Of Mice And Men

Today we began the novella Of Mice and Men. We started with a discussion about Great Gatsby and the American Dream, and then we transitioned into a discussion of Of Mice and Men. One of the things we were interested in is how did the American Dream change between the Jazz Age and the Great Depression?

Of Mice and Men Takes place during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. If you would like to know more about these, check out the videos below. They will give you an idea about what it was like to live in America in the 1930's.

Be prepared next time to discuss Lennie and George and what we learned about them in chapter one.

Here are some videos to look at:

How Stuff Works Dust Bowl Video

Encyclomedia Dust Bowl Video

Poor Gatsby

Well, that's the end of it. I guess it doesn't pay to obsess about girls like Daisy. 

Today we learned about mistakes one can make when drawing comparisons. We also watched the end of The Great Gatsby. After that, we did an activity about secret societies and the rules that accompany them. 

I enjoyed our discussion about what teachers do/say/wear. I guess it is true that every group that exists has its own customs and rules. If you are an outsider, you need to practice to learn those rules. Gatsby, for example, studied elocution to try to fit in with the wealthy. One question we might consider is how hard is it to move into a different social class in this country?

Next time, we are going to start looking at a different novel from the early 1900's. That novel is called Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. I think you will enjoy this novel. We will read it together in class. 

Good job on the "quiz" guys:) Now go enjoy the beautiful weather!

Like A Rollin' Stone

Yea! Mrs. Trice is back! Apparently, a brush with a gall stone isn't enough to keep our intrepid teacher away:) We are all glad that everything is okay!

Today, we covered comparisons in our grammar lesson. I think the big two ides to remember there are 1) use the comparative to compare two things and the superlative to compare more than two things and 2) don't confuse less and fewer. Less is used to compare things that cannot be counted (water, anger, imagination) and fewer is used to compare things that can be counted (crayons, tears, ideas).

Don't forget that if you haven't already, you need to turn in your reflective essays. We are taking off 10% per day that your assignment is late.

On the Gatsby front, we nearly finished the movie (we have about 20 minutes left). You all predicted (I think) that George Wilson was going to blame Tom Buchannon for Myrtle's death. Are you correct? We'll find out on Monday!!!

I'm still interested in the question of whether Daisy and Gatsby share a true love? What do you think? Also, why do you think that Fitzgerald suddenly had Nick realize it was his birthday after Tom and Gatsby got in that argument. What is the significance of that?

February 4th

Well, today was a half day. Sadly, Mrs. Trice was not with us today. She is not feeling well, so hopefully, if we think nice thoughts about her, she will be back soon! In the meantime, you still have me as your fearless leader.

I was really impressed today with how much you all remembered about the movie so far. Isn't it great that we have the projector now? It makes watching and paying attention a lot easier:) Now if we could just get a popcorn machine. MMMMMMMM. Popcorn.

For those of you who missed today, we finally met Jay Gatsby and learned a little bit about him. Here are some things I noticed:

1. Gatsby throws parties that he doesn't attend.
2. The people at Gatsby's parties don't really know anything about him.
3. Gatsby seems to have some mysterious sources of income.
4. Gatsby has known Daisy for 8 years. It seems like he really sweats her.
5. Tom (Daisy's husband) is violent.
6. Myrtle (Tom's girlfriend) seems unhappy. So does Tom. So does Daisy. So does Gatsby. Hmmmm. I think that's a pattern:)
7. The light on Daisy's dock represents all the things Gatsby wants, but can't reach.
8. The Billboard with the glasses represents the "eyes of God" looking down on the action.
9. Jordan seems like she is an instigator.
10. Daisy said she hopes her daughter will grow up to be a beautiful fool. 

Anyway, that's what stood out to me. See you next time!

Yesterday!

It sure was good to be back to school, wasn't it? I really missed hanging out with you all. Mrs. Trice did, too!

Yesterday, we had a grammar review over Pronoun Reference Problems. After that, we completed an Anticipation Guide over The Great Gatsby. Finally, we began watching the movie.

Michael was right to point out that Tom Buchannon is a racist. We are intended to find him to be an unlikable character. He is also overbearing, cheating on his wife, and thoughtless.

We also discovered that Daisy (Tom's wife) is empty-headed, superficial and self-centered. What do you think the author (F. Scott Fitzgerald) is saying about people with money?

We didn't talk about the symbols of the green light on Daisy's dock or the billboard in the ashlands. Remind me to talk about that next time.

Reminder: Your "How It Feels to be _______________ Me" essay is due tomorrow (Wednesday 2/4).

Have a great day!