SEE THE ADDED INFORMATION POSTED NEXT TO THE ** MARK BELOW AS OF 7:54 p.m. on 3/15!
All school rules apply to this blog, so no foul language, inappropriate comments, or anything else that could get you into trouble with me and/or the administration.
Your posts or comments must show up on the blog in order to be counted towards your grade. Always save a copy of your post in a Word document, e-mail, or some other form in the case that there is some technical difficulty.
Posts and comments that are not completed on time will be penalized for lateness. If a facilitator does not meet his/her deadline, you must make a post on a specific passage from the reading to still get credit for the homework.
Your name must be attached to your comments, and timestamps on your comments will help me monitor whether you are completing your work on time.
For each reading there will be one facilitator in your group who will post discussion questions. All other members will respond to these questions. The role of facilitator will be played by a different group member for each reading assignment.
As a facilitator, you must ask your partners TWO interpretive questions about the reading. Number these questions so your partners can notice each one easily. An interpretive question is not one that has only one answer, nor does it ask for factual information. For example, "What is the narrator's name?" and "What happened in this chapter?" are NOT interpretive questions. An interpretive question for chapter 12 could be written as follows: "Why do you think the author included the scene about the old men talking about Jackie Robinson in this chapter?" Another example would be the following: "Has Grant become exactly like Professor Antoine?" The questions should be genuine, meaning that they are questions you actually have regarding something you have read. Asking a question you already believe you know the answer to does not help you get anything out of this experience, and you will be wasting your group members' time as well.
**ALSO, once your group members post their answers to your questions, it is your job as facilitator to post a brief summation of their responses, in which you sum up your partners' answers and indicate whether you agree or disagree with their statements and why you do or do not agree. This must be published on the blog within 24 hours of the last response to your questions. So, if the last person in your group to respond to your questions posts at 9:38 p.m., you have until 9:38 p.m. of the following day to complete your summation. This will complete your duty as facilitator for that reading assignment. **
If you are NOT a facilitator, you must respond to each of your facilitator's questions, providing specific evidence from the reading and making specific references to the text that include page numbers. Here is an example:
Facilitator writes:
1. Why is the scene with the old men and Jackie Robinson mentioned in ch. 12?
2. Why does Grant have so little faith in religion?
Tom O' Leary responds:
I think that the scene in which the old men talk about Jackie Robinson is mentioned because the men are talking about heroes, and Grant is thinking about Jefferson in his cell, who he is supposed to be a hero for or make into a hero somehow. On pages 88-89, Grant talks about everyone idolizing Joe Louis and how even he carried himself with lots of pride after Joe Louis beat a German boxer. Joe Louis was a hero for his people because he gave them something to be proud of and believe in; Grant can do the same thing possibly if he makes Jefferson into a man, and Jefferson could die as a hero of sorts too if he proves he's not a hog.
Grant says he became less religious after he went to college (102), so maybe he learned about things that made him doubt the existence of God, such as the evolutionary theory or all the terrible things people have done to one another over the course of history. He might also feel that God hasn't helped him or his people--that he got where he is only because of himself. That would mean that he has a lot of faith in himself, which isn't necessarily bad because he isn't just waiting around to be helped by some miracle that may or may not happen.
Questions or comments copied or paraphrased from others and showing no original thought will not be given any credit. Don't just post to get the work over with; post to learn from and with your group members as you do the readings.
If you have any questions or problems, contact me ASAP by e-mail (magostino@somers.k12.ny.us) or in person.
--Mr. Agostino
