Thursday/Friday February 25th/26th

Harold and Maude Film Analysis

If you are learning at home, and you are unable to find this film for free or prefer not to pay to rent it, you are welcome to do this same assignment with another movie that you deem to have overtly philosophical layers that you can analyze. (Harold and Maude is available on Amazon Prime. There are MANY movies that you could interpret/analyze using our philosophical lenses and inquiry questions, so no worries if you don't want to pay to rent it!)

Youth Seeking Wisdom interviews

1. Please fill out BIO by tomorrow
2. Take the survey if you haven't
3. If you are interviewing a family member, your homework this weekend is to set that interview up for some time before next Thursday.

Tuesday, February 23rd

Starter 2.23: Please share out any thoughts, questions, observations, quotes, wonderings about transcendentalism, Thoreau, Whitman, etc....

JOURNAL #12: Respond to Nick Jans' exchange with your fellow Osprey

Intertextuality! Analyze my former student Keiran's ('17) exchange with Alaska author Nick Jans (who is quoted by Krakauer on page 71-72).  

1. Does this perspective change which corner you may have been in last week for "Chris McCandless was on a transcendental odyssey" or where you might fall on this question?

AND

2. What wisdom might we glean from this communication about interpretation or intertextuality? OR What do you think about "Reader Response" theory that says that audience of a text plays an active role in determining its meaning?

AND/OR

OPTIONAL JOURNAL 12b: Read "Going Alone" by Nick Jans and add some thoughts in your journal.

WORK TIME

GET STUFF DONE!!!

PLEASE FILL OUT YESTERDAY'S SURVEY if you haven't already!!!!

OR 

OPTIONAL SESSION ON WALT WHITMAN with Jessica

1. SHARE out thoughts/experiences/criticisms
2. Which way does your beard point tonight?

• A Supermarket in California
• Defending Walt Whitman
• Ode to Walt Whitman 
• Optional Journal Entry: WRITE A (FREE) VERSE IN RESPONSE TO WHITMAN

Monday, February 22nd

Starter 2.22: Please fill out the survey regarding our "Youth Seeking Wisdom" project.

ANNOUNCEMENTS/TO-DO

• Transcendentalism Notes/Response to Walden
• Your Life on Earth JOURNAL #11
• Read and Reflect on Whitman (OPTIONAL)
• Catch up on any missing or late assignments
• HONORS: Personal Narrative Draft due for Peer Critique next Monday, March 1st
• Please communicate with me if you are writing about something super personal and would like to choose your critiquers.
• HONORS: Read A Tale for the Time Being. Our "Book Club" seminar for this will occur on Monday, March 29th. See the Honors Semester 2 syllabus for suggested reading deadlines and other important details about the Book Club expectations. Part 1 due March 5th.

QUICK HONORS CHECK IN FOR Q and A about assignment expectations!

Friday, February 19th

 Starter: FOUR CORNERS

1. Chris McCandless was on a transcendental odyssey.
2. The feeling of transcendence can be explained by brain chemistry.
3. Happiness is only real when shared.

PREVIEW: YOUTH SEEKING WISDOM project

• Who might have folks to interview? Who wants to be part of the group interviews with Westminster?
• What questions are not on the list that should be?

TO-DO/WORK TIME

• Transcendentalism Notes/Response to Walden
• Spend some time in the pages of Leaves of Grass (see OPTIONAL EXTENSION)
• Some of you: Self-Assessment
• Catch up late work
• Conference with Jessica
• HONORS: Personal Narrative! Conference with me?
• Draft for Peer Critique due March 1st
• HONORS: Read  A Tale for the Time Being 
• Part 1 (through Page 108 due February 23rd for plot clarification meeting)
• Monday's Journal #11 assignment

Thursday, February 18th

 Starter 2.18:  Please take Janae's survey.

American Transcendentalism

Readings/TO-DO

• Excerpts from Walden (Anyone want a hard copy?)
• You can work on the notes and response question if you like, but we will also have SOME time in class to do this tomorrow.
• OPTIONAL (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED): Check out a copy of Leaves of Grass and spend some time swimming around in its verse. I would sit with "Song of Myself" if I were you, but ultimately, you are beings of free will and should follow your own impulse.

Tuesday, February 16th

Starter 2.16: Please take this survey regarding your feelings about PROM. "Answer with pictures, sticky notes, memes, whatever [you] feel like."

If you received an email from me last night, please heed the call. Working on updating grades....

Into the Wild Wrap....

***RESOURCES AND TIPS for writing your synthesis paragraphs. Even if you have already begun or finished this work, please go back and do some revisions on your paragraphs based on this advice.

• REFLECTION AND SYNTHESIS DUE @ MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!

OFFICE HOURS TODAY DURING CLASS! I am here to help you with your writing!

If you are finished with this work....

• Read ahead! Due Friday: Excerpts from Walden by Henry David Thoreau to prepare for our next philosophy
• HONORS: 
• Now is a great time to start working on your Personal Narrative Essay.
• It is also time to start reading A Tale for the Time Being for our book club experience.

Thursday, February 11th

FINAL LIT CIRCLE MEETING

GROUPS 

DUE TUESDAY NIGHT:

Into the Wild Reflection and Synthesis paragraphs

OPTIONAL EXTENSION: Watch the movie on Netflix! If you do, you are welcome to let your interpretation of the film's take on Chris McCandless' story become part of your synthesis.

TURN IN YOUR PHYSICAL JOURNALS!

Tuesday, February 9th

Starter 2.9: Can anyone give an example of a time they saw someone exercising virtue?

What virtues are these folks displaying?

1. Why is it important to cultivate virtue? 
2. How does cultivating virtue add meaning to one's life? 
3. How do the virtuous actions of other people impact how you feel about them?
4. What happens to your "meaningfulness" if you don't care about your own character?

Preview the Meaning of Life Interview/Panels

• Does anyone want to take leadership and attend a meeting tomorrow with me?

OFFICE HOURS!

• I am here until the end of the hour. Or email me if you need to meet this afternoon

TO-DO/ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Journal Catch-up (#10 due tonight). Bring journals on Thursday.
2. Finish Into the Wild and get ready for Thursday's lit circle.
3. Logistics for In-person:
1. 8:25-12:25; No more health screening survey!
2. Thursdays: 4 period day with College or LINK; Friday's: core only. longer periods.
3. MASKS: (DUH)
4. No consumption indoors. If you intend to eat the free breakfast, please arrive early to eat outside.
5. Staying on campus to meet with teachers? Still can't mix pods! In order to return to in-person school, we HAVE TO follow the guidelines. Thanks in advance for your adherence to this!
6. If you are new to AHS this semester, you stay with your Tu/F pod. Roxy: Jessica's Room. Zach: Dave's Room. Cristoff: Stephen's room. Just follow the peers you know are in your pod! SO STOKED, GUYS!!! Let's do this!

Monday, February 8th

 

Starter 2.8: Unmute or type into chat. 

NAME SOME VIRTUES that are worth our time to develop in order to cultivate our personal character in our lives on Earth. 

VIRTUES: 24 Character Strengths from Positive Psychology

Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive. The field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play. 

(*The scholars who developed Positive Psychology have built upon Aristotle’s work!)

ANNOUNCEMENTS/TO-DO

• JOURNAL #10: Reflection on Virtues (Google Classroom)
• Complete Self-Assessment if you haven't done so already.
• Finish Into the Wild and prepare for Thursday's final literature circle.
• If you missed last week's lit circle, please complete the make-up assignment. If you were not shared on your group's doc, let me know ASAP!
• Catch up Philosophy Journal completely. Please bring your physical journal on Thursday to leave it with me for the long weekend! A complete journal has a minimum of 10 entries.

Friday, February 5th

LITERATURE CIRCLE MEETING #2

GROUPS AND LINKS

Thursday, February 4th

Starter: Review Question #5 from the lesson notes (Unmute or chat)

• What might an existentialist say to Aristotle's philosophies? What might Aristotle say to the existentialists?

 TO-DO 

• JOURNAL #9: Reflections on Aristotle
• Remote Learning Self-Assessment:  Daily Classwork/Journal and Intellectual Presence (due Monday)
• Get ready for tomorrow's Lit Circle Meeting (Don't forget about teh PREWRITE!)

Tuesday, February 2nd

Starter: FOUR CORNERS

• In order to live a “good life,” we must do good deeds that develop our moral character.

Aristotle Eudaimonia Lesson

Aristotle Eudaimonia Notes

Monday, February 1st

Starter 2.1: Attendance Survey

Discussion: Stranger than Fiction

• Share claims
• Is this an existentialist text?
• What evidence is there? What comparisons can we make?
• Is Harold an absurd hero?
• What does the message of the film seem to be?

WORK TIME

1. Read the Background on Aristotle for tomorrow's lesson.
2. OPTIONAL EXTENSION READING: Selections from Nicomachean Ethics.
3. If you have finished that, keep reading Into the Wild, and prepare for Friday's lit circle (DO YOUR PREWRITE!).