Question of the Week (6/8/12)

As we approach the end of the semester, reflect back on the class and share what you liked and disliked about the course. Was there a particular aspect of the course you liked? If so, what was it? Was there something you wished we had covered in the course, but did not? What were your favorite novels and why? What were your least favorite? Post your answers to these questions by the end of the day on Tuesday. Remember to respond to another classmates' response. Enjoy your weekend.

Question of the Week (6/1/12)

Choose a poet from the list below -- there are enough poets for everyone in the class -- and conduct a little research on that poet.  Provide a biography on them and some highlights from their life. What is something that you may not have known about this person. Why is their poetry significant? Also, choose one famous poem from that poet, post it online, and share why you chose this poem. What is the poem about? How is it representative of the poet's work? Be sure to include an image of the poet as well. For this post, you do not have to respond to a classmates' response. Post your short biographies and poems by 3 p.m. in Tuesday.

Sylvia Plath
Marianne Moore
Niki Giovanni
Maya Angelou
Elizabeth Bishop
John Keats
William Shakespeare
Langston Hughes
Alfred Lord Tennyson
A.E. Housman
William Wordsworth
John Milton
John Donne
Edmund Spenser
Emily Dickinson
Robert Frost
e.e. cummings
Edgar Allen Poe
T.S. Eliot
Oscar Wilde

Question of the Week (5/4/12)

Write a short descriptive piece (250-500 words) about a time that you "went into the woods" and post an image from your own pictures or one that you've found on the internet. The image should relate to some part of your descriptive piece. Provide detail about what you saw and experienced. Think back to our reading of the excerpt from Thoreau's Walden. Be sure to post by Tuesday, May 8 and comment on another classmates' post.

Question of the Week (4/6/12)

Next week we will be working on personal narratives. Choose one of the topics below and write a rough draft. It should be at least 500-750 words, but should read like a journal entry written from the first-person point of view. We will share these in class on Wednesday. Be sure to post your rough draft by 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

1.In chapter one Rennie describes a major change in her life (the opening of the Tallgrass Japanese Internment Camp). Write about a major change that you have experienced in your life.

2. Rennie talks about Betty Joyce as her best friend (5). Describe a childhood best friend or tell a story about an event that is about you and your best friend.

3.Rennie very much respects her father and what he thinks of her. Write about a lesson learned from a parent or another respected adult (relative, coach, counselor, teacher, etc.).

4.Loyal does not usually agree with the sentiments of the rest of his community, but he is not afraid to state his mind and stand by his beliefs.  Tell a story of your experience standing up for something or someone you believe in OR someone standing up for you.

5. Rennie may only be 13 years old, but she has a lot of responsibility resting on her shoulders since her older siblings are away, her grandmother suffers with memory loss and her mother seems to be more and more tired each day. Chores still need to get done and Rennie becomes aware of the fact that she has to help her family to get them done instead of spending her time reading in the haymow or exploring the farm.  Write about a time where you either realized you had more responsibility than before or that you realized that you needed to step up your efforts in a group (your family, a team, a class, etc).

6. Rennie loves Granny and she is an important part of the family.  Write about a memory or story of a grandparent or other elderly friend or relative who is or has been  important to you.

7.Write about a time that you have made a parent -- or respected adult figure -- proud.

8. Rennie used to find solitude up in the haymow, reading or just listening to the sounds of the farm. Write about a place where you find or have found solitude and peace.

9.Rennie's family seems to be in the minority at the town meeting in the discussion of hiring Japanese people from the camp to work on their farms.  Write about a time when you have been in a situation where you found yourself in the minority on an opinion or idea.

10.Rennie had a strong relationship with her sister Marthalice when she was living at home and clearly misses her while she is living in Denver. She also loves her brother Buddy and misses him too. Write about your relationship with a sibling/siblings who is/are important to you.

Question of the Week (3/30/12)

Using your notes, write a reflection on the documentary "Unfinished Business". It should be at least 250-300 words. Cite 3 facts about the 3 men featured in the documentary: Fred Korematsu, Min Yasui, and Gordon Hirobayashi. Since you haven't seen the end of the film, post your thoughts on how you think the Supreme Court will rule. Be sure to comment on another classmates' reflection. Post by 3 p.m. on Tuesday. As this is your last post for quarter 3, no partial credit will be given to late posts. Enjoy your weekend and happy posting!

Question of Week (3/8/12)

In chapter 7, the mood at Devon School becomes more somber. The students engage in unusual activities, such as replacing apple pickers who have gone to war and removing snow from the train tracks so the troop train can get through. The young men are no longer sheltered from the war; rather, they are asked to do their part in support of it.

The author reflects what was actually going on at schools across America during World War II. Most students supported the war effort.

Use the Internet and appropriate reference materials to research student or the general population’s reaction to wars since World War II. How did students at the high school and college level react to the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan? How did they deal with propaganda, protest, and the outcome of he war?

In a short essay (no more than 750 words), detail the differences and what you determine are the reasons for the changes in attitude toward war? Post by 3 p.m. on Tuesday and don't forget to respond to a classmates' response in the same post. Happy posting!

Question of the Week (3/2/12)

A Separate Peace is set at a boys’ preparatory school in rural New Hampshire, during 1942. World War II is raging. Write a paragraph (using quotes from the text to support your points) identifying the ways in which the war affects the characters so far. How does the war affect the way the Masters treat the students? How does Gene explain this treatment? Post your answer by 3 p.m. on Tuesday and don't forget to respond thoughtfully and critically to a classmates' response. Happy Posting!