Friday, 12 November 2010

Students continue to read  "The Birthmark." Once they have finished reading the story and taking notes on their Analyzing Relationships sheet, the students use their notes, and our earlier discussion to write two paragraphs about Alymer and Georgiana's relationship and beauty in the story. 

Thursday, 11 November

Students will begin reading "The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne today.
We begin by discussing Beauty in groups of 4 using Jim Burke's Conversational Round-table. The students discuss what beauty meant in the Past, what it means in the present, what it could mean in the future, and what beauty is in other cultures. Once they have brainstormed ideas all the way around then they write a summary definition using all of their conversation notes.

Once we have finished discussing, students begin reading.

Friday, November 5th, 2010

The plan for today was to discuss symbolism and finish reading "The Minister's Black Veil."

I wanted to the students to brainstorm a variety of things that the veil could symbolize and pick one that made the most sense to them and write a bit about it.

I also had a vocabulary workout for them with words from the story.

However, I was absent today and the sub merely handed out the worksheets and let the students do them on their own.

Thursday, November 4

Literature Day!
Today we are begining to read "The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

I began the class with a Freewrite.
I gave the students two options for writing today
1. Does sin exist? If so, what is sin? And, should it remain hidden or be revealed through confession or punishment?
2. Is humanity primarily evil or good? Why?

I asked them to choose to write about one topic or the other.

After the students write for 5 minutes. We discuss both questions as a class.
I use the discussion to segue into the story on page 71 of The American Tradition textbook.
The students decide as a class whether they want to read alone or popcorn.