May 7 and May 9: The Final

May 7 and May 9

In Class Work on Final

Submit your response to the Driving Question and Final "Project" on Google Classroom. 

Thank you for a wonderful year. I am always here if you need me, and I wish you the VERY best of luck. 

Spend the days of your ONE precious life well. 

<3 Mrs. Patterson

Farewell }i{

Dear Class of 2019, 

Every year, I am more proud. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your journey, Baby Owls. You are ready to fly. }i{ 
Congratulations on completing your first life milestone! Off to your next adventure and to fulfill your Personal Legend. Keep your dreams in sight. 

<3 Mrs. P

Journal Entries

The Alchemist

  Journal Assignments

Each journal assignment should be a full-page minimum for full points.  You must write on two of the topic ideas in order to reach the full page.   

Journal Entry 1

1.  Respond to the four obstacles described in the Introduction.  Do you agree or disagree with the obstacles?  Explain.

 2. Why do you think the Alchemist thought the story of Narcissus was beautiful?  What is the moral of the story or the purpose for including the story in the prologue?

 3.  Do you believe the world’s greatest lie?  Why do you think that people believe in this idea?

 4.  Do you believe that our dreams can come true?  Can dreams be interpreted?  Do dreams actually mean something?  Have you ever had a dream come true?

 5. Right now, at this point in your life, what is your personal legend?

 6. What is beginners’ luck?

 7. Santiago feels isolated and alone because he does not speak Arabic and the “infidels” look different than he does.  Have you ever been in a situation where you were the outsider?  How did that feel?

 8. Santiago is fooled by a thief.  Have you ever thought that you could trust someone and been very wrong? 

 9. When Santiago first realizes that he has been robbed, he continues to look at the sword for a while, delaying the moment when he has to face the truth.  When is a time that people ignore the truth or delay admitting the truth?  Have you done this at any point in your life?  

10. Santiago states, “I am like everyone else-I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what actually does.”  What are some things that cause people to be blinded to the truth? What are you stubborn about and only see one side?  Do you know?  Can you know? 

 11. Sometimes life is all about how you look at things.  Santiago states, “This wasn’t a strange place; it was a new one.”  What are some times in your future that will require you to have a positive outlook in order to be successful?  Was there a time in your past that also required this?  

12. The crystal merchant believes that he is too old to do anything new and that his life is stuck.  Do you know someone who is stuck in a life they don’t like?  What would it take to get them to change?  

                                 Journal Entry 2: 

1. If the world conspires to help you achieve your personal legend, why does tragedy befall our main character?  The King of Salem talked about this.As a traveler, Santiago is not required to maintain relationships with the people that he meets. In the seminary, however, he had encountered the same people day after day. Santiago bitterly reflects on life in the seminary in the following passage: “If someone isn’t what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.” (Pg. 16) Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Write an entry that voices your opinion by providing your observation of human behavior. If possible, include an example that supports your view. The entry should not exceed one page. 

2. Santiago meets Melchizedek, an old king, who initiates a philosophical discussion about personal freedoms. Melchizedek states that most people believe they have no control over their lives because their lives are dictated by fate. Consider the king’s perspective, and provide short answers for the following questions. 

Please use complete sentences for your answers.

 A. Is Santiago in charge of his life as he asserts, or is it his fate to travel? How can you tell the difference, if at all? 

 B. Have you ever felt that an event in your life was out of your control and that you had no way to alter its course? 

 C. Have you ever made a decision that you knew would change your life? 

 D. Do you believe in fate?

May 3: The Alchemist Assignment: Our Personal Legends

May 3

Read to the following blog and corresponding comments and post your comments/reactions on this page.

http://concretekax.blogspot.com/2010/10/alchemist-and-louis-lamour.html

You must include the following in your responses:

1. What is your initial reaction to this post?
2. What are Kaechele's contentions regarding The Alchemist and current education trends.
3. What is your personal response to his allegations/blog entry? (See other students' posts) 

I. Read through following quotes by Robert Fulghum: 

• My convictions have validity for me because I have experimented with the compounds of ideas of others in the laboratory of my mind. And I've tested the results in the living out of my life. At twenty-one, I had drawn an abstract map based on the evidence of others. At sixty, I have accumulated a practical guide grounded in my own experience. At twenty-one, I could discuss transportation theory with authority. At sixty, I know which bus to catch to go where, what the fare is, and how to get back home again. It is not my bus, but I know how to use it. Words I Wish I Wrote (1997)

• Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be. It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It (1988)

• There’s another thing not everyone figures out right away: It’s almost impossible to go through life all alone. We need to find our support group — family, friends, companion, therapy gatherings, team, church or whatever. The kindergarten admonition applies as long as we live: “When you go out into the world, hold hands and stick together.” It’s dangerous out there — lonely, too. Everyone needs someone. Some assembly is always required. All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things (1988)                              

• To insist on one's place in the scheme of things and to live up to that place.
  To empower others in their reaching for some place in the scheme of things.                                   To do these things is to make fairy tales come true. Uh-Oh: Some Observations from Both Sides of the Refrigerator Door (2001)     

May 1 continued: The Alchemist Day 5

May 1 Continued....

I. The Bucket List-Film Continued

      Introduction to Ethical Foundations of mind, body, soul

"The Universe conspires to be your personal legend....." -Randy Pausch

II. Review the quotes listed on The Alchemist Project Beginning page. You will choose one of these quotes or the Four Pillars of Alchemy to direct the Theme of your project as you venture out in the discovery of your Personal Journey. 

III. Your final for this course will be to create a project that acknowledges your Personal Journey. You may tie your project to The Alchemist, but it is not required. Your project is about you, and what the travels of Santiago have done to inspire or provoke you to consider your future. See future blog dates for submission dates.

Project Goal: To find yourselves....... 

The Alchemist Project: Bucket List Connection

"It doesn't matter what you say you believe - it only matters what you do." ― Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

For this project, some "soul searching" is in order. Each person has a Raison d'etre-a purpose in life, but there is no guarantee we will live the life we were meant to live and fulfill the role we were meant to complete. 

People who age well emotionally, physically, and mentally found ways to guide the younger generations as mentors, coaches and consultants. The Bucket List is about the Act of Meaning and Purpose. When you provide emotional empowerment or some gift of your experience to another, it is spiritual alchemy. It is a transfer of energy from one being to another who may or may not be aware he or she needs it at the time. From this special place we offer the value of our experience and no longer look for a reward. 

                                  Driving Question: 

What do you plan to do with your ONE precious and meaningful life?

Incorporate your Pillar, Bucket List, Blog Responses/Reactions, and quotes that determine your Personal Legend.  You may be creative with fonts and add a few images. Please submit on GC by May 7th. 

This is it.....

April 29 and May 1: The Alchemist Day 4

April 29 and May 1

I. Discussion of Bucket List. 

Film: The Bucket List

HW: Complete Novel by May 7th. Complete response sheet for novel and submit when you have finished the novel.

April 25: The Alchemist Day 3

April 25

I. Journal Entry #2: (15 minutes)

Baz Luhrmann

Metaphorical Quiz #2

II. Four Pillars of Alchemy: An Interview with Paulo Coehlo.  (20 minutes)                  Four Pillars of AlchemyIn an interview, Paulo Coelho talks about "Four Pillars of Alchemy– four important "tips" for finding one's Personal Legend: 

1.One must believe in "The Soul of the World." The ancient Latin term for this concept is "anima mundi." In short, this idea suggests that everything in the world is interconnected; that is, what one does affects everything else, from the smallest grain of sand to the largest whale, and vice versa. Writers and thinkers such as Plato, Walt Whitman and Khalil Ghibran have attempted to illustrate this interconnectedness in their works.

2.One must listen to the voice of the heart. Coelho suggests that sometimes we must follow our feeling sand intuitions, even if we do not fully understand them. Through feeling one gains wisdom.

3.One must be faithful to one's dreams, for they both test and reward us. In other words, the path to achieving one's Personal Legend may not be an easy one, but we must endure the tests in order to gain the rewards.

4.One must "surrender oneself to the universe." Coelho suggests that we must allow ourselves to be open to recognizing and learning from omens and signs which come our way 

Which Pillar do you feel you connect with the most? Create your responses. Discussion and Share out. 

III. Respond to the following passage in a blog comment. What is your initial reaction? What do you make of this passage? What will you take away from it? 

Brian Tracy states that “all successful men and women are 

big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal 

in every respect, and then they work every day toward their 

distant vision, that goal or purpose.” 

People often don’t appreciate being called dreamers. In-fact, it’s almost an insult to call someone a dreamer these days. It’s associated with having your head in the clouds and not being realistic. A dreamer is a person who is not afraid to challenge society’s norms and not afraid to tread their own path rather than following the well-trodden path. A dreamer is someone who is always willing to take a chance and always asks why before doing something that others are doing blindly. A dreamer is a person who has a great futuristic picture which they work to achieve at all costs. Dreamers are world changers.Dreamers chart their own course and destiny. Dreamers are always striving to be the person they were meant to be and are not afraid to be different. I believe every one of us is born unique in every way, but over the years we work very hard to become like everyone else.Motivation to achieve success - Don't follow the crowd

Society’s commonsense tells us that that is the way to go. Unfortunately, commonsense is not always good-sense. It’s

just common. If you are a dreamer you cannot afford to work on society’s assumptions and standards. You have to be unique.

(25 minutes) 

 “The poorest man in the world is the man without a dream. The most 

frustrated man in the world is the man with a dream that never becomes reality.”-Myles Munroe 

IV. Bucket List Assignment. Bucket List 101

HW: Read pages 105-127. Bucket List Due Next Class.