Yikes!! The office supply cabinet is nearly out of magic markers and only three colors remain. To make all of our Thinking Map posters, A to Z lists, and other signs, we will be nearly out of markers soon. Besides, with Tommy, Luigi and Jack in first hour, I am afraid that we will all be doing a lot of "black boxing," and the office is out of black markers.
Brian brought up a valid point yesterday. Brian argued that good citizens who donate to a needy cause get a tax deduction, so that good citizens of room 271 should have some incentive for donating Kleenex, scissors, glue sticks and markers. I'll consider suggestions for rewards that you leave on the comments section of the post.
Showing posts with label course overview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label course overview. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
World Lit II Course Overview
World Lit II examines the essential question: How do humans express themselves through their political and personal relationships?
Atwood and Austen
In February we will read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and view the hot new Kiera Knightley re-make of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Political and personal concepts studied during this unit include women's roles, oppression, civil liberties, sexism, censorship, religious fanaticism, the death penalty, love and war. We will also make thematic connections to short stories and poetry in the World Masterpieces textbook. For a list of potential poems and short stories, click here.
Choice Unit
In March students pick one of the following novels to read:
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
This choice unit continues to explore many of the concepts introduced in The Handmaid's Tale, and book clubs discuss how people survive political upheavals while maintaining their personal relationships. Poetry and short stories centering on issues of love, war and politics round out the choice unit.
With March also comes a World Lit all-time favorite--the Bollywood blockbuster Lagaan. 99% of World Lit students love this film. In fact, whenever I run into past World Lit students, they ask me if I have shown Lagaan yet. A few years ago a bunch of World Lit boys, inspired by this film, even started playing cricket on Sunday afternoons at an Edina park.
Politics and Relationships in Plays
During the Fourth Quarter World Lit students will not only read the following plays (either in their entirety or excerpts), but also see the dramas come to life through film. The guiding question for this drama unit is: What are the personal and societal obstacles that people must overcome to have a successful marriage/committed relationship?
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
Othello by William Shakespeare
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Work, Respect, Belong
Our classroom community will function more smoothly if we all follow the maxim: Work, Respect, Belong. In a cooperative education classroom group members rely on each other, so everyone must be individually accountable. Groups get along best when everyone does his or her part and when everyone reads the assignments.
Classroom Supplies
World Literature students use a single subject, composition notebook to showcase their thinking and writing in World Literature. Notebooks need to be in class every day as 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, January 31.
Fully prepared students also come to class each day with a pen, pencil, highlighter, glue stick, and post-it notes.
Outstanding citizens of Room 271 donate Kleenex, markers, glue sticks and scissors for the common good.
Atwood and Austen
In February we will read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and view the hot new Kiera Knightley re-make of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Political and personal concepts studied during this unit include women's roles, oppression, civil liberties, sexism, censorship, religious fanaticism, the death penalty, love and war. We will also make thematic connections to short stories and poetry in the World Masterpieces textbook. For a list of potential poems and short stories, click here.
Choice Unit
In March students pick one of the following novels to read:
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
This choice unit continues to explore many of the concepts introduced in The Handmaid's Tale, and book clubs discuss how people survive political upheavals while maintaining their personal relationships. Poetry and short stories centering on issues of love, war and politics round out the choice unit.
With March also comes a World Lit all-time favorite--the Bollywood blockbuster Lagaan. 99% of World Lit students love this film. In fact, whenever I run into past World Lit students, they ask me if I have shown Lagaan yet. A few years ago a bunch of World Lit boys, inspired by this film, even started playing cricket on Sunday afternoons at an Edina park.
Politics and Relationships in Plays
During the Fourth Quarter World Lit students will not only read the following plays (either in their entirety or excerpts), but also see the dramas come to life through film. The guiding question for this drama unit is: What are the personal and societal obstacles that people must overcome to have a successful marriage/committed relationship?
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
Othello by William Shakespeare
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Work, Respect, Belong
Our classroom community will function more smoothly if we all follow the maxim: Work, Respect, Belong. In a cooperative education classroom group members rely on each other, so everyone must be individually accountable. Groups get along best when everyone does his or her part and when everyone reads the assignments.
Classroom Supplies
World Literature students use a single subject, composition notebook to showcase their thinking and writing in World Literature. Notebooks need to be in class every day as 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, January 31.
Fully prepared students also come to class each day with a pen, pencil, highlighter, glue stick, and post-it notes.
Outstanding citizens of Room 271 donate Kleenex, markers, glue sticks and scissors for the common good.
Friday, September 14, 2007
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
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
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.
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.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, September 3, 2007
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:
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.comThe 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!
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
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.
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.
World Literature I Course Overview
World Literature I examines the essential question: How do science & technology, religion & philosophy and the arts (music, poetry and the fine arts) explain what it means to be human?
Science & Technology Unit
The guiding question for this unit is: What do religion and philosophy say about birth, life and death?
Music
Art
A detailed study of the life and works of Pablo Picasso with the film Surviving Picasso and excerpts of Francoise Gilot's memoir, My Life with Picasso, on which the film is based.
Poetry
Chinese Shih, Japanese Tanka and Haiku, Pablo Neruda and the film Il Postino, Sonnets, and Ekphrasic Poems (which intersect art and poetry).
Science & Technology Unit
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- Selections from Alexander Solzhenitsyn, W.H. Auden, Shu Ting and Stanislaw Lem
The guiding question for this unit is: What do religion and philosophy say about birth, life and death?
- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
- Short selections from Patterns of Religion, Plato, Blaise Pascal, Dante, Rumi, Albert Camus
- Religious texts--Genesis, Pslams, Upanishads, Rig Veda, Bhagavad-Gita, Koran
Student Choice Unit
Guiding Question: What does your choice novel say about being human in terms of science, religion, philosophy, art, music and poetry?
- Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
- Last Summer of Reason by Tahar Dajout and “Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka
- Life of Pi by Yann Martel
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Snow by Orhan Pamuk
Music
- Thomas Mann's short story "The Infant Prodigy"
- The story "How Siegried was Slain" compared to Richard Wagner's opera.
- Hip Hop--Bryonn Bain and Ed Bok Lee
Art
A detailed study of the life and works of Pablo Picasso with the film Surviving Picasso and excerpts of Francoise Gilot's memoir, My Life with Picasso, on which the film is based.
Poetry
Chinese Shih, Japanese Tanka and Haiku, Pablo Neruda and the film Il Postino, Sonnets, and Ekphrasic Poems (which intersect art and poetry).
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