Welcome back to school. As you know, this blog is a place where we will share ideas and I will provide an overview each day of what we do in class and list what the homework is. I hope you all have a great year, and let me know if I can ever help you out.
Freshmen: Today we did a few things to introduce the course. We also read and discussed a poem. Your homework tonight is to have your parents read and sign the disclosure (due tomorrow), read for 20 minutes, and to post a comment on this blog post that answers the following prompt: Which of the two summer read books (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime or Unwind) did you like best, and why? Please write at least a paragraph, respond to others' ideas as appropriate, and sign in using your first name and last initial. Thanks.
Sophomores: Today we got an introductory overview of the course. Your homework tonight is to have your parents read and sign the disclosure (due tomorrow) and to find, read, and print a creation myth from another culture and bring it to class tomorrow as we examine the common traits these stories share and the implications of those commonalities. The introduction to the Tao te Ching is due on the block day this week and we will have a quiz. If you wish to take notes, you can, and use them (up to a page) on the quiz.
CNF: Today we got an introductory overview of the course, and the primary theme which revolves around making decisions. Your homework tonight is to have your parents read and sign the disclosure (due tomorrow), and to post a comment on today's blog that answers the following prompt: Which is better, intuitive, snap decisions, or methodically made data-driven decisions? Write at least a paragraph, respond to others' ideas as appropriate, and sign in using your first name and last initial. Thanks.
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62 comments:
Generally, I think decisions made after taking time to think them through are the most positive. As you give yourself time to think about and process the situation at hand, you explore more aspects and factors of the decision being made, hence understanding it more. This way, you'll most likely end up a lot more confident in your final decision. The time spent in the decision process can also be measured in the serious of the situation. Though trusting your first gut response can be beneficial at times, when dealing with a serious decision, you should take the time to think it though.
-Erin S, period 6
My favorite book was Unwind, because I felt like I could connect with the main characters more than I could connect with Christopher, the main character from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I found Christopher's narration hard to follow and I didn't understand his reasoning for some of the things he did. In Unwind, I could relate to the main characters and I felt more emotion from their narration.
-Ellie H. Period 5
I liked Unwind more than The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time mainly because I am a fan of Si-Fi novels, rather than novels based off of or emulating real life. I also found that the story was more intriguing in Unwind and captivated me more.
Hugh M. 9th grade
Emily DeCarolis
I think the best decisions are made after you have talked to people and really thought about all aspects if the decision. You need to look at the pros and cons of the decision and get some other opinions. Making a decision without consulting other people and thinking everything through is not the best idea because you could potentially get yourself into a bad sitiation. Overall, you just need to think everything through before you do it so that you don't end up in a sticky situation.
I agree with you Erin especially the things about serious decisions. If you don't think something serious through, then there might be a really terrible outcome.
My favorite book was Unwind because the story didn't jump around as much like'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I liked Unwind a lot more because for me I thought the book basically meant: make your decisions wisely, look at all the pros and cons of your decision because the wrong/bad decision can lead to regret.
-Reyna L. period 5
The two books, that were chosen, for the freshman summer reading were both great books, but overall, I liked "Unwind" better than "The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night".
The storyline, of The Dog In The Night, became a bit dry after awhile, and the day to day problems Christopher encountered, were difficult for me to connect with. The one aspect of the book, that pushed me away, was that the problem at the beginning of the book was just made worse as the book progressed.
The reason I enjoyed Unwind; even though it was a bit unrealistic at times, was because it had an understandable story line throughout the book, and I thought the way the characters handled the problems, though out the book, were very clever and entertaining. I also enjoyed Unwind, because it reflected on modern day human rights issues, which are always present in the world today.
-Mason McGowan 9th Grade (Period 5)
I think the methodical-made, data analysis decisions are fine, but the snap-decisions are better because it takes less time to go with what you feel is right, than to take time to analyze. This also really depends on the length of time given to make a decision. For example, if you have a longer span of time to make a decision, then you can take time to think hard about your answer instead of just going with your gut feeling.
My personal opinion would be going with intuitive snap decisions mostly because in every situation I have been in I usually go with my gut feeling on things and feel rather successful. I believe you are following your gut then usually it is for a valid reason which we cannot explain. I mean why else would you get that sudden urge or feeling? However it is usually a justified reason you went with your gut. I also believe if you research too much you will end up wasting time and missing opportunities. It puts you on a good path but just how long will it take until you can find the right answer?
-Angelina T. Period 6
I, for one, believe that intuition is a beautiful thing. I have read excerpts of Blink and have seen for myself the point that Gladwell makes. Through examples, he iterates that snap are, if not more, than just as effective as long, thought out decisions. I completely agree and think it's pretty awesome. However, though i'm not disagreeing with Gladwell, i also believe that this is very case sensitive. Sometimes it can be fairly inappropriate to jump to a conclusion or make a 'quick draw' decision. I know that i'm kind of sitting on the fence for this one, but hey there's a time and place for both kinds of decisions.
- Gabe R.
Victoria Puhl
period 5
my favorite book from summer reading was "Unwind". I liked this book better than "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" because it got really action filled really fast. What I really enjoyed from "Unwind" was that there were many different stories, or perspectives, from all the characters and how they all met up at the end. But again I also enjoyed "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" was how smart Christopher was and what was going on in his mind.
My favorite book from summer reading was unwind. I could understand Unwind more than I could the Curious Incident of the dog in the Night-time. Unwind was a lot more interesting and it was different from a lot of book I have read before.
-Mikayla.H Period 5
I enjoyed "Unwind" more than "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time", because of the characters, immersion, and plot. The characters in "Unwind" were very interesting and I connected with them very well. However, I was not very connected to Christopher from "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time". "Unwind" also immersed me more emotionally, and the plot of "Unwind" was much more exciting and interesting.
- Zachary S. Period 5
My favorite summer reading book was "Unwind" by Neal Shusterman. I enjoyed the book because I could connect to many of the main characters, such as Lev. I connected to Lev because he came from a religious family that decided in which direction he life was going to be lived, such as being a tithe. I connected to that because I come from a religious family and sometimes they decide things for me to do that they is religious. Another thing I enjoyed about the book was setting, which was after world war 2. Even though the story is fiction, I felt like the setting gave it a real kind of feel. I
also enjoyed the "Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-time" by Mark Haddon, but at times the plot of the
story didn't make sense to me, so I enjoyed "Unwind" better.
-Aluwet D. 5 period
My favorite book was Unwind because it talked about some tips to survival whether it was on your own or as a group. I really didn't like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time because I don't like stories about the "real life". Also I agree with Reyna on how that book just skipped around most of the time. I liked all of the major decisions in Unwind and their consequences, if made wrong. The characters were so much better in Unwind because I connected with them more.
-Albert S. Period 5
Methodically thought out decisions tend to have better outcomes than snappy intuitive decisions. Snap decisions are rash and don't take future factors into account. No information is researched either in snap decisions. Methodical decisions take everything into consideration like future factors, the pros, and the cons. I feel that methodical decisions are just all in all better than snap decisions.
I personally would prefer to make methodical and data driven decisions, but i dont always have the tie for that. Those types of decisions are better not only because you can realize all of the potential consequences, but because you can have more time and not be so caught up in the moment. A lot of the time when people make snap decisions it is because they are scared or upset, and they dont always do the best thing, they just do what they think will help them sooner. I am a person who doesn't mind looking over a list that tells me what benefits and consequences can come from each option, lists make things easy because everything is sorted out and you can see where there is more data against one side or the other.
Sierra H. Period 6
I believe that snap decisions are more effective than meticulous ones. Meticulously thought out decisions seem to make you think too much, over thinking what seem to be simple answers when you make snap decisions. Although meticulous decisions look over data and other resources, gut-feelings seem to always be correct. Also, many people do not have the time to think about these things before an answer is required from them.
Kalia W. Period 6
In my opinion going with your gut/snap decisions is a better way of making decisions. In personal experiences the outcome of snap decisions has always been better than methodically thinking out a decision. The problem with methodically thinking out problems is that it becomes easy to over think, which causes you to change your mind a lot adding stress which then negatively affects your thought process. Making snap decisions is quick, less stressful, and much easier.
Paul T. Period 6
Out of the two books that I read I liked "Unwind" by Neal Shusterman the most. The reason I liked Unwind more than The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is because I felt that young readers such as myself could relate to Unwind more. Although The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time was a great book, I found it hard to keep focused with the excessive amount of detail that Christopher gave. Unwind was much easier to follow along and had a more gripping storyline.
-Marcus Corbett 9th Grade
27I personally enjoyed Unwind more because it was a very interesting book. The narration in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was hard to follow. Also, Unwind is one of those books that catches your interest from the first few pages. It starts out interesting and is interesting through out the entire book. I love books like that.
Myranda A. Period 5.
My favorite book from the summer was The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime. I consider this book to be one of the best i have ever read. I really enjoyed it because I found the perspective from which it was written very interesting, as it was new and different to me. I also liked the fact how the book was not simply about an Autistic boy going through his life, trying to solve the mystery of how the dog was killed, while he wrote a story about it. The book itself was written fictitiously by Christopher and provided me with a new perspective that I am not used to reading. Another reason this was my favorite, was because I really disliked the other book, Unwind. The book was exquisitely written, but I did not get into the storyline and I felt niehter empathy nor any sympathy for the characters. I thought the whole idea of it was very strange, inhumane, and frightening. But then again, that is why the main characters were trying to escape their horrible fates of being unwound.
-Abbi M. Period 5
I think that decisions that take I longer time are better. Human instinct or your gut feeling isn't always wrong, but you have to look at it like this do you have complete faith in yourself and this decision. I personally like my decisions to be well thought out and researched. Especially in a situation like Mr. Baird had with his daughter. I don't have enough faith in myself to make a decision like that right away.
Brendan J. Per. 6
Generally, I think that both snap like decisions and well thought out decisions are essential to come to a good conclusion. I feel like it is good to do all your research and know what could happen. Wether its what you want or not. It is important to know your risks for your reward. I also feel like going with a "gut feeling" is very important as well because when you are doing this you aren't questioning yourself. You are most likely going with what you feel like is right. Sometimes that is better than stressing over it and trying to get all the information you can possibly find on it. Overall you are the one that has to live with the decision you make.
- Max B. Period 6
I agree with what Angelina. I believe that the best decisions are snap decisions because going with your gut usually leads to the better outcome. Second guessing yourself is not a good way to make decisions. Andrew O, Period 6
My favorite book was The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night time. I really enjoyed it because the whole story i was questioning what i would have done compared to him. i think its strange how different Christopher's mind is compared to mine which the main reason is, because he is autistic. I also have a brother that is autistic and when I read this book it makes me think of him and what he goes through every day, even if his and Christopher's situation is different. I really enjoyed the book and felt connected the whole time.
-Sam L. Period 5
Decision making, for me, takes time. Research needs to be done before a decision can be reached. Sometimes snap decisions are made without knowing all the information and that can cause the problems. A good decision is based off a lot of research and deep thought. Even though sometimes a gut decision can be correct, most of the time doing the research can help even more. It's better to be safe rather than sorry.
-Nikki J. Per 6
I agree with Max B.'s idea on knowing the risks for a reward. It goes back to what I was saying about doing your research to be safe.
-Nikki J. Per 6
Honestly, I prefer snap decisions. They may be quick, but that doesn't mean that they're not rational. They use logic, reasoning, and morality to draw a reasonable, personal conclusion.
If you wait and try to plan, others could influence one's opinion and ultimately affect their choice, even if it's the wrong one. Life is fast moving and spontaneous, and it's something we have to keep up with.
In my opinion I think that methodically made data-based decisions are the best decisions. Decisions based on data are better because you can have a reference for your situation to others in a similar situation and see if the decision that they made resulted in a positive or negative outcome. Also when you are well educated on and have thought deeply of your situation then you are likely to have the outcome that you want.
-Tank S, period 8
I agree with Erin S. I think that when you are patient and have time to think about a decision then the result will usually be positive.
-Tank S, Period 8
I believe when you base your decision on research and data you can feel more confidence that your choice is the correct one. Snap choices might be altered by a mood or the way you are feeling, this could damage your judgement and could hurt your decision in the long run. Following your 'gut feeling' might be good in smaller situations but if we are talking about large decisions it is always good to have strong background knowledge.
-Adams F. Period 6
I liked Unwind best because i couldn't stop reading it. The reason why i couldn't stop reading it was because the book kept surprising me with more and more interesting events! I liked the book too because it was adventurous and intense and complicated.
I loved the characters because they were my age and going through life threatening lives... something teenagers in our world would never have to experience. I liked it enough that i would read another book from that author!!
The reason why i wasn't into The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-time was because it was hard for me to connect with a boy who is Autistic. It felt confusing and sometimes boring because Christopher would have to explain every single thing of what he was doing and thinking.
Marren s.
period 5
8/20/13
My favorite book was The curious incident of the dog in the night-time because I thought it had a deeper and more interesting moral rather than Unwind. I also connect to the character in Curious Incident since I like math and not always the best in social interactions with others. My favorite line is "People like to think that their brains are special, different from computers, which they are not". In a way, Christopher is right, we aren't that much different from computers, we store data and communicate with different parts of our brain in electronic signals. Things like that let me connect more with the Curious incident, math and science, being things people said you never could.
Tommy K
August 20th 2013
Period 5
Out of the two books we read for summer reading, I preferred Unwind. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time started to bore me after the first couple of chapters. For example, the plot had the climax close to the end, so I found it hard to be very intrigued up until that point. With Unwind, their was a clear problem right off the bat, and almost all parts were equally exciting and interesting. That is why I enjoyed Unwind more so the The Curious Incident.
-Mae R. Period 5
I personally enjoyed Unwind better beacause I could connect more with the characters and it was much easier to follow than The Curious Incident. I felt like it was hard to follow beacuse Christopher thinks so much differntly than I do so I couldn't connect with him. I found the book Unwind intriuing because it always kept me on my feet about what was going to happen next.
-Anna L. Period 5
Decisions are always hard. You need to attempt to balance the action with its consequences. When going through the decision making process, I believe snap-decisions are the best choice. This is because we will be forced to take responsibility for the outcome. I agree with Matt S. though, decisions and the way we go about them always depend on the amount of time we are given and the situation we are dealing with.
-Lizzie L. period 6
I enjoyed Unwind more than the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime for several reasons. First, Unwind had a unique plot that really made me think about how I would react if I were put into the high pressure, fugitive-style scenarios written about in the book. Second, the characters of the story each displayed a quality that I can recognize in myself: Connor represented instinctive reactions, Risa advocated logic and level headedness, Lev showed constantly changing emotional turmoil, and Roland represented competition and rivalry. These qualities made the characters easier to understand and relate to. Also, the plot of Unwind was full of action and fun to read. While the Curious Incident was a good story, the way Christopher's qualities were revealed to the reader through the grammar of the book made the plot hard to understand. The constant digressions also drew me away from the true message of the story. Altogether, Unwind was a more enjoyable read for me.
Will R. Period 5
I personally enjoyed reading "Unwind" more than "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime." This is because I could picture the situations and connect to the characters in "Unwind." I agree with Ellie Harmston, in "The curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime", it was difficult to understand Christopher at times. I wasn't always sure what his thought process was. It made the book harder to read when Christopher would stray from the topic at hand. However, in "Unwind", the characters were easy to relate to and were more simple to understand. I also felt that the book had a more interesting topic, this made me want to keep reading the book much more. The events in Unwind were also unique. This helped me remember specific details instead of only the moral of the story.
My favorite book out of the two summer reading books was Unwind. Like Ellie Harmston said I thought I could relate to Risa, and Connor throughout the book. I think because we are teenagers it was easy for us to relate to them because they had similar emotions, and feelings. I felt that it was a lot more difficult to relate to Christopher because of his mental disability. Because of that he couldn't relate to me as much because he had a different look on a lot of things. I also liked the book Unwind because it had a very interesting plot and story.
Between snap and methodical decision making I generally tend to side with methodical. I choose this primarily because you have time to think about the pros, cons, and general outcome. With evidence to back your decisions and time spent thinking about the negative and positive, you will not second guess yourself. Like Erin S. said, you will be a lot more confident in your final decision.
-Sarah Beth A.
Jack Boomer
I liked Unwind better because it wasn not a struggle to read. When reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, I could never read more than twenty pages at a time because the narrator's thought process was all over the place. One minute he says he hit a cop, the next he is listing every prime number up to God knows what. If Siobhan really helped him write the book, you think would have at least organized his thoughts. On the other hand, Unwind was very good.
In most cases, snap decisions are much better than meticulous ones. Gut feelings rely on experience rather than data and facts, allowing us to tell which is the right choice by instinct. It is that knowing feeling that humans have learned to rely on. When analyzing data in a meticulous fashion, one can over-think a situation that may have been simple beforehand. I am not saying that snap decisions are reliable every time you have to make a serious choice, but that they are good to use when you have a short amount of time to consider the options.
- Kendall T. Period 6
From my own experiences, I would most definitely rely on an intuitive snap decision. I strongly believe that going with your instinct, is one of the most trust worthy paths you can follow. Personally, I feel methodical decisions bring too much stress and anxiety upon yourself. Often, too many people start second guessing themselves because they're constantly analyzing the situation. Go with what you feel, not with what you know. Pricilla F. Period 6
Humans as a species are nothing more than highly communicative animals. All animals have been hard wired to make decisions based on their instincts or "gut-feelings" that are best suited for the future of that organism. Therefore I believe that the instinctive and snap decisions are those that are most beneficial. Through this logic I also believe that even if one were to do extensive research and analyzing people will come to the same conclusion and decision as they would have if they had simple gone with instinct. Most importantly these decisions are better because if something does go wrong I am always able to say that I didn't have enough information and wasn't properly informed when I made my decision.
I find that decisions can either make or brake your life. I believe if you take the time to think about all aspects of situation you will decide to take the best possible action. Don't get me wrong a gut- feeling can sometimes be right but others it can back to hurt you. The more you know the better the chances of a good outcome.
-Laurel H.
In general snap decisions or gut decisions lead to successful decision making. As Nick P. said humans are members of the animal kingdom and have a set of survival instincts that protect from harm. Not all decisions are life or death, but gut feelings tend to be beneficial as these instincts help lead decisions that are most beneficial. Longer decision making processes can lead to confusion and seconding guessing, which makes decision making even more difficult than it needs to be.
I believe that snap decisions are the best way to deal with big situations. When you focus on a certain subject for a long period of time you allow yourself, as well as others to alter your own personal beliefs, perhaps without realizing it. You can let biases of writers get in the way, for example, if you were to research the topic. Making a decision right in that moment, you should be aware of your best interest already.
Delaney B. Period 6
I hope it's not to late for me to put my opinion... I liked both books the same, to me they were both interesting. They both very interesting characters to me. I have read the second book in the unwind series already, Unwholly.
My favorite book was the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. At fist I thought it was weird but later on it was cool to kinda feel how kids with disability feel. When Christopher went to the train station I actually felt nervous for him and could feel his pain. The book turned out to be very interesting and I think it was different and interesting.
Isa B. Period 5
I believe that having a taking time to gather information and learning about the situation. For example what are possible outcomes of this situation are the good or bad. Talking to people who had the same experience. Then planning to see to be ready for any outcome of either situation so you know what to do when one or the other of the outcomes happens.
Roberto p. period 6
I believe that decisions that have been thought about and researched are better than quick or snap decisions. While I do believe it is important to pay attention to your initial feeling, it's not something that you should trust completely. While that decision tends to be correct, it not always is. You should do some research about your first decision and see where that puts you, but don't make the most important decision of your life completely based on your snap decision.
-Mary M
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