Learning is Change

Discussion Questions for this episode of The West Wing:

1. What did Josh mean when he said that “they” want to kill all of us the same amount?
2. Why does Josh’s analogy make sense: Islamic Extremists is to Islamic as KKK is to Christianity?
3. What are the specific grievances that terrorists have against us, as Americans?
4. What did Josh mean when he said that we live in a “Plural Society?”
5. Why did Sam say, “terrorists always fail?”
6. What are civil liberties and why are they important?
7. Why does the nature of war have to change because of terrorism?
8. What situations qualify as a breading ground for terrorism?
9. Why is racial profiling so prevalent?
10. Do you believe that by living our lives we actually hurt terrorists?

Core 1:

1. Discuss-On: What do we learn about your brain (way of thinking) by reading your Stream-Of-Consciousness
2. Read your Stream-Of-Consciousness piece to at least two other people and ask them:
• Is this a true Stream-Of-Consciousness piece according to our definitions?
• What do you think I am able to do with this piece that I wouldn’t be able to do with another genre?
3. Do some Good Parts.

Core 2:

1. Write-On: Would the poem Statistics be written differently today? How?
2. Discuss as a class the questions you did for homework over the weekend:
• Why does Sandburg use the words “sarcophagus” and “mausoleum” instead of “coffin” or “tomb”?
• Why does Sandburg make a distinction between this war and earlier wars?
• Why is the title “Statistics?”
• Why did Sandburg write the poem?
• How does this poem add to our discussion of change and tradition?
3. How does the simplicity of Grass make it a more effective poem?
4. How does the symbol of grass in this poem make a tradition out of change?

Core 3:

1. Write-On: Do you have anything important to say?
2. Show off my Good Part from The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan, “Writing.”
3. Do some Good Parts.

Core 4:

1. Reflect-and-Write-On: How successful were you at persuading someone else to do your work for you? Was there anything else you could have tried? What was the most effective means of persuasion? (If you were unable to perform your experiment this weekend, please write out how you imagine your persuasive interaction would have gone.)
2. Share your persuasive experiences with two of your classmates. Listen for the most persuasive arguments.
3. Which is more effective at creating social change: Verbal persuasion or Written Persuasion? Why?

Cores 1-4:

• My musical Weekly Authentic.

Core 1:

1. Write-On: Do a mind wandering exercise. Start with one image (A squirrel enjoying a particularly tasty nut, a baloon floating in the air, a huge crap that your dog took on the stairs that you tried to clean up last night but still smells this morning, etc). Then try to map your progression of thoughts. What images/thoughts are connected to that one. What thoughts/images are connected to the second set of thoughts, and so on. See how much you keep coming back to certain thoughts. Don’t try to guide your thinking in any sort of direction, instead just let it progress as normally as possible.
2. Analyze the excerpt from A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers.
3. What is our official definition of Stream-Of-Consciousness writing and how can we use to to better our writing in general?
4. Create your own stream-of-consciousness writing about something that is important to you.

Core 2:

1. Perform-On: Perform your speech for one/two other people and pick out of your pair/group who should share theirs with the class.
2. Share the performances with the class.
3. Discuss with a partner: How would your words change if you were a soldier in the war that the president told you to go fight? What if you were a soldier poet?
4. Read Carl Sandburg’s poems:
• Statistics
  
• Grass
5. Discussion Questions for “Statistics”? (Discuss all of them, pick one to answer thoroughly in writing):
• Why does Sandburg use the words “sarcophagus” and “mausoleum” instead of “coffin” or “tomb”?
• Why does Sandburg make a distinction between this war and earlier wars?
• Why is the title “Statistics?”
• Why did Sandburg write the poem?
• How does this poem add to our discussion of change and tradition?
6. How odes grass function as a powerful central image in the poem “Grass?” What does it mean/symbolize?

Core 3:

1. Think-On: What is your favorite part of going on a vacation/trip?
2. Start our Trip to Essay Land.
3. What part of this trip do you struggle with most?

Core 4:

1. Whole-Class Discuss-On: Is it easier or harder to produce social change (a change of the mind)  than a change in someone’s actions? Why? and Is it more or less important to produce social change (a change of the mind)  than a change in someone’s actions? Why?
2. Look at our first example of literary change and persuasion:
1. Tom Sawyer and the Whitewash Fence
3. Discussion Questions:
• What was Tom’s “Magnificent inspiration?”
• Why was Tom’s second solution so much better than his first?
• Would you have been persuaded by Tom’s argument?
• How does this story comment on our discussion of social change and change in action?
4. Write a persuasive “speech” that will allow you to get out of a chore that you absolutely do not want to do this weekend.

Cores 1-4:

1. Go over the Language Arts instructions for your SLC.
2. Show off the new Authenticity Awards.
3. Explore some good Building Comments:

• Building Comment #1
• Comment Building…9/11

Core 1:

1. Discuss-On: Do we have the power to create new genres of writing? How?
2. Distribute the Genre Master List and discuss the unknown genres.
3. Ask for a few Good Parts.

Core 2:

1. Discuss-On: What new insights do you have about the speeches of FDR and GWB? Compare your ideas on the Speech Analysis Form.
2. As Moose so eloquently put it, imagine if you were the “little speech dude” in charge of writing a presidential speech after a major attack on the country.

• What sorts of things would you be forced to consider/include?
• What would not be able to talk about?
• What words would you use to convey your message?

1. Write out the first paragraph of your speech and perform it for a partner.
2. Ask for a few Good Parts.

Core 3:

1. Play Vocabulary Basketball with “Word Stories”.
• Get into three/four teams.
• I will ask you questions about a vocabulary word about synonyms, antonyms, definitions, or parts of speech. You must answer the question and give a sentence that uses the word that evokes an image. For example, “The crusty vagabond with spinach in his teeth had nothing to do, so he hurtled himself down a flight of stairs, breaking every bone in his body.”
2. Ask for a few Good Parts.

Core 4:

1. Compare-On: Discuss your answers to this question: “How can books, writing, and words influence social change?”
2. Presentation of Change by self-selected group.
3. Group Brainstorm:
• Which words are most likely to produce social change? Why?
• Can anyone use these words? At any time?
4. Homework: Is it easier or harder to produce social change (a change of the mind)  than a change in someone’s actions? Why? or Is it more or less important to produce social change (a change of the mind)  than a change in someone’s actions? Why?
5. Ask for a few Good Parts.

Cores 1-4:

1. Re-Introduce the concept of a Building Comment and show example.
2. Take a look at a controversial post. Is it inappropriate or not?
3. Afix your signature to the Discovery Blogging Rules for 2006-2007.
4. Go down to the library to work on Nominating, Commenting (Building or regular), or writing your third Weekly Authentic.

Cores 1-4:

1. Final Review of Blogging Rules.
2. Psycodude’s Apology Letter.
3. September 11th Memorial.

Core 1:

1. Check “Synonyms and Antonyms” for Unit 7 in vocabulary book.
2. Collect any “Word Stories” not turned in on Friday.
3. Group Write-On: How many different types of writing are there?
4. Group Discussion questions:
• How are they different?
• How do you have to approach them differently?
• Why would someone choose to write in one genre rather than another one?
• Why are some more popular than others?
• Are there any more important than others?
• Which are you most interested in? Why?
5. Do a few Good Parts.

Core 2:

1. Write-On: Which words are indicative of change? Which words are indicative of tradition?
2. Listen to and watch the speeches by FDR and fill out the Speech Analysis Form.
1. Address at Hyde Park, New York.
2. Statement on Signing the Social Security Act.
3. Compare and contrast FDR’s speech after the Pearl Harbor attacks with George W. Bush’s Speech after the 9/11 attacks.
4. Discuss the speeches in terms of change and tradition.

Core 3:

1. Check “Synonyms and Antonyms” for Unit 1 in vocabulary book.
2. Collect any “Word Stories” not turned in on Friday.
3. Write-On: What is an essay and why would anyone want to write one?
4. Group Brainstorm: What is writing an essay like? What would you compare it to? (A walk in the park? Beating a dead horse? Painting a picture?
5. Introduce my metaphor for an essay.

Core 4:

1. Write-On: What is social change? What kind of social change do you believe is good and bad?
2. Presentation of Change by self-selected group.
3. How do our truths of change inform our understanding of social change?
4. How do books, writing, and words influence social change.
5. Do a few Good Parts.