All classes (period 8 - you will have to wait until Monday...) due on Thursday, 11/5

Please answer these questions in your notebooks about the varying elements of Sumerian culture that shown through the epic of Gilgamesh?

What makes a good leader? Does Gilgamesh become one? how? What qualities does he exhibit?
How do the Sumerians feel about dreams?
What is the most important lesson Gilgamesh learns?
What do you feel is the most important lesson that Enkido learned was?
What is the meaning of life? What does this say about Sumerian culture?
What can you predict for Gilgamesh's future?

Gaining eternal life - flood mythology

Epic of Gilgamesh -

 http://eawc.evansville.edu/essays/brown.htm  - please read this essay on Storytelling and the Meaning of Life

How does this essay help you understand the myth better?

What do you learn? Do you agree or disagree wtih Arthur Brown's analsys and why?

Comment to this blog post by Tuesday, 11/3

i need to catch up with english work tonight, it is a must.

Gilgamesh Theater - presentations tomorrow and Monday

Please remember that when you come into your next class, you will be presenting the skits you wrote today... everyone in the group must be included.

The whole script will be original - everyone should have a copy of the script. You may read from the script.  You don't have to memorize.

We will finish all presentations in one period... this means cooperation, please. 

This is counting as an in-class group project.

Gilgamesh reading (Alex, Sophia, Michelle, David L, Chris)

"So the two warriors went to the armor makers, who made them weapons, as they watched them work."

For this passage our group interpreted that the two warriors are preparing for an adventure because the two warriors went to the armor makers to make weapons for them. When our group read this, our basic instincts tells us that they are about to venture on a quest.

"Huwawa's mouth is the fire; his roar is the roar of the flood water; he breathes and there is death."

In this passage our group noticed that the author used metaphor to describe Huwawa's strength.
"His roar is the roar of the flood water", this metaphor is to stress that Huwawa is powerful and can't be easily handled.


Alex Bao

Cultural projects

Please take your projects home ASAP.  We'd like to clear out the back of the room.

Thanks :)

Academic Lab - 10/28

If you are in my academic lab period 2 tomorrow... please bring your notebooks, springboard books, lit circle books and/or independent reading books.

Thanks

Gilgamesh - terminology

Today in class: 10/27
poetry terms:
couplet - a 2 line stanza in poetry
epithet - an adjective or adjective phrase that expresses characteristic qualities of the noun it modifies; a babbling brook or a swelling sea. Example from the text, "the strongest one of all," "the perfect," "the terror"
repetition - used to add emphasis in poetry to a particular phrase - sometimes to help establish a pattern structure

Gilgamest - Tablet 1

http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2007/2/07.02.01.x.html#b - taken from Yale Teaching Institute:
Gilgamesh


The epic of Gilgamesh examines the quest for eternal life, friendship, abuse of power, and relationships. The epic is divided into twelve tablets each detailing a different aspect of Gilgamesh's adventures. Gilgamesh is the historical king of Uruk during 2700 BCE. Sumerian tablets still survive detailing his adventures. The tablets of this epic were found in the library of Ashurbanipal, the king of Assyria.

Tablet One

Tablet One begins with Gilgamesh admiring the city walls of Uruk. Gilgamesh is 2/3 god and 1/3 human. He is a king who has superhuman abilities. These abilities are not something he does not know. He is not a kind king because of his youth and excessive pride. The people of Uruk call on the god, Anu, to help them against the rule of Gilgamesh. In response to the people, Anu created Enkidu, a wild beast of a man who lives in the forest. Enkidu is created to rival Gilgamesh and teach him humility and friendship.


While in the forest, a trapper comes across the wild, Enkidu, and Shamhat, a harlot, is sent to "tame" Enkidu with her sexuality.

If Enkidu gives in to this temptation, he will lose his strength and wildness, but will gain knowledge and understanding. Once his strength is lost, he is upset but learns he will be able to go into the city to meet Gilgamesh.

During this time, Gilgamesh has two dreams. Both dreams have something (a meteorite and an axe) arrive at his door. Gilgamesh's mother translates these dreams to mean that a great force will come to Uruk but will be a help to him both physically and mentally.

Student Journal Questions: (to be answered in your notebook by Thursday, 10/28)

- What makes a good leader?

- Does Gilgamesh have these qualities yet?

Deadline changes

Embedded assessment 2 will now be due on November 10th (Tuesday)

Lit. circle blogs will now be due on Friday, November 13th (you have a week extension)

Contrasting Voices - graphic organizer

to be used for your project and also in your independent reading and/or lit cirlces...
p.34 in Springboard

persona is a voice assumed by a writer that is not his or her own. 
try to visualize situations when trying to figure out which personas or voices you want to use for the project.

Preparing for your embedded assessment 2 - "What gives writing a voice?"

As you continue to work on your projects outside of class, here are some more activities to get you thinking:

in your Springboar books, look at pages 30-31 (those of you who still don't have books, please share with someone who does or ask someone to photocopy the pages for you.) (These are NOT required activities, but rather suggested ones to aid you in your assignment... I STRONGLY RECOMMEND you take the time to do them, as they will help you prepare your assignment.)

• What are the voices of the speaker? Highlight lines that indicate the speaker's identities.
• How does diction show identity? Highlight examples (diction - word choice)
• Who is the audience?
• What is the author's purpose?
• What is the speaker's attitude or tone? Make the text to show textual evidence.

You  can also apply these things to what you read in your independent reading... when you are identifying author's craft, you may want to talk about diction or tone... what does your author do that is successful to a reader?  Voice can also come across in passages about protagonist's quality or conflict.

Topics for Monday - things to think about...

What is a hero?
(all info taken from Teaching the Epic of Gilgamesh by Kristen Grandfield - Yale/New Haven Teaching Institute)

Epic poetry: The epic poem is a long, narrative poem detailing the adventure or journey of an epic hero. Early epics are the result of oral tradition and have eventually been written down after many years. The author's of the first epics are unknown because of the oral tradition. As time progressed, what is known as a secondary epic style developed and authors went to great lengths to write epics in the style of the early, or primary, epic poems.

The general characteristics of the epic poem are that initially epics were intended to be sung or recited, much like music today. The poems are often generated by times of struggle and adventure. For example, the Trojan War served as inspiration for the writing of Homer's epics. The epic hero is larger than life, even though he possesses normal human characteristics. His personality and abilities, however, are more super than those of everyday man.


The epic poem has a clear set-up and design. The poem begins with an invocation - this invocation calls on a muse or god to inspire divine intervention while telling the tale. In the invocation, the subject and the epic question are introduced.

The epic's language is literary and elevated. The language is used by all in the poem, from king to servant (even though epics rarely detail lives or actions of the servants). Epic conventions include: the invocation, the epic question, the epic or Homeric simile, the epithet, the confrontation between two adversaries, the element of "in medias res", and a battle or combat

"In media res" translates to "in the midst of action". Essentially, the poem begins in the middle or during the action. The audience learns background information and details as the epic progresses. The simile is much like the literary simile using "like" or "as"; however, the epic simile is full of description and helps to move the action along and to build suspense.

We will also be discussing the epic cycle and epic hero...

Objectives for teaching Gilgamesh - (Global history/World Lit)

The objectives for this unit are:



Objectives:


1 Read, write, speak, and listen to construct meaning from the reading of The Epic of Gilgamesh;

2 Read with understanding and respond thoughtfully to a variety of materials and writing prompts;

3 Students will write before, during and after reading. The writing will have students journaling, answering questions and writing pieces similar to the ones they are reading. Also, they will be revising initial writing and understanding of what is being read;

You will have some blog posts and journal entries to write into your notebooks from time to time at home...
 
Please consider the following for Monday,
What is a hero?

Gilgamesh - change of plans

After doing some more planning of my own, I've decided to trash the idea of you all reading it on your own... I think the text may be frustrating for you and that is NOT the intention of the assignment. 

So we will be spending time in class week, exploring Sumarian culture, through Gilgamesh... exploring passages

addressing ideas/terms such as:

• archetype
• hero
• social structure of Sumerian society
• qualities of a good ruler
• oral tradition/ storytelling
• translation
• civilization

We will be using skills such as:
cloze reading
analysis
jigsaw
breaking apart difficult texts
textual support
making historical connections with modern ideas.
writing about literature

Brainstorming for you 2 voices project

As you are all in a frenzy about what to do with project....

Start here -

Think about the many voices you use in a day -
How do you talk to your friends? peers on a team? close friends? aquaintances? parents? authority figures?

Do you act differently at school? on a playground? on a team? at work?

Do you struggle with ideas and work hard to reconcile some of your inner beliefs with the ones you outwardly address?

Do you write poetry? Do you have a hard time expressing yourself?

Do a personal survey of a day... who do you interact with? how do you interact with those people?

For example:
My day I start out as "mommy" - we will call this voice number 1
then I come to school and I am "Ms. Sackstein"
then I may talk on the phone with my mom and I am "daughter"
then I hang out with my friends and I'm just "Starr" - with different friends, I am different levels of such... etc.

Each one of the above people encompassed in me, have varying degrees of intensity... which level and/or situation do I want to portray?

I can do a monologue or a class lecture as a podcast or I can do a lesson with Logan while I help him with his homework...
or I can do a conversation with my mom
or maybe I can read a piece of my poetry.

For my written piece, I was thinking of exploring the conflict of the different lives I lead...
I could do a journal entry, or a poem, or a memoir or a news article or opinion piece... etc.

I hope this helps some of you get started... remember this assignment is due finished on 11/9.  I would like to see drafts with the finished product...

You can always ask for help... make a conference if you want one.  Contact me via email at ssackstein@wjps.org

2 of my voices - embededded assessment # 2 - grading criteria

These are the areas that will be graded: (as per the rubric on p. 51-52)

ideas:

• original texts skillfully demonstrate unique voices reflecting two different subcultures by:
• coherently communicating a message about the speaker, the speaker's group, or the speaker's part in a group
• clearly targeting that message to an inteded audience
• skillyfully employing vivid imagery and language (diction and syntax) to convey specific tones appropriate to teh purpose and audience.

Organization

• ideas are arranges in a way that perceptively supports a specific voice and communicates teh intended message
• The texts creatively and accurately relate to specific voices and are appropriately formatted.

Reflective text

• The reflection insightfully and thoroughly explains the writer's different voices
• it justifies using those voices for a given situation, audience and purpose by thoughtfully analyzing the significance of voice as necessary life skill and expression of identity.

Evidence of the writing process and rehearsal

• the texts and oral delivery demonstrate thoughtful planning, significant revision and careful editing in preparing publishable drafts and the final performance

Lit circle book blogs

Group members should be conducting their "conversations" for the book on the blog... based on your roles, you should be making posts daily or every other day to make sure the conversation is being had.  All group members must contribute to the blog.

period 8 - please do the following reflection in your notebook -(all other classes should have done it in class)

Please reflect on this project experience:

• What did you learn about yourself?
• What was your process like? (from beginning to end)
• What would you do differently?
• What challenges did you face?
• What did you learn about yourself as a learner?

How can this project help to build a classroom community of learners?

Cultural presentations

Thank you everyone who presented for sharing a little bit about themselves.  I'm amazed at how much I have learned about each of you and am eager to learn some more.

In class tomorrow we will be going over the second embedded assessment, so please bring your Springboard books and questions to class.

Next week is portfolio conferences, so you may want to take pictures of your whole project to upload to your eportfolio... you can just use your written piece as a part of that or anything else we have done in class so far.

More on this tomorrow.

10 object ABOUT YOUR SELF

Cultural presentations

Post something that you learned today about your classmates

Where I'm From - sample by Ms. Sackstein

“Where I’m From”

by Ms. S. Sackstein


I am from baseballs,
From Spaulding and Wilson.
I am from the kitchen table,
Round, wooden and always smelling of gourmet foods.
I am from the purple daisy, white rose and lush oak tree,
Large with limbs to swing on and climb
(Alive with adventure and excitement.)
I’m from Jewish holidays, loud laughter and family gathering together
From Joy and Nikki.
I’m from “You’ve got a friend,” sung by daddy to me at bedtime
And “have a great day smiley faces” in my lunch bag from my mom.

I’m from “always eat your vegetables or you can’t eat dessert!”
And “Brush your teeth before bed.”
I’m from 9 years of Hebrew school and Bar Mitzvahs,
But never going to temple except for weddings and funerals.
I’m from Hewlett and Eastern Europe, where my family immigrated from.
And stuffed cabbage rich with red gravy and hot noodle pudding that melts in my mouth.

From the story of generations passed
And my Bubbi’s wild pink hair
The paint on the walls and carpets
And terrible cello playing of my youth.
From family vacations to the Caribbean filled with snorkeling and sunshine,
Camping trips and singing “Let the Sun Shine in” around the fire.
Up all night smiling or crying
And warm hugs to come home to after playing kickball around the corner.
I’m from kissing boo-boos to make them better
And licking hot chocolate pudding out of the pot.

I’m from “you can do anything you put your mind to”
And “we believe in you.”
I’m from “You’re perfect the way you are.”

"Gilgamesh" reading a Sumerian myth

We will be reading Gilgamesh in class next week (October 26th - October 30th) - This is going to require some reading on your own time...

Monday - 10/26 - we will be introducing the myth in class
Tuesday - 10/27 - we will be doing a whole class reading of Tablet one
Wednesay - 10/28 - we don't have class, but in your academic lab, you should be working with groups to put together your tablet - each table will be responsible for one of the tablets- it would be a good idea to talk to your friends in other sections of the class and maybe work together in a larger group to understand meaning of the tablet - identify key plot points, establish varying qualities of the writing that others would be interested in knowing about - you should have notes provided for your sections for the class on chart paper with textual references as you present

Thursday - 10/28- begin jigsaw presentations
Friday - 10/29 - complete jigsaw presentation

http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/

Here are the assignments by table:

Tablet 1- whole class
Tablet 2 - Table 1
Tablet 3 - Table 2
Tablet 4 - Table 3
Tablet 5 - Table 4
Tablet 6 - Table 5
Tablet 7 - Table 6
Tablet 8 - Table 7
Tablet 9 - Table 8
Tablet 10 - whole class
Tablet 11 - whole class

Embedded Assessment # 2 - Presenting Two of my voices due Nov. 9th (Monday)

The second half of this unit to finish up the idea of modern cultural voices is to explore the idea of voice.  You will be doing some work outside of class and some inside of class.  Please read the below assignment and post your questions.

Here is your assignment: (from page 49)

Assignment:
Your assignment is to write two original texts that reflect two distinctive voices you possess.  You will share one in an oral presentation (podcast) and the other in a written text.  Each text should demonstrate how you present yourself in two different contexts, roles, or subcultures.

Steps:

1. Review your notes about your culture and the groups (subcultures) to which you belong.  Look back at your brainstorming about voices you possess and the graphic organizer in which you described the ways you speak and the topics you normally discuss
2. Choose 2 voices or roles you would be willing to share.
3. Now, begin brainstorming new ideas for your 2 pieces by considering the people you might address in each role.  Are there particular individuals you speak to often using a specific voice? Or might your pieces represent the thoughts in your head (an interior monologue) rather than be directed to a specific individual?
4. Once you have identified 2 roles or voices, topics and an audience, consider your purpose and select appropriate genres in which to showcase your ideas.

Drafting

1. In an authentic voice, craft a rough draft of each piece.  Consider your diction, tone, imagery, and syntax.  The two pieces you create should be distinctly different in style, content, context and voice.
2. Consider which voice would be most appealing as an oral presentation to an audience of your peers and which voice you m ight prefer to present in writing.
3. In your podcast, you might include a formal introduction, or you might begin by hooking your audience by opening your presentation "in character." In either case, be sure you demonstrate the voice rather than simply describe it.  you may want to use clothing and props that would illuminate your presenation and voice.

Revising

1. Create notes for your podcast, highlighting sections you will say loudly or softly, noting what facial expressions you will use, and indicating places you will pause.
2. Rehearse your piece several times. Get feedback on your presentation.  Be sure tha tyour delivery is smooth and that your listeners will be able to perceive your verbal and nonverbal cues.
3. Once you have completed revisions, prepare a final copy for submission due Monday, November 9th.
4. Write a reflection that explains the different voices you portrayed in your pieces. In your reflection, explain why using the appropriate voice for a given situation, audience, and purpose coudl be considered a necessary survival skill in the 21st century.

Due for tomorrow (Tuesday, 10/20)

Your first embedded assessment - Cultural project exploring your own cultural perspective.

Your "Where I'm From" poem.  This should be typed and brought to class printed for display.

Thanks.

Embedded assessment #1 due on Tuesday 10/20

If you are still confused about your cultural project due on Tuesday, please come see me today after 8th period in room 351...

I will go over it one more time...
2:20 in room 351.

Thanks

World mythology

In class today we defined mythology as a body or collection of stories belonging to a people and addressing their history, deities, ancestors and heroes.

Each group read a different myth from a different culture and hopefully learned something about a culture it was not familiar with...

Please post the culture your myth was about and what you learned through their story... and consider what your own myths share about your culture while putting together your 3D gallery of personal artificats.

Something interesting from the Denver Post

The best part of an interesting commentary in today's Denver Post...




"Gen Y: Strive for a more complete skill set" -- http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_13527584

By John Bersia

McClatchy-Tribue



Next, she (Gillian Sorensen, senior adviser at the United Nations Foundation, and a former high-level official under two U.N. secretaries-general, Kofi Annan and Boutros Boutros-Ghali) turns to writing. To write clearly and succinctly, what Sorensen calls "lean prose," is critically important. The ability to produce a memo, research report, speech, persuasive letter, statement or other item — and to do so quickly and accurately — is absolutely essential, she says.



Finally, Sorensen urges, students should get into the habit of reading, on a daily basis, the news of the world. One of her personal preferences is her hometown newspaper, but she fully understands young people gravitate toward the Internet, where they can find similar information — and electronic versions of many newspapers free of charge. She cautions, though, they should consult serious sources of news and more than just one. If reading the news of the world becomes a habit over time, you build your knowledge base, awareness and ability to question and challenge, she says; it is a form of continuing education.



In a period of uncertainty, rapid change and economic disruption, I cannot think of better advice for young people.

When you post your blogs....

Please make sure you guys tell me who is your group...

Covert Bird... who's blog is that? Please email me off the blog... with group names
Who is responsible for this blog? Who is in the group? I'd like to be able to give you credit for doing your work. Make sure you post the roles and the schedule your group came up with.

Inviting me and your classmates to your blogs for lit circles

Go into settings on the tab of your blog
Then go to permissions
Then add authors
Make sure to type in everyone's email addresses

Lit circle assignments

Today in class you got your assignments... you should plan to finish this book by 11/6

You should have - assigned roles, set a schedule and collected everyone's emails

The discussion director will set up your blog for the group... you must invite me too at ssackstein@wjps.org

You will post your schedule
You will post the roles of everyone in the group
You will be discussing the novel on the blog...  based on the questions you come up with... each of your roles will need posts... I will be checking in.

Summary and Analysis

Summary and analysis differ in multiple ways.

A summary is a comprehensive and usually brief statement about your current literature that includes at least three out of the five "W's" and one "H" .

An analysis states questions and answers how literary devices function in the literature and what they signify, and have a deeper look into something.

Summaries are usually short, and briefly stated. Its direct to the point while it is retelling something. A summary does not state some ones opinion which is makes it simpler to state facts.

Yet on the other hand, an analysis is an in depth long supported statement. It usually conveys some ones opinion while it uses directed quotes from the text. Analysis' are interpretations using a better vocabulary supported by reasons as to why or how something works.

Independent Reading Assignment #1 due tomorrow

Please make sure you email me your assignment by tomorrow - it should be a google.doc, but an email with attachment will be fine (ssackstein@wjps.org

Make sure you use your WJPS email account
Make sure you give the title and author of the novel
All passages should be in quotation marks and should have page numbers
There should be 10 DIFFERENT passages and separate analysis for each
They should be clearly labeled with each component..

Tomorrow in class will be a lit circle day NOT independent reading
The next Independent Reading assignment is due 11/6

Creating an Artistic Representation of my culture - due 10/20

Assignment:
Your assignment is to create a three-dimensional artistic representation of your culture and compose a written text that explains the significance of two of the symbols you have chosen to represent yourself.

Steps:
Planning:

1. Use the graphic organizer on the next page to generate a list of symbols that represent the cultures with which you identify
2. Select 2 symbols for each category (a total of 10) and think of an artistic method for making each symbol.  You may use painting, sculture, collage, found materials, watercolors, cut paper, ik, pastels, and/or actual artifacts or souvenirs, and so on.  Remember that your final product must be three dimensional, not a flat surface.

Creating:

1. Collect and/or create the objects for your artistic representation
2. then choose two symbols from the ten you have created that are especially meaningful to you.  Write two paragraphs that explain the significance of the two symbols.

Refining:

1. Experiment with various arrangements until you find a way to display the 10 objects that is aesthetically pleasing and engages your audience.
2. As you look at your artistic representation, try to anticipate questions that your audience might have.  Practice answering the questions aloud.
3. When your evise your written explanation of the significance of your symbols, try to incorporate answers to those anticipated questions into your explanation
4. Edit your written explanation using the tools available to you to presentan error-free text
5. Be prepared to share and explain your artistic representation of your culture to a small group or in a gallery walk
6. Reflection: did people read my symbols in the way that I thought they would? Hwo might I revise accordingly?

Reminders for Monday

Don't forget to bring your Spring Board books to class with you tomorrow and Tuesday.

PLEASE DON'T FORGET :)

World news... what interests you?

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/world/index.html

Have a look at the world news from the NY Times today...

What is of interest of you?  What do you learn about other places?

Modern cultural voices.... what do they say?

Class cultural quilt

On Monday we will be starting a two day project to create a class cultural quilt.  If you can bring in photos or culturally significant items that would be easily glued into something for a wall hanging (i.e. not any objects... pictures of objects are preferred.)

We will also be going over the embedded assessment... I know there has been a lot of confusion.  Please bring in all specific questions about the assignment to class on Monday.

See everyone on Monday.  Thanks for your well wishes.  I'm feeling much better. :)

Lit Circle books

were not supposed to go home with anyone today.  Please bring them back to school on Monday.
Thanks

Lit circles

Please discuss the books that you are most interested in reading for the lit circles here and why. 

See everyone on Monday.  Thank you for your well wishes.  I'm sure I will be great by then.

Ms. S
 (I also promise to spend class time going over the project... I promise :)

Project clarification

Please think about things that represent your culture... fill out the graphic organizer regarding your topic... start writing about these things...

We will discuss on Monday, I promise, the details of the assignment. 

Culture through Literature

In class today we read an excerpt of a memoir entitled, "Funny in Farsi".  We discussed what we learned about Irani culture from the details given in the story.  We also talked about how other people outside of our country view America...

the term irony came up because a lot of students didn't think the story was that funny...

When you are selecting your lit. circle books in class tomorrow... I really want you to focus on learning about the cultures you are reading about... what do you learn about their traditions?

This will all help you with your embedded assessment - Which isn't due until Tuesday, 10/20 - Presentations of those projects will begin that day as well.

Embedded Assessment #1 is due on 10/20

Your projects are due on 10/20 and presentations will begin.  All students are required to present their projects to the class.