Thursday, March 24th

Library Day

Choose one of the following creative projects to wrap up your understanding of The Catcher in the Rye.

See the handout here.

20 marks for depth of insight and understanding of topic.

DUE MONDAY

Wednesday, March 23rd

1) Last Team Teachers

If you do not present today you will have to make special arrangements with me to complete a presentation to me in person.

2) Catcher Review

• Terms and Vocabulary - Bildungsroman, Allusion, Symbol, Bourgeois, Existentialism, Idealism, Divergent Thinking, Hypocrisy, Nostalgia, Pathetic Fallacy, Post Modern


• Symbols and Quotes

DUCKS "I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy..." The cycles off life terrified him. Moving on terrified him. He wanted everything to stay the same.

MUSEUM "Everybody always stayed right where they were. Nobody'd move." Holden wanted to stay a child. He feared change.

RED HUNTING HAT "This is a people shooting hat." It was also a way to stand out, a way to be divergent. It also made him feel safe, alone, untouchable.

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE "I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff..." He catches children falling... as if he can keep them young and safe...

• Themes
  
  People are phony.
  A man is not an island... but Holden really wanted to be. He was self-alienating.
  To your own self be true.
  Don't become a fake as you grow up.
  Look to children for remarkable truths.
  Relationships and sex and love and all that crazy stuff is confusing but worth it.
  The teen years can be tough but are really, really important.
  We should all learn how to have empathy. To think about others as whole people with vices and virtues.
  

3) Discussion Questions - also on the board (I'll post them here soon)

Tomorrow - Library Block for creative project...
Friday - Catcher in the Rye Test (study notes from the Wednesday class)

Tuesday, March 16th

Hello Again! Hope everyone had an enjoyable break! I ate a lot of chocolate, gutted my basement, baked a few pies and spent quality time with my kiddos.
So what are we up to today?
1) Silent Reading

2) Why Catcher Lecture
Why on Earth would I select a novel filled with ridiculous swear words, endless depressing comments and such a mentally deranged protaganist? First things first, let it be known that I am only one of hundreds of thousands of teachers across North America who have selected this novel over the decades to study in their classes. It has been studied at Highland for many years (we have about 40 copies in the library). It is critically acclaimed and many believe it is THE pinnacle portrait of adolescence. Does it make you feel happy inside? Nope. Is Holden a role model? Nope. What this novel does, instead, is ask us all to think critically about our self perceptions, our society and our own path to maturity.

- The name: CAULfield.
- Not a typical bildungsroman because Holden does not want to grow up. The Museum of Natural History... the Carousel... is there hope for Holden? Is he going to wise up?

3) What is Wisdom?
Groups: Come up with a list of 5 - 8 qualities of wisdom.
On Board: Write down your group's list.
Teacher to add two other lists:

5 Qualities of Wisdom (from a podcast - have to go check Ipod for source...)

1. Reciprocity (do onto others...)
   


2. Doubt (critical of absolute claims)



3. Non-attachment



4. Discretion



5. Social Conscience

8 Neural Pillars of Wisdom

1. Emotional Regulation



2. The ability to judge value



3. Moral Reasoning



4. Compassion



5. Humility



6. Altruism



7. Patience



8. Coping with Uncertainty

Whole Class Discussion: Is Holden wise?

4) Return 1000 marked essays, stories, etc...
Feedback: There/Their/They're confusion
Thesis please - it's not a side salad like couscous or a dip like hummous. Bring it out all the time!








Tomorrow: First team-teaching presentations and the Robbie Burn's poem Coming Thro the Rye. Symbolism of the ducks.