Thursday, September 27 ~ Personal Pronouns Must Die!

Heads up...Next week is homecoming! Click here for the schedule. 

• Did you know that class starts at 8:10 all week? 
• Get your Twin/Squad Day gear ready for Monday...oh boy.

Word Parts Quiz on Examplify

• When you finish, begin tonight's homework by reading Ch.3.

Power of One...POO

• Use your discussion questions from J12 to lead small group discussions with close neighbors. 
• Anything worth sharing with the whole class? 
• Share your research questions and perfect your own.

Essays Returned

• And the social experiment is....
• You have TWO weeks to make corrections and come to see me. You only get one visit, so perfect well the first time. You may earn up to five points above your original score.
• Click here for Thesis Instruction (You MUST have a CAB thesis to improve essay score at all)
• Click here for instruction on avoiding personal pronouns. 

HW: Journal 13: Read Ch. 3 and answer these questions..
1. In what ways has PK gained strength or made the best out of his situation?
2. How has the motif of water continued to add meaning and show PK's identity?
3. How has the five-year old narrator become an advantageous writer's choice?

Wednesday, September 26 ~ Research begins...

Let's begin by practicing sentence combining here.


Word Parts Quiz tomorrow!!!

• Can you log into Exemplify and download the quiz? 

EQ: What do you think the author is telling us about the nature of human cruelty? (Discuss J11)
Activity: Numbered Heads

• How would you describe PK's personality? 
• Describe the demeanor and reputation of Inkosi-Inkosikazi.
• What about PK's time with Inkosi makes his night water stop? (your theory)
• Unpack the dreams and the symbolism you see in them.
• Why does Inkosi give PK the chicken? 

Research Preparation

• Your next essay will be a synthesis of research about a chosen topic.
• You may choose your own research question centered around Nelson Mandela or Apartheid. Consider a specific question such as...
• What inspired Mandela? What made him a strong leader, strong enough to persist for almost fifty years? What was the process of change after the apartheid laws had been outlawed? etc...
• Click here for a timeline.

HW: Read Chapter 2  (As always be ready for a reading quiz!)
Journal 12: Write at least two open ended discussion questions about Ch.2 and write down at least one research question you want to use for your synthesis essay.
Study for your roots quiz.

Tuesday, September 25 ~ POO Chapter 1

Prefix

• federis - league, pact
• frater - brother

Suffix

• ion, sion, tion - act, result or state of
• ist - one who, that which

Root

• fac, fact, fic, fect - do, make
• dict - say, speak

Word Parts Quiz on block day. 


Finish up J10 from yesterday

• Journal Checks while you work.

Add these to Journal 10. Familiarize ourselves with some of the vocabulary found in Chp. 1 (many words are Dutch). 

• billy-o - British term for hard, strongly 
• gibbering - to chatter unintelligibly 
• Mevrou - Mrs.
• lowveld - grassland, 500-2000 feet above sea level.
• Zulu - largest ethnic group in South Africa (10-11 million)
• Afrikaans - third-most-spoken language in South Africa. Originated from Dutch settlers.
• Boers - Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer. Identifies the Dutch settlers in South Africa.
• Rooinecks - racial slur used by the Dutch when referring to the English. Dutch version of  redneck.
• kaffir - used to refer to a black person. Became offensive during apartheid.
• indaba mat - indaba is an African word meaning gathering.
• Zululand - northeastern section of South Africa.
• Shangaan - a tribe of people in South Africa.
• kraal - enclosure for cattle.

HW: Read Ch.1
Journal 11: After reading Chapter 1, what do you believe the author, Bryce Courtenay, is telling us readers about the nature of human cruelty? 

CAB Instruction

EQ: What makes a good thesis?

For starters: Are these Strong Thesis Statements?

1. My essay is about the lesson on greed in Midas. 
2. The myth, Midas, has a great lesson about disaster, greed and people!
3. While greed is universally known to lead to disaster, Midas is one Greek myth that shows the painful effects of greed on the individual, the family, and society. (Note the parallel structure.)

How do you write a STRONG Thesis Statement?
      *In this case, strong means clear and specific.

1st -Figure out the prompt question.
         
2nd - Answer the question.  
  The "Assert" section is the most basic part of your answer.

       Contest
                   Although the Greek heroes were often demigods and quite selfish,
          Assert
                   they do have some major similarities with the typical modern hero
          Because
                    because they share the traits of self-sacrifice, loyalty and courage.

Example: Practice Prompt: What is the best advice for a young teen about fighting?

3rd - Check it.

• Did I take a debatable position? No Summary!!!
• Is my thesis specific enough? Avoid general words. For example, if you contain words like "good" or "successful," then state what makes it good or specifically what the standard for success is.
• Does it pass the "So What?" test? If not, you may need to clarify, connect your ideas to a larger issue, or narrow your topic down somehow. 
• Does my thesis match my body paragraphs? If the topics of your body paragraphs do not match your thesis, then one of them has to change. It is ok to change your thesis. This often happens as your write and think more deeply about a topic. For this reason, many people write the introduction to the essay last. 

For more help, go to this website.
For more practice, go to this website.

Personal Pronouns Instruction & Practice

Personal Pronouns: I, me, mine, we, us, our, ours, you, your, yours

Pronouns that are fine: they, them, theirs, him, his, her, hers, it, its, one

Why?

• It makes an assumption
• If you address the reader as you or we, you are making an assumption of what s/he thinks or is willing to think about (even if you use the “Understood You”)
• For example: If your essay begins with “Imagine being on a stranded island…” Well then you’ve just spoken directly to the reader as a command with the “understood you” as the unspoken subject of the sentence. Avoid speaking to the reader and therefore making assumptions.
• Instead say: “Being stranded on an island is hard to imagine, but most would think of….”

• It weakens your point.
• If you say, “I believe that Takara is better than Kaido,” then you are suggesting that it may be a relative truth. Perhaps some may disagree with you and you are leaving room for that opinion. However, essay writing is a practice of persuasion. Instead state what you believe as solid truth for all: “Takara is clearly the best sushi in Santa Cruz because…”

• Is is less specific, lacking power of expression
• Writers often refer to society or another group as us or we. Though we may be part of those groups, it is better writing to actually name the group rather than allowing a vague pronoun to take its place.
• For example: “Greek myths are valuable to us because they….”
• Better: “Greek myths are valuable to Western society because they….”

Practice on the sentences below by typing a correct version into the chat. Challenge course: avoid using the word, "one."

1. If you take a closer look at mythology, you’ll notice that most of the gods flaunted their powers.
2. (you) Imagine that you are living in a world dominated by god worship...
3. We continue to keep Greek mythology in our culture in order to study humanity and learn about our faults.
4. I think we desire Greek mythology because we can relate to the flawed characters.
5. When you first hear about the Amazon women, you may think they are crazy.
6. We see Hera, Athena and Aphrodite fight over the apple.
7. The characters hold such mighty powers that we wish we could have.
8. From studying the Greek myths we can learn that there are many lesson embedded in Greek mythology that we should heed.
9. The myths teach us lessons that we can apply over and over again.
10. The question I will be answering in this essay is, "Do you believe women were portrayed fairly in Greek Mythology?".

Monday, September 24 ~ Good bye Mythology. Granpa Chook awaits!

Word Parts
Prefix

• dyn - be able
• ego - I, self

Suffix

• ile - suited for, capable of, related to
• ine - nature of

Root

• juven - young

Housekeeping: Essays will be back by block day. PSAT books will be given out today. Keep them in your backpacks until your Math teachers let you know they are no longer needed. Did you know that the National Merit Scholarship comes from this test score?

Power of One Begins! And Granpa Chook awaits!



Today, let's look at some of the background info to our book.

Discussion Questions: Do you Know? 

• What language is spoken in South Africa?
• Who is Nelson Mandela? Why is he so famous?
• What is Apartheid? 
• What do you think would happen in the U.S. if the government gunned down 600 students at a protest? 
• How can one country keep another in check in the case of serious injustice, without going to war? 

Journal #10 - POO Intro: 

• Check out this Prezi
• Write a one paragraph synopsis explaining the historical background of our next novel, The Power of One.
• Ch. 1-6 Vocab: Add these words in your journal. Work together and look up a basic definition online.

1. Inkosi (in Zulu) 
2. obsequiousness (10)
3. sjambok (12)
4. cicatrization (23)
5. querulous (37)
6. consternation (42)
7. jocularity (56)
8. parlance (71)
9. diaphanous (77)

HW: Finish Journal 10 and bring your Power of One book to school starting tomorrow. Journal check tomorrow.  

Block Day, September 20 ~ ICE, ICE Baby!

In class essay today!

Wednesday, September 19, 2018 ~ Greek ICE is coming!

EQ: What are the four ways to fix a run-on? Click here to practice IXL W.4.

Heads up... In Class Essay tomorrow.

• Here is the rubric.
• You are welcome to do some brainstorming in your notebook, but please do not pre-write your essay or any full paragraphs. I will be checking.

Which prompt will you use?

For Regular English ONLY:

1. What do you believe we can gain from studying the Greek myths?
2. How do you see our desires to be a hero enacted in the mythical stories?

For Honors (and regular students who are up for a challenge!)

1. In most Greek myths and plays, hubris (the pride that causes the fall) is viewed as the ultimate problem. Do you agree that this is the ultimate sin? Is it such a big deal? Explain why you believe they viewed it this way and why you view it yours.
2. Do you believe women were portrayed fairly in Greek mythology? What can you gather about Greek views of women from these stories and characters?
3. Why do you believe Greek myths have lasted so long in our culture? What is it about them that we love, desire or relate to? What does that say about our own society?
4.  A great deal of the New Testament is written in response to Greek culture. Discuss a significant Christian message that addresses a Greek value.
5. The myths are full of cruelty on the part of the gods. Giving multiple examples, discuss the reasons for the gods’ cruelty. Is it always justified? What does the cruelty of the gods say about the Greeks’ view of themselves and the world?
6. When Chesterton says that "He who has no sympathy for myths, has no sympathy for man," what does he mean? Is this message indeed still true in your own life and perspective of others?  

HW: Nope! Just be ready to write tomorrow. You may use any of your past journals tomorrow. However, you may not pre-write your essay or have more than a 1/2 page outline. 

Tuesday, September 18 ~ EQ: Why do companies/people use allusions to stories in their branding process?

How did it go yesterday?

• Discuss IXL, Lewis & Campbell

EQ: Why do companies/people use allusions to stories in their branding process? 

Journal #9 ~ Allusions to Mythology in Advertising:

*First copy the definition of allusion

ALLUSION: A casual reference in literature to a person, place, event, or another passage of literature, often without explicit identification. Allusions can originate in mythology, biblical references, historical events, legends, geography, or earlier literary works. Authors often use allusion to establish a tone, create an implied association.

We all know that companies create identity by the power of association. They can use association by name or image. What identity did Honda intend on giving their van by giving the name, Odyssey, to this model?

Continuing J9... Identify the Allusion: Using your knowledge of Greek mythology and some internet research, figure out why your assigned company or product is named or branded as it is.

• In your journal, record the name and a brief description to explain why they chose that name/logo. To see all images, click here.

HW: Finish Journal 9

Monday, September 17 ~ EQ: What elements of the Hero are in the myths?

Who will lead word parts today?

Prefix

• dis - not, apart
• dominus - lord

Suffix

• ice - condition, state, quality
• ide, ide - a thing connected with or belonging to

Root

• onym - name

10-15 minutes: Go to IXL.com and work on W.2 and W.3.

We will discuss Lewis and the Hero's Journey application tomorrow. Take a few minutes to make sure your journals are complete.

Journal 8: Hubris
First, record the definition of hubris:

• hubris: excessive pride or confidence

Then, watch the TED myth: Prometheus and Pandora. In most Greek myths and plays, hubris (the pride that causes the fall) is viewed as the ultimate problem. Do you agree that this is the ultimate sin? Is it such a big deal? Explain why you believe they viewed it this way and why you view it yours.

Block Day, September 13 ~ Lewis on Mythology

Prefix

• di - two
• dia - across, through

Suffix

• fic - making, causing
• ful - full of

Root

• sci, scientia - know

Grammar:

• Take Sentence Structure Notes: I know it sounds basic, but please, begin your grammar notes with the definition of a sentence. 
• "A complete sentence must have ________, __________ and ____________________.
• Take notes from this page and this page.
• Then use this one to test your knowledge. 

EQ: So, if myths are worth studying because they capture this human desire to be more than we are, what is it that we want? What exactly are the qualities of hero? Examples? 

Journal 6: Perspectives on Myth 
Read over this page. What rings true from these voices? Record one of the quotes and why it rings true over the others?

Activity: Hero's Journey

• Activity: What story am I telling?
• Video Clip: What is the Hero's Journey?
• Application: In small groups, use this chart to figure out how common hero stories fit the pattern. Your group will choose a movie or book to work on together. Some stories may include The Hunger games, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Divergent, Back to the Future, The Hobbit!!! (basically any good hero story you all know).

Journal 7: Lewis on Myth
Considering our essential question. C.S. Lewis has a pretty cool answer:

In one way, of course, God has given us the Morning Star already: you can go and enjoy the gift on many fine mornings if  you get up early enough. What more, you may ask, do we want? Ah, but we want so much more -- something the books on aesthetics take little notice of. But the poets and the mythologies know all about it. We do not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words--to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it. That is why we have peopled air and earth and water with gods and goddesses and nymphs and elves--that, though we cannot, yet these projections can enjoy in themselves that beauty, grace, and power of which Nature is the image. That is why the poets tell us such lovely falsehoods. They talk as if the west wind could really sweep into a human soul; but it can't. They tell us that "beauty born of murmuring sound" will pass into a human face; but it won't. Or not yet. For if we take the imagery of scripture seriously, if we believe that God will one day give us the Morning Star and cause us to put on the splendour of the sun, then we may surmise that both the ancient myths and the modern poetry, so false as history, may be very near the truth as prophecy. At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door.... but all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumour that it will not always be so. Someday, God willing, we shall get in. (from The Weight of Glory).

Journal 7 Prompt: Lewis Quote: Summarize this Lewis quote in 3-6 sentences. Then answer a few questions: How does it answer the E.Q.? What is he saying Greek stories really are? What were the Greeks actually hoping for in their own stories?

Wednesday, September 12 ~ EQ: Who gets the Mythical Academy Award?

Prefix

• Archos - leader, first, chief
• Amphi, ambi - round, both sides
• Audio - hear

Roots

• Ortho -straight, correct
• dent, dont - tooth
• oligo - few, little

Mythology

• First turn in your Youtube link to this Google form (or share it with me and share that link on the google form).
• Then take a minute to write an short description of your personal work to turn in. This should include your name, your partners' names, the myth you portrayed and a paragraph of what part of the work you completed. In your paragraph, describe the grade you believe you deserve and the reasons why. Describe steps you took and the work you put in.
• On the back of this paper, record your vote for: Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Film.

If we have time, we can look over quizzes and True Colors Essays.

Tuesday, September 11 ~ Finish up those myths!

Prefixes

• corpus - body
• ante - before

Suffixes

• cracy - rule
• ess - female
• et, ette - small one, group

Root

• dem(os) - people

Mythology

• Today, we finish up our Myths Retold. 
• EQ: Is your video creative and clear in retelling the myth? 

HW: Links due HERE before class starts tomorrow.

Monday, September 10 ~ Greek Gods Quiz and Filming

Review

Gods Quiz

Reminder: Myths Retold due as a youtube link at the beginning of the class period on Wednesday!

Block Day, September 6 ~ Myth Filming Day!

Yes! The Greek Gods Quiz has moved to Monday.


Today we film around campus. PLEASE note that you are representing my honor. Do NOT make a ruckus, distract folks in classes, act inappropriately, or cause damage to school property or yourselves. Be mindful of your sound and professionalism. I want to do this again for many years to come and I am trusting you to keep this project looking like good, fun learning...not time to mess around. I'm trusting you... Now go make something beautiful!


Reminders....
Monday: We will quiz and maybe film a bit.
Tuesday: The last day to work on your films.
Wednesday: Myth Retold Project is due to be played in class.
*Please get this project into a Youtube link format. (It is very tough to airplay or send big files without technical difficulties. This link is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday.

Wednesday, September 5 ~ Thoughts on Chesterton?

Prefixes

• circum - around
• const - stand

Suffixes

• cide - kill
• esis, osis - action, process, condition

Root

• germ - vital part

Discuss Journal 5 ... Did you complete it?
A few points...

• What is the purpose of Chesterton's piece? 
• What might Christians have feared in reading mythology? 
• What do we need besides imagination along in order to land on truth?
• "The rivers of Philosophy and mythology run parallel until they meet in Christianity." Have you ever thought of Christianity as a myth? As a product of imagination? As devoid of these? 
• Is myth a counterfeit or a precurser? An image or the landscape itself?
• What does Chesterton mean by festivity and formality (holidays, but no creed)?

EQ: Which myth would you like? We will claim them today.


Work Time


HW: Study for the Greek Gods Quiz to be given on block day.