January 11-15

Reading:
Read, Maus, Prologue and Chapter 1, 2 and 3
Resources and lessons:
http://www.randomhouse.com/highschool/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780394747231&view=tg
Listen to NPR Story:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1611731
Activity:
1. Keep a journal recording your responses to Maus I. If you were initially startled or put off by seeing the cartoon format used in the service of material that is profoundly serious, did those feelings change in the course of your reading? At what point, if any, did you find yourself accepting Spiegelman's visual and dramatic conventions?

Tuesday:

(Were you surprised by the comic-strip format of the book, especially considering the topic of the book? Are your feelings about the book changing as we read more and more? Explain. Do you like or dislike this format (comic-strip)? Do you think it is appropriate for this topic? Explain.)

Wednesday-Friday:

2. The situation of Polish Jews worsens steadily and dramatically throughout Maus, a deterioration that is aptly summed up by the chapter heading "The Noose Tightens." Chart the progress of this escalation, citing specific incidents in the book. What happens to Spiegelman's mice as they are forced deeper into "mouse holes"? In what way do they become more "mouse-like"? How might they have responded differently if the Germans had begun their program of mass extermination from the start?

Readers Guide:
http://www.uta.edu/uac/files/maus-readers-guide.pdf

Lesson Plan:
http://www.getgraphic.org/GG_Kits/Maus/Maus%20Lesson%20Plan.pdf

PBS:
http://www.pbs.org/pov/inheritance/photo_gallery_special_maus.php

U.S. History
Work on First Amendment booklet. You need five pages; one for each type of unprotected speech we discussed in class. Each page needs a title and an explanation of the type of unprotected speech. Include pictures from magazines.

An example is on the white board.

Due on Thursday.

Unprotected Speech explained:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O184-UnprotectedSpeech.html

English:
Define "motto."
Do you have a motto? If so, what is it? What are some common themes of personal mottos?
Brainstorm ideas (from Friday)
Happiness/Joy
Kindness
Action/ Make a difference
Love
Friendship
Hope
Strength
Courage
Equality
Peace
Wisdom

Lab: Visit several quote websites. Find five quotes that appeal to you. Cut and paste them into a word document. In class on Monday, choose your favorite quote as your personal motto.

Good sites to look for quotes:
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Main_Page
http://www.brainyquote.com/
http://www.quotegarden.com/

Ms. Hansen's favorite quotes:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. - Robert Frost

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Martin Luther King


"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tuesday:

Create a poster that includes your motto and pictures relating to your motto. You may include photographs, pictures from the internet, drawings, etc.

Look for pictures in the magazines on the round table. Please clean up after yourselves. Keep the classroom neat.

Type your quote. Use a large font. Print in the Library. Cut out your quote and glue it on your poster. (Take turns using the two classroom computer.)

Everyday: read from Freedom Writer's Diary

Everyday: continue the movie, "Freedom Writers"

World Studies
Monday:
Finish Map activity
Monday and Tuesday:
Watch "Darfur Now"
Lessons and resources:
NPR Story about children's drawings:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4778029
Interesting blog post on the online simulation, "Darfur is Dying":
http://socialmediasoapbox.wordpress.com/2009/06/14/darfur-is-dying-can-a-video-game-help-solve-a-humanitarian-crisis/
Powerpoint:
http://www.darfurchallenge.org/docs/DC-presentation-elementary.ppt#2
PBS Newshour:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/africa/darfur/slideshow_mapping/index.html?type=flash
Online simulation:
http://www.darfurisdying.com/
PBS:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/darfur/view/