Monday
Complete writing prompt.
Look over "The Bet" (pages 286-292) and create a character analysis of the young man that accepts the bet from the banker. Be ready to share.
"The Bet" by Anton Chekhov. (Pages 286-292)
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Bet.shtml
Review 1-8 on page 293.
Capital Punishment Discussion
Find basic facts about capital punishment.
Think-Pair-Share (You may work with a partner.)
What is the death penalty?
Which one of our amendments relates specifically with the death penalty? (What do you think the founders meant by
“cruel and unusual punishment”? How do you interpret that phrase?)
Is the death penalty different in the US from other countries?
What was the debate in "The Bet" concerning the death penalty?
Which character was right? Explain your answer.
Respond and Support with TEXTUAL EVIDENCE.
The banker in “The Bet” says, “[T]he death
penalty is more moral and more humane
than imprisonment for life. Capital punishment
kills a man at once, but life imprisonment
kills him slowly.” Do you agree or
disagree with his statement? Give reasons for
your answer. Refer to two quotes from the
story to support your position.
Respond and Support with TEXTUAL EVIDENCE.
One of the guests in the story says, “Both
[capital punishment and life imprisonment]
are equally immoral … for they both have
the same object—to take away life. The
State is not God. It has not the right to
take away what it cannot restore when it
wants to.” Do you agree or disagree with
this statement? Give reasons for your answer.
Refer to two quotes from the story to
support your position.
Still Thinking...
The banker in “The Bet” says, “[T]he death
penalty is more moral and more humane
than the imprisonment for life. Capital
punishment kills a man at once, but life
imprisonment kills him slowly.” Do you
agree or disagree with his statement? Why?
One of the guests in the story says, “Both
(capital punishment and life imprisonment)
are equally immoral … for they both have
the same object—to take away life. The
State is not God. It has not the right to
take away what it cannot restore when it
wants to.” Do you agree or disagree with
this statement? Why?
Do you think the banker changed his opinions
about the death penalty when he
realized that the young lawyer intended to
renounce the two million? Why?
Do you think that the young lawyer changed
his views on life imprisonment? Why?
In what ways is life imprisonment similar
to the solitary confinement the young man
experiences in Chekhov’s story? In what
ways is it different?
To what extent and how is the ending of
the story ambiguous about which is a more
severe punishment—capital punishment or
life imprisonment?
Read 30 minutes.
Tuesday
Complete writing prompt.
Revisit the article "Where I Find My Heroes" by Oliver Stone on pages 63-64 of your Springboard. State Stone’s definition of heroism in one concise statement.
Quick Research
Each pod will complete a quick research assignment on the person assigned to your pod. Be prepared to share the following information:
Who the person is
Why he or she is famous
Why he or she is a hero
An interesting fact most people did not know about the person
Topic Assignments
Pod 1 Mohandas Ghandi
Pod 2 General Custer
Pod 3 Teddy Roosevelt
Pod 4 Clara Barton
Pod 5 Florence Nightingale
Pod 6 Joan of Arc
Pod 7 Ron Kovic
Pod 8 George Washington
Putting it to Practice
Draft a paragraph of definition that establishes the function of the concept of proving why your assigned person is a hero. Continue by completing an outline with each of the strategies of definition addressed for this person.
Think-Pair-Share
Share your paragraph and outline with a partner.
Identify that the outline has a definition by example, definition by negation, and a definition by function. (how a hero functions in our society)
Read 30 minutes.
Wednesday
Complete writing prompt.
Think back to our lessons in September. Do you remember the "Bill of Rights"? Write down as many of the ten amendments as you can.
"The Bet" by Anton Chekhov. (Pages 286-292)
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Bet.shtml
Which amendment deals with the disagreement in the story?
How does the amendment apply to this situation?
Do you think the banker or the lawyer was correct?
Discuss your character analysis.
Read 30 minutes.
Thursday
Complete writing prompt.
What are the benefits to everyone being equal? What are the drawbacks? Should everyone be equal?
Word Root Quiz
"Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
https://archive.org/stream/HarrisonBergeron/Harrison%20Bergeron_djvu.txt
Diffuse the text.
Create panels as you read. You will summarize the story afterwards.
Answer the following questions:
How do you define equality? Are the citizens of the United States in 2081 truly "equal"? How about citizens today?
What is implied about how much the Constitution has been changed by 2081?
Did Harrison's rebellion accomplish anything?
Why was Harrison able to break the basic laws of gravity after freeing himself from handicaps?
Why aren't George and Hazel more affected by seeing the death of their son on TV?
If Harrison were allowed to declare himself Emperor, how do you think he would have changed society? Would it have been better, worse, or the same?
What handicaps does society impose on people today? Are all talented people encouraged to develop their talents? If so, how? If not, why not?
When Harrison Bergeron is completely free from his handicaps, he defies the laws of gravity and motion. What might Vonnegut be suggesting about the potential of free human beings?
In traditional stories, the hero is a superhuman figure, who "saves" people from an enemy. In what passages is Harrison superhuman? How are the results of Harrison's efforts ironic?
Read 30 minutes.
Friday
Complete writing prompt.
Is competition good, bad, or a little of both? Why do you feel that way?
"Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
https://archive.org/stream/HarrisonBergeron/Harrison%20Bergeron_djvu.txt
Answer the following questions:
What is Harrison fighting against in the story?
What is the tone of this story?
In your opinion, what does it mean to be equal? Does being equal mean that everyone must be the same? What do you feel is Vonnegut's view on equality?
Does the author like the society he describes? Support your answer with textual evidence from the story.
Explain how Harrison’s feelings toward government-imposed handicaps conflict with his father’s. Give two examples from the story that show how each one feels about this government practice. (textual evidence)
Imagine you are the Handicapper General. How would you hinder the talents of the following individuals:
Brett Favre
Albert Einstein
Brad Pitt
Beyonce Knowles
Lady Gaga
Michael Jordan
Tyra Banks
Will I Am
J Lo (Jennifer Lopez)
Ben Franklin
Rewrite the ending of this story. Imagine that Harrison is NOT killed and he becomes Emperor. What changes would he make?
What ideas or programs in American society do you think Vonnegut might be ridiculing in "Harrison Bergeron"?
Suppose the characters in "Harrison Bergeron" each represent someone or something. Make a list of the characters and who/what they may represent or symbolize.
Why do you think Vonnegut wrote this story?
Read 30 minutes.
Complete writing prompt.
Tell what you know about the following topics: The Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, The Emancipation Proclamation, and Frederick Douglass.
White House Funeral Sermon for Abraham Lincoln
Prep - Diffuse the text on page 68 of your Springboard.
What is parallel sentence structure?
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/parallel-structure-examples.html
http://www.towson.edu/ows/parallelism.htm
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/623/01/
Let's look together. http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/gettysburg.htm
Read the following example sentences and revise any that do not use parallel structure. Remember that there are
many ways to revise a sentence to reflect parallel structure; if possible, rewrite each incorrect sentence in more than one way.
Some helpful hints on how to revise sentences for parallel structure:
1) Figure out what parts of the sentence are being compared.
2) Decide whether they are parallel, i.e. arranged or constructed in the same way.
3) If they are not, make them parallel by making the grammatical construction the same in each part.
I would rather eat potatoes than to eat rice.
Global warming affects humans, the environment, and is scary.
It's harder to do long division than dividing with a calculator.
Pirates ransacked the mansion, but they didn’t steal all the silver.
Merchants receive either money or trade goods with their clients.
Bruce Wayne enjoys donning his Batman costume, answering the Commissioner's phone calls, and saving
Gotham City from cruel villains like the Penguin.
Look for parallel sentence structure in White House Funeral Sermon for Abraham Lincoln as we read.
What are the causes Lincoln fought for?
How does Lincoln's connection to Liberty make him heroic?
Why is Lincoln's cause considered larger and more important than himself?
Explain the following phrase: "Liberty itself is immortal."
Read 30 minutes.
Complete writing prompt.
What is an allegory? Provide an example.
http://literarydevices.net/allegory/
http://allegory.happykidsschool.com.tw/home/module2/examples-of-allegory
"O Captain! My Captain!"
page 69
TPCASTT the poem.
Explain how this is an allegory.
Who does the captain represent?
What does the ship represent?
What does the trip or voyage represent?
"Frederick Douglass"
page 70
("It" represents freedom and liberty.)
TPCASTT the poem.
What is the cause of Frederick Douglass?
Why is Frederick Douglass considered heroic?
How is the cause of both Lincoln and Douglass the same according to these poems?
Read 30 minutes.
Summarize the poems "O Captain! My Captain!" and "Frederick Douglass."
from The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
page 71
Diffuse the text on pages 71-72.
Complete a panel summary for this selection.
Complete questions 7-9 in your Springboard. (pages 72-73)