Great discussion on Picasso's Guernica today in class. Check out this great article about Guernica that appeared on Slate.com. The article gives a brief analysis of the painting and discusses its tour of the world, including being at MoMA in NYC, where Illana Davita sees it ala historical fiction.
Good luck writing your essay tonight!
Showing posts with label Davita's Harp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Davita's Harp. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Freud's Why War
Remember to read and annotate Freud's letter to Albert Einstein on why war exists. In addition to analyzing the causes and effects of war according to Freud, we will try to tackle big questions such as:
How can we promote peace?
What ideas in Freud's letter are most useful for us today?
If you have misplaced your letter, click here and scroll about halfway down the webpage to get to the Sept. 1932 Freud response, which was the assigned weekend reading.
How can we promote peace?
What ideas in Freud's letter are most useful for us today?
If you have misplaced your letter, click here and scroll about halfway down the webpage to get to the Sept. 1932 Freud response, which was the assigned weekend reading.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Eisenhower's Farewell Address
Class Discussion Questions
Causes and Effects of War
In your notebook, create a multi-flow map that analyzes the causes and effects of war according to President Eisenhower's 1961 speech. Some of your causes and effects will require inference while reading. In other words, what is Eisenhower saying between the lines? In the frame of the multi-flow map, include the direct quotations from the text that support your cause and effect boxes.
- What "Aha" moments did you have while reading Eisenhower's speech; in other words, what statements made you think and why?
- What was Eisenhower's motivation for giving this speech?
- What is the historical context of the speech?
- What, if anything, is Eisenhower leaving out?
- Do you notice any bias in the speech? Where?
Causes and Effects of War
In your notebook, create a multi-flow map that analyzes the causes and effects of war according to President Eisenhower's 1961 speech. Some of your causes and effects will require inference while reading. In other words, what is Eisenhower saying between the lines? In the frame of the multi-flow map, include the direct quotations from the text that support your cause and effect boxes.
Your Opinions
- Do you agree with any parts of the speech? What and why?
- Do you disagree with any parts of the speech? What and why?
Potok's Opinions
What would Chaim Potok say about this speech? What textual support from Davita's Harp do you have for your ideas on Potok's opinions?
Continue the Discussion
If you would like to comment further on this topic, feel free to post a blog comment this weekend here.
The speech video clip and the full text can be found in a previous blog post.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Multi-flow Map as Prewriting
Tomorrow in class we will talk briefly about how to convert the multi-flow map to a thesis statement that will guide your cause and effect paragraphs. I took the ideas from our class-generated multi-flow map and thought about the ideas again, grouping your effects into even larger ideas that could serve as paragraph topic sentences. You will be able to compare the map below to the paper poster tomorrow to see the new thinking. This is a good lesson in why you need to do prewriting and thinking. The more you do, the deeper your essay can become and the more organized.
Our thinking on war with our root causes and uber effects was even beyond the capabilities of the software, so in the map below you have to imagine that there are arrows to war from political and religious differences, and there are arrows from war to personal and economic losses.
Also, notice the repetition of "differences" and "loss" in my Multi-flow round 2. This grouping will help me write a cohesive and parallel essay.
From this map, now it's time to think about a thesis and organization. Both are easy to do from the multi-flow map. The thesis should incorporate the general causes and effects and be a blueprint for the body paragraphs. Read the first draft of my thesis statement and notice the multi-flow come alive in it:
In Davita's Harp, Chaim Potok proves that religious and political differences can cause wars which ultimately result in personal and economic losses.
Did you notice my cause and effect verb bank too?
My body paragraphs are also right on the multi-flow map, and since the map is fairly balanced between causes and effects, it looks like I will have four body paragraphs organized roughly as follows:
1. Political differences cause war with PIEs on inequities and power.
2. Religious differences cause war with PIEs on fear and thinking your religion is right.
3. War resulting in personal loss with PIEs on dealing with death and other mental health issues and injuries.
4. War resulting in economic loss with PIEs on destroyed infrastructure and famine & poverty.
Now, you try to create a multi-flow map for your topic.
Our thinking on war with our root causes and uber effects was even beyond the capabilities of the software, so in the map below you have to imagine that there are arrows to war from political and religious differences, and there are arrows from war to personal and economic losses.
Also, notice the repetition of "differences" and "loss" in my Multi-flow round 2. This grouping will help me write a cohesive and parallel essay.
From this map, now it's time to think about a thesis and organization. Both are easy to do from the multi-flow map. The thesis should incorporate the general causes and effects and be a blueprint for the body paragraphs. Read the first draft of my thesis statement and notice the multi-flow come alive in it:
In Davita's Harp, Chaim Potok proves that religious and political differences can cause wars which ultimately result in personal and economic losses.
Did you notice my cause and effect verb bank too?
My body paragraphs are also right on the multi-flow map, and since the map is fairly balanced between causes and effects, it looks like I will have four body paragraphs organized roughly as follows:
1. Political differences cause war with PIEs on inequities and power.
2. Religious differences cause war with PIEs on fear and thinking your religion is right.
3. War resulting in personal loss with PIEs on dealing with death and other mental health issues and injuries.
4. War resulting in economic loss with PIEs on destroyed infrastructure and famine & poverty.
Now, you try to create a multi-flow map for your topic.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Davita's Harp Discussions
Great parenting discussion today!
On Thursday I will open the floor to talk about any topics that you want to discuss regarding Davita's Harp, and then we'll finish our Davita discussions with two or three days centered on the topic of war since that topic is central to Davita and life in general. And that's one reason to read, isn't it? To learn about life.
During a variety of classroom and homework activities, we will analyze the causes and effects of war by examining a variety of genres. Specifically, we will study what can be learned about war from . . .
a novel, Davita's Harp
a speech, Eisenhower's farewell address to the citizens of the United States in 1961, both through video and a transcript, where Eisenhower warns the people about the military industrial complex
a painting, Picasso's Guernica where Pablo captures the horrors of that bombing incident featured in Davita's Harp
a poem, Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" where Owen, a WWI British Veteran, graphically portrays the horrors of being gassed, an experience that Jakob in Davita's Harp experienced
and a letter, Sigmund Freud's letter to Albert Einstein on the reasons why humanity has war
On Thursday I will open the floor to talk about any topics that you want to discuss regarding Davita's Harp, and then we'll finish our Davita discussions with two or three days centered on the topic of war since that topic is central to Davita and life in general. And that's one reason to read, isn't it? To learn about life.
During a variety of classroom and homework activities, we will analyze the causes and effects of war by examining a variety of genres. Specifically, we will study what can be learned about war from . . .
a novel, Davita's Harp
a speech, Eisenhower's farewell address to the citizens of the United States in 1961, both through video and a transcript, where Eisenhower warns the people about the military industrial complex
a painting, Picasso's Guernica where Pablo captures the horrors of that bombing incident featured in Davita's Harp
a poem, Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" where Owen, a WWI British Veteran, graphically portrays the horrors of being gassed, an experience that Jakob in Davita's Harp experienced
and a letter, Sigmund Freud's letter to Albert Einstein on the reasons why humanity has war
Davita's Harp Essay
For our first Writing Wednesday, you will make a metaphor for a quality essay, and we will discuss the elements necessary for a strong essay before you begin writing your Davita's Harp final essay--which will be worth 50 points.
On Wednesday, Sept. 16 you will receive a printed copy of the following essay assignment:
Writing Prompt
Write a 2-3 page paper that discusses the causes and effects of one of the following topics in terms of a theme Chaim Potok develops in Davita’s Harp. This essay is not a research paper, so you should not consult outside sources for ideas. The teacher wants to assess your thinking and analysis of the novel.
· Imagination
· Storytelling
· Religion
· Faith
· Loneliness
· Gender roles
· Parenting
· Cultural change
Grading Rubric
Organization:
___ The introduction engages the reader, introduces the topic, and includes a thesis statement that will serve as a blueprint for the main ideas developed in the body paragraphs.
___ Body paragraphs follow solid paragraph structure by beginning with a topic sentence, including two or three PIEs, and ending with a concluding sentence which refers clearly to thesis statement. PIE = Point, Illustration, Explanation
___ Transitions from part to part and paragraph to paragraph are smooth and logical.
___ Conclusion summarizes the ideas presented in the paper and leads the reader to an interesting idea—the So what? or the So why does this matter to life?
Ideas:
___ Thesis is clearly stated, fully expanded, specifically states the main ideas of your paper
___ Thesis says something specific about the topic being explored. Theme = topic + author’s lesson about topic
___ Ideas are presented logically and clearly in body paragraphs that are relevant to the thesis.
___ Each paragraph includes at least two illustrations quoted from the text to support ideas.
___ All ideas are explained and analyzed fully.
Conventions:
___ Words are clear, precise and spelled correctly
___ Sentence formation is clear and varied
___ Proper punctuation is used
___ Rules of grammar are followed
___ Proper MLA format is used for in-text citations for direct quotations, and a works cited entry for the novel is included.
Due Dates
___ The rough draft is due on Wednesday, September 23 for peer review points.
___ The final draft is due on Thursday, September 24 with the last day to turn in the paper for full credit is Friday, September 25 at 3:10 p.m.
___ Papers turned in on Monday, September 28, will be graded, and then 25% will be deducted from the score earned. However, the lowest score earned will be 50% off.
___ Papers turned in on Tuesday, September 29 or later will only receive half credit.
SAT Vocab List From Flocabulary
The 500 SAT vocabulary words that comprise the guiding list for Enriched English 10 were taken from the Flocabulary series. The Enriched English 10 teachers have cross referenced those words with the books that you are reading this year to devise vocabulary lists.
Occasionally, we will listen to the Hip Hop songs that contain the vocabulary words as another strategy for getting the words embedded into your brain. And through that you will learn the words that do not appear in our books.
If you would like to own your own copy of the CD of Flocabulary songs to reinforce your studying, you can order it from a number of bookstores or at http://www.flocabulary.com/.
The CD comes with a book of lyrics and sample tests to make vocabulary learning fun!!
Occasionally, we will listen to the Hip Hop songs that contain the vocabulary words as another strategy for getting the words embedded into your brain. And through that you will learn the words that do not appear in our books.
If you would like to own your own copy of the CD of Flocabulary songs to reinforce your studying, you can order it from a number of bookstores or at http://www.flocabulary.com/.
The CD comes with a book of lyrics and sample tests to make vocabulary learning fun!!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Homework for Parenting Discussion
For a class discussion on Tuesday, Sept. 15, please complete the following questions in your notebook. Since you will be working on your research paper this weekend, I have you scheduled to complete this homework Monday night. However, some of you may want to work ahead, especially if you have a sporting event, family gathering, etc. on Monday night.
Monday's Homework
One of the major topics Potok explores in Davita’s Harp is parenting.
Answer these first two questions about parenting on two levels: First, explore your personal opinion regarding the question; and second, answer in terms of the text.
What is a good mother?
What is a good daughter or son?
Now, further explore Ilana Davita’s parents by completing the following tasks:
What are the pros and cons of Anne’s mothering? What does she do well? What does she do poorly? Make a t-chart to show your thinking. Support each pro and con with a quote from the text.
Make a double bubble map comparing Michael and Ezra as fathers. Support your map with examples or quotations from the text in the frame of reference.
For you personally, and in Davita's Harp, what makes a good father?
Finally, write a theme statement on Potok’s beliefs on parenting. For example, In Davita’s Harp, Potok claims that a good mother _____________________.
Monday's Homework
One of the major topics Potok explores in Davita’s Harp is parenting.
Answer these first two questions about parenting on two levels: First, explore your personal opinion regarding the question; and second, answer in terms of the text.
What is a good mother?
What is a good daughter or son?
Now, further explore Ilana Davita’s parents by completing the following tasks:
What are the pros and cons of Anne’s mothering? What does she do well? What does she do poorly? Make a t-chart to show your thinking. Support each pro and con with a quote from the text.
Make a double bubble map comparing Michael and Ezra as fathers. Support your map with examples or quotations from the text in the frame of reference.
For you personally, and in Davita's Harp, what makes a good father?
Finally, write a theme statement on Potok’s beliefs on parenting. For example, In Davita’s Harp, Potok claims that a good mother _____________________.
One-Page Research Paper
Further research your assigned allusion in Chaim Potok’s Davita’s Harp. If you are having trouble finding information on your assigned topic, you may select one of the topics not chosen by the class. See the previous blog post for the sign-up.
In a one-page paper, answer this question:
How does your allusion enhance or illustrate a theme in the novel? In other words, how does your allusion help Potok convey an essential truth about life?
Organization by Paragraph
Paragraph 1: Begin your paper with an attention-getting quotation from Davita’s Harp. Then, link that quotation to the allusion you researched. End your introduction with a thesis statement, which is your answer to the question posed above.
Paragraph 2: The body paragraph of your paper should provide basic historical information about your allusion, as well as your specific ideas about why Potok chose to include this particular reference.
Paragraph 3: In your conclusion, link your allusion to a contemporary issue that also relates to the theme you’re discussing. How do Potok’s ideas endure today? This paragraph may only be one or two sentences. Short, snappy conclusions can really make a statement to your reader.
Research
You must use a minimum of three sources. Please use the EHS Online Databases to find at least two of these. You will hand in your sources along with your paper on Monday, September 14.
Grading
This assignment is meant to assess your existing research writing skills. You probably won’t know all the particulars about how to incorporate outside sources into your writing, but you should try your very best. Your grade will be based on the quality of your thesis statement, the quality of your sources, and the effort you make in completing the assignment.
In a one-page paper, answer this question:
How does your allusion enhance or illustrate a theme in the novel? In other words, how does your allusion help Potok convey an essential truth about life?
Organization by Paragraph
Paragraph 1: Begin your paper with an attention-getting quotation from Davita’s Harp. Then, link that quotation to the allusion you researched. End your introduction with a thesis statement, which is your answer to the question posed above.
Paragraph 2: The body paragraph of your paper should provide basic historical information about your allusion, as well as your specific ideas about why Potok chose to include this particular reference.
Paragraph 3: In your conclusion, link your allusion to a contemporary issue that also relates to the theme you’re discussing. How do Potok’s ideas endure today? This paragraph may only be one or two sentences. Short, snappy conclusions can really make a statement to your reader.
Research
You must use a minimum of three sources. Please use the EHS Online Databases to find at least two of these. You will hand in your sources along with your paper on Monday, September 14.
Grading
This assignment is meant to assess your existing research writing skills. You probably won’t know all the particulars about how to incorporate outside sources into your writing, but you should try your very best. Your grade will be based on the quality of your thesis statement, the quality of your sources, and the effort you make in completing the assignment.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Research an Allusion
In class on Thursday, Sept. 10 you will create a list, group, label on over 30 allusions that appear in Davita's Harp. An allusion is a reference of a literary or historic event or person. After your group works with the list of allusions to determine your prior knowledge on the terms, each student will select one term to research Thursday night for homework.
You need to find one credible Internet source for your term and bring that to class on Friday to be the expert on that term. We will sign up for terms in class on Thursday. Since the credibility of Wikipedia is debated throughout academia, you need to go beyond Wikipedia for this assignment. In fact, I want you to use one of the school's databases to find a credible source.
The EHS Media Center home page should be the first place you go for any research project in high school. Did you notice the hotlink to the media center's webpage in the last sentence? I will often embed links in blog posts that I want you to investigate.
Some of the databases require passwords, so check out the list below that has user name as U and password as P. Please print off these user names and passwords and tape them to your computer at home. I will only leave them live on the blog for a few days.
ABC-CLIO
U: ehornets
P: ehornets
Culture Grams
U: edina
P: hornets
EBSCO
U: edina
P: hornets
GALE
U: mnkedina
P: elm4you
Proquest
U: Of4crftbvf
P: welcome
SIRS at home
U: MN0307h
P: 55439
World Book
U: edina
P: worldbook
After you have found a credible Internet source that provides you with enough information to understand the allusion that you selected in class, please write a two or three sentence paraphrase of the information, basically explaining and defining the term for your classmates.
Type that paraphrase and post it in the comment section of this blog post. Be sure to sign your comment with your first name and last initial--no last names please since EHS's Web 2.0 code of ethics requires first names and last initial only. Your comment should also indicate the source of your information.
Remember that a paraphrase is your own words. If you copy and paste directly from an Internet site, you are not paraphrasing. You could easily be committing plagiarism if you don't document properly with quotation marks. So for this assignment, I want paraphrases only. Beware the CTRL C, CTRL V!
Here are the allusions and terms in Davita's Harp:
Book of Psalms
Pilgrim Smith
Pocahontas--Emily D.
George Sand
Joe Hill --Alex K.
Hitler
Stalin
Roosevelt--Nikki L.
Mussolini--Chris B.
Trotsky--Joe C.
Brownshirt
Blackshirt
Baba Yaga--Alice H.
Paul Bunyan
Johnny Appleseed
Baron Munchausen
Franco
materialism
rebellion
Coup d’etat --Isabel B.
anarchist
fascist--Eric H.
Karl Marx
Lenin--Tara G.
Jerusalem
Danzig--Katy H.
Debs
Social Workers Conference
Abraham Lincoln Brigade--Julia W.
Angelo Herndon--Olivia A.
Guernica--McKenna S.
Gehennom--James L.
Dante--Kelsey C.
Centralia--Sydney B.
Rabbi Akiva--Lily A.
Kaddish--Catherine L.
sabbath--
bar mitzvah--Ellen E.
pogrom--Natalie D.
Passover--Charley D.
Bolshevik--Justin N.
Basque
Yiddish
Mezuzah--Maria A.
Challah
Hasidim--Emily J.
Kosher--Danae Z.
Torah
Chanukkah--Emily H.
Talmud
Prayer shawl
Golem--Mary P.
Rabbinical Judaism--Bevlin J.
Purim--Paige T.
You need to find one credible Internet source for your term and bring that to class on Friday to be the expert on that term. We will sign up for terms in class on Thursday. Since the credibility of Wikipedia is debated throughout academia, you need to go beyond Wikipedia for this assignment. In fact, I want you to use one of the school's databases to find a credible source.
The EHS Media Center home page should be the first place you go for any research project in high school. Did you notice the hotlink to the media center's webpage in the last sentence? I will often embed links in blog posts that I want you to investigate.
Some of the databases require passwords, so check out the list below that has user name as U and password as P. Please print off these user names and passwords and tape them to your computer at home. I will only leave them live on the blog for a few days.
ABC-CLIO
U: ehornets
P: ehornets
Culture Grams
U: edina
P: hornets
EBSCO
U: edina
P: hornets
GALE
U: mnkedina
P: elm4you
Proquest
U: Of4crftbvf
P: welcome
SIRS at home
U: MN0307h
P: 55439
World Book
U: edina
P: worldbook
After you have found a credible Internet source that provides you with enough information to understand the allusion that you selected in class, please write a two or three sentence paraphrase of the information, basically explaining and defining the term for your classmates.
Type that paraphrase and post it in the comment section of this blog post. Be sure to sign your comment with your first name and last initial--no last names please since EHS's Web 2.0 code of ethics requires first names and last initial only. Your comment should also indicate the source of your information.
Remember that a paraphrase is your own words. If you copy and paste directly from an Internet site, you are not paraphrasing. You could easily be committing plagiarism if you don't document properly with quotation marks. So for this assignment, I want paraphrases only. Beware the CTRL C, CTRL V!
Here are the allusions and terms in Davita's Harp:
Book of Psalms
Pilgrim Smith
Pocahontas--Emily D.
George Sand
Joe Hill --Alex K.
Hitler
Stalin
Roosevelt--Nikki L.
Mussolini--Chris B.
Trotsky--Joe C.
Brownshirt
Blackshirt
Baba Yaga--Alice H.
Paul Bunyan
Johnny Appleseed
Baron Munchausen
Franco
materialism
rebellion
Coup d’etat --Isabel B.
anarchist
fascist--Eric H.
Karl Marx
Lenin--Tara G.
Jerusalem
Danzig--Katy H.
Debs
Social Workers Conference
Abraham Lincoln Brigade--Julia W.
Angelo Herndon--Olivia A.
Guernica--McKenna S.
Gehennom--James L.
Dante--Kelsey C.
Centralia--Sydney B.
Rabbi Akiva--Lily A.
Kaddish--Catherine L.
sabbath--
bar mitzvah--Ellen E.
pogrom--Natalie D.
Passover--Charley D.
Bolshevik--Justin N.
Basque
Yiddish
Mezuzah--Maria A.
Challah
Hasidim--Emily J.
Kosher--Danae Z.
Torah
Chanukkah--Emily H.
Talmud
Prayer shawl
Golem--Mary P.
Rabbinical Judaism--Bevlin J.
Purim--Paige T.
Davita's Harp Vocabulary
Chaim Potok loves words! Readers of Davita's Harp will especially notice this fact because Potok is often teaching words by defining them in context. Plus, Davita herself is on a never ending quest to improve her vocabulary, and her mother makes sure that she even understands the etymology of words. Remember the time when Davita thought, "I was not sure I understood, and asked her with a child's exasperation why she always needed to give me the old meanings of words, why couldn't she simply tell me what a word meant today?" (Potok 10). In fact, you could argue that Potok advances a theme that humans need to understand the world's history to avoid present and future conflicts, and education and a deep understanding of words is a key avenue of that global understanding.
Therefore, like Davita and her mother, you should also be on a lifelong quest to improve your vocabulary, and the best way to do that is to read, read, read!!
In the spirit of Potok we will embark on a quest to intimately know 500 common SAT vocabulary words by the end of this school year. You will even know the morphology of the words in case a word appears on the SAT test in a different form than our vocabulary list.
The words below appear in Davita's Harp, and they are on the list of 500 SAT vocabulary words to know that you will receive in class on Thursday, September 10. We will work with understanding these words in class, and you will have a vocabulary test on the words on Tuesday, September 22. The number in parenthesis indicates the page number the word first appears.
ruddy (10)
amiable (10)
luminescence (59)
radiant (60)
forlorn (65)
desolate (66)
buffet (73)
bourgeoisie (76)
gregarious (76)
poised (91)
formidable (93)
aloof (106)
spectral (119)
boisterous (124)
apocalypse (126)
accentuate (127)
portly (159)
envied (178)
incessant (185)
apparition (201)
illusion (202)
strife (202)
austere (205)
labyrinth (228)
lull (232)
abject (234)
tranquil (239)
taciturn (246)
rancid (257)
travesty (262)
dictate (263)
gluttonous (266)
pervasive (282)
slander 293
augment 296
frenetic (298)
brusque (300)
bereft (301)
inundate (307)
pliable (338)
gay (367)
Therefore, like Davita and her mother, you should also be on a lifelong quest to improve your vocabulary, and the best way to do that is to read, read, read!!
In the spirit of Potok we will embark on a quest to intimately know 500 common SAT vocabulary words by the end of this school year. You will even know the morphology of the words in case a word appears on the SAT test in a different form than our vocabulary list.
The words below appear in Davita's Harp, and they are on the list of 500 SAT vocabulary words to know that you will receive in class on Thursday, September 10. We will work with understanding these words in class, and you will have a vocabulary test on the words on Tuesday, September 22. The number in parenthesis indicates the page number the word first appears.
ruddy (10)
amiable (10)
luminescence (59)
radiant (60)
forlorn (65)
desolate (66)
buffet (73)
bourgeoisie (76)
gregarious (76)
poised (91)
formidable (93)
aloof (106)
spectral (119)
boisterous (124)
apocalypse (126)
accentuate (127)
portly (159)
envied (178)
incessant (185)
apparition (201)
illusion (202)
strife (202)
austere (205)
labyrinth (228)
lull (232)
abject (234)
tranquil (239)
taciturn (246)
rancid (257)
travesty (262)
dictate (263)
gluttonous (266)
pervasive (282)
slander 293
augment 296
frenetic (298)
brusque (300)
bereft (301)
inundate (307)
pliable (338)
gay (367)
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