03.04 - Grizzly Man (cont'd)

Today, we continued watching Grizzly Man in which Timothy Treadwell studies grizzly bears in Alaska in much the same way Jane Goodall studied chimpanzees in Africa, by staying near them until they became used to her and then observing them.

While watching the movie, everyone completed notes on the film (see handouts below).

Handouts:
Grizzly Man viewing notes

If you were not in class: you can start reading the article from Vanity Fair (below) about Treadwell and take notes from it using the viewing sheet.

Vanity Fair Article on Treadwell

Homework:

Identify and discuss the significance of the notes you took today on the Grizzly Man movie.

Revisions:

"Living Like Weasels" reading questions (due Friday, 3/6)

Concentric circles: civic action discussion reflection (due Friday 3/6)

03.03 - Grizzly Man

We started today's class by responding to the following prompt question:

What would "living like chimpanzees" mean and would you like that lifestyle?

After everyone had a chance to respond to this prompt, we discussed the various responses that people had come up with. In general, people felt that to live like a chimpanzee would be to live simply, but in luxury. Chimpanzees do not do much, but there isn't a lot they want either. They search for food and spend time together.

We talked about how free time and relaxed living is one kind of luxury while there are other luxuries (books, internet, air conditioning, a bed that has a mattress) that require people to work for them.

Next, we began watching Grizzly Man in which Timothy Treadwell studies grizzly bears in Alaska in much the same way Jane Goodall studied chimpanzees in Africa, by staying near them until they became used to her and then observing them.

While watching the movie, everyone completed notes on the film (see handouts below).

Handouts:
Grizzly Man viewing notes

If you were not in class: you can start reading the article from Vanity Fair (below) about Treadwell and take notes from it using the viewing sheet.

Vanity Fair Article on Treadwell

Homework:

Identify and discuss the significance of the notes you took today on the Grizzly Man movie.

Revisions:

"Living Like Weasels" reading questions (due Friday, 3/6)

Concentric circles: civic action discussion reflection (due Friday 3/6)

03.02 - Revisions and Grade Reports

We started class today by reviewing notes and feedback that Ms. Gervais' class took on our debate of marijuana legalization. We took time to discuss and reflect on this feedback in class. Next, I handed out grade report sheets and a couple people helped me to return work. 

The assignments that were returned today were the concentric circles discussion reflection and the processing questions for "Living Like Weasels". I reviewed the overall class performance and discussed what people could do to improve their responses. Everyone then had time to work on these assignments and to check in with me with any questions about their grades or class progress.

At the end of class, I introduced the Socratic seminar discussion format that we will be using to discuss the movie Grizzly Man which we will start watching in class tomorrow (people should complete permission slips for this film tomorrow).

Submitted Today:

"My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees" reading questions

Handouts:

Grizzly Man permission slip

Homework:

Have the permission slip for Grizzly Man completed and ready to turn in for tomorrow.

Revisions:

"Living Like Weasels" reading questions (due Friday, 3/6)

Concentric circles: civic action discussion reflection (due Friday 3/6)

02.27 - Wild Chimpanzees Discussion

At the beginning of class today, we reviewed everyone's responses for the reading questions associated with Jane Goodall's article, "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees".

We then moved into working with the post-reading questions for the reading. To look at this we reviewed what makes a good discussion question. The main guidelines we were following included:

1 - There is no single or definite answer

2 - The text provides insight on possible answers

3 - There is room for debate and various perspectives

Everyone then came up with their own discussion questions for this article, which they wrote down on slips of paper. We then had a full class discussion where we pulled questions randomly out of a box and discussed them. The questions we discussed in class were as follows:

Do you think over the next upcoming years, the intelligence of chimps/apes will increase?

Why do you think television portrays primates to be aggressive and wild unlike the real truth?

What makes chimpanzees want to imitate other chimpanzees? Like how eating termites was passed on by social tradition?

Did reading this article help you learn anything about humans?

If we accepted others the way that chimpanzees accept other chimps, would we be more peaceful and have fewer wars?

Since chimps are so much like humans, why don’t they experience jealousy in relationships?

For the final post-reading question, everyone should choose one of these questions to respond to formally.

Handouts:

"My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees" reading questions

Homework: 

Respond to the post-reading questions for Goodall's "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees"

02.26 - My Live Among Wild Chimpanzees

We began today's class with a discussion of student responses to the pre-reading question for our reading of "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees". This discussion looked at the relationship between animals and people with a particular focus on the idea of emotion and intelligence. Our discussion incorporated this clip from a Neil Degrasse Tyson talk:

Next, we reviewed the reading and post-reading questions for Goodall's "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees" and then students had time to begin reading and annotating the article.

In the last portion of class, we checked back in together and people shared out impressions or ideas that stuck out to them in reading the article.

Handouts:

"My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees" reading questions

Submitted Today:

Responses for "Living Like Weasels" story and reading questions

Homework:

Respond to the reading question for Goodall's "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees"

02.25 - Discussion for "Living Like Weasels"

For today's class we discussed responses to and perspectives on the reading questions and post-reading questions for Annie Dillard's "Living Like Weasels".

This discussion brought us into considering how a person's observations of the world around them shape their understanding of and relationship to that world. We will consider this question more tomorrow as we begin working with some writing by the famous primatologist Jane Goodall.

Handouts:

"Living Like Weasels" story and reading questions

"My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees" reading questions

Homework:

Respond to the pre-reading question for Goodall's "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees"

02.24 - Living Like Weasels

We started class today by reviewing the reflection responses that people wrote for homework last night around what it takes to make changes in society. 

We then looked at how people can identify and develop visions for the way life or the world should be by looking at Annie Dillard's story "Living Like Weasels". We began with the pre-reading question (see handout) which people answered and then we discussed together as a group.

Next, we looked at the reading annotations people would be taking while reading. We looked at the first paragraph together and then everyone had the remaining time in the period to finish the reading working individually or with partners to complete their annotations. 

Model Annotations From Class

Click Image to Enlarge

Everyone then had time in class to begin responding to the post-reading questions (questions 4 and 5) which everyone should finish answering for homework.

Handouts:

"Living Like Weasels" story and reading questions

Homework:

Finish responding to the post-reading questions associated with this story (due tomorrow).