We're back!

Christmas is over, and your most important semester yet has started! I enjoyed reading your blogs last semester, and for some of you, your efforts online helped earn you the grade you got for Christmas. Remember that this blog is a great opportunity for you to show your knowledge. Use it!

As you know, there are two obligatory English blogs before winter break. I look forward to reading your reflections on Deep Ecology and the texts you will write about the movie Mississippi Burning. Use the information I have given you in class, your textbooks and the internet to prepare and collect information.

Good luck to you all!

Bildet er fra mette-om-fotografi.blogspot.com Fotograf og tidspunkt: ukjent.

Of Mice and Men

Most of you have now finished reading John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men. Your next blog should be about this book. You will get time at school to prepare for it, and there will be several tasks to choose from. You will get more information about these tasks in class.


A few words on how to chose the right task for you
If you would like to focus mainly on your language this time around, the first two tasks can be a good choice. These are perhaps a little easier than the other tasks and will therefore give you more time to work on grammar and spelling.

If you think the book was a bit difficult to understand, the first task can be a good choice. Here you are supposed to write about one of the characters. Decide on one character and find adjectives that fit this character. Also, try to explain why you think these words are good for describing the character. Was there something in the book that made you feel this way?

Some of you would like to be challenged more. The tasks that ask you to discuss the themes of the book will be a good choice for you. What do you think the author wanted to tell us when he decided to write it? Remember that he wrote it during what we know as the Great Depression in US in the 1930s, a time when the idea of the American Dream was greatly challenged. Was this a society that offered everybody an opportunity to succeed? Feel free to include your own opinions, but make sure you argue your point well.

Plot summary
All tasks ask for a short plot summary. Remember that this is supposed to only be a few lines. Think about the examples you got in class.

Evaluation
As always when we write, remember to focus on structure (the fish), language and content. Also pay attention to how you use sources. Bring your check lists from last year and focus on the mistakes you usually make.

Best of luck to you all!

Bildet er fra imdb.com

Vanskelige valg

Klasseturen vår til Berlin har gitt oss mye å tenke over. Et av arbeidskravene i bearbeidingen av turen er at hver enkelt skal skrive et refleksjonsnotat i RLE. Dette ble gjennomgått på skolen på mandag. I dette innlegget summerer jeg opp hvordan du kan løse oppgaven og hvilke kriterier jeg bruker i vurderingen. 

Før du setter i gang er det viktig at du forstår hva refleksjon betyr. Vi diskuterte begrepet i timen mandag. Da tok vi utgangspunkt i informasjonen du finner her. En enkel forklaring på refleksjon er at det rett og slett betyr å ”tenke igjennom noe”.

Oppgave: 

Bruk de etiske modellene og egne tanker til å reflektere over en problemstilling. Dersom du ønsker det, kan du selv finne en problemstilling å tenke gjennom. Alternativt kan du bruke dette eksempelet

Du lever i Øst-Tyskland under den kalde krigen. Du har en datter som skal begynne på universitetet. Hun har gode karakterer og alt ligger til rette for at hun skal komme inn på Universitetet i Berlin. Så sier imidlertid Stasi sier at du må bli informant for dem ellers vil ikke din datter få plassen på universitetet. Hvilket valg tar du?

Svaret ditt bør inneholde en refleksjon rundt hvilke ulike valgmuligheter du har, hva de ulike valgene vil føre til og hva du ville gjort i situasjonen. Bruk de etiske modellene fra kapittel 1 når du argumenterer og reflekterer.

Det kan være lurt å finne litt historiske fakta som du fletter inn i refleksjonsnotatet. I dette eksempelet kan det for eksempel være interessant å vite mer om hva Stasi egentlig var, hvor mange informanter Stasi hadde og hva det egentlig innebar, hva som kunne skje dersom du nektet å informere etc. Her finner du Store norske leksikon sin side om Stasi. Finn flere kilder selv, men husk kildekritikk!

Vurdering:

Innlegget skal ha en hensiktsmessig oppbygging med innledning, hoveddel og avslutning. I tillegg vurderes innholdet ut fra i hvor stor grad du

• presenterer selvstendige tanker
• klarer å se saken fra flere sider og ”kaste ball” med deg selv
• klarer å bruke fakta og etiske modeller i refleksjonen

Husk vurderingstrekanten!

I morgen har dere en hel økt til eget arbeid mens jeg er på seminar. Bruk tiden godt. Førsteutkastet skal vaere ferdig før høstferien. Lykke til!
 
Bildet av fisken er fra www.geus.dk
Bildet av Stasifengselet er fra festningsverk.no. Kan brukes i ikke-kommersiell sammenheng.

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Describe a conflict

Your first blog entry should be about one of the conflicts on page 178 in Searching 10.

Make sure you research your topic well and choose good sources. Keep in mind what you learned last year. You can also find information in Norwegian here.  Try to include a quote and remember to state all the sources. Include a link to at least one source you have used. I have posted some links that are trustworthy on Fronter. 

Your text should explain (1) what the conflict is about, (2) who the parties are, (3) how the war is fought and (4) information about the solution (if there was one).

Write one paragraph for each topic/question. You should at all times try to see the conflict from different perspectives and discuss. This is especially important in the last paragraph (4). If the conflict is unsolved, you can also reflect on a possible solution. Look at your notes from class and ask me if you have any questions. Text A "Why Wars Happen" and your notes from class can be a great help. It is particularly relevant to the paragraph where you describe what the conflict is about (1). 

Remember to pay attention to content, structure and language.