ENGLISH 11 BLOG

Honors English 11 Summer Reading-PALE HORSE, PALE RIDER 2010-2011

2010-06-18T11:16:00.001-04:00

Please post your annotation paragraphs (2) on Pale Horse, Pale Rider here!

Our Town Blog

2009-09-14T11:36:00.001-04:00

What events in your life have taught you to "realize" life?

Weeks 9 and 10--Honors English 11 2009-2010

2009-08-12T06:42:00.002-04:00

Week 9, please explain which "ism" that you read from was your favorite and why! Please read at least two other posts and respond to them!

Week 10, do the same, but complete the following: I might choose the following author for my year long author project because...

May 2009 Our Town PrePost

2009-05-07T09:52:00.002-04:00

ENGLISH 11 Students: Please respond to this link:

Blog directions: See link below to get there ;)
THREE questions: (1) Realizing Life- What does it take to "realize life?" How do you realize life? Do you think anyone, ever, really CAN realize life? What kind of events might help us to realize life?
(2) "There's something way down deep about every person" How would you define that thing that makes us uniquely human, that connects us as humans, that makes us a part of "the circle of life?"
(3) "This is the way we were" What things (referring specifically to the list we made for the bulletin board items) do you think were handled the same or differently in the past as compared to now? (example: you will find that with regard to birth, things are far more open than even in the recent past. Dads come into the delivery room, with video cameras!)

Final Summer Post--English and American Studies

2008-08-15T16:25:00.002-04:00

Hi. You should have finished your summer reading by now and have written your post responding to one of the essential questions (English) in terms of your contemporary novel. Please don't start the year off by saying any variation of the following: "Well, I didn't know what to do, so I thought I would ask when school started." You have had my phone number and email all summer long with which to ask me questions, and we will not have time to revisit your summer work (which is a good percentage of your first semester grade) during the schoolyear.

Before you start back to school, please print off two copies of your posts, including dates and times, but not your peer responses, one of your English posts and one of your history posts. You will give the latter to Mr. Vigue. If you cut and paste, as I expect you will, make SURE that you do it neatly and in an organized way.

Finally, Mr. Vigue would like you to pick up the following two texts: THE AMERICAN POLITICAL TRADITION (RICHARD HOFSTADTER) and GREAT ISSUES IN AMERICAN HISTORY, VOL. III (1864-1981) (RICHARD HOFSTADTER). You can obtain this book at B&N or Borders or even Mr. Paperback, but Mr. Vigue recommends buying a used copy on Amazon. Link:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=richard+hofstadter

Final thematic questions for history (Frederick Douglass):
(1) How is it possible that slavery could exist in the United States until the Civil War?
(2) How do you think Douglass' autobiography helped to promote an end to the evil institution of slavery in the United States?
(3) Why would such a book be so controversial in the 19th Century?

Week Six Post: Starting Your Contemporary Novel

2008-07-31T14:43:00.002-04:00

Hi! Well, you should be about through with The Autobiography of Franklin at this point.

In order to transition to your last reading assignment, I am going to ask you to post two things on MY blog.

(1) I want you to think about what you have learned about Franklin from reading his autobiography. Most historians agree that Franklin was the epitome of what it means to be an American. Do you think he represents what it means to be an American? (Yes or no, and why or why not.) Write at least one well-developed paragraph WITH SPECIFIC EXAMPLES from the text explaining your point of view. Please don't cop out with "well, maybe then, but not now...if not now, then explain WHY not now..." ;)

(2) Then, in a separate post, I want you to explain which contemporary novel you are going to read...start it, and decide which of our three essential questions you plan to address. Does your novel explore an aspect of the American dream? Does your novel contain a character who is an example of a quintessential American? Does your novel explain what it means to be an American today?

Only respond your classmates' Franklin posts....

Summer is winding down!

Week Five Post--Keep Reading Franklin!

2008-07-31T14:40:00.000-04:00

A note from Mr. Vigue for the kids who are taking Junior Level Honors History, too

2008-07-09T10:32:00.002-04:00

Honors Junior History Summer Work Blog

Because of the changeover from Webmail Pro to First Class, I am going to ask you to post your summer work solely on your own blogs. Mrs. Vigue has given me a list of everyone's blogger address except for Ethan B's. I am happy to see that some of you have already been posting, but some of you have fallen behind. Email me at wvigue@msad48.org if you have any questions. I will be evaluating your posts using the same blogging rubric that Mrs. Vigue gave you as a part of your English Summer Reading packet.

So far, you should have posted the following on your blog: Midwife's Tale thematic question, part one, part two and an evaluation of the author's intent. Again, I will be evaluating your work using the blogging rubric provided by Mrs. Vigue in your English packet.

Week Three and Four, you will be evaluated by Mrs. Vigue and myself, but look on her blog for directions.

Mr. Vigue

WEEK THREE / FOUR POST-Benjamin Franklin

2008-07-08T09:43:00.002-04:00

You should be finishing TSB, and starting Ben Franklin's autobiography. This assignment counts for you for both Honors English AND, if you are taking it, Honors History. You have this week and next to complete this assignment.

When you get to the part in the book where Franklin writes to his son about attaining moral perfection, I would like you to read it and do the following:

Franklin epitomizes good old New England common sense. He chose to master one virtue at a time and he kept a little log in which to do so.

On MY blog, I would like you to go ahead and explain which of the virtues you still think are applicable to American society, and, also, explain if any of them are "outdated." For instance, carefully read Franklin's definitions of "justice" and "moderation." Do these definitions hold true today, or do they need new definitions for the modern world? Do you see any glaring holes in his list? Are there different virtues we should practice in these times?

On YOUR blog, please do the following: I want YOU to give "a week's strict attention" to one virtue. It can be one that is the SAME as one of Franklin's, or it can be one that you choose. Franklin thought he could only attain moral perfection if he followed a method. You will choose a virtue, practice it, and keep track of your progress by maintaining your record keeping every day. You'll ask yourself, how did I do with my virtue today? You can post on your blog every day, or you can keep track on a separate piece of paper, and post it all at the end of the week. Your post on your blog must explain the following: (1)The virtue you chose to practice, why you chose it, (2) if it is similar to Franklin's definition or entirely different and why, (3) your plan to master that virtue, and, finally, (4) summarize how you did. Did you do well? Did you find it hard to practice your virtue? Don't forget to post on each other's blogs! You'll see that I have put hyperlinks below for everyone's blogs.

ENJOY!

Sample post:
The virtue that I chose was Tranquility. I like Franklin's definition, because I think he's getting at not getting all excited about the little things over which you have no control . I have been extra tired this summer, partially due to heat, partially due to a baby who likes to get me up four times a night on average, and it seems like I have been kind of impatient and anxious about things. I want to work on being calmer, and, well, more tranquil. My plan is to blog my progress each day, and, then when the week is up, I will go ahead and summarize my thoughts on this virtue and whether I think, with this kind of practice, that I could be more tranquil!

Monday-Today I did pretty well, although I am pretty sure that my kids wouldn't agree. I got kind of upset about the messes in the kitchen and livingroom and the lack of help in the garden, but then I calmed down and decided to let it go for now. I think I need to make my expectations clearer and not just expect the kids to read my mind and clean up things that look messy to me.

Tuesday- Is it me, or is it too hot to be tranquil? Being hot makes me grumpy, but I do feel better about the house. Mr. V and I sat down and made a list and designated chores, and it IS easier to be tranquil in a clean house. And, today, I was annoyed because a check that I was supposed to get in the mail LAST THURSDAY at the LATEST, STILL DIDN'T COME, and, rather than get all upset, I just went ahead and placed another call to the company. They explained the hold up, and that was a lot better than fuming all afternoon about how I was going to afford my next box of diapers! Plus, I worked with a lot of Adult Ed students on their essays, and, rather than be surprised and upset when they got bogged down finding evidence for their main points, I tried really, really hard to make the whole thing easy going and fun, and I think that was a good step.

Wednesday- Today I chose to listen to some really calming music (Regina Spektor) while I worked with Summer School kids, worked on my honors post, worked on my regular English syllabi, and my Adult Education folders. This was a good way to be tranquil. Sometimes you forget that you have a great CD on your shelf, and it's a great, almost new discovery all over again!

Thursday--Today was a pretty tranquil day. I had a lot to do, and I thought it would be crazy, but it wasn't. I took Liam to the doctor, and he was NOT tranquil when he was given those four shots!

Friday-- Today was the last day of summer school, and then we celebrated with Pizza Hut, shopping and swimming. That was pretty relaxing, but I spoiled it all by getting uptight at my parents' house. I didn't want to saying anything in front of my parents, so I stewed the whole time we were there. Bad.

Saturday--Well, today was a little different. Today I totally was not tranquil at all. I was trying to clean the house, get ready for Boston, work in my garden, do 1,000 things at once, and it was just not working and I was getting really frustrated.

ENGLISH 11 BLOG: Here are the blogger addresses that I do have.

2008-07-07T10:53:00.006-04:00

honors10-alex.blogspot.com/
abbyhonors.blogspot.com/
cocomajoboisprobablynotdoinghiswork.blogspot.com/
ashleeplawrence.blogspot.com/
shylo10.blogspot.com/
english11ljl.blogspot.com/
history-07aln.blogspot.com/
dshonorsenglish11.blogspot.com/
emilyshonorsblog.blogspot.com/
http://christinehonors80.blogspot.com/
varsitysoccer16.blogspot.com/
nokomis2010.blogspot.com/
humanities-for-jules.blogspot.com/
izapayne.blogspot.com
http://honors-11.blogspot.com/
http://nokofootball39.blogspot.com/

Here are the blogger addresses that I do have.

2008-07-07T10:37:00.009-04:00

See above for the links I have gotten for your class. I am still missing Ethan B's & Jacob R's. Please email me at evigue@msad48.org asap if I don't have a link for you. Mrs. V

Week Two

2008-07-03T17:49:00.002-04:00

This week’s blog response will also be done in two places. YOUR BLOG you must post on a topic that you have researched and applied to the book, and then I would like you to post your opinion on ONE of the two following topics RIGHT HERE: Don't forget to respond to eachothers' posts!
(1) At the end of Chapter 15 of Touching Spirit Bear, Garvey says, “We still believe in you and think there’s hope…because of that, we’ve stuck our necks out so far, we feel like two giraffes. Last night we convinced the Circle to release you to our custody.” After everything Cole has done, would you, as a member of that circle, make the same decision? Why or why not? Support your answer with details from the story.
(2) One of the themes of Touching Spirit Bear is “Justice should heal, not punish” (12). Do you agree with this theme? Why or why not? How could or should this principle be applied in mid-Maine?

Happy Fourth of July!

Dazed and Confuzed

2008-06-30T10:04:00.003-04:00

Hi. Thanks for all of the emails. As you may know, we are switching over to FIRST CLASS, a different email program, so I have been exporting my mail, trying to save all of yours into a separate folder, and putting together the data for the class.

When I have everyone's emails, I will send you all an email with everyone's blogspot address and emails so that you can correspond with confidence. HOWEVER, when you respond on my blog each week, please add your blogspot address as a hyperlink for your buddies, okay? Good idea? Yes, GREAT IDEA.

Here's whom I believe I have heard from, in alphabetical order, and I will also tell you if there is any information missing: I asked for: 1. your email address, 2. your blog address, 3. the name your posts will appear under on my blog, and the 4. name of the contemporary novel you were going to read.

Alexandra B.: I am waiting for you to post on my blog. In answer to your question about a novel, please write to me about the kinds of books you like to read and I will email you some suggestions. I have your email and blog address, but I don't know yet what name your posts will appear under on my blog.

Abby E.: I need you to post on my blog, and email the name under which your post shows on my blog. I also haven't heard which novel you plan to read. Otherwise, great post on your blog.

Cory K.: Thank you for posting on my blog and thank you for the funny email. I have your email address, your blog address, your posting name and your novel. WOW! Good job!

Ashlee L: You also are all set, and I will be sure to post a list of everyone's blog addresses for you guys when I have them.

Shylo L. I will be emailing you soon with suggestions for your novel; thanks for the info. You haven't posted yet on my blog, though. When you do, please make sure that you let me know it's you by emailing me or identifying yourself.

Laura L: I haven't heard from you about your book, nor do I believe you have posted on my blog, but otherwise you're all set!

Ashley N: You're all set, Ben!

Whitney P. I need to know the name of the author you intend to read, but you are otherwise all set. Go see Ms. N about getting registered for this class, though; you aren't on my list.

Emily T.: Send me an email about the kind of books you like, and I will get right to you! Please post on my blog and send me the name under which your posts will appear on my blog. Otherwise, you are all set.

Christine W.: You're all set except that you haven't posted on my blog or told me which name your posts on my blog will appear under.

Heidi W.: You're all set except that you have not told me yet which novel you are planning to read for the your choice book.

Did I miss anyone? Ethan times two, Julianna, Justin, Julia, Jacob, Doran? Where ARE you?

A Sample Mini Report for You

2008-06-23T12:45:00.003-04:00

Here’s what a sample mini report from you might look like including properly cited sources:

I thought I would get us started by researching the at.oow. It’s obviously going to be an important symbol in the story. In our story, the at.oow given to Cole by Garvey is a blanket, but, apparently an at.oow is not always a blanket. One site I looked at run by Tlinglits from Sitka, Alsaka, defined the at.oow as “clan regalia… owned by the clan or house group.” Regalia means an item that shows your affiliations, such as costumes native to your ethnic group. It could also be a family crest, passed down through the years. I was wondering why the author chose to make this at.oow a blanket. Is it because blankets suggest warmth and comfort? I don’t think this particular at.oow is going to provide much of that for Cole in the pages to come, since he’s already tried to burn it, but that might change, if his attitude changes. Here’s what I found out about the importance of an at.oow to Tlinglit culture. The following picture is not labeled as an at.oow, but it is from a reliable source, and seems to be similar to what is described in the book: http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/features/croads/tlingit.html One site I looked at said that at.oow “can refer to land or sacred sites, celestial bodies such as the moon and sun, names, stories, songs, spirits and crests” (Worl). Own the moon? Wow! It then said, “The ownership of a clan's at.oow is validated through ceremonies most often referred to as "potlatches” (Worl). So, one way or the other, this gift from Garvey was more meaningful (to give away an heirloom so precious to his tribe) than Cole, or us, as readers might expect.) Another thing that I read about was that many at.oows were taken away by white people and placed in museums for their protection, but, today there is a movement to return these precious items to the people to whom they belong. I know that Cole is pretty angry. I wonder if he will do something to destroy this valuable item; it's clear that he doesn't understand the value of many things--he's been given so much in the way of material items, but, perhaps never before something so valuable.

Works Cited:
Brady, Isabella. "Our Culture." Sheet'ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi: A House for the People of Sitka. 2000.
Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center. 15 Jun 2000
.

Worl, Rosita. "Introduction to the Tlingit Culture and Repatriation." 1899-2001 Harriman Expedition
Retraced: A Century of Change. 2001. PBS. 15 Jun 2007
http://www.pbs.org/harriman/explog/lectures/worl.html.

WEEK ONE: Welcome Junior Level Honors Students for 2008--2009!

2008-06-23T12:14:00.004-04:00

Hello and WELCOME, and I look forward to getting to know you through your blog posts!

Instructions for the first week of summer reading:

First, please email me at evigue@msad48.org with the following information: (1) your name, (2) your blogspot username -NOT THE PASSWORD, however- and a link to your blog, and (3) your book choice for the contemporary American novel and how you think it will relate to one of our essential questions. It can be a volume of poetry or a fiction work.

Second, please post your mini report, on your blogsite. Wait until a few more people have posted their mini reports on their blogs, and then go ahead and post at least one response on at least two of your peers' blogs to their mini-reports. I will demonstrate the latter for you, to give you an idea of how to respond to your peers (as soon as someone has posted). PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO CITE YOUR SOURCES.

A mini report takes off from a concept that relates to your book. If you look up the Tlingit Indians, then you should explain how the Tlingits play a role in the book and how the theme of the book relates to the Tlingit philosophies or practices based on what you found in your research. I would suggest the following theme for the book: justice should heal, not punish (p. 12). If you look up Kermode Bears, you should share what you found about them, and what role they play in the book. Why did the author choose that particular breed of bear? What is special about them that might relate to Cole's circumstances?

(3) Question for the week. Please post a response to this question RIGHT HERE. Do you think that Cole should be excused for his behavior based upon the circumstances in his home? Why or why not? Answer this question and respond, on my blog, to at least two of your peers' responses.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Check out this MGS done online!

2007-10-23T16:40:00.001-04:00

http://theamazingj.googlepages.com/douglasperston

FINAL SUMMER POST--YOUR SUMMER READING PROJECTS

2007-08-26T22:10:00.000-04:00

Hello! Weeks 9 & 10 were taken up by your responses to the poetry of Langston Hughes. Be ready, as the summer reading guidelines warned, to be read to present your summer reading projects due THE FIRST DAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF CLASS, OR SEPT. 10.

Here is the assignment again, just in case:
Finally, you will be doing a hands-on project to complement either Touching Spirit Bear, Huckleberry Finn or the poems of Langston Hughes. I WANT TO LEAVE THIS PROJECT OPEN TO YOU. THE GRADING CRITERIA WILL SIMPLY BE WHETHER YOU DID IT, WHETHER YOU CAN EXPLAIN HOW IT TIES TO THE SUMMER READING AND WHETHER OR NOT THE PROJECT SHOWS EFFORT AND INGENUITY. You may wish to make a totem pole for yourself after Touching Spirit Bear. You might want to build a little model of a raft like the one in Huckleberry Finn. You might want to bring traditional African American food to school after reading Langston Hughes. You could also write an essay about the themes in Touching Spirit Bear, or you could make a little scrapbook of the symbols favored by Langston Hughes. You could make a map of the trip that Huck makes with Jim. The way you approach this project will be completely up to you; your own strengths, the reading that most piques your interest, and your own level of creativity will guide your choice. Your projects will be due on the first day of the second week of class, but I STRONGLY suggest that you complete them (unless it’s food;) before that time! You can turn them into me at any time (again, unless it’s food) before that. If you complete them early and want to post a picture, you can do that on the blog or you can send the picture or file to me and I’ll post them for you!

Langston Hughes

2007-08-12T22:46:00.000-04:00

I would like you to go to the following page: http://myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=langstonHughes

There you will find a mercifully succinct biography of our final summer reading author, Langston Hughes, by Jeff Trussell. This site is a part of the My Hero Poetry Project. This project is interesting. (In fact, if you scroll to the bottom of the page, you'll see lots of other poets described, and you might find someone you already like, or find a new favorite.)

Just under Mr. Trussel's writeup, you will see a link to the poetry project, http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83, and from there you will want to click on two poems: I, Too, Sing America, and The Negro Speaks of Rivers.

I would like you to blog your response to those two poems on my website.

To get you thinking, not that you have to answer these exact questions, look at the first poem, (I, Too) and ask yourself what does it mean to be an American for the person in this poem? When you look at the second poem, ask yourself what is the symbolism of the river? What did the river symbolize in Huck Finn? What about the locations that are mentioned in the second poem?

Week 7: post a link to the essay on your blog here!

2007-08-06T10:56:00.001-04:00

August 4-August 10: Read Chapters 32-43—do a short essay about your concept on your own blog; post a link on my blog to yours. Respond to each others’ essays.

Where does that short essay material come from? As you read Huckleberry Finn, I am going to ask you to notice that the four following ideas keep cropping up: freedom, religion/superstition, education and nature. Please choose one concept to pursue throughout the book. As we read through Huckleberry Finn, I would ask you to keep a list of references to one of the above mentioned concepts. Each time you come across a reference to that concept, jot down the page, and give a brief summary of the reference. By brief, I mean a sentence or two at the most. If you own the book, you could just put “stickies” on those pages. Meanwhile, keep your ear open to the news. As you get attuned to looking for that particular concept, see if any of those concepts are in the news, or if you hear them talked about. You should post this second week about how you see that same concept addressed in today's society. What concepts, issues, concerns crop up today in connection to these same themes? By “short,” I mean a couple of well-developed paragraphs.

Nature in Huckleberry Finn: What does the attitude of Americans toward nature seem to be in Huckleberry Finn, or how does Huck (or any other character) seem to percieve or relate to nature? What knowledge of nature does Twain portay in this book?

Week 6

2007-07-28T10:44:00.000-04:00

July 29-August 3: Read Chapters 22-31—do a short essay about your concept on your own blog; post a link on my blog to yours. Respond to each others’ essays.

The last two weeks of reading (July 29ff and August 4ff), you will NOT have a research topic due. Instead, you will post a link on my blog to YOUR blog, where you will have posted a short essay on the concept you chose from Huckleberry Finn. To get credit for those two weeks, what you should do is post the first week (July 29ff) about how you see the concept used in Huckleberry Finn, and the second week (Aug 4) about how you see that same concept today. What concepts, issues, concerns crop up today in connection to these same themes? By “short,” I mean a couple of well developed paragraphs.

Religion/Superstition:
Wow, this summer is flying fast. Caleb started us on "superstitions" a week or so ago. In the beginning of the book, they are trying to instill religion in Huck. Several characters have their own take on religion, and it might be helpful to write down the comments they make relating to the concept of religion/superstition. Twain even inserts his OWN take on religion. What do you think Twain's is?

Education:
The age old debate between book learning and life experience is played out throughout the book. Which do you think is more important? Which characters think schooling is more important? How do you know? Which characters think life experience is more important? What do you think Twain thought?

Huckleberry Finn: Week Five

2007-07-24T12:32:00.002-04:00

Read through Chapter 21 and please do your usual mini-report.

Week Four Post; Yes, it's Really Early. It's not due until the 20th!

2007-07-12T20:21:00.000-04:00

Introduction to Huckleberry Finn

Hi, I am posting this Week Four prompt early (ordinarily I would post this on Monday, the 16th, but I am going to be gone camping.) You won’t post to this prompt until July 20th.

Follow this schedule to pace yourself through HUCKLEBERRY FINN: (Read at your own pace, but be sure to do the assignments on time.)
July 13-20: Read Chapters 1-11—do a mini research project as you have been. Respond to each others’ mini research projects.
July 21-28: Read Chapters 12- 21—do a mini research project as you have been. Respond to each others’ mini research projects.
July 29-August 3: Read Chapters 22-31—do a short essay about your concept on your own blog; post a link on my blog to yours. Respond to each others’ essays.
August 4-August 10: Read Chapters 32-43—do a short essay about your concept on your own blog; post a link on my blog to yours. Respond to each others’ essays.

Where does that short essay material come from? As you read Huckleberry Finn, I am going to ask you to notice that the four following ideas keep cropping up: freedom, religion/superstition, education and nature. Please choose one concept to pursue throughout the book. As we read through Huckleberry Finn, I would ask you to keep a list of references to one of the above mentioned concepts. Each time you come across a reference to that concept, jot down the page, and give a brief summary of the reference. By brief, I mean a sentence or two at the most. If you own the book, you could just put “stickies” on those pages. Meanwhile, keep your ear open to the news. As you get attuned to looking for that particular concept, see if any of those concepts are in the news, or if you hear them talked about. The last two weeks of reading (July 29ff and August 4ff), you will NOT have a research topic due. Instead, you will post a link on my blog to YOUR blog, where you will have posted a short essay on the concept you chose from Huckleberry Finn. To get credit for those two weeks, what you should do is post the first week about how you see the concept used in Huckleberry Finn, and the second week about how you see that same concept today. What concepts, issues, concerns crop up today in connection to these same themes? By “short,” I mean a couple of well developed paragraphs. Each week, I am going to post a little blurb about one of the concepts. I’ll start with freedom.

Okay. One of the Essential Questions that we are going to be talking a lot about this year is “What does it mean to be an American?” Do you know or think about this concept very often? Many of my students will say, very quickly, “Well, yes, to be an American means that we have freedom.” Hmmm. Well, yes, I suppose that’s true. But what is freedom? Is freedom the same to each individual? I think that you will find it demonstrated in Huckleberry Finn that there are many kinds of freedom, and that freedom means different things from one character to another, or from one person to another. Does freedom to Huck mean the same as freedom to Jim? What about in the news? Have you see that word lately? How about Operation Iraqi Freedom? Where else have you seen that term used or implied? Is freedom a quintessentially American trait? You don’t have to answer these questions now, but they may help you start thinking if “freedom” is the concept you chose to map throughout the book.

ENJOY!

Week Three Post

2007-07-10T10:35:00.000-04:00

Hello! This week, you are:
(1) finishing Touching Spirit Bear
(2) sharing your last research project for this book
(3) responding to the following prompt:
A--page 12, “Justice should heal, not punish.”
B--page 31, “This banishment was the ultimate hurt—worst than his father’s fists, worse than his mother’s never caring. This was the hurt of being alone and unwanted.”
C--page 196, “How to help Peter heal is something that will haunt you and stay under your skin. The harm you did to him will fester and pain you all of your life unless you’re able to make up for it.”
Do you think that any of these quotes represent the main theme of the book? If so, explain, please. If not, please find the passage that best represents the theme of the book and explain why that one fits the best.
A note about next week’s work: my family and I are going camping on Thursday or Friday of this week, and we won’t be back until next Wednesday. I’ll leave an early prompt for your first week of Huck Finn, but your feedback will be seriously delayed. ;) In fact, you don’t have to post until next Tuesday night if that’s better for you. Have a great week!

Please read and respond to this main post for WEEK TWO.

2007-06-30T13:02:00.001-04:00

WEEK TWO POST

First of all, excellent work, everyone who blogged for the first week. I’ve made a chart with the names of each one of you who has contacted me regarding summer work. Behind each name are ten spaces, one for each week. For those of you who responded and commented during Week One, there’s a score (and they were very good, btw). For those of you who didn’t, there’s a zero (yikes!). Remember, however, that you get two “passes”; I am only averaging your eight best scores. You might want to post all ten weeks so that you are ensured of a very good grade. You might want to use your passes if you vacation. It's up to you, but remember: combined with your summer reading project score, the final summer reading blogging score will be a significant percentage of your S1 grade. In fact, the blogging is ¾ of your entire summer reading score, with the project comprising the other fourth. So, contact me soon if you haven’t already, and contact me soon if you have any questions about the Week One Feedback.

Here is the remaining summer reading schedule: Week Two, June 30 to July 6; Week Three, July 7 to July 13; Week Four, July 14 to July 20; Week Five, July 21 to July 27; Week Six, July 28 to August 3; Week Seven, August 4 to August 10; Week Eight, August 11 to August 17; Week Nine, August 18 to August 24; and Week Ten August 25 to August 31.

During Weeks 2 & 3, I would still like you to focus your blog responses on Touching Spirit Bear. (I’ve set Week 4 as the time to start Huck Finn. ) During Week 2, I recommend that you read at least as far as up to Chapter 16, in Touching Spirit Bear which is through pp. 134 in my edition.

This week’s blog response (you will respond to this post) must contain a topic that you have researched and applied to the book, and then I would like your opinion on ONE of the two following topics:
(1) At the end of Chapter 15 of Touching Spirit Bear, Garvey says, “We still believe in you and think there’s hope…because of that, we’ve stuck our necks out so far, we feel like two giraffes. Last night we convinced the Circle to release you to our custody.” After everything Cole has done, would you, as a member of that circle, make the same decision? Why or why not? Support your answer with details from the story.
(2) One of the themes of Touching Spirit Bear is “Justice should heal, not punish” (12). Do you agree with this theme? Why or why not? How could or should this principle be applied in mid-Maine?

Happy Fourth of July!

Restorative (Circle) Justice-- please don't send your Week One Response to this post

2007-06-27T20:24:00.000-04:00

Hey, Guys! If you're interested in the concept of Circle (more commonly known in today's parlance as) "Restorative" Justice in connection to Touching Spirit Bear and particularly in connection to today's world...go to the downloads page on my website and you can look at a Power Point presentation on the concept. Here's the link: http://msad48.me.k12us.com/evigue/DOWNLOADS%20Page

First Post Due by June 29--Who WILL be first? Please don't send your Week One Response to this post.

2007-06-24T18:37:00.000-04:00

Please post your first response (which should include one researched topic from Touching Spirit Bear) beneath my Friday, June 15, 2007 AT 1:03 PM post entitled Welcome to 2007 Summer Reading for Mrs. Vigue's Honors English 11 . I've heard from many of you (9 or 10 of you), but don't forget that I've also asked you to email me at evigue@msad48.org to let me know what your blogger name is combined with the requested information about yourself. Please use that opportunity to tell me a little about you, your interests AND about the sorts of things you like to read and write. It would be a nice time to ask me any questions you might have for me, and you could also tell me if you already know an American author you might like to spend your 11th grade year researching.

URGENT (But, don't respond to this post)

2007-06-19T09:26:00.000-04:00

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO MY WEBPAGE. When you get to my webpage, please click on the Downloads button on the left hand menu to see your blogging rubric and blogging instructions.

http://msad48.me.k12us.com/evigue

BE SURE to scroll past the rubric for final blogging instructions.

Hello! You're doing great! (but don't respond to this post)

2007-06-18T21:42:00.000-04:00

Hi, guys! You're starting to send me your personal introductions and usernames, but make sure your chosen passwords work before you confirm them with me--otherwise, very nice! Thanks to those of you who already are introducing yourselves as I requested, and you've also raised some good questions. Here are some answers for the benefit of everyone involved: (1) for the first week--which technically does not start until the 22nd, let's try ONE post from Touching Spirit Bear on one researched topic (see my example), and please post at least TWICE in response to the posts of others in your class. (2) Please respond to my blog; use your google username from Grade 10 to sign into blogger if you wish. I am very much looking forward to working with you guys!

Welcome to 2007 Summer Reading for Mrs. Vigue's Honors English 11

2007-06-15T13:03:00.000-04:00

Hello, and Welcome, Honors 11 Students to our Summer Reading Blog!

The first thing I would like you to do for me, is to send your blogger username to me at evigue@msad48.org. Please use that opportunity to tell me a little about you, your interests AND about the sorts of things you like to read and write. It would be a nice time to ask me any questions you might have for me, and you could also tell me if you already know an American author you might like to spend your 11th grade year researching. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Our first book, Touching Spirit Bear, is meant to set the tone for the rest of the readings and for the year. Here’s how:
As you read the first two chapters of Touching Spirit Bear, I am going to ask you to take note of items, places or concepts that might be unfamiliar to you. Examples might be: Circle Justice; traumatic brain injury; Ketchikan, Alaska; the Tlinglit tribe; First Nation; birds of coastal Alaska; at.oow; typical policies for a juvenile detention center; a list of what one would need for a year long camping trip; Kermode (Spirit) Bears; totem poles; tips for dealing with rage
Choose two or three of these unfamiliar items and look them up.
Log onto our blog, share your information with the class, and, here’s the key…APPLY it to the book.
This will start to turn us into a community of readers who are pooling our knowledge to build greater understanding of the book and the world around us.
___________________________________________________________________
Here’s what a sample blog from you might look like:

I thought I would get us started by researching the at.oow. It’s obviously going to be an important symbol in the story. In our story, the at.oow given to Cole by Garvey is a blanket, but, apparently an at.oow is not always a blanket. One site I looked at run by Tlinglits from Sitka, Alsaka, defined the at.oow as “clan regalia… owned by the clan or house group.” Regalia means an item that shows your affiliations, such as costumes native to your ethnic group. It could also be a family crest, passed down through the years. I was wondering why the author chose to make this at.oow a blanket. Is it because blankets suggest warmth and comfort? I don’t think this particular at.oow is going to provide much of that for Cole in the pages to come, since he’s already tried to burn it, but that might change, if his attitude changes. Here’s what I found out about the importance of an at.oow to Tlinglit culture. The following picture is not labeled as an at.oow, but it is from a reliable source, and seems to be similar to what is described in the book: http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/features/croads/tlingit.html One site I looked at said that at.oow “can refer to land or sacred sites, celestial bodies such as the moon and sun, names, stories, songs, spirits and crests” (Worl). Own the moon? Wow! It then said, “The ownership of a clan's at.oow is validated through ceremonies most often referred to as "potlatches” (Worl). So, one way or the other, this gift from Garvey was more meaningful (to give away an heirloom so precious to his tribe) than Cole, or us, as readers might expect.) Another thing that I read about was that many at.oows were taken away by white people and placed in museums for their protection, but, today there is a movement to return these precious items to the people to whom they belong.

Works Cited:
Brady, Isabella. "Our Culture." Sheet'ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi: A House for the People of Sitka. 2000.
Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center. 15 Jun 2000
.

Worl, Rosita. "Introduction to the Tlingit Culture and Repatriation." 1899-2001 Harriman Expedition
Retraced: A Century of Change. 2001. PBS. 15 Jun 2007
http://www.pbs.org/harriman/explog/lectures/worl.html.

______________________________________________________________

Now, a relatively short lecture from me, Mrs. Vigue, (in my most serious tone) to you, my incoming class of Honors students. Did you see how I cited the at.oow information? A lot of people plagiarize “innocently.” No, wait, they don’t plagiarize innocently. Any time you write something that appears to be from you, but really is coming uncredited from another source, even if it’s your Mom, it’s plagiarism. Not kidding, there’s a way to cite an interview with your Mom in MLA format. When you do your research, you should just get in the habit of citing any and all sources you use, and, yes, if you haven’t already, you should get used to doing it in MLA format. I bet you’re thinking, “What’s wrong with just putting the URLs of the sites in there? Maybe she’ll ignore it if I alphabetize them.” Mmmm, well, what’s wrong with that is that for now and years to come, you’ll be writing papers that require you to use MLA format. Time for a famous teacher cliché, a cliché that should be delivered in my best Napoleon Dynamite voice (well, if I had one): Shut up, guys. You’ll thank me someday, guys. However, I’ll make it easy for you. I use a site called Son of Citation Machine. http://citationmachine.net/ Use it. It’s stronger than EasyBib, too, a site with which you may already be familiar. Who, us? Take the time to look at the website thoroughly and cough up as much of the required data as is available. Yes, I am prone to checking such things. Alright, lecture over. PS Look out for Wikipedia. It is NOT always reliable. However, it’s an okay place to start, and it can point you to stronger sites or at least give you an idea of some KEYWORDS you could put into Google.

Your first response, to the first two chapters of Touching Spirit Bear, will be due by June 29. I can’t WAIT to hear from you. Feel free to post sooner if you wish. I know at least one of you has already started the reading! I don’t THINK most of my blog posts will be this long, but I don’t PROMISE anything. Have fun!

Scroll for more on our 5/24 trip to Augusta!

2007-05-24T17:29:00.000-04:00

Visit to Augusta

2007-05-24T17:28:00.000-04:00

Today the Honors English 11 students and I went to Augusta, early in the morning. We found our room, the Legislative Council Chamber, without too much trouble, and, being simple, rural folk, we were amazed by the elevators which allow you to make choices such as Floor 2.5 and 3.5! We were, in fact, so mesmerized by this oddity, that Micah almost fell out of the elevator into a very plush office on 2.5. We were graciously welcomed by Rep. Josh Tardy of Newport (House Minority Leader) and the rest of the caucus, and then we took the picture with Rep. Tardy in his office that you see above. At his invitation, we watched the session (45th Legislative Day) from the gallery, and, in particular, marvelled at the vocal prowess of the House Chair. It was pretty thrilling to be recognized by the entire House. I suspect we all wondered whether cool people would wave back, and I bet that none of us remember whether we did or not. Our representatives know their business-- we were awed as they worked their way through the calendar, answering phones, working on their computers, signalling eachother, speaking, and voting on the business of this state.

Following that experience, we went to the Museum, dodging excited little children, enjoying the incredible artifacts, and we ate lunch all together, the entire time, in the sun (far, far away from the designated smoking area). It was 81 degrees at one point today.

Our next stop was the Taxation Public Hearing. There was a very interesting bill on the floor from Opportunity Maine, and we enjoyed the testimony very much.

One highlight of the day was that when we visited the Governor's office, Rose (his assistant), asked which one of us was the teacher and helped us set up the picture you see immediately above this post. Sadly, Governor Baldacci was in Bangor, but we filled in as best we could in his absence, signing a number of emergency laws into immediate effect. It was the least we could do for this very busy man. Kidding. It was very, very enjoyable to hear Rose explain the artifacts lying around the room, including a bat with a personal note to the governor from Big Papi.

Special thanks to Mr. Jason Tardy, our AD, for going out on a number of limbs with coaches and bus drivers to help us arrange the trip on such short notice. Warm thanks to Rep. Josh Tardy for his gracious hosting and Ms. Heather Priest for giving so generously of her time, arranging such an interesting day, making sure we had copies of the paperwork, and checking in on us throughout.

In all seriousness we are both honored and appreciative of how many people went out of their way to make this a lovely and educational experience for us. We missed the rest of the class, who had to miss this trip due to Envirothon and a recent Latin trip, but perhaps we can go again next year. The girls want to try paging--it looked like fun!

Questions For Our Town

2007-04-04T10:42:00.000-04:00

Please answer the three sets of questions that follow:

(1) REALIZING LIFE:
Often the people in Our Town lack any sense of wonder at the everyday goings on of life...This year has brought many changes to our lives.
Discussion questions:
What events have taught us to "realize life"?

(2) WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ETERNAL? (Think Whitman, Leaves of Grass....)
What does it mean to be eternal?
There is another way that Our Town is like classical Greek drama. Our Town, like The Lion King, if you will, is concerned with the circle of life, or the paradox that from life comes death and from death comes life.
Wilder portrays this arc of life very cleverly:
In Act I, there's a literal birth.
In Act II, there's courtship and marriage.
In Act III, there's a funeral, and discussion of the afterlife.
In this play, Wilder attempts to show that when humans retain their faith that in death there is life...
He is not explicitly religious, although his audience would probably have interpreted the play that way; he mostly stayed away from overtly Christian symbols, preferring instead to concentrate on the cycle of life.
Discussion Questions:
What is it about YOU that's eternal?
What is it about your family that is eternal?
What is it about your town that is eternal?

(3) THERE IS SOMETHING WAY DOWN DEEP INSIDE....
There is a sense of community in most people. Some people are strong individuals, some identify themselves with certain groups or their families or localities. Often these individuals and groups have a sense of whom they are which is based upon traditions of the past. Sometimes they find that they have made changes and become stronger, or weaker.
Who were we? (Who was I?)
Who are we now? (Who have I become?)
Am I like others who have lived here, gone to school here, etc....?

"The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think is right"

2006-11-12T17:40:00.000-05:00

We are currently reading the Transcendentalist writers. Some of the concepts we have discussed are:

§Reject Authority
§Be an Individual
§Live simply, in harmony with nature and others
§Currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part and parcel with God.

The Transcendental concepts of simplicity and reverence for nature are pretty easy to understand, right. We can also probably see a continuum in history from Patrick Henry who led the Virginians in revolution against a tyrannical king, to Thoreau's hatred for slavery and unfair taxes, down to Martin Luther King Jr.'s activism in the 1960's.

But what about this?
Thoreau said in Civil Disobedience, "The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think is right." Emerson, likewise, said that "The only right is what is after my constitution, the only wrong what is against it." By "constitution", Emerson meant the aggregate of your personality. In other words, he was saying that if something went against your better judgment, your intuition, if it didn't feel right to you, then it was almost like physically hurting yourself to participate.

A. W. Tozer wrote in response to Thoreau and Emerson: "If that were true, there would be as many codes as there are human beings and each one of us would be our own witness, prosecutor, judge, jury and jailer! "

What do you think about this? What problems could an attitude such as the Transcendentalist authors took lead to? Or, conversely, what do you like about this attitude?

A Sense of Place...

2006-11-04T14:54:00.000-05:00

A SENSE OF PLACE

I'd love for you to reflect here on your museum experience. A thorough reflection that connects the trip to the concept of a sense of place would make a great journal entry for your final product for this unit. Here are some sample questions you could address: How have artists featured at the PMA experimented with different visual arts to express important ideas? (Try to connect those ideas to something we have read in class). How did the composition, color and execution of a particular piece of art that you remember from the PMA inform the narrative implicit therein? (In plain English, how did the piece tell it's story?) Did any of the artist works you observed at the PMA look closely at nature and beyond to understand themselves? In "Moosehunt" or "Walden" did Thoreau do that, too? Did any of the visual art you saw at the PMA have parallels with the Romantic/Transcendental period? Have fun, and remember that if you answer thoughtfully, your answer can count twice for you; once as a blog entry for extra credit, and also as a journal for the mini multi-genre study for this unit!

Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death

2006-10-15T17:09:00.000-04:00

We are almost to the end of the Founding Fathers section of Unit One!

We are going to spend some time this week looking at Patrick Henry's famous speech.

According to historian George F. Willison, at this time Henry was "some six feet tall, [and] trim… [He] was not ahandsome man, but personable and engaging. His manner toward all men, from the humblest to the highest, was quiet, friendly, and unaffected… Henry when speaking publicly was often something of an actor… Even so, his words and his posturing [often] carried the day."

Henry was a lawyer who specialized in the plight of the common man. That ability to relate to the common man and to the lawmakers of his time earned him the respect of his fellow Americans. Putting his money where his mouth was, Henry then went on to be a military leader in the Revolution. He also assumed responsibility for the emerging American nation by becoming governor of Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson remembered Henry as "the idol of his country beyond any man who ever lived...It is not now easy to say what we [Americans] should have done without Patrick Henry.*"

Here's what he said about you: "The voice of tradition, I trust, will inform posterity of our struggles for freedom. If our descendants be worthy the name of Americans they will preserve and hand down to their latest posterity the transactions of the present times."

So this week, I am asking you the same questions that men such as Henry, Franklin, Jefferson, Washington and others consciously asked themselves:

What does it take to be a great American individual?

What is my job in society?

What freedoms do you have that you appreciate?

What American traditions have been handed down to you?

Remember; answer any or all, but get some conversation going!

*Schmittroth, Linda, and Mary Kay Rosteck. "Henry, Patrick." American Revolution Biographies. Ed. Stacy McConnell. UXL-GALE, 2000. eNotes.com. 2006. 15 Oct, 2006

Virtues Post

2006-10-02T10:15:00.000-04:00

In English 11 today, we read the "Moral Perfection" excerpt from The Autobiography of Ben Franklin.

We talked about how the Puritans' children and grandchildren took the Puritan religious ethic of self-scrutiny (constantly checking for sins) and morphed it into the Englightenment ideal of human perfection.

Benjamin Franklin took this concept very seriously. He set up a system whereby he practiced a list of virtues [in a scientific way] in order to become a better person.

We looked at Franklin's list and discussed whether or not some of the virtues listed by Franklin need new definitions for the modern world. They are as follows: Temperance (self-control), Silence, Order (organization), Resolution (Determination), Frugality (thrift) , Industry (hard work), Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility and Chastity (sexual purity). We asked: should we subtract from the list Franklin made to "fit" it to today's world, or should we add to it?

Here's the list Period One came up with:
being a leader
being peaceful
being honest
being law-abiding
being in control of one's self
valuing education
being free
respecting equality
being respectful
following the Golden Rule
being a patriot

In your post you might consider any of the following questions:

Which of these qualities (from the Period One list) do you think are the most important in today's society?
Which of the Period One list qualities are of less importance in today's society?
Which of the qualities from Franklin's list are most important?
Which of the qualities from Franklin's list have little relevance in today's world?
If you were going to make a list for your peers and yourself to follow, which ones would you choose?
Which specific qualities in Franklin's list of virtues might be undervalued?

American Authors Post

2006-10-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

So, why don't we post this week on whom you've chosen for your author study and why. I'd like to hear your reasons for chosing the author, the time period, even the genre (i.e. why you chose a poet, or a horror writer...) Rachel Gordon sent me a link that I found very interesting. If any of you hasn't chosen an author (!), you might want to choose Robert Frost. Shortly, they are going to post a new poem by him that's just been found and verified. Exciting stuff. It could be the centerpiece for a very cool multi-genre paper!

Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen

2006-09-19T00:10:00.000-04:00

This week we are going to look at another opinion question, but I am going to ask you to practice developing support for your answer from the texts we are going to read. Some of you are reading three texts (Bradford, Morton and Hawthorne) about the Merrymount incident, and some of you are reading two texts (Bradford and Morton).

One of the strains that might be interesting to consider in relation to these texts is who you think, based on the texts and the author motivations discussed in class, might be the least biased observer. Bradford, with his desire to tell the unvarnished truth? Morton, with his nothing-to-lose attitude? Hawthorne who is wrestling with the legacy of his family and his Puritan heritage?

Another strain that you might consider is the following question. What is it that makes people want to write accounts of their experiences such as Bradford and Morton did? Do people write such accounts today? If so, for what purpose? If you were going to write such an account, what would you consider important enough to use as your theme?

YOU SHOULD HAVE A BLOG !!

2006-08-30T12:43:00.000-04:00

WELCOME TO THE ENGLISH 11 BLOG!

REMEMBER THE RULES: This BLOG must remain appropriate...you are putting it on the WORLD WIDE web, you know....

This is a site where you can post and comment on the literature that we are reading. Sometimes we will discuss deep ideas and sometimes we will just have fun; fun that might lead to deeper things. This is one of those weeks.

Thanks for the GREAT comments in regard to the first readings. I am impressed. I would like to turn your attention now to our three essential questions: What does it mean to be an American? What is the American Dream? What (or who) is the quintessential American?

Let's play with the concept of America and the word "quintessential". Merriam Webster defines quintessential as 1 : the purest form of something 2 : the most perfect type or example. In an article on About.com on Benjamin Franklin, Mary Ballis says "Historians have called him the quintessential American because of his creative pragmatism, scientific innovation, and democratic spirit."

http://inventors.about.com/od/fstartinventions/a/Franklin.htm

In your opinion,

1.What is the quintessential American music? Explain your choice!
2.What is the quintessential American food? Describe briefly.
3.What is the quintessential American literature? Why?
4.What does the quintessential American town look like? Describe briefly.
5.What is the quintessential American sport? Why?