garbage collectors create library

You may have heard the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” but have you ever seen anything like this?? Read the full article here (thanks BoingBoing!)

january 29 - february 1

I’m going to be back in class either Thursday or Friday, and I don’t have great wi-fi here, so I’m posting ideas on journaling, reading, and posting for the week so you can pace yourselves. As always, please feel free to email or comment to this post with any questions or ideas. I will read and respond as quickly as I can. I love reading your blog posts and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on what you’ve read so far in person! -dp

JOURNAL TOPICS:
For each day, choose a character or a moment in the book — and describe it like you’re telling a friend about something that happened at lunch.  This will tell me what gets your attention, what affects your mood as a reader, and what you remember. (Obviously, it will also tell me what you’ve read and understand.)  When it comes to the characters and their words and actions, be as judgmental as you want.

-OR-

Choose your own topics (related to the book or not) as we discussed in class.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Keep reading (as a class, in groups, or by yourself) and taking notes
3. You should be posting to your blog EVERY DAY now as part of your routine. You can do this during the last part of the period if that makes it easier. Please post your notes (title: GATSBY pages xx-xx). (Don’t type “xx” — use the pages you read that day.)  You can also post about any Big Question work you’re doing and anything else you want to share with your readers.

January 26

JOURNAL TOPIC:
On p.20, Daisy says of her daughter, “I hope she’ll be a fool— that’s the best thing s girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”  Why do you think she says this? What is your opinion of her words?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Continue reading
3. Thanks to everyone who commented yesterday, and thanks to Saul for the email— by Monday everyone should be finished reading Chapter 2

HW;
Some of the characters appear to Nick — and to us as readers — as sexist or racist. Publish a post to your blog (title: RICH PEOPLE & BACKWARD THINKING) in which you describe a couple examples of this from the book.

January 25

JOURNAL TOPIC:
I’ve been thinking about the epigraph (gold hat, bouncing etc.).  The way I read it in class, it seemed superficial. But as I reflect, there is something beautiful, noble even, about wanting to meet the needs of another person so thoroughly. What do you think?  Is the sentiment expressed in the epigraph good or bad advice?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Keep reading - I heard that period 2 wanted to read together (thanks Leslie & Esme!) and I think think that’s a great idea. I put the chairs back into groups so that you can organize as a class or smaller reading / working groups.
3. Today’s Wednesday, so if you have any “life after high school” stuff to work on (job/scholarship applications, college research etc.) please do it.

REQUEST:
Please comment to this post and let me know (a) What page you’re on in the book and (b) what you think so far— include any questions you have.

january 24

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones]

Sometimes when we start a book it's easy to get impatient with all the background information the author gives (on places, characters etc.) before something actually happens.  Why do we get all of this stuff first?  How does it help to know these things when the action starts and the plot gets going?  What would we miss if The Great Gatsby started with a chase scene?

AGENDA:
1. Journal/ discuss exposition and getting the reader to lean in
2. The Great Gatsby  (please make a note of where you starts/stop reading for the day)

HW: Post GREAT GATSBY NOTES 2 (about what you read today) to your blog

gatsby narrator”s relationship to daisy

On p. 10 of The Great Gatsby our narrator tells us that, "Daisy was my second cousin once removed."  Some of you asked me what that means -- and I've always had trouble remembering the specifics -- so here is a family tree diagram I found on Lifehacker.

transparency

Here is the note I'm leaving on my desk for the substitute teacher/s:

2018_01_23_12_27_27 by dpreston1441 on Scribd

are smartphones bad for you?

Smartphones are still pretty new, and the fact is that we are not sure how they affect the way we think.  Some people are so addicted to their phones that it seems like there is a real problem.  Then again, as THIS ARTICLE points out, different generations of parents have been afraid that lots of things-- like TV, video games, the telephone, dancing, and even reading (!) would hurt their kids.  Is the smartphone different, or do you think we've just found something new to worry about?

january 23

JOURNAL TOPIC:

What makes a person "great"?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Introducing The Great Gatsby

HW: Post GATSBY NOTES 1 to your blog

facebook is making you sad

When I was in high school, I could develop different parts of my personality and different ways of being depending on who I was with at the time.  Think about it: there is no way I would have talked the same way at my family's dinner table as I did in the locker room with my basketball teammates.  I'm grateful that I had the chance to make social mistakes -- and learn from them -- without everyone in my life seeing them at the same time.  I am also glad that some of the things I said and did in high school weren't part of some public record that followed me the rest of my life.

As social media has become more influential, I have wondered how today's generation feels.  Years ago I started to suspect that putting so much personal information out there would have negative effects.

Unfortunately, it looks like my worst fears came true.  Read more here.  (Thanks, BoingBoing!)

january 22

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What do you know?  Describe something you know-- and explain how you know that you know it.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Three questions (regarding ethos/pathos/logos, hearing/listening, and genre)
3. Test or no test
4. Revisiting genre in terms of Steinbeck and what makes us happy and sad

HW:
Finish reading this article on John Steinbeck (we'll start together in class). Follow one of the links, and then post an item to your blog in which you explain one thing you learned and why you chose to follow one particular link and not another.

january 19

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Eat the Rich" by Aerosmith; "Junk Food Junkie" by Larry Groce; "Eat It" Weird Al Yankovic]

Are "secret ingredients" ever a good thing, or just a cynical ploy that entices us to eat cheaply manufactured nastiness?

1. Journal
2. The week in review
3. Anatomy of an argument
4. Misery, hope, and ways of writing about both
5. Genre at the beginning of the 20th century: naturalism, realism, and modernism
6. Monday's test

what a nice way to come back

Awwww... I missed you too! :)

january 18

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Short Memory" by Midnight Oil]

(Answer one or both of the following questions.)

1. What do you remember about the ideas we've discussed the last two days of class?

2. Why do you think songs bring back memories of specific times and events in our lives?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Your brain on listening
3. Dissecting arguments

january 17

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Reflect on what you learned yesterday and think about a speaker in your life.  (This can be anyone in a formal or informal setting-- a teacher, a family member, a friend, a coach, an employer, or a stranger you observed from a distance.)  Describe that person's ethos, pathos, and logos.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Work with a partner to:

• Find an online video of a speaker people respect
• Watch a 3-5 segment of that speaker's presentation
• Analyze the speaker's ethos, pathos, and logos
• Include your thoughts on whether it would be different to listen to the speaker in person
• Publish your notes to your blog (title: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS)

HW:
Ask yourself this question: What's the difference between hearing and listening?  Come to class tomorrow (Thursday) prepared to discuss.

this dude actually thinks trump is in a twitter war with mlk

Sometimes I think of education as enlightenment, a way to strengthen our minds and consider information that will help us live our lives more successfully.

Sometimes I think of education as skills training, a way to build the habits of mind and talents for doing things that will create value in the marketplace and society.

Today, on a day when I am working with high school American Literature students to analyze the ethos, pathos, and logos that made Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. one of the most effective and important orators in history, I am thinking of education as a war against idiocy.  I had to read THIS ITEM twice before it really sunk in that it's not a joke-- some people are this poorly informed.  You are now officially in the game of a lifetime; you have to get smarter than this and level up, or we're going to lose our civilization to morons.  This guy may be out to lunch, but he still has the right to buy guns.  Scarier still, he has the right to vote.

"Empathize," I tell myself, "Be nice.  Maybe he got dropped on his head when he was a baby.  Maybe he was home schooled-- and expelled.  Maybe he just likes to feel the breeze on his scalp and he's not really a Skinhead.  Maybe he hadn't yet washed that Oakley T-shirt and the off-gassing from the production chemicals made him woozy.  Maybe he just froze in front of the camera.  Maybe he just needs better information from a well-informed, caring mentor.  Don't judge him, help him."

I don't know, man... I just don't know.  I'll keep working on it.  Wow.  Wowee wow wow.

january 16

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Pride (In the Name of Love)" by U2]

Listen to this speech.  Then write about it.  Be sure to analyze ethos, pathos, logos.  Do your best.  We will discuss as soon as you're done.


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. MLK: Ethos, Pathos, Logos
3. Misery, hope, and ways of writing about both
4. Genre at the beginning of the 20th century: naturalism, realism, and modernism

HW:
1. Post your notes and observations/reflections from today's class to your blog (title: NOTES FROM TODAY'S LECTURE)

"i have a dream"

Watch it. LEARN it.  Comment to this post with any reactions, observations, or questions that will help you better understand it.  Be ready to discuss it on Tuesday.

january 12

JOURNAL TOPIC: (today's tunes: "They Can't Take That Away From Me" by Charlie Parker)

Since Pablo mentioned yesterday that he loves saxophone music, today's tunes is one of the all-time greats.  For your journal, consider the following: What can't anyone take away from you?

Also:

How did we shift the culture in class yesterday?  (If you need a refresher on culture, have a look at the Wikipedia entry.)  What will we need to do to make the spirit of expression/decision/collaboration --> creativity last?  How does this relate to Paul Simon's work?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Socratic seminar (continued)

HW:
In a post entitled "I, SOCRATES" explain how what we did in class these past two days helped you learn and become more creative.  (And congratulate yourself, because once you write it, it's American Literature. :)

january 11

JOURNAL TOPIC: (today's tunes: "Graceland" by Paul Simon; "Boy in the Bubble" by Paul Simon; "Homeless" by Paul Simon)

(These questions will also form the basis for our Socratic Seminar.)

1. Based on what you learned yesterday & last night, is it fair to say these songs were "by" Paul Simon? Why/why not?
2. Explain how Simon created something new by going back to the roots of a musical genre.
3. Can we describe music as literature?  Why/not?

 AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Big Questions & Masterpiece Academy
3. Socratic Seminar

HW:
1. Create a post for your blog entitled, "MUSIC AS LITERATURE"
2. In that post, publish your notes from today's Socratic Seminar and use what you learned from your colleagues to answer these questions: Can we consider music to be literature? What is the difference between a novel, a poem, a rap, a song, an opera, and a symphony?

january 10

JOURNAL TOPIC: (today's tunes: "Let the Day Begin" by The Call; "Where Do I Begin?" by Jill Sobule; "Begin the Begin" by R.E.M.)

Describe a thought or a feeling that you'd forgotten over break and experienced again when you walked back into this room.  Now, remember that this is a new beginning, so here is the important question: How will you re/create the thoughts/feelings you WANT to have in this room this semester?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Reboot
3. Introduction to spring semester:

• Review technical elements of literature we covered last semester
• Prepare for the final in June (!)
• Take your Big Question to the next level: Masterpiece Academy starts late April
• Win the Internet
• Speak like a pro
• Create like a genius

HW:

Research Paul Simon's album Graceland (starting with this) and come to class Thursday prepared to discuss whether this qualifies as American Literature.  To do this properly, you will have to do some research and/or review your notes in order to define American Literature and make your case.

if emerson wrote in 2018

... he would probably write something like this.  Read it, post a comment, and share with a friend.

Taming the Mammoth: Why You Should Stop Caring What Other People Think