At the table.

I saw this in the New Yorker and it reminded me of Radio Golf.

Q & A with Lorene Cary.

You had questions, she had answers. Check it out here: Q & A with Cary.

Q1, week 9 skedj.

Monday.

In class: Begin Radio Golf.
Homework: Radio Golf, pp. 7-28 (22). Also, discussion rubric due Friday.

Day 2.
In class: Golf, slot machines, and other metaphors.

Homework: Radio Golf, pp. 29-46 (18).

Day 3.
In class: The past and its influence.

Homework: Radio Golf, pp. 46-66 (21).

Friday. (End of quarter one.)
In class: Lawfully right vs. morally right (continued).

Homework: Radio Golf, pp. 66-81 (15).

"Expand[ing] the versatile adjective 'American.'"

The New York Times reports that three of the five candidates for this year's National Book Award in the fiction category were not born in this country; two of those three live abroad. Who will it be? The Dubliner turned New Yorker? The Ugandan-British Yank? The Pakistani-American? Read the full article: "American Literature: Words Without Borders."

Radio Golf blog post.

In an efficient and effective paragraph, make an intelligent literary observation about the play. This could address anything from set design to characterization to theme to dialogue. For example:

• Address how setting helps to develop the characters Harmond and Roosevelt.
• Address what the characterizations of Harmond and Roosevelt teach us about the evolution of racism and classism in America.
• Address in what ways this staging of the play seeks to represent the American Dream.

These are just examples. You're free to choose one of them, but are encouraged to come up with something entirely on your own. This will count as a Gem grade.

Q1, week 8 skedj.

Monday.
In class: Comic Life project work time.
Homework: Comic Life project. Also, read Radio Golf study guide before Wednesday's play.

Tuesday (block 5)/Thursday (block 6).
In class: Comic Life project work time.
Homework: Comic Life project.

Wednesday.
In class: Radio Golf at Penumbra in the a.m. Classes will not meet in the afternoon. Suggestions for how to use this time:

• Go to classes you missed or to catch up with teachers whose classes you missed.
• Work on your Comic Life project. I'll have laptops available in my classroom.

Homework: Comic Life project. Also, complete Radio Golf blog post by Monday of next week. (See post above.)

Friday.
In class: Radio Golf debrief.
Homework: Complete Comic Life project.

Comic Life project examples.

• "The True Test": comic | didactic
• "Manly Man": comic | didactic
• "The Life & Times of MC Meow": comic | [no didactic]

American Born Backstreet Boys.

Chin-Kee in Hollywood.

The news piece below is especially intriguing and relevant after having just read American Born Chinese and discussed racial and cultural stereotypes and caricatures.


Excerpt:
Long Duk Dong was the foreign-exchange student, fresh from some unidentified Asian country, in the popular 1984 high-school comedy Sixteen Candles—comic relief in a movie with more than its share of slapstick.

When we launched In Character, we set out to explore fictional characters who had left a mark on American culture. The mark Long Duk Dong left was more of a stain: To some viewers, he represents one of the most offensive Asian stereotypes Hollywood ever gave America.

Read (or listen) to the full segment here: Long Duk Dong: Last of the Hollywood Stereotypes?

Also worth checking out: NPR: "Are Positive Stereotypes Racist, Too?"

Q1, week 7 skedj.

Monday.
In class: Stereotypes and socialization (continued).
Homework: Finish ABC.

Tuesday.
In class: Wrapping up ABC.
Homework: Story board Comic Life project.

Wednesday & Thursday.
No class, conferences.

Friday.
No school.

Weekend blog post: Does acknowledging a stereotype perpetuate it?

Address the question above in one to two thoughtful and articulate paragraphs. Your sentences should be complete and grammatically, mechanically sound.

To avoid losing your work and having to start over, I suggest typing first in a Word document and then copying and pasting into the blog comment field.

Why graphic novels are relevant.

New York Times Magazine: The Visual Language of Graphic Novels.

Growing Up Chinese, Graphically.

Gene Luen Yang, high school teacher and cartoonist, spoke with National Public Radio about his graphic novel, American Born Chinese, the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award. Listen to the program and view an audio slide show at:
Growing Up Chinese, Graphically.

Also worth checking out from Gene Yang:

• Masters thesis: Comics in Education.
  
• a graphic art math lesson on factoring: Factoring with Mr. Yang & Mosley the Alien.
• New York Times Magazine "Funny Pages" feature: "Prime Baby."
  

Graphic novels glossary of terms and ABC allusions.

Graphic novel lingo:

• panel: a box which contains a given scene (box, frame).
• border: the outline of the panel.
• gutters: the space between panels.
• tier: row of panels (left to right) on page.
• balloons: the container of the text- dialogue spoken by the characters.
• tail: pointer leading from balloon to speaker.
• gesture: human movement or expression.
• posture: attitude of the body.

ABC allusions:

• Journey to the West (also known as Monkey King): the third of the Four Great Classical novels of Chinese literature. (The other three are Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, and Dream of the Red Chamber.) The Four Great Classical Novels are considered to be the pinnacle of China's achievement in classical novels, influencing the creation of many stories, theater, movies, games, and other entertainment throughout East Asia including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
  
• The lion, the human, the ox, and the eagle: references to the cardinal directions; perhaps thought to be Biblical allusions as well.

Q1, week 6 skedj.

Monday.
In class: Memoir peer-edit.
Homework: Memoir final draft.

Day 2.
In class: How to read a graphic novel. Begin American Born Chinese, pp. 1-84 (84).
Homework: Memoir final draft.

Day 3.
In class: Stereotypes and socialization.
Homework: ABC pp. 85-160 (76) and blog post. See Weekend blog post above.

Friday.
Legacy Day; no classes.