SNOW DAY! We had school, but many students were absent or late.

This was a work day--all students wrote outlines/paragraphs and received feedback from the teacher or each other.

Character notes were completed if there were gaps from Tuesday's class.

Reminder: this writing assignment is due next Thursday, BEFORE the grading period ends (March 5th).

We discussed "Night Life" and then segued into the effects of war, which is one of the three main themes we will be focusing on.
All three themes: the effects of war, courage and cowardice, and truth (happened truth vs. story truth). Students worked alone or in pairs to pick a theme and find quotes that support it from the book.

Assignment intro: all students will write three paragraphs or more on ONE of the three themes. We discussed organization structures for each theme and students took notes.
This paper will be worked on in class, but must be typed for the final draft (due March 5).

Character notes were updated. All characters have been introduced at this point EXCEPT Linda, who doesn't come into the story until the last chapter.

Journal #4:
Read the following quote and explain how it might connect to O’Brien’s idea of truth, memory, and storytelling. (Write for 10 minutes.)

“The map is not the territory;

words are just symbols for reality.”

We read "Dentist," "Stockings," or "Church" in small groups. Each group summarized their story for everyone. Groups who read the same story were able to compare their summaries. As a whole class, we discussed the significance of these very short inset chapters to the greater themes/storylines that are emerging in O'Brien's postmodern, seemingly haphazard storytelling style.

Character charts were updated/added to.

HW: Read "Night Life"

NOTE: Due to scheduling sessions this week, this lesson was taught on TUESDAY for those of you in 7th period.

Questions from your reading ("How to Tell a True War Story") were due in class.
Your MEMORABILIA visual from the 1960's was also due.

There was a short lesson on the postmodern literary era and how the novel, The Things They Carried, is a postmodernist text. This will be on the test. If you missed class, be sure to get notes from Mrs. Evans.

Journal Entry #3:

What is courage? Having read about O’Brien’s definition, consider your own definition of courage. Give specific examples. Also define the OPPOSITE of courage, to clarify the boundaries of your idea. (Write for about 10 minutes.)

We read "Speaking of Courage" (chapter 15) in class and discussed it. Particularly, we focused on the dual imagery in the story--a flashback to the war and a post-war Fourth of July day. The repeated visuals reinforced the sense of isolation from ordinary life that Norman Bowker, the main character of this chapter felt. His repetitive driving around and around the lake shows how he is "stuck" and cannot re-enter daily life after his experiences in Vietnam.
"Speaking of Courage" demonstrates other facets of the courage theme the author, O'Brien, introduced in the chapter "On Rainy River."

HW: Read (or re-read, if we started it in class) "Notes"--chapter 16.

Tuesday 5th per. OR Thursday 7th per. (scheduling days)

Answer THREE of the following questions (your choice)
What does the line "A true war story is never moral” mean?

Could this book of stories be considered a "true war story"? Explain.

How does the death of Curt Lemon compare to the deaths of other men from Tim's prospective?

In chapter 7, O'Brien relates a number of episodes. What makes these episodes seem true? Or, to put it another way, how does O'Brien lull you into the belief that each of these episodes are true?

Why is the baby water buffalo scene more disturbing than the death of one of O'Brien's platoon members, Kurt Lemon?

Finally, O'Brien says that "none of it happened. None of it. And even if it did happen, it didn't happen in the mountains, it happened in this little village on the Batangan Peninsula, and it was raining like crazy..." If O'Brien is not trying to communicate historical fact, what is he trying to communicate? Why change the details? What kind of truth is he trying to relate, and why is this truth set apart from historical truth? Is it OK that this "true" war story may or may not be entirely true?

Read “The Man I Killed” and “Ambush”

Journal Entry #2:
Describe an early childhood memory (10 or more years ago). At the end, decide whether you think your memory is accurate or a bit vague. Does this make it feel less real? Why or why not?

President's Day--NO SCHOOL/No all-meet day this week.

After answering questions on the reading homework, "On Rainy River," we spent about 30 min discussing courage--our ideas, O'Brien's ideas, etc. Courage and cowardice are one of the major dichotomies of this book. I find the idea that an act can be simultaneously courageous and cowardly fascinating, but very possibly true.

Here are the questions to answer if you missed class:
Chapter 4 “On the Rainy River”

1. Why does O'Brien tell about his experience as a pig declotter? How does this information contribute to the story? Why go into such specific detail?

2. In "On The Rainy River," we learn the 21-year-old O'Brien's theory of courage:

"Courage, I seemed to think, comes to us in finite quantities, like an inheritance, and by being frugal and stashing it away and letting it earn interest, we steadily increase our moral capital in preparation for that day when the account must be drawn down. It was a comforting theory."

What does he mean? (Explain his view of courage in your own words.) Were you surprised when he described his entry into the Vietnam War as an act of cowardice? Do you agree that a person could enter a war as an act of cowardice?

3. Do you think that Tim's reaction to getting his draft notice was justified and was it the same type of reaction as most people had?

4. At the story's close, O'Brien almost jumps ship to Canada, but doesn't: "I did try. It just wasn't possible". What has O'Brien learned about himself, and how does he return home as a changed person?

5. Why, ultimately, does he go to war? Are there other reasons for going he doesn't list?

6. Was Tim decisions not to go to Canada to a smart choice? Explain.

HW for Monday: "How To Tell a True War Story" (chapter 7). We began this in class.

Quiz over "Spin" and "Love." See Mrs. Evans for makeup quizzes.

Begin reading "On Rainy River" in class--student readers. Discussed as we read. Finish the second half of this story for homework.

NOTE: Under construction! Check back on Wednesday, Feb. 18

Define and discuss the term "spin" and the concept of "spin doctors." Connect to the political manuvering during the Vietnam War. Students give examples from their own experiences.

Read chapter 3, "Spin" and discuss.

Homework: Read "Love" (chapter 2).

Check out the novel The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien from the library.

We read the first chapter, titled "The Things They Carried," aloud in class, discussing issues/questions as they came up.
Focused on the weights O'Brien mentions and the different categories of "things" they carry (physical things, mental things, emotional things) and the sub-categories (personal items, military issued items, weaponry, talismans/good luck charms).

Note: although this is a true story, it is also a fictional story. On the title page it is called "a work of fiction." This duality is one of the aspects of postmodern literature. As we read farther into the book, watch for ways in which this dichotomy plays out.

In class pre-reading exercise:

What are the things YOU carry with you daily? In a three column list, on your own paper, write down at least TEN things you carry for each category:
Column 1: Physical things (for example: keys, binders, water bottle, Ipod)
Column 2: Mental things (for example: knowledge, concerns, stress, ethics)
Column 3: Emotional things (for example: fear of failure, hunger, love, frustration)

We discussed (in general terms only) these three concepts and how they affect our daily lives. Key concept: mental and emotional things can have physical effects (positive or negative) on our bodies/our lives.
We will return to this concept after chapter one of O'Brien's book and towards the end of the book once again.

We discussed the general era and overview of the unit. Then we watched an introductory video about the Vietnam War and U.S. involvement.
Click below to review the movie clip.
(coming soon)

Semester 2 Begins!

Welcome back!

Today is an All-meet class day (42 minutes instead of 89), so I presented a review of last term and an overview of the upcoming term. We discussed student expectations/teacher expectations.
Click HERE to read it.

Finals (written portion only) were handed back to students so they could read teacher feedback.

We began the narrative poster project:
Create a poster that shows me who you are. Include your name, a recent photo, a biographical poem, and a 3-4 paragraph narrative (not an essay, just an organized "this is who I am" piece of writing). I prefer the poem and narrative to be typed. The poster can be 8 1/2 x 11 inches (standard paper size) up to 11 x 17 (no posterboard or trifold posters). Be creative--your poster should reflect who you are through images as well as words.
Due Thursday, Feb 5th.

While I will give some class time on Tuesday, I expect you to complete this poster primarily outside of class.
Click on a title for poem formats:
I Am Poem
About Me Poem
Yes, That's Me! Poem

All poem formats are courtesy of: http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/poemlist.htm