Speaking of Literature

Andrew and I are accepting the Kids are Writers 30 Days Summer Camp challenge.  Practicing what I teach...here goes day 1: I am a writer.  I first realized I was an academic writer when I enjoyed writing school research papers in elementary school through high school. They followed a formula, were in third person, impersonal, and were easy to complete.  I enjoyed the challenge of writing college papers.  I first realized that personal writing was not my forte when I was in college.  All of the papers for one English class were personal in nature and written in first person.  Having had third person drilled into my head since childhood, this was extremely hard to do.  Writing outside of my diary about my personal thoughts and feelings was unthinkable.  However, it has been my quest to improve this skill since college.  I love to learn to write about different topics.  I love to learn new techniques of writing and this led me to the National Writing Project of Acadiana's Summer I

For those who have been devouring the book, you may get started on Part 3's questions below!  Remember that you must take notes as you read to answer these questions. You will have in-class time during SATs to read, answer, and discuss the book with your classmates. Insertion Why didn’t the army officials just let the virus kill off all the monkeys? Compare the expedition to Kitum Cave (made by Gene Johnson) to the Reston operation. Were the hazards different? How did the goals of the mission contrast? What are the similarities/differences between Kitum Cave and the Reston Monkey House as habitats for living organisms? A Man Down Compare Frantig’s symptoms with Monet, Musoke, and Peter Cardinal. Given Dalgard’s fears and what you know by now, what would you have said to Frantig? Why is the Slammer a safer place to keep an Ebola patient than a community hospital? If it’s hot inside and cold outside, what happens if you open a window? What are the dangerous c

Please respond to the questions in your notes.  Thanks to Chloe' for the catch that I skipped posting Part 2 on the blog. The following are questions for Part 2 of The Hot Zone . Reston How many monkeys are imported into the United States each year? For what purposes does this happen? What did he find out during the autopsy? Into Level 3 Why did Dalgard decide to contact USAMRIID? Do you think this poses a risk to his company? What characterizes the safety conditions in a Level 3 facility? “A freezer can be hot as hell.” What does the author mean in this case? Exposure Why was it a mistake for Geisbert and Jahrling to smell the flask? The author switches from prepping for the EM to a description of Tom’s upcoming hunting trip and then to a description of the incubation period for the virus. Why does he employ this technique? Thanksgiving List three hypotheses about how the virus had apparently jumped from room F to room H. Medusa “The incr

By now, many of you are using the GoogleDocs to gather the questions and should be finishing up Part 1.  Please comment on both Take Stock! situations and then respond to at least one other student's response.  Please have all comments completed by Saturday and responses by Sunday evening. This means you all need to have finished Part 1 by Saturday.  Monday, you will meet during class for discussion. Ebola River Where is the virus’ original spreading point? Who was the “index case”? What is the fatality rate in Ebola Sudan strain (subtype) and how does it compare to the Marburg strain and to the bubonic plague in medieval Europe? Take stock! What would happen if Ebola was let loose in a hospital? You would be safe, you’re in a hospital. Is this theory correct? Give five reasons why you feel safe or unsafe and one piece of evidence to support your position. Define hot as it is used in this book. Get a map of your region and make a quarantine plan. What roads, trans

Thanks to Katherine and Kyle for their dad's newspaper clipping regarding the current suspected Ebola outbreak.  Go to this CNN website , listen to the interview of the WHO representative, and read the article.  What new understandings, concerns, or fears might you have now?   How did the in-class and out-of-class virus simulation affect your understanding of how a virus can spread?   Post a comment and respond to another student's comment. Copy and paste this link in case hyperlink doesn't work: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/22/world/africa/fever-epidemic-guinea/ 

Read through the end of Total Immersion for Monday, March 24.   Questions for Part 1:  A Woman and a Soldier, Project Ebola, Total Immersion.  Make notes as you read these sections for your in-class discussions.  You can take notes either in GoogleDocs or on paper.  Your choice, but you must have notes.  A Woman and a Soldier The author sometimes changes the narrative point of view as he’s telling the story. How is the narrative point of view different between the description of Charles Monet and the description of Nancy Jaax? The author frequently uses the literary device of foreshadowing.  How is he using it here? Project Ebola Why does the author describe the location and ventilation system at USAMRIID? What are two examples of the lethal microorganisms being worked on at USAMRIID? What are the fears of these agents? Why does Gene Johnson have nightmares about airborne Ebola? What are the other vectors, or transmission paths, of infections (airborne is one met

Questions to discuss for Part 1, Something in the Forest, Jumper, and Diagnosis.  Make notes as you read these sections for your in-class discussions.  You can take notes either in GoogleDocs or on paper.  Your choice, but you must have notes. Something in the Forest: The author uses a sensory image of hot and cold in describing the case. Why does he create this disequilibrium? The author makes a distinction between lethal and nonlethal contagion. What is the difference? List all the contacts Monet had, from symptoms to death. Then list the next three people each of those contacts might have had. How many possible infections do you have in this scenario? Why don’t antibiotics work on viruses? The author often switches from one narrative point of view to another. On page 20 (depends on version of book) the author switches from third-person narration to the second-person voice, i.e., “he” and “they” are switched to “you.” What is the impact of this technique? Why do you