The Housekeeper and The Professor by

Math Competition

pessler_1 — 2018-11-25 21:13:05 UTC

This source provides a description of the Riemann Hypothesis, which is one of seven famous unsolved math problems that can be solved for a million-dollar cash prize. The Riemann Hypothesis is a high-level math concept related to the distribution of prime numbers among natural numbers. The introduction of this source would give students a real-life example of a math competition similar to those that the professor entered in the novel. A reading strategy that would align well with this Millennium Prize Problem would be vocabulary predictions. Before having students read the problem, I would select a list of words such as “prime number” and “function” from the text. Groups of students would then place the words in categories such as degree of familiarity, develop a “gist statement” predicting what the problem will be about, and list something they hope to learn when they read the problem. Due to the complicated nature of this text, the vocabulary predictions strategy would be a useful way to have students interact with the vocabulary before reading the text and feel more comfortable reading it in context.

Citation: “Riemann Hypothesis.” Clay Mathematics Institute. http://www.claymath.org/millennium-problems/riemann-hypothesis

Japanese Cuisine

pessler_1 — 2018-11-25 21:19:52 UTC

This source lists several traditional Japanese meals, and includes a basic description, a photo, and the location in Japan where that dish was/is popular. Each meal also has a description of the history of that meal, such as how it came into existence or popularity. Students could use this text to analyze the similarities and differences between the different cuisine of different parts of Japan. To accompany this text, I would have the students use the List-Group-Label reading strategy. They could find key words that come up in several dishes, and then sort them by location, dish, type of noodle, etc. This would help them notice the connection between areas of Japan. They could also make predictions about where in Japan The Housekeeper and the Professor took place based on the meals the Housekeeper prepares throughout the novel.

Citation: Japan’s Tasty Secrets. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery. http://www.location-research.co.jp/kyoudoryouri100/ryouri/pdf/japan'stastysecrets.pdf

Japanese Culture

pessler_1 — 2018-11-25 21:35:20 UTC

Preschool in Three Cultures Revisited is a novel that explores schools and their education system in three cultures. One of those countries being Japan, which relates to The Housekeeper and The Professor since the author, Yoko Ogawa, is from Japan. Preschool in Three Cultures Revisited discusses teaching strategies, how a typical school day runs, disciplinary action in class, the setting of the school, etc. The book is pretty lengthy, but a teacher could have the class just read the chapter on Japan. A reading strategy that would work well with this text would be the KWL strategy. This strategy would help students receive interesting background knowledge. Before reading, I would ask the students if they know anything about Japanese education and if so to share their knowledge. Then the class could have a discussion based off of what they want to learn about the topic. Finally, after reading the students can share what they learned. As a teacher, I could create three separate lists to record what the students have discussed about the text. Then as a class we can discuss the japanese education as a whole and tie the discussion into The Housekeeper and The Professor.

Citation: Tobin, Joseph J, Yeh Hsueh, and Mayumi Karasawa. Preschool in Three Cultures Revisited: Japan, China and the United States. , 2009

50 First Dates

pessler_1 — 2018-11-25 21:36:27 UTC

50 First Dates is a movie all about a girl who has short term memory loss. The main female character, Lucy, forgets everything that happened to her the day before. There is a boy, Henry, who falls in love with Lucy and must remind her of his love for her every morning she wakes up. This relates to the Housekeeper and the Professor because the Professor also suffers from short term memory loss. A teacher could show this movie after reading the book and have students analyze the differences in characters and how the characters respond to the memory loss. The reading strategy I would use for this source is using graphic organizers. I would have students make a venn diagram with the book on one side and 50 First Dates on the other. With this organizer, students will have to write differences and similarities they found in the book and the movie.

Citation: Giarraputo, Jack, Steve Golin, Nancy Juvonen, George Wing, Peter Segal, Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Lusia Strus, Blake Clark, Dan Aykroyd, Jack N. Green, Jeff Gourson, Teddy Castellucci, Ellen Lutter, and Alan Au. 50 First Dates. Culver City, Calif: Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, 2004.

Mathematical Proof

pessler_1 — 2018-11-25 21:52:37 UTC

This book explores the theory behind prime numbers. It’s more of an advanced book on the number theory for mathematicians. This book includes problems like proofs of virtually all prime number theorems, a great many algorithms for generating primes, computational aspects of generating and testing primes, cryptographic applications, and much more. The author of this book, Paulo Ribenboim, is a Brazilian-Canadian mathematician who is able to write about advanced mathematics in a clear understandable style. This relates to our book, The Housekeeper and the Professor, because the Professor is an old man in his 50’s who is a mathematician and used to teach at a University. However, due to his accident that caused him to have memory after a certain time, he mostly remembers math. He has a particular interest in prime numbers. It mentions in the book how he enters a math competition where one of problems said to solve how you knew that there are infinitely many prime numbers. A reading strategy that would work for this is second helpings. This strategy focuses on picking a reading that can be hard to understand. “The teacher plans and leads the students through two (three) successive readings of that text (pg 163).” So with this book, you could pick a certain proof, and go through it with the students. However, the first time may be confusing and so rereading and having the students dig deeper into the proof and understanding what they missed the second time could help them understand the content or section better.

Citation: Ribenboim, Paulo. New Book of Prime Number Records. Springer, 2012.

Elementary Homework Assignment

pessler_1 — 2018-11-25 21:55:46 UTC

This worksheet challenges students to find prime factors of numbers by filling out a tree-like diagram. The numbers placed in the circles represent the prime factors. Students then translate the information from the diagram to a multiplication problem at the bottom of the worksheet. This source gives students an example of the type of homework the housekeeper’s son, Root, may have been working on with the professor. A reading strategy that would accompany this elementary school homework assignment would be a word wall. Before students start the assignment, I would present the concept of a word wall to the class and put up one word myself to demonstrate the process. I might write the word “prime” on a notecard, work with the class to construct a definition to write on the back of the notecard, and tape it on the wall. Next, I would have the students take part in adding to the word wall with their own chosen vocabulary words such as “factor” and “least common multiple.” I would emphasize to students that they can keep adding to the word wall and use it as a reference as they work through the assignment. By accompanying this assignment with a word wall, students will be more familiar with the content and be able to relate to Root.

Citation: Math-Aids.Com. “Dynamically Created Math Worksheets.” Math Worksheets.

<www.math-aids.com/cgi/pdf_viewer_3.cgi?script_name=factor_trees.pl&max_num=0language=0&memo=&answer=1&x=128&y=32>

Up Movie

pessler_1 — 2018-11-25 21:56:27 UTC

Up is an animated Pixar film that tells the story of an elderly man named Carl who goes on an adventure to live out the dream of his late wife. Russell, a young boy scout, ends up accidentally going along for the journey when he goes to Carl’s house to offer assistance and stays on the porch as the house drifts away to Carl’s destination. This children’s film illustrates the dynamic relationship between an elderly man and a young boy that mirrors the bond formed between Root and the professor in the novel. Since the film is an hour and a half, it could be screened in a few class periods and paired with the exit and admit slip strategy. I would pause the movie when a few minutes remained at the end of class and have students jot down a particular scene in the movie so far that somehow related to the novel and a prediction about the end of the film. The next day, I could spend the first few minutes having students read a peer’s note and write a response. Once the movie ended, we would discuss these handwritten conversations aloud. This use of exit and admit slips would encourage students to think critically about the movie and how it relates to the novel, and it would spark discourse among the students.

Citation: Docter, Pete. Up. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2009.

The Notebook

pessler_1 — 2018-11-25 21:57:02 UTC

In The Notebook, the main character, Noah, is telling his wife, Allie, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, their love story. He is determined to help her remember their life together and the special love they shared. Although it is hard for Noah to see Allie in the state she is, he continues to be there for her all the time. This movie could be a visual representation of a relationship between a person with memory loss and someone who is caring for them. Noah interacts with Allie in a certain way because of her memory loss and this is method is also shown in the book. The housekeeper and her son, Root, are conscious of what they say to the professor because they do not want to confuse him. Specific clips could be chosen to show throughout a class period. After a few clips have been shown the students would be directed to get into pairs and discuss how the movie connects to The Housekeeper and The Professor. This strategy, Turn and Talk, is a simple way to motivate students interest in what they are reading. This strategy promotes critical thinking when students have to voice their opinion on the connection between the film and the book.

Citation: Sparks, Nicholas. The Notebook. New York: Warner Books, 1996.

The Help

pessler_1 — 2018-11-25 21:57:47 UTC

The Help, set in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962 is a novel by Kathryn Stockett that gives a glimpse into the lives of black housekeepers and their white employers. This novel presents the relationship between the white families and their “help” as a very negative relationship, which contrasts greatly with the relationship between the housekeeper and the professor in The Housekeeper and the Professor. The Help allows the reader to see how some may treat their housekeepers and allows the reader to see the varying connections between an individual and their hired help. For this text, I would use the strategy Written Conversation to go along with the reading. After each chapter or group of pages, I would have my students get into small groups and pass notes with their discussions of what they just read. This strategy is beneficial for this text because it would help the students think more deeply about what they’re reading as they do so, and it would help them build connections with their peers. At the end of the novel, the students could look back at their conversations and reflect on how their opinions and thoughts may have changed over the course of the reading.

Citation: Stockett, Kathryn. The Help. Penguin Books, 2009.

Setting Image

pessler_1 — 2018-11-25 21:58:46 UTC

The setting in the book, The Housekeeper and The Professor, is a small town in Japan. A lot of people have never been to Japan and can’t begin to imagine what it looks like. Therefore, it could be hard for some readers to visualize and appreciate the setting. A lot of the time the characters are simply in the small cottage where the professor lives. However, there is a time where the housekeeper and the professor take a trip to walk in the park. On the top of page 43 it states, “When the wind blew, the petals from the cherry trees floated around us and the dappled sunlight danced on the Professor’s face.” The line creates a beautiful visual for the reader. Before the students get to this point in the book, I could present a slideshow with multiple pictures from Japan. Images help motivate students interest in what they are suppose to be reading so this strategy, frontloading with images, would be perfect. This slideshow could help students stay focused when reading because they know more about the setting. With this knowledge they can enjoy the text more because they can create an image of the scene they are reading.

Citation: "Cherry Blossoms in the Garden." https://japanesegarden.org/2017/04/17/cherry-blossoms-garden/

Before I Go to Sleep - Book

pessler_1 — 2018-11-25 22:00:33 UTC

The book Before I Go to Sleep is about a woman who had a traumatic experience when she was eighteen and suffers from memory loss because of it. In The Housekeeper and The Professor, the entire plot revolves around a man who was in a car accident and can not retain memories for more than 80 minutes. By reading Before I Go to Sleep in class, students would be able to draw parallels between the two stories of memory loss. They would also know different ways people cope with memory loss outside of the Professor. Before I Go to Sleep is a thriller novel and has a completely different tone than The Housekeeper and The Professor so it would be a good change of pace for the students. A reading strategy that would be helpful is turn and talk. Using this reading strategy, students could read portions of both texts and then turn and discuss with one another similarities and differences between the two segments. They could talk about which they liked more or which situation they would rather be in. This reading strategy could help them fully comprehend what they are reading and analyze the what-ifs of the situation.

Citation: Watson, S. J. Before I Go to Sleep: a Novel. Harper, 2014.

Baseball in Japan

michael_morsches15 — 2018-11-25 23:32:51 UTC

This source describes the history of baseball in Japan, from its earliest roots to the present day. Baseball in Japan was started in 1867 by Horace Wilson, a professor at Kaisei Gakko (now Tokyo University). In 1873, Albert Bates, an American teaching at Kaitaku University, organized the first game. In 1878, the first Japanese baseball team, the Shinbashi Athletic Club Athletics, was organized by Hiroshi Hiraoka, a railway engineer who was a passionate Boston Red Sox fan from his days as a student in the United States. Poet Masaoka Shiki helped popularize the game by translating many of the American baseball terms into Japanese. The current highest level of professional baseball in Japan, Nippon Professional Baseball, was founded in 1949. Nippon Professional Baseball is still alive and well, and has produced many great players who have gone on to play in Major League Baseball in the US, such as Ichiro Suzuki, Hideo Nomo, and Hideki Matsui. Baseball is so popular in Japan that Japanese people remark how amazing it is that Americans consider it their national pastime too. A reading strategy to use when analyzing this topic is jigsawing. Students read get into groups and read about a certain time in the history of Japanese baseball. Then, they meet in other predetermined groups to share what they learned about their time in history, and by the end of the exercise, everyone has heard about the entire history of baseball in Japan.

Citation: “B-R Bullpen.” BR Bullpen, www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/History_of_baseball_in_Japan.

michael_morsches15 — 2018-11-25 23:44:24 UTC

Number 28 Baseball Card

michael_morsches15 — 2018-11-26 00:31:56 UTC

The number 28 has been worn by lots of great players in Major League Baseball. Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry wore the number 28 when he played for the San Francisco Giants in 1962. Other greats who wore 28 include Fred McGriff and current MLB star Buster Posey. The number 28 is significant to mathematicians because its factors add up to itself. 1, 2, 4, 7, and 14 are 28's factors, and when you add them up, you get 28. A baseball card of a great player containing their autograph and a piece of their glove is extremely rare. There are cards containing a player's autograph and a piece of their jersey that aren't as rare but still very valuable. A card of Gaylord Perry with his autograph and a piece of his jersey on it is worth $694.99. A card of Buster Posey with his autograph and a piece of his jersey on it is worth $89.99. To research and read about this topic, I would have the students engage in partner reading. One student reads about players who wore number 28, and one student reads about the worth of their baseball cards. Once they are done, they can share what they learned with each other.

Citation: “MLB Players Who Wore Number 28.” BR Bullpen, www.baseball-reference.com/friv/numbers.cgi?number=28&year=0.

Baseball Haiku

michael_morsches15 — 2018-11-26 01:41:52 UTC

Lots of beautiful haikus have been written about baseball. Haiku is a Japanese style of poetry. Traditional haiku consists of 17 syllables, in three phrases of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. One such haiku written about baseball was actually written submitted for a contest to see who could write the best haiku about Japanese baseball star Ichiro Suzuki. It goes, "The pride of Japan, exceeding expectations, a long way from home." There is a book full of haikus about baseball called "Baseball Haiku: American and Japanese Haiku and Senryu on Baseball." It has over two hundred haikus ranging from moments about game-winning homeruns to when a cocky rookie gets thrown out at first. It analyzes what makes baseball such a unique and beautiful game. Its authors are both American and Japanese, and they discuss the how the game has changed in the century and a half it has been around. For this activity, I would have my students look through the book to find their favorite haiku. Next, I would want them to practice reading aloud. I think this would be an excellent opportunity for the students to work on reading aloud because it is such a short excerpt from the book. It would help the students put the emphasis on the correct syllables, and even hesitant readers wouldn't mind reading only 17 syllables.

Citation: Heuvel, Cor Van den, and Nanae Tamura. Baseball Haiku: American and Japanese Haiku and Senryu on Baseball. W.W. Norton & Co., 2007.

Psychology Behind Amnesia

marhus1218 — 2018-11-26 16:55:20 UTC

In an article from Medical News Today called “What is Amnesia and how it treated?”, they talk about amnesia, types of amnesia that can occur and symptoms of amnesia. Although amnesia is very rare, it is when a person can no longer recall or obtain information in your memory such as important people, dates or events that happened in one's lifetime. As Nordqvist puts it, “People with amnesia also find it hard to remember the past, memorize new information, and imagine the future.” There are many types of amnesia. Anterograde amnesia which is usually a result from brain trauma causing one to not be able to retrieve new data and short term memory is lost quickly. However, they remember what happened before the injury occured. Then there is Retrograde amnesia which is when one doesn't remember things that happened before the trauma. Also, there is traumatic amnesia which is caused when one gets a “hard blow to the head, for instance, in a car accident”. This type of amnesia is usually temporary and can last for a few hours, days, weeks, and in rare cases months depending on how hard the accident was. The article continues to name all kinds of different amnesias including medical and psychological amnesia. This article gives some good insight and understanding to The Housekeeper and the Professor. Since the Professor got into an automobile accident in the year 1975 and he only recalls information from 1975 and prior. His memory currently resets every 80 minutes and towards the end of the book he loses all memory after his accident. With this article, a reading strategy I would have my students use would be an exit slip. At the end of class, after talking about the article and having discussions about it, I would give them a slip that would ask them “one thing I thought was interesting/learned and one question I have,” and give them a few minutes to write their answer and give it to me before class. This was I can see students insight and what I should answer in class the next day to their questions.

Citation: Nordqvist, Christian. "What is amnesia and how is it treated?." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 13 Dec. 2017. Web.

26 Nov. 2018.