Tuesday, September 29 and Wednesday, September 30

Freshmen: Today we focused on a couple of things. We began reading Speak. You should finish the First Marking Period for Monday's class and have five notes - either questions or comments - written down for class that day. We also began the first step in our seven step essay process, which we're calling defining the problem, or in other words, selecting your topic. You drew on the list of ideas from yesterday's activity to help you with this, and took the first step in Question Based Research Strategy. For this, you're going to need to have a total of ten questions, each on a different index card, by Thursday's class. These are questions that you genuinely want and need to answer about your topic. You do not need answers to these questions, yet - getting those answers will be the focus of Thursday and Friday's classes. Keep working on Membean, too.

Sophomores: Today we focused on a This I Believe essay, your own analytical essays, Foster's chapter on violence, and something called a Triple Entry Journal. Read Chapters 1-4 in The Power of One for Friday's class, writing a short reflection after you finish each chapter. Work on you Echoes of the Tao and Triple Entry Journal, as well as Membean.

CNF: Today we finished Chapter 5 and discussed it.

Monday, September 28

Freshmen: Today we did an activity designed to help you come up with ideas for essay topics for the rest of the year, a sort of savings account, into which you make deposits now so you can withdraw ideas from it later on. I asked you to consider the following questions and to have a dozen solid ideas, at a minimum, as a result:  

What problem would I like to see solved?

What situation do I think needs correcting?   

What issue do I think needs explaining?

What phenomenon would I like to explore?   

What’s something I would like to learn more about?

What choice, decision, or personal preference of mine needs to be understood by others? 

What area of my expertise needs sharing? 

What subject is close and familiar to me that needs to be viewed and considered from a distance? 

What do I know a lot about that would be interesting to others?

What point of view needs my powers of persuasion?

What interesting stories can I tell?

 What interesting experiences have I had that I can share with others? 

Your list of answers is due next block; read for 20 minutes Monday and Tuesday night and bring Speak to class with you on the block; there is a Membean quiz to do tonight and you have your normal work on it this week. 

Sophomores: Today we began The Power of One. Read Chapter One tonight, and for every chapter you read, I want you to write a short reflection (one paragraph). This should be reflective in nature, not a summary, and done when you finish each chapter, not days later. Your essay is due tomorrow, and there is a Membean quiz to do tonight and you have your normal work on it this week.  

CNF: Today we began reading Chapter 5 and will conclude it on Wednesday. 

Friday, September 28

Let Josh Ballard know - it's going to be Utah 31, Oregon 28.

Freshmen: Today we wrapped up our immersion in essays and will begin an essay project next week. Please have the book They Say I Say available for when we need it (say, in your locker or backpack), and you need a copy of Speak for the block day next week. This weekend, read and keep working on Membean.

Sophomores: Today we did a revision exercise with your first analytical essays for the Honors Project. Revise them according to the feedback you got and use my model as a guide if need be. You will need a copy of The Power of One for Monday. Finish up any Membean work.

CNF:Today we had our annual taste-test challenge, and the results are pretty much what you will read about next week in Blink - 70% of you said you preferred Coke, but in the taste test the vast majority of you preferred Pepsi. I wonder what that means...

Thursday, September 24

Freshmen: Today we continued our introductory study of effective essays and some of the important features they have. Read for 20 minutes tonight and work on Membean.

Sophomores: Today we had a seminar on Parts II and III of Life of Pi. Finish up your essays and bring them to class on Friday. Work on Membean if needed.

CNF: Today we focused on first impressions and the impact context has on how we experience and perceive things.

Tuesday, September 22 and Wednesday, September 23

Happy birthday to Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, and especially to my son, John.

Freshmen: Today we began a study of the features of effective essays. We will conclude our study of these features or traits on Thursday. Please read for 20 minutes Tuesday and Wednesday, and work on Membean this week as well.

Sophomores: Today we finished (or nearly did) Part III from Life of Pi. Finish whatever we didn't at home before Thursday, as well as your notes. Bring your notes to class on Thursday. Work on Membean this week, and remember, your essay is due on Friday.

CNF: Today we finished up Chapter 4 in Blink and go ready for Chapter 5.

Friday, September 18

Prediction: Utah 35, Fresno State 7.

Freshmen: See yesterday's post.

Sophomores: Today we focused on some of the rhetorical or stylistic devices Martel employs, namely that of listing, repetition, inversion of ideas and words, and sentence structure variation. Read everything through Chapter 90 this weekend in Life of Pi, finish up any reading in Foster, get a start on your essay, and keep working on Membean.

CNF: Today we started Chapter 4 in Blink. 

Thursday, September 17

Freshmen: Today we wrapped up our discussion on what writing is and focused on why people write. You can write a poem in response to Nye's "How to Paint a Donkey" for extra credit. It should adhere to the principles of free verse poetry we've studied this year and is due on Monday. Read for 20 minutes tonight and this weekend, and continue on Membean.

Sophomores: Today our focus was on how to execute a blended citation. Read Chapters 77-82 (pages 211-225) from Pi, continue reading from Foster, work on Membean, and start working on your essays.

CNF: Today we talked about spontaneity, structure, and information.

Tuesday, September 15 and Wednesday, September 16

Freshmen: Today our focus was on reviewing the principles of free verse poetry we have covered and assessing how well you adhered to these principles. Read for 20 minutes Tuesday and Wednesday, and work on Membean this week.

Sophomores: Today our focus was on different lead and conclusion techniques that you should use this year. Continue to read from Foster and Pi, and start writing the essays that are due on September 25. You should read pages 189-211 in Pi (Chapters 63-76). Work on Membean as well.

CNF: Today we focused on what we learned from Chapter 3 in Blink; we also wrote about who the "true you" is - the person reflected in your unconscious biases and decisions, or the person reflected by your stated beliefs and conscious actions.

Monday, September 14

Freshmen: Today our focus was on the difference between effective and ineffective repetition in free verse poetry. Your task is to revise your previous four poems for this principle, and compose a fifth and final free verse poem about a first hand experience that adheres to all eight poetic principles we have studied. You will hand these in next period. Read for 20 minutes tonight and Tuesday, work on Membean this week, and take your first Membean quiz Monday night. It has to be taken Monday to get credit for it.

Sophomores: Today we focused on the Tao te Ching from two different angles. The first was by looking at recurrent images, ideas, themes, and figures in the Tao te Ching, which we will come back to at various points this semester. The second was looking for echoes of the Tao te Ching in the various novels we are reading this semester. By the time we are done with Life of Pi, you should have three entries in your Echoes of the Tao assignment. Both will be collected at the end of the quarter.

CNF: Today we finished reading Chapter Three in Blink and will have a seminar on Wednesday.

Utah 34-USU 13. Travis Wilson is going to throw for a career-high in yardage tonight, and then again next week.

Freshmen: Today we focused on the importance of cutting fluff, clutter, and redundancies in your poetry. This weekend, you need to craft a fourth original poem, revise them based on today's principle, and bring them in on Monday. Read for 20 minutes and finish up Membean.

Sophomores: Today we looked at some of your favorite This I Believe essays. This weekend, read everything through and including Chapter 60 in Life of Pi. Continue to read from Foster's book, and finish up Membean.

CNF: Today we discussed the outcomes and implications of your Implicit Association Tests and began reading Chapter 3 in Blink.

Thursday, September 10

Freshmen: Today we had an orientation to the library. Your homework is Membean, reading for 20 minutes, and revising your three current poems for the principles of free verse we have studied so far.

Sophomores: Today our focus was on visualization. Your homework is to read everything through (and including) Chapter 51 in Life of Pi. 

CNF: Today we took some Implicit Association Tests through Harvard's Project Implicit. I encourage you to try some more of these tonight.  

Freshmen: Today we focused on the concept of literal and figurative language. Please revise your poems and add any figurative language (metaphor, simile, or personification) that will improve your piece. Read for 20 minutes Tuesday and Wednesday night and work on Membean twice this week.

Sophomores: Today we focused on Part I from Life of Pi; please finish everything through Chapter 45 for Thursday's class and work on Membean this week; keep reading in Foster, as well.

CNF: Today we did some prep work for, and read, Chapter 2 from Blink and discussed it.

Friday, September 4

Freshmen: Today our focus was on formatting free verse poems. In general, spell, capitalize, and punctuate according to standard English usage rules. Do not center your poem - use a hard left margin and a ragged right margin. Single space within stanzas and double space between them. Do not enlarge or bold the font of your titles. Most importantly, break your lines and organize your stanzas purposefully, paying attention to the white space, format, and sound of your poem. Your homework is to revise your two current poems according to this principle, and craft a new one based on a first hand experience that adheres to the five princes we've covered. Read for 20 minutes twice over the long weekend, and conclude your work on Membean by midnight Sunday.

Sophomores: Today we focused on the notion of personal belief and explored the website www.thisibelieve.org. Your homework is to finish up the week's work on Membean, finish Part I from Life of Pi for Tuesday, conclude your notes on Part I for Tuesday, and by September 11 complete your This I Believe work sheet.

CNF: Today we continued practicing thin slicing.

Thursday, September 3

Let's go, Utes! It will be Utah 31, Michigan 10.

Freshmen: Today we focused on how to conclude a poem, emphasizing techniques like ending with a powerful image or linking back to your beginning. Revise your two current poems for this principle, and bring your best copy to class on Friday. Work on Membean and read for 20 minutes tonight.

Sophomores: Today our focus was on how to take notes while you read and what the notes should reflect. We want your notes to capture or reflect what you were thinking about while you read the text. These thoughts may come in the form of comments or questions. For those who struggle formulating questions, I provided a guide for forming questions that will help you articulate your thoughts. For Part I of Life of Pi, you should have a total of 12 notes. Tonight read pages 47-63, which is Chapters 16-21. Keep working on Membean.

CNF: Today we tried our hand at thin slicing a few couples, as well as our classroom. We will focus on what a person's bedroom reveals about themselves and your Big Five Inventory tomorrow.

Tuesday, September 1 and Wednesday, September 2

Freshmen: Today our focus was on how to begin a free verse poem. You are to revise your first poem based on this principle, and write a second free verse poem that adheres to the first three principles we covered. Write about an experience you have had, and focus on including concrete details such as places, people, and things. Both poems are due on Thursday. We also focused on some important things to remember when writing an email to a teacher, boss, or other adult, and your should send me a short email that displays understanding of these ideas. Your email can be about something in class or just some information about yourself. Read for 20 minutes Tuesday and Wednesday, and keep working on Membean, as well.

Sophomores: Today our focus was on exploring a few of the major ideas running through Life of Pi, namely, survival, God, zoos, Truth, religion, suffering, and names. Your homework is to read Chapters 5-15 (pages 20-46 in the trade edition) for Thursday's class, and you might want to read some more from Foster today, too, as we read "Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before?" Keep working on Membean, as well.

CNF: Today we finished Chapter 1 from Blink and had our first class seminar on the book.