Moving Toward Assessing the War's Impact... Personally and Academically

Like all campaigns, this one is coming to an end.  Those who endure it probably never see it, but it is reaching its end.  Moments of initial elation meet with interminable moments of labor and toil, only to find its end.  For some, this end is a desert, for others, a relief.  For some, it's Eros benevolently ending the reign of Thanatos.

Am I describing the war or Julian for an 8th grader???

The initial burst of energy can be seen at the war's start.  Young people elated and excited about a new frontier.  They enter a realm where they are wide eyed about new opportunities and new possibilities.

They tell their friends of what exists in front of them and they make new friends in the process.  The surge of "newness" courses through their veins and they are overcome with what can be.

It is with this that the waiting begins.  Waiting for absolution, waiting for redemption.  That which was new has become supplanted with that which is.  The labor and toil have become the dominant experiences.  What once was lush and green has become sepia tinged, reflective of joy that has rusted over.  The initial countenances of innocence have become replaced with the look of weathered experience.  Shells of what once was linger in brief moments, but the overall experience has become one of grim reality as opposed to potentially transformative joy.

And then it ends.  On one hand, there is the joy of liberation for it is over.  Yet, the question that haunts is what was gained from it.  The shadows of experience linger as it becomes difficult to assert anything in way of true and valid meaning.  The only purpose it can serve is a mark of existence, something that demonstrated that at a certain point, one was alive, one existed, one had the capacity to dream and the reservoir of pain to match it.







Ok, this is getting too weird in describing how some of our 8th graders feel about their Julian experiences.

And now for something completely different!

You will notice that we have two plans for this week.  If we have computers available in class, we will start our World War I Assessment.  It is a technological survey of the war on the web.  If we do not have computers, we will continue with our work and offer a backup assessment which is more traditional and not dependent on District technology.  Students are reminded that their Close Reading Passages are due on Thursday, February 13.  Rough drafts will not be ready past this Thursday.

Monday, 2.3

Collect Theme Logs from All Quiet on the Western Front.  Read “Statement to the Court” annotate for WWI Themes.  Check at end of class.    Bring headphones for tomorrow.  Don’t wear them in the building.  Bring them for class though because we might have computers for our WWI  assessment.

Find your 15 Minutes.  Close Reading Activity due on 2.13.  Rough Drafts are will not be read after Thursday, 2.6.

Tuesday, 2.4

Sacco and Vanzetti, the Textbook, and Howard Zinn.  Talk about “Shine on, You Crazy Diamond.”  E.C.  Due at the end of class.  If we have computers, we will start the World War I assessment today.  Make sure you have headphones. If we have computers, we move Sacco and Vanzetti to next week.  (They have been so badly mistreated that this is not that too much of an offense.)

Find your 15 Minutes.  Close Reading Activity due on 2.13.  Rough Drafts are will not be read after Thursday, 2.6.

Wednesday, 2.5

Common Core Assessment on All Quiet on the Western Front.  Discuss your WWI Assessment.  If we have computers, we will run with Common Core Assessment next week.

Find your 15 Minutes.  Close Reading Activity due on 2.13.  Rough Drafts are will not be read after today at 7:00 PM. In class World War I Assessment starts tomorrow.

Thursday, 2.6

Take World War I Assessment.

Find your 15 Minutes.  Close Reading Activity due on 2.13..

Friday, 2.7

Continue to take WWI Assessment.  If you need more time, you need to finish it this weekend and share it with me..

Find your 15 Minutes.  Close Reading Activity due on 2.13..  Preview 1920s Packet.  Make sure your WWI Assessment is shared by Sunday noon.

Happy Hunting.

Mr. Kannan

Hopefully, All is not Quiet on the 8.2 Social Studies Front

I had a student once tell me that the title of Remarque's work "sounds so tranquil and calm."  He then said, "It's all good, right?"

Oh, when he found out....

We continue with our reading of Remarque's novel this week.  We are reading chapter 6, one of the most intense parts of the book.  While we are reading in class and while students review the reading at home, a couple of items need to be addressed:

1)  Students should be updating their theme logs- Their job is to complete one entire theme log with themes from chapter 6.  They have another one, so this could be extra credit.  For those students who want to "run the score up" and get the points, this is an awesome opportunity to do so.

2)  Students should be clearly identifying the statement that chapter 6 makes on the war.  What evidence can we find to assert this statement?

3)  Students should be on the lookout for good writing and GHTs that emerge from it. The goal is to find one GHT by the end of every class.  (Hint:  War stinks.  There.  I just gave you a GHT.)

If you could help our students work through this and make sure that what is done in class is substantiated at home, it would be a big help.  Consider the following: How often do our students get the chance to meaningfully interact with truly great "L"iterature?  The type of literature that changes lives and makes the reader fundamentally different than when they were before?  How often does this happen?  It's a great moment and I hope our students can come to appreciate it.

Our work schedule for this week, the week of 1.27 to 1.31 is as follows:

Monday, 1.27

Collect Yeats’ Assignment.  In class read, continue reading “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

Find your 15 minutes.  Work on Theme Logs for “All Quiet on the Western Front.”  Extra Credit Opportunity:  Click here for an operatic exploration of World War I Themes.

Tuesday, 1.28

Continue reading “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

Find your 15 minutes.  Work on Theme Logs for “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

Wednesday, 1.29

Conclude reading “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

Find your 15 minutes.  Work on Theme Logs for “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

Thursday, 1.30

Distribute Close Reading on “All Quiet on the Western Front.”  Start in class/ Work on Theme Logs

HW: Find your 15 Minutes. Finish Theme Logs by Monday.  “All Quiet on the Western Front” Close Reading Activity due on 2.12.  Rough Drafts are will not be read after Wednesday, 2.5.

Friday, 1.31

Distribute Close Reading on “All Quiet on the Western Front.”  Start in class/ Work on Theme Logs

HW:  Find your 15 minutes.  Finish Theme Logs by Monday.  “All Quiet on the Western Front” Close Reading Activity due on 2.12.  Rough Drafts are will not be read after Wednesday, 2.5.

I get that the Super Bowl is on.  I get that there is a half day on both Thursday and Friday.  I also get that students might be focused on other things.  Please understand that I understand all of this.  Yet, I stress to all that this week is our "Close Reading" activity on Remarque's work.  Rough drafts will not be taken after Wednesday.  The Rough Draft process helped so many.  It is something that should continue with this task.  Students should chunk out how they wish to finish the 8 questions.  One approach would be to finish 3 a night and then have it done for a rough draft check by Tuesday or Wednesday.  If not, students could aim to finish one question at a time.  All final drafts are due on 2.12.

Best wishes and Happy Hunting.

Mr. Kannan

In the belly of the beast: World War I Work for this week in Social Studies

Our study of World War I has taken flight.  We now struggle with "Garden to Desert," "Eros and Thanatos," and "Resources Dwindling."  Here is our work for this week:

Monday, 1.20

Dr. King’s Birthday

Find your 15 minutes.  Finish Annotation of Keller’s “Strike Against War.”E.C. Take a line from Keller’s speech and compare it to a similar line from any Dr. King speech or writing.  Discuss where both lines are similar and then discuss what WWI Theme is represented.

Tuesday, 1.21

Collect Paragraphs and read Pirandello’s “War.”  Annotate for  WWI Themes.

Find your 15 Minutes.  Finish annotation of Pirandello’s “War.”  Extra Credit:  Go to this form for extra credit on Lorde’s “Royals.”

Wednesday, 1.22

Read and absorb Yeats’ “The Second Coming.”  Annotate for Themes of World War I.  End class with talking about in class reading Friday as well as expectations for in class reading.

Find your 15 Minutes.  Yeats’ Paragraph on WWI Themes  is due on Monday.  Extra Credit:  Find three examples of World War I themes with evidence from this article.  At the end of your analysis, explain how the movie perfectly fits the situation.  In other words, why does this move make sense in this situation?

Thursday, 1.23

Read I.W.W. Stance on War and finish Reed’s “Whose War?” for homework.  Remind about in class reading that starts tomorrow.

Find your 15 minutes.  Both sources from class need to be annotated tonight for WWI Themes.  Yeats’ Paragraph on WWI Themes  is due on Monday.  Extra Credit:  Go to this form regarding One Direction’s, “The Story of  My Life.”

Friday, 1.24

Introduce All Quiet on the Western Front.  Start reading in class and annotate Theme Logs.

Find your 15 Minutes.  Finish Yeats’ Paragraph.  It is due on Monday.  Work on Theme Logs for “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

Students who want to improve their performance are reminded that every journey starts with the smallest of steps.  Go complete your nightly work and then work more indepth with extra credit opportunities.  Taking steps in both domains will help you tremendously.

All best.

Mr. Kannan

Upcoming work for next week and reflection upon our last writing task

"War is old men talking and young men dying."  While there is much from the film, Troy, that is nothing more than Hollywood maudlin (Sorry to my 8th period student who likes the film), this line is particularly poignant when we consider the themes and realities that emerge from World War I.  Certainly, the futile pain that is intrinsic to war is evident this week in our exploration.  Here is our schedule for the week:

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Monday- 1/13

Watch WWI Theme Film Clips in class for whichever class we have.

Find your 15 minutes.  Finish notetaking guides on videos watched in class today.  Extra Credit:  Click here to fill out a Google form based on World War I themes.

Tuesday- 1/14

Watch WWI Theme Film Clips in class.

Find your 15 minutes.  Finish notetaking guides on videos watched in class today.

Wednesday- 1/15

Finish watching WWI Film Clips. If you want another extra credit opportunity, click here.  The blue phonebooth awaits...

Find your 15 minutes.  Finish notetaking guides on videos watched in class today.  Write out one paragraph of WWI Themes in Video Clips.  This is due Friday.  If you are unclear about any of the concepts on the videos,  make an appointment to meet me during lunch or arrive early to school via appointment so we can square things away.  You can also email me or contact me via phone or through written note.  You must be clear on these concepts by Friday..  The primary sources  will be even more obscure if you are not clear on the themes..

Thursday- 1/16

Introduce primary sources.  Discuss goals of annotation and what is being sought.

Find your 15 minutes.  Paragraphs are due Friday.   If I don’t see you on Friday, your paragraphs are due on Monday.   Preview Keller’s “Strike Against War.”  If you are unclear about any of the concepts on the videos,  make an appointment to meet me during lunch or arrive early to school via appointment so we can square things away.  You can also email me or contact me via phone or through written note.  You must be clear on these concepts by Friday..  The primary sources  will be even more obscure if you are not clear on the themes..

Friday- 1/17 

For students, who are in class, we will read Keller’s “Strike Against War.”  Read in class and annotate. Click here for another extra credit opportunity.  It’s same, but also different… and that’s not a bad thing.

Find your 15 minutes. „„ Finish annotations on Keller’s “Strike Against War.”„ Paragraph on World War I Themes from the videos is due on Friday by the day's end.

Certainly, with a full docket, students must make sure that their complete focus is on work completion.  It is piling up.  Given the intellectual demands of the unit, the work is even tougher.

Let's imagine for a moment our student is having difficulty.  What can be done?  None of our students are forlorn in their quest towards academic scholarship.  There is hope and steps that can be taken:
1)  Set up an appointment with Mr. Kannan- I am available every morning from 8:00, except on Wednesdays.  Let me know and I will let the guardians of the front door know and we can meet up.
2)  Meet me at lunch- I am available every day during lunch.
3)  Send me an email with questions- I can respond back quickly with detailed analysis.
4)  Send me a googledoc with questions- They give you an account.  Use it.
5)  Send me a note- You know where I am and can certainly hear me.  Be slick, like you would be passing a note to a colleague without the teacher knowing.  Only this time, pass the note to your teacher!  Get it?  We've messed up the system!
6)  Give me a call- Calling a teacher at home or on cell phone is not ideal and probably won't enable the student to shark up the Julian social ladder, but it does open an academic dialogue.  It helps to build trust.

Any student  can undertake one of the six approaches to get help and to be an advocate for their learning.

Students have received their Close Reading work.  Our first go around was not bad, at all.  The average score in all of the classes was an 83% with only three students not submitting any work.  The largest element that has to be evident in the next go around is being able to substantiate student writing with textual support.  In so many cases, the ideas that students presented were solid. They were lucid and insightful.  They reflected an understanding of complex text and its implications.  The next phase is going to be using textual support in substantiating student thought and analysis.  There should be direct quotations from the text passage in student writing.  If you are seeing an abundance of quotation marks, you are in a good place.
Each student received individual comments on their written piece- either in my horrendous penmanship or in googledocs- and received individualized comments in the gradebook.  My hope is that in our next go around- which will be in about three weeks- we can move into an even stronger domains. A class average of 83% is not bad.  Yet, my hope is that each of our students embraces the Aristotelian approach to their writing:  "We are what we repeatedly do."  If a student did well on this last writing sample, let's do it again. If a student can do better, let's do better.  Progress and improvement is critical in all advancement of writing as it will prepare our student in a more rigorous manner for the demands of next year.

If I can be of any further help or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
All best.
Mr. Kannan