September 21, 2015 - September 25, 2015

Monday, September 21^st:

1^st Period:

BIC

8:15

Go to library for library orientation

Take test over library rules/protocols

Turn in test for credit.

3^{rd Period}:

Go to library for orientation

Take test over library rules/protocols
Turn in test for credit. 

Tuesday, September 22^nd: 

 First Period: 

BIC

Work on the vocabulary part of “The Most Dangerous Game” vocabulary packet. If you are finished with the sentences, then go to the last page of the packet and work on the grammar portion. This deals with adjectives.

Adjectives: Underline the adjectives in the sentences 1 – 4. On the fifth sentence write your own sentence using colorful and dramatic adjectives. On the last page, revise the paragraph using highly descriptive adjectives.

“The Most Dangerous Game” page

Please get out your notes on the short story and a pen. 

Reading Notes: 

Anselmo: “To strike a tartar.” To get more than one bargained for.

What are the rules of the game:

Dalicia: Rule #1: Rainsford gives his prisoner three hours head start.

Taylor: Rule #2: Rainsford gives them a hunting knife and a supply of food.

Anselmo: Rule #3: The hunt lasts for three days.

Arath: Rule #4: If the General catches the prisoner within the three days,  he dies.

Regina: Rule #5: If the prisoner wins then he will be placed on a boat and allowed to leave the island.

What happens if a prisoner refuses to be hunted?

Regina and Anselmo: The prisoner is handed over to Ivan, who will torture him. Ivan was a professional torturer of the Russian Czar or Tsar.

Foreshadowing: There are dogs – many HUGE dogs – down in the courtyard below Rainsford’s bedroom window.

Now the General wants to show Rainsford his heads!?

What did the general invite Rainsford to do the first night of his visit?

On the second night what did the general “invite” Rainsford to do?

What was the agreement if Rainsford won?

What was the General’s condition Rainsford refused to agree to? 

Vocabulary:

Opiate: anything which soothes or calms 

Ennui: boredom

Chablis: is a white wine

Stopped reading at the bottom of the left column on page 18. “….Crimson sash about his waist.

Period 3:

Your “Most Dangerous Game” packet will be due on Friday, September 25^th.

Open your book to page 22. Please get out your pen and writing notes. 

The Most Dangerous Game Reading Review:

Read pages 16 - 17 and write a description of Rainsford, Ivan and the General.

Rainsford: He is a renowned hunter and the author of many hunting books. 

How did the General know who Rainsford was? 

Ashley: He overheard Rainsford introduce himself to Ivan.  

The General: The general owns the island. The General is named Zaroff. He is Russian. He is old. He is handsome – for an old man. Is he rich – yes! Very rich!!!!

Ivan: he is the General’s assistant.

Ashley: The General is a very rich Cossack and owns the island.

Jonathan: Ivan is deaf and mute.

Johan: Ivan is huge!!!!

Asiah: He is a Cossack! 

Cossacks were noted horsemen and fierce fighters. They were known for their brutality. They were the soldiers used by the Czars to terrorize the people of Russia. Both Ivan and General Zaroff are Cossacks. 

Review:

Ashley: Whitney left Rainsford alone on the deck of the yacht. Rainsford heard gunshots coming from a creepy island with a notorious reputation called “Ship-Trap Island”. 

Asiah and Nicole: Rainsford was smoking a pipe late at night on the deck of a yacht on his way to South America to hunt jaguars. 

He and Whitney, a fellow hunter,  are discussing the unsavory reputation of a nearby island, called "Ship-Trap Island". Whitney eventually retires to his cabin, leaving Rainsford alone on deck. Suddenly, Rainsford hears gunshots. He gets up and climbs on top of the railing to get a better view. A rope from the yacht swings out and knocks the pipe out of his mouth. When he tries to grab the pipe, he loses his balance and falls into the deep waters of the Caribbean in the middle of the night. Rainsford sees the lights grow dim on the yacht as it sails on into the darkness without him. The closest island is "Ship-Trap Island" - the island with the unsavory reputation! 

Reread page 22 and write down the rules of the general’s game:

Cooper: Rule Number One: The prisoner is given food, hunting gear and a knife. The General has a gun.

Ashley: Rule Number Two: He gives the prisoner a three hour headstart.

Tyrone: Rule Number Three: If the General finds the prisoner within three days, the General wins. If he doesn’t find the prisoner, then the prisoner wins.”

What happens if the prisoner refuses to play the game?

Jonathan: The prisoner is turned over to Ivan!!!!!!

 Ivan is HUGE!!!!!! Ivan was the chief torturer for the Czar.   

The prisoner has to make a choice – run for your life in the jungle or be chased by the General!!! Or be beaten to death by Ivan!!!!

Wednesday,  September 23rd: 

No school today.

 

Thursday, September 24th: 

1st Period: 

 BIC: Work on your “The Most Dangerous Game” packet: the vocabulary and the grammar/adjective parts of the packet.

8:15:

Start reading “The Most Dangerous Game”

Vocabulary:

Uncanny: unusual; suggesting unusual, almost supernatural powers.

Quarry: prey

Precariously: in an unstable manner

Bough: (pronounced like bow) is a large tree branch

Reread what we  read and then write in your own words what has just happened.

From “Rainsford had fought his way through the bush for two hours….” to “…the Cossack failed to see his quarry.”

Reread what we just read and then write in your own words what has just happened. You may also draw a picture of it to help you visualize it:

From “He slid down from the tree…..” to “…I shall be back….”

What is this device called?

The Malay Man-Catcher !

What was occurring in France during 1913 and 1917?

Jasmine: World War One

Rainsford was a soldier in the U.S. Army. During World War 1, trenches were used throughout Europe.  A trench is a long and deep ditch that can stretch for miles. Soldiers would live and fight in the trenches for weeks, if not months on end, and would frequently die in the trenches.  Rainsford’s digging the trenches in World War 1 was not as difficult and emotionally nerve wracking as digging the man-catcher on Ship-Trap Island.

Reread what we just read and then write in your own words what has just happened. You may also draw a picture to help you visualize it. Reread from:

 “Rainsford had dug himself in in France….” to “Thank you for a most amusing evening.”

What is this device called?

The Burmese Tiger Pit!

Period 3:

Page 23

1.    What was the creepy thing Rainsford discovered when he got up in the middle of the night?  Nicole: The door is locked!

2.    When Rainsford looked out his window what did he see in the courtyard many stories below?  Tyler: Dogs

3.    What did Rainsford hear at dawn? Kristina: He heard a pistol shot.

Vocabulary:

Ennui: boredom

Sloop: a small boat

Crimson: blood red

Uncanny: most unusual, suggestive of supernatural powers; eerie, creepy

Reread what we just read: From “’General, I wish to leave this island at once…’” to “a cocked revolver thrust in the crimson sash of his waist. Page 23 to page 24. Then answer the following questions:

1.     When does Rainsford figure out that the General means to hunt him? Catherin and Ashley:   “’You will find my idea of sport more diverting than Ivan’s?”

2.     What is the condition that must be met for Rainsford to win? Jaynice: If the general does not find Rainsford by the third midnight then he will not be killed.

3.     What does the General say he will do if Rainsford wins? Jaynice: The general says that he will have Rainsford  put on a sloop and taken to the main land.

4.     What is the condition Rainsford must follow if he is allowed to leave the island? Reyna: The condition is that Rainsford must never speak about what the General is doing on the island – which is KILLING PEOPLE FOR SPORT!!!!!

5.     Does Rainsford agree to the condition? Asiah: He does not agree with the conditions!

6.     Who was Lazarus? Paola: The General’s favorite dog!

7.     What happened to him? Kimberly: The dog fell into the quicksand and died!

8.     What is strange about the General’s feelings about Lazarus? Johan: The general obviously loved his dog far more than his fellow humans!

Read from page 24 to page 26; read from “’I’ll leave a trail for him to follow!’” to “Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror.”

Answer the following questions:

1.     What did Rainsford do to elude the General?

2.     Was it successful?

3.     What did Rainsford see the General do?

4.     What terrifying thing did Rainsford realize?

5.    Do you think Rainsford has changed his mind about animals - that they have only instincts?

Friday, September 25^th:

BIC:

Holt Handbook; pages 151 – 152;

Exercises 1 and 2;

Exercise 1: If the word is in the present tense, then write the past form of the verb; if the word is in the past form then write the past participle form of the verb.

Example:

Do – did

Saw – have seen

Exercise 2: Write the sentence with the correct verb form.

Example: Mai’s parents told her about their journey in a boat from South Viet Nam to Malaysia.

The title should be “Holt Handbook; pages 151 – 152”.

The grammar homework will be due on Tuesday, September 29^th.

Read “The Most Dangerous Game”

Please answer the following questions:

1.     What sound did Rainsford hear that made him know that he had new things to learn about fear?

2.     What were the two possible alternatives Rainsford considered? What is the third alternative he came up with?

3.     What trick did Rainsford come up with? What was it called? Describe it.

4.     What happened as a result of this new trick of Rainsford?

5.     What were the two things bothering the general at dinner?

6.     Why was his reaction to one of his losses so strange?

7.     What is the surprise awaiting the general when he turns on his light?

8.     How does the story end?

9.     Do you think the survivor will continue hunting? Why or why not?

Vocabulary:

Repas: meal

Repast: meal

What do you think Rainsford will do now? Do you think he will give up hunting? Do you think he will release the prisoners? Do you think that he will take over the island and continue what the General was doing?

The packet for “The Most Dangerous Game” and the grammar homework, HOLT HANDBOOK; pages 151 – 152, exercises 1 and 2 will be due on Tuesday, September 29^th. 

Period 3:

Read “The Most Dangerous Game”; page 26 from “I will not lose my nerve!” (Dialogue between the third and the fourth paragraph in the left hand column.)

Vocabulary:

Precariously: unsteadily, in an unstable manner (adverb because it ends in ly)

Agility: the athletic ability to change directions quickly and easily

Bough: a large tree branch (pronounced like bow)

Tangible: the attribute of being easily detected by the senses.

Background Information:

Rainsford was a soldier in the U.S. Army. During World War 1, trenches were used throughout Europe.  A trench is a long and deep ditch that can stretch for miles. Soldiers would live and fight in the trenches for weeks, if not months on end, and would frequently die in the trenches.  Rainsford’s digging the trenches as a soldier in World War 1 was not as difficult and emotionally nerve wracking as digging the man-catcher on Ship-Trap Island.

 Read from page 26 (“I will not lose my nerve….”) to page 27 (Thank you for a most enjoyable evening!” Please answer the following questions:

1.     Describe the “Malay Mancatcher”. 

2.     What happened with General Zaroff and the Malay Mancatcher?

3.     What gave Rainsford the idea for the Burmese Tiger Pit?

4.     Describe the Burmese Tiger Pit.

5.     What happened at the Burmese Tiger Pit?

Read from page 27, from the fourth paragraph on the left side of the column to the end of the story.

Vocabulary:

Repast: meal

Please answer the following questions:

1.     What sound did Rainsford hear that made him know that he had new things to learn about fear? Kristina: It was a distant sound, faint and wavering. It was the sound of a pack of ravenous vicious hounds.

2.     What were the two possible alternatives Rainsford considered? What is the third alternative he came up with? Ashley: Stay where he was, which was suicide, or flee, which was postponing the inevitable. The third alternative was the Uganda knife trick.

3.     What trick did Rainsford come up with? What was it called? Describe it. Tyron: A knife is tied to a springy young sapling and tied back to another tree with some grapevine. This is a knife trick he learned in Uganda.

4.     What happened as a result of this new trick of Rainsford? Arturo and Johan: The Uganda knife trick killed Ivan.

5.     What were the two things bothering the general at dinner? Jonathan: How was he going to replace Ivan, and that the American had not really played the game fairly.

6.     Why was the general’s reaction to one of his losses so strange? Timerica: General Zaroff didn’t seem that upset over the death of Ivan.

7.     What is the surprise awaiting the general when he turns on his light?

8.     How does the story end?

9.     Do you think the survivor will continue hunting? Why or why not?

What do you think Rainsford will do now? Do you think he will give up hunting? Do you think he will release the prisoners? Do you think that he will take over the island and continue what the General was doing?

Do you think Rainsford will still agree with what he said at the beginning of the story:  that animals have no feelings, and that the world is divided into two classes – the hunter and the hunted?

Questions:

1.     What is suspense?

2.     What are techniques used by writers and film makers to create suspense?

3.     Show three specific examples how Richard Connell uses suspense to keep us guessing or wanting to know what is going to happen next.

Theme:

Theme is the main idea around which a writer builds a story, or a director builds a film or a play. The theme is a truth or an idea that the writer wishes to illustrate. She creates a story that tests the idea, or what she believes is a universal  truth, through the development of  plot and characters. As we follow the plot and the characters, the idea or universal truth is revealed and its validity tested.

A theme is always expressed as a sentence.  Love, or hate or any other single word cannot be a theme.  Love or hate are topics or subjects, not themes. A theme must express a central idea or truth about a topic or idea. For example, love is not the theme of Romeo and Juliet; love is, however, a topic the play deals with. One possible theme for Romeo and Juliet might be ignorant violent adults will destroy their children through their ignorance and violence,  or another theme for Romeo and Juliet might be reckless heedless love will destroy the young.

At the beginning of the story, “The Most Dangerous Game”, Rainsford and Whitney, a fellow hunter on the yacht, are discussing hunting and animals.

Rainsford expresses his disdain for animals:

“Great sport, hunting.”

“The best sport in the world,” agreed Rainsford.

“Not for the animal,” amended Whitney. “Not for the jaguar.”

“Don’t talk rot, Whitney,” said Rainsford….”Who cares how a jaguar feels?...They have no understanding!”

“I rather think they understand one thing – fear! The fear of pain and the fear of death.” (Whitney)

“Nonsense!” laughed Rainsford…”The world is made up of two classes – the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are the hunters.”

Richard Connell, the writer of “The Most Dangerous Game”, sets up the theme at the very beginning of the story - that animals have no feelings or thoughts, or instincts, which was the prevailing scientific thought at the time regarding animals. The theme is immediately stated by the protagonist, Sanger Rainsford, who believes that animals have no feelings, and therefore,  it is perfectly fine that he hunts them. He proudly proclaims himself a member of the hunting class. Connell sets up this theme and immediately tests it by having Rainsford, through a series of events, becoming the hunted. 

Throughout the story, Connell uses animal imagery to describe Rainsford. Skim the short story, see if you can find them, and write them down.

By the end of the story, how has the central idea that animals have no feelings been tested? Was Rainsford, at the beginning of the story,  right all along? Has Rainsford’s ordeal changed him so that he has a better appreciation for the rights of animals,  and by extension,  those who belong to the class of the hunted?