Good to see you all again today after the weekend. Brian Kelly is coming back. Peyton Manning is going home. Argo won a Golden Globe. Lance Armstrong lost his final hope. I started reading The Devil in the White City. You started writing a paper of the research type.
I'll sign the Archer card of anyone who tells me what literary term can be found in the first paragraph.
Now, about that paper. Start working on it. You should be selecting a topic this evening and starting some basic research on it tonight. Remember all those topics we mentioned today. Almost anything related to the Holocaust and World War II is on the table. Propaganda. Weapons. Camps. Paintings. Resistance. Ghettos. Experiments. Individuals. Poetry. These are just a few of the general ideas we threw out. Find that topic you care about, narrow it down, and start researching.
We won't discuss the paper much at all tomorrow, but you should, again, work on it tomorrow night. On Wednesday we'll spend the class time researching, discussing, writing, editing, sharing, listening, encouraging. We'll also decide our next step that day. Remember, Acuity testing is proceeding all week, so our computer access will be minimal. If you care to bring your electronic device to research during class, feel free to do so.
This paper is a research paper, but I want you to tell the story of that research. You are a "character" in your paper. I want to know what you are doing, thinking, and feeling as you write and learn. Here is a copy of the hand-out and rubric in case you need a reminder.
One final word on our discussion topic at the end of class today: Are people basically good? James Iapulucci said it best when he said he is an optimist. He likes to see the best in people. I love that philosophy and subscribe to it myself. Brett Shepard added a prescient comment as well by saying most people would not see the Holocaust as a positive event. We realize that what happened there, what happened in Newtown, what happened with Superstorm Sandy are tragedies. Sure some people will take advantage of these situations for their own advancement, but generally speaking, people will want to help, want to do what is best for others. Generally speaking, people are basically good. I still believe that if given the chance, people will do the right thing.
Ah...I feel better.
See you tomorrow.
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