It's HILLBILLY DAY!!!

We are celebrating our cross-county rivals today!

It's CHARACTER DAY!!!

Who are these characters? I ask myself that almost daily! :)

Caesar newspapers

These turned out really cool! They are front pages of newspapers from Caesar's time. The kids did a good job in a short amount of time.

Week of October 27

Monday, October 27
Define Units 13 and 14
Watch "First Knight"

Tuesday, October 28
Vocab act
Finish "First Knight"
List characteristics

Wednesday, October 29
Animal Farm

Thursday, October 30
Animal Farm

Friday, October 31
Animal Farm test, discussion
Voc quiz
In-class knighthood characteristics

Resources

If you are interested in the mysteries surrounding Arthur and Camelot, you might want to take a look at this website.

The other website is an interesting illustrated version of the tales.

I don't have any specific questions, but feel free to comment on anything you find interesting on either site.

Reaction

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."
~Joseph Campbell

Campbell has done a lot of research on heroes, legends, and quests, the stuff that the Arthurian Legends are made of. What reactions do you have to this quote?

As a side note, I chose the picture at the top because it is a photograph of the Holocaust survivor who spoke to us yesterday at Vanderbilt. This photo was taken the day she left on a ship for the United States to her new adoptive family (her aunt and uncle). Her name is Frances Cutler, and her parents put her in an orphanage in Paris to save her. Her mother was murdered in Auschwitz and her father died as a French resistance fighter. I don't think I need to make the connection for you between this quote and this picture. I will say that, though Frances is certainly a hero for telling her story to student groups around the country, I cannot imagine being in a situation where the best scenario for my child to live is for me to have to give her up and leave her with strangers.

Week of October 20

We are starting (and almost finishing!) Arthurian Legends this week. It should be a good, light unit for us.

Monday, 10/20
Define Unit 7
Watch "Camelot"

Tuesday, 10/21
Camelot questions
Camelot notes
Read "Sword in the Stone" for homework

Wednesday, 10/22
Vocab activity
Discuss "Sword", read "Sir Lancelot"
Codes of Chivalry discussion

Thursday, 10/23
Watch "Stick in the Log"
Work on shields

Friday, 10/24
Vocab quiz
Arthur unit test
DUE: Journals

Upcoming: Animal Farm next week!

Fall Break

Hope everyone had a great fall break! I will be gone to Vanderbilt to the Educational Outreach Program for the Tennessee Holocaust Commission today and tomorrow, but you guys will start the Arthurian Legends unit without me. I am anxious to share everything I learn this weekend with you during our upcoming Holocaust unit!

Week of October 13 (And FALL BREAK!!!)

Monday, 10/13
Library/lab to research for Shakespeare/Caesar paper

Tuesday, 10/14
Library/lab to research for Shakespeare/Caesar paper

Wednesday, 10/15
Library/lab to research for Shakespeare/Caesar project

Thursday, Friday
Enjoy a couple of days off! Be safe, have fun, and come back ready to work hard for nine more weeks!!!

Caesar Projects!

LOVE the Caesar projects I got this time! The ideas were so different and creative this time around. Great job to all of you, but here are a few of the most interesting...


Assassination Scene by Bruceann












Caesar's Assassination Scene by JT






The Dead in Caesar by Jake











Front Page by Ayana










Caesar Visual by Katelyn













Portia's Untimely Death by Rebekah






















Caesar's coffin by Chelsie








DOUBLE quote illustration by Nisha










Memory Box by Kristen

Et tu, Brute?

Considerations for the play...

· Is Brutus a good man?
· Can a good man commit murder?
· Is the quality of shrewdness the fatal missing ingredient in Brutus’ character?
· Or alternatively, is he just an evil person?

Week of October 6 (Can you believe it's already halfway through the semester?!?!?)

Wow, end of the nine weeks this week! September felt very long, but it is still shocking to me that the semester is going so fast. Hope you guys are ready to finish the nine weeks with a bang! (And a whole lot of BIG grades...)

Monday, October 6
Peer read character analysis
DUE: Julius Caesar memorizations

Tuesday, October 7
Caesar test

Wednesday, October 8
Review
DUE: Caesar projects

Thursday, October 9
9 Week test (over fiction, nonfiction, Julius Caesar)

Friday, October 10
Newspaper projects

Decision '08 and Assassination 63'

At this point in our political cycle, we are no doubt thinking a lot about leadership, politics, and government. In just four short weeks, we will elect the next president of our country. Without discussing anything specific from our own political parties and without making any points for any candidate by name, please think for a few minutes and comment on the following questions that this play raises. What makes a good leader? Is it okay to sacrifice the rights of an individual for the good of many, the way that Brutus and the conspirators sacrificed Caesar for Rome? What would the perfect government look like? Brutus, one could argue, is in favor of a democratic leadership. He fears the total power Caesar wanted to assume. With that being said, is it ironic at all that Brutus chose a VERY undemocratic method of finding a solution to the problem? Are there any contemporary world events-- or any in recent history-- which parallel Brutus' taking of Caesar's life? Do such comparisons help you understand Brutus' position or the world in the play?