4th Hour Scribe April 4th

Today we began English class with a quiz on pages 38-69 in the 1949 novel 1984 by George Orwell. After the presenting students pick up each of our quizzes, Mrs. Moritz tells us that she will be updating our grades this weekend. She also informs us that we need to give her our voice thread addresses. Olivia, Kira, and Rachel tell us that we will be participating in a “game” for our 1984- inspired activity of the day. The class then bursts into an onslaught of hysteria and excitement because (WOO!) we get to split into groups. Though I do not understand why this class gets so excited when all we are doing is playing an educational game, they do none the less. The rules are simple, we will each be given a question and if we get it correct we will dominate the other team. A point-by-point game, it is the standard educational activity that teachers typically force upon us when they are bored of the old lecture method of teaching. I, being the benevolent scribe, do not participate in this game but instead act as an invisible entity within the confines of the classroom. The game is nearly disregarded by both sides as the excitement of the classroom swells. At this point, our teacher leaves the classroom, leaving even more room for random conversations. As I focus on the individual conversations, I realize that most of the conversations do not even involve the proposed question in any way. Mrs. Moritz reenters the classroom after about 5 minutes of going AWOL. Even this is not motivation for the class to focus, as the side conversations still rein supreme. As time passes, the class begins to focus more and more on the questions that are proposed by the mediators. For example, one of the questions asked about this chapter is “What are some comparisons that can be drawn between 1984 and Fahrenheit 451?” This question is met with answers along the lines of, “There is a connection between Montag and Winston (protagonists) in that they both want to challenge the system.” The class continues in this general pattern for quite some time, so I feel no need to bore my audience by continuing to report on this topic.