Post #10: A good guy doing good stuff (due April 12)

Not going to lie, I was thrilled to see this piece in the NYTimes about Sean Doolittle, a pitcher from the A's. He's the kind of player who can safely go to the grocery store, live his life in relative obscurity, and otherwise enjoy some moderate fame but nothing too wild. So here he is in the pages of the Sunday Times, and I think it's a good read. What are you thoughts? You know you want to connect this to the American Dream and masculinity and hero worship ... or you can just read and respond. Like I said, I'm just pumped to see Doolittle in a national paper.

Day 22: Workshopping the rough draft

Revision work .... fill out handout and get into groups. Once group work is done I'd like to check in with everyone.

Group 1: Andres, Tabby, Will
Group 2: Evan, Brodie, Connor M
Group 3: Elizabeth, Connor S, Sammy
Group 4: Lacy, Ian, Kiki
Group 5: Jonathan, Kraz, Gabe
Group 6: Seiichiro, Sofia, Jack

Post #9: Questions for Chris Ballard (due March 20)

Seeing as Chris will be with us for class on Thursday March 24, I'd love to generate some questions to ask him. Please think about the style of questions we've worked on in class and write 4-5 questions for Chris. Pleas read the questions posted before you post so we avoid repeats.

Day 21: The outline ...

***Check in about senior project --> who is not doing one?***

***Review timeline of essay and in-class visitors.***

Outline work in groups

Writer

• What are you most proud of in this outline?
• What do you feel is lacking?
• List THREE specific areas in which you feel you need some help.
• Any other global questions you have for the reader?

Reader

• Review thesis statement for clarity and argumentation
• Are the topic sentences arguable, specific, and concise?
• Does the evidence SHOW the thesis/argument?
• Where and how does the author take steps beyond the obvious?
• What other global suggestions do you have for the writer?

Group 1: Jonathan, Will, Elizabeth 

Group 2: Lacy, Kraz, Seiichiro

Group 3: Tabby, Evan, Connor S

Group 4: Ian, Andres, Sofia

Group 5: Brodie, Connor M, Sammy

Group 6: Kiki, Gabe, Jack

Once your partner work is done, I would like to check in with students briefly. Then it's work time to flesh out the outline into your first rough draft.

Day 19: One Shot at Forever ... the end

Free writing
The focus of the second to last reading was the game against Lane Tech. Notice how much longer the description was and how much more detail there was about the game. Why was that game more important? Why did Ballard move quickly over the final game? What does this tell us about the point of this story?

OR

Steve Shartzer ... 217-220. What are we to take from Steve's experiences in life and with sport? Related to larger themes of Am Dream and the course.

OR

What did you think of the closing?
------------------------------

Brainstorm of major themes. With each idea give me one quote to support the idea. Craft an essay question related to theme.

Think about literary devices used in the story. Give example of each. Craft a essay question related to a literary device.

Other questions ...

Choosing your question and beginning to write ...

Post #8: The good old college try (due Mar 14)

A fun piece on the tradition of MLB teams playing college teams during spring training. I feel like this piece captures some of the magic, the dream the field can hold. What are your thoughts? Opinions? Responses? How does this piece play into any themes we've discussed thus far?

Giving it the Old College Try

Day 18: One Shot up to 203

Plot questions? Comments? Insights? How's the reading going?

Question generation for essays: Some practice
1. Questions on meaning (plot?)
2. Questions on purpose & audience (why?)
3. Questions on method and structure (how?)
4. Questions on language (tone, literary devices, style, characterization)

• Write one question for each category.
• Share w partner. Revise as needed.
• Gallery walk ... star three in each category you like.
• Put top questions on board & discuss.

Top questions generated in class

1. What is the role of women in the story and why?
2. How does the conflicting relationship between the town and Sweet change as the team succeeds? Why does this change come about and what is its significance?
3. What message should we draw from a story fueled by a desire to win but that ends in a loss? How do we reconcile the differences?
4. How did the reader's perspective of Macon change to reflect the team's success during the two seasons? (focus on how the reader only sees Macon through the lens of baseball)
5. What is the deeper meaning beneath the story?
6. Who is the intended audience?
7. What is the significance of the reader's perception of McClard and how does that shift over the course of the story?
8. How does the nature of Macon being a small town play into the American Dream?
9. How does the characterization of the conservative and the hippie reflect America at this time? (changing American identity?)
10. How does Sweet and McClard's relationship emphasize the social and political changes of the time?
11. Why does Ballard create so many one-sided characters and how does he use them to create a collective emotion?
12. How does the motif of father/son interactions teach us about the role of masculinity during the pursuit of the American Dream?
13. In what ways does Ballard's characterization make this a coming of age story?
14. How does the tone towards winning state develop throughout the book? Significance of this change?
15. How does the use of symbols help emphasize the David and Goliath like run of the Macon Ironmen?

Day 17: One Shot Up to 170

Writing

Lynn Sweet finally comes to see an Ironmen game. Ballard writes, "And yet, now the son was on the verge of doing something impressive. Not in teaching, or writing, or some other pursuit of the mind, but in athletics, a language his father was fluent in, even if he'd never been much of a baseball fan.

What other language are you fluent in? You can think about this language in terms of friends or family, but I want you to think about what this language affords you? With whom does it connect you? With whom does it disconnect you?

Chpt. 14 Question
1. Why does Ballard craft Shartzer and Sweet's stories in parallel? What impact does this have on the narrative? on the characterization of the men?

Larger questions on gender

Looking at the text thus far, how does the text deal with the themes of ...
1. Father/Son dynamics
2. Masculinity
3. Adolescent males

How do these themes manifest themselves in the text and what conclusions are we to draw from the text about each theme? Use text evidence to support your ideas.

Question generation for essays
Questions on meaning (plot?)
Questions on purpose & audience (why?)
Questions on method and structure (how?)
Questions on language (tone, literary devices, style, characterization)

Weekly Post #7: Mo'ne Davis ... a girl in baseball!! (Due March 6)

A great read about Mo'ne Davis, and another one about why she matters to girls in sport. While this story is a bit old, I think it's a great example of a change maker, a trendsetter. Do you think Mo'ne's performance is a sign of more girls and women playing baseball? Do you think this is just an anomaly? Share your thoughts.

I want to say that I recognize this might be a touchy subject. My intention is not pit people against each other or set someone up to say "women don't belong." I do think accessibility at early ages is hugely important for girls, and I think this is a complicated issue.

Day 16: One Shot up to 128

Some writing practice

1. What's one important symbol in the text so far and what does it represent?
2. How does Ballard create both realistic and mythical characters?
3. What role does masculinity and heroism play in achieving the American Dream in One Shot At Forever?
4. How does Ballard's style and structure create tension not only in the games but also within characters?

Step 1: write for 40 mins and craft a crisp, concise, and thesis driven paragraph that answers one of the questions.
Step 2: Find a partner and swap work.
Step 3: Make revision to thesis statement
Step 3: Put thesis statement on the board