To kick off our next unit, which includes First Encounters, Colonial Literature, and Puritan Literature, we naturally read a sci-fi short story by Terry Bisson called "They're Made Out of Meat" (Listen Here!). Now, you may find yourself asking, "How does a story from 1990 fit into a unit on First Encounters?" Well, this satire provides a commentary on how people react to encountering something new for the first time--and how they often project their own prejudices and biases onto what or who they've found. Although the story is entertaining, it brought up the more serious discussion of cultural assimilation vs. accommodation, which provided a great foundation to discuss journals from the early explorers about their first encounters with the Native Americans. We talked about the dangers of stereotypes and what you miss out on learning when you try to fit something new into an existing box when it deserves a brand new box of its own. Just because something is weird or new or different, that doesn't mean it's wrong! Now for captions! I really dropped the ball last week and failed to post the top captions (and got called out), so here are the winners from this week AND last week. Also, after reminding the students it actually is a contest, they really brought their A-game. Enjoy! P1 “It’s my first time to Italy, I just want to make sure I’m prepared.” - Sammy B. “...and using this technique you get a nice fluffy crust.” - Stephen K. P2 “The Flying High Pie” - Danny A. “Airplane food got nothing on me.” - Madison H. “When you realize how bad the airplane food is…” - Sam T. “So uh, what do you do for fun?” - Thanh V. "Talk about airplane food am I right?" - Thomas C. "I am preparing a gift so the people of Italy accept me as one of their own." - Jonny F. "Did someone order delivery?" - Luke T-K. P4 "Airplane food tastes horrible, so I brought my own." - Roz A. "“I don’t like airplane food." - Alessandra G. "A new meaning for taking it to go." - Russell K. P1
“Bert. For the last time, you can not display your dolls in the suspect room!” - Sammy B. “When you’re taking a multiple choice test and you don’t know which answer to choose.” - Royanni C. “When your boss finds out about your family history.” - Jake E. P2 “When all your siblings get in trouble…” - Aolani B. “Tim you’ve been working double shifts for two weeks now, are you sure you’re ok?” - Allison B. “Really made them in your image, didn’t you?” - Charles C. “I swear it’s not what it looks like.” - Madison H. “I think this that profiling thing the captain was talking about.” - Sebastian M. P3 “These cases just keep getting deeper.” - Jonny F. “The Russian Investigation” - Grace H. “Intelligence says this may be a copycat crime.” - Kai H. “Ma’am every single one matches the witness’ description.” - Jack M. “Their smug expressions. They’re so full of themselves.” - Ivy N. P4 “This case goes much deeper than we thought.” - Kimani E. “Copycat Killer.” - AnnElise M. “Uhhhhhhhh, it’s not what it looks like.” - Arman S.
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In other news, the New Yorker caption contest competition was fierce this week. Check out the top submissions from each class below! P1
“She said she wanted to do something ‘dangerous.’” - Sammy B. “When you ask for a table with a view.” - Jake E. “Don’t get too full. You might break the awning.” - Hayden J. P2 “As rent prices increase, restaurants put more affordable spins on ‘outdoor dining.’” - Charles C. “This is not what I meant by living on the edge, Jerry.” - Isabella G. P3 “This isn’t what I meant when I said I like living life on the edge.” - Jonny F. “Excuse me sir would you like to try our Fallet Mignon? It’s to die for.” - Justin O. P4 "You asked for a table with a view.” - Roz A. "You asked for a table with a view.” - Wadia A. “The first date was awkward because I didn’t know my husband was working that night.” - Hannah R. All in all, it was a great first week! Day one, after the standard syllabus and rules/expectations overview, the students got to know the classroom a bit better through a digital escape room! Clues asked them to find answers on the class website, Google Classroom, and around the physical classroom itself. They worked well together in their desk pods to see which group could solve the puzzles first and break out. Thursday and Friday consisted of diagnostic tests, but we had a little fun on Friday with our first New Yorker cartoon caption contest. See the highlights below! Period 1
That bat isn’t regulation size! - Stephen K. Baseball, so easy a caveman can do it. - Dylan I. Period 2 Handing your grandma your iPhone like - Allison B. Trying to explain how technology works to your parents. Robbie P. When you try to teach your grandparents how “youngsters” live. - Sam T. Period 3 I’m getting too old for this sport. - Scott M. Tell the pitcher to throw me a cave ball. - Kassidy P. I invented this game I can use whatever bat I want. - Logan P. I made a cave run! - Liliana S. We’ve evolved quite a bit since you were last at bat. - Ellie S. When you take more pills than the doctor prescribed. - Mauricio V. Period 4 Catcher: “Be careful of this pitcher because his throws are fire!” Caveman: “Fire?” - Morgan W. |
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September 2019
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