Sophomore Extra Credit - Are too many people going to college?

Please listen to the following podcast (at least the first two debaters) and engage in the discussion.  Try to acknowledge that we are conditioned to believe that college is important and try to understand why is so important to us and so necessary to our lives.

It is a fascinating discussion that requires you to consider your own life experience and the experiences of others.  Be sure to read your fellow classmates' responses before commenting yourself.  I like to promote inter-student discussion, just remember to be polite and respectful.  Feel free to insert a question into your response for later to students to answer!

Enjoy!  I'll chime in from time to time.

Work for the Week of Dec. 17th - Sophomores

Monday December 17th
Minutes: Demos, Simon, Mindy
Reading HW: Read The Allegory of the Cave
HW: Final draft day.

Tuesday December 18th
Minutes: Eddie W., Gavin, Madina
Reading HW: Read the these two essays (found here and here) about The Matrix and its relation to Plato's Cave.
HW: Hand in your paper, stapled.

Wednesday December 19th
Minutes: Steven, David, Shazif
Reading HW: Take the night off.
HW: Take the night off.

Thursday December 20th
Minutes: Cardy, John, Leina
Reading HW: Read "Book One" of Plato's Republic
HW: Please pick three quotes that display the Socratic dialectic procedure.  How is Socrates taking us out of Plato's "cave"?

Friday December 21st
Minutes: Jean, Andy, Umarbin
Reading HW:
HW:

Over non-denominational winter solstice break:

It is very important to me that you use these days off to spend time with friends and family and catch up on much needed rest.  Aside from voluntary extra credit assignments, you have no reading or homework due over break.  Thank you for a wonderful first few months of school.  Enjoy and I'll see you in 2013.

Work for the Week of Dec. 17th - Freshmen

                                         

Monday December 17th
Minutes: Mahdi, Jenny
Reading HW: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Blue - 42, Black - 42
HW: How would you characterize the men of the ward?  How does McMurphy's arrival affect the environment of the ward?

Tuesday December 18th
Minutes: Mo, Alice
Reading HW: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Blue - 42, Black - 42
HW: Please use 5 post-its to denote quotes of particular interest/themes of machinery or rebellion.

Wednesday December 19th
Minutes: Pablo, Michael A.
Reading HW: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Blue - 69
HW: How does Nurse Ratched run group sessions?  What is a pecking party?  Please use 5 post-its to denote quotes of particular interest/themes.

Thursday December 20th
Minutes: Camille, Joydeep
Reading HW: N/A
HW: Catch up on 5 post-its assignment if you are behind.

Friday December 21st
Minutes: Christy, Abby
Reading HW: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Blue - 84
HW: Please use 5 post-its to denote quotes of particular interest/themes.

Finish Part One of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest for January 3rd, 2012

Over non-denominational winter solstice break:

It is very important to me that you use these days off to spend time with friends and family and catch up on much needed rest.  Aside from voluntary extra credit assignments, you have no homework due over break.  Thank you for a wonderful first few months of school.  Enjoy and I'll see you in 2013.

Freshmen E.C. - Closes Dec. 3rd, 2013

Building off of our creative writing assignment in class, you are to select a song and create a scene based off of that song.

Add a youtube link to your song so we can listen to the song as we read your passage.  Try not write more than 500 words.  It is important that you create a scene that is self-contained; you aren't composing a film.

Don't forget to use ideas like we used in class: appearance, body language, tone, dialogue, colors, and more.  And add detail!  Post your song (via Youtube URL) and your scene to the blog!

Visit this post to remind yourself of some of the wonderful examples and feel free to mimic writing styles that you enjoy!

When you're finished, post to this blog!

Work for the Week of Dec. 10th - Freshmen

Due Monday December 10th
Minutes: Alex S., Dristi
Reading HW: N/A
HW: Select a song, post a link to the song on the blog, and explain how the song makes you feel.

Due Tuesday December 11th
Minutes: Tracy, Neil
Reading HW:
HW: Read and explain the following quote as it pertains to "show don't tell":

If a writer of prose knows enough of what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. ~E. Hemingway

Due Wednesday December 12th
Minutes: Carol, Bowen
Reading HW: N/A
HW: Finish your creative writing piece by using subtext/show don't tell.  Don't forget to use ideas like we used in class today: appearance, body language, tone, dialogue, colors, and more.  And add detail!  Post your song (via Youtube URL) and your scene to the blog!

Due Thursday December 13th
Minutes: Jackie, Xiao Wen
Reading HW: Watch this video/Read this transcript about how "Schools Kill Creativity" (you don't need to watch all/read all.  Watch up until the ten minute mark (required), or longer if you'd like.
HW: How do schools kill creativity according to speaker Ken Robinson?  What particular examples strike your interest?  Do you feel like your sense of creativity could be stronger?  Are our schools enforcing a kind of conformity?

Due Friday December 14th
Minutes: Mark, David
Reading HW: Read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Blue Book - up to pg. 28
                                                                                        Black Book - up to pg. 18
HW: Can we trust the narrator?  Why or why not?  How would you characterize the narrator?

Due Monday December 17th
Minutes: Mahdi, Jenny

Reading HW: Read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Blue Book - up to pg. 42
                                                                                        Black Book - up to pg. 42

HW: Who are the men of the ward?  Be prepared to discuss each.  How would characterize Randall McMurphy?  How does his presence affect the tone of the ward?

Work for the Week of Dec. 10th - Sophomores

Due Monday December 10th
Minutes: Jacky, Aimee, Sheldon
Reading HW: N/A
HW: Begin your draft.

Due Tuesday December 11th- DRAFT DAY
Minutes: Razwan, Mahir, Sharon
Reading HW: N/A
HW: Please bring in a draft, body paragraphs and thesis only.

Due Wednesday December 12th
Minutes: Allen, Alisa, Abu
Reading HW: Read "The Pre-Socratics" found here.  Read through page 10, numbers at the bottom of the page.
HW: Please take notes on each of the Pre-Socratics.  Who are they?  What did they each believe?  Why are they lumped together into a single group, the "Pre-Socratic" thinkers?

Due Thursday December 13th
Minutes: Irena, Thomas Suchecki, Vanessa
Reading HW: Read the story of "Plato".  If the dropbox file does not show up, download the file and open it.
HW: Please take notes on Plato and Socrates, noting their individual beliefs.  How does Socrates reject the need for gods?  What were the Pythagoreans influence on Plato?

Due Friday December 14th - DRAFT DAY
Minutes: Cathy, Tommy Sun, Patrick
Reading HW: N/A
HW: Complete Intro's and Conclusions worksheet.  Please bring in a full draft, introduction and conclusion included (no matter how bad you think they are!).

Due Monday December 17th - Final Draft Day
Minutes: Demos, Simon, Mindy
Reading HW: Read The Allegory of the Cave
HW: Bring in a final draft.  Please type up a reflection page about what you learned about the writing process by writing this paper.

Work for the Week of Dec. 3rd - Sophomores

Monday December 3rd
Minutes: Jim, Antony, Nadine
Reading HW: Read Books 18, 19
HW: Finish updating a classic assignment if not finished.

Tuesday December 4th
Minutes: Radhika, Andy L., Amy
Reading HW: Read Book 20
HW: Begin to brainstorm ideas for your newest draft.

Wednesday Dec. 5th
Minutes: Brian, Abe, Michael J.
Reading HW: Read Book 21, 22
HW: What is the significance of sport in Book 21?  In Book 22, What particular deaths do particular suitors receive?   What is the significance of such specific deaths?

Thursday December 6th
Minutes: Lily, Jared, Sen
Reading HW: Read Book 23, 24
HW: What is odd about Odysseus and Penelope's reunion?  Why do you think Homer chooses to portray Book 24 in such an odd setting?  What kind of message is Homer sending through such an end?  Is it fair how Athena changes the suitors parents' minds?  Has Athena been a worthy goddess throughout this story or a cheap plot tool?

Friday December 7th
Minutes: Ivan, Adriel, Shu Xing
Reading HW: Look through The Odyssey for examples to support your potential thesis.
HW: Create a rudimentary thesis statement.

Monday December 10th
Minutes: Jacky, Aimee, Sheldon
Reading HW:
HW: Email me a copy of your thesis for approval by Sunday 6 P.M.

Work for the Week of Dec. 3rd - Freshmen

Monday December 3rd
Minutes: Rina, Felicia
Reading HW:
HW: How are some ways in which our society separates "aberrations"?

Tuesday December 4th
Minutes: Laura, Kevin L.
Reading HW: "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway
HW: How is this a story about abortion?  Look for examples of subtext within the characters, setting, and prose.

Wednesday Dec. 5th
Minutes: Adam, Derrick
Reading HW: "Rules of the Game" by Amy Tan
HW: What is the figurative meaning of Waverly's learning/mastering the game of chess?  Find evidence to support your point.  Can you relate to Waverly?  Why or why not?

Thursday December 6th
Minutes: Kyle, Kevin M.
Reading HW: Read "The Rich Boy" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
HW: Consider the following hypothesis: Rich people are happier.  Please find two pieces of evidence in the story that prove that this hypothesis is both true and false (four pieces of evidence total).

Friday December 7th
Minutes: Alina, Lianna
Reading HW: "Though the Tunnel" by Doris Lessing
HW: What is Jerry's relationship with his mother?  Why does Jerry want to be with the older boys?  Does he succeed?  What change can you see in Jerry at the end of the story?

Monday December 10th
Minutes: Alex S., Dristi
Reading HW: N/A
HW: Similar to our lesson on Friday, pick a song and post the song's Youtube video to the comment section of this blog.  Be sure to share what emotions this song creates through show don't tell.  Do the lyrics achieve a similar effect?  We'll use some of these songs in our lesson on Monday.