Tuesday, October 30 and Wednesday, October 31

Freshmen: Today we began a study of "Ways Poems," based on Wallace Stevens's "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird." We started to break down, stanza by stanza, how Stevens portrays, sees, or shows the the blackbird in his poem. We will finish this on Thursday; finish the Second and Third Marking Periods, with reflections, for Monday; vocab is due on Thursday.

Sophomores: Today we focused on how Peekay's beliefs have evolved over the course of the novel and took the vocab exam. Finish the book for Friday's class, with a 3EJ and reflections, for Friday's class.

CNF: See me for info on Bigger, Stronger, Faster.

Monday, October 29

Freshmen: Today we had a seminar on the First Marking Period of Speak, and I think you did a great job commenting and asking questions about the text. The Second and Third Marking Periods are due next Monday; we will have another seminar then, and you should have a separate reflection for each Marking Period. Use the 20 minutes you are supposed to read each night to meet this due date. Due Thursday is Chapter 4 vocab. We also talked about finding a publisher for your essay, and will discuss that further on Tuesday.

Sophomores: Today our focus was on the Tao and the recurring elements, themes, ideas, images, and concepts we see in the text. Finish The Power of One for Friday; have reflections for each chapter, as well as your completed 3EJ. We are moving the vocab exam up to Wednesday, so be prepared for that.

CNF: See me with questions.

Thursday, October 25

First off - Let's Go, Utes! We will finally break through, 24-14 against Cal.

Freshmen: Today we talked about the seventh step in our seven step essay process: Edit, polish, and publish. This is what you are to do: Make sure your essay conforms to standard form and standard spelling and punctuation. Here are a couple of things to be sure of: Have a header with name, date, lead and conclusion techniques, and your original, goal, and actual word counts. Have an interesting title top and center that is not formatted differently than the rest of your text. Be sure you double space consistently throughout and do not add extra spacing between paragraphs.

Go to easybib.com and create your bibliography. It should be the final page of your essay and be a separate page from the rest of your text.

Submit your essay to turnitin.com by 8 AM on Monday, 10/29. Also bring a paper copy to class. To submit it to turnitin.com, you must have the password, which is Judge (with a big J). The class ID numbers are 5458123 (period 1) and 5458128 (period 2).

Finally, read for 20 minutes twice over the break. The First Marking Period and your reactions are due on Monday. Vocab chapter 4 is due on Thursday.

Sophomores: Today we talked about echoes of the Tao we see in The Power of One and some ideas from your Triple Entry Journals. Finish the book for next Friday, with your Triple Entry Journal and your chapter reactions. Vocab chapter 4 is due on Thursday.

CNF: Today we had a seminar on Chapter 1 from Freakonomics.

Tuesday, October 23 and Wednesday, October 24

Freshmen: Today we focused on Step Six of our Seven Step Essay Process, which is most simply termed revision. We looked for areas in the essays to expand and clarify. We also learned about Ken Rand's The 10% Solution. Your task tonight is to revise and improve your essay, and AFTER making it as strong as you can, perform the 10% Solution on your essay. Your final copy should be ready for Thursday's class.

Your final essay should have the following components:
1. A header that includes your name, the date, the lead and conclusion techniques you are using (and use them well), and your original word count, your goal word count, and your actual word count.
2. An interesting title that is not bolded, enlarged, underlined, or put in quotes or italics.
3. Site your sources a number of times using the templates taught in They Say I Say.
4. Summarize some of your sources or arguments using the techniques taught in They Say I Say.
5. Have a clear and well-supported thesis statement.

You also should read for 20 minutes the next two nights, knowing that you need to be finished with The First Marking Period from Speak, as well as your reaction to what you have read.

Sophomores: Today our primary focus was on different types of leads and conclusions to use in essays. You should use one of these lead and conclusion techniques in your film analysis essay. Also, remember that your Echoes of the Tao are due on Thursday. Continue to read and work on your reflections and your 3EJ.

CNF: Today we focused on interpreting the data from our survey on cheating and finished reading Chapter 1 of Freakonomics. We will have a seminar on what we read on Thursday.

Monday, October 22

Freshmen: Today we made a slight tweak to the Prayer and Great Thoughts assignment and also reassigned the Letter to the Editor for quarter two. See the posts on today's blog about those assignments. We also began the novel Speak today. You need to read The First Marking Period (approximately the first 46 pages) for Monday. Also, by the start of class on Monday, you need to have a 1/2 to 1 page reaction to what we have read. This should be a short essay that focuses on what you were thinking about or feeling while reading. It may include some questions, ideas, observations, or comments, ranging on everything from style to plot to characters. On Monday we will have what is called a Socratic Seminar as we discuss the first part of the book, and your reaction will help you prepare for it.

Sophomores: Today we focused on Geel Piet and what he believes. Check the reading schedule, and keep working on your 3EJ, reflections, and Echoes assignment. I will collect your Echoes assignment; you should have three entries for Life of Pi and two for The Power of One.

CNF: Today we began Chapter 1 from Freakonomics.

Freshmen Second Quarter Prayer and Great Thoughts Assignment

Freshmen, we are slightly changing the P&GT assignment for quarter 2. Rather than typing up your entire talk, you should have notes only, either in bullet or numbered form. You will still write your great thought large on a sheet of paper as before. Remember to start and end your talk well, make eye contact, and use hand gestures and facial expressions to bring your talk alive.

Freshmen Second Quarter Letter to the Editor Assignment

Freshmen, this is a reminder that all students have a letter to the editor due 1/10/13; honors students have an additional letter due 11/29/12. You have been given a handout that explains the assignment and provides some examples, but remember that to get full credit, you must have the following components to your letter at the start of class the date it is due: The letter must be typed and include your contact information, and be in a stamped, addressed, unsealed envelope. The letters can be handed in any day prior to the due date.

Tuesday, October 16

Freshmen: Today we talked about conclusion techniques to try and moved on to Step Five, Drafting and Developing the Information. In other words, writing your essay. Your essay is due on Tuesday, 10/23. These are the requirements: Have a clear thesis; include the lead and technique you're using in your header; include some summary of, and some quoting from, your sources using the techniques and templates from They Say I Say; use at least one one-sentence paragraph; and remember, while it's about depth and not length, most good essays are 8-19 paragraphs. Read for 20 minutes four times over the break.

Sophomores: Today we had a short lecture on King Arthur and Merlin, as Doc is a direct reference to Merlin. We focused the rest of the time on reading; check the schedule and stay on pace; keep working on your film essays.

CNF: Today we watched a section from the movie Freakonomics about cheating and corruption in sumo.

Monday, October 15

Freshmen: Today we had a presentation on the Ulster Project. Please read 20 minutes tonight. Due on Tuesday are the two leads you have written (bring your research tomorrow), and your Letter to the Editor. In order to get full credit, at the start of class, you need to have a stamped, addressed, unsealed envelope with your letter inside, and your letter must have your contact info.

Sophomores: Today we had a seminar on the first twelve chapters of The Power of One. You know you need to read, view your film and write your essay, and add to your 3EJ and Echoes assignment.

CNF: Today we read the Introduction to Freakonomics and discussed some of the underlying principles of the text.

Friday, October 12

Okay, first off - it's now or never. Utah 28, UCLA 21.

Freshmen: Today we finished covering basic lead techniques as a part of the fourth step of our essay process. The lead techniques we covered are using a quote, making a comparison, telling an anecdote, providing background, framing it as news, making an announcement, and using facts and statistics. Remember, from our conversations, the lead comprises about 20% of your essay, meaning it should be the first two to three paragraphs of your essay. Your homework is to choose the two lead techniques that best fit your audience, purpose, style, abilities, topic, and thesis, and write two different leads for your essay. Each should be a different technique and each should be typed onto a separate piece of paper for Monday's class. In your header, include your name, the date, and the lead technique you are using. You also need to read for 20 minutes this weekend. Bring Speak next week.

Sophomores: Today we focused on taking a vocab exam and reading. We will have a seminar on the first twelve chapters of The Power of One on Monday.

CNF: Today we did some things that involved Blink-style thinking and we will begin Freakonomics on Monday.

Thursday, October 11

Freshmen: Today we started on Step Four of our Seven Step Essay Process, which has to do with crafting a lead and designing a plan for your essay. We did not get all the way through this today, so we will carry it over to tomorrow and I will post more info then. The homework is 20 minutes of reading and vocab Chapter 3 is due tomorrow.

Sophomores: Today we continued an extension of two of the major structures of the class, reading using the observation, induction, and thesis technique and focusing on how a character's belief acts as a guiding principle in his or her life. As an extension of the exercise we did with Cry, the Beloved Country, you were assigned a film and essay project, which you have four weeks to do - it is due November 7. Due for Friday is Chapter 3 vocab and Chapters 1-12 in The Power of One.

CNF: Today we wrote an essay in class that essentially answers the question, Does Gladwell accomplish the three tasks he sets out to accomplish in the Introduction of Blink? Bring Blink Friday, as well as Freakonomics if you have it.

Tuesday, October 9 and Wednesday, October 10

Freshmen: Today we focused on Step 3 of our Seven Step Essay Process, which is Focusing the Data. In other words, we looked at all the data we collected on our topic and, based on this data, crafted our argument. "Thesis statement" is term we are using to describe what the central argument of a piece of writing is. Everything in your essay must revolve around and be driven by your thesis. We established that your thesis statement must be a complete sentence, clearly indicate the direction your paper will go, and never start with the word "how."

It's also important to differentiate between "topic" and "thesis" as well. My topic might be "Defense," but my thesis would be "Man-to-man defense is superior to zone defense."

If you need more information to support your thesis, now is the time to gather it. Everyone is expected to have a clear, concise thesis statement for Thursday's class.

Homework is to read for 20 minutes Tuesday and Wednesday (get a copy of Speak for next week); vocab Chapter 3 is due Friday; and if you would like to write a poem about a school experience modeled after Naomi Shihab Nye's "How to Paint a Donkey," you can earn up to 25 points extra credit and it is due next Tuesday.

CNF: We held our final seminar on Blink. Please bring this book to class Thursday, and also bring Freakonomics if you have a copy this week, too.

Sophomores:  Today we focused on the second half of Cry, the Beloved Country. Continue to keep up with the reading (Chapter 12 is due for Friday) as well as your chapter reactions, and your Echoes and 3EJ entries. Chapter 3 vocab is due on Friday.

Thursday, October 4

Okay, tonight's the biggie. I have no reason to for this prediction, but the saying around here is "Utah by Five," so that's what I will say. Final score: Utah 22, USC 17 - our last five points are a safety when Barkley gets sacked late in the end zone and a field goal with a minute to go after a great return. There will be only one rushing of the field tonight...

Freshmen: Today we focused on Question-Based Research Strategy. QBR is founded on the idea that authentic questions drive research. In other words, you need to genuinely care about the topic you are writing about and have questions you want answered in order to write a good piece. Remember, all academic writing is entering into a conversation about a topic. In QBR, you write a question you need answered about your topic on one side of an index card. This drives and guides your research. You then write brief answers, in bullet statement form, on the back of the index cards. Be sure to include the source where you got your answer on the back. For example, I asked the question, "How many teenagers die each year in car accidents?" Some of the answers I found were "3,500 in 2003" on rmiia.org's website, "68,000 from 1996-2006" on Carfax's website, and that "16 year olds are three times more likely to die in a car accident than any other age group" on rmiia.org.

If you come across a big idea that was not addressed by any of your questions, simply state the big idea on one side of an index card and the supporting details on the back, again, with your sources. For example, I had not anticipated brain research factoring into my essay, but when I stumbled across it, I wrote "Brain Research" on one index card. On the back I had details relating to this idea about the dorsal-lateral pre-frontal cortex and decision making.

You will see next week how this method of research not only prevents unintended plagiarism but helps you better organize your early drafts.

Due for next Tuesday is all of your research - this means your interview or survey should be complete, your research read, and your index cards filled out. You may use your 20 minutes of reading to read from They Say I Say Chapters 1-3, which are due Monday, or from your research sources if you wish. Chapter 2 vocab is due Friday.

Sophomores: Today we focused on integrating quotes from what we read into our writing more effectively. See the earlier post on the blog about this for more info and an example. Due for Monday is a revised, annotated copy of your most recent Life of Pi Shaping Event essay that you submitted to turnitin.com. Go to turnitin, read the feedback, and revise your essay based on today's lesson and the feedback you got. Then annotate on your essay the improvements and revisions you made so that I can compare your revised piece with the original and see your process.

Continue to read, work on your 3EJ, and your Echoes assignment, as well as your chapter reflections. Chapter 2 vocab is due Friday.

CNF: Today we began reading Chapter 6 and the conclusion to Blink. We will conclude it next week.

Citing From a Text Example and Guidelines:

When citing a text in your essays, remember the following guidelines:

1. Make whatever you are citing a part of one of your sentences - no hit and run quotes. In other words, the quoted material should not be its own sentence, but rather make up part of or complete one of your sentences.

2. Use this template: Introduce what you are going to quote (text, author, topic), quote the text in one of your sentences, and then comment on what you quoted.

3. Choose lines from the text that could only come from that text. 

Here's an example of how to do that:

We were standing around in Seth’s back yard, and the topic of pride came up. Several of the men there spoke about how pride was evil, how it was elevating yourself above others. I listened to what they were saying with a mixture of interest, agreement, and incredulity. I then began to think of Bryce Courtney’s The Power of One. It is the story of a young boxer named Peekay who must conquer the shame he feels as a young boy when picked on by a figure known only as the Judge. It is not until later that he learns that pride is “holding your head up when everyone around you has theirs bowed” (115). This is a much different sort of pride than the kind Seth was speaking of, for this pride is an extension of courage. In fact, as Big Hettie tells Peekay, “it’s courage that makes you do it” (115). 

World Literature Honors Project

Successful completion of the honors course is dependent upon successful
completion of this project. You are to read the text How to Read Literature
Like a Professor by Thomas Foster in conjunction with the novels we read,
analyzing each novel according to how the concepts contained in Foster’s
book can be applied to the novels we read as a class.

Each essay should be two to three pages long typed, have an interesting
title, and be free of most conventions errors. Most importantly, each essay
must explain how the concepts covered in How to Read… can be applied
to the book we’re reading or how the concepts helped you as a reader
understand and interpret the text. You need to cite from both the novel
we are reading and How to Read… at least twice in each essay. The
essays are due “near” the due dates listed – there will be some
flexibility there, but the essays need to be handed in reasonably close
to the date to earn credit. The essays are worth 100 points each, and the
reading itself is worth 50 points. To get credit for the reading, sign off on
the box for “I Did the Reading” for each collection of chapters on this
sheet and hand it in as your cover sheet with each essay.

We will discuss these concepts each time we have an honors seminar,
and it is expected that you will help enrich the learning of all the other
students in our course by bringing these concepts up in class discussions
and seminars as well.

Here are the novels we will read, in order, and the chapters that
you should read from Foster’s book in conjunction with the novel.
You will notice not every chapter in Foster’s book is listed, but I
encourage you read them all anyway. Some chapters I have paired up
with more than one book? Does that mean you have to reread it again?
No – but you should review it, because it may factor well into your essay
and enhance your understanding of the novel.

Books we’ll read and the corresponding How to Read… chapters:

Life of Pi 18, 10 and Interlude, 12, 19, 5
The Power of One 8, 19, 2, 11, 13, 5, 25, 12
The Alchemist 1, 6, 7, 18, 12, 15, 5
Siddhartha 10, 5, 21
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 2, 21, 22, 23, 24, 5
Christmas Break: 26 and 27

Here are the due dates for the essays. The number of the essay listed on the chart
above denotes which books and chapters to focus your essays on:

Essay 1 due 9/12

Essay 2 due 10/24***Changed from original due date.

Essay 3 due 11/14

Essay 4 due 12/5

Essay 5 due 12/19

Essay 6 due 1/6/13 (final deadline for this essay)

The final (well, almost) component of sophomore honors is attending
extra seminars. These will be held in my room, at 7:30, on the dates listed.
These seminars are worth 50 points. If you do not attend, for whatever
reason, you will not receive credit for the seminar. If you are late, the
maximum number of points you can earn is 40. Come prepared for each
seminar having done most of the reading for both the class novel and the
corresponding chapters from How to Read…, as this will be the focus
of our seminars.They are not lectures, but rather opportunities for you to
share ideas and observations, as well as ask questions, both of me and
each other. Feel free to bring your essays to help with the discussions.
Also bring whatever book we are reading as well as How to Read…

Seminar dates:

8/23 (you’re there right now!)

9/12

10/24***Changed from original date.

11/14

12/5

12/19

1/6/13

Note: There may be some follow-up questions for you on the class blog after each
seminar, but these will be announced when appropriate, and will be worth 25 points
per entry (okay, so that was the last component).

Thanks, that’s it, and I look forward to learning alongside you this semester.

-Mr. Baird

Tuesday, October 2 and Wednesday, October 3

Freshmen: Today we focused on Step Two of our Seven-Step Essay Process: Gathering Information. It is vital that you understand that essays are an information-dense genre, and that information takes many different forms: statistics, numbers, examples, anecdotes, and quotes, to name a few. To help us gather information effectively, we went to the library for an introduction to the library itself as well as to the resources we have to aid us in research here at Judge.

For your essay, you must have a minimum of three sources: something from the Internet (remember, .edu or .org is better than .com and Wikipedia is not an acceptable source for this project), a non-Internet print source (meaning, something that was originally not published on the Internet - a book, magazine, or journal article - this is a great thing to use Judge's resources for), and either an interview or survey. Each of these must be 10 questions long. Your interview can take place face to face or via phone, but not via email; your survey must consist of a sample size of at least 25 people. You need to have your sources, and your questions for either your interview or survey, by Thurday's class. Also, for Thursday's class, you have to have at least a dozen index cards for what we will learn that day.

Finally, you need to read for 20 minutes Tuesday and Wednesday. You should read Part I (Chapters 1, 2, and 3) from They Say I Say. After reading Chapter 1, also read the essay, "Don't Blame the Reader" on pages 195-197 and do exercise #2 on page 29. This has a template for you to try (it begins, "If ever there was an idea custom-made..."), and I want you to do this exercise as a comment on this blog. Feel free to read others' entries. If you wish, you could substitute any of the templates found on pages 24-27. Your response doesn't have to be long - just a paragraph or two. This is due before class on Thursday.

**Honors Students: We will meet Wednesday morning at 7:45 AM.

Sophomores: Today we began a film study of Cry, the Beloved Country, looking at how South Africa's culture is portrayed in this film. This is prep work for a later independent film study.

CNF: Today we had a seminar on Chapter 5 from Blink and did some things to better understand Chapter 6 and the ending of the book.

Monday, October 1

Freshmen: Today we focused on the first step of our seven-step essay process: Define the Problem. You looked at the list of potential essay topics you generated on Friday and chose one, phrasing it as either a question or a statement and then considered your topic from both the position of writer and reader by answering the following questions: What do I want to know about my topic? and, What does a reader need to know about my topic? These questions will guide our research tomorrow in the library. Your homework is to read for 20 minutes. You can use this time to read Part I (Chapters 1, 2, and 3) of They Say I Say which is due next Monday, October 8. Due this Friday is vocab Chapter 2.

Sophomores: Today we focused on your reactions to each chapter - see the post about it on the blog. We also focused on Hoppie and some issues related to him and wrote a belief statement from his point of view. Continue to read, work on your Echoes and 3EJ assignment.

CNF: Today we finished up Chapter 5 of Blink and will have a seminar next period.