Journal 20: Mr Brown and the Unraveling of Umuofia

Please answer the following in your journal following Chapter 21.

1. In what ways is Mr. Brown more enlightened than other white colonists, and why might this make him more effective as a missionary?

2.  How does the story of Nnama and the white man's court illustrate the unraveling of Igbo culture?

Journal #19: Changes in Umuofia

Read through Chapter 21.  Describe the changes in Umuofia upon Okonkwo's return.  Which phrases, sentences, or passages of Achebe's are the most vivid in the description of these changes?

Journals 17 and 18: Things Fall Apart

Journal 17:  Nwoye's Conversion
After reading Chapter 16, explain why Nwoye joins the missionaries (1 paragraph.

Journal #18:  Sympathizing with Okonkwo?
After reading Chapter 17, answer the following:
1.  What is happening to Okonkwo's family?
2.  Do we sympathize with him?  Why or why not?  (1 paragraph total)

Final, Short Essay Question Options

Short Essay Question:  Two Choices

1.  How is this piece of African literature different than literature that you have read previously?  Based on what you have experienced from this novel so far, what are some unique characteristics of African literature that appear in Things Fall Apart, and please give examples to support your ideas. (3 paragraphs)

2.  In what ways does Achebe use this novel to confront and disprove false European colonial assumptions of African society and culture.  Use concrete examples from the novel in your response. (3 paragraphs)­­­

Journal #16: The Tortoise and the Birds

Describe what the folk tale, The Tortoise and the Birds, is about.  Why does Ekwefi tell Ezinma this story?  What is the moral lesson, and the lesson about nature?

Journal #15: Ezinma's Ogbanje

What does the story of Ezinma tell us about the customs and beliefs of this society?

"Favorite Books" Blog Post for Cross-Cultural Fluency Project (Tangier-Fortuna Connected)

For our second blog post, please write about the following:

What are your three favorite books (along with the name of the author or authors) that you've read from your childhood until now.  Explain what makes them your favorites.

Please respond by Friday, December 10.  Then, next week, explore the blog posts of your friends on the other side of the world and comment on at least 3 of them.

Classwork for 12/13/13

Today in class, we read Things Fall Apart Chapters 3 and 4 and completed the following in our journals:

Journal #13: Proverbs from Chapter 3
Write down two proverbs from this chapter (or a previous one) and explain their meaning.

Journal #14: Subcultures
European perspectives often categorize all African cultures as the same.
In what ways does Achebe highlight the existence of “subcultures” within Igbo culture.



 

Classwork and Journal Entry for 12/12

Hi students,
If you were not here today (Thursday 12/12), the you need to read Chapter 2 and the first 3 pages of Chapter 3 in Things Fall Apart and then respond to the following prompt in your journal.

Journal #12:  Achebe uses the first chapters to contradict the stereotypical European representations of African society.  How does Achebe emphasize the harmony, communication norms, and overall complexity of Igbo society?

OWL (Online Writing Lab) MLA Formatting and Style Guide

Click here to access OWL.

Gulen Institute Essay Resource Link List (Updated Regularly)

Link to Gulen Institute Essay Prompt

Education Week magazine has a fantastic index of topics that will help you.  Click here for the link.  Topics you can browse include:
Achievement Gap
Charter Schools
Class Size
Dropouts
English-Language Learners
No Child Left Behind
Parent Involvement
Safety and Violence
Teacher Quality
Technology
Urban Education
etc., etc., etc.


1.  "How a Radical New Teaching Method Could Unleash a Generation of Geniuses" (Wired Magazine, by Joshua Davis)

2.  "Houston Program Connects Low-Income Students With Top Colleges" (NPR's Here and Now Podcast) (Also see, the podcast segment immediately after that one, "Harvard Program Connects Low-Income Students With Top Colleges.")

3.  "How Poverty Affects Classroom Engagement" (Educational Leadership, by Eric Jensen) 

4.  NYTimes: Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Say
http://nyti.ms/xrgpw9

5.  NYTimes: For Poor, Leap to College Often Ends in a Hard Fall
http://nyti.ms/UYmYn6

6.  NYTimes: Reflections on the Road to Yale
http://nyti.ms/163h35P

7.  NYTimes: To Fix Failing Schools, Target Troubled Students?
http://nyti.ms/vsVaJ3

8.  "Research Links Poor Kids' Stress, Brain Impairment" (Washington Post, Rob Stein)

9.  "The Myth of the 'Culture of Poverty'" (Education Leadership by Paul Gorski) 

10.  "Public Schools and the Excuse Culture" (US News and World Report, by Joel Klein):  no link, search for this title on EBSCO ("Good teachers, effective principals, and great schools have a far greater impact on the achievement gap than any out-of-school antipoverty initiative.")

11.  "In California, Parents Trigger Change At Failing School" (NPR)

12.  Video:  "What matters for a child's future isn't IQ.  It's 'grit' (passion and perseverance)" 

13.  Student Voices in School Reform:  "Growing Our Own Teachers in Oakland" (Center for Teaching Quality) 

14.  Colorado District Launches Non-profit to Fund Technology (The Coloradoan)

15.  Article on "Flipped Classrooms":  "Turning Education Upside Down" (NYTimes) 

16.  Educating the Whole Child:  "Schools That Separate the Child From the Trauma" (NYTimes) 

17.  Early Education For All:  Strong Start for America's Children Act (US Senate Website)

18.  "Unrelenting Poverty Leads to 'Desperation' in Philly Schools" (NPR)

19.  School for Creative Studies breaks the box (Durham News)

Elements of Persuasion: Logos, Ethos, Pathos

Link to Logos, Ethos, Pathos PowerPoint

Journal #11: One World Democracy

What would happen if global governance became a reality in the form of one big global democracy?  What are the possible effects (both positive and negative) of a one world democracy in which each person in the world gets one vote on issues of global significance?

What would be the challenges?

How would a utopian vision of world democracy differ from a dystopian vision of world democracy?

(2 paragraphs)

Journal #10: Define Your Utopia

What would your utopia look like?  Describe in detail what your utopian society would be like?  After you’ve created your utopia, transform it into a dystopia.

Journal #9: American Exceptionalism Cartoon

Discuss the cartoon below. What does this say about U.S. policy in the Middle East?  Does it match our discussion on U.S. ideology, values, and foreign policy?


1 paragraph