Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Week 3 Discussion Question - Wyman

In the section "Once There Was..." Kek is feeling many things about attending school. He is excited because "to go to school and learn is a fine honor." But he is also worried because "I don't know so many things. I don't even know what I don't know!" What from this section helps us understand why Kek thinks school is such a 'fine honor?' Do we feel the same way about school in the U.S., why or why not? What does Kek mean by 'I don't even know what I don't know!'? Make sure to use details from the story to support you answer. Really explain what you think. 

Make sure to write in complete sentences and use details from the story to support your answers. Type this in your 'blogging doc' first so you can make corrections if necessary. Make sure to edit and revise your answer before you post it.

22 comments:

  1. Some things from this section that help us understand why Kek thinks school is a “fine honor” is that in the camp, they told stories at school, and everyone likes stories. In other places in América, people don’t tell stories to their neighbors and friends that much, so maybe he’s honored to be able to hear those stories. In the U.S., I don’t think we feel honored to go to school because most kids don’t even like school. In Sudan, people are grateful for what they have. In América, we are spoiled so we don’t learn that life lesson as a kid. I think what Kek means by “I don’t know what I don’t know” is that he doesn’t know what he has to learn. I don’t know a lot of what I have to learn. No one does!

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    1. Sierra, I didn’t think that he meant it is a fine honor because he thought they would tell good stories, I think that he said it was a great honor because in sudan it is hard to get an education. What did you mean by “Kek thinks school is a “fine honor” is that in the camp, they told stories at school, and everyone likes stories. In other places in América, people don’t tell stories to their neighbors and friends that much, so maybe he’s honored to be able to hear those stories?”

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    2. I don’t understand why it’s a fine honor to NOT be told stories Kek loves the stories told at the camp.

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    3. Sierra I agree that Kek is honored to go to school in America because in Sudan the appreciate what they have so it’s like Kek is still in Sudan because he appreciates what he has so he is excited to go to school in America. I also agree when you said that people in the U.S don’t really enjoy school because we can buy things that people in Sudan can’t so we don’t always appreciate the things we have but since Kek is from Sudan he does appreciate what he has because he didn’t have the same things in America.

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  2. Kek means when he says “School is such a fine honer” is that he is grateful to go to school in America, because when he says “ On good days the teacher might arrive with a piece of chalk and maybe even a book” infers to us that people in Sudan don’t have good education, and they don’t have as much as we have. He thinks that it is a “fine honer” that he is able to go to school everyday in America. We do not think that it is a fine honer here because we have everything you need for school here, no matter what their is a teacher here in the U.S a substitute or the real hired teacher, everyday. Kek means when he says “I don’t even know what I don’t know” means that he really didn’t get a good education like we do in the U.S, since he didn't go to school a lot in Sudan so he “doesn't know what he doesn’t know, like he probably does not know math because he doesn’t even know what it is .

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    1. I liked how you used specific examples to support you thinking. I didn’t agree at first but know that you got all you're thinking out I do agree. Nice length. I love you're thinking.

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    2. Lindsey, I think that you did a great job pulling out text to support your answer. And I agree with you that we wouldn’t feel the same way about school because everyone goes and it is a normal thing in the U.S.

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    3. I like your ideas about what "I don't know what I don't know," and it's kind of like Isaac Newton couldn't do calculus because he didn't invent it, right? But when you said “ 'On good days the teacher might arrive with a piece of chalk and maybe even a book' infers to us that people in Sudan don’t have good education, " I thought that they only had school in the camp, and the text doesn't even say if they had school in Sudan.

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    4. Lindsey your response is perfect because you put a lot of detail. I agree that school in a “fine honor” for Kek because the teacher in Sudan comes into the class with a piece of chalk and a maybe even a book and teachers in America comes into the class with bag instead of just one piece of chalk so it shows to use that Kek is happy that he can go to a school with a lot of education so then he knows more.

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  3. Kek might think that school is a fine honor because it might have been hard to get an education in Sudan because everyone had a job to do. Things are tough in Africa and everyone had to do something to survive. And to go to school with all of these other people is a huge honor for a little African boy. We probably wouldn't feel the same way about school because everyone goes to school and mainly we don’t want to learn we just want to sleep in and watch tv all day. And Kek is used to all kinds of responsibility so he wants to know things for the future. I think that Kek said I don’t know what I don’t know because he was just really excited, like lots of people when they get excited they say weird things. That is what I think about Kek.

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    1. James, I'm not sure they even had school to go to in Sudan. But when you said that going to school with all these Americans would be an honor for Kek, I thought that since Kek doesn't even like Americans, how would that make it a great honor to be with a hundred every day not understanding half of what they said. That part's a little confusing. I also don't get how Kek being used to responsibility goes with Kek wanting to know things in the future. I also don't get why Kek would be excited for a totally different way of living, and if he is excited, if he's going to stay excited. I wonder.

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    2. Good Job thinking outside of the box. Saying that everyone had a job to do. I disagree some day they did and some day they didn't have a job.

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    3. James, I love your thinking and great thoughts. I so agree that school is not that much of a fine honer here, because we go to school everyday, and some people don’t even like school so they might think it is not such a fine honer.

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    4. James your explanation is good and detailed. I agree with this it is probably hard to get the education in Sudan because maybe the teachers in Sudan don’t have a lot of things to teach the children and he or she can’t teach them a lot of new things. That part is good too because most of us will want to sleep and watch tv but Kek doesn’t want to because in Sudan they don’t get over flowed with info but in America we do get filled with info and we get really tired of it.

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  4. What helps us understand why Kek thinks school is a fine honor is because on pg. 17 when Kek first meets Hannah he will know that Hannah is a really nice girl and Kek will always see her outside because they are in the same grade and they go outside at the same time. Kek’s school in Sudan looks way different than the one in the U.S because the one in sudan looks way different by the size of it since they have less money the have to make smaller schools and America has more money so they can make schools bigger that is why Kek says school is a fine honor . We don’t think school is a fine honor because we have already experienced what school is like in the U.S. but since Kek had just move here he doesn’t know what the schools are like in the U.S. I think Kek says school is a fine honor because he saw Hannah and he thinks that Hannah will be that person that is always there for him because she introduced her to him so nicely.l What Kek means by 'I don't even know what I don't know!' is that when he was in Sudan he knew what he learned and everything was different because in Sudan they don’t teach the same way or they don’t teach the same things that other schools teach. So he doesn’t know what he will be struggling with and what he isn’t struggling with.

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    1. WOW Meg!!!!!! Awesome length I loved how you used page numbers. You are blowing me away!!! Amazing thinking.

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    2. I don't know how Kek knows Hannah is in his same grade. Did you read a part that I accidentally skipped? I didn't see that there was a school in Sudan.

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    3. Megan, I think that you did a great job comparing Kek’s old school to his new one. And I liked how you added Hannah into your writing.

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  5. Something from the section “Once there was…”that helps us understand why Kek thinks school is such a fine honer is because back in Sudan he had a camp, that had a teacher, that sometimes would show up, and sometimes wouldn’t show up. He thinks this school in Minnesota is such an honor because every day the teacher shows up.Also, he would have his own school books and properties such as a desk. What Kek means by “I don’t even know what I don’t know” is that sometimes you think you don’t know something when you really do. Like for example Kek might know math but he doesn’t know math exists. Yes we do feel the same way about school in America just not every day. Sometimes we don’t know if we know stuff either. Like today in writing I thought I had know idea what Ms.Wyman was talking about but as soon as I started to learn more I was like oh yay I remember.

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    1. Morgan, I'm not sure the camp was in Sudan. I'm not sure the book even says. I think the camp was somewhere in America before he could go with Dave. When you said "What Kek means by “I don’t even know what I don’t know” is that sometimes you think you don’t know something when you really do. Like for example Kek might know math but he doesn't know math exists," I noticed that he doesn't know what math is, so he doesn't "really know" math. In my post, I didn't realize that we feel the same way that we don't know what we don't know, great thinking. I like your examples.

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  6. Morgan wonderful thoughts about Kek and what you think about this question, nice deep thoughts on what you think it made me think a little more, but I am still stumped on this part, when you said that “Yes we do feel the same way about school in America just not every day. Sometimes we don’t know if we know stuff either. Like today in writing I thought I had know idea what Ms.Wyman was talking about but as soon as I started to learn more I was like oh yay I remember.” I am a little bit confused on how you thought of this. By the way I would like to know more of your thoughts on why we feel the same sometimes about school being a fine honer because I don’t think so, and if you tell a little more i might be persuaded.

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  7. I think that some things help us to understand why Kek thinks that school is a fine honor. The story said that at the camp the people people did not have a teacher a lot, I think that is one of the reasons Kek thinks school is such an honor. I think that some people in the U.S. feel the same way because some people cant afford to go to school or they have to stay home a lot to help their parents. I think that what Kek means by saying "I dont even know what I dont know" is that he is saying that he dose not know what there is to learn about America.

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