AHS * HUMANITIES 11
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Daily Blog

Thursday and Friday, November 20th and 21st

11/20/2014

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ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Sign up HERE if you want me to average your seminar prep with your seminar grade.


2. Turn in your Sherman Alexie book AFTER your seminar.


3. Op-ed submissions to The Herald are due to ME by the end of class on Friday. Email me your op-ed with the subject "Herald" if you want to try to get it published there.


4. DP Update and Project Reflection Guidelines
When not seminaring, you are either observing another group, continuing to prep for seminar or working on your DP Update and Project Reflection.
**It is due by the end of class on Friday for Groups 1 and 2, by Monday for Group 3**


Thursday's Starter:
  • Groups 1 and 2- please have your seminar prep materials out for Ashley to check
  • Review the seminar rubric
  • What is one goal you have for your seminar participation based on the categories in the rubric?
  • How will you ensure you meet that goal?

Essential Question: How can an examination of multiple sources and perspectives lead to a more enlightened understanding of history AND contemporary social, cultural and political realities?

Seminar Schedule:

Thursday, first hour: Group 1 (Observed by Group 3)
Thursday, second hour: Group 2 (Observed by Group 1)
Friday, first hour: Group 3 (Observed by Group 2)

Seminar Resources
  • Seminar groups
  • Seminar Rubric
  • Seminar Prep Instructions
** If you choose to average your seminar and seminar prep grades, here is the rubric for what I expect your seminar prep to look like. Otherwise, you can just do bullet points which must at least thoroughly address the questions: OPTIONAL Seminar Prep RUBRIC
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Wednesday, November 19th

11/19/2014

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Goals:
  • Consider whether the past oppression of Native Americans and the current status of Native Americans in general justifies Affirmative Action programs
  • Prepare for the seminar: Bring together everything you've learned this project!

Starter:
  • Read page 1 of THIS DOCUMENT on Affirmative Action for Native Americans
  • Given what you  know about Native American history, why do you think we have Affirmative Action programs for Native Americans?

DEFINITION OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: An action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination, especially in relation to employment or education.

For your reference:
  • Additional Resource that lists reasons for Affirmative Action and types of Affirmative Action programs
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs list of Welfare programs for Native Americans

Agenda
1. As a class look at the charts on page 2 and read aloud pages 3 and 4.

2. Discuss: Reactions to this article? How might you incorporate this into your seminar prep? 
Essential Question for seminar is: "How can an examination of multiple sources and perspectives lead to a more enlightened understanding of history, and contemporary social, cultural and political realities?"

3. Review Seminar Prep Guidelines

*Note: I will be available in class, from 3:15-4:00 today, lunch Thursday and SIG Thursday if you need additional seminar prep help.

Note: you must observe one seminar and take notes on significant points made to use in your final project reflection.
  • Group 1 observes Group 2
  • Group 2 observes Group 3
  • Group 3 observes Group 1

4. Sign up for Osprey Week (see your AHS emails)

Susy will post the Osprey Week groups on Dec. 3, the Wednesday after the break.  The first meeting of your Osprey Week will be on DEC. 10, during the PEAK meeting time first thing in the morning.  


5. Time to prepare for seminar
Seminar Resources
Seminar groups
Seminar Rubric
Seminar Prep Instructions
** If you choose to average your seminar and seminar prep grades, here is the rubric for what I expect your seminar prep to look like. Otherwise, you can just do bullet points which must at least thoroughly address the questions:
OPTIONAL Seminar Prep RUBRIC

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Tuesday, November 18th

11/18/2014

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Goals:
  • Evaluate primary sources to determine who was responsible for the Battle of Little Bighorn
  • Understand how to publish your op-ed
  • Understand seminar prep instructions

Starter:
  • Watch this clip from the film we will watch after Thanksgiving, called Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCVHDv5shag

  • What questions do you have about the historical context leading up to or resulting from this moment in history? OR what do you know about the historical context?


Sitting Bull was a Hunkpapa Lakota holy man and chief who led a resistance against the U.S. government to try to protect his people's land

Announcements:
  • Honors: lunch meeting on Wednesday
  • If your op-ed is published in credible publication, you'll receive a 100% on the article

Agenda:

1. SHEG Battle of Little Bighorn activity
  • Powerpoint (short!)
  • Analyze the textbook excerpt
  • Analyze two primary sources
  • Discuss as a class these readings
2. Mini lesson on submitting op-eds
3. Go over seminar prep instructions (see below for the instructions)
4. Work time
  • Begin seminar prep
  • Op-Ed refinements and submissions (required for honors, optional for all other students)

Seminar Resources

Seminar groups
Seminar Rubric
Seminar Prep Instructions
** If you choose to average your seminar and seminar prep grades, here is the rubric for what I expect your seminar prep to look like. Otherwise, you can just do bullet points which must at least thoroughly address the questions:
OPTIONAL Seminar Prep RUBRIC

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Monday, November 17th

11/17/2014

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Goal:
  • Provide positive, specific and helpful feedback on your peers' journal #5
  • Refine your writing according to the rubric
Starter
  • Download the in-class essay rubric  (or get a hardcopy).  
  • Give yourself a grade in each category
  • At the bottom or on the back, explain why you think you deserve the overall grade you gave yourself
  • Write down what you think you need the most help with from your peer critiquers. 
  • Email it to Ashley once you are done or put it in the homework tray

Announcements

  • Honors lunch meeting on Wednesday
  • Who is gone on either Thursday or Friday? Please put your name on the whiteboard as I'm forming seminar groups.
  • This week's deadlines and assignments
  • List of Journals
  • Professor Holmes' Powerpoint from last Tuesday. She says to feel free to email her with any other questions you have relevant to Native American history and culture:  [email protected] 

Agenda
1. Go over the peer critique form and you all should download the form and give feedback electronically to save trees!
PEER CRITIQUE GROUPS

Steps for Peer Critique:
**You must critique 2 students’ essays and be critiqued by 2.
A. Email each other your papers
B. Give written feedback using the peer critique form
C. Then, discuss each other’s writing one at a time, using your points on the feedback form.
  • What does this essay do really well?
  • What areas of the rubric seem to need the most work?
  • What specific suggestions do you have for improvement in those areas?
D. Email your feedback to your peers.

****
2. Refine the essay and email your final draft with evidence of peer critique to Ashley by the beginning of class on Tuesday. 
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Friday, November 14th

11/14/2014

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Starter
Free write! Wahoo!

Write about whatever you want for 5 minutes! Have fun with it!  Get the writing brain flowing for our essay today.

Agenda
1. Go over journal #5 requirements + Basic Writing Rubric

2. Brainstorm ideas in a small group for two of the themes:
  • Pick two themes
  • Come up with one example from the Dartmouth student essays and one example from Alexie's short stories that support illustrate that theme
  • What is the point of that theme? What is the message or big idea the authors are trying to show the reader?

3. Share out your theme and examples


4. Journal #5

Resources to help you with the essay:
  • Basic Writing Rubric
  • Posters
  • Group google doc analyzing "A Drug Called Tradition
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Thursday, November 13th

11/13/2014

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Goal:
Understand the perspective of two Native college students and the way their identity conflicted with that of their college and the ways they demonstrated resiliency.

Starter:
Think about your own personal identity and answer the following questions 
1. Who are you? How do you define yourself?

2. What are the influences in your life on your identity? (the media, family, friends, school, sports/extra-curriculars, cultural heritage, family history, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual-orientation, etc..)

3. In what ways has Animas influenced your identity?  Do you fit in? Do you not fit in? How so? How does that affect your identity, how you see yourself, how you act?


* KEEP YOUR COPIES OF SHERMAN ALEXIE'S BOOK UNTIL THE END OF CLASS ON MONDAY!  

Agenda
1. Pair-share your starter

2. Whole class: Share out something interesting your partner said

3. Time to read selections from the book, First Person, First Peoples

4. Respond to the reading:
1. What is one challenge/issue that the introduction highlights about Dartmouth College Native American students' experiences?
2. Find one quote from either Bennett's or Chamberlain's personal essay that supports the introduction's claim.
3. What clarifying or probing questions do you have about the reading? 

 
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Wednesday, November 12th

11/12/2014

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Today's Learning Goal
Identify an overarching theme in Sherman Alexie's short stories (i.e. a theme that seems to bind all the stories together)

Starter
Review your group's google doc from yesterday's class and Ashley's comments.
  • Add at least one quote from the story to provide evidence for your claims and/or revise one of the questions that Ashley suggested needed improvement.


Agenda
1. All-class discussion
  •  Juxtaposition definition
  • Read aloud pages 171-174 of "Indian Education" and look at the one-liners Alexie uses-- how concise yet loaded with deeper meaning. What is the deeper meaning?

2. Gallery Walk Activity (5 groups)

Round 1: Identifying key quotes- 10 minutes per poster
  • Pick 2-3 more passages from your assigned short story that seem to be loaded like the ones we looked at as a whole class. Write them down around the edges of the poster
  • Switch! Add to the new poster.
  • Switch!  Add to the new poster.

Round 2: Move back to your original poster-- 15 minutes
  • Write down the key phrases that stand out from the full-length passages.
  • Decide on the theme

3.  Journal #4 work time 
  • Circulate around the room and pick at least one quote from 3 stories.
  • Using the quotes you chose, write 5-7 sentences through which you explain what you think the overarching theme across all of these stories seems to be and why you think that.  What does Alexie seem to be suggesting or trying to share about his experience as a Native American?

Ashley's Example:
Theme: Finding an Identity as a Native Youth
Quote 1: "You see, the car looked mean.  Mostly we just parked it in front of the Trading Post and tried to look like horsepowered warriors. Driving it was a whole other matter, though.  It belched and farted its way down the road like an old man. That definitely wasn't cool" (13). 

Quote 2:_______________________
Quote 3:_______________________

Analysis: In these quotes, the overarching theme is the struggle to find an identity as a Native youth amidst stereotypical and/or traditional roles for Native Americans and the reality of reservation life and the 21st century.   For instance, in "A Drug Called Tradition" the boys are intoxicated by the visions of tradition but ultimately decide to throw the drug away and live in the present moment- not forgetting tradition but not clinging to it either.  In "Crazy Horse Dreams" Victor and the women seem to seek out an authentic Indian in the other person only to be disappointed when she realizes Victor is not Crazy Horse.  Also, in _______________________, __________________________________________________________________.  Ultimately, it seems that Alexie is trying to show the challenges of walking between two worlds and how Native youth are influenced by stereotypes and tradition in forming their identity.  He seems to argue that "walking with your skeletons" but living in the present, is the best way to overcome this struggle.

4. Ticket out the door:  
  • 1-3: How confident are you on your ability to identify a theme in a piece of literature?
  • Write down one clarifying OR thought-provoking question based on one of Alexie's short stories (ideally this question should be based on a specific line or passage that you don't understand OR that sparks a bigger question for you you'd like to discuss as a class)
  • What is your impression of these stories? Do you like them? Why or why not?


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Tuesday, November 11th

11/11/2014

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1st period: Professor Holmes guest speaker in the commons

Today's Goal
1. Analyze Sherman Alexie's "A Drug Called Tradition" and begin to try to identify common themes throughout the stories you are reading.

Starter
What stood out from Professor Holmes' talk?
  • What did you learn?
  • What was most interesting?
  • What challenged you?
  • What confused you?

Agenda
Katie A.  Eliana, Liam, Anish and Molly 6th period go to Chem

1. Share your takeaways from Professor Holmes

2. Announcements:

  • Reminder to read "Indian Education" and "Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" by tomorrow
  •  LINK TO REQUIRED JOURNALS
  • We have two journals this week- #4 is short, #5 will be on Friday in class and is more like a timed essay that you'll peer critique and refine on Monday. It will connect the dots between the Alexie stories and the readings you'll do in class on Thursday.

3. Definition of theme:


Theme is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly.

4. Small group activity analyzing "A Drug Called Tradition" and then Whole Class Discussion


5. Make thank you cards for Professor Holmes


6. Time to read "Indian Education" and "The Lone Ranger and Tonto...."

Questions from "A Drug Called Tradition"
  • Take notes on a shared google document with me and all group members
  • Elect one note-taker
  • Everyone should have their book open
  • Don't divide and conquer- work through each question as a group and make sure everyone understands.

1. What does it mean to be a "real Indian" according to the characters in "A Drug Called Tradition"?

2. 
How does Alexie divide dreams from reality? What is the difference between dreams and reality for the three boys?

3. What does this quote mean: "When Indians make lots of money from corporations that way, we can all hear our ancestors laughing in the trees.  But we never can tell whether they're laughing at the Indians or the whites. I think they're laughing at pretty much everybody"(13).

4. Where else do you see evidence of a tension between Western society, or the U.S. government and Native culture? What does Alexie seem to suggest about the way these boys feel about the government and/or white society?


5. How does tradition function like a drug for Native Americans? What does it offer them? What does it let them dream of?

6. The narrator talks about skeletons that represent the past and the future. How does he describe these skeletons and how must a young Indian relate to them?  What is he saying about tradition in this selection?
 

7. What do you think are the primary themes in this story? Find a passage or quote that best captures the theme. 


8. Where else do you see these themes emerge/develop in the other two stories you read?

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Friday, November 7th

11/7/2014

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Starter:
Watch this news clip: http://www.voanews.com/content/native-american-campaign-name-controversy-redskins/1790327.html.
React to the video. What is your opinion on the Washington professional football team controversy?

Agenda
1.  Discuss starter


2.  Watch the Friday Show (take the survey Libby emailed you at some point please!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsbGjuNPqug



3. Prepare for Tuesday's guest speaker:
  • Professor Francis Holmes, Native American Studies at Fort Lewis College
  • She will speak about the Trail of Tears and Native Americans in film 
  • Write down two questions for her-- perhaps fact check Zinn's claims with her, ask her about her understanding of the media and the ways Native Americans are represented, ask her about her own tribe, traditions, reservation, experience growing up, etc...

4. Introduction to Sherman Alexie's writing: 
  • Alexie on the Colbert Show
  •  Origin of Alexie's short story collection title, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven:
    • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjQPxtMv3vY
    • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC7iUM9L1l4
  • Read aloud the Introduction as a whole class as Ashley highlights important themes.

5. How to easily check who has replied to your posts

6  1 hour Work time: Finish the edmodo seminar
*TURN IN YOUR CH. 7 ANNOTATIONS AT THE END OF WORK TIME!

REQUIRED SHORT STORIES FROM
THE LONE RANGER AND TONTO FISTFIGHT IN HEAVEN
BY B.O.C on Tuesday: 
 “A Drug Called Tradition” (12- 23), “Crazy Horse Dreams”(37-42) and “This is What it Means to Say Phoenix” (59-75).

By B.O.C  Wednesday, 11/12:
“Indian Education”(171-180), and “The Lone Ranger” (181-190) 

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Thursday, November 6th

11/6/2014

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Picture
Mural 1938 Inscribed, lower right to left: Fill the Bowl (up) / Fill the Bowl (up) / And drink to Eleazar / And his primitive Alcazar, Where he mixed Drinks for the Heathen in the / Goodness of / his Soul Commissioned by Trustees of Dartmouth College
Picture
1938 Inscribed, lower left to right: Oh, Eleazar Wheelock was a very Pious Man / He went into the Wilderness to teach the Indian / With a Gradus ad Parnassum, a Bible and a Drum
Picture
Today's Goals
  • Learn about the forced assimilation caused by Indian Boarding Schools
  • Deconstruct Ch. 7 and prepare for a seminar on Chs. 1 and 7

Starter
React to the 3 images above.  What is the story the images are telling? What is the ideology or belief system of the painter/photographer?

ANNOUNCEMENT
  • Winona LaDuke is coming to Fort Lewis to speak on Thursday, 11/13 @ 7pm. I HIGHLY encourage you to get a FREE ticket and attend this event to connect what we're studying in class to the real world. 
  • About Winona: Winona LaDuke is an American Indian activist, environmentalist, economist, and writer, known for her work on tribal land claims and preservation, as well as sustainable development. In 1996 and 2000, she ran for vice president as the nominee of the Green Party of the United States.
  • Winona on the Colbert Show (7 minutes)
  • RESERVE YOUR TICKET HERE (pick them up at the Durango Visitor Center on Main Street downtown)

Word of the DayAssimilate: to adopt the ways of another culture : to fully become part of a different society, country, etc. (Merriam-Webster dictionary)

Agenda
1. Definition of ASSIMILATION + 10 minute video on Native American Boarding Schools
*For your reference: Follow-up video about the abuse experienced by students at the schools

2. Go over the Edmodo Seminar Prep Guidelines (5 minutes)

3. Work time: Read ch. 7 and work on the edmodo seminar prep (90 minutes)

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    Ashley Carruth

    Humanities 11 Teacher at Animas High School

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