First, fourth, and sixth periods began on units today.  First period will be doing The Giver, and we discussed several issues related to the theme.

Questions on the anticipation guide included (though I realize now it was too much!):

1. Sometimes it is OK to lie.
2. Memories play an important part of your life and who you are.
3. It is better to never experience cold or hunger.
4. The past repeats itself.
5. People in society accept things they usually would not if they were on their own.
6. It is better to be part of a group than to be alone.
7. It is better to remain ignorant about some aspects of life.
8. It is better to be in a safe environment and never feel fear.
9. In an ideal society, everyone is equal.
10. It is better to be ignorant and happy than to be aware and upset.
11. The government knows what is best for us.
12. Rules exist to help us live our lives properly.
13. The police should be allowed to do whatever they need to to protect the community.
14. You shouldn’t have to be around people that you don’t agree with.
15. It is all right to upset some people as long as you’re doing what is best for society.
16. If you know you are right, you shouldn’t listen to anyone else.
17. Parents should not be allowed to have more than two children.
18. It would be much better if all bad things were forgotten.
19. Families would be closer if they ate supper together every night.
20. People who are born handicapped and very old people should be quietly put to death.

We’ll begin the novel tomorrow.

Second period worked on their Romeo and Juliet quiz.

Fourth and sixth also worked on an anticipation guide. Their discussion questions were:

1. Sometimes, it’s better to remain ignorant about certain things.
2. It’s fair to treat people differently based on their intelligence.
3. It is better to be smart and lonely than unintelligent and happy.
4. Our relationships with other people, not our achievements, are what fulfill us.
5. It is important to have empathy for others.
6. It is better to accept your fate than to try to change it.

Students also wrote about the following prompt:

Imagine you had an experimental operation that made you gradually become more and more intelligent. In fact, you become so intelligent that you’re among the top 0.01% of the most intelligent humans on Earth. How do you think this would change your life?

Homework

• First period: persuasive essay due Tuesday (tomorrow).
• Second period:
  • finish open-book/open-note portion of the test;
  • read chapters 4-6 from Lord of the Flies.
• Fourth and sixth periods: persuasive essay due Wednesday.