Week 9: Celebrating our Writing & Prewriting Realistic Stories

First, you will continue to practice giving and receiving positive critiques to writing.  Write good, specific compliments on each of your classmate's Storybird stories AND on their published work from last week.

Then, I would like you to read and react to one of the following autobiographical short stories: "Hair" by Malcolm X OR "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros.  Your reaction should be about a paragraph long and should briefly summarize the story as well as discuss what you notice about Malcolm X’s or Cisneros’s writing style that you liked and that could help you in your own writing.

Next, I want you to think of some ideas for your own autobiographical short story.  Think about your own experiences.  "Write what you know" is a famous piece of advice.  Start out by writing a piece called “I remember.”  This piece is a brainstorm, free flow of thoughts that can work as a prewriting strategy.  If you handwrite, this should be 20 lines at least.  If you type, this should be 10 lines at least (12 point font).  If you get stuck, just write “I remember” and restart.  You may write about just one memory the whole time or a bunch of different memories.

Next, think of at least FIVE ideas of stories that have happened to you or someone that you know well that you can retell in a short story (creative license is fine here to fill in some details).  

So that you have some other options, write down THREE ideas in which you can be a little more creative.  That is, you don't have to write about an actual instance in your life, but base it on what you know.  Nathan Englander explains that sometimes, “'Write what you know’ isn’t about events… It’s about emotions. Have you known love? jealousy? longing? loss? Did you want that [video game system] so bad you might have killed for it? If so, it doesn't matter whether your story takes place in Long Island or on Mars – if you’re writing what you know, readers will feel it.” 

So, to summarize: This week you will need to complete the following by Friday:

• SIX (6) specific compliments to your peers’ work: 2/student—Storybird and fable/fractured fairy tale/myth
• Bry's Storybird: http://storybird.com/books/cat-on-the-run-2/?token=7w5q3dwhnv
• Celenia's Storybird:
  http://storybird.com/books/the-tale-of-cynthia-mercury/?token=pju4pw7fbx
• Matt's Storybird: 
  http://storybird.com/books/the-witch-155/?token=62gdncm4g5
• Adara's: http://storybird.com/books/the-day-the-clouds-drifted-away/?token=236xtp4r93
•   ONE (1) reaction to an autobiographical short, either: "Hair" by Malcolm X OR "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros
•  ONE (1) “I Remember” writing prompt
• FIVE (5) story ideas based on your life/experiences (a phrase or sentence describing the event is fine)
• THREE (3) creative (but realistic) story ideas (Ex. "A story of a girl named ____________, who lives in _____________ during _______________ and does ___________________/________________ happens to her.")

Art During the Depression

Examine the following pieces of art.  You will be asked to determine if some of them werereflective of the Great Depression and the struggles that people were facing.  On the other hand, some of the pieces are escapist in nature.  Escapist means avoiding reality by absorbing the mind in something else, such as entertainment.

Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930
 

Anna Mary Robertson ("Grandma") Moses, Apple Butter Making, 1944/1947
 

Jacob Lawrence, Interior Scene, 1937. 

Jacob Lawrence, Ironers, 1943. 

 

Clips from Gone with the Wind

"Stormy Weather" performed by Lena Horne (1943)

"It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" by Duke Ellington (1943)

 "Didn't It Rain" performed by Mahalia Jackson

"Dustbowl Blues" by Woody Guthrie (video featuring photos by Walker Evans, Dorthea, Lange, and Carl Mydans)

Conformity

Review how powerful of a force conformity is by watching one of the original episodes of Candid Camera: The Elevator Experiment.

The Bystander Effect

When do you help others?  Discuss.

Discuss the following scenarios:

• You attend a meeting of your entire class.  The class president asks for volunteers to plan the homecoming dance.  No one volunteers.  Do you?*
• You are driving home from school.  A disabled car is on the side of the road.  The driver is waving you down.  Do you stop?  Are their specific circumstances that might cause you to stop?

Watch and discuss The Today Show's investigation of the bystander effect.

After completing the classwork, do you think the bystander effect theory is valid?

*(what if the class president was your best friend?  What if you really cared about homecoming or it was something else that you did really care about, like the canoe trip...)

Then, watch and discuss What Would You Do? Bike Thief.

Bill of Rights Project

Watch Ms. Kappelman's Xtranormal video about religious freedom and the first amendment.

1st Amendment
by: kappelman


Then, you will choose your own issue in the Bill of Rights to address.  Using Xtranormal, You will create a conversation between two characters that illustrates a particular right.  You must include the following in your Xtranormal video:

• The actual wording of the amendment and a character's interpretation of what that means.
• References to at least three court cases that strengthen or limit the rights outlined in the Constitution.
• For help, refer to The Bill of Rights Institute and Find Law.
• At least ten character actions/gestures.
• A clear beginning, middle, and end in which we all have a better understanding of the issue at play.

Please note:  Xtranormal is FREE, but requires you to create a login and limits your use of certain characters, etc.  Please watch as Ms. Kappelman walks you through the process.

***When you finish, play Do I Have a Right? Bill of Rights then Do I Have a Right? on iCivics.org.  Remember, you do NOT have to register to play, but please PRINT your results when you finish.

1920s Documentary

Watch The Century: America’s Time, 1920-1929: Boom to Bust and answer the questions on your corresponding sheet.

Resocialization

Finish watching Cults: Dangerous Devotion (part 5 @1:40). Take 5 more notes about how these institutions work to resocialize their members.
Complete one of the "Sociology & the Internet" activities on page 89 of the Sociology book.

Genocide Research Project

After reading Night, you have gleaned some insight into two of the most horrific attempts at genocide in the history of the world.  Genocide is the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group.

Your task now is to create a PowerPoint about at least two instances of genocide.  **If you would like to work in a group, you MUST add two more instances per group member and you MUST work on a collaborative tool, such as Google Docs.  You should include the Holocaust and Darfur in Sudan as your two minimum instances of genocide.  I have included Darfur as a requirement because of the local presence of Sudanese refugees in and around our community who have been fortunate to escape the atrocities committed in Darfur, a region of Sudan.  Here are some quality websites to get you started with your research:

Genocide Studies Project, Yale University.  <http://www.yale.edu/gsp/index.html>

Genocide Watch.  <http://www.genocidewatch.org/>

Peace Pledge Union.  <http://www.ppu.org.uk/genocide/>

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.  <http://www.ushmm.org/>

Each of the genocide incidents that you discuss should cover the following:

• Who perpetrated the attacks and who was targeted?
• Where and when did/is this happen(ing)?
• Why did this happen?  What were the causes?
• How many people have been affected (deaths, injuries, refugees)?
• What has happened to those affected?
• What has happened to those who perpetrated violence?
• What other affects have occurred as a result (to the government of affected countries as well as the response of other countries, especially)?

Your project should include: a title slide, at least two slides for each of your examples of genocide, and on your last slide, YOU MUST INCLUDE A BIBLIOGRAPHY.  So, keep track of ANY websites where you get your information and pictures/graphics, and please avoid wikipedia since anyone can contribute to or change any entry on this site; since these are highly controversial topics and I am giving you plenty of time, you can avoid this resource!

Please refer to the rubric below. 

Who perpetrated the attacks and who was targeted?                                                

Where and when did/is this happen(ing)?                                                                

Why did this happen?  What were the causes?                                                         

How many people have been affected (deaths, injuries, refugees)?                        

What has happened to those affected? What has happened to the perpetrators?    

What other affects have occurred as a result?                                                                      

DON’T FORGET: Title page, creativity, neatness, inclusion of appropriate graphics, and a Bibliography!

*********************************************************************************

PLANNING SHEET:

            Incident of genocide: ______________________________________________________

Who perpetrated the attacks and who was targeted?

Where and when did/is this happen(ing)? (be specific)

Why did this happen?  What were the causes?

How many people have been affected (deaths, injuries, refugees)?

What has happened to those affected?

What has happened to those who perpetrated violence?

What other affects have occurred as a result (to the government of affected countries as well as the response of other countries, especially)?

North American Native Groups: Research Project

Complete a research project about any North American Native group.  Your project may be a PowerPoint, a poster, a written report, or some other form.  Include the following:

• Geography:  describe the area(s) that this group historically inhabited.  *include a picture and a map.
• Food:  how did this culture sustain itself?  Describe specific hunting, gathering, and/or farming techniques
• Shelter: describe the type of housing and/or other shelters these people created and for what purposes.  *include a picture.
• Organization:  how did this group govern themselves?  Be specific.  What were their relations like with other Native people?  Again, be specific.
• Language:  what is significant about the language of this people.  Translate at least five important words or phrases.  Also, include a summary of an myth of this group.
• Beliefs/Practices:  what religious beliefs are noteworthy?  For example, what were their beliefs/traditions surrounding death?
• Technology: how did this group adapt their technology to their needs.  Describe at least one artifact that shows the group’s innovation.  *include a picture
• Life today:  What is happening with this tribe today?  How have their population and traditions changed?  What has caused these changes?  *include a picture.
• BIBLIOGRAPHY:  Copy ALL websites from which you gained information and/or a picture.  I will give you sufficient time to complete this project, so you should NOT utilize Wikipedia.

Digital Storytelling, Week 8

1. This week we will be working with a digital storytelling tool called Storybird.  Storybird collects art from a variety of artists and lets you use that art to express yourself.  I have signed you all up for Storybird accounts.  Please see me for your login information.  After you have logged in, start exploring the tool.  Start by looking at my own story: Mary Ann Reads a Book.  Type a comment about something specific that you liked.  Then, explore at least three other stories, commenting on things that you liked.  Send me links to the stories on which you commented.  ***For ideas on how to make good, specific comments, look at my comments on YOUR stories (not the suggestions, the comments/compliments) AND refer back to your elements of fiction.  A good, specific compliment is not: I liked your story.  A good specific compliment is: I liked how you used dialogue to show how feisty your character is!
2. Create your own Storybird.  Include the link as a "comment" below on this blogpost.  Your story must be grammatically correct with correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.  Additionally, your story must include at least three of the following: have a plot that makes sense; convey a mood, tone, or atmosphere in which pictures and text work together; include complex and interesting characterization; and have a discernible theme..

Cracking the Maya Code

Watch episode on PBS's NOVA : http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/cracking-maya-code.html.  Answer the corresponding questions for before, during, and after viewing.

Editing and Publishing Week 7

1. Finish making revisions for the following stories: your fractured fairy tale and your myth/tall tale.
2. Have an editing conference with your teacher.  Bring your fable, your fractured fairy tale, and your myth/tall tale.  These should all be typed and double-spaced.  Note the following meeting times:
1. Monday 1:15 AL
2. Wednesday 10:50 BH or MF
3. Thursday 8:50 BH or MF
4. CB- Wednesday 1:45
3. Make the necessary edits.
4. Choose one of your stories to make an illustrate and publish.  You may either print this out OR create it using Google Docs Presentation.  Your published version should include:
1. an illustrated cover with the story's title and your name 
2. at least five additional pages/slides with both words and appropriate, clear picture graphics
3. a slide/page in which you cite ALL websites that host the pictures that you use 

Imperialism vs. Isolationism

The debate about the U.S.'s place in world affairs is a controversial one.  I'd like to hear what you think.  In a well-constructed response, write the following:

• define imperialism and isolationism
• provide examples of each of these within the U.S.'s history
• tell which policy you tend to agree with more and why
• support your position with a pertinent quotation from our studies 

Dialogue & Revision, Week 6

Watch the video: "Punctuating Dialogue:"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS2b4N8aiVU.
If you still are confused about the conventions of writing dialogue, visit this website:http://www.be-a-better-writer.com/punctuate-dialogue.html

1.      Write a dialogue between two characters (real or fictional) in which each character says at least five different things.  It doesn't necessarily need to have a beginning, middle and end--so you can start the conversation at any point or you can end it abrubtly (after ten total quotations).  The point is for you to practice writing dialogue correctly.  

2.     Revise your stories (both your fractured fairy tale and your tall tale or myth) as your notes that your teacher has given you suggests. 

**Matt & Bry, look back to week 3 & complete those tasks.

Drafting Myths/Tall Tales, Week 5

To help you better exaggerate your tall tale or to make your myth sound more mythical, you will want to use figurative language.

Task 1:  

Define and find 5 examples of each of the following:

• Simile
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Hyperbole

Task 2:  

Write a draft of your tall tale or myth.  Refer to the previous week’s directions (Week 4) and your outline to write your tall tale or myth.  Your tall tale or myth MUST include all of the elements required in the outline as well as read like a story that flows and transitions.  Additionally, you must include at least four (4) instances of simile, metaphor, personification, and/or hyperbole.  (You don’t need to use all four devices, but you need four instances, so if you skip one, for example, you must have two instances of another.)  

Progressive Era

1. Watch the following video: "The Progressive Era, 1900-1914" (25:22): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EcvdyY6r8w
2. Take 10 notes.
3. What was the most important movement during the time period?  Why?