daily. due Mon Dec 3

Using our vocabulary workbook’s organizing principle of families-of-words, and the value of social interaction to learning, design a game that helps people learn the words from Lessons 1-6.  Be ready to stand before the class to explain your design in a one-minute speech.

agenda. Fri Nov 30

F block 29 Nov 2012

present oedipus graphs

end product: audience members’ books marked with six passages presented by each group (with group’s acronym in margin); books will be collected for review @ end of class

maximum duration of presentation: 10 minutes, including Q&A

expectations of each group: project and explain graph; for each data point, identify corresponding lines from the text; share responsibilities equitably

agenda. Wed/Thurs Nov 28/9

small group exercise:  “O, wise one?”

Has Oedipus grown wiser by the end of the play?

How do you know–i.e., what lines indicate his increased, or unchanged, wisdom?

What experiences have made him wiser, or eluded his learning?

Using brief passages from every three hundred lines, for a total of six data points, graph the change,or stasis, in Oedipus’s wisdom quotient over the course of the play.  Be prepared to present the graph to the whole class, including explanations of how much wisdom each passage reveals.  Focus solely on Oedipus’s words.  Use a scale a ten-point scale, with Tiresias scoring a ten.  Start your group’s exercise by identifying three clear criteria for establishing someone’s wisdom.

reporting

Each group will project its graph, while quoting and explaining lines for each of the six data points.

During each report, all audience members take notes by marking the lines and writing in the margins in their texts.

(During small group work, Mr. Brown creates document compiling results of “wise person” email–for comparison to “O, wise one?” exercise

agenda. Tues Nov 27

write wisest person exercise

watch rest of Oedipus film

weekly. due Mon Nov 26

Be thinking about this question over the holiday:

Who is the wisest person you know personally?  What has made this person wise?

agenda. Wed/Thurs Nov 14/15

film day:  Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex 

(1957; directed by Tyrone Guthrie; translation by W.By Yeats)

daily. due Wed Nov 14 (8 am)

If in Tuesday’s class you did not finish the paragraph, “Reaction to Oedipus,” do so for homework, being sure to submit the complete exercise to TURNITIN by 8am Wednesday.

agenda. Tues Nov 13

Using the information in yesterday’s email, along with the 11-sentence paragraph models (available on the “Raw Materials” page of this blog), compose a paragraph that answers the question below; the central question appears in the bold-font sentence.  After completing the paragraph, submit it to TURNITIN, under the title, “Reaction to Oedipus.”  Include the full pledge on your document.

QUESTION: (What was your initial opinion of Oedipus’s personality?  What did you think of him, as the play began?)  By the end, how much has the play confirmed or changed your first impressions of the man?  Use quotations from the beginning, middle and end of the play to explain your answer.

n.b. When quoting lines from the play, use forward slashes (/) to indicate line endings and parentheses to contain line numbers.  For example, Oedipus shows a degree of anger when he wishfully remarks, “May he die, the man / who found me in the pasture” (1533-4).  For another example, Tiresias stands up for himself, when he declares this: “You may be king, but my right / to answer makes me your equal” (490-1).

Also note that I will use the content rubric to evaluate your paragraph.

daily. due Tues Nov 13

“Oedipus Answers”

In the BODY of an email, explain how Oedipus would answer the two essential questions of our course: “Who am I?  What are my primary responsibilities to myself and to the communities in which I live?”

Quote  a total of three brief passages (from the beginning, middle and end of the play–with line numbers), and explain how these passages illustrate the answer Oedipus would give.

Send your answer in the BODY of your email.  If you need more than class time to finish, be sure to send the email before tomorrow’s class.

agenda. Mon Nov 12

“Oedipus Answers”

In the BODY of an email, explain how Oedipus would answer the two essential questions of our course: “Who am I?  What are my primary responsibilities to myself and to the communities in which I live?”

Quote  a total of three brief passages (from the beginning, middle and end of the play–with line numbers), and explain how these passages illustrate the answer Oedipus would give.

Send your answer in the BODY of your email.  If you need more than class time to finish, be sure to send the email before tomorrow’s class.

If time allows, we will start watching a film version of the play. Given today’s severe weather drill, B block did not have time to start the film; they will start tomorrow.