october 1

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Words" by the Bee Gees]

Use five of this week's vocabulary words to describe your experience in this class.  Is it different for you when Dr. Preston isn't here or bugging you about an assignment?  How?  Why does the teacher (not) matter to your learning experience?


AGENDA:
1. Vocabulary
2. Journal
3. Big Questions: Reaching out/ letter to a mentor

HW:
1. Post your letter to a mentor (title: LETTER TO A MENTOR DRAFT 1)
2. 10 mins. on vocab
3. Please post Literature Analysis #2 by Friday, October 14

vocabulary #1

1. venomous
2. stolid
3. hypnotized
4. suspended
5. transformed
6. accuse
7. anticipate
8. fringe
9. melancholy
10. earnestly
11. dissolve
12. aggravate
13. illuminate
14. capillary
15. proboscis

september 28

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What do you know about the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh?  What is your opinion of this week's events?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discussion
3. Work on your essay

REMINDER:
Your essay and any makeup work is due on your blog by Monday.

this also happened

This photograph and the events that produced it are important.  We need to talk about how Americans tell stories and communicate in ways that lead to deeper understanding.

What a photo pic.twitter.com/GMSqsn3zZP

— Catherine Rampell (@crampell) September 28, 2018

this happened

Seal slaps a kayaker in the face with an octopus from r/gifs

september 27

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What makes you feel Alive?  Not just like you're functioning, not just surviving, but really, truly Alive?  (My inner surfer might call this "stoked.")  Describe a moment that you conquered a fear, did something that made you feel triumphant, or experienced anything else that shocked you into a feeling of being totally Alive.  It can be as simple as the hot water shutting off or realizing you walked into a room for something and totally forgetting why.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Work on essay
3. Catch up on any late reading, posts, and/or journals

september 26

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: Theme from the movie "Inception"]

Describe a nightmare or a bad dream you had. (If you haven't had one, think of a fearful daydream.)  How did you know it wasn't real?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Finish YGB
3. "Dream Within a Dream"

Post suggestion: response to the poem.  Bonus suggestion: memorize & recite the poem

ESSAY (due Monday, October 1)

Compare and contrast Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" with Poe's "Dream Within a Dream."  How do the authors use the idea of dreaming to make us think about what's real?  What elements do you see in both pieces, and how are they different?  Use what you know about literary style and techniques to support your answer.

september 25

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "You Can't Always Get What You Want" & "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones]

Do we still want what we want by the time we get it?  Kids want to be older, adults want to be kids.  We want more independence, we want someone to take care of us.  Do you know what you want?  Does it feel good to get what you want?  Have we just gotten really good at wanting?  Give this your best thinking, to be continued in discussion tomorrow...

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. "Young Goodman Brown" -- ending and interpretations
3. Your vocabulary lists & YGB questions

september 24

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


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. What happened in the woods?  And... will you be taking a test on "Young Goodman Brown" or can you share your thinking in more productive ways?

september 21

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


(EARLY OUT/30 MINUTE PERIODS)

AGENDA:
1. Journal (***DON'T FORGET TO TURN YOURS IN***)
2. Mopping up the grading period

september 20

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

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. This is the last day of pre-progress report independent work.  How will you use the period?

REMINDER: Literature analysis due on your blog tonight 

POST: What did you learn today? (title: HERE'S WHAT I LEARNED TODAY)

NOTE: Please make sure you're read to discuss "Young Goodman Brown" and vocabulary on Monday - preview tomorrow

september 19

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

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Continue conferences & independent work (literature analysis & makeup work)

*** POST TO YOUR BLOG

awards

Congratulations!!

2018_09_19_10_09_48 by dpreston1441 on Scribd

september 18

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

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Writer's conferences & independent literature analysis work (continued)
3. Post your thoughts on "Young Goodman Brown" (title: WAS IT ONLY A DREAM?)

september 17

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

AGENDA:

1. Journal

2. "Young Goodman Brown" quiz

3. Writer's / progress report conferences

HW:
You should be reading/ working on your literature analysis.  Please bring your book to class every day this week.  ***DUE FRIDAY***

september 14

JOURNAL TOPIC:

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

-OR-

Change can be exciting.  Change can be hard.  In Buddhism, changes are described as "little deaths" -- i.e., when things change, the way they used to be is gone.  Describe a change in your life.  It can be major or no big deal.  It can be positive or negative.  The important thing is to describe how things became different, and how you experienced the process.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Progress report conferences
3. Complete and post your answers to the YGB questions
4. Prepare for Monday's news conference: "Man walks into the woods, many unanswered questions..."

september 13

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

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Continue "Young Goodman Brown"
3. Independent work/ Writer's Conferences

HW:
1. Post your Literature Analysis to your blog (title: LITERATURE ANALYSIS: A WORK IN PROGRESS)
2. Create a page on your blog for your Big Question (title: MY BIG QUESTION) and make sure it displays properly so your readers can see it
3. Create a post for the "Young Goodman Brown" questions (title: YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN Q & A)
4. Reminder: please bring your résumé to class tomorrow (Friday)

september 12

JOURNAL TOPIC:

Today you have a choice:
1. Based on the couple paragraphs we read together last week, reflect & recharge your memory: Why do you think Young Goodman Brown left his house?  Where is he going?  What could possibly make him leave his Faith?

(*Since you have very little information from the text itself, feel free to use your imagination.)

-OR-

2. Imagine Donald Trump's hair as an evil character.  Write a story in which you wake up with that hair on your head, and describe the battle of good and evil as it threatens to suck the brains right out of your head.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. "Young Goodman Brown" reminders and next steps
3. Résumés

First draft résumé due at beginning of class on Friday 9/14.  (NOTE: this is to be typed on paper. Handwritten copies will not be accepted.  Also: PLEASE DO NOT post your résumé anywhere online -- it contains your personal information, and you want to stay in charge of who sees it and when.) 

september 11

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

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Literature analysis sign-ups HERE (due by class tomorrow 9/12)
3. Big Questions

HW:
If you've ever created a résumé or a brag sheet, please bring it tomorrow.  If you've never done this, please make a list of all the accomplishments/awards/courses/volunteer experiences/jobs/skills that have ever made you proud of yourself (or you think might impress someone else), and bring that with you tomorrow.

literature analysis #1

The time is now!  Please choose a fiction book (a.k.a. a novel) that you would like to read for your first literature analysis.  Please comment to this post with your name and the book you've chosen.  If you need some help with genres, authors, or ideas, see me -- I've got a million of 'em :).  Mahalo.

september 10

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Lo Que Dice" by Ozomatli; "Words (Between the Lines of Age)" by Neil Young]

Adults say it to toddlers all the time: "Use your words."  What do you mean, my words?  We know that fiction authors use dialogue for the purpose of indirect characterization-- as you write the story of your life each day, how do the words you choose create an impression of who you are?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Two Dogs & the Nature of Story
3. Where are you on your walk in the woods?

HW:
1. Post your ideas from today's class (title: TODAY I WAS THINKING)
2. Bring brag sheet or résumé on Wednesday

september 7

*Being sick sucks.  Take care of your health.*

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

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Update your blog (suggested post idea, sum up what you learned in class this week. Title: THE WEEK IN REVIEW
3. Prepare for next week-- choose a book to read for your literature analysis, reflect on your big question, and bring a brag sheet or resume to class 4. Continue "Young Goodman Brown"

HW:
1. Post insights and vocab from the story on your blog
2. Like the protagonist in the story, you are now alone in the woods.  Finish reading the story, post a response to the ending, and come to class on Monday prepared to discuss.

september 6

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

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. CFA
3. Continue "Young Goodman Brown"

CFA 1

Please read the following two passages from a recent newspaper article:

 

A 24-year-old man was charged with murder on Tuesday after he led detectives to the body of a woman, believed to be that of a college student who went missing a month ago, in an Iowa cornfield, state investigators said.

 

 

A 24-year-old man described as an illegal immigrant from Mexico was charged with murder on Tuesday after he led detectives to the body of a woman, believed to be that of a college student who went missing a month ago, in an Iowa cornfield, state investigators said.

 

Write a paragraph in which you explain what the underlined words mean, and how they influence the tone of the paragraph.

september 5

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Symbol in My Driveway" by Jack Johnson]

Describe three symbols in your life that give people a clue as to who you really are.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Tone
3. Intro/begin "Young Goodman Brown"

september 4

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: radio silence]

What song do you sing when there's nothing on the radio? What thoughts do you think when it's quiet and you have the chance to think about whatever you want?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Checking in / blog audit
3. Reflecting on the experience of writing an essay

HW:
Publish a post to your blog on the experience of writing an essay (title: THE MAKING OF AN ESSAY)