Friday, January 29, 2016

Starter 1.29:  Journal for 10 minutes in response to the following poem.  Or write a poem back.  Or just react.  In light of everything we have been studying lately, where does this poem hit you?


Mary Oliver, The Summer Day
  Who made the world?
  Who made the swan, and the black bear?
  Who made the grasshopper?
  This grasshopper, I mean--
  the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
  the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
  who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down--
  who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
  Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
  Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
  I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
  I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
  into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
  how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
  which is what I have been doing all day.
  Tell me, what else should I have done?
  Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
  Tell me, what is it you plan to do
  with your one wild and precious life?

Announcements



Mini-workshop on making interpretive claims about literature
1.  Make an interpretive claim about the Mary Oliver poem.  Write it on the whiteboard.

2.  What makes for a good claim about  literature/film/art, etc?

  • It states your conclusions/interpretations about the work. Whatever the claim, you must be able to support it with evidence.
  • It doesn’t just state the obvious; it expresses an interpretation that reasonable people could disagree with.
  • It is specific and focused without being so narrow that there is insufficient evidence.
  • It generally expresses one main idea.  If compound ideas are stated in a thesis, the relationship between them is very clear.
  • Try to use sophisticated phrasings beyond "This poem is about...."
And, as ever, good claims ....
  • debatable
  • are specific and focused
  • avoid stating the obvious
  • are clearly and eloquently stated
  • avoid the first person (AVOID “I think, I believe, My opinion is, etc.”)
  • can be supported with sufficient evidence


3.  Examples
  • “Slip of the Tongue” by Adriel Luis examines how minority women have been oppressed by society’s unrealistic expectations of feminine beauty. 
  • In The Outsiders, Cherry Valance represents the obligation felt by some members of the upper class to help those less economically fortunate than themselves.
  • In “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer,” Walt Whitman uses structure and imagery to contrast the scientist’s perception of the night sky with his own poetic perception.
  • In Guernica, Picasso shows us the horrors and senselessness of the collateral damage brought about by indiscriminate bombing as a tactical strategy.
  • Montana 1948 is an allegory for America’s pursuit of its "manifest destiny"; it describes the way in which the Indian minority was exploited and abused in the process of America’s westward expansion (-Tucker Leavitt)

4. Revise your claims about "The Summer Day" on the whiteboards and share out.

5.  Revise your claims about Harold and Maude in your seminar synthesis.  Highlight what you consider to be the claim before you turn it in.


HONORS SEMINAR:  The Stranger
For your reflection this time, do THE EXACT SAME format as the Harold and Maude seminar.  One part self-assess and one part synthesis rooted in an interpretive claim.

WORK TIME DURING HONORS SEMINAR
1.  Seminar Reflection and Synthesis (due today!)
Seminar Rubric
2.  Read and annotate "The Meaning of Life" (due Monday!)

Honors:
A CHANGE OF PLANS! Sign out copy of Cat's Cradle!  We are going to do this for our next round of Book Club.

Honors Independent Study crew:  See me!

TURN IN SEMINAR PREP AND REFLECTION/SYNTHESIS TODAY!

HOMEWORK:  

  • Finish reading and annotating "The Meaning of Life" if you did not do so in class.
  • Honors:  Reflection/Synthesis on The Stranger
  • Prepare for Exhibition









Thursday, January 28, 2016

Seminar:  Harold and Maude



Seminar Groups


The hour you are not in seminar....
*Group B can finish up seminar prep AND/OR start the philosophy reading below (hard copies in the classroom)

*Group A can work on seminar reflection/synthesis AND/OR start the philosophy reading below (hard copies in the classroom)

*Honors Book Club can finish The Stranger and prep for tomorrow's seminar (5-7 questions, prepare answers for at least three of them)

*Honors Independent Study can (and should) work on their projects for exhibition

Seminar Reflection/Synthesis (due end of class Friday) 
1.  Reflection/Self-Assess

  • Reflect on the outcome of the seminar.  Consider your own performance and the seminar overall.  How did you do personally and how did the group do collectively?   Based on the rubric, what grade do you deserve on the seminar? 
  • React to your peers’ ideas (be specific) and the meaning you all constructed together.  Was there anything that enlightened you?  Something you particularly disagree with?  How did your thinking about the film change as a result of this seminar? 

2.  Synthesis

  •  Make an interpretive claim about the film and support it with evidence.  Your claim may be something you develop further from your seminar prep, or it may be a new idea that you acquired during the seminar.  


Required Reading (due Monday)
James Rachels "The Meaning of Life"






Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Further Resource:  A List of Aristotle's Virtues and Vices
Reading on Eudaimonia (if you didn't read yesterday)

Film Screening: Harold and Maude


Harold and Maude Seminar Prep
Think of a film as a text.  Annotate it as you watch, analyze, look for evidence.  Refer to the specifics of the film in seminar!

AFTER THE MOVIE….Prepare answers to some or all of the following questions, using evidence from the film to support your answers.  Print out your seminar prep and bring it with you to the seminar.  
1. Is Harold and Maude an existentialist film? 
2. What are the roots of Harold’s angst and alienation?  How do his ideas about happiness and meaning evolve as a result of his relationship with Maude?  How does his character change? 
3. Has Maude has achieved Eudaimonia?  Do you see her as an existentialist?
4. What message is this movie trying to transmit?  What might it be trying to teach us about Happiness and Meaning?  How does it impact you personally?   Is it rhetorically effective for you?   
5.  Identify 2-3 impactful quotes from the film and explain their literary significance.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

2nd period:  Welcome, Dr. Sarah Roberts-Cady

5th period:  YOUR 2nd period

3rd/6th
1. Summarize/React to main points of lecture

2. Supplementary Reading:  Eudaimonia


3. JOURNAL 1.26 Reflections on Aristotle’s Philosphy:


After the lecture and further reading, how are Aristotle’s ideas on Happiness and a Meaningful Life resonating with you?  What do you reject?  What questions does it raise for you?  


4. Update DP with video, send link if you haven't already!

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Thursday January 21

Today's Goals
Understand the major tenets of existentialism
Think about how existentialism resonates with your own personal philosophy


Announcements

  • Honors meeting today at lunch!
  • Meet Tuesday 2nd period in the Commons 


Starter 1.21:  "I AM" by Stephen Sellers
Choose one of the following quotes and relate it to Stephen’s film.  Explain your connections thoroughly.

1. “All the labor of all the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius are destined to extinction. So now, my friends, if that is true, and it is true, what is the point?” ― Bertrand Russell

2. Faith is not about finding meaning in the world, there may be no such thing-- faith is the belief in our capacity to create meaningful lives.” ― TerryTempest Williams, Leap

3. “Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress.  Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure” – Thomas Edison (inventor of the light bulb)


DISCUSS: “SHADES” and “Mold of the Earth”
IN SMALL GROUPS...

  • What meaning do we see?
  • Do you see these story as begging fundamentally existential questions?  How so?
  • Analyze the author’s choice of imagery.  Why does he give so much attention to the non-human elements in the stories?
  • What might these stories suggest about man’s purpose and place in the natural order of the universe?





Jason DaSilva's "Existential Bummer"

JOURNAL 1.21 Reflections on existentialism

  • Which pieces of existentialism are you attracted to?  Repulsed by?
  • Do any of these tenets have a place in your own personal philosophy?  
  • With which quote do you agree more?  Macbeth’s “Tomorrow” speech or Dylan Thomas’ “Do not go gentle…”?


If time, finish 4Corners...
  • Humans are at the center of the cosmic mystery.

NO HOMEWORK!  (Unless you are Honors, in which case you should read The Stranger and/or work on your Independent Study Project.)
Optional homework:  Add to your journal entries or journal further on the meaning of existence!

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Wednesday Jan 20

Today's Goals

  • Begin to grapple with the question of existence
  • Understand the fundamental definition of existentialism as a philosophy
  • Analyze literature with an eye for philosophical message


Announcements

  • Honors meeting at lunch tomorrow!  (Wanna join the Book Club?)
  • Next Tuesday, 2nd period:  Dr. Sarah Roberts-Cady talk; PM class to the Commons during 2nd (You will have chem during my class!  Raise your hand if you don't have Steve 2nd hour.)



Starter 1.20
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.

Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 17-28)


  • What does Macbeth mean?  INTERPRET the passage.
  • Do you agree with Macbeth?  Why or why not?
Macbeth may have been an early existentialist.....



4 Corners:
  • Pursuing meaning is more important than pursuing happiness.
  • In order to be happier, we should focus on the "now."
  • Everything happens for a reason.
  • Humans are the focus of the great cosmic mystery.


TED Talk:  Why does the universe exist?
Key terms
Ontology:  (simply) the philosophical study of the nature of being, becoming, existence, or reality
Deity:  God, goddess or divine being

Transcript, if you want to follow along or review....

Takes notes on the following in your comp book....

  • What different explanations does Holt mention that humans use to explain why the universe exists?
  • Which explanation does he arrive at?



JOURNAL 1.20 Why Does the Universe Exist?
REACT!  Review the transcript if you need to.  Which pieces of his discussion do you agree with?  Which do you reject?  What do you personally believe about the universe and its existence?  If you don't really know yet (as many don't), use this journal entry to wonder in words....


INTRO TO EXISTENTIALISM
1. Begin Existentialism PPT, Part 1
2. Discuss "Shades"
3. Define "existential crisis" and process your understanding of existentialism.


Homework:  Read and Analyze "Mold of the Earth" by Boleslaw Prus
Compare this story to "Shades."   What "existentialist" trends do you see in both these stories?




Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Tuesday, January 19

TODAY'S GOAL
Understand and begin to ask the big questions behind our next project, "Happiness and Meaning"


ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Interested in joining the Honors Book Club second semester?  Mandatory Honors meeting lunch Thursday!  Current students must also schedule individual conference with me about your Independent Study project.
2. Submit your DP links when your reflections are done.  I will work on getting your videos to you this week.  If you did not submit the self-assessment, you MUST do so before I give you a grade!  Scroll back to last Thursday for guidelines.
3.  Cool opportunity for extended learning about the river:  Dan Olson's talk on February 10, "Are We Safe from Another Gold King Mine Spill?"  For more info, check it out.
4. Please sign the thank you cards for Animas City Theater!

NEW PROJECT COMP BOOK RESET!
1. Start anew at the top of your Digital Comp Book.  Space down all of the content from first semester so that it isn't battling for attention.
2. Create a header that says "Happiness and Meaning Starters/Journal" at the very top.
3. Work under this header for the duration of the project.
4.  Continue to label starters and journals clearly as labeled on my DP. (Starters will always be signified with the date; journal entries will usually have the date plus a title or label.)
5.  As before, see the link on my Resources/Links tab to catch up on starters and journal entries.  I will try to highlight necessary entries in blue on my DP each day.


STARTER 1.19
Watch Alan Watts' "What do you desire?"
Thinking about this video and any insights that you gained from watching the film on Friday, write for 10 solid minutes on the following questions:
  • What is the purpose of your existence?
  • What gives your life meaning?
  • How do you define happiness?

Review Happy
1.  Add your 5 big questions to this Google Doc.
2.  Discuss with a partner or a group of 3:

  • What conclusions about happiness does the film draw?
  • What are the factors that seem to correlate with happiness?
  • Were there elements of the film that you disagree with?

3.  Share out thoughts from starters and from film.


Happiness and Meaning:  Project Overview
Questions?  Feedback?


Stanford Research Reveals...
READ "The meaningful life is a road worth traveling"
In PAIRS, discuss and jot down some notes:

  • Briefly summarize 3 different ways the researcher distinguishes between happiness and meaning
  • Overall, how would the researcher, Jennifer Aaker, define happiness? How would she define meaning?
  • According to her definition of these two concepts, which do you think is more important? Why?

4 CORNERS
  • Pursuing meaning is more important than pursuing happiness.
  • In order to be happier, we should focus on the "now."

JOURNAL 1.19 Stanford Research Reaction:
  • Do you agree with Aaker's classifications of happiness and meaning? In other words, are they as separate as Aaker makes them out to be?  Can they exist without each other?  Which do you feel is more dominant in guiding your choices and thoughts in your current phase of life?  Explain your thoughts thoroughly and give examples.  (These comp books are just between you and me!) 



HOMEWORK  
Read "Shades" by Boleslaw Prus
(I recommend reading it at least twice) Interpret the story!  Annotate your thoughts, questions, and confusions in the margins.  What could the author be suggesting about the #meaningoflife?

*A note about interpreting literature:  There is not ONE right answer that we are looking for when we analyze literature.  There are many theories about how to approach literary criticism ("deconstruction" is one, in fact), but for now, open yourself up to whatever the lit might be saying to you, rather than trying to find some predetermined, absolute meaning.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Thursday Jan 14 and Friday Jan 15

THURSDAY
1. Debrief Exhibition and Project:  Roses and Thorns Circle

2. Rhetoric and Ideology Project Self-Assessment (due at end of the hour)

  • Grab a paper copy of the rubric (or if you are absent, download a copy)
  • Write your name on it.
  • Score yourself in each category.
  • On the back (and annotated on the front if you wish), give a narrative of how you feel your project utilized the Four A's of rhetoric. BE SPECIFIC!!!
  • Turn it in to the box before you leave today.


3. Rhetoric and Ideology Project Reflection Guidelines (due Sunday)

  • We will work on getting your video files to you:)  Many thanks to Dana and Alessandro for their videography!


FRIDAY: Sub and Film (Happy)

Assignment:  Come up with 5 probing seminar-style questions that this film brings up for you.  We will be discussing this content on Tuesday, so please takes notes to the degree that it helps you process the content.

Essential Questions for Next Project
1.  What is the purpose of our existence?
2.  What is happiness and what makes you happy?
3.  What does it mean to live a meaningful life?
4.  To what extent can literature and film shape your personal philosophy on happiness and meaning?