Tuesday, April 7, 2015

SGO's: Yes!

SGO's are back.

So, ya'll need to write a short essay. Four paragraphs will suffice.

Here's the prompt: All of the works we have read this year deal with the thematic conflict of Man versus Society. Select any two works we have read this year and explain how the work deals with the aforementioned theme.

You may use: The Crucible, Walden, "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," "The Minister's Black Veil," Into Thin Air, Into the Wild, The Lord of the Flies, Julius Caesar (Yeah, don't.), or even an episode of Star Trek.

Completed Essays are due at the beginning of class on Thursday, April 9th.


For your troubles, I am extending the time you have for the Caesar essays. They are now due on Wednesday, April 15th.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Group Mini-Projects

Julius Caesar Skills Mini-Project


We will be completing the Act V “Developing skills in reading literature” (page 685 in the textbook) questions in groups. Each group of 4-6 students will be responsible for fully answering one of the sections: Tragedy, Tragic Hero, Pun, Structure, and Theme. You may pick your own groups. You will be given class time to work on your projects but are also encouraged to work outside of class to accomplish your task. Each group will be expected to create a Power Point and give a presentation on your topic.


Presentations are to include the following:
  • A complete answer to each question in your section (Remember to include the question to let the audience know what you are answering)
  • Every member of the group must be included in the presentation
  • Powerpoint must include pictures, videos, or any other element which will enhance your presentation
  • Relevant reference to a scholarly source about your topic with works cited slide. For example, if you are in the Tragedy group, you would include a reference to the dictionary definition of “catharsis.”
  • Presentations are to be at least 3-5 minutes in length
  • You may facilitate a discussion with well thought out questions
  • Creativity


Presentations are due on Monday, April 6. You will be graded on the thoughtfulness of your answers, your participation in your group, and the overall impact of the presentation.

Period 1 Groups
Amara, Ryan T., Dana, Jess: Tragic Hero
Rocap, Teagen, Lindsey, Abby: Tragedy
Kassia, Erynn, Darren, Christian, Nick, Justin: Structure
Taylor, Alfonso, Joe, Brandon, Ryan K., Sam A.: Tragic Hero
Janet, Jasmine(s), Dina, Bryan: Pun

Period 2 Groups:
Tim, Caitlyn, Lucie, Melissa, Ashley: Structure
Altea, Donna, Kayla, Bre, Kennedy: Tragedy
Haley, Cynthia, Zack, Kiley, Kyle, Nathan, Jessica: Theme
Dan, Levi, Parth, Bogdan, Gabe: Tragic Hero

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Mob Mentality and Discrimination





Jane Elliot's 1970 eye color experiment is a great example of one of the defects of human nature. Humans tend to act horribly when they are given license to do so, especially as part of a group. In this example, children are easily persuaded to discriminate against their classmates on the basis of eye color. Please comment with your thoughts on this video by Monday, 2/9. A few thoughtful sentences will suffice. A few questions to think about: Do you think this experiment has merit? Do you think young students would react in the same way in the 2010's? What similarities do you see between this video and another piece of literature we have studied this year?