Homework for December 19, 2013

1. How is a film different from the book?

1. What makes viewing a film an exciting way learn more about the story?

Homework for December 17, 2013

Who doesn’t understand children and why?

Why should you never kill a mockingbird?

Homework December 12, 2013

Who woke up Scout from her sleep?  Why?

Whose house was on fire?

Homework for December 11, 2013

Directions: Try and write a complete sentence or a paragraph completing these statements.

1. Justice means to me…

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2. An example of justice is…

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3. An example of injustice is,,,

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4. An example of a way to make something just that might not be just is…

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Homework for December 11, 2013

1. Why is Jem so upset when the hole in the tree is filled with concrete?
2. What does justice mean? How can you work to make the world a better place?

Homework for December 9, 2013

1. Why is it so difficult to forgive others? Could you forgive someone and just walk away, never mentioning what they did ever again?

Why did Atticus object to putting the note on the Radley house? What do people do when they want to speak to one another?

Weekly Notes

The class has begun reading To Kill a Mockingbird. A couple of students have read and studied this book earlier in high school. I am working to integrate their experiences in the class discussions. So far, the students have enjoyed the book. We are examining the personalities of the main characters, their relationships, and the way things are beginning to change as they grow up. When reading how Scout's teacher treats her, the students immediately reacted to the use of corporal punishment and how it is not really effective as a form of discipline. The students also realized that the teacher was treating Scout differently because she already had a knowledge base, could read and write. The students felt it would have been better to encourage her instead of holding her back.

Homework for December 6-8, 2013

1. Why is the "Boo Radley" game scaring Scout?

2. Why is Jem starting to spend less time with Scout?

3. What does Dill plan to do when he grows up?

4. What is Scout learning from her conversations with Ms. Maudie?

5. How does Jem react when Atticus catches him with the props of the "Boo Radley" game?

Homework for December 5, 2013

Why did the teacher, Miss Caroline yell after lunch?

What was the name of the boy who frightened her? What did he do to scare her?

Homework for December 4, 2013

What did Scout try to explain to her teacher about Walter Cunningham?

How was Scout disrespectful to Walter while he ate lunch at the Finch house?

Homework for November 26, 2013

1. Who comes to the tribal lands? How are these people greeted? What do the native people do, how do the new people react?

2. What does Okonkwo’s friend bring him on his first visit?

Homework for November 25, 2013

1.  Why are the celebrations of events in a community important for all the members of the community?

2. What happens to Okonkwo at the end of part 1? What does he have to do?

Homework for November 21, 2013

Homework for November 21, 2013

What happens to Ezinma?

How many children has Okonkwo’s second wife had? How many have survived? What does the tribe think is causing her to lose all these children?

Homework for November 20, 2013

Homework for November 20, 2013

1. Where was Okonkwo invited?

What was the bride price finally agreed on for the bride?

Homework for November 19, 2013

Homework for November 19, 2013

1. Who decides it is time Ike to be killed? Where does this take place?

2. What does Okonkwo due to Ike?

3. What advice does Okonkwo ignore and why?

Homework for November 18, 2013

Homework for November 18, 2013

Why were the wrestling matches so important to the tribe?

1. How did the match between the championships end?

1. How has Ikemefuna  helped Okonkwo’s oldest son?

Homework for November 15-17, 2013

Homework for November 15-17, 2013

1. Why is Okonkwo angry all the time?

2. What could he do to help with his anger?

3. Who provides Okonkwo a sense of peace?

4. When does Okonkwo find peace?

5. How can folk tales help us better understand our lives?

Homework for November 13, 2013

Homework for November 13, 2013

1. Who is Okonkwo’s favorite child?

2.  What is making the villagers excited?

3. Can people fly?

Homework for November 12, 2013

Homework for November 12, 2013

Directions: Please completely answer these questions based on our lesson today.

Why is the sky so far from the Earth? According to the folktale, who caused the two to be so separated?

What causes Okonkwo to become so frustrated prior to the beginning of the yam festival?

What does he do in his frustration?

Chapter reviews for Things Fall Apart Chapters 1-4

Chapter Review

Things Fall Apart

Chapters 1 and 2

Name: ___________________________________________________

1. Who did Okonkwo threw in the great wrestling match?

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2. Describe Unoka? What made him unsuccessful?

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3. What did a playmate once call Okonkwo? What did this word mean? How did this upset Okonkwo?

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4. How difficult is it to make decisions for your own future?

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Things Fall Apart

Chapter 3 Review

1. What kind of childhood did Okonkwo have?

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2. What did Okonkwo have to borrow? Who helped him out?

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3. Who did Okonkwo’s father go to see? What did this person tell him?

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4. How did Okonkwo begin his life as a tenant farmer?

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Chapter 4 Review

Things Fall Apart

Name: __________________________________________________

1. Why did Okonkwo get angry during “Peace Week”?

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2. What did he do?

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3. What was his punishment?

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4. What did he say to his son when he was learning how to cut the seed yams? How did his response make you feel?

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5. What did the women do in the fields?

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6. Who is a great storyteller, teaching Okonkwo’s son?

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Review of the week of November 4-8, 2013

This has been a productive week. We have begun reading the text: Things Fall Apart. Today, we completed chapter four. There has been more interaction, questions, and comments. We have welcomed two new students to the class this week. We welcome Shantenise and Kiara. We hope they will feel welcome and succeed in their goals. All the best over this long weekend. Rest and be ready to work on Tuesday.

Homework for November 8-11, 2013

Homework

November 8-11, 2013

Name: ______________________________________________________

Please answer these questions in complete sentences.

1. Who is Okonkwo most afraid of?

2. Why does Okonkwo end up with Ikemefuna at his house?

3. Who is responsible for planting yams? What does a great yam farm prove?

4. What custom does Okonkwo break when he beats his wife?

5. How does Okonkwo feel about his son? What does he threaten to do if he makes a mistake with another yam?

6. What could Okonkwo do with all his feelings?

Homework for November 7, 2013

Homework for November 7, 2013

1. What does Okonkwo do that upsets the elders? Do you think his apology is real?

2. Why does Okonkwo get sent to the other tribe?

3. What does he bring back after his meeting?

Homework for November 6, 2013

Homework for November 6, 2013

Directions: Please answer the questions in complete sentence.

1. What does Okonkwo need to borrow from the older man? Why does he need to borrow?

Who does Okonkwo not want to be like? Why does this scare him so much?

Homework for November 4, 2013

Homework for November 4, 2013

Directions: Answer these questions in complete sentences. Take your time. Use your own experience to help you answer the questions.

1. What is Okonkwo most afraid of in life? Why is he so afraid of this?

1. What happened to bring Ikemefuna to Okonkwo’s home?

Homework November 1-3, 2013

Answer these questions in a complete sentence.

1. Who is Achebe?

2. Why did he write Things Fall Apart?

3. What was going on in Africa at the time he wrote the book?

4. What have you discovered so far?

Homework for October 31, 2013

Homework for October 31, 2013

1. What is so difficult about losing everything? 

2. Where do you think the Joad family should go?

Homework for October 30, 2013

Homework for October 30, 2013

Please answer these questions in complete sentences.

1. What are the tragedies suffered by the Joad family on their way to and in California?

2. Why did the Joad family not give up?

Homework for October 29, 2013

Homework for October 29, 2013:

Please answer the questions in complete sentences. These questions require you to answer the questions reflecting on your own experience.

1. When someone tells you something that does not agree with what you think is going to happen, how do you feel? Do you listen to what is said to you or do you just hold on to what you feel and believe?

2. What was the hardest thing the Joad family had to do?

Homework for October 28, 2013

Directions: Please answer each question in complete sentences. These questions require some thought.  Enjoy!

1. How would you feel if you were forced to leave your home in 24 hours? What would you do first? Where would you go?

2. Why are the people on Route 66 so afraid of the migrants (Joad family)?

Homework for October 24, 2013

Homework for October 24, 2013

Directions: Please answer these questions in complete sentences.

1. Why did the farmer’s and their families need to buy a car? How did they feel about needing to move?
2. How did the auto dealers try and take advantage of the farmers?

Homework for October 23, 2013

Homework for October 23, 2013

Directions: Answer the questions in complete sentences.

1. When faced with the failure of their crops, why did the tenant farmers decide to stay on their land?
2. Where do you think the families will get the money to go to California?

Homework for October 22, 2013

Homework for October 22, 213

Directions: Please complete the homework answering the questions in complete sentences.

1     

       What did Tom Joad find when he went to his old home?

H       How did Tom feel when he realized his family had taken everything and left?

Homework October 21, 2013

Homework for October 18, 2013

Please answer the following questions in complete sentences.

Why did the “Bank” take the farmer’s land?

What did Tom and Jim see when they first climbed the hill before reaching the Joad farm?

Review of the Week of October 14-18, 2013

We are progressing very slowly through the text. The students are finding the reading challenging. They are learning to compare the novel to our present historical time. We have begun viewing the "Dust Bowl" documentary by Ken Burns. The students seemed to benefit from the primary source material offered by the dvd. I will continue to use this documentary as a way to enrich the reading and the class discussions. I like the fact that there are so many personal interviews and clips from home movies. The people in the documentary are real and their experience are palpable. I have also used the movie to enrich the reading of the book. Personally, this is more difficult as the movie leaves out material I want the students to learn. It seems that a daily review of the previous chapters has been a help to the students. Personally, I think the struggle that the students are in to read a classic and understand an experience different from their daily lives is worth the effort. Hoping everyone has a good weekend.

Homework for October 19-21, 2013

Homework for October 19-21.

1. What is the tenant farmers reaction to the "Bank"?

2. Where will the tenant farmers go if they leave their farms?

3. Why does the plow man take the job, plowing down his neighbors fields? Should he have taken the job or not?

4. How is the tenant farmers experience similar to that of the Native Americans?

Homework for October 17, 2013

Homework for October 17, 2013.

Please answer the questions as completely as possible.

1.     What does Tom first see when he climbs the hill near his family’s farm? How do you think he felt?

        What did the farmers hope to do by planting more and more wheat? Is this a good or a bad thing? Why or     why not?