Final Reflection for HAS Portfolio

Please answer each question in paragraph form. Be sure to write clear, detailed and specific responses.

1. How have you grown as a critical thinker and communicator this year?
2. Which of our units of study have you found most helpful in defining American identity?
3. Discuss the role you played in class. Assess your participation throughout the year.
4. How have your reading and writing skills developed over the course of the year?
5. Which of the essential questions for this course was most compelling to you? Why?

Course essential questions:
• What does it mean to be an American?
• How can groups with different values and norms exist in the same space?
• How is history remembered by those who experience it?
• What is truth and who gets to tell it?


6. Your final literature question:

This year, we read three novels: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, The Things They Carried, and The Great Gatsby. Though they are books that discuss very different themes, topics and ideas, there are also some potentially major overarching ideas, as well. Some people might argue that, in the end, these are all books about LOVE. (Yes, you heard that correctly.) Think beyond romantic love--think about things like brotherly love, love of self, love of country, etc.

For this assignment, you'll write a detailed analytical paragraph, using SPA format.
Your question: Do you agree that these are all books about LOVE? If so, please explain and analyze. If you disagree, tell me what you think they're all about instead. (You must pick ONE idea that fits all three books, and analyze it.) Please don't write "I agree" or "I disagree" in your topic statement--just write a clear topic statement that shares the topic of your paragraph.

Wanna see some shirts fly? Or some fly shirts? See both here!

Here it is: from the 1974 movie version of The Great Gatsby, the tea party scene, culminating in a bizarro flurry of fancy European shirts! This movie version stars the dashing Robert Redford as Gatsby, the doe-eyed Mia Farrow as Daisy, and the eventual-Manhattan-D.A.-on-Law-and-Order Sam Waterston as Nick.



Take a look, and, if you want a couple of extra credit points for English, respond below with your critique. What works or doesn't work about the scene, as compared with the text version presented in Chapter 5? Include specific details--maybe even a quotation?

Draft Dodging

Several of you have asked what the punishment was for avoiding the draft during the Vietnam War. In case I forget to provide the answer in class, here it is:

Refusing to submit to the draft is considered a criminal offence in most countries where conscription is in effect. In the United States, refusal is punishable by a maximum penalty of up to 5 years in Federal prison and/or a fine of $250,000.

History Homework for Monday: Impact of the Anti-War Movement

What was the impact of the anti-war movement of the late 1960's and early 1970's?

Respond to this post with your probing questions, observations, and/or analysis of the impact that the anti-war movement had in the United States. Consider both short and long term impact and the different levels of impact the movement had (response to veterans, pressure on government policy, change in culture/respect for authority, etc).

The purpose here is to continue a discussion that was cut short in class. You don't need to write a whole essay, just share a comment, question, or response to a classmates' question that is interesting to you. Remember to read what your classmates have written to avoid repeating earlier ideas and to make this a dialogue rather than a list of responses!

INTERVIEW WITH TIM O'BRIEN

We watched the beginning of this interview in class, and we'll watch the rest next week. In this interview, O'Brien reads the story "Ambush"--which you're supposed to read too! So, if you'd like to have Tim O'Brien read it to you, you can...watch the video below, starting at 13:45




Also, because I always think images are helpful, here's one for you: a picture of Tim O'Brien as a soldier.



ASSIGNMENT: Read (or listen to) "Ambush", and then pick an interesting word from the story. Then, in a comment to this post, explain how the word you've chosen is significant to the story as a whole. Include evidence and analysis in your response.

Next, in a new paragraph, connect the same word you've chosen to a different story in the novel.

Your responses are due by 2p.m. MONDAY MAY 2nd.

Independent Reading Assignment

In an effort to connect back to our conversation today about the role of the media, I'd like you to write a short news article about one of the headlines you wrote related to something that happened in your independent reading book. Choose an exciting event from your book and write about it in the voice of an objective news reporter. Be sure to include the title and the author of the book you are reading. Remember, a reporter's job is to inform, so be sure to include the 5 Ws (who, what, why, where, and when) in your (short) article. Pay attention to language and choose your words carefully. Create your article in a comment to this post. DUE by WEDNESDAY March 23 at 7:30 am.

Update on Libya

If you're interested in an update on what's happening in Libya, click here and here for helpful articles from cnn.com on the UN Security Council vote and use of air attacks to enforce the no-fly zone in Libya.

There's also a great page here that provides a detailed explanation of how and why civil unrest seems to be spreading throughout the Middle East and northern Africa. This article provides updates on what is happening in each country, the status of the government prior to the current conflict, and how and why the current conflict started.