Fall - Week 5 - Infinite in Love and Process Paper

Thank-you to all for your reverence at the temple. I loved being there with you, reflecting on how much I love you and how great it is to be living in these latter days with temples, prophets and revelation. Thank-you for the experiences some of you shared and the Spirit you brought with your testimonies. We did not have time to get to the discussion I wanted to have with you, but we will do that this next week, so review your notes before class.*

-If you haven't yet, email me (or post on the discussion blog) your final draft of your extended definition essay.

1. Why Read? (14:31)

2. Read Chapter 13 of The Infinite Atonement titled Infinite in Love by Elder Tad Callister. I hope connects some of what we have been discussing about the nature of happiness.

3. Read the following scriptures (with the "reaping happiness" theme in mind that we briefly discussed yesterday) to help you gain greater insight and get your creative juices going:
1 Nephi 8:10, 11:20-23
Alma 26:30, 35
Alma 32:28-43
Doctrine and Covenants 88:79-81; 97:7-9, 52:39
Galatians 5:22
Luke 6:43-45

4. Write: A Process Paper and email me your first draft by Thursday (the earlier in the week the better - the sooner I get it, the more time I have to really give thoughtful feedback). Topics might include “How to be Happy", "How to Live in the Manner of Happiness", "How to find Joy in Each Day" or whatever topic summarizes what you have learned through the term. I might suggest writing it in an organic way if you can, it tends to add depth - ask yourself questions such as: what seeds to we plant to reap happiness, what type of work does it take to nurture the plant, what are the fruits?  You have previously written about what happiness is, this paper is to tell the world how you can attain it. There are many people who are thirsty for some clarity on this. Think of them as you write. 

5. Keep tracking your goals and noticing what helps you accomplish them and what tactics Satan uses to keep you from accomplishing them. Each class, you will should a chance to share any war strategies that you find. We have not done this the last couple of classes so we will be sure to discuss it this week.

*Review some of your notes from last week's reading since we did not get a chance to discuss them very much last week.

**If you have time, start reading your biography. Almost all of you have let me know which biography you plan to read. If you have not done so, send an email this week with what you chose.

By the way, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU remembered to write a discussion question! Yay! Well done. And almost all of you remembered to write a quote with it as well. They were great questions and quotes and we will discuss them in more depth this next week.

 

Fall Week 4 - Maxwell, The Lantern Bearers and Ilyas

A Bull's Eye Lantern

 I hope everyone had a nice hike and gained some insight from other's perspectives. It is hard to discuss as you hike on a narrow trail, but most of you pulled it off really well and I was pleased to hear some of your deep insights and connections. I was impressed with the leadership skills of those of you who kept your group focused and talking about the questions and quotes.

This week, please find an autobiography or biography to read. I will ask you to have these read by week 7. You can start now if you would like. Let me know if you would like some suggestions. As you read, be looking at their choices, why they chose the way they did, and how their choices influenced their happiness. We will be sharing these stories and lessons with one another on week 7.

Essays often appeal to a person's reason (or logical thought) to help them come to some truth the writer wants him to understand. You saw this in Plutarch. Stevenson starts this essay with a story to appeal to a person's feelings about a truth he wants him to see. Which is more effective? Is one better than the other? Why?


Week 6 Inspirements: 
1. Watch: How to Read the Great Books Set (7 min)
2. Read The Pathway of Discipleship by Neal A Maxwell
3. Read: Ilyas by Leo Tolstoy and these excerpts from The Lantern Bearers by Robert Louis Stevenson. Look for happiness principles and underline them or jot them down. *This essay is also found on the Gateway to the Great Books set #10
4. Write your favorite quote AND a discussion question on the blog BY THURSDAY. Don't forget this step!
5. Keep tracking your goals and noticing what helps you accomplish them and what tactics Satan uses to keep you from accomplishing them. Each class, you will have a chance to share any war strategies that you find (we skipped this part yesterday so we'll be sure to do it this week).
6. Send me an email telling me which autobiography you have chosen and when you plan to start reading it. 

*Remember to bring your peer reviewed papers to class or to email them to those in your last group.  We will be encouraging you to post the final version on the discussion blog and invite parents and others to read them. It will be a great way for you to share your light. 

Fall - Week 3: Plutarch "On Contentment"

 I hope you all had a good time at our activity last night! Thank-you for being kind and respectful and for your willingness to always help clean up and serve. If anyone wants to borrow the CD that we did not get to finish, please let me know. I would be happy to lend it out. I hope you are noticing your "language of responsibility" this week and remembering that excuses weaken us. Taking responsibility is a very key happiness principle.

One thing I forgot to mention about your writing... the first important skill I will be having you work on is putting your thoughts in a clean, concise, way. This is a writing principle - and a life principle - clean out the clutter and then add the beautiful. I am first going to try to help you "unclutter" your writing.

In your word studies, several of you disagreed that happiness was having your desires met. Be thinking this week if this is true or not and be prepared to share why you think like you do. Does it depend on what your desires are? In what way? We will discuss it some more in class.

1. Watch: How to ask Great Questions (11 min)

2. Read: On Contenment by Plutarch, look up words you don't know. *This is can be found in Volume 10 of the Gateway to the Great Books series or online. I like the Gateway translation best so I uploaded it to google drive here (it has my and Cassia's notes on it so if you'd rather read a clean copy, here is an online version called “A Tranquil Mind” (both titles are used depending on who translated it). Read the Sidebar on this blog about how to read the Great Books for this class.

3. Take note of Plutarch’s principles of happiness. What does he say takes you to happiness and what does he say pulls you away?  Does he believe that happiness if having your desires fulfilled? Do you think his principles are true? Why or why not?

4. Write a discussion question about this reading on the blog.

5. Write your favorite quote on a 3x5 card and bring it to class

6. Print 2 copies of your Extended Definition Essay and bring them to class. If you have not yet, be sure you email it to me for feedback before class (preferably by Thursday at noon if you want feedback before class).  I should have mentioned this before, but maybe it can be of help in the future: In your word study, you discovered several happiness principles - in an extended definition essay, you can use those principles as your thesis and then explain why each one is true in the following paragraphs. I have enjoyed reading your essays so far and look forward to hearing the rest.

7. Keep tracking your goals and noticing what helps you accomplish them and what tactics Satan uses to keep you from accomplishing them. Each class, you will have a chance to share any war strategies that you find.

Fall - Week 2 - Plato and Extended Definition Essay

Thanks for a great discussion today. You had some profound things to say about where happiness is to be found. The world needs your insight! There are so many unhappy people. I hope you will continue to teach and exemplify the principles of happiness that you know and will continue to learn. 

Remember to get excited every time you embarrass yourself or fail or you discover a new weakness - humility can put you on the path to God, and repentantly moving toward God is happiness! Embarrassment is awesome!

*Reminder: If you are willing, please post your word study on the discussion blog (link on the right). You all had wonderful insights. 

1. Watch: How to Find Principles in Anything You Read. Take notes!

2. Study one of the Talks under: Sample Extended Definition Essays (see link below) and follow their example as you write your own. Bonus: All of these talks have insights into happiness – underline or take note the happiness principles that you find.

 
3.Read this short excerpt from Plato’s Euthydemus – It may help to diagram his argument in some way (put it in pictures or draw arrows from thought to thought – whatever helps you follow what he is saying) - do you agree with his explanation on how to be happy?

4. Write an Extended Definition Essay on something to do with finding happiness. For example, “What is happiness?” or “What is misery?”

5. Keep tracking your goals and noticing what helps you accomplish them and what tactics Satan uses to keep you from accomplishing them. Each class, you will have a chance to share any war strategies that you find 

6. If you forgot to write a discussion question last week, please write it on the comments this week. I use your questions to structure what we talk about through the semester so it is important that you write them :) Also, if you forgot your 3x5 card with a quote - bring that this week. If you did bring it last week, I kept it, so don't look for it and think you lost it :)

*If you get finished, you can start reading The Hiding Place (or another book of your choosing that shows someone choosing happiness even in difficult circumstances). Take note of what it is that helps them make that choice. This will be due in a few weeks.

For those of you who are doing the Stories Can Change the World class, please go to the new blog storiescanchangeworld.blogspot.com/ to leave a comment so that I can make you an author on that blog.  We'll be using it to post our writing and give feedback.  Thanks!