january 31

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Choose a character or a moment in the book and describe it like you’re telling a friend about something that happened at lunch.  This will tell me what gets your attention, what affects your mood as a reader, and what you remember. (Obviously, it will also tell me what you’ve read and understand.)  When it comes to the characters and their words and actions, be as judgmental as you want.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Keep reading (as a class, in groups, or by yourself) and taking notes
3. You should be posting to your blog EVERY DAY now as part of your routine. You can do this during the last part of the period if that makes it easier. Please post your notes (title: GATSBY pages xx-xx). (Don’t type “xx” — use the pages you read that day.)  You can also post about any Big Question work you’re doing and anything else you want to share with your readers.

answer to josé

Hey, I've been trying to comment for 20 minutes from my iPhone and blogger won't cooperate!  So, here is what I wanted to tell you:

Yesterday we read about Tom quoting from a racist book and talking about the differences between white people and other races.  There are also big differences in how men treat women in the book.  Since Nick presents himself as "normal" these mindsets appear to be associated with the wealthier characters.  Find a couple examples for your post.

january 30

JOURNAL TOPIC:
On p.20, Daisy says of her daughter, “I hope she’ll be a fool— that’s the best thing s girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”  Why do you think she says this? What is your opinion of her words?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Continue reading
3. Thanks to everyone who commented yesterday, and thanks to Saul for the email— by Monday everyone should be finished reading Chapter 2

HW;
Some of the characters appear to Nick — and to us as readers — as sexist or racist. Publish a post to your blog (title: RICH PEOPLE & BACKWARD THINKING) in which you describe a couple examples of this from the book.

gatsby narrator's relationship to daisy

On p. 10 of The Great Gatsby our narrator tells us that, "Daisy was my second cousin once removed."  Some of you asked me what that means -- and I've always had trouble remembering the specifics -- so here is a family tree diagram I found on Lifehacker.

january 29

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones]

Sometimes when we start a book it's easy to get impatient with all the background information the author gives (on places, characters etc.) before something actually happens.  Why do we get all of this stuff first?  How does it help to know these things when the action starts and the plot gets going?  What would we miss if The Great Gatsby started with a chase scene?

AGENDA:
1. Journal/ discuss exposition and getting the reader to lean in
2. The Great Gatsby  (please make a note of where you start/stop reading for the day)

HW: Post GREAT GATSBY NOTES 2 (about what you read today) to your blog

january 28

JOURNAL TOPIC:

What makes a person "great"?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Introducing The Great Gatsby

HW: Post GATSBY NOTES 1 to your blog

january 25

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Imagine that you are having a conversation with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  You say vanilla ice cream is the best.  He says nope, it's chocolate.  Who would win?  How would your ethos, pathos, and logos compare?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Genre quiz
3. Background

POST:
Look up HOPEPUNK.  It's America's newest literary genre.  Explain what it is and why authors think it matters. (title: HOPEPUNK)

when was the last time you were this excited about anything?

facebook is making you sad

When I was in high school, I could develop different parts of my personality and different ways of being depending on who I was with at the time.  Think about it: there is no way I would have talked the same way at my family's dinner table as I did in the locker room with my basketball teammates.  I'm grateful that I had the chance to make social mistakes -- and learn from them -- without everyone in my life seeing them at the same time.  I am also glad that some of the things I said and did in high school weren't part of some public record that followed me the rest of my life.

As social media has become more influential, I have wondered how today's generation feels.  Years ago I started to suspect that putting so much personal information out there would have negative effects.

Unfortunately, it looks like my worst fears came true.  Read more here.  (Thanks, BoingBoing!)

january 24

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Eat the Rich" by Aerosmith; "Junk Food Junkie" by Larry Groce; "Eat It" Weird Al Yankovic]

Are "secret ingredients" ever a good thing, or just a cynical ploy that entices us to eat cheaply manufactured nastiness?

1. Journal
2. The week in review
3. Anatomy of an argument
4. Misery, hope, and ways of writing about both
5. Genre at the beginning of the 20th century: naturalism, realism, and modernism

POST:
What is a genre?  What is the difference between naturalism, realism, and modernism?  (title: 20th CENTURY WRITING STYLES)

january 23

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What do you know?  Describe something you know-- and explain how you know that you know it.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Three questions (regarding ethos/pathos/logos, hearing/listening, and genre)
3. Test or no test
4. Revisiting genre in terms of Steinbeck and what makes us happy and sad

HW:
Finish reading this article on John Steinbeck (we'll start together in class). Follow one of the links, and then post an item to your blog in which you explain one thing you learned and why you chose to follow one particular link and not another.  (title: DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE)

january 22

[UPDATE 12:27 P.M. PST/ I may have to attend a meeting during our period.  If that happens, please write in your journal, then look up ethos/pathos/logos and take notes.  Define each term, present an example of each term, and be ready to discuss as soon as I get back.  If you have headphones, you can watch/listen to the speech on your phone.  If you don't, please do this at home.  Mahalo.]

JOURNAL TOPIC:
It's a common phrase: "The best years of my life..." What makes one year better than another? Assuming there is such a thing, how will you recognize "the best years" (or moments) when they happen?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. MLK: Ethos, Pathos, Logos
3. Misery, hope, and ways of writing about both
4. Genre at the beginning of the 20th century: naturalism, realism, and modernism

POST:
Post your notes and observations/reflections from today's class to your blog (title: NOTES FROM TODAY'S LECTURE)

HW:
Watch it. LEARN it.  Comment to this post with any reactions, observations, or questions that will help you better understand it.  Be ready to discuss it on Tuesday.

january 18

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Sick.  It's an awful feeling.  And it seems like when we get sick, everyone around us has an opinion: rest up, drink fluids, see a doctor, sweat it out, take an ice bath, walk it off... How do you know what to do when you get sick?

AGENDA:
1. Journal (please turn it in when you're finished writing)
2. Class blog audit
3. Search online for 1 novel and 2 short stories

POST:
What short stories/ novels did you find in your research?  What appealed to you and why?  Be sure to describe the search terms (and engines) you used and the titles/authors of the works you chose.  (title: THE WORLD IS MY LIBRARY)

opsec on the internet

We will cover this in detail starting next week.  For now, if you want to get a head start, click this link and start reading.

january 17

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Imagine a logo for your blog.  What image would you use to describe yourself?  Think about other logos you've seen, and imagine an icon and colors that might represent your personality, your purpose or goals, and the work you do best.  Describe this in detail.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Share your logo
3. Design your logo on the computer and put it on your blog
4. Paul Simon's Graceland 



POST:
We often think of reading and learning as an individual experience, but in reality these activities are often better when they're shared.  What is your experience?  Does your experience align with what you saw in the Paul Simon video?  Explain. (suggested title: HOW TO GET TO GRACELAND)

STRIKE: your thoughts?

This week, teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District are on strike.  Do some research (the LA Times is probably a good place to start) and take a position: are the teachers right, is the district superintendent right, or is there a way to meet everyone's needs?  Write your answer in a comment to this post and/or in a post on your blog.

january 16

JOURNAL TOPIC: (today's tunes: "Let the Day Begin" by The Call; "Where Do I Begin?" by Jill Sobule; "Begin the Begin" by R.E.M.)

Describe a thought or a feeling that you'd forgotten over break and experienced again when you walked back into this room.  Now, remember that this is a new beginning, so here is the important question: How will you re/create the thoughts/feelings you WANT to have in this room this semester?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Reboot
3. Introduction to spring semester:

• Review technical elements of literature we covered last semester
• Prepare for the final in June (!)
• Take your Big Question to the next level: Masterpiece Academy starts late April
• Win the Internet
• Speak like a pro
• Create like a genius

HW:

Research Paul Simon's album Graceland (starting with this) and come to class Tuesday prepared to discuss whether this qualifies as American Literature.  To do this properly, you will have to do some research and/or review your notes in order to define American Literature and make your case.