/viewers (assignments, literature analyses, thoughts about the course and life, original writing, even music!).  If you're not yet using your blog, take a few minutes to scroll through the Member Blogs roster for ideas and inspiration.







october 30

This week I was asked to join other SMJUHSD administrators, faculty, counselors, and Santa Maria community leaders at an event promoting Cultural Proficiency at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.  The event was extremely well-done and I learned a lot-- I'll be posting more on it later.  We met Monday and Tuesday, and I hoped to be back in class Wednesday.  

Then I got sick.  You all know me as a positive person, and I am keenly aware of my responsibilities as a role model, so I'll choose my words carefully: Sick Sucks.  We have a lot going on, it's the end of the grading period, and I want to be in class with you.

However, after being called a hypocrite once already this year (for not getting enough sleep while telling students to get more sleep), I don't want to risk getting worse and missing more school, or--worse-- get any of you sick.  So, after an achy, fever-y, throat burning night, I decided to give this another day and I hope to be back tomorrow.

Since you have short-answer questions and two essays due today, please take time during the period (if you need it) to proofread and turn your work in to the substitute teacher.  (If you already posted to your blog and or completed the work on paper to your satisfaction, CONGRATULATIONS! :))  Then please arrange yourselves in groups of 2-3 and ask one member to capture your recital of whatever you know of "Dover Beach" on his/her phone.  Hopefully at least one of you will know how to get the video from your phone to your blog so you can post it by tomorrow.  If not, please collaborate with other groups or talk about this as a class so that everyone leaves with a solution-- even if that requires asking someone else to post it (did you know you can invite others to author to your blog?).

Some of you have asked for more time to work on your literature analyses.  After you finish your journal and your poem recital, take the opportunity.  I'll make a game-time decision tomorrow morning, hopefully I'll see you in 24 hours!

Have a great day,
Dr. Preston

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Now that you've mastered "Dover Beach" explain what you think the poem means.  If you're not sure, try to guess why Bradbury had Montag recite this (out of the millions of poems he could have chosen).

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Finish/turn in questions/essays
3. Poems/videos

Monday, October 27, 2014

october 27-29

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week you will work independently.  Each day's journal topic is up to you-- you may write about whatever you want, as long as you write at least half a page.  (In case you need help, there are some suggested topics below, but the choice is yours.)  Please complete the following three assignments; all work should be posted to your course blog or turned in by Thursday, October 30.

Suggested Journal Topics:
1. In what ways are you like Guy Montag?  In what ways are you different?
2. In your experience, who's happier-- people who read or people who don't?  Why?
3. Next week there is an election.  Why don't more people care to research the issues/candidates and vote?  Is this a sign that we're becoming more like Mildred and her friends?

ASSIGNMENT ONE
Please answer the Fahrenheit 451 short answer questions with 2-4 sentences each. (TITLE: FAHRENHEIT 451 Q&A)

ASSIGNMENT TWO
Please answer the following essay question. (TITLE: FAHRENHEIT 451 ESSAY 1)

Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 as a dystopian novel, a work featuring a negative view of society in the future.  The lives of the characters are filled with entertainment but little true happiness.  Describe three features in the world of the novel that lead to such a state?  One example of a feature is the rampant use of “seashell” radios by the characters.  How could this device contribute to the unhappiness even as it seems to provide information and entertainment?  Other features may go beyond the realm of devices to that of activities, events, values, and expectations.  Pay attention to specific examples of such features as you read the novel and consider how each one plays a role in the dystopian world created by Bradbury.

ASSIGNMENT THREE
Please answer the following essay question. (TITLE: WHAT I'VE LEARNED IN THIS COURSE SO FAR.)

What have you learned so far in this course? (Note: You can include anything from literature, writing, technology, or your personal ideas about thinking, working, being creative, etc.)

fahrenheit 451 questions

Fahrenheit 451 Study Questions
(CC-BY with thanks to www.camillasenglishpage.org  © 2002 C. Brantley Collins, Jr.)

Note: The page numbers given in some questions may differ from other editions of the book.

Part 1
1. Describe the society (a fictional America) that Montag lives in. In what ways is it similar to, but more extreme than, our society? What signs are there that it is a “dystopia” (the opposite of a utopia, an ideal society)?
2. What makes Clarisse so special — so different from most people in her society? What qualities does Montag have that make him receptive to her influence?
3. Why do you think the mechanical hound has been programmed to react to Montag?
4. Why do you think the woman chooses to burn herself along with her books? Why does this have suc h a powerful effect on Montag — what does it mean to him?
5. What is the point of Bradbury’s description of the kind of television show that Mildred likes to watch (p. 44 - 46)? [“ sound and fury, signifying nothing”
6. What is shocking and disturbing about the way Montag finds out what happened to Clarisse? What does this tell us about Mildred and about their society?
7. Why does Montag get “sick” and try to avoid going to work?
8. What does the revelation that Montag has so many books hidden in his home tell us about him? Why do Montag’s hands seem to have a mind of their own — what does this actually mean?
9. What is Beatty’s explanation for the current state of their society?
10. What do you think of Mildred’s claim that she is happy, and why? How do you define happiness? Is being happy always the most important goal of life?
11. What events trigger Montag’s transformation from aloof, unthinking fireman to passionate, philosophical rebel?
12. Find three examples of foreshadowing in Part 1.
13. Like Hemingway, Bradbury sometimes writes in an elliptical style, giving us bits of information from which we must infer what is happening, what the characters are thinking and feeling. Find one example of this in Part 1.
14. Choose one paragraph or passage from Part 1 that is an example of Bradbury’s unusual writing style (e.g. p. 17/18, p. 24) and interpret its meaning.
15. What predictions might you make about later events in the story?

Part 2 
1. What does Mildred say about why the television is better than books? What does she mean? Do you agree with her? Why or why not? What is the essential difference between books and television? 2. Why do you think Faber gave Montag his name and phone number?
3. How do you think Montag would respond to Mildred’s question about which is more important — her, or Montag’s books?
4. What do you think is the meaning of the title of Part Two (“The Sieve and the Sand”)?
5. Why does Montag visit Faber?
6. What does Montag mean when he tells Faber that his wife is dying?
7. What three things does Faber say are missing from their society? Explain the importance of these things.
8. What has Faber invented, and why is it important?
9. What disturbing things do the women in Montag’s parlor say to each other?
10. Why does Montag start reading poetry to the women? How do they react, and why?
11. What does Beatty say to Montag after he shows up at the firehouse? What is he trying to do? What does he know about Montag that gives him an advantage?


Friday, October 24, 2014

october 24

JOURNAL TOPIC:
1. Why does Beatty quote all those authors to Montag?  Do you think he could have used the same exact quotes for a different purpose?  How?
2. How will you use today's time in the computer lab?
3. ***REMEMBER TO TURN IN YOUR JOURNAL BEFORE WE GO.***

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Assignments for next Monday and Tuesday

HW:
1. Literature Analysis inventory: how many have you done?  Are you prepared to get three done by the end of the semester?  If you haven't started, start with Fahrenheit 451.  If you have a book in progress, spend some time reading and/or answering questions.  If you are "in between" books, pick something to read or ask Dr. Preston for suggestions.
2. Go back through your notes and select five quotes from Fahrenheit 451 that you think are especially important to the book, powerful ideas by themselves, and/or especially well-written.  Post them to your blog-- you'll need them for next week's assignments.

meet pete

This is Pete.  Pete is a student of Laura Ritchie's, one of the professors I've been collaborating with since I got back from England.  Pete is studying the language of music.  Please check out his video, have a look at the video he mentions re: Eminem (which includes a great introduction to rhyming schemes, below), and comment to this post if you're interested in Skyping and collaborating with Pete!  Mahalo.



Thursday, October 23, 2014

october 23

JOURNAL TOPIC: Why do people cheat?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab quiz
3. Reading & discussion: pp. 100-110
4. Preview of coming attractions (Fahrenheit 451 projects & 2nd reporting period grades)
5. "Dover Beach"

HW:
1. Post/write notes for pp. 100-110
2. Collect materials for posting to blog tomorrow in computer lab

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

october 22

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Why does Faber blame himself for being a coward?  Is he a coward, or is he smart to get things done without starting an obvious fight?  What happens when Montag confronts Mildred's friends?  Is this smart?  Will it make things easier or more difficult for Montag and Faber?  Why?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab Q & A
3. "Dover Beach"
4. Quiz on pp. 90-100

HW:
1. "Dover Beach"
2. "Dover Beach"
3. "Dover Beach"
4. Make sure you understand the words in the book for tomorrow's vocab test

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

october 21

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Faber tells Montag that it's not books themselves that are important, but the ideas that books contain and symbolize.  Specifically, beginning on p.83, Faber says that "three things are missing" from the society they live in.  What are these three things?  Do we have them, or are we missing them too?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. "Dover Beach" performance/progress report
3. pp. 90-100

HW:
1. Continue working on "Dover Beach"
2. Prepare for reading quiz on pp. 80-100
3. A special vocabulary deal: if you commented to yesterday's post (or did the assignment on paper), you clarified which words you needed to learn about-- so do it.  All you have to do this week is post definitions/sentences for the words you selected to your course blog (or write them on paper and post to your blog in the lab on Friday).  If you didn't comment to yesterday's post (and you didn't do the assignment on paper), I take it to mean that all of the words in the book are familiar to you, so you should be prepared to recognize/define/use every single word we've read on Thursday's quiz.

Monday, October 20, 2014

october 20

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What's the deal with "Denham's Dentrifice" on pp. 78-80 of Fahrenheit 451?  Describe something in your life/environment that distracts you from focusing on doing your best thinking.


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Review: pp.70-80
3. "Dover Beach" volunteers & victims
4. Preview pp. 80-90

HW:
1. Read and take notes on pp. 80-90 (post to your course blog or bring to class--blue/black ink only, please)
2. Please comment to this post with vocabulary candidates from pp. 80-90


Thursday, October 16, 2014

october 17

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What are your goals for your blog today?  What assignments, ideas, and design elements will you add to it?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Computer lab

HW:
Catch up on blog work, Fahrenheit 451 reading, and post Literature Analysis #2 if you haven't yet

october 16

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”  What does this mean to you?  How can you do this in a world that seems to pressure you in so many ways to be something else?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Exam: Vocabulary + Fahrenheit 451 (pp.1-80)

HW:
1. Gather your materials and your thoughts to bring to the computer lab tomorrow-- your blogs are beginning to rock!

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

october 15

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Grantland Rice was a sportswriter who wrote so amazingly well that his columns are one of the reasons the 1920s have become known as "The Golden Age of Sports."  In "How to be a Champion" Rice wrote:

You wonder how they do it,
You look to see the knack,
You watch the foot in action,
Or the shoulder or the back.
But when you spot the answer
Where the glamours lurk,
You’ll find in moving higher
Up the laurel-covered spire,
That most of it is practice,
And the rest of it is work.

I first heard this poem from John Wooden, who told me that it was all I needed to remember in order to be successful.  What do you think he meant?  What message does this poem carry that can help you succeed in this course and in your life?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocabulary quiz and review
3. pp. 70-80 discussion and/or quiz
4. (if time) work on "Dover Beach"

HW:
1. Study for vocab quiz tomorrow
2. Work on "Dover Beach"

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

vocabulary: fall list 7

1. pratfall
2. bewilderedly
3. titillation
4. theremin
5. tabloids
6. centrifuge
7. haltingly 
8. probing
9. stagnant
10. cacophony

october 14

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What does this video suggest about motivation and talent?  Would you rather hire a lazy, articulate complainer with a 4.5 G.P.A. or this young man?



AGENDA:
1. Journal
2.Vocab decisions/create this week's list
3. pp.70-80

HW:
1. Post vocab definitions/sentences to your blog
2. Work on memorizing "Dover Beach"

Monday, October 13, 2014

october 13

JOURNAL TOPIC:
A while back one of my students sent this to me.  What is your answer to the question?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Reading quiz (to p.70)
3. This week's vocab

HW:
1. Select 10 words from the book (to p.70) for this week's vocab list.  Please post to your blog (title: VOCABULARY CANDIDATES) or bring in tomorrow on paper.
2. Read to p.80.
3. Begin memorizing "Dover Beach" (DUE 10.20)

october 10 (retro)

[NEW FRIDAY TRADITION]

Now that we are spending Fridays in the computer lab, here is our ritual:

1. Start at Room 608 to see who's here and write in our journals
2. JOURNAL TOPIC: what we intend to accomplish on our blogs and in the course over the next hour.
3. Preston's Challenge: each Friday I'll suggest a goal. Today it was 3 blog posts and 1 design element.
4. Then we migrate to the lab, roll up our sleeves, log in and get to work.

Friday, October 10, 2014

reminder: you have access to the best-informed thinkers of our time

Yesterday after we watched Kirby Ferguson's "Everything is a Remix" video I Tweeted about it and included Kirby's handle.  Kirby replied:

So now I remix the Tweet into a micro-lesson-via-blog-post to remind us all that the end-user network known as the Public Internet gives us direct access to the experts.  If you want to know something about creativity/originality as it relates to the art of the remix, don't be shy: Ask Kirby!  (And please remember to use the hashtags #phonar #dplitcomp #opnsl)

Thursday, October 9, 2014

october 9

JOURNAL TOPIC:
So far we've discussed Fahrenheit 451 in terms of what's important to the author, literary critics and academics, and me.  What about this book (if anything, so far) is important to YOU?  If you can't think of something, what makes reading or stories important to you in general?  What do you hope to find in this book or in others we read?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discuss journal
3. Notes or quiz
4. Preview of coming attractions
5. Continue reading

HW:
1. Read/take notes to p. 70

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

october 8

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Why are some topics hard for people to talk about, even if they're close friends or spouses?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Conversations
3. Reading quiz and continue

HW:
1. Read and take notes through p. 60

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

october 7

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What do people talk about on campus?  Why?  Are others' conversations different than yours?  Are your on-campus conversations different than the ones you have at home, at work, or online?  How?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab
3. Reading recap: notes & significant passages
4. Preview "The Art of Hosting Good Conversations Online"
5. Continue reading to p. 50

HW:
1. Review "The Art of Hosting Good Conversations Online"
2. Post vocab definitions and sentences
3. Post a brief paragraph to your blog (title: WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?) in which you comment on conversations.  Observe what people actually talk about, and think out loud about how we can all get more meaning and/or value out of our daily interactions with each other.

the art of hosting good conversations online

(original online here)



The Art of Hosting Good Conversations Online


By Howard Rheingold

WHAT AN ONLINE HOST WANTS TO ACHIEVE:

Monday, October 6, 2014

watch this then go outside

vocabulary: fall list 6

tatters
merely
vast
parlor
abrupt(ly)
refracted
immense
imperceptibly
ventilator
olfactory

october 6

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Sometimes the best way to move forward is to consider what's brought us to this point.  In last week's journals some of you talked about making things with care instead of just buying the latest gadget and tossing it when something newer comes along.  This is important thinking, and we can apply it to all elements of our culture, our identity, and the stories we tell.  Yesterday I attended the Chumash Inter-Tribal Pow-Wow and was reminded of how easy it is to forget--and to remember--the values that make us who we are.  How does your sense of cultural heritage influence you?
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab
3. Reading quiz: pp. 20-40
4. Review & notes: pp. 30-40
5. Continue reading

HW:
1. Study vocabulary for quiz Thursday
2. Read pp. 40-50

Friday, October 3, 2014

october 3

JOURNAL TOPIC:
It seems like so many of the predictions in Fahrenheit 451-- flat screens, ear buds, sports teams' lack of loyalty to players and cities, impersonal medical care-- have come true.  Have we improved as a culture or gotten worse?  What can/will make a positive difference as we move forward?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. COMPUTER LAB

HW:
1. For Monday, please be prepared to answer questions and discuss the text up to p.40

Thursday, October 2, 2014

october 2

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Why do you think Montag is happier when he's not thinking?  Why does he get irritated when Clarisse begins drawing his attention to things he doesn't normally think about?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Reading Quiz
3. Continue reading/notes: Fahrenheit 451

HW:
1. Review reading to p. 30

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

active reading notes

We are beginning to explore a text that many of you have already skimmed. In order to deepen our understanding we will be taking notes and frequently interrupting our reading to discuss the ideas between the lines.
As you take notes, I suggest that you focus on three general categories of text: 1)passages that significantly contribute to your understanding; 2)passages that illustrate a particular literary technique or characteristic of the text; and 3)passages that elicit a personal response from you. As you can see from the example below, when I read the first chapter of Like Water for Chocolate I underlined passages and made notes about (1) symbolism, foreshadowing, and other hints that helped me "get" what the author was trying to say; (2) examples of magical realism, characterization and plot development; and (3) actions or dialogue that made me sit up and take notice (you may find yourself asking questions, or vehemently agreeing/disagreeing, but any time you have an intense reaction is an important moment in the text).

Because many of you will be taking notes on a book you don't own, use your own paper to write the notes-- and keep track of the page numbers! That way when we discuss them you'll be able to refer to the context.



active reading notes lwcf jan -

october 1

JOURNAL TOPIC: (today's tunes: "Songs for a Future Generation" by the B-52s; "Future Shock" by Curtis Mayfield)

Do you have a positive or negative view of the future? Why?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Poetic stragglers & recovery credit
3. "Dover Beach"
4. Continue reading together in Fahrenheit 451 with active reading notes on: diction, syntax, plot, tone, theme

HW:
1. Read the Wikipedia entry for Fahrenheit 451 and post five things you learned that you think will be important to understanding the novel (title: FAHRENHEIT 451)

fridays in the computer lab

Thanks to those of you who have provided feedback on Internet access and strategies for updating your blogs.  As we've discussed in class, there is no penalty for turning in your work on paper (as long as it's on time, and as long as you use pen and not pencil).  And, as we've also discussed, curating your work online has multiple benefits.  You're learning how to use digital tools and social media, you're creating value around your online brand, and you're preparing portfolios that you can use for scholarship and college applications.  In order to help everyone with Internet access and to give us all some time to collaborate on blogs and peer reviews, I have arranged for us to be in the computer lab (Room 622) on Fridays.  Vocab quizzes will now be on Thursdays.  If you turn in hard copy work during the week I will get it back to you at the beginning of the period on Friday so that you can post to your blog.  Please comment with questions or bring them to class.  Mahalo.


Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Monday, September 29, 2014

nkdidthat

Check out Nik Koyama's (RHS Class of 2013) "Get This Kid Out of Here" (his website is here).

september 29

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Use >5 of last week's vocabulary words to describe the tone of Fahrenheit 451.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab quiz
3. Return papers
4. Discuss Fahrenheit 451 and our approach over next 1-2 weeks

HW:
1. Post a list of 10 vocabulary words (unfamiliar words or familiar words used in unfamiliar ways) from Fahrenheit 451 to your course blog. Title: FAHRENHEIT 451 VOCAB1

Friday, September 26, 2014

to avoid any (further) confusion

Please post the Fahrenheit 451 questions to your blog by Sunday night.  We will be discussing in class Monday, and I will be scrolling through the blogs on screen.

Please make sure you're ready for the vocab quiz by Monday.

Have a great day & weekend.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

september 25-26

JOURNAL TOPICS:
(Choose any 2 of the following.)
What is the significance of the salamander symbol in Fahrenheit 451?  If you don't know, guess. 

What is the inciting incident of the story?  If you're not sure, choose an event and explain why you think it qualifies.

Describe Montag at the beginning of the novel.  Do you think he's a hero?  Why/not?

Describe Bradbury's tone.  What is his attitude toward the characters, the topics, and the audience?  How can you tell?

Describe Bradbury's diction and syntax.  Does he use formal, sophisticated terms or does his prose sound like he's in the room talking to you?  Do his sentences vary in length or are they all about the same?  How do Bradbury's choices create description, characters, action, and meaning?  (Note: There is no hidden "right" answer to that last part, it's open to your interpretation.)

AGENDA:
(both days)

Working by yourself, or in groups, or as a class, discuss your answers to these and complete the set by the end of Friday.

(Friday only)
vocab quiz

HW:
1. Study vocab
2. Post your answers to the questions above on your course blog.  Due Monday, September 29

september 24

JOURNAL TOPIC:
They say you can't tell a book by its cover, but you can definitely get some clues. Based on the cover, what do you predict will happen in Fahrenheit 451? What do you think the theme/main message of the book will be?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab review (list on blog)
3. Read chapter 1 (reader's choice: quietly or with class) 
4. Summarize the plot and describe (with examples you can remember) how Bradbury changes his syntax when he's describing scenery, Montag, or dialogue.
5. Character analysis: list each character in the book as you meet him/her. Make three columns and take notes in each of these categories 

HW:
1. Complete notes and post to your course blog (title: FAHRENHEIT 451 FIRST IMPRESSIONS)
2. Study vocab for 15 minutes

Monday, September 22, 2014

september 23

JOURNAL TOPIC: ["Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett; "Strength, Courage & Wisdom" by India Arie]

Former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden observed, "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."  Briefly describe your character and your reputation.  What differences do you see between the two?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discuss vocab
3. Collaborative essay: how does Fahrenheit 451's epigraph ("If they give you lined paper, write the other way") provide foreshadowing and/or a sense of the book's theme?

vocabulary: fall list 5

 adroit
 amicable
 averse
 belligerent
 benevolent
 cursory
 duplicity
 extol
 feasible
 grimace
 holocaust
 impervious
 impetus
 jeopardy
 meticulous
 nostalgia
 quintessence
 retrogress
 scrutinize
 tepid

september 22

JOURNAL TOPIC: ["Walking in L.A." by Missing Persons; "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed; "Walk On" by U2]

Taking a walk.  It seems like such a simple, normal, everyday (dare I say banal?) thing to do.  But in stories it can take on all the meaning of our inner feelings and perceptions.  A walk can be a head-clearing, healthy thing; it can also be an act of rebellion.  The way we walk, the time of day we walk, the contexts we walk in and out of, they all become important when we're trying to get a message across.  Think about your walking life.  Describe a walk you took that was important to you.  If you can't think of one, then describe your walk to this class in as much detail as you can remember.  If you can't remember detail, first ask yourself why the &*!! not (it was only two minutes ago!) and then reinvent your walk as a fictional vignette.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Reading quiz: your American novel
3. "The Pedestrian" (text after the jump) & introduction to Fahrenheit 451
4. Go to library and check out your copy of Fahrenheit 451

HW:
1. Choose a novel if you haven't yet & bring it to class tomorrow
2. Vocab list 5 definitions & sentences on your blog tonight and/or in your hand tomorrow


Friday, September 19, 2014

september 19

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What did you do yesterday in this class?  Did it help you?  What did you learn?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab quiz
3. Blog audit/one-on-one meetings (if time)

HW:
1. Literature Analysis work.  NOTE: deadlines will be announced Monday.  Don't delay.  If you haven't started reading yet, next week is gonna hurt.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

september 18

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Make a plan.  What will you do in this class over the next grading period?  What's your goal?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Study/practice vocab-- quiz tomorrow
3. Work on Literature Analysis (#1 or 2)

HW:
1. Study vocab for quiz tomorrow

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

september 17

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "A-Team" by Mike Post; "Winning" by Santana; "We Are the Champions" by Queen]

Would you rather be a minor player on a great team*, or a star on a so-so team? (*Think not only sports, but projects, organizations, etc.)

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Literature Analysis: question analysis & next steps
3. Vocab/lit work & one-to-one meetings

HW:
1. Study vocab for Friday (15-30 minutes)
2. Set a Literature Analysis goal and meet it

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

september 16

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Are You Real" by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers]

Last week we talked about how we see reality and distinguish it from dreaming.  As you think about characters in stories and people you know, what gives you the sense that someone is real?  Why do you think the phrase "keeping it real" became popular?  What does the word "real" mean when we use it to describe how people act in their communication/relationships with others?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Evaluation questionnaire & discussion
3. Vocab work/begin one-to-one performance reviews & planning conversations

HW:
1. Review the Literature Analysis questions and prepare to get help tomorrow

vocabulary: fall list 4

I got these from "Young Goodman Brown."

melancholy
exemplary
peculiar
dread
bough
pious
communion
auditor
multitude
eloquence
despair
hoary

screen shot solutions

How are you taking your screen shots, saving them, and emailing them as attachments?  (I use Skitch.)  Describe the tools/commands you're using in a comment below.  These conversations are becoming especially important for those of us who are using phones for most of our work, and some are also using tablets, so please feel free to include ideas for different devices.

Monday, September 15, 2014

september 15

JOURNAL TOPIC:
(please write AFTER the essay or for HW.)

How well did you understand the prompt?  How well did you organize your thoughts?  How well did you write?  Where do you want to improve most for the next essay we write?


AGENDA:
1. Month 1 Final Exam (Part II)

HW:
1. Journal/catch-up work
2. Please Note: The first grading period ends this Friday, 9.19

Thursday, September 11, 2014

september 12

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Black Friday" by Steely Dan; "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA" by Devo]

Do you consider yourself smart?  Do you consider yourself prepared for today's test?  Estimate how long you prepared for it outside of class this week, describe how you studied, and predict how well you'll do.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Final Exam

HW:
1. Prepare for YGB essay on Monday 9.15
2. Reminder: Literature Analysis #1 due by Monday 9.15

who do you want to be tomorrow?

Be this guy.

Not this guy.

September 11

JOURNAL TOPIC: (today's tunes: "Under Pressure" by David Bowie & Queen; "Back in the High Life Again" by Steve Winwood)

Sometimes pressure seems like a bad thing; other times it can bring out our competitive instinct and give us the opportunity to be great.  (Think about it-- if there wasn't a clutch moment at the end of the big game, no one would have the chance to be a hero.)  How will you approach tomorrow's exam and what do you hope/expect to achieve?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Press Conference: "Young Goodman Brown" & "White Buffalo Calf Woman"
3. Final Exam Review
4. Last-minute vocab questions

HW:
1. Study your notes
2. Get ready to rock

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

september 10

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "These Dreams of You" by Van Morrison; "Laverne & Shirley (Making Our Dreams Come True)"/TV Theme by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox; "Street of Dreams" by Sarah Vaughan).

Edgar Allan Poe wrote, "All that I see or seem/Is but a dream within a dream."  Can you prove you're not dreaming right now?  How?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab
3. Finish "Young Goodman Brown"
4. Is Young Goodman Brown dreaming, or is his walk in the woods for real?

HW:
1. Study vocab
2. Review "White Buffalo Calf Woman" and bring questions for discussion
3. Reminder: Literature Analysis #1 due on blog or hard copy by Monday, September 15

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

september 9

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Lo Que Dice" by Ozomatli; "Words (Between the Lines of Age)" by Neil Young]

Adults say it to toddlers all the time: "Use your words."  What do you mean, my words?  We know that fiction authors use dialogue for the purpose of indirect characterization-- as you write the story of your life each day, how do the words you choose create an impression of who you are?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab
3. Young Goodman Brown
4. Meaning, Signs & Symbols

HW:
1. Study vocab
2. Post an "AHA!" to your blog (the title is AHA!  the content is anything you've learned in this course about storytelling)

Monday, September 8, 2014

vocabulary: fall list 3

coherent
belabor
eschew
acquisitive
emulate
banal
excoriation
congeal
carping
substantiate
temporize
largesse
tenable
insatiable
reconnaissance
germane
ramify
intransigent
taciturn
 

september 8

JOURNAL TOPIC:
(Today's journal topic is HW.  Please reflect on today's class.)

AGENDA:
1. "Two Dogs" post
2. Plan for this week and next
3. "Young Goodman Brown"

HW:
1. Journal
2. Vocab #3: definitions & sentences on blog (or hard copy) for tomorrow, Tuesday, 9.9
3. Read/work on Literature Analysis #1 (due by Monday, 9/15)

two dogs & the human nature of stories


Young Goodman Brown decides to go for a walk.  He thinks that the enemy is the devil.  But he ventures out at sunset to meet him.  He thinks his wife-- his Faith--is the force of good in his life.  But he leaves her at home.  He thinks he's in charge every time he chooses whether to go on or to stop.

This guy clearly doesn't have a handle on his situation.

Story isn't about action, or theme, or love, or death, or good and evil.  It's about conflict.  Young Goodman Brown's character is only interesting to us because of his strange circumstances and the choices he makes in dealing with them.  When was the last time anyone got interested or even heard of a story about a nice person who had a nice day, went to sleep, woke up the next day early and refreshed, and did it all over again?  Our lives are filled with obstacles, both real and perceived, and what makes stories compelling to us is how characters deal with the challenges they encounter.  For generations English teachers the world over have categorized those conflicts: man v. himself, man v. man, man v. nature, etc.  (Stunningly, we've managed to take the most interesting element of story and make it multiple-choice boring.)

Conflict is entertaining.  Every "Reality TV" show ever made depends on conflict for its success.  This is not an exaggeration: every single one of those shows, in every single genre, for every kind of audience, goes out of its way to manufacture conflict because that's what attracts viewers.

Marshall McLuhan was one of the most insightful commentators on media and communication in the 20th century.  He's the guy who famously observed that, "The medium is the message."  More importantly for us, he noted:

Anyone who tries to make a distinction between education and entertainment doesn't know the first thing about either.

We have learned a great deal so far this semester.  Some of what we've learned has come from the traditional American Literature curriculum: diction, syntax, tone, mood, theme, allusion, symbol, genre, etc.  Most of what we've learned has to do with our individual styles and our learning community.  I've learned that some of you still think you're passive consumers of a teacher's curriculum, or worse, the entertaining conflict of "student v. school."

McLuhan also said: There are no passengers on spaceship Earth.  We are all crew.

Those of you who still operate under the illusion that the roles of "teacher" and "student" are separate are trapped in old ways of thinking and you're missing the point of Open Source Learning.  For all his talk of caring, poor Young Goodman Brown doesn't see the people in his life for who they really are as individuals.  He categorizes them according to simplistic labels like "good" and "evil."  As a result, he's heartbroken when their words and deeds don't fit his expectations.  When he sees the conversation between the devil and Goody Cloyse, Young Goodman Brown suffers a crisis of meaning-- but why should the private life of an old lady shake his own identity and everything he believes to be true?  In reality, people do both "good" and "bad" things in the world.  We hope they learn from the bad and use their learning to contribute to the good.  In fact, we hope that all of "them" eventually come to realize there really is no "them."  There is only us.  We want to be understood, and that begins with understanding ourselves.  The next time you want to know who's responsible for how you're feeling, grab a mirror.

The other day I had a conversation with Mahmoud about history.  Sometimes it's hard to connect the Founding Fathers or the Hawley-Smoot Tariff with what's happening today.  But whose job is it to connect the dots?  (Spoiler: it's yours.)  If you want to Learn, you have to stop settling for Being Taught.  I am not only giving you permission, I am demanding that you question the value of what we read and do.  Whenever it's not clear, ask me: WTF is the POINT?  I'll even go a step further: if what you find isn't motivating, let's talk about what else is out there, and let's do this now, because the world won't wait for you.  In fact, the more you read, the more you realize that other people have felt the same way as you and are waiting for you to show up and take your place in the conversation.  You also come to realize that the other 8 billion people on the planet have their own problems and they're not going to care very long if you sit on the sideline and sulk.  As Stephen Crane put it:

A man said to the universe:
“Sir, I exist!”
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”
       
Example: the few of you who read "White Buffalo Calf Woman" will be rewarded at the end of the week when we have an essay exam comparing the story with "Young Goodman Brown."  Since you were supposed to read it and take notes on it weeks ago, and since you're preparing for a life of independent learning, I'm not going to remind you again and I'm not going to review it in class-- unless you ask me to, in which case I'll drop everything after we finish "Young Goodman Brown" and do whatever it takes to make sure you understand the essentials.  If that causes you any sort of negative feeling, consider how willing I am to help you and how hard I've worked so far to prove it.  Then consider this gem of Native American wisdom, from Sitting Bull:

Inside of me there are two dogs.  One is mean and evil and the other is good.  Which one wins?  Whichever I feed the most. 

It's easy to feed the dog that seems like an old friend, and we are most sensitive to negative information.  Change is hard.  Overcoming obstacles is hard. Sometimes the fight for happiness actually feels more rewarding than actually experiencing happiness.  So ask yourself whether you're really taking steps to overcome conflicts or just sitting with the same old tapes that say, "I can't," or "I'm just not good at ____," or "That teacher doesn't like me," or "[insert your favorite/s here]."

We are all under a great deal of pressure.  Friday we only had 30 minutes, today we'll only have 30 minutes, there are 34+ people in a class, we're all constantly being told we suck at what we do or that we're not doing enough, 7th period is hot and tired.  The obstacles are out there.  We may not be able to control the obstacles (which will be an interesting question when we study Naturalism and return to "Richard Cory") but we can control how we respond to them.  You have more power than you think you do, so use this course to flex your questioning muscles.  Stop being a victim of your education and start putting it to work for you.  Ask yourself what kind of environment you want for 50 minutes and push your colleagues (including me) to help you create it.  Whether I'm in the room or not, if someone upsets the balance by clinging to their hurt, or their old stereotypes, or their need to be the center of attention, or whatever, find a way--with empathy, compassion, and critical thinking-- to bring attention to his/her choices and remind him/her that no one is putting that person in that box except him/her.

After we finish this week and I give a final exam on the first month of class, we're going straight to another story about a guy who went for a walk.  Taking a walk is a small journey that begins with one step-- this is an important metaphor for the work we're doing right now.  Ray Bradbury wrote "The Pedestrian" after he went for a late-night stroll and police started questioning him just because he was out.  That experience and that story led Bradbury (who once asked my grandmother out when they sat next to each other at Los Angeles High School) to write Fahrenheit 451.  Lots of people think that book is about censorship.  Partly, but it's really about self-determination.  We live in a world where it's hard to imagine that one person can make up her own mind, make her own way in the world, and in the process make a difference for others.  If you feel this way, spend some time with these words from expert-on-the-subject Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."  

We get to walk a path that Young Goodman Brown hasn't yet discovered, a path where people aren't just "good" or "evil" or "teacher" or "student," but complex individuals trying to figure out who they are and where they fit in the world. 

Again I realize that an author has put it best, so the last word goes to Robert Frost:


TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
 

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.


I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.