WINTER BREAK

When it comes to thinking, there is only winter; there is no break.

REQUIRED: Read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

RECOMMENDED: Get a jump on your literature analyses for spring semester

See you (and your active reading notes, and your literature analyses) on January 12--Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year!

December 13

JOURNAL TOPIC:
(no journal today or during finals week; next entry will be January 11, 2011)

AGENDA:
1. Grade your group
2. Grade conferences (continued)
3. Final presentation prep
*rehearsal/time check
*in-class logistics (seating arrangement, tech, materials)
4. Winter break & Spring semester preview

December 10

JOURNAL TOPIC:

FINAL JOURNAL evaluation

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Literature circles/presentation prep

December 9

JOURNAL TOPIC:
On your way home, the neighborhood dog starts talking to you. He won't talk in front of anyone else, and he won't let you record him. No one else will ever see this but you. Are you crazy? Support your perspective with at least two reasons.

AGENDA:
1. VOCABULARY FINAL

HW:
1. All required/extra credit literature analyses due tomorrow, 12/10
2. Literature circles binders due tomorrow (Friday, 12/10)
3. For literature circles presentations: bring materials (to work with group) and any technology (to test in class) on Friday

December 8

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Many of us acquire (and occasionally wear out) words or phrases that catch our attention. Describe some words or phrases you and your friends have adopted and/or put out of their misery.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Literature circles (brief status meeting)
3. End-of-novel discussion
4. Vocab review

HW:
1. Study for tomorrow's vocab final

December 7

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Happy Pearl Harbor Day. Describe an unpleasant surprise and your reaction to it.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Literature circles

HW:
1. Finish remaining reading; prepare active reading questions for discussion tomorrow
2. Prepare any vocabulary materials/questions for review tomorrow

December 6

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Our culture makes being "comfortable" seem like an important goal. Describe a situation (from your experience or imagination) in which it is better to be uncomfortable.

AGENDA:
1. Journal/return Caesar essay
2. Literature circles

HW:
1. (Per literature circle-- remember that your reading must be finished by tomorrow night)
2. Study for vocab final (Thursday 12/9)

December 3

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What grade are you aiming for on this presentation (and for the semester)? What are you doing to achieve this goal?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Literature circles meet
** Presentation proposals due by end of period

HW:
1. (Per literature circle agreement)
2. Study for vocabulary final (12/9)

December 2

JOURNAL TOPIC:
As you read the novel, what background information do you wish you had? What types of knowledge would improve your understanding? What does the book make you more curious about?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Presentation guidelines
3. Literature circles

HW:
1. (per Literature Circle)
2. Presentation proposals due tomorrow (Friday 12/3)

December 1

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Imagine that Amir gets the phone call from Rahim Khan, hangs up-- and is shocked to see Caesar, Cassius and Brutus walk into the room. What advice does each of these characters give Amir, and why? Support your ideas with textual evidence from both Caesar and The Kite Runner.


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Literature Circle update
*status/schedule/timeline
*presentation proposals
3. Master groups
4. Socratic reporting
5. Lit. circles meet

HW: (per Literature Circle assignment)

November 30

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Every once in a while, often during moments of extreme stress, ordinary people do extraordinary things. What makes this possible? Can you apply this idea over the next few weeks to achieve your academic goals for the semester?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Literature Circles
*Review text and notes to see how each group member is doing
*Discuss questions and take notes for binder "bullets"
*Add to vocabulary, passages, connections, and topics for research
*Continue reading

HW: (As assigned by groups)

LITERATURE CIRCLES

Here are the roles/responsibilities for the Literature Circles.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please remember to organize your notes by reading assignment (so that each section of your group's binder follows the order of the book), and please also remember to write the PAGE NUMBER(S) where you find the question, passage, word, connection, or idea worth researching. That way we can find it later.

LITERATURE CIRCLES
During this unit you will be in charge of studying a novel as a member of a group. Each group has determined a reading schedule that will enable them to complete the novel by the due date we set in class. Because this will require work outside school, every member of every group has exchanged contact information and agreed to fulfill their commitments. Each of you has also agreed with your colleagues to take responsibility for the following tasks for each reading assignment:

• DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Identify at least three "deep" questions for each reading that would be worth thinking about out loud with the group;
• OUTSTANDING PASSAGES: Choose at least two passages that stand out, either because they are important to the book (like foreshadowing or character description), or examples of literary elements we have discussed (like symbolism or allusion), or just outstanding writing that you want your group to see;
• VOCABULARY: Write down and define any unfamiliar words or familiar words that are used in unfamiliar ways (for example, on the 7th line of p.7 in the novel Of Mice and Men, George says, “Well, I ain’t gonna remind ya, fear ya do it again.” Fear is a familiar word, but the use here—which is grammatically incorrect but designed to be authentic dialogue—means “for fear” or “I am afraid”). There is no minimum or maximum number of vocabulary words, but you should make CERTAIN that every member of your group understands every word you read—there will be a test to make sure…
• CONNECTIONS: Identify at least three connections per reading between the book and other books you have read, current events, or your own life.
• RESEARCH: Look up background information (online and at the library) on the author, the publication of the book, and any factual references in the book (such as places, people, events and terms) that will help you understand it.

Your group is responsible for keeping a binder with sections for each of these roles (i.e., one tab for discussion questions, one for passages, one for vocabulary, one for connections, and one for background research). Each section should be divided by reading assignment, so that it is easy to find exactly what we’re looking for when we need it (and we WILL need it!). Below each set of questions/passages/words/connections/research you bring to your group for each reading assignment, you should have a header titled DISCUSSION NOTES. This is the place to write down new ideas that come up during your conversation with your group. Because our purpose is to share information to get new ideas, you must have at least two new ideas per section per reading.

Upon completion of the novel and your notes you will be graded—and you will grade the other members of your group—and you will be assigned the final projects for this unit. It will be difficult if not impossible to complete the final projects without diligently maintaining your binder, so be sure you keep it up to date.

November 29

JOURNAL TOPIC:
It has often been said that, "Actions speak louder than words." Discuss two examples from your novel that appear to support or contradict this idea.

AGENDA:
1. Journal/turn in essays
2. Reading quiz
3. Fall Semester: the beginning of the end
*good news about essay final
*good news about vocabulary final
*instructions on literature circles
*schedule

HW: (Per your literature circle's agreement)

November 23

JOURNAL TOPIC:
On Thursday millions of Americans will eat until they are sick. Why?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Caesar final essay assignment



CAESAR FINAL ESSAY ASSIGNMENT

Et tu, Brute?

This quote is one of the best known in the English language. In four syllables Shakespeare creates a powerful moment, reveals aspects of Caesar's character and his relationship with Brutus, and shines a light on thematic elements of the play such as loyalty and ambition.

In a well-organized essay of 3-5 typed and double-spaced pages, choose one of the following questions/themes and answer the question using no fewer than five (5) textual quotes to support your points.

NOTE #1: SEVERAL CHARACTERS IN THE PLAY FELT STRONGLY THAT IT WAS MORE IMPORTANT TO DIE THE RIGHT WAY THAN LIVE THE WRONG WAY. PLEASE HONOR THEIR MEMORIES AND REMEMBER THIS IS AN INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT. BE CONFIDENT IN YOUR UNDERSTANDING, AND RELY ON YOUR NOTES AND TEXTBOOK AS NEEDED. DO NOT CONSULT OTHER SOURCES OR PEOPLE AS YOU WRITE.

NOTE #2: DUST OFF YOUR NOTES ON ARISTOTLE'S SIX ELEMENTS OF TRAGEDY.

OPTION 1
The competing values of loyalty and ambition form a major theme of the play. Given what you know about individual characters and the throng's response to Brutus and Antony at Caesar's funeral, describe this theme and Shakespeare's attitude toward it (i.e., tone). Be sure to analyze these in terms of Aristotle's six elements.

OPTION 2
What is the role of belief systems and superstition in the play? How were characters and events influenced by elements such as gods, dreams, and portentous signs? Be sure to analyze these in terms of Aristotle six elements.

OPTION 3
Who is the protagonist of this play? Be sure to analyze in terms of Aristotle's six elements.

HW: Complete essay and turn in (typed, 12-point, 1" margins, double-spaced, NO EXCEPTIONS) at the beginning of class on Monday, November 29.


Happy Thanksgiving!

November 22

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Describe something you believed as a child but don't anymore. Why did you believe it in the first place? What changed?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Quiz on Act V
3. Caesar final essay topics/collaborate with group on pre-write ideas

HW: Organize Caesar notes and assignments for easy reference

ACT V Questions & Discussion

Hope you're enjoying ACT V's tragic exclamation points. As you read, think about our discussions of ambition, power, and idealism. Why do Brutus and Cassius plan to kill themselves? Do they meet their ends in similar or different fashions? What omens (think birds) does Cassius see on the way to battle, and how do they cause him to reflect on his life? What do Brutus' last few lines suggest about the people he trusted and his own values? What about his character suggests that Brutus, and not Caesar, is the true tragic hero?

You are welcome to post comments with any questions or ideas about the reading for each other (and me, and whoever else reads this) to consider. This is not a formal assignment, just an opportunity for three periods of Honors students to give/get feedback. Reminder: Don't be shy, but-- since you don't know who'll be in the audience-- please be professional, especially if/when you disagree.

November 19

JOURNAL TOPIC:
How is it that people in close relationships (friends, spouses, siblings, parents/children) so often have disagreements because of misunderstanding or miscommunication?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Working groups & literature circles
*How to finish Caesar
*How to begin the novel
*How to work as a team
*Schedule

HW:
(depends on working group agreement; make sure you and your colleagues understand and agree to each others' expectations)

November 18

JOURNAL TOPIC:
To what extent can we predict, influence or even control the future?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discuss HW questions/Act IV
3. Finale/ "Friends, Romans, countrymen..."
4. Vocab review

HW: Study for vocab test tomorrow

November 17

JOURNAL TOPIC:
We all encounter emergencies-- illness, earthquakes, stalled cars, the occasional zombie apocalypse--so what can you do to be prepared? Describe planning or training for something that might actually happen.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discuss HW
3. "Friends, Romans, countrymen..."


HW:
1. Read Act IV Scene iii (quiz tomorrow) & answer questions on p.897
2. Review vocabulary

November 16

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Describe a school rule you think is ridiculous and explain how/why you would change it.

AGENDA:
1. Journal/library
2. Quiz?
3. "Friends, Romans, countrymen..."

HW:
1. Read "Eulogy for a Fallen Leader" on p.882.
2. Write a paragraph in which you compare the eulogy with Antony's speech.
3. Write a second paragraph in which you criticize or defend using violence to express disagreement with leadership or policy.

November 15

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What is Mark Antony talking about in his speech at Caesar's funeral? Translate the main points of the speech into colloquial English.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab this week: review/all lists are fair game for Fri. quiz
3. Act III quiz
4. "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears..."

HW:
1. Read Scenes i & ii in Act IV

November 11/ long weekend questions & ideas about ACT III

Hope you're enjoying ACT III and Marc Antony's gift of gab. As you read, think about our discussions of loyalty, logic and leadership. How does Antony handle his oh-so-delicate situation-- how does he manage to stay out of trouble without turning his back on Caesar, and what is the "Mischief" he refers to after riling up the crowd? Why does Brutus allow him to speak over Cassius' objections? As to the crowd, how could they change their minds from supporting Brutus to hating him so quickly? What was Shakespeare trying to say about the mob by allowing poor Cinna the Poet to be assaulted in a case of mistaken identity?

You are welcome to post comments with any questions or ideas about the reading for each other (and me, and whoever else reads this) to consider. This is a first for us, so I'm not counting it as a formal assignment, just an opportunity to get some feedback from three periods of Honors students. (Also feel free to post any strategies that are helping you memorize Antony's speech.) Don't be shy, but-- since you don't know who'll be in the audience-- please be professional, especially if/when you disagree.

Enjoy the four-day weekend and Happy Veterans Day. Remember to thank someone who's made your life more peaceful.

November 10

JOURNAL TOPIC:
We're taking the next two days off in honor of Veteran's Day, which was originally intended to celebrate peace- specifically, the end of World War I. (for more on the history of the holiday go to http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp) Since the word veteran means "one with experience," describe how you intend to honor someone with military or other experience who has made your life peaceful.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Caesar: ACT II

HW:
1. Caesar: ACT III (*reading quiz Mon. 11/15); as you read, ask yourself: Why does Shakespeare kill Caesar in ACT III instead of waiting until the end?
2. Memorize Marc Antony's speech on p.872-3 ("Friends, Romans, countrymen...")

November 9

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Why do you think gangs exist, and what is your opinion of them? Compare gangs with other social organizations such as the family, the military, or sports teams-- how are they similar and how are they different?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Quiz on Act I
3. Analyze indirect characterization and exposition
4. Begin reading Act II

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF JULIUS CAESAR

For those moments when you find yourself without your twenty-pound textbook but absolutely HAVE to read some of Shakespeare's work (Source: http://shakespeare.mit.edu/julius_caesar/full.html):


The Life and Death of Julies Caesar

November 8

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Shakespeare's plays were performed "in the round." What are the advantages and disadvantages of telling a story in this way? Consider the perspectives of the author, the actors, the stagehands and the audience.

AGENDA:
1. Journal/check HW
2. Brief background: William Shakespeare (and how you can avoid the fate of so many generations of H.S. students who have needlessly suffered while reading the greatest writer ever to use the English language)
3. Julius Caesar Act I/Scenes i-ii


HW: Read Act I/Scene iii (possible quiz Tue. 11/9)

November 5

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Some elements of ancient Rome and present-day America create the impression that "might makes right." However, force doesn't always lead to the best decisions or results. What does? Describe the principles and qualities you think are important for effective leadership.


AGENDA:
1. Journal/turn in L.A. #5
2. Finish Caesar prequel
3. Introducing Julius Caesar


HW:
1. Find five contemporary allusions to Julius Caesar (and no, Caesar salad doesn't count...)
2. Answer the following questions: Who was Plutarch? How did reading Plutarch's work help Shakespeare write Julius Caesar?

November 4

JOURNAL TOPIC:
After you won and lost the lottery in last week's journal, students wondered what it would be like to lose everything. What effect would being homeless and penniless have on your personality and your life? How would you cope?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Continue Caesar prequel notes (analyze characters' personal/political decisions & begin predicting what will happen as Caesar takes power)

HW: Literature Analysis #5 due tomorrow (this is the last required L.A. for the fall semester; each additional L.A. will earn extra credit)

November 3

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Think of someone for whom you feel nothing but enmity. Now imagine that tomorrow morning you wake up to discover that you and this person are two heads on the same body. Describe your day.


AGENDA:
1. Journal/discuss HW & freedom
2. Continue Caesar prequel notes (make sure to capture setting details, inciting incident, and three examples of dialogue that suggest a particular tone, diction or technique)

HW:
1. Review vocabulary
2. Work on Literature Analysis #5 (due Friday, 11/5)

November 2

JOURNAL TOPIC:
One major factor in politics is loyalty. What role does loyalty play in Caesar's and Pompey's careers? What do you think are the benefits and drawbacks of making decisions based on loyalty?


AGENDA:
1. Continue notes on Caesar's rise to power (note: for plot development, focus on foreshadowing)


HW:
1. Journal
2. Paragraph: Appolonius tells Caesar's daughter that, "Freedom isn't something to be given, it is something to be taken." What does he mean? Do you agree? Why/why not?
3. Work on Literature Analysis #5 (due Friday, 11/5)

November 1

JOURNAL TOPIC: (If you aren't in class to watch this scene from Caesar please make sure to get the notes)
When Sulla enters the Roman Senate, he challenges the senators by saying they do not represent the people. Why? How does he support his point? Compare the Roman senators with modern American senators; are Sulla's observations applicable to modern leaders?

AGENDA:
1. Prequel to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
2. Take notes on: setting, characters, plot development, and don't forget to answer the journal question

HW:
1. Define "rubicon" and explain its relevance to Sulla's arrival
2. Finish journal

October 29

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Happy Halloween! If you could BE someone/something else for a day, instead of just dressing up, who/what would you choose? Why?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Essay: logic and leadership


HW: Work on Literature Analysis #5 (due 11/5)

October 28

JOURNAL TOPIC:
We know that dinosaurs and other species lived on Earth and then became extinct. Can you imagine a time when humans are extinct? What might cause this, and what might take our place? Describe in detail.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Analyze and discuss 10/27 HW
3. Meshing logical argumentation and critical thinking

HW:
1. Paragraph on the role of logic in leadership
2. Work on Literature Analysis #5

October 27

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Remember that fortune you won yesterday? Easy come, easy go. Due to a computer error, 24,999,999 other people also won. That means your winnings total $2 (actually, more like $1.35 after taxes). How do you react? What thoughts and feelings do you experience? How will your plans change?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Logical Fallacies/guided practice: We started by listening to the "Argument Clinic"; now we ARE the argument clinic


HW:
1. Watch the first fifteen minutes of the September 28 California gubernatorial debate online at http://debate.ucdavis.edu/webcast.html

2. Do the opening images and sounds set a tone or create a mood? Explain.

3. List the logical fallacies you observe; for each, write the fallacy's proper name, a brief description of the example as you see it, and the time (on the video counter) when the fallacy occurred so that we can find it easily to discuss.

4. Answer the following: How does the structure of the debate influence the quality of argumentation? Is ninety seconds enough to put together a truthful, valid syllogism? Is thirty seconds enough to analyze and rebut a syllogism? Would you give the candidates more time, less time, or the same? Would you change the structure of the debate? If so, how and why?

October 26

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Today is your day! You find a lottery ticket-- THE lottery ticket. After Dr. Preston cashes it for you (you're too young and smart to play the lottery), you have $50 million. What will you do with it?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Logical Fallacies Test
3. Return/discuss Literature Analysis #4
4. Return/discuss Vocabulary Midterm


HW: Work on Literature Analysis #5

October 25

JOURNAL TOPIC:
On Saturday I rode 100 miles on a bicycle. Have you ever accomplished a goal you weren't sure you could? (Or, do you have something in mind for the future?) Describe in detail.


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Logical Fallacies: group review for test 10/26

HW: Study logical fallacies

October 22

JOURNAL TOPIC:
You find a notebook on campus. As you pick it up to take it to Lost and Found, it starts to shine and vibrate in your hands. A "Righetti Genie" appears and, in honor of your intended good deed, offers to grant you three wishes. What will you ask? Why?


AGENDA:
1. Journal/turn in Literature Analysis #4
2. Vocabulary midterm exam

HW: Study for Logical Fallacies test Monday 10/25

October 21

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What do you think it means to be a well-educated American in the 21st century? Describe the abilities and skills you think an adult requires to be successful, and explain how your experience in school is helping and/or could be improved to meet these needs.


AGENDA: (standardized exam administration: day 3 of 3)

October 20

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Albert Einstein wrote, "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." How accurately do scores, tests, points and percentages reflect your abilities and/or knowledge? Try to be objective in your self-assessment and acknowledge your bias if you have one.

AGENDA: (standardized exam administration: day 2 of 3)

October 19

JOURNAL TOPIC:
In addition to Antigone and Oedipus Rex, Sophocles also wrote, "I would prefer even to fail with honor than to win by cheating." What is your philosophy on this point?


AGENDA: (standardized exam administration: day 1 of 3)

October 18

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Recently it rained for the first time in months. In fiction, rain is often used to symbolize the author's tone or to create a mood for the reader. What feelings do you associate with rain? As an author, when/why would you choose to include it in a story?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Good News: No new vocabulary list this week
3. Bad News: Vocabulary mid-term Friday, October 22
4. Logical Fallacy News: Owing to school-mandated California High School Exit Exam "practice test" there will be no logic in class this week; therefore please bring your journal, vocab notes and/or literature analysis book to class 10/19, 20 & 21 (if you don't have extra time during the period, make sure to dedicate some homework time each night so that you're prepared to take exam and turn in both journal and lit. analysis on Friday)

LOGICAL FALLACIES

logical fallacies -

October 15

JOURNAL TOPIC:
As experts in symbolism, please explain the relatively new trend of throwing flour and eggs on people to "celebrate" their birthdays. Older people may regard this behavior as assault or a desperate plea for attention; is there a deeper significance to this practice, or is it as dumb as it looks?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocabulary quiz
3. Logical fallacies


HW: Read "Logical Fallacies" (next post) and choose five that you recognize from your own experience. Write an example of each one and be prepared to discuss in class 10/18.

October 14

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Imagine that you are sitting at home one evening when you see a big spider walk across the floor in front of you. Do you ignore it, take it outside, smash it, or do something else? What information do you consider before you decide? Explain.


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discuss HW in groups and report persuasive tactics to class
3. KEY TERMS: argument, syllogism, premise, inference, conclusion, truth, validity, inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, logical fallacy

HW: Study for vocab quiz 10/15-- and make sure you are able to tell an inductive syllogism from a deductive syllogism.

October 13

JOURNAL TOPIC:
[CHOOSE YOUR OWN TOPIC.] Every day so far, you have been given a topic to write about. Today you may write about ANYTHING you want. (One catch: You must write a full page to earn full credit.)


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Monty Python's Argument Clinic: What is an argument?
3. Lecture: syllogisms/inductive/deductive reasoning

HW: Evaluate an argument and answer the questions posed in class; be ready to discuss in class 10/13

October 12

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Yesterday I attended a meeting about teaching English and it got me to thinking: Why do any of you care about learning English? What will you gain from being a better reader/writer/listener/speaker?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Return work/check vocab sentences & paragraph on logic and leadership
3. Review & discuss Antigone final
4. Review vocabulary (last week's quiz, this week's definitions)
5. Exchange vocabulary study strategies

EXIT TICKET: Five new strategies and three action steps (on a new strategy or on your tried/true method) that you will take today to improve your vocabulary and associated quiz scores.

October 11

("EARLY OUT" SCHEDULE/ 30 MIN. PERIODS)

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Advertisements and reviews often say that a book or movie will "change your life"--describe a time when one actually did.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocabulary

October 8

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Tell the story of a bug getting mashed on the windshield of a truck driving down the 101. You may tell the story from the point of view of the bug, the windshield, the driver, or an omniscient third person. (Choose with an idea in mind.)


AGENDA:
1. Journal/turn in Literature Analysis #3
2. Vocabulary quiz
3. Return/discuss Antigone final
4. Preview of coming attractions: logic and leadership


HW:
1. Select a book for Literature Analysis #4 and bring to class Monday 10/10
2. Paragraph on logic and leadership

October 7

JOURNAL TOPIC:
If you could have dinner with anyone (living or dead, real or fictional), who would you choose? Why? What would you talk about? Describe in detail.


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Grammar/Using quotation marks in dialogue and citation

HW: Finish Literature Analysis #3 (due, typed, Friday 10/8)

October 6

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Why do people procrastinate? How does it affect your life? What can you do about it?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Antigone final exam


HW: Literature analysis #3 due Friday, 10/8

October 5

JOURNAL TOPIC:
People believe that words have so much power that we've declared some words "bad". George Carlin, on the other hand, said, "There are no bad words-- there are bad people, bad intentions, and words." What do you think?

AGENDA:
1. Journal/check HW
2. Write Antigone final exam
3. Grammar/using quotation marks

HW:
1. Study for Antigone final
2. Work on literature analysis #3

October 4

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Do you think there is life on another planet? What would it look like? Would its civilization be more or less advanced than ours? Use your imagination and describe in detail.


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocabulary/sentences due tomorrow
3. Read/work on literature analysis #3

HW: Review active reading notes on Antigone and be ready to discuss Tue 10/5

October 1

JOURNAL TOPIC:
It has been said that, "Everything old is new again." Cultural trends such as fashion and music are often recycled; what are your new/old favorites? What styles do you wish stayed in the past?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocabulary quiz
3. Finish reading Antigone and bring active reading notes to turn in on Monday, 10/4.


HW: Work on Literature Analysis #3 (due Friday, 10/8)

September 30

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Emerson wrote, "Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they will show themselves great." What do you think this means? Do you agree? Why/why not?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Rewrite the dialogue between Haimon and Creon (you can write this to illustrate a different character flaw of Creon, or you can invent a character flaw for Haimon, or you can choose to create a nice father-son moment that leads to a happier ending)
3. Read literature analysis book

REMINDER:
Vocabulary quiz tomorrow

September 29

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Fear is a powerful motivator. It influences advertising, politics, war and the economy. What do you fear? How/when does fear motivate or influence you?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Reading quiz (Antigone Scenes 3-4)
3. Read Antigone Scene 5

September 28

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Some students have decided to stab themselves with sharp objects in sensitive areas (tongues, faces, belly buttons). Why? What does this symbolize to you?


AGENDA:
1. Journal/check vocab and Antigone HW
2. Return Tao/Aikido essays; discuss thesis statement and purpose of introduction
3. Antigone Scenes 3-4 (whatever we don't finish in class is HW; continue active/close reading to the end of Scene 4)

September 27

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Look around the classroom and choose a piece of furniture. Imagine that you are it! How would you see the classroom differently? Being here all day/night and on weekends, you must see some interesting things that the rest of us miss. Please share these observations with your reader.


(EARLY OUT/30 MINUTE PERIODS)

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discuss HW/pass back work
2. Vocabulary

September 24

JOURNAL TOPIC:
When was the last time you convinced someone that you were right and s/he was wrong? How did you do it? Describe in detail.

AGENDA:
1. Journal/turn in
2. Endorse & turn in literature analysis #2 (#3 is due 10/8)
3. Vocabulary quiz
4. Continue Antigone

HW: Comb through the play and collect at least three textual references to one of the following topics: 1)families divided by political differences; 2)the death penalty; 3)gender bias; 4)loyalty. What does your evidence suggest about the author's tone and intended theme(s)? Be prepared to describe/explain in discussion and/or writing Monday.

ANTIGONE

antigone script

September 23

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Think of something you love to do that requires skill and practice. How would you teach someone else to do it? What information and materials would the person need? What strategies would you use? Be specific.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Reading quiz
3. Continue Antigone; begin discussing how Aristotle would "grade" Sophocles on his use of the six elements of tragedy

HW: Are Creon, the Sentry, Antigone & Ismene static or dynamic characters? Analyze Ode II foreshadowing.

REMINDERS: Vocab quiz and literature analysis due tomorrow, 9/24

September 22

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Write an outlandish fake absence excuse using any five of this week's vocabulary words.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Antigone: historical context, performance structure, introduction, main characters, conflict

HW: Review active reading notes and prepare comments/questions to open class 9/23

LITERATURE ANALYSIS BOOKS: SEPTEMBER

Wondering what your colleagues have read so far? Here are the books you recommended in class today (in no particular order) based on your first two literature analyses. If you read a book and don't see it here, please let me know.

Literature Analysis Books
(as of September 21, 2010)

TITLE
1. Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer
2. Buried Onions by Gary Soto
3. Walking Stars by Victor Villasenor
4. White Noise by Don Delillo
5. Down & Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
6. The Shack by William P. Young
7. The Sin Eater by Sandra Cisneros
8. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
9. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by Janet Evenivich
10. One for the Money Two for the Dough by Janet Evenivich
11. Angel Falls by Nora Roberts
12. Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts
13. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
14. Call of the Wild by Jack London
15. Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
16. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
17. Gingerbread Girl by Stephen King
18. Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
19. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
20. Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
21. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
22. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
23. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
24. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
25. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
26. Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alexander
27. HP: Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
28. HP: Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
29. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
30. The Inexcusable by Chris Lynch
31. Deadly Partners by Christine Green
32. Identical by Ellen Hopkins
33. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
34. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
35. Long Fall by Walter Mosely
36. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
37. The Giver by Lois Lowry
38. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
39. Uglies by Scott Westerfield
40. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
41. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
42. Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini
43. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
44. Under the Dome by Stephen King
45. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
46. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
47. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
48. You’ve Been Warned by Michael Connelly
49. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
50. Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
51. Every Boy’s Got One by Meg Cabot
52. Dark Angel by V.C. Andrews
53. The Stand by Stephen King
54. The Shack by William P. Young
55. The Lake House by James Patterson
56. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
57. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
58. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
59. The Black Company by Glen Cook
60. Shadows Linger by Glen Cook
61. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
62. Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
63. Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler
64. The Screwtape Letters C.S. Lewis
65. The Haunting by Joan Lowery Nixon
66. Blue is for Nightmares Laurie Stolarz
67. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
68. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
69. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
70. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
71. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
72. Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
73. Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly
74. The Hard Way by Lee Child
75. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
76. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
77. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

September 21

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Describe your favorite music-- to a deaf person.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Socratic Seminar/Aristotle's Poetics, Tragedy & Back-to-School Night

HW: No assignment; bring textbook to class 9/22

September 20

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Can a person love someone or something too much?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocabulary
3. Aristotle's Poetics and the 6 elements of tragedy

HW:
1. Vocab
2. Prepare for tomorrow's Socratic Seminar by reading pp.768-773 in your textbook & reviewing Aristotle/elements of tragedy

NOTE: Remember Back-to-School prep if you are running a student-led conference

September 17

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What in your life would you miss most if it were gone? This may be a person, an opportunity, a possession, a pet, or even an idea-- like your freedom. Explain your answer.

AGENDA:
1. Journal/turn in
2. Vocabulary quiz
3. Read literature analysis book

HW: No formal assignment this weekend; work on literature analysis #2 (due 9/24)

September 16

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Describe a memorable fight scene from a book or movie. What makes this particular conflict stick out in your memory? How was it important to the story?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discuss Socratic Seminar
3. Back to School Night: Student-led conferences (see below #1)
4. Aristotle's Poetics (see below #2)

HW: Finish Poetics. Make sure you know the six elements of tragedy and the defining characteristic of the tragic hero.


student led conference script


aristotle's poetics

September 15

JOURNAL TOPIC:
In many cultures there are rituals that signify when a child becomes an adult. How can you tell in our culture? By age? Getting a driver's license? Voting? Be sure to explain your answer.

AGENDA:
Socratic Seminar/ Meanings, Signs & Symbols

HW:
1. Read this article about shampoo (http://www.salon.com/news/environment/good_life/2009/08/13/shampoo);
2. Come to your own conclusion about whether people should use shampoo;
3. Argue your point to someone and write a paragraph about the conversation.

September 14

JOURNAL TOPIC:
You are the author of an advice column, and you receive the following letter: "My girlfriend (or boyfriend) is cheating on me- what should I do?" How will you reply, and why? Be sure to give reasons for your advice.

AGENDA:
1. Journal/check homework (vocab & active reading notes)
2. Discussion: Meanings, Signs & Symbols
3. Using quotes in your writing

HW: Meanings, Signs & Symbols (Part III)-- come to class tomorrow prepared to answer the question, "Are you a Shampoo Slave?"

September 13

["EARLY OUT" SCHEDULE/ 30 MIN. PERIOD]

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Which would you prefer: a minor role in a great [movie/university/team/organization] or a major role in a mediocre one? Why? Explain.


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocabulary

HW: Meanings, Signs & Symbols (Part II)

September 10

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Describe the best practical joke you've ever seen or heard about. Tell the story in a way that keeps the reader in suspense until the end. (Hint: use what you know about inciting incidents and rising action.)

AGENDA:
1. Journal/turn in
2. Turn in literature analysis #1 (L.A. #2 is due 9/24)
3. Vocabulary quiz

HW: Read Meanings, Signs & Symbols Part II (distributed in class)

September 9

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Predict the future! What do you think our school's campus will look like in 100 years? 1000 years? Describe in detail.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Tao recitals
3. Turn in essays/ analyze thesis statements

HW: Meanings, Signs & Symbols Part I (distributed in class)

September 8

JOURNAL TOPIC
Throughout the history of storytelling, authors have used familiar formulas such as tragedy and comedy. What is your favorite type of story? How does it make you feel?

AGENDA
1. Journal/check vocabulary HW
2. Discuss study habits article
3. Tao recitals

HW: Read "Organizational Aikido" (below) and write an essay in which you compare the theme(s) from the Tao chapter you mastered with the main idea(s) of the article.


organizational aikido

September 7

JOURNAL TOPIC
Your friends invite you to a fancy restaurant in San Francisco-- all expenses paid! The waiter brings you a soda, calls you "sir" or "miss" and hands you a menu. With horror you realize that every dish consists of insects in different sauces! What will you do?


AGENDA
1. Journal
2. Vocabulary
3. Recite the Tao


REMINDER: Literature Analysis #1 is due Friday, September 10.

HW: Read the following article and use it as inspiration for vocab sentences; be prepared to discuss in class Wednesday, September 8.

The New York Times Reprints
This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only. You can order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers here or use the "Reprints" tool that appears next to any article. Visit www.nytreprints.com for samples and additional information.

September 6, 2010
Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits
By BENEDICT CAREY

Every September, millions of parents try a kind of psychological witchcraft, to transform their summer-glazed campers into fall students, their video-bugs into bookworms. Advice is cheap and all too familiar: Clear a quiet work space. Stick to a homework schedule. Set goals. Set boundaries. Do not bribe (except in emergencies).

And check out the classroom. Does Junior’s learning style match the new teacher’s approach? Or the school’s philosophy? Maybe the child isn’t “a good fit” for the school.

Such theories have developed in part because of sketchy education research that doesn’t offer clear guidance. Student traits and teaching styles surely interact; so do personalities and at-home rules. The trouble is, no one can predict how.

Yet there are effective approaches to learning, at least for those who are motivated. In recent years, cognitive scientists have shown that a few simple techniques can reliably improve what matters most: how much a student learns from studying.

The findings can help anyone, from a fourth grader doing long division to a retiree taking on a new language. But they directly contradict much of the common wisdom about good study habits, and they have not caught on.

For instance, instead of sticking to one study location, simply alternating the room where a person studies improves retention. So does studying distinct but related skills or concepts in one sitting, rather than focusing intensely on a single thing.

“We have known these principles for some time, and it’s intriguing that schools don’t pick them up, or that people don’t learn them by trial and error,” said Robert A. Bjork, a psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Instead, we walk around with all sorts of unexamined beliefs about what works that are mistaken.”

Take the notion that children have specific learning styles, that some are “visual learners” and others are auditory; some are “left-brain” students, others “right-brain.” In a recent review of the relevant research, published in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest, a team of psychologists found almost zero support for such ideas. “The contrast between the enormous popularity of the learning-styles approach within education and the lack of credible evidence for its utility is, in our opinion, striking and disturbing,” the researchers concluded.

Ditto for teaching styles, researchers say. Some excellent instructors caper in front of the blackboard like summer-theater Falstaffs; others are reserved to the point of shyness. “We have yet to identify the common threads between teachers who create a constructive learning atmosphere,” said Daniel T. Willingham, a psychologist at the University of Virginia and author of the book “Why Don’t Students Like School?”

But individual learning is another matter, and psychologists have discovered that some of the most hallowed advice on study habits is flat wrong. For instance, many study skills courses insist that students find a specific place, a study room or a quiet corner of the library, to take their work. The research finds just the opposite. In one classic 1978 experiment, psychologists found that college students who studied a list of 40 vocabulary words in two different rooms — one windowless and cluttered, the other modern, with a view on a courtyard — did far better on a test than students who studied the words twice, in the same room. Later studies have confirmed the finding, for a variety of topics.

The brain makes subtle associations between what it is studying and the background sensations it has at the time, the authors say, regardless of whether those perceptions are conscious. It colors the terms of the Versailles Treaty with the wasted fluorescent glow of the dorm study room, say; or the elements of the Marshall Plan with the jade-curtain shade of the willow tree in the backyard. Forcing the brain to make multiple associations with the same material may, in effect, give that information more neural scaffolding.

“What we think is happening here is that, when the outside context is varied, the information is enriched, and this slows down forgetting,” said Dr. Bjork, the senior author of the two-room experiment.

Varying the type of material studied in a single sitting — alternating, for example, among vocabulary, reading and speaking in a new language — seems to leave a deeper impression on the brain than does concentrating on just one skill at a time. Musicians have known this for years, and their practice sessions often include a mix of scales, musical pieces and rhythmic work. Many athletes, too, routinely mix their workouts with strength, speed and skill drills.

The advantages of this approach to studying can be striking, in some topic areas. In a study recently posted online by the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology, Doug Rohrer and Kelli Taylor of the University of South Florida taught a group of fourth graders four equations, each to calculate a different dimension of a prism. Half of the children learned by studying repeated examples of one equation, say, calculating the number of prism faces when given the number of sides at the base, then moving on to the next type of calculation, studying repeated examples of that. The other half studied mixed problem sets, which included examples all four types of calculations grouped together. Both groups solved sample problems along the way, as they studied.

A day later, the researchers gave all of the students a test on the material, presenting new problems of the same type. The children who had studied mixed sets did twice as well as the others, outscoring them 77 percent to 38 percent. The researchers have found the same in experiments involving adults and younger children.

“When students see a list of problems, all of the same kind, they know the strategy to use before they even read the problem,” said Dr. Rohrer. “That’s like riding a bike with training wheels.” With mixed practice, he added, “each problem is different from the last one, which means kids must learn how to choose the appropriate procedure — just like they had to do on the test.”

These findings extend well beyond math, even to aesthetic intuitive learning. In an experiment published last month in the journal Psychology and Aging, researchers found that college students and adults of retirement age were better able to distinguish the painting styles of 12 unfamiliar artists after viewing mixed collections (assortments, including works from all 12) than after viewing a dozen works from one artist, all together, then moving on to the next painter.

The finding undermines the common assumption that intensive immersion is the best way to really master a particular genre, or type of creative work, said Nate Kornell, a psychologist at Williams College and the lead author of the study. “What seems to be happening in this case is that the brain is picking up deeper patterns when seeing assortments of paintings; it’s picking up what’s similar and what’s different about them,” often subconsciously.

Cognitive scientists do not deny that honest-to-goodness cramming can lead to a better grade on a given exam. But hurriedly jam-packing a brain is akin to speed-packing a cheap suitcase, as most students quickly learn — it holds its new load for a while, then most everything falls out.

“With many students, it’s not like they can’t remember the material” when they move to a more advanced class, said Henry L. Roediger III, a psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis. “It’s like they’ve never seen it before.”

When the neural suitcase is packed carefully and gradually, it holds its contents for far, far longer. An hour of study tonight, an hour on the weekend, another session a week from now: such so-called spacing improves later recall, without requiring students to put in more overall study effort or pay more attention, dozens of studies have found.

No one knows for sure why. It may be that the brain, when it revisits material at a later time, has to relearn some of what it has absorbed before adding new stuff — and that that process is itself self-reinforcing.

“The idea is that forgetting is the friend of learning,” said Dr. Kornell. “When you forget something, it allows you to relearn, and do so effectively, the next time you see it.”

That’s one reason cognitive scientists see testing itself — or practice tests and quizzes — as a powerful tool of learning, rather than merely assessment. The process of retrieving an idea is not like pulling a book from a shelf; it seems to fundamentally alter the way the information is subsequently stored, making it far more accessible in the future.

Dr. Roediger uses the analogy of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle in physics, which holds that the act of measuring a property of a particle alters that property: “Testing not only measures knowledge but changes it,” he says — and, happily, in the direction of more certainty, not less.

In one of his own experiments, Dr. Roediger and Jeffrey Karpicke, also of Washington University, had college students study science passages from a reading comprehension test, in short study periods. When students studied the same material twice, in back-to-back sessions, they did very well on a test given immediately afterward, then began to forget the material.

But if they studied the passage just once and did a practice test in the second session, they did very well on one test two days later, and another given a week later.

“Testing has such bad connotation; people think of standardized testing or teaching to the test,” Dr. Roediger said. “Maybe we need to call it something else, but this is one of the most powerful learning tools we have.”

Of course, one reason the thought of testing tightens people’s stomachs is that tests are so often hard. Paradoxically, it is just this difficulty that makes them such effective study tools, research suggests. The harder it is to remember something, the harder it is to later forget. This effect, which researchers call “desirable difficulty,” is evident in daily life. The name of the actor who played Linc in “The Mod Squad”? Francie’s brother in “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”? The name of the co-discoverer, with Newton, of calculus?

The more mental sweat it takes to dig it out, the more securely it will be subsequently anchored.

None of which is to suggest that these techniques — alternating study environments, mixing content, spacing study sessions, self-testing or all the above — will turn a grade-A slacker into a grade-A student. Motivation matters. So do impressing friends, making the hockey team and finding the nerve to text the cute student in social studies.

“In lab experiments, you’re able to control for all factors except the one you’re studying,” said Dr. Willingham. “Not true in the classroom, in real life. All of these things are interacting at the same time.”

But at the very least, the cognitive techniques give parents and students, young and old, something many did not have before: a study plan based on evidence, not schoolyard folk wisdom, or empty theorizing.

September 3

JOURNAL TOPIC
Imagine that you have just been elected President of the United States. Now what? What laws would you propose? What would you do about war, terrorism and criminal violence? Jobs? The environment? What do you feel strongly enough about to risk improving?


AGENDA
1. Journal (turn in)
2. Vocabulary/lecture quiz
3. Discuss Tao chapter translations


HW: Memorize one of the chapters (your choice, except 18 and 33); due Tue. September 7

September 2

JOURNAL TOPIC
What if you showed up to school and no adults were here? What would you do? Would you stay on campus? Would you use resources like computers/library/pool/gym? What could you learn from the experience?


AGENDA
1. Journal
2. Textbook issues/apologies on behalf of the library
3. Theme, tone & mood
3. The Tao te Ching (selections in handout distributed in class; see below)

HW: Finish translating selected chapters from the Tao


THE TAO TE CHING

September 1

JOURNAL TOPIC
Imagine that you are waking up from a deep sleep. When you open your eyes, you realize that you are still in the sixth grade- your entire memory of high school was just a dream! Based on your "dream" what you would you do differently as you move forward? Explain your answer.

AGENDA
1. Journal
2. Discussion: Socratic Method, opinions & entitlements, critical thinking and the Katha Upanishad


HW: Read "The Monkey's Paw" (pp.50-58 in textbook) and answer these two questions: 1)What is the theme of this story? and 2)How does it relate to learning and/or the work we do in this class?

The Socratic Method

THE SOCRATIC METHOD (with thanks to Ray Linn, LAUSD)

The key teaching method used in this class is called the “dialectic” or “the Socratic method.” This approach consists of a continual dialogue including questions, answers, and criticisms/clarifications of answers. It is one way of pursuing truth, and it can be used directly in conversation or indirectly in discussing literature that has been read in class. The method is so simple that at first it doesn’t seem like much of a “method” at all. It is, however, and I think it is the best method for pursuing truths about human beings and their assumptions about reality and abstractions such as values, culture, and the social foundations of education. The dialogue which follows illustrates how the Socratic method was used in a high school class to explore the topic of status as a possible goal of human existence. The dialogue is rearranged and idealized, but it provides an idea of how the Socratic method works and where it took participants in their discussion of a widely held value of modern society. As you read it, consider your own private desire to be held in high esteem by others and, by imagining yourself in the role of Student, ask yourself how you would answer the questions in the dialectic.

Teacher: Is there anyone in this room who is not greatly concerned with achieving high status? Is it worth living for?

Student: What else am I to live for? I sure don’t want to be a loser, and I know that when I make it I’ll be happy.

Teacher: Don’t all desires make you unhappy with your present situation in the world? If you want to be big, you must now feel small, and thus you aren’t happy.

Student: Perhaps, but when I make it...

Teacher: Make what? Just what are you going to “make,” and how will it make you happy? Society might give you some sort of symbolic prize for your efforts, but you are essentially a body with desires. How can a symbol satisfy a desiring body?

Student: But after I’m rich and famous, I’ll have lots of fine bodies to choose from!

Teacher: Perhaps, but as Philip Slater says, you’ll do without them while striving for that carrot, and how long will it take? And even if you’re right about what will happen after you hit the big time, what makes you think you’ll be loved for who you are? If it’s money that brings you to her attention, perhaps it’s money that she loves.Besides, the problem with status-lovers is that they’re always trying to show that they are superior to the people around them. To have status is to act superior. Do you truly love people who think they’re superior to you? Do status-conscious people produce the impulse of love, or the desire to tear them down?

Student: So? (This student is not “superior”)

Teacher: Isn’t it inevitable that status-seeking separates you from other human beings? Since status is a self-centered goal, it focuses your attention on what’s going to happen to you—which automatically separates you from the people around you. Do you prefer the feeling of loneliness?

Student: No, but nobody wants to be close to a loser either.

Teacher: Why not try to meet the Other as an equal? And if you persist in defining yourself as the “superior,” are you different from the slime that joins the Klan in order to establish a sense of superiority in the world? As long as the desire to be high dominates your consciousness, don’t you have to look down on the Other? Isn’t it logically impossible to define yourself as superior without defining someone else as inferior? And isn’t this what you, just like the Klansman, are doing all the time?

Student: Maybe so, but I’m not a loser.

Teacher: What are you, essentially?

Student: As Descartes said, “I am a thing that thinks.” To be presently aware of these thoughts, I must exist as an unchanging mental thing.

Teacher: Are you such a “thing?” As Hume says, look again: can you find an unchanging thing, in addition to your changing thoughts and feelings? When I introspect all I find is a bunch of changing thoughts and feelings and impulses—are you so different?

Student: OK, I can only be certain of the changing thoughts and feelings.

Teacher: But is this the reality you pay attention to when you try to rise up and be the best thing around? Or do you ignore this changing internal reality when you act like you’re the top rat in the rat race? Is Tolstoy right when he says that the great thing that you want to be is merely a pretense, and that in attempting to become it you must ignore the real life that is within you? Since society only gives status to fixed positions like “judge” or “executive,” doesn’t the status-seeker have to ignore the real, changing feelings and impulses that are within? If so, is Tolstoy right in saying that status-seeking leads to death?

Student: What else should I do with my life?

Teacher: Why not return to the “living” by ignoring your desire to be superior, and instead focusing your consciousness on the reality of human needs and feelings? Why not focus on meeting the needs of people around you?

Student: I don’t care what you say, achieving a high position is important to me.

Teacher: Look around the room. Would your status with your peers still be as important if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?

The actual classroom dialogue went way beyond this brief and condensed version, and it contained twists and turns not mentioned here, but these are some of the questions, answers, and criticisms of answers which were expressed in class. In analyzing the Socratic method of pursuing truth, several things may be stated: first, it is essentially a negative method. People using it are often trying to tear down the ideas they hear; they listen to others’ propositions, usually with one ear turned toward what is wrong with it. If they don’t listen in this critical way, if they aren’t willing to think negatively, the method cannot exist.

The Socratic method works best when its practitioners have developed a sensitivity to logic and semantics—specifically, to what makes a good argument and what doesn’t (logistical fallacies), and to language that is vague, misleading or meaningless. Asking clarifying questions such as, “What do you mean?” is essential to the Socratic method. In Preface to Plato Havelock argues that this question marks beginning of this particular approach to the search for truth. Questioning the meaning of the key terms in an argument is especially important in using this method. So is an awareness of the vague clichés of the day, e.g., “He’s making it…” “This idea sucks…” “That’s sick…” “It’s awesome…” etc. Again, for the Socratic method to work practitioners must be willing to think negatively, to look for and identify instances of insufficient evidence, and for sloppy use of language.

In attempting to justify this negative approach to education, we can begin by noting that the Socratic method first grew out of a particular way of thinking about knowledge that surfaced in 5th century Greece. For Socrates, a great many knowledge claims and value claims seemed empty, meaningless, and even destructive. The traditional Homeric view of things was still a major part of Greek education in the 5th century, even though it had little to offer the world in Socrates’ day. In addition, the Sophists had revealed the apparent relativity of all answers about what is real and what is good—so that what might be true in Athens wouldn’t necessarily be true somewhere else. Given this social situation, it was difficult to accept the traditional idea that knowledge was simply the collective memory of the community. In other words, knowledge was no longer thought of as a set of established truths which an older person knows and simply pours into the head of a younger person. In an era of competing answers, cultural relativism, and skepticism, the “lecture method” no longer seemed adequate. When one way of seeing things gives rise to many, it’s difficult to believe that memory alone produces knowledge. Thus Socrates began to think of knowledge in a different way: as something achieved by individuals actively searching for the truth through constant questioning and criticism. Active, critical questioning, rather than the acceptance of secondhand opinion, became the key to knowledge. Thus Socrates tells us that, “The life without criticism is meaningless.” Since we too live in an era of competing answers, cultural relativism, and skepticism, Socrates’ method seems well-suited to today’s classroom. When there are many competing answers about what human beings are like and what they should do, all answers become questionable, and at this point so does a straight lecture approach to education. It seems more sensible to survey the competing answers with a critical mind, actively investigating for ourselves what has meaning for us and what does not.

In addition to providing an ideal method for this skeptical era, there are other advantages to the Socratic method: first, it takes the subject off the page and places it in the student’s life. One problem with a straight lecture/reading approach to education is that it often fails to bring the abstractions into the student’s experience. For example, in some epistemology classes students are simply asked to read and listen to lectures on Descartes, Locke, and Hume; they are asked to get the issues straight, to think about the problem of skepticism, etc.—but they are not asked to relate the issues to their own lives. The problem is that when this relation is ignored education becomes a meaningless, formal exercise. The value of Socratic questions like, “What do you actually observe when you think one event causes another?” and “Do you know more than my dog Brewster?” is that they force students to consider how epistemological issues relate to their own lives. Thinking about this relation is important even when studying something as removed from students’ lives as epistemology; for example, one of the great values of skeptical arguments such as Hume’s is that they tend to discourage rashness (“because I know I might be wrong”) and encourage tolerance/appreciation (“because I know that even foreigners might be right”). But this kind of influence is possible only if the student relates the abstract issue to his own situation in the world.

In connection with this point, it seems that nothing enters a student’s life as much as the concept of “no.” A nonchallenging comment like, “That’s an interesting answer’’ encourages complacency rather than critical thought. “No, you’re wrong” or “Your sentence is meaningless” or “You have no evidence for that,” on the other hand, are challenges to the mind that demand action. “No” is something that must be dealt with, something that must be taken into account rather than ignored. If a teacher referred to your self-centered love of status as “interesting” or as “one of the many things that human beings live for,” would you have thought much about it? Such tepid niceness might allow an extremely self-centered student to feel good about himself, but it evokes little serious thought about what the student is living for. Pragmatists are basically right in asserting that we don’t reflect on our experience until we have a problem. “No” presents the problem in clear relief.

Another advantage of the Socratic method is that it fosters critical thinking skills—skills that remain long after the particular subject matter is forgotten. By “critical thinking skills” I mean the ability to separate what is valid and true and significant from what is nonsense. After prolonged exposure to the Socratic method, students tend to internalize it—so that even in their private thinking when they run a proposition through their mind they simultaneously search for its weakness, e.g., “The teacher’s statement might be right, but where is the evidence?... And what does he mean by…?” This critical way of thinking about one’s private thoughts is not natural, and it is one of the main consequences of exposure to the Socratic method. In an era dominated by the media, modern politics and so much nonsense, developing critical thinking abilities is important. One problem with the lecture approach to education is that it doesn’t encourage the student to constantly think critically, but when he leaves the lecture and faces the modern world he will be better off if he does.

The Socratic method has great value for another reason: it sharpens the teacher’s mind, and leads her to constantly delve deeper into her subject. This is because it forces her to constantly think of the key questions and issues related to the subject she is teaching. The most important questions, key terms, and relations within a particular subject area are not obvious, and more than a few teachers have trouble writing up essay questions because they haven’t thought out the general questions which relate to their subject. If they use the Socratic method, they have no choice: they must search for the key assumptions, terms and issues in order to raise the right questions.

The Socratic method forces the teacher to pay close attention to students. One problem with a lecture/reading-based course is that allows the teacher to ignore student feedback until exam time (and in many college/graduate courses, not even then). In using the Socratic method teachers are forced to consider student responses daily. Specifically, student feedback provides a formative assessment that identifies intellectual blind spots, false reasoning, clichés and unexamined language, inane values, and other needs for improved reasoning. Of course such intimate intellectual contact can be repulsive, but it does enable teachers to think more realistically about how to communicate and relate the lesson to individual students.

Granted: the Socratic method sometimes evokes too much disrespect for authority, particularly in misguided or dimwitted students, because the method tends to assume that authority is meaningless. Granted: the method sometimes evokes such strong emotions that defenses impair or prevent learning. Granted: the method can often be bruising to a student’s ego. However, without bruising the childhood ego would never be left behind, and the typical delusions of ego about one’s self-importance constitute baggage far too heavy to carry in the search for truth. The Socratic method, by subjecting the ego to constant criticism, is helpful in eliminating the ego from discussions of truth. In evaluating this method, consider the alternatives: would students learn more that is important in their lives during the same limited time period if teachers relied on lecture and reading, or Descartes’ introspection (searching within one’s own consciousness for ideas that are clear and certain), or on Buddhist meditation? Would these or any other approach to the search for truth cause you to think as deeply about your own desire to be top rat?

Please come to class prepared to defend your answer.

August 31

JOURNAL TOPIC
Describe a situation that involved a broken heart.

AGENDA
1. Journal/check vocabulary HW
2. Discussion: literary elements in Katha Upanishad

HW: Read "The Socratic Method" (posted here)

August 30

JOURNAL TOPIC
Do you think technology (such as cell phones and portable music players) brings people closer together? If three people stand next to each other, but two are listening to headphones and the third is talking/texting on a phone, how is this different than being alone? Explain.

AGENDA
1. Journal
2. Vocabulary (sentences due tomorrow, Tuesday Aug. 31)
3. Literary Analysis due Friday, September 10

August 27

JOURNAL TOPIC
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? Would you prefer a big city or a small town, close to your family or far away, in the U.S. or another country? Why? Explain your reasons.

AGENDA
1. Journal
2. Vocabulary quiz
3. Read fiction book

HW: Finish Katha Upanishad (reading quiz Monday, August 30)

August 26

JOURNAL TOPIC
What does it mean to "fit in" with people? How important is it to be accepted by others, even if it means changing the way you think and act? Explain your answer.

AGENDA
1. Journal
2. Review vocabulary & literary terms
2. Discussion #1: None of us are entitled to our opinions.
3. Discussion #2: Allegory & Katha Upanishad

HW: Finish Part I of Katha Upanishad (through p. 84)


katha upanishad

August 25

JOURNAL TOPIC
Recently I saw a motorcyclist get hit by a car and it made me think: What would you do today if you knew you would not live to see tomorrow?

AGENDA
1. Discuss HW
2. Return essays with feedback and literary terms
3. Introduction to the Katha Upanishad

HW: Actively read introduction (below) and Katha Upanishad (distributed in class) pp. 63-73


The Upanishads intro

August 24

JOURNAL TOPIC
Many of us use the word boring to describe anything we don't like or understand. How can a book be boring to one person and interesting to another? Describe something you really like and imagine how someone else might think it's boring. Use a specific example.

AGENDA
1. Journal/ check homework & lit. analysis book
2. Discuss Auster reading
3. Whyte's "The Right to Your Opinion" (below)

HW: Read Whyte's article actively and answer the following question in a paragraph: Are you entitled to your opinion?


The Right to Your Opinion

August 23

JOURNAL TOPIC
Why is it that so many young people want to be older, and so many older people want to be young? How do you feel about your age? Be sure to explain your answer.

AGENDA
1. Journal
2. "Richard Cory" recitals
3. Vocabulary
4. Discuss HW on Auster reading

HW: Vocabulary sentences (from imagination or conversation)

August 20

JOURNAL TOPIC
In your opinion, what is the purpose of high school (and classes such as this one)? Are your reasons for being here similar or different than adults' reasons for wanting you here? Explain your answer.

AGENDA
1. Journal
2. Vocabulary quiz
3. Get textbooks from library (*if you are absent today, make sure to go to the library with your I.D. when you return)

H.W. Read the selection from Paul Auster (handed out in class; also see below) and write a paragraph in which you empathize with the author of a text you didn't care for when you read it.


auster reading

August 19

JOURNAL TOPIC
Why do you think watching television has become more popular than reading books? Books don't have interruptions or try to sell you stuff (except ideas), and you can use your imagination to picture whatever you want, so why watch T.V. when you can read?

AGENDA
1. Journal
2. Literary Analysis (see document below, and remember that it's old-- you will need to submit FIVE this semester and FIVE spring semester)
3. Vocab review and discussion (quiz Friday, August 20)



LITERATURE ANALYSIS

August 18

JOURNAL TOPIC
What is heroism? Is it defined by personality traits such as courage, or is it a matter of doing the right thing at the right place at the right time? Describe someone you consider to be a hero.

AGENDA
1. Essay exam (on summer reading)

REMINDER:
*Please bring your summer reading notes Thursday, August 19 for credit.

August 17

Welcome!

JOURNAL TOPIC
Who are you and what are you doing in this class? What do you expect from the class and from yourself this year? How far are you prepared to go in order to achieve your goals?

AGENDA
1. Journal
2. Vocabulary (quiz Fri. 8/20)
3. "Richard Cory"(to be memorized by Mon. 8/23)
4. Essay exam tomorrow (Wed. 8/18) on summer reading

NOTE: If you need a copy of the syllabus or the summer reading contract please see below.


2010 introduction and syllabus


Honors English Summer Contract 2010