We began our day with a Quick Write complements of Michael L. The writing prompt he chose was "It's always darkest before the dawn." Daniel P. selected 5 unusual Mystery Words from my etymological dictionary: tympanum, unguent, Valhalla, vichy and viscacha. What a great and diverse language we have!
The students handed in their rough drafts of their extended definitions or classification essays. I'm enjoying their progress. The more they write, the better they become.
We spent a good amount of time discussing Gulliver's Travels. We looked at the section about the "strulbrugs," people who live forever. Before meeting these people, Gulliver had many assumptions about what it might be like to live for hundreds of years. Over all that time, one could amass amazing skills, knowledge and finances. Contrary to his ideas, the struldbrugs were frail, decrepit, and abhorrent. Attached is a link to an interesting article about an elderly man with a mental illness who thought he was a struldbrug and would never die.
We also discussed the section of the book in which Gulliver meets with historical figures from the past. We gave thought to the question, "Who from history would you like to meet and what questions would you ask?"As I explained to the students, the first 2 parts of the book are more light-hearted and enjoyable to read. The final 2 sections are more serious and more challenging to read. In these last 2 portions of the book, Swift probes some of the deeper issues of life and makes subtle judgments about the motivations of men.
Assignments for Next Week:
-- Read Part IV, Chapters 1 - 4.
-- Answer 3 of the 5 study questions. Write/type your answers and hand them in a class time.
-- Write 3 "baseball questions" for this section of the book.
Have a great week! Enjoy these beautiful fall days.
Mrs. Prichard
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