Tuesday, 29 March

We began studying Good Night and Good Luck. This film is set in 1953 in New York City. The protagonist is Edward R. Murrow who was a pioneering journalist; many regard him as one of the great journalists of all time; he was known for honesty and integrity; he investigated Senator Joseph McCathy and the McCarthy hearings.

The film looks at the conflict between Murrow and McCarthy.

As we watch the film students should be thinking about the question that will be the topic of their next essay:

What does all this (the information we have looked at during The Crucible unit) mean for me as an American?

Monday, 28 March

In class today, we finished reading the packet of information on Senator Margaret Chase Smith and Arthur Miller.  We discussed what we learned.

Monday, 14 March

Today in class we prepped for the Act I-IV test that will be on Wednesday.

Students received an assignment due tomorrow. Each student was assigned a character (not  a hero). Each student is to write a "letter to history" explaining whey they did what they did in Salem in 1692. This assignment is due Tuesday in class.

Friday 11 March

Test on Tuesday! There will be a test on Acts I-IV on Tuesday.

Today in class we read this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/us/politics/11king.html?hpw and we considered how it relates to our study of The Crucible. Below are notes from the board.

Tuesday, 8 March

Today we reviewed the answers students had to yesterday's questions.

There are two homework assignments:

1) Make a chart that shows the things one might consider when faced with the choice of whether or not to lie (as did Elizabeth Proctor). Make a chart of "Pros" e.g. personal benefit and "Cons" e.g. I might get caught and in trouble. Place at least ten things in your chart.

2) On page 125 in the Crucible we learn that Reverend Hale has come back to Salem to attempt to get Goody Nurse to confess to witchcraft (lie) in order to save her soul. Write what you think he says to her. For extra credit, write it in the form of play dialogue.

Monday, 8 March

In class we discussed the movie version of the Crucible. We discussed what seemed to be motivating the characters. We developed a list of questions to help guide us through the reading of Act IV:

Why wouldn't Giles give a name?

Why did people believe the accusers?

Why wouldn't Proctor sign?

Why wouldn't (some) people lie to save their lives?

Was Elizabeth right or wrong to lie about the affair?

Was Giles simply stubborn?

Each student wrote about at least one of these questions.

Tuesday, 1 March

The class reviewed their Vocabulary Tests and Chapter Tests. Scores were mostly excellent. Students who studied in class and / or out of class reported getting good marks!

Students wrote to the prompt: How do you now when someone is lying? Is it what they do? What they don't do? Is it what they say or what they don't say? Are there tricks to lying? are there tricks to detecting lying? We discussed the answers.

We began reading Act III aloud. As we read we looked for places in the play where what happens in the court should have "given people pause" (made them stop and think and question what was happening.