Bloom’s Taxonomy Questions for An Appetite for Life – The Biography of Julia Child – 1st Regular Meeting
Since the first two questions were basic recall questions, there wasn’t a variety of answers. The point of recall questions is to make sure that we gain the important knowledge from the reading. These two questions asked when and where Julia was born and what her maiden name was. She was born August 15th, 1912 in Pasadena, California. Her maiden name was McWilliams.
The next two questions make sure we understand (or comprehend) the concepts of the reading. The first question asked us to describe Julia – her physical appearance as well as her personality. We wrote that Julia is tall, thin, adventurous, outspoken, witty, warm, friendly, likeable, boisterous, tomboyish, extroverted, intelligent and mischievous. We also stated that she had a high-pitched voice and great gams. The other question asked us to describe her relationship to food/cooking at this point in her life. We responded by saying that she loved to eat and try new things. She was always hungry. She loved jelly donuts. She remembers the buttermilk biscuits her mom used to bake on the cooks’ night off. She actually stayed away from the kitchen when she was a child because that was where the hired cooks presided. So, pretty much, she did not know how to cook or did not like to cook.
The application questions help us apply what we learned to our own lives or to a new situation. We were supposed to think of someone we know personally that Julia reminds us of and why. Sookie and Dead said that Julia reminds them of their sisters because their sisters were adventurous, tomboyish and athletic when they were younger. I said that Julia reminds me of a smarter version of one of my friends because she is tall and fun-loving. Romantix and Rabbit could not think of anyone they knew who is similar to Julia. The other application question asked us to think of some things that were happening in Julia’s early life that could possibly occur today and state how it would affect us. We said the US being at war still is happening today and greatly affects all of us. The triple murder/suicide could happen today but the newspapers would probably handle it differently because of today’s acceptance of mental disabilities. There is still a fairly strong influence of money today just like in Julia’s time. If one has a significant amount of money or has familial influence, one can most likely attend an Ivy League college and pursue a prosperous career. But today, in general, anyone can go to any college if they are academically capable but some might be in greater debt than others after they graduate. A depression could happen today. In fact, a recession did occur recently. A couple of years ago we saw foreclosures, loss of jobs, etc. This didn’t affect the country as much as it did in Julia’s time because we now know how to handle the situation (hopefully we have learned from the past) to prevent it from becoming a depression. We also have more resources we can rely on (as long as we don’t deplete them).
The next set of questions helps us to analyze or break concepts down. The first one asked us to compare Julia’s life growing up to our own. We stated how her childhood was the same and how it was different than ours. One of the similarities was that Julia's dad was involved in the community – like Rabbit and Dead’s dad. Another similarity was that Romantix’s parents were old-fashioned so Romantix feels like she grew up in the same time period that Julia did. Like Julia, Sookie noted that she was never told how she should be. Rabbit and I could relate to Julia when she enjoyed partying in college. Half of us could relate to her playing outside all the time and attempting daring tasks. But the other half of the group stated that this was a difference – they stayed inside more often and were more cautious as children. Another difference was that she grew up in a wealthy and influential family. She obviously grew up in a different time when gender distinctions were different. She slept outside on the porch whereas all of us slept inside. She attended a boarding school but none of us did. One member noted that she had strict parents but Julia did not. Someone else stated that Julia was very outgoing whereas they were not as outgoing growing up. Another member stated that Julia was in trouble quite a bit so that was a difference. Actually she didn't get into that much trouble but she did her share of mischief! Dead to the World could relate to the story about Julia and Babe stealing cigars from Babe's father and smoking them because Dead remembers when she stole cigarettes and smoked up the neighbors’ garage. It was split on the fact that Julia’s parents went to college. Some of us had parents that went to college but the others were first generation college students. The next 'analyze' question told us to list all the major periods or events in Julia’s early life. We briefly stated that camp, Polytechnic school, KBS, Smith College, her first job in NYC and moving to Washington, D.C. to join the OSS were the major periods in her life. Some major events in her life were her grandfather and mother both dying, the triple murder and WWII.
The creative questions allow us to imagine new scenarios and synthesize concepts (or put concepts together). The first creative question tells us to imagine that Julia is shorter, then explain how her life would have been different. We listed that she probably would have been married in her 20’s, she wouldn’t have been good at basketball (the jumping center), she would have blended in more physically with others and she might have been more comfortable with her body. She obviously would not have been looked up to as much (physically and maybe socially - because her personality might have changed). Maybe she would have had less confidence or not have been so outspoken. The next question asks us to change Julia’s parents or family so Julia fit in more (or felt like she fit in more). I guess we didn’t agree with this statement. Julia did fit in. But we still thought about possible changes for her parents. One of us said that if her parents were shorter than obviously she would have been shorter. If her mother was stricter, maybe she would have performed better in school. If her mother didn't insist that she go to Smith, maybe she would have had experienced a different college and have traveled down a different path in life.
The last pair of questions lets us evaluate or judge the concepts. In the first question, we were asked what we thought was the most valuable aspect of Julia’s life or personality that would later make her into a success. We had a variety of responses. The fact that she didn’t fear new things would definitely help her later. Also, the fact that she was adventurous helped in Julia’s success. Her personal qualities like being outgoing, personable, likeable, confident, forgiving and easy-going would help her in the business world. The experience she had with the OSS and experiencing different cultures and food played a huge role in her career. And, of course, her passion (or appetite) for life played a large part. The very last question asks if there were any choices that Julia made that we would have chosen differently if we were her. We all agreed that if she would have done anything differently, then she would not have been herself and maybe have not been a success. When I wrote this question, I meant to ask, “what would you have decided differently if you were faced with the same choices but if you were you?” Then one member responded that they would have not gone to war. Another member would not have married Paul because he is too short.
No comments:
Post a Comment