Brittney+Whetzel

Crowd Mentality: Are You a Leader or a Follower?
 * Rationale: **

The idea of the crowd mentality is one that permeates many facets of most cultures and societies. People make decisions everyday as to whether or not they will follow the crowd or stand on their own. In democratic societies, in which the power lies with the people, it is vital for society to understand the concept of the crowd mentality in order to ensure an educated populace that has the ability to stand up for what they believe in and follow the facts, rather than their emotions. While studying the Shakespearean text //Julius Caesar// will not educate high school students with all of the knowledge they will ever need, it does portray a crucial idea that is beneficial for all to understand; the idea of following one’s own ideas rather than that of the crowd’s. Not only does this unit signify important ideas to take into society, it resonates with teen- aged students for the simple fact that high school can be a brutal place. In an institution where popularity often reigns supreme, students must navigate a fine line between asserting their own values and fitting in with their peers. By studying the crowd mentality that entangles the characters in //Julius Caesar//, students are forced to think about their own choices in conjunction with those made in the play. The more students understand the concept of crowd mentality, the more educated they become in avoiding the sometimes fatal outcomes that can arise from following a crowd.


 * Objectives: **
 * 1) Students will be able to create inferences from a text (RSL, 1) (Assassinate Caesar Activity)
 * 2) Students will be able to evaluate arguments and claims in a text (RSIT, 8) (Activity with gang informational texts)
 * 3) Students will be able to create arguments based on claims made in a text (WS, 1b) (Assassinate Caesar Activity)
 * 4) Students will be able to develop and strengthen their writing through planning, revising, and editing (WS, 5) (Modern Caesar Activity)
 * 5) Students will be able to implement digital media to enhance their understanding of a text (SLS, 5) (Modern Caesar Activity)
 * 6) Students will be able to context clues to better understand a text (LS, 4a) (Comparing/Contrasting Brutus’ Speeches Activity)
 * 7) Students will be able to analyze a speaker’s point of view (SLS, 3) (Comparing/Contrasting Brutus’ Speeches Activity)
 * 8) Students will be able to routinely reflect on a text (WS, 10) (Modern Caesar Activity)
 * 9) Students will be able to produce writing that is appropriate to a specific audience (WS, 4) (Modern Caesar Activity)
 * 10) Students will be able to analyze a subject presented in various types of mediums (RSIT, 7) (Caesar text vs. Mean Girls vs. Caesar film Activity)

= =

=**Philosophy of Education Draft:**=

The amazing thing about teaching is that it is unique to every teacher. Some prefer more analytical- styled teaching, while others prefer creation- focused classrooms. As for me, I believe that teaching should encompass three major aspects. My ideal classroom is one that involves a variety of learning activities and materials, is student- centered, and focuses on a growth- based grading system. It is important for teaching to encompass a wide variety of materials and learning activities in order for students to gain a well- rounded sense of the subject they are studying. English education should not solely focus on a novel or a text book. By giving students multiple different resources to work with, such as poetry, songs, art, videos, and maps, they are not only being exposed to these various types of works, but they are given a more expanded view of the subject they are studying. I also believe that teachers should include many different styles of learning activities for students to complete. Rather than just having students only read and write in an English class, I want my students to read, write, act, present, and create. The importance of this is to allow as many students as possible to find a particular style of learning that works best for them, while still exposing them to various learning techniques. The more a student is exposed to, the more he or she learns about the world around them. Going along with the idea of incorporating a variety of materials and activities in the classroom, I also believe that teachers should always focus on their students. By bringing in multiple genres of materials and activities for students to work with, it is more likely that a larger number of students will find at least one piece of work or activity that engages them in what they are learning. I think that it is important for teachers to not only learn what their students are interested in, but to incorporate it in the classroom as often as possible. Students that are engaged in the material or activity in the lesson are the ones that will actually do the work and connect to what is being taught. Getting students to connect to and engage with the educational material is crucial, and I believe that bringing in their own interests to the classroom is the best way to do so. I think that students should value learning and view it as something that is fun, rather than just another task they have to complete. If I can get my students interested in what they are learning, I believe that English will become fun for them. Just as important as variety and fun in the classroom, I also believe that teachers should focus on the idea of student growth, as opposed to strictly relying on tests to assess students’ learning. Not every student will be a star test- taker. And not every student will outstandingly grasp every lesson and idea taught in the classroom. For a teacher to focus on a student’s growth as a reader, writer or speaker, their effort is assessed, rather than their perfect execution of a task. This is crucial in the classroom because it allows students to feel pride in their work and effort, even if they may have not done a perfect job. I also believe that students will feel more inclined to give their all on assignments if they know that they will not be penalized for petty mistakes, and rather graded on their growth as an English student. No student should ever feel that they are destined to fail if they cannot grasp a concept. For a teacher to focus his or her classroom on effort, no student can feel a sense of failure as long as they try. Not only does this motivate students, it gives them confidence in their abilities as learners. Teachers play such a vital role in students’ lives. They can either herd students through their class each year, or they can truly impact their students’ learning experiences in a positive way. This is what I strive to do. In incorporating various materials and activities, focusing on my students and praising their efforts over grades, I believe that I will be able to reach out to and influence my students to become better learners and truly enjoy English.

=** Possible Julius Caesar Activities: **=

Julius Caesar Activities:

 * Assassinate Caesar! **

Your task will be to plan the perfect assassination of Julius Caesar, following the same guidelines that the conspirators would have done in 44 B.C. Your assignment is **not** to predict how the conspirators really committed the murder, but to make an ideal plan for the assassination. First, let’s review what you have going in your favor and what may foil your plot.


 * Conspirators: Friends of Caesar:**
 * (Your Allies) (Your Enemies)**


 * Possible Murder Locations: Possible Assassination Methods:**

Some people dislike Caesar, but he’s very popular among the commoners. (I.i.) Caesar is not afraid of anything, including death. (I.ii., II.iii.) Brutus is popular among the people of Rome, but he doesn’t want to be Caesar. (I.ii.) Perhaps Caesar is not as strong as he claims to be. (I.ii.) Caesar distrusts Cassius. (I.ii.) Caesar will be at the capitol on March 15. (I.iii., II.) Caesar will be the only one killed by the conspirators. (II.i.) Portia knows the plan. (II.iv.) Other people may have learned about the conspiracy and are out to warn Caesar. (II.iii.) Using the information from the play and historically accurate elements from 44 B.C., plot Caesar’s assassination. Your plan must meet the following guidelines:
 * A Few Points to Note from Acts I and II:**
 * Your Assignment:**
 * Give **each** conspirator a task

You must include the following items to make your plan clear:

In your group, make sure everyone has a job to do, and that no “manpower” is being wasted by poor delegation of duty. I suggest that you begin by brainstorming the plot together before splitting up to do individual jobs. You may want to assign one person to be your “Cassius” to keep the group on task. Other suggested duties could be:

Make everything clear and presentable. When your group is finished with the plan, you will present it to the class, just as the leaders of the conspiracy would have had to present their plan to the group. Assign different members of your group to the tasks of explaining the process, holding up the diagrams, explaining the diagrams, and answering questions. Your diagrams should be large enough for the class to see (on one of the giant post-its or paper from the rolls in the media center).

10 points for step-by-step instructions 10 points for diagrams/maps 10 points for presentation
 * Grade**: 10 points for group log and reflection

Name: ___ Date:__ _ Period:__ ** Act 3 Scene 1: The Assassination & The Aftermath **
 * Warm Up Questions **
 * 1) For a moment after the assassination, the action seeps to stop since the conspirators have achieved their goal. What do you predict will take place in the remainder of the play, and how will it involve Mark Antony? Why do you think so? Support your answer with knowledge that you’ve gained from the play so far.


 * Today’s Activity **
 * 1) In pairs, read aloud together (you can decide how you alternate) pages 38-40. In the space below, summarize in 3-4 sentences the **key ideas** in this section of the text.


 * 1) When you’ve finished reading the end of the scene, **compare and contrast** the two important speeches made by Antony in this scene. Fill out the Venn Diagram on the back of this sheet and then at the bottom, summarize your findings.


 * ANTONY: ** I doubt not of your wisdom.

Let each man render me his bloody hand.

First, Marcus Brutus, will I shake with you

Next, Caius Cassius, do I take your hand;

Now, Decius Brutus, yours; now yours, Metellus;

Yours, Cinna; and, my valiant Casca, yours;

Though last, not least in love, yours, good Trebonius.

**Gentlemen** all,—alas, what shall I say?

My credit now stands on such slippery ground,

That one of two bad ways you must conceit me,

Either a coward or a flatterer.

That I did love thee, Caesar, O, 'tis true!

If then thy spirit look upon us now,

Shall it not grieve thee dearer than thy death

To see thy Antony making his peace,

Shaking the bloody fingers of thy **foes**,

Most noble! In the presence of thy [|corpse?]

Had I as many eyes as thou hast wounds,

**Weeping** as fast as they stream forth thy blood,

It would become me better than to close

In terms of **friendship** with thine enemies.

Pardon me, Julius! Here wast thou [|bay'd,] brave [|hart,]

Here didst thou fall, and here thy **hunters** stand,

Sign'd in thy spoil, and crimson'd in thy [|lethe.]

O world, thou wast the forest to this heart,

And this, indeed, O world, the heart of thee.

How like a deer strucken by many **princes**

Dost thou here lie!


 * ANTONY: ** O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,

That I am meek and gentle with these **butchers**!

Thou art the ruins of the noblest man

That ever lived in the tide of times.

Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!

Over thy wounds now do I prophesy

Which like dumb mouths do ope their ruby lips

To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue,

A **curse** shall light upon the limbs of men;

Domestic **fury** and **fierce** civil **strife**

Shall [|cumber] all the parts of Italy;

**Blood and destruction** shall be so in use, (285)

And dreadful objects so familiar,

That mothers shall but smile when they behold

Their **infants** [|**quarter'd**]** with the hands of war ** ;

All pity choked with custom of [|fell] deeds,

And Caesar's spirit [|ranging] for **revenge**,

With [|Ate] by his side come **hot from hell**,

Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice

Cry [|“**Havoc**!”] and **let** **slip the dogs of war**,

That this **foul** deed shall smell above the earth

With [|carrion] men, groaning for burial


 * Compare and Contrast ** In the ovals below, note your observations about the similarities (in the center) and the differences (in the outside parts of the circles) between the two important speeches that Antony gives in 3.1. Use **EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT** whenever possible. An example has been done for you.

What do you notice about Antony’s role in the play now? Does this match any of your predictions? ||
 * ** Conclusions: **


 * ** Diction (word choice, indicated in bold)** ||


 * ** Purpose of the speech ** ||


 * **Tone of the speech (what does the voice of the speaker sound like?)** ||


 * ** Main message of the speech ** ||


 * ** Speech #1 ** ||


 * ** Speech #2 ** ||


 * Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare **


 * In A Nutshell **

//Julius Caesar// is a tragedy by William Shakespeare about a political conspiracy against Roman

leader Julius Caesar, and the events surrounding and following his assassination. Shakespeare

wrote //Julius Caesar// after he had completed a series of English political histories, and though

the play is set in ancient Rome, it isn’t without sixteenth century English political

considerations. The play deals with the importance of upholding the ideals of the Roman

Republic, but these were fairly contrary to monarchical rule in contemporary England. The

play dates to 1599, when the hot topic in England was who might succeed Elizabeth I, the

Virgin Queen, who would be leaving the crown without an heir. The play focuses on the

question of whether rulers who take the crown are fit for it, especially in the eyes of the people

(the ruler's subjects). However, the play isn’t an anti-monarchy tirade. Shakespeare doesn’t

object to coronation; rather, he implies that those crowned should be good leaders. //Julius//

//Caesar// is a play about power, but it’s also Elizabethan England’s answer to ancient Rome. It

argues that power concentrated in capable hands is not an affront to the common good, but in

fact, its only guarantor.

//Visit Shmoop for much more analysis://

• Julius Caesar Themes

• Julius Caesar Quotes

• Julius Caesar Summary

• Also: literary devices, characters, trivia, audio, photos, links, and more


 * Big Picture Study Questions **

1 Is Cassius responsible for turning Brutus ’s thoughts to murdering Caesar? That ’s usually

the claim, but Brutus and Cassius talked about how Brutus was vexed by his own personal

thoughts before Cassius even brings up the murder. Is there any indication that Brutus had

earlier thought of killing Caesar? Why would he?

2 In the play, what type of ruler does the average Roman citizen want? A king? An arrogant

and confident ruler? Someone who uses reason and acts honorably?

3 Wives seem kind of superfluous to this play. Even Brutus, who loves Portia, seems to treat

her unkindly. Could this whole tragedy have been avoided if the women had been heeded?

Why is what some might call "woman ’s intuition" dismissed in the play as cowardice and

foolishness?

[|**Should Caesar Be Saved?**]


 * Description:**The lesson has the students read about Julius Caesar. Students will work in groups of four. Students are required to take notes on the readings and organize them in a list, chart/table, or webdiagram. Using the facts they gained, 2 members of the group must write a written speech to persuade the audience that Caesar should be saved and the other 2 must write a speech to persuade the audience that Caesar should be put to death. Each pair of students will read their speech to the class.

By the end of the WebQuest, students will have a better understanding of who Julius Caesar was and the controversy that surrounded him. They will read about Julius Caesar from four different sources, each which give their own impression about what Caesar was like as a person. Students will be able to formulate their own opinions using facts to either support of be against Caesar. Students will gain experience in written composition and oral speaking by delivering their speech to the class.


 * Last Updated:**Apr-22-2009


 * Subject(s):**


 * Social Studies
 * World Languages


 * Educational Level(s):**


 * Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
 * Grades 9-10 / Ages 14-16


 * Instructional Component Type(s):**


 * Activity: WebQuest


 * Introduction:**

You have been transported back in time to March 44 B.C. to the Roman Republic. A plot to assassinate Gaius Julius Caesar -- the great Roman statesman, rhetorician, and military hero -- is set to be carried out on March 15. Standing among the senators and those conspiring against Caesar, you have the power to speak up. Should Caesar be saved or should he be condemned to death? It's your choice.


 * The Task:**

After gathering as much information as you possibly can on Gaius Julius Caesar, you will compose and deliver a speech before your fellow senators (classmates) either in support or in opposition to Caesar.


 * The Process:**

1. Students will be divided into groups of 4.

2. Each student will read about Caesar from the following resources:

[|www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/88114/Julius-Caesar]

[|encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761578066/Julius_Caesar.html#461577345]

[|www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Julius-Caesar#Life]

[|www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Julius_Caesar.aspx]

3. The group of 4 students must choose a side: 2 students must support Caesar and 2 students must be against Caesar.

4. Return to the articles and take notes on anything you might want to include in your speech. Options include, but are not limited to: family history, personal character/personality, positions held, military accomplishments, awards, and reforms. The notes are to be organized either in a list, chart/table, or web diagram. You may take notes individually or with the help of your partner.

5. Using you notes and working with your partner, formally write your speech in support or in opposition to Caesar.


 * Your speech must have an introduction, body, and conclusion.
 * Introduction: Clearly state your position/argument (either for or against Caesar). Have a strong interest catcher.
 * Conclusion: Have a strong conclusion that would make your audience remember your speech and want to support your argument.
 * Make sure there are no mistakes in spelling, grammar, or punctuation.

6. Submit a written copy of your speech and the notes you took on the articles.

7. Each pair of students will recite their speech in front of the class.


 * Gain and maintain the interest of your audience.
 * Incorporate a visual or prop into your speech.


 * Evaluation:**


 * || **Beginning** || **Developing** || **Accomplished** || **Exemplary** ||
 * Stated Objective or Performance || Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance. || Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery. || Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery. || Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance. ||
 * Stated Objective or Performance ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Stated Objective or Performance ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Stated Objective or Performance ||  ||   ||   ||   ||


 * Conclusion:**

By the end of the WebQuest, students will have a better understanding of who Julius Caesar was and the controversy that surrounded him. They will read about Julius Caesar from four different sources, each which give their own impression about what Caesar was like as a person. Students will be able to formulate their own opinions using facts to either support of be against Caesar. Students will gain experience in written composition and oral speaking by delivering their speech to the class.

Should Caesar Be Saved?

Webquest/Speech Assignment Rubric


 * This assignment is to be completed within 7 class meetings. Students will devote the first 3 meetings reading the articles and formulating their notes. During the next 3 meetings, students will work with their partner to formally write their speech. The final class meeting will be devoted to delivering the speech. Students are allowed to work on the assignment outside the class if needed.


 * This assignment will count twice: Take your score out of 75 points and multiply it by 2 to get your final score.


 * Webquest Notes - 15 Points Total **

Organization: 5 points


 * 5 || 3 || 0 ||
 * Notes are organized in a list, chart/table, or web that is clear and easy to follow. All notes are legible. || Organizational format somewhat difficult to follow. Some notes are illegible. || Notes are in no organizational format. ||

Quality: 10 points


 * 10 || 5 || 0 ||
 * Student(s) take extensive notes that are well-detailed and cover a variety of areas as suggested in the process. || Notes are not as detailed or focus on few areas. || Students took very little to no notes at all. The notes taken were not relevant to the speech. ||


 * Speech (Written): 25 Points Total **

Format/Organization/Substance: 20 Points


 * 20 || 10 || 0 ||
 * The speech has a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. There position is stated clearly within the introduction, there is a strong interest catcher, at least 5 thoroughly supported pieces of evidence, and a strong conclusion. || The speech has an introduction, body, and conclusion. The position is unclear. The speech lacks interest catchers and has less than 5 pieces of evidence or the evidence used does not directly support the argument made, leaving the reader confused. || The speech does not have an introduction, body, or conclusion. The speech has a very weak or no interest catcher. The evidence used does not support the argument or no evidence is used to support the argument at all. The reader is lost. ||

Spelling/Grammar/Punctuation: 5 Points


 * 5 || 3 || 0 ||
 * No errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation. || Between 2 and 5 errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation. || More than 5 errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. ||


 * Speech (Verbal Delivery): 25 Points Total **

Delivery: 5 Points


 * 10 || 5 || 0 ||
 * The speakers spoke clearly, audibly, and kept a good pace. || The speakers were difficult to hear and spoke quickly. || The speakers were unable to be heard and the audience could not keep up with the pace. ||

Audience Engagement: 5 Points


 * 10 || 5 || 0 ||
 * The speakers gained and maintained the attention of the audience. || The speakers gained attention, but were unable to maintain the attention of the audience at points throughout the speech. || The speakers did not gain the attention of the audience. ||

Visual/Props: 5 Points


 * 5 || 0 ||
 * Students used a visual or prop during the speech. || Students did not use a visual or prop during the speech ||


 * Miscellaneous: 10 Points Total **

On Task: 5 Points


 * 5 || 3 || 0 ||
 * The group stayed on task and used the provided class time effectively. || The group stayed on task and used the class time effectively most of the time. || The group did not stay on task or use the class time effectively. ||

Group work: 5 points


 * 5 || 3 || 0 ||
 * The student worked cooperatively with his or her partner and the work was divided equally. || The student had some conflicts with his or her partner or the work was not divided evenly. || The student did not work cooperatively with his or her partner. ||


 * Total Webquest Notes: _ Points **


 * Total Speech (Written): _ Points **


 * Total Speech( Verbal Delivery: _ Points **


 * Total Miscellaneous: _ Points **


 * Total Score: _/75 **


 * FINAL SCORE: _/150 **


 * Across ** 2. the author of the play4. brutally honest6. to include or contain9. a face10. keep changing their mind about who they like12. says "Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much..."14. weakness, sickness16. one who has a secret plan17. subordinate, obedient18. a fortune-teller ** Down ** 1. said "You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!"3. unable to have children5. said "It was Greek to me."7. hinting at evil or disaster8. the river that runs past the capitol11. is worried that Caesar may become too powerful13. offers Caesar the crown 3 times15. is the setting of the play16. said "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves."19. a flood

=Julius Caesar =


 * Welcome Home! **


 * In Shakespeare’s day, royalty were often welcomed to special events with a few lines of poetry written just for the occasion. Shakespeare surely wrote a poem or two just like that for Queen Elizabeth I or King James I.**


 * In the play, Julius Caesar is nearly royalty, as well. Imagine you are someone given the task of writing an original eight-line poem to welcome Caesar back to Rome after his defeat of Pompey and his sons. This poem will be read in front of Caesar himself and hundreds of his supporters.**


 * Just like Shakespeare, though, you must write your short poem in iambic pentameter.**


 * Iambic pentameter**

A type of meter in poetry, in which there are five iambs to a line. (The prefix //penta//- means "five," as in //pentagon//, a geometrical figure with five sides. //Meter// refers to rhythmic units. In a line of iambic pentameter, there are five rhythmic units that are iambs.) Shakespeare's plays were written mostly in iambic pentameter, which is the most common type of meter in English poetry.

An example of an iambic pentameter line from Shakespeare's //Romeo and Juliet// is:

"But **soft!**/ What **light**/ through **yon**/der **win**/dow **breaks**?"

Another, from //Richard III//, is

"A **horse**!/ A **horse**!/ My **king**/dom **for**/ a **horse**!"


 * Knowing what you know about the man, and using your imagination, write the poem on the back of this sheet.**

=Julius Caesar =


 * Welcome Home! **

[]

Julius Caesar youtube- Crash Course in Roman Empire and its Fall

Twitter Project:

A project created to incorporate social media with the study of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Students will create pseudo Twitter pages for characters in the play. Detailed instructions and rubric included, along with a Microsoft Word Template for student use. Students are required to "tweet" from different points of view dependent upon the Act they are currently reading. Focus on character motivation and changes in characters over the course of a text.

** Which Julius Caesar character are YOU?! **

Take the personality quiz below and find out which character you’re most like.


 * 1) ** It’s Halloween. Which would you most likely dress up as? **


 * 1) Robin: He’s a loyal friend to Batman, but can fight on his own if needed!
 * 2) King Henry VIII: He doesn’t let anyone boss him around, even the pope!
 * 3) The Brain (from Pinky and the Brain): Always plotting to take over the world!
 * 4) A little of everything: Who can decide when there are so many options!


 * 1) ** Which is your greatest fear? **


 * 1) Autophobia: The fear of being alone.
 * 2) Athazagoraphobia: The fear of being ignored or unknown.
 * 3) Kakorrhaphiophobia: The fear of losing.
 * 4) Decidophobia: The fear of making decisions.


 * 1) ** Which sports position would you most likely play? **
 * 2) Volleyball setter: Setting up for the most amazing spikes.
 * 3) Power forward: Controlling the key and showing who’s boss of the basketball court.
 * 4) Defensive back: Taking out the quarterback whenever the chance comes up.
 * 5) Marathon runner: You’ve got the strength and determination to run 26 miles—once you finally decide to do it, that is.


 * 1) ** Which priority best fits your personality? **
 * 2) Staying loyal to your friends.
 * 3) Being loved by everyone.
 * 4) Gaining power and control.
 * 5) Protecting your country.


 * 1) ** What reality show would you choose to star in? **
 * 2) // The Amazing Race //, as long as I can compete with my best friend
 * 3) // The Apprentice //, if I can be Donald Trump
 * 4) // Survivor //, because I can plot and scheme better than everyone
 * 5) Any documentaries about battles; I’ll gladly die with honor


 * 1) ** Your cruise ship gets stranded on a desert island. What do you do? **
 * 2) Make sure everyone is safe and comfortable.
 * 3) Immediately take control by distributing food and providing entertainment to your shipmates.
 * 4) Take over the next ship that passes by
 * 5) Talk to the natives and passengers, observe possible escape options, and finally make a decision.


 * 1) ** Which statement best describes you? **
 * 2) Support your friends now, and you’ll reap the rewards later.
 * 3) I deserve the very best!
 * 4) It’s hard to know what’s right, so think carefully.
 * 5) Who cares if I’m right, as long as I get my way!


 * Results **


 * Mostly A’s: The Affable (Mark) Antony **

A truly loyal friend to Caesar, Antony also knows how to persuade and manipulate, almost as well as Caesar. In fact, he pretends to side with the assassins in order to save his own life. He’s vengeful but patient, waiting for the perfect moment to spur Romans to mutiny and chaos over Caesar’s death. Antony is loyal to his friends—but if you’re not a true friend, you’d better be careful.


 * Mostly B’s: The Stately Caesar **

Caesar is the most powerful man Rome has ever seen, and he basks in the glory and love the Romans have for him. However, he is so in love with himself that he believes himself as invincible and everlasting as the North Star—unfortunately, this infallibility makes Caesar ignore warnings and omens about his upcoming death.


 * Mostly C’s: The Confident Cassius **

Intelligent, experienced, and opportunistic—Cassius finds success both as a general and as a politician. Like Caesar, he’ll find a way to seize power, even if it means manipulating and lying his way to get there. Cassius is a realist, seeing opportunities to get ahead and make life work his own way.


 * Mostly D’s: The Undecided Brutus **

Brutus loves the Republic of Rome and will do anything to defend his country and government. The problem is, he loves his friends, too. While Brutus loves Caesar as a friend and mentor, he fears Caesar will become too powerful and controlling. Brutus is truly an honorable man, unlike the rest of Caesar’s assassins who are simply jealous and power hungry themselves. Because Brutus is so dedicated to Rome, he doesn’t see that the others are manipulating him…until it’s too late.

** That’s so Fetch. **

//“She’s the queen bee- the star, those other two are just her workers”//

// Mean Girls // (2004), a story that evaluates the social implications of trying to fit into a school wrought with a complex hierarchy of social standards and cliques, written by Tina Fey, has striking similarities to William Shakespeare’s play, //Julius Caesar//.

After watching excerpts of the film and completing the following movie-guide, you will evaluate the film as a possible adaptation of Julius Caesar.


 * 1) Determine what each of the following represent in //Julius Caesar//:


 * ** Mean Girls ** || ** Symbolize in Julius Caesar ** || ** How do you know? ** ||
 * Cady ||  ||   ||
 * Regina George ||  ||   ||
 * Gretchen Weiners ||  ||   ||
 * The Plastics ||  ||   ||


 * 1) Cady uses animal imagery to describe the mall patrons, then students at lunch. Shakespeare uses similar language to describe the Romans at several points throughout the play. How are the senators like animals ?


 * 1) How is Regina George too ambitious?


 * 1) What allusion does the English teacher make to the play, //Julius Caesar//?


 * 1) How does Regina stride the narrow world like a colossus?


 * 1) Instead of sending letters as a part of her manipulation plan, what does Cady do?


 * 1) How does the mob mentality manifest itself throughout the film?




 * 1) What events lead up to Gretchen Weiners cracking?








 * 1) Brutus is known for being honorable. How is Gretchen like Brutus in this way?


 * 1) How do Gretchen and Karen’s allegiances change? How does this mimic the reaction of the Romans?

11.Many film adaptations have been made of William Shakespeare’s plays, including Baz Lurhman’s rendition of //Romeo and Juliet//, starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Danes, set in modern day Los Angeles. Some critics argue that these adaptations are a result of positive artistic interpretations made by directors. Others claim that such renditions are not accurate and prefer a more holistic approach to Shakespeare.

// Mean Girls // is said to be a modern interpretation of Julius Caesar. Although there are some striking similarities, as a critical thinker, it is important to evaluate the validity of this film.

In **2 paragraphs**, evaluate the relationship between //Julius Caesar// and //Mean Girls//. Is Mean girls an adaptation? A variation? A distant relative? Or, is there no relationship between the two works?

My name is Brittney Whetzel, and I'm a Senior at Clemson University. I'm originally from Solomon's Island, Maryland. It's a town right off of the Chesapeake Bay, and I wouldn't trade growing up there for the world. I'm super close with my family, especially my younger sisters, Caissie and Koren, but I definitely love living in South Carolina. Here at Clemson, I'm studying Secondary Education with an emphasis in English. I have always wanted to be a teacher, but I chose English for the fact that I love to write, and in my past, the most influential teachers were always my English ones. In my career, I hope to bring creativity to my classroom. I've worked the last two summers as a preschool teacher and I've come to realize that new and innovative activities in the class bring the best out of the children. I'd love to be able to incorporate music, history, theater, and many different areas into the English classroom. Overall, I'm just mainly excited about getting out into the teaching profession and, hopefully, being as influential on my students as my teachers were on me.

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//Brittney Whetzel August 31, 2011//

 * Question**: Do you think we can teach English for love and wisdom?

Although I truly believe the English subject can be taught for love and wisdom, I think one main factor plays a large role in whether or not it is done effectively. I believe that if a teacher doesn't have a passion and love for their job, it cannot be translated into the minds of their students. It's said that passionate teachers "are alive" (pg. 7), and I agree. I'm sure that not every book or topic I was introduced to in high school English classes was utterly enthralling to every teacher, but that fact that they took the work and transformed it into something that appealed to our everyday lives made us enthused and able to draw the aspects of love and wisdom that are vital for our own personal growth.
 * Answer**: I definitely think we can teach English for love and wisdom. Building upon the idea that teachers "center their instruction around the qualities that make us alive, and that make being alive worthwhile" (pg. 8), I believe that English can be morphed from a subject that students are required to take to graduate, into an experience that helps them grow as people. Although students will not always necessarily enjoy or be excited about the material being taught in English classes, teachers who can teach for love and wisdom will be able to help students find something memorable and beneficial within each work. Teachers can teach for love and wisdom if they help students take pieces of text and "respond to the stories of life itself" (pg.11). I, myself, was lucky enough to have teachers in high school who did just this. My senior year we were assigned to read //Moby Dick//, which I was less than thrilled to read. But because my teacher was able to help me relate Ishmael's passion for the sea to my own passions in life, I came to really enjoy and admire the struggle of fighting for something.

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 * Question**: What is English? Please share in your own words how the field of high school English has evolved over the years. What were the major conferences and/or leaders who have influenced the field. What is it today? Do you think we should change the title of our discipline to Personal Studies? Why or why not? What would you like to see the field of English become in the years ahead?


 * Answer**: I think English is an evolving subject. Like History, English is always changing to conform to society and what happens within it. For instance, in the 1960's, when the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing, the field of English adapted to focus on a sense of individualism and diversity.

Chapter One states, "the discipline once seen as serving primarily to constitute a //people// as a group was now seen as helping to constitute //persons// as individuals" (25). Just as Americans fought for their rights as unique and varied individuals, the field of English taught towards discovering and appreciating the differences among one another. Springing from the Dartmouth Seminar of 1966, Herbert Muller describes the goals of the English subject as one that considers "the relations of the individual and society, actual and ideal" (27). His findings and writings exemplified a lot of what scholars of the time hoped to achieve within the field of English- discovering diversities in the world so that our view of the world may become a more truer example.

Later in history, the English field once again adapted to conform to society's needs. As America began to feel the pressure of international competition in the fields of science and math, society sought to become a stronger, more unified country as a whole. Therefore, the English subject sought to bring Americans together as a unified being. With much focus on America's //democratic// society, it was ever important for English to teach students to express their differences, but also be able to recognized and appreciate others' as well. Lloyd- Jones and Lunsford, of the English Coalition Conference at Wye Plantation, explain in more depth that "citizens of a democracy must be able to appreciate diversity even as they advocate their own beliefs about what is good and true. Teaching students how and why different ways of reading can find different meanings in the same text can provide important experience in understanding and appreciating opposing perspectives" (30).

English today is a combination of all of the English before it. Taking bits and pieces from the Dartmouth Seminar and the English Coalition Conference, Wilhelm and Novak propose that to know was English is today, one would have to identify and appreciate why democracy and personal growth are linked to one another and are mutually beneficial to one another (35). It is a balance of feelings and facts, people and things, being soft and hard. Teachers today must teach English in a way that relates important information to students, but also takes into consideration the events that impact their daily lives. English must become a more abstract subject, rather than one that is concrete and focused on facts alone. Wilhelm and Novak state that students must "see [them]selves and one another as real and alive, instead of simply as better or worse competitors or cooperators with regard to the manipulation of external marks (40). English today must teach students to live //for// a purpose rather than live //by// one.

I think of the names thus far, Personal Studies best fits the field of English. I think a better name, though, would point out that while the subject is about the person, it is also about the person relating to others. Students can read and study works and relate them to their own personal lives and experiences. It is beneficial for students to learn who they are, but it is also paramount that students learn to relate themselves to the world around them. I think the name Personal Studies leaves out an important concept in that the field must enable students to interact with the world they live in, not just the world within their heads.

In the years ahead, I'd like the see the field of English become a subject that not only prepares students for the real world ahead of them, but also helps them to become the best people they can be before they venture out into it. I think English has such a potential for self- discovery that many students fail to realize before they leave high school. I hope that English becomes a field that allows students to express their feelings and learn from one another so that they may develop into the adults they choose to be, in which will be most productive and beneficial to the world.

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//Brittney Whetzel September 14, 2011//

 * Question**: What is meant by the evocative dimension of a literary transaction? Explain what this is and give examples. Then, begin to imagine at least two ways that you could encourage the evocative dimension within your future English classes. Do you see any evidence within the field that the evocative dimensions is being encouraged within literary transactions and instruction? Please share.


 * Answer**: The evocative dimension of a literary transaction is the action of pleasurably letting yourself become immersed within the text. Wilhelm and Novak state that this dimension "temporarily suspends the boundaries that normally exist between //self// and //other// and //self// and //world//" (91). In this dimension, readers are able to eliminate the barriers that separate them from their own world and the world of the literature. Evoking students in a literary transaction involves evoking their own sense of life, their sense of the story's life and their sense of life itself (77-78). These steps enable students to resonate with texts and ultimately learn crucial analysis skills (85). For example, Andrew Porter helps his students enter the evocative dimension of reading //Romeo and Juliet// by having them relate their own sense of love and dating with the story-line of the text (79). He has them share their favorite love songs, which not only evokes emotions within themselves, but also among one another. This ends up helping students relate more to the actual text, and helps them create connections and better understandings of the work.

I could encourage the evocative dimension in my future English classes by urging students to take on each work as a read for pleasure and enjoyment. Though they may not all like what we have to read, if I can present the material in a meaningful way to their lives, students will find it easier to immerse themselves in the text. I can also encourage this dimension by presenting the work of immersing themselves in the text as something that involves "play". Wilhelm and Novak sum this up as "play that does work" and "work that helps us play" (89). By helping students to see that literature can be playful and fun will ultimately help them to plunge into the world of the text.

I personally see little evidence within the field of English that the evocative dimension is being encouraged in the classrooms. During my student- observing, I noticed that my teacher presented the text //Beowulf// not by relating it to the lives of her students, but by giving primary details on the history of the people in the time period of the text. The presentation of the material was fairly boring, and I would personally not feel excited nor prepared to immerse myself into the text afterward. //Beowulf// deals with many aspects of relationships that students could relate their own lives to. If the teacher would have started out the unit on the premise of helping students relate the conflicts within the text to conflicts in their own lives, I feel that the evocative dimension would be much easier to reach. In my own personal literature classes I find that many professors do not do enough frontloading to help us find commonalities between our own lives and the text. I find it hard to immerse myself in the world of the text, considering I do not have any starting point. I believe that if more teachers encouraged the evocative dimension, students would not only relate more to the works they read, but they would pull out more intellectual ideas from the texts.

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//Brittney Whetzel September 28, 2011//

 * Question**: Do you agree with the Harold Brodkey quote at the beginning of Chapter 5? ( "Reading is an intimate act, perhaps more intimate than any other human act, I say this because of the prolonged (or intense) exposure of one mind to another." -Brodkey) As you think about this quote, please reflect on how the Connective Dimension of the Aesthetic, Transactional Response relates to it if at all. Please share at least two ways that you might encourage your future students to connect to the implied authors of texts. Are you seeing examples of ways that English teachers help students connect to authors? Please share.


 * Answer**: I definitely agree with Brodkey's quote. I believe that reading not only helps people discover things within themselves but helps them to better relate to the things in which the author discovered through writing the literature. Literature, whether fiction or non- fiction, is a product of the mind. By reading a piece of work, one cannot help but connect to the author for the fact that it is their mind poured out into the words of the writing. In regards to the aspect of reading being intimate, I agree with this, as well. In normal day- to- day activities with people, we do not really have intense or meaningful interactions. We do not get to take their parts and pick apart what they say to read their minds or truly understand them on a deeper level. But with literature, a reader becomes so immersed into the author's world that they have no other choice but to see the world from their perspective. This relates to the Connective aspect of the Transactional Response for the fact that as a reader gains insight into the mind of the author, they learn more about their own mind, which in turn helps them to relate with and connect to the minds of others. Wilhelm and Novak state that the intimacy in the "transactional bonding process enables deep connections to be drawn not only between authors and readers, but between two or more readers, between teachers and students, among democratic communities, even toward the social and natural world as a whole" (96). They also assert that "transactional responsiveness, after all, occurs between //beings//" (97). This relates directly back to Brodkey's quote in the sense that a person can have thoughts of their own in which they keep tucked away in their head, never to be shared with others. But an author takes his ideas and puts them on paper for others to interact with. This interaction, which sparks transactions between the author and reader, exposes the insights within the author's mind to the insights within another person.

I might encourage my future students to connect to the implied authors of texts by helping them to see the author as an equal. As Novak and Wilhelm propose, helping students see "authors as friends, as traveling companions, may just be the missing link that teaches us how to definitely connect pleasure and usefulness in the experience of art" (98). If students can see literature as an almost psychic way into the author's mind, they will be more apt to view reading as a pleasure, which will help them to strive to make the meaningful connections to the text, ultimately finding the beauty of the literature as an art. By seeing the author as a companion, it is almost as if the student goes on a hypothetical scavenger hunt to find the hidden meaning. For students, this is way more enjoyable, which in turn leads them to put more effort into uncovering the deeper meanings within texts. I might also encourage these sorts of connections with authors by using Jeff's technique of the author chair (107). I really like how the students get to play the role of both author and reader. I think that this helps them to not only think about their own choices of expression as authors, but also enables them to see that an author's mind can convey a variety of things to a reader.

In my observations, I have seen how teachers are helping their students connect to authors. One activity I observed dealt with poems. The students split into groups and wrote an "I Am" poem about someone that most people would know. The poems had a specific structure with each line starting with phrases such as "I believe...", "I hear..." and "I cry...", in which students would fill in the blanks. The first part of the assignment was to write about a person so that the other groups could guess who it was, but in such a way that it did not give the answer away. The groups then shared their poems for the class to guess who they were about. This part of the assignment allowed students to be the authors (and pour their minds into the writing) and also the readers (by guessing the authors' intended message). The second half the assignment had the students write an "I Am" poem about themselves. This allowed them to take the connections they made in the classroom exercise and implement them in writing their poems in such a way so that other readers may get a true sense of who they are.

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//Brittney Whetzel September 21, 2011//

 * Question**: After you have read and reflected up "The Reflective Dimension" of the literary transaction, please share how you would encourage the entire literary transactional approach (guiding students through the evocative, connective and reflective dimensions of the literary meaning-making process) for the book Posted! No Trespassing! that you were given in class. How could you begin to develop a unit that would help students connect their personal experiences to the text? How would you help them make connections with the author, the zoology professor at Dartmouth, Professor Griggs? Then, how would you help them use the wisdom they have accrued to transform their worlds? How will you help them "live more artfully and meaningfully in the real world?" Elaborate as fully as you desire. I'm eager to read what you have imagined! Also, don't forget to share ways that your cooperating teacher or other teachers are encouraging the reflective dimension in their literary studies.


 * Answer**: I would encourage the literary transactional approach for __Posted! No Trespassing!__ by first having students define what nature means to them in their own lives and journeys in growing up. I would also have them bring in pictures of the land in which they were raised and places in nature that they are familiar with. I would have the students do a quick presentation, such as a poster, in which they would share with the class where they grew up and what it means to them. I, too, would do a presentation for the class. This tends to the evocative dimension of the transaction, in that students relate the theme of nature in the text to their own lives before they even read the book. It gets them thinking about how they define nature according to their lives, and how their experiences impact their relationship with nature. It would also show students how each person in the classroom related to nature and had their own view of it. It would make students develop their own opinion of nature, while also being open to others'.

As for the connective dimension, I would help students better understand Professor Griggs by exposing them to the land in which he lived. I would show them pictures, texts and even film clips concerning the Appalachian Trail and the land surrounding it. This would help students become one with Griggs' view of nature and the land in which he was accustomed to. I would also have students read parts of and become familiar with the purpose of Thoreau's __Walden__, considering Griggs' makes so many references to it. I would put great emphasis on both Thoreau's and Griggs' conclusions, and discuss the idea of transcendentalism. These combined would enable students to "undergo a process of reconstructing the meaning that we infer the giver of the experience intended for us to find" (99). Though students are unable to experience the same relationship with nature as Griggs, seeing the places in which had his experiences and reading from authors in which he was influenced by combine to help them better understand where he is coming from and the message he intended to convey.

With the reflective aspect of the transactional experience for __Posted! No Trespassing!__, I would have students think back to their original definitions of nature and see if it has changed in any way. I would then prompt students to write about the one aspect of nature they would choose to re-experience if the world were to end tomorrow and why. This would get students thinking about what is really important to them concerning nature. Just as they had previously reflected upon where they grew and had become aware of Griggs' opinion of what is important in nature, students would be able to take these experiences and transform them into a new idea about what they feel is the most appreciated part of nature.

I would end the unit with a class discussion on whether or not the texts they have read and the reflecting they have done has impacted them to change their relationship with nature. I would propose questions concerning environmentalism and conservation. In doing so, students would take a step back and think about how their actions impact the world around them, especially the world and the parts of it they love. My hopes would be that they change their actions for the better to enable them to more consciously realize the impact of their actions.

Though I am not seeing too much of the reflective dimension with the reading of Beowulf in my observed class, I had a teacher in high school that encouraged it during many of her units. One theme in particular dealt with goals and journeys. My teacher first had us write poems at the beginning of the year about "Where I Am From". We wrote not only about the places we grew up, but the experiences we had, the people who helped us along the way and the reasons for us being where we were at that moment. We shared them with the class and grew to understand one another better. Later in the year, we read Dr. Seuss' __Oh, the Places You'll Go!__ and discussed his themes of direction and the idea of following your own path, whatever it may be. Finally, we reflected upon our senior year and the things we had learned by writing a poem at the very end of the year entitled, "I Am Going". We each wrote about our future plans, the dreams and aspirations we had, and where we saw our lives ending up. This allowed us to reflect upon so many different parts of our lives and the texts that shaped us and write about how we would use them to go places in our futures.

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//Brittney Whetzel October 6, 2011//

 * Question**: In the chapter on Aesthetic Education, what were the qualities of the four teachers who were striving to teach for love and wisdom that you most admired and would like to embody? Please explain.


 * Answer**: The qualities in Sarah, the "Good- Enough Teacher", that I most admire are her willingness to experiment, her efforts to recognize each student and her focus on progress rather than perfection. I want to embody Sarah's willingness to experiment because it helps teachers become the best they can. Sarah puts it best by saying, "if you aren't experimenting, you must think you've achieved the pinnacle- and, sweetie, that's just delusional" (162). I feel that I should model my actions for my students and if I always strive to better myself, then my students will follow suit. I also admire Sarah's efforts to connect with each student and have a "great open-mindedness" with them because I think that students need to feel confident in their importance in the classroom. If students are made to feel valuable and worthy in the class by being recognized by the teacher, they will take more pride in their learning. I also hope to embody Sarah's emphasis on progress because as she states, perfection is "a standard that doesn't work for anyone" (162). I think this is so important because no two students have the exact same capabilities, but if a teacher can push them towards their own personal growth, the student is still growing and benefiting by taking baby steps rather than leaping towards an unachievable goal.

The qualities in Andrew, the "Curricular Artist", that I am most fond of are his focus on individuality of students and his strong planning, yet flexibility in the classroom. I want to embody Andrew's emphasis on individual student's strengths because it helps in the "nurturing of the possible" (165). The fact that Andrew gives projects that allow students to "bring their individual interests and strengths... to bear on a common project" (165) is admirable to me because it allows students to be who they are. It brings in the idea of synergy, in that together with their different capabilities, students can produce something that is greater than each of their capabilities alone. I like that projects like this not only interest students, but show them the importance of collaboration. I also hope to embody Andrew's sense of planning because it allows him to "learn from [his] students how to best teach them" (166). I value Andrew's hard work in planning to reach a goal, yet his willingness to change his plans in order to best reach and impact his students. I think it is so important for teachers to realize that learning is about the students, not just the content.

The qualities in Debra, the "Democratic Philosopher Teacher", that I most admire are her focus on students' values and her idea that meaning are not predetermined. I think it is important to focus on what your students think and believe in because their education should be about the "world [they] want to participate in creating" (167). I hope to embody this because I feel that all to often, teachers focus on content more than they focus their attention on what the students value and find important. I think teachers should help kids realize that they shape the world around them. I also admire Debra's philosophy that meaning is personal to everyone because I think teachers should always attempt to "attune students to their own inner lives" (167). High school, especially, is a time in which kids grow so greatly and I think it is essential for teachers to take this into consideration when teaching. By helping students realize who they are, teachers can help them become the best version of themselves. I think Debra's philosophy emphasizes that every student can have their own opinion and it still be just as worthy, which is an idea that I feel many students do not experience in school.

The qualities of Rachel, the "Transactional Teacher", that I most appreciate are her risk- taking, her incorporation of multiple facets and her focus on the future. I hope to embody her risk- taking in the classroom because I feel that it is the only way to find what works in your teaching methods. Rachel believe that "to keep improving, ...requires taking risks and falling down" (168). I think this value crosses over into many different aspects of life, and by showing your students that you are willing to take risks to improve, encourages them to do the same. I also hope to embody Rachel's incorporation of various materials in the classroom because I feel that it keeps students interested. Not every student engages with books, so by bringing in materials such as songs, movies, Youtube clips and art, it helps engage more students than just a textbook would. It also helps students relate to the text by bringing in things that they are already familiar with, which adds to their transactional experiences and connections with texts. I admire Rachel's focus on the future because I feel that students should always keep in mind that they are working towards their futures. Rachel says, "I want them to be telling themselves... hopeful stories about their roles in the world- right now and in the future" (171). I think this focus shows students that their impact on the world lasts farther than the here and now, and gives them a goal to reach for.

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//Brittney Whetzel October 12, 2011//

 * Question**: In the chapter on Aesthetic Democracy, the opening quote is this, "I've never been in a classroom that was a real community before. Is this your situation? Why or why not? What would it take for the "third space" to come into being, a space "in which the students took in one another's life"? Be as detailed as you can be at this point in your career. How do we help students move the third space from the inward to the outward world? Explain (if you dare).


 * Answer**: I have been lucky enough in my high school career to have been a part of a classroom that was a community. I actually was able to experience it twice. Both my English class and Women's Studies class of my Senior year were classrooms that promoted aesthetic democracy. In my English class of only 12 students, we were able to come together as a unified body of students, which allowed us to grow as learners and young adults. Even though each stereotyped clique of 'jock', 'prep', 'nerd' and 'outcast' was present in this class, we were able to leave our reputations at the door and express who we truly were as people- not by what others thought about us. Our teacher incorporated projects that allowed us to convey ourselves to one another, such as writing poems about where we are 'from' and sharing with the class, sharing our favorite song with the class and explaining why it resonates with us, and allowing us to use multimedia outlets to convey our opinions on current world issues. In my Women's Studies class, a community was achieved mainly through the fact that our teacher provided a setting in which we felt completely comfortable in expressing ourselves without feeling vulnerable to judgment. She also developed a curriculum in which we were required to take what we had been studying in class and expand it out into the school. For instance, our class come together to hold a bake sale in order to raise money for local women's shelters after our unit on violence against women. We also made shirts that stated common stereotypes about women and wore them all on the same day to raise awareness in the school of the misjudged assumptions about women.

For a "third space" to be created, I believe that a classroom must have a setting in which students feel comfortable with expressing themselves. I think it is essential that students feel the loosening of the "boundaries of their egos and their social and cultural identities" (181). High school is a rough time for many kids, but a classroom where stereotypes, which debilitate many students, are erased as best as possible, kids are more apt in expressing themselves and adding to the community of the class. A teacher that has students interact with other kids outside of the circle of typical friends also helps to foster a "third space". Wilhelm and Novak emphasis the importance of exposure to "various kinds of social and political spaces with others //different from// ourselves" (182). Millard also suggests that a "third space" can be created with the combining of students' "out- of- school interests and knowledge... fused with school literacy" (177). I agree with his view, in that students contribute more the the classroom community if their interests can be weaved into the curriculum.

We can help students move the "third space" from the inward to the outward world by setting a common goal to reach for. Wilhelm and Novak assert that in most schools the "third space" that already exists are extracurricular activities (176). But these activities still foster an inward experience because most students within an activity have many commonalities among them. If a teacher sets a goal to learn different view points, by participating in a class discussion in small groups, it forces students to interact with people they may not normally associate with. Other goals, such as making something together (178) and taking action together (179) set a goal that pushes students away from their inner worlds and makes them interact with people of different views, which relates to the outer world. I also think it is important for teachers to celebrate their students (179). By modeling for our students the appreciation and acceptance of different students' views and experiences, we show the class how to do the same, and ultimately come together in a respectful way to enrich the aesthetic democracy of the class.

Brittney Whetzel and Samantha Hoffman
 * Unit Rationale**- Draft

//What makes a hero?//

With the overarching question for our unit, we have decided to discuss what makes a person a hero. We will propose sub- questions such as //Can a hero be both good and bad?//, //Do you find heroism in everyday people?//, //Can anyone be a hero?// and //What characteristics shine through in all heroes?// We chose this as our unit question because we hope to open up students' minds in seeing that the typical 'hero' portrayed in the media and a lot of literature does not necessarily represent every kind of hero. We want to highlight the everyday acts of heroism in society that can often go unrecognized, as well as help students to see that anyone can be a hero. Throughout our unit we will expose our students to various types of literary work, from comic strips and short- story fiction, to newspaper articles and historic documents. Our overall goal is to enable students to redefine their original presumptions of a hero and heroism and help them realize that a hero can be found in many different types of people.

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//Brittney Whetzel October 26, 2011//

 * Question**: How do the teachers cited within the chapter "What Can English Become?" try to help students relate to and love authors? How will you help students do this within the context of your proposed unit?


 * Answer**: Sarah helps her students relate to and love authors by focusing on the message they are intending to communicate. She focuses on "writing as a craft that is meant to communicate to a reader" (219). Sarah does think- alouds with her students about their own work, which focuses on them as authors. She also has her students focus on their purpose and devices they use to convey their purposes of writing.

Andrew helps his students relate to and love authors by enabling them to read "not only for enjoyment, but of ownership in the process" (219). He fosters his students in taking an active role in the writing process. Andrew has his students write author statements for their own works and participate in activities that allow them to act as the author of the texts they read.

Rachel helps her students relate to and love authors by studying various types of works, authors and styles of writing. She "casts a wide net" (220) around what she studies, which allows her to relate to and reach more of her students and engage more of their interests. Rachel promotes her students as authors in multimedia outlets and helps her kids relate to authors through drama.

Debra helps her students relate to and love authors by emphasizing authors as people. She claims she wants her students to see writers as "people who are doing really important inquiry around the most important issues" (220). Rachel tries to have her students see authors as people just like themselves. She does this through making sure the work she gives her students is about real, current issues that pertain to them. She tries to eliminate a sense of "fake-ness" so that her students will put effort into the work they do.

Sharon helps her students relate to and love authors by focusing on "how authors explore the human condition and how we must do the same thing" (220). She has her students focus on ideas of humanity so that they can relate to authors in perspective of their own lives. Sharon asserts that in doing this, "we come to understand to live meaningful lives" (220).

I can definitely see myself helping my students relate to and love authors within my unit. By focusing on what it means to be a hero, my students will be able to respect and relate to the authors by examining their own ideas of what heroism is. With my unit, I could relate a lot to Debra's approach, in that I want my students to see authors as people. The authors we are studying make commentary of the heroes they experience in their lives, which will undoubtedly overlap with the heroes students' see in their lives. It will enable them to rethink their judgments about heroism and what a real-life hero may be. I will also pull in aspects of Rachel's philosophy, in that I will "name and celebrate" the various styles of writings, texts and authors in my unit. Just as I model to my students my praise of these differences, I want them to celebrate the various types of heroes we will study within the unit.

=Resource Palate: //Redefining Heroism//=

1. //The Odyssey // by Homer 2. //Watchmen // by Alan Moore 3. //The Red Badge of Courage //by Stephen Crane 4. //To Kill a Mockingbird //by Harper Lee 5. //Antigone //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">by Sophocles <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">6. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">by Jonathan Safran Foer <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">7. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Hunger Games //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">by Suzanne Collins
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Cononical Literature **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Children’s Literature <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Oh, the Places You’ll Go! //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> by Dr. Seuss
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Supplementary Texts **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Young Adult Literature <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Ties That Bind, Ties That Break //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> by Lensey Namioka <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">2. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Speak //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> by Laurie Halse Anderson <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">3. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Absolutely True Diary of a Part- Time //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Indian by Sherman Alexie

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Poetry <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">A Psalm of Life //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">2. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Concord Hymn //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">by Ralph Waldo Emerson

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Supplementary Literature <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. “The Killers” by Ernest Hemingway

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Non- Fiction Texts <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. “Susan Retik, 9/11 Widow, Helps Afghan Widows Through Nonprofit Beyond the 11th” from huffingtonpost.com on September 19, 2011 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">2. “Speech to the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, 1851 by Sojourner Truth

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. The Star- Spangled Banner <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">2. Hero by Mariah Carey (1993) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">3. Skin by Rascal Flatts (2005) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">4. He Didn’t Have to Be by Brad Paisley (1999)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Music **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Shake Hands? //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> by Lily Martin Spencer
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Art **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Pay It Forward //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> (2000) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">2. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Incredibles //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> (2004) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">3. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Pursuit of Happyness //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> (2006) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">4. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Ladder 49 //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> (2004)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">DVDs **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. “Remembering the Heroes of Flight 93” from //American History: 9/11: The Flight that Fought Back// []
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Video Clips **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. Google Earth
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Maps **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. The Price of Freedom: American at War <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Timelines **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. Odysseus (Ulysses), the Greek Trojan War hero <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Pictures **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. Facts About the United States’ National Anthem <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">2. Hero’s Journey <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Websites **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. Studying abroad in Europe <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">2. Friend going through and beating cancer
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Personal Stories **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Teaching Methods <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. Conceptual Unit: //A Hero Lies in You// by Elizabeth Gathers <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|http://www.coe.uga.edu/~smago/VirtualLibrary/Gathers.pdf] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">2. Hero, Monster, Anti- hero: A Rationale by Allen Witt <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|http://www.coe.uga.edu/~smago/VirtualLibrary/Witt.pdf]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Resources for Teachers **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Text Summaries <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1. Sparknotes for //The Odyssey// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[]

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//Brittney Whetzel November 2, 2011//

 * Question**: How could you use the //Dynamics of Writing// structured process approach to teach for love and wisdom? Please explain in rich detail. Also, explain how you might use this approach in your forthcoming unit? Begin to brainstorm. Finally, are you seeing bits and pieces of the structured process approach to writing within your field experience? Please explain.


 * Answer**: I could use a variety of the //Dynamics of Writing// approaches to teach for love and wisdom. Though certain approaches, such as Stressing the Classic Form, Studying the Sentence, and Understanding Syntactic Choices may not seem as interactive as others, by helping students fine- tune their writing, it gives them the wisdom to better convey and exemplify their ideas within their writings. These approaches do, at least, allow students to connect with authors within the connective transactional aspect. By examining professional writers' works, students are able to understand their ways of structuring their writing and connect it to their own work in school. This is also seen within the Learning from Accomplished Writers approach. By modeling for students how their goal writings should look, it allows them to connect to the authors of the writings and gain a better understanding of their techniques. The other structured writing approaches, such as Beginning with Activity, Producing Multigenre Texts and Inquiring into Local Concerns, can definitely be used to teach for love and wisdom. Within these approaches, the evocative, connective and reflective transactions are all reached. I especially think the approach that allows students to create a yearbook for a text they study is valuable in teaching for love and wisdom. With this activity, students are able to connect with the author's experiences of living through integration, evoke their own ideas about how school is in concern with racial factions, and reflect upon how this text relates to their own experiences today when they create the hypothetical yearbook.

I could see myself using a variety of these approaches within my unit. For instance, I could have students study our local newspapers and pick out articles pertaining to heroism. I could then have them go and write hypothetical articles on their own, as well as interview locals who they feel exemplify heroism. I could also have them do a project like Talbot's yearbook activity. I could have students create hypothetical Twitter or Facebook pages for characters in which they chronicle various aspects of their chosen person's life as it would pertain to modern day. I also think it is valuable to have lessons that focus on the writing structure and syntactic choices so that my students can learn ways to better convey their ideas. With this, I could have my students study newspaper and journal articles in which they have been heavily worked over by editors and that also are good models of conveying information.

I am seeing aspects of the structured approach within my field assignment. My teacher spends a good bit of time going over grammar with her students so that they learn sentence structure and the correct way in forming sentences. My teacher also uses fun activities with her students, such as drawing pictures of characters so that they gain a better understanding of the traits and portrayal of the character.


 * Five Methods to Use in My Unit**:

1. Jigsaw- I could use the jigsaw method to have my students break into groups, with each researching and describing certain aspects of a hero, such as physical characteristics, personality traits, common actions and so on. The class could come together to discuss what they have found and gain a better idea of the typical representation of a hero.

2. Pageant of the Masters- I could use the Pageant of the Masters method to have my students re-enact certain scenes they feel are important from __The Odyssey__. Considering this text is so long and detailed, I think it would be fun for my students to break into groups to focus on specific scenes of the story so that the entire class would get a better feel for the story as a whole.

3. Downgrade- I could use the downgrade method to have my students rewrite a text for younger audiences so that they could relate it to an elementary class. By doing this, my students would have to carefully examine the traits of a hero and exemplify them in a way that is understandable to a younger reader.

4. Moviemaker- I could use the moviemaker method to have my students adapt a text into film form. I could have them write a pitch and a log line to explain the film in short. This would ensure that the students understood the overall theme of the text and general plot, as well as being able to relate it to modern- day life.

5. Interactive story- I could use the interactive story method to have my students create either web pages, Power Points or other multimedia outlets to act out a text and allow others to interact with it. I could have students create 'what if' scenarios in which they could alter the course of the story, or I could have them create an interactive summary of the story's plot.

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//Brittney Whetzel November 9, 2011//

 * My Teaching Scenario:**

In my ideal teaching scenario, I would teach in a suburban, middle- class school district. I'd like to teach either 11th or 12th grade students, who are not new to the United States and are at least of Honors level. I think it matters what kinds of students a teacher teaches because each teacher's message resonates better with students having certain characteristics. Students of a poverty- stricken, urban city Imay find it harder to connect with the style of a teacher who is from a rural, country town.

My idea about the nature of writing is one in which my students engage and participate in various methods and styles of writing. I feel that writing is a tool necessary for a person convey their ideas and messages about life. My goal is to expose my students to many different modes of writing so that they become affluent with each type, and ultimately find the best way suited for them to convey their ideas. I would strive for my students to be able to communicate their messages in the least restricted ways, such as free- writes or colloquial writing, as well as in the more formal styles like research papers and analytical essays. Overall, I would want my students to become familiar with and realize that there are numerous ways of writing that one can implement to communicate their message, whatever it may be.

My idea about instructional activities parallels my idea about the nature of writing, in that I would strive to expose my students to various modes and methods of activities. I would engage my students in activities such as vocabulary and grammar exercises to hone in on the importance of sophisticated writing when conveying a message. I would break down the parts of a paragraph and sentence so that they may be able to see the ways in which they can better their own syntactic choices in writing. But as much as I feel it is vital for students to communicate their ideas by writing in accurate ways, I feel that it is equally important to incorporate activities that help students realize what their message they want to communicate is. Without a stance or an idea about something, students will have nothing to communicate, and therefore will not grow in their writing and communication skills. I'd like to incorporate may different styles of activities, such as acting, group work, watching movies, examining song lyrics and doing outside projects. I would have students work on free- writes and short writing assignments, as well as longer, more involved writing tasks. I feel that no matter what kind of writing a student does, it is beneficial in their maturation of their writing skills. My goal is to implement as many different kinds of activities so that I have a better chance of engaging and interesting more of my students. The more engaged a student is, the more enthusiastic they are about learning and participating.

I value oral discourse greatly. I feel that it is important for students to not only share their writing with me, but with their classmates, as well. The more a student has at stake with an assignment, the more effort they put into it. And if students must share their work with others, it forces them to put more work into their writing. I would not place much emphasis on peer review in the sense that students are revising and editing their peers' papers for grammatical errors, but rather they help one another make sure their writing clearly conveys a message. I know that students are not experts in grammar or syntactic choices, so I would not expect them to be able to accurately edit their peers' papers. That is where I would bring in teacher conferences. I wouldn't conference over every writing assignment, but I would make sure I incorporated them with the bigger ones. I feel that it is important for students to receive constructive criticism so that they can grow as writers. Overall, I would want my students to feel that peer review and teacher conferences are not a time to nit-pick the negative parts of their writing, but rather as a time to make sure that their writing is the best it can be in getting a message across.

I would definitely incorporate writing into units implemented into the classroom. I want my students to see writing as a tactile way of communicating, and I feel that going along with a unit and stopping to have a writing assignment does not convey this idea to them. I want to weave writing as much as possible into my unit so that my students learn to use writing as a vital means of communicating their messages. With this idea, I would want my students to feel comfortable with writing, as well as sharing their writing. I know that English can be a very daunting subject for many students, but I hope that my classroom attitude helps them to realize that writing can be as easy as talking with your peers.

I would not grade a lot of my students' writing activities by focusing on grammar and spelling, but rather on the fact that their message is cohesively and thoroughly explained. There would be assignments in which I would grade on grammatical aspects, but I would make sure that my students were well- prepared in using correct grammar before I penalized them for not doing it correctly. I want my students to feel comfortable in writing and expressing their feelings and ideas, and I feel that if I graded every piece of their writing as if it were a professional writing, I would only harm my students in finding their voice and being comfortable and enthusiastic to write.