David Sebek's Blog, page 3

Influx - Book Review

Influx by Daniel Suarez

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Influx is the literary equivalent of the summer blockbuster movie. Large, explosive scenes layered with placeholder characters running around trying to stop the latest armageddon moment caused by irresponsible use of human innovation.

Daniel Suarez seems to have a solid science background and jams everything he knows about current and future technologies in one novel. Jon Grady, a self-taught physics genius, invents a way to reflect gravity. This breakthrough draws the attention of the clandestine government agency Bureau of Technology Control (BTC).

Grady is locked away in Hibernity, a super-prison that holds the world genius's of the past thirty years. Thus begins Grady's journey to escape, bring down the BTC and free the unfairly persecuted scientists.

The concepts are huge, awesome moments that really stretch the imagination. Unfortunately, like a Michael Bay film, the flimsy characters, bad dialogue and all, proverbially "jump the shark." The novel is entertaining and if you can, like you do watching the overhyped summer flick, suspend most of your higher order thinking skills, you will find the novel enjoyable.



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The Girl On The Train - Book Review

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three women. Two men. Affairs. Alcoholism. Spousal abuse. Matricide. Abortion. Abduction. Murder.

Two lust filled love triangles intersect in a quiet English suburb when one woman, Rachel, creates narratives about the houses she passes while riding the train every morning and afternoon. The alcoholic Rachel proves to be an unreliable narrator as she inserts herself, without an invitation, into the disappearance of one of the women, Megan, she sees every morning as her daily train rumbles towards work.

Rachel makes things more complicated because Megan lived just now down the street from Rachel's ex-husband and his new wife Anna. Rachel's help is unwanted by the police, by her ex-husband and by Megan's husband. Especially when all she can remember are images hidden in a drunken fog.

This novel is not as good as Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" but it does shine a light on the darker sides that only those who know us best get to see.



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Think Like a Freak - Book Review

Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Levitt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great stories, some cool ideas and you can find most of them for free on the Freakonomics podcast on iTunes. The best parts of the book are "The Three Hardest Words", "The Upside of Quitting", and "What do King Solomon and David Lee Roth Have in Common?"


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Feed - Book Review

Feed by M.T. Anderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Our connection to technology is quickly moving from the fingertip interface to the visual controls of the eye. Just over the horizon lies the ability to wirelessly connect the web directly to our mind - no reason to mess with clumsy input devices like fingers. MT Anderson explores a not too distant future where we are constantly wired to the net, pop up ads and direct messaging included.

The hyperconnectivity leads to a degradation of intellect as humans become the sheep of industry - impulsively consuming everything thrown their way. This is where we find a group of teenagers, partying on the moon, slaves to the instantaneous delights of being in the moment. In the midst of their revelry their feeds are hacked, they are left disconnected.

With a little medical ctrl-alt-del the group is back on line, except for Violet, whose feed input is beyond repair.

This book is hard to get into because the characters are frustrating, the decline of intellect is hard to follow as it seems they are almost speaking a foreign language. However, once you learn their language you begin to ask yourself if we could, would we try to slow down some of this technological advancement and ask ourselves, "Just because we can, does that mean we should?"



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See How Easily You Can Integrate Rhetorical Devices with Character Perspective

In Stand Up! Speak Out!: A Social Action Curriculum for Building 21st Century Skills, Troy Drayton does a phenomenal job of integrating rhetorical devices with social social justice issues.

I wanted to look at extending this idea of expressing perspective by purposely using certain rhetorical devices.

My question, as I was reading Troy's chapter, morphed into how might I use his ideas on teaching rhetorical devices to also teach perspective using the literary archetype of the Shadow or Villain?

One of the epiphanies my students experience in reading and writing during the school year is no Hero is all good and no Villain is all evil. 

After using Troy's in-depth lessons on rhetorical devices, I want to let students loose on creating monologues for their favorite villains, composing persuasive, dramatic monologues from the perspectives of fictional villains.
Their goal is to convince the audience that the fictional, villainous actions committed were justified or, at the very least, sympathetic. This assignment focuses on voice, audience, and various rhetorical techniques studied in class.If you would like students to research the concept of the villain monologue a little more, or want to brush up on the different purposes of villain monologues visit TV Tropes/Gloating.  In preparation for their performance of their argumentative essay, students will practice developing a monologue. Writing from the perspective of an “unlikable” or unsympathetic figure will force students to exercise more awareness when composing a particular tone and choosing various rhetorical devices.

I love beginning with this quote about the reason so many villains feel they have to pontificate on their plans. I think you will find it also does a great job of continuing to show how the Shadow works from selfish ideals where as the Hero is growing to be more altruistic.

If you have to look along the shaft of an arrow from the wrong end, if a man has you entirely at his mercy, then hope like hell that man is an evil man. Because the evil like power, power over people, and they want to see you in fear. They want you to know you're going to die. So they'll talk. They'll gloat. They'll watch you squirm. They'll put off the moment of murder like another man will put off a good cigar. So hope like hell your captor is an evil man. A good man will kill you with hardly a word.
— Terry Pratchett,  Men at Arms
With the analysis of rhetorical devices finished, have your students watch or read a villainous speech you’ve found to be an extraordinary example. 

I have five that I feel comfortable showing to middle schoolers and are excellent examples of monologues, all with different purposes. Please preview all monologues before using them in class to make sure they are appropriate for your students.

The Incredibles: Syndrome and Mr. Incredible



The Matrix: Agent Smith and Morpheus



Empire Strikes Back: Darth Vader and Luke



Blade Runner: Roy Batty



The Fifth Element: Zorg

Literary Bonus: Screenwriter Luc Besson based this speech on the 1850 work of Frederic Bastiat, That Which is Seen and That Which is Unseen and more specifically the parable of the broken window. After watching this video, students could analyze the parable to see the flaws in Zorg's argument.



It is always helpful for students to have copies of the speech so that students can follow along. After viewing the clips, students break down the rhetorical elements used in the monologues. Ask the students, what patterns of persuasion or rhetorical appeal does the speaker use to show the audience that their immoral actions were justifiable?

After analysis, comparison and discussion, students may work independently or in groups up to three to choose a villain from fiction (TV, music, graphic novels, movies, video games, etc.) everyone in the group knows.

Differentiation might occur in many various forms from here. But here is a basic outline that can be modified by teachers for learners at any level.

“Write a dramatic monologue of at least ___ paragraphs from that villain’s perspective, justifying a major villainous action or story arc. Be sure to make use of _____________________ (how many and which rhetorical devices)."

Students will then present their monologues. You might have students make audio recordings, video recordings or have students dress in character and present the monologues live in class.

Students should have opportunities to practice their speeches for feedback before final performances. This will build the iterative process in your classroom and give students a chance to fail faster.

Student excitement for portraying a villain should be high, the assignment is filled with student choice and understanding the perspective of others is a lesson in understanding why we believe what we believe.

Clips for Older Audiences (please preview for language and content):

Watchmen: Ozymandius
Wall Street: Gordon Gekko
Inglorious Basterds: Hans Landa
Ratatouille: Anton Ego (confession of change)
8 Amazing Villainous Movie Monologues

Countng by 7's - Book Review

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Willow Chance - brilliant, profound, heart-broken and an orphan.

Willow is a twelve year old prodigy of the life sciences, fluid in the workings of cells and roots and funny looking moles. The shell of her brilliance is shattered the day her parents are killed in a car accident. Lost in a world without relatives or close family friends, she ends up in the care of her bumbling guidance counselor and a Vietnamese nail salon owner.

What follows is a beautiful narrative about broken lives coming together to not only build a home for a little girl but to also find the truth in their own existence.

I nearly devoured this novel in one sitting, enjoying the brilliance of each character and the journey they took to make themselves part of something bigger. It is a novel I will recommend for years to come.



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The Girl with All the Gifts - Book Review

The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Just when you think a genre is overdone, that there is nothing new and fresh, along comes a novel like The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey. The science and character development behind this zombie apocalypse novel lift it above the hordes of flesh eating works that have flooded bookshelves.

The story opens with Melanie, a gifted student, in a special school for kids just like her. Kids who have to be locked in cells, strapped into special classroom chairs and muzzled before the teacher begins the first lesson of the day.

From here we are introduced to a small cast of characters who slowly unveil the twisted world that was left after The Hungries over ran civilization. The teacher who is the voice of compassion, the biologist who only wants to find a cure and the military sergeant that shoots first and asks questions later.

Everything seems fine and in balance until the school is discovered by Junkers, humans forced to scavenge, and Melanie and the adults are forced to flee into the jaws of the wide open world.

The Girl with All the Gifts is a smart novel, with plausible science, and a vision of a zombie apocalypse that feels all too possible.


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Great Way to Show Angles

This might be something schools could do by every door in the building - better yet have students work on this as a real extension of their learning.

The Secret of Making Yourself a Better Teacher

We, and when I say we I mean Joe and Troy, my buddies from GT Innovators, presented a couple of sessions to teachers last week in North Texas. And one of the most well-received pieces of advice we gave to the educators in the room was, "Your only goal for next year is to be less worse than you were this year."

A few years back, right before school started, I walked out to the portables to check on a brand new second grade teacher. I found her on the floor, crumpled and sobbing in front of her unfinished bulletin board. Surrounded by piles of bordette and die cut letters, she sat crippled by overwhelming indecision. She had no idea what to do next, what was important, or what she was going to do in five hours when twenty-two seven year old's bounced in to meet their teacher.
At that moment we did not need to delve into pedagogical discussions about reading groups or the best ways to use 10 frames to teach subtraction. She needed a room put together, procedures for collecting materials and some time to put on her "Welcome to 2nd Grade! I'm so happy your in my class" face.
With the help of the support teachers and her team leader, we stapled that room into a work of art. It turned out to be a good night for her.

Like many teachers she was overwhelmed with how much there was to do, how much she had to do and the ultimate realization of how much she did not know?

Realization is hard but what is harder is moving from realization to action.
The best thing I ever did for myself during my first year as a teacher was to forgive myself for my shortcomings in the classroom. And at the end of that first year, as I looked back on the two things that went well and 468 things that did not go so well, I realized that one summer was not going to be enough to improve on all of those shortcomings. 
So I came up with a plan that has served me well over the past two decades. Each year I would focus on one thing and make myself the best I can be in that one area. Even if that meant I taught one content area straight from the textbook while I worked on my craft in another area. I knew I could not become a great writing teacher and a great math teacher at the same time. There just was not enough of me to go around. 

Now, as the summer tumbles away, my focus for the upcoming year, as it has been for almost two decades, is to be a little less worse than last year.
If you would like to read more about some of the lessons that time and reflection have helped to improve please click for more resources.

Just A Little Less Worse

We, and when I say we I mean Joe and Troy, my buddies from GT Innovators, presented a couple of sessions to teachers last week in North Texas. And one of the most well-received pieces of advice we gave to the educators in the room was, "Your only goal for next year is to be less worse than you were this year."

A few years back, right before school started, I walked out to the portables to check on a brand new second grade teacher. I found her on the floor, crumpled and sobbing in front of her unfinished bulletin board. Surrounded by piles of bordette and die cut letters, she sat crippled by overwhelming indecision. She had no idea what to do next, what was important, or what she was going to do in five hours when twenty-two seven year old's bounced in to meet their teacher.
At that moment we did not need to delve into pedagogical discussions about reading groups or the best ways to use 10 frames to teach subtraction. She needed a room put together, procedures for collecting materials and some time to put on her "Welcome to 2nd Grade! I'm so happy your in my class" face.
With the help of the support teachers and her team leader, we stapled that room into a work of art. It turned out to be a good night for her.
The best thing I ever did for myself during my first year as a teacher was to forgive myself for my shortcomings in the classroom. And at the end of that first year, as I looked back on the two things that went well and 468 things that did not go so well, I realized that one summer was not going to be enough to improve on all of those shortcomings. 
So I came up with a plan that has served me well over the past two decades. Each year I would focus on one thing and make myself the best I can be in that one area. Even if that meant I taught one content area straight from the textbook while I worked on my craft in another area. I knew I could not become a great writing teacher and a great math teacher at the same time. There just was not enough of me to go around. 

Now, as June tumbles into July, my focus for next year, as it has been for almost two decades, is to be a little less worse than last year.
If you would like to read more about some of the lessons that time and reflection of helped to improve, please pick up a copy of Stand Up! Speak Out! The Social Action Curriculum for Building 21st-Century Skills available from Prufrock Press and Amazon and Barnes & Noble.