Day Fifty-Three / 11.30.10

Today we wrote on a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt: "You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do."We responded to the following questions: Do you feel that people are consistently analyzing you? Does that affect how you act?

Then we worked on our rough drafts, using the following guide:

Response to Lit 4 Paragraph Essay Formula

Day Fifty-Two / 11.29.10

Today we started by changing seats. Then we discussed new classroom participation rules. After that, we wrote on a quote from Alan Lightman: "I believe in survival of the fittest of the ideas: if an idea has survived for a few years within the jungle of my mind, then I feel like it's worth pursuing and writing a book." We discussed: Do you feel it is important to let an idea develop before writing? Or is writing a means of developing ideas? Next, we discussed the formula for a "chunk." It is below:

1. Address the Question.

2. Set the Context, Give the quote.

3. Explain the significance of the quote.

4. Tie the quote’s significance into the question.

Finally, we began discussing our Hero 1 page response. The prompt is below. And here's an example essay.

Literary Response

Day Fifty-One / 11.19.10

First we turned in our stickmen. Then we moved to a quote by Roland Barthes: "Literature is the question minus the answer." Next, we did the MAZE test, followed by a lesson on Thanksgiving, full with green acorn squash, butternut squash, and a pumpkin. The information can be found here.

Day Fifty / 11.18.10

Today we started with a quote from G.K. Chesterton: "A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author." Then, more chunking (we're getting quite good by this point).

Day Forty-Nine / 11.17.10

Today we started with a quote from Beowulf: “That man is truly brave who, feeling fear, yet puts his fear to use and plucks new courage from the fear itself” (69). We then, you guessed it, continued with the chunks.

Day Forty-Eight / 11.16.10

Today we started with a quote from Henry Miller: "The ordinary man is involved in action, the hero acts." Then we continued revising and perfecting our chunks.

Day Forty-Seven / 11.15.10

Today we started with a quote from Henry Miller: "The ordinary man is involved in action, the hero acts." It is:

1. Address the question.

2. Set the Context. Give the quote.

3. Explain the significance of the quote.

4. Tie the quote’s significance into the question.

We then began chunking the following question: Describe Beowulf’s relationship with the bees. What does this relationship show about his personality?

And here's a sample "chunk."

Beowulf’s relationship with the bees shows that he is a calm and peace-loving person. After killing Grendel’s Mother, Beowulf returned home and “took to the keeping of bees, and most days would see him tending his tawny hives in the sun” (84). Beowulf enjoys the tranquil and slow-paced life of a bee keeper. This reflects the personality of a person who can slow down and live a calm, peaceful life. Beowulf is not strictly a man of action; he can also be a man of relaxation.

Day Forty-Six / 11.10.10

Today we started with a quote from MLK Jr.'s book Why We Can't Wait. Then we discussed the stickman, as it applies to Beowulf. See below:

Stick Man

Day Forty-Five / 11.09.10

Today you started with a quote from John Barth: “Everyone is necessarily the hero of his own life story." Then you presented your hero posters.

Day Forty-Four / 11.08.10

Today we started with a quote from Beowulf: "He was strong because he was good, and good because he had the strength to accept things in him that were bad." We continued working on our hero posters and the exaggeration handout.

Day Forty-Three / 11.05.10

Today you started with a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.” You then took the Quarter One (Q1) Survey in the computer lab.

Day Forty-Two / 11.04.10

Today you started with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.: "If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live." You then continued work on your hero posters, and began working on the exaggeration handout below.

Exaggeration Handout

Day Forty-One / 11.03.10

Today you had a substitute teacher. You wrote on the following quote from Beowulf: "Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning." You then received the following hero outline, and began working on your own hero.

Hero Stickman

Day Forty / 11.2.10

Today we continued reading our Persuasive Essays, then reflected on the essay writing process.

Day Thirty-Nine / 11.1.10

Today we presented our posters and read our persuasive essays.