During this segment of the course, students will post and discuss passages from Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble and Coming of Age in the Bronx on a Blog (this site) devoted to their Basic English III (Eng/Rdg 073) course.
The reading passages from Random Family will be assigned to groups of 3-4 students. Students will summarize the selection, identify the primary theme in the selection, analyze two pivotal scenes from that selection, and discuss why those scenes are relevant to the primary themes of the text. The group assignment will be posted online before the class, and will be used to prepare students for an assignment created by the instructor.
The instructor derived assignment will have the entire class respond to an article Prof. Sweet will post on this blog. This response will require the students to relate the sociological issue discussed in the given article to the book. Additionally, the students may be asked to post feedback to the student group who presented during that week.
To become better acquainted with the issues, themes and setting of the book, please visit this site and read the article:
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/demographics/20030415/5/348
Also view this website:
http://www.deamuseum.org/museum_idarc2.html
Here is a link to a clip from YouTube featuring breakdancers, one of whom (Puma) is a character in the book. The group in the blue is from the Bronx, where Jessica lives. This gives a view of the culture of the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpdLz0WFbQM
Here are two more links to videos from a group called Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam. This gives you a visual of the fashion and music of the time. Lisa Lisa's first single was released in 1984 around the time that the book starts. Lisa Lisa looks like you might imagine Jessica: Puerto Rican, young, and pretty.
"I Wonder If I Take You Home"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_WZP0LzC4Q
Can You Feel the Beat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F5lQNrxg7c
Each student should mark in their notebooks the web address for our class blog as you will return to it each week:
http://sweetrandom.blogspot.com/
For next Thursday, October 4, begin to read Random Family up to page 59. Group 1 will be presenting on this day.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
15 comments:
To practice posting a comment, write a comment sharing one thing you remember or know about the 1980's.
One thing i remember about the 1980's is the big hair and earrings.
One thing i know about the 1980s is that a movie named goodfellas took place durring the early 1980s.
Everyone had money. Cost of living was low and it was so easy to get credit cards, credit, loans, and cars. From my understanding of this by living through the 1980s, this is 1 reason the elder generation, anyone over 35, struggle with bad credit.
Death of college basketball star Len Bias in June 1986
Death of college basketball star Len Bias in June 1986.
Something I remember about the 1980 breakdancing or cardboard and big earrings and goldchains.Run DMC songs.
In 1987 the Levolor factory of vennetian blinds in Hoboken NJ burnt down.
i dont know anything about the 80's
the movie rocky came out in the 1980's
what i remember about 1980's is hearing alot freestyle song like tka, lisa lisa,johnny o rob ace and so on.
i was born in the late 80's..so i dont kno much
The Rocky movie was the last one shown in the Stanley Theater.
in january 1980 a swedish act of succession made victoria of sweden the crown princess.
eighties was one of the better times to remember because at that time fashion changed, the peace around the world was more establish and all of us could breath a piece of fresh air. I had almost six years.
Post a Comment