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.