On Tuesday, Sept. 2nd we will begin our Career Aptitude Survey unit. The goal of this activity is to help the students hone in on what be a good pathway, career wise, after they graduate. We will be using the "True Colors" test to get at the information.
We begin with the following questions:
1. What makes you happy;
2. What frustrates you?
3. What do you act like when you are frustrated?
4. What would you do if you won $15,000,000?
5. Give a slogan, song or saying that best illustrates who you are.
We will look through the True Color cards (see the link below). The students will rate them according to how well it fits him/her. It is a scale of 4= Most like you to = Least Like You
We will also go through a series of questions that have rating similar to those given above. This will correlate to a chart with occupations.
Here are the links to what we are using in class:
Color Cards ( we will look at each one)
An Interesting Report Related to This Exercise
Students who missed this segment will need to come in during access to do the activity.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Poetry Annotation - Eagles and The Gorillaz
Now that we have had practice annotating and discussing the same lyrics together, the kids will do another poem/song. This time they can choose from "Hotel California" by the Eagles, "Desperado" by the Eagles or "Fire Coming Out of a Monkey's Head" by The Gorillaz. Please see the instructions for "Fast Car" for instructions. These annotations will be presented in class. Next they will do a final poetry annotation with a poem that will be selected from a packet I will hand out next week.
Poetry Annotation - "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman
This week we began the poetry annotation by working with "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman.
Here's the assignment. You can get a copy of the lyrics by simply googling "Fast Car" lyrics.
English 12 Unit 1:
”Fast Car” Model Annotation
Know:
The goal of this assignment is to learn how to annotate a poem. This will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of a poem.
Understand:
You will understand how finding the speaker (personae), audience(s), purpose and argument aids in your better understanding a piece of writing.
Do:
In small groups you will do an annotation of the poem and present it to the class.
What You Need:
o A Small Group to Work With
o 1 Extra Copy of Fast Car
o Scissors
o Tape or Glue
o Colored Markers or Pencils
o 1 Extra Large Sheet of Paper
English 12 Unit 1:
”Fast Car” Model Annotation
1. Cut up the poem so that it can
be attached to the poster in one
continuous column.
2. Write the names of your
group members on the front
of the poster.
Reread the poem and begin
To mark words, phrases and lines that help you figure out:
Speaker
o Who the speaker is and what you know about them.
o What is the speaker like?
o What has happened to the speaker?
o What is the speaker’s attitude towards the event(s),
o Etc.
Audience(s)
o Who is/are the intended audience?
o How do you know this?
Purpose:
o Why did this person take time to write the poem?
o What is the message?
o Are there multiple messages? If so, what are they? Who are they intended for?
Argument:
o What does the speaker want you to do with the information?
o How does the speaker want you to behave or change?
Here's the assignment. You can get a copy of the lyrics by simply googling "Fast Car" lyrics.
English 12 Unit 1:
”Fast Car” Model Annotation
Know:
The goal of this assignment is to learn how to annotate a poem. This will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of a poem.
Understand:
You will understand how finding the speaker (personae), audience(s), purpose and argument aids in your better understanding a piece of writing.
Do:
In small groups you will do an annotation of the poem and present it to the class.
What You Need:
o A Small Group to Work With
o 1 Extra Copy of Fast Car
o Scissors
o Tape or Glue
o Colored Markers or Pencils
o 1 Extra Large Sheet of Paper
English 12 Unit 1:
”Fast Car” Model Annotation
1. Cut up the poem so that it can
be attached to the poster in one
continuous column.
2. Write the names of your
group members on the front
of the poster.
Reread the poem and begin
To mark words, phrases and lines that help you figure out:
Speaker
o Who the speaker is and what you know about them.
o What is the speaker like?
o What has happened to the speaker?
o What is the speaker’s attitude towards the event(s),
o Etc.
Audience(s)
o Who is/are the intended audience?
o How do you know this?
Purpose:
o Why did this person take time to write the poem?
o What is the message?
o Are there multiple messages? If so, what are they? Who are they intended for?
Argument:
o What does the speaker want you to do with the information?
o How does the speaker want you to behave or change?
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Personal Poster with Wordle Word Cloud Assignment
English 12 Unit 1: Personal Posters
Part 1:
Ø Create a list of words, phrases, song and/or movie titles, events, objects, etc. that describe you in some way. You need to have at least 20 things on your list and they must be a variety of types of thing. For example, please do not simply list the titles of 20 songs. Perhaps you could have four titles of songs, four titles of movies, four phrases you find yourself saying often, 4 words your best friend would use to describe you, and so on.
Ø Underline the most important ones. Please try to underline at least four of them.
Ø Go to Wordle.net and create a word cloud from these words. Be sure your first name is the largest word in your word cloud. Print your wordle and use it with your personal poster. We will be printing in black and white. If you want to print it again, or in color be sure to save it in the gallery. That will allow you to get it again.
Wordle Tips:
If you want a word to be larger than the rest type it several times. For example, if you type your name four times it will be much larger than the other words. The words that are kind of important could be typed out two or three times to make them slightly bigger.
If you want to keep a set of words/phrases together be sure to place a ~ between the words. The program will read this as a linking space. The ~ will not show up on your word cloud.
You can change up the colors by selecting Color>Edit Color Paletter> Click on the squares to pull up a color palette. Pick four colors and they will be inserted.
You can have a fun time by selecting Randomize from the bottom of the screen. The program will select new fonts and positions. Be aware that by doing this you cannot go back to a previous version of the word cloud.
If you decide to save something in the gallery be sure that you do not use your full name or publish anything that should not be available to anyone who accesses the Internet!
Have fun! Check Out the Gallery for interesting ideas!
Part 2:
Ø Turn in a recent photograph of yourself that can be left on the poster you will make. This will be posted in my room for much of the fall semester. (25)
Ø Turn in a photo of something you think is beautiful. Be aware that you may be asked to explain why the item/setting in the photo is something you consider beautiful. This too will be on your poster in my room.(25)
Ø Write out 1-3 of your most powerful personal belief / credo statements. These will also go on your poster. These statements must school appropriate. (25)
Due Date: Points Possible: _________/ 75
Part 1:
Ø Create a list of words, phrases, song and/or movie titles, events, objects, etc. that describe you in some way. You need to have at least 20 things on your list and they must be a variety of types of thing. For example, please do not simply list the titles of 20 songs. Perhaps you could have four titles of songs, four titles of movies, four phrases you find yourself saying often, 4 words your best friend would use to describe you, and so on.
Ø Underline the most important ones. Please try to underline at least four of them.
Ø Go to Wordle.net and create a word cloud from these words. Be sure your first name is the largest word in your word cloud. Print your wordle and use it with your personal poster. We will be printing in black and white. If you want to print it again, or in color be sure to save it in the gallery. That will allow you to get it again.
Wordle Tips:
If you want a word to be larger than the rest type it several times. For example, if you type your name four times it will be much larger than the other words. The words that are kind of important could be typed out two or three times to make them slightly bigger.
If you want to keep a set of words/phrases together be sure to place a ~ between the words. The program will read this as a linking space. The ~ will not show up on your word cloud.
You can change up the colors by selecting Color>Edit Color Paletter> Click on the squares to pull up a color palette. Pick four colors and they will be inserted.
You can have a fun time by selecting Randomize from the bottom of the screen. The program will select new fonts and positions. Be aware that by doing this you cannot go back to a previous version of the word cloud.
If you decide to save something in the gallery be sure that you do not use your full name or publish anything that should not be available to anyone who accesses the Internet!
Have fun! Check Out the Gallery for interesting ideas!
Part 2:
Ø Turn in a recent photograph of yourself that can be left on the poster you will make. This will be posted in my room for much of the fall semester. (25)
Ø Turn in a photo of something you think is beautiful. Be aware that you may be asked to explain why the item/setting in the photo is something you consider beautiful. This too will be on your poster in my room.(25)
Ø Write out 1-3 of your most powerful personal belief / credo statements. These will also go on your poster. These statements must school appropriate. (25)
Due Date: Points Possible: _________/ 75
Teen Table Topics - Questions for Interesting Discusssions
Here are the questions that we used as a springboard for students getting to know each other:
What is the first memory you can remember?
What was the worst day of your life?
What is the favorite gift you ever received?
What character from a movie do you relate to the most/best?
What was the best day of your life?
What is your biggest fear?
What was the most traumatic event of your life?
What is the one thing you enjoy doing most?
What is one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
Which three words would you use to describe yourself?
What’s the difference between who you think you are and how others perceive you?
Who has had the greatest impact on the direction of your life?
Who are your role models?
What’s been the biggest obstacle in your life so far?
What’s the secret to happiness?
What’s the nicest thing you’ve ever done for someone?
If you could…which moment from your life would you choose to relive?
What’s the best and worst advice you’ve ever received?
What are the most important qualities in friends?
What’s the most significant lesson you’ve learned in life so far?
What would you save first if your house caught fire?
What will be the best thing about leaving home and what will be the scariest thing?
Would you choose to be the worst player on a winning team or the best player on a losing team?
What is the thing you most regret saying or doing to a friend?
What’s your proudest accomplishment?
What’s your most embarrassing moment?
When you’re down, what do you do to feel better?
What’s the worst gift you’ve ever received and ever given?
What movie had the greatest impact on you?
What would you sacrifice to save someone’s life?
Would you rather be smarter, more athletic, or better looking?
Which of your sibling’s character traits would you like to have?
What do you most admire about your parents?
How do you choose your friends?
Do you have any habits you’d like to give up?
Would you live your life any differently if you didn’t care what people thought?
Which personality has gotten you into the most trouble?
How do you measure success and who would you consider a successful person?
What one fear would you like to conquer?
What’s your favorite website?
Did you ever throw away an item you wish you had saved?
Have your parents ever told you something that you don’t think is true?
Would you date someone you liked if your best friend liked them too?
Is the male or female body more beautiful?
What’s your idea of a perfect first date?
What’s the first thing you’d do if you suddenly changed into the opposite sex?
If you found out a close friend was gay, how would it change your friendship?
What’s your all-time favorite music video?
If you were to do volunteer work, what kind would you choose?
What topics do you feel passionately about enough to protest?
What event, past or present, would you like to witness in person?
Which song evokes the strongest memories for you?
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
How do you think your generation id different from previous generations?
Would you prefer to have lots of acquaintances or a few very close friends?
What super power would you like to have?
If you could do something dangerous just once with no risk, what would it be?
Monday, August 11, 2008
Welcome to My Class - My Syllabus
Welcome to my class. I truly hope you will enjoy what we do. I am working hard to make sure that we satisfy all our requirements in an interesting manner. This year long course has seven main units. We will cover the first four this semester:
Unit 1- Many Selves, Many Voices – using poetry and an interview to become aware of the variety of voices writers and speakers use, and how these voices reflect a cultural context and a sense of the speaker’s individuality.
Unit 2 – Looking Forward & Getting Ready for the Next Step - using non-fiction and technical documents to explore the next step you may take, whether it is going to college or starting a career. We will be writing college entrance essays, cover letters for business purposes and creating a resume.
Unit 3 – Stranger in the Village – using essays to understand how encounters with others expand our own potential for self-expression, and understanding the risks associated with being either a “stranger” or a part of the “village.”
Unit 4 – A Medley of Voices – using a novel by Zora Neale Hurston to understand the connections between language and character, and to analyze historical/social//cultural contexts in literary works.
Students in English 12 will be expected to:
Attend class and be an active participant.
Read and interpret from a wide variety of genres.
· Write—notes, poems, essays, research papers and stories, —in response to what is being read and discussed in class.
Students and parents should understand that English 12 is designed to challenge every student. However, the extent to which an individual student is challenged will be dependent on the effort that the student puts into the class.
It is our desire that you become engaged in the coursework and that it becomes the subject of conversation between you and your instructors, your classmates, and your family.
I want you to succeed in my class. Even if you don’t feel like you’re “good” at writing or reading, you can still get a good grade in my class. So, you say, how do I do that? Here’s the drill:
· COME TO CLASS EVERYDAY! Having an interesting mix of students makes the class more fun. I want to see your smiling face every school day.
Absences & Tardies: I will be enforcing the school attendance policies. If you have excessive tardies (this means a lot of tardies or you are VERY late to class) I may require you to make-up that time during the access portion of the schedule or I may require you to clean desks during part of your passing period.
· BE PREPARED! For my class you will need your brain, a well fed body, a good attitude, respect, and the following supplies:
· Pens: All assignments must be done in pen or typed/word processed.
· 1 Three Ring Binder with Paper
· 1 Two-Pocket folder, preferably one that is punched and can travel within your notebook.
· Your Planner: This should be used to record assignment, especially homework due dates. It also serves as your hall pass.
· Markers or Colored Pencils that have been sharpened: (Optional) We will be doing some fun things in class that you require a nice visual presentation. Be sure to put your name on your markers or colored pencils.
· Post-It Notes: ( Optional, but Useful) You will need the small ones that you can write on. (1 3/8 x 1/7/8 or 2 7/8 x 2 7/8)
· A Highlighter
A Jefferson County Pubic Library Card: You can gain access to all of the databases that the Jeffco Public Library has if you have a library card. I would like you to tell me your card number and the name on the card so that you can access the databases even if you don’t have the card with you. If you do not have one you can get one by going to any Jeffco Public Library or by applying online at www.jefferson.lib.co.us. If you apply online you will need to pick it up within three days from when you applied for it.
Grading Criteria:
All assignments are given points. Grades are awarded based on points earned.
90% = A 80% = B 70% = C 69% = F
In keeping with the English Department Policy, no “D” grades will be awarded.
Okay, enough said? Feeling overwhelmed already? Stop and breathe. I am strict, but also fair. It is important to me that you know what is going on and expected in my class. I hope to see your face beaming with pride in your own excellent work and feel good about how well you have prepared yourself. Need help with any of this stuff? See me. I am always here before school, during the access period or you can schedule time with me as well.
Unit 1- Many Selves, Many Voices – using poetry and an interview to become aware of the variety of voices writers and speakers use, and how these voices reflect a cultural context and a sense of the speaker’s individuality.
Unit 2 – Looking Forward & Getting Ready for the Next Step - using non-fiction and technical documents to explore the next step you may take, whether it is going to college or starting a career. We will be writing college entrance essays, cover letters for business purposes and creating a resume.
Unit 3 – Stranger in the Village – using essays to understand how encounters with others expand our own potential for self-expression, and understanding the risks associated with being either a “stranger” or a part of the “village.”
Unit 4 – A Medley of Voices – using a novel by Zora Neale Hurston to understand the connections between language and character, and to analyze historical/social//cultural contexts in literary works.
Students in English 12 will be expected to:
Attend class and be an active participant.
Read and interpret from a wide variety of genres.
· Write—notes, poems, essays, research papers and stories, —in response to what is being read and discussed in class.
Students and parents should understand that English 12 is designed to challenge every student. However, the extent to which an individual student is challenged will be dependent on the effort that the student puts into the class.
It is our desire that you become engaged in the coursework and that it becomes the subject of conversation between you and your instructors, your classmates, and your family.
I want you to succeed in my class. Even if you don’t feel like you’re “good” at writing or reading, you can still get a good grade in my class. So, you say, how do I do that? Here’s the drill:
· COME TO CLASS EVERYDAY! Having an interesting mix of students makes the class more fun. I want to see your smiling face every school day.
Absences & Tardies: I will be enforcing the school attendance policies. If you have excessive tardies (this means a lot of tardies or you are VERY late to class) I may require you to make-up that time during the access portion of the schedule or I may require you to clean desks during part of your passing period.
· BE PREPARED! For my class you will need your brain, a well fed body, a good attitude, respect, and the following supplies:
· Pens: All assignments must be done in pen or typed/word processed.
· 1 Three Ring Binder with Paper
· 1 Two-Pocket folder, preferably one that is punched and can travel within your notebook.
· Your Planner: This should be used to record assignment, especially homework due dates. It also serves as your hall pass.
· Markers or Colored Pencils that have been sharpened: (Optional) We will be doing some fun things in class that you require a nice visual presentation. Be sure to put your name on your markers or colored pencils.
· Post-It Notes: ( Optional, but Useful) You will need the small ones that you can write on. (1 3/8 x 1/7/8 or 2 7/8 x 2 7/8)
· A Highlighter
A Jefferson County Pubic Library Card: You can gain access to all of the databases that the Jeffco Public Library has if you have a library card. I would like you to tell me your card number and the name on the card so that you can access the databases even if you don’t have the card with you. If you do not have one you can get one by going to any Jeffco Public Library or by applying online at www.jefferson.lib.co.us. If you apply online you will need to pick it up within three days from when you applied for it.
Grading Criteria:
All assignments are given points. Grades are awarded based on points earned.
90% = A 80% = B 70% = C 69% = F
In keeping with the English Department Policy, no “D” grades will be awarded.
Okay, enough said? Feeling overwhelmed already? Stop and breathe. I am strict, but also fair. It is important to me that you know what is going on and expected in my class. I hope to see your face beaming with pride in your own excellent work and feel good about how well you have prepared yourself. Need help with any of this stuff? See me. I am always here before school, during the access period or you can schedule time with me as well.
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