The Ceremony

8th grade is a BIG year, the year you "move on" to high school or graduate from middle school. You will soon celebrate this process with a ceremony in which each one of you is recognized for your abilities, talents, and strengths as an individual. In Jonas' Ceremony of Twelve a similar process happens, as we read in chapters 6-9. We often call this "moving on" a "rite of passage" or "coming of age". What other ceremonies have you had or will you have that are a "rite of passage"?

Imagine someone from a different community or culture were watching your move-on ceremony. They might find it a little strange that we have the tradition of wearing a funny-looking, flat, square hat with this little colorful string that dangles in front of the face. They may not understand why we wear a silky nightgown-like robe. Do you? (Read about it in "The History of Graduation Day"). Just like we found the community's ceremony a little different, we might find this 13-year-old Apache girl's "coming of age" unique (definitely compared to a USA-style "Super Sweet Sixteen"). The point is, every community and culture has their own way of recognizing important landmarks in life, such as the "coming of age".

What ceremonies do you/will you celebrate as you move through life?  What "rite of passage" or "coming of age" will you have? How are these similar and different to those of the community? Feel free to share here any ideas that came up in class while working with chp. 6-9, such as which Assignment you may have been given if you were a member of the community, the "timeline" of life that each community member follows, etc. Make sure to check out all the links above so you can use those to help enhance your ideas and comment!

What is Love?

Valentine's Day: The day of love and friendship. On this day, everyone celebrates the "power of love" by giving cards, chocolates, flowers, balloons, teddy bears... while chocolate distributors, card stores, and flower shops everywhere rejoice. But the question is, what exactly are we celebrating on this holiday? WHAT IS LOVE?

Here's what the "Top Ten Love Songs of 2010" say about love:
Top Ten Love Songs of 2010-Hub Pages 
(NOTE: This is not MY opinion).

You all did a VERY impressive job of describing this sensation in class, without using any of the traditional words we usually do, just as Lois Lowry did in Chapter 5 of The Giver. (On a side note, please feel free to share any of those descriptions here, or descriptions you like from your favorite songs). In Chapter 5, we read about Jonas' first "stirrings". He describes a dream in which he has that feeling of "wanting" another person. *Sigh* Jonas, can't we all relate? He describes this feeling as being pleasurable, and wanting to feel this way again. *Sigh* Jonas, don't we all? Sorry about that pill...

So, the questions that remain:
1. What does it feel like to love someone?
2. Is this a PROBLEM for a "perfect society"? Why/Why not?
3. By eliminating "stirrings" with a pill, what societal problems does "The Community" avoid?
4. Is there any potential harm to "The Community" by eliminating "stirrings"? Explain.

(I would like to remind you to answer in the format you wish, but please keep your comments PG and put your name so you get credit for your work).
Much love to you all!

Community Roles: The Giver Chapter 1-4 Review/Literature Circles

Here are the tasks for each role in your "community". Please come prepared on Thursday with your task(s) complete and ready to share... or else you may get "released" from your community!

SPEAKER: Make a list of all the rules in the community (in Chp. 1-4). Include the p. # you find the rule (or a hint of it) on. You will present your group's work to the class.

"OUTSIDER": You just moved from your community (Santo Domingo) to "the community". Write a letter home describing the community and summarizing what's happened so far.

ELDER: Record observations of Jonas' character (what he says, does, thinks...). Choose the format you wish, but include p. #s of where you got the info.

PRECISION OF LANGUAGE MASTER: Select 5 words from each chapter (2, 3, &4) that you or your group does not know. Mark or record their context. Then, make vocab. word cards for the words. Design a creative way to teach the words to your group/the class. (Color code: Chp. 2=orange, Chp.3=blue, Chp. 4=yellow).

PLANNING COMMITTEE: Draw "The Community" based on the descriptions you have read so far. Write down 4 quotes (with p. #) that helped you create your drawing.

In a Perfect World...

Utopia: (n) an ideal place or state (see full definiton and source here)

What makes "Utopia" or "the perfect world"? Peace. Justice. Independence. Disney World. Education. "Hotties". Equality. Clean Environment... These are all words that were thrown around in your discussions of what "The Perfect World" would have. We also thought about what keeps that world from happening.
In The Giver by Lois Lowry, Chapter 1 introduces us to a "perfect world".  
What elements does the author say make a perfect world? 
What is needed to keep that world perfect? 
Do you agree? 
Has your opinion changed at all after reading Chapter 1 about what is a "perfect world"?

Please answer these questions in your comment. You may want to include a link to a picture you find on the web or a video that shows what you believe to be "the perfect world", although this is not as neccesary as your ideas on the subject. Don't forget to write your name!

People who have read beyond Chapter 1: PLEASE answer the questions as if you have only read up to p. 10. We don't want to give away any of the juicy parts of the book for our classmates! PLEASE!!!

Mindful Media

Media messes with our minds! For years, your brain has been trained by the media (magazines, television, music videos, youtube, radio, newspaper, etc.)to have certain ideas about what is "right" and what is "wrong", about how society "should" be. 

As we end the 20^th century, young people (and older) are taught- largely through media repetitions of social myths, misconceptions, stupidity, and outright bigotry- to view people as types locked into certain stereotypical, inalterable (and inaccurate) modes

(Dennis & Pease, 1994). 

The media, in other words, help to create a divide amongst people and shamelessly give those labels we all unfortunately have: stereotypes. Media have a huge impact on our perceptions of the world, whether we like it or not.

Every day we are bombarded with biased non-fiction, with fictional stories perpetuating played-out stereotypes, and with distorted images of the world and how it should be. For example, check out this youtube video, "Gender Stereotypes in Media" that compiles clips from different commercials, movies, and TV shows throughout the years that have OBVIOUS gender stereotypes. Each clip tells us  how a man/woman "should" be. 

Unfortunately, the media create certain standards for different races, as well. These we can see instilled in our minds even from a young age, through media you would never expect, like cartoons. We can see several examples in "Racial Stereotypes in Children's Entertainment" of how kids can sublty form misconceptions about different races. These youtube media compliations are only 2 examples, you can find thousands more on TV, in movies, and on the internet.

In our "Mindful Media" project, it was your responsibility to be a critical viewer and make your own judgments about the media, then stand up against the stereotypes you see. You had the power, through your words, to CREATE new media that is free of bias and stereotypes.

This blog is for you to share your work from your "Mindful Media" project, as well as any additional discoveries you may have made since then. Please post the link(s) to the media you analyzed, and a brief summary of your analysis of that media. (Note: If you selected an entire movie, you may want to provide a link to the trailer of the movie, the part of the movie that most impacted you, or the website for the movie). Also, if you would like to upload your new, unbiased media and share with us, that would be great! (Please provide the link as well).

Do not feel limited to comment on your project only. Feel free to share a thought, question, or conclusion your may have come to from other projects, or simply from something you saw in the media that you feel the need to speak out against. Don't let the media mess with your mind anymore!

How to Make a Gr8 Comment

As you know, one period of Literature class never really gives us enough time to discuss everything we want to. This blog is designed to give you the time, space, and powers of the internet to share your ideas with your classmates and internet users worldwide. Remember that any spiteful, mean-spirited, or inappropriate comments could jeopardize both this blog and Literature class, so please keep those unpublished, and hopefully unsaid.

Here's how to comment on a post:
1. Click on the title of the post you would like to comment on.
2. READ and THINK about the post, including any comments that have already been made.
3. Write your comment/question in the blank box provided, where it says "Post a Comment". Check your conventions (spelling, grammar, etc.).
4. WRITE YOUR NAME either at the beginning or end of your comment... give yourself credit for your ideas!
5. In the box where it asks "Comment as", select "Anonymous". Then, click on "Post Comment" and ADMIRE your contribution!

It is very important to note that all comments must be RESPECTFUL to yourself and others... please use YOUR OWN WORDS and make sure that what you write is a positive representation of you and your class... remember that the whole world can see it!