WORK BOOK/THE MYTH OF CASSANDRA

SENIORS: It would be a good idea to check your book for grammar and spelling at this point.

SOPHOMORES: You read The Tragic Myth of Cassandra from the Nature of Man packet.  In your notebook, under the title Cassandra, answer the questions on this link.

NEW DUE DATE/NATURE OF MAN PACKET

SENIORS: Since I was absent yesterday (flat tire) and the sub did not know how to open the Netbook cart, I am extending the due date of your completed children's book to Monday, May 4.

SOPHOMORES: You received a Nature of Man packet; in it is a variety of short readings, surveys, song lyrics, articles, etc. that should stimulate your thinking as you create your own philosophy on the nature of man.  Within the packet, we worked on Human Nature:Opinion Survey and What I Know for Sure.  In your notebook, under the title What I Know for Sure, answer the following questions:
1. What does Oprah mean when she says, "I've got on gospel music to both open and steel myself for the journey ahead"?
2. Why is it important to "pay attention"?
3. Oprah writes, "...for language is an obstacle to describing [the holocaust]." How can that be? Don't we use language to describe things?
4. What do you think is Oprah's opinion on the nature of man?

WORK BOOK/SOCRATIC;MACHIAVELLI;GENOCIDE;AFTER RELECTION

SENIORS: Continue working on your children's book; it is due this Friday.

SOPHOMORES: It was a busy day today.  First, in your notebook, under the title Genocide, respond to the following question: How can a cultured people allow genocide?  Then, to prepare you for tomorrow's Socratic Seminar, write all of the questions you created while doing the section work for NIGHT.  Write those questions down on a separate sheet of paper.  Also, look at the quotes you wrote down; these might useful to bring up for the Socratic Seminar.  I will have other questions you might want to discuss displayed on the Promethian Board; click on this link if you would like to see those questions in advance. While you did this, I collected the Vocab Sheet on Sections 4-9. Then, you took a test (don't panic, this one is fun) to find out how Machiavellian you are.  Click on this link to take the test.  Finally, for homework, finish the AFTER section on the handout titled AVID Before and After Reflection (you wrote on the first half before reading NIGHT, now you're finishing it).  I will collect that handout first-thing tomorrow.

NOTEBOOK CHECK/SECOND VOCAB SHEET

SENIORS: I finished the Notebook Check today; continue with the process of creating your children's book as it is due next Friday.

SOPHOMORES: I finished the Notebook Check today; continue with NIGHT and have it finished, along with the second vocabulary sheet, by Monday.

WORK BOOK/STRANGER THAN FICTION

SENIORS: Continue to work on the final creation of your children's book. You have the rest of this week and all of next week to finish, so make it look good.  Click on this link for the children's book rubric.

SOPHOMORES: In your notebook, under the title Stranger than Fiction, respond to the following prompt: "Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to be believable but truth does not."--Mark Twain

What does Mark Twain mean by this statement?  How does it apply to NIGHT?

Remember to bring your notebook tomorrow as I will be doing a Notebook Check. 

 

GROUP FEEDBACK/VOCAB;WORSE DEATH;WIESEL VIDEO

SENIORS: Today you got into groups and received some feedback on your children's book from your colleagues.  In your notebook, under the title Best Advice, write down the best piece of advice you received from your colleagues. I will be doing a Notebook check this Thursday.

SOPHOMORES: Busy day today.  First, I collected the Vocab sheet for Sections 1-3 and handed out a new Vocab sheet for Sections 4-9.  The new Vocab sheet will be due Monday, April 27.  Then, in your Notebook, under the title Worse Death, I asked you to respond to the following: Which do you feel is worse: the death of the body or the death of the soul?  Explain why. How does your answer aply to any of the people in NIGHT?  After that, we watched a video featuring Elie Wiesel, the author of NIGHT (see above). Finally, you had some time to work on the new Vocab sheet.  Please note: I will do a Notebook check this Thursday.

BOOK WORK/NIGHT WORK

SENIORS: Most of you have turned in your rough drafts, so now it is time to start crafting the actual book.  If you want to start using your own supplies, bring them in on Monday.  You have two weeks to complete your book.

SOPHOMORES: Continue reading Elie Wiesel's Night. You should have the following done by Monday: Vocab Handout for Sections 1-3 (I will collect this on Monday) and the Notebook work for those same sections. I can't create a link to the handouts; so if you don't have them, see me as soon as possible.

OUTLINE W/PIX DUE/HOLOCAUST WEBQUEST

SENIORS: Today was the due date for your rough draft of the outline with the pictures.  If you didn't turn it in, you can still do so, but for a reduction of one grade.  Start thinking about what you need in supplies to build your book.

SOPHOMORES: Depending on which period you're in, we did the following: debates, The Hangman poem, and/or the Holocaust Webquest.  Look on Friday's blog for the links to The Hangman assignment.  We will continue with the Holocaust Webquest tomorrow.

Remember to bring your ID tomorrow as you need to get a copy of Night. 

OUTLINE W/ROUGH PIX/HANGMAN

SENIORS: The rough draft of the outline with pictures will be due at the end of the period on Monday, April 13.  Start thinking about how you want to build your book: will you be using what I supply in class or will you be bringing in some supplies of your own?  Remember, you do not need to spend any money to create your children's picture book.  I showed examples of excellent books created from construction paper, printer paper, glue, and pencils and markers that I can supply for you.  The due date for the completed book is Friday, May 1.

SOPHOMORES: There are still some debates that need to be presented, so we will be shifting back and forth between two units: the Debate Unit and the Nature of Man Unit.  Depending on how many debates were seen today (Friday), you may or may not have seen the video titled The Hangman.  If you didn't see it today, you will see it on Monday.  Click on the image above for the video; click on this link for the questions to answer in your notebook under the title Hangman Questions.
 

GUEST SPEAKER/DEBATE LANGUAGE

SENIORS: We had a guest speaker, so the new due date for your rough draft is the end of the period on Monday, April 13.

SOPHOMORES: Don't just throw facts and opinions at an audience; you need to frame what you say with words that will help the audience process what you are saying.  Click on this link for those frameworks.

OUTLINES/INDEX CARDS

SENIORS: It's important that you have a "road map" to help you organize your work.  Click on this link for the questions you should be able to answer about your children's book.  Share with me through Google Docs under the title Outline.  Next, start thinking about what is going to be on each page; what words are going to be with what illustrations?  Will you be able to draw your illustrations or use images printed from the internet?  If you're like me and can't draw to save your life, then google "clip art."  Make sure that any images you use do not have a copyright (that means the image belongs to someone and you would be breaking a law if you used that image).  If you have any question as to whether an image has a copyright, don't print it until you show it to me.  Create a rough draft of your book, using printer paper; divide the paper into 8 segments (each segment represents a page); on each segment, draw or paste the image and add the words.  This is a ROUGH DRAFT that will be due this Friday, April 10.

SOPHOMORES: Continue preparing for your debate.  At this point, you should be working on your index cards.  Click on this link for an example.  The debates will begin this Wednesday, April 8.  Everyone needs to be ready to go; I will ask for volunteers, but if I don't get any, then I will randomly call names.  If you tell that you are not ready, then you will lose one letter grade and you will still have to debate at a later time.  I will collect all of the written work you did for the debate after your debate is finished (the written work is the evidence sheets, the debate outline, and the index cards).  There will be 2 grades for this unit; one grade will be for the written work and one grade will be for the debate itself.