Sojourning through the Holocaust

The picture speaks volumes.

We continue our study of the Holocaust this week.  Our focus will be exploration of themes in Holocaust literature, examining the chronology of German Laws passed against Jewish people, as well as explicating the stages of genocide.  From this, we will study one instance of the agony of choice within the Holocaust in "The Verdict."  Finally, we will introduce our online learning component for this unit and hopefully start on this Monday of next week.
Students need to be mindful of the challenging terrain this week in class.  Outside of class, students will be working on their Close Reading assignments, the last out of class assignment of the year.  All final drafts of Close Reading assignments from "Of Mice and Men" will be due on Friday at the start of class.
If I can be of any further help or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
All best.
Mr. Kannan

Monday:

Continue themes in Holocaust Literature.  Start on Chronology of German Laws during the Holocaust.

Find your 15 Minutes.   Close Reading Questions on Of Mice and Men are due on Friday. 4.25. Home Copies of Social Studies Textbooks are due this week.  Extra Credit if you turn them in before Friday.

Tuesday:

Continue with Chronology of German Laws.  Discuss Stages of Genocide.

Find your 15 Minutes.   Close Reading Questions on Of Mice and Men are due on Friday. 4.25. Home Copies of Social Studies Textbooks are due this week.  Extra Credit if you turn them in before Friday.

Wednesday:

Finish Stages of Genocide/ Discuss “The Verdict” and Mrs. Helena’s agonizing choice.

Find your 15 Minutes.  Steinbeck Close Reading due Friday.  Home Copies of Social Studies Textbooks are due this week.  Extra Credit if you turn them in before Friday.

Thursday:

Introduce Layout of Edmodo Posting or work on Identification of Stages in Genocide.  Other option would be to work on Close Reading.  This will be called at the start of class, so be ready for anything.

Find your 15 Minutes.   Close Reading Questions on Of Mice and Men are due on Friday. 4.25. Home Copies of Social Studies Textbooks are due this week.  Extra Credit if you turn them in before Friday. You actually lose points if you don’t turn in it by tomorrow.  From this point on, points are deducted if the book is not submitted.  This might be your most important homework assignment of the year in Social Studies.  Get it done.

Friday:

Collect Close Reading.  Go over grading, Edmodo philosophy, and expectations.

Find your 15 Minutes.  Log in this weekend or wait until Monday and start posting.  Letter Extra Credit is due Monday.  Extra, extra credit if there are parental annotations. IF we don’t get to the handouts today, we will go over them on Monday.

Entering the last unit for the year

With one unit to go, we find our journey reaching its natural end.  Seeking to fit all of the pieces together and emerge with something new and fundamental, we find ourselves at a point in which all of our learning has to converge in the study of the Holocaust.

This week, we start the new unit.  We will be working through the factual basis of the Second World War and then focus in on the Holocaust with an arrangement of Holocaust themes through the visual representation of Piet Mondrian.  A letter will be accompanying students next week explaining how this study will commence.

Brief reminders:  Students have their final Close Reading Assignment due on 4.25.  This will be the last out of class assignment for the year.

Below is our work for the week.  It has been an honor and a privilege to guide students thus far and to continue to serve them is an honor I shall always treasure.
All best.
Mr. Kannan

Monday:

Introduce World War II and Holocaust Unit.  Brief overview and then start on notetaking guides.  All four notetaking guides must be done by Wednesday.  Distribute Close Reading Passages and Questions.  Collect enrichment sheets on Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men.”

Find your 15 minutes and then work on the notetaking guides for Chapter 24, sections 1 and 2.   All four notetaking guides should be done by Wednesday.  IF students need more time, then they should take it.  By next week, the notetaking guides should be done.  Close Reading Questions on Of Mice and Men are due on Friday. 4.25.  Rough Drafts will not be read after Saturday. Of Mice and Men starts during lunch on Tuesday.

Tuesday: 

In class work on Sections 3 and 4 of notetaking guides.

Find your 15 minutes and then work on the notetaking guides for Chapter 24, sections 1 and 2.   All four notetaking guides should be done by Wednesday.  IF students need more time, then they should take it.  By next week, the notetaking guides should be done. Close Reading Questions on Of Mice and Men are due on Friday. 4.25.  Rough Drafts will not be read after Saturday.

Wednesday:

Introduce Holocaust Unit and discuss Mondrian activity in themes of Holocaust literature.

Find your 15 Minutes and read over the themes in Holocaust literature tonight.  All four notetaking guides should be done by Wednesday.  IF students need more time, then they should take it.  By next week, the notetaking guides should be done. Close Reading Questions on Of Mice and Men are due on Friday. 4.25.  Rough Drafts will not be read after Saturday.

Thursday and Friday:

Work on Mondrian activity regarding themes of Holocaust literature.

Find your 15 Minutes.  All four notetaking guides should be done by Wednesday.  IF students need more time, then they should take it.  By next week, the notetaking guides should be done. Close Reading Questions on Of Mice and Men are due on Friday. 4.25.  Rough Drafts will not be read after Saturday. Email me the following answer for extra credit:  Which Holocaust theme could Mondrian’s work represent?  Go to here for background on Piet Mondrian.

Lennie and the Rabbits: Cultivating dreams in a Challenging World

One of the reasons I enjoy the experience of sharing Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" is because it speaks to the power of dreams.  The dreams of Steinbeck's characters are forged at a time when desperation exists.  They are developed at a moment in which hope seems the farthest off and they are created at a time when so many external forces place burden on individuals.

Sounds like your typical 8th grader.

The ending of the book is one in which everyone has the capacity to dream.  Despite our conditions and the situations in which we are immersed, we have the capacity to dream, a reservoir in which our humanity exists.  As we end our foray into Steinbeck, I hope that such a transformative message can germinate into our students, our emerging scholars', minds.

With that, here is our work for the week.  Wishing you all the best in completing the assignments that will help you all find your dreams,
Mr. Kannan

Monday

Finish chapter 3 and move into Chapter 4 in Of Mice and Men.

Find your 15 Minutes.  All Projects on Poverty are due on 4.11.  Make sure that you have completed two enrichment sheets by the end of the novel.  Two chapters have to be done.  If you need to do so, finish your enrichment sheet tonight.

Tuesday:

Read chapter 4 and move into chapter 5 in Of Mice and Men.

Find your 15 Minutes.  All Projects on Poverty are due on 4.11. Make sure that you have completed two enrichment sheets by the end of the novel.  Two chapters have to be done.  If you need to do so, finish your enrichment sheet tonight.

Wednesday:

Finish the book:  “Take off your hat, Lennie.”

Find your 15 Minutes.  Check off list: A)  Have you completed two enrichment sheets for Of Mice and Men? B)  Are you able to submit a completed project on Poverty by Friday?   Simple “yes” or “no” needed.  If “yes,” good for you.  If “no,” fix things.

Thursday:

Use in class time to finish up projects on poverty. *  Bag of Poverty people can work off of iPad Minis. *Alternate Assessment people can work on their alternate assessments. Two enrichment sheets on “Of Mice and Men” can also be completed.

Find your 15 minutes.  Two enrichment sheets due Monday and projects due tomorrow.

Friday:

In class work day or catch  up.  If you want to start working on Close Reading Passages, work on that. It’s really up to you.

Find your 15 Minutes. Projects on Poverty due today at 5:00 PM. Close Reading Passages are due on April 25 at the start of class.