Today in class we began the process of registering for the youthvoices online collaborative learning space. Read the terms/conditions and privacy policy. Register and then begin working on your profile.
Here’s the format for the username and full name. If I were creating an account today, I would enter the following:
Username: chriss
Full name: chriss at JM, SLC
For homework for Thursday, go to this web site and critique ten stories from last year. They have to be stories that have audio with them (not just text alone).
Bring your Short Takes book and your free reading book to class with you on Thursday, 9/27.
Today’s guest speaker was Jenny Brundin from KUER. Write what you learned from her (300 words).
A “classic” book is one that makes up what’s widely recognized as the canon of world literature. The reading list from which you chose your book (which is due October 9) represents one such list of classics. Your task now is to find the greatness. Locate a quote or a passage that either:
Homework for Thursday, 9/28: write the quote or excerpted passage at the top of a piece of paper and then explain your choice. This should be approximately 300 words.
We read a sample AP objective passage in class on Thursday. The following list of words were identified by the class as unfamiliar.
Define and provide an example of these terms
Begging the question
Reasoning in a circle
Truism
Satirize (satire)
Paradoxical (paradox)
Understatement
Metaphor
Define these words
Noncommittal
Objectivity
Antipathy
Fledgling
Unremitting candor
Petty
Exhortation
Cynicism
Victorian society
Whimsical freedom
Essential lawlessness
Syntax
Incisiveness
Remember to keep reading your outside reading book.
• Book is read by Monday, October 2.
• Follow Up interview is due Friday, October 6.
• In class writing assignment on Friday, October 6.
Rewrite your description of a special place. Now boil it down to its essentials. Describe it in approximately 50 words.
Vocabulary unit 2 is also due Monday, 9/25.
Before you begin revising, answer the questions on page 59 & 60. Hand write the answers to those questions on the draft itself. Then follow the directions on page 61 & 62 before you type your revision. BOTH the revision AND the draft (from 9/18) are due Monday, 9/25.
All story drafts are due today (whatever you have…no fluff, just facts).
If you’re still unsure about a trend story idea, here are some links to some possibilities:
Are American students falling behind students in Third World Countries?
Homework for Thursday, 9/21: introduce yourself to students who live outside of Utah by telling a story about a place near your school.
* What places in your community are special to you?
* What stories can you tell about these places?
* Would these stories be what people expect someone from your community to write? Or would they be surprised?
* How will reading your story and knowing about your special place help a young person at another school relate to your life and get to know you?
Think of pages 20 & 21 as a rubric. If you do all of those things well, you’ll write a good descriptive essay (and maybe even get a good grade).
Revise your autobiographical essay for Monday. It needs to be typed. Bring your outside reading book on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, 9/19, students paired up with another reader in class for a half-hour response session. Partners wrote detailed responses to the questions on those pages. If you were absent, have someone respond to those questions; make sure they write their responses on your paper if you want full credit.
