Wednesday, October 31

Happy Halloween. Remember your Teacher Tax for November 1: I want 25% of whatever chocolate you get tonight trick or treating.

English 12A: Today we worked a bit on Sentence of the Week, finished our discussion of The Alchemist, and then looked at more examples of the end of the trimester This I Believe project.

CNF: Today we concluded Hoop Dreams and researched what's become of the principal figures.

Tuesday, October 30

English 12A: Today we finished reading The Alchemist - do this if you were absent. Remember, your This I Believe essay is due in two weeks. There is a How to Read assignment on Canvas.

Monday, October 29

English 12A: Today we studied the concept of irony, anticipating its role at the conclusion of The Alchemist. We read pages 142-153 today. If you were absent, find the corresponding pages on the PDF - this can be found on Canvas. We also read a This I Believe essay titled "The Ability of Love to Transform." We will conclude the book tomorrow. Finally, you have a new How to Read... assignment posted on Canvas, due Tuesday before midnight.

Friday, October 26

English 12A: Don't forget about the extra credit tied to the school's production of The Addams Family. Today we read pages 123-142 in The Alchemist (see the post on the blog and on Canvas that tells you what pages you should read on the PDF to stay caught up). We then read Chapter 15 in How to Read and did an assignment for it on Canvas. Lastly, we completed this week's attribution practice and shared it with jeffrey.baird@csddocs.org.

CNF: Today we watched the first hour of Hoop Dreams, a great example of the pyramid concept expressed in Chapter 3 of Freakonomics.

Tuesday, October 23

English 12A: Today, along with reading pages 65-79 in The Alchemist (see the schedule to keep up on the PDF), we focused on the Sentence of the Week ideas of front, rear, and middle attribution. If you were absent, or didn't finish, here were the two things we did and that you should complete on your CSDdocs account:

Choose one of the following quotes from The Alchemist:

-Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own (16).

-”...people are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of” (23).

-”The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never forget the drops of oil on the spoon” (32).

-”Every blessing ignored becomes a curse” (58).

Explain the theme revealed by one of these statements and write a paragraph that does the following things:

1. Set up the quote and provide the reader with context.
2. Correctly format the quote using front attribution.
3. Comment on the quote.  

Example:

Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi is, above all, about the power of stories. It’s protagonist, Pi Patel, advocates we “choose the better story” (64). Pi - and Yann Martel - seem to argue throughout the book that choosing the better story allows us to see the potential of the world instead of its limits.

Choose one of the following quotes from The Alchemist:

-Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own (16).

-”...people are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of” (23).

-”The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never forget the drops of oil on the spoon” (32).

-”Every blessing ignored becomes a curse” (58).

Explain the theme revealed by one of these statements and write a paragraph that does the following things:

1. Set up the quote and provide the reader with context.
2. Correctly format the quote using rear attribution.
3. Comment on the quote.

Example:

Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi is an adventure story about a young man named Pi Patel who survives for 227 days in the Pacific Ocean aboard a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. In Part III of the novel, Pi is questioned by two men who doubt the truthfulness of Pi’s story. They tell him they are just being reasonable. “So am I… Reason is excellent for getting food, clothing, and shelter… Nothing beats reason for keeping tigers away. But be excessively reasonable and you risk throwing out the universe with the bathwater,” Pi responds (298). What Pi seems to be saying is that intellect alone is not enough - we humans must also have imagination and belief.

CNF: Today we conclude the documentary So Much So Fast and discussed how we are all victims of information asymmetry.

Addams Family/Brighton Drama Extra Credit

Attend one of the showings for Brighton High School's production of The Addams Family. Pick one of the ideas we've read about in Thomas Foster's book How to Read Literature Like a Professor. In a one page essay, explain how Foster's theory is evident in the play. This is due by November 5.

Monday, October 22

English 12A: Today we read pages 51-64 in The Alchemist. You can find the corresponding pages for the PDF version on the blog and on Canvas. We also read a This I Believe essay and did some work on the Sentence of the Week.

CNF: Today we began watching a film titled So Much So Fast as a way to study the concept of information asymmetry.

Wednesday, October 17

English 12A: Today we concluded this week's Sentence of the Week work and viewed parts of The Last Lecture (the first 16 and last 20 minutes) which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo&vl=en

This is a great example of personal legends.

CNF: Today we concluded the documentary Addicted to Plastic.

Tuesday, October 16

English 12A: Today we read the rest of Part I in The Alchemist. That's pages 33 to 46 in the text or pages 14-21 on the PDF version, which you can find on the blog or on Canvas. You were to answer the following prompt: The old King tells Santiago, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” (40). Describe a time in your life when you experienced this.

CNF: Today we began a documentary, Addicted to Plastic. If you were absent, watch the first 40 minutes or so of it, which can be found here: https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/addicted-to-plastic-2008/

Monday, October 15

English 12A: Today we read pages 21-32 in The Alchemist (see the blog or Canvas for what pages to read on the PDF if you were absent). We also discussed motifs, the most important of which is the journey or quest. On Canvas is an assignment to do in conjunction with this and How to Read Chapter 1, "Every Trip is a Quest..." This is due by midnight.

CNF: Today we read Chapter 2 in Freakonomics as we studied information asymmetry. We also watched a Ted Talk by David Burkus on this topic.

Friday, October 12

English 12A: Today we read through page 21 in The Alchemist and focused on these prompts:

1. Which of the four obstacles Coelho outlines in his Introduction does Santiago encounter in this section?

2. The old King tells Santiago that the world’s greatest lie is “that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate” (18). In other words, the old King believes we are in complete control of our lives. Do you agree? Are we in complete control of our lives, or, are our lives determined, in part, by things that are beyond our control? Explain.

CNF: Today we completed the documentary Dishonesty: The Truth About Lies.

Thursday, October 11

English 12A: Today we began The Alchemist. See the reading schedule on the blog and on Canvas and read what you missed online if you were absent today.

CNF: Today we began a documentary, Dishonesty: The Truth About Lies.

The Alchemist Reading Schedule and Link to PDF Version

If you are ever absent, you should still keep up with the reading at home. You can find a link to a PDF version of the text here: http://mindguruindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/MP073_The-Alchemist-By-Paulo-Coelho.pdf

Here is what we will read each day in class, and what you should read on your own on the PDF version if you are absent so that you can keep up:

10/11: Introduction-page 10, PDF pages 1-4
10/12: Pages 10-21; PDF pages 4-9
10/15: Pages 21-33; PDF pages 9-14
10/16: Pages 33-46; Part I seminar; PDF pages 14-21
10/17: Pages 51-65; PDF pages 21-27
10/22: Pages 65-79; PDF pages 27-33
10/23: Pages 80-104; PDF pages 33-44
10/24: Pages 104-123; PDF pages 44-53
10/25: Pages 123-142; PDF pages 53-62
10/26: Pages 142-153; PDF pages 62-67
10/29: Pages 153-167; PDF pages 67-end. Final seminar this date.

Wednesday, October 10

English 12A: Today we had several discussions about key ideas in Life of Pi. Thank you for sharing your great ideas.

CNF: Today we watched the Ted Talk "The Future of Lying" and completed reading Freakonomics chapter 1.

Life of Pi Part III and This American Life Extra Credit

Both Part III of Life of Pi and the episode "How I Got Into College" from the radio program This American Life, deal with individuals who insist "on remembering, and telling, the story of his life" in a particular way, despite those who don't believe or attempt to contradict the stories of their lives (TAL). Go to https://www.thisamericanlife.org/504/how-i-got-into-college and listen to Act II and III, "My Ames is True." This will take 48 minutes. Then, write a two-page essay that analyzes the similarities between how Pi Patel and Emir Kamenica use stories to make sense of their past.

Tuesday, October 9

English 12A: Today we completed Part III of Life of Pi in class.

CNF: Today we watched this Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_ariely_on_our_buggy_moral_code?language=en#t-949067 and read Chapter 1 of Freakonomics.

Monday, October 8

English 12A: Today we spent the period is small group discussion about Part II of Life of Pi. If you haven't finished Part II for some reason, do so before class on Tuesday.

CNF: Today we completed our disaggregation of the cheating survey data we compiled. We also saw a short documentary about cheating and sumo as well as a shocking expose about genni use in MLB!

Friday, October 5

English 12: Finish Part II from Life of Pi for Monday's quiz and discussion. Complete the How to Read assignments for Chapters 12 and 25 tonight.

CNF: We read the Introduction to Freakonomics and the National Geographic article "Why We Lie."

Thursday, October 4

English 12A: Today we read this This I Believe essay: https://thisibelieve.org/essay/20733/ We also did some imitation of AAAWWWUBBIS front branching sentences while writing about Life of Pi. Finally, on Canvas, you can find the assignment from How to Read Chapter 19, dealing with geography and literature. It is due tonight. Finish Part II of Life of Pi for class on Monday.

CNF: Today we focused on Freakonomics-style thinking as we began to explore honesty and cheating, both here at Brighton and out in the world.

Wednesday, October 3

English 12A: Today we focused on how this week's sentences of the week are complex AAAWWUBBIS sentences with dependent clasues that come at the front, followed by a comma and an independent clause; we then read this This I Believe essay as we focused on the notion of chance in Life of Pi: https://thisibelieve.org/essay/14653/ We then read Chapters 90 and 91 in Life of Pi. Finish this for homework.

CNF: Today we completed a final essay about the three tasks in Blink. The prompt can be found on Canvas.

Tuesday, October 2

English 12A: We read this This I Believe essay in class: https://thisibelieve.org/essay/46556/; we also began our Sentence of the Week for this week; lastly, we spent the rest of the period using the 10% Solution on your college application essays. You need to hand in your revised, improved, 10%ed essays in class. Also, we will read Chapter 90 in Life of Pi together in class on Wednesday, so you need to be done with everything through Chapter 89 (page 240).

CNF: Today we took a quiz on Blink and had discussions about multiple parts of the text. Tomorrow, we will take a final essay exam as we wrap up our study of the book and move on to Freakonomics.

Reflections Extra Credit Opportunity

PTSA Reflections program is a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their talents and receive recognition for their participation.
The theme for this year is: HEROES AROUND ME
The categories are: Dance Choreography Film Production Literature Music Composition Photography 2D & 3D Visual Arts
The entry forms and rules for each category can be found at utahpta.org/reflections.

Monday, October 1

English 12A: Today we learned a strategy called The 10% Solution, which is designed to help you improve as both a revisionist as well as a first draft writer. If you were absent, the lesson and the handout are on Canvas. You should take this technique and apply it to your college application essay. Also, read through Chapter 83, page 229, from Life of Pi, due on Tuesday.

CNF: Today we watched a Ted Talk by Dan Airley about irrational behavior and decision making, and took our last day to read from Blink in class. Complete Chapter 6, the Conclusion, the Afterword, and the Acknowledgements for class tomorrow.