SmithEWL

Scribe 5/7

2007-05-08T10:29:00.001-06:00

Scribe 5/7/07
- Presentations start on Friday, we will present Friday and Monday
- We got our scantrons and our graded essays back from the Brave New World test
- Also, we decided on what groups are going what days:
Friday-
Nick,Taylor, Stacey, Alex Mu
Sonny, Marie, Andy, Alex Ma
Nathan, Mark, Scott, Kurt, Matt
Zach M, Dave, Dave, Levi

Monday-
Jeff, Chris
Kyle, Zach
Melissa, Amy K
Caitlin, Haley, Ashley M
Ashley G, Katie, Amy B
- We worked on our semester project for the rest of the class period
Stacey Ks

Scribe 5/4

2007-05-04T20:10:00.000-06:00

Today in class we had a 100 question scantron test over Brave New World.

We also went over the rubric for the semester project. Smith will post the link so you can see it if needed.

Smith told the class to be safe over the Prom weekend and to make good decisions. There was a student teacher observing our class and Marie brought cookies as well.

Homework: Semester Project!

Scribe Mon 4/30

2007-04-30T20:19:00.000-06:00

We have an essay on Wednesday so be ready! We have to bring a pen/pencil and paper and we can bring a thesis statement and outline.
Here is the question:

Huxley predicted that in order to achieve a Utopian society that one must sacrifice certain ideals to achieve "happiness." Specifically, what is one area Huxley sacrifices in BNW?
Explain 3 clear examples that support that sacrifice in the BNW
Explain 3 clear examples of how our society today has also sacrificed the same ideals
Use formal essay writing strategies to complete your writing

Today we took the quiz over chapters 9-18 in class

For the remainder of the period we played Jeopardy to review. The six main topics were:

Character identification (know the importance of characters and their relationships)
Multiple choice
Quotation identification (Know who said what and when)
True or False
Slogans (All the stuff we put up on the poster in the back of the room)
Matching

Scribe 4/28

2007-04-29T00:11:00.000-06:00

The first thing we did today was take an online survey, relating to our class and its use of technology.
You can take this survey by going to Smith's webpage on Arapahoe's website. There you will see a link called "Survey" with a sentence reminding you to enter your class code behind it. There will also be several numbers underneath it, showing each of her classes and their corresponding codes. I believe our code is 242, but you should check just to be sure.

After that, the next and final Brave New World group went, group 9 (chapters 17-18), which, as it so happens, was my group.

We started off with quote by George Orwell: "The best books... are those that tell you what you know already."
Then we played the song "Testify" by Rage Against the Machine, which shares another quote with Orwell: "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."
We then tried to find links between the song and the book, and the "Who controls the past..." line seemed to garner the most reaction. However, there were a few people that saw connections throughout the song. There are a few that seem to mention something like soma.
Then we showed the class six more quotes by various people, including Orwell, but we also had Huxley himself, and even Adolf Hitler.
Orwell: "The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection." "There are some ideas so wrong that only a very intelligent person could believe in them."
Huxley: "Most ignorance is vincible ignorance. We don't know because we don't want to know." "Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are dead."
Hitler: "The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one." "How fortunate for leaders that men do not think."
Once again we asked everyone to try to find connections between these quotes and the book, or if they could, to modern-day life. Most people found several connections, such as Lenina seems to be more willing to believe the big lies she is told, while she may not completely trust the small ones. Also that the BNW society is contrary to humanity if the essence of humanity is not seeking perfection.
Then we showed the class a saying: "If you have nothing to die for, you have nothing to live for" and asked the class what they would die for, if anything, or what the difference between living for something and dying for something was.
Immediatly people said they would die for their family, some pointed out that there are some that would die for their religion or their country. A few people said that living for something was more selfish, whereas when you die for something that shows you are willing to give up anything for it.
Finally, we asked if they saw our modern society heading in the direction of Brave New World, most surprisingly said that it wasn't.
We ended with a quote by Benjamin Franklin: "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." My personal favorite of all the quotes we used.

We were supposed to have our final quiz over the book today, but we ran out of time because of the survey and the presentation, so we will most likely take it first thing on Monday. I'm not 100% sure which chapters its over (I think 9-18) so I'd would review the entire book just in case (unless you know for sure what its over).

HW: Obviously the quiz on Monday, study for it. Also the semester project, which will be due soon, so for those of you who haven't started (you know who you are) I would get goin' on that quickly.

2007-04-26T22:43:00.000-06:00

Wednesday 4/25

The fortunate few students who arrived early to class were able to enjoy homemade cupcakes from Smith.

There were shortened classes due to ACT testing.
Group 8 (15-16) presented with a power point

The group started with a few slides with facts and questions.

Sacrifice

What would you give up for a piece of gum?

Scott said that he would take a flick in the ear for a piece of gum.

For a bag of fruit snacks?

Katie was kicked in the shins for this bag of fruit snacks.

Candy Bar?

Andy got up in front of the class and acted like Chewbaca for the candy bar.

Did You Know?

There are 14 different species of parasites that live on your pillow.
Every year you swallow 7 spiders in your sleep.
Some hot dogs are made of mechanically separated chicken flesh!

Discussion Questions for Sacrifice activity

Were the sacrifices worth it?

Yes, also in the BNW the people in the society seem to have sacrificed a lot, whether they know it or not.

In the BNW society they gave up science, religion, art and truth. What have we done in our society that is like this?

We have given up a lot. Like BNW we have somewhat become dependant on technology. Someone said that we have no work ethic, are spoon-fed everything and are very rebellous.

What has the BNW society gained besides happiness?

They have gained order. They are also a lot less likely to rebel.

Discussion Questions for the Did You Know activity

Did those facts scare you?

A little, most of the class was just grossed out.

Did or would you feel more comfortable NOT knowing these facts?

Andy related it to the movie "Super Size Me," and how after people saw that movie they ate the same way they did before.

Is John unhappy because he is not ignorant?

Yes, when he first came to BNW he did not like the society. He knows what else is out there and he knows that there are much better things.

Is ignorance bliss?

Not really, you are happier before you find things out that put a bummer on your day or ruin your outlook on something.

HW: READ, finish the book, semester project, QUIZ on FRI 9-18.

scribe 1/23

2007-04-24T09:59:00.000-06:00

Jeopardy

we played a game of jeopardy to start the day- the game consisted of questions outlining/reviewing chapters 13 & 14 of Brave New World, to answer a question you had to be first with your hand raised and you had to make a weird noise. winners got skittles.
for every 3 general questions there was one deep thought question
Deep thought question 1: Why does Lenina connect with John (the savage) more than any other character in the book?
Deep thought question 2: Why do you think fanny cares so much about what Lenina does in her social life?
Other interesting questions: what do the kids at the hospital, in chapter 14, say about Linda? , What is Lenina's purpose/reason for going to see John in chapter 13?

After jeopardy we fishbowled

The most interesting topic discussed during the fishbowl was brought up by Levi- Levi asked who is benifiting from this "utopian" society? With all the lengths that have been gone through to reach this society, someone must be benifiting, but who?
This brought up an interesting discussion to which no one was really able to come up with an answer.
Along with Levi's quesiton, one key idea that was discussed was how this society has been able to subdue feelings and emotions. It was brought up that when John is called to the hospital because his mother is on the verge of dying, that the nurse seems perplexed at John's attitude/reaction to his mother's cituation. The nurse goes as far as to ask John what ever could be the matter? (this being asked right after he learns of her condition). This complete loss of sympathy had the class full of questions and remarks. These were some of the main questions brought up.
In general, the class concluded that our society mimics the society of Brave New World, but we still feel compassion and sympathy
We also discussed how the government and our parents play a role in "conditioning" our own society. Many believe that our parents conditioning is extremely similar to that of Brave New World. Smith pointed out that almost everyone pics up their faith (religion), parenting methods and means of approaching the world from their parents. It was also commented that the government is worse, or more influential than our parents because it is the government who sets the ultimate limits of our society. It is the government who decides what is criminal and what is ok. Through those laws that our government has laid out, we as a society have become increadibly conditioned.
These were the main topics discussed/ reviewed
We also wrote down on Smith's grade sheet the grade we recieved for the chapters 1-9 quiz (the 44 question one)

Homework: read chapters 15-16, semester project

Scribe 4/20

2007-04-20T13:16:00.000-06:00

Scribe 4/20

We started off today with the class discussion. The questions that were asked during the discussion by both Ms. Smith and the class are:
-What are your impressions so far?
-Why do people still look different even though they are all clones?
-Why is the first line of every chapter italicized?
-How, in the civilized society, can the preach about equality, with thier caste system being so strong?
-Is the savage reservation more of a brainwashing idea or was it just to expensive like the director said?
-What do you think about the paradox of Bernard's opinion of society and his place in it now?
-What are the sacrifices of society to become the utopia tha it is?

Next, Group 6(Amy B, Melissa B, Mark C, and Nathan K) did their presentation over chapters 11 and 12. They first split the class into 6 different groups. Then each group got a sheet of questions that they were supposed to discuss with each other and with the guidance of one of the leaders. The questions were: 1. How has Bernard changed thus far throughout the novel? Give specific examples. 2. How did Dorian change from beginning to end in The Picture of Dorian Gray? Give examples. 3. How does the atmosphere in Hollywood change celebrities? 4. What is the idea that ties all of these questions together? After each group discussed the questions, the whole class discussed the questions.

Homework:
-read 13-14

Scribe 4/16

2007-04-17T18:16:00.000-06:00

Today, we:
-Took a quiz for chapters 1-9 (Talk to Smith for make-up)
-Group 5 (ch. 9-10) presented

HW:
-Read 11-12

Wednesday's schedule:
-Song activity

Important Upcoming dates Smith gave us:
5/2: Essay Final (on BNW)
5/4: Multiple Choice Final (on BNW)
5/7-5/9: Work days for semester project
5/11-5/14: Semester Project Presentations
5/16: FINAL Essay

Group 5 (9-10)
-For each caste (including savages), 2 people in the class were selected to represent the caste
-Legends of the Hidden Temple Style (Answer question correctley and step forward)
-Betas think the game was rigged
-Alphas and Savages tied in the end
-Alphas correctly answered factual questions; Savages got the personal questions right
-The activity portrayed that savages have emotion, Alphs have knowledge, and you must have both to survive

Scribe 4/13

2007-04-15T11:07:00.000-06:00

Smith was gone today :( so we had Mrs. Ritzdorf.

We have a Quiz on Monday on chapters 1-9, we weren' sure if it was supposed to be 5-9. Group 5 is also supposed to lead warm-ups on Monday.
A preview for next week:
Wed-Song Activity
Fri-Discuss 7-12

Group 4's Warm up:
A "pop quiz" (Very clever kids, by the way... Way to freak everyone out.)
All of even numbers were easy questions, or questions that pertained specifically to you.
All of the odd questions were hard and pertained to things based on society.
These were all connected to the fact of how in the Society of Brave New World, the difficulty of the question would be switched. They would be able to regurgatate factualy information but not information based on
their own lives.
Questions that were asked were, "Why did the civilized world allow the
savages to continue their traditions of society?" and "What is the significance
of Huxley quoting Shakespeare's works Hamlet and The Tempest?" You can
find Hamlet quotes on page 131 and 133.
The Tempest is a play about a daughter and father who arrive on an
island and civilize it.
Shakespeare is supposed to represent the lack of middle ground,
he is a passionate well-known writer. He also represents the
lack of passion and emotion of this society.
Another questions was, "How will John react to the 'other place'?"
Possibly like Bernard? Reject the culture and kind of like a
circus freak? Or he could possibly enjoy it; living wild and be
intrigued by it?
For the rest of the period we workd on our semester projects with our groups and we had to turn in a "Project Time Line" and a brief summary of our accomplishments in that time to Mrs. Ritzdorf.

That was it!

Scribe 4/11

2007-04-12T06:53:00.000-06:00

WEDNESDAY APRIL 11, 2007

Today we had to have our podcasts of our montage's turned in.

For the rest of the class period we worked on our slogan poster, which was HUGE! Everyone was helping to cut out magazine pictures and words of slogans that related to Brave New World OR that related to our world today. It went very productively, everyone had their own part, some people were cutters, and some people glued all the slogans onto the poster, and some people wrote out quotes from the book. It looks great, and is hanging in the back of the classroom!! Oh yea and we had donuts today....of course!

For homework we have to have chapters 7 and 8 read.

Amy B

Scribe 4/9

2007-04-09T18:57:00.000-06:00

Today in class we started out with Group 3 - Jeff Gunell and Chris Goerke - doing their starting activity, which was a powerpoint comparing some of the ideas in chapters 5-6 of Brave New World to modern songs, although the songs wouldn't play (we forgive you guys). The first of these songs was "Pimper's Paradise" by Bob Marley, which basically talks about a "promiscuos" woman who is very social and "slutty", for lack of a better word. This relates to the idea that "everyone is for everyone else" within the novel, where sex isn't held as something sacred or special, but it is instead very commonplace and people have many sexual partners. The second song the guys used was "We Are All On Drugs" by Weezer, which basically talks about how drugs make people lazy, ill-witted, and content. This song was applied to the book in the fact that pretty much everyone in Brave New World is addicted to Soma, which the government encourages, because it keeps people from feeling individual by having emotions or by just thinking for awhile. Whenever someone feels melancholy or has enough time to actually stop and think, they take Soma and all their troubles disappear. Jeff and Goerke also posed a few questions to us about our society:
- What things would you consider to be like a Soma for society today?
- Do you think Bernard would be considered a rebel today?
- Who do you think are the Bernard's in our society?
After the starting activity, we had a whole-class fishbowl over chapters 1-6. Some ideas we discussed were:
- Why is sex so prevalent in this book?
*Satirical exageration of the trend Huxley saw in his time.
*Gets rid of the emotion in sex by cheapening it, making it commonplace.
- Idea that Bernard is comforming because of Lenina's wishes.
- Some sacrafices society has made to achieve "Utopia":
*Individuality, Love, Family
- Bernard's regret for having slept with Lenina after their first date
* He wishes he could feel true passion and emotion by depriving himself, for a time, of a desire.

The homework for this week is: Do montage podcast by Wednesday, bring magazines for Wednesday, chapters 7-8 due Friday.

Scribe 4/6

2007-04-09T07:33:00.000-06:00

Scribe 4/6/07

-Ms. Ritzdorf was the subsititute because Ms. Smith was absent
-We started the class out by having a partner quiz over chapters 1-4
-Then we had a starter activity presented by Group 2 (Katie, Amy, Ashley)
Everyone in the class was split up into five groups
Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons
We were assigned parts that would either fit or frustrate our point of views and personalities and then we were assigned to sit somewhere according to our group
Then Katie, Amy, and Ashley asked questions to the class, expecting at least one person from each group to answer
The first question was what is 2+2?
Next, how do you spell dog?
Then we were asked what the 13th prime number is
What is the capital of Vermont?
How many pages can you print out in the library before having to pay?
What is the mascot of Arapahoe?
The last two questions were quite interesting though
Sonny disagreed with the answer for the library question
Jeff disagreed with the mascot of Arapahoe
Throughout the discussion/quiz, the Alpha’s stopped listening to the Epsilons, Deltas, and Gammas
In the end, whatever answer the Alpha’s gave became the right answer
Jeff and Sonny disagreed with questions though, to represent the individuals
Sonny was Helmholtz Watson and Jeff was Bernard Marx
From this activity, we learned that the Epsilons really are dumb and get no respect
The Alphas on the other hand are highly looked up to and whatever they say stands supreme
-Following the starter activity, we worked on our Montage Activity
We followed up on our groups, selected our pages or script, and planned when to get together to work on the project

Homework
-Read Chapters 5-6
-Group 3 Presents the Starting activity on Monday
-Bring Magazines to class on Monday
-We will have a discussion on Chapters 1-6 on Monday
-Podcasts are due on Wednesday

Scribe from Jeff Gunnell

Scribe 4/4

2007-04-05T07:20:00.000-06:00

Scribe 4/4
Introduction
Dave brought doughnuts, some shaped like hearts, because he loves us that much.
Smith passed out three blue papers to help us with the quiz on Friday and with this unit.
Smith will be gone on Friday so we must be on our best behavior for the quiz.
We will get the choice between a partner quiz or “Gates of Heaven”.
Montage Project
In a group you will make a podcast of a couple pages from chapter three with the two scenes.
Copy pages and create a script and assign parts
To create a podcast:
You need to get the microphone from Mrs. Gaffney, tell her that you are in Smith’s class, she knows you are doing this project.
NOTE: Make sure you turn on the microphone ;0)
Go into the scary editing room on the right side as you enter the library
You will need to sign up for a time on the door before doing this
Sign on to the computer and from the start menu click on “Audacity”
Record the audio of your group members reading the dialogue from your scene
NOTE: The record button is the circle, the stop button is the square
Replay your audio before saving to make sure you can hear everyone.
Save into your folder
Export as mp3 by clicking “file” and “export as mp3”
Class
Kurt, Matt, and Scott gave a wonderful presentation of three movie clips and a discussion over chapters 1 and 2 of Brave New World.
The clips were from The Matrix, Star Wars – Attack of the Clones, and The Island
We then discussed conformity, technology, individuality, and a false sense of happiness.
We finished too late to do the group project Smith had planned so we got a chance to start chapter 3 and get into our groups for our Montage project.
Homework
Read chapters 3 and 4 in Brave New World
Study for quiz on chapters 1-4 on Friday
Socratic discussion on Monday in which Smith expects us to participate in like adults. There will be no computers.
Montage Project due Wednesday, April 11

Scribe 4/2

2007-04-03T07:27:00.000-06:00

Here’s the summary for what we did today: Monday, April 2nd.
We split into groups of around 3 or 4 people, and signed up for days to lead the class in an “opening activity.” What exactly does this mean? Well, here’s the gist:

While we are reading Brave New World for class, we will be discussing the novel just about every day. But to get us focused and warmed up for discussion, Smith wants to start each class period with an opening activity, led each day by a different group of people. Leading the activity is worth 50 points. Here are the guidelines:
1) The activity should last between 5 and 10 minutes (15 minutes maximum). It should involve the participation of every student.
2) It should tie-in to the chapters being discussed, but also force the class to look at the book from a different and unique perspective.
3) It should be original. Each day’s activity should be fresh, not just a replica of another group’s ideas. It should evoke each student’s own creativity.
4) The group leading the activity is expected to be prepared. This includes meeting with each other to brainstorm and meeting with Smith to verify your plans.
Here is the order that the groups are leading the activities in:

Date of Activity
Chapters
Group Members

April 4th 1 & 2
Matt, Kurt, Scott

April 6th 3 & 4
Ashley G, Amy B, Katie

April 9th 5 & 6
Jeff, Chris

April 13th 7 & 8
Marie, Alex Ma, Sonny, Andy

April 16th 9 & 10
Haley, Caitlin, Ashley M

April 20th 11 & 12
Melissa, Amy K, Mark, Nate

April 23rd 13 & 14
Taylor, Nick, Stacey, Alex Mu

April 25th 15 & 16
David L, Burger, Levi

April 27th 17 & 18
Zach, Kyle, Leanne, Jess

As an example, Smith led us all in an activity in class. People partnered up and one person in each pair was deemed “the experimenter,” the other “the lab rat.” The experimenters were told to shout the name of their lab rat and bang on a desk 4 times. The lab rats were then made to hop on one foot for 30 seconds in order to get their heart rates up (HR was measured after the hopping). We repeated this “shout ‘n’ jump” procedure a total of 4 times. The fifth time, the experimenters shouted and banged the desk, but the lab rats weren’t made to jump. We then measured the heart rates of the lab rats when just given a stimulus (the shout) versus when they got the stimulus and had to do physical activity (the hopping). The results?—Well, it seems most people didn’t respond to this form of “classical conditioning.” There were a few in the class, however, whose heart rate with only the stimulus was about the same as with the stimulus and the hopping. This means that some individuals learned to associate the experimenter’s shouting with exercise. Therefore, the shout caused the lab rats to prepare for exercise; their heart rates went up in anticipation of the increase in physical activity.

The general point Smith wanted to get across with the activity was how easily people can be controlled, whether at a conscious or subconscious level. In fact, every one of us is conditioned to respond to many stimuli, like end-of-the-period bells, hand signals (the finger-over-the-mouth sign for quiet, or “shhh!”), color patterns (red = stop, green = go), etc. Just like the individuals in BNW, we are programmed with certain ideas in order to allow society to run more smoothly.

Okay, those were today’s main points. Homework: Join up with an activity leading group if you were not in class today. Read chapters 1 & 2 in BNW for Wednesday.

Scribe 3/23

2007-04-02T09:58:00.000-06:00

HW: Buy a copy of Brave New World.

We started the day by turning in our summary response papers.

Then we all had a cheer for Levi. Congrats to YOU!!!

Because of Levi, we had a plethora of ice cream and cake. How delicious it was. Thank you for bringing that in.

We then split into our groups and spent the rest of class working on our semester projects.
Posted by Taylor

Scribe 03-21

2007-03-21T12:04:00.000-06:00

Weds. March 21st

57 MORE DAYS TO GO!!!

Remember:

Paper Due Friday
Need Copy of Brave New World - Due After Spring Break

Today We:

Smith told us about her trip
Worked on our semester project. Smith is concerned, she wants this project to be good, so everyone needs to impress her.
Smith showed the end of The Importance of Being Ernest again
Smith Helped people with their papers

PAPER FORMAT:

1st paragraph:

Summarize The Importance of Being Ernest

2nd paragraph:

Thesis
Comparison between movie and The Picture of Dorian Gray
Prove your idea of comparison

Thanks for the Donuts!!

Posted By: Nick W

Scribe 03-19

2007-03-21T01:06:00.000-06:00

This is what we did in class on Monday the 19th:

- We had a substitute today because Smith was away at some conference.

- Mrs. Ritzdorf is still Mrs. Ritzdorf

- We finished watching The Importance of Being Earnest.

- Jack's mysterious handbag origin is finally explained: Miss Prism was charged with the task of taking out for a walk the son of Lady Bracknell's Sister. She mistakenly puts the child in the handbag and deposits it in the cloak room of the Victoria train station.
- This means that Jack is the brother of Algy by blood, and his true name is John/Ernest Moncrieff.
- All three couples (Chasuble/Prism, Algy/Cecily, Ernest/Gwendolen) embrace and are engaged to be married.
-Some of the above might be a little off from what is in the movie simply because I referenced the original text in which it declares Jack's Christian name to be Ernest John. And yes, all the names are spelled exactly as Wilde spelled them.

- We discussed what exactly a summary response was for those who didn't know.

- See previous scribe post
- See Smith for the packet explaining in depth the correct format of a summary response.

- We worked exceedingly hard on developing a solid thesis statement.

- Must link a main theme from both TPoDG and TIoBE.
- Thematic similarities or Differences, ie; Marriage, Society, etc.
- Must have checked thesis with Mrs. Ritzdorf before leaving.

Scribe 3-16

2007-03-19T08:55:00.000-06:00

Here's what we did in class on Friday the 16th:

Smith reminded us about the summary-response paper, due next Friday (the 23rd)
The paper should be 1.5 to 2 pages maximum, double spaced
The first paragraph is only a summary of The Importance of Being Earnest, the second paragraph comapres TIoBE to The Picture of Dorian Gray
Bring an outline and thesis to class on Monday
Rememeber to pick up a copy of Brave New World, and try to read it over break
We continued to watch The Importance of Being Earnest.
The two women in the movie, Gwendolen and Cecily, both love the name Earnest
Jack and Algy revealed that neither one of them is in fact named Earnest
Jack and Algy want to be christened Earnest by the priest
Jack is revealed to be Lady Bracknell's son
The marraiges of Jack and Gwendolen, and Algy and Cecily look like they could happen

That's all for now! Have a good weekend. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Scribe 3/15 #2

2007-03-15T12:49:00.000-06:00

We didn't have class on my scribe day so you get two for the 15th.

-First off, Sonny brought some dnouts in multiple pieces.
-Then Smith handed back Dorian Gray quizzes and only some of our papers.
-We got a handout on the "crucial" components to writing a summary response paper.
-SummaryResponse
-1.5 to 2 pages
-2 paragraphs
-1st pgh = summary paragraph, include title, author, main idea and what not.
-2nd pgh = response, connecting The importance of being Ernest, to The Picture of D. Gray.
-(Monday outline and thesis due)
-Smith also added that it wouldn't be a bad idea to read Brave New World over spring break, because we need our own copy anywho.

Alright, after all that fun, we started watching The Importance of Being Ernest......and took notes, had a grrreat time.
-Basically what i got from the very start of this movie, was just a bunch of English people smoking, shooting arrows and wearing bow ties and top hats....
-Then I realized (actually Smith pointed it out) that many of the lines in the script are written alot like the way Lord Henry talked in TPODG.
-Here is my story line so far,,,
-Ernest/Jackand Gwendolyn are in love, kinda, she loves Ernest his other personality
-Jack/Ernest tries to propose to Gwendolyn, but Gwens's mom busts in and says that's not happening.
-Jack gets a meetiong with "Momma" to see if he is eligible for marriage to Gwendolyn...and he fails miserably because he told her that he was found in a bag as a kid.
-Reese Witherspoon's character, i dont know her name, was constantly living in fairy tales...Smith pointed that out too so i bet it's important

Ok, I think that's it. Dave V.

Scribe 3/15

2007-03-15T07:10:00.001-06:00

Wednesday, March 14th, 2007
HW: Begin to prepare an outline for your summary response paper. You will be comparing The Picture Of Dorian Gray to The Importance Of Being Earnest in a 1 1/2 to 2 page summary response style paper. We will be continuing the movie on Friday.
On Monday, Mrs Smith will be gone. ;(
The rest of next week will be used to work on our summary response papers and our semester projects.
Get a copy of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley by the end of spring break. It is up to you to read it over break or not.
TODAY:
Doughnuts: Thank you Sonny.
In class today we watched the beginning of The Importance Of Being Earnest. So far... We have met Earnest (Jack), his "brother" ?(could not make out his name), His love Gwendyl, His niece ?, and Gwendyl's mother.
Earnest proposes to Gwendyl. Earnest does not deserve Gwendyl according to her mother because of his lack of parents, otherwise he is a good candidate. Earnest's "brother" stole his cigarette case and also likes Earnest's niece.
We will continue...
Zach V.

Dorian Gray 19-20 question

2007-03-08T07:21:00.001-07:00

If Wilde contradicts his preface in the book several times, why do you think that Wilde even put the preface in the book? Was he just trying to write a story or did he want the reader to be left confused?

Scribe

2007-03-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

7/3/07

HW: Connect Dorian Gary to the Hell Unit
Due Friday
-thesis
-paper outline 2-3 pages
-citations
-Works Cited

Donuts: thank you

Quiz: Dorian Gray 16-20

Fishbowl:19-20

Fishbowl Questions

-Do you think this is a moral or immoral book?

-What is the overall message Wilde is trying to get across in Dorian Gray?

-After Dorian has kept the painting for so many years why does he finally try and change it?

-"All art is quite useless" (Dorian Gray, Preface) Why would Wilde say this when the painting of Dorian ends up driving Dorian to kill himself?

P.S. its my birthday tomorrow the 8th :)

Dorian Gray 19-20

2007-03-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

Blog Question

2007-03-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

In chapter 17 Lord Henry Defines Art, Love, and Religion. Do you think Wilde agrees with what he has written? (Why?/Why not?) What would you define each as?

Dorian Gray 17-18

2007-03-04T20:31:00.002-07:00

Dorian Gray 17-18

2007-03-04T20:31:00.001-07:00

Chapter 15-16 Blog Question

2007-03-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

A literary critic, Christopher Wassar, says this about the novel: "The idea that paradoxes and epigrams have the power to corrupt is prominent in Dorian Gray." What is the primary paradox presented in the novel? Which characters seem to illustrate or embody this paradox the most and why?

Scribe 2/28

2007-03-01T07:04:00.001-07:00

Scribe 2/28

- We got DONUTS!
- Checked our grades online
- We took a quiz over chapters 12-15
- Fishbowl over chapters 15 and 16
o Back in an earlier chapter, Dorian says that if he did something wrong, he would confess it to Lord Henry. Why hasn’t he confessed and do you think he will?
o Why did Dorian not want to be around Basil?
o Basil not the savior figure. He worshiped Dorian’s beauty that is not so much a good thing.
o Do you think Basil or Henry had a more corrupt influence on Henry?
o Some people think Dorian needs to grow up, and some think that since he had a bad childhood he is entitled to act this way.

Dorian Gray 15-16

2007-02-27T13:45:00.001-07:00

Scribe 2/26

2007-02-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

Scribe 2/26

We started class using the laptops. Everyone looked up their grades for the class on line, and then on a word document answered the questions:
What is your goal grade for this class this semester?
How do you plan on achieving that grade?

We then viewed an email from Dan Mass. In his email, he talked about how he is proud of us and that we are a mature class.

Next was the fishbowl, discussing chapters 13-14
Some questions asked were:
Is The Picture of Dorian Gray an immoral book? Why?
What are the connections between the quote in chapter 13 (Basil to Dorian), and the quote in the preface? Is Wilde trying to connect the two?
Dorian wishes to switch souls with the painting of him. Did he sell his soul to the devil? Is he regretting doing this later?
Does Wilde intend to represent the locking up and hiding of Dorian's sins, like Dorian hid and locked Basil's body in the schoolroom?
Why did Alan stop seeing Dorian so many years ago?
What is Alan blackmailing Dorian with?
What happened between Dorian and Alan?

Hopefully that helps anyone absent.

Homework for Wednesday: Read chapters 15-16, blog question over 13-14, quiz over 12-15

Posted by alexmu

Dorian Gray 13-14 question

2007-02-26T14:13:00.001-07:00

A big part of our discussion today was about the difference between Wilde's society and today's society. Why is it that today this book is much more accepted? What has changed that would make turned this book from controversial to educational?

Dorian Gray 13-14

2007-02-26T07:50:00.001-07:00

Scribe 2/23

2007-02-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

Scribe 2/23

We took out a sheet of paper and wrote a reflection about what is going on with out life
What is going well in your life?
What are you struggling with?
How can Smith help you?
Our Fishbowl discussion went a little like this….
“For years, Dorian Gray could not free himself from the influence of this book. Or perhaps it would be accurate to say that he never sought to free himself from it. He produced from Paris no less than nine large-paper copies of the first edition, and had them bound in different colours, so that they might suit his various moods and the changing fancies of a nature over which he seemed, at times, to have almost entirely lost control.”……. Is this quote saying the yellow book is like a drug to Dorian? Is it like his Bible?
How some people live life is by the way of the bible
The more he reads it, the more corrupt he becomes.
What mood does yellow represent?
Yellow was compared to the Divine Comedy.
Yellow=cowardice/hatred/death
Cowardice shows how Dorian is afraid to show who he really is. Hides behind his own beauty.
Why does he need 9 books?
Keeps wanting more and more, he can never get enough
Related to the blog question posted for the 2/21 fishbowl group. Once you get what you seemingly can’t have you keep wanting more and more you can’t ever get enough. Dorian doesn’t know when to stop.
There is a quote in the 11th Chapter on page 112 in my book that this question is aimed toward… Who is Wilde talking to? What is he saying? Why is he addressing it now?
Wilde is talking to his readers
He addresses it now because it is seen as the turning point of the book.
He is using imagry to express his views
He is showing his dark side/ he’s coming clean/ and is showing his true self
“We” refers to people like him.
He chooses now to address this so that people can read his book and get interested. He is hoping to pull out the readers that are just like him
Wilde is concealing his “art”
What mystery do the senses reveal? What senses does Wilde use the most?
Using more emotion rather than senses
His change in sense seems to change the emotion of the book
Uses – sight, smell and hearing
Senses can be deceiving
Dorian is beautiful but does he really have a beautiful heart?
Wilde is using this as a defense so he can get the message out to not judge him.
Dorian doesn’t care about what other people think after sibyl, there is nothing sustaining in his life, he is only looking for the pursuit of pleasure
You can see bad people and how they’re bad as Basil looks at Dorian.
Basil sees only good and innocence in people
Henry sees flaws and tries to bring out their flaws
Basil is fooled by Dorian’s beauty
If Basil were to just look at Dorian everything would seem fine but once he talked to him you could tell something has changed.
It is hard for Basil to accept that Dorian is not as pure and innocent as he wants him to be and as he hopes he is.
Basil is finding out that Dorian is not the beauty he thought he was. Hard for Basil to handle
Is Basil going to be able to see the changes in the painting if he is only able to see innocence.
The point came up that Dorian will kill Basil because he is so obsessed with the painting and he’s getting sick of it so killing Basil will be the only way to get rid of it.
If Basil notices the changes Dorian can’t trust Basil will keep it to him self, so that is why Dorian will kill him.
Basil will “save” Dorian and bring him back from being corrupt. Basil remembers Dorian’s innocence and will bring him back to that. Basil had the patients to do so. He recognizes the evil but tries to bring out the good.
Basil = savior
Dorian = “Lucifer” more so now that Lord Henry.

11-12 Question

2007-02-23T14:28:00.000-07:00

Oscar Wilde seems to emphasize the sense of sight most of any of the other senses. Why do you think that this sense is so important to Wilde? How does Wilde use his characters to emphasize this sense? Why is sight important to Dorian Gray, and how is it affecting his life (especially with the portrait), as well as the lives of those around him?

Dorian Gray 11-12

2007-02-23T07:08:00.001-07:00

Scribe 2/21

2007-02-21T17:05:00.000-07:00

We started out today with a quiz that we got to do with partners. We also had the usual Wednesday donuts provided by Kurt and myself.

We then moved into the Fishbowl for Chapters 9 & 10

Some of the questions that we pondered and discussed were:

Did Dorian “sell” his soul to the devil in favor of pleasure?
Is it too late for him to turn the deal around?
Is Dorian blind to the fact that Lord Henry dominates his thinking?
If Dorian did not have the portrait would he behave the same way that he is? (Living only for pleasure and not caring about the consequences)
Is the picture that Basil painted Dorian’s soul or his conscience?
Is Dorian’s paranoia about someone discovering the picture reasonable or is he just obsessed with the picture and overtaken by it?
What is the significance of the upper room that Dorian puts the picture in? Why that room out of all the others in the house?
Does Dorian “bury” the picture by putting it under a blanket used to cover caskets and by locking it away in a dark room so no one can ever see it?
Is Dorian’s putting the picture in the room (closet) symbolizing that he is “in the closet” and is homosexual?

Hopefully that helps anyone that was gone for the fishbowl.

Homework for Friday: Read Ch11-12, Blog question on 9-10, and Semester Project

Chapter 9-10 Question

2007-02-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

On page 113 Dorian tells Basil, "And you are awfully unjust, Basil. You come down here to console me. That is charming of you. You find me consoled, and you are furious." Don't we all want what we do not have or can not have? Once we get what we do not have, we are still not satisfied. What are some examples from the book or from your own lives that portray this concept? Why is it that we want more and are not satisfied once we recieve these once desired things?

Scribe 12/16

2007-02-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

Scribe 2/16
Syllabus
-hand 3-5 quizes back
-Fishbowl 7-8
-Hw: read 9-10, blog, semester project
Next week
-Monday: no school
-Wednesday: 9-10 fishbowl, quiz on ch. 6-10, hw: read 11-12 (smith says this is tedious- allow extra time)
-Friday: Fishbowl 11-12, worksheet 9-11, Hw: read 13-14
Some of the topics we covered in the fishbowl:
-There are three main relationships
-Art and Life
-Contemplation and Action
-Beauty and Ethics
-Basil is more ethical.
-Dorian uses beauty to explain ethics.
-Lord Henry is all action and no contemplation.
-Are people always contemplating?
-For Sybil, does Life=art?
-Dorian falls in love with Sybil's acting, he falls in love with her "picture", not who she truely is
-For Lord Henry, art is more important than life- he is more concerned with the pursuit of aestheticism.
-Lord Henry's control over Dorian is even larger than Dorian's love for Sybil.
-People pursue different types of beauty to varying degrees.
-When people want something, the pursuit of that thing is more enjoyable than actually having it.
-Sybil is "caged"- Dorian releases her but her family wants to protect her.
-When Sybil is free, she can't handle it
-How will James (her brother) react to the situation?
-Connection between James and Laertes?
-Comparing Sybil to Basil
-Basil can put himself into his artwork.
-Sybil can not- she is only acting -Is Sybil too melodramatic?
-Is Sybil the only real person?
-Dorian is in love with Sybil's acting
-Dorian values art over love.
-Sybil values love over art.
-Dorian needs the painting to realize he's wrong. It's like his conscience.
-Dorian is the number one person in his own life.
-Does the painting actually change?
-Can only Dorian see the changes?
-Dorian wants to see what happens to the painting- he is experimenting.
-Basil=Society
-Society can "paint" a bad picture of you if you are a bad person- reputations
-Society can find things that are corrupt in Wilde's art (his book) -In this way, Wilde is Dorian.
-The picture is like mankind- It was perfect (like eden/ adam and eve) but now it has imperfections, marks.
-Dorian doesn't care/ mankind doesn't care- they just want to see what will happen, don't care about the consequenses.
-Hw: read 9-10, blog, semester project for wednesday.

Blog Question 7-8

2007-02-20T11:23:00.001-07:00

After reading chapters 7-8, what do you think the significance of Sibyl's death is? How is her death symbolic? How will it affect or foreshadow coming events in the book? How does her death relate to Dorian's picture and what does the change in the picture symbolize?

Dorian Gray 9-10

2007-02-20T10:59:00.001-07:00

Dorian Gray Reaction Question 5-6

2007-02-15T07:15:00.001-07:00

A QUOTE FROM CHAPTER FIVE, PAGE 70 (might be different depending on the book)
“Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them.”
What’s your opinion about this quote? Is it true in reality?

Dorian Gray 5-6

2007-02-14T07:39:00.001-07:00

Ch 3-4?

2007-02-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

If Basil is the creator of beauty and art, Lord Henry is the corruptor, and Dorian is caught in the middle. Does that make Basil God, Lord Henry the devil, and Dorian mankind? If so why do they fit these positions?

Scribe 2/12

2007-02-12T13:22:00.000-07:00

Today in class we started out with the usual talk of homework and the rest of this week, then we got started pretty quick with the fishbowl on chapters 3-4. We didn't have laptops, so Smith gave those of us in the outer circle the choice of doing either a journal - where we respond to people's comments in writing - or a "T-note" format - where we write a question that was asked within the fishbowl in one column, then respond to that question in writing in another column. I assume that this is how we will participate in the outer circle during fishbowls if the laptops aren't available. Some of the questions and ideas we discussed in the fishbowl were:

- Why does Wilde view the Hellenic period of history as embodying true freedom?
* Very individualistic society, where people could pursue their own pleasures.
- Why does Lord Henry talk to his uncle about Dorian?
* Obsession over Dorian.
* Henry is "studying" Dorian, almost like an experiment; wants to know everything about him.
- Why does Lord Henry continue to influence Dorian even though in chapter 2 he basically says that influencing someone is immoral?
* He might not realize his influence; he might just think his ideas are simply the truth.
* He might not believe his own talk about morallity, and enjoys seeing his own effects on Dorian
- Why does Lord Henry talk so much of Hedonism?
* Wilde is possibly using Lord Henry to defend his own views.
* Wilde may have put different parts of himself into his different characters.
- What benefit does Lord Henry seek with his pursuit of Dorian?
* Again, he sees Dorian as a subject for study; Dorian represents something Lord Henry has yet to study, and he wants to know everything about him.
* Lord Henry wants to "dominate" Dorian's world; he is excited about having such a profound impact on someone so beautiful, especially since he so admires beauty.

There will be a quiz on Wednesday on chapters 3-5 (Smith might have meant 3-6..?)

Homework: Read 5-6, Blog on 3-4 question, semester project, Blog for Mr. Maas at: blogs.littletonpublicschools.net

Dorian 1-2 Blog Question

2007-02-09T11:22:00.001-07:00

Basil really looks up to Dorian and is completely amazed with him. Do you have a Dorian figure in your life? If so, who is it? What qualities make them your Dorian?

Scribe 2/7

2007-02-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

In class we started with a quiz over chapters 1 and 2 of Dorian Gray and the background packet.

We had a fishbowl for about 30 minutes over chapters 1 and 2 and the outside circle live blogged.

Some of the topics were:
-relationships between Basil, Dorian, and Lord Henry
-influence Lord Henry has on Dorian
-Dorian's youth and beauty and how he perceives himself
-the different names that are used for the three characters and why they are used
-Wilde's use of sexual themes and motives in the characters
-how the painting of Dorian by Basil affects Dorian
-the fight over Dorian by Lord Henry and Basil
-is Oscar Wilde portraying himself in one or more of the characters

On Friday Dan Maas, the head of a Principal's organization, will come to talk to us about blogging, live blogging, the fishbowl, etc. to get ideas and opinions about those things. We may not have the fishbowl over chapters 3 and 4 on Friday but be ready just in case.

We got our reaction to the Preface papers back today as well.

Homework:
Blog, read ch. 3-4, self-portrait project due Fri., semester project.

Whoever brought the donuts, they were good.

Dorian Gray 1-2

2007-02-07T10:46:00.001-07:00

Scribe 2/5

2007-02-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

SCRIBE 2-5

-Today in class we turned in our typed one-page response on The Picture of Dorian Gray.
-We circled up and discussed the meaning of the preface and what struck us personally about what Oscar Wilde wrote. We discussed what he said about art and its meaning, that he seemed to contradict himself in his writing, and that he could have written the preface to justify the immorality he writes about in the novel. Point=Who is Oscar Wilde and what is he all about?
-We also signed up for fishbowl discussers and leaders for The Picture of Dorian Gray. We formed groups of three or four and you must discuss once and lead once. You cannot be a discusser and a leader on the same day. Some days we will have the laptops for the outer circle, but some of the days we will either take notes or jump in the inner circle to get points for the day. If you didn’t get to sign up to be a discusser, stop by Smith’s on an off hour to schedule a time that works for you. DO NOT SCHEDULE YOURSELF IF YOU WILL NOT BE AT SCHOOL THAT DAY!

H.W.
-finish reading chapters 1 and 2 in The Picture of Dorian Gray
-quiz over chapters 1 and 2 on Wednesday
-Self-portrait project= 2 parts (1. Somehow show how society views you. 2. Somehow show how you perceive yourself) This project needs to be put on the same side so you can visually see the contrast between both perceptions. It can be drawn, magazine clippings, collage, etc. This is due on Friday.

Psted by Amy King

Scribe 2/2

2007-02-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

First off we turned in the "Fall of Satan" packet we were working on during Wednesday's class.

After reading through the blogs we discussed the question from Wednesday that asked for us to "Apply Milton's philosophy (p. 435) "human beings have been given the freedom; ability to choose" to Paradise Lost, and to your own lives." A few points and new questions that came up were:

Does God know what you will choose before the time you do it?
If God does know ahead of time why did he question Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden? Were the questions just to make them confess or was he surprised by their actions?
If God set out a plan for us, do we have a choice in following that plan?

The sub then gave us a question to think about while reading The Picture of Dorian Gray, which we were supposed to bring to class today. If you could do something and not get caught for it, would you do it? There are two parts to this:

Legally: Would you break traffic laws, steal something, etc.

Here the answer was a general yes.

Morally: Would you cheat on your girl/boyfriend?

Here the answer was a resounding No.

For the remainder of class we read and highlighted in small groups either a handout, detailing the background of Oscar Wilde, or the preface of The Picture of Dorian Gray, which is the beginning of our homework.

HW:

Type a one page response about what intrigues you from the preface. Why does it strike your fancy?
Blog (This may not be true, no one had heard of a topic so check and make sure)
Scribe
Work on Semester Project

Milton's Philosophy

2007-01-31T14:43:00.000-07:00

Apply Milton's philosophy(p. 435) "human beings have been given the freedom; ability to choose" to Paradise Lost, and to your own lives.

Scribe 1/29

2007-01-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

We started today by seeing the last Hell presentation, that we were unable to see on Friday.

Then we all got out of our desks and sat in front of the projector while Smith scrolled through the comments on the blog from the weekend before. That way we could see what other people said about why God allows evil to exist, and come up with our own ideas and theories on the question. Here is some of the stuff that we discussed:
- Adam and Eve allowed sin to enter the world
- Hamlet: perceives people as evil, wonders if they are truly evil or just his perception
- What is evil? Are there different degrees?
- Evil depends on peoples' perception; everyone's evil is different
- Murder is evil, but killing for country is justifiable?
- Why do People allow evil to exist if they are the ones responsible for evil
- We learn from evil; If there was no evil people would not know the difference between good and evil, they need it to truly understand what good is

After this discussion we got our purple books and turned to page 416, an excerpt from the book of Genesis from the Bible (Genesis 1-3 to be exact).
This involved God's creation of Earth and Man, and the resulting fall of humanity into sin through Adam and Eve's action of eating an apple from the Tree of Knowledge. It also told of God's resulting punishment of such action.
- seems to say "don't question; just accept"
- We don't know God exists, we believe he does
- Snakes punishment: slither on belly for eternity
- Woman's punishment: painful childbirth

We then read pages 435-437 in the same book, which was some background information on John Milton, the author of Paradise Lost. We were unable to finish this so we will finish on Wednesday at the beginning of class.

I feel I should mention that we will have a substitute on Wednesday, and Smith expects us to be at our absolute best behavior.

HW: Have the Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, by Friday
work on the semester project

Scribe 1/26

2007-01-26T14:56:00.000-07:00

Donuts!! Ya!
Homework: Blog
Got quizes back- Check Grades
Hell Presentations
Jeff/Goerke- Good Presentation
-5 Layers of Hell = Cowards, Selfish, Traitors/Betrayers, Fraudulent, Violent
- Well presented through powerpoint
- Surprised by the punishments which seemed harsh and morbid- wasn’t what had been expected from this particular group
Levi’s Group- B-ball Boys
-All souls drown in fiery water
-Devil sits on top of water and pushes all those who try to escape back into the water (like bopper games at arcades)
-No levels
- Interesting concept, Unique to project. Could have had a little more detail.
Melissa, LeAnne, Jess, Amy
-Cubby system of hell- each sinner has specialized compartment in hell which is specific to the sinner
-Devil= Giant who places each sinner into their cubby
- Could have been presented better- good concept but lacked organization in the presentation
Nathan, Matt, Mark, Scott, Kurt
- Hell is viewed as being an up-side-down cone in which the worst sinners are found at the point of the cone
-Basically 3 layers
- Well presented! The levels were very well explained and the punishments were very well thought out.
Kyle and Adam
- 5 Catagories of sin = No Mans Land, Sins of the Flesh, Cruelty, Antenora, Trechery
-Sins organized as a ring of islands
- Well presented- very historical “famous” people mentioned as those to be added to each island. Good idea, good concept, well presented.
Ashley G’s Group
-3 general layers of hell
- Opposed Dante by making every layer full of pain and suffering- no eye for eye concept
- Very morbid in punishments!
- Good presentation- kept peoples attention
Ashley/Katlyn
- Hell found under suburbia
- Theft encompases all of hell
- Sub-Catagories of hell: Betrayal, Murder, Rape
- Idea of hell being located directly under “every day” life is kind of unnerving
- Presented in precise fashion. Could have been more detailed in description of punishments as well as people being placed there. They had possibly one of the most unique thoughts however with their willingness to punish a sinner once, then “try” them to see if they had learned from their punishment. If they had learned, then they would be able to go to heaven. If not, they would continue the punishment-trial process for as long as it takes- very good, creative idea!
Andy, Sunny, Alex, Marie
- 6 layers of hell
- Must climb a volcano and jump into it to enter hell- you sink more/less depending on you sins. The more you sink, the lower the layer of hell you end up in.
- Very creative and well presented! I enjoyed Sunny’s explanation as he took off his glasses to get the point across! Good job!
One last note- Paris Hilton is NOT liked in this class- according to us, she would be swooning in hell!

Justify the Ways of God to Man

2007-01-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

Milton's purpose in Paradise Lost is to "justify the ways of God to man." Why does a just and good God allow evil to exist? What is the source of its power to fascinate?

Scribe 1/24

2007-01-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

No Donuts today! Big Bummer.

The homework for today is to work on the presentation. The requirements are listed below:

Dante’s Hell in the Modern World

Answer the following questions in a typed paper along with creating a visual interpretation of your answer and perception of Hell for the modern world.

Dante carefully classified sin and assigned various levels of Hell to specific sins. The punishments he meted out to the sinners often peculiarly suited their offenses. Suppose Dante asked you to create your own interpretation of Hell based on the sins we now see.
What categories of sins would be the most prevalent?
How would these sins be categorized and arranged? What would be the worst? Why?
What would be the particular punishment for each sin?
What would be the justification for that punishment?
What would Hell look like? Why?
If you had to assign well-known people to the various categories, who would be there? Why would they be there?

Most importantly, throughout this project, I expect to be dazzled and amazed at the level of thought and consideration you or your group puts into assignment. Blow me away!!!

Also, today we worked on the rubric for the Semester Project. This is what we came up with:

Semester Project
- What is the meaning of life?
- What is your philosophy on life?
- What is important to learn about life?

We decided for the semester project that…
- It will mainly be a presentation with a reflective paper on the process itself and how it affected you personally and professionally (academically). Paper is a reflection of the process
- You have to pull experiences from all aspects of your life
- We are doing it in groups of 4 to 5 people
- We are going to be presenting the last two days of classes
- Each group is allowed to choose which ever one of the three choices above, and alter it if they want to, but you have to get it checked off with Mrs. Smith.

Guidelines for the presentations are…
Four textbook references
(2 from senior year readings, and 2 from any other readings) _____/ 50
Four personal life references _____/ 50
Creative, captivating _____/ 50
Originality:
how you present your information (visual representation)(clarity and focus)/ how you answer the question? (organization: intro, points, body) _____/ 100
Letter to Smith _____/ 50
Outline and thesis check _____/ 25

Scribe 1.22

2007-01-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

Today we took our Cantos "Quest." It was one page front and back. Smith was very generous and decided to take off the essay question.

By WEDNESDAY: Groups must be formed and have a thesis on their topic for the semester project.

On Wednesday, we will be starting our modernization of Hell projects. These will be due on FRIDAY.
-This is pretty much the rubric"

DanteÂs Hell in the Modern World
Answer the following questions in a typed paper along with creating a visual interpretation of your answer and perception of Hell for the modern world.
Dante carefully classified sin and assigned various levels of Hell to specific sins. The punishments he meted out to the sinners often peculiarly suited their offenses. Suppose Dante asked you to create your own interpretation of Hell based on the sins we now see.
a. What categories of sins would be the most prevalent?
b. How would these sins be categorized and arranged? What would be the worst? Why?
c. What would be the particular punishment for each sin?
d. What would be the justification for that punishment?
e. What would Hell look like? Why?
f. If you had to assign well-known people to the various categories, who would be there? Why would they be there?
Most importantly, throughout this project, I expect to be dazzled and amazed at the level of thought and consideration you or your group puts into assignment. Blow me away!!!

Have your book "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by NEXT FRIDAY

Scribe 1/12

2007-01-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

Scribe-January 12, 2007-Amy Bryan

Today the agenda was to discuss the blog, discuss the semester project, take the quiz on Dante’s background, to take more notes on Dante’s layers of hell, and to read cantos 1,3, and 5.

Blog
-We discussed if death was really the worst sin.
-We also brought up emotional torment. If you were to rape a person, you would have to live with the fact that you took a piece of innocence from them, and you would have to live with what you did
- To go along with living with your sins, Jeff brought up the fact of pulling the plug on a loved one, and how somehow someway you would still feel responsible for killing that person even if they did request it.

Semester Project
- What is the meaning of life?
- What is your philosophy on life?
- What is important to learn about life?

-We decided for the semester project that…
- It is not paper based, it will mainly be a presentation
- You have to pull experiences from all aspects of your life
- We are doing it in groups of 4 to 5 people
- We are going to be presenting the last two days of classes
- We will be creating our own rubric
- Each group is allowed to choose which ever one of the three choices above, and alter it if they want to, but you have to get it checked off with Mrs. Smith.
- Some of the guidelines for the presentations are…
- You have to have four textbook references ( 2 from senior year readings, and 2 from any other readings)
- You have to have four personal life references
- It has to be creative
- It has to be captivating
- It has to be organized
- You have to have a clear intro and conclusion
- You have to have a visual representation (power point)
- It has to be original
- You have to turn in your outline and thesis/question ahead of time to Mrs. Smith.

The Quiz- Mrs. Smith offered us either the gates of heaven or to take the quiz with a partner and so we chose to take it with a partner.

HOMEWORK: Our homework was to read all the cantos mentioned (1,3,5) and to answer the questions on the sheet that she gave to us.

Scribe 1/19

2007-01-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

Agenda:

Dantes Layers of Hell Notes (7-9)
Rubric finalized, group thesis decided & beginnings of outline(We didn't get to this)
Check out the big purple books-Read Canto 34
Review Notes

HW:

Buy picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Quiz/Test Monday

In class:

We recieved the big purple books and began reading Cantos 34 on page 394, a few notes:

We learn that this is the 9th layer of hell and the people who reside here are the betrayers of relatives, country, guests, and the emperor

Dante also sees Satan and he's larger than life and we also learn that he has 3 different names including: Lucifer, Beezlebub, and Dis (Does this have anything to do with Christian Trinity?)

There is ice everywhere and people are frozen and covered with ice in all different positions and with different body parts sticking out from the ice. (Why does Danted use coldness? Maybe it is so cold that it burns?)

Satan has 3 heads and each one contains the worst betrayers in his mouth including Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. Each head also contains its own color and description: Judas (who suffers the most) is red, Brutus is black and represents the betrayer of friends, and Cassius is yellow and is described as sinewy and the betrayer of a leader.

In order to escape hell, Dante and Virgil climb up Satan's legs.

The must climb up his legs because he is upside down with his arms extended, much like an upside down cross, which is a symbol usually used to describe Satan worshiping. He came in this position as he fell from heaven. On his fall from heaven he creates a mountain, a hill, and the cruxification of Christ.

Satan resides in the Center of earth, and was used by Dante to explain the term "Hell on earth."

When Dante comes up from hell he sees the stars, which offer him hope and remind him of Heaven.

Now is the part you are all waiting for... The long list of notes!!

I think that we left of after the Wrathful and Sullen which was layer 5

STYX

THE WALL OF CITY OF DIS

6.Heretics

3 Furies ath the Gate
Gates open because of Heaven's decree
City of Tombs-Flames in open graves
Arch-Heretrics believe in temporal happiness

PHLEGETHON

7.The Violent-Agaisnt neighbor (Plegethon) (Legend says this is where Christ descended into hell)

River of Blood
Minotaur- guard of this circle
Centaurs-shoot arrows at shades who try to come to the surface
both of these were half man/beast

Against themselves- Suicides and people who were agaisnt their bodies

Wood of Suicide
Harpies (fairies) tear at trees, that is part of their punishment
exist as trees

Against God, nature, or art

Blasphemers

spoke against something sacred

Sodomites

anal copulation with another/copulation with an animal

Usurers

lending money at excessive interest rates
area of burning sand
rains flames
stream of flowing blood

Dante recieves a warning of his future

8.Fraud

Abyss here
Geryon visits waterfall
face of an honest man, body of a serpent

10 Groups called Bolgia

1.Pimps & Seducers

Ex. Jason
Lashed at with large whips

2.Flatterers

Wallow in excrement

3.Simonists

tried to buy holy spirit
upside down hole where their feet stick out and are engulfed in flames
perverted baptism

4.Soothsayers (Diviners, Astrologers, Magicians)

distorted bodies
Ex. Tiresias

5.Grafters (someone who acquires money or gain in an unfair way)

lake of boiling tar

6.Hypocrites

wear cloaks lined with lead, must walk at a steady pace

7.Thieves

serpents chase after the naked people

8.Decievers(Fraudulent Counselors)

flames burn all around, within each flame are souls

9.Sowers of Scandal & Schism

Shades are torn apart, healed, and ripped apart over and over

10.Forgers-falsifiers of metals(alchemists), persons (counterfeiters), words (falsifiers)

sinners are plagued with different types of illnesses
Ex. leprosy, thirst

9.Treachery- looks like a sheet of ice

Dante encounters 2 souls squeezed in a hole, and one is chewing on the head of the other

CAINA

traitors to kin
named after Cain for killing his brother-punished by being in ice, with only face above to show the pain

ANTENORA

traitors to country, city, or political party

PTOLMEA

traitors to associates
hospitality
sinners who are frozen with head above ice with frozen tears

JUDECCA

Traitors to masters/lords
bodies are still alive on earth but possessed by demons
Ex. Judas

COCYTUS

LUCIFER

body half frozen
Wings like a bat
3 faces: each stuffed with the worse traitors

RED: mocks primal love with hatred(Judas)-worst punishment

YELLOW:Parodies divine omnipotence with impotence (Caius Cassius Longinus-betrayed Caesar)

BLACK: Perverting highest wisdom with ignorance (Marcus Brutus)

To exit hell- they must climb down hairy Lucifer to center of earth at which point you will begin climbing back up.

www.arches.uga.edu/~redman/hellhigh.html

www.4degreez.com/misc/dante-inferno-test.mv

ENJOY!! That took forever!

Scribe 1/17

2007-01-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

Because it was a Wednesday today, we started with some delicious Lamar’s doughnuts. Smith then showed us a flash website which virtually goes through Dante’s layers of hell and has some great visuals. She also gave us some other helpful sites.

LINKS:
Dante’s Inferno: Virtual Tour
Reading Dante’s Inferno online
Find out what layer of hell Dante would list you under

Next, we conversed about our readings of Cantos 1, 3, and 5. We did this for the rest of the hour.

NOTES (these are a few notes I jotted down during our conversation):

¨ What do you think?
Dante is sick – maggots eating faces
It is descriptive, causing the reader to not want to go there
Symbolic Retribution (represent person’s sins)
Lust and personal passion had to deal with others’ problems
Emphasized how horrible it was
Virgil uses divine power to pass hell’s guards
¨ Virgil didn’t have to be judged by Minos because he is in a higher level
¨ Carnal passion over reason
Reading Lancelot, love eachother but husband gives his wife and her lover who gave in to sin
Cleopatra, Helen, Achilles, Paris – all there
¨ Why does love send you to hell?
Dante’s past and failure in love
Reason takes you further, faith takes you to heaven
Sin against God to divorce
Beatrice had impact on what Dante wrote
Dante is married yet still loves Beatrice; is he going to hell?
¨ Why does love send you to hell?
Hell is like a bottomless well, earth is grass, sky, etc., heaven is in the clouds with angels flapping by
Heaven and Hell are complete opposites
Purgatory is the only medium
¨ Marie brought up a book which has another take on heaven: The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
¨ Another Connection to Dante’s Inferno: Wizard of Oz (process of going from hell to heaven)
¨ Dante wants to go up, but instead first goes through hell, whih represents how hard salvation is to obtain
¨ Canto 1: Three Animals
Lion of Violence and Ambition
Leopard of Malice and Fraud
She wolf of Incontinence
¨ Why these?
Lion – King of the Jungle and scary
Raging with hunger
Snakes were a good thing in religions during Dante’s time
FEAR – different reasons (memories)
Lion, Leopard don’t move
Fear drives everything in this Hell
¨ She wolf
More she feeds, the hungrier she gets
Evil feeds on evil, never be full
¨ Virgil; why him?
Virgil was Dante’s inspiration as a poet
Highest possible level with reason
Dante trusts/respects him
He can learn from and listen to him
¨ Symbolic Retribution
God has decided these punishments – shows his omnipotence and equality – He has justice
They get what they need
¨ Why are Charon and Minos mad at Dante?
¨ Satan’s message: Hope is gone
¨ Dante is crying or fainting, showing the fear and torment

Homework:
-Blog question featured below this

Canto FIve Question 5

2007-01-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

Dante believed faith was the most important value in life. Next to faith, however, he saw reason as the highest human value. How do you define faith and reason? Which is more valid in today's world? Why? Give examples to support your position.

Scribe 12/11

2007-01-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

Scribe 1/10/07 Melissa BaileyToday:We started with eating donutsTurned in class expectationsDiscussed the following question:I have a question for the people who agree with me that there is a hell. After death, what happens to the people who were never intorduced to the concept of heaven and hell or right or wrong?Why does having to accept Jesus Christ play a role in whether or not your going to hell? It makes no difference. Are you saying that a Jewish person such as myself should be sent to hell automatically just becasue I don't accept jesus as anything?Then we read the first few pages of Dante's background:Notes:What does Dante already want to separate? Separation of the church2 political groups Blacks old aristocracy- tied to church White new money- feudalismKey definitions:Comedy- poetic compostion in a style between the nobility of tragedy and elegy.Visionary writing- guide who accompanies the soul- guide's resposibility for lightening the soul in meaningful places and being the protectorDante's journey is important becasue he is trying to find the balance between reason and faithLayers of Hell- Dante's opinionLight=ReasonNo light= no reasonAnte- HellNeutrals - opportunistsAcheron - Charon- ferryman1. Limbo -shades and virgil reside here -unbaptized or those that came before christ2.The lustful -minos decides what level you will to go - Cleopatra lives here3. The Gluttonous -Dante learns sinners can see past and future but not present -Rains on themHOMEWROK:Read the first 6 pages and back page, Allegory in packet, blog, QUIZ Friday on Dante Background

Wrongs of society

2007-01-10T07:27:00.000-07:00

In your opinion, what are some of the greatest wrongs people can commit? (murder, theft, betrayl, revenge) What punishment would fit the crime? Make sure to react to one anothers' reponses.

Scribe 1/8

2007-01-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

Katie A.

SCRIBE Jan. 8, 2007

-First we received our seating assignments.
-Then we talked about setting up a blogging account if you don’t already have one. To set one up you go to www.blogger.com and on the website there should be three easy steps showing you how to set up an account.
-Things to note while setting up account: Your user ID can be whatever you want, but you display name needs to be your first name and last initial.
-Also new students need to e-mail Smith so that she can give you posting privileges to do the scribe.
- E –mail her at asmith@lps.k12.co.us
-Also note that scribes need to be posted by 9PM of the night they were assigned.
-Then in class we assigned days for people to scribe, it is hanging up in the classroom.
-Then we assigned days for people to bring in donuts on donuts Wednesdays. You are with a partner and must bring enough donuts for 34 people.
-Note that you cannot bring in bad donuts. (King Supers)
-Then we went over Smith’s class expectations on her website which you can link through the AHS website.
-Then Smith gave us a list of the book we will be reading this semester. Which she recommends we buy. They are the following.
-The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (we will need this in a couple of weeks)
-Importance of Being Earnest
-Brave New World by Aldous Huxlay
-Then Smith had us answer the following questions on a piece of paper to hand in during class.
-What do you want to do this semester?
-What do you want to accomplish?
-Goals for yourself? For this class? For me as your teacher?
-Then Smith had a discussion with us about how this semester should be more about learning and not all about grades.
-Then the class discussed a semester long project that Smith has assigned that is still open for ideas. She has two questions; what is the meaning of life? And what should you learn in life? Smith wants to know what is a better question to answer? What would be easier to relate to text? Should we work in groups? She wants any feedback we have, because answering the question will be our final.

HOME WORK:
-Go to www.smithewl.blogspot.com after setting up your account and answer the blog question. You answer it by clicking on “comments.”
- Make sure to read over the class expectations.
-Pick question you like for the final and have ideas on how you want to answer it.

H-E-Double Hockey Sticks

2007-01-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

What is your concept of hell? What is the purpose of hell? Who goes there? Why? What happens to those who reside in hell? What does it look like? Where does your interpretation come from? Make sure to react to one anothers' reponses.

Scribe 12/13

2006-12-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

Today was the last class period before the final!
In class we finished reading Hamlet. Here is a brief summary of Act 5 scenes 1 and 2.

Act 5 Scene 1
- Hamlet and Horatio go to the graveyard where a gravedigger is digging Ophelia's grave
- Hamlet and the gravedigger contemplate death using comedy
- when the funeral starts the priest does not perform his job the right way and this angers
Laertes
-Hamlet and Laertes get into an argument which sets the stage for scene 2
-this scene provided some comic relief with the presence of the gravedigger and his sarcastic remarks
-the comic relief is used to lighten the mood of the play at this point

Act 5 Scene 2
- Hamlet has stolen a letter from Claudius to the English and has rewritten it so that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern will be killed
- Claudius sends Osric to tell Hamlet that he and Laertes will have a fencing match and Hamlet accepts
- When the match starts, Claudius offers Hamlet a drink (poisoned), but Hamlet does not accept it. The queen then drinks the poisoned drink.
- Laertes cuts Hamlet with a poisoned knife, and then they accidentally switch knives, and Hamlet cuts Laertes.
- Hamlet then uses the poisoned knife and wine to kill King Claudius
- The queen, king, and Laertes all die
- Hamlet tells Horatio to live on to tell Hamlet's story and shortly after Hamlet dies
- Fortinbras arrives and is disgusted at the scene - he orders a funeral for Hamlet

The significance of all of this will be discussed at the final fishbowl. Come prepared to lead, discuss, or live blog with your questions and comments.
We will have a short essay response the day of the final as well.

Don't forget to turn in your papers by Friday AM. NO EXCEPTIONS. Attach the rubric.
If you have not blogged on Ms. Howell's question, do it soon.

Andy, the donuts and OJ were good.

by Levi K.

Scribe 12/11

2006-12-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

Today we had visitors from the board of education come view our fishbowl discussion over Act 4 in Hamlet. Everyone did a really nice job displaying the benefits of challenging the traditional educational environment with technology, higher-level discussion, etc..GOOD JOB EVERYONE!!

Topics/Questions discussed in the fishbowl discussion and over blogging:
-Ophelia’s death= accidental or suicide
-Was she pregnant?
-Shakespeare’s opinion of women…weak and wicked?
-Is Ophelia sane or insane? And is the lack of sanity used as an excuse for problems?
-Relationships in the play (father/son) and the lack of trust
-Why HASN’T Hamlet killed Claudius yet? What’s the difference between Hamlet’s character and Laertes and Fortinbras?
-ghost was called into question again
-Fate vs. Freewill presence in Act 4
-Claudius and Laertes plan Hamlet’s death..motivation?? betrayal to Gertrude??
-The importance of King Hamlet to Hamlet in the play..is he starting to question whether his father is everything he made him out to be?
-Can Gertrude see the ghost? How is she involved in this situation?
-Hamlet…thought about the aftermath of his decisions?

-Don’t forget to answer the question for Act 4 on the blog!
-PAPERS due on FRIDAY PEOPLE!!!
-Act 5 people- get ready for fishbowl for final

LAST MONDAY OF REGULAR CLASS FOR FIRST SEMESTER!!!!
by Amy K.

This Isn't Your Ordinary Act Four Question

2006-12-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

Instead of having the act 4 group create another blog question, I thought we could continue the conversation started by Mrs. Howell regarding how your education is different. What changes have you seen? How does the fishbowl or constructivist methodologies work for you? What benefits have ou experienced.

Additionally, since Mrs. Howell is a school board member, part of her job is to show the community that what we are doing (constructivist, fishbowl, technology) is beneficial to you as well as show how it has helped and changed your learning. How could you explain this to the community of Centennial?

Hamlet Fishbowl Act 4

2006-12-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hamlet Fishbowl Act 3

2006-12-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

In act 3 we see Hamlet kill Polonius when he screams for help. After killing Polonius, an innocent man, will it be easier or harder for Hamlet to kill Claudius? Take into consideration the ghost and his new appearance, his mother and what she came to terms with in their talk, and his possible insanity.

Scribe 12/4

2006-12-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

Today in class we had a great fishbowl on Act III in Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. I took notes in the class, and I'll just post those, they do tend to jump around, but it is the order that the conversation took, so hopefully the help.

Hamlet Act III Fishbowl
- Lit Crit, "Hamlet most famous play in English language"
Avenge father's death

- Moral integrity? What moral lessons in Act 3?

- P 125 line 159 Since we're married we should be loyal to each other

- Claudius can't pray, he doesn't mean it

- P. 149 line 243-44 own up to actions, clean conscience won't bother you

- "Words without thoughts never to heaven go" No meaning behind words, not actually repenting, not accepting that did something wrong

- Claudius knows its wrong, but isn't sorry

- Hamlet preparing to kill King; is this moral?

- P 162, puts sword away, because it is morally wrong? Not revenge unless it equals sin, if caught in prayer he will go to heaven, wants him to go to Purgatory or Hell?

- Hamlet is working to destroy the respect of Claudius

- Hamlet wants Horatio to watch Claudius, because he knows he bias. Doesn't act immediately against Claudius, to make sure he really did it.

- Hamlet committing sin, no matter what

- Catholics believe that you must repent as you sin, if not repentant before death, get stuck in Purgatory

- Wants to catch Claudius sinning to expose Claudius, and to feel less guilty than if killing him praying

- Hamlet believes that God is allowing him to kill people, particularly Claudius, but says God lets him kill Polonius

- P 179 Hamlet's father is no longer wearing armor What does the ghost want to tell or show Hamlet?

- Hamlet might just be actually crazy at this point, only imagining his father, especially because no one else can see or hear the ghost

- Father no longer is prepared for battle, and trusts that Hamlet will take care of Claudius

- Ghost tells Claudius to be nice to mother

- Seems like ghost would show himself to mother, to reveal that Hamlet is on his side and to get her on Hamlet's side

- P 59 ghost criticizes Gertrude for falling in love over gifts and wit, calls it incest

- Ghost is Hamlets sub-conscience, comes out to call out Hamlet's wrongs, forces him to stick to the task

- Ghost wants Gertrude to come to remorse without him showing himself to her, to know she did something wrong not told she did something wrong

- Ghost wants Hamlet to be on the right path

- Why does ghost want heaven to judge Gertrude but not Claudius, wants him killed

- Ghost wants son to do well on earth

- King Hamlet thinking of Denmark

- Kings put in power by God, GodJrants Hamlet jr. to take the throne, so won't judge him until that time

- King Hamlet notices Fortinbras is just building armies

- Is Claudius sorry for what he did, or sorry because he was caught

- The stabbing of Julius Caesar by Brutus is similar to Hamlet's stabbing of Polonius (Polonius played Caesar in the play and was stabbed by Brutus)

- Polonius was a jerk to Hamledoesn't so Hamlet doesn't really care if he kills him

- Polonius innocent?

- Would Hamlet have same reaction had he killed Rosencrantz or Guildenstern?

- Hamlet so obsessed with his task of killing Claudius, wouldn't mind if he killed anyone

- Compares sin of killing Polonius with Gertrude's sin of marrying her husband's brother

- Embarrassed with the killing, but turns it against mother to say basically say that she cannot change the subject or get away with what she did.

- Hamlet compares Polonius a rat, lowers his level of respect and honor

- Hamlet a Tragic Hero?

- Doesn't do anything to help people, only cares about his task, only with what he is supposed to do

- Hamlet is not driven enough to be a Tragic Hero, he always second guesses what he does

- "Blindly running into the unknown." (Matt Weber).

- Hamlet starts out second guessing, but eventually becomes more bold and driven, taking actions blindly, such as killing Polonius

Also don't forget, those who didn't write the Canterbury Tales paper need to finish the book early and write their thesis. Show Smith your thesis so she can approve it, and the paper is due on Friday, December 15th

Scribe 12/1

2006-12-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

Happy December!
Today...
-The homework is for the people to work on their paper. If you have not talked to Smith about your thesis, you also need to go in and see her. The paper is due December 15. Also, fishbowl group 3 needs to get ready for monday.
-We watched the Mel Gibson and Kenneth Branagh movie version of the scene where the actors are acting out the play in front of the King and Queen.
-We then read Act 3 scene 3 and 4
-No further reading, but come prepared to discuss during fishbowl.

Hamlet Act 3 Blog

2006-12-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

Scribe 11/29

2006-11-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

Today...
-We ate our doughnuts!
-Smith collected our Act 2 quizzes.
-We read Act 3 scenes 1 and 2.
-There is no further reading tonight because we finished it in class.
*Hamlet paper people. You need to conference with Smith about you thesis before you start writing your final paper. The paper is dude DECEMBER 15!*

Hamlet Act 2 Blog Question

2006-11-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

The ghost mentions that he is in a horrible place of judgment. Could Hamlet be resisting the urge to kill Claudius immediately because he does not want to withstand the same agony of his father? What might King Hamlet have done to deserve such a punishment?

Hamlet Fishbowl Act 2

2006-11-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

Hamlet Act 1 Blog Question

2006-11-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

Following today's fishbowl discussion of Hamlet and Claudius, consider the following connection: In Shakespeare's Macbeth, The King (Duncan) is murdered by Macbeth in order for Macbeth to take the throne and gain power. Macbeth's rule doesn't last, as everyone finds out how he gained power. One he is exposed as the murderer of the King, one of Duncan's sons avenges his father's death, and he takes the throne as the rightful heir. How does this situation relate to Hamlet? Do you think that Hamlet will follow through with the logical act of avenging his father's death, or will he continue to submit to fate? Do we see this same situation in modern day literature or entertainment (movies, TV, etc.)?

Hamlet Act 1 Fishbowl

2006-11-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

11/13 Scribe

2006-11-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

Scribe for November 13, 2006

Today we spent most of the hour figuring out the groups of leaders and discussers for Hamlet. Here are all the official groups;

Act One: Friday November 17th
Leaders: Scott, Kurt, Mark, Matt, Chris
Discussers: Levi, Dave L., Katie A., Amy B., Ashley G.,

Act Two: Monday November 27th
Leaders: Caitlin, Haley, Ashley, Steph, Emily
Discussers: LeAnne, Dave V., Chris, Hannah, Mark

Act Three: Monday December 4th
Leaders: Katie A, Amy B, Ashley G, Jeff G.
Discussers: Zach M, Amy King, Melissa B, Sonny, Kurt

Act Four: Monday December 11th
Leaders: Kyle, Andy, Hannah, Marie, Sonny
Discussers: Marina, Clair, Richard W., Matt W.

Act Five 1: Tuesday December 19th (Final)
Leaders: Zach M., Dave L, Dave V, Levi, Richard
Discussers: Ashley M, Emily, Andy, Caitlin, Scott

Act Five 2: Tuesday December 19th (Final)
Leaders: LeAnne, Amy King, Marina, Clair, Melissa
Discussers: Steph, Haley, Marie, Kyle, Jeff G

**For all the leaders of the fishbowl, you must come prepared with the following;**

*Criticism on your act
*A Syllabus
*Equality among the Leaders
*Create an in-depth Blogging question to post at the end of the period for everyone in the class to answer as homework

§ The outside circle will be live blogging on the laptops approximately 8-9 times but Ms. Smith going to grade on quality not quantity.
§ The inner circle will need to participate with prepared responses approximately 5 times but still quality not quantity
§ There will be a “Take Home Quiz” every fishbowl day

Hamlet:
The story starts with Hamlet Jr. off in college, his dad dies unexpectedly, and his mother remarries his Uncle (Dads Brother) after 2 months. This was hard to handle for Hamlet because he came from such a close relationship with his parents that to see his mother remarries that soon devastated him. Hamlet is also in love with a young woman named, Ophelia. She was a weak women but her dad is the right hand man to the king. But they were forbidden to be with each other because Hamlet was from royalty decent and Ophelia was not.

Hear is a small family tree to understand the story better:

Claudius Hamlet – Gertude Polonius
(Uncle) (dead)
Hamlet Jr. Laertes and Ophelia

Fortinbras *Hamlet and Fotinbras were in war and Fortinbras lost and
Died so Fortinbras jr. is out seeking revenge over his land
Fortinbras Jr.

§ The time frame from the story is in December
§ Hamlet is the epitome of a Shakespearian Hero
o Sickness and disease is carried through out the story

Act 1

§ Horatio is Hamlets friend who sees a ghost that appears to resembles Hamlet’s Father

We only read 2 pages so that is all that we really know right now

Homework: Read through Act 1, scene 1-2 by Wednesday

~Marina

Hamlet Leaders and Discussers Schedule
Act One: Friday November 17th
Leaders: Scott, Kurt, Mark, Matt, Chris
Discussers: Levi, Dave L., Katie A., Amy B., Ashley G.,

Act Two: Monday November 27th
Leaders: Caitlin, Haley, Ashley, Steph, Emily
Discussers: LeAnne, Dave V., Chris, Hannah, Mark

Act Three: Monday December 4th
Leaders: Katie A, Amy B, Ashley G, Jeff G.
Discussers: Zach M, Amy King, Melissa B, Sonny, Kurt

Act Four: Monday December 11th
Leaders: Kyle, Andy, Hannah, Marie, Sonny
Discussers: Marina, Clair, Richard W., Matt W.

Act Five 1: Tuesday December 19th (Final)
Leaders: Zach M., Dave L, Dave V, Levi, Richard
Discussers: Ashley M, Emily, Andy, Caitlin, Scott

Act Five 2: Tuesday December 19th (Final)
Leaders: LeAnne, Amy King, Marina, Clair, Melissa
Discussers: Steph, Haley, Marie, Kyle, Jeff G

11/10 Scribe

2006-11-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

Scribe Friday November 10,2006

We ate cupcakes
We talked about Wednesday nights Prologue reading. Pg 123-127
Got into our Pilgrim groups and worked on our project.

Homework:
Canterbury Tale Formal Paper due Wednesday Nov 15
Locker Tags Due Monday 13

Scribe 11/06/06

2006-11-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the inexcusable tardiness of this post; it just slipped my mind.

On Monday we continued discussing the Prologue of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The pages covered were 111-116. Here are summaries of the characters in these pages:
The Monk: He ignores the rules of how monks should act. Instead of staying in the monastery and copying books he goes and hunts. The narrator points out that the Monk owns multiple "dainty" horses (i.e., thoroughbreds) and greyhounds, and also wears fine fur with a golden pin. These possessions indicate wealth, yet a true monk should be dirt poor. This indicates the Monk is probably embezzling money from the church. Also, the Monk is a hunter, even though church law says "hunters are not holy men" (line 182). The Monk is representative of the corrupted power of the church during Chaucer's time.
The Friar: Another character who shows the church's corruption. The Friar listens to people's confessions, and offers forgiveness, as long as they pay a fee (lines 225-226). He is a womanizer (or more likely, a creepy pedophile) who gives gifts of "pins for curls/And pocket-knives...to pretty girls" (lines 237-238). The narrator says the Friar spends more time hanging around bars and inns than helping the needy. He believes "nothing good can come/Of commerce with such slum-and-gutter dwellers,/But only with the rich and victual-sellers" (lines 250-252).
The Merchant: Gives a false appearance of being rich and well-off. In reality, the Merchant is flooded in debt. Chaucer says openly, "high on his horse he sat," indicating his attempt to give off an aura of pride and haughtiness (line 281). It's ironic that Chaucer placed the Monk and Merchant close to each other in the Prologue. We would expect the Monk to be poor and the Merchant to be rich, but the situation is the exact opposite.
The Oxford Cleric: He is a student. He pours all his money and energy into buying books and learning. He borrows money from his friends in order to buy books (keep in mind that books in this era were hand-copied, and therefore expensive). Despite all his knowledge, he keeps his mouth shut most of the time, never speaking "a word more than was need...Short, to the point, and lofty in his theme" (lines 314 & 316). As Smith would say, the Cleric is a bonafide, Grade-AA nerd.
The Serjeant (Sargeant): He is a master of the law. He serves as a justice in court, and delivers his verdict in black and white--there is no gray area for the Sargeant. The narrator says he "knew every judgement, case, and crime/Ever recorded since King William's time" (lines 333-334). The only "King William" I can think of is William the Conqueror, who we read about for background info. If this line is indeed referring to Willy the Conqueror, then the Sargeant knows about 300 years worth of court decisions--quite a feat. However, the narrator also says the Sargeant is "less busy than he seemed to be" (line 332). This continues a motif of deception and false appearances that Chaucer has carried through almost every character mentioned so far.
Once we finished our discussion on Canterbury Tales, we split into groups to work on our locker tag assignments. Each group picked a character from the Prologue to create a locker tag for. The locker tag is supposed to indicate the social status and abilities of the character, and also identify a vice (negative quality) that the character is trying to overcome. The tag should urge that character to defeat their vice (e.g., "Hey Friar! Stop mackin' on those young girls!"). Put some thought into your character's qualities. Make the tag colorful and creative. Be sure to urge your character with something better than the example I gave.

Scribe 11/27

2006-11-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, sorry for the tardiness of this post. Here's the rundown of presentations for the 27th:

Haley presented first and she read Anna Karenina. The highlight of her presentation was her representation of the seven deadly sins on her box.

Clarie was up next; she read Les Miserables. Her cross symbol representing Jean Val Jean was great.

Emily read 100 Years of Solitude. She discussed a war in her book called the twenty years war.

Andy presented the Prince; he made a connection to Oedipus the King with a symbolic eye on his box.

Stephanie read the Kiterunner. She presented her book with a corduroy theme.

Marina read Les Miserables and tied all of her items together using a silverware motif.

I read Crime and Punishment and used a root beer bottle in my presentation.

LeAnne read Les Miserables also and she created a homemade Bible case to hold her copy of Les Mis.

Zach read Steppenwolf and covered all of his pieces of paper with fake fur. It was sweet.

David L. read The Trial and he used marriage stickers to represent infidelity.

Hannah read The Misanthrope and gave a unique perspective on the many love triangles in the novel.

Finally, Kyle was supposed to present but had no time. The highlight of his presentation was not having to present.

That's it guys. Awesome job on all the presentations!

Scribe 11/3

2006-11-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

Today in class we started off by choosing what we wanted to do with the final. Smith gave us 3 options:

1) Have a fish bowl discussion over Hamlet with blogging too and turn in a final paper over Hamlet.

2) Write the formal paper from Canterbury Tales. You can either choose the Prologue, the Pardoner's Tale (p.131), or The Wife of Bath's Tale (p.140)
~ the paper needs to have at least 8 quotes, all cited correctly
~ pre-approved thesis before beginning the paper from Smith
~ paper is due 11/13!

3) McConnell decided to come up with the class being able to decide which of the above options they wanted to do

There will be a fish bowl discussion lead by the class over Hamlet reguardless of which option you choose to do
~ there will be groups of 4-5. Each group will be responsible for covering an act in Hamlet and being prepared to teach the class!

After we finished discussing the final topics we handed in our modern pilgrim presentations. We started reading Canterbury Tales in class and got to p. 111.

HW: continue reading to p. 116. Make sure to take good notes on the characters that you're introduced to and anything else you feel neccessary.

(If you're going to Hawaii make sure you talk to Smith about what you want to do with the final)

Scribe 10-25

2006-10-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

So it was another donut day in class, and what a great day for scribing, let me tell you. Today is also the day for dodgeball, and smith may get owned by Cody Scott. It was the first presentation day for our independent study projects, and I get to tell you all about them.

-The first to go was Ashley G.She put on a solid performance with her novel, The Misanthrope. I don't know if that's how you spell it, but it looks good. Her box was nicely decorated with hearts to symbolize the gigantic like fest in the book. Inside her box, each one of her elements was in a envelope, equally as nice to the outside of the box. I do believe Ashley even threw in the word "Slutty slut" in to her presentation making it all the more better.

-Next up was Marie PA pleasant follow up to the strong starter. Reading The Kite Runner, she decorated her box to portray the theme of integrity. We learned about the main characters life, being born in Afghanistan and later moving. She also made clear the significance of blood in her story, and its connection to relationships.

-Following Marie was Scott M.Another strong performance. Scott started off with a nice blue print covered box to show the "blueprints to leadership." The box was nice but it was then followed up by a brief appearance made by Mufassa and Scar from Lion King. Scar was to symbolize people who take power by force, and Mufassa was there to show those who inherit it. It was a good thing. He even left us with a thrilling "cliffhanger ending," due to Marina's time constraints.

-Neeeext up was the Goerk, Chris G.Chris read the lovely tale of Steppenwolf. Chris' box was decorated to show the importance of Steps in Germany and how the main character believes he is a wolf from the steps. There was one word which chris used quite frequently throughout his presentation. Bourgeios. Good word. It was also one of his vocab words, meaning of or partaining to middle class. And might i add Chris looked very nice in his sweats.......again.

-A solid performance by Steph M followed Goerke's.Stephanie (sp?) read 100 Years of Solitude. Her box was lavishly decorated in gold because of the common theme of money in her book of study. Her objects included a picture of a rooster fight. Significance=a strong source of conflict in 100 yrs of tude.

-Sonny W was next to perform, and what a performance it was.Sonny chose to read Crime and Punishment. The novel takes place somewhere in Russia. To be honest i didn't quite pick up on the name. One thing that Sonny made clear is that there was a stron theroy in the novel about Ordinary and Extraordinary people, and the main character's search to discover if he himself was ordinary or extraordinary. There was even a connection made about extraordinary people being insane. His box was a heftily bronze coated cross symbolizing the indestructable beliefs held by the main character. He also had all his papers chained together for that same symbolic reason.

-Tough to follow Sonny, But Amy K did well.The box/container was compared to the suitcase carried by jean val jean (and yes i made up the spelling completely), and how he and his suitcase were inseperable. The story was set in Paris, and the word Father was important to the story. It was only used to show love for the person it was directed towards.

-Chuggin up the rear was Caitlin O. (she went last)Caitlin chose to read Anna Karenina, a book that is, and i quote her, " All about love." Her box was even decorated in red because of its strong connection with love.And that concludes my Breif Synopsis of the day's presentations.-

HW: Independent study continues on Fri. the 27th and Wednesday the 1st. Monday October 30th will be a work day , because Smith will be gone. Probabaly a good day for modernization projects. The end.

Made by China

Scribe 10/23

2006-10-24T11:08:00.000-06:00

Scribe 10/23

Today in class we began by getting our college Scholarships together and ready to turn in. Mrs. Smith asked if anyone had any interesting scholarships they would like to share, so that we may hear any that interest us.

Scholarships
-HAMSA
-Dale E. FriDell Scholarship
-Friday Night Lights scholarship
-Holocaust Scholarship
Scholarship web sites
-Collage Prowler
-All-ink
-FastWeb

Homework
-Independent Study
Due Dates for presenting 10/25, 10/27, 11/1
Vocabulary Visual Presenting Journal
-Modern Pilgrim Project due Nov 3

Scribe 10-16

2006-10-17T11:00:00.000-06:00

Today in class:

Smith passed out Beowulf quizzes (background and partner) and the questions we answered on page 38 so if you weren't there make sure you get those from her.
She has updated grades online so check them out…if you dare. ;0)
Homework:
There will be a quiz on pages 75-88, which we read in class, on Wednesday (Oct. 18). Remember that it is a short period so you won't have much time to guess.
Read pages 99-104 on Caucer and more background on “Canterbury Tales.” This information will not be on the quiz.
Independent Study
Modern Pilgrim Project due Nov 3.
In class we read “The Middle Ages” on pages 75-88. Here are things we discussed and that you need to know:
Who was Duke William of Normandy?
Who was William the Conqueror?
What did he bring to this era?
What did the Anglo-Saxons add to Europe?
What did the Normans add to Europe?
What is the Domesday Book?
How did Taxes come about and who initiated them?
How does feudalism work? Why does it work so well? What causes it to cease working?
What role did Chivalry play during these times?
What key facts can you extract from the blue box on page 82?
How was the middle class established?
What four things did it bring about?
Who was Thomas À Becket?
What good did the church do and what bad did the church do?
What did the Yeoman do?
What were the reasons for the end of The Middle Ages?
At the end of class we got into our groups for The Modern Pilgrim Project and picked which place we were getting our Pilgrims ready for. If you missed this see Smith for a group and the packet we got for the project.

10-13

2006-10-15T13:21:00.000-06:00

Today in class we spent the whole hour, (and some of us took more time) to complete our Beowulf essay test. we stapled our outline to the back before turning it in.

HW: -Finish applying for 5 scholarships by the 23rd.-Independent Study project is due the 25th. We signed up for the day we wanted to present (10-25, 10-27, or 11-1) in class so if you're not signed up see Ms. Smith.
Have a good weekend!

Scribe 10-11

2006-10-11T15:54:00.000-06:00

Today in class we got into our independent study groups and discussed our books.
We will no longer be using the wiki because no enough people were using them. Instead Ms. Smith put up the week three questions on the board.

Independent Study Questions- Week Three

Use the following questions to guide your discussion today.

What is the most surprising thing you’ve read? Why?
What’s the most boring part of your book? Why?
What are three themes prevalent in your novel? What examples do you have to prove these themes? Do all group members agree on these themes? Brainstorm container ideas that you can use to present your independent reading project materials. Remember, each member’s presentation must be unique.
Select one new passage that really speaks to you. What connections can you make to this passage? Why is this passage important to the book? Why is this passage important to you?
Symbols- are there any new symbols since your last conversation. What symbols are reoccurring? What objects could represent these symbols. Remember group members need to have different objects and different examples.
Have any new questions arisen regarding your book? Are you surprised by the turn of events? Do you think the novel is predictable?
What message is the author trying to deliver to the reader through this extraordinary piece of literature? Is the author trying to comment on societal values, historical events, etc….
Presentations begin October 15th. If you have signed up for a particular day and miss your presentation, you will receive a zero. Be there or be square! Also, we will continue our presentations on the 18th and the 20th. We will need to get through 10 presentations a day. Time will be limited to four minutes. You will be cut off at four minutes! Sign-up today.
Fun question: If you had to select people from school to play the parts of your main characters, who would you select? Why?

HW: -Finish applying for 5 scholarships by the 23rd.
-Independent Study project is due the 25th. We signed up for the day we wanted to present (10-25, 10-27, or 11-1) in class so if you're not signed up see Ms. Smith.
-GET READY for the Beowulf essay test. You need to come ready with a thesis and a brief outline of an essay you can write persuading the reader or arguing a point know well. If you use quotes from Beowulf or another source (such as Oedipus) make sure you have it ready to go and are able to cite it.
Ms. Smith suggested keeping it in 5 paragraph essay format. We will be hand writing it but there is a slight chance we can use the lap tops. We will have all hour to write so be prepared!

Scribe 10-9

2006-10-10T14:57:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday!

Homework:
• College Scholarships
o Due: 10/23
• Test Friday
• Independent Study
o Last meeting tomorrow
o Presentations: 10/25, 10/27 and 11/1

What We Did in Class:

• Today we reviewed the past 12 books of Beowulf
o What connections can you make between Beowulf’s fight with Brecca and Grendel’s mother?
1. He fought both of them under water. Not only could he hold his breath, he could swim, fight a large beast and fight off other monsters under the sea.
2. In both fights his mail shirt saved in both battles. He was also victorious due to the help of his sword, just like Excaliber, King Arthur’s sword in Le Morte de Artur, helped King Arthur.
o What surprised you in book 13 about his fight with Grendel’s mother?
1. Beowulf took the heat of Grendel’s mother not Grendel.
• A connection was made that taking the head of a kill was like a trophy in which the killer shows his dominance over his victim. It is more significant than taking say an arm. Beowulf took the head of Grendel’s mom not of Grendel himself because she was the bigger prizes, hence the reason why he only took Grendel’s arm.
• We were supposed to answer questions on page 48 for homework tonight but we finished reading with enough time so we just discussed them in class instead. Review them! I’m betting that it is going to help on the test Friday!
• We also turned in the questions on page 38 at the beginning of class.

~~~~~~~~~~~ TEST~~~~~~~~~~~~
There will be one essay question and we will get all period to answer it. So STUDY!!!!

Posted by Ashley Mc.

Scribe 10/6

2006-10-06T12:06:00.000-06:00

It was a great Friday in Smith's English lit. class.

Our Homework for the weekend is:
-Read books 12&13
-Do questions 1-9 on pg 38
-Independent Study - projects due 10/25, 10/27, or 11/1
-College Scholarships- due 10/23
-Test next Friday over heroes and how they pertain to Beowulf

Today we had a quiz over books 1-11

After that we discussed our main ideas again, here are some highlights:

Grendel's Origin- We talked about how his mother is talked about a little. We learned that she lives in a lake. Grendel went there to die after Beowulf fought him.
Good vs. Evil- (Christianity vs. Paganism) (God vs. Satan) We said that we think the monks had to make good triumph over evil to show they were right about God.
Epic Hero- We came up with some new ways that Beowulf follows the model of an epic hero
-He won over evil, defeated Grendel
-His victory was quick and decisive which showed how easy it was for him to win
-This also showed that he is no ordinary man he has come to a super hero level
-We said that because he was a normal person with “gifts” he was able to become heroic
Good vs. Evil- Comparison of God and Satan and Beowulf and Grendel
-God kicked Satan out of Heaven
-God showed mercy/grace on Satan instead of just killing him
-Beowulf showed mercy/grace on Grendel like God and Satan by letting him go
We also thought of the comparison of Beowulf taking on what seems like Satan’s right- hand man (Grendel) and defeating him.
-Now he has to take on Satan himself in the form of Grendel’s mom.

SmithEWL

2006-10-04T21:52:00.000-06:00

Scribe 10/04

Hey Kiddos!

What we did in class today:

Split up into our small groups and discussed our books. We made changes to our wiki and worked on the 2/3 questions. The Donuts were also delicious today.

Homework: Read 8-11 in Beowulf and take notes. QUIZ about 1-11 friday so be well prepared. Continue working on college scholarships and independent study. Our independent study books have to been complete done by next Wednesday so start thinking about what you want your container and other elements of your project to be like.

Other stuff to remember...

Be sure to update your wiki outside of class. It's a good way to communicate without having to get together in a group. Also, the other day Smith suggested that we try and figure out a way to raise some money (approx. $1500) for a elementary school. If someone has any great ideas on how to do this please share with the class and Jeff in paticular. El presidente' is the go to guy. Smith also has a broken Ipod, but the elementary kids are more needy folks.

Scribe 10/2

2006-10-02T13:01:00.000-06:00

Stuff we did in class:
- Discuss books 1-5 as they pertain to
Paganism Vs. Christianity
Good Vs. Evil (need for a hero)
Grendel's origin
Attack on Hrothgar
Beowulf Vs. Oedipus
Epic Hero
- Read books 6 and 7

For homework:
- Read books 8-11
- College Scholarships
- independent study and wiki

Some things we discussed about Beowulf thus far:
Paganism Vs. Christianity
- A lot of strong Christian and Biblical references, such as the story of creation in the first book, and "Surely the Lord Almighty Could stop his madness" (line 212)
- Also includes references to Paganism, such as line 90 "And sometimes they sacrificed to the old stone gods"
Good Vs. Evil
- Grendel is the epitome of evil, as is shown by his descent from Cain and his birth from Hell. Also, he travels invisibly, like Satan.
- Hrothgar's throne is a symbol of good, and is protected by God; Grendel cannot touch it.
Beowulf Vs. Oedipus
- Similar in their hubris, or pride.
- Beowulf has faith in God and believes in fate (line 189) "Fate will unwind as it must!", whereas Oedipus holds himself on a level with the gods and fights his fate.
- Beowulf has the people's support in his actions, while Oedipus was opposed by Tiresias and often the Chorus.
Other notes
- Possible reasons for Unferth's challenging of Beowulf: To illustrate Beowulf's "superhuman" achievements, his pride and yet also honesty; also, show Unferth as a killer of his people by not defending them. This makes Beowulf look more the hero.
- Beowulf's decision to fight Grendel without weapons or shield: puts good and evil on the same footing; sets up for Beowulf's triumph over evil without help of weapons. Also, shows loyalty to Higlac, for he might think less of Beowulf if he used weapons.
- Smith also mentioned that she worshipped Satan in her mysterious past. (That's sarcasm in case you didn't know)

Scribe 9/29

2006-09-29T16:31:00.000-06:00

September 29, 2006 **Go SENIORS!**

Homework is:
Go over pages 18-20 and then read Books 1-5 Beowulf (we read up to book 3 in class
Note;
Paganism v. Christianity
Good v. Evil
Grendel’s Origin
Attack on Hrothgar
Beowulf v. Oedipus
Epic Hero
Work on Independent Study

College Scholarships

Epic Notes: (Who doesn’t love notes)
Epic poem:
A long narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a larger than life hero who embodies
the values of a particular society. (Quest story on a large scale.)
Most epics include elements of myth, folklore, legend, and history.
Their tone is serious and their language grand.
Set in many locations: real or imaginary across a wide area.
Supernatural events
Must address universal concerns such as: good v. evil, life v. death, sin v. redemption

Epic hero:
Undertake quests to achieve something of tremendous value to themselves or their society.
Superior physical strength
Supremely ethical
During his quest, he must defeat monsters that embody dark, destructive powers.
At the end of the quest, he is glorified by the people he saved.
Important person of historical or legendary character, high social standing
Pitted against overwhelming odds- must be strong and courageous
Values reflect society’s values.

Epic patterns:
The council of the gods: the plan of events.
The appearance of the goddess.
Captivity in the arms of a woman
The messenger of the gods tells the hero to complete his destiny.
The hero visits a series of fabulous locations which present temptations which obscure his sense of destiny or revelations which clarify it.
That narrator gives a history of times past.
A major character makes a descent into hell.
The providence of the plot manifested most directly in a vision of the future.
The group celebrates the death of a hero with grand ceremonial funeral and games.
The hero fights a great battle in three parts or movements: the critical battle which the hero must win to fulfill his destiny.
The cause of the battle
The second movement of the battle sees the enemy apparently ahead.
The third movement sees the entrance of the hero with his full powers and his defeat of the enemy here in a personal duel.
The hero is reunited with his beloved or his family and in doing so brings history to a peaceful resolution.

Anglo-Saxon Background Notes

English have created a political system over the years “by and for the people.” “Emphasis on personal rights and freedoms”

Great Briton has been invaded by:
Iberians
Celts
Romans
Angles and Saxons
Vikings
Normans

Celts:
Animism: belief that natural phenomena or inanimate objects possess spirits.
Spirits must be constantly satisfied.
Druids: intermediaries between spirits/gods and people
King Arthur-Celtic Warrior legend
Mists of Avalon vs. Gwenyvere’s religion (Christianity)
Feature women legends
Morgan Le Fey

Romans:
· Stayed for more than 400 years
· Brought armies and organization to Britain to prevent further invasion
o roads, villas, public baths
o defensive walls
· Change of religion to Christianity- unified because of European missionaries
· Without Roman control, just a country of separate clans. No central government.

Anglo-Saxon "Sweep Ashore":
· Angles- Saxons- Germany
· Jutes- Denmark
· Language of the Anglo-Saxons became the language of the country Engla-land (England)
· Celtics fought Anglo-Saxons from overtaking land (Arthur)
· Country divided into separate principalities- each with own king (Macbeth)
· Danes invaded:
o Plundered and destroyed everything
o Fierce Viking people
o King Alfred led group against them- helped make England a more unified nation.
· King Alfred’s success allowed for Christianity to reemerge.
o This also helped to create a unified nation: common faith and morality, right conduct.
· Battle between Danes and Alfred continued until 1066. William Duke of Normandy, France took over.
· Women inherited and held property until Norman Conquest. Also, they were significant contributors towards learning and religion.

Key Points:
Kinship groups were lead by chiefs
Farming, local governments, fine crafts (metal works)
Christianity became dominant religion- linked England to Continental Europe
Monasteries brought learning and literacy-preserved works from older oral tradition.
English gained respect as a written language- Latin still used in churches.

Anglo-Saxon Life: the Warm Hall, the Cold World:
Two class society:
Earls: (Warriors)
Ruler and related to the founder of the tribe
Consulted witan or Witenagemot(wise men) group of respected earls
Responsible for law and order
Churls: (Freemen)
Warriors, laborers for the earl
Thralls: slaves
Women: received power as queen, wife of earl or church woman
Fame and success were gained only through loyalty to the king (King Arthur and his knights)
Loyalty grew out of need to protect the group from the wilderness. Most groups lived together with animals in homes surrounded by a wall or fence. This created a sense of community discussion. Rule was by consensus. (What does this mean?)

Anglo-Saxon Religion: Gods for Warriors:
Despite Christianity Anglo-Saxon gods remained (Norse mythology)
Oden: god of death, poetry, magic
Woden-Wednesday
Thumor: god of thunder and lightning
Thor-Thursday
Dragon: guardian of treasure and of death (ashes of old warriors)
Concerned more with ethics than with mysticism especially with the early virtues of bravery, loyalty, generosity and friendship.

The Bards: Singing of Gods and Heroes:
Communal Hall: place for shelter, meetings, storytelling
Scops (bards):
On same level as warriors
As important as fighting, hunting, farming or loving.
Sang with a harp
Told heroic tales that spoke of war, disease, and old age.
“For non –Chiristian Anglo-Saxons, whose religion offered them no hope of an afterlife, only fame and its reverberation in poetry could provide a defense against death.”
*Desire to be remembered for years*

The Christian Monasteries: The Ink Froze:
“In the death shadowed world of the Anglo-Saxons, the poets or bards provided the one element of hope: the possibility that heroic deeds might be enshrined in the society’s memory.”
§ Monasteries were the centers of learning, strongholds of Christianity.
o Monks preserved some of the old literature wrote in either Old English or Latin which remained the main language of study until King Alfred. Manuscripts were copied by hand.
§ King Alfred instituted a running history of England called the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

Scribe 9/27

2006-09-27T17:48:00.000-06:00

Today in class we worked in our independent study groups to discuss the first third of our novels. We answered week one questions on the wiki.

The wiki is to help us keep track of discussions and is for our use throughout the independent study project. The address for it is smithewl.pbwiki.com . When you get to the site you have to enter a password. If you were not in class ask Smith what the password is. Use your blogger name and email address in the spaces provided, this way updates that your group makes are emailed to you.

Katie and Ashley also brought donuts. They were delicious by the way.

Homework and stuff to remember:
- Have two thirds of your novel read by next Wednesday
- Make a copy of the Beowulf text if you want to
- Read hero and power of myth packets; we will discuss on Friday
- Read pages 2-19, 47 for quiz on Friday (Beowulf background)
- Conference with Smith over college essay grade if you have not done it
- Work on college scholarship applications
- Go to the bonfire, football game, parade, dance, and any other school events

Scribe 9 25

2006-09-25T20:11:00.000-06:00

9/25

*Shortened class period because of royalty assembly*

HOMEWORK=
-Read Beowulf pgs 2-19, 47
-Be prepared for quiz on Friday over background info in the reading
-Make copy of Beowulf from purple book (optional)
-Independent study (first 1/3 finished by next Wednesday)
-Continue scholarship search
-GO IN FOR CONFERENCE OVER COLLEGE ESSAY GRADE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO!!!

AGENDA=
-Finished last two Oedipus presentations
-Signed out and turned in Oedipus books
-Received and checked in Elements of Literature books (purple)
-Received packet- The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
-Handed back Oedipus modernization presentation grades
-Circled up and read Anglo-Saxon history

KNOW FOR QUIZ=
-Great Britain has been invaded by the Iberians, the Celts, the Romans, the Anglos and Saxons, the Vikings, and the Normans
-Animism
-Druids
-King Alfred of Wessex
-“What does ‘Anglo-Saxon England’ mean?” box in top right corner on pg. 9
-Other notes taken outside of class period

HAVE A FANTASTIC MONDAY!!!

Scribe 9-20

2006-09-25T07:16:00.000-06:00

Scribe 9/20

Donut Day!!!
-Lamar Donuts provided by Chris and Jeff

We started out by talking about our upcoming homework which included:

-independent study-first 1/3 of book due by next Wednesday
-college scholarships due October 23rd
-Read “How To Be Great” Anglo-Saxon handout

Also, we will be starting Beowulf next week. Ms. Smith suggested that we copy pages from the book so that we can directly annotate. Think about it. It is totally up to you!!!

After going over our upcoming schedule, we kind of went off on a tangent and talked about the changes we have during Homecoming Week. Ms. Smith encouraged us to be mature about the changes and show the rest of the school that we are accepting and excited for the new schedule. Also, she warned us about making stupid decisions on Homecoming Day and then having to deal with her wrath. (P.S.-That is not a good thing!!!) She simply suggested that we make the right decisions and have fun with our friends since this will be our last Homecoming. We were told that it is our job to promote this Homecoming, and not degrade it. Make the right decisions guys. It isn’t worth it to mess up!

Also, we will be having a quiz on Homecoming pep assembly day, so don’t expect a wasted class.

After we went off on this discussion, we began our fishbowl, with a few unexpected changes. Thanks to Matt Weber, we were given the opportunity to participate in “live blogging” during the fishbowl, aquarium, discussion. We were told that we could blog during the fishbowl instead of solely relying on a grade for speaking. This allows everyone to participate without having to vocalize.

Then the test began. It became very intense as everyone was trying to earn their grade. It was successful, especially when you consider that everyone had the opportunity to live blog during the discussion. Great idea Matt Weber!

Confidence in conferencing

2006-09-20T13:40:00.000-06:00

Reflect on the college essay conferences. How did it go? What was the purpose behind it? (just less grading for me?) what did you get out of it? How will you apply your experience of deciding your grade to the remainder of your senior year?

Here little fishy...

2006-09-20T13:34:00.000-06:00

Reflect back on the aquarium process today. How did it go? Did it meet your expectations? What are your frustrations and what suggestions do you have to deal with those? Be reflective and be constructive.

Live blogging

2006-09-20T12:26:00.000-06:00

SO... what did you think of the live blogging in our aquarium? Be reflective of the process and recall what would have happened had you not been granted this opportunity.

SmithEWL

2006-09-19T21:21:00.000-06:00

SmithEWL
Remember ladies and gents that Friday there is no school!
In class we discussed conferences for our college essays.
Remember:
1) We as students have to decide upon our grade
2) It is difficult to do this so we need to review the essay ahead of time and have reasons to support our grade choice
3) If you cannot access your essay out of the dropbox, see Smith
4) If you have not signed up for a conference, DO!

During class we presented our modernization of our scenes. Two groups did not go. Since we have the test on Wednesday, they will present on Monday.

*The first group was Jeff, Kyle and Zach. The theme for their modernization was based on Burger King. Jeff pushed around a baby stroller. Zach and Kyle did good jobs on being the comic relief. The scene was the part when King Laius and JoJo find out their baby is going to kill him and marry her, and how they get rid of Pus.

*Stephanie, Richard, Emily and Andy were the next group to go. Smith decided after watching their video that in projects to come our parents have to make guest appearances (in their video someone's dad came out of the bathroom unaware of the filming). Their scene was the same as the one before in means of what they portrayed.

*Katie, Ashley, Marina and Amy were next. Their video was a based on high school jocks and included a SWEET dance off by Ashley and Marina. The film also included Amy sitting in a tree and Katie as the lacrosse coach.

*Amy King, Leanne, Sonny, Melissa, and Claire did a Jerry Springer based scene. Claire was super funny with her ghetto lingo, bathrobe, and hair curlers. Their scene was the one where Pus realized that he might be JoJo's son.

*Matt, Mark, Chris, Scott, and Kurt also did a video. Their video included the hanging of JoJo, Pus stabbing out his eyes, and a brief intermission.

As for HomeFUN:
*We all need to bring 3 TYPED questions for the aquarium test on Wednesday.
*Everyone should also be working on their independent study and college scholarships

Oedipus Final Blogging...

2006-09-19T09:18:00.000-06:00

While not participating in the fishbowl/aquarium, blog your reactions to the discussion. This will be like a live recording of the discussion. Ask questions, record reactions, as well as important arguments. Make sure if you refer to people in the discussion, refer only by first name. Have fun and show them what you know...

Scribe 9-15

2006-09-15T19:47:00.000-06:00

-We began the class talking about the test over Oedipus next Wednesday. We, as a class decided that it would be a fishbowl, where we sit in a circle and thoroughly discuss the play. Marie dubbed it an "aquarium" because it was one big circle, rather than a small circle in a big circle. We also, as a class, decided that we would each bring 3 well thought out questions to help the discussion along. It is quality people, quality, that counts, not quantity. The questions will be turned in for points.
-After this we worked with our groups to modernize a scene from Oedipus. If you were not there, contact your group and work with them to figure out what to do with your scene.

HOMEWORK:

-Find and apply to 5 college scholarships by October 25, it would be good if at least 3 of them involved writing an essay.
-Read your independent study book over the weekend, remember, the first third needs to be done by September 27.
-Work on your modernized scene with your group.
-Prepare for test on Wednesday, bring 3 deeply thought out questions to class for the test, they will be turned in for points. Also, prepare for thorough discussions, again quality is what counts.