Friday, December 19
Well, those students who predicted that school was over until after winter break were right, though I wish we had waited until it actually snowed (or is that snew?)!
I hope everyone is enjoying his/her extended time off.
I have
(1) an addition to the assignment I gave on Tuesday, and
(2) an assignment you may wish to get a headstart on with your family's help; it will be the final project for the semester, and there will be other assignments due before we get to it. You are not required to start work on it now, but I hope you will want to.
(1) The only addition to your assignment I will make is to change "or" to "and" in the assignment issued Tuesday. That is, the assignment is now to write TWO two-chunk paragraphs, one on EACH of the two topics. Thus:
Revised assignment due Monday, January 5:
Finish reading the selections from Walden (pp. 234-244), and write two two-chunk paragraphs explaining
(a) Thoreau's statement (p. 237), "We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us."
and
(b) The Battle of the Ants (pp. 240-241). What are we to take from this account?
(2) The Culture Box
Each student will construct, and present to the class, a small box representing his/her cultural heritage. See the two-page assignment sheet on the Documents page of this website for details. Presentations will be made the final three days of the semester, whenever that may be!
Feel free to email me with questions.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
Mr. Potratz
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Tuesday, December 16
We continued our close reading of the excerpts in our textbook from Thoreau's Walden, or Life in the Woods.
HW due Wednesday:
Finish reading the selections fron Walden (pp. 234-244), and write one two-chunk paragraph explaining either
(a) Thoreau's statement (p. 237), "We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us."
or
(b) The Battle of the Ants (pp. 240-241). What are we to take from this account?
We continued our close reading of the excerpts in our textbook from Thoreau's Walden, or Life in the Woods.
HW due Wednesday:
Finish reading the selections fron Walden (pp. 234-244), and write one two-chunk paragraph explaining either
(a) Thoreau's statement (p. 237), "We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us."
or
(b) The Battle of the Ants (pp. 240-241). What are we to take from this account?
Monday, December 15, 2008
Monday, December 15
Students turned in their HW, and Mr. Potratz read some of the poems aloud, to general acclamation.
Students silently read part of the introduction to Henry Davis Thoreau in our textbook (pp. 230-231) and then we began reading the excerpts from Thoreau's Walden, Or Life in the Woods.
Students turned in their HW, and Mr. Potratz read some of the poems aloud, to general acclamation.
Students silently read part of the introduction to Henry Davis Thoreau in our textbook (pp. 230-231) and then we began reading the excerpts from Thoreau's Walden, Or Life in the Woods.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Friday, December 12
We read the section of John Greenleaf Whittier's Snowbound which is in our textbook (pages 182-185). The poem is a nostalgic recollection of the blizzards of the poet's New England boyhood.
HW due Monday:
Write at least twelve lines of poetry about (1) a childhood memory and/or (2) the snow. Unless you simply cannot or will not abide the form, please write your lines in the same form as Whittier's poem. Three elements to imitate in particular are the meter (iambic tetrameter), the rhyme scheme (rhymed couplets), and the mixing of lines which are end-stopped and lines which run on through the rhymes (lines which are "enjammed").
We read the section of John Greenleaf Whittier's Snowbound which is in our textbook (pages 182-185). The poem is a nostalgic recollection of the blizzards of the poet's New England boyhood.
HW due Monday:
Write at least twelve lines of poetry about (1) a childhood memory and/or (2) the snow. Unless you simply cannot or will not abide the form, please write your lines in the same form as Whittier's poem. Three elements to imitate in particular are the meter (iambic tetrameter), the rhyme scheme (rhymed couplets), and the mixing of lines which are end-stopped and lines which run on through the rhymes (lines which are "enjammed").
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Tuesday, December 9
Classic v. Romantic
Students worked in groups of four to form Classic/Romantic word pairings as an exercise in understanding the values associated with each literary period.
HW due Wednesday:
Read pages 219-221 in the textbook (excerpts from Emerson's "Nature") and
write two chunks in answer to the first question #4 on page 228 (the question under Shaping Interpretations concerning the "transparent eyeball."
Classic v. Romantic
Students worked in groups of four to form Classic/Romantic word pairings as an exercise in understanding the values associated with each literary period.
HW due Wednesday:
Read pages 219-221 in the textbook (excerpts from Emerson's "Nature") and
write two chunks in answer to the first question #4 on page 228 (the question under Shaping Interpretations concerning the "transparent eyeball."
Monday, December 8, 2008
Monday, December 8
Students turned in their momeworkm and wlooked at several students' attempts to express what makes Hiawatha a Romantic poem in the style of the poem itself.
We then talked about the style of the poem, analyzing its meter and rhythm. Are there four feet per line (trochaic tetrameter) or two (the Hiawatha drumbeat meter)?
Students turned in their momeworkm and wlooked at several students' attempts to express what makes Hiawatha a Romantic poem in the style of the poem itself.
We then talked about the style of the poem, analyzing its meter and rhythm. Are there four feet per line (trochaic tetrameter) or two (the Hiawatha drumbeat meter)?
Friday, December 5, 2008
Friday, December 5
Mr. Potratz distributed, and we began to read, three excerpts from Longfellow's Song of Hiawatha.
HW due Monday:
Read the rest of the handout. and
Write an answer to the following question: What makes Hiawatha a Romantic poem? Your answer must be in the form of Hiawatha itself, and must be at least ten lines, as a bare minimum.
Mr. Potratz distributed, and we began to read, three excerpts from Longfellow's Song of Hiawatha.
HW due Monday:
Read the rest of the handout. and
Write an answer to the following question: What makes Hiawatha a Romantic poem? Your answer must be in the form of Hiawatha itself, and must be at least ten lines, as a bare minimum.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Thursday, December 4
Students reviewed procedures for entering papers into their efolios and were instructed in how to submit papers to turnitin.com.
Handout: Student User Guide to turnitin.com.
HW due Friday: Submit your slavery paper to (1) your efolio under the competency "Writing in a variety of forms" with commentary concerning the paper's audience and purpose, and (2) turnitin.com.
Students reviewed procedures for entering papers into their efolios and were instructed in how to submit papers to turnitin.com.
Handout: Student User Guide to turnitin.com.
HW due Friday: Submit your slavery paper to (1) your efolio under the competency "Writing in a variety of forms" with commentary concerning the paper's audience and purpose, and (2) turnitin.com.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Wednesday, December 3
Students spent 10 minutes taking an open-book quiz over American Romanticism (pp. 138-50 in the textbook), and we graded the quiz together.
Afterwards we began to discuss Classicism v. Romanticism by reference to changing concepts of Nature and God, and their relation to each other.
HW due Thursday:
Transfer the file of your slavery paper to your user share in preparation for tomorrow's class in the computer lab. We will be (1) entering papers in efolios and (2) submitting them to turnitin.com.
Students spent 10 minutes taking an open-book quiz over American Romanticism (pp. 138-50 in the textbook), and we graded the quiz together.
Afterwards we began to discuss Classicism v. Romanticism by reference to changing concepts of Nature and God, and their relation to each other.
HW due Thursday:
Transfer the file of your slavery paper to your user share in preparation for tomorrow's class in the computer lab. We will be (1) entering papers in efolios and (2) submitting them to turnitin.com.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Tuesday, December 2
Students returned their copies of Frederick Douglass's Narrative, and Mr. Potratz introduced the new unit, which involves a return to the textbook, specifically to the section on American Romanticism.
Next, as our farewell to the slavery question (at least for now) we listened to interviews with former slaves as recorded by workers with the Federal Writers' Project of the New Deal era.
Finally, we listened to selected turkey narratives written by members of the class.
HW due Wednesday:
Read carefully pages 138-150 in Elements of Literature, the introductory essay on the Romantic period. We will begin class with a quiz over the reading.
Students returned their copies of Frederick Douglass's Narrative, and Mr. Potratz introduced the new unit, which involves a return to the textbook, specifically to the section on American Romanticism.
Next, as our farewell to the slavery question (at least for now) we listened to interviews with former slaves as recorded by workers with the Federal Writers' Project of the New Deal era.
Finally, we listened to selected turkey narratives written by members of the class.
HW due Wednesday:
Read carefully pages 138-150 in Elements of Literature, the introductory essay on the Romantic period. We will begin class with a quiz over the reading.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Monday, December 1
Students turned in their creative writing pieces "The First Thanksgiving as Told By the Turkey."
We read the"Letter from a Freedman to His Old Master" (pp. 194-96 of Douglass's Narrative), and discussed its use of verbal irony (aka "sarcasm). We also discussed figurative language and artistic indirection (telling it "slant") more generally.
Students turned in their creative writing pieces "The First Thanksgiving as Told By the Turkey."
We read the"Letter from a Freedman to His Old Master" (pp. 194-96 of Douglass's Narrative), and discussed its use of verbal irony (aka "sarcasm). We also discussed figurative language and artistic indirection (telling it "slant") more generally.
Monday, December 1
Students listed what they thought were the leading visual motifs in Citizen Kane-- such as windows, statues, smoke, shadows, and the entire complex of motifs surrounding "Rosebud": the sled, the snowglobe , snow itself.
Following that we reviewed several early scenes in the film with an eye out for those motifs.
Students listed what they thought were the leading visual motifs in Citizen Kane-- such as windows, statues, smoke, shadows, and the entire complex of motifs surrounding "Rosebud": the sled, the snowglobe , snow itself.
Following that we reviewed several early scenes in the film with an eye out for those motifs.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, November 25
The First Thanksgiving
The class recalled grade-school enactments of the legendary 1621 feast and Mr. Potratz read from Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen about the actual historical background of that day, including the great plague and the personal history of Squanto, the English-speaking Indian.
Students then spent the remainder of the period writing an account of "The First Thanksgiving" as written by Squanto.
HW due Monday:
At least 500 words, typed, double-spaced on "The First Thanksgiving" as written by the turkey.
The First Thanksgiving
The class recalled grade-school enactments of the legendary 1621 feast and Mr. Potratz read from Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen about the actual historical background of that day, including the great plague and the personal history of Squanto, the English-speaking Indian.
Students then spent the remainder of the period writing an account of "The First Thanksgiving" as written by Squanto.
HW due Monday:
At least 500 words, typed, double-spaced on "The First Thanksgiving" as written by the turkey.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Friday, November 21
We reviewed the procedures of citation as per the MLA guidelines printed on pages 17-19 of the Mount Si student planner (periods 1 & 2).
Due Monday: Final draft of the persuasive speech on the abolition of slavery, along with all previous stages (see Thursday's entry). Students in periods 1 & 2 will need to come to Room 301 with thir papers at some point on Monday, even though there will be no first or second period classes.
We reviewed the procedures of citation as per the MLA guidelines printed on pages 17-19 of the Mount Si student planner (periods 1 & 2).
Due Monday: Final draft of the persuasive speech on the abolition of slavery, along with all previous stages (see Thursday's entry). Students in periods 1 & 2 will need to come to Room 301 with thir papers at some point on Monday, even though there will be no first or second period classes.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thursday, November 20
Students worked in pairs to edit each other's speeches, first reading them aloud to each other, then marking up the papers and filling out peer editing checklists, then discussing their comments.
Final draft due Monday, along with:
(1) "Arguments in favor of slavery" worksheet
(2) Arguments and rebuttals notesheet
(3) outline & revised thesis statement
(4) first draft
(5) peer edit sheet
Unstamped submissions (pieces not originally completed on time) will be accepted for partial credit if turned in with the final draft.
Students worked in pairs to edit each other's speeches, first reading them aloud to each other, then marking up the papers and filling out peer editing checklists, then discussing their comments.
Final draft due Monday, along with:
(1) "Arguments in favor of slavery" worksheet
(2) Arguments and rebuttals notesheet
(3) outline & revised thesis statement
(4) first draft
(5) peer edit sheet
Unstamped submissions (pieces not originally completed on time) will be accepted for partial credit if turned in with the final draft.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Wednesday, November 19
Using student outlines & the model outline distributed Monday, we examined certain aspects of students's persuasive speeches, focusing especially on striving for unity and continuity, and on the use of the concluding paragraphs to achieve that end.
HW due Thursday:
First draft of the speech, to be "peer edited" in class. You will read it aloud to your partner, and you should practice reading it aloud tonight.
Extra credit opportunity:
5 pts. for attending the school musical, Little Shop of Horrors, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.
Up to an additional 5 pts. for a one-page review.
Using student outlines & the model outline distributed Monday, we examined certain aspects of students's persuasive speeches, focusing especially on striving for unity and continuity, and on the use of the concluding paragraphs to achieve that end.
HW due Thursday:
First draft of the speech, to be "peer edited" in class. You will read it aloud to your partner, and you should practice reading it aloud tonight.
Extra credit opportunity:
5 pts. for attending the school musical, Little Shop of Horrors, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.
Up to an additional 5 pts. for a one-page review.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Tuesday, November 18
Quote Bombs
Eliminating quote bombs by smoothly integrating quotations into the text of an essay was the subject of today's lesson. There were two handouts: a sheet on Introducing Quotations, with instruction on and examples of three ways to do so, and a worksheet requiring students to produce examples of each kind, with at least one MLA-formatted citation of a source. These were due at the end of the period.
Students submitted their revised thesis statements and outlines, which were stamped and returned.
Mr. Potratz announced
Revised (again) deadlines:
First draft due Thursday (Nov. 20)
Final draft due Monday (Nov. 24)
Quote Bombs
Eliminating quote bombs by smoothly integrating quotations into the text of an essay was the subject of today's lesson. There were two handouts: a sheet on Introducing Quotations, with instruction on and examples of three ways to do so, and a worksheet requiring students to produce examples of each kind, with at least one MLA-formatted citation of a source. These were due at the end of the period.
Students submitted their revised thesis statements and outlines, which were stamped and returned.
Mr. Potratz announced
Revised (again) deadlines:
First draft due Thursday (Nov. 20)
Final draft due Monday (Nov. 24)
Monday, November 17, 2008
Monday, November 17
The Great Debate
Students sat on either side of the Mason-Dixon Line and debated for and against the resolution to abolish slavery which is the prompt for the persuasive speech due Friday. Students from each side delivered opening and closing statements from the podium.
Two handouts:
(1) excerpts from Cannibals All by George Fitzhugh
(2) model thesis statement and outline
HW due tomorrow:
Formal topic outline and revised thesis statement
The Great Debate
Students sat on either side of the Mason-Dixon Line and debated for and against the resolution to abolish slavery which is the prompt for the persuasive speech due Friday. Students from each side delivered opening and closing statements from the podium.
Two handouts:
(1) excerpts from Cannibals All by George Fitzhugh
(2) model thesis statement and outline
HW due tomorrow:
Formal topic outline and revised thesis statement
Friday, November 14, 2008
Friday, November 14
See yesterday's entry for the revised schedule of deadlines for the persuasive oration.
Mr. Potratz stamped students' notesheets of arguments for and against abolition. Notesheets completed by Monday will receive 90% credit.
Students signed up to lead each side in Monday's debate, with extra credit going to those delivering opening and closing statements.
We went over the structure of a formal outline, and reviewed the system of Roman numerals. Students' outlines, along with their revised thesis statements, are due on Tuesday.
HW due Monday: prepare arguments for the debate.
See yesterday's entry for the revised schedule of deadlines for the persuasive oration.
Mr. Potratz stamped students' notesheets of arguments for and against abolition. Notesheets completed by Monday will receive 90% credit.
Students signed up to lead each side in Monday's debate, with extra credit going to those delivering opening and closing statements.
We went over the structure of a formal outline, and reviewed the system of Roman numerals. Students' outlines, along with their revised thesis statements, are due on Tuesday.
HW due Monday: prepare arguments for the debate.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thursday, November 13
Assuming we will be in school Friday, the notesheets with arguments for and against the abolition of slavery will be due then. The final submission date for the speech remains the same: next Friday, November 21. The in-class debate will be held on Monday (Nov. 17), the outline will be due on Tuesday (Nov. 18), and the first draft on Wednesday (Nov. 19) as originally scheduled.
Revised schedule of deadlines
Nov. 14: notesheet (see Documents if you need another copy)
Nov. 17: debate
Nov. 18: outline and revised thesis statement
Nov. 19: first draft
Nov. 21: final draft
Assuming we will be in school Friday, the notesheets with arguments for and against the abolition of slavery will be due then. The final submission date for the speech remains the same: next Friday, November 21. The in-class debate will be held on Monday (Nov. 17), the outline will be due on Tuesday (Nov. 18), and the first draft on Wednesday (Nov. 19) as originally scheduled.
Revised schedule of deadlines
Nov. 14: notesheet (see Documents if you need another copy)
Nov. 17: debate
Nov. 18: outline and revised thesis statement
Nov. 19: first draft
Nov. 21: final draft
Monday, November 10, 2008
Monday, November 10
Students turned in their thesis statements (first stab) and we put several under the document camera and critiqued them.
HW due Wednesday:
Mr. Potratz passed out notesheets to be filled up with arguments for your position and with the arguments of the opposing side, with columns for notes of references(sources and quotations). Fill it up by Wednesday.
Students turned in their thesis statements (first stab) and we put several under the document camera and critiqued them.
HW due Wednesday:
Mr. Potratz passed out notesheets to be filled up with arguments for your position and with the arguments of the opposing side, with columns for notes of references(sources and quotations). Fill it up by Wednesday.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Friday, November 7
We discussed the handout from yesterday, John C. Calhoun's Senate speech "Slavery a Positive Good."
HW due Monday:
TYPED (etc.) first stab at a thesis statement for the argumentative paper. One or at most two sentences summing up the position you will take. Do you support or oppose abolition and why?
We discussed the handout from yesterday, John C. Calhoun's Senate speech "Slavery a Positive Good."
HW due Monday:
TYPED (etc.) first stab at a thesis statement for the argumentative paper. One or at most two sentences summing up the position you will take. Do you support or oppose abolition and why?
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Thursday, November 6
Students were given the assignment sheet for the persuasive paper on slavery, due Friday, November 21, and now framed as a speech to be given in the year 1858. Students asked and Mr. Potratz answered questions about it, and then we began (in every period but the fifth) reading another handout, "Slavery a Positive Good," a speech delivered by John C. Calhoun before the U. S. Senate in 1837.
HW due Friday (periods 1, 2, &6): Finish reading the Calhoun handout and come to school prepared to answer questions about it.
Students were given the assignment sheet for the persuasive paper on slavery, due Friday, November 21, and now framed as a speech to be given in the year 1858. Students asked and Mr. Potratz answered questions about it, and then we began (in every period but the fifth) reading another handout, "Slavery a Positive Good," a speech delivered by John C. Calhoun before the U. S. Senate in 1837.
HW due Friday (periods 1, 2, &6): Finish reading the Calhoun handout and come to school prepared to answer questions about it.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Wednesday, November 5
Mr. Potratz returned students' first essays about Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano along with THE PURPLE SHEET with Mr. P's editing marks on one side and the No Excuses Conventions on the other. Students then spent several minutes correcting errors in their papers, after which we all looked at some representative passages and corrections together.
Mr. Potratz returned students' first essays about Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano along with THE PURPLE SHEET with Mr. P's editing marks on one side and the No Excuses Conventions on the other. Students then spent several minutes correcting errors in their papers, after which we all looked at some representative passages and corrections together.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Tuesday, November 4
Election Day!
Mr. Potratz read aloud the "Guaranteed Effective All-Occasion Non-Slanderous Political Smear Speech" written by Bill Garvin and published in MAD Magazine #139, December, 1970. Students then used the dictionary to look up the meaning of words in the speech, and we shared information.
The four classes collectively chose the following twelve words to add to our vocab sheet:
hortatory
veracious
emulate
exacerbate
affinity
philately
perambulate
intercourse
homogeneity
piscatorial
unequivocal
scrupulous
Election Day!
Mr. Potratz read aloud the "Guaranteed Effective All-Occasion Non-Slanderous Political Smear Speech" written by Bill Garvin and published in MAD Magazine #139, December, 1970. Students then used the dictionary to look up the meaning of words in the speech, and we shared information.
The four classes collectively chose the following twelve words to add to our vocab sheet:
hortatory
veracious
emulate
exacerbate
affinity
philately
perambulate
intercourse
homogeneity
piscatorial
unequivocal
scrupulous
Monday, November 3, 2008
Monday, November 3
Students took the last of the three quizzes over Frederick Douglass's Narrative, and we graded it (33 pts.).
We examined some of what Douglass has to say about the slaveowners' religion, and we also discussed the religion of the slaves. We looked at "Steal Away" and "Go Down Moses" as slave spirituals which treat escaping from slavery either directly or indirectly.
Students took the last of the three quizzes over Frederick Douglass's Narrative, and we graded it (33 pts.).
We examined some of what Douglass has to say about the slaveowners' religion, and we also discussed the religion of the slaves. We looked at "Steal Away" and "Go Down Moses" as slave spirituals which treat escaping from slavery either directly or indirectly.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Thursday, October 30
Mr. Potratz passed around his copy of The Columbian Orator, and we read what Frederick D. wrote about it his Narrative, especially his account of the dialogue between a slave and his master.
A xerox of that dialogue was distributed, we read it and discussed it.
HW due Friday: Read Chapter X of Frederick Douglass's Narrative.
Mr. Potratz passed around his copy of The Columbian Orator, and we read what Frederick D. wrote about it his Narrative, especially his account of the dialogue between a slave and his master.
A xerox of that dialogue was distributed, we read it and discussed it.
HW due Friday: Read Chapter X of Frederick Douglass's Narrative.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wednesday, October 29
We compared the poetic form of "Casey at the Bat" with that of "Amazing Grace," and concluded that if we broke each line of "Casey" in half, the two poems can be seen to share the same form -- four line stanzas of iambic verse, alternating four-foot and three-foot lines. The only difference is that in "Casey" the first and fourth lines do not rhyme (abcb as compared with abab). Mr. Potratz explained that "Amazing Grace" is in the form known as common meter or hymn meter, while "Casey" is an example of ballad meter. (It is no accident that the poem's subtitle is "A Ballad of the Republic . . .".)
We compared the poetic form of "Casey at the Bat" with that of "Amazing Grace," and concluded that if we broke each line of "Casey" in half, the two poems can be seen to share the same form -- four line stanzas of iambic verse, alternating four-foot and three-foot lines. The only difference is that in "Casey" the first and fourth lines do not rhyme (abcb as compared with abab). Mr. Potratz explained that "Amazing Grace" is in the form known as common meter or hymn meter, while "Casey" is an example of ballad meter. (It is no accident that the poem's subtitle is "A Ballad of the Republic . . .".)
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tuesday, October 28
Students took the second quiz over Frederick Douglass's Narrative, covering Chapters VI, VII, and VIII (30 pts.), and we graded it in class.
We returned to our study of poetry. Students pulled out "Casey at the Bat," and we watched a film of it being recited by the man who made it famous, DeWolf Hopper. Then, using the yellow sheet on Poetic Terminology, we reviewed the major types of metrical lines in English poetry and tested our understanding by beginning to scan our own names.
Students took the second quiz over Frederick Douglass's Narrative, covering Chapters VI, VII, and VIII (30 pts.), and we graded it in class.
We returned to our study of poetry. Students pulled out "Casey at the Bat," and we watched a film of it being recited by the man who made it famous, DeWolf Hopper. Then, using the yellow sheet on Poetic Terminology, we reviewed the major types of metrical lines in English poetry and tested our understanding by beginning to scan our own names.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Friday, October 24
We finished pooling information on arguments which were advanced in defense of slavery in the U.S. before the Civil War.
HW due Monday:
Read Chapters VII, VIII, and IX of Frederick Douglass's Narrative.
Mr. Potratz will not be in class Monday. Students will watch the beginning of a film biography of Frederick Douglass.
Tuesday: Quiz #2 over the Narrative.
We finished pooling information on arguments which were advanced in defense of slavery in the U.S. before the Civil War.
HW due Monday:
Read Chapters VII, VIII, and IX of Frederick Douglass's Narrative.
Mr. Potratz will not be in class Monday. Students will watch the beginning of a film biography of Frederick Douglass.
Tuesday: Quiz #2 over the Narrative.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Thursday, October 23
We pooled information from our online research into arguments advanced in defense of slavery in the U.S. in the period before the Civil War, with students adding new information to their worksheets in colored pen. Students returned the worksheets to their notebooks to finish in class Friday.
We pooled information from our online research into arguments advanced in defense of slavery in the U.S. in the period before the Civil War, with students adding new information to their worksheets in colored pen. Students returned the worksheets to their notebooks to finish in class Friday.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Wednesday, October 22
Students worked in the computer lab, using techniques reviewed on Tuesday and researching various arguments which were advanced in the defense of slavery in the United States in the early nineteenth century.
Those students who worked through the period were given the option of completing the worksheet (see Documents page) at home and turning it in at the beginning of class Thursday.
Students worked in the computer lab, using techniques reviewed on Tuesday and researching various arguments which were advanced in the defense of slavery in the United States in the early nineteenth century.
Those students who worked through the period were given the option of completing the worksheet (see Documents page) at home and turning it in at the beginning of class Thursday.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, October 21
Implied Boolean and the Search for Wisdom
Students read a handout by that name and we spent the period working to sharpen internet research skills in preparartion for tomorrow's computer lab worksheet (see Documents) on arguments advanced in defense of slavery in the period before the American Civil War.
Implied Boolean and the Search for Wisdom
Students read a handout by that name and we spent the period working to sharpen internet research skills in preparartion for tomorrow's computer lab worksheet (see Documents) on arguments advanced in defense of slavery in the period before the American Civil War.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Monday, October 20
Students took the quiz over Chapters I-VI of Frederick Douglass's Narrative, and then graded it.
We resumed reading the Narrative where we had left off on Friday, which was in the paragraph on pages 5-6 in which Douglass alludes to the Curse of Ham. We read the passage in Genesis 9 (Verses 20ff.) on which the notorious tradition is based, and talked briefly about how religion was used by both camps in the struggle over slavery in the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century.
Students took the quiz over Chapters I-VI of Frederick Douglass's Narrative, and then graded it.
We resumed reading the Narrative where we had left off on Friday, which was in the paragraph on pages 5-6 in which Douglass alludes to the Curse of Ham. We read the passage in Genesis 9 (Verses 20ff.) on which the notorious tradition is based, and talked briefly about how religion was used by both camps in the struggle over slavery in the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Friday, October 17
Students copied onto the back of their vocab sheets the following words from Chapters 1 & 2 of Frederick Douglass's Narrative:
privation
confer
diligent
raturous
ineffable
obdurate
impertinent
intimation
odiousness
deference
presume
esteem
evince
Then we began to read the Narrative, stopping on occasion to gloss a few of these words, and ending at the bottom of page 5.
Quiz on Monday over Chapters I through VI.
Students copied onto the back of their vocab sheets the following words from Chapters 1 & 2 of Frederick Douglass's Narrative:
privation
confer
diligent
raturous
ineffable
obdurate
impertinent
intimation
odiousness
deference
presume
esteem
evince
Then we began to read the Narrative, stopping on occasion to gloss a few of these words, and ending at the bottom of page 5.
Quiz on Monday over Chapters I through VI.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thursday, October 16
Mr. Potratz distributed copies of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself.
We returned to the vocabulary sheet passed out yesterday and investigated the meaning and etymology of several more words, examining in the process parallel- and cross-derivations within the Indo-European language family.
HW due Monday:
Read Chapters I through VI of Douglass's Narrative. There will be a quiz Monday over those chapters.
Mr. Potratz distributed copies of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself.
We returned to the vocabulary sheet passed out yesterday and investigated the meaning and etymology of several more words, examining in the process parallel- and cross-derivations within the Indo-European language family.
HW due Monday:
Read Chapters I through VI of Douglass's Narrative. There will be a quiz Monday over those chapters.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Wednesday, October 15
To further illustrate the absurdity of racial categories in the United States, we watched the "Racial Draft" episode from the Chapelle Show.
Afterwards, Mr. Potratz announced that the Narrative of Frederick Douglass's life, written by himself, would be the next text, and that it would be issued to students on Thursday.
Finally, Mr. Potratz gave students a handout of "The Top 66 Words on the SAT" which we will work on over several weeks, and we began with "decorous," examining its etymology as well as its meaning.
To further illustrate the absurdity of racial categories in the United States, we watched the "Racial Draft" episode from the Chapelle Show.
Afterwards, Mr. Potratz announced that the Narrative of Frederick Douglass's life, written by himself, would be the next text, and that it would be issued to students on Thursday.
Finally, Mr. Potratz gave students a handout of "The Top 66 Words on the SAT" which we will work on over several weeks, and we began with "decorous," examining its etymology as well as its meaning.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Tuesday, October 14
Students took a quiz for fun: the "Race Literacy Quiz" developed by California Newsreel in association with the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Using scientific and historical research, the quiz overturns many common assumptions about race and shows that the category as we know it in the United States is a relatively recent concept (with no basis in genetics) developed at the time of the country's founding to justify slavery and explain away the transparent contradiction between slavery and the idea that "all men are created equal." Thomas Jefferson (who explicitly unmasked that very contradiction in the original draft of the Declaration of Independence) is cited as the first prominent American to suggest that European-Americans were "racially" superior to their slaves.
Students took a quiz for fun: the "Race Literacy Quiz" developed by California Newsreel in association with the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Using scientific and historical research, the quiz overturns many common assumptions about race and shows that the category as we know it in the United States is a relatively recent concept (with no basis in genetics) developed at the time of the country's founding to justify slavery and explain away the transparent contradiction between slavery and the idea that "all men are created equal." Thomas Jefferson (who explicitly unmasked that very contradiction in the original draft of the Declaration of Independence) is cited as the first prominent American to suggest that European-Americans were "racially" superior to their slaves.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Monday, October 13
The Declaration of Independence and Parallel Construction
We parsed the first two sentences of the immortal document, discovering that though the famous second sentence ("We hold these truths . . ."} is longer than the first it is considerably simpler in structure, consisting of a simple independent clause, followed by a series of (increasingly elaborate) parallel dependent clauses.
We then moved on to the students' homework, the worksheets covering (primarily) problems with parallel construction.
The Declaration of Independence and Parallel Construction
We parsed the first two sentences of the immortal document, discovering that though the famous second sentence ("We hold these truths . . ."} is longer than the first it is considerably simpler in structure, consisting of a simple independent clause, followed by a series of (increasingly elaborate) parallel dependent clauses.
We then moved on to the students' homework, the worksheets covering (primarily) problems with parallel construction.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Thursday, October 9
We watched the rest of Jefferson's Blood and then discussed what it tells us about the confused and confusing concept of "race" in the United States.
HW due Monday:
Mr. Potratz passed out a 4-page worksheet treating (1) wordiness and (2) parallelism in writing.
It is due at the beginning of class Monday.
We watched the rest of Jefferson's Blood and then discussed what it tells us about the confused and confusing concept of "race" in the United States.
HW due Monday:
Mr. Potratz passed out a 4-page worksheet treating (1) wordiness and (2) parallelism in writing.
It is due at the beginning of class Monday.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Monday, October 6
Students made lists of central metaphors in Johnathan Edwards' famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" while Mr. Potratz read it aloud.
HW due Tuesday:
Read pages 117-123 in Elements of Literature and prepare for a short quiz.
The selection is the first draft of the Declaration of Independence as published in Thomas Jefferson's Autobiography, showing the deletions and changes Congress made in the document as ratified. Students should pay particular attention to the alterations and why they were made.
Students made lists of central metaphors in Johnathan Edwards' famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" while Mr. Potratz read it aloud.
HW due Tuesday:
Read pages 117-123 in Elements of Literature and prepare for a short quiz.
The selection is the first draft of the Declaration of Independence as published in Thomas Jefferson's Autobiography, showing the deletions and changes Congress made in the document as ratified. Students should pay particular attention to the alterations and why they were made.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Friday, October 3
In the context of the controversy over the cancelled "blackout" at tonight's football game, we looked briefly at the history of blackface in American culture (we watched Al Jolson singinging "Mammy" in The Jazz Singer), and read an online article about a confrontation over racial caricatures.
Thursday, October 2
Mr. Potratz was absent. Students wrote their "Two Captivity Narratives" essays in class.
In the context of the controversy over the cancelled "blackout" at tonight's football game, we looked briefly at the history of blackface in American culture (we watched Al Jolson singinging "Mammy" in The Jazz Singer), and read an online article about a confrontation over racial caricatures.
Thursday, October 2
Mr. Potratz was absent. Students wrote their "Two Captivity Narratives" essays in class.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Wednesday, October 1
Students turned in their summary paragraphs and we read and evaluated several of them.
Poetry Day
Mr. Potratz read the class "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. He also passed out a handout with terms used in poetic analysis. We focused on aspects of rhyme and meter, analyzing "Casey's" use of those elements.
Tomorrow (Thursday) Mr. Potratz will be absent and students are to spend the period writing their Captivity Narrative essays. Essays are due at the end of class. Students should bring any prewriting documents, notes, and their books. The required total minimum number of chunks is reduced to five, with the number of body paragraphs left up to the student.
Students turned in their summary paragraphs and we read and evaluated several of them.
Poetry Day
Mr. Potratz read the class "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. He also passed out a handout with terms used in poetic analysis. We focused on aspects of rhyme and meter, analyzing "Casey's" use of those elements.
Tomorrow (Thursday) Mr. Potratz will be absent and students are to spend the period writing their Captivity Narrative essays. Essays are due at the end of class. Students should bring any prewriting documents, notes, and their books. The required total minimum number of chunks is reduced to five, with the number of body paragraphs left up to the student.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Tuesday, September 30
We reviewed the elements of structure (multi-chunk paragraph, multi-paragraph essay) and the principles of continuity from yesterday, and discussed how these might relate to the question of whether our essay should make an overall or point-by-point comparison, opting for the latter.
Students will write the essay in class on Thursday (in Mr. Potratz's absence).
HW due tomorrow:
One typed paragraph summarizing the essay you will write on Thursday.
We ended with some information about the Jewish High Holidays, which began last night.
We reviewed the elements of structure (multi-chunk paragraph, multi-paragraph essay) and the principles of continuity from yesterday, and discussed how these might relate to the question of whether our essay should make an overall or point-by-point comparison, opting for the latter.
Students will write the essay in class on Thursday (in Mr. Potratz's absence).
HW due tomorrow:
One typed paragraph summarizing the essay you will write on Thursday.
We ended with some information about the Jewish High Holidays, which began last night.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Monday, September 29
Students turned in their ten CDs for the "Two Captivity Narratives" essay and we looked at one or three under the document camera. We then looked at the two basic choices for structuring a comparison -- overall or point-by-point (Everything about M, then everything about E versus a point about M, a point about E, then M, then E, etc.).
Next we reviewed the ways students have been taught to structure ANY essay on two levels: the two- or three-chunk essay, and the five-paragraph essay.
Mr. Potratz explained that our purpose in Junior year is to learn to use these guidelines in a more sophisticated way. These formulas are not to be used simplistically and mechanically. They are to help develop and organize your thoughts and to structure them into an essay. They are not to be used as a substitute for thought. They are to help you express what you want to say; they are not to determine what you should say by forcing your ideas into a predetermined mold. You should modify the formulas to accommodate your ideas, not change your ideas to fit the formulas. They are merely the skeleton -- the bones -- of your essay. They should not be visible; they should not stick out. And they are not to be confused with the living body of your essay.
In line with these ideas, Mr. Potratz added to the two formulas a further set of three Continuity Principles:
(1) Your essay should present a clear logical progression from the beginning to the conclusion;
(2) accordingly, you must have real transitions from one thought to the next to show how they are related; and
(3) your essay should build to its conclusion, not give equal weight to all its parts.
Students turned in their ten CDs for the "Two Captivity Narratives" essay and we looked at one or three under the document camera. We then looked at the two basic choices for structuring a comparison -- overall or point-by-point (Everything about M, then everything about E versus a point about M, a point about E, then M, then E, etc.).
Next we reviewed the ways students have been taught to structure ANY essay on two levels: the two- or three-chunk essay, and the five-paragraph essay.
Mr. Potratz explained that our purpose in Junior year is to learn to use these guidelines in a more sophisticated way. These formulas are not to be used simplistically and mechanically. They are to help develop and organize your thoughts and to structure them into an essay. They are not to be used as a substitute for thought. They are to help you express what you want to say; they are not to determine what you should say by forcing your ideas into a predetermined mold. You should modify the formulas to accommodate your ideas, not change your ideas to fit the formulas. They are merely the skeleton -- the bones -- of your essay. They should not be visible; they should not stick out. And they are not to be confused with the living body of your essay.
In line with these ideas, Mr. Potratz added to the two formulas a further set of three Continuity Principles:
(1) Your essay should present a clear logical progression from the beginning to the conclusion;
(2) accordingly, you must have real transitions from one thought to the next to show how they are related; and
(3) your essay should build to its conclusion, not give equal weight to all its parts.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Friday, September 26
Students turned in their notes from Thursday along with their one or two sentences summing up the projected essay.
We put several of the sentences under the document camera and critiqued them, then selected some to use as the basis for our papers. We agreed that the papers would:
stress the similarities between Rowlandson's and Equiano's experiences, rather than the differences, and that those similarities would include at minimum (1) how the hardship of captivity drove each to the point of suicide and (2) how both suffered deeply by being separated from family and community.
HW due Monday:
Students are to select at least ten concrete details (CD's), five for Rowlandson and five for Equiano. These should be the details they think are the most relevant and telling to support the agreed-upon content (above). They may be in bullet form and might best be chosen as complementary pairs. They should be typed and double-spaced.
Students turned in their notes from Thursday along with their one or two sentences summing up the projected essay.
We put several of the sentences under the document camera and critiqued them, then selected some to use as the basis for our papers. We agreed that the papers would:
stress the similarities between Rowlandson's and Equiano's experiences, rather than the differences, and that those similarities would include at minimum (1) how the hardship of captivity drove each to the point of suicide and (2) how both suffered deeply by being separated from family and community.
HW due Monday:
Students are to select at least ten concrete details (CD's), five for Rowlandson and five for Equiano. These should be the details they think are the most relevant and telling to support the agreed-upon content (above). They may be in bullet form and might best be chosen as complementary pairs. They should be typed and double-spaced.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Thursday, September 25
We continued brainstorming similarities and differences between Rowlandson and Equiano's Narratives, recording our ideas on the board and in students' own notes.
When we had finished, we talked about needing to decide which to stress -- similarities or differences -- and the advisability of putting whichever we did choose to stress at the end of our synopses, prefeaced by the aspect we chose to downplay.
HW due Friday:
Students will turn in their notes from class, along with 1-2 sentences summarizing the essay as they conceive it.
We continued brainstorming similarities and differences between Rowlandson and Equiano's Narratives, recording our ideas on the board and in students' own notes.
When we had finished, we talked about needing to decide which to stress -- similarities or differences -- and the advisability of putting whichever we did choose to stress at the end of our synopses, prefeaced by the aspect we chose to downplay.
HW due Friday:
Students will turn in their notes from class, along with 1-2 sentences summarizing the essay as they conceive it.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Wednesday, September 24
We finished reading the excerpts from Olaudah Equiano's Narrative aloud in class.
Mr. Potratz then explained that we would begin writing essays comparing Equiano's narrative with Mary Rowlandson's. We will follow an "accordion" process, starting with briefest possible statement of the paper's thesis (which we will write together in class), then proceed to a single-paragraph version (which we will also construct together). Finally, students will expand the paragraph into a full essay individually on their own.
To varying extents in different class periods we began discussing similarities and differences between the two pieces.
We finished reading the excerpts from Olaudah Equiano's Narrative aloud in class.
Mr. Potratz then explained that we would begin writing essays comparing Equiano's narrative with Mary Rowlandson's. We will follow an "accordion" process, starting with briefest possible statement of the paper's thesis (which we will write together in class), then proceed to a single-paragraph version (which we will also construct together). Finally, students will expand the paragraph into a full essay individually on their own.
To varying extents in different class periods we began discussing similarities and differences between the two pieces.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Tuesday, September 23
We began by reading together from page 38 of the anthology, filling in the historical background to Mary Rowlandson's Narrative. Mr. Potratz supplemented this material (focusing on King Philip's War of 1675) with information about the Pequot War of 1636.
We then turned from our focus on European colonists and Natives to the appearance of Africans, also in the 17th century, and we began reading excerpts from the 18th century captivity narrative of Olaudah Equiano. Students were informed that they would be writing essays comparing this piece with Rowlandson's captivity narrative.
HW due Wednesday:
Finish reading the excerpts fron Equiano's narrative and conme to class prepared to discuss it.
We began by reading together from page 38 of the anthology, filling in the historical background to Mary Rowlandson's Narrative. Mr. Potratz supplemented this material (focusing on King Philip's War of 1675) with information about the Pequot War of 1636.
We then turned from our focus on European colonists and Natives to the appearance of Africans, also in the 17th century, and we began reading excerpts from the 18th century captivity narrative of Olaudah Equiano. Students were informed that they would be writing essays comparing this piece with Rowlandson's captivity narrative.
HW due Wednesday:
Finish reading the excerpts fron Equiano's narrative and conme to class prepared to discuss it.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Monday, September 22
Students submitted their paragraphs on Mary Rowlandson's Narrative, and we looked at one or two of those paragraphs. Then we proceeded to discuss the reading and specifically to examine certain biblical allusions, including the invocation of Psalm 137 ("By the rivers of Babylon . . . ). Then we listened to the famous reggae version of this psalm and compared the Rastafarians' use of it to Mary Rowlandson's).
Students submitted their paragraphs on Mary Rowlandson's Narrative, and we looked at one or two of those paragraphs. Then we proceeded to discuss the reading and specifically to examine certain biblical allusions, including the invocation of Psalm 137 ("By the rivers of Babylon . . . ). Then we listened to the famous reggae version of this psalm and compared the Rastafarians' use of it to Mary Rowlandson's).
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Friday, September 19
Preparatory to our reading in Mary Rowlandson account of her capture by Indians in Massachusetts, we looked today at certain documents of European/Native interaction in this area. Specifically we watched and briefly discussed an excerpt from Edward S. Curtis's film In the Land of the War Canoes, and we read two articles about the history of the totem pole in Pioneer Square, Seattle, as pictured on the back wall of our classroom.
HW due Monday: One-paragraph answer to question #2 on page 46, written and typed after reading pages 40-45.
Preparatory to our reading in Mary Rowlandson account of her capture by Indians in Massachusetts, we looked today at certain documents of European/Native interaction in this area. Specifically we watched and briefly discussed an excerpt from Edward S. Curtis's film In the Land of the War Canoes, and we read two articles about the history of the totem pole in Pioneer Square, Seattle, as pictured on the back wall of our classroom.
HW due Monday: One-paragraph answer to question #2 on page 46, written and typed after reading pages 40-45.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Thursday, September 18
We compared the motives of William Bradford and the founders of the Plymouth Colony with those of John Smith and the founders of Jamestown. We also read an excerpt from John Winthrop's "City upon a hill" sermon, delivered on the Arabella en route to Massachusetts in 1630.
HW due Monday: Read pp. 40-45 in EOL and answer question #2 on page 46.
We compared the motives of William Bradford and the founders of the Plymouth Colony with those of John Smith and the founders of Jamestown. We also read an excerpt from John Winthrop's "City upon a hill" sermon, delivered on the Arabella en route to Massachusetts in 1630.
HW due Monday: Read pp. 40-45 in EOL and answer question #2 on page 46.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Tuesday, September 16
Students submitted their typed paragraphs concerning William Bradford's history of the Plymouth colony, which paragraphs we will examine tomorrow (Wednesday).
Mr. Potratz announced that yesterday's quiz (the results of which were disastrous) would be thrown out and redone as a worksheet in class, and we spent the rest of the period (re)doing that.
Students submitted their typed paragraphs concerning William Bradford's history of the Plymouth colony, which paragraphs we will examine tomorrow (Wednesday).
Mr. Potratz announced that yesterday's quiz (the results of which were disastrous) would be thrown out and redone as a worksheet in class, and we spent the rest of the period (re)doing that.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Monday, September 15
Mr. Potratz assigned HW due Tuesday: Read pages 36-33 in Elements of Literature (about and by William Bradford, leader of the Massacusetts Bay Colony) and write and type one solid paragraph in response to question #2 on page 35.
The class went to the computer lab and completed grammar lessons 1 #& 2 at http://cc.ysu.edu/~tacopela/Writing/Grammar.htm, after which we returned to the classroom where students took a quiz (20 pts.) over what they had just learned.
Mr. Potratz assigned HW due Tuesday: Read pages 36-33 in Elements of Literature (about and by William Bradford, leader of the Massacusetts Bay Colony) and write and type one solid paragraph in response to question #2 on page 35.
The class went to the computer lab and completed grammar lessons 1 #& 2 at http://cc.ysu.edu/~tacopela/Writing/Grammar.htm, after which we returned to the classroom where students took a quiz (20 pts.) over what they had just learned.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Friday, September 12
We finished reading the selection from John Smith's Description of New England and then looked at how the reality of Jamestown's early years compares with the picture Smith paints in that selection. Mr. Potratz read from George Percy's account of the sufferings of 1607-8.
Students were assigned no HW for the weekend, but advised that there would be an assignment on Monday, due Tuesday, and that anyone wanting to get ahead could start reading the material in the textbook on the Massachusetts Bay colony, beginiing with the excerpts from William Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation" (pp. 28-33).
We finished reading the selection from John Smith's Description of New England and then looked at how the reality of Jamestown's early years compares with the picture Smith paints in that selection. Mr. Potratz read from George Percy's account of the sufferings of 1607-8.
Students were assigned no HW for the weekend, but advised that there would be an assignment on Monday, due Tuesday, and that anyone wanting to get ahead could start reading the material in the textbook on the Massachusetts Bay colony, beginiing with the excerpts from William Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation" (pp. 28-33).
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Thursday, September 11
Students (other than 6th period) turned in their American Literature timelines.
We identified Pocahontas as the person pictured in the extra credit portrait on the class website, and looked at other depictions of her.
Then we began reading selections from John Smith's Description of New England (1616). Students wrote paraphrases of the first sentence, and we discussed what the purpose and intended audience of the piece might be.
Students (other than 6th period) turned in their American Literature timelines.
We identified Pocahontas as the person pictured in the extra credit portrait on the class website, and looked at other depictions of her.
Then we began reading selections from John Smith's Description of New England (1616). Students wrote paraphrases of the first sentence, and we discussed what the purpose and intended audience of the piece might be.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Wednesday, September 10
We returned to yesterday's grammar lesson, reviewing what we learned, and proceeding to an exercise in which students wrote multiple sentences using the same word with different meanings and as different parts of speech.
HW reminder: Timeline of American literature due tomorrow (Thursday), except for 6th period, which may turn it in Friday.
We returned to yesterday's grammar lesson, reviewing what we learned, and proceeding to an exercise in which students wrote multiple sentences using the same word with different meanings and as different parts of speech.
HW reminder: Timeline of American literature due tomorrow (Thursday), except for 6th period, which may turn it in Friday.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Tuesday, September 9
Grammar a la Groucho
"Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana."
We reviewed and explored some grammar basics by way of parsing this famous Groucho-ism.
What part of speech any word may be is determined by its place in the structure of the sentence.
HW due Thursday:
Mr. Potratz distributed a tabloid-sized timeline of American History, to which students are to add certain specified authors supplemented by five of the students' choosing, supplying birth and death dates and the name of at least one of the author's major works.
Grammar a la Groucho
"Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana."
We reviewed and explored some grammar basics by way of parsing this famous Groucho-ism.
What part of speech any word may be is determined by its place in the structure of the sentence.
HW due Thursday:
Mr. Potratz distributed a tabloid-sized timeline of American History, to which students are to add certain specified authors supplemented by five of the students' choosing, supplying birth and death dates and the name of at least one of the author's major works.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Monday, September 8
Students took and graded a quiz over the Native American literature we have read, and we proceeded to discuss some of it, focusing especially on "Coyote Finishes His Work." What are the themes and questions raised by that work? How does this creation/second coming story compare with Christian mythology? Are the similarities merely coincidental, or has "Coyote" been influenced by Christianity? Joseph Bruchac stresses that Native American culture has retained its identity, no matter how much it has changed over the years.
Students took and graded a quiz over the Native American literature we have read, and we proceeded to discuss some of it, focusing especially on "Coyote Finishes His Work." What are the themes and questions raised by that work? How does this creation/second coming story compare with Christian mythology? Are the similarities merely coincidental, or has "Coyote" been influenced by Christianity? Joseph Bruchac stresses that Native American culture has retained its identity, no matter how much it has changed over the years.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Friday, September 5
Students recorded their names on a seating chart, and are to sit in the same seats Monday as they did today.
Mr. Potratz issued textbooks (Elements of Literature, Fifth Course).
We briefly discussed the four Native American stories in the handout distributed yesterday.
HW due Monday: Students are to read pp. 20-25 in Elements of Lit and prepare for a quiz Monday covering those pages and the four stories from the handout ("How Mosquitos came to be," "The First Ship," "How Iktome came to sleep with his wife by mistake," and "Raven").
Students recorded their names on a seating chart, and are to sit in the same seats Monday as they did today.
Mr. Potratz issued textbooks (Elements of Literature, Fifth Course).
We briefly discussed the four Native American stories in the handout distributed yesterday.
HW due Monday: Students are to read pp. 20-25 in Elements of Lit and prepare for a quiz Monday covering those pages and the four stories from the handout ("How Mosquitos came to be," "The First Ship," "How Iktome came to sleep with his wife by mistake," and "Raven").
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Thursday, September 4
Students took a quiz over the syllabus, and graded the quiz. In the process we reviewed many of the rules and procedures described in the syllabus.
Many students returned the letter which went home yesterday, signed by their guardians. Those should be returned by Friday -- Monday at the latest.
Mr. Potratz passed out brief handouts containing several very short Native American stories. Students are to read them carefully and prepare to discuss them in class Friday.
Students took a quiz over the syllabus, and graded the quiz. In the process we reviewed many of the rules and procedures described in the syllabus.
Many students returned the letter which went home yesterday, signed by their guardians. Those should be returned by Friday -- Monday at the latest.
Mr. Potratz passed out brief handouts containing several very short Native American stories. Students are to read them carefully and prepare to discuss them in class Friday.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Wednesday, September 3
First day of classes.
Mr. Potratz passed out copies of the syllabus and of a letter addressed to students' parents or guardians. Students were asked to share the syllabi as well as the letters with their folks and to bring the letters back, signed by their guardians, by Monday.
Also, Mr. Potratz announced a quiz on Thursday over the syllabus, which the students were assigned to read carefully before Thursday's class.
The rest of the period was taken up by a lecture/discussion over what is meant by "American Literature," the Eurocentric nature of that, and the long cultural history of our part of the world prior to its discovery by Europeans.
First day of classes.
Mr. Potratz passed out copies of the syllabus and of a letter addressed to students' parents or guardians. Students were asked to share the syllabi as well as the letters with their folks and to bring the letters back, signed by their guardians, by Monday.
Also, Mr. Potratz announced a quiz on Thursday over the syllabus, which the students were assigned to read carefully before Thursday's class.
The rest of the period was taken up by a lecture/discussion over what is meant by "American Literature," the Eurocentric nature of that, and the long cultural history of our part of the world prior to its discovery by Europeans.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Monday, June 16
Periods 3 & 4 watched the beginning of The Crucible.
Periods 5 & 6 sunned themselves in the stadium.
Because some 5th & 6th period students' ability to work has been hampered by materials being left behind in the school, Mr. Potratz will accept final projects from them on Wednesday (though there is no class). Textbooks must be turned in on finals day. Final projects are due Thursday for periods 3 & 4.
Research papers have been returned to 3. 4, 5 & 6 will receive theirs Tuesday.
10 pts. extra credit is available for 1 or more pages of "fixes" in response to my corrections.
Periods 3 & 4 watched the beginning of The Crucible.
Periods 5 & 6 sunned themselves in the stadium.
Because some 5th & 6th period students' ability to work has been hampered by materials being left behind in the school, Mr. Potratz will accept final projects from them on Wednesday (though there is no class). Textbooks must be turned in on finals day. Final projects are due Thursday for periods 3 & 4.
Research papers have been returned to 3. 4, 5 & 6 will receive theirs Tuesday.
10 pts. extra credit is available for 1 or more pages of "fixes" in response to my corrections.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Friday, June 13
Arthur Miller, the Communists, and the anti-Communists.
Miller's biography: a child of the Depression; his left-wing politics,
Miller's testimony before HUAC, his being found in contempt of Congress.
A very few minutes of David Halberstam's The Fifties.
Mr. Potratz returned the in-class Gatsby essays.
Coming up:
Monday and Tuesday (5th & 6th periods) or Thursday (3rd & 4th): The Crucible (1996 film).
Tuesday or Thursday: final project (Character Nexus & Character Sketches); Crucible notesheet; Elements of Literature textbook.
Arthur Miller, the Communists, and the anti-Communists.
Miller's biography: a child of the Depression; his left-wing politics,
Miller's testimony before HUAC, his being found in contempt of Congress.
A very few minutes of David Halberstam's The Fifties.
Mr. Potratz returned the in-class Gatsby essays.
Coming up:
Monday and Tuesday (5th & 6th periods) or Thursday (3rd & 4th): The Crucible (1996 film).
Tuesday or Thursday: final project (Character Nexus & Character Sketches); Crucible notesheet; Elements of Literature textbook.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Wednesday, June 4
(Blastus lastus)
Mr. Potratz distributed note booklets for The Crucible, this time focusing on characters rather than motif. Then we began reading and listening to the play, discussing briefly the characters introduced at the beginning of the first act: Rev. Parris, Tituba, Abigail Williams, and Ann and Thomas Putnam.
(Blastus lastus)
Mr. Potratz distributed note booklets for The Crucible, this time focusing on characters rather than motif. Then we began reading and listening to the play, discussing briefly the characters introduced at the beginning of the first act: Rev. Parris, Tituba, Abigail Williams, and Ann and Thomas Putnam.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Wednesday, May 28
Mr. Potratz passed out forms with the assignment dueFriday: to compose a title for the in-class essay to be written Monday, using the two-line formula explained in Tuesday's class, involving a theme from Gatsby and a motif or motifs Fitzgerald uses to express that theme.
We worked on more sample titles of that kind, using different motifs and themes, and we looked at tomorrow's class, which will require searching the text of Gatsby online in the computer lab.
Mr. Potratz passed out forms with the assignment dueFriday: to compose a title for the in-class essay to be written Monday, using the two-line formula explained in Tuesday's class, involving a theme from Gatsby and a motif or motifs Fitzgerald uses to express that theme.
We worked on more sample titles of that kind, using different motifs and themes, and we looked at tomorrow's class, which will require searching the text of Gatsby online in the computer lab.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Friday, May 16
We watched the beginning of Winter Dreams, another documentary about Fitzgerald. Students took notes and turned them in at the end of the period.
Handout: Vocabulary list for Test on Tuesday:
Compiled from SAT practice questions:
extricate
inequity
iniquity
histrionic
axiom
tenuous
infallible
expunge
erroneous
archetype
pedant
autodidact
didactic
ostentatious
timorous
dauntless
From last chapters of Gatsby:
ingratiate – to bring (oneself, for example) into the favor or good graces of another, especially by
deliberate effort
menagerie – a collection of wild animals on exhibition
meretricious – attracting attention in a vulgar manner
septic – causing the presence of pathogenic organisms in the body
turgid – swollen or distended, as if from fluid
vestige – a visible trace, evidence or sign of something that no longer exists or appears
adventitious – not inherent, but added extrinsically
amorphous – lacking a definite organization or form; shapeless
commensurate – of the same size, extent, or duration
inviolate – not violated or profaned; intact
pander – to gratify or indulge a person, a desire, or a weakness
redolent – fragrant
truculent – aggressively defiant; pugnacious
We watched the beginning of Winter Dreams, another documentary about Fitzgerald. Students took notes and turned them in at the end of the period.
Handout: Vocabulary list for Test on Tuesday:
Compiled from SAT practice questions:
extricate
inequity
iniquity
histrionic
axiom
tenuous
infallible
expunge
erroneous
archetype
pedant
autodidact
didactic
ostentatious
timorous
dauntless
From last chapters of Gatsby:
ingratiate – to bring (oneself, for example) into the favor or good graces of another, especially by
deliberate effort
menagerie – a collection of wild animals on exhibition
meretricious – attracting attention in a vulgar manner
septic – causing the presence of pathogenic organisms in the body
turgid – swollen or distended, as if from fluid
vestige – a visible trace, evidence or sign of something that no longer exists or appears
adventitious – not inherent, but added extrinsically
amorphous – lacking a definite organization or form; shapeless
commensurate – of the same size, extent, or duration
inviolate – not violated or profaned; intact
pander – to gratify or indulge a person, a desire, or a weakness
redolent – fragrant
truculent – aggressively defiant; pugnacious
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Thursday, May 8
Sin and Syncopation
In connection with Gatsby's wild parties, we looked at white appropriation of black culture in the Twenties.
We read an article about the evils of jazz from the August, 1921, edition of Ladies' Home Journal, watched a Betty Boop cartoon featuring Louis Armstrong as a crazy African barbarian, and read "Note on the Commercial Theatre" by Langston Hughes.
Sin and Syncopation
In connection with Gatsby's wild parties, we looked at white appropriation of black culture in the Twenties.
We read an article about the evils of jazz from the August, 1921, edition of Ladies' Home Journal, watched a Betty Boop cartoon featuring Louis Armstrong as a crazy African barbarian, and read "Note on the Commercial Theatre" by Langston Hughes.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Monday, April 28
We listened to a recording of the end of Chapter 1 of Gatsby. Students added notes to their note booklets, and afterwards we shared notes.
Friday, April 25
Day of Silence
Students who were present watched the beginning of an A&E Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and we briefly discussed connections between his life and The Great Gatsby.
Thursday, April 24
We read from Chapter 1 of Gatsby and students entered notes of significant details in their booklets.
We listened to a recording of the end of Chapter 1 of Gatsby. Students added notes to their note booklets, and afterwards we shared notes.
Friday, April 25
Day of Silence
Students who were present watched the beginning of an A&E Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and we briefly discussed connections between his life and The Great Gatsby.
Thursday, April 24
We read from Chapter 1 of Gatsby and students entered notes of significant details in their booklets.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Wednesday, April 23
Mr. Potratz passed out a booklet for students to take notes in, recording "significant details" in The Great Gatsby to help in tracing some of the book's intricate patterns.
As an example, we recorded certain phrases referring to 'East' and 'West' in the book's opening pages which we read on Monday.
We also talked about what is meant by "significant details" and about questions of symbolism in lierary works.
Mr. Potratz passed out a booklet for students to take notes in, recording "significant details" in The Great Gatsby to help in tracing some of the book's intricate patterns.
As an example, we recorded certain phrases referring to 'East' and 'West' in the book's opening pages which we read on Monday.
We also talked about what is meant by "significant details" and about questions of symbolism in lierary works.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Tuesday, April 22
Students worked in pairs to read and comment upon each other's rough drafts.
Mr. Potratz announced a one-week extension of the final submission date for the research paper. Students submitting their final drafts as originally assigned this Friday (4/25) will receive 10 points extra credit (out of 200). The new submission date is a week from Friday, May 2.
Students worked in pairs to read and comment upon each other's rough drafts.
Mr. Potratz announced a one-week extension of the final submission date for the research paper. Students submitting their final drafts as originally assigned this Friday (4/25) will receive 10 points extra credit (out of 200). The new submission date is a week from Friday, May 2.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Friday, April 18
We watched a few more minutes of The New York documentary, then discussed it briefly.
Mr. Potratz also announced that anyone who is struggling with his or her research paper --especially if they may not be able to make next Friday's deadline -- must arrange to come speak with him individually before or (preferably) after school, or at the beginning of third lunch, early next week.
On Tuesday class will be devoted to peer editing of research papers.
We watched a few more minutes of The New York documentary, then discussed it briefly.
Mr. Potratz also announced that anyone who is struggling with his or her research paper --especially if they may not be able to make next Friday's deadline -- must arrange to come speak with him individually before or (preferably) after school, or at the beginning of third lunch, early next week.
On Tuesday class will be devoted to peer editing of research papers.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Thursday, April 17
We watched part of a documentary film about New York City during the period following WWI, and discussed it briefly.
Mr. Potratz also announced that anyone who has not turned in a rough draft of his or her research paper, must arrange to come speak with him individually before or (preferably) after school, or at the beginning of third lunch, by Monday.
On Tuesday class will be devoted to peer editing of research papers.
We watched part of a documentary film about New York City during the period following WWI, and discussed it briefly.
Mr. Potratz also announced that anyone who has not turned in a rough draft of his or her research paper, must arrange to come speak with him individually before or (preferably) after school, or at the beginning of third lunch, by Monday.
On Tuesday class will be devoted to peer editing of research papers.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Monday, April 14
Mr. Potratz returned students' research paper rough drafts, then read aloud from
" 'These Wild Young People' by One of Them," from The Atlantic Monthly of 1920. This piece illustrates the "disillusionizing" of the post-WWI Lost Generation of American youth.
We then read parts of a poem on the same theme: "Hugh Selwyn Mauberly" by Ezra Pound, also from 1920.
Mr. Potratz returned students' research paper rough drafts, then read aloud from
" 'These Wild Young People' by One of Them," from The Atlantic Monthly of 1920. This piece illustrates the "disillusionizing" of the post-WWI Lost Generation of American youth.
We then read parts of a poem on the same theme: "Hugh Selwyn Mauberly" by Ezra Pound, also from 1920.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Friday, April 4
Students turned in the rough drafts of their research papers. Rough drafts will be accepted on Monday, 4/14 with a reduction of 12 points (out of 60).
We listened to songs of The Great War (WWI), including "Over There," sung by Enrico Caruso, and "I Didn't Raise My Son To Be a Soldier." In periods 5 & 6 Mr. Potratz introduced The Great Gatsby and The Crucible, briefly.
Students turned in the rough drafts of their research papers. Rough drafts will be accepted on Monday, 4/14 with a reduction of 12 points (out of 60).
We listened to songs of The Great War (WWI), including "Over There," sung by Enrico Caruso, and "I Didn't Raise My Son To Be a Soldier." In periods 5 & 6 Mr. Potratz introduced The Great Gatsby and The Crucible, briefly.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Wednesday, April 2
We read part of Chapter 29 of The Jungle, in which Comrade Ostrinski instructs Jurgis in Socialism, then looked at literature of the American Socialist Party, including Dos Passos's biography of Eugene Debs from USA and Debs's Canton speech opposing WWI, which landed him in the Atlanta Penitentiary.
We read part of Chapter 29 of The Jungle, in which Comrade Ostrinski instructs Jurgis in Socialism, then looked at literature of the American Socialist Party, including Dos Passos's biography of Eugene Debs from USA and Debs's Canton speech opposing WWI, which landed him in the Atlanta Penitentiary.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
Monday, March 31
Mr. Potratz returned thesis statements and outlines (to all periods except 6th), reminded students of Friday's deadline (rough draft).
We read the last sections of Chapter 5 and Chapter 9 from The Jungle.
Friday, March 28
Mr. Potratz was absent. Students were given the time to work on their research papers as they saw fit.
Mr. Potratz returned thesis statements and outlines (to all periods except 6th), reminded students of Friday's deadline (rough draft).
We read the last sections of Chapter 5 and Chapter 9 from The Jungle.
Friday, March 28
Mr. Potratz was absent. Students were given the time to work on their research papers as they saw fit.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Wednesday, March 26
Students turned in their thesis statements and first outlines of the research paper.
We watched the rest of the "Industrial Supremacy" episode of the Biography of America series, focusing on Swift & Armour, the Chicago stockyards, and Packingtown. Then Mr. Potratz read aloud from Chapter 3 of The Jungle.
Students turned in their thesis statements and first outlines of the research paper.
We watched the rest of the "Industrial Supremacy" episode of the Biography of America series, focusing on Swift & Armour, the Chicago stockyards, and Packingtown. Then Mr. Potratz read aloud from Chapter 3 of The Jungle.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Monday, March 24
Review of requirements for Wednesday's deadline: thesis statement and sentence outline.
The period of Realism in American Literature. Is Huckleberry Finn a Romantic or Realistic novel? Twain & "chivalric romance."
Friday, March 21
Students in library taking notes.
Students turned in research paper folders with first installment of note cards.
Review of requirements for Wednesday's deadline: thesis statement and sentence outline.
The period of Realism in American Literature. Is Huckleberry Finn a Romantic or Realistic novel? Twain & "chivalric romance."
Friday, March 21
Students in library taking notes.
Students turned in research paper folders with first installment of note cards.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Tuesday, March 18
We went into the library, where Ms. Harger presented an introduction to the specialized reference materials. Students were required to come up with two new sources (and source cards) and one or two cards of notes by the end of the period.
Monday, March 17
Students took a quiz over the vocabulary words from "The Yellow Wallpaper" and we graded it. Then students completed a punctuation exercise requiring students to punctuate the same "Dear John" letter two different ways to produce two very different meanings. We talked briefly about how punctuation can determine meaning, and about some of the ways that written language differs from spoken language.
Friday, March 14
Mr. Potratz was absent. Students studied for the vocabulary test on Monday.
We went into the library, where Ms. Harger presented an introduction to the specialized reference materials. Students were required to come up with two new sources (and source cards) and one or two cards of notes by the end of the period.
Monday, March 17
Students took a quiz over the vocabulary words from "The Yellow Wallpaper" and we graded it. Then students completed a punctuation exercise requiring students to punctuate the same "Dear John" letter two different ways to produce two very different meanings. We talked briefly about how punctuation can determine meaning, and about some of the ways that written language differs from spoken language.
Friday, March 14
Mr. Potratz was absent. Students studied for the vocabulary test on Monday.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Wednesday, March 12 (3rd period) and Thursday, March 13 (4th, 5th, and 6th periods)
Mr. Potratz returned research paper folders and spoke with students who had not turned theirs in, with preliminary bibliography cards, on Monday.
Handout: twenty-five vocabulary words from "The Yellow Wallpaper." Students looked up meanings in the dictionary, and then we went over all the words together as a class.
Mr. Potratz announced that he would be absent Friday, that students would be able to study the vocabulary words more then, and that there would be a quiz over them on Monday.
Tuesday, March 11
We read, listened to, and discussed the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
Mr. Potratz returned research paper folders and spoke with students who had not turned theirs in, with preliminary bibliography cards, on Monday.
Handout: twenty-five vocabulary words from "The Yellow Wallpaper." Students looked up meanings in the dictionary, and then we went over all the words together as a class.
Mr. Potratz announced that he would be absent Friday, that students would be able to study the vocabulary words more then, and that there would be a quiz over them on Monday.
Tuesday, March 11
We read, listened to, and discussed the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Wednesday, March 5
We went into the computer lab, and students found source materials for their research topics, using the online tools presented in class Tuesday. Students filled out bibliography cards, one card per source, using as their guide the MLA documentation guidelines in the student planners, pages 22-24.
The assignment was to produce at least five cards by the end of the period. Mr. Potratz stamped students' notesheets from Tuesday and collected all research paper folders at the end of the hour.
Tuesday, March 4
Students took notes (on a notesheet provided) while Mr. Potratz demonstrated online resources for finding materials for research papers. Three main techniques were shown: searching for books using KCLS and Mount Si library websites; using databases on those same sites; and using the academic search engines NetTrekker d.i. and Google Scholar.
We went into the computer lab, and students found source materials for their research topics, using the online tools presented in class Tuesday. Students filled out bibliography cards, one card per source, using as their guide the MLA documentation guidelines in the student planners, pages 22-24.
The assignment was to produce at least five cards by the end of the period. Mr. Potratz stamped students' notesheets from Tuesday and collected all research paper folders at the end of the hour.
Tuesday, March 4
Students took notes (on a notesheet provided) while Mr. Potratz demonstrated online resources for finding materials for research papers. Three main techniques were shown: searching for books using KCLS and Mount Si library websites; using databases on those same sites; and using the academic search engines NetTrekker d.i. and Google Scholar.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Thursday, February 28
Friday is the last day to submit answers to the extra credit "tolo" questions.
We fine-tuned seating arrangements and established new seating charts. Students are to sit in their currently designated seats every day, and attendance will be taken from the chart.
Mr. Potratz checked off people who had library cards to show, or numbers to recite. Final deadline to have a KCLS card: Wednesday, March 5.
We finished looking at topic proposals (in some sections) and read & discussed the Resolutions (new handout) from the Seneca Falls Convention (in some sections).
Final, revised, typed topic proposals due Monday.
Friday is the last day to submit answers to the extra credit "tolo" questions.
We fine-tuned seating arrangements and established new seating charts. Students are to sit in their currently designated seats every day, and attendance will be taken from the chart.
Mr. Potratz checked off people who had library cards to show, or numbers to recite. Final deadline to have a KCLS card: Wednesday, March 5.
We finished looking at topic proposals (in some sections) and read & discussed the Resolutions (new handout) from the Seneca Falls Convention (in some sections).
Final, revised, typed topic proposals due Monday.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Wednesday, February 27
Mr. Potratz put students' research paper topic proposals under the document camera, and he and the class critiqued them, one at a time.
Tuesday, February 26
The class took a five-question, fifteen-point "quizlet" over the assigned chapter from Uncle Tom's Cabin, and the "Declaration of Sentiments" from the 1848 Seneca Falls convention. We then discussed those readings, and in some sections also read a new handout, "The Good Wife's Guide" from 1955.
Mr. Potratz passed out an additional sheet of research paper topic suggestions.
Mr. Potratz put students' research paper topic proposals under the document camera, and he and the class critiqued them, one at a time.
Tuesday, February 26
The class took a five-question, fifteen-point "quizlet" over the assigned chapter from Uncle Tom's Cabin, and the "Declaration of Sentiments" from the 1848 Seneca Falls convention. We then discussed those readings, and in some sections also read a new handout, "The Good Wife's Guide" from 1955.
Mr. Potratz passed out an additional sheet of research paper topic suggestions.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Monday, February 25
Quizlet over Uncle Tom's Cabin and "Declaration of Sentiments" postponed until Tuesday.
Also due Tuesday: Research paper topic proposal: Title, brief description, three questions you want to answer.
Teacher passed out research paper folders with the project assignment sheet (see Documents), ansd we went over the requirements and deadlines.
Quizlet over Uncle Tom's Cabin and "Declaration of Sentiments" postponed until Tuesday.
Also due Tuesday: Research paper topic proposal: Title, brief description, three questions you want to answer.
Teacher passed out research paper folders with the project assignment sheet (see Documents), ansd we went over the requirements and deadlines.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Friday, February 15
We finished watching A Class Divided, and discussed it, particularly the part where Jane Elliott in the exercise with the adults manages to turn any resistance on their part into further evidence that they deserve the treatment they are receiving.
Assignment for break:
(1) Due Monday 2/25:
Read Chapter XLI of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and "Declaration of Sentiments" (handouts) There will be a quizlet.
(2) Due Tuesday 2/26:
(a)Research Paper Topic &(b) What specifically you want to know about the subject. Typed.
SEE DOCUMENTS FOR RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT SHEET.
Thursday, February 14
Mr. Potratz was absent. The class watched most of A Class Divided, a documentary film from PBS about a famous educational experiment in discrimination.
We finished watching A Class Divided, and discussed it, particularly the part where Jane Elliott in the exercise with the adults manages to turn any resistance on their part into further evidence that they deserve the treatment they are receiving.
Assignment for break:
(1) Due Monday 2/25:
Read Chapter XLI of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and "Declaration of Sentiments" (handouts) There will be a quizlet.
(2) Due Tuesday 2/26:
(a)Research Paper Topic &(b) What specifically you want to know about the subject. Typed.
SEE DOCUMENTS FOR RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT SHEET.
Thursday, February 14
Mr. Potratz was absent. The class watched most of A Class Divided, a documentary film from PBS about a famous educational experiment in discrimination.
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