Day 14

In theory, we have 2 quizzes tomorrow: vocab and Act 1. STUDY!!

For this evening:

Imagine an alternative ending in which Tituba does not confess to witchcraft. What would be another way to get herself out of this situation. Or, if she were to confess who eles could have she brought into the situation with her? How do you think Rev. Parris and Rev. Hale would have reacted if she had not "confessed?"

Day 13

Remember to re-read anything we read. Also make sure that your reader journals are up to date based on the scene we have completed. We will be done with Act 1 tomorrow and will have a quiz on it after the vocab quiz on Friday.

For tonight:

Write about a time when jealously (your own or someone else's) caused a problem for you. What was the problem? Were you able to resolve this problem? Why is jealousy a problem in our society?

Day 12

Good classes today. I want to again congratulate 6th hour who had 65.5% of the class receive a 20/20 on the quiz and for all others in the class who raised their point total on the quiz. Make sure you all study again this week. I also commend my fifth hour students who receive a perfect score.

For this evening:

Discuss the relationship between Abigail and John Proctor. What did we learn about them today? (Just a one or two line summary not a long summary)How could this effect the role Abigail is playing with the other girls who were in the woods? Would people have the same reaction today about Abigail's behavior? Why or why not? Lastly, what is your view of the characters so far and why?

Week 3 Day 11

Hope all went well today. Realize that you cannot answer all the questions from
Act 1 as we only read the first scene. Just answer the ones which are covered.

For tonight:

Write about a time when . . .You made a bad choice that you wish you could go back and change. How has this choice also formed other decisions you made after?

Day 10

Hope everyone did well on the vocab quiz today and enjoyed the beginning of the play. With the themes that this play encompasses and some of the events yet to come, you will truly get into the reading. As I will be out on Monday, those who read this get a bonus which is that you will have time in class Monday to re-read what we read and finish through page 175 and have time to work on the readers log.

For this evening:

Think of a time when false rumors damaged a person’s reputation. How easy was it for people to believe the rumors? How did the accused person react? What were the results of the false rumors?

Have a great weekend and I will see you on Tuesday. The sub will let you know who has to stay on Tuesday for blogging issues. You know what my dream is? To not have anyone stay and everyone blog.

Day 9

I am very excited to get into "The Crucible" as I think you will like it as long as you are willing to read, pay attention and get out of the "I hate it because they are making me read" mindset.

Tonight we will be free blogging. Again, make it appropriate and make it have some realistic value. You can respond to another persons blogging as long as you do it with go taste and no meanness involved.

Have fun and see you tomorrow.

Day 8

Make sure you have begun studying for the vocab quiz on Friday.

For this evening, look at "The Crucible" anticipation/reaction guide that we did today in class. Pick any 2 of the 10 statements and explain why you answered the way that you did. Also, how do the statements you picked effect the way that people act within society?

If you were absent, check out the following website to get the sheet so you can do the blog:http://www.mrjeffrey.com/English%20III%20P/The%20Crucible/Anticipation%20Guide.doc

Day 8

Good discussion which will make it easier to understand "The Crucible" when we begin reading tomorrow.

For this evening:

The search for personal identity, and knowledge of oneself and others regardless of personality quirks or flaws is a common concern. When does a person start this search? Can one person's search affect the lives of others? Think of 2 examples.

Week 3, Day 7

Remember that we will be working fast and like a class that can stay on topic tomorrow as we need to complete the discussion and do another activity to stay on schedule.

From the discussion questions:

Although fear can have beneficial effects on an individual, what are some likely destructive effects? Where does fear come from? Past experiences? Other people? Ignorance? Use examples from your personal life or from society.

Day 6

Today is a current event blog. You may not do sports or entertainment. Make sure you cite your source. NO CITE, NO POINTS

Day 5

Today we discussed more about McCarthyism and the idea of it being a witch hunt. Joe McCarthy was the leader of this hunt and used fear to get people to follow him. Once it was discovered that he had no evidence he was removed from his powerful position.

For this evening:

1. Read the letter to HUAC from Lillian Hellman and explain what her goal was. In other words, what or who was she trying to protect?
2. Read the testimony of Eric Allen Johnston. Who was he? Who did he work for? What was the message he was sending to the committee?
3. Last, read the speech by Joe McCarthy at Wheeling, West Virginia. Explain the message that he was trying to give to those in attendence.

Last, what is your opinion on this event in history? Are you surprised that in America this happened? Why or why not?

Truly, you will need more than 7 sentences to answer this blog so do not rush to get it done but think and do it well.

Day 4

So the movie was in black and white which probably was annoying to some of you. Yes, they do sometimes purposely make films in black and white to highlight the time they are supposed to describe. I truly hope you gained a greater understanding of McCarthyism based on this movie and how scary it was that in a country that is supposed to be open to differences that we focused in on a group like that. Yet, it was a scary time because of the invention of atomic and nuclear weapons and the fear that they would be used to overthrow our democracy. It is ironic that some of the greatest critics of Hitler in America where proponents of the McCarthy hearings. This rings true to the same feelings after 9/11 with Muslim Americans who saw their lives changed because of something that people they did not know or were not related to caused. It is scary what we will do when we are frightened by the unknown.

For this evening please respond to the following:

“An era of chemical McCarthyism is at hand, and "guilty until proven innocent" is the new slogan.”

What does this quote mean to you? Based on the movie, how is this quote potentially true? Make sure you use two examples from the movie to prove this point and explain each example.

Week 2, Day 3

Welcome back. I hope you took some time for yourself and relaxed during your many days off. It is time to get back to the grind and I warn you that we will be working fast and furiously up to the Winter Break.

Today in class, we began discussing the idea of the Red Scare of Communism. If America is supposed to be so open minded to the ideas of others, why during the
1950's did we freak out so much about Communism? What events of the 30's and 40's led to this fear of Communism in America? Could this happen today or is it happening today? Explain your answer.

Day 2

Today we are going to try a free blog. You can talk about whatever you want as long as it is appropriate and that it actually says something. Or, you can respond appropriately to someone else's blog continuing their conversation. The points for this will be based on a meaningful piece of information or a meaningful exchange.

Have a great break. Enjoy your Thanksgiving in whatever manner you celebrate. Be smart, be safe and see you on Tuesday.

Cardmarking 3, Week 1, Day 1

Well, at least this is a short week. Make sure that your 2nd copy of the paper is completed by the end of the hour tomorrow.

For this evening, pick another current event and comment on it. You may not pick the same as you did last week. I thought that people's comments about the current events were great and we will be doing this on a regular basis (once a week). Remember to tell me what you know if the topic, what is going on with the topic, and yoru opinion of the importance of the topic. Also, site your source for your topic. No Site, No points.

Day 29

Here we are at the end of the second cardmarking. Hard to believe that it is happening this fast. I am, overall, pleased with most of the way the class has gone although I would really love to see people put in more of an effort and show what you are truly capable of.

For today, I would like you to discuss your strengths and weaknesses thus far in this class. Also, what are your goals for the next cardmarking both in my class and as a student in general. Give a letter grade goal with ways you plan to make this happen. Lastly, give any constructive feedback as to how the class could be better or my teaching style could help you more. This does not include the comment no more blogging as that will not be happening.

Day 28

I am pleased with the continued work on your papers. Remember for tomorrow that if you did not have rough draft done yesterday it must be ready for peer discussion and editing. For those who had the rough draft completed, you must have a book to read for tomorrow after the quiz.

For this evening, I would like you to pick one current event from a newspaper or from the internet and discuss why this event is topical and your take on the event. Be thorough and mention the source that you used in your discussion.

Day 27

Good work on the papers. For those who were done today, I am very pleased with what you have accomplished. For those who were not, I hope you have a better understanding of what needs to be done and that you will now get it done by Friday.

For this evening, please talk about a value that you think is undervalued in our society. How could this value become more important?

Day 26

Hope all is well. Communication Camp was great and several of your classmates can share with you some of the experience. Hopefully, over the next few years, more of you can have an opportunity for this event.

It seems there is some confusion in regards to the rough draft. You were given two days to complete the rough draft during class but that does not mean that you should not be using your own time as well. This assignment, while given class time, needs to be worked on by you at home even if that means emailing the document to yourself to work on it. I find it odd to think that some would assume that you would only have to work on it in class.

For this evening:

Deepak Chopra:
Giving connects two people, the giver and the receiver, and this connection gives birth to a new sense of belonging.

Week 6, Day 25

Please do not respond to this blog until Monday. As I am at Communication Camp connecting with people it begs me to think about connections in high school. Oddly, I only keep in touch with about 3 or 4 people I was friends with in high school. Honestly, the summer before college I went away to work at a camp, made new friends and many of them went to MSU which is where I was going. I truly wanted a break from most of the people I went to high school with for a variety of reasons. I look back and wonder if that cheapens my high school experience.

With that said, what is your views of friendship in high school? Where do you see you and your group of friends in 3-4 years? What is the importance of communication in maintaining friendships past high school? Do you think technology makes communication easier for you than it was for me and my friends?

Day 24

Hope to see many of you at the game tomorrow at Warren Fitzgerald. I remind you that in order to get the extra credit you have to find me, say hello and give me a piece of paper with your name on it so I remember who I saw. NO PAPER, NO EXTRA CREDIT!

Monday you will, hopefully, get back your first paragraph. Look at comments and then you can begin writing the rest of the first draft. I would suggest writing the next 2 body paragraphs and then the intro and conclusion. Remember that the third body paragraph is your opinion so you may use first person.

For tonight, contemplate the importance of you. What value do you think you give to your family, friends, community and greater world at this time? Do you think that you represent who you want to be or are there changes you would like to make before you go off on the next phase of your life (post high school)? Lastly, if you had to write an epitaph (sentence on your tomb stone) what would you want it to say?

Day 23

Some good work going on today. People are invested in making sure they have good thesis statements. This is what the process is all about. That is why we are taking it slowly. I gave out due dates but if we need to adjust them a bit we will.

For tonight:

"The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority."
Ralph W. Sockman

Day 22

Hope the paper information I gave out today was helpful. Remember to have a thesis tomorrow for me to look at as well as, by the end of the hour, your first paragraph. We will be looking at some writing strategies for this paper to help guide you. The reason we are doing this slowly is to give you techniques in writing to help you from here on out.

For today:

"Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early a man's training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly."
Thomas H. Huxley
English biologist (1825 - 1895)

Day 21

We continue to fine tune the writing process. Some asked for a specific prompt to this assignment so I will have one for you tomorrow.

For tonight:

Talk about an experience in your life where the event that occurred caused you to learn about values or morals. Make sure that you back up the moral or value with the experience.

Week 5 Day 20

First off, good luck on your PLAN test tomorrow. From my understanding, you will be eating lunch at around noon and then go to class after so I am not sure what the timing is in class tomorrow.

For this evening:

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."

-Pablo Picasso

Day 19

Vocab quiz Monday
Sources and quotes Monday

Respond to the following:

"Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life."
Confucious

Day 18

Wow, we accomplished a great deal today in both classes. The discussion on the "Dr. Heidgregger" story was great as was the discussion on the 3 poems. Remember that you are able to use the poems as a 2nd source if you would like to switch. Tomorrow, I will be looking at everyone's sources and quotes during your quiet reading time. Please study for the quiz as I would truly like to see everyone do well. If everyone passes with a C or above there will be a treat waiting for you on Monday.

As for today, please do the following:

We talked quite a bit about growing older and whether it can be positive or negative. With that in mind, pick an older person who has had an impact on you (older than say 65)in some way. Explain who they are and their impact and then discuss whether you would view them at all transcendental. If they are transcendental, decide on dark or not and why. Finally, what are your hopes of how you will be when you are "older."

Day 17

Make sure you begin studying those vocab words! Please complete today's assignment so that you can be part of the discussion tomorrow. Lastly, make sure you have your 2 sources and 2 quotes from each source.

For today, comment on the following:

“Freedom is a package deal - with it comes responsibilities and consequences”

Answer what this means to you and how it falls into the idea of transcendentalism. Think about Chris' behaviors and how this concept of freedom effected how he lived and then died.

Week 4 Day 1

A couple things to remember:

1. Please find a quote, example, etc. from your second source in regards to the value you chose about Chris McClandless.
2. When you are working in groups, it is important to get work done. This is a skill that you all need to work on to be more productive.
3. There is no blog when there is no school but today's blog is due by 11:59 p.m. this evening.

We have suffered through the longest political campaign ever based on the fact that these people truly started campaining over 2 years ago. Based on the political climate that we live in, and for some you may need to do some reading before writing this blog, what is the most pressing issue the winner of tomorrows election has to deal with? Also, if you could create a law about campaigning would you make changes to our current system and why?

Have a great day off and think of me while I am sitting in meetings all day. This will give me time to think of more ways to torture you on Wednesday.

Day 15

Happy Halloween. I hope you are all safe this weekend when choosing your fun.

Next week is going to be busy so be ready. Also, you need to find a quote from your second source that relates to your value.

For today:

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."
Charles Darwin

Day 14

So, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." You may ask what this has to do with anything yet it truly does. The Peanuts gang may be seen as transcendental, well at least some of them. Which of the characters truly are transcendental or individualists? Why do you think this? What about Charlie Brown? Personally, I do not think he is so transcendental. What do you think? Why?

Remember the following:

1. Make sure you have your value picked
2. Make sure that you have 2 quotes, paraphrases from "Into the Wild"
3. Make sure you pick a second text from the textbook.

Day 13

Today we continue talking about the dark side of transcendentalism by discussing "The Black Cat" and "The Raven." Part of the idea of Poe is that he, through his dark stories, gives the impression that people who do bad things will get punished in some way. This is the idea of the glass half empty versus the true transcendentalist who would think the positive out of the situation.

For today's blog:

Writing as the speaker, compose a diary entry for a day one week after the raven incidents. What does the speaker think and feel now? What has happened to the raven? You must be true to the story of what happens to the speaker during his continual interactions with the raven and his issues over the death of his beloved Lenore.

If you were not here today, go to YouTube and put in "The Raven" by Poe and listen to it.

Day 12

Today we began a discussion on the dark aspects of transcendentilism and romanticism. Based on the positives of transcendentilism, we would think that those who are good will have good happen to them. These individuals believe strongly in the theory that the glass is half full not half empty. Pretend (or not) that you are of the transcendental belief structure. How would you then explain the idea that bad things happen to good people? If you can explain this, does this make you a dark member of transcendentilism or just a realist in life?

Week 3 Day 11

Today we discussed a variety of values that we could attribute to Chris McCandless. Your homework was to pick one of these values. For your blog this evening, I want you to discuss which value you picked and why. Also discuss if this value is one that you feel you have in your life and why or why not? You can even give an example of how this value is a part of your life. Last, if you need more sentences, find one or two examples from the book of the value you have chosen.

Day 10

Someone asked for the vocab words in the blog so here go:

loquacious
meticulous
novice
palpable
refute

I will not put in week 2 words.

I thought we had a good week and hope you did as well. I thought the test was easy when I wrote it. Basically, everything on the study guide was on the test word for word (especially the short answer questions). Next week we will begin discussing the paper we will be writing. Make sure you have both your textbook and your Into the Wild book as you will need both for this assignment.

At the beginning of the week in 6th hour, we discussed the idea of paying it forward. Then, later in the week I blogged that this concept would come back to haunt you on Friday. Today is Friday so here goes:

Explain the concept of pay it forward and how it is important especially in the times we are living. Next tell me something you did this week that goes along the lines of paying it forward and how this action betters someone's life as well as your own and how that person may know to pay it forward as well.

If you did nothing this week then I guess this blog is not for you.

Day 9

Sorry this is later than I wanted but, the site was down for a bit.

Try this on for size:

"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future."
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Day 8

Another decent day of presentations. As I said to 5th hour, do not forget to read clearly all information and rubrics when creating presentations. Too many people got into the creative aspects of the presentation but did not focus on the importance of Transcendentalism within your communities. In fact, there were only 1 or 2 in each class that spoke to individuality clearly and enough. Live and learn.

While we are doing a review tomorrow for "Into the Wild" do not wait and study until tomorrow night. Go through the study guide and be prepared to discuss each section tomorrow. Also, do not forget the vocab quiz as well.

Now, here is today's piece (with apologies for somehow forgetting that I put up the same one twice yesterday):

"Life is known only by those who have found a way to be comfortable with change and the unknown. Given the nature of life, there may be no security, but only adventure."

-Unknown

Day 7

I enjoyed the presentations from today and look forward to more tomorrow. Remember, do not read from PowerPoints and slided should only have 15-20 words max on them. Try and keep presentation to about 4-5 minutes max as well.

A reminder to 6th hour and some new information for 5th hour: Friday's blog will deal with the idea of "paying it forward" or doing a good deed with the hopes that the next person will as well. You must do something for someone else this week that makes their life better and on Friday we will discuss this in the blog.

For today, respond to the following:

What does stand and be counted mean to you? You may use a personal experience to explain.

Cardmarking 2 Day 6

I am really looking forward to these presentations. Some of you have really taken this seriously which I respect and appreciate.

Here is what I would like you to think about:

Why do you think "Into the Wild" became a bestseller? What was it about this story that hit readers to the point of it selling so many copies, making it into a movie and using it in classrooms? What themes and values made people feel riveted to the story?

Day 5

I hope all will have your projects completed on Monday. While I will be checking for completion, presentations will be on Tuesday so that we can spend some time on Monday talking about how to present well.

Please respond to the following:

Define popularity & how this concept affects your life? How can this idea be trascendental?

Day 4

So, it was nice to meet many of your parents at conferences. I am very tired and am feeling momentarily uninspired. Thus, enjoy not having to blog this evening.

Day 3

Today we discussed Thoreau's "Waldon" writings and touched on he and Chris/Alex. I want you to think and dig even deeper to their connection. We know that Chris/Alex read Thoreau. What was it about Thoreau's writings that attracted Chris? How did the writings possibly direct the road that Chris/Alex went down? Last, touch on how these two men were similar, different, or both with specific examples from "Into the Wild" and "Walden."

This may mean some of you actually may need to read "Waldon." If I see blogs of people who are too similar, I will ask questions in class. If you cannot answer them, you will receive a 0 on the blog.

Day 2

This may take more than 7 sentences but deal.

What do you want to experience in your life? Give 3 experiences that you hope to have that are more than just superficial. Based on this information, how do your desires compare with Thoreau's wish to live simply and deliberately in the woods? Do you see any of yourself in Thoreau or Emerson? Why or why not?

Cardmarking 2, Day 1

Welcome to the second cardmarking. Now that you have lived through the first cardmarking I hope that you have gotten a grasp on my expectations and how to succeed in the classroom. You will continue to work hard but each and everyone of you is capable of achieving success if you want to work for it. I continue to be willing to do my part to help you if you ask for it.

Today, as we get to the end of our discussions on "Into the Wild" I want you to think about the values that Chris had or did not have. If you had to pick 3 values of Chris' what would they be? Why did you choose them and give an example from the book for each.

See you tomorrow!

Day 29

Hope you all had a good day and did well on the vocab quiz. Also, I hope Mr. Hand told you that we would not be having vocab next week. Please note that I will be collecting "Into the Wild" again to check post its on Tuesday. At this point, I can check for the whole book but have not decided how much I will check. You should be done with the book. Do not forget about the "Walden" reading as well.

On to today's discussion:

What do you think you would want to say to Chris/Alex if you were his father? His mother? His sister? Remember to related specific items from the story in your answer.

Have a good weekend.

Day 28

Hello. Hope you did not miss me to much today. I am sure that you got good starts on your project. Remember that you have a vocab quiz tomorrow and to bring your independent reading book with you as well. You will have time again on Monday to work on the project but that will likely be the last in class day to do so. I would imagine that we will do the presentations next Friday.

On to today's question:

What do you think of the many people in "Into the Wild" who seem to be living as transients or squatters (if you do not know what these mean look them up!)? Does the freedom of their lifestyle (or of Chris') appeal to you? Do you think they should attempt to establish stable homes and livelihoods? Why or why not?

Day 27

There seem to be many similarities between Chris/Alex, Mr. Keating, the boys in "Dead Poet Society," Thoreu, and Emerson. Please discuss how some or all of these people follow the ideas of transcendentalism with examples.

Day 26

Sorry that so much time was spent on vocab today but sometimes you just have to have those days. I truly hope you understand, finally, the ideas of Romanticism and Transcendentalism. Let us review:

Romanticism- idealism vs. realism
Transcendentalism- Individuality and non-conformity

So, with that thought, pretend that you could speak for McCandless. What would you have to say to Krakauer, his biographer. To his parents?

Day 25

Today's discussion continued to be throught provoking. I hope you have read and do not forget to do your vocab sentences for tomorrow. Furthermore, make sure you have read the piece in the book (pages 370-376).

Please respond to the following:

Name and explain at least one way Into the Wild reflects the ideas of Romanticism and Transcendentalism. Make sure you give specific references to the novel in your explanation.

Day 24

Today's discussion was based the book "Into the Wild." I thank most of the inner circle for participating in the discussion. I would remind those who will be in the circle on Monday to make sure you make references to the book with quotes and pages.

I want you to think for a moment about Chris/Alex and his relationship with his parents. Why is this relationship so bad? What does materialism have to do with the issues in their relationship? How does their relationship compare with your own personal relationship with your parents/guardians? Could you ever imagine going to an extreme and just leaving it all because of a relationship you were having?

Have a great weekend.

Day 23

I was pleased to be back with you today even if only to watch the end of the movie. How tragic for Neil to be so fearful of his individuality in the face of his father. How sad that sometimes people impress upon us their hopes and dreams to the point that they want to live through us and not let us live for ourselves. Neil's suicide was far more than his own personal death but the death of his individuality (metaphor). I truly hope that in your lives you learn to counterbalance your need and desire for individuality with the times when conformity also comes into play. These two can co-exist as long as you are making the choices which are best (and safest) for you.

Now, in regards to the Twain reading I gave you last Thursday. I hope you read it and understood what he was saying about point of view. Why did he not see the river the same way once he became a river boat captain? Why did this change his point of view? Give an example in your life when an incident has occured when you have changed your point of view on something because of that incident.

Day 22

I hope you are enjoying the movie. If you are watching it and understanding not only that it is a great movie but also how it connects to transcendentalism than you are doing well. I am looking forward to actually coming back and teaching tomorrow (at least until next week when I will disappear for another 3 days).

It seems as if Mr. Keating is very understanding of the students and of teaching the importance of individuality. Why is it that the other adults seem so afraid of these young adults being individualistic? When you answer, please refer to one example from the movie. Also, do you think the adults in your world want you or do not want you to become individualistic? Explain your answer.

Day 21

Hope you were able to begin and understand the movie. Even in the beginning, it is evident that there is a friction between the ideals of an individualist (Robin Williams character) and the "societal" beliefs of the establishment.

Please respond to the following quote:

Archibald Macleish:

The dissenter (look up this word if you do not know what it means) is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself.

Day 20

I hope you enjoyed todays discussion on aphorisms, the poem and living life to the fullest, and the idea of point of view. It amazes me how much we get done daily and yet there is so much more I would love to cover as well.

One of the things we discussed was the idea that just because you follow transcendentalism, or individualism, does not mean that you are a selfish person nor does it mean that you are not out to be a part of society. It just means that you do things on the terms that are acceptable to you. Based on this idea, respond to the following:

What does stand and be counted mean to you? You may use a personal experience to explain.

Day 19

First off, thanks for another great week. Who knew that teaching 10th grade would be this enjoyable. I hope you have a good weekend. Remember to re-read Emerson and pick out his aphorisms for Monday. Please note that I will be out next Tuesday and Wednesday and will, again, be expecting perfect behavior from you guys. You show maturity when I am here and expect it when there is a sub even more.

Please respond to the following:

What is truth? What is the truth about life?

Think before you respond as this is not such an easy concept. Good luck.

Day 18

Today's discussion was very good I thought. I really want you to think of where we would be as individuals if the transcendelist movement had not come into existance. We might just follow the path set for us because we would know no difference. How sad that would be.

Please discuss with us what you think it means to be an individualist. What are the pros? The cons? In what ways are you an individualist?

Day 17

Let us not worry about the grammar piece today. Again, it is not graded just a way to figure out what to do with grammar. Obviously, a little review may be in order. I hope you are keeping up with your reading and post its. If you have not started using the post its, you need to do so. Get to the store! If for some reason that is a problem, please come and see me and I will help you out.

Give me your impression of Alex/Chris. Talk about his relationships thus far and how these relationships guide him. Maybe touch on the theme of independence and whether he may or may not be taking it to an extreme.

Day 16

Besides taking an innordinate amount of time for vocabulary, we talked about the idea of transcendentilism. This movement dealt with people wanting us to think more intuitively and romanticly. Also this movement deals with us as individuals and asks for us to think as individuals.

With that said, do you see your self as and individual or more part of the group? Explain why for either and also mention why both can be important to a society.

Day 15

I hope everyone had a good weekend and a good Monday. Remember that you have that article assignment due tomorrow. Read the assignment sheet carefully so you can get all your points. Today we began reading "Into the Wild" which tells the story of a young man who leaves everything he has behind in search of his ideal world. His story ends tragically in his own death. Again, this is a true story.

Tell me, how would you describe your ideal world? This could include things as the people in your life, government, etc. Think about why you think Chris McClandess would want to walk away from his situation and discuss if you would ever walk away from what you have or what makes someone make a drastic decision such as this.

Day 14

I had a really good week and hope you did as well. I enjoyed discussing our ideas of the American Dream and seeing how it has changed over time. Next week, we will begin reading "Into the Wild" and discussing other aspects of short stories. I think you will really enjoy "Into the Wild" but remember they did not do the book justice with the movie so you will not be able to get by with just watching it On Demand.

I want you to read the following quote and then tell me how you think this quote applies to you:

"The question is not whether we will die but how we will live."
Joyce Borysenko

This quote will be even more clear once you begin reading the novel.

Day 13

Another good discussion today. A special thanks to both students who led the class discussion. I really enjoyed thinking about the idea of speaking foreign language in America and our reaction. I want you to think about the last question again and respond to it as not enough people really did:

Do you agree with Marquez that our patriotism ought not be gauges by whether or not we speak English in public? Or do you think that people living in this country ought to affirm their patriotism speaking only English in public? Explain.

Day 12

Today we discussed the readings about What is an American? and then the Ben Franklin piece. What I find interesting is this idea of what types of life our ancestors led to get the country to the place it is today. Yet, it makes me think about what we have to dream about as Americans. Therefore, my question to you is what do you think the American Dream of your generation is going to be? How will your generation move our country forward like the generations before you? Do not just re-tell yesterdays dream because we have the cars, the homes, the technological advances that our grandparents worked to give us. Think long and hard about your response.

Day 11

It is funny that I really do miss being in the classroom on days when I am out. I really enjoyed and was honored to be at Challenge Day today. It always amazes me the great students we have at Lakeland High School. Yet, we have a ways to go to make our school comfortable for everyone. What do you value about our school? What are things that you think Lakeland does well? What are areas where it could improve? Lastly, what could you do to promote positive values within the school?

Day 10

Hope you had a great weekend and did not get that wet. Do not forget that your vocab needs to be done so you can go over it with the sub. Do not misbehave with a sub or you will not be happy with my mood on Wednesday.

Today we discussed the concept of the American Dream. Discuss, again, what this concept means and how you think it may have impacted your family and your life even if you did not know you were living the American Dream. Also, tell me how you think you can support this idea as you get older.

Day 9

I am very pleased with how this week has gone. We have had an excellent discussion on values and talking about American values through the Declaration of Independence and the John Adams video. Next week we shall begin talking about the American Dream and how it has been impacted by American values. I hope you have a great weekend and behave.

As for what I want you to write about: What do you think are your greatest strengths and weakness as a person? How can you take a weakness and make it into a strength?

Day 8

We have been having great discussions about values. Today is 9/11 and I wonder if 7 years after the attack on the World Trade Center if we, as Americans, even care. Tell me what you value about living in America and what you think we should do to make sure that we do honor 9/11 and the people who lost their lives that day.

Day 7

Today we discussed the idea of individual versus societal values. When do we pick family or society values over our own? Why might this happen and how do you rationalize in your mind that it is ok to sometimes go against personal values?

Day 6

Today we discussed American and individual values and how and why ours are similar. When people come from the same community they tend to have similar values. How did you learn your values? Do you think values change over time? Why or why not?

Day 5

I hope today was good for you. I know that Mondays can be rough but truthfully, Tuesdays are worse (ask me why tomorrow if you want to get me a bit more off topic). As we begin looking more seriously at values, I hope that you will begin to investigate your own sense of values as an individual, as an American, or in any other sense where values play a part in your world.

For today's response, talk to me about how you value the relationships in your life. You can talk about friends, family or other relationships you may have. Think before typing and by the end see if you can touch on why these relationships have value.

Day 4- TGIF

We have spent the last two days thinking about personal and societal values. I wonder if people in this room have similar or different values? This idea of values will be a continuous discussion over the next several weeks as we begin reading in our text and our first novel.

For today's response, I want you to tell me how you feel after the first week of school. What are your hopes/goals for the school year and how do you plan on making these hopes/goals a reality? Your goals do not need to be all academic by the way. This is another way to get to know you the person.

Have a great weekend but behave!

Day 3

I hope you enjoyed class today. Grammar is not the most exciting but I promise as we get into literature and more discussion it will become apparent how interesting this will be.

Today, I want you to think about the values your parent(s) have tried to instill in you. Then, comment on the value of being a parent. Why do people become parents and why do they value you as their child? As discussed last year in To Kill A Mockingbird, put yourself in their shoes for a moment and think of the triumphs and the frustrations of parenting and yet why becoming a parent is such a key value in our society.

Day 2

Today we listened to a cheesy song entitled "Holy Ground." As I stated in class, I do not look at the word holy as a religious term here but more as sacred. I am hoping that my classroom will be sacred to each of you; a place where you can feel comfortable in learning about English and about life. A place you can come to in good times and if you need help.

Today, I would like you to respond to the lyrics of the song. What was the author trying to say or how did you interpret this idea of of holy or sacred? Do you have places in your life that are holy and sacred? Where are they and why do they make you feel this way?

Truly the First Day of Class

Again, welcome to my class. I hope the day was not too boring and that you have come to realize that while we will work hard we will have some fun along the way. I am looking forward to getting to know each of you better as the year progresses as I want to learn about you the person not just you the student.

Today, I would like you to respond to the following:

What is the value of education in your life and in your families life? Remember that your response needs to be at least 7 sentences and must be your true feelings. Just because I am a teacher does not mean I want you to lie and tell me education is important if it is not. Just be truthful but back it up with information about you and the topic.

10th Grade Lit Day 1

Welcome to your team taught 10th grade lit class for semester 1. I am hoping that this will be a great class for you and for me. Most days, I will blog something here that you will need to respond to. It may be a quote or something to do with the days lesson. You must respond in at least 5 sentences and by 11:59 p.m. that day. If the response comes in later than that time you will not receive credit.

You may also check here as I will try and put homework reminders as well.

I truly hope you enjoy the class. If you have concerns please bring them to my attention but not here as everyone will be able to read.

Good luck,
Mr. Kay