Ready to Rumble?

This post is for freshmen students only.

There's an old saying, that "knowing is half the battle." The joke, of course, is, "What's the rest of the battle?" Fighting? Pain? Losing? Cats with laser beams?

Using this notion as a jumping-off point, address one of the following ideas in a thoughtful, thorough paragraph.

What 'battles' are being fought in Ellison's "Battle Royale"?

Who is likely to succeed in battle, and who is likely to fail?

Which battle is most worthy of being fought?

Which is least worthy?

We're not just speaking literally, here. We're speaking figuratively. Be sure to consider all the characters and conflicts: the narrator, his grandfather, the other contestants, the women, the men holding the event, the audience members. Consider the narrator's speech, his dream at the end, his hopes and worries. Consider that some conflicts are external, others internal. Consider that by the end of the story, some battles have been resolved while others have just begun.

Post your response in the comments section. Be sure to include your name so you can get credit. Remember, these are simply ideas - prompts to get you started. All I'm looking for, really, is some thoughtful, interesting discussion. Therefore, feel free to post additional comments in which you respond to your peers' comments. You might also consider checking back in to see if anyone has responded to your comments, so you can reply.

You can receive extra credit for each additional response.

Again, I'm looking for a discussion here, not simply a list of unconnected thoughts. So, make connections and claims, draw conclusions, provide evidence and explanations. I'll be checking in periodically.

In case you're interested, all of these paintings are by a guy named George Bellows, one of the 'Ashcan' artists.

Sierra Leone Research Project - Topics

This post is for juniors only.

Here is a list of the topics and sub-topics for your research unit:

I.  Sierra Leone Overview

1. Brief history
2. Politics
3. Military
4. RUF
5. Economy and jobs
6. Blood/conflict diamonds

II. Sierra Leone Geography

1. Natural geography
2. Towns and cities
3. Buildings and homes
4. Roads and transportation
5. Pictures and maps

III.  Life of a Sierra Leone Child Soldier

1. Recruitment
2. Training
3. Treatment
4. Effects and impact on children
5. UNICEF

IV.  Sierra Leone Culture

1. Daily life
2. Religion
3. Art, music, and entertainment
4. Education
5. Healthcare

Introductory Freshmen Writing Prompt

Greetings. Here it is, folks. Your first writing assignment. The purpose of this activity is for you to demonstrate where you are in your writing, and it will give us some direction as we decide where we have to go. In other words, do your best.

The school year in China typically runs from the beginning of September to mid-July, and the school year in South Korea typically runs from March to February. Students in the United States attend school from late August until early June. There has been much discussion in the national media about lengthening the school year or school day in order to keep America students from falling behind students from other countries such as China and South Korea.

Write an essay in which you explain why the school year in the United States should or should NOT be lengthened. 

Reminders

• Take a few minutes to plan your essay in the space below before you actually begin to write it.
• Pace yourself. You will have 45 minutes to write; this includes your planning and proofreading time.
• You may write about one reason why the school year should or should not be lengthened, or you may include several reasons why.
• Use the best grammar, spelling, and punctuation that you can. Be sure to proofread your essay before you turn it in.

Welcome to Freshmen English!

The following entry is for freshmen students only...

Welcome to freshmen English! We're going to be using this blog quite a bit throughout the year, so, just to be sure we all know how to use it, please respond to the following question:

What is your favorite movie of all time, and why? 

1. Click on 'comments' below.
2. Post your comment. (Try cutting and pasting from word if you like.)
3. Click on 'Name/URL' and type in your name.
4. Click on 'post comment'. 
5. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

For future reference - Your responses to blog entries needs to be thoughtful and thorough. And yes, grammar and spelling count (even though this is the internet). And yes, you can earn extra credit on these. All you need to do is - after you've posted your own comment - read the comments of others and post a thoughtful reply to someone else's comment.

I've got a few favorite movies myself, and they include...

...for its man vs. naure manliness...

...for its man vs. man insanity...

and last but not least...

...for the letter Ben Chapman wrote to my son. (Remind me to tell you the story some time.)

Freshmen Final Exam

This post is for FRESHMEN only.

Master Control Program here.

Greetings, programs.

Okay, so you know how your class didn't do too well on the Of Mice and Men and the A Raisin in the Sun final exam reviews? How some people didn't do their work? How as a class you didn't hit many of the quotations that are on the exam? Well, this is me being nice...

Over there on the right side of the screen, under "LABELS", are the exact same review assignments from the past two years. You can also check out here and here. Those are the review assignments from a few years ago. Those two are really good.

Reminder: If you don't study, you won't do well on the exam.

End of line.

Your Manifesto

This post is for JUNIORS only.

Your task for today?

Write your own manifesto.

Tips:

• Review the manifestos from last week. (They're listed a few posts down.)
• Keep the same format.
• Be neat.
• Your manifesto should be a specific guide for how you think you should live your life, do your job, approach school, treat you family, etc.
• Include a short introductory paragraph explaining your point of view.
• Think of it this way: the INTRO is WHY you have a manifesto (why it is important to be a rebel or be healthy or do well in school or ... whatever), and the LIST is HOW (how one should be a rebel or be healthy or do well in school or ... whatever.)
• You will be using this manifesto for the essay portion of your final exam, so make it good! Get it done and printed by tomorrow!

Of Mice and Men Final Exam Review

This post is for Freshmen only. The following assignment is due by Monday, 1/10.

In the comments section, record an entry the contains the following components:

1. one significant quotation from Of Mice and Men
2. the speaker of the quotation
3. to whom the quotation is being spoken
4. a brief context of what is happening in the scene
5. the page number
6. your name (to receive credit)

There are a few stipulations. First, no repeats. Second, first come, first served. Third, the more significant and important your quotation, the more helpful this study guide will become.

Final Exam Review - A Raisin in the Sun

This post is for Freshmen only. The following assignment is due by Monday, 1/10.

In the comments section, record an entry the contains the following components:

1. one significant quotation from A Raisin in the Sun.
2. the speaker of the quotation
3. to whom the quotation is being spoken
4. a brief context of what is happening in the scene
5. the page number
6. your name (to receive credit)

There are a few stipulations. First, no repeats. Second, first come, first served. Third, the more significant and important your quotation, the more helpful this study guide will become.

Personal Manifestos

This post is for JUNIORS only.

Today we're going to take a look at manifestos. But first, what is a manifesto? Well, here goes...


A manifesto is a public declaration of one's principles and intentions. 


A manifesto is an expression of what you think is important.


A manifesto is a plan of how you want to work at you profession and live your life.


A manifesto is a list of the principals that drive you and to which you aspire.


Got all that? Maybe, maybe not. It will get clearer if we take a look at some examples. The first is from a famous architect.

Frank Lloyd Wright was a famous American architect and interior designer who believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment.

Here is Frank Lloyd Wright's personal manifesto:


1. An honest ego in a healthy body.

2. An eye to see nature.


3. A heart to feel nature.


4. Courage to follow nature.


5. The sense of proportion (humor).


6. Appreciation of work as idea and idea as work.


7. Fertility of imagination.

8. Capacity for faith and rebellion.


9. Disregard for commonplace (inorganic) elegance.

10. Instinctive cooperation.






The second manifesto we're going to look at was written  by a famous author.

Leo Tolstoy was a famous Russian novelist who wrote two of the greatest novels ever written in any language:

Here is Leo Tolstoy's personal manifesto:


1. Get up early (five o'clock).

2. Go to bed early (nine to ten o'clock).

3. Eat little and avoid sweets.

4. Try to do everything by yourself.

5. Have a goal for your whole life, a goal for one section of your life, a goal for a shorter period and a goal for the year; a goal for every month, a goal for every week, a goal for every day, a goal for every hour and for every minute, and sacrifice the lesser goal to the greater.

6. Keep away from women.

7. Kill desire by work.

8. Be good, but try to let no one know it.

9. Always live less expensively than you might.

10. Change nothing in your style of living even if you become ten times richer.






The last manifesto belongs to an entire company: Apple.

Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple Computers, taking over the position after Steve Jobs resigned. 

When Tim Cook took over Apple, he wrote out a company manifesto:


1. We believe that we're on the face of the earth to make great products. 

2. We're constantly focusing on innovating.

3. We believe in the simple, not the complex.

4. We believe we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products that we make and participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution.

5. We believe in saying no to thousands of projects so that we can focus on the few that are meaningful to us. 

6.We believe in deep collaboration and cross pollination in order to innovate in a way others cannot.

7. We don't settle for anything other than excellence in any group in the company.

8. We have the self-honesty to admit when we're wrong and the courage to change.




So here's your task: Answer the following three questions thoughtfully and thoroughly, using quotations to support your responses. As always, proper grammar and mechanics count. Your responses should be typed and handed in on paper.

1. Which manifesto would be the easiest to live up to and why? Which would be the most difficult and why?
2. Which manifesto do you think needs a revision? What would the revision be and why?
3. If you had to, which of the three manifestos would you most likely personally adopt and why?