Writing Across Cultures

Please use the lab today to continue to prepare your presentations. For details on the project, please refer to your handouts and the blog posts below. DUE NEXT CLASS (6/3): Branden, Ben, Nathan DUE FRIDAY (6/5): Ethan, Carly, Imani M. HOMEWORK: Prepare for your presentations.

Today, during period 1-2 please prepare and rehearse for the coffeehouse performance tonight. The coffeehouse performance will begin at 7:00 sharp. Please make sure you are in attendance by 6:45 so that you can settle in and prepare for your performance. Instruct parents/family members to be on time. Print out what you need today, don't wait for this evening! HOMEWORK: Continue working on your presentations. These will start Monday. Enjoy your senior skip day.

Jahni's Philosophy Film Thiery's Philosophy Film

Please sign up for a date for your presentation. This morning, please complete the test on And Then There Were None and use the time in the lab to prepare your presentation projects. Israel/Palestine/Afghanistan: Israeli poets: Israeli Poets Here are some links about ancient Hebrew/Jewish culture, Palestinian culture, and Afghanistan: Ancient Hebrew Culture Ancient Hebrew Language Jewish Culture and History. Hebrew Culture The Maps of Israel The Balfour Declaration (documentary clip) History in 60 Seconds (Formation of Israel) The History of Palestine Palestine History: Time Line Made in Palestine: a website with poetry and visual art  Afghanistan life Women in Afghanistan Inside the Taliban  (documentary film) HOMEWORK: Keep working on your presentation projects.  

Russia (basic information) : the US Department of State has information on World countries with statistics. This can be helpful for social studies courses. Compare US information with a site in the UK.  Russian Culture Russian Revolution Russian Poets Rasputin Soviet National Anthem News articles Architecture Sports Russian recipes Rap Battles: Rasputin vs. Stalin  (strong language warning!) By far, the most influential film maker of early Russian film was  Sergei Eisenstein . Please read this article on the  state of contemporary Russian Film . Anton Chekhov  is considered to be one of the greatest short story writers the world has ever known. We have read  The Sea Gull , and some of you may have read other Chekhov plays ( Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, The Three Sister, The Bear (or The Boar), The Marriage Proposal, Ivanov,  etc.)  Consider the elements of a fine fiction story. In normal fiction, a character is exposed when conf...

Today, a smorgasbord of Norse and Eastern European culture: Finland , but seriously: Finland's Education System Explained , and a comparison to U.S. Education here . Informative article about Finish writers can be found here  and a link to some poetry samples . Iceland  and some writers from Iceland: Halldor Laxness won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955 and since we're studying mysteries and crime fiction, here's a page devoted to Icelandic Crime Writers  and an article about Icelandic Poetry . Click on their links and learn about them on your own time. Some of their literature can be found in the packets this week. Our focus today will briefly be on: Norwegian Culture Danish Culture For those of you interested in Norse mythology (or mythology) and Vikings, here are a few interesting links: The Creation of the World  (Norse Mythology) The Vikings Look here to read about some of the following famous authors. Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) ...

international Guidelines for Problem Solving

This morning let's begin with a short writing prompt, then it's off to the world and some reading. Our race around Europe! In the days remaining, let's travel! Czeslaw Milosz is one of Poland's best loved poets.  His poems can be found here. Forget by Czeslaw Milosz Forget the suffering You caused others. Forget the suffering Others caused you. The waters run and run, Springs sparkle and are done, You walk the earth you are forgetting. Sometimes you hear a distant refrain. What does it mean, you ask, who is singing? A childlike sun grows warm. A grandson and a great-grandson are born. You are led by the hand once again. The names of the rivers remain with you. How endless those rivers seem! Your fields lie fallow, The city towers are not as they were. You stand at the threshold mute. Learn a little about  Poland ! And some  cuisine ... Belgium & The Netherlands  (and more info on the Netherlands ) Now, let's take a look at 15 con...

After our quiz on Acts 1 & 2 of the Visit and the travel essay handout(s), we will complete the play The Visit . Swiss playwright: Friedrich Durrenmatt : The Visit: Act 3 Then, let's chat a small bit about writing mysteries. Our next book, as requested, is Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None . Finally, our research project will be covering one of the following countries. With any time remaining in class, please select one of the following countries (the major ones you don't pick I will cover in class) and begin researching. Note that some of the smaller countries have been "bundled" together. Ireland Spain France Italy Germany Belgium & The Netherlands Serbia & Croatia Bosnia Romania Greece & Macedonia Czech Republic Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia Switzerland Austria & Hungary Poland Ukraine Turkey Denmark Norway Sweden Finland Russia Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belorussia Kazakhstan, Pakistan Equestria,...

Congratulations! Several classmates have made some excellent videos and uploaded them as per requested for our philosophy unit. Take a gander this morning of some fine work! Nathan: Gottfried Leibniz (see above) Ben: Niccolo Machiavelli Ethan: John Locke Gena: Jean Jacques Rousseau Carly: Immanuel Kant Imani G: sent me a private video, so I can't show it. Nikki: Roland Barthes Pointers? Advice? Reactions? Let's chat about ideas for the end o' the year. Then it's back to business with some reading. HOMEWORK: Complete The Visit & the two travel essays. Be prepared to discuss/have a quiz on this material Tuesday. Where we're headed:  

This morning, please discuss the novel: The Pirates in an Adventure With the Romantics . But first:  Who Were The Romantics And Why Should You Care? and Are You Romantic or Classical? Well, let's hold one of them Socratic Seminars... British Comedy There's no easy way to boil down over a hundred years of British films, directors, and entertainment, but here's a smattering of some unique British humor: Benny Hill Influenced by British Vaudeville humor and the cinematic shenanigans of early film makers like Cecil Hepworth, Benny Hill entertained the Brits during the 1970's and early 80's. Here's a  clip . And the  first full episode . Nick Park Creature Comforts  (original film) Creature Comforts: (tv series) Wallace & Gromit clip Another Wallace & Gromit clip from the Wrong Trousers A host of successful British Television shows: Are You Being Served? Monty Python's Flying Circus The Young Ones Black Adder Red Dwarf Fawlty...

What is Literature Good For? Comedy : A. Something is funny because it is expected (and we feel superior because we know what will happen to someone who... B. Something is funny because it is UNEXPECTeD. C. Something is funny because someone gets hurt, but not too badly. D. Something is funny because it doesn't make sense. From Christian Cook: slapstick Joe picks up a large plank. Fred behind him says "Hey Joe, careful with that plank!" Joe turns round saying "What?" and whacks Fred in the face with the plank. parody Parody is where a work deliberately mimmicks the style of another for comic effect or ridicule. spoof Spoof is light parody or gentle imitation. Is it not necessarily intended to ridicule or make fun of the thing being spoofed but the comedy happens in the recognition of the piece being spoofed. For instance, a woman in glasses with tied up hair who is obviously beautiful anyway takes off her glasses and then unties her hair and shakes it...