Economics Project

Economics Project

Create a poster or PowerPoint presentation that includes both textual information and visuals about one of the following topics:

·         Labor unions

·         Communism and/or The Cold War

·         Social security

·         Affordable Care Act

·         The stock market

·         The Great Depression

·         Welfare (you may choose one specific entitlement program if you like)

·         Corporations/corporate taxes

·         Payroll tax

·         Income tax

·         The IRS

·         NAFTA

·         Student loans

·         Minimum wage

·         Farm subsidies

·         Trade sanctions

·         Job of accountant or financial planner

For your topics, discuss the following:

·         The history of and/or current controversy around

·         Your opinion & why you feel the way you do

**If you have a different economics-related topic that you would like to do, please let your teacher know!

Poetry Devices

1. Complete the poetry analysis worksheet to learn how poets use some of the poetic devices that you have defined. 

2. Review some major forms of figurative language by completing 15-20 examples on the worksheet.

3. Colors can give your poems some symbolic significance through the different connotations that we associate with colors.  Examine the chart below that outlines some color symbolism.  Read some poems that use color symbolism. Respond to two of the poems.  Identify the title and author and describe briefly what effect the poet’s use of color had on the poem.

4.Write at least ten lines of poetry (this can be one or more poems, but there must be at least ten lines of poetry total) that use at least two colors to convey symbolic meaning and tone.  Please note, you can also play with different words for the same color (for example: red, scarlet, vermilion, crimson, rusty, cherry, burgundy and ruby may all carry different connotations).  Your ten lines of poetry should also incorporate at least two examples of figurative language (similes, metaphors, personification, and/or hyperboles.)  

Color Symbolism Chart
	Excitement, energy, passion, love, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence, all things intense and passionate.
	Pink symbolizes love and romance, caring, tenderness, acceptance and calm.
	Beige and ivory symbolize unification. Ivory symbolizes quiet and pleasantness. Beige symbolizes calm and simplicity.
	Joy, happiness, betrayal, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, gold, philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard and friendship.
	Peace, tranquility, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, technology, depression, appetite suppressant.
	Turquoise symbolizes calm. Teal symbolizes sophistication. Aquamarine symbolizes water. Lighter turquoise has a feminine appeal.
	Royalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning.
	Lavender symbolizes femininity, grace and elegance.
	Energy, balance, enthusiasm, warmth, vibrant, expansive, flamboyant, demanding of attention.
	Nature, environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy, misfortune, vigor.
	Earth, stability, hearth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, simplicity, and comfort.
	Security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative, practical, old age, sadness, boring. Silver symbolizes calm.
	Reverence, purity, birth, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, winter, snow, good, sterility, marriage (Western cultures), death (Eastern cultures), cold, clinical.
	Power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger, anonymity, underground, good technical color, mourning, death (Western cultures).

Great Gatsby CH 7

Listen Here. If you were in class on Friday, you can begin at 31:13 and then listen to Ch. 8 here.

Global Issues Videos

1. At UN, Malala Yousafzai rallies youth to stand up for universal education 
2. Is Walmart good for America?

English A Midterm Essay Prompt

Compare/Contrast Essay        ___/40

In literary terms, what is a tragedy? What is a tragic hero? Define these terms and discuss how both Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Miller’s Death of a Salesman fit within the tragedy genre and how Macbeth as a character and Willy Loman both fulfill the tragic hero archetype.

Refer to the rubric for planning ideas/directions:

·        Paragraph #1: Name which literary works, authors, and characters you are going to discuss.  Define tragedy and tragic hero. (5 points)

·        Paragraph #2: Discuss Macbeth in Macbeth.  Discuss how the play is a tragedy and Macbeth is a tragic hero. Give at least four specific reasons for your definition. (10 points)

·        Paragraph #3: Discuss Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman.  Discuss how the play is a tragedy and Willy is a tragic hero. Give at least four specific reasons for your definition. (10 points)

·        Paragraph #4: Give and overview of how the stories of Macbeth and Willy Loman are similar and different.  Discuss what the authors’ purposes were for both characters—what point(s) are Shakespeare and Miller making about human nature by writing about tragic heroes? (10 points)

·        **5 points for overall readability (organization and editing)

Somatoform, Factitious, Dissociative, & Schizophrenic Disorders

Before reading, watch:
1. Schizophrenia

After:
1. Dissociative Identity Disorder (9 min)
2. Somatoform Disorders (6 min)
3. Factitious Disorders (3 min)
4. Schizophrenia (5 min)

Realistic Fiction & Intro to Poetry

1. Revise your story according to the notes your teacher gave you.  Make sure to type it up (double-spaced).
2. Edit your story with your teacher.
3. Complete the activity More Root Words.
4. Complete this worksheet about major poetic devices. 
5. Complete the poetry analysis worksheet to learn how poets use some of these devices. (4 points)
6. Alliteration Tongue Twisters:  Write an original alliteration tongue twister that incorporates at least seven alliterations with the same initial sound and (at least somewhat) makes sense.

Remember, alliteration is when two or more words share the same initial sound

• Ex. “Down and Dirty”

When you string a bunch of alliteration together, you get a tongue twister.

• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

7.  Write a limerick, a five line poem that follows the rhyme scheme A A B B A, in which the “A” lines are eight or nine syllables and the “B” lines are six syllables.  See three different examples below:  

There once was a gray poodle named Spark.       (A= "ark," 9 syllables long)
 Quite talkative, he so liked to bark.                     (A= "ark," 9 syllables long)
 Sometimes running he found                             (B= "ound," 6 syllables long)
 His feet all off the ground                                 (B= "ound," 6 syllables long)
 Especially on "walks" in the park.                      (A= "ark," 9 syllables long)

There once was a girl who loved rhyme;   (8 syllables)
 She felt her writing was sublime.             (8 syllables)
 Indeed quite a poet,                                 (6 syllables)
 Though some didn't know it,                    (6 syllables)
 She'd be rich if each paid a dime.              (8 syllables)

There was a mean clown in the circus.
 For fun he would push us and jerk us.
 He would hit us with pies
 That left cream in our eyes.
 His act never once failed to irk us.

Fables, Fairy Tales, Tall Tales, & Myths

Use the worksheet to complete the activities:

1.    Read the stories: "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "The Lion and the Mouse." For each of the stories, find and record: the characters, the setting, and the theme. Then, explain which genre these stories are and why you think so.

2.    Find a fairy tale to read/study.  Read it, and complete this Fairy Tale Analysis worksheet to analyze the story.

3. Remember, tall tales are stories written from someone’s imagination.  The story can be funny or silly.  They are filled with exaggerations, similes, metaphors, and lots of descriptive language.  It is always told as if it were true, even though the listeners know that the story could never really happen. Some of the characters were real heroes and heroines whose stories got exaggerated a lot, others were characters such as cowboys, railroad workers, loggers, sea captains, and firefighters.  Tall tales told information that really happened at the time and combined it with a wild tale full of fantasy.Read/listen/watch  the following tall tales: Paul Bunyon  and  John Henry.  As you read/listen/watch, make a 2-column list.  One column should list the realistic/historical aspects of the story, and the other column should list the exaggerated portions of the story.  Try to include at least 3 items in each column for each story.

4. Remember, myths are are among the oldest stories ever told.  They are present in all cultures and often explain some aspect of nature or human existence. Read, listen to, and/or watch 2 of the following myths: The Raven Story, Prometheus, Izangi and Izanami, and Genesis 3.  Record the following information for each myth: title, cultural/geographic region, what it explains the creation of, characters, cultural values, and setting.

Great Gatsby Chapter 3

Nick goes to a party at Gatsby's house and finally meets the "Great" Jay Gatsby in chapter 3 and Nick gets to know Jordan Baker a little better as well. Listen to the audio version here or at 10:41 here.

English 10 Work

1.    Complete this worksheet about the elements of fiction. You will need to use theReadWriteThink link to find your answers. Please note, the elements are in a different order on the website than they are on the worksheet.

2.    Learn about the different types of literary genres with this slideshare presentation. As you go through the presentation, take notes answering the following questions:

1.    What is a genre?

2.    Which genre do you find most appealing and why?

3.    Focus in on some of the oldest forms of fiction: myths, legends, fables, folktales, and fairy tales. Visit the following websites and create a good definition for each of the terms: http://www.ability.org.uk/mytholog.html,http://classiclit.about.com/cs/10th14thcentury/a/aa_definemyth.htm.

• myths, 
• legends, 
• fables, 
• folktales, 
• fairy tales

The People's Pie

See if you can balance the federal budget! Play People's Pie. Make sure you show your results to your teacher to get credit.

Autobiographical Memoirs OR Realistic Fiction Pre-Writing

Week 12:

1. 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 30 lines at least.  If you type, this should be 15 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.

2. 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 more 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.”

3. Choose your top THREE story ideas from above.  For each of those three story ideas, write a descriptive paragraph that focuses in on a character or a setting within that story idea, using imagery. 

The Great Gatsby Vocabulary

View the PowerPoint and copy the words and their definitions on your vocabulary packet.

Death of a Salesman Vocabulary

View the PowerPoint to complete your vocabulary packet on key words from Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.

Introduction to Diction, Imagery, & Memoirs

Week 11:

1. Finish publishing your myth.

2. Expand your vocabulary by learning about Greek and Latin roots.  View and complete the following worksheet that will expose you to and give you practice with 14 common roots.

3. Read the following imagery-rich passage, paying attention to details that make you see, hear, smell, taste, and/or feel that which is being described:

“The hot July sun beat relentlessly down, casting an orange glare over the farm buildings, the fields, the pond. Even the usually cool green willows bordering the pond hung wilted and dry. The low buzzing of mosquitoes hung about us.  Our sun-baked backs ached for relief. We quickly pulled off our sweaty clothes and plunged into the pond, but the tepid water only stifled us, and we soon climbed onto the brown, dusty bank. Our parched throats longed for something cool—a tart strawberry ice, a tall frosted glass of sweetly sour lemonade.
“We pulled our clothes out of the crackling underbrush, the sharp briars pulling at our heavy, wet clothes.  We wriggled into our damp jeans and ambled toward the watermelon patch. As we began to cut open the nearest melon, we could smell the pungent skin mingling with the dusty odor of the dry earth. Suddenly, the melon gave way with a crack, revealing the deep, pink sweetness inside.”

4. Then, list ten examples of phrases from the passage that show imagery & classify them by the sense to which they appeal (sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch).

5. 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 reactions should be about a paragraph long each 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. These stories are acting as mentor texts, examples of autobiographical (or semi-autobiographical) realistic writing that can help you think about your own story and voice.

6. 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 30 lines at least.  If you type, this should be 15 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.

7. Last, 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 more 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.”

Shh! We're Writing the Constitution Video

watch the video "Shh! We're Writing the Constitution." 

Bank Runs & The Federal Reserve

Before the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation), people's savings accounts were not insured if the bank went bankrupt. During the Great Depression, people all wanted to get their money from the banks at the same time, but the banks didn't have the money and many people lost part or all of their savings. This was called a bank run. The film, It's a Wonderful Life depicts what a bank run looked like and explains why the banks didn't have the money on hand.

Watch the video about the Central Bank of the United States to provide some background knowledge about the Federal Reserve ('The Fed").

Creative Writing Week 10: Publishing

This week we will sharing our work, celebrating our work, and evaluating the works of others. We will be reading each others' strories and begin 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. 

1. Finish your books.
2. Please see me for your login information.
3. After you have logged in to Storybird, 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 five other stories, commenting on things that you liked.  Send me links to the stories on which you commented.  
• 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! Great use of indirect characterization!
• You can view Storybirds from last year's students, too: 
• Cat on the Run by Bry
• The Tale of Cynthia Mercury by Celenia
• The Day the Clouds Drifted Away by Adara
• The Freaky Boat by Amanda 
• The Perfect Day by Janelle
• Finding Friends by Lizzie
• Sally's Adventure by Jesstine

Fairpoint Communications Strike

http://www.wcax.com/story/27042385/fairpoint-strike-enters-2nd-week

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/national/2014/10/17/fairpoint-strike/17426857/

Weeks 7-8: Revision, Editing, & Publishing

1. Finish revising your stories using your teacher's suggestions.

2. Finish/correct all dialogue exercises from Week 5.

3. Meet with your teacher to have an editing conference about your fractured fairy tale and your tall tale/myth. Then, edit your stories and submit the edited drafts to your teacher.

4. Publish your work! You will choose one of your three stories (fable, fractured fairy tale, myth/tall tale) to make into a book. Your published version should include:

• an illustrated cover with the story's title and your name 
• at least five additional pages with both words and appropriate, clear picture graphics
• a page in which you cite ALL websites that host the pictures that you use (if you use original drawings, this last page is unnecessary).

Week 6: Revision

1. Finish all of last week's activities, including:

• Figurative Language Definitions & Examples
• Dialogue Exercises and Practice
• Draft of Myth or Tall Tale

2. Begin Revising the following works by meeting with your teacher:

• Fable
• Fractured Fairy Tale
• Tall Tale/Myth

Analyzing Advertising

Fill in the guided notes as you view the slideshow about propaganda.

Then, use those techniques to make an advertisement for investing. You may make it about investing itself, the importance of diversifying your investments, or about one particular investment tool. You must include at least two facts and use at least one of the techniques that you learned about in the slideshow.

Week 5: Tall Tales & Myths Continued

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 10 examples of each of the following:

·        Simile

·        Metaphor

·        Personification

·        Hyperbole

Task 2: 

A. Watch the video: "Punctuating Dialogue:" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS2b4N8aiVU.

B. If you still are confused about the conventions of writing dialogue, visit this website: http://www.be-a-better-writer.com/punctuate-dialogue.html

C. Rewrite (you can copy & paste then edit) the following dialogues with correctpunctuation, capitalization, & paragraphing: Dialogue Exercises.

D. 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 abruptly (after ten total quotations).  The point is for you to practice writing dialogue correctly.  Submit it as a comment below.

Task 3:  Write a draft of your own tall tale or myth. See requirements below.  

Option A: Tall Tale: 

-->a protagonist who is a real person, either historical or modern, but who you add details that describe him/her as having super-human abilities in some way that helps people and has to do with their job  (ex.  Paul Bunyan's size, John Henry's strength, Johnny Appleseed's ability to communicate with nature).  For example, you may choose to write a tall tale about Paul Revere's superhuman ability to ride faster than the wind to warn that "the British are coming," or you may write a tall tale about Mariah Carey's superhuman ability to break glass with her voice, or Martin Luther King, Jr.'s superhuman ability to 

-->at least 3 historic/realistic details

-->at least 3 exaggerations

-->a story with some sort of conflict that gets resolved/solved by the protagonist

-->an exposition, rising action, climax (conflict is at a breaking/turning point), falling action, and a resolution

-->at least 4 instances of simile, metaphor, personification, and/or hyperbole (you don't need to use all four devices, but you need for instances, so if you skip one, for example, you need to have at least two instances of another)

-->use some dialogue

Option B: Myth: 

-->clear cultural setting

-->cultural values

-->spiritual elements (gods, etc.)

-->natural elements

-->MUST explain the creation of something

-->an exposition, rising action, climax (conflict is at a breaking/turning point), falling action, and a resolution

-->at least 4 instances of simile, metaphor, personification, and/or hyperbole (you don't need to use all four devices, but you need for instances, so if you skip one, for example, you need to have at least two instances of another)

-->use some dialogue

Famous Psychological Experiments

• Milgram Obedience Experiment: YouTube Video
• Halo Effect: Jacob Young
• Marshmallow Experiment: Drew Mollica
• Standford Prison Experiment: Henry Cook
• Asch Conformity Test: Jade Pawlowski

Saving and Investing Notes

View the Saving and Investing PowerPoint to fill in your guided notes about saving and investing.

Week 4: Tall Tales & Myths

1. First, finish your rough draft of your fractured fairy tale. Remember to review the directions and expectations for your fractured fairy tale here.

2. Read the following information about TALL TALES

 

What Are They?

      Tall tales are stories written from someone’s imagination.  The story can be funny or silly.  They are filled with exaggerations, similes, metaphors, and lots of descriptive language.  It is always told as if it were true, even though the listeners know that the story could never really happen.

      Some of the characters were real heroes and heroines whose stories got exaggerated a lot, others were characters such as cowboys, railroad workers, loggers, sea captains, and firefighters.  Tall tales told information that really happened at the time and combined it with a wild tale full of fantasy.

      In general there were some bad things about tall tales.  They were negative towards Native Americans, African Americans, women, and animals.  The tales were about people who were trying to conquer the American Wilderness.  Most of these tall tales were written back in the 1800s when the pioneers were trying to conquer the wilderness of America.  It was a way for the pioneers to make the taming of America a little easier to handle.

History

      Many settlers originally came west because someone made many optimistic claims, those which told only of the good things.  They were told the climate was perfect and that there was plenty of water.  They were convinced that crops would spring up overnight.  It was said that the soil was so fertile that even footprints would grow!

      In real life, living on the plains was a lot tougher that the settlers had been told.  After they found out what life on the plains was really like, they had to face many hard times.  It was easier to do that if a person used humor.  One farmer is reputed to have said, “It could be so hot one day that the corn popped, and so cold the next day that a bucket of water would freeze so fast that the ice would still be warm."

      The settlers loved to exaggerate when they told tales about the huge animals, the incredible weather extremes and the monstrous fish that got away.  We can thank the pioneers for tall tales.  Tall tales have been associated with America’s past.

      Tall Tales are part of our nation’s oral history.  We can make many connections between such tall tales and events in history.  Among these are John Henry and the expansion of the railroads, Paul Bunyon and the timber industry, and Johnny Appleseed and agriculturalism.  Tall tales were stories told and passed down from generation to generation. 

Ref: School District of Greenville County, 2012, http://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/stone/staff/lessons/bennett/tales.asp

3. Read/listen/watch  the following tall tales:  John Henry, Paul Bunyon, Johnny Appleseed.  As you read/listen/watch, make a 2-column list.  One column should list the realistic/historical aspects of the story, and the other column should list the exaggerated portions of the story.  Try to include at least 3 items in each column for each story.

4. Read the following information about Myths

 

What Are They?

 

Myths are among the oldest stories ever told.  They are present in all cultures and often explain some aspect of nature or human existence.  According to PBS, “For thousands of years, people all over the world have told stories to pass down the history, culture, and morals of their society to each new generation. One type of traditional story is the creation, or origin, story. Creation stories, also called ‘creation myths,’ describe the origin and nature of the universe, and often convey particular belief systems or values.”

5. Read, listen to, and/or watch 3 of the following myths: The Raven Story, Prometheus, Izangi and Izanami, and Genesis 3.  Record the following information for each myth:

Title of Story	Culture & Geographic Area	Explains the creation of…	Major Characters	Cultural Values	Setting: mostly human, spiritual, or natural world?
"The Raven Story"
“Prometheus"
"Izangi and Izanami"
"Genesis 3"