.
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.
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?
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.
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.”]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.)
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
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...
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.
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.)
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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:
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
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
2. Contribute vocab word candidates in a comment to this post
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