Ms. Cavallaro’s Class Blog

Part 1 of Things Fall Apart shows us what the Ibo culture was like before the British colonialism of the late 19th century. And so, I’d like you to spend some time learning even more about this perhaps unknown-to-you part of the world, southeastern Nigeria.

Check out a few of the links under Things Fall Apart on the sidebar and decide where you want to spend some time reading and learning about the Igbo people (formerly referred to as Ibo, hence Achebe’s use of the latter). Immerse yourself in one site. Or follow links to several sites. Look at pictures. Read about customs, religion, or whatever intrigues you. Think about these people, so foreign to us, yet so similar, too. Just as you have read Part 1 with an open mind, read here too without judgment.

Then, come on back here and address the following questions:

• What was your initial response to the novel and the traditional Ibo culture and people that Achebe has exposed us to? Why? (Please provide specifics from the novel.)
• Then, where did you go in your reading on the Internet? What did you learn? What did you find surprising or intriguing? What will stay with you? Why?
• Finally, now that you have learned more about the Ibo, what do you think about the act of colonialism of any society? Is it acceptable for one culture to impose its value system on another culture? Are there “uncivilized” cultures? Do those cultures need to be “saved”?

Part 1 of Things Fall Apart shows us what the Ibo culture was like before the British colonialism of the late 19th century. And so, I’d like you to spend some time learning even more about this perhaps unknown-to-you part of the world, southeastern Nigeria.

Check out a few of the links under Things Fall Apart on the sidebar and decide where you want to spend some time reading and learning about the Igbo people (formerly referred to as Ibo, hence Achebe’s use of the latter). Immerse yourself in one site. Or follow links to several sites. Look at pictures. Read about customs, religion, or whatever intrigues you. Think about these people, so foreign to us, yet so similar, too. Just as you have read Part 1 with an open mind, read here too without judgment.

Then, come on back here and address the following questions:

• What was your initial response to the novel and the traditional Ibo culture and people that Achebe has exposed us to? Why? (Please provide specifics from the novel.)
• Then, where did you go in your reading on the Internet? What did you learn? What did you find surprising or intriguing? What will stay with you? Why?
• Finally, now that you have learned more about the Ibo, what do you think about the act of colonialism of any society? Is it acceptable for one culture to impose its value system on another culture? Are there “uncivilized” cultures? Do those cultures need to be “saved”?

** If you still need to submit your comment, be aware that (a) you don’t need your password to do so and (b) comment moderation has been enabled, which means that your comment won’t show up immediately after you’ve submitted it.

Part 1 of Things Fall Apart shows us what the Ibo culture was like before the British colonialism of the late 19th century. And so, I’d like you to spend some time learning even more about this perhaps unknown-to-you part of the world, southeastern Nigeria.

Check out a few of the links under Things Fall Apart on the sidebar and decide where you want to spend some time reading and learning about the Igbo people (formerly referred to as Ibo, hence Achebe’s use of the latter). Immerse yourself in one site. Or follow links to several sites. Look at pictures. Read about customs, religion, or whatever intrigues you. Think about these people, so foreign to us, yet so similar, too. Just as you have read Part 1 with an open mind, read here too without judgment.

Then, come on back here and address the following questions:

• What was your initial response to the novel and the traditional Ibo culture and people that Achebe has exposed us to? Why? (Please provide specifics from the novel.)
• Then, where did you go in your reading on the Internet? What did you learn? What did you find surprising or intriguing? What will stay with you? Why?
• Finally, now that you have learned more about the Ibo, what do you think about the act of colonialism of any society? Is it acceptable for one culture to impose its value system on another culture? Are there “uncivilized” cultures? Do those cultures need to be “saved”?

** If you still need to submit your comment, be aware that (a) you don’t need your password to do so and (b) comment moderation has been enabled, which means that your comment won’t show up immediately after you’ve submitted it.

Final papers are due by Friday, May 1

Click on the document name to download:

• STP research paper descriptor
• Research notes sheet

Revised discussion schedule….

My lesson planning process…

1. First, I re-read the chapter(s), since rarely if ever have I taught something that I’ve read only once.

2. As I read, I underline things I deem important. Things I think are really important - i.e. they have a broader connection to the text or reveal something new or are just plain interesting - I star. Since most of you cannot write in your books, I highly encourage you to use sticky notes, not only for the chapter that you teach but for all chapters.

3. I then go through what I’ve just read and handwrite notes in my honors senior English notebook. (Yes, I have one, too.) As I teach, I like to have those notes in front of me. My notes usually consist of: important events, key quotes, and connections.

4. I then take a some time to read over my notes and add insights, connections, and/or analysis that I didn’t see before.

5. Then, I make up questions. I usually create more than I end up using. Sometimes the discussion flows in a different way than I expect, so I want to be prepared to handle that while still leading a good discussion. Crafting discussion questions consists of looking over my notes, doing a bit of research, and spending some time pondering the major issues of the reading.

6. Finally, I lead the discussion. In fact, the discussion rarely ends up going the way I planned, because you guys take it in a different direction (and that’s not a bad thing) or a question that I thought was fabulous falls flat or a comment spurs me to shift to things I had noticed but had not planned to discuss. As I noted in #5, it’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.

Ultimately, you’re responsible for generating a scintillating 15-20 minute discussion, so keep that in mind as you go through the lesson planning and teaching process.

In Frankenstein, we will encounter the battle between science and nature. What is “acceptable” science and medicine? Who decides? How can society balance the benefits of new medical discoveries against ethical or spiritual questions they may pose? In your response, consider such scientific and medical advancements as dissection, cloning, organ transplants (from both humans and animals), pre-natal testing, stem cell research, in vitro fertilization, etc. Do the benefits of such advancements outweigh the shortfalls, or are science and technology are advancing much more rapidly than is our wisdom to use them properly?

As always, be sure to respond to your classmates’ comments. In addition,  please make connections to relevant texts, films, songs, etc.

Due by midnight on Tuesday, January 27

In Frankenstein, we will encounter the battle between science and nature. What is “acceptable” science and medicine? Who decides? How can society balance the benefits of new medical discoveries against ethical or spiritual questions they may pose? In your response, consider such scientific and medical advancements as dissection, cloning, organ transplants (from both humans and animals), pre-natal testing, human genome project, stem cell research, in vitro fertilization, etc. Do the benefits of such advancements outweigh the shortfalls, or are science and technology are advancing much more rapidly than is our wisdom to use them properly?

As always, be sure to respond to your classmates’ comments. In addition,  please make connections to relevant texts, films, songs, etc.

Due by midnight on Wednesday, January 28

In Frankenstein, we will encounter the battle between science and nature. What is “acceptable” science and medicine? Who decides? How can society balance the benefits of new medical discoveries against ethical or spiritual questions they may pose? In your response, consider such scientific and medical advancements as dissection, cloning, organ transplants (from both humans and animals), pre-natal testing, human genome project, in vitro fertilization, stem cell research, etc. Do the benefits of such advancements outweigh the shortfalls, or are science and technology are advancing much more rapidly than is our wisdom to use them properly?

As always, be sure to respond to your classmates’ comments. In addition,  please make connections to relevant texts, films, songs, etc.

Due by midnight on Tuesday, January 27

It is human nature to look at another person and make judgments based on his/her clothing, hair, car, house, possessions, etc. An extreme example is that we make one assumption when we see someone driving a Rolls Royce and another assumption when we see someone sleeping on the street. Why do we do this? What drives us to make these assumptions? How does this play into how we define ourselves? How much control do we have over assumptions that others make about us?

It’s been a while since we blogged, so remember to (a) thoughtfully and thoroughly address all parts of the prompt and (b) respond to at least one of your classmates’ posts!

Responses due by midnight Sunday 11/9