Ray Bradbury Links

Ray Bradbury has been called a "literary prognosticator," meaning that he is able to look into the future and see where society is headed. As you have seen in The Pedestrian and The Veldt, Bradbury has a unique way of seeing how technology might impact our world.

Examine at least two of the following links to learn more about Bradbury and about the ways that technology is changing the way we relate to the world and each other. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Meet Ray Bradbury
The National Endowment of the Arts has a nice video profiling Ray Bradbury and his work. 

Ray Bradbury fights for libraries!

Ray Bradbury speaks out to save libraries from closing.  

Ray Bradbury doesn't let a stroke get him down

This profile talks about the writer's life and politics. 

Duh, It's not about censorship

Ray Bradbury says Fahrenheit 451 is NOT about censorship.

The Danger in Books

What is this unit about?

Books deliver stories. Stories deliver ideas. Ideas deliver power.

What question will we answer?

• What is the danger in books?
• How can reading and writing fuel rebellion?
• How does a story argue?
• What is the danger in your art?

Why are we doing this?

For centuries, books have been the most effective information technology humans have. Stories and ideas from the past are able to shape the thinking of those living in the present. Within the pages of books, many have found the fuel for revolutionary change and transformation.

Because of this, the powerful have often attempted to control and censor books. They think that if you control the ideas and stories a person has access to, you can more easily control and predict their behavior. Chimamanda Adichie described this in her essay The Danger of a Single Story.

Now that books are no longer the dominate information technology, the question is how will you tell your story? How will those in power attempt to control and censor your story? And what can you do about it?

This unit has a variety of reading, writing, and thinking tasks to sharpen our critical faculties. Not only will this help us think about our creative work in a new way, it will help you prepare for the EXPLORE test.

Socratic Seminar

This week we will be conducting Socratic Seminars in class. Here are a few links:

Here is a video that talks about the history of Socrates. This gives a good background about this important Greek philosopher.

Socratic Seminars are used in university settings, but especially in law schools. The University of Georgia Law School has a brief video talking about how they use the Socratic method.

Here is a good example of how Socratic Seminars take place in the high school setting.

Where did the ghetto come from?

In both Honors and College Prep, we're reading stories about young people growing up in neighborhoods ravaged by poverty. Although poor neighborhoods may seem like they have always been poor, that's not necessarily true. Here are some links to help give you a historical context to the issue of poverty.

• Did you know that Martin Luther King, Jr. used to have an apartment on the west side of Chicago? Strange, but true. King came to Chicago hoping to help end poverty and housing discrimination. The Chicago Tribune produced a short documentary about King's work in Chicago. You can find it here.  

• Chicago is considered by many to be one of the most segregated cities in the United States. There's a NY Times story that talks about how the city's history of segregation played a part in the latest mayoral election. You can find it here.

• Segregation doesn't happen by accident. Historian Beryl Satter wrote an excellent book called "Family Properties" that discusses how African-Americans were kept from buying properties in White neighborhoods. You can find an article that describes the techniques real estate agents and home sellers used to enforce segregation. You can find it here.  

• The excellent documentary, Race the Power of an Illusion, has a segment dedicated specifically to the history of segregation in the United States. We are going to watch a clip of this in class, but you can check it out here. 

Visit at least one of the following links and answer the following in the comments below, or email it.

What are the three most important things you learned?
What is the main idea?
What questions does this article make you think of?
What did you think of what you read?

Our America

In College Prep class we've begun reading Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago. Here are a couple of helpful links to check out:

Although the Ida B. Wells projects ended up in pretty poor shape by the time Eric Morse was killed, it wasn't always that way. The CSPAN program Book Notes did an interview with one of the authors of the book. Find it here.

There is a movie based on the book. You can watch it for free on YouTube. Part I is here.

The Other Wes Moore

In honors class we are reading The Other Wes Moore, which is about two men who were born in Baltimore, Maryland. One of the men grows up and becomes a Rhodes Scholar and the other ends up in jail charged with murder. The book tracks both of their lives and talks about the factors that shaped their lives.

Here are a few links about topics related to the book:

The Other Wes Moore website: Wes Moore has a nice website that talks a lot about his background and the book. It also features the clip we watched in class. 

Rhodes Scholar: The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. Although it's awarded when you graduate college, it's never too early to start thinking about getting the ultimate scholar prize. Some of the most powerful and influential people in the world have won this scholarship, including former president Bill Clinton. 

The Burden of Being Myron Rolle: Story tells about a college football star who becomes a Rhodes Scholar. This becomes a problem when he tries to continue his NFL career and he has to convince people in the league that he is "serious" about playing football.

Visit at least one of the following links and answer the following in the comments below, or email it.

What are the three most important things you learned?
What is the main idea?
What questions does this article make you think of?
What did you think of what you read?

More Guns Than Sense

ESPN blogger Henry Abbot has an interesting post talking about an NBA player, Javaris Crittendon, who was recently charged with murder.  Abbot references Geoffrey Canada's Fist Stick Knife Gun and considers whether or not owning a gun is a good idea. Here's Abbot's post and here's a news article about the incident.

Some questions to consider while reading:

What are some significant details Abbot uses to develop his argument?
How does Abbot use the Fist Stick Knife Gun to make his argument?
What is the main idea of his article?
What do you think?

Reply in the comments below and leave your first name