Hunting and Conservation

Since we discussed the importance of hunting in society as part of our stage 3 connections to "How Siegfried Was Slain," I thought you might find the recent National Geographic article on hunting interesting.

Click here to read the article that discusses how important hunters are to the balance of our ecosystem and the conservation of our lands.

If you failed to make a positive contribution today during the Siegfried discussion, you may wish to comment here about hunting and society.

"Infant Prodigy" Discussion and Journal Entry

If you are absent for the discussion on Thomas Mann's "The Infant Prodigy" or were not able to comment during the live classroom discussion, you should leave a comment here that addresses the following two questions:

1. How would you describe Mann's style? You may wish to comment on how Mann portrays his attitude, how the details affect the story, and on the ending. You may also wish to discuss how Mann's style is illustrative of the Modern Age (around WWI and WWII).
2. What themes is Mann developing about the artist and society?

Everyone needs to write a journal entry of at least one notebook page on one of the following prompts:

1. How does music impact our humanity?
2. What are the connections between music and literature?
3. Do you agree or disagree with James McBride that we are living on a Hip Hop planet.
4. What evidence do you see that the appreciation of The Arts is eroding in today's society?

Bryonn Bain: Roehl's Favorite Hip Hop Artist

My favorite Hip Hop artist is Bryonn Bain, Brooklyn's Famed Spoken Word Poet. Bain currently teaches at Columbia University and at Riker's Island Prison. The Utne Reader claims that Bryonn Bain is one of 30 visionaries under 30 who are changing your future. Bain first came into the national spotlight when he was falsely imprisoned by the NYPD during his second year at Harvard Law School. Following his false imprisonment, Bain wrote the article "Walking While Black" for The Village Voice, and that article earned him a Mike Wallace interview on 60 Minutes.

I took a class from Bryonn last year about the importance of Hip Hop to youth culture. Here are some ideas from my notebook:

1. Many Hip Hop artists incorporate socially responsible themes into their music; however, the music industry capitalizes on stereotypes of gangs, guns, drugs, and misogyny.
2. 70% to 80% of Hip Hop consumers are white, suburbanites.
3. Rap is something you do. Hip Hop is something you live.
4. The components of Hip Hop are the DJ, the graffiti artist, the B-Boy or B-Girl breakdancer, and the emcee (also known as the spoken word poet or rap artist).
5. Bain's Hip Hop lesson ideas for schools have been greatly influenced by Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. For an excerpt of Freire's book, click here.

Click here to watch a five-minute clip about Bryonn Bain.

View a music video of Byronn's song "Ancestor's Watching."

For more information about Bryonn, visit his website bryonnbain.com.

Hip Hop in the World

James McBride, author of The Color of Water, discussed the importance of Hip Hop in the world today in the April 2007 issue of National Geographic. McBride's article traces Hip Hop back to its African roots and proposes that music is a great equalizer among people.

We will discuss McBride's article as part of our discussion on music's impact on our humanity.

How Siegfried was Slain

During our brief unit about the connections between music and literature and how music is an essential component of being human, we will read a selection from the German epic The Nibelungenlied. The selection in World Masterpieces in entitled "How Siegfried was Slain." You may read the selection online. The translation varies slightly from the World Masterpieces version; however, the length is relatively the same.

German Composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883) transformed The Nibelungenlied into the four-part Ring cycle, which World Masterpieces claims is Wagner's "finest work."

After reading and analyzing "How Siegfried was Slain," we will view a clip of the opera to compare and contrast the literature with the musical interpretation of it.

To watch and hear Siegfried's death from a production of Richard Wagner's opera, click here.

You can also check out the operatic selection of Siegfried's funeral by clicking here.

If you were absent during the Siegfried discussion or did not comment in class, please let the class know what you are thinking by commenting here on the following two questions:

1. What flaw ultimately leads to Siegfried's death? Why do you think so? What evidence do you have for this tragic flaw in the text?
2. Describe the ideal hunter and discuss how Siegfried illustrates that ideal. What place do you feel hunting plays in society, and why do you think it has that place?

Book Club Blog

Create a blog to capture your discussions in class and to start new discussions with your book club. Decide which group member will be the blog administrator. Perhaps someone who was a religion blog administrator wishes to simply use that blog, revising the graphics and adding new posts. Or perhaps someone else wants to take a hand at blogger.

Instructions on creating a blog from scratch can be found on Mr. Hatten's website.

The blog will be your group's visual aid for a presentation on your book on Finals Day. The presentation (and hence the blog) needs to include the following elements:

1. Brief plot summary
2. Setting--details, connection to themes, and artist or poetic representation (Haiku)
3. Character development--describe the main characters (bubble map) and bring them to life with an artistic or poetic representation (sonnet). Character posts could also include analogies (remember your bridge maps) between the characters and pop culture and/or current events. Questions to consider: If you were casting a movie version of the book, whom would you cast? What political or public figures relate to your novel's characters? To discuss character development a great strategy is to compare and contrast the character at the beginning of the book with the same character at the end of the book. A double bubble map works well here. How an author develops a character through foils to other characters could also be discussed during the character portion of the presentation. Again, a double bubble for comparison and contrast will provide an active tool to facilitate a deeper discussion on character foils in the novel.
4. Biographical information about the author and historical context information that is relevant to your book.
5. Poetry’s connection to your novel. Does your author directly address the need for poetry in a person's life at a thematic level? If not, what can you infer about poetry's importance from the setting, plot, characters and other themes in the novel?
6. Connections between your novel and the other ones being read during this world literature choice unit. Refer to the double bubble maps in your notebooks.
7. Discuss music’s connection to your novel. Revisit the same types of questions that you did during poetry discussion day.
8. Discuss art & your novel. Refer to the same questions that you asked during poetry and music discussion days.
9. Discuss the role of science, religion, and philosophy in the lives of the characters in your novel. This discussion should lead to thematic connections that the author is making about some or all of these topics.
10. Other Themes--What life lessons is the author teaching in your novel that were not discussed on music, poetry, art, science, religion and philosophy discussion days? Remember that theme analysis needs to go beyond a topic. Theme has action! Theme = topic + action verb + prepositional phrase and/or direct object. A great way to discover themes in a novel is to analyse the conflicts in the book. What are the causes and effects of the conflict? A Multi-flow map is a great tool for these conflict discussions that often lead to the deepest theme discussions.

Anytime that you use sources other than your brain, you need to cite your sources and paraphrase information so that it is in your own words on your blog. This includes Sparknotes! Remember that a hotlink to the exact web page that you used for a particular blog post is an easy and credible way to cite sources.

You do not need to create all of your blog posts at the last minute. You can build posts throughout the unit by having members compose reflections that capture your book club discussions. You can even scan some of the Thinking Maps that you create in your notebook and any artwork that you create. Add those jpeg files as images to a blog post.

Myth of Sisyphus

The practice essay in class today answered the question: How does Albert Camus' "Myth of Sisyphus" illustrate existential philosophy?

I will check students defining format chart and practice essay on Friday. You just need to start the essay and write at least one full paragraph.

To read the myth again, click here.

Continue The Apology Discussion

Students who were absent today and others interested in adding more information to the discussion should give their reactions to The Apology by commenting on this blog post.

Apology questions to consider:

1. What quotations in the text illuminate the concepts we've been trying to define? Remember our concepts are truth, happiness, goodness, wisdom, excellence and virtue.
2. If you were on the jury at Socrates' trial, what part of his defense would you use to convict or acquit him and why? In other words, where is his argument strongest or weakest?
3. According to The Apology, what is philosophy and/or what is a philosopher's mission?
4. How does Socrates support his claim that "an unexamined life is not worth living"?

And on a tangent--other philosophical questions to ponder: Is there a perfect chair or a perfect table? What is the essence of a table or a chair? To read what Plato thought, click here.

Socrates Stars

image from www.45visigoth.com

Hour 2 requested that I occasionally post class stars on the blog. So here they are.

Every student who delved deep into The Apology by Plato to make sense of one of the more difficult texts that we will read this year is a star. Even if you didn't get a chance to share your insights today, you have the personal satisfaction of knowing that you can handle a difficult text.

Dustin A., Tommy C., Jeff M., Eddy S., Derrick C., Lauren P., Kate W., Kurt H., Michael B., Jennifer K., Matt D., Dominick R., Peter K., Grace K., Emily D., Brandon B. and Brian G. were always ready to fill the silence with a deep thought and textual reference.

And today's most improved players are those students who, by their own admission, are reluctant to share in whole class discussions, but today, they stepped out of their comfort zone to keep the Socratic conversation going. Thanks Erin D., Samrina S., Hailey C. and Caitlin M. for your responses today. Caitlin M. even contributed three times today, setting a personal best record with the help of her annotated printout of the full Apology.

Other unique contributions should also be noted.

Best Multi-taskers, Carah C. for leaving at her table a huge World Lit & Love poster (I assume that means that she loves World Lit) and Juliet W. for suggesting hour 2 make Thanksgiving Day cards during the last few minutes of class discussion

Best Real World Connection, Courtney H. for sharing the information she gained from watching the Socrates documentary last night on PBS

en fuego, Alex H. for settling down and firing out textual references--all the way to the bell

Best group member, Brandon B. for helping his base group make sense of the piece yesterday in preparation for today's discussion

Thanks to all of you for your hard word and have a great Thanksgiving break.

The Apology by Plato

Students will finish reading Plato's Apology in class on Monday. They will also complete their flow map on the sequence of Socrate's defense. The purpose of creating a flow map is to practice good reading strategies on this more difficult philosophical text.

Good readers ask themselves questions while reading: What happened? What can I infer from what the author wrote? What do I predict will happen next? Good readers may not even realize that their brain is doing this naturally.

The flow map strategy allows you to stop and ask yourself--Who, What, Where, When, How and Why--and then jot down a few main ideas and supporting details.

Your goal is to increase your reading comprehension as you proceed through a text so that you don't need to stop and take notes as often. When I first begin a novel, I take a lot of notes--character tree map, plot flow and multi-flow conflict analysis. However, as I start comprehending more because I have "gotten into the novel," I only stop and reflect in my notes at the end of each chapter.

If you will not be in class on Monday, you should finish reading The Apology and creating your flow map so that you are ready for class discussion on Tuesday. We will discuss a variety of topics Tuesday, but one of the questions will be: What did you learn about philosophy, Socrates, Plato, happiness, truth and wisdom in The Apology? If you are a reluctant speaker in class, you may want to jot down a few ideas for this question on your tree map. Use the color that indicates World Masterpieces citation.

To read The Apology online, click here.

Choice Book Unit

On Friday, Nov. 16 students will choose the next book that they would like to read. To make an informed decision, students will read two to three pages of each book. On a tree map, students will list details for each book--events that happened, character information, comments on author's writing style and words that they do not understand. The details of the tree map can also include emotions that the student feels while reading these pages and initial reactions to ideas included.

The frame of the tree map will state which book the student is ultimately choosing to read for the next unit and the reasons why. If a student has a second or third choice, that should also be indicated in the frame of the tree map.

The five options for the choice unit are:

The Last Summer of Reason by Tahar Djaout and Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Snow by Orhan Pamuk
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Siddhartha Exams

The blue book essay exam for Siddhartha is Thursday, November 8.

The 40-question multiple choice Siddhartha exam is on Friday, November 9. Be sure to study your vocabulary words too.

Siddhartha Chapters and Vocab

1. Brahmin’s Son
Hindu Ablutions

2. With the Samanas
Onerous cycle of samsara

3. Gotama
Siddhartha as Samana
The Illustrious One’s exalted teachings

4. Awakening
Siddhartha seeks Atman
Siddhartha’s years of asceticism

5. Kamala
Siddhartha’s thoughts and erudition
Kamala, the well-known courtesan

6. Amongst the People
Siddhartha surpasses Kamaswami’s equanimity.

7. Samsara
Knowledge engendered a new thirst in Siddhartha.

8. By the River
Siddhartha is full of ennui.
Siddhartha reflects back on expiation of his youth.

9. Ferryman
Kamala’s pallid face
Kamala’s funeral pyre

10. The Son
Siddhartha fears his son will be lost in samsara
Exhortation is no way to find oneself.

11. Om
The river voices were entwined in a thousand ways.
The river voices consisted of one word: om.

12. Govinda
Govinda, the venerable one
Is Nirvana only intrinsic?

Overall Siddhartha Discussion

Overall Book Discussion

1. Discuss the influence of the following characters on Siddhartha’s life:
A. Govinda
B. Kamala
C. Kamaswami
D. Vasudeva
E. Siddhartha’s son
F. Gotama

2. Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha has moved from a best-seller during the 1960s—a time known for self-exploration—to a classic novel on the “Top 100 Books to Read Before College. A novel that stands the test of time has a variety of life lessons that readers can learn. What major themes, or life lessons, did you discover as you read the novel? Discuss supporting quotations and examples.

3. What did you think of Hermann Hesse’s writing style, especially his use of similes and metaphors? Be sure to comment on the effect of the similes and metaphors on the work as a whole.

Hinduism Terms Due Friday, Oct. 26

On Friday, October 26, you must have a definition for each of the Hindu terms listed below in your notebook. You can find those definitions by exploring the World Lit student blogs linked to the right. Also, your notebook needs to have one sentence for each term that connects the term to the novel Siddhartha. While you are exploring the Hindu student blogs to find your definitions, you might want to comment on their blog since you need to comment on each blog created for your class.

Hindu terms found in Siddhartha:

meditation
Dharma
Brahmin
Karma
Samsara
Moksha
The Vedas
Om
Atman

Blog Comments Due Monday, Oct. 29

You must make at least one blog comment on each of your classmates' blogs by Monday, Oct. 29. This weekend as I am doing the final assessments of the blogs, I expect to see a lot of student comments.

Comment away!

Siddhartha Themes

Siddhartha contains a variety of life lessons (themes). As you read the novel, reflect on how the topics below are being developed into themes.

theme = topic + action verb + direct object and/or prepositional phrase

Topics to consider:

discontent
searching
love
parents
virtue
awakening
friendship
suffering
peacefulness
waiting
thinking
fasting
listening

Hesse's Metaphors in Siddhartha

As you read Siddhartha, notice the following metaphors and examine how those metaphors help to develop characters and themes in the novel.

river
spiral
circle
snake
potter's wheel
caged bird
trees

Buddhism in Siddhartha

Know the following Buddhist terms/concepts and how they relate to the novel Siddhartha. I have even indicated a few specific page numbers to explore.

ascetics (aka samanas)
Four Noble Truths (pages 14, 29)
Eightfold Noble Path (page 29)
meditation (pages 33, 38)
Enlightenment/nirvana (pages 33-34, 39)
Historical Buddha (pages 25-36)
Karma (page 32)
Dharma (teachings) (page 34)

The Historical Buddha vs. Hesse's Siddhartha

Hermann Hesse was fascinated by Eastern thought and had a good grasp on understanding Hinduism and Buddhism when he wrote Siddhartha. Some critics claim that the fictional character of Siddhartha in Hesse's novel Siddhartha is modeled after the Historical Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama.

Your task will be to create a double bubble map where you compare and contrast the Historical Buddha with Hesse's fictional Siddhartha. The frame of your map should contain key quotations from Hesse's text for your comparison as well as bridge maps that make analogies with relating factors between the two Siddharthas. Your frame should also contain your opinions regarding which aspects of the Historical Buddha were well portrayed in Hesse's novel. You may also wish to comment in the frame about why Hesse included both a Siddhartha and a Gotama character in his novel.

To learn about the Historical Buddha's life, click on your classmates' Buddhism blogs and review the brief outline of his life below.

The Historical Buddha (Shakyamuni Buddha)

1. His father shielded Gautama from suffering within castle walls.
2. Gautama goes out and sees cripple, old person, and corpse.
3. Studied with teachers but not satisfied.
4. Became ascetic—practicing self-denial
5. Sat under Bodhi tree and meditated for one week
6. Buddha—awakened one
7. Gave first sermon in Deer Park where he outlined The Four Noble Truths.

Siddhartha Vocabulary

You have two options for completing the vocabulary assignment for this novel. Choose one of the following:

1) Create a graphic novel flow map like you did with Brave New World where you illustrate the vocabulary words after you encounter them in the text.

Or

2) Write an original sentence where you demonstrate your understanding of the vocabulary word and then write three synonyms for the word. Creating "synonym triplets" extends your understanding of each word.

Here is the vocabulary list for Siddhartha with two words per reading night:

Ablutions: p. 3, a religious washing or cleansing of the body

Onerous: p. 16, troublesome, oppressive, burdensome

Samanas: p. 26, forest dweller, wandering ascetic (leads austere life of self-denial)

exalted: p. 32, elevated in character or rank; lofty, sublime

atman: p. 38, the individual soul
Atman: the supreme and universal soul

asceticism: p. 40, the practice of self-denial to let the soul release from bondage.

erudition: p. 47, deep and extensive learning

courtesan: p. 52, a kept woman associating with men of wealth

equanimity: p. 67, quality of being calm and even-tempered

engendered: p. 83, brought into existence, produced

ennui: p. 87, listlessness resulting from boredom or lack of interest

expiation: p. 96, act of making atonement, redress

pallid: p. 113, having a pale complexion

pyre: p. 115, a heap of combustibles for burning a corpse

samsara: p. 120, cycle of rebirth

exhortation: p. 121, a speech to advise or encourage

entwined: p. 135, twisted together

om: p. 136, perfection or the perfect syllable

venerable: p. 140, commanding respect because of great age or impressive dignity

intrinsic: p. 147, belonging to a thing by its very nature

Siddhartha Questions for Chapters 1 & 2

Stage 1 Questions: Re-tell the story.

These are content questions where the answer is right there in black and white. These questions are similar to reading quiz questions. You may ask a stage 1 question when you feel clarification is needed regarding the facts surrounding the plot, settings or characters.

Stage 1 Questions: Siddhartha Chapters 1 & 2

Why does Siddhartha leave his father?

What happens during Siddhartha’s stay with the Samanas? Why does he leave?

Stage 2 Questions: Extend the story to themes and explore literary devices.

These theme questions uncover the deeper meaning of a text. What is the author's central meaning or life lesson? Theme questions get at eliciting people's opinions that are supported with textual references. Stage 2 questions also uncover the author’s style and analyze literary devices used in the text.

Stage 2 Questions: Siddhartha Chapters 1 & 2

What themes is Hesse developing about parent/child relationships?

What are the necessary steps to finding yourself?

How do the circle and the sphere relate to the themes being developed in the book?

Stage 3 Questions: Connect the themes to personal experiences or world events.

These questions allow students to express their opinions about personal and world issues that they feel are relevant to their lives. To form a stage 3 question relate what you’ve read to your thoughts and feelings. Compare what you’ve read to other books, films and pop culture.

Stage 3 Questions: Siddhartha Chapters 1 & 2

Create a circle map where you define “search for self.” The frame of the map should include personal examples of you finding yourself.

Discuss a time when you disagreed with your parents. Be sure to comment on how the disagreement was resolved.

Siddhartha Reading Schedule

The date indicates the night you should read the pages listed as homework. For example, on October 23rd you will arrive in class having already read pages 3-24 the night before (October 22).

Oct. 22: pp. 3-24
Oct. 23: pp. 25-36
Oct 24: pp. 37-42
Oct. 25: pp. 45-61
Oct. 26: pp. 63-85
Oct. 29: pp. 87-100
Oct. 30: pp. 101-115
Oct. 31: pp.117-127
Nov. 1: pp. 129-137
Nov. 2: pp. 139-152

Frankenstein Field Trip

Remember to bring in your field trip permission form and $11 payment for the Frankenstein play field trip. Checks should be made out to EHS.

Science and Religion

In honor of the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded this week, we will read a piece written by a past Nobel Peace Prize winner--Jimmy Carter--on a topic timely for discussion this unit.

For a final word discussion next Tuesday, October 16, students will read a chapter from Jimmy Carter's book Our Endangered Values entitled "No Conflict Between Science and Religion."

Students will annotate the chapter as homework prior to the final word discussion. If you had trouble talking for your entire minute or two minute time frame during the last final word discussion, you may wish to annotate even more this time.

Here are some possible tasks that you might decide to do in the margins of the text while annotating the Carter chapter to ensure that you can speak intelligently for your given time.

1. TPCASTT Carter's poem in the chapter
2. clarify Carter's points
3. State why you agree with certain points that Carter raises
4. State why you disagree with certain points that Carter raises
5. Connect the selection back to Huxley and Brave New World
6. Connect the selection forward to the religion that you are researching

World Masterpieces and Religion

The class textbook, World Masterpieces, contains a vast array of nonfiction selections on the five major religions of the world as well as a collection of sacred texts. We will read not only the nonfiction selections to give you a better understanding of the five religions, but also some of the sacred texts. We will examine literary devices used in those texts, including character, setting, symbol, tone and theme.

Here is a list of the nonfiction sections of World Masterpieces that everyone in the class will read:

• Hinduism: “Religious Thought” and “Language” pp. 149-150; “The Rig Veda” pp. 152-153; “Upanishads” p. 160; “Religion in India” pp. 164-165; “Hindu dharma” p. 167.
• Buddhism: p. 217, p. 229, “Religious Traditions” p. 263
• Judaism: “Hebrews” p. 10; “Hebrew Literature” p. 38
• Christianity: “Christian Humanism and Reformation” p. 662-663
• Islam: “Persian and Arabic Lit” pp. 77-84; “Koran” pp. 106-107; “Sufism” p. 111.

Making a Blog and Group Roles

This 50-point assignment is as much as a unit final essay, so plan your work ethic accordingly.

All members of the group should equally contribute to the content of your group's blog. The teacher will be able to tell that people are equally contributing by the "posted by" that appears at the end of each blog post.

Your group should assign the following four roles so that one member of the group is an expert in each area:

Blog Administrator: This computer savvy student sets up the blog and makes sure it's graphically appealing and engaging. Perhaps the blog will include helpful links, a poll, and labels for posts to ease searching. The blog administrator for your group needs to set up a blog. It's easy in blogger. Just follow the instructions from Edina English teacher Jim Hatten by clicking here.

Textbook Reader: This strong reader signs out a Patterns of Religion textbook and reviews it for relevant information regarding history, beliefs, and practices. Since this book is a teacher-selected and school board approved book, information paraphrased from here does not have to be analyzed for credibility.

Copy Editor and Citation Cop: This strong writer proofreads all the group's blog entries for mechanical errors and to make sure all information is appropriately paraphrased or quoted directly. The citation cop also makes sure that all information and graphics are cited.

Internet Fact Checker/Evaluator: This strong evaluator reviews the websites being cited on your group's blog to determine credibility. Although authors will be determining if an Internet site is credible, the evaluator will double check the site's credibility by following the evaluation flow map for each site.

Religion Blog and Presentation Schedule

During this project students will study the five major religions of the world. Remember that the Supreme Court has ruled that studying religion in an academic manner is not a violation of church and state laws (Engel v. Vitale, 1962, 370 U.S. 421.). However, students need to be sensitive to others, and remember that preaching and praying are not allowed in public schools. Keep it academic, and all of us will benefit by increasing our cultural literacy.

Monday, Oct. 8

• Determine which religions you would be interested in studying on an academic level.
• Submit a ranked list of your top three “religions to study” choices.
• Your submission sheet may also include information about class members that you would like to work with and why.
  

Tuesday, Oct. 9

• Meet group members and determine blog administrator (although every member needs to post information and keep track of sources used).
• Discuss what you already know about the history, beliefs and practices of the religion that you were assigned. Record this information on a tree map in your notebook.
• Review the possible terms to research. You do not need to define and/or discuss every term. Every student will be making a tree map of history, beliefs, and practices during your presentation, so let that framework be your guide.
• Review your tree map and decide where to begin your research. For credibility and academic pursuits, you need to find sources for information that you already know.
  

Wednesday, Oct 10 and Thursday, Oct. 11

• Your class will meet in the media center for research and blogging.
• Also explore books on the religions. Picture books are a great way to get a quick, visual overview of a religion.
• Give the teacher the group’s URL for linking your blog to http://www.mrsroehl.blogspot.com/.
  For academic credibility, use the flow map in your notebook to evaluate all web sites used.
• For academic credibility, information on the blog needs to be cited. Links to the web site used from the relevant blog post are sufficient. Refer to MLA format for books.
• Images also need to be cited.
  

Friday, Oct. 12

• We are back in the classroom to synthesis information that you have already gathered on your religion.
• You will complete a “word inquisition” on your religion and add to your tree map. Those tasks will help your group determine what work still needs to be done.
• Silent reading of religion background selections that are found in World Masterpieces.
  

Monday, Oct. 15

• In media center for blogging.
• At this time the blog posts should be becoming visual.
  

Tuesday, Oct. 16 and Wednesday, Oct. 17

• Reading activities in the classroom.

Monday, Oct. 22

• Begin Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.

Tuesday, Oct. 23

• Groups use their blogs as visual aids during a class presentation on the history, beliefs and practices of their assigned religion. The presentation needs to be at least five minutes long.
• Audience members create a tree map for each presentation in their notebooks. The tree maps list details learned about the history, beliefs, and practices of each religion.
• Students need to review their classmates’ blogs this week and post comments to give feedback. The blogs will be linked to http://www.mrsroehl.blogspot.com/.
  

Religious Terms: Islam

Your blog and presentation needs to discuss the history, beliefs, and practices of your assigned religion. You may wish to consider reporting on some of the terms in this blog post.

The words below were found in E.D. Hirsch's Cultural Literacy.

Allah
jihad
Koran
Mecca
Mohammad
monotheism
mosque
Muslims
prayer rug
predestination
Ramadan
Shi’ite
Sunni

Terms that World Literature students studied in the past that were not found in Hirsch's Cultural Literacy:

Five Pillars
Six Articles

Religious Terms: Christianity

Your blog and presentation needs to discuss the history, beliefs, and practices of your assigned religion. You may wish to consider reporting on some of the terms in this blog post.

The words below were found in E.D. Hirsch's Cultural Literacy.

Eastern Orthodox

advent
Ash Wednesday
baptism
Bible
canonization
Christ
Christmas
Communion
confession
Easter
free will
Good Friday
Lent
Messiah
monotheism
original sin
Palm Sunday
priest
sacrament
saint
salvation
schism
sign of the cross
Trinity

Roman Catholic

advent
Ash Wednesday
Augustine
baptism
Bible
canonization
cardinals
Christmas
Communion
confession
Counter Reformation
Easter
encyclical
free will
Good Friday
infallibility, papal
Jesuits
Lent
limbo
Messiah
monotheism
mortal sin/venal sin
original sin
Palm Sunday
priest
purgatory
rosary
sacrament
saint
salvation
schism
sign of the cross
transubstantiation
Trinity

Protestant

advent
Amish
Ash Wednesday
baptism
Baptists
Bible
born-again Christian
Calvin, John
Christ
Christmas
Church of England
Communion
Easter
free will
Good Friday
Lent
Luther, Martin
Mennonites
Messiah
minister
monotheism
original sin
Palm Sunday
predestination
Presbyterian Church
sacrament
saint
salvation
Trinity
Wesley, John
Work ethic

Religious Terms: Judaism

Your blog and presentation needs to discuss the history, beliefs, and practices of your assigned religion. You may wish to consider reporting on some of the terms in this blog post.

The words below were found in E.D. Hirsch's Cultural Literacy.

bar mitzvah
Conservative Judaism
Day of Atonement
Hanukkah
Hasidism
kosher
matzo
menorah
Messiah
monotheism
Orthodox Judaism Passover
Purim
rabbi
Reform Judaism
Rosh Hashanah
synagogue
Talmud
Torah
yarmulke
Yom Kippur

Terms that World Literature students studied in the past that were not found in Hirsch's Cultural Literacy:

Bat Mitzvah
Sabbath
Shavout
Sukkoth
Holocaust
Abraham

Religious Terms: Buddhism

Your blog and presentation needs to discuss the history, beliefs, and practices of your assigned religion. You may wish to consider reporting on some of the terms in this blog post.

The words below were found in E.D. Hirsch's Cultural Literacy.

Buddha
lama
monks
nirvana
prayer wheel
reincarnation
Zen

Terms that World Literature students studied in the past that were not found in Hirsch's Cultural Literacy:

Dharma
Anatta
Karma
The Four Nobel Truths
The Eightfold Noble Path
Koan

Religious Terms: Hinduism

Your blog and presentation needs to discuss the history, beliefs, and practices of your assigned religion. You may wish to consider reporting on some of the terms in this blog post.

The words below were found in E.D. Hirsch's Cultural Literacy.

asceticism
avatar
Bhagavad Gita
Brahmins
guru
reincarnation
Upanishads
Vishnu
yoga

Terms that World Literature students studied in the past that were not found in Hirsch's Cultural Literacy:

Caste system
Untouchables
Dharma
ashrama
karma
samsara
moksha
atman
Brahman
Samskaras
Vedas
Shiva

Upcoming Tests

Final exams for Brave New World

On Friday, Oct. 5 students will write an in-class blue book essay. On Friday, students will be given four essay questions, and they get to choose which one they wish to answer. The essay will be worth 50 points. Students are allowed to use their notebook and their novel on this essay exam.

On Monday, Oct. 8 students will answer a 50-question multiple choice exam (also for 50 points). The test has multiple choice questions on plot, a character matching section, a vocabulary matching section, and a miscellaneous multiple choice section with questions on Huxley's life and the three short pieces of fiction we studied--"Assembly Line," "Unknown Citizen," and Stanislaw Lem's "Electronic Bard." If you wish to review any of those short selections, links are available on this blog.

Unknown Citizen

Today's seminar on Auden's "The Unknown Citizen" led to some interesting comparisons to Brave New World, but most students did not make any personal connections to the poem.

Here are the questions for the seminar:

Stage 1 (Tell the Story)

Round Robin: Besides “unknown” what word sums up the citizen’s life and why?

What details are known about the citizen’s life?

Stage 2 (Themes)
What timeless themes does Auden develop?
What is Auden saying about individuals and society?

Stage 3 (Extend to Literature and Life)
Compare and contrast the characters and themes in this poem with the characters and themes in Brave New World.
How does the poem connect to life today?

In hour 6, I asked if people felt like "Unknown Students" in the school--students reduced to statistics for test scores, sports scores, etc. That opened up the discussion to a personal level, and the de Cafe got a little more lively then

If you still had thoughts on the poem or would like to comment further about the "Unknown Student" idea, feel free to do so as part of the comments of this post.

To re-read Auden's poem, click here.

Auden and Huxley lived very similar lives. To read about their entwined lives as pacifists who left Europe before World War II broke out, click on this Peace Magazine article.

I think both Huxley and Auden are putting down Henry Ford in their works, but I can't discover Ford's reaction to Brave New World or "Unknown Citizen."

Character Analysis

Our two-day, character analysis lesson involves the following steps:

1. Student-selected groups of four will be assigned a character in Brave New World.
2. In their notebooks, students create a tree map for direct and indirect characterization. Items in the direct characterization branch are found directly in Huxley's quotations and include both physical descriptions and personality traits. Indirect characterization branches include actions, thoughts, and reactions of others.
3. To extend the thinking, students will also complete a bubble map to describe the character. Some adjectives may be directly in Huxley's text, and those should be given a small line to the bubble. Other adjectives are inferred from the indirect characterization branches of the tree map. Inference adjectives should have a long line to the appropriate bubble.
4. A few key quotations should be included in the frames of both Thinking Maps. Do not use the same quotations in both maps.
5. The frame should also contain thoughts on Huxley's intent for including this character in the novel. What themes in the novel does the character help develop?
6. After extensive thinking about the assigned character, groups will create an artistic representation of the character to use as a visual aid for the presentation.
7. Character presentations will include a discussion of the visual aid, the Thinking Maps, and Huxley's intent.
8. During presentations, all class members complete a Key Word Notes chart where they summarize the presentation into one word and then write a summary sentence to capture Huxley's style of characterization and/or intent for certain characters.

The characters to be analyzed include:

• Bernard
• John
• Linda
• Lenina
• The D.H.C.
• Helmholtz
• Mustapha Mond

After the presentations, students return to their country base groups to complete a double bubble map that examines an assigned foil set. Character foils to be analyzed include:

• Bernard vs. Linda
• Bernard vs. Helmholtz
• Bernard vs. John
• Bernard vs. Lenina
• Bernard vs. DHC
• Bernard vs. Mustapha Mond
• Linda vs. Lenina

Review this definition of foil from Cummings Study Guides.

Foil: (1) A secondary or minor character in a literary work who contrasts or clashes with the main character; (2) a secondary or minor character with personal qualities that are the opposite of, or markedly different from those of another character; (3) the antagonist in a play or another literary work.

A foil sometimes resembles his or her contrasting character in many respects, such as age, dress, social class, and educational background. But he or she is different in other respects, including personality, moral outlook, and decisiveness.

Stanislaw Lem and Science Fiction Satire

For more information on Stanislaw Lem and his science fiction, click here.

To re-read the math poem that the electronic bard created in the story read in class today, click here and scroll down. Since I don't understand math (just ask Mr. Woelber), you can comment here to tell me what is funny in the poem.

Literary Devices in Brave New World

The class will explore how Huxley employs literary devices to criticize society, keep the reader interested, and connect to past literature.

Devices of Satire

• Sarcasm: harsh comments that aim to hurt
• Overstatement: exaggeration
• Understatement: saying less than is meant
• Parody: mocking a known person, literary work, movie, etc.
• Irony: saying one thing yet meaning another
• Pathos: going from the serious to the ridiculous quickly
  

Other Literary Devices

Foreshadowing: clues that suggest events that have yet to occur

Allusion: reference to another literary work

Make Your Own Blog

If you would like to make your own blog to post ideas, photos and information about world literature, click here and follow the instructions for opening a blogger site.

Then comment to this post telling us your URL.

Follow your Web 2.0 code of ethics when creating your own blog.

Science and Technology Journal Entry

After the Final Word discussion on The Art of Being Human selection, students answered one of the prompts with at least one page in their notebook.

1. What positive and negative effects does industry have on a person’s life as a worker and as a consumer?

2. What mechanical device can you not live without? Is there a piece of technology that is controlling your life?

3. Are medical researchers playing God? What medical advances go too far?

4. What are you doing to show stewardship towards the earth? How are you going green?

5. What Frankensteins have been created in our world? In other words, what technological advancements do you feel have been abused and why?

Students should feel free to share their journal entries by posting a comment here.

World Issues in World Ark and Star Tribune

This weekend I was reading the latest issue of World Ark magazine, a promotional piece put out by the non-profit Heifer International. World Ark articles referenced a number of Internet sites for people to visit to find out more information on certain topics facing our world. I found an uncanny overlap with this magazine and the A to Z taxonomies that were developed in class. I was comforted by the fact that the world's future is in your hands because World Lit students were concerned about many of these pressing issues.

You may want to visit two of the websites listed in the World Ark magazine:

For information on climate change and a humanitarian challenge, visit www.terradaily.com.

To learn about how attitudes in Africa towards "women and their position in society" are affecting their contracting of AIDS, visit www.irinnews.org.

Another science and technology issue that what raised in class is the shortage of safe drinking water facing the world. The Star Tribune ran a detailed feature article yesterday and today on the water supply in the Twin Cities. One contaminated water well in Edina that needed to be shut down was even mentioned. Read the full article for more information.

Work Respect Belong Take 2

Classroom norms (or rules) were developed on September 10, 2007. The class as a whole created a tree map of specific details for the classroom motto--Work, Respect, Belong--with each word in the motto getting its own branch of the tree map.

Hour 1 Norms

Work----Group Effort, Be on Task, Attempt to do Tasks, Read

Respect---courtesy, don't talk when others have the floor, respect cultural differences, respect other's possessions

Belong----Contribute, share ideas, positive affirmation


Hour 2 Norms

Work---complete on time, read, be thoughtful

Respect---treat others as you wished to be treated, respect other's property, don't tattle--talk directly to people that you have problems with, don't discriminate, don't talk when others are talking

Belong---work in your base group, participate, include everyone


Hour 6 Norms

Work---cooperate, participate, put forth effort, be on task, read

Respect---cooperate, respect opinions, treat others as you wish to be treated, embrace equity and diversity

Belong----cooperate, participate, relax, have fun

A to Z Taxonomies of Science and Technology Issues

Students created the following A to Z taxonomy lists of science and technology issues that they feel they will have to deal with in their lifetimes. Each class will revisit their list near the end of the Brave New World unit to determine if Huxley, 75 years ago, was already concerned about these issues. Revisiting the list will not only allow students to evaluate to what extent Huxley can be called a futurist, but also allow students to develop these topics into Brave New World themes.

Hour 1 Issues

Abortion
Bombs
Clones
Drugs
Environment
Fossil Fuel
Global Warming
Health
Internet
Jobs
Kinetic Energy (How will things move?)
Life Forms in Space
Medical Advances
National Defense
Obesity
Population
Questioning Things
Race and Religion Impacted by Science
Solar Power
Transportation
Universe
Vaccines
Water
X-Rays
Youth Preservation
Zygotes


Hour 2 Issues

Automation
Biomedical Ethics
Cloning
Debating Issues
Evolution
Fertility
Global Warming
Heredity
Inventions
Jobs that are ever-changing
Knowledge
Land Preservation
Media
Nuclear Power and War
Oil
Population
Quantum Physics
Robots
Satellites
Travel and Transportation
Utopias (Are they possible?)
Video Games
World Wide Web
X-Rays
Youth Preservation

Hour 6

AIDS
Biomedical Ethics
Cloning
Designer Babies
Extinction
Fossil Fuels
Global Warming
Hunger
Interstellar Travel
Jobs
Kinetic Energy
Logistics of Communication
Medications
Nuclear War
Over Population
Pollution
Quantum Physics and the Existence of God
Robots
Sex
Transplants
UV Rays
Viruses
Water
X-Ray
Youth
Zoology

Web 2.0 Code of Ethics

Remember to bring your signed letter regarding acceptable use of Web 2.0 to class next week.

Whenever posting comments to this blog or when creating your own Web 2.0 products, you need to obey the following Code of Ethics:

Blogging/Wiki/Podcast Code of Ethics

1. Students using Weblogs, Wikis and Podcasts are expected to act safely by keeping personal information out of their posts. Students will agree to keep out last names, email addresses, home addresses, phone numbers, or other information that could help someone locate or contact them in person.

2. Students using Weblogs, Wikis, and Podcasts are expected to treat these tools as a classroom space. Speech that is inappropriate for class is not appropriate on Weblogs, Wikis, or Podcasts. Students are expected to treat others online with respect.

3. Assignments on Weblogs, Wikis, or Podcasts are like any other assignment in school. Students are expected to abide by policies and procedures in the Student Handbook, including those policies regarding plagiarism and acceptable use of technology.

4. Student Blogs are to be a forum for student expression. However, they are first and foremost a tool for learning. The district may restrict speech for valid educational reasons as outlined in School Board Policy 5145.3. The district shall not restrict speech on the basis of a disagreement with the opinions expressed.

5. Students shall not use the Internet to harass, discriminate or threaten the safety of others. If students receive a comment on a Blog or other Web 2.0 tool used in school that makes them feel uncomfortable or is not respectful, they are to report this to a teacher. Do not respond to the comment.

6. Students accessing Blogs, Wikis, or Podcasts from school must take good care of the computers by not downloading or installing any software without permission, and not clicking on ads or competitions.

7. School Board policies concerning acceptable use of technology include the use of these Web 2.0 tools for school activities; Board policy 6161.2 Acceptable Use Policy, Board Policy 6161.3 World Wide Web and Board Policy 6160 on Copyright. Failure to follow the guidelines will result in disciplinary action.

Question Stages

For open forum classroom discussions, students should think about questions in all three stages of the Paideia Seminar framework.

Stage 1 Questions: (Re-tell the story.) These are content questions where the answer is right there in black and white. These questions are similar to reading quiz questions. You may ask a stage 1 question when you feel clarification is needed regarding the facts surrounding the plot, settings or characters.

Stage 2 Questions: (Extend the story to themes.) These theme questions uncover the deeper meaning of a text. What is the author's central meaning or life lesson? Theme questions get at eliciting people's opinions that are supported with textual references.

Stage 3 Questions: (Connect the themes to personal experiences or world events.) These questions allow students to express their opinions about personal and world issues that they feel are relevant to their lives. Opinions and debate abound when these questions are posed to the class in an open forum. You will almost hear Socrates whispering, "good job," as you take World Literature: A Senior Seminar to this highest stage of discourse.

Settings in Brave New World

Brace Map

To bring Huxley's settings to life, base groups will dissect an assigned portion of the novel to uncover all of Huxley's details. The following settings in the first three chapters of Brave New World will be explored:

Fertilizing Room, pages 3-10

Embryo Store, pages 10-18

Infant Nurseries, pages 19-26

Dormitory with Hypnopedia, pages 26-29

Garden at Playtime, pages 30-33

Girls’ Dressing Room, pages 36-38

Montage of Nine Years’ War, pages 47-52


Steps of the Setting Assignment:

1. After the lottery for setting selection, base group members will skim the assigned pages, jotting down all objects they encounter in those pages in their notebooks. This is similar to what we did for objects in Room 271.


2. Then students will take all the sub-parts and work back to the whole of the assigned setting by organizing the details in a brace map. The brace map should be created in your notebook.


3. The frame of the brace map should contain the most illustrative and visual quotation, in your opinion, that Huxley puts forth in your assigned setting pages.


4. The frame of the brace map should also contain your thoughts about Huxley's intent for including the specific objects. How does the setting relate to themes, images and character development in the novel?


5. The base group will create an artistic representation of the setting to use as a visual aid for the class presentation.


6. Groups present their setting creations while discussing their brace map and sharing their key quotation and commentary on the author's intent.


7. Students will reflect on their classmates' setting presentations on a Key Word Notes page, which includes a summary sentence at the bottom of the chart on Huxley's intent regarding his detailed settings.

TPCASTT for Poetry Analysis

Title – predict what the poem will be about

Paraphrase – re-tell "the story of the poem." What's the literal meaning?

Connotation – What do words mean beyond their literal meaning? Do words symbolize something? What poetic devices are used?

Attitude – What is the attitude of the speaker?

Shifts – Where are the shifts in attitude?

Title – Look again at the title to re-examine and determine any connotative meaning.

Theme – So what does this poem have to say about human experience? What is the life lesson?

Our first TPCASTT of the year was on the following poem:


"Assembly Line" by Shu Ting

Translated by Carolyn Kizer

In time's assembly line
Night presses against night.
We come off the factory night-shift
In line as we march towards home.
Over our heads in a row
The assembly line of stars
Stretches across the sky.
Beside us, little trees
Stand numb in assembly lines.

The stars must be exhausted
After thousands of years
Of journeys which never change.
The little trees are all sick,
Choked on smog and monotony,
Stripped of their color and shape.
It's not hard to feel for them;
We share the same tempo and rhythm.

Yes, I'm numb to my own existence
As if, like the trees and stars
-- perhaps just out of habit
-- perhaps just out of sorrow,
I'm unable to show concern
For my own manufactured fate.


Click on comments to further discuss this poem.

Brave New World Reading Schedule

Below is the reading schedule from the bookmark.

Read the pages indicated that night for homework.

Sept. 11: Chapter 1, pp. 3-18
Sept. 12: Chapter 2, pp. 19-29
Sept. 13: Chapter 3, pp. 30-56
Sept. 14: Chapter 4, pp. 57-71
Sept. 17: Chapter 5, pp. 72-86
Sept. 18: Chapter 6, pp. 87-106
Sept. 19: Chapter 7, pp. 107-122
Sept. 20: Chapter 8, pp. 123-139
Sept. 21: Chapters 9 and 10, pp. 140-152
Sept. 24: Chapter 11, pp. 153-171
Sept. 25: Chapter 12, pp. 172-185
Sept. 26: Chapter 13, pp. 186-197
Sept. 27: Chapters 14 and 15, pp. 198-216
Sept. 28: Chapters 16 and 17, pp. 217-240
Oct. 1: Chapter 18, pp. 241-259

Brave New World Vocabulary

Below is a list of vocabulary words from Brave New World that will be part of your multiple choice exam at the end of the unit.

Your notebook assignment for vocabulary is to create a 30-box flow map (that's one box per vocabulary word) and to illustrate that word after you encounter it in the reading. Not only will the illustrations hopefully cement the definition in your mind, but also when you are finished with the book, you will have a graphic representation of this futuristic novel to help you remember the plot.

If you have helpful hints to remember a word, add those hints to the comments of this post. For example, the word may be close to a word in French, Latin or Spanish.

Here are the words:

predestination: p. 10, all things are decided in advance

freemartins: p. 13, sterile female

conditioning: p. 24, providing a stimulus until desired behavior is achieved.

hypnopaedia: p. 25, sleep teaching

viviparous, p. 36, giving birth to offspring that develop in the mother’s body.

pneumatic, p. 44, filled with air; ample bust

simian: p. 58, ape or monkey

stupor: p. 59, lethargy; mental confusion

sententious: (p. 74, “sententiously”) terse; moralizing; short statements about life

soma: p. 75, a drug that dulls emotion and creates a false sense of happiness.

solecism: p. 96, impropriety, mistake, violation of etiquette

octoroon: p. 104, a person who is one-eighth Black.

pueblo: p. 107, a community dwelling up to five stories high built out of adobe by Indian tribes in the Southwest U.S.

goitre: p. 112, a non-cancerous enlargement of the thyroid, visible on the neck

mescal: p. 125, Mexican liquor fermented from the agave

viscose: p. 139, rayon—manufactured fabric

vestal: p. 144, chaste, pure, virgin

peritoneum: p. 146, membrane lining the abdominal walls

sonorous: p. 155, producing a full, deep or rich sound

brachylcephalic: p. 159, having a short, broad head

heretical: p. 173, departure from established beliefs or standards

sepulchral: p. 176, suggestive of the grave; funereal

abstemious: p. 193, eating and drinking in moderation

strumpet: p. 194, prostitute, whore

moribund: p. 202, Approaching death; about to die

derision: p. 210, contempt; ridicule

impunity: p. 219, exempt from punishment

postulates: p. 236, basic principles

copse: p. 247, a thicket of small trees or shrubs

turpitude: p. 258, depravity, baseness, moral corruption

Aldous Huxley Brief Biography

photo from somaweb.org

Aldous Huxley

British Novelist
1894-1963




Key facts:

• Grandfather and brother were biologists


• Educated at Eton and Oxford


• Nearly blind so learned Braille


• Published travel books, poems, novels, plays and essays


• Huxley’s style is known for its brilliant dialogue, cynicism, and social criticism.


• Brave New World, first published in 1932, is a dark vision of a highly technological future society.


• Married twice; had one son


• “Huxley scandalized millions” (Malcolm X)

Read more about Huxley on Wikipedia or at somaweb.org (a website devoted to exploring Huxley and his works complete with a discussion board).

To view a brief video of Huxley himself discussing Brave New World, click here.

Brave New World Castes

Huxley uses the Greek alphabet to name the castes of people in Brave New World.

Caste and Color

alpha = grey

beta = mulberry

gamma = green

delta = khaki

epsilon = black

Brave New World Online

Thanks to Matt E. in second hour for pointing out that Online versions of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World exist. If you ever misplace your book, you can simply click here and scroll down to the assigned nightly chapter(s) to keep up with the class.

Happy reading!

Newsweek's "What You Need to Know Now"

Remember to read Newsweek's article "What You Need to Know Now" and change your anticipation guide to reflect the correct answers according to Newsweek and their authors.

If you can't locate your copy of the Newsweek article, read it online.

If you want to take the entire Newsweek Quiz, click here.

Below are the Anticipation Guide statements:

1. A definitive list of what Americans should know exists on Newsweek.com and in E.D. Hirsch’s book, Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know.
2. We cannot thrive in the world today if we do not know what people love and hate.
3. James Joyce based his book Ulysses on Virgil’s The Aeneid.
4. Buddhism in its earliest form is atheistic.
5. The White Album by The Beatles beat out Michael Jackson’s Thriller as the top-selling music album in history.
6. There will be about 10 million bloggers by the end of 2007.
7. The major religions of the world are essentially alike.
8. Picasso created the most important work of art of the last 100 years.
9. Ann Coulter outsells Jane Austen in 2007.
   
   

To continue the debate on whether you agree or disagree with some of the open-ended statements on the anticipation guide, click on the comments below.

Solzhenitsyn's One Great Heart

photo from gulaghistory.org


If you would like to read more of Solzhenitsyn's thoughts on World Literature, click here. If you scroll down to section 7 of Solzhenitsyn's lecture, you will find the excerpt we read from our textbook, "One Great Heart."

To learn more about Solzhenitsyn's life, visit the Nobel Prize Internet Archive.

Bubble Map Paragraph: Roehl Seeing Green

After completing your bubble map, draft one paragraph that details one of your adjectives. Remember to concentrate on one adjective to give focus to the paragraph. The typed paragraph is due on Thursday along with your completed bubble map and double bubble classmate comparison.



Roehl's sample paragraph is below.

Roehl Seeing Green

Having grown up on a farm in Medina, I have an affinity for rich, black soil laced with a little cow manure. Such a garden that yields the juiciest tomato or the tenderest ear of corn is a thing of beauty. However, my small yard in St. Louis Park doesn't afford me the space for a large vegetable garden, so I supplement my longing for my farming anscestory by belonging to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. My CSA farmer Richard delivers one box of fresh, organic vegetables each week for my family to enjoy. I make an awesome chocholate zuchinni cake and a beans and greens dish sure to please the most sophisticated Italian pallate. Richard also provides my family with organic fruit that he gets from his farming friends on the West Coast and in Mexico. For nine months out of the year my produce needs are met by this buying locally, biodyamically earth friendly CSA method which allows my family to know we are being as green as possible where groceries are concerned. I have taken this green philosophy to other areas of my life. This past summer I began mowing my lawn with a reel mower; that's the type of push mower that's powered only by humans. Although the reel mower might not leave the most manicured lawn, I enjoy the quiet, peaceful mowing experience that saves gas and carbon emissions. Speaking of emissions, I have also reduced my clothes dryer emissions this summer by hanging most of my family's laundry on the line. While my family was in Spain for three weeks last year, I noticed that most, if not all, Spanish families hang their clothes on the line from their apartment windows. I figured that if they can do it without a backyard, then I was being wasteful of the planet's resources my using a machine to dry my clothes, a machine that also pumps emissions into the atmosphere. Although being green takes a lot of work, I am glad that I have taken a few simple steps to reduce my carbon footprint.

Thinking Maps: A Common Language for Learning

Give students a thought and they'll learn for a day.

Teach them to think, and they'll learn for a lifetime.

Motto from Thinking Maps, Inc.

Thinking Maps provide a common language for teachers and students to use to discuss metacognition--thinking about your thinking. When students create a Thinking Map, other students and the teacher can clearly and explicity see what was going on in the student's brain.

Regarding research behind the maps, Thinking Maps, Inc., explains why the maps work on their website. Here's a summary from their website:

"Thinking Maps® have assisted many educators and students with the learning process. By linking a visual pattern to specific thought processes, Thinking Maps® enable students to develop neural networks for thinking that the brain recognizes and builds on continuously. Thinking Maps® enhance the student's ability to independently transfer thinking skills to content learning across disciplines and to lifelong learning. Through repetition, consistency and extension, the use of Thinking Maps® strengthens networks for thinking which in turn enhance the brain's natural ability as a pattern detector."

Thinking Map, Inc.'s website also includes data from schools across the country who have improved standardized test scores since implementing Thinking Maps.

David Hyerle developed Thinking Maps using the brain research of Art Costa, Al Upton and Robert Marzano. Hyerle summarizes research into the successes of Thinking Maps that is found in his book Student Successes with Thinking Maps. For more information explore Hyerle's website, mapthemind.com.

Even more research on student successes with Thinking Maps can be found at Thinking Foundation's website.


One question that students always ask is: Do bubble, double bubble, and circle maps really need to be circles?


The answer is YES. Since the Thinking Maps are a common language and since the brain is a pattern detector, students and teachers need to keep seeing the same shapes and format for the maps. Some students may believe that strict adherence to these shapes and forms is ridiculous and make circle and bubble maps with squares. However, to use the maps to their optimum benefit, the brain needs to detect these common language patterns. Consistency is the key!

bubble map from thinkingmaps.com

Cooperative Education Base Group Communities

I will place citizen scholars in base group communities. The purpose of these communities is to work cooperatively on focused activities, allow for peer coaching, keep each other informed of work missed when absent, and to have a safe and comfortable classroom community. I will change the base group communities throughout the semester.

I believe that working in base groups furthers my vision of Know Your World because a major part of knowing the world is knowing how to get along with one another. Roger and David Johnson, University of Minnesota brothers and professors, who are key players in the cooperative education movement, give the following reasons for cooperative education in the 21st Century Classroom:

• The world is increasingly characterized by interdependence, conflict and rapid change.
• We live in a complex, interconnected world in which cultures collide.
• The solution to most problems cannot be achieved by one country alone.
• People need to learn to resolve conflicts within cooperative systems.
  

Work Respect Belong

Our classroom community will function more smoothly if we all follow the maxim: Work, Respect, Belong. Each class will determine what those words mean specifically in a cooperative education classroom where base group members rely on each other for success.

Copies of Brave New World Needed

photo from Amazon.com

The edition most students will read has this cover.

Last spring, the English department predicted only three sections of World Literature based on registration numbers. However, course changes over the summer resulted in adding a fourth section of World Literature. Nearly 30 students decided to switch to World Literature from other senior electives in June alone. Although I am excited for the increased enrollment, I did not budget for those enrollment numbers during the book ordering process last spring.

Therefore, the school finds itself short 30 copies of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, which students begin reading on September 10. So please consider purchasing your own copy of the book for your personal library. You won't regret it! Not only will you help out the class by being a good citizen, but also you will be able to mark your book, keeping track of key thematic quotations, summarizing events at the top of key pages, and creating a character tree map in the front cover. Just think how excited you will be if you are assigned Brave New World in college and your book already holds many of the answers.

Students have found copies of Brave New World for as low as $2 at Half Price Books in Miracle Mile Shopping Center, and used copies of our class's exact edition go for $4 on Amazon.com.

Class Supplies

photo from school-pak, inc.

World Literature students use a single subject, composition notebook to showcase all of their thinking and activities in World Literature. Notebooks need to be in class every day as notebook participation points are given on a regular basis. Use a Sharpie to write your name on the notebook and bring it to class every day starting Thursday, September 6.

Fully prepared students also come to class with a pen, pencil, highlighter, glue stick, and post-it notes. And outstanding citizens of Room 271 donate Kleenex and scissors for the common good.

Blog Comments and Cyber Bullying

Remember that this blog is an extension of our classroom, so every comment that you write needs to follow our established class rules around the words Work--Respect--Belong.

All of your comments and posted images need to be appropriate.

Here's a quick video reminder about the negative effects of cyber bullying.

Also, posting comments as someone else is also considered cyber bullying. Be respectful!

Know Your World

Congratulations on selecting World Literature for your senior English class!

I hope that you will not only enjoy learning about what the world loves and hates through the literature we study this year, but also that you will leave Edina High School a little bit more prepared to succeed in the increasingly connected global society.

My vision statement for you this year is for you to leave my classroom each day having learned at least one thing, no matter how small, about the world you live in. Each day I will write an essential question for you to consider on the classroom white board, but that question will just be the beginning of your exploration each day. I want you to challenge yourself to take your study of the world even further. Read, talk, write, think, cooperate, and know your world!

My World Literature vision statement, Know Your World, aligns closely with Edina's mission statement.

The mission of the Edina Public Schools, working in partnership with the family and the community, is to educate individuals to be responsible, lifelong learners who possess the skills, knowledge, creativity, sense of self-worth, and ethical values necessary to survive and flourish in a rapidly changing, culturally diverse, global society.

Since World Literature is a senior only class, students discuss literature and its themes maturely and respectfully. I will also guide you in your quest to become an increasingly autonomous, adult learner so that you feel better prepared for life and school beyond Edina High School. Part of our time together will be spent on how you learn; I won't just rush you through the course content.

This year I will also challenge your notion of what the word literature means. A quick scan of our common textbook, World Masterpieces, reveals that world literature goes beyond novels, poems, play, and short stories to also explore the realms of philosophy, religion, and the arts. To strive for cultural literacy today, I feel that you need to expand your notion of literature, so during the fall semester, you will encounter "texts" beyond the traditional English class genres.

You will notice in the World Literature I course overview, that fall semester also covers a quick study of the five major religions of the world--Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Students who took World History should have a strong academic background in the five religions; however, we will do a quick review so that our class will have a common understanding of ideas to discuss issues around birth, life and death in a comparative religions framework.

In case you were wondering, studying religion in a public high school is not a violation of church and state laws. The Supreme Court has ruled that public schools may not sponsor religious practices but may teach about religion. (Engel v. Vitale (1962) 370 U.S. 421.) This serves the academic goals of educating students about history and cultures.

You can watch the Did You Know? video again. Just click on the video title. It's a link.

Course Essential Question

Click the "comments" link below to post your answer to this World Lit essential question:

What do you need to know to be a successful citizen and happy human being after you graduate from high school?

World Lit II Course Overview

World Lit II examines the essential question: How do humans express themselves through their political and personal relationships?

Full Class Novel
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

War Poetry
“A Song on the End of the World,” by Czeslaw Milosz
“Apathy” by Martin Niemoller
“The Moon at the Fortified Pass” by Li Po.
“Everything is Plundered” and “I am not one of Those Who Left the Land” by Anna Akhmatova
“A Call to Arms” by Callinus paired with Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est”
“Russia 1812” from Victor Hugo’s The Expiation
“The Diameter of the Bomb” by Yehuda Amichai
“Civilian and Soldier” by Wole Soyinka
“Thoughts of Hanoi” by Nguyen Thi Vinh

Political Short Stories/Excerpts
“Pericles’ Funeral Oration” from History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides
“Two Friends” by Guy de Maupassant
Anton Chekhov’s “The Bet”
“Tribal Scars or The Voltaique” by Ousmane Sembene
“The Ultimate Safari” by Nadine Gordimer

Choice Novel Unit
Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
July’s People by Nadine Gordimer
Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya
Waiting by Jin Ha

Political and Personal Relationships Through Drama
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
Othello by William Shakespeare
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen

Political and Personal Relationships through film (and excerpts):
Lagaan
Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Love poetry and short stories as time allows.