Journal

So this week in our Lit. circles our group have a couple good talks and a decent one.  Two of our talks were very interactive and involving.  The third one we strayed off topic more and didn't get very much done.  We talked more about characters and were able to have a good discussion about what we think is going to happen to each one.  We weren't able to talk about certain things though, but that is because some of our group members just aren't there in the book but should be soon.  On the last Lit. circle for the week we assigned a page date that we would finish up to during spring break so after the break we will be able to have a great discussion and will all be able to talk about everything that has happened.

Explanation of My Glog (Lord of the Flies)

http://uphoreal.glogster.com/lord-of-the-flies/
My glog has a layout with clear blue skies which shows the kind of whether that you would expect on the tropical island that the boys are on. I also have three pictures. One of the pictures is the picture of the "beastie" that strikes fear in the group of boys on the island, the other of a conch shell that represents law and order. And lastly, a picture of the island that the boys are stranded on. My glog does not show that it revolves around a word. However, the story does revolve around the word: conflict. The theme of the novel is conflict, and there are plenty of examples of this. For example, the boys on a stranded island shows the conflict between the innocent and the wilderness. The conch shell displays order while the "beastie" displays fear. This kind of evidence is through symbolism and we see a lot of symbolism throughout the novel.

Comparing the two articles on the genocide

Today I read two stories The Rwandan Girl Who Refused to Die and 10 Years Later in Rwanda the Dead Are Ever Present.    The Rwandan Girl Who Refused to Die is about a girl who was 13 when the genocide happened and how she had to fight to stay alive, while people she knew murdered her family and friends.   10 Years Later in Rwanda the Dead Are Ever Present is about how all over the country people are building memorials to respect the dead and remind people of the horrors that happened.  Both of these stories connect to the essential question “what do we mean by evil?”

            The people in these stories have experienced evil first hand and each of these authors describes evil using different techniques. For example the Rwanda girl is  told more like a story, and uses very strong imagery to portray the tragic events and the setting.  The story starts with this powerful image, “she seemed more shadowlike than human, a skeletal apparition lying on a camp bed” (p.1) These images get stronger throughout the story and get you emotionally involved, especially since this is a true story.  Having this presented in a story makes you care more about the characters then a straight up documentary or newspaper.   You feel the evil through the little girls eyes, as she sees the murder of her family and community as she struggles to survive through the horrors around her.

            The second story 10 years later is more like a documentary, but is still powerful and the images are still strong: “ woman has her arms over her face, as if protecting herself from attack. One of her forearms has been hacked off.” (p.4) The information in this article is more straightforward such that an estimated 800,000 people died.  In this one you can sense the evil through the evidence that remains behind, such as “…the partially preserved remains of hundreds of those who were killed…”

            Both of these articles display evil in their own great ways through imagery and information. Although both had great point that were very interesting I enjoyed the Rwandan girl better because it was more of a story where you ended up having many feelings for the character as you heard how she had to struggle to survive. 

My Summative Project

Conflict and Darkness

Glogster project by Rigel Pascual

• For both conflict and darkness, I chose to add two notes that describes the word in form of denotation and connotation. The denotation for the word, was literally pulled out from it's dictionary meaning. Whereas the connotation of the word, is a bit harder to decipher, and will take quite a bit more effort from the reader's part, to understand, much like how connotations are in real life, and how one must not only see it's meaning from literal understanding, but also from it's context

• The pictures I chose for the theme of conflict are "The Fall of Rome", "World War 2 from the Ukrainian/Russian Point of view", and the cover of Romeo Dallaire's new book "They Fight like Soldiers, They Die like Children" because of the fact I believe these are excellent visuals that tie in with the relation of conflict and how much they can oppress people; much like how Elie Wiesel has been oppressed through his experiences within the Jewish concentration camps

•  The text written on the far upper right side of the word "Conflict" is a poem by Owen Wilson called the "Anthem for Doomed Youth"; It explains the loss of innocence and life within youth due to war and conflict. It also shows us that even though one may still be breathing and living, it does not necessarily mean they are still "alive". Much like how Elie Wiesel's innocence and life has been tarnished through war and bitterness.

•  The video on the far upper left of the word "Conflict" is a song by Gary Jules, entitled "Mad World". I think it explains of how one lives in a world full of unavoidable tension and conflict, and how one can be lead to just accept this state of humanity as just "a part of everyday life", which I will expand on shortly..

• The background picture surrounding the word "Darkness" is a painting by William Turner, called: "Snow Storm, Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps", and within the painting, we see a gigantic storm engulfing the sun, and Hannibal's army. Much like how darkness can make a man lose sight of the "light" and its' hope; engulfing them, and making them into nothing but a mere shell of the man they once were. Based on this statement, I can relate this situation as to how Elie Wiesel had lose his faith in God, during his time in the Jewish concentration camps

• In the theme of "Darkness" I chose 2 other pictures:
• "Death is the rider on the pale horse" from Gustave Dore - Depicting the coming of death during the day of judgement based on the book of revelations: Giving forth a sense of uncertainty and fear of the days to come...
• The all-seeing eye within the dollar bill of the United States of America: Which has been said to be a symbol of Illuminati: A secret society allegedly controlling world affairs through present day governments and corporations. Giving us once, more a sense of the unknown and a feeling of uncertainty within ourselves, and the world we live in

• The wall of text within the theme of "Darkness" is a quote from Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "The Raven", and it details the start of a man's descent to insanity and sorrow, as he mourns for a deceased love: Making us remember much of how each individual have their own inner demons to battle within themselves

•  Last and not the least, The video I respectively chose for the theme of "Darkness" is a short film by Arthur Lipsett; simply called "Very Nice, Very Nice". This film, in my opinion, perfectly represents the state of our human condition, and the living breathing movement of our humanity. Within the film, are short clips, pieces, images, and excerpts from different people, of varying backgrounds, and social status. All of whom have stories to tell, and things to say, that lie within them deep context and meaning of the world around us. While all the while, there is a man within the film, clapping, and saying "very nice, very nice". I think this is a sign of how we, as a society tend to dismiss what we, as individuals, see, feel, hear, and experience, and how one is lead, as a member of society, to simply just accept the current state of things, as, once again, "just another part of life"

How to write a found poem

How to write a found poem:


1) Find 20-25 examples of poetic phrases from you novel. Using several of the examples, arrange these in “found” poem and explain in writing the significance of this poem to your novel.

Make sure you are selecting phrases that are figuaritve and could mean more then one thing as we have been looking at in class.
You want to ensure that your poem has a theme.
I have samples from past years you can see, please ask.
. Here is a student’s (short) example from the novel of Mice and Men:
A girl
Smiled happily.
The meanness
The discontent
Were all gone.
She lay still.
On the sandy bank under the trees.
She looked closely at
The surface of the green pool.
She said quietly,
“Looks kinda scummy.”

2) Write a well-supported paragraph on how your poem demonstrates your understanding of the term. Be sure to use examples from the novel to support your explanation

3) You will submit the poem on an illustrated piece of paper that reflects something connected to the poem.

Discussion week #2

This week my group was able to focus more on the conflicts between the kids in "Lord of the Flies." As we all know, kids can be uncontrollable and not take anything seriously because they have had easy lives. In our book we can see that when you take kids and put them into a serious situation, things can go terribly wrong. Nobody listens and that is not the way they are going to escape the island. I can connect this book to anyone that babysits. If you are trying to put the kids to bed or make them clean up their toys, they try and avoid it. You have to show them that you are in control and that your word is the word of reasoning. This is exactly what Ralph showed Jack after Jack had gone out hunting, let the fire die out and a ship passed. "There was a ship. Out there. You said you'd keep the fire going and you let it out!" (pg 74) Ralph is speaking to Jack in a stern and dead serious tone of voice. He wants to make Jack feel guilty for his actions which seems to make Jack look inferior to Ralph. All I know is that if these kids don't start taking their situation of being on a deserted island seriously, they're going to be there for a long time.

Journal week2

This second week in our Lit Circles, my group and I increased our discussion greatly compared to our first week.  We had read more of the book, which allowed us to discuss more of the characters and symbols in the book. We talked about the general and how we think that he is a very cruel person for making all the recruits do the same job over and over until it was completely perfect, force them to train for hours in the mud.  You can see evidence of this on page 23-24.

In the second week I think that our group had a much better discussion then the week before. We had all read farther in the book so we hade more information to think about and discuss. I believe that in the weeks to come if we keep reading the book to a point together we will be able to get even more in depth discussions. 

journal week #1

The first week in our discussions we learned about the innocence of children's mind's in Lord of the Flies. It was hard for me to understand that the children couldn't understand the severity of the situation that they were in but then again, they have most likely never been exposed to anything where they could have been in danger. Now they are possibly looking at never being rescued and all they want to do is play on the tropical island. It made me think that we could learn something from these kids. Instead of worrying over every obstacle in our lives, we should stop to smell the roses once in a while. As I notice their ways of living, it makes me question our values in life which can lead to a good discussion.

The choice summative projects

Here are the choice summative projects. YOur first one is due Friday March 11.


select 2 words , brainstorm and develop definitions/explanations that take into consideration their denotation, their connotation, and as many of the questions as possible. Then you are to choose any two of the possible assignments for the words
1. Create a mind map of the term that defines/explains/explores the word as well as gives examples of it from the novel you are reading. Remember a mind map includes visuals.

Mind Map Rubric Fully Meets Expectations Meets Minimally Meets Expectations
• Understanding of word (denotation & connotation)
• Organization of map (central image, use of color/codes/ links) • mind map conveys an insightful understanding of the word, with rich multiple associations & examples - central image is metaphorical; many connections between ideas are made & are clear • mind map conveys a thorough understanding of the word, with several associations & examples
• central image is meaningful; many connections between ideas are made & are clear • mind map conveys a basic understanding of the word, with some associations and examples
• central image is present but literal or limited, several connections between ideas are made but are not always clear

2. Create an original glogster, or a collage that defines/explains/ explores the word. Provide a written explanation (bullets/charts/paragraph is fine) of the thinking behind the collage/ glogster/ image.
Image Rubric Fully Meets Expectations Meets expectations Minimally Meets Expectations
Understanding of word
(denotation & connotation)
image(s) etc.. convey(s) an
insightful understanding of
the word, with rich multiple
associations & examples image(s) convey(s) a
thorough understanding of
the word, with several
associations & examples image(s) convey(s) a basic
understanding of the word,
with some associations and
examples

3. Write a found poem for another word definition/explanation/exploration of the word. Write a well-supported paragraph on how your poem demonstrates your understanding of the term Staple your draft to the good copy. Include a visual image with your poem as well. It can be the background etc.
Writing Rubric Fully Meets Expectations Meets Minimally Meets Expectations
Understanding of word
(denotation & connotation) writing conveys an insightful
understanding of the word,
with rich multiple
associations
• details & examples are
specific, effective & may
show subtlety writing conveys a thorough
understanding of the word,
with associations
supporting details &
examples are relevant and
clear writing conveys a basic
understanding of the word
some relevant supporting
details & examples; may be
vague at times
Creativity and Imagery The poem is creative and original. The lines work well together. The images are neat and enhance the poem
The poem is interesting. One or two lines need to be moved to be more effective. The images are neat and meaningful. The poem has a topic but the lines need work. More images are needed to fully express the poem's imagery.
Visual Qualities Poem uses a creative, visual interpretation of the idea of found language. Poem’s visual presentation enhances meaning. Poem offers a visual reflection of the idea of found language, but the visual presentation is not linked to meaning. Poem uses some visual elements to reflect the idea of found language, although these are employed in an incomplete of inconsistent manner.


English 11
Found Poem


How to write a found poem:


1) Find 20-25 examples of poetic phrases from you novel. Using several of the examples, arrange these in “found” poem and explain in writing the significance of this poem to your novel.. Here is a student’s (short) example from the novel of Mice and Men:
A girl
Smiled happily.
The meanness
The discontent
Were all gone.
She lay still.
On the sandy bank under the trees.
She looked closely at
The surface of the green pool.
She said quietly,
“Looks kinda scummy.”

2) Write a well-supported paragraph on how your poem demonstrates your understanding of the term. Be sure to use examples from the novel to support your explanation

A copy of the lit circle project

Learning Outcomes:

*interact and collaborate in pairs, small groups and large groups
*listen to comprehend, interpret, and evaluate ideas, information, and understanding of texts
*read, both collaboratively and independently, to comprehend a wide variety of literary texts with increasing complexity and subtlety of ideas and form
*explain, support, interpret, analyze, and evaluate ideas, information and understanding from texts read and viewed
*after reading and viewing, select, adapt, and apply a range of strategies to extend and confirm meaning, and to consider the author’s craft
*recognize and explain how structures and features of text shape readers’ and viewers’ construction of meaning and appreciation
*create thoughtful representations that communicate ideas, information, and understanding
*write and represent to explain, support interpret, analyze, and evaluate ideas, information, and understandings from personal and text
*use and experiment with elements of form and style in writing and representing appropriate to purpose and audience to enhance meaning and artistry
*write and represent to synthesize and extend thinking and use metacognitive strategies to reflect on and assess writing and representing
*speak and listen to synthesize and extend thinking and use metacognitive strategies to reflect and assess their speaking and listening

What you do:

 Fill out the discussion rubric and set realistic criteria.
 Allow for time at the end of each class to fill out the self assessment sheet. You will complete 2 formative assessments and the third one will be summative.(self assessments). I will be assessing you as well.
 As you read the novels I want you to mark the texts(use your post its.Post it notes are to be used as you read. You need a variety of post its to help with your final task. Make sure you include page #’s on all your post its. You will hand these in at the end as evidence only to help you complete your summative tasks. )
 You mark the text(these are your post its) looking for imagery, symbol, irony, figurative language, key quotations and other techniques that create meaning. You are looking for connections to the EQ’s and the key words.
 In your groups you want to discuss the effect the above have for you and what meaning is conveyed in them.(Remember to back up with support…hint post its come in handy here)
 Think to the layers…..

JOURNAL INSTRUCTIONS!!!!!
 Each week you are to either blog or journal(you can’t do them all at the end!!) an individual reflection on your discussions and your learnings(these are formative) Total of six(6) formative ones.
o Your journal entries will reflect on an insight or a learning on what you read or discussed that week, they will also include your metacognitive reflection. This means how do see yourself growing in your contributions to the groups discussion. Are you contributing more to the discussion, asking deeper questions, pulling others in. building more on the ideas of others, finding richer examples and sharing etc. Give me examples how you are doing in the groups.
o You will peer comment on someone’s reflection to help deepen your understanding and learnings. You will also reflect on your contributions to
 Some of your journals will also be summative.(Choice).

I will post these on another blog entry(but the grids never work).
All summative assignments are individual. You must submit TWO(2). The order in which you hand them in is up to you.
 I will do a mini lesson on connotation/denotation, mind maps, imagery/glogsters, and found poems in the first week of lit circles.

Journal week1

This week in our Lit Circle discussion, our group had difficulties getting a good discussion started. This is because our book has a slow start to it and you just get a background history on the characters and the conditions of the war.  We tried discussing some of the characters but we have little information to talk about which cuts our discussion short. 

In the past few discussions our group has been off to a week start.  I believe this is because not just of lack of detail in the book, but also that our group is not putting in enough insight into the book. I think that if we all read to the same point of the book and all take notes in the book that we will get more information that we can share and add our opinions to.