All Boys, All Blogged: April 1, 2015

Focus: What are Bradbury's themes, and how did he use symbolism to construct them?

Happy April, everybody!

1. Warming up with F451's central symbols

With your partners, explore the symbol you've been given using these steps:

a. Draw/cut out what your symbol looks like. The more detailed, the better. 

b. Find one or two good quotations from the book that describes your symbol. Write it on your symbol.

c. Brainstorm all the larger ideas your symbol represents in this book; try to find variation (it represents _______, but it also reveals ______). Be prepared to defend your thinking.


2. Finding patterns among the symbols to form larger themes

On our class blog, try one (or more) of these:

Bradbury uses the symbols of ____________ and ___________ to warn us that...

Bradbury uses the symbols of ____________ and ___________ to criticize our society for...

Bradbury uses the symbols of ____________ and ___________ to encourage people to...



2. Explaining how to set up your notes for The Truman Show (click HERE for a trailer)

Please start a new document called "___________ (your last name) Truman Show Notes" and share it with me directly at kleclaire@lps.k12.co.us

This document will eventually be worth 40 points in the growth category.

Include the following categories in your notes:

a. Characters: Names, personality traits, clothes, things they say

b. Motifs/symbols: Specific objects that seem symbolic, what they might represent, and how they change throughout the film

c. Questions: Level 1, 2, and 3 questions; try to answer them at the end of the film

d. Connections to Fahrenheit 451: Be specific and original (these will form the backbone of your essay)


3. Starting The Truman Show

HW:
1. Start studying words 16-30 in your F451 vocabulary packets; quiz this Friday.

2. If you're delivering your banned book speech this Friday, start preparing and rehearsing.

3. Remember that this Friday marks the end of the second six-week grading period; if you have any makeup work (missed fishbowl blogs, reading journals that you need to revise/do for the first time, etc), it must be completed by this Friday.

All Boys, All Blogged: March 31, 2015

Focus: What aspects of our society is Bradbury warning us about?

1. Warming up: Questioning so called "reality" TV

Viewing a quick clip on The Hunger Games and how "reality" TV affects our lives

Brainstorming a few concepts together...

a. What is reality TV?

b. What types/genres of reality TV have you noticed?

c. To what extent is reality TV real, and to what extent is it fake?

d. Why do you think reality TV has become so popular? Why do we watch it?

e. In Fahrenheit 451, how does TV fictionalize the end of Montag's chase?  Why?

For ideas, please peruse this article on reality TV.


2. Enjoying our final fishbowl together: The ending of Fahrenheit 451

3. Wrapping up: What is your big takeaway from this novel?

HW:
1. Start studying words 16-30 in your F451 vocabulary packets; quiz this Friday.

2. If you're delivering your banned book speech this Friday, start preparing and rehearsing.

All Boys, All Blogged: March 20, 2015

Focus: What makes a speech effective? And why do books get banned?

1. Warming up with a quick round of circle story time using our new vocabulary words

2. Enjoying our first banned book persuasive speeches:

Anthony C.

Reid C.

Colin F.

Max M.

Will R.

Will H.

Connor D.

3. Tackling your final F451 reading assignment (green journals due Tuesday)

HW:
1. Finish F451 and your final journal entries by Tuesday; prepare for our last fishbowl, also Tuesday.

2. Have a great spring break!

All Boys, All Blogged: March 30, 2015

Focus: What larger patterns are coming clear in F451?

1. Designing your ideal playground, comparing it to today's vanilla playgrounds, and reading about "The Overprotected Kid"

Before you read...

• Design your ideal playground (sketch it or describe it in words).  Create it from bottom to top, starting with what the ground would be made of, what the playground itself would be made of, what equipment it would have (if any equipment at all), how tall it would be, what colors it would have, etc.

• How do think your playground compares to playgrounds today?

As you read the article, please respond to these questions in your F451 notes (feel free to watch the videos, but please use earbuds or turn the volume off)...

• What is "The Land," and what makes it unique?

• What's happened to our playgrounds over the years and why?

• What is problematic about today's playgrounds?

After you read, please get together with the "I Like People/Grid" groups to which you have been previously assigned and discuss the following topics: 

BE SURE TO TAKE NOTES AND TURN IN YOUR SHEET AT THE END OF CLASS.

• Does "The Land" appeal to you? Why don't we have playgrounds like this in the U.S.?

• In your opinion, can playgrounds affect the kind of people we become? How so (or not)?

• What connections can you make between this article and F451?

2. Finishing F451 and your reading journals for tomorrow; this part of class should be quiet and independent.

HW:
1. Finish reading F451 and completing your reading journal; you will turn in your journal tomorrow, and it should be finished by this point. Our final discussers and leaders need to be ready to go tomorrow.

2. Prepare your banned book persuasive speech if you're delivering it this Friday.

3. This Friday marks the end of a 6-week grading period; all revisions, missed work (including missed fishbowl blogs), and late work from the past six weeks must be submitted by Friday in order to receive credit.

All Boys, All Blogged: March 19, 2015

Focus: Is Montag becoming a hero?

1. Warming up with some thoughts on your upcoming banned book speeches

a. What's the first thing you're going to say to us?
b. How are you going to use the glowing screen behind you?

A sample bad presentation
A sample good presentation

2. Offering you a few types of heroes...does Montag fit any of these categories?

3. Enjoying our penultimate fishbowl discussion: F451, pages 102-129

HW:
1. Finish putting words 16-30, "incessant" through "prattle" into www.quizlet.com; we will do a little review of the words after spring break to prepare you for the quiz on Friday. (Quiz is postponed until after spring break).

2. Prepare for our final fishbowl discussion on Tuesday, March 31 on F451 and completing your final green reading journal/observation chart. Reading charts will be collected for the final time on Tuesday.

3. Work on your banned book speech. If you are absent or not ready to go on the day you signed up for, you automatically lose 10 points on your presentation.

All Boys, All Blogged: March 18, 2015

Focus: What turning point are we approaching in F451?

1. Warming up with some thoughts on your upcoming banned book speeches

a. What's the first thing you're going to say to us?
b. How are you going to use the glowing screen behind you?

A sample bad presentation
A sample good presentation

2. Asking a Level 2 question about page 110 (final page of Part 2)

3. Entering Part 3 of F451 together, reading and journaling

HW:
1. Finish putting words 16-20, "incessant" through "prattle" into www.quizlet.com; we will do a little review of the words in class tomorrow to prepare you for the quiz on Friday. (Quiz is postponed until after spring break).

2. Prepare for tomorrow's fishbowl discussion by reading through page 139 in F451 and completing at least one side of a green reading journal/observation chart.

3. Work on your banned book speech. If you are absent or not ready to go on the day you signed up for, you automatically lose 10 points on your presentation.

All Boys, All Blogged: March 17, 2015

Focus: What are Montag and Faber fighting for?

1. Warming up with a poetry contest: Unraveling the poem Bradbury includes in  F451: "Dover Beach"

a. Tell me the story of each stanza. In other words, put each stanza into your own words (look up any vocab you don't know).

b. Tell me everything you know about the poem's speaker.

c. Find an important metaphor and explain it to me carefully (what is being compared to what and why?).

d. Find three images, each appealing to a different sense, and explain what they contribute to the poem.

e. Describe what you think is the poem's tone. Defend your response with two details from the poem.

f. Identify what you see as an important shift in the poem, and explain the nature of the shift.

g. Find one important allusion in the poem. Look up that allusion, and explain why the poem might make this particular allusion. In other words, what does it contribute to the poem.

h. What do you think its the poem's theme? In other words, what lesson is it trying to teach us?

i. Of all the poems in the entire world, why might Bradbury include this one in F451? (You will be coming across it in tonight's reading). In other words, how does this theme of this poem overlap with the ideas in F451?

j. Ask one good level 3 question that pertains to this poem.

(P.S. This is a contest.  The best poetry explication gets a prize.)

2. Enjoying Fishbowl #5: F451, pages 80-102

3. Wrapping up by responding to the focus question

HW:
1. Read through the end of Part 2 (page 110); tomorrow, we will start reading Part 3 together so that you can be prepared for Fishbowl discussion on Thursday, which will cover reading through page 139.

2. Start putting your F451 words 16-25, "incessant" through "prattle" in www.quizlet.com (quiz this Friday).