12A: Today we focused on ideas like allusion, archetypes, motifs, and intertextuality. We read pages 104-121 from The Alchemist. If you were absent, please look on Canvas for the Alchemist reading schedule and read the pages on the PDF that are listed there. If you were in period 1, please read pages 65, 66, and 67 on the PDF. So, go trick-or-treating, gather up some candy, and then settle in and do some reading while you enjoy your haul. Bring Mr. Baird chocolate tomorrow to pay your teacher tax.
CNF: Today we continued to view Hoop Dreams. We will conclude it tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Monday, October 30, 2017
Monday, October 30
12A: Today we focused on a chapter from How to Read that addressed how authors continually make references to Shakespeare (both overt and subtle). We then read the next section from your reading schedule in The Alchemist, in which a Shakespearean allusion occurred. Your homework is to continue to work on your This I Believe project.
CNF: Today we began Hoop Dreams. We will continue this tomorrow.
CNF: Today we began Hoop Dreams. We will continue this tomorrow.
Friday, October 27, 2017
Friday, October 27
First off, a couple of predictions: The Utes will bounce back in a big way up in Eugene this weekend, and Eleven will help those kids deal with something strange in The Upside Down...
English 12A: Today we read from The Alchemist (see the reading schedule for what we read both on the blog or on Canvas), and worked a little bit on your end-of-the-tri This I Believe Project. Keep working on that, and do the Alchemy Article of the Week on Canvas if you haven't done so.
CNF: Today we read Chapter 3 from Freakonomics.
English 12A: Today we read from The Alchemist (see the reading schedule for what we read both on the blog or on Canvas), and worked a little bit on your end-of-the-tri This I Believe Project. Keep working on that, and do the Alchemy Article of the Week on Canvas if you haven't done so.
CNF: Today we read Chapter 3 from Freakonomics.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Wednesday, October 25
English 12A: Today we read pages 51-61 in The Alchemist. If you were absent, read pages 27-33 on the PDF. We also studied the various forms of irony and you should look to apply your understanding of it to The Alchemist. Your homework is to continue working on your This I Believe project - both your essay and the visual essay.
CNF: Today we looked at two different pyramids of success - the one outlined by John Wooden, and one that reflects how difficult success can be in a competitive field. We will read Chapter 3 of Freakonomics on Thursday.
CNF: Today we looked at two different pyramids of success - the one outlined by John Wooden, and one that reflects how difficult success can be in a competitive field. We will read Chapter 3 of Freakonomics on Thursday.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Tuesday, October 24
12A: Today we focused on a couple of things. Aside from reading Chapters 56 and 57 from the Tao te Ching, we also read the rest of Part I of The Alchemist. See the reading schedule on the blog or Canvas for a link to the PDF and read pages 19-27 on the PDF version (pages 33-47 in the book if you have your own copy). We then focused on the reading comprehension strategy of predicting, and we practiced that by reading the short story "The Lady or the Tiger." See Canvas for the assignment attached to it.
CNF: Today we discussed both the dangers and benefits of information asymmetry as we concluded our study of it in Chapter 2 of Freakonomics.
CNF: Today we discussed both the dangers and benefits of information asymmetry as we concluded our study of it in Chapter 2 of Freakonomics.
Monday, October 23, 2017
Monday, October 23
English 12A: Today we read pages 21-32 in The Alchemist. If you were absent, find the reading schedule and read those pages on the PDF. It's posted on the blog and on Canvas. We also talked about the end-of-the-tri This I Believe project, which is due somewhere around November 13. I have posted that assignment on Canvas as well.
CNF: Today we finished the documentary Addicted to Plastic and will discuss the implications of that film and information asymmetry in class on Tuesday.
CNF: Today we finished the documentary Addicted to Plastic and will discuss the implications of that film and information asymmetry in class on Tuesday.
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Wednesday, October 18
Happy 71st tomorrow to my main man, Bruce!
Predictions: Bengals stomp Alta tonight on Senior Night 45-21, and Saturday the Utes bounce back against ASU and solve all the red zone issues to win 35-17.
English 12A: Today we continued to read The Alchemist (see the reading schedule on a previous post or on Canvas and link to the PDF and read the section we covered today in class). We read this This I Believe essay as a way to deepen our understanding of some of the developing themes in the novel: https://thisibelieve.org/essay/39783/
We also watched the first 18 or so minutes of The Last Lecture, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo&t=973s Randy Pauch discusses "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," and I figured since much of what you wrote about concerning your own Personal Legends yesterday, it would be good to think about how to actually go about achieving them. You can watch the whole lecture if you want, and I even have copies of the book if you'd like to read it.
Finally, there is an extra credit opportunity for you: If you attend the school musical, Xanadu, and write a one page analysis of how some of the ideas that Foster discusses in How to Read... are evident in the musical, you can earn up to 50 points extra credit. Remember what Martel writes in the Author's Note of Life of Pi: "If we, citizens, do not support our artists, we sacrifice our imaginations on the altar of crude reality and end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams." True dat.
CNF: Today we completed reading Chapter 2 of Freakonomics, and began watching the documentary Addicted to Plastic, which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCDfRjhEv48
Predictions: Bengals stomp Alta tonight on Senior Night 45-21, and Saturday the Utes bounce back against ASU and solve all the red zone issues to win 35-17.
English 12A: Today we continued to read The Alchemist (see the reading schedule on a previous post or on Canvas and link to the PDF and read the section we covered today in class). We read this This I Believe essay as a way to deepen our understanding of some of the developing themes in the novel: https://thisibelieve.org/essay/39783/
We also watched the first 18 or so minutes of The Last Lecture, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo&t=973s Randy Pauch discusses "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," and I figured since much of what you wrote about concerning your own Personal Legends yesterday, it would be good to think about how to actually go about achieving them. You can watch the whole lecture if you want, and I even have copies of the book if you'd like to read it.
Finally, there is an extra credit opportunity for you: If you attend the school musical, Xanadu, and write a one page analysis of how some of the ideas that Foster discusses in How to Read... are evident in the musical, you can earn up to 50 points extra credit. Remember what Martel writes in the Author's Note of Life of Pi: "If we, citizens, do not support our artists, we sacrifice our imaginations on the altar of crude reality and end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams." True dat.
CNF: Today we completed reading Chapter 2 of Freakonomics, and began watching the documentary Addicted to Plastic, which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCDfRjhEv48
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Tuesday, October 17
English 12A: Today we began reading The Alchemist. If you were absent, you can go to Canvas, and under the module Assignments is the category Reading. Under reading is the assignment The Alchemist Reading Schedule. If you click on that it will have a link to the PDF version of the text. You will see to read the first six pages on the PDF. Those of you who were in class need to read the section that's on the bottom of page 4, read page 5, and then read the section at the top of page 6. When you come to the * you can stop. Read that tonight. If you were absent, do the assignment titled Personal Legend on Canvas.
CNF: Today we talked about the concept of information asymmetry and began reading Chapter 2 from Freakonomics.
CNF: Today we talked about the concept of information asymmetry and began reading Chapter 2 from Freakonomics.
Monday, October 16, 2017
The Alchemist Reading Schedule Trimester 1 12A
If you do not have a copy of The Alchemist, you can still complete the reading assignments by reading a PDF version, which can be found at http://rgi.edu.in/rgi_pdf/Paulo_Coelho_-_The_Alchemist(1).pdf
For each reading assignment, I will list the pages for both the book and the PDF version.
10/17 - Read the Introduction, Prologue, and book through page 11 (through page 6 on the PDF).
10/18 - Read pages 11-21 (PDF pages 6-11)
10/23 - Read pages 21-32 (PDF pages 11-18)
10/24 - Read pages 33-47 (PDF pages 19-27)
10/25 - Read pages 51-61 (PDF pages 27-33)
10/26 - Read pages 61-71 (PDF pages 33-38)
10/27 - Read pages 71-87 (PDF pages 38-48)
10/30 - Read pages 87-104 (PDF pages 48-57)
10/31 - Read pages 104-121 (PDF pages 57-67)
11/1 - Read pages 121-138 (PDF pages 67-77)
11/2 - Read pages 138-153 (PDF pages 78-86)
11/3 - Read pages 153-167 (PDF pages 86-94)
For each reading assignment, I will list the pages for both the book and the PDF version.
10/17 - Read the Introduction, Prologue, and book through page 11 (through page 6 on the PDF).
10/18 - Read pages 11-21 (PDF pages 6-11)
10/23 - Read pages 21-32 (PDF pages 11-18)
10/24 - Read pages 33-47 (PDF pages 19-27)
10/25 - Read pages 51-61 (PDF pages 27-33)
10/26 - Read pages 61-71 (PDF pages 33-38)
10/27 - Read pages 71-87 (PDF pages 38-48)
10/30 - Read pages 87-104 (PDF pages 48-57)
10/31 - Read pages 104-121 (PDF pages 57-67)
11/1 - Read pages 121-138 (PDF pages 67-77)
11/2 - Read pages 138-153 (PDF pages 78-86)
11/3 - Read pages 153-167 (PDF pages 86-94)
Saturday, October 14, 2017
English 12A Extra Credit: Life of Pi and This American Life
Listen to Act I of this week's This American Life, found at https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/628/in-the-shadow-of-the-city-2017
The episode is titled "In the Shadow of the City" and the Act is 23 minutes long, titled "Brooklyn Archipelago." Listen to it, and write a two page, typed, double-spaced analysis of the common themes and ideas it shares with Life of Pi. This is due the Monday after fall break, on paper.
The episode is titled "In the Shadow of the City" and the Act is 23 minutes long, titled "Brooklyn Archipelago." Listen to it, and write a two page, typed, double-spaced analysis of the common themes and ideas it shares with Life of Pi. This is due the Monday after fall break, on paper.
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Thursday, October 12
English 12A: Today we read Chapter 2, "The Art of Summarizing," from They Say I Say because the essay you are writing requires that you summarize well - both Foster's arguments and Martel's narrative. You can find a PDF of the text here: https://www.iss.k12.nc.us/cms/lib/NC01000579/Centricity/Domain/2741/They%20Say%20I%20Say%20Full%20Text.pdf
We then applied our understanding of how to summarize effectively to the essays you are writing about the concepts from How to Read manifest themselves in Life of Pi.
These essays are due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, October 15 on Canvas. I will collect your annotated copies of Life of Pi the following day.
CNF: Today we began the film (Dis)honesty: The Truth About Lies. We took some notes on the film as we watched, applying the ideas from the film to our reading of Chapter 1 from Freakonomics.
We then applied our understanding of how to summarize effectively to the essays you are writing about the concepts from How to Read manifest themselves in Life of Pi.
These essays are due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, October 15 on Canvas. I will collect your annotated copies of Life of Pi the following day.
CNF: Today we began the film (Dis)honesty: The Truth About Lies. We took some notes on the film as we watched, applying the ideas from the film to our reading of Chapter 1 from Freakonomics.
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Wednesday, October 11
English 12A: Today we read the chapter from How to Read... titled "Interlude: One Story." A previous post lists a link to a PDF version of the text for those of you whom were absent today. We then continued to work on the essay about the tropes and motifs from Foster's book and how they apply to Life of Pi; we will continue this in class tomorrow. I will also collect your annotated copies of Life of Pi tomorrow.
CNF: Today we watched at Ted Talk titled "Our Buggy Moral Code" and continued reading from Freakonomics, Chapter 1, as well as the National Geographic article "Why We Lie."
CNF: Today we watched at Ted Talk titled "Our Buggy Moral Code" and continued reading from Freakonomics, Chapter 1, as well as the National Geographic article "Why We Lie."
CNF Extra Credit Project: Radiowest and Icarus
As a part of our study of honesty and cheating, you could listen to the recent podcast at http://radiowest.kuer.org/post/through-lens-icarus and write a one page, typed and double-spaced reaction to the content. Apply the information from the various class discussions, Ted Talks, and texts we've read to the information in the podcast. This is due Monday, October 16, and is worth 50 points extra credit.
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Tuesday, October 10
English 12A: Today we focused on Chapter 5 (or 4, depending on your edition), "Now Where Have I Seen Her Before?" from How to Read Literature Like a Professor and how it, along with Chapters 18 ("If She Comes Up..."), 1 ("Every Trip Is a Quest"), and 12 ("Is That a Symbol?"). You can find a PDF version of the text here at https://mseffie.com/assignments/professor/How%20to%20Read%20Literature%20like%20a%20Professor%202nd.pdf
We had a short discussion about how these ideas are prevalent in Life of Pi and began an essay project which can be found on our Canvas web page.
CNF: Today we watched the Ted Talk "The Future of Lying" and continued to read both Chapter 1 from Freakonomics and the article titled "Why We Lie" from National Geographic.
We had a short discussion about how these ideas are prevalent in Life of Pi and began an essay project which can be found on our Canvas web page.
CNF: Today we watched the Ted Talk "The Future of Lying" and continued to read both Chapter 1 from Freakonomics and the article titled "Why We Lie" from National Geographic.
Monday, October 9, 2017
Monday, October 9
English 12A: Today our focus was on addressing the two most important questions posed in Part III of Life of Pi, those being "Which of Pi's stories is the real story," and more importantly, "Which story do you prefer?" We wrote about and talked about these questions. Your homework is to finish up any reading and annotating you need to do - I will collect the books on Thursday.
CNF: Today we watched a short documentary about cheating in Japanese sumo and began reading Chapter 1 from Freakonomics, along with an article from National Geographic titled "Why We Lie."
CNF: Today we watched a short documentary about cheating in Japanese sumo and began reading Chapter 1 from Freakonomics, along with an article from National Geographic titled "Why We Lie."
Friday, October 6, 2017
Friday, October 6
As always, the important things first: Utah will defeat Stanford 27-13 and hold Love under 150 yards.
English 12A: Today we listened to Part III from Life of Pi. What we didn't complete in class is homework. I will collect the annotated copies of your book sometime next week.
CNF: Today we continued disaggregating the data from the survey on cheating you took yesterday and read the Explanatory Note and Introduction to Freakonomics. If you were absent, you can find a PDF of the text here: https://hrammal.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/freakonomics.pdf
English 12A: Today we listened to Part III from Life of Pi. What we didn't complete in class is homework. I will collect the annotated copies of your book sometime next week.
CNF: Today we continued disaggregating the data from the survey on cheating you took yesterday and read the Explanatory Note and Introduction to Freakonomics. If you were absent, you can find a PDF of the text here: https://hrammal.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/freakonomics.pdf
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Thursday, October 5
English 12A: Today we talked a little bit about the 10% Solution and your experience using it on your college application essays, however, we focused primarily on a discussion about Part II of Life of Pi. If you haven't finished that for whatever reason, do so before tomorrow. We will read Part III in class tomorrow.
CNF: Today we practiced Freakonomics-style thinking by collecting data on academic honesty here at Brighton and figuring out what story the data was telling. We will complete this tomorrow.
CNF: Today we practiced Freakonomics-style thinking by collecting data on academic honesty here at Brighton and figuring out what story the data was telling. We will complete this tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Wednesday, October 4
Happy birthday shout-out to my nephew, Harrison!
English 12A: Today you spent most of your time learning about various local colleges. However, your homework remains the same: Finish Part II of Life of Pi; look at the seminar prep guide you will be asked to fill out tomorrow on Canvas (it's under the Module titled Reading - you don't need to fill anything out, I just want you thinking about the ideas); and, finish revising your college application essay using the 10% Solution.
CNF: Today we completed a summative assessment for Blink. Students chose whether to complete a 50-question multiple-choice exam or write an essay exam.
English 12A: Today you spent most of your time learning about various local colleges. However, your homework remains the same: Finish Part II of Life of Pi; look at the seminar prep guide you will be asked to fill out tomorrow on Canvas (it's under the Module titled Reading - you don't need to fill anything out, I just want you thinking about the ideas); and, finish revising your college application essay using the 10% Solution.
CNF: Today we completed a summative assessment for Blink. Students chose whether to complete a 50-question multiple-choice exam or write an essay exam.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Tuesday, October 3
12A: Today we learned about Ken Rand's 10% Solution for editing and revising your writing. You can find a link for today's lesson on our Canvas page under Writing in the Modules section. You have three things that you need to complete before Thursday's class: Do the 10% Solution on your essay and print it and bring it to class on Thursday; complete Part II of Life of Pi for Thursday; and, go to our Canvas page and look at the Reading Module - There you will find a Life of Pi Part II Seminar Prep Guide. Simply read through the discussions. There is no need to write anything down. I just want you thinking about the potential questions you will answer on Thursday ahead of time.
CNF: Today we had a small-group and large-group discussion about Chapter 6 and the Conclusion. Tomorrow we will do some final wrap-up activities and then move on to our reading of Freakonomics and the study of some of the topics and issues covered in that book.
CNF: Today we had a small-group and large-group discussion about Chapter 6 and the Conclusion. Tomorrow we will do some final wrap-up activities and then move on to our reading of Freakonomics and the study of some of the topics and issues covered in that book.
Monday, October 2, 2017
Monday, October 2
English 12A: Today we focused on the concept of non-being as it applies to Life of Pi, looked at a This I Believe essay that echoes some of Pi Patel's beliefs (you can find it here: https://thisibelieve.org/essay/20733/), and read a terrific essay by a former student of mine, Paul Oliver, as an example to model your college application essays after. The key takeaway from Paul's essay should be that he wrote about himself and not an abstract idea, he focused on a single event, and he anchored his essay to an idea that he returned to again and again.
A copy of your essay is due on paper on Tuesday, October 3; you should also read everything through page 270 (the middle of Chapter 92) in Life of Pi by then.
CNF: Today we continued reading Chapter 6, the Conclusion, the Afterword, and the Notes and Acknowledgements in Blink. We will have a seminar discussion tomorrow.
A copy of your essay is due on paper on Tuesday, October 3; you should also read everything through page 270 (the middle of Chapter 92) in Life of Pi by then.
CNF: Today we continued reading Chapter 6, the Conclusion, the Afterword, and the Notes and Acknowledgements in Blink. We will have a seminar discussion tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)