May 23

GET OUT A SHEET OF PAPER AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING PROMT.

Journal: When do you feel like  you are least wasting your life? Explain. 1/2 page

To help you, we will listen to John Green's discussion of the book. Fahrenheit 451


Then we will take quiz 5 over the book
Interview with Ray Bradbury over the book
Fan made creative trailer that could be made for a new movie of the book















Study Guide Flash Cards

Extra vocabulary from Fahrenheit 451

May 21

Study Guide Flash Cards

Extra vocabulary from Fahrenheit 451

Journal: When do you feel like  you are least wasting your life? Explain. 1/2 page

May 19

* Journal: Find your favorite part of the book and tell me what you like about it.
3/4 page
If you haven't finished the book, read during the time that others write the journal and do it at home

*Vocabulary game
*Finish cartoon

Vocabulary for the week, which you must memorize by Tuesday. 
I will not remind you to study
Copy all definintions and sentences. 5 pts. Do not take a picture with your phone.
1. Complement:  Something that completes makes up a whole or brings to perfection
This vase complements the decor and environment of the kitchen.

2. Homely:

Not attractive or good looking

Don't be mean to that dog simply because he is homely.
3. Invigorate:  To energize or enlighten
I guarantee you that an invigorating walk will make you feel better.
4. Hone: To perfect or make more intense or effective
With practice, you will hone your skills in horseback riding.

5. Torrent

A flood or overwhelming amount

After we broke up, I felt a torrent of emotion.
6. Oracle: A person considered to be a prophet
Odysseus went to the Underworld to see the great oracle Tiresias.
7. Discourse: A formal, lengthy discussion
We had a lengthy discourse concerning the best soccer team in the world.
8. Beatific: Showing or performing great joy
She inhaled deeply and a beatific smile brightened her face
9. Perfunctory: He completed it in a perfunctory manner and did a sloppy job
10. Chaff: worthless material, such as the leaves that must be separated from wheat grains
No real attempt has been made to sift so much chaff, in order to find how much of value may be present.
Now, write a short story using five of the words in context--5 pts. 
When you finish, read Fahrenheit 451.
No talking will be permitted today.
Nobody will use the hall pass.
Bring a water bottle if you think you will ever need a drink
Sit in your assigned seat and do  not get up
Home calls to all students who do not follow directions

May 15, 2014

(15 min )1. Read quietly to the end of the book for Monday. You must finish over the weekend
2. Hand in yesterday's journal, which was to respond to the following quote:  “We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?“  ~Ray Bradbury in Fahrenheit 451 (Note: when responding to a quote you may agree, disagree, argue, discuss, express opinions, provide examples, etc,–whatever the quote brings up in your mind. If it's hard for you to come up with 1/2 page, you should explain to me why it is important to be bothered sometimes. Remember, the characters in the book aren't bothered by anything--but they should be! There is a famous political bumper sticker that says, "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention," which is a similar idea. There are problems in our society and it's too bad when people just sit back and don't feel upset enough to do something about them). Think about problems in our society that we should be bothered about: American
3. Discuss the following issue that relates to being bothered by disturbing things: 
Do you feel that the media in this country should show pictures and video footage of dead American soldiers killed in action? 
4. Using a sheet of printer paper, illustrate a scene from the book. 15 points. You may work with a partner

• Picture--no stick figures
• Two people talking
• Speech bubble
• 10-20 words summariizing the part of the book depicted in your picture

Review vocabulary

May 14

Vocabulary for the week, which you must memorize by Tuesday. 
I will not remind you to study
Copy all definintions and sentences. 5 pts. Do not take a picture with your phone.
1. Complement:  Something that completes makes up a whole or brings to perfection
This vase complements the decor and environment of the kitchen.

2. Homely:

Not attractive or good looking

Don't be mean to that dog simply because he is homely.
3. Invigorate:  To energize or enlighten
I guarantee you that an invigorating walk will make you feel better.
4. Hone: To perfect or make more intense or effective
With practice, you will hone your skills in horseback riding.

5. Torrent

A flood or overwhelming amount

After we broke up, I felt a torrent of emotion.
6. Oracle: A person considered to be a prophet
Odysseus went to the Underworld to see the great oracle Tiresias.
7. Discourse: A formal, lengthy discussion
We had a lengthy discourse concerning the best soccer team in the world.
8. Beatific: Showing or performing great joy
She inhaled deeply and a beatific smile brightened her face
9. Perfunctory: He completed it in a perfunctory manner and did a sloppy job
10. Chaff: worthless material, such as the leaves that must be separated from wheat grains
No real attempt has been made to sift so much chaff, in order to find how much of value may be present.
Now, write a short story using five of the words in context--5 pts. 
When you finish, read Fahrenheit 451.
No talking will be permitted today.
Nobody will use the hall pass.
Bring a water bottle if you think you will ever need a drink
Sit in your assigned seat and do  not get up
Home calls to all students who do not follow directions

May 13--one month to go!

Journal: On page 122 in Fahrenheit 451 there is a passage in which a car full of boys almost hits Montag as he is crossing the street. It appears that they truly want to kill him. Why would boys do this? After reading the following article, I want you to write 2 paragraphs
1. telling me what they did and why you think they did it
2. what is the message to us


The 5 Hidden Reasons Men Commit Acts of Violence
Take 1/2 to 3/4 page of notes




FOR STUDENTS WHO MISSED YESTERDAY, HERE'S WHAT WE DID. HAND IN TOMORROW
Today we will be writing nature poems. Use Mary Oliver's "The Summer Day" as a model.

The Summer Day

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean-- the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down--

who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,

which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

Mary Oliver, The House Light Beacon Press Boston, 1990.

Write your own nature poem today. Here's the process I'd like you to follow:

1. Pick one object in nature.         Either sit and look at the natural world or remember a time when you were in nature. 
2. Then write a list of ten very specific observations about the object.

The best way to do this is to focus on something like Mary Oliver's grasshopper and write down details. These details will not be confined to the object you are focusing on but will include your surroundings.

3. Now describe the object using imagery or other poetic devices, like simile. 

Think in terms of how you perceive it and then write five images describing that place or thing 

(what you see, hear, smell, feel) Your descriptions of images might include wording similar to the following: "colorless and frail," "a watercolor painted peak," "like little devil horns"(simile) "behind hugging trees,"  (imagery; personification)"plastic imposter" (metaphor) "kids lightly, freely, innocently tossing the ball"  "on a morning like this, even the trash is beautiful"

5.(optional: Write your thoughts concerning at least one of these things)

6. Rewrite everything, making it a poem. 

Ripley's poem--An example of how to write the poem

1. Write a list of ten very specific things that you love about nature. Riplee's example is her camping spot

• 1. Camping spot on the Alcea river
• 2. Our cabin
• 3. Path to the edge of the water
• 4. Bright reflection of light off the water
• 5. Warm sun on my skin
• 6. Cold water
• 7. The rock where we dove in
• 8. The smooth texture of the rock
• 9. Laughter
• 10. The feeling of the water making my hair float in the water

2, 3 Describe five aspects of that place or thing 

• The camping spot lies next to the water's edge
•  there are tall trees, that give you 
• The trail of sand leads down to the babbling brook 
• The light is beautiful with blankets of shade and spots of sun
• The water is cold
• There is a rock with ridges and holes
• I dive in head first into the sparkling water
• the water makes my hair float in the water

5. Write your thoughts concerning at least one of the images
I feel free at the camping spot lies next to the water's edge

I'm at the height of pure bliss

I feel enclosed but free

Baking in the sun, you long for the cold water 

and give in to the desire.



6. Rewrite everything, making it a poem. 

We have a place on the Alce where your freedom is found, A place of pure bliss. A place with the tall trees, that give you blankets of shade and spots of sun. The trail of sand that leads down to the babbling brook and open rocks. Baking in the sun, you long for the cold water and give in to the desire. The awkward rock with ridges and holes, running out to jump, you meet the water, head first. Enclosed but free, looking up at the sparkling water, and wavy sun. For a second you wait at the height of pure bliss.

Examples of other nature poems
Wild Geese, by Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver reading her poem: Wild Geese
Text for Wild Geese

May 12, 2014

Today we will be writing nature poems. Use Mary Oliver's "The Summer Day" as a model.

The Summer Day

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean-- the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down--

who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,

which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

Mary Oliver, The House Light Beacon Press Boston, 1990.

Write your own nature poem today. Here's the process I'd like you to follow:

1. Pick one object in nature.         Either sit and look at the natural world or remember a time when you were in nature. 
2. Then write a list of ten very specific observations about the object.

The best way to do this is to focus on something like Mary Oliver's grasshopper and write down details. These details will not be confined to the object you are focusing on but will include your surroundings.

3. Now describe the object using imagery or other poetic devices, like simile. 

Think in terms of how you perceive it and then write five images describing that place or thing 

(what you see, hear, smell, feel) Your descriptions of images might include wording similar to the following: "colorless and frail," "a watercolor painted peak," "like little devil horns"(simile) "behind hugging trees,"  (imagery; personification)"plastic imposter" (metaphor) "kids lightly, freely, innocently tossing the ball"  "on a morning like this, even the trash is beautiful"

5.(optional: Write your thoughts concerning at least one of these things)

6. Rewrite everything, making it a poem. 

Ripley's poem--An example of how to write the poem

1. Write a list of ten very specific things that you love about nature. Riplee's example is her camping spot

• 1. Camping spot on the Alcea river
• 2. Our cabin
• 3. Path to the edge of the water
• 4. Bright reflection of light off the water
• 5. Warm sun on my skin
• 6. Cold water
• 7. The rock where we dove in
• 8. The smooth texture of the rock
• 9. Laughter
• 10. The feeling of the water making my hair float in the water

2, 3 Describe five aspects of that place or thing 

• The camping spot lies next to the water's edge
•  there are tall trees, that give you 
• The trail of sand leads down to the babbling brook 
• The light is beautiful with blankets of shade and spots of sun
• The water is cold
• There is a rock with ridges and holes
• I dive in head first into the sparkling water
• the water makes my hair float in the water

5. Write your thoughts concerning at least one of the images
I feel free at the camping spot lies next to the water's edge

I'm at the height of pure bliss

I feel enclosed but free

Baking in the sun, you long for the cold water 

and give in to the desire.



6. Rewrite everything, making it a poem. 

We have a place on the Alce where your freedom is found, A place of pure bliss. A place with the tall trees, that give you blankets of shade and spots of sun. The trail of sand that leads down to the babbling brook and open rocks. Baking in the sun, you long for the cold water and give in to the desire. The awkward rock with ridges and holes, running out to jump, you meet the water, head first. Enclosed but free, looking up at the sparkling water, and wavy sun. For a second you wait at the height of pure bliss.

Examples of other nature poems
Wild Geese, by Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver reading her poem: Wild Geese
Text for Wild Geese

May 9

Summary of Fahrenheit 451 to help you understand the book:
Sparknotes Burning Bright, part 1
Sparknotes Burning Bright, part 2

Here's a YouTube video of a teacher reading the entire book to his students. Some of you prefer reading along to an audio book, so I thought I'd include this for you.
Fahrenheit 451, The Hearth and the Salamander, part 1 of 2
Fahrenheit 451, The Hearth and the Salamander, part 2 of 2

Fahrenheit 451, The Seive and the Sand

Fahrenheit 451, Burning Bright, part 1 of 2

Fahrenheit 451 Burning Bright, part 2 of 2

Vocabulary for tomorrow: Fahrenheit 451 Vocabulary, part II

Remember the firemen are rarely necessary. The public stopped reading of its own accord. You firemen provide a circus now and then at which buildings are set off and crowds gather for the pretty blaze, but its a small sideshow indeed, and hardly necessary to keep things in line. So few want to be rebels anymore. And out of those few, most, like myself, scare easily. 

Everyone must leave something in the room or left behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there. 

 'Stuff your eyes with wonder,' he said, 'live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.

May 7, 2014

Great Quotes from Fahrenheit 451
Copy the following quote and then answer the three questions to the best of your ability Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy of truth and freedom, the solid unmoving cattle of the majority. Oh, God, the terrible tyranny of the majority.
Questions: 
1. What is "the majority" in the book Fahrenheit 451?
2. In what way are most people ("the majority") tyrannical? (A tyrant is a person who unjustly oppreses (controls) people)
3. People often talk of peer pressure, which is an example of the majority controlling you. Give an example of a time in your life when people have tried to control your thinking or actions. Then tell how you responded. Your example does not need to involve peer pressure, but it does need to relate to the ideas in the quote. 






Remember the firemen are rarely necessary. The public stopped reading of its own accord. You firemen provide a circus now and then at which buildings are set off and crowds gather for the pretty blaze, but its a small sideshow indeed, and hardly necessary to keep things in line. So few want to be rebels anymore. And out of those few, most, like myself, scare easily. 

Everyone must leave something in the room or left behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there. 

 'Stuff your eyes with wonder,' he said, 'live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.

Cinco de Mayo

Welcome to Cinco de Mayo, a celebration of the Mexican army over the French in 1862. As with many wars, this one was about money (most are about religion and power, I believe)
Learn the first 13 vocab words for Friday's quiz. Today we will write sentences for the words using contextual clues. 
Fahrenheit 451 Vocabulary, part II
Questions:
1. On page 43, Montage talks to Mildred about the TV shows that she watches and says, "Who are these people? Who's that man and who's that woman? Are they husband and wife, are they divorced, engaged, what? Good God, nothing's connected up" (43)
In your experience, what makes it possible for people to become connected in a meaningful way? Be sure to give an example.
1.You will start by stating your answer, and then
2.Write a sentence or two giving an example and then
3.Write a sentence or two explaining how this connects people (makes them feel close) and
4.Write a concluding sentence that is similar to your first sentence.

Question 2




Fahrenheit 451 Vocabulary, part II
Fahrenheit 451 Vocab, part III

May 1

Fahrenheit 451 Vocab, part I
Fahrenheit 451 Vocabulary, part II
Fahrenheit 451 Vocab, part III
Writing assignment (1.25-2 pages handwritten)

In addition to Changing Education Paradigms, we will also watch part of a talk on the idea that

Schools Kill CreativityCiting three examples from the Changing Education Paradigms video, 

ESSAY PROMPT: Explain why Clarisse dosn't fit into the world of the novel Fahrenheit 451.
 (Hint: she wouldn't fit into the American system of education, according to the video).
She is a free thinker, and in the world of Fahrenheit 451 free thinkers are punished. Interestinly, there are some progressive teachers who feel that our educational system punishes people like Clarisse. Kenneth Robinson expresses this idea in his lecture Changing Education Paradigms. As you write your essay, you are to use the ideas of the video to help me understand why Clarisse doesn't fit into her world.
To write this essay, you will need to start with an introductory sentence that pulls the reader into your essay. Sometimes that sentence is simply a statement of your idea. At other times the opening is an example (from the book or video) that helps us understand the point that you will be making.
Also, you need to make sure that the reader knows what the world of Fahrenheit 451 is like if you are going to discuss the ways that she doesn't fit in.
Find examples that show Clarisse's way of thinking and explain that her view of the world does not fit in with the ways that society wants her to be. You also need to find three examples from the video that will help us understand Clarisse's way of thinking. These examples will show why people like her don't fit into a world that values conformity over creativity.


Remember, Clarisse is very different from most people in the book. Most people are like Mildred (Guy Montag's wife), who anesthetizes herself with sleeping pills and sits in front of the TV like a zombie. Clarisse puzzles her psychologists. She says, "They want to know what I do with all my time. I tell them that sometimes I just sit and think"(20).In the Sparknotes summary of the last part of "The Hearth and the Salamander," we read:
Beatty explains that after all houses were fireproofed, the firemen’s job changed from its old purpose of preventing fires to its new mission of burning the books that could allow one person to excel intellectually, spiritually, and practically over others and so make everyone else feel inferior. Montag asks how someone like Clarisse could exist, and Beatty says the firemen have been keeping an eye on her family because they worked against the schools’ system of homogenization.

One of the criticisms of the educational system in the United States and the U.K. is that schools homogenize the students who are taught in them. 
homogenize: to make uniform or similar; to blend and make similar, especially by reducting one element and blending with the other substance
Example sentence: It is nice to attend a school where the students feel like they can dress in their own, unique way rather than becoming homogenized.

Watch the following video on our public educational system. I think that you'll really like it
(Wow, something in my English class that I'll actually like?!!)
Changing Education Paradigms by Sir Kenneth Robinson
paradigm: model or pattern
Example sentence: There is a new paradigm for education: we now feel that different things are important because we now value different things

Writing assignment (2 pages handwritten)
Citing three examples from the Changing Education Paradigms video, explain why Clarisse and her family don't fit into the world of the novel Fahrenheit 451.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U
Remember, Clarisse is very different from most people in the book. Most people are like Mildred (Guy Montag's wife), who anesthetizes herself with sleeping pills and sits in front of the TV like a zombie. Clarisse puzzles her psychologists. She says, "They want to know what I do with all my time. I tell them that sometimes I just sit and think"(20).