Keep a Journal or “Notebook”
(From Michael J. Gelb’s How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci)
Leonardo da Vinci carried a notebook with him at all times so he could jot down ideas, impressions, and observations as they occurred. They contained jokes and fables, the observations and thoughts of scholars he admired, personal financial records, letters, reflections on domestic problems, philosophical musings and prophecies, plans for inventions, and treatises on anatomy, botany, geology, flight, water, and painting.
You can, like Leonardo, facilitate Curiosità (an insatiably curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning) by keeping such a notebook or journal. The important thing is to carry it with you everywhere and write in it regularly. Supplement your notebook with scrapbooks or files on diverse areas of interest. Cut out and collect newspaper and magazine articles, or download information from the internet, on any subject you fancy – science, art, music, film, food, health, social justice…
As Leonardo did, use your notebook to record your questions, observations, insights, jokes, dreams, and musings (mirror writing is optional!)
Busy lives and school responsibilities tend to drive us toward hard conclusions and measurable results, but the exploratory, free-flowing, unfinished, nonjudgmental practice of keeping a Da Vincian notebook encourages freedom of thought and expansion of perspective. In the manner of the maestro, don’t worry about order and logical flow, just record!
First journal/notebook exercise:
Make a list of a hundred questions that are important to you. Your list can include any kind of question as long as it’s something you deem significant: anything from “How can I make some money?” or “How can I have more fun?” to “What is the meaning and purpose of my existence?” and “How can I best serve our world?”
Do the entire list in one sitting. Write quickly; don’t worry about spelling, grammar, or repeating the same question in different words (recurring questions will alert you to emerging themes.) And, in the latter part of the second half of the list you are likely to discover unexpected but profound material.
When you have finished, if you have enough energy (or at another time if you don’t) read through your list and highlight the themes that emerge. Consider the emerging themes without judging them. Are most of your questions about relationships? School? Fun? Money? The meaning of life?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
8th Grade 2008 Summer Reading Assignment
In addition to the books you’ll surely want to read off of the SGS Summer Reading List, you will need to secure a copies of two books we’ll discuss at the beginning of 8th grade: Doug Wilhelm’s The Revealers and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. If you can’t secure copies from your local library, I’d try one of the many used bookstores in Seattle (Half Price Books on Belmont, off Broadway is my favorite, but there’s also Twice Sold Tales just off Broadway…) or an independent book store. When all else fails, try Barnes and Nobles or even amazon.com online!!
Your assignment, due the first day on school in September:
For The Revealers:
We will use this novel as a springboard for an “anti-bullying workshop” we’ll develop together to present to the 5th, 6th and 7th grades later in Fall.
Before reading The Revealers, sit for a quiet moment, pen and paper in hand (computer’s fine too!!) and muse on paper about the following questions:
1. What type of student at SGS seems to get the most respect from peers? How can you tell?
2. Should there be any consequences for a student teasing another student? Why, or why not?
3. At SGS, what is the most comfortable room for you to be in? Why?
4. What style of clothing would not be 'cool' at SGS? Why?
5. What can someone at SGS do to become popular? Why is that effective?
7. At SGS, how important is it for students to be aware of cultural and ethnic differences? Explain.
8. How do you know when you are sitting in the “wrong place” at lunch? How do you decide where to have lunch? Is the whole “lunch room scene” an issue for you at SGS?
9. Do students in your class treat each other with enough respect? How can you tell?
10. What role do computers and social networks (for example, MySpace, IMing, texting) play in the social exchanges at SGS? Is there a potential for or – heaven forbid – a history of cyber-bullying in the 8th grade? Explain.
As you read The Revealers, watch for and note how the author responded to the questions above as he told his tale.
After you’ve read The Revealers, read through your initial responses to the questions above and makes notes on any further thoughts/observations that were spawned by the reading.
For Lord of the Flies:
Before beginning to read, sit for a quiet moment, pen and paper in hand (computer’s fine too!!) and muse on paper as to your own personal definition of the term and the concept of society and morals.
1. Generate a definition for each term as best you can.
2. Record what you suspect you don’t know about society, morals and the possible relationship between the two.
3. THEN…look up society and morals in two different dictionaries / sources and record the formal definitions you find there.
4. Underline any aspect of the formal definition that you hadn’t considered in your “pre-informed definition” or that you don’t quite understand.
Now, read…and enjoy… Golding’s Lord of the Flies. As you read do the following:
1. Start a word journal in a spiral or Meade notebook that you’ll continue to use all year.
a. Write down each word you run across in the course of your reading that you don’t actively understand and define it.
b. Record the full definition given in the dictionary, and then underline the category that fits your context.
c. Cite the sentence or phrase and the page number from Lord of the Flies for future reference.
d. Then use the word in an original sentence, in an effort to make it yours!
e. NOTE: this is a precursor to the Word of the Day format that you’ll be using all year in 8th grade…and perhaps for the rest of your life, if you turn into the Word Nerd that I hope to spawn! (See the end of this assignment for a preview of coming attractions on WOD!)
2. Highlight / note any and all passages that seem particularly meaningful to you…especially those that seem to address issues of society and morals.
3. Come to class in September ready to discuss and reflect upon the many interesting ideas to be found in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. In particular, as you read, try to imagine how (if?) the story would have been different, had the children on the island been female! Make notes on any salient ideas that come to you!
PREVIEWS OF COMING ATTRACTIONS: “WOD” – WORD OF THE DAY!!
WORD OF THE DAY FORMAT
1. Write word (with date you found it in left margin.)
2. Copy down the COMPLETE definition (with pronunciation if necessary, part of speech and etymology if available.)
3. Copy down the sentence where you ran across the word. (Be sure to cite your source; if you heard someone say the word, quote them.)
4. Underline the part of the definition that fits your example’s
context.
5. Use the word in an original sentence.
EXAMPLE:
(10/2/08) redundant: (adj.) 1. not needed or no longer needed 2. fitted as a backup component or system 3. with the same meaning as a word used elsewhere in a passage and without rhetorical purpose 4. U.K. dismissed from employment because the job or the worker has been deemed no longer necessary (From Latin: redundare = to overflow)
From Sally’s comments on my Bee Tree essay: “This idea is redundant.”
(To cite a book: From Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree, pg. 125
To cite a song: From Hot in Herre by Nelly)
My example: I will be careful not to be redundant in my essays so I can earn a 4.
Your assignment, due the first day on school in September:
For The Revealers:
We will use this novel as a springboard for an “anti-bullying workshop” we’ll develop together to present to the 5th, 6th and 7th grades later in Fall.
Before reading The Revealers, sit for a quiet moment, pen and paper in hand (computer’s fine too!!) and muse on paper about the following questions:
1. What type of student at SGS seems to get the most respect from peers? How can you tell?
2. Should there be any consequences for a student teasing another student? Why, or why not?
3. At SGS, what is the most comfortable room for you to be in? Why?
4. What style of clothing would not be 'cool' at SGS? Why?
5. What can someone at SGS do to become popular? Why is that effective?
7. At SGS, how important is it for students to be aware of cultural and ethnic differences? Explain.
8. How do you know when you are sitting in the “wrong place” at lunch? How do you decide where to have lunch? Is the whole “lunch room scene” an issue for you at SGS?
9. Do students in your class treat each other with enough respect? How can you tell?
10. What role do computers and social networks (for example, MySpace, IMing, texting) play in the social exchanges at SGS? Is there a potential for or – heaven forbid – a history of cyber-bullying in the 8th grade? Explain.
As you read The Revealers, watch for and note how the author responded to the questions above as he told his tale.
After you’ve read The Revealers, read through your initial responses to the questions above and makes notes on any further thoughts/observations that were spawned by the reading.
For Lord of the Flies:
Before beginning to read, sit for a quiet moment, pen and paper in hand (computer’s fine too!!) and muse on paper as to your own personal definition of the term and the concept of society and morals.
1. Generate a definition for each term as best you can.
2. Record what you suspect you don’t know about society, morals and the possible relationship between the two.
3. THEN…look up society and morals in two different dictionaries / sources and record the formal definitions you find there.
4. Underline any aspect of the formal definition that you hadn’t considered in your “pre-informed definition” or that you don’t quite understand.
Now, read…and enjoy… Golding’s Lord of the Flies. As you read do the following:
1. Start a word journal in a spiral or Meade notebook that you’ll continue to use all year.
a. Write down each word you run across in the course of your reading that you don’t actively understand and define it.
b. Record the full definition given in the dictionary, and then underline the category that fits your context.
c. Cite the sentence or phrase and the page number from Lord of the Flies for future reference.
d. Then use the word in an original sentence, in an effort to make it yours!
e. NOTE: this is a precursor to the Word of the Day format that you’ll be using all year in 8th grade…and perhaps for the rest of your life, if you turn into the Word Nerd that I hope to spawn! (See the end of this assignment for a preview of coming attractions on WOD!)
2. Highlight / note any and all passages that seem particularly meaningful to you…especially those that seem to address issues of society and morals.
3. Come to class in September ready to discuss and reflect upon the many interesting ideas to be found in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. In particular, as you read, try to imagine how (if?) the story would have been different, had the children on the island been female! Make notes on any salient ideas that come to you!
PREVIEWS OF COMING ATTRACTIONS: “WOD” – WORD OF THE DAY!!
WORD OF THE DAY FORMAT
1. Write word (with date you found it in left margin.)
2. Copy down the COMPLETE definition (with pronunciation if necessary, part of speech and etymology if available.)
3. Copy down the sentence where you ran across the word. (Be sure to cite your source; if you heard someone say the word, quote them.)
4. Underline the part of the definition that fits your example’s
context.
5. Use the word in an original sentence.
EXAMPLE:
(10/2/08) redundant: (adj.) 1. not needed or no longer needed 2. fitted as a backup component or system 3. with the same meaning as a word used elsewhere in a passage and without rhetorical purpose 4. U.K. dismissed from employment because the job or the worker has been deemed no longer necessary (From Latin: redundare = to overflow)
From Sally’s comments on my Bee Tree essay: “This idea is redundant.”
(To cite a book: From Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree, pg. 125
To cite a song: From Hot in Herre by Nelly)
My example: I will be careful not to be redundant in my essays so I can earn a 4.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
WOD Challenge #10
One final challenge before we bid one another a fond farewell:
Figure out the difference between PRESCRIBE and PROSCRIBE.
Extra credit: As you wander off into that great big world out there, filled with new words to conquer, send me word challenges you happen upon ... so that we can keep this investigation going! I double dog dare you!!
Figure out the difference between PRESCRIBE and PROSCRIBE.
Extra credit: As you wander off into that great big world out there, filled with new words to conquer, send me word challenges you happen upon ... so that we can keep this investigation going! I double dog dare you!!
WOD Challenge #9
Here's another pair that often confuses adults!
Note the differences between ELUSIVE and ILLUSIVE.
Try to determine, as well, the differences in pronunciation! It's subtle but real!
Note the differences between ELUSIVE and ILLUSIVE.
Try to determine, as well, the differences in pronunciation! It's subtle but real!
WOD Challenge #8
Have you ever wondered about the difference between CONCURRENT and CONSECUTIVE?
No? Well, it's time to start!!
No? Well, it's time to start!!
WOD Challenge #7
Compare COMPLEMENT with COMPLIMENT.
(You'll note that I didn't say "compare and contrast"...as that would be redundant! When you compare things, you note both similarities and differences, while when you contrast, you note only the differences...BUT I DIGRESS...regress??? Ahhhhrrrggg!)
Back to COMPLEMENT and COMPLIMENT: be sure your investigate not only what they mean when used as nouns, but also as verbs!!
(You'll note that I didn't say "compare and contrast"...as that would be redundant! When you compare things, you note both similarities and differences, while when you contrast, you note only the differences...BUT I DIGRESS...regress??? Ahhhhrrrggg!)
Back to COMPLEMENT and COMPLIMENT: be sure your investigate not only what they mean when used as nouns, but also as verbs!!
WOD Challenge #6
What's the difference between BIMONTHLY and SEMIMONTHLY?
Again, ask an adult in your life if she /he can describe the difference, as this is one that I hear regularly misused in adult circles!
Again, ask an adult in your life if she /he can describe the difference, as this is one that I hear regularly misused in adult circles!
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