“Living Like Weasels” by Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk

Vocabulary to discuss in class

• swivel
• fur
• inexplicably
• bias, motive
• purity, dignity, necessity
• ignobly
• will (n.)
• (vows of) poverty, chastity, obedience, silence

Vocabulary to get from context

• carcasses (para. 1)
• socketed (para. 1)
• pry
• steers (para. 4)
• water lilies – terra firma – ceiling (para. 4)
• suburbia (para. 5)
• den (para. 15)
• seize (last para.)

For each of these words,

- list the context clues that can help you determine the meaning of the word

- write what you think the word means (don’t use a dictionary!)

Things to notice while you read

• the two anecdotes/illustrations in paragraphs 1 and 2
• the setting of the story
• the main event in the story
• how the author felt about that event
• the idea about life that she took from that event

Is this a personal essay?

Figurative language

– Words and phrases that create a mental picture of something by comparing it, directly or indirectly, to something else

• Metaphor:
• Simile:
• Hyperbole:
• (Other descriptive language uses vivid verbs and adjectives.)

In the essay, to what literal things do the following phrases refer?

• “soak him off like a stubborn label”
• “a fur pendant”
• “a green horizontal plane that is terra firma to plodding blackbirds, and tremulous ceiling to black leeches, cray­fish, and carp”
• “thin as a curve, a muscled ribbon, brown as fruitwood”
• “small and pointed as a lizard’s”
• “two black eyes I didn’t see, any more than you see a window”

Variation: the following phrase is concrete, but refers to something abstract.

• “I should have gone for the throat”

Can you find other examples? Look especially in paragraphs 10 and 11.

North American Longtail Weasel (photo from U.S. National Parks Service)

Radio listening and writing – This I Believe

This I Believe is a project on NPR in which listeners can submit essays about their personal beliefs.

“[Host] Allison and [producer] Gediman say their goal is not to persuade Americans to agree on the same beliefs. Rather, they hope to encourage people to begin the much more difficult task of developing respect for beliefs different from their own.”

These are good examples of personal essays.

A. Listening

Listen to the following essays once before you read them.

There Is No Such Thing as Too Much Barbecue (5:25)

“Jason Sheehan heard our series on his car radio and told us he liked the concept because for many people, belief is just a nebulous clutter of half-held convictions, but the process of putting them down on paper helps cement those few things a person truly believes: the core of a principled life.

“He also noted that the subject of his belief was sitting on the seat next to him in two plastic bags.”

Vocabulary:

• soul food
• comfort food
• barbecue
• civil rights
• putting on airs
• sides
• portions

How does Jason Sheehan believe that barbecue helped change culture in the Deep South, which was racist against African Americans?

The Connection Between Strangers (4:36)

“[Sometimes the most important events in our life are just short moments.] These moments may seem insignificant at the time, but they reverberate afterwards, and even become the basis of a life’s credo. This is what happened to Miles Goodwin.”

Vocabulary

• tour of duty
• wept
• compassion

Why was Miles Goodwin nervous on the airplane?

What happened that “touched” him (gave him a good feeling in his heart)?

B. Writing

Read the details about the rules these writers were using when they wrote their essays.

• Tell a story.
• Be brief.
• Name your belief.
• Be positive.
• Be personal.

What would you say? Write a short essay about a belief you have. Try to be personal and specific. (More personal and specific than, for instance, “I believe in God” or “I believe in my country.”) Try to follow all of the rules above. Don’t forget to illustrate your belief with a story!

You may write or type your short essay, but please be legible!

Nonfiction Reading Series Article #3 – reading guide

“Unmarried, With Children” by Barbara Kantrowitz and Pat Wingert – Newsweek May 28, 2001

Vocabulary

• move in together
• “make it legal”
• ambivalent
• headed by
• out of wedlock
• unwed
• cohabiting
• stigma
• prerequisite
• compatibility
• “settling”
• sperm bank
• “the altar”
• unstable
• monogamy

Topics to notice while you read

• Introduction: hypothetical illustration
• Characteristics of single mothers today
• Reasons for single motherhood
• Disadvantages for children of being raised in single-parent homes
• Other family situations that are bad for children
• The issue of marriage in politics
• Conclusion

Cultural reference

At the beginning of the article, the writer refers to an American TV show from the 1950s, Leave It to Beaver. This family sitcom (situation comedy) featured a mother and father, Ward and June Cleaver, and their two sons, Wally and “Beaver” (“the Beav”).  Here is a scene from Leave It to Beaver.

Nonfiction Reading Series Article #1 – reading guide

“A Zero-Emissions City in the Desert” by Kevin Bullis

Vocabulary

• metropolis
• outskirts
• compost
• sewage
• ostentatious
• R&D
• Silicon Valley
• collaboration
• emissions
• net (adjective, calculations)
• insulation
• ambitious
• unheard-of
• profitable

Topics to notice while you read

• Topic sentence
• Reasons to build the city
• Problems with building the city
• Comparison of Masdar City with other low-emissions building projects
• Ways the city will generate electricity
• Inspiration for cooling city design
• Ways of increasing energy efficiency in the city
• Transportation in the city
• Problems with solar panels
• History of Abu Dhabi
• Conclusion

There will be a quiz and discussion on this article on Friday, October 30. On Thursday, October 29, you will have an opportunity to ask questions about the article.

We will finish Book 1 of our textbook soon and will have Exam 2. Following are the pages and topics you should study for the exam:

Unit 7

• p. 59 #3 Adverbs with the past and past perfect
• p. 61 #8
• p. 63 #3 Present perfect vs. past
• p. 63 #4 Past vs. past continuous

Unit 9

• p. 74 #1 Vocabulary

Unit 11

• p. 95 #3 Future perfect and future perfect continuous
• p. 95 #4 Gerunds as the object of prepositions
• p. 99 #3 Mixed conditionals

Other: Describing a process

We will have our first test on Friday, Sept 25. To prepare for this test, you may use the study guide I gave you in class and do activities in the workbook.

Unit 1

• p. 1 #2
• p. 4 #2
• p. 5 #4

Unit 3

• P. 13 #2
• p. 17 #3

Unit 5

• p. 25 #1
• p. 28 #1
• p. 29 #3, #4

This is homework, due Thursday. We will talk about these exercises in class on Thursday, so please be prepared if you have any questions.

Also, see the previous post for information about our class listening activity.

In class on Monday, we started an activity which included listening practice and a discussion about narrative structure (stories). We are watching the PBS Nature documentary “The Wolf that Changed America.”

If you would like to watch the beginning of this 45-minute film, you can go to the PBS video page here. (This is optional.) On Monday, we watched the first three segments of the program. On Wednesday, we will finish it.

Some elements of a story:

• Characters (the people and/or animals in the story)
• Conflict (the problem or problems for the characters)
• Climax (the highest action in the story, where the story “turns”; usually takes place near the end)
• Conclusion (helps you understand the theme or purpose of the story)

Vocabulary for this film:

• bounty
• assassin
• naturalist
• “piece of cake”
• far-fetched
• demon / demonize
• “throw caution to the wind”
• adversary
• villain vs. hero
• regret

Questions:

• What is the setting of the story? (Time and place)
• Who are the main characters?
• What are the conflicts in the story?
• What is the climax of the story?
• What do you think is the theme or purpose of this story?

If you are interested in reading more about the history of wolves in America,  there  is a  good article here: “Wolf Wars: America’s Campaign to Eradicate the Wolf.”

Welcome to Shayna’s class! This semester, we will do some fiction and non-fiction reading projects. I will give you a handout with the schedule, but in case you need to access it online, here it is:

August

• 31 (Mon) – discuss book report process and choosing books

[If you need ideas choosing a book, there are some ideas in this post.]

September

• 2 (Wed) – book choice due to teacher by email or in class (Teacher will approve choice or suggest something else)
• 4 (Fri) – book choice form due in class (Lab 1)
• 7 (Mon) – Book Progress Report 1 (15 minutes in class, summarize what you read in the past week)
• 14 (Mon) – Book Progress Report 2; deadline to change book (new book must be approved by teacher)
• 21 (Mon) – Book Progress Report 3
• 28 (Mon) – Book Progress Report 4

October

• 5 (Mon) – Book Progress Report 5
• 12 (Mon) – Book Progress Report 6
• 13 (Tues) – talk about book report essays
• 16 (Fri) – deadline to finish reading novel
• 22 (Thurs) – written book reports due
• 26 (Mon) – talk about non-fiction; assign topics for nonfiction-related speeches; hand out Article #1
• 27 (Tues) – talk about oral book reports (presentations)
• 30 (Fri) – Article #1 quiz and discussion; oral book report presentation drafts due

November

• 2, 3 (Mon, Tues) – oral book report presentations in class
• 2 (Mon) – hand out Article #2
• 6 (Fri) – Article #2 quiz and discussion
• 9 (Mon) – hand out Article #3
• 13 (Fri) – Article #3 quiz and discussion
• 16 (Mon) – hand out Article #4
• 20 (Fri) – Article #4 quiz and discussion

* This schedule could change as we go on, but this is our goal.

In this lab, you will listen to an essay that was broadcast on the radio. You may listen as many times as you like. Then answer the questions and bring them to class Friday, July 24.

“A Duty to Family, Heritage and Country” by Ying Ying Yu

Program name:  This I Believe – Morning Edition

Date of story:  July 17, 2006_

Web address and NPR story ID #:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5552257

1. In your own words, what is this story about?

2. What does Ying Ying Yu believe?

3. What did Ying Ying first want to do when she grew up?

4. What is her plan, now?

5. At first, Ying Ying had a hard time “opening up” her feelings to write this essay. What made it easier?

6. Write about your personal thoughts and feelings on this topic or something related to the article.

(Optional) If you liked this listening exercise, you may find more “This I Believe” essays on many topics at NPR’s This I Believe website.

This lab involves the internet.  You may do it at home if you have a computer.

Go to http://www.esl4kids.net/tongue.html .

1. Read the tongue twisters there and choose your 3 favorite.  Do not choose ones we have talked about in class.  Write them below.
2. Talk to three people and ask them to say the tongue twisters you chose.
3. Ask each person which tongue twister they think is the hardest.
4. Write your results here.

5. Pick out your favorite tongue twister, ideally one that is difficult for you.  Practice saying it aloud.  You will have to say it for the class this Friday.

6. Bring this paper to class Friday, July 24.