Islam

10/15: Homework: projects due tomorrow in G Block. In class G Block - work on projects. See citations below for work I gave you:

Rumi. "Moving Waters" and "Story Water." The Essential Rumi. Translated by, Coleman Barks. HarperCollins, 1994.

Shah, Idries. "Sayings of the Prophet." Caravan of Dreams, Octagon Press, 1968, pgs. 16-19.

10/12: Continue to work on your projects. If you have questions, send me an email and I will respond when I can. A block projects are due on Monday, G Block projects on Tuesday. If you need more time, email me TODAY (check the address - cathy_nicastro@wrsd.net. If you email me, I will email you back, so check. If you don't hear from me, I did not receive your email so you need to check the address and try again). If you signed up to present, please be prepared to do so on the assigned day. Don't forget to cite all your sources.

10/11: HOMEWORK: Continue to work on projects. A block projects due on Monday, G block on Tuesday. Talk with.email me if you by tomorrow if you need more time. In class: work on the assessments. Make sure to read the grading criteria carefully. Remember that you need to cite all sources.

10/10: HOMEWORK: Continue to work on your "Show Me WhatYou Know" assessment. Remember that you need to include, as part of your project, some information from the at least one of the resources on the resource page. You also must cite all sources. In class, we worked on these projects.

10/9: HOMEWORK: Make choices about whether you would rather read Nas stories (15 minutes) and write your way into flipping one or two (10 minutes) OR read/listen to/explore some of the resources on the resource page. PLEASE READ this draft of the assessment.

In class, students reread their reflections and on the notecard shared with me their Most important insights, ?uestions/Concerns, Interest/Areas of possible pursuit (at least 6 total and at least one in every category).

10/5: HOMEWORK (G Block): Before Wednesday, please explore one or more of the resources (see the resources page, above). In class, we played with the poems and the stories.

10/4: HOMEWORK (A Block): Tonight, write a reflection (deep thinking and specifics) about your takeaways from the work we did in class today and about what more you want to/need to think about as we continue to work with these stories. Write one paragraph about insights you gained today (especially ones that helped to clarify confusions) and how/why they matter and then one paragraph about what ideas you are still wrestling with (explain what you understand about the ideas, and what you still need/want to know, research, practice as we move forward.) Print these out or handwrite and bring to class on Tuesday (meaty paragraphs - at least a page long, but I am thinking more like a page and a half).

G Block: work with the poems tonight. Mark them up, make notes about what insights they give you about Sufism, the stories, judgment, etc.

In class, my thoughts about some of your questions, plus poems, plus other notes.

10/3: HOMEWORK: Spend a little time rereading what we did in class (your reflection, your notes from the questions asked in pairs, your discoveries, our grup discussions, etc. Add to what you are learning and how and why by adding notes to the draft of the reflection.

In class: we paired up and talked through and asked questions about te reflections. We also revisited some questions and confusions and put some more on the table.

10/2: HOMEWORK: Drafting a reflection about what you are learning/asking/etc. PLEASE PRINT THIS OUT. You can find the assignment here.

In class, here's what we did.

10/1: HOMEWORK: Please read and turn over in your minds, this letter.

In class, we opened ourselves up to working with a mind's eye by looking at some art and by creating some by revisiting images in the poems "If Only..." or "Overflow."

9/28: HOMEWORK:Both blocks: work with either page 20 or page 27 in the Nasrudin book (please read both). Do what we did in class today - read the story "straight" then work to layer on readings using all the tools at your disposal (I've added the board notes to the handout I gave you in class. You can find those here) . Do the work in journals first, then on the front the notecard (only A Block needs to complete) the front: tell me your first read and on the back BOTH BLOCKS), write about your best ideas on a second, third, etc. read. Fill the back of the notecard.

We started our work with Sufi stories. Here's the handout

9/27: HOMEWORK: A Block: read through 19 in Nasrudin. Choose three stories to play with and mark those for class.

In class, we talked about the Prophet's sayings and the idea of reading metaphorically. We also played a little with tigers and breadcrumbs.

9/26: HOMEWORK: G Block - Read through 19 in Nasrudin. Choose three stories to play with like we did in class (fool? wise? LOVE, self to SELF, etc.) Write down your discoveries for the three stories.

In class, we looked at Islamic art and spent a little time playing with Nasrudin.

9/25: A BLOCK HOMEWORK: Read and respond to the parables

In class G Block: We worked with the Prophet's sayings and we went on a Sufi tiger hunt! Hurrah!

A Block: We added to our notes (here) and spent time working with the poems.

9/24: G BLOCK: Read and respond to "Sayings of the Prophet." A Block: revisit the Qur'an page your group was responsible for and look for symbols, imagery, etc, that you can share in notes tomorrow.

In class A Block: We worked with the poems and we went on a Sufi tiger hunt! Hurrah!

In class G Block: We added to these class notes and gallery walked the poems

9/21: HOMEWORK: Please read and mark up the poems.

In class today, we used scenarios from our lives to think about the connections between rules, punishment and mercy.

A Block notes are here

9/20: HOMEWORK (G Block): Please read the last 4 pages of the Qur'an packet, so you will be ready to hear each group's ideas tomorrow.

In class, these are G Block's class notes. We worked on poetry in the Qur'an. We also worked on examining the poetry of the last several pages of the packet.

9/19: HOMEWORK: Both blocks - taking everything we talked about in class, read "The Table."

Working to examine the text through the lens of practitioners/believers. What can a practitioner take from study of the Qur'an? What values does the Qur'an hold up/protect/assert? How does a relationship with Allah benefit, support, etc. living day to day? What questions and concerns of life are answered (and how) in the religious text?

We are also looking at the poetry of the last several suras in our packet. we'll talk about imagery, symbols, paradox, etc. and what that might tell us about the worldview presented in the text, of the practitioners, etc.

9/18: HOMEWORK: A Block: use our discussions in class (about the limitations of humans ability to understand Divine, about Allah's purpose, about the narrow path and the 6 aims, etc.) to read the last half of "The Heights." Mark up the text, ask questions, make connections, etc.

9/17: HOMEWORK (G Block): use our discussions in class (about the limitations of humans ability to understand Divine, about Allah's purpose, about the narrow path and the 6 aims, etc.) to read the last half of "The Heights." Mark up the text, ask questions, make connections, etc. Reflect on your discoveries on the back of today's notecard (fill the back of the card).

9/14: Working on the Qur'an excerpt - instructions here (G Block page 1; A Block page 2 - including homework).'s