february 11

[MOM'S IDEA: "What do you need to figure this out?  You can do this."]

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: the music of your thoughtful conversation]
As we talk today, please use your journal as a sidebar for anything there isn't space to say out loud.  It may be "on" or "off" topic -- all of your thinking is fair game.

AGENDA:
1. MOM

2. Journal/ Socratic seminar

*I want to thank Emma for inspiring today's agenda.  Emma's Rotary essay described Socratic seminars as a context for constructive conflict, and reading it made me realize that it has been an awfully long time since our last one.  So: if you see this before class, please think of any topics/questions you'd like to raise.  We can start with Gatsby, or anything else we've been learning about, but I'm in a sort of "anything goes" frame of mind, especially if it starts a healthy argument/search for truth.  If you'd like to get started ahead of time, please feel free to comment to this post (and respond to anyone else's comments).  
3. Gatsby: your questions on Chapter 3 and begin reading Chapter 4

(who am I kidding, there's no way we're going to have time for #3 in class -- I will create a separate post that we can use as a discussion forum for this)

POST:
1. Please post your top 3-5 highlights from your notes/memories of today's conversation (title: I GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS.  Suggested first sentences: "There are 36 students in my AP Language & Composition class, and usually we don't all get to talk at once.  Today...")
2. At the end of Chapter III Nick tells us of his "cardinal virtue" -- what is it?  How does this admission change the way we look at Nick?  Is his idea supported by the events we've read so far?  Do you think he is being humble or arrogant?  (title: NICK'S CARDINAL VIRTUE)