An Update on "Letters about Literature"

LAL Contest Update from LAL Central! As a participant in this year’s Letters About Literature competition, we’re sending you this February update. LAL received 54,000 letters this year from your readers across the country. Of these, our team eliminated 49,000 in the first two rounds of assessment. What happens next? Round 3 – state level judging is now underway. Each state center for the book has its own panel of judges and will select their state winners on or before March 6.

Meanwhile, please visit our website www.lettersaboutliterature.org for

some fun quotes from this year’s letters,
terrific tips from teachers on how they use LAL in the classroom, plus
information on reader response and reflective writing
contact information for your state competition

Malcolm X/MLK, Jr. Reflection Questions

Students, as a whole I am very impressed with your analytical responses to our discussion on "good" leadership. If you are struggling with spelling, don't be ashamed -- but choose to take initiative in editing! One great way to solve this problem is to type your responses in a Word Document, use spell-check, and then copy/paste it to your blog (or mine -- wherever you are posting). Please be anal about grammar and spelling -- articulate writers and speakers change history! :)

On that note, these are the reflection questions on Malcolm X that we didn't quite finish during class on Thursday:
1) What two types of African-American slaves does Malcolm X describe in his speech?

2) What is the TONE (emotion) that he uses to get his ideas across to his audience?

3) What can you infer his feelings are about solving problems "peacefully"? Consider the way that he says this word, and the context of this part of his speech.

4) What does Malcolm X mean when he talks about the dentist? Do you feel that this is a good analogy? Why or why not?

Also to consider about MLK, Jr.:

1) What are some specific differences in style that you noticed between MLK, Jr. and Malcolm X?

2) What was one phrase/image that really caught your interest as you read/listened to his speech? Why was this striking to you?

3) Which of these two individuals do you consider to be a better leader? Why? (Remember, "better" is a word that compares levels of "good." Please use your thoughts on "good leadership" to influence your answer to this question.)

Feel free to post to any/all of these questions. You are required to answer the first four (4) in your journal -- but it would behoove you to answer all seven (7) in your journal. Not only will this help you to remember MLK, Jr. better for the purpose of discussions, but it will also positively influence your quiz/test scores.

"Good" Leadership

Oh my goodness -- it's been far too long since we've used this blog! :) Great discussion about "good" leadership in class today. Please post your responses below -- and remember to make sure they are in your journals as "Entry #2" as well. You may write about whatever really struck you or interested you -- and feel free to respond to your class-mates ideas as well. These are the requirements: your response must be a solid paragraph -- 7-10 sentences, a topic sentence, a concluding sentence, 2-3 good points with evidence to back them up. Remember the question: what makes a "good" leader? What are the differences between EFFECTIVE leadership and ETHICAL leadership? What are characteristics used to describe each, and who serve as good examples of each of the two categories? Be willing to take risks and be open-minded! I would love to hear more ideas regarding "What is morality?" in "ethical" leadership. Go to it, Thinkers!

Tank Man!

Hello, class!
I attached the Dateline video strip for the Tank man video here. We only watched Section 1: "The Prologue" during class today. Enjoy watching the other sections. Pay special attention to section 6, because that is the video clip where researchers specifically focus on censorship as we discussed in class. Please post your comments and responses here. Focus specifically on the question: Is censorship justifiable? When and why?

How was class today?

Hi, class! I'm here in Spokane . . . thinking of you as I learn how to make our time together EVEN MORE MEANINGFUL! I have so many great ideas that I'm excited to share with you! How did things go today? I wish I was there with you! I'll see you next Wednesday! I'm loving your posts on Yellow Journalism. What are your thoughts on "Thank you, m'am"? Particularly in light of conversations on mariginilized people groups . . . (P.S.: gold star for the first person to define "marginilized." The last gold star was given to Jacob Kowalsky.)

The Justice of Primative Animals

Kaelyn said...

Social injustice is something primative animals don't notice don't care, they live they help each other, if we have the bigger brains why can't we make better desicions?

November 4, 2008 8:44 PM

Hmmm . . . a good question from Kaelyn. Thoughts, anyone?

I'm interested to see what you all come up with for yellow journalism. Seek hard! Do what you can to look up information about the Tank Man from Tienanmen Square as well. Enjoy class tomorrow!

Who cares?

Anna asked a great question on her blog -- why do some people care about issues of social justice, environment, poverty, etc. -- and other people just DON'T?

This is free -- a follow up question for any takers:

What inspires people to "care"? Why do some people care, and some people just . . . don't? What do you think inspires people to build value systems and prioritize certain things over others?

I frustrates me when people say, "I don't care," because not caring has cost so many people their futures . . . their dreams . . . their lives. What are examples of this?

Social Justice Issues

So, class: I looked up a definition for "social justice" on dictionary.com to satiate your relentless thirst for knowledge. (Gold star for the first person to post the definition for "satiate.") Here are the results:

1 dictionary results for: social justice

Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English - Cite This Source - Share This

Main Entry:	social justice
Part of Speech:	n
Definition:	the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within a society

I am somewhat disapointed with this definition. Let our references to SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES refer particularly to issues within society in which advantages and disadvantages are not equitably distributed. In other words, "social justice issues" are concerns within society in which certain individuals or people groups are somehow treated unfairly, or face a particular disadvantage that is forced upon them.

Some examples provided in class today:
1) Extreme poverty in underdeveloped nations
2) Lack of pure drinking water for some communities
3) Illiteracy (the inability to read and write) in certain communities/regions
4) Racism -- for example, in employment
5) Human trafficking -- using other people (often children) as slaves

Looking at the definition and explanation given above as well as the examples we briefly discussed in class, what is another example of a social justice issue that you can think of? If you cannot think of a new one, which one of these are you particularly passionate about? Why? What information would you love to discover concerning that particular issue (besides "why does this happen")?

The Monsters are Due on Maple Street

From: The Monsters are Due on Maple Street by Rod Sterling
"The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, and prejudices -- to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy. A thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all its own for the children . . . and the children yet unborn . . ." (p. 368)

Respond to the previous quote:
What does Sterling mean? Do you agree or disagree? Who are the "children yet unborn" he refers to? How will the fallout he is referring to affect these children?

Allow your responses to take on a conversational tone, like in a Socratic Seminar. What I mean by that is: make sure to read the responses of your classmates. Don't simply respond to the questions I put before you, but respond to THEIR comments. Let your thoughts be heard!

Ms. Bryant's Question of the Week

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I am so enjoying reading all of your weekly queries! Remember to read your classmates questions, and to theorize with them. Everyone make sure to check out Drew's two poems. He wrote one on Darkness, and then one right after on Peace/Light. Powerful themes! Note to everyone else: please feel free to use your blog for creative pieces. Have an urge to write a poem and get feed-back from your friends? This is a safe place to do that, and we'd all love to hear what you're writing!

I'll start posting some of my own pieces also in the future . . .

Ms. Bryant's question of the week: How does deliberately creating a value system assist with time management and organizational skills? I'd love to hear your responses: connect the two ideas -- value system and time management.

Welcome to the World of Others

Welcome, 7th Grade Honors English, to the World of Others! The purpose behind this classroom blog is to discover the universe of thoughts beyond our own minds as individuals. As we interact with various authors and literature from a wide array of genres, make your thoughts known! Often even more exciting, know the thoughts of other classmates! I challenge you to learn to value and mull over the ideas and creative thinking offered by your classmates. Ask questions, engage in controversial conversations, and delve deeply into the world of learning.

Always remember, your challenge in English class (and even more, in LIFE) is to learn to be Gurus of WHY. Let nothing cross your path which you do not question, observe, analyze, interpret, digest, and respond to. In every experience, event, challenge, hardship, and joy: you will receive back from life with the same measure that you choose to invest. Carpe diem!