In Matthew Hutson's New York Times article, he makes the argument that the values and beliefs of the Puritans who originally founded the United States still permeate our culture today. What do you think? Do you believe his argument, and if so, why? If not, why not?
Be sure to adhere to the rubric as you respond. This is your last blog posting of the semester; make it count.
Due date: Monday, December 17, 2012 by 8 am. No exceptions.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Are you really are who you say you are?
The transition from adolescence to adulthood involves developing a personal identity- a sense of self. Write a response that describes you and explains what makes you uniquely you. Consider you future goals and dreams; what you value in a friend; favorite pets; preferred sports and hobbies; best-loved music, literature, movies, etc. And most significantly, consider your views about the nature of the world, your place in it, and how you should live.
A lot of you are writing personal statements for your college applications right now and are being asked similar questions. However, the difference between those essays and this blog posting is your audience- you are trying to sell yourself to those colleges in the hopes of admission; you don't have to sell yourself to me. So be honest- to both yourself and to me.
If you feel uncomfortable placing your response on the blog for your classmates to see, you are welcome to email your response to the vcechsliterature@gmail.com address.
Due date: Wednesday, November 21 by 12am (yes, midnight). After that, it is late- no exceptions.
A lot of you are writing personal statements for your college applications right now and are being asked similar questions. However, the difference between those essays and this blog posting is your audience- you are trying to sell yourself to those colleges in the hopes of admission; you don't have to sell yourself to me. So be honest- to both yourself and to me.
If you feel uncomfortable placing your response on the blog for your classmates to see, you are welcome to email your response to the vcechsliterature@gmail.com address.
Due date: Wednesday, November 21 by 12am (yes, midnight). After that, it is late- no exceptions.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Reflections on Othello
So...now that we have finished reading Othello, it is time to apply the play to this unit's essential questions:
1. Why do human bonds bring both pleasure and pain?
2. How does Shakespeare portray the complex nature of relationships?
For this blog posting, you will apply Othello to the EQ's listed above.
Obviously, when we think about relationships in Othello, the first one that comes to mind is that of Othello and Desdemona- but keep in mind, there are several relationships and bonds that are at play in Othello, and they come in all shapes and sizes: platonic, romantic, hostile, male and female, female and female, male and male.....and although many of the relationships in this play seem pretty straightforward, more often than not, they are rather complex.
As you respond, please keep in mind the following:
1. This will be one of your first grades for this last marking period. For some of you, every point counts. In other words, do well. How would I recommend you do well? Ah, this brings me to the second point....
2. You have a rubric that outlines exactly how I will be grading your posts. It's been a while since we have done this type of writing; it might do you well to review it.
In other words, don't be lazy- do your best work.
Due date for posting: Thursday, November 8 by 9:30 am. After that time, the late policy applies. No exceptions.
1. Why do human bonds bring both pleasure and pain?
2. How does Shakespeare portray the complex nature of relationships?
For this blog posting, you will apply Othello to the EQ's listed above.
Obviously, when we think about relationships in Othello, the first one that comes to mind is that of Othello and Desdemona- but keep in mind, there are several relationships and bonds that are at play in Othello, and they come in all shapes and sizes: platonic, romantic, hostile, male and female, female and female, male and male.....and although many of the relationships in this play seem pretty straightforward, more often than not, they are rather complex.
As you respond, please keep in mind the following:
1. This will be one of your first grades for this last marking period. For some of you, every point counts. In other words, do well. How would I recommend you do well? Ah, this brings me to the second point....
2. You have a rubric that outlines exactly how I will be grading your posts. It's been a while since we have done this type of writing; it might do you well to review it.
In other words, don't be lazy- do your best work.
Due date for posting: Thursday, November 8 by 9:30 am. After that time, the late policy applies. No exceptions.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
I know this is not a religion class, but....
....at the same time, I don't feel we can talk intelligently about Beowulf and the world of the Anglo-Saxons without recognizing the massive influence of Christianity and the Bible. Therefore, consider the following prompt:
Read Chapter Six of the Gospel According to St. Matthew. Which of Jesus' commands would condemn Beowulf's actions and values? Likewise, might any of Jesus' speech make a Christian audience sympathetic to Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon culture?
As you respond, be sure to adhere to the rubric. Also, don't forget to support and elaborate upon your argument. 'Yes' and 'no' are not sufficient answers. Lastly, do not integrate your personal beliefs either for or against religion (or the Anglo-Saxons, for that matter) into your response. This is not about what you have learned in church or an opportunity to profess; please base your arguments on the texts and your understanding of Old English history.
Please use the following version of Matthew, Chapter Six for your response:
2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sounda trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for theylove to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us ourdebts , as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Responses are due NLT Friday, August 31, by 11 am. No exceptions.
Read Chapter Six of the Gospel According to St. Matthew. Which of Jesus' commands would condemn Beowulf's actions and values? Likewise, might any of Jesus' speech make a Christian audience sympathetic to Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon culture?
As you respond, be sure to adhere to the rubric. Also, don't forget to support and elaborate upon your argument. 'Yes' and 'no' are not sufficient answers. Lastly, do not integrate your personal beliefs either for or against religion (or the Anglo-Saxons, for that matter) into your response. This is not about what you have learned in church or an opportunity to profess; please base your arguments on the texts and your understanding of Old English history.
Please use the following version of Matthew, Chapter Six for your response:
King James Version: Matthew Chapter 6
1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound
3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Responses are due NLT Friday, August 31, by 11 am. No exceptions.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Beowulf Significant Quotations- Collaborative Activity, 4th period
Directions: Each pair or group of students was given a quote to read
and analyze. Please do so and post your findings so the rest of the
class may see your interpretation. Keep in mind that I am not looking
for a reading summary (we all read the same selections!) but rather, an
in-depth connection to the area of focus in which it pertains, as well
as a connection to AS culture and society (if applicable). Make sure
you are clear in your posts and, as always, proofread.
Beowulf Significant Quotations- Collaborative Activity, 3rd period
Directions: Each pair or group of students was given a quote to read and analyze. Please do so and post your findings so the rest of the class may see your interpretation. Keep in mind that I am not looking for a reading summary (we all read the same selections!) but rather, an in-depth connection to the area of focus in which it pertains, as well as a connection to AS culture and society (if applicable). Make sure you are clear in your posts and, as always, proofread.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Unit Two EQ- Real World Connections
Hello all! Welcome to our English 4 blog.
I know it's been a while since we have used blogging to have class discussions in the past; therefore, I just want to go over a few guidelines.
I listed my class expectations on your course outline, but I think that the first expectation is particularly relevant to the learning forum this blog provides. My first expectation is as follows:
1. Students should respect their own potential, the rights and ideas of their peers, and the efforts of all adults who work to educate them.
To make a long story short, I expect you to be respectful in class, and my expectations extend to cyberspace. I bring this up because as this class continues, we will be making comments back and forth to each other. In short, be nice- you're too old to be acting foolish and I'm too tired to get on your case. 'Nuff said.
_________________________________________________________________________________
The prompt I am going to give you deals with The Wanderer. Since you will be posting after we discuss this piece in class, I am hoping you will have good things to share with me (and with each other). Please use the rubric as a guide; even though this type of writing is very informal, it is still graded, and of course you want to make the most of this opportunity.
Here is the prompt:
I know it's been a while since we have used blogging to have class discussions in the past; therefore, I just want to go over a few guidelines.
I listed my class expectations on your course outline, but I think that the first expectation is particularly relevant to the learning forum this blog provides. My first expectation is as follows:
1. Students should respect their own potential, the rights and ideas of their peers, and the efforts of all adults who work to educate them.
To make a long story short, I expect you to be respectful in class, and my expectations extend to cyberspace. I bring this up because as this class continues, we will be making comments back and forth to each other. In short, be nice- you're too old to be acting foolish and I'm too tired to get on your case. 'Nuff said.
_________________________________________________________________________________
The prompt I am going to give you deals with The Wanderer. Since you will be posting after we discuss this piece in class, I am hoping you will have good things to share with me (and with each other). Please use the rubric as a guide; even though this type of writing is very informal, it is still graded, and of course you want to make the most of this opportunity.
Here is the prompt:
How does this man’s experience have value from:
a.
An AS warrior’s point of view?
b.
A Christian point of view?
Please do not forget the due date, which is Thursday, August 16, 2012 by 12 pm. After that, the late policy applies, so please plan accordingly.
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