War’s Other Enduring Videos: NY Times Article

Read and annotate Odysseus in America, Chapter 20 (pp. 208-230). Begin to examine the final project handout and think about which option interests you most.

You will begin Step 1 of the project on Tuesday (due Wednesday).

Purple Heart Is Ruled Out for Traumatic Stress

Preparation for Odyssey Test

Review your assigned book of The Odyssey and select several terms/characters/symbols that would serve as good ID’s on the test on Friday.  These must be things we addressed in class, so look at your notes and your annotations carefully. You may work together or independently if you wish. Please type up your list. You need not write anything about the terms, unless you wish.

Use this as an opportunity to really review your assigned book!

Book 13 – Aaron and Jamal

Book 16 – Rebekah and Damien

Book 17 – Monty and Andes

Book 19 – Gabe R. and Josie

Book 21 – (we went over possible IDs in class yesterday)

Book 22 —  Lori-Ann and Karye

Book 23 – Gabe Cook and Julie

Book 24 – Emma and Emily

Syllabus: November 2009
http://blog.lrei.org/jbelton

Friday 11/6
CLASS:     Discuss The Odyssey, Book 13
HOMEWORK:     Read and annotate The Odyssey, Book 16 and New Yorker article (“The Last Tour”).

Monday 11/9 – No Class

Tuesday 11/10
CLASS:         Discuss The Odyssey, Book 16 and “The Last Tour”.
HOMEWORK:     Read and annotate The Odyssey Book 17 (lines 222 – end)

Wednesday 11/11
CLASS:        Discuss Book 17.
HOMEWORK:    Read and annotate The Odyssey Book 19

Thursday, 11/12
CLASS:    Discuss The Odyssey Book 19.
HOMEWORK:    Read and annotate The Odyssey Books 21 and 22. Complete Response # 7: Select one short passage in either Book 21 or Book 22. In a written close reading analysis, zoom in on the language, imagery, metaphors, or other specific aspects of the passage and comment on how these specific elements help to shed light on certain issues/themes of the epic (Odysseus’s identity or homecoming, for example). You may want to make connections to other moments in the epic as well. You must weave short pieces of evidence from your selected moment smoothly into your discussion. (1-2 pages typed)

Friday 11/13 – Parent/Advisor Conferences

Monday 11/16 – No Class

Tuesday 11/17
CLASS:       Response 7 due. Discuss The Odyssey Books 21 and 22
HOMEWORK:    Read and annotate The Odyssey Book 23.

Wednesday 11/18
CLASS:        Discuss Book 23
HOMEWORK:    Read The Odyssey Book 24. Prepare for a test on The Odyssey on Friday 11/20 (this will cover material in Books 13, 16, 19, 21-24). Review class notes, annotations, analyses, key
passages, and terms/characters.

Thursday 11/19
CLASS:        Discuss Book 24 and final project options.
HOMEWORK:     Prepare for Odyssey test. Review class notes, annotations, analyses, key passages, and
terms/characters.

Friday 11/20
CLASS:        Odyssey Test
HOMEWORK:    Read and annotate Odysseus in America Chapter 20 (pp 208-230). Begin work on final project: Start your initial freewrite or proposal which is due Wednesday 11/25. In your initial freewrite or at the bottom of your proposal, in addition to answering the questions on the final project handout, you should try to identify specific search terms (both broad and narrow) that can help you in your research.

Back from War, but Not Really Home

Please revise your outline according to the class workshop on Friday and write the introduction and first body paragraph of your essay. Bring your work in to class on Tuesday.

Syllabus: October – November 2009

http://blog.lrei.org/jbelton

Tuesday 10/27

CLASS:      JOIN GWOT CLASS in Room 12

HOMEWORK: 1) Review Response # 6 and use a highlighter or colored pen to highlight/underline your most interesting and original ideas. Then, do your most interesting ideas fit together in some way? What do you seem to be arguing or coming back to in your response as a central idea? Based on this work begin to craft a thesis statement for your essay. (This may take several drafts). I am happy to look at possible thesis statements tomorrow. Schedule a meeting with me for specific feedback. 2) Read “The Minefield at Home” (access this NY Times op-ed from the blog or at http://homefires.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/the-minefield-at-home/?ref=opinion) Be prepared to discuss how the reading and the film illustrate the challenges facing soldiers when they return home.

TUESDAY 12:00 GATHER FOR FIELD TRIP TO FILM SCREENING

Wednesday 10/28

CLASS:   JOIN GWOT CLASS in Room 12; debrief and discuss film.

HOMEWORK:   Write a draft of the introduction to your essay. Bring in a print out to class on Thursday.

Thursday 10/29

CLASS:   Workshop introduction/thesis statements; creating a map for your essay.

HOMEWORK:  Craft a rough outline of your essay to bring in to class on Friday (See Essay Handout for instructions)

Friday 10/30

CLASS:    Rough outline due. Workshop outlines

HOMEWORK:    Continue to work on your essay: 1) Revise outlines (you will submit your outline with the final draft as part of your grade!) 2) Write your first body paragraph. Make sure to follow directions about weaving in evidence from the texts and about parenthetical citations. Make sure to schedule a meeting with me if you want to discuss your essay.

Monday 11/2 – No Class

Tuesday 11/3

CLASS:   Revised outline and Body paragraph 1 due. Writing workshop: Body paragraphs; incorporating and analyzing evidence.

HOMEWORK:   Continue to work on essay.

Wednesday 11/4

CLASS:    Writing Workshop/individual conferences

HOMEWORK:   Finish Essay and process piece for Thursday

Thursday 11/5: Home at Last

CLASS: Essays due. Share excerpts.  Begin Book 13.

HOMEWORK:  Read and annotate Book 13 (lines 1-109; 213 – end)

There is a change to the syllabus I gave out last week. On Tuesday 10/27 we will join with Tom’s GWOT class 1st period in Room 12 for a joint class.  The assigned hw (Response # 6) is still due Tuesday. I will give out an updated syllabus then.

At 12 pm we will go on a joint field trip to see The Hurt Locker at the Quad Cinema. You will miss fifth, sixth, and seventh periods.  Please talk to your teachers in advance to let them know you will be absent (Remember Tuesday is a Friday schedule, so you will miss your Friday classes that meet at that time). The film is two hours long; you will be dismissed at 3:15 from the theater.

If you have a previous commitment (for instance, a sports game),  if a teacher requires your presence in class, or if you have any other concerns, please email me or talk to me on Monday.  Please bring money for the movie (11 dollars), or speak to me if that is a problem.

Syllabus: October 2009
http://blog.lrei.org/jbelton

Tuesday 10/13
CLASS:        Discuss Hospital Sketches. Women’s roles in war.
HOMEWORK:    Read and annotate the three New York Times articles: “GI Jane Breaks the Combat Barrier”; “Wartime Soldier, Conflicted Mom”; and “Battleground: Female Soldiers in the Line of Fire”.

Wednesday 10/14 (PSAT TESTING)
CLASS:        Watch Lioness
HOMEWORK:    Complete Response # 5: Based on your reading of the New York Times articles and your viewing of the film Lioness thus far, what strikes you most about the experiences of these female soldiers? What is most surprising, interesting, and/or disturbing to you and why? Please incorporate specific evidence from the articles and the film into your response.

If you are taking the PSAT’s today you must go to: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/lioness/film.html and read the information on that page. Then, please click on the link to “Watch Preview”. Also please view the middle video (3:20 minutes) on the webpage: “It’s kind of like they went out of their way to make sure they didn’t mention us”.  If you have missed class, you are only expected to discuss aspects of the film that you read about or saw on the website in Response # 5.

Thursday 10/15
CLASS:        Response # 5 due. Watch Lioness
HOMEWORK:     Read and annotate Book 11 lines 1-256 and 436-731

Friday 10/16: Unit 4: Remembering the Dead
CLASS:         Discussion of world of the dead: Close reading of specific passages.
HOMEWORK:     Read and annotate Chapter 9 (pp. 76-85) and Chapter 17 pp. 168 – 174 (from “Stages of Recovery” to “which must then be restored) in Odysseus in America. Bring both this text and your Odyssey to class on Tuesday.

Monday 10/19 – No Class

Tuesday 10/20
CLASS:    Continue discussion of world of the dead: Why must Odysseus go there? What do his experiences there teach him or give him? Connections to Odysseus in America. Read Yusef Komunkakaa’s “Facing It” (handout). Writing on the poems in connection to Book 11. Introduce Odyssey essay assignment.
HOMEWORK:    Complete initial work on your essay (Response # 6, specifics TBA).

Wednesday 10/21 – Friday 10/23: Minimester
Monday 10/26 – No Class

Tuesday 10/27
CLASS:        Work with Response # 6 to highlight most interesting and original ideas.
HOMEWORK:    Continue to work on your essay: Formulate your thesis statement (this may take several drafts). Write a draft of your introduction that includes your thesis statement.

Wednesday 10/28
CLASS:        Writing workshop.
HOMEWORK:    Work on your essay. Thursday and Friday mornings we will join with the GWOT class for special sessions. Thursday afternoon we will take a group field trip to a film screening (Specifics TBA)