Folks,
As I mentioned last week, we will be exploring dystopian and utopian ideals for this month's literary focus. Our book, The Giver, gives us a glimpse into both. These ideas are not new, but they can be controversial: Please remember- as scholars, we are to examine these texts objectively, pointing out weaknesses and strengths. Tomorrow, we will look at two very popular examples of each in literature and pop culture. We will look at John Lennon's song "Imagine" and Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem." I want you to be able to clearly decipher the difference, so be sure you brush up on our definitions of utopia and dystopia. It might be helpful to look up several different definitions. As we read our novel, be on the lookout for examples. As you watch the news, see if you see any promises or connections to these ideas within our own government. This wouldn't be new. Thomas Jefferson offered up his own copy of Utopia, and many would argue that the phrase, "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" is a utopian ideal. Thomas Paine's Common Sense is also listed as utopian literature. The Puritan settlement of New Haven was considered a utopian ideal. Thoreau's Walden is another example. But as you will see in tomorrow's class, the perfect society can be defined in very different terms. Come ready to think, debate, and analyze! I will also introduce rhetoric and my pal, Aristotle. And, we'll throw in some grammar exercises for a nice break. :)
See you in the morning!
Monday, October 31, 2016
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Assignment for November 1st
Folks,
Please bring your final draft of Hatchet to class on Tuesday. You should have five paragraphs in your essay.
Your first paragraph is the introduction.
1. Begin with the author, genre, title, and setting.
2. In one or two sentences, summarize the plot.
3. Give three examples of literary elements used in the piece.
4. Use a transition sentence to set up your argument.
5. Place your thesis statement: A claim with a roadmap. See other entries on the blog for more information if you have forgotten.
Your second, third, and fourth paragraphs will follow the standard academic paragraphs we have been working on all semester.
1. Make a claim. This should be one of the examples in your introductory paragraph.
2. Define or explain what you mean.
3. Provide textual evidence.
4. Interpret the evidence.
5. Conclude your paragraph.
Your last paragraph is your conclusion. Summarize your overall argument.
Make sure your paper is double-spaced and in MLA format.
The only other assignment you have for this week is to read the first five chapters of The Giver. The paper due at the end of November will be longer. It will need to be 2-3 pages long. I suggest that you read closely and take good notes. Perhaps you may want to begin thinking of the direction of your next paper. You will do an in-depth literary analysis and use one other source other than the book to establish your argument. You may choose to do a compare/contrast of governments, analyze the rhetoric used in the story and rhetoric used in politics today, look at the theme of individuality, etc. I will be pretty open to your topic here, but it must have three examples from the text that you will analyze. For your outside source, you can use any research to help you. If you are looking at comparing the rhetoric, you would need to provide an example from something more current. If you are wanting to explore dystopian literature and another similar novel, you will need to use the other novel as the other text.
See you next week!
Please bring your final draft of Hatchet to class on Tuesday. You should have five paragraphs in your essay.
Your first paragraph is the introduction.
1. Begin with the author, genre, title, and setting.
2. In one or two sentences, summarize the plot.
3. Give three examples of literary elements used in the piece.
4. Use a transition sentence to set up your argument.
5. Place your thesis statement: A claim with a roadmap. See other entries on the blog for more information if you have forgotten.
Your second, third, and fourth paragraphs will follow the standard academic paragraphs we have been working on all semester.
1. Make a claim. This should be one of the examples in your introductory paragraph.
2. Define or explain what you mean.
3. Provide textual evidence.
4. Interpret the evidence.
5. Conclude your paragraph.
Your last paragraph is your conclusion. Summarize your overall argument.
Make sure your paper is double-spaced and in MLA format.
The only other assignment you have for this week is to read the first five chapters of The Giver. The paper due at the end of November will be longer. It will need to be 2-3 pages long. I suggest that you read closely and take good notes. Perhaps you may want to begin thinking of the direction of your next paper. You will do an in-depth literary analysis and use one other source other than the book to establish your argument. You may choose to do a compare/contrast of governments, analyze the rhetoric used in the story and rhetoric used in politics today, look at the theme of individuality, etc. I will be pretty open to your topic here, but it must have three examples from the text that you will analyze. For your outside source, you can use any research to help you. If you are looking at comparing the rhetoric, you would need to provide an example from something more current. If you are wanting to explore dystopian literature and another similar novel, you will need to use the other novel as the other text.
See you next week!
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Coming in November...
November has us diving into one of the most loved and controversial books. The Giver has often found itself on the banned books list for its violent content, just a couple of slots below the also controversial To Kill A Mockingbird. The state that has removed this book from its shelves most often, is our own, Texas. Ironically, or maybe, as a result, The Giver is also the number one best seller in Teen & Young Adult Values and Virtues Fiction on Amazon.com.
You might have heard of the terms dystopian and utopian regarding literature, and both have similarities and differences. A dystopia usually involves characteristics similar to science fiction and fantasy, but all the technology invented to create a perfect society has failed. Wikipedia defines dystopia "as an alternative society characterized by a focus on that which is contrary to the author's ethos, portraying it as mass poverty, public mistrust and suspicion, police state, and/or repression." This contrasts the utopian ideal of a perfect society and political system. Utopian novels are often a form of satire.
Recently, there has been a rise in dystopian literature. We have seen the Divergent series, the Hunger Games, and The Maze Runner. I have us looking at two classic dystopian novels this year, The Giver and Fahrenheit 451. I like the way The Giver begins as a utopian society but quickly reveals a much more dystopian reality. This novel came out when I was in high school and won the Newberry Medal in 1994, the year I graduated. That's been quite some time. :) But this book has recently been adapted into a film, which many of you might have even seen. There are some very serious differences, so be careful to read the book closely.
Assignment for October 25
Class,
Next week you need to bring in your rough draft for your five paragraph essay on Hatchet. You will also finish the book, Hatchet. We will have a guest speaker, Ms. Tricia Pratt, come in and discuss real survival strategies with us. This should last about 30-45 minutes. We will spend the other half of the class working on our rough drafts. We will have a class workshop where we pass our essays around for peer-review. We will look for thesis statements, topic sentences, quotations followed by MLA citations, grammar, and the Work Cited page. You will take your rough draft back home with you with all of your comments and make any necessary revisions. The final draft is due to me the 1st of November.
Please make sure all work is your original work. If you use an outside source, be sure to give them credit or this is considered plagiarism.
Example:
Sparknotes noted, "Gary Paulsen focuses on the theme of man versus nature in most of his work." This is good research.
Gary Paulsen focuses on the theme of man versus nature in most of his work.
This is plagiarism.
The credit to the original source is essential! And while you may use outside references for your essay, you should use them sparingly. You all have wonderful ideas, and I'd like to see them. If your essay is plagiarized, I will find out and have you re-do it.
See you next Tuesday!
Next week you need to bring in your rough draft for your five paragraph essay on Hatchet. You will also finish the book, Hatchet. We will have a guest speaker, Ms. Tricia Pratt, come in and discuss real survival strategies with us. This should last about 30-45 minutes. We will spend the other half of the class working on our rough drafts. We will have a class workshop where we pass our essays around for peer-review. We will look for thesis statements, topic sentences, quotations followed by MLA citations, grammar, and the Work Cited page. You will take your rough draft back home with you with all of your comments and make any necessary revisions. The final draft is due to me the 1st of November.
Please make sure all work is your original work. If you use an outside source, be sure to give them credit or this is considered plagiarism.
Example:
Sparknotes noted, "Gary Paulsen focuses on the theme of man versus nature in most of his work." This is good research.
Gary Paulsen focuses on the theme of man versus nature in most of his work.
This is plagiarism.
The credit to the original source is essential! And while you may use outside references for your essay, you should use them sparingly. You all have wonderful ideas, and I'd like to see them. If your essay is plagiarized, I will find out and have you re-do it.
See you next Tuesday!
Monday, October 17, 2016
Correction!!!
Folks,
The vocabulary quiz is actually scheduled for next week. I hope you used this time to review anyway. :) Next week we will have our quiz, a survivor presentation, and discuss any final questions over the essay on Hatchet. If we do not have time to discuss dystopian and utopian literature, I will put that lesson online.
Kindly,
Heather
The vocabulary quiz is actually scheduled for next week. I hope you used this time to review anyway. :) Next week we will have our quiz, a survivor presentation, and discuss any final questions over the essay on Hatchet. If we do not have time to discuss dystopian and utopian literature, I will put that lesson online.
Kindly,
Heather
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Rocky III • Eye of the Tiger • Survivor
All this reading about surviving as me thinking of one of the best songs by Survivor. Here's a little music motivation for you as you work on that essay.
Homework for October 18th
Folks,
Remember to revise one of your edited paragraphs to use for your essay. Also, you need to write one more academic paragraph that will support your thesis statement. Remember, the thesis statement has two main parts. The first part is an arguable claim. The second part is the roadmap of your essay's outline. If you are writing on Brian's character, please refer to the character trait handout I gave you. Using terms like "determined" or "ambitious" is much better than vague terms like "good" or "nice." If you are writing about symbolism, first claim what that symbolism stands for. Don't just say the hatchet is a symbol--say what it is a symbol of. Next, show three areas in the novel where the hatchet can be interpreted through that lens. Please remember to go back to our post on Self-Editing tips! At this point, I should not see any "you" or "I" in your paragraphs. Always use these tools before submitting work. And as usual, the papers need to be in MLA format. This week, I will show you how to document page numbers and do a work cited page.
Also, remember we have our vocabulary quiz on Tuesday!
I do want to give you some input on our class analysis. I have given you art, poetry, and music to explicate. Which do you prefer? Which would you like to see more of? Please comment and let me know. This will help me to design the class content around your interests. Learning to analyze these kinds of materials for messages and meanings will not only help you with analyzing novels, it will be a skill you can apply to newspaper articles, memes, political debates, advertisements, etc. What is being said? How is it delivered? Who is saying it? What is their agenda? Are they being truthful? How can you tell? What kinds of symbols are you seeing? What is the tone? What is the mood? This type of work is not just the beginning of good writing, it is the beginning of understanding rhetoric--something we will cover more in-depth beginning in January.
One last thing: I have rescheduled our Survivor class for the last class of October so that all of our students can attend. I'm looking forward to this! If you'd like, start preparing some survival questions you might have so that I can share them with her. Is there anything in our story that seems confusing or wrong? Our guest speaker will be a good person to ask!
See you Tuesday!
Heather
Remember to revise one of your edited paragraphs to use for your essay. Also, you need to write one more academic paragraph that will support your thesis statement. Remember, the thesis statement has two main parts. The first part is an arguable claim. The second part is the roadmap of your essay's outline. If you are writing on Brian's character, please refer to the character trait handout I gave you. Using terms like "determined" or "ambitious" is much better than vague terms like "good" or "nice." If you are writing about symbolism, first claim what that symbolism stands for. Don't just say the hatchet is a symbol--say what it is a symbol of. Next, show three areas in the novel where the hatchet can be interpreted through that lens. Please remember to go back to our post on Self-Editing tips! At this point, I should not see any "you" or "I" in your paragraphs. Always use these tools before submitting work. And as usual, the papers need to be in MLA format. This week, I will show you how to document page numbers and do a work cited page.
Also, remember we have our vocabulary quiz on Tuesday!
I do want to give you some input on our class analysis. I have given you art, poetry, and music to explicate. Which do you prefer? Which would you like to see more of? Please comment and let me know. This will help me to design the class content around your interests. Learning to analyze these kinds of materials for messages and meanings will not only help you with analyzing novels, it will be a skill you can apply to newspaper articles, memes, political debates, advertisements, etc. What is being said? How is it delivered? Who is saying it? What is their agenda? Are they being truthful? How can you tell? What kinds of symbols are you seeing? What is the tone? What is the mood? This type of work is not just the beginning of good writing, it is the beginning of understanding rhetoric--something we will cover more in-depth beginning in January.
One last thing: I have rescheduled our Survivor class for the last class of October so that all of our students can attend. I'm looking forward to this! If you'd like, start preparing some survival questions you might have so that I can share them with her. Is there anything in our story that seems confusing or wrong? Our guest speaker will be a good person to ask!
See you Tuesday!
Heather
Monday, October 10, 2016
Patriotism or Protest?
Photo by gigafm.es
"Born in the U.S.A."
Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
Till you spend half your life just covering up
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Got in a little hometown jam
So they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "Son if it was up to me"
Went down to see my V.A. man
He said "Son, don't you understand"
I had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there, he's all gone
He had a woman he loved in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms now
Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years burning down the road
Nowhere to run ain't got nowhere to go
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I'm a long gone Daddy in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I'm a cool rocking Daddy in the U.S.A.
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
Till you spend half your life just covering up
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Got in a little hometown jam
So they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "Son if it was up to me"
Went down to see my V.A. man
He said "Son, don't you understand"
I had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there, he's all gone
He had a woman he loved in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms now
Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years burning down the road
Nowhere to run ain't got nowhere to go
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I'm a long gone Daddy in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I'm a cool rocking Daddy in the U.S.A.
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Survivor
Our novel this month deals with survival. Our protagonist struggles with emotional survival as much as physical survival. His story has me reflecting what I might do in a similar situation. I'm also curious if he could have made better choices. What do you think? Have you ever experienced a situation where you needed to survive? Would you know where to start? I found this site particularly helpful--filled with survival stories and advice. Maybe some of you might want to check it out and see if you notice similarities between our survivor and others. This would make for a good discussion in class on Tuesday. What is Brian doing right? What is risky?
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Homework Due October 11th
Reminder: You need to complete the last sentence on the M.U.G. shot and turn it into me with your name on it.
Study your vocabulary words from the last two weeks. We will have a study game this week to review!
Correct your work from last week. Turn in a new copy.
Write an introduction paragraph to your essay on Hatchet. Make sure that paragraph ends with a thesis statement. Reminder*** Your thesis statement is comprised of two parts. You must have a claim that can be argued and you must have your roadmap set up for the rest of the paper to prove your claim. Example: Labrador Retrievers are the best dogs because they are patient with children, easy to train, and natural athletes.
Write one paragraph (academic style) on one of the points in your thesis statement. If you are claiming that the hatchet is a symbol, prove it. Have your topic sentence claim that. Define what you mean in your second sentence. Show an illustration in the text to support it in the third. Interpret that passage in your fourth sentence, and use your final sentence to conclude your paragraph by reaffirming your interpretation in your first sentence.
Read Chapters 6-10 in Hatchet and come prepared for discussion. What passages are you looking at to help you prepare your essay? What passages are confusing? Which has been most interesting to you? Problematic? What's the mood? What's a theme? Any other symbols?
See you next week!
****One last reminder**** Tuition is due the first meeting of the month. A few of you have not paid for October. Please bring your tuition with you this next meeting. :)
Have a great week!
Study your vocabulary words from the last two weeks. We will have a study game this week to review!
Correct your work from last week. Turn in a new copy.
Write an introduction paragraph to your essay on Hatchet. Make sure that paragraph ends with a thesis statement. Reminder*** Your thesis statement is comprised of two parts. You must have a claim that can be argued and you must have your roadmap set up for the rest of the paper to prove your claim. Example: Labrador Retrievers are the best dogs because they are patient with children, easy to train, and natural athletes.
Write one paragraph (academic style) on one of the points in your thesis statement. If you are claiming that the hatchet is a symbol, prove it. Have your topic sentence claim that. Define what you mean in your second sentence. Show an illustration in the text to support it in the third. Interpret that passage in your fourth sentence, and use your final sentence to conclude your paragraph by reaffirming your interpretation in your first sentence.
Read Chapters 6-10 in Hatchet and come prepared for discussion. What passages are you looking at to help you prepare your essay? What passages are confusing? Which has been most interesting to you? Problematic? What's the mood? What's a theme? Any other symbols?
See you next week!
****One last reminder**** Tuition is due the first meeting of the month. A few of you have not paid for October. Please bring your tuition with you this next meeting. :)
Have a great week!
Sunday, October 2, 2016
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