3.19 - Key Ideas in Into the Wild, Reading and Logs

We started today's class looking at an anticipation guide that I created for Into the Wild that we had not looked at before starting the book. Everyone completed the activity as a way for us to talk about some key ideas in the so far in the story. 

Following this, everyone had time to work on reading in the text, their next log, or any work that needed to be revised or completed. I also handed out an updated reading log sheet with revised due dates for the last two sets of logs.

Handouts:
Into the Wild anticipation guide

Submitted Today:
Into the Wild anticipation guide

Homework:

Read to page 186 in Into the Wild for Monday.
Into the Wild Reading Schedule

Complete your fifth reading log for Into the Wild (choosing from prompts 7,8, and 9) for next Tuesday.

Into the Wild Reading Logs

Revisions:

"My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees" reading questions (due today or online by Fri. 3/20)

Grizzly Man viewing notes (due today or online by Fri. 3/20)

Grizzly Man writing prompts (due today or online by Fri. 3/20)

Grizzly Man Socratic seminar prep (due today or online by Fri. 3/20)

Marijuana Legalization Debate Research and Discussion (due Friday, 3/27)

Into the Wild Reading Logs 1 & 2 (due Friday, 3/27)

03.18 - Krakauer Discussion

For the first half of our class today, we had a whole class discussion around our most recent series of reading logs for Into the Wild. These reading logs go with our work looking at how authors can express their own opinion (be subjective) while presenting facts. Before having the discussion, we reviewed expectations by going over the rubric and I showed students the sort of notes I use to assess discussions. The group then had the next fifteen minutes to discuss the reading log questions.

Krakauer Discussion (assessment review and questions)

In the last part of class, people had time to work on the next section of reading and to begin working on the next reading log (a choice of a log from logs 7, 8, and 9). People could also work on revisions for other assignments and I finished meeting with people about their academic habit goals during this time.

Homework:

Read to page 156 in Into the Wild for Friday.
Into the Wild Reading Schedule

Complete your fifth reading log for Into the Wild (choosing from prompts 7,8, and 9) for next Tuesday.

Into the Wild Reading Logs

Revisions:

"My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees" reading questions (due Thurs. 3/19 or online by Fri. 3/20)

Grizzly Man viewing notes (due Thurs. 3/19 or online by Fri. 3/20)

Grizzly Man writing prompts (due Thurs. 3/19 or online by Fri. 3/20)

Grizzly Man Socratic seminar prep (due Thurs. 3/19 or online by Fri. 3/20)

Marijuana Legalization Debate Research and Discussion (due Friday, 3/27)

Into the Wild Reading Logs 1 & 2 (due Friday, 3/27)

03.17 - Authorial Subjectivity, Reading Logs

We started today's class with a polar opposites style discussion around authorial subjectivity in non-fiction texts (author's expressing their opinions while also conveying facts). In our discussion we used Lara Bazelon's article  Scalia's Embarrassing Question to frame our discussion and then began moving the discussion towards Krakauer's role as author in Into the Wild. This is a discussion we will continue tomorrow.

Polar Opposites: Authorial Subjectivity

Everyone had the remaining time in class to prepare for that discussion tomorrow by completing their fourth reading log for Into the Wild (this is a log selected from logs 4, 5, and 6).

At the end of class, we reviewed the work that is to be turned in at the end of the week and by the end of next week.

Homework:

Read to page 126 in Into the Wild for Wednesday.
Into the Wild Reading Schedule

Complete your fourth reading log for Into the Wild (choosing from prompts 4, 5, and 6)

Into the Wild Reading Logs

Revisions:

"My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees" reading questions (due Thurs. 3/19 or online by Fri. 3/20)

Grizzly Man viewing notes (due Thurs. 3/19 or online by Fri. 3/20)

Grizzly Man writing prompts (due Thurs. 3/19 or online by Fri. 3/20)

Grizzly Man Socratic seminar prep (due Thurs. 3/19 or online by Fri. 3/20)

Marijuana Legalization Debate Research and Discussion (due Friday, 3/27)

Into the Wild Reading Logs 1 & 2 (due Friday, 3/27)

03.16 - Revisions and Check Ins

Today I returned a variety of assignments to people along with grade report sheets. With each returned assignment we reviewed the requirements for that assignment and revision dates for that work (where applicable).

Everyone had the remaining time in the period to work on their third reading log for Into the Wild and any revisions that they needed to complete. During this time, I met with people individually to check in on grades or specific assignments.

Submitted Today:

Authorial Subjectivity Assignment (based on article: Scalia's Embarrassing Question)

Homework:

Complete your third reading log for Into the Wild (choosing from prompt 4, 5, and 6)

Revisions:

"My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees" reading questions (due Thurs. 3/19 or online by Fri. 3/20)

Grizzly Man viewing notes (due Thurs. 3/19 or online by Fri. 3/20)

Grizzly Man writing prompts (due Thurs. 3/19 or online by Fri. 3/20)

Grizzly Man Socratic seminar prep (due Thurs. 3/19 or online by Fri. 3/20)

Marijuana Legalization Debate Research and Discussion (due Friday, 3/27)

Into the Wild Reading Logs 1 & 2 (due Friday, 3/27)

03.13 - Authorial Subjectivity

In today's class we returned to the work we started yesterday looking at how author's can portray their own subjective perspectives in non-fiction works. To help people in this process, I handed out a summary sheet reviewing the appeals, rhetorical devices, and logical fallacies that can come up in a work as an author reports on an event. 

We did a short activity in which each person wrote an argument using an appeal and a device or fallacy and other people listened to the argument to identify which techniques were in play. 

Everyone then had the rest of the period to work on this activity (see handouts below). I continued to meet with people about their reflection goal.

Handouts:

Rhetoric Summary Sheet

Authorial Subjectivity Assignment

Article: Scalia's Embarrassing Question (used with subjectivity assignment)

Homework:

Read to page 97 in Into the Wild for Tuesday.
Into the Wild Reading Schedule

Begin work on your third log for Into the Wild for Monday.
Into the Wild Reading Logs

03.12 - Section 01 Discussion, Objectivity and Subjectivity

In the first half of class today, we had a discussion around the first section of reading logs that people have completed for today. This was an informal discussion which allowed us to begin developing an understanding of who McCandless seems to have been as a person.

Discussion questions available here.

Next, we began looking at the idea of objective perspectives and subjective perspectives in non-fiction texts. For this work we defined objective and subjective as follows:

Objective - Perspectives that consist of neutral/unbiased observation.

Subjective - Perspective that consists of personal opinion and judgments.

To practice with expressing these ideas, everyone watched the following video and then responded to the questions below.

In your writer's journal:

1 - Describe this video objectively in four sentences.

2 - Describe this video subjectively in four sentences.

After everyone had a chance to respond to this prompt, people shared their responses with a partner. Then, several people shared their objective and subjective descriptions. This allowed us to discuss the difference between objective writing and subjective writing and how readers respond to it.

In general, we noted that subjective writing was a bit more interesting to read/hear because it had more "flavor" or emotion. We will be working more with these ideas tomorrow as we take a look at a non-fiction piece which mixes objective and subjective perspectives.

Homework:

Read to page 69 in Into the Wild for Friday.
Into the Wild Reading Schedule

Begin work on your third log for Into the Wild (there will be twenty minutes in class tomorrow to work on this as well).
Into the Wild Reading Logs

03.11 - Section 1 Reading and Logs

Everyone had the period to work on their reading and reading logs for Into the Wild today. The goal was for people to have their reading caught up and both their first and second log ready to be handed in tomorrow. Any work not completed in class should be finished for homework.

While people were working on their reading and logs, I continued to meet with people to check in on the goal setting that we did on Monday, March 09.

Tomorrow in class, we will discuss people's perceptions of the first part of the book.

Handouts:
Sample reading log

Homework:

If you did not do so in class, complete your second log for Into the Wild for the beginning of class tomorrow (your first log should also be complete).
Into the Wild Reading Logs

Read to page 69 in Into the Wild for Friday.
Into the Wild Reading Schedule