Thursday, July 16, 2009

Vocabulary Stories

Hi Guys,
As a final for vocabulary, I would like you all to write a short story on your next blog that uses all of the vocabulary words! Fun, right? We will read and share them in the first part of class tomorrow as we turn in out vocabulary worksheets. Happy creating to you!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Blog #10 Annotated Bibliography

Hi Guys!
Tonight's homework is to post an annotated bibliography on the novel. You must follow MLA format. Please see the sample below and see my DP Resource center for further assistance.

1. Annotated bibliography
2. Write a brief explanation about why and when annotated bibliographies are typically used.

Elizabeth Thompson
Guerrero
Humanities
20 November 2008

Stem Cell Research: An Annotated Bibliography

Holland, Suzanne. The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate : Science, Ethics, and Public
Policy. Boston: MIT Press, 2001.

This is the annotation of the above source. In this example, I am following MLA guidelines for the bibliographic information listed above. If I was really writing an annotation for this source, I would now be offering a brief summary of what this book says about stem cell research.
After a brief summary, it would be appropriate to assess this source and offer some criticisms of it. Does it seem like a reliable and current source? Why? Is the research biased or objective? Are the facts well documented? Who is the author? Is she qualified in this subject? Is this source scholarly, popular, some of both?

Monday, July 13, 2009

Blog #8 Symbols Analysis

Symbols in Lord of the Flies
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. You know you are dealing with a symbol in literature when an object or character is repeatedly referred to. You can also identify symbols by the language used to describe an object or character. If a description of an animal sounds awfully like the description of an emotion or mood, then look more closely at the language to see if there could be some intentional connections being made by the author.
The Task:
1. Choose a symbol
2. Find as many quotes in the book as you can about that symbol (annotate and or paraphrase)
3. Look back over the quotes carefully and analyze the language
4. Write a paragraph explaining what that symbol represents

Example:
The Butterflies
When Ralph, Jack and Simon went on their first hike up the mountain to confirm that they were on an island, they came Castle Rock and off to the side, this scene, “They were on the lip of a circular hollow in the side of the mountain. This was filled blue flowers (…) and it spilled lavishly among the canopy of the forest. The air was thick with butterflies, lifting, fluttering and settling”(28).

“The sow collapsed under them and they were heavy and fulfilled upon her. The butterflies still danced, preoccupied in the center of the clearing” (135).

A description of the moment Simon discovers the body that everyone called the beast. “Even the butterflies deserted the open space where the obscene thing grinned and dripped” (138).

Analysis:
The butterflies are ever present, during times when the boys recognize the beauty of the island and even when the boys are in the middle of cruel and savage moments. They are attractive, but can do little to help the boys, or anything, on the island. It seems they represent the unfeeling, uncaring part if the adult world that looks the other way when witnessing savagery. They could even represent the way many people under German rule observed the horrific events that led to the Holocaust without so much as lifting a finger to help. But, as soon as the scene gets too savage, the butterflies disappear. Similarly, when things get too ugly under Nazi rule, the people who once supported him disappear. Although they are ineffectual, and do little to help, they can no longer stand by and bear witness to the evil savageness of the dictator.

Blog #9 Reader Response

Read the article from Slate Magazine (see link) and after reading, respond to the folowing questions:

1. Do children commit adult crimes?
2. Do you think Jack should be tried as an adult?
3. Do you think children should ever be tried as adults?

Eac response should be about a paragraph in length.

Slate article response:
http://www.slate.com/id/2172226/

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Blog #7 Counselor's Journal

Hi Guys,

Please remember to follow the guidelines of the couselor's jounral, listed on blog #5. Also, please remember to follow the basics of writing and sentence structure. (capitalize beginning words of sentences, capitalize proper nouns, capitalize I, indent new paragraphs, periods and commas, etc.)
Also, don't forget to have fun writing these! You get to diagnose these boys with whatever ailment you see fit! Make them silly, make them serious, make them whatever you want!

Happy writing to you!
Angie

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Blog # 6 Couselor's Journal

Hi Guys,

Your next blog is another counselor's journal. Please feel free to choose the same character or a new character and analyze them from whatever chapters you wish. I look forward to seeing how you all interpret diagnose these boys' afflictions on the island!

Happy counseling to you!

Angie

Monday, July 6, 2009

Blog #5 Counselor's Jounral

For the rest of the week, you will be analyzing characters from the book from the perspective of a counselor. You can imagine that the boys have already been rescued and are slowly unfolding the plot to you while you analyze them or you can imagine that yo are there on the island with them observing their behavior. Or, if you think of some other way to be a counselor to the boys that is more inventive, please feel free to go with it.

The guidelines:

1. Must be at least two full paragraphs
2. Each paragraph must be at least 8 sentences long
3. There must be at least two quotes properly integrated into each journal entry from the text or another source of information.
4. An actual disorder needs to be diagnosed.

Read the sample below and tell me what is missing from the above stated requirements.

July 4th 1941

Since my parachute landing on the island, I have been observing the boys, who seem to have been here for quite some time. When I ask them to articulate how long, none can quite articulate a range, so I assume months at the very least. The dynamics on the island are so interesting. There are older boys, who are collectively referred to as the “biguns” and small boy under the age of seven who are collectively called the “littluns.” The biguns frighten me to the core. They are somewhat savage, and see me as an intruder. It is as if they worry I threaten their dominion of the young boys. But, today, I spent a considerable amount of time with a small boy of about six years named Percival. He seems to clearly suffer from hysteria or post traumatic stress syndrome. If (or shall I say when) we are rescued, he will certainly be in need of years of therapy.

Today, when we spoke, he was muttering unintelligibly to himself about a “beastie”. When I prodded him further, he looked blankly at me for what seemed a long time. Then, he started to cry uncontrollably. I was able to soothe him, and as soon as I did, he wanted to know if I lived anywhere near Ashbury Lane, and wondered if I knew his mother. When I told him I came from America, he asked if there were beasties in America like here on the island. It seems he is quite obsessed with this fantasy of a beastie. I have seen him napping and crying in his sleep shrieking utterances about the beastie, and when aroused, he in inconsolable. There is a low murmur about just such a creature among most of the boys, but none seem willing to openly discuss it. When I broached the subject with one of the older boys, Jack, he scowled at me and wouldn’t even respond. This makes me very curious. I should be careful to watch out for these older boys. The danger in their faces is quite clear to me.

The diagnosis of PTSD for young Percival is clear, but I worry that much longer on this island could cause him further complications. I will definitely keep a close eye on him and record the his progression here on the island so that when he returns home, I can send the diagnosis to his regular care provider.


Friday, July 3, 2009

Blog #4 Reader Response

Hi Guys,

Let's talk about how people act around authority. This is a three paragraph response tonight, so get ready to write, okay? :)

Paragraph 1: How do people you know act when there are authority figures around? For example, teenagers when adults are around, drivers when they see a police man on the road, employees when their boss is around and so on)

Paragraph 2: Do you think the boys are acting differently than if there were no adults around? Explain your answer with three peices of evidence from the text.

Paragraph: Do you think that authority is needed to keep people (kids and adults) from doing terrible things? Conclude this writing sample with your thoughts on the role of authority based on your personal knowledge of the way people behave and also the examples from Lord of the Flies.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Blog # 3 QQC

Hi Guys,

Tonight your homework is to do a QQC on something discovered or interesting from chapter 4, Painted Faces and Long Hair.

Some thoughts or questions to consider to help you elaborate your comments:
Where do predict the story is going?
How does this quote add to that belief?
What are some things from the chapter that seem symbolic? Why?
What characters do identify/sympathize/ empathize with?
What emotions does this quote/ chapter evoke in you?


Please follow the guidelines from the first QQC. Happy writing to you!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Blog #2

Hi Guys!
Tonight, I would like you to take a minute to think about the characters we know so far and think of the leadership qualities you admire most. Then, choose one character that, if it were up to you, you wold choose as a team leader on a project here at school and why.
This is a three paragraph response, and requires quotes from the text to supprt what you say.

Paragraph 1: What do you value in a leader (5 sentences)

Pragraph 2: Whic character would you choose to work on a project with and allow to lead and why. (evidence/ quotes from text required- 8 sentences)

Paragraph 3: How does this character make an overall good leader/ conclusion paragraph (5 sentences)

Monday, June 29, 2009

Blog # 1 QQC

As we read William Golding's Lord of the Flies, we will be generating fierce wonderings about the reding through the use of QQC's. What is a QQC you ask? I wil tell you! Quote, Question and Comment. You may do these in any order you like, but the idea is, you find a quote that is interesting to you from the text. Then you generate a question in relation to the quote, and comment on it ,or explai it. You could do a CQQ, or a QCQ. Whatever, just so long as you are writing detailed responses. Your comments should be a MINIMUM of 8 sentences. Take a look at the sample:

QUOTE: "You're captives of a civilizational system that more or less compels you to go on destroying the world in order to live." (Ishmael)

Question?: How can we stop this sytem or the cycle?

Comment:I see Ishmael's point. And I agree with his point. Whenever we talk about consuming less, we think about the "market fluctuation". How will my stocks do if I consume less? How will our economy survive if we consume less? If people stop buying shoes and purses and cars, well that means there are no jobs for people, which means no food, which means... we all know what that means. This is a relatively standard response when you think about the implications of reducing your output seriously. I want so much to consume less, and compared to say three years ago, I do. But even my drop in consumption is not enough. I still drive to work. I still buy groceries in containers that are disposable. I still shop for shoes (I know, it's bad). No matter how much I recycle, or use canvas bags at thegrocery store, I can't seem to escape my overall "need" to consume, and also can't escape my guilt over what a drop in consumption could mean for the people behind the product. And it seems that the new "green" marketing tactics alleviate that consumer guilt a bit. Well, I say to myself, I am buying something BUT it has a recycle symbol on it. Can the need to save the world ever reconcile itself with our perceived need to consume? This question still plagues me.