Life of Pi - writing #2

We started class today with this short writing about Pi's ordeal on the Pacific Ocean: Life of Pi writing #2

We shared our responses to these questions, then discussed the ways in which he has changed / adapted during these challenging days.

Life of Pi - catching up with part 2

Today we'll spend part of the period reading, giving people a chance either to catch up or work on tonight's assignment.

We'll get into groups to look at these chapters:

• Ch. 37-42
• Ch. 43-47
• Ch. 48-52
• Ch. 53-58

You'll gather some collective notes using the categories from last week's writing:

• Knowledge - Plot - What happens?
• Comprehension - What ideas / issues / themes are there?
• Application - Link these ideas to broader (your?) questions.
• Analysis - What does it all add up to? Link to other parts of the book.

Life of Pi - Writing #1

We'll start the day with some individual writing for the first half.

Click here for the assignment.

Please do your work in a Google Doc and share it with me when you are finished.

Life of Pi - Religion and Found Poetry

Today you will work with a small group to create a found poem about religion.

Look through the chapters we've read through today (ch. 32) and find lines / phrases that talk about religion.

You need a total of fifteen. At least three of them should be ones you do not fully understand or want to explore further.

Using all of these lines / phrases your group will create a "found poem." You may change verb tenses or add / remove plurals, but otherwise you can only use the language of the book.

Please use the computers to work with (cut and paste?) your poem:  move lines around, play with the order, and explore different possibilities.  Please type up a final version on a Google doc and share it with me.

Life of Pi - Plan for Friday, Feb. 14th

Greetings! Happy Valentine's Day!

Today I will be at a conference in Chicago (no, not the same conference as Wednesday - busy week!).

Here is the plan:

1. Use the first half of the class to read. On the "calendars" tab of the blog or in the previous post you can see where you should be for class on Tuesday / Wednesday.  You can probably get a lot of that reading done now.
2. For the second half, please work with a group of 2-4 people to answer these questions.  Please do so in a Google document and share it with me at the end of the period.  The focus will continue to be on the dual major Pi has in college in Toronto: religious studies and zoology (p. 3).  How do these early chapters of the novel continue to explore issues about religion, animals, and the intersection between the two?
1. What does Pi say about agnostics and atheists? What do these terms mean to him? Cite relevant text.
2. What does Pi say about animal training, including alpha figures and trainers?
3. What are the religious artifacts present in Pi's home?
4. Describe Pi's views on and approach to religion in the chapters you've read.  What does religion mean to him?  What do some of the specific religions he speaks of mean to him?
5. Where do you see the spheres of zoology and religious studies interact in the book up to this point?  How / why?  What points / ideas is Pi (or Martel) exploring here?

Have a great weekend!

Life of Pi

Today we started reading our next novel, Life of Pi. In class, you read the author's note and identified a key sentence - a "center of gravity". We shared and discussed these and their potential meanings.

Here are links to the calendar, which you can also find under the "calendars" tab at the top of the page.

Life of Pi - Period 2 calendar

Life of Pi - Period 3 calendar

Life of Pi - Period 7 calendar