W11, #9: 6 DEGREES OF SEPARATION

Who: All periods

Set-up: Read this previous entry (if you do not fully understand the assignment).

Challenge: In 6 moves, connect the following 2 topics (with full explanation):

1. Mary Shelley
2. Thanksgiving

Length: Varies

W11, #8: MORAL SENSE TEST

Who: All periods

Set-up: While most people think that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is simply a ‘monster story’, it’s really a ‘morality tale’.

Ultimately, readers are faced with determining if the creator (Dr. Frankenstein) or his creation (his monster) is more morally ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in terms of what ’sparks’ their actions/choices.

Challenge: With that in mind, let’s take an on-line morality test — sponsored by Harvard University — that asks us to consider whether ‘morality’ is based on a) the specific situation and/or b) choosing between the ‘lesser of two evils’.  Do the following:

1. Take this test.  It’ll take approximately 5-10 minutes (depending on how long you take to read the various questions.  Note, some of them seem similar, but the final ‘question’ or some of the details will change from question to question).
2. Write a response to what the test is trying to determine in terms of how you view ‘morality’.

Length: 5+ sentences (after you take the test).

W11, #7: MEANING OF LIFE QUESTION #5

Who: All periods

Set-up: See here.

Challenge: Answer the following question:

What does it truly mean to ‘live in the moment’?  Have you ever been able to do this in the ‘real’ world (in spite of the pressures of day-to-day life)?

Length: 7+ sentences

W11, #6: MEANING OF LIFE QUESTION #4

Who: All periods

Set-up: See here.

Challenge: Answer the following question:

Why do we constantly pursue ‘excellence’?

Length: 7+ sentences

W11, #5: MEANING OF LIFE QUESTION #3

Who: All periods

Set-up: See here.

Challenge: Answer the following question:

If you had the opportunity to ‘travel back in time’, would you do so?  If you knew that any ‘changes’ you made would change everything you’ve ever experienced since that moment, would you still go back in time?

Length: 7+ sentences

W11, #4: MEANING OF LIFE QUESTION #2

Who: All periods

Set-up: See here.

Challenge: Answer the following question:

Does life have value without sacrifice?

Length: 7+ sentences

W11, #3: MEANING OF LIFE QUESTION #1

Who: All periods

Set-up: Now that we’ve left the ‘island’ and will soon be entering Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s lab, more and more of our class discussions will begin to explore a) how human nature functions and b) larger philosophical ideas floating around the universe that authors typically tackle.

Thanks to students in periods 1, 2 & 3 who have been working on the “Road Trip – Meaning of Life” creative story (inspired by “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer), we will explore a series of philosophical questions this week.

Challenge: Answer the following question:

Is there more to life than ’staying safe’ or ‘avoiding mistakes’?

Length: 7+ sentences.

W11, #2: VISUAL VOCAB STORY

NOTE:

These 20 words (plus the previous 40 words from 4 lists) will be used on the Tues, Dec. 9th quiz (one week after you return from Thanksgiving break).

***

Who: All periods

Directions:

• Use any of the 10 words from the 2 lists found below
• Include a) definition and b) part of speech — place both in parenthesis

Length: Varies

November 17th list

• anomalous – irregular; abnormal
• chicanery – trickery; deception
• conciliatory – soothing; meant to make peace
• denigrate – to ridicule; to make fun of
• emulate – to imitate with intent to equal or surpass
• fatuous – brainless, inane, foolish – yet smug
• gullible – easily deceived
• opulence – affluence
• ostentatious – pretentious; trying to attract attention
• plummet – to fall sharply

December 2nd list

• altruistic – unselfish; putting other people’s needs first
• arduous – strenuous
• buttress – to support; to prop up
• commensurate – corresponding in extent or degree; proportionate
• cursory- very quick
• despondent- extremely discouraged
• esoteric – hard to understand
• euphemism – mild expression in place of an unpleasant one; less offensive words
• insipid – lacking in flavor, dull
• pragmatic – practical (as opposed to idealistic)

Image #1:http://tinyurl.com/67pdvp

Image #2: http://tinyurl.com/5ceqnr

Image #3: http://tinyurl.com/6n8vep

W11, #1: “CALLIOPE SUBMISSION”

For: All periods.

Set-Up: In addition to writing creatively for the blog, it would be great for you to receive ‘real world’ credit for your ideas whenever possible.

Given Mr. Long’s role as the faculty sponsor for “Calliope” — our school’s lit/art magazine that is published every spring — it seems to make sense to see if any 10th graders have works that are ready for the magazine already.

Challenge: From this point forward, you are being invited to submit a piece to “Calliope” to receive credit for this blog project. This will take place every week that we have blog entries this year.  FYI: any submissions that come in after the club stops taking new entries will be submitted to next year’s magazine.

Rules:

• All submissions must be ‘original’ (your writing or art).
• Photos must be ‘artistic’ – at the discretion of Mr. Long – to be considered for credit and submission to the “Calliope” team; please ask Mr. Long if you are uncertain.  He simply wants to avoid the attempt to get credit for a snapshot (vs. something that took real decision-making by the photographer).
• Submissions must be something that would be relevant to publication in the magazine (come see a past copy to get an idea of this or ask Mr. Long if you aren’t sure).
• Submissions do not have to be perfect, but they must be ready for the “Calliope” staff to review for potential publication.
• Students may turn in 1 per week to get 1 blog credit per week; that being said, there is no limit to the # of submissions that can be turned in to “Calliope” throughout the year.  The more the merrier for the magazine.
• Students who want their submission to remain ‘anonymous’ if eventuallyt published by “Calliope” must let Mr. Long know, otherwise the assumption will be that your name will accompany the final piece if published.

Details:

• Original poem (2 pages max):  Submit the full poem as a ‘comment’ here on the blog.  Include a title.  P.S.  If you submit a haiku or a tanka, you must submit a minimum of 3 to be considered for credit here.
• Original short story (2-3 page max):  Submit the full short story as a ‘comment’.  Include a title.  Be aware of ‘appropriate’ language at all times, but otherwise be as creative as your story demands.
• Original essay (2 pages max):  Submit the full essay as a ‘comment’.  Include a title.  P.S.  Essays should not be ‘academic’ (i.e. not ones that analyze a novel/poem for class credit).  They can be personal essays or ‘real world’ reflections.  Tone can be serious or humorous, as long it remains appropriate for a multi-age audience.
• Original photograph:  Submit a short ‘comment’ telling me that you’ve sent me an email attachment of the photo (in .jpg format).  Include a title, physical description of the ’subject’ and a 2-4 line explanation of the way you want your piece to inspire/impact an audience.  P.S. Don’t forget to send me the email attachment (to my gmail account) to get credit.
• Original art piece:  Submit a short ‘comment’ telling me that you’ve sent me an email attachment of a photo taken of the art piece (in .jpg format).  Include a title and a 2-4 line explanation of the way you want your piece to inspire/impact an audience.  P.S. Don’t forget to send me the email attachment (to my gmail account) to get credit.

W10, #11: FAIR OR NOT?

Who: ONLY periods 1, 2 & 3

Set-up: Each of you has now read “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, a story within a story within a story within a story that attempts to disect very complex gender politics (that are as relevant today as they were in the Middle Ages when Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales).

Challenge: Was the knight punished ‘fairly’ for his ‘crime’?

Note: This is NOT as simple as you might think from a plot-level.  Anyone who chooses this option should consider the following:

• What was the actual crime?
• What does it mean that women were ‘given’ the right to ‘punish’ him?
• Was he truly ‘punished’?
• What was the lesson the wife was trying to teach him?
• Did the knight truly ‘learn’?
• Did the knight truly ‘love’ his wife?
• What lesson is the Wife of Bath suggesting by the wife’s magical change at the end of the story?
• What are we — as the reader — supposed to assume with Chaucer (male author) and the Wife of Bath (female character) co-constructing this story to have the old woman punish the knight in this unique manner?
• Should we be satisfied by what Chaucer is suggesting?
• Should we be satisfied by the Wife of Bath’s perspective and her choice in the story/outcome?
• Should we be satisfied by the wife’s punishment (and her eventual reward)?
• Should we be satisfied by the knight’s punishment (and his eventual reward)?
• What does all of this say about ‘us’ as members of society where gender issues — like this — continue to play out?
• Who’s ‘right’ (or morally ‘just’) in this story?
• How should women ‘behave’ in society?
• What does this say about how ‘men’ should behave?
• Does this story have more/less power because a woman (written by a male) told the story?

Length: 7+ sentences