Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451

By Ray Bradbury

Part I: The Hearth and the Salamander

Due: Monday, 3 October

When we first meet Guy Montag he appears to be enjoying his work . . . burning the books and other possessions of a fellow human being. As the chapter closes he is no longer enjoying his work. Why? Explain what you think has caused this change in him to come about?

Develop three contentions and support them with statements from the novel. (Hint: Restate this change in Montag as a question in your introduction and use your three contentions to bolster your thesis.) Limit your explanation to ~150 words. Use your best English please. Prepare your responses in MS Word. You may submit your responses as hard copy or as an attachment to an email to ChrisM.Flanagan@gmail.com.

Packing for Mars

Discussion Paper Week #1

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void

By Mary Roach

Due: Monday, 3 October

Respond to the following prompts. If there is more than one prompt per chapter, you may chose just one. In your response reference statements by Roach and cite page numbers. Limit your response per question to ~50 words/prompt. Use your best English please. Prepare your responses in MS Word. You may submit your responses as hard copy or as an attachment to an email to ChrisM.Flanagan@gmail.com.

Countdown

· In this introductory piece, Mary Roach states: “Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human.” Elaborate. Offer some examples of what she means by this.

1. He’s Smart but his Birds are Sloppy: Japan Picks an Astronaut

· Briefly explain the evolution of style of astronauts from the early Mercury program to the U. S. Space Shuttle and ISS program.

2. Life in a Box: The Perilous Psychology of Isolation & Confinement

· Define “maladaptive symptomology.” What is the challenge with recognizing it in astronauts?

· Compare/contrast the conditions termed “irrational antagonism” and “displacement” behavior.

3 Star Crazy: Can Space Blow Your Mind

· Does Roach agree or disagree with the idea that space can blow your mind? Relate some of her arguments or findings.

4. You Go First: The Alarming Prospect of Life Without Gravity

· Offer an explanation for the misnomer “zero gravity”.

· Briefly restate the evolution of weightlessness studies using the V-2 and the C-9.

9/11 Letter: Events Leading Up to The Event - A Checklist

Pg. 30 -39

1.) Decade of conflict in Afghanistan (1979-1989)
2.) Bin Laden becomes leader of al Qaeda (pg. 35)
3.) 1990 - Bin Laden rebuffed in favor of an alliance with the US after offering to help Saudi Arabia retake Kuwait from Iraq
4.) 1991 - Bin Laden sets up shop in Sudan
5.) 1996 - 1999 al Qaeda's Renewal in Afghanistan (1996-1998)
* Trained 20,000 terrorists from 1996 to 9/11
* 1998 Bombing in Tanzania, Kenya
* 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Yemen

That's a start.....

-Ned-

CONSTITUTION DAY

Happy Constitution Day!!!

Time to party right. Here's how:

1.) Read the article, "One Document, Under Siege" and complete the graphic organizer that Ned passes out in pairs or small groups. What I DON'T WANT, and what the Founding Fathers would absolutely HATE, is for only one person to read the article and do the work for everybody else. Got it?

2.) Find out which Founding Father you are, and yes, you have to do this even if you are female.

2.) Spend at least 30 - 45 minutes playing "Do I Have a Right?" on the renowned iCivics website.

3.) After lunch, we're going to tune-in to the National Constitution Center's "Hall Pass" Webinar. It should be an absolute blast! Get excited. And just so everyone's prepared, each of you needs to complete the following: draft a question pertaining to the Constitution that you would like to have answered by a constitutional scholar.

-Ned-

9/11 Report: 2nd Reading

Good times! Let's get into the hijackers' back story: pp. 30 - 74.

Enjoy!

-Ned-

The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation

Okay, it's time to start seriously considering the events of 9/11 - and what better way to do that than to read the official congressional report on 9/11! It's only 568 pages of dense bureaucratic writing and should be a blast. On second thought, let's read the 130 page graphic novel adaptation instead.

The first thirty pages are due tomorrow (9/13) morning.

Enjoy......you're going to learn more than you ever wanted to know about 9/11.

-Ned-

Oh yeah, here's the link.