Fandom High School

It's possible Dream may not be entirely recovered from directing the play, but he hides it well as he4 stands before the class.

"Hello. This week, we will study the language of snakes. We'll begin today with a discussion of snake mythology -- human mythology about snakes, though most of it has parallels in the snake culture.

( No, they aren't all on planes. )

Dream passes out a second handout listing additional myths about snakes.

"I would like for each of you to read and think about these stories and choose one as a favorite. For extra credit, imagine it from the snake's point of view."

Classics: Dream passes out vocabulary sheets, then lectures on Latin grammar.

Foreign Lit: Dream asks students to read "The Second Bakery Attack", by Haruki Murakami.

The DVD player has been set up at the front of the room, and a stack of handouts sits on the table up front, along with coffee, juice and breakfast pastries.

"Hello. I hope you all had pleasant breaks.

We will concentrate on non-mammalian languages for this half of the semester, beginning with birds. There is a documentary in the DVD player; we are watching the episode, "Signals and Songs".

In addition, study the handout about the raven. It will help prepare you for our lecturer on Thursday."

"Hello.

As we discussed Monday, you should turn in the written portions of your midterms today. They are to be critical reactions to the appropriate readings, 100 words for Classics students, 200 words for Foreign Literature.

Miss Santos, Mr. Dane, and Miss Bristow, you have been granted extensions to the end of break to complete these. Email them to me by March 10.

After you have turned in your papers, you may watch a film.

I will see you on the 13th, when Classics students will begin studying Latin and literature students will commence reading Asian literature."

Dream sits at his desk, hands folded.

"You may use this period as a review session for your midterm, which will be on Thursday. There are audio recordings of the Creature languages you have studied available for your individual use, as well as handouts on the languages and culture of each being."

Spider
Dragon (Lockheed)
Rat
Cat

Dream sits cross-legged on his desk as the students file in. He appears mildly irritated.

"Hello, students. I hope you all find it fair that you are in this classroom today, and that you properly appreciated the lesson with Mr. Chaucer on Tuesday."

Classics: You have had a week to read the Homeric Hymns of Hesiod. Is there a hymn that you especially enjoyed reading? Why?

Also, your midterm will be next week. It would serve you well to review your Greek grammar in advance of the test.

Foreign Lit: Select an Italian Poet other than Dante. Write 100 words on their life and work.

You too will have an examination next week.

"We are now transitioning to the language of cats.

The cat, also called the domestic cat or house cat, is a small feline carnivorous mammal of the subspecies Felis silvestris catus. Its most immediate pre-domestication ancestor is the African wild cat, Felis silvestris lybica. The cat has been living in close association with humans for at least 3,500 years; the Ancient Egyptians routinely used cats to keep mice and other rodents away from their grain, and also believed that cats were sacred to the goddess Bastet. The history of the domestic cat may stretch back even further, as 8,000-year-old bones of humans and cats were found buried together on the island of Cyprus. Because the domestication of the cat is relatively recent, cats may also still live effectively in the wild, often forming small colonies. The cat's association with humans leads it to figure prominently in the mythology and legends of several cultures, including the ancient Egyptians, Vikings, and Chinese.

The unique sound a small cat makes is written onomatopoeically as "meow" in American English; "meow" or "miaow" in British English; "miaou" or "miaw" in French; "miao" in Mandarin Chinese and Italian; "miau" in German, Spanish, Finnish, Lithuanian, Polish, Croatian, Romanian and Portuguese; "miau" or "מיאו" in Hebrew;"miyav" in Turkish; "mjäu" in Estonian; "mowa'a" in Arabic; "nyaa" or "nyan" in Japanese; "meong" or "ngeong" in Bahasa Indonesia; "ngiau" in Malay; "nyau" in Swahili; "yaong" or "nyaong" in Korean; and various ways in other languages. The cat's pronunciation of this call varies significantly depending on meaning. Usually cats call out to indicate pain, request human attention (to be fed or played with, for example), or as a greeting. Some cats are very vocal, and others rarely call out. Cats are capable of about 100 different vocalisations, compared to about 10 for dogs. And that is only the vocal language that humans can detect; when combined with gestures and other means of expression, cats have a vocabulary and culture that nears that of many humans."

Consider this all the next time you encounter a feline. I am playing a documentary on jungle cats with subtitles, so that you may learn to recognize their language."

"Miss Hopeless-Savage, Miss Matthews -- I will expect you in my office on Wednesday to discuss next Thursday's class."

Dream manages an absent smile for the students as they file in, and there is an assortment of heart-shaped candies on each desk.

"Hello. Happy day of St. Valentine."

Classics: Dream lectures on Sappho and reads some of her poetry aloud. "For classwork today, please find a Greek love -- or anti-love -- poem or myth and present it to your classmates."

Foreign Lit: Students must take a quiz on Russian literature, alas. But the light at the end of the tunnel is a handout of poems by Pablo Neruda to read in preparation for a class on Latin American literature on Thursday.

[OOC: Quiz is 10 questions about the bard movement, Gogol, and other Russian literature. Tell me what grade you got.]

"You have now learned to speak, if haltingly, in Dragon, Rat and Spider. Those are all difficult tongues, with rich histories and their own quirks -- from the choppy vowels of Spider, to the crooning of Rat, to the rhyming of the dragons. I applaud your sincere efforts to learn.

Today, I would like for each of you to pick a so-called nursery rhyme and translate it into the Creature language of your choice. I trust that you will have no problems in finding appropriate substitutes for words that may not be on your vocabulary sheets."

Written on the blackboard:

LAST CLASS -- Please hand in your final projects

There is a basket on Dream's desk to collect the papers; next to it sits another basket, full of red-and-green wrapped candy canes and Christmas chocolates. Dream is not visible, but a large raven is perched on his desk, watching over the students. When a paper is turned in, he inspects it with shiny eyes and seems to caw his approval.

For some reason, Dream has a balloon today. Don't ask questions.

"Hello. As I promised, you have a quiz today on your last units. After you have passed it in, you may work on your final projects in the computer lab, or stay here and watch a DVD. I have Sailor Moon episodes for Languages of Asia, and Clash of the Titans for Classics. The academic value of these things is limited, but I hope you will at least be entertained."

Scrawled on the blackboard:



Classes cancelled today. Work on your final projects and review the units on Greek or Japanese, as appropriate. There will be a quiz on Monday and your final projects are due Wednesday.

I still need a TA for next term.

Hello.

I hope you're all finding the work on your final projects enlightening; let me know if you still have questions. I'll be expecting them all to be presented in class on or before Dec. 21.

Classics: You have done well in your work on translations and grammar, but we have not really reviewed how to pronounce ancient Greek as much as I would like. I am passing out a handout on current scholarship in Greek recitation, with special attention to rhythm and making it a pleasure to listen to.

To demonstrate, I will recite Sappho's "To Aphrodite" in classical fashion.

Languages of Asia: Poetry is an important part of Japanese culture. There is, of course, the haiku, poems describing nature and written in lines with specific syllable counts. But there are also other poems. Read the poems and react to one question in the handout.

All Classes: Use this time today to work on your final projects. Remember, I need a proposal and the date you plan to present your work by the end of class. If you have any questions, ask them today.

You may use the books on my shelves, or the computer terminals in the back of the class to help you in your research.

As I told my classes yesterday, students who took more than one class with me this term may hand in a single final project, as long as it integrates things learned in all classes; for example, if you took Classics and Cat, you might look at the role of cats in Roman myth. The grade for it will count for each class.

[OOC: The final assignment is real; if you don't do it and post it to the appropriate class thread or email it to me by midnight EST on 12/23, your character will get a failing mark on the project. This is not negotiable absent major real-world trauma. Posting "Dream presents an excellent project" or the like does not count, and will earn a failing grade.]

Dream is dressed in jeans and a t-shirt today, and he could pass for a slightly autocratic lead singer of any 80's band with Goth tendencies. He leans on his desk, clearly at ease.

"Hello.

All Classes: Instead of a final exam, I would like each of you to complete an end-of-term project. You will be expected to write a 200-word paper on any aspect of the languages we have studied or the cultures that gave rise to them. For example, you might discuss the way Hebrew and Greek are used in religious texts, or Chinese cuisine, or Japanese haiku poetry. Present your paper and at least one relevant visual aid in class on December 19 or 21. Pick a presentation date and topic before class on Wednesday. This counts for 25 percent of your grade, so I would advise you to put thought into your topic and the project.

If you do not understand the assignment, come see me in my office. I am also handing out fresh copies of the syllabus to remind you what we have covered in-class.

Classics: We have completed our study of verb conjugation in ancient Greek for now. Let me know if you still have questions. Today, we will move on to personal pronouns and the verb "to be." [Dream lectures on this topic. He realized that he was going a little fast for the class on Wednesday, so he's making a real effort to explain things slowly and clearly.]

Languages of Asia: We are going to learn some Japanese vocabulary for emergencies. I sincerely hope you never need to know that, for example, "Tasukete! Goutou!" is "Help! Thief!", but should you, it is better that you be forearmed."

Hello.

First, I would like to ask that any students who are interested in taking language classes next semester complete the survey to help me decide what to offer. I'll be setting syllabi over the weekend.

Classics: Our prior work in Greek should give you a good grasp of the present, middle, indicative verb tense. It is used to show that the subject is acting so as to participate in some way in the results of the action. This means that such verbs should be translated reflexively. The form of the present, middle, indicative is exactly the same as the present, passive, indicative. So, the difference is function rather than form. The context of the passage will indicate whether the verb is middle or passive in function.

Languages of Asia: Dream plays a video demonstrating Japanese social introductions.

Please write a brief dialogue demonstrating your Japanese vocabulary for this situation.

[OOC: Now with actual comment threads. *headdesk* Sam, Michael -- you'll get the proper attendance and participation credits, so don't worry.]

"Hello. I hope you all enjoyed your break.

Classics: We are moving onto verbs in our study of Ancient Greek. The passive verb, the topic of this lesson, is used when the subject of the verb is being acted upon, rather than acting. [Dream continues to lecture on this topic for the remainder of class, ending by giving the students several sentences to translate.]

Languages of Asia: We will continue our work in basic Japanese with a review of Japanese phrases one might use on the telephone. [Dream discusses Japanese telephone vocabulary and manners for several minutes.]

Pair up and hold mock conversations using these words and the other vocabulary you have learned."

"Hello.

This is our last class before the Thanksgiving break. I will see you all again on November 28.

Classics: Review lessons one through seven in the Greek textbook and do the exercises at the end of each chapter in preparation for a quiz next Monday.

Languages of Asia: Watch this video on Japanese greetings. Practice greeting each other in the language."

[OOC: I'm not getting comment notifications. If you need to talk to Dream, send an email.]

Dream is polite but a little distant -- perhaps lost in thought -- as he sstands behind his desk to greet students today.

Classics: "We are continuing our work in the Greek textbook with a discussion of prepositions. The first thing the student will notice is that some of the prepositions have different meanings when they occur with a particular case. These distincitions must be learned.Prepositions are words that help nouns, verbs and adjectives express themselves clearly. Prepositions do not change in form, as do nouns, verbs and adjectives. The forms above are the forms that will always occur, with one small exception. Prepositions ending with a vowel (except pro and peri) drop that vowel when the next word in the sentence begins with a vowel.

Understanding prepositions is key to understanding written Greek."

Languages of Asia: "We are going to continue our work in Japanese by learning Japanese animal names. As an in-class assignment, please name your favorite animal in Japanese after you have memorized the vocabulary."

Dream appears relatively cheerful today, and he has set up a table with juice and pastries near the back of the room. He believes it would be better for students to have a little less caffeine.


"Good morning. I hope you all had pleasant weekends.

Languages of Asia: You will begin studying Japanese vocabulary today. Here is a worksheet of the first expressions you should learn. Study the vocabulary , and listen to the audio tapes in the language lab.

Classics: We are continuing our work in ancient Greek. Today, we'll be discussing adjectives and prepositions."

Hello.

Classics students: We are going to continue our work in the text, "Elementary Greek," with a review of lessons four and five, which discuss the first and second declensions of nouns. Do the exercises at the end of the chapters and hand them in as homework on Monday.

Languages of Asia: On Monday, we discussed the three writing styles used in Japanese. Today, we will focus in on the first I wish you to learn -- katakana, which is used for onomatopeia, technical terms, and -- of interest to you -- words from foreign languages.

I am passing out a worksheet showing each katakana. For homework, I would like each of you to copy out each symbol and write your name at the top. Remember that in Japanese, each consonant is followed by a vowel. For example, my name would be written with the characters for da-ri-mu.

Hello.

I know the past week has been a difficult one for many of you, as it was for me; I hope we can start fresh again today.

Classics: I have discovered an excellent text for our Greek study, Elementary Greek. Please review lessons one through three. Much of this material should not be new to you.

Languages of Asia: We will be transitioning from our unit on Chinese into a study of Japanese. As an introduction, I would like to review the roots of the three very distinct writing styles used in modern Japanese.. Dream goes on to lecture on this topic.

Dream is wearing a sombrero today, and he does not look at all silly. Really. He has also put a plastic pumpkin full of hard candy on his desk for students to take from as they wish.

A dragon naps curled up on a blanket on the corner of a classroom. Some students may recognize him.

Hello.

To mark All Hallow's Eve, we will be discussing supernatural events in class today. I hope you find them entertaining. I have also handed out vocabulary sheets of words used around this holiday.

Classics students: I will read to you Homer's account of Achilles' encounter with the ghost of Patroclus. Note how the description of the ghost compares to our modern concept of spirits, or hauntings, and write a paragraph about this for class Wednesday.

Languages of Asia: The Jiangshi, or "hopping corpses," are the vampires of China. Many folktales feature them, and I will recount a few now. For homework, write a paragraph on how these vampires compare to the vampires of your home dimension.

Dream dims the lights in his classroom.

He is an excellent storyteller.

I wish you all a pleasant Halloween.

Good morning.

First, two announcements: There will be no class on Thursday. Use the time as you wish, and have a pleasant weekend. I may have family visiting myself. Also, I will be in Professor Jerusalem's journalism class today, discussing perceptions and reality. I hope to see some of you there.

Languages of Europe: I am told this class may make some of you hungry. We are going to study the Spanish vocabulary for food. As homework for Tuesday, find and translate a recipe for something you like to eat.

Cat: Miss Kiki and Jiji were kind enough to be special guests last Thursday. Please remain in human form today and discuss what you learned from Jiji.

Next Tuesday, we will have a visit from Professor Jerusalem's cat. Some of you may find her appearance rather startling, but it should not change the essence of her language.