Wednesday, February 25, 2015

AGENDA 2/25

Guest Speakers: Andrew Basmajian and Joel Cesare, from Office of Sustainability and the Environment.
Andrew Basmajian's powerpoint
The "Doritos" video Mr. Basmajian alluded to in his talk and a piece from Bloomberg Business noting PepsiCo's response, along with a piece from The Union of Concerned Scientists acknowledging PepsiCo's response
Pust's Notes from today's guest speakers

HW: Register for the AP English Language and Composition exam: DEADLINE IS FRIDAY!!!
2015 AP Exam Registration flyer
Quick link to Vikings Web Store to purchase exams via credit card (note that a $7 processing fee applies)

 Please submit your response to the local issues project proposal survey before class on Friday

Monday, February 23, 2015

AGENDA 2/23

Period 3 ONLY: Guest Speaker, Superintendent Sandy Lyon
Pust's Notes from guest speaker, Superintendent Sandy Lyon
If you were absent from Period 3, please print my notes and annotate them with your questions, comments, and responses, then complete the two reflection stems:

1) Today, I learned...
2) Now, I'm wondering...

Worth thinking about: Based on Sandy Lyon's talk, which of our reformers would she most likely side with? Which ideas from our education unit texts would she most disagree with?

Periods 4 & 5:
Introduce foldables for education unit texts (you can use these, or another note-taking system, to track your annotations from The Pact and our other short essays within this education unit

Check out computers and introduce the Turnitin.com discussion board activity:
1) Between now and 3/5, make two posts to each of the three topics
2) ALL of your posts must be written in standard academic English and contain at least one direct quotation from the relevant chapters of The Pact.
3) Some of your posts may introduce new topics, but some should be replies to other student comments. Do not make all six of your comments opening new topics.

Discussion posts are due before 3/5. Make sure your comments and questions are thoughtful and that each contains a relevant quotation, introduced smoothly, to advance or support your ideas.

Note: We'll be selecting topics for our local issues research papers on Friday. Be thinking about potential topics and group members, if desired, for your research papers.

HW: Continue independent reading & annotating of The Pact if needed. Begin posting on Turnitin.com discussion board. Read notes from Sandy Lyon's guest speaker talk if you're interested in researching school issues.

Friday, February 20, 2015

AGENDA 2/20

Guest speaker -- SMMUSD Board Member Ralph Mechur
Pust's Notes from the presentation

If you were absent, please print out these notes, annotate them with your questions, reactions, and comments, then complete the two reflection statements at the bottom:
1) Today, I learned that...
2) Now, I'm wondering...

Something to consider: How did Mr. Mechur's presentation connect to what we've been studying? What reformers have we read that Mr. Mechur might agree with? Which positions/arguments might he take issue with?

HW: Finish reading The Pact, remembering to annotate as you read (insights, comments, questions, connections, funneling, etc.). Annotations will be checked on Tuesday. Please complete book checks today at lunch or after school.

AGENDA 2/19

Synthesis Writing Workshop - return EdTech synthesis essays
Reading Quiz over chapter 10 of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and chapters 12, 13, 14, and 15 of The Pact

HW: Read chapter 16, "Sam on Perseverance," and chapter 17 of The Pact. Continue to annotate as you read--annotations will be checked next Tuesday.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

AGENDA 2/18

Guest speaker -- Aimee Wyatt, Community Relations Officer, Big Blue Bus
Pust's notes from the presentations
Link to seat redesign: today and tomorrow are the last chance to check out the prototypes at Santa Monica & 22nd stop!
If you were absent, please print out these notes, annotate them with your questions, reactions, and comments, then complete the two reflection statements at the bottom:
1) Today, I learned that...
2) Now, I'm wondering...

Tomorrow, we'll turn back the synthesis essays and have a brief synthesis workshop to help you improve, and we'll take a reading quiz

Please register for your AP exams as soon as possible! February 27 marks the end of regular registration and exams then carry a $10 penalty!

If you have not turned in the three practice synthesis paragraphs, please do so before the end of the week:
1) Postman/Robinson
2) Mann/Botstein
3) Pact Ch. 11/Gates

Please remember to register for AP exams!
Quick link to Vikings Web Store to purchase exams via credit card (note that a $7 processing fee applies)

HW: Read/annotate Chapter 10 of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and chapters 12, 13, 14, 15 of The Pact in preparation for a brief reading quiz tomorrow.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

AGENDA 2/17

Seminar over McGraw-Hill Reader texts:
Susan Jacoby's essay, “When Bright Girls Decide that Math is a Waste of Time,” pages 140-143; Benjamin Barber's essay, "America Skips School," pages 153-162; and William J. Bennett's essay, “What Really Ails America,” pages 443-446, all in The McGraw-Hill Reader.

Reminder: Register for AP Exam and complete your book checks by lunchtime on Thursday for inclusion in this grading period!

HW: Read/annotate Chapter 10 of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and chapters 12, 13, 14, 15 of The Pact in preparation for a brief reading quiz on Thursday.

Friday, February 13, 2015

AGENDA 2/13

Period 3: foldables
Answer questions about yesterday's assignment. Need more help? Drop-in Tuesday or Wednesday at lunch and you can submit the synthesis paragraphs on Thursday

Guest speaker, Mr. Wells, periods 4 and 5
PowerPoint from Mr. Wells' presentation
Pust's notes from Mr. Wells' presentation: if you were absent, please print out my notes and annotate them, then complete the two reflection statements: "Today, I learned that..." and "Now, I'm wondering..."


HW: Read Susan Jacoby's essay, “When Bright Girls Decide that Math is a Waste of Time,” pages 140-143; Benjamin Barber's essay, "America Skips School," pages 153-162; and William J. Bennett's essay, “What Really Ails America,” pages 443-446, all in The McGraw-Hill Reader. As you read, annotate, ask thoughtful questions, make connections, and be prepared to discuss on Tuesday.


Thursday, February 12, 2015

AGENDA 2/12

Read Ch 11 of The Pact, "Rap," and "Delusions of Grandeur," by Professor Henry Louis Gates, in the McGraw-Hill Reader, and discuss the overlapping ideas. Annotate each, then write a synthesis paragraph exploring the ideas in each text.

HW: Finish the classwork if not finished in class.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

AGENDA 2/10

Read Leon Botstein's "Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood" silently, annotating, “funneling” (mark/highlight the most important paragraph, most important sentence, and most symbolic word), and writing thoughtful questions/comments. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, paraphrase Botstein’s major claim(s) just as we’ve been practicing in our current synthesis unit. For example, you might write a few sentences that begin with “Botstein argues” or “Botstein explains…”

Discussion: When you complete their reading/annotation/claim statements for the Botstein piece, discuss the ideas with your sharing partners. What makes sense? What are you skeptical about or what possible counterclaims might you push back with if you disagree with Botstein?

Then, read the Horace Mann piece, "Report to the Massachusetts Board of Education." The first page is simply introductory, to give context for Mann’s report. Read the entire packet silently, again annotating, funneling, questioning, and writing claim statements.

Finally, craft a synthesis paragraph: find an overlapping idea (could be similar, could be contrasting) between Mann's and Botstein's piece, then write a synthesis paragraph, using at least one direct quotation from each.

HW: Synthesis paragraph--after reading Mann's speech and Botstein's editorial, what argument might you make? Write that claim, then incorporate evidence from each text, and use the texts to support your position.

Monday, February 9, 2015

AGENDA 2/9

TW: Synthesis

HW: Read chapter 8 & 9 of The Pact. Continue to annotate, funnel, and ask thoughtful questions as you read. Notes check will be happening soon!

Friday, February 6, 2015

AGENDA 2/6

Synthesis notes - review of class trends & samples from student essays
Review synthesis FLTs

HW: Read chapter 7 and "George on Peer Pressure" in The Pact. Continue to annotate as you read, noting funneling and thoughtful questions.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

AGENDA 2/5

Reminders and announcements: register for AP exams, make sure to turn in any missing work

Synthesis paragraph practice

Reread the transcript of Sir Ken Robinson’s RSA Animate Talk and Neil Postman’s essay “Order in the Classroom.” Then write a well-reasoned, persuasive body paragraph in which you develop a position on how best to improve American public education.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

AGENDA 2/3 & 2/4

Special Schedule: CAHSEE
Write Responses to Reading, Chapters 1-3 of The Pact
Quick share out & collect responses

Read Neil Postman's "Order in the Classroom" and respond to questions on PowerPoint

HW: Read Chapters 4, 5, 6 of The Pact for Thursday's class. Continue to annotate as you read--funneling, noting important quotations, posing questions, and be prepared to share out. Revised critical annotations w/ rough draft and peer comments attached to back due in class on Thursday.

Please remember to register for AP exams!
2015 AP Exam Registration flyer
Quick link to Vikings Web Store to purchase exams via credit card (note that a $7 processing fee applies)

Make sure you register for AP English Language and Composition :-) before 2/27 so you can avoid the $10 per exam late fee!

See Pust for help or questions; see Ms. Chew in M House office, H106, as soon as possible to register in person or if you need financial assistance.

Monday, February 2, 2015

REGISTER ASAP FOR AP EXAMS!

2015 AP Exam Registration flyer
Quick link to Vikings Web Store to purchase exams via credit card (note that a $7 processing fee applies)

Make sure you register for AP English Language and Composition :-) before 2/27 so you can avoid the $10 per exam late fee!

See Pust for help or questions; see Ms. Chew in M House office, H106, as soon as possible to register in person or if you need financial assistance.

AGENDA 2/2

AP Exam registration information
Senior electives information

Groups of 4-6: Share out your thoughtful questions and annotations from Malcolm X's "Learning to Read" and then discuss questions from PPT

HW: Read Ch 3 "Ma" from The Pact; annotate and be prepared to discuss.