Ship+Breaker

===Welcome to the __Ship Breaker__ wiki! Your task involves several parts. Read the site entirely and post in Google Docs what you think you will have to do. Label your entry - "On my own" and "As a group". Discuss this after you have posted your entry so that each member shares a his/her idea of the task. Ask any questions of me that you have, but do not ask questions that are obviously the result of failure to read the task closely.===


 * INDIVIDUAL PRE-READING ACTIVITY** - Take some notes as you work your way through the following:


 * Click on the site below and listen to the author talk about the book.**

http://shipbreaker.ning.com/video/paolo-introduces-ship-breaker

Who are the Bangladeshi ship breakers? Access the following site, read the article, and play the video to find out.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/03/60minutes/main2149023.shtml

Who are the child laborers in today's world and in which countries are they mostly located? What types of jobs do they perform?
http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_childlabour.html


 * Check out the organization on the link below and look around, particularly the international programs. Look at the videos. What do you think of this, and would you like to start a chapter here?**

http://www.freethechildren.com/


 * AS A GROUP**: Talk about what you saw and read. You may use Google docs or you may get together face-to-face. Craft a well-written, thoughtful reflection of 250-400 words with concrete examples from the sites. Post this on Google docs with the heading: Reflection #1 __Ship Breaker__. Pay attention to conventions, organization, and ideas and content. Make every word count. Sign your work. THEN: Read and comment on the other Core's work individually. Your comments should be __intelligent, thoughtful, and respectful.__


 * AS A GROUP**: Discuss the following statements and complete an anticipation guide structured in the following manner. You will complete the //After Reading// activity upon completion of the book. Copy and post it on the discussion tab. Post "Agree" or "Disagree". Be prepared to support your opinions orally. "I don't know" is unacceptable.
 * = **//Before Reading//** ||= **//After Reading//** ||= **//Statements//** ||
 * ||  || The blood ties among families usually are strong enough to overcome betrayals. ||
 * ||  || Loyalty is the most important part of a relationship between family or friends. ||
 * ||  || Our successes in life often have as much to do with luck as with our choices or abilities. ||
 * ||  || When in danger, it is best to play it safe rather than take a risk. ||
 * ||  || In a life-or-death situation, almost any action is forgivable. ||


 * Routines for work in class:**
 * Monday - review the tasks. Read part of a chapter out loud to each other. Begin your vocabulary work. Assign reading to each other for each night so that you all finish by Thursday. You may also have a quiz on your vocabulary. Begin researching your essay assignment. Think about your two final pieces.
 * Tuesday - Do part of your reading out loud to each other. Review the questions and see if you can begin your discussion. Begin online discussion on Google docs. Research and begin your essay by discussing online what you want to put in and how you will put this together into a finished post. Do your vocabulary templates.
 * Wednesday - Do part of your reading out loud together. Discuss the questions online. Do the rough draft of your essay. Finish your vocabulary.
 * Thursday - Do part of your reading out loud together. Look at your discussion of the questions and add any comments. Polish your essay. Pay attention to your final pieces.
 * Friday - Post your final weekly essay. Finish your discussion questions. Study your vocabulary. Work on your final music project.


 * Routines for work at home:**
 * Each night, do the reading that is assigned by the group. You also must write a summary paragraph of each chapter. Do any work the group assigns you. You may post questions or discuss the assigned questions online at home as well. Think about your final; what music will you choose? Note page numbers of especially compelling scenes that you want to choose for your music. Take a few notes about the chapters and whether they seem character, setting, or plot driven. All summaries must be emailed to me. See the page on this wiki for instructions.


 * DAILY/WEEKLY TO DO LIST:**

1. **YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO READ EVERY NIGHT.** Most weeks require you to read 60 + pages. Each night, after you read, you will need to **write a 5 sentence paragraph about what happened in each section** You need to **post this on Google docs at the beginning of the next class; you can do this from home or quickly at the beginning of class.** Don't forget to include your name. Also, you should **preview the discussion questions and assignments for each time period/chapter before you read.**


 * 2. Vocabulary for __Ship Breaker__. Look at the vocabulary acquisition page on this wiki and follow the directions. Remember to use kids' Yahoo dictionary for your definitions. ON the weeks that you only have a few words, remember that some of the words that are not bolded will be included. I will tell you what they are when you reach the week(s) of reduced words.**

Ch. 1-3**: clambered**, **rivulets**, relish, **desiccated**, **rendering**, **cant,** quota, duct broker Ch. 4-6: **shiv, gingerly**, club foot, **dousing, implacable, maelstrom, skiff, limestone** Ch. 7-9: **rational, kudzu, assayers, promontory, spit, undulated, hydraulics, pontoons,** monoliths, **sibilants, squeamish,** swank Ch. 10-12: **salvation**, nonchalance, **enunciating** Ch. 13-16: **devotional sacrifice, manacle, abusive authority, novices, feint,** Ch. 17-20: **militias, metropolitan, Creole, pylons, affiliations, roiled, undeterred, usurper, patron, testy, reverie** Ch. 21-25: **goading, quarry, gossamer, monofilament, inanely, vortex**
 * Week One:**
 * Week Two:**
 * Week Three:**
 * zero-sum calculations, impassively, allegiance, encroached, retribution, speculatively**
 * Week Four:**
 * Week Five:**


 * 3. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: You are expected to discuss the book, and you will need to post responses to your group's posts. Using Google docs,** talk about the following **using examples from the book in complete sentences using correct punctuation and capitalization:**


 * Week One:**

Ch. 1-3: 1. How does the author begin to create his world? 2. How does he build suspense? 3. Tell, in detail about a time in which you felt very afraid, or ask someone close to you about his/her fear story and write it down. Ch. 4-6: 1.The author creates contrasts. In this dystopia, there is utopia. Describe these elements fully. 2. Discuss the term "fate". Is it a religion? Dumb luck? Does your opinion agree with Sadna's or Nailer's? 3. What is your favorite part of the storm? Why did you choose this? 4. How are you going to help the group study for the vocabulary test on Monday?

Ch. 7-9: 1. Paolo mentions the old wrecks that the Bright Sands Beach kids scavenge as those from the Accelerated Age, meaning our time. Why would he use this term? 2. Why did the author pick the term "clipper ship" for his swank vessel? Look up clipper ships, tell what they were like, and describe the differences between them and Paolo's ships. Ch. 10-12: 1. How does Lucky Girl "get with the program"? What type of person is she? 2. Particularly in Ch. 12, there are many references to blood. What meaning do you think it has in this culture? Use examples. 3. How will you help the group study for the vocabulary test on Monday?
 * Week Two**:

Ch. 13-16: 1. Tool is an interesting character. Discuss his looks, personality, actions, and how he might fit into the story. 2. How are the Swanks and the Rust Rats the same? Reread pp 168-173; what is your opinion of this piece of writing? Use examples. 3. At the end of Ch. 14, Tool says, "Killing in one place is the same as killing in another; it makes no difference." Do you agree or disagree with this statement? 4. What is your opinion about the meaning of fate now? Has it changed? 5. What are some things Nita has to teach Nailer as the setting changes? Be careful not to be too narrow in your discussion. 5. How will you help the group study for the vocabulary test on Monday?
 * Week Three:**

Ch. 17-20: 1. On p. 207, Tool says, "The poor will lead us." Then he says, "Spending money on the poor is like throwing money into a fire. They'll just consume it and never thank you." How are the poor leading in Orleans? Do you think the second statement is true in this world (use examples), as well as our own? 2. Find a descriptive part (apiece), post the page and which paragraph(s), each person read it, then discuss how it makes the setting or experience come alive. 3. What does the industry seem to be in Orleans? What has happened to the world that there is such a contrast between what laborers are doing and the beauty, design, and futuristic quality of the clippers? 4. Watch this video. http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/11/22/us/1247465783406/toxic-waters-polluted-harbors.html. After viewing the video, find out and post what you learn about Oregon's ocean/harbor pollution problems. Compare them to the water Nailer, Tool and Nita are encountering.
 * Week Four:**

Ch. 21-25: 1. Sadna opens the last chapter of the book by reminding Nailer that “killing always costs.” Elaborate on this quote for characters such as Nailer, Sloth, Richard Lopez, Sadna, Lucky Strike, and Tool. 2. Complete the "After Reading" assignment above. Discuss whether or not your opinions have changed. 3. Discuss how Nailer and Nita have changed over the course of the book. 4. Discuss what you think may happen to Nailer, Pima, and Sadna in the future. 5. Are you satisfied with the ending? What alternatives might Paolo have considered? 6. As a group, pick one of the statements in the "before reading/after reading table above that you think is interesting and discuss this as it relates to the book and to real life in the "here and now".
 * Week Five:**


 * 4. Essay posts once a week by the group (no less than 250, no more than 350 words; pack it with good stuff):**


 * Week One:**
 * Central to establishing the setting for the story is some speculation about the effects of climate change on sea levels and weather events. Research some of the data on the potential effects of polar melt and rising seas. How might modern coastlines be altered by such an event? What coastal cities might face the fate of Orleans? Start your research by reading the following: http://green.yahoo.com/blog/greenpicks/116/could-it-happen-again.html
 * Week Two:**
 * What are Nailer's and Pima's beliefs? How do they compare to and contrast with Richard's, with Lucky Strike's? Specifically where in the world today might we have a belief system similar to that of the Bright Sand Beach culture? What conditions cause it to happen?
 * Week Three:**
 * Go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_sands#Production. Describe tar sand production and its environmental impacts IN YOUR OWN WORDS. At the present time, it's not illegal. How might it be related to "drowned cities" and "drought", as Nita states?
 * Week Four:**
 * Tool is an anomaly (look this word up). He is a half-man who does not seem to behave as he was designed. In your first paragraph, describe what he was designed for and how his genes may have been manipulated to create the person that he is. Read about gene splicing at this website: http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/gen-engr.html by scrolling down to the part headed Gene Splicing: Scientific Benefits and Concerns and Gene Splicing: Ethical and Legal Concerns. Then continue your essay as an opinion piece about gene splicing. Is this science "good" or "bad"?
 * Week Five:**
 * Using the phrase, “In this story, loyalty means…”, discuss the issue of loyalty in //Ship Breaker//. Explain your definition(s) using examples from the novel.


 * Week 6:** Read, summarize and discuss the following article: http://archives.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/08/23/green.century.mass.extinction/index.html as it relates to __Ship Breaker__.


 * FINAL PROJECT: Individual**

//Ship Breaker// moves at a rapid pace, with the flow and intensity of an action movie or video game. Imagine the book as a game or movie and create an original playlist of songs for 12 scenes in the novel. The music you select should incorporate both the intensity and the action of the scene, be it thrilling, fearful, mournful, or elated. Create original art for the case, including appropriate artist information, a summary of the scene, and why you selected each song. List the page numbers on which the scenes occur. You should have 12 song clips of various lengths. Burn your CD and put it in the case.


 * FINAL REFLECTION: Individual** open book.
 * Some novels are character-driven, meaning that characters' thoughts, observations, emotions drive the story. Some novels are plot-driven, meaning the emphasis is on action that seems out of the characters' control. Sci-fi can also be setting-driven, meaning the setting affects plot and characters.
 * Create a pie graph in which you decide what percent of //Ship Breaker// is plot driven, what is character-driven, what percent plot-driven, and what percent is setting-driven.
 * THEN write a one-page five paragraph essay in which the body paragraphs are an analysis of each of the types and why you gave them their percentages with examples from the text. Twelve point, Times New Roman, single spaced.


 * During week 6-7:** Create a monument to the real and fictional ship breakers using recycled metal and plastic material. You must write an artist's statement about sculpture. You can "weld" pieces together using JB Weld. Consider sending this piece to Paolo or taking a picture and emailing it to him with a short note.