Artists in Action

It's that time again - paper mache masks!  We're spending a couple of weeks writing essays and diving into creative projects before we start our next novel.  The masks were molded last week and now kids are in the process of decorating them.  The slideshow of the initial stages is here.  Enjoy!

Tribes and Trials

Whew.  We're just about done with Okonkwo and his tribe.  I must say, its a bit of a dry book but this year I tried to connect it more to our world and I think it worked a little.  Through class discussions about themes - hospitality, kingship, courage, and achievements - we were able to see how the Ibo people value these elements as do Americans.  We analyzed Okonkwo's faults - and they found several - and then I challenged the kids to turn those faults to virtues.  Good stuff came out of that discussion too.  So I don't know that they are loving this book, but I hope it is decent anyway.  And little do my students know that all of this is priming them for the next round of work:  masks, building villages, culture research, and analytical paper to name a few!  Stay tuned for those assignments and photos.

Click here for a link to novel resources.