Classnotes 5/3-5/19

5/19/11	“x” today HOMEWORK: Read pages 221-238, The Chocolate War.  Reading/vocab quiz tomorrow.
5/18/11	INTRO: It was announced the the summer reading will be The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. NOTES: Vocabulary words and sentences using them: litany: spiritual prayer- The Reverend led the congregation in a litany. concede: give in, or admit to- I conceded that my error was in duct taping Mr. Smith to his chair. embalm: to preserve a dead body by removing the blood, and replacing it with chemicals- A body which is ready to be viewed has already been embalmed. exaggerated: overstated a case- We may have exaggerated a bit when we said that we ran for five hours without stopping. reluctant: feeling or showing hesitation or aversion- I was reluctant to admit my age. masterpiece: work done with extraordinary skill- The oil painting was a masterpiece. apathy: suppression or absence of emotion, lack of energy- He approached the essay assignment with a great deal of apathy. mutinied:overthrew- The first mate mutinied against the Captain. ponder: contemplate- When he asked his parents if his curfew could be extended, he was told that they would have to ponder the question. swagger: cocky walk- The tall, handsome, athlete swaggered over to the pretty blond girl, after he won MVP of the game. perennial: comes up every year- Peonies are perennial flowers. tumultuous: turbulent, stormy- The seas were tumultuous during the hurricane. HANDOUT: “The Chocolate War Essay Assignment #5” HOMEWORK: Read pages 202-220, The Chocolate War.  Reading/vocab quiz on Friday.
5/17/11	NOTES:  We responded to the following questions in our journals, with the following responses: What do Jerry and “I” have in common? clumsy, ugly, will act without thinking of the consequences, persistent, stubborn, small build, “everyman”(average “Joe” - anyone could have, but he did), takes small task but goes all out, punctual, cynical How does Jerry represent a threat to all power structures in his school?  (The Vigils, and teachers) As a single person, he caused a major turmoil. What is the significance of “Do I dare disturb the universe?” It was on poster in his locker- meaning?  Would a common person have the courage to go against the universe? (in this case, The Vigils and teachers) We also added a few notes to yesterday’s sharing of who they would cast for the characters in the book.  See yesterday’s notes. HOMEWORK:  Read pages 177-201, The Chocolate War, and find 1 vocab word.
5/16/11	INTRO: We took a reading quiz through page 118.  Pass in RWR if you haven’t.  By Wednesday, if you still owe the essay on Rule of the Bone, you will be scheduled up. NOTES: In small groups, we had to decide who we would cast for characters in the book.  You had to begin by identifying the main characters.  You also had to give reasons why you cast who you cast for each part.  Results: For Jerry: Sarah Palin, because she is annoying and persistent Sam, from Lord of the Rings Zach Effron, because he’s young, good-hearted, and nice like Jerry Harry Potter, because he’s a kid rebelling against an organization Jake Gyllenhal, who starred in The Day After Tomorrow, because he’s very average For Brother Leon: Charlie Sheen, because he has flipped out, is nuts, arrogant, twisted, on drugs, quirky, and perhaps mentally ill nurse Ratched, because she’s totalitarian, devil-like Jack Nicholson, because he plays a good twisted person with a psychotic edge Snape (Alan Rickman), because he played a malicious teacher ironman (Robert Downey, Jr.) For Archie: mix of Oprah, and Gollum from Lord of the Rings The Joker (Heath Ledger), because he enjoys others’ pain Alex, from A Clockwork Orange, because he’s a sadist, thinks he’s a rebel, and beats people up (he’s the quintessential, or perfect example, of a sadist, who beats people for pleasure) Satin because he’s pure evil and gets satisfaction from hurting people For Obie: (the “fixer” in The Vigils) Jim Carey because he was mischievous Jeff Dunham because he’s mischievous and funny Matthew from The Disreputable History... Al Pacino because he makes things happen, while someone else gets noticed For Goober: Usain Bolt because he’s a fast runner Hermes because he also is fast HOMEWORK: Read pages 156-177, The Chocolate War.
5/13/11	HOMEWORK: : Read pages131-155, The Chocolate War.
5/11/11	INTRO: Seniors have to take a final exam in English class, as per policy of the English Department.  Seniors who have an 89.5 or higher average, going into it, can take a modified exam, however. NOTES: Talked about the handout. (Creative Project)  You can work by yourself, or with a peer.  5-minute max per person for presentation.  Due Monday, June 1. HANDOUT: “Culminating Creative Project Assignment #7” HOMEWORK: Read pages 107-130, The Chocolate War.
5/10/11	NOTES: Answered the following questions, or responded to the quotations, in journals: 1.   “There was nothing more beautiful in the world than the sight of a teacher getting upset.” Observations: True, if teacher treated students unfairly.  How? overworking them talking down to them lack of respect, disregard for opinions, hitting them 2.   “Jerry nodded automatically.  Was this all there was to life, after all?  You finished school, found an occupation, got married, became a father, watched your wife die, and lived through days and nights that seemed to have no sunrises, no dawns and no dusks; nothing but a gray drabness.  Or was he being fair to his father?” Observations:  Jerry is questioning the way his father has lived his life. 3.  When did you first question the way your parents do things? Observations:  “haven’t gotten very far with it”, and questioned existence of santa claus Back to the major elements in a story. The point of view is the perspective from which the story is told.  This story is told from third person omnicient who jumps around. Why does Jerry feel bad?  Because he feels guilty for looking at porn.  Masturbation is a sin in the Catholic Church, and this is a Catholic school. Why did Goober feel bad?  He felt depressed because he had tortured a teacher by unscrewing screws on the desks in room 19.  The teacher ended up having a mental breakdown. A plot needs to have conflict.  Conflicts in this book: refusing to sell chocolates is central one Jerry is a “square boy”, and is questioning himself Trinity is running out of money teacher/student relations HOMEWORK: Read pages 87-106, The Chocolate War.  Find vocab word(s) and do mandatory RWR for Wednesday.
5/9/11	NOTES: Worked on the handout.  First, we made up a “right there” question about The Chocolate War.  Example: What sport did Jerry play? Then we made up a question for either “think and search” or author and you”.  Example of “think and search” would be: Why does Brother Leon accuse Bailey of cheating?  Example of “author and you” would be: Why does the author write so much about masturbation?   Talked again about the 6 major elements in a story: characterization, tone, setting, point of view, plot, and theme. What is the setting in our book?  A Christian Boys’ School, a Catholic parochial school in Eastern Massachusetts.  The story takes place in the early 1970’s.  We know that because of the hippie character who called people “man”, and calls Jerry “square boy”.  Square, which is not in common usage now, means boring, totally mainstream, they don’t think for themselves.  Jerry’s dad is square.  He is in the mainstream with no passions.  He is part of the establishment; an anti-rebel. Characters in the book include good characters like: Jerry Renault- the protagonist, slender, not tall, a freshman, tries out for quarterback Goober- tall, tries to please everyone, his main passion is running Characters in the book include bad characters like: Archie- second-in-command of the Vigils, “the assigner”, creative but a loose cannon, makes his own rules instead of playing by the rules, enjoys “playing” with the kids and bullying, sadistic, humiliates others, toys with them Brother Leon- humiliates students, teacher, on a power trip, assistant headmaster, a bully, sadistic, may have been abused Carter- figurehead leader of the Vigils HANDOUT: “Question-Answer Relationships” HOMEWORK: Read pages 67-86, The Chocolate War.  Get vocab word(s) by Wednesday.  Do RWR for Wednesday.  (It’s required this time.  The RWR helps you reflect on the material and helps you become a “deeper reader”.)
5/6/11	NOTES: In small groups, we responded to the following questions and got the following responses: 1.  What does courage look like in a high school student and give examples: sports: like a team captain who has power over peers, has to be assertive one who stands up for what he/she believes, like standing up to upperclassmen faces obstacles not giving into peer pressure (which can be subtle) being yourself in any situation not being a by-stander social leader who stands up to peers, and to authority figures overcomes fear doing what’s right, and not just what’s in your own best interest 2.  What is a bully?   someone who believes it’s better to abuse than be abused someone who enjoys bullying someone who is/was abused and now abuses others overgeneralizes things and puts people into categories 3.  Can a bully be a group or organization? Nazis political parties (like the speaker of the NH House pressuring the moderates to vote a certain way) Taliban KKK 4.  What’s your definition of a modern rebel? HOMEWORK: Read pages 48-66, The Chocolate War.
5/5/11	x-today HOMEWORK:  same as yesterday
5/4/11	NOTES: Did chalk talk activity on the board.  Prompt: “How do adolescents have an effect on, or control, our local society?” we don’t At 18, we will start to, when we can vote gives teachers/cops something to do create sporting events which build the community parents and the law limit us sometime they rebel economy- small businesses, summer employment, buying power shows the wealth of the city/town, makes real estate more desirable entertainment council works to make changes keeps drug traffic going (not accurate) young people try to make changes- older people categorically dismiss open campus We read some of The Chocolate War out loud.  The first paragraph is very descriptive.  Jerry is getting pounded on at football tryouts.  On page 3, there is an allusion to Peter from the Bible.  (This takes place at a private, Catholic, parochial school.) HOMEWORK: Read pages 22-47, The Chocolate War.
5/3/11	INTRO:  Today students turned in their Rule of the Bone Assessment essays, or worked in class to finish them. HOMEWORK:  Read pages 1-21, The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier.