October 27, 2014 - October 31, 2014 Weekly Agenda for American Literature

Monday, October 27th:
1st Period:
Break into groups
Socratic Circle Discussion
The depth and breadth of your knowledge of the book and the depth of though you put into both your questions and answers will determine your grade.
The socratic discussion is worth 100 points.
Your questions are worth 100 points.
Your answers are worth 100 points.
Remember: all outstanding work will be due on October 29th.

2nd Period:
Read a brief excerpt from LAST NIGHT I DREAM OF PEACE.

Work on your essay
An additional essay topic is:
Compare and contrast Tim O'Brien's and Dang Thuy Tram's attitude towards the war.
The essay will be due on Tuesday, October 28th.

Remember: all outstanding work will be due on October 29th.

Tuesday, October 28th:
1st Period:
Socratic Circle Discussion
Break into groups and continue with the Socratic Circle Discussion

2nd Period:
Finish your essay and turn it in today.
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED Screenplay
Break into groups
Choose a scene from the book
Using standard screenplay format adapt your chapter into a dramatization
This will be due on Friday, October 1st.

Wednesday, October 29th:
1st Period:
All outstanding work is due today!
Read a brief excerpt from TONIGHT I DREAM OF PEACE
Go over the requirements for the culminating essay for THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
This essay will be due on Monday, November 3rd.

2nd Period:
All outstanding work is due today!
Work on THE THINGS THEY CARRIED screenplay
This will be due on Friday, October 31st.

Thursday, October 30th:
1st Period:
Work on the culminating essay for THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
The culminating essay for THE THINGS THEY CARRIED will be due on Monday, November 3rd.

2nd Period:
Work on THE THINGS THEY CARRIED screenplay
This will be due on Friday, October 31st.

Friday, October 31st:
1st Period:
Work on the culminating essay for THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
This will be due on Monday, November 3rd.

2nd Period:
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED screenplay is due today.
Be prepared to read it to class!

Heads up for next week:
Vocabulary Four will be assigned!
Forays into grammar next week!
Begin reading a new book!

October 20, 2014 - October 24, 2014 Weekly Schedule for 11th Grade English

Monday, October 20th:

1st Period:
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
The questions for "Ghost Soldier", which were given on Friday, October 17th,  will be due today. Please check last week's agenda and/or Engrade for the questions.

“Night Life”

Pages 219 - 224

Vocabulary:

Inert: inactive; unmovable;

Vouch: to attest to; to stand up for; to put in a good word for

Blunder: to stumble, to awkwardly get into a situation you didn’t meant to get into; to do something by mistake.

Euphemism: a more attractive or pleasant word or  phrase to disguise a less attractive or unpleasant word or phrase;  an example of this would be “I have to see a man about a horse” is a euphemism about going to the bathroom.

Questions:

1.     Why did the platoon call the night march “night life”? O’Brien says that it was a language trick. What did he mean by that?

2.     What effect was the night march having on Rat Kiley, the medic? 

3.     What did Rat Kiley tell Sanders he was seeing and thinking ?

4.     Do you think Rat Kiley’s position as medic had anything to do with his breakdown? 

5.     What did Rat Kiley say about the War? Who or what was the war really for?

6.     What did Rat Kiley wind up doing? Did the men blame him?

"Lives of the Dead"
Pages 225 - 234
Read and discuss

2nd Period:
Break into your groups; discuss your questions and answers
Begin the socratic circle

Tuesday, October 21th: 

1st Period:
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

“Night Life”

Pages 219 - 224
Review "Night Life"; vocabulary, and questions

Vocabulary:

Inert: inactive; unmovable;

Vouch: to attest to; to stand up for; to put in a good word for

Blunder: to stumble, to awkwardly get into a situation you didn’t meant to get into; to do something by mistake.

Euphemism: a more attractive or pleasant word or  phrase to disguise a less attractive or unpleasant word or phrase;  an example of this would be “I have to see a man about a horse” is a euphemism about going to the bathroom.

Questions:

1.     Why did the platoon call the night march “night life”? O’Brien says that it was a language trick. What did he mean by that?

2.     What effect was the night march having on Rat Kiley, the medic? 

3.     What did Rat Kiley tell Sanders he was seeing and thinking ?

4.     Do you think Rat Kiley’s position as medic had anything to do with his breakdown? 

5.     What did Rat Kiley say about the War? Who or what was the war really for?

6.     What did Rat Kiley wind up doing? Did the men blame him?

Finish reading THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
"Lives of the Dead"
Pages 234 - 246

2nd Period:

Continue the socratic circle.
Today the following groups participated in the socratic circle:
Cat, Kona, Marlinda, Rebecca, Christopher
Maria, Ricardo, Stephanie, Maryrose, Davion

Tomorrow finish with Clarissa's group:
Clarissa, Ivette, Tyler, Hilda, Jessiane
At end of class please turn in your questions and answers if you have not already.

Wednesday, October 22nd: 

1st Period: 

Create five complex questions and answers over THE THINGS THEY CARRIED. The grade for this assignment will be based on the quality of your questions and answers.

The questions and answers must meet the following criteria:

1.  Knowledge of the book

2.  Must not be a yes or no answer.

3.  Must not be a level one question, such as the name of a character, or where the book is set, but must be questions which require a depth of literary and/or philosophical understanding of the book in order to answer the question.

2nd  Period: 

Begin work on the culminating  essay for this book.  This essay will be due on Monday, October 27th.

The students will be given a list of essay prompts to choose from. 

The essay must meet the following criteria:

The essay must be a minimum of three pages
Must be in 12 font
Along with the essay the student should turn in "The Character Chart".

Thursday, October 23rd: 

1st Period: 

Begin work on the socratic circle

2nd Period: 

Work on essay 

Friday, October 24th:

1st Period:

Begin work on the culminating essay for THE THINGS THEY CARRIED. This will be due on Thursday, October 30th.  

2nd Period:

Work on essay 

October 13, 2014 - October 17, 2014

Monday, October 13^th:

1^st Period:

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

“In the Field”

Pages 162 - 178

Question:
1. What fundamental blunder did Jimmy Cross commit as the commander of his platoon?
2. How was Jimmy Cross trained to relate to his men? Did he follow his military training in how he related to his men?
3. What is Jimmy Cross thinking about during the search and recovery in the fields?
4. Normally, the men joke about the dead and the wounded. Why are the men annoyed with Azar about his jokes in this situation?
5. What combination of events contributed to the tragic circumstance of Kiowa's death?
6. What role did the boy play in the death of Kiowa?
7. What is the boy searching for in the muck? Why is it ironic that the boy is searching for that particular item?
8. Describe the recovery of Kiowa's body.
9. After the men recover Kiowa's body, what are their conflicting feelings? What are they secretly feeling?
10. What does the boy want to tell Jimmy Cross? Is Jimmy Cross listening? What is he thinking about instead and why?
11. According to Jimmy Cross, who could be blamed for the war?  But on the battlefield, who is ultimately responsible?

“Good Form”

 Pages 179 – 180

Questions:
1. What is story-truth?
2. What is happening-truth?
3. What is the difference between story-truth and story-happening?
4. Did O'Brien kill anyone during the war?

     

“Field Trip”

Pages 181 - 188

Vocabulary:

Mausoleum: a big tomb in which important, rich people are buried.

Dike: a dam; a large wall built to dam up water; however, beavers build dams with sticks, logs and mud.

Questions:
1. Why did Tim O'Brien go back to the sewage field where Kiowa died?
2. What was the long term emotional effect of Kiowa's death on Tim O'Brien?
3. What was the point of O'Brien wading into the water and releasing the moccasins into the mud where Kiowa died?
4. Describe the field of death on the night of Kiowa's death and how it looked when O'Brien returned twenty years later. What was the emotion O'Brien was feeling at the field of death?
5. What do you think the old Vietnamese farmer's gesture meant?
6. What does the field represent to Tim O'Brien?

1  

Period 2:

Earthquake Drill

Tuesday, October 14^th:

1^st Period:

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

“Ghosts Soldiers”

Pages 189 - 202

Vocabulary:

Green: young and inexperienced; think of fruit as being green and unripe and unready.

Civilian:  a person who is not in the military, para military or the police.

2^nd Period:

Earthquake drill 

Wednesday, October 15th:

First Period:

PSAT testing 

2nd Period:

No class today

Thursday, October 16th: 

Thursday, October 16^th:

1^st Period:

“Breakfast in the Classroom” fiasco

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

“Ghost Soldier”

Pages 202 – 208

Vocabulary:

Chuminess: friendliness, being chummy with or friendly with; being pals with someone

Terrain: geography, the lay of the land,

Perimeter: the boundaries

Gyroscope: compass,  a device which registers location or direction

Questions:

1.     Why did O’Brien dislike the new medic, Jorgenson, so much?

2.     Why did O’Brien want revenge against Jorgenson?

3.     What was O’Brien’s little joke that he wanted play on Jorgenson?

4.     What was the attitude that Sanders and the other soldiers had toward O’Brien when he tried to get them to help him?

5.     Who was the one soldier who agreed to help him?

2^nd Period:

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

Preparation for the Socratic Circle

Write five questions and their answers; then break into groups and share.

 Tigran

Ty

Ruth

Joseph

Chuy

 Maria

Ricardo

Stephanie

Christian

Mary Rose

Davion

Clarissa

Ivette

Tyler

Hilda

Jessiane
Macy

Ray

Taraz

Jahayra

Chantal

Logan
Pamela

 Cat

Kona

Marlinda

Rebecca

Christopher

Friday, October 17th:

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

"The Ghost Soldier"

Pages 208 - 218

Vocabulary:

Atrocity: complete and utter destruction stemming from violence

Questions:

1.     Why did O’Brien dislike the new medic, Jorgenson, so much?

2.     Why did O’Brien want revenge against Jorgenson?

3.     What was O’Brien’s little joke that he wanted play on Jorgenson?

4.     What was the attitude that Sanders and the other soldiers had toward O’Brien when he tried to get them to help him?

5.     Who was the one soldier who agreed to help him?

These questions will be due on Monday.

2nd Period:
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
Break into socratic groups; read each other's questions and discuss the answers in preparation for the socratic circle on Monday.
This assignment is worth THREE HUNDRED POINTS!
The quality of your questions is worth 100 points.
The quality of your answers is worth 100 points.
The quality of your discussion in the socratic circle is worth 100 points.

October 6, 2014 - October 10, 2014

Monday, October 6th:
I will be absent from class today.
Please finish watching "Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam" and answer the reflective questions.

Tuesday, October 7th:
Finish watching the documentary, "Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam" and answer the reflective questions.
The questions will be due on Wednesday, October 8th.

Wednesday, October 8^th:

Period 1:

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

“Speaking of Courage”

Pages 137 - 143

Vocabulary:

Spacious: adjective something which has a great deal of space around it or vacant area, or roomy.

Causation: (words which end in “ion” or “ment” are nouns!) means the cause or reason for the existence of something.

Read pages 137 – 143

Passed out Engrade

Period 2:

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

“Field Trip”

Pages 181

Vocabulary:

Mausoleum: a big tomb in which important, rich people are buried.

Questions:

1.     Why did Tim O’Brien go back to the sewage field where Kiowa died?

2.     What was the long term emotional effect of Kiowa’s death on Tim O’Brien?

3.     What was the point of O’Brien wading into the water and releasing the moccasins into the mud where Kiowa died?

4.     Describe the field of death on the night of Kiowa’s death and how it looked when O’Brien returned twenty years later. What was the emotion O’Brien was feeling at the field of death?

5.     What do you think the old Vietnamese farmer’s gesture meant?

6.     What does the field represent to Tim O’Brien?

Passed out Engrade.

Thursday, October 9^th:

1^st Period:

Went over grades, Engrade, format for daily reading questions

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

“Speaking of Courage”

Pages 144 – 154

Vocabulary:

Valor: (noun) courage, bravery

Valiant (adjective) brave, to have courage

The valiant mother saved her child from the flames.

To win the silver star a soldier must show valor.

Bivouacked: a military term for setting up camp.

"Speaking of Courage" questions; pages 144 - 154

1. What happened to Kiowa?

2. What time, the year and the season, does the framing part of the story take place? Is Norman in the army or is he a civilian?

3. Why does O’Brien use Norman Bowker’s drive around a nondescript lake as a framing device for Kiowa’s death?

4. What is the common object in both stories – the framing story and Kiowa’s death? What is the symbolic significance of both objects in the story?

5.Describe the people and the town that Norman is living in.

6. What happened at the  root beer stand between the waitress and the order taker on the intercom? How did the encounter with the waitress make Norman feel?  Why couldn't Norman tell his war story to the order taker on the intercom? 

7. What is the reason Bowker could not save Kiowa?

8. What are the parallels between the story in Viet Nam and the Fourth of July celebration in Bowker’s home town?

Period 2:

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

“The Ghost Soldiers”

Read pages 189 – 215

Friday, October 10th:

1^st Period:

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

“Notes”

 pages 155 - 161

Vocabulary:

Feigned: pretend; faked

Indifference: not caring about something at all; not interested,

Catharsis: a purging of negativity through strong emotion; the purpose of art is to create strong emotion in the audience in order to purge (through crying, for example) this negativity.

Paralysis: an inability to move.

Write a brief summary about what happened to Norman Bowker’s life after he returned home from Viet Nam?  It should be in paragraph form and be about half a page. Please use these questions as a guide as to what you should include in your summary.

What happened to Norman Bowker after the war?
Why did Bowker drop out of school? 

Describe Norman Bowker’s life in his hometown.
What was Bowker frustrated by?
What does Bowker say to Tim O’Brien about how his life turned out?

Period 2

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

“The Ghosts Soldier”

Pages 189 – 218

Finished reading pages 216 – 218

Skimmed for clarification

Discussion

Read “Night Life”

Pages 219 – 224

Discussion

Read “Lives of the Dead”

Pages 225 – 229

Passed out PSAT booklets