For Monday, April 11, 2016
These questions are from the sheet you discussed today in groups--so if you are thinking, "Hey, these look familiar!,"you are right! Be sure to include evidence from the story to support your responses.
Period 5
Group 1: Choose ONE of the following characters and discuss his or her symbolic significance in the novel: Meursault, The Arab, The Priest, Marie.
Group 2: Choose ONE of the following characters and discuss his or her symbolic significance in the novel: Raymond, Salamano (and his dog), Maman, The Robot Woman.
Group 3: As an outsider looking in on Mersault, what reasons for the events do YOU see? Why do you think the events (of the crime) unfold as they do?
Group 4: Do you think Meursault ever felt remorse for his crime?
Group 5: What do you think is the most impactful/important quote of the ENTIRE novel in terms of existential philosophy? Include this quote at the beginning of your response, then explain your reasoning.
Period 7
Group 1: Choose one of the following characters and discuss his or her symbolic significance in the novel: Meursault, The Arab, The Priest, Marie.
Group 2: Choose ONE of the following characters and discuss his or her symbolic significance in the novel: Raymond, Salamano (and his dog), Maman, The Robot Woman.
Group 3: As an outsider looking in on Mersault, what reasons for the events do YOU see? Why do you think the events (of the crime) unfold as they do?
Group 4: What do you think is the most impactful/important quote of the ENTIRE novel in terms of existential philosophy? Include this quote at the beginning of your response, then explain your reasoning.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Stranger/No Exit Blogging Topics
Look for your group # and respond to that question for the date indicated.
For Friday 4/1
Often Existential themes in literature and film appear in the form of characters experiencing and "existential crisis" of some type. These themes go way back, all the way back, to the earliest stories -- Gilgamesh when Enkidu dies; Achilles when he faces his own impending death; Hamlet when his father dies, his mother remarries, and he, himself, is denied the throne -- but they are even more prevalent in contemporary literature, and you'll quickly learn to see the influence in all kinds of pop culture, such as the darker versions of Batman, Daniel Craig's 007...anywhere, it would seem, where the protagonist is stripped of his or her most basic assumptions, faces the absurdity of existence, and asks "what's it all about?"
The following statements are from the packet. First tell whether you agree with the statement or not, then thoroughly explain why. (200-300 words--I'm giving you this word count because I know you did not have a lot of time to prepare for this and you have other homework tonight. You are welcome to write more than this, but hopefully, this helps ease your mind a bit.)
Period 5
Group 1: Whether or not God exists is irrelevant because of free will.
Group 2: Day to day existence is filled with anxiety and fear.
Group 3: Political philosophies, religious dogma, societal beliefs are irrelevant to me and do not define me.
Group 4: The idea that I am born into a particular time, place, family, and economic environment is absurd.
Group 5: Ultimately, I am alone in this world, alienated from everything that attempts to define me.
Period 7
Group 1: When I am born, I am undefined without any prior essence or preconceived personality or soul.
Group 2: In life, I must make choices regardless of what’s best for others. I can only choose what’s best for me.
Group 3: Society cultivates deception and hypocrisy.
Group 4: My most authentic moment in life is death.
____________________________________________________________
For Tuesday 4/5
Period 5
Group 1: In what ways can Sisyphus be seen as a universal figure?
Group 2: Camus uses the imperative, saying “We must imagine [Sisyphus] happy?” Why this word "must"? What implications does this suggest for human beings?
Group 3: Why does Camus ultimately opt for defiance over self-sacrifice? How is this stance noble, even heroic?
Group 4: How does man’s encounter with the absurd change his perspective?
Group 5: Why does Camus see philosophical suicide as undesirable, and can one possibly avoid it?
Period 7
Group 1: Camus uses the imperative, saying “We must imagine [Sisyphus] happy?” Why this word "must"? What implications does this suggest for human beings?
Group 2: Why does Camus ultimately opt for defiance over self-sacrifice? How is this stance noble, even heroic?
Group 3: Why does Camus see philosophical suicide as undesirable, and can one possibly avoid it?
Group 4: In what ways can Sisyphus be seen as a universal figure?
____________________________________________________________
For Thursday 4/7
Period 5
Group 1: Pick two characters, from Part 1, and discuss what are the various effects of isolation on these characters throughout this section?
Group 2: Weather and its effect on the motivations of characters or foreshadowing plot events in Part 1.
Group 3: What’s the difference between indifference and acceptance in Part 1 of the novel.
Group 4: We see several relationships dominate Part I. Pick ONE such relationship (Salamano & his dog; Marie & Mersault; Raymond & Mersault, etc.) What ties these individuals together? Do you think this relationship is true or valid?
Group 5: Absurdist philosophy—how does it play out in this portion of the novel? What other information from the "Founding Fathers of Existentialism" can you connect to the novel so far?
Period 7
Group 1: Pick two characters, from Part 1, and discuss what are the various effects of isolation on these characters throughout this section?
Group 2: Weather and its effect on the motivations of characters or foreshadowing plot events in Part 1.
Group 3: What’s the difference between indifference and acceptance in Part 1 of the novel.
Group 4: We see several relationships dominate Part I. Pick ONE such relationship (Salamano & his dog; Marie & Mersault; Raymond & Mersault, etc.) What ties these individuals together? Do you think this relationship is true or valid?
____________________________________________________________
For
Period 5
Group 1:
Group 2:
Group 3:
Group 4:
Group 5:
Period 7
Group 1:
Group 2:
Group 3:
Group 4:
For Friday 4/1
Often Existential themes in literature and film appear in the form of characters experiencing and "existential crisis" of some type. These themes go way back, all the way back, to the earliest stories -- Gilgamesh when Enkidu dies; Achilles when he faces his own impending death; Hamlet when his father dies, his mother remarries, and he, himself, is denied the throne -- but they are even more prevalent in contemporary literature, and you'll quickly learn to see the influence in all kinds of pop culture, such as the darker versions of Batman, Daniel Craig's 007...anywhere, it would seem, where the protagonist is stripped of his or her most basic assumptions, faces the absurdity of existence, and asks "what's it all about?"
The following statements are from the packet. First tell whether you agree with the statement or not, then thoroughly explain why. (200-300 words--I'm giving you this word count because I know you did not have a lot of time to prepare for this and you have other homework tonight. You are welcome to write more than this, but hopefully, this helps ease your mind a bit.)
Period 5
Group 1: Whether or not God exists is irrelevant because of free will.
Group 2: Day to day existence is filled with anxiety and fear.
Group 3: Political philosophies, religious dogma, societal beliefs are irrelevant to me and do not define me.
Group 4: The idea that I am born into a particular time, place, family, and economic environment is absurd.
Group 5: Ultimately, I am alone in this world, alienated from everything that attempts to define me.
Period 7
Group 1: When I am born, I am undefined without any prior essence or preconceived personality or soul.
Group 2: In life, I must make choices regardless of what’s best for others. I can only choose what’s best for me.
Group 3: Society cultivates deception and hypocrisy.
Group 4: My most authentic moment in life is death.
____________________________________________________________
For Tuesday 4/5
Period 5
Group 1: In what ways can Sisyphus be seen as a universal figure?
Group 2: Camus uses the imperative, saying “We must imagine [Sisyphus] happy?” Why this word "must"? What implications does this suggest for human beings?
Group 3: Why does Camus ultimately opt for defiance over self-sacrifice? How is this stance noble, even heroic?
Group 4: How does man’s encounter with the absurd change his perspective?
Group 5: Why does Camus see philosophical suicide as undesirable, and can one possibly avoid it?
Period 7
Group 1: Camus uses the imperative, saying “We must imagine [Sisyphus] happy?” Why this word "must"? What implications does this suggest for human beings?
Group 2: Why does Camus ultimately opt for defiance over self-sacrifice? How is this stance noble, even heroic?
Group 3: Why does Camus see philosophical suicide as undesirable, and can one possibly avoid it?
Group 4: In what ways can Sisyphus be seen as a universal figure?
____________________________________________________________
For Thursday 4/7
Period 5
Group 1: Pick two characters, from Part 1, and discuss what are the various effects of isolation on these characters throughout this section?
Group 2: Weather and its effect on the motivations of characters or foreshadowing plot events in Part 1.
Group 3: What’s the difference between indifference and acceptance in Part 1 of the novel.
Group 4: We see several relationships dominate Part I. Pick ONE such relationship (Salamano & his dog; Marie & Mersault; Raymond & Mersault, etc.) What ties these individuals together? Do you think this relationship is true or valid?
Group 5: Absurdist philosophy—how does it play out in this portion of the novel? What other information from the "Founding Fathers of Existentialism" can you connect to the novel so far?
Period 7
Group 1: Pick two characters, from Part 1, and discuss what are the various effects of isolation on these characters throughout this section?
Group 2: Weather and its effect on the motivations of characters or foreshadowing plot events in Part 1.
Group 3: What’s the difference between indifference and acceptance in Part 1 of the novel.
Group 4: We see several relationships dominate Part I. Pick ONE such relationship (Salamano & his dog; Marie & Mersault; Raymond & Mersault, etc.) What ties these individuals together? Do you think this relationship is true or valid?
____________________________________________________________
For
Period 5
Group 1:
Group 2:
Group 3:
Group 4:
Group 5:
Period 7
Group 1:
Group 2:
Group 3:
Group 4:
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Stranger Danger
You guys, I'm so sorry that I don't have the blog groups ready yet. I'll have it ready by tomorrow (3/31) in the morning! Be patient with me.
xoxo
Mrs. M
xoxo
Mrs. M
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Chronicle of a Death Foretold
TASKS
- Kitty
Genovese Activity—In
your journals, write three questions using the following parameters: WE
WILL BE DISCUSSING THESE IN CLASS!
a)
CLOSE-ENDED
QUESTION: Write a question about the
text that will help everyone in the class come to an agreement about events or
characters in the articles. This type of
question usually has a “correct” answer.
b)
OPEN-ENDED
QUESTION: Write an insightful question
about the articles that will require proof and group discussion and
“construction of logic” to discover or explore the answer to the question.
c)
WORLD
CONNECTION QUESTION: Write a question
connecting these news stories to your world.
(How does this affect the way you see the world, how you might react,
how you look at other events you read and experience?)
- Magical
Realism: Write a paragraph of what you understand
magical realism to be. What’s the
definition? Why is it used? What’s its history? Also, add any questions you still may
have after reading the article.
- Make
a collection of cryptic quotes
(quotes that have more than one possible interpretation.) Find at least 2
from each chapter, and provide your best interpretation with each
one. You can do this through
post-in noting if you’d like, but be able to get to them quickly for
discussion!
BLOGGING:
Because
we want you to be ready to actively participate in each group’s chapter presentation,
you’ll need to be finished re-reading the book by the day each group
presents. Thus, you’ll see on the
calendar that there are some days you are required to blog on TWO chapters. As a result, we moved the blog COMMENTING
until the end. Some days you will have
two posts—but you will not ALSO have to comment those days. The total count is this: five blog posts—one
per chapter—and TWO replies (to be done after you’ve re-read the entire
book)=SEVEN TOTAL ENTRIES (to be completed on time, of course).
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
Blog Groups, Blogging, Journaling, and Calendar!
For
our discussion/reading of A Doll’s House,
you will be reading the play in small groups.
As you read, you will be post-it-noting, discussing, and analyzing. Doing well with that part will help with your
blogging and journals immensely! We will
also be having small and large group discussions—as always! J
For
Doll’s House blogging, you have
specific instructions each night! Please
refer to your calendar. You will blog
WITH your reading group. To keep your
“finger on the pulse of the class,” you will reply ONLY to posts from OTHER
groups in your same class period. This will allow you to pay attention to
reading the comments from people who are NOT in your reading group. Are they talking about the same things your
group is talking about? Find interesting
things to bring up with YOUR group the next day.
Post-it
noting: make sure you STOP at the end of every few pages and mark down things
which you think are worth of post-it-noting!
The groups are as follows:
PERIOD 5
GROUP
1: Morgan, Cullen, Jack, Bella
GROUP
2: Al, Katja, Emily, Felix
GROUP
3: Maleane, Hajir, Elicia, Rishi
GROUP
4: Dante, Eirik, Brittany, Katie
GROUP
5:, Adam, Sarah
G., Nam, Cyan
GROUP
6: Kaelin, Nick, Abhi, Esther
GROUP
7: Noah, Justin, Kaleelah, Gabrielle , Dan
GROUP
8: Isaac, Issabell, McKenna
P., Ariel
GROUP
9: Sarah
P., Zeyad, Jared, Avery
PERIOD 7
GROUP
1: Karim, Andrea, Ana, Rebekah
GROUP
2: Jessica, Brady, Diana, Chris
GROUP
3: Kelly, Kylie, Delfina, Sophia, Jin
GROUP
4: Maya, Kaylee, Thomas, Molly
GROUP
5: Alicia, Casey, Amber, Kris
GROUP
6: Holly, Nathan, Gabriela, Rachel
GROUP
7: Elise, Laurel, Elliot, McKenna
Z.
Doll’s House Calendar—Ballard/Murai—IB
English HL I—2016 ODD DAY CALENDAR
|
2/1
Semester
Two Expectations
Receive
Vocab List #7
Begin
A Doll’s House:
Ibsen
Intro & Victorian Era
Discussion
“Dressing
the Scene”
Calendar/Blog
Requirements
HW: Finish “Dressing the Scene”
|
2/2 (ext ½)
|
2/3
Share
“Dressing the scene”
Finish
PPT Victorian Period
Begin
reading groups
HW: Blog on something you found
interesting while reading/discussing today from ACT I AND comment on a post from another group (in your class period)
|
2/4
(ext 3/adv)
|
2/5
Continue
Reading A Doll’s House in groups
Act
One Questions
HW: Post on something interesting
you discussed/ read in class today from Act I or II AND comment on a post from another group (in your class period).
|
|
2/8
(ext 4/5)
5th
Extended: Receive College Presentation
information
|
2/9
Vocab
Test 7
New
Vocab List Whip
Continue
Reading in groups
HW: Choose a specific QUOTE
you found interesting from ACT II and post on that quote. What made it so interesting? Why is it important to the play? Don’t neglect literary devices! AND comment on a post from another
group (in your class period)
|
2/10
(ext 6/7)
7th
Extended: Receive College Presentation
information
|
2/11
Continue
A Doll’s House
Should
be reading ACT II – III by now in groups
Beginning
of Act Three discussion questions
HW: Post on something interesting
you talked about today in your group from Act III AND comment on a post from another group (in your class period)
|
2/12
(Advisory 90)
|
|
2/15
NO SCHOOL
PRESIDENT’S DAY HOLIDAY! J
|
2/16
Cont.
reading the play. You should be close
to being done!
HW: Post on something you found
interesting from the play AND
comment on a post from another group (in your class period). ALSO work on the
TWO paper journal responses. Prepare for fishbowl!
|
2/17
(ext ½)
|
2/18
FISHBOWL
HW: Prepare for the test/reflective
statement
|
2/19
(ext 3/cram the cage)
|
|
2/22
DOLL’S HOUSE TEST
HW:
prepare for supervised write
|
2/23
(ext 4/5)
Extended
5th: Counselor Visit?
|
2/24
Doll’s House Supervised Write
REFLECTIVE STATEMENT DUE
|
2/25
(ext 6/7)
|
2/26
|
|
2/29
(ext ½)
Start Chronicle of Death Foretold
|
3/1
Counselor Visit?
|
3/2
(advisory 90)
|
3/3
|
3/4
|
CHOOSE
TWO OF THE FOLLOWING AND RESPOND TO THEM IN YOUR PAPER JOURNAL. EACH SHOULD BE ROUGHLY ONE PAGE HAND-WRITTEN:
1. Many readers find Nora an
admirable character for having the courage to make a radical change in her
life. However, one question that must be considered in evaluating her character
is this one: Was she right to abandon her children?
- Research
the life of Ibsen, then discuss whether he would defend male preeminence
in in the home or advocate equality between spouses. You might be
surprised by what your research turns up.
- Why
did Ibsen include Dr. Rank in the play? What purpose does he serve?
- Does
Torvald have any redeeming qualities?
Interactive Oral and Supervised
Writing
Remember, the Interactive Oral is
a discussion that will be graded on participation that the whole class will
have at the end of the unit. We will
structure it in a way that allows everyone the opportunity to participate.
After the Interactive Oral will be the “Supervised Write.” This is an in-class writing that will be
based upon the Interactive Oral and all the information and insights you glean
from discussion.
Later
in the semester, you will be writing the “Written Assignment” based on at one
of the works we read this semester. The
topic for this paper MUST come from the Supervised Writings you do. If you are not in class for the Interactive
Oral, you cannot use that particular work for the Written Assignment. I’m
telling you this now so that you realize how important your attendance is (if
you already didn’t know! J). Plus, making up an “interactive oral” is very
difficult, if not impossible. So it’s
not great for your grade, either!
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Blog Groups for Taming of the Shrew
Sorry I took so long putting this on the blog! Thank you to Rebekah and Laurel for helping me remember to do this! I appreciate you all! You are the best!
Period 5
Group 1: Mckenna Z., Esther, Gabrielle, Avery, Abhi, Katie, Ariel and Jared
Group 2: Ariel, Zeyad, McKenna P., Ellie, Cyan, Sarah, and Nam
Group 3: Ethan, Kaleelah, Chris, Issabell, Sam, Elicia, and Issac
Group 4: Justin, Sophia, Casey, Noah, Kaelin, Brittany, and Emily
Group 5: Hajir, Eirik, Dante, Maleane, Brady, Katja, Al, and Morgan
ŸPeriod 7
Group 1: Felix, Bella, Laurel, Elliot, Rebekah, Nick, and Rishi
Group 2: Gabriela, Delfina, Rachel, Kris, Jack, Molly and Ana
Group 3: Amber, Nathan, Holly, Kaylee, Jin, Stephan, and Thomas
Group 4: Alica, Sarah, Maya, Adam, Kylie, Kelly and Kaiden
Group 5: Diana, Jessica, Andrea, Dan, Karim, and Cullen
Period 5
Group 1: Mckenna Z., Esther, Gabrielle, Avery, Abhi, Katie, Ariel and Jared
Group 2: Ariel, Zeyad, McKenna P., Ellie, Cyan, Sarah, and Nam
Group 3: Ethan, Kaleelah, Chris, Issabell, Sam, Elicia, and Issac
Group 4: Justin, Sophia, Casey, Noah, Kaelin, Brittany, and Emily
Group 5: Hajir, Eirik, Dante, Maleane, Brady, Katja, Al, and Morgan
ŸPeriod 7
Group 1: Felix, Bella, Laurel, Elliot, Rebekah, Nick, and Rishi
Group 2: Gabriela, Delfina, Rachel, Kris, Jack, Molly and Ana
Group 3: Amber, Nathan, Holly, Kaylee, Jin, Stephan, and Thomas
Group 4: Alica, Sarah, Maya, Adam, Kylie, Kelly and Kaiden
Group 5: Diana, Jessica, Andrea, Dan, Karim, and Cullen
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Taming of the Shrew
IB
English Classroom Blog
Blog
Instructions:
Make
sure you are following the directions on the Blog handout that is attached to
your syllabus and the directions below:
Blog
entries for each reading assignment are due the NIGHT BEFORE you have
class. For example, your first blog post
will need to be completed Sunday night 9/19 since we have class on Monday 9/20. You will earn a COMPLETION grade for
these--only posts completed ON TIME will be counted. Remember, the blog will "date and time
stamp" your entries so I will know if your post was, in fact, completed on
time.
At the
end of the unit, you will pick two of your posts to be turned in at the end of
the semester to be evaluated for a CONTENT grade. Only posts completed ON TIME (see above) are
eligible to be submitted.
For each
reading assignment you will be expected to find and respond to ONE PASSAGE from
the novel/play. You need to include the
passage (cite it correctly) and then write a 250-300 word analysis of the
quote. Go beyond the surface. Discuss the significance of the passage to
the chapter or novel as a whole, OR go in-depth and do a close-reading of the
passage to discuss the techniques Hesse uses AND the effect these have on YOU,
the reader! Remember to use your DIDLS
and SCASI notes to guide your analysis!
Also,
you will be required to RESPOND to 2 of your group members’ posts. Your responses should be 100-150 words in
length. In order to do this thoughtfully
and well, we’d like you to try using these sentence starters to help get you
started. Here they are. . .
· My idea is similar to (piggybacks on, is
like, complements, etc) your idea. For
example. . .
· We both think that ____________. However, I also think _____________ .
Evidence from the text to support this is . . .
· You make a very good point about
______________ . However, I’d like to argue that . . . .
· Another example from the text that would
also support your analysis is __________ .
I think this because . . .
· Your analysis is really interesting. It
made me think about (another section of the book, another text, a movie, an
experience I had, a story I heard on the news, the background presentation
about _______) because. . .
· I had a different reaction to this
passage. I think . . .
· The other literary
device/element/technique that I saw in this passage was __________. It affected mood and tone . . .
You will
be part of a blogging group--so it's easier to manage reading all those
posts! Remember your number when you
receive it--that is where you'll blog! :)
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