sloanspace » General

Proposal to Solve a Problem

sloan — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:55:28 +0000

Upcoming essay assignment: Proposal to solve a problem, due 12/5. The revision should be in the form of a letter addressed to a person who can help effect a solution, due 12/15.

Write an essay, proposing a solution to a clearly defined problem affecting a group or community to which you belong. Your task is to establish that the problem exists, to offer a solution that can reasonably be implemented, to lay out the particulars by which your proposal would be put into effect, and to consider objections and alternative solutions. If you’re not sure what to write about, here’s a link to some suggested topics.

Also, bring Dead Man Walking to class starting 12/1. Finish the book before (or over) Christmas vacation, so that we can discuss it when we return in January.

This week’s post on Youth Voices

sloan — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:11:45 +0000

Your post on Youth Voices this week is a self-assessment. First update your inquiry questions in your Google Document. Next, read the Youth Voices curriculum. Edit your profile, make at least one comment on another post, and compose your self-assessment. Like every week you have until Friday to complete this post, so make it a thoughtful reflection and use specific examples to illustrate your points.

Mark your calendars

sloan — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:09:14 +0000

Be sure to watch Desert Wars: Water and the West on September 25 or 27. Here’s a quick description from KUED’s news release.

Our future is measured by the drop. It’s a story as old as the West itself; a story of water and power. Who has it and who wants it. Competing interests debate how growth, development, preservation, and conservation are at stake in the future of the West. Desert Wars: Water and the West, a one-hour KUED documentary film by John Howe, explores these pressing issues by looking at the conflicts surrounding the future of the Snake Valley groundwater aquifer in Utah’s west desert and efforts to tap it for Las Vegas, Nevada. The documentary, narrated by actor Joseph Campanella, with an original score by Vincent Frates, airs Monday, September 25, at 8 p.m. and repeats Wednesday, September 27, at 11 p.m. on KUED-Channel 7.

Desert Wars: Water and the West

Congrats to Annie Loader

sloan — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:14:29 +0000

Congratulations to Annie for writing an impressive essay that was awarded a Gold Medal in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

Judge Memorial freshman Annie Loader recently won the Scholastic Art and Writing Gold Award, a prestigious national honor. The Sugar House teen met past and present award recipients when she went to New York City, along with her family to receive her gold medal. Loader was recognized for her essay, “Gallant in the Ghetto, A Rebellion of the Innocent,” a 23-page essay about the Warsaw ghetto uprising during the Holocaust. She was honored at a ceremony at Carnegie Hall along with other award-winners. Actress Kathy Bates was a featured speaker.

City: School daze – Salt Lake Tribune

Edublogs user manual

sloan — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 04:56:28 +0000

Here’s a link to an Edublogs user manual that was created by a Writing Project teacher consultant in California.

senior projects due this week

sloan — Tue, 15 May 2007 16:47:21 +0000

Your graduation gifts need to be turned in no later than Friday. Even if you’re not done for our last day on Friday, you’ll read something to the class on Thursday.

JEA presentation

sloan — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:33:57 +0000

Here’s a link to the handouts from my presentation, “Using Dead Man Walking to teach persuasive writing.”

UCET

sloan — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 22:32:08 +0000

Here’s a link to the Google Doc for this presentation.

Why blog?

sloan — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 14:23:11 +0000

We hear a lot about the controversy surrounding websites like MySpace, from teens posting inappropriate content to Internet predators. But something that’s overlooked in that part of the debate is why MySpace and other social networking sites are so popular. MySpace is the most visited website on the Internet. Why? Because it lives up to the promise that Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, originally saw as a fundamental purpose of the Web. He once wrote: “What you put into the Internet is more important than what you get out of it.” Social networking sites and other blogging applications are a natural outgrowth of the Web. So rather than ban students from using this powerful application, I think we need to learn to use these tools wisely. We need to prepare students for a future where these kinds of connections are expected. That’s why we blog in class.

If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact me.