The Book Thief Cover Project -LINKS

Book Cover Creator

Sample covers

Uganda's government response

KONY 2012 Debate

NYT KONY 2012 Discussion

Opposing Arguments to KONY 2012

Many of you have seen KONY 2012 on Facebook and Twitter.  Become informed before you join the campaign.

Things Fall Apart Web Quest

“Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter”

Directions:  Today you will be going on an internet based web quest to get a deeper sense of the historical and biographical references in the novel.  Things Fall Apart is a critically diverse novel that explores several different aspects African history, society, and culture.  Using google docs share your answers with me at bmarshall@rbchs.com

1.  Content Area- Geography:

Using the following links http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/countries.html and http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/countries/Nigeria.html

·         Draw a map of NIGERIA only.  Label cities, mountains, rivers, Highlight Igbo* (the setting for our novel)

·         Locate the 4 major peoples, identify and read the linked information.  Write down 1 fact per people!

·         Using the following link:  http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/people/Igbo.html

·         Read the information about the Igbo culture and people.  Identify 5 facts about the people. 

·         Using the back of your novel, or a site on the internet, write down 5 native Igbo words and their English translation.

·         Use the following links to research Igbo customs, foods, traditions, festivals, ceremonies, and the very important Kola Nut: 

http://www.igboguide.org/HT-chapter8.htm

http://www.igboguide.org/HT-chapter9.htm

http://www.igboguide.org/HT-chapter11.htm

Explain and identify the following:

o   FuFu (use Google search)

o   The Kola Nut

o   1 Igbo Tradition

o   1 Igbo Ceremony

o   1 Igbo Custom

 2.  The Author- Chinua Achebe

ACHEBE, Chinua,

full name Albert Chinualumogu Achebe (1930- ), Nigerian novelist, poet, broadcaster, and educator. He was born in Ogidi, an Ibo village near the Niger River, and educated at University College, Ibadan (1948-53) and the University of London (1953). From the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s he pursued a career in broadcasting, holding executive positions with the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation and the Voice of Nigeria. In recent decades he has held a succession of teaching posts, notably a professorship at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.

Achebe's first novel, Things Fall Apart (1958), set the theme for his subsequent work: the impact of Western influences on traditional African society. Among his later novels are Arrow of God (1964), A Man of the People (1966), and Anthills of the Savannah (1987). Achebe's other works include a short-story collection, Girls at War (1972), and Christmas in Biafra and Other Poems (1973), winner of the Commonwealth Poetry Prize.

Using the following link, and your own internet sourcing (NO Wikipedia!) http://www.learner.org/workshops/isonovel/Pages/Achebepage.html

research the life of Chinua Achebe.  Among the information you are looking for, answer the following questions:

1.    Achebe was born in the country of?  In what year?

2.    What village was he raised in?

3.    He graduated from where?

4.    Why did he leave Nigeria?

5.    Professor of English for what 2 American colleges?

6.    Became a famous ________ after he was appointed senior research fellow at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

7.    The Sunday Times of London named Achebe what?

8.    Achebe has how many honoray doctrites from universities all over the world?

9.    He currently lives and works where?

10. List 1 other piece he has written.

3.  Final Article:

Read the following article, and list 3 major issues in African history.

http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/history/giblinhistory.html

A Long Way Gone Blog #3

Chapter 12 and 13: When Beah arrives at the village of Yele how does his military life begin? Describe some of the ways the military trained the boys. Was it necessary to recruit children to become soldiers?  

Post your responses in complete sentences and add your name to the end of the responses for full credit.

This assignment is due by Monday 3/5 before class starts.

A Long Way Gone Blog #2

Chapter 8: Beah sees himself changing as a result of his challenges to survive. He says, “Our innocence had been replaced by fear and we had become monsters” (55).  Consider everything you know about Beah up to this point. Freewrite one page in which you reflect on this comment and what has happened to Beah so far. Do you agree that fear can make someone become a monster?

Post your responses in complete sentences and add your name to the end of the responses for full credit.

This assignment is due by Monday 2/27 before class starts.

A Long Way Gone Blog #1

Watch this interview and answer the following question.

1. Do you believe Ishmael's story will change your attitude towards war and violence? Provide one detail from the video that will helped you understand Beah's motivation for telling his story. 

Post your responses in complete sentences and add your name to the end of the responses for full credit.

This assignment is due by Tuesday 2/21st before class starts.

02.10.12  Rhetorical Analysis  


Watch one of the other candidates clips included on Anatomy of a Stump Speech.
Write down 5-10 phrases that stand out to you while you are watching.  
After viewing and note-taking create an enthymeme- logical equation that illustrates one of the main ideas the candidate wants to get across to his audience.


Post your enthymeme on the blog with your name and class period.

Fahrenheit 451

02. 02. 12  Fahrenheit 451 

An author can convey ideas by manipulating the reader's sympathies within the novel. Consider the following situations from the novel and tell which ones evoked sympathy and which ones evoked indifference.

• Mildred's suicide attempt
• Clarisse's disappearance
• Beatty's death 
• the stranger killed instead of Montag
• the death of the woman at 11 Elm
• the city's demise
• the isolation of the book people

Then select one case and indicate what the author's message might be while using a quote from the incident as support.

This assignment is due Monday  Feb. 6th by the end of the school day!

1.25.12 AD ANALYSIS

Here are three ads for you to analyze. You will follow the format we have been using in class by completing the Ad Analysis Sheet  Once you complete the analysis please post your personal response to one of the ads on the blog.  Make sure you write in complete sentences, and include your name and class hour.

Part One - The Hearth and the Salamander  and Part Two - The Sieve and the Sand
Choose one of the following to comment on before Monday Jan. 30th.
To receive full credit follow the steps below:

• Identify which question you are answering 
• Use complete sentences
• Quote the novel for support
• Include your name and class hour.

1. What are some of the things Montag now realizes about himself or society?

2. What are some similarities between the society in 451 and modern society?

3. "We must all be alike. Not everyone created equal as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal."
Is this possible? Do you agree or disagree? What has caused people to believe this concept?

1.30.12    DETECTING BIAS

Read some of the the entries in this blog.  Since it is anonymous you are unable to verify his information.  Based on the author's posts what can you assume about his values, beliefs and biases? http://shroudedindoubt.typepad.com/

Post one comment and support your observations through quoting a telling statement you found in the blog entries.

English 2 Honor Assignment

Logical Fallacy Scavenger Hunt

Using the internet find at least 4 types of logical fallacies used in some type of ad.  Use the link on my blog if you need another copy of the Ad Analysis Sheet.

In Google docs you will include a link to each ad or image and an explanation of how the logical fallacy was used to manipulate the audience.  Be sure to also identify the rhetorical situation.

EXTRA CREDIT  Watch this video about the Information Diet make post a personal response.  What do you think of the analogy and the issue presented? What do you think might contribute to the problem introduced in the video?  Are you guilty of information over-consumption?

Welcome!

In an effort to continue discussions outside of the classroom and provide additional materials I have created this blog for my English classes.  You will need to navigate to the correct page for each unit of study.

Since this is a new project, I welcome any comments or suggestions on how to improve this blog.