Sorry I was unable to release the posts until today. I noticed only 55 of my 175 students posted. For this week, until Monday, I'd like to see what the class is thinking about the book so far.
DQ 11/3:
What questions do you have so far? What do you think of Chris and his choices? Why are so many people so impressed by Chris?
Discuss any of the above or throw out another topic for your peers.

October 31 DQ

After viewing the Prezi on transcendentalism, write a few (3-5) sentences on connections you see between Chris McCandliss and the transcendentalism movement.

ITW DQ 2 (b) What answers might wilderness hold that can't be found within the bounds of civilization?

ITW DQ #2(a) How can the natural world provide answers to human questions?

Wow! I can see that some of you are enjoying this format and communicating with your peers through the discussion board. As we begin to read, feel free to post questions, connections, anything you feel may interest others or any thing you may want to investigate, here.

Into the Wild

Welcome to the Into the Wild blog.

We will communicate with one another, as a class, on this site. This blog will make up part of your grade. Be sure to know and meet all deadlines. On Monday I will post the question for the week. You must respond to the DQ (discussion question) for the week by Wednesday 10 pm. You must also respond to a classmate's response by Thursday 10 pm. If you do not respond by the due date and time you will not receive credit.
I have found that it is best to respond early so no one else "takes" your idea.
I expect respectful, mature communication worthy of high school seniors. No put downs, no vulgar language.
                                         Yes, grammar and spelling counts - this    is an English class.
                                         Be sure to address all aspects of the DQ for full credit.
                                         Enjoy!

Photo of  Chris McCandless from google images

DQ #1 (taken from the ERWC curriculum)

Into the Wild is a nonfiction, full-length text by Jon Krakauer. Published in 1996, it is based on an article Krakauer wrote in Outside Magazine about Christopher McCandless, a young college graduate who went off to Alaska and died in the woods. Because Krakauer’s article drew a huge amount of mail to the magazine, he decided to write a book about this interesting character. Chris McCandless was an idealistic young man who formed a life philosophy based on his experience and his reading in college. His idealism, ironically, led to his death by starvation. He made choices that seemed foolish as we look at them now. But McCandless genuinely loved the outdoors and wanted to live in the world without all the trappings of money and his middle-class upbringing. Into the Wild is, in a way, a mystery story. We’re unsure as to why he rejected his family, why he was so angry with them, and why he chose to head for Alaska.

Quickwrite:

Think about an experience you have had when you were alone and made some misjudgments that could have led to disaster, but didn’t. (It doesn’t have to be in the outdoors.) What miscalculations did you make and how did you avoid disaster? Minimum five sentence response. Minimum three sentence response to another student's response.

My response:

Several years ago I was walking along the beach in Rosario with my daughter. As we were returning to the hotel I noticed that the tide was coming up quickly. Rather than turn back and walk along the road, I decided that we could make it back to the hotel before the tide came in leaving us without beach access (major miscalculation). I was wrong. Very stupidly, I told my daughter to climb the rock wall that bordered the beach. The waves were crashing against the wall and us. We climbed higher. My daughter was frightened and, to be honest, so was I. I really didn't have a plan. The rock cliff was too steep for us to ever get to the top of. Fortunately my husband, who has a far better understanding of the ocean, saw us and rescued us. To this day my daughter questions my decisions when in nature. I realized that sometimes I don't think things through.