4-4: High School Reading

What two books should every high school student read? Why? Provide specific and persuasive reasons for each book. DO NOT repeat ideas posted by your classmates; if you don't have anything new to say about a book, choose a different book.

As always, make sure you proofread your response. All responses must be at least two full paragraphs.

All responses are due by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, May 23rd.

4-3 B: Looking to the Future

What are your future plans? What career(s) interest(s) you? What activities will you explore in college or in your community? What goals and plans have you set for yourself? Be creative, entertaining, and informative as you give us a glimpse into your future life; your ideas do not need to be solely academic!

When appropriate, discuss your ideas in relation to those of your classmates.

All responses are due by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, May 16th.

4-3 A: Reflecting on High School

Think back over the past four years. What are the most important lessons you learned? Did these lessons come easily? What would you do differently if given the chance? What would you do again?

Focus on 2-3 of the most important lessons you learned during high school. For each lesson, explain the lesson, how you learned it, and why it is important. Read your classmates' posts carefully so you do not repeat their ideas.

All responses are due by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, May 16th.

4-2 C: Authority vs. Autonomy

When should you listen to people in authority? When should you follow your own wishes or your own conscience? Why? Is there a set test or checklist you can rely on to determine when to listen, or do you need to make your decisions on a case-by-case basis? How much do you need to weigh the possible consequences and repercussions for listening to leaders or for listening to your own instincts? Support your ideas with specific evidence from life, literature, society, or history.

As always, your response must be two full paragraphs. Make sure you proofread your work. DO NOT repeat your classmates' ideas.

All responses are due by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10th.

4-2 B: For the Good of Society

When, if ever, is it acceptable to sacrifice* a person or one's morals for the good of the larger community? Why? Make sure you incorporate specific evidence from life, literature, society, or history to support your arguments.

* Sacrifice does NOT necessarily mean "kill."

As always, your response must be at least two paragraphs. Make sure you proofread your work. DO NOT repeat your classmates' ideas!

All responses are due by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10th.

4-2 A: Superstitions and Rituals

Choose one superstition or ritual from our society, and then:
a. Explain what it is and why people follow it.
b. Explain your opinion about this ritual.

As always, your response must be approximately two paragraphs. Proofread your work before you post it. DO NOT repeat your classmates' ideas!

All responses are due by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10th.

4-1 B: Hamlet the Hero

Should Hamlet be considered a hero? Why or why not? Support your position with specific reasons and evidence.

OR

Who (other than Hamlet) should be considered the hero of Hamlet? Why? Support your position with specific reasons and evidence.

DO NOT repeat your classmates' ideas. DO proofread your work.

All responses are due by 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 21st.

4-1A: The Best Hamlet

Which actor better portrays Hamlet: Kenneth Branagh or Mel Gibson? Why? Support your position with specific evidence from both movies.

OR

What actor SHOULD portray Hamlet? Why? Support your position with evidence from Hamlet (the play) and from your chosen actor's movies.

DO NOT repeat your classmates' ideas; if other people already posted ideas similar to yours, respond to a different question!

All responses are due by 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 21st.

3-6: Who Wrote Shakespeare's Plays?

Did William Shakespeare really write the plays and poems attributed to him? Did Edward de Vere pen the plays? Or Christopher Marlowe? Or Sir Francis Bacon? Or . . . ?

Read some of the articles found under "Shakespeare Resources: The Authorship Question" on the class website OR read other articles that delve into the authorship debate. Render your opinion: Who wrote Shakespeare's plays? Why did you reach this conclusion? Does it even matter who wrote the plays?

As always, discuss your ideas in relation to your classmates' responses. Do not repeat your classmates' ideas. Proofread your response before you post it!

All responses due by 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30th.

3-5 B: The ending is the thing . . .

How SHOULD Hamlet end? Who should die? How should they die? Who should live? Why should they live? What should they do (after the play ends)? Why? Forget Shakespeare's ending and create your own:

• Use the preceding questions to shape your ideas.
• Generally speaking, what would you like to see happen at the end of this play? Why?
• Develop your ideas fully; describe the events and provide clear reasons why you have chosen these ideas.

DO NOT repeat ideas presented by your classmates. DO NOT repeat yourself; build on your ideas.

DO make sure you build on your ideas. DO generate at least two full paragraphs of developed and supported arguments.

All responses are due by 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 24th.

3-5 A: Hamlet Characters and Modern Connections

Though Elizabethan creations, the characters from Hamlet embody characteristics found in modern society. Your assignment:

• Choose one character from Hamlet and one person (real or fictional) from our society.
• Explain HOW the modern person parallels the Hamlet character; make sure you support your arguments with specific evidence from the play and from the modern person.
• What is the significance of this connection? What can we learn when we look at these two characters together?

DO NOT repeat ideas or evidence presented by your classmates. DO NOT repeat yourself; build on your ideas.

DO make sure you proofread your work. DO make sure you generate at least two full paragraphs of developed analysis.

All responses are due by 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 24th.

3-4 B: To act or not to act

Throughout the play, Hamlet struggles with the question of when to act. He wants to avenge his father's death, yet he does not really want to sentence himself to eternal damnation.

• Is Hamlet a coward because he does not kill Claudius immediately?
• Is Hamlet intelligent because he chooses to weigh his options and think things through?
• What is more important: avenging his father's death, or saving his own soul? Should Hamlet have to choose between the two?
• What would you do in Hamlet's situation? Why? Is there a "good" solution to his problem?

Your response must respond to at least one of the preceding questions. Do NOT, however, answer all of the questions; you need to give yourself time to develop and support your ideas. Incorporate evidence from the play and from other relevant sources (your life, society, etc.).

Post your response in conversation with those of your classmates; do not repeat their ideas. Make sure you proofread and revise your response, and make sure you generate at least two full paragraphs of well-developed ideas.

All responses are due by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15th.

3-4 A: Language Barriers and Shakespeare

Is Hamlet truly relevant to our society? Can you, the reader, look beyond the early modern English and the poetic structures to understand Shakespeare's ideas? Why should we even bother to read and understand Shakespeare's works?

Develop specific ideas in response to the preceding, general questions. Incorporate evidence from Hamlet and from your experiences to support your ideas.

Make sure you post you ideas in relation to those of your classmates; do not repeat ideas already posted! Also, make sure you proofread your response and you develop your ideas (2 full paragraphs).

All responses are due by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15th.

3-3 B: Elizabethan Ghosts

King Hamlet: Ghost, Demon, or Hallucination?

First, read some background information about Elizabethans and ghosts; the site Elizabeth Ghosts provides short, easy to read material while "Elizabethan People" offers more in-depth information.

Do you agree with these beliefs? Why or why not? Support your reasoning with evidence from the Elizabethan period and from modern society.

DO NOT repeat your classmates' ideas! Make sure you read the other responses before posting your ideas.

All responses are due by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1st.

3-3 A: Advice

In Act 1, scene 3, both Polonius and Laertes advise Ophelia, and Polonius also advises Laertes. Respond to ONE of the following questions:

1.What advice would you, as a parent, give to your child when he or she sets off for college? Focus on 2-3 important ideas and develop each idea fully (explain the advice clearly, AND explain why this advice is so critical).

2. What advice would you, as an older brother or sister, give to your younger sibling when you depart for college, leaving your sister or brother behind? Focus on 2-3 important ideas and develop each idea fully (explain the advice clearly, AND explain why this advice is so critical).

DO NOT repeat your classmates' ideas; if someone has discussed the advice you would have given, choose different advice or response to a different option.

All responses are due by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1st.

3-2 B: Shakespeare in Modern Society

"To be or not to be, that is the question"
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark"
"To thine own self be true"
"Neither a borrower nor a lender be"
"The lady doth protest too much"

Shakespeare's words, phrases, and quotes abound in our society today. The preceding quotes all originated in Hamlet, and they provide you with a tiny sampling of the Bard's ability to infiltrate modern culture.

How significantly DOES Shakespeare influence our society today? Novels, movies, and TV shows are just a few of the outlets that draw on Shakespeare's plays, characters, and themes. Choose 1-2 specific allusions to Shakespeare in modern culture today, and then discuss them and their importance to modern society. Part (but not all) of your discussion should focus on the question of whether or not we need to understand the original Shakespearean source to understand the modern work.

Discuss your ideas in relation to those of your classmates, but do not repeat your classmates' ideas.

All responses are due by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 22nd.

3-2 A: Shakespeare's Intellectual Power

Read the 2006 article, "Reading Shakespeare has Dramatic Effect on Human Brain," and then develop a response to the article. Points to consider when you respond:

• Do you believe the study? Why or why not?
• Do the findings make reading Shakepeare worthwhile? Why or why not?
• What questions does the article raise for you? Why?
• Also consider other ideas and reactions that stand out to you when you read the article.

Make sure you discuss your ideas in relation to those of your classmates; DO NOT repeat the ideas discussed by anyone else!

All responses due by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 22nd.

3-1: Modern War Poetry

Using "Exit Wounds" or"Contemporary War Poems from the Front Lines," choose ONE modern war poem that we ARE NOT discussing in class. Discuss the poem's message, the ways the poet conveys this message, and your reaction to the poem.


Reminder 1: Your response should be approximately 2 full paragraphs of well-developed and concrete analysis, so choose a poem about which you have much to say.

Reminder 2: Make sure you read the responses that your classmates post before you. You will not earn credit for repeating someone else's ideas!

All responses are due by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, 2/14

2-6: War in your Words

How would you describe war today? Choose one aspect of war in our society, and then write a vivid and concrete description of that aspect. This description must come from your individual and unique perspective, and it must include both examples and explanations.



Here are some ideas to help you begin thinking, but I encourage you to choose an aspect of your own (not necessary related to these questions):
- How does the news media today portray war? How does this portrayal influence our society and our society's reactions to war? How does it influence your opinions about war?
- How does war today influence soldiers and/or their families and friends.
- How do TV shows and movies today portray war? How does this portrayal influence your perspective of war?
- How do politicians today shape your views of war?

Discuss your ideas in relation to your classmates' posts, but DO NOT repeat your classmates' ideas.

All responses are due by 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 20th.

2-5: Blogging about War

Find a current (from 2010 or 2011) blog or article about war; the focus could be on either a present-day war or a past war. Include the blog or article's url so that we can go to the site; include the title of the blog or article; if you use a blog, include the date(s) of the entry or entries you read. Use the following questions to guide your comments:

- What opinions does the writer express?
- What reasons does the writer give for these opinions?
- Do the writer's opinions surprise you? Why or why not?
- What insights does the blog provide into the effects of war on individuals and/ or on society?

All responses are due by 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 12th.