Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Monday, September 27, 2010

Smoke Signals Study Guide

1. The first time we see Arnold Joseph, he says he's magic. What kind of magic is he talking about?
2. Why does Arlene Joseph make Victor promise he'll come back?

3. What are Victor's 3 conditions for accepting Thomas's money for the trip?

4. Thomas tells a story about Arnold Joseph as a way of payment to Velma and Lucy. What does the story tell us about Arnold?

5. Victor tells Thomas, Just remember…You can't trust anybody. Why does he say this?

6. Thomas tells Victor a story about a dream that told him to go to Spokane Falls. He says he was waiting for a vision. What was that vision and what does it tell us about Arnold Joseph?

7. Why does Arnold Joseph go?

8. Why doesn't he explain this to Victor?

9. Arlene Joseph says Arnold is magic, too. What does she mean by this?

10. According to Victor, what does it mean to be a "real Indian"?

11. What does Thomas's monologue about traveling have to do with the lesson Victor needs to learn?

12. What is the significance of Victor's refusal to take his father's ashes from Susy when they arrive.

13. Thomas says Arlene was magic, too. What biblical story is adapted by Thomas to demonstrate her magic? What kind of magic does Arlene have?

14. Why did Susy Song come to Arizona?

15. Why did Arnold come to Arizona?

16. What's the most evil thing Arnold Joseph ever done?

17. What does Arnold's basketball story tell us about him?

18. Susy says Arnold was a magician. What does she mean?

19. What attracted Susy to Arnold?

20. What secrets does Susy keep?

21. Why does Victor cut his hair?

22. What are the two kinds of people in the world, according to Susy Song?

23. What evidence do we see of Victor's transformation after the photo is found?

24. What evidence do we see that he has not completed his transformation?

25. Who's fault is the accident?

26. During his race for help, Victor has a vision. Describe that vision:

27. What were the "two wrecks last night"?

28. What was Thomas right about?

29. What is his mother's reaction?

30. Is the ceremony at the river like a salmon or like cleaning out the attic?

31. What does it mean to say Phoenix, Arizona?

Day 6

English 101 Fall 2010 Day 6

1. Essay One
a. Rough Draft Due—October 5th
b. Final Draft Due— October 11th

2. Warming Up: Exploring Ideas
a. Talking and Listening
b. Annotating Texts
c. Listing
d. Clustering
e. Freewriting
f. Asking Journalist's Questions
g. Read/Research

3. Smoke Signals part one, with study guide.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Here's the movie

http://www.megavideo.com/?v=CU5R7BTU

Hit the play button twice.

Day 5

English 101 Fall 2010 Day 5
1. Names Quiz

2. Scene from “Little Buddha”

3. The Legend of the Buddha questions.

4. Essay One
a. Rough Draft Due—October 5th
b. Final Draft Due— October 11th

5. The Writing Process—C1

a. Planning
i. Assess the situation.
ii. Exploring ideas
iii. Formulating a tentative thesis
iv. Sketching a plan

b. Drafting
i. Introductions and thesis
ii. Body
iii. Conclusion

c. Revising
i. Global
ii. Revising and editing sentences
iii. Proofreading

d. Presenting
i. Layout and format.
ii. Headings.
iii. Lists
iv. Visuals
v. Academic formatting

6. Assessing the writing situation
a. Subject
b. Sources
c. Purpose and Audience
d. Length and format
e. Reviewers and deadlines

7. Warming Up: Exploring Ideas
a. Talking and Listening
b. Annotating Texts
c. Listing
d. Clustering
e. Freewriting
f. Asking Journalist's Questions
g. Read/Research

8. Homework: Read “This is What it Means to Say Phoenix Arizona

Thursday, September 23, 2010

ox herding pictures

http://www.jaysquare.com/ljohnson/ox-herding.html

Little Buddha

Day 4

English 101 Fall 2010 Day 4

1. Log-in to computers.

2. Bonus Points/Absences
a. www.yvccenglish101.blogspot.com
b. comments must be 12 words or more (at least a sentence or two), and must be related to the post.
c. One point for each comment. Limit of one point per post—but you can continue to comment.
d. If it gets ugly, somebody tell me.
e. You will collect them at the end of weeks 3, 5, and 7.
f. You need a google account to sign in.

3. Review of The Hero's Journey--with notes.

a. A pattern of all human experience—reflected in all literature and film.
b. Like the Rite of Passage, the Hero's Journey involves a separation, initiation and a return.
c. The stages of the Hero's Journey usually—but not always—follow a standard sequence.
d. We all go through many Journeys in our lives as we grow and learn.

4. Key Concepts from Gawain and the Green Knight

a. We may not know our real goal when we start our Journey, or our goal may change along the way.
b. The challenges we face in our Journey always reflect our own needs, fears and weaknesses.
c. We will face our greatest fear or weakness in the Abyss.
d. Objects can become symbols of concepts.

5. Demeter and Persephone—food for thought in class.
6. Read “The Legend of the Buddha” and complete the Questions and log the journey on page 103. (Homework?)
7. Scene from “Little Buddha”

8. Essay One
a. Rough Draft Due—October 5th
b. Final Draft Due— October 11th

9. The Writing Process—C1
a. Planning
i. Assess the situation.
ii. Exploring ideas
iii. Formulating a tentative thesis
iv. Sketching a plan

b. Drafting
i. Introductions and thesis
ii. Body
iii. Conclusion

c. Revising
i. Global
ii. Revising and editing sentences
iii. Proofreading

d. Presenting
i. Layout and format.
ii. Headings.
iii. Lists
iv. Visuals
v. Academic formatting

10. Warming Up: Exploring Ideas
a. Talking and Listening
b. Annotating Texts
c. Listing
d. Clustering
e. Freewriting
f. Asking Journalist's Questions
g. Read/Research

Try some research--Sherman Alexie using bing, youtube, google and wikipedia.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Day 3

English 101 Fall 2010 Day 3

1. Food for Thought—Hand in w/names. (10pts)
2. Create Your Own Ritual? Hand in. (10 pts)
3. Hero’s Journey Overview, cont.
4. Read aloud 71 to end.
5. Understanding Gawain’s Journey in class.
6. Homework, read 77-86 in HJ packet.

Animated Gawain

Gawain and the Green Knight

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Day 2

English 101 Fall 2010 Day 2

1. Photographs, part two.
a. Quiz Friday

2. Food for Thought—Review and hand in w/names. (10pts)

3. Rituals and Rites of Passage

a. What is a ritual?
i. Any regular activity done in a set pattern can be ritualistic.

2. How do rituals help?

Tell us how to relate to and give meaning to experience.

Aid or guide life’s transitions.

4. Homework: Create Your Own Rite of Passage. Due Tomorrow. Some of the five steps can use same language. Must be “do-able” at YVCC. Bring props if you’d like us to try your rite of passage.

5. What makes a hero?
6. Star Wars or Avatar or Lion King or Harold and Kumar?
7. Hero’s Journey Overview.
8. Homework, read 49-72 in packet.

Path to Adulthood Longer

Here's an article from NYTimes on the subject of prolonging the rites of passage.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Day 1

English 101 Fall 2010 Day 1

1. What is your morning ritual?
a. Why do you do things this way?

2. Stonehenge at Solstice and in 3 days at Equinox.
a. Traditional/“Primitive” v. Modern rituals
b. What’s missing from modern rituals?

3. What is the meaning of an experience?
a. For example, First Day of Class or Autumnal Equinox?
i. Polysemous. (many potential meanings)
ii. How does a culture stick together this way?

4. Rituals and Rites of Passage
a. What is a ritual?
i. Any regular activity done in a set pattern can be ritualistic.
1. Other examples? Greeting friends, performance, dress, athletics, getting ready to go out.

2. How do rituals help?
b. Why do we ritualize?
i. We all ritualize, some may not recognize it.
ii. Tell us how to relate to and give meaning to experience.
iii. Aid or guide life’s transitions.
iv. Healing.

5. Rites of Passage
a. Modern? 21ers/Driver’s License/Teams/Graduations/Gangs/Religious/

6. Specifically, Rites of Passage
a. growth of individuals and communities.
b. Examples of traditional and modern rites of passage.

7. Read Rituals and Rites of Passage H/O if time.

8. Syllabus.

9. Photographs.

10. For Homework: Read Rituals and Rites of Passage, complete Food for Thought.

11. Read in class for in class tomorrow: Create Your Own Rite of Passage for the “First Day of Class”—it has to be “doable” at YVCC.
a. If you need to bring props, bring props.

Buy To Kill a Mockingbird and suggested, A Writer’s Reference.