sloanspace

Due to the fact that semester finals are during the third week of January, we’ll resume doing the newspaper for February.  We still need to finish editing the large amount of video we took in the first semester. Everyone needs to volunteer to edit some of our video footage.  This will be the last assignment before semester finals.

Flickr’s creative commons area

We begin a close reading of Martin Luther King Jr’s classic essay. Read the first 8 pages of chapter 10 in Concise Guide to Writing.  Finish reading chapter 10 by December 20.

Enter a writing contest for Monday. Bring the completed entry form, the writing itself, and an addressed envelope. Here’s link to our class Google calendar.

If you know of a contest or scholarship competition that’s not on the Google calendar, you can enter that one instead.

Complete vocabulary unit 6 for Friday, 12/15.

We got a request from the students at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in New York City. They asked if we could search for their posts, read them, and then respond to them. You can find them by typing “ERHS” in the search window in youthvoices.net. So for Monday’s homework, make a comment to one of their posts. Since I’ll be visiting ERHS on Friday, 12/8, it’s extra credit if you do the assignment tonight.

Also for Monday: Write a 300 word opinion column that begins with the phrase, “Has anyone else noticed?” (like the examples of Andrew Malcolm that we read in class).

For Friday in class: Do vocabulary, unit 5 and turn it in to the sub.

As a critical reader of this profile, you…

• Wrote briefly about the profile’s perspective on its subject or main insight into it.
• Considered the problem the writer identified.

• Made a scratch outline.
• Pointed out time markers and transitions that might improve the story.
• Let the writer know where the narrative arouses/holds your curiosity.
• Pointed out places where the dialogue fell flat, or suggested places where dialogue would help the profile.
• Told the writer if there was too much or too little information about the topic.

• Looked at the beginning… Did the opening get your attention? If not, suggest facts or anecdotes that might make a better opening.
• Looked at the ending… Did it leave you hanging, did it end too abruptly, or oversimplify?
• Looked at any visuals… Comment on the visuals. Suggest some ideas for visuals if there aren’t any.

• Evaluated the Writer’s role.

• Pointed out 2 or 3 examples of vivid description of people, places…
• Identified places where you would have liked more descriptive detail.

• Showed the writer you learned something truly interesting, surprising, or useful.
• Pointed out where info was too complex or incomplete.
• Asked for clarification, definitions, etc.
• Showed the writer where the interweaving of description and information seems out of balance.

Briefly stated the writer’s perspective on the subject.

• Underlined one or two places where the writer explicitly states or implies the perspective.
• Listened to the draft one more time, listening for unneeded or extraneous description or information.

Gave the writer your final thoughts.

• What’s the drafts strongest part?
• What part is most memorable?
• What part is weakest or most in need of further work?

Revision is due Tuesday, 12/12.

Here are a couple of places you can find legal images for your presentation. You need to include 5 media files in your presentation.

Flickr’s creative commons area

Archive.org’s historical files

The Library of Congress 

For Monday: Go to youthvoices.net and create a new post.  Write about whatever is on your mind.