Saturday, December 27, 2008

Vacation Work

Greetings from Philadelphia!

If you are itching for things to do, here's a few ideas:

1: Get your ROAR book, science fiction! Or, if you want straight ahead science, select a book from the 9th grade list. Obenglish9.blogspot.com

2: Lots of Culture Vulture options, especially for the museum category.

I am not sure about all the timing for when we get back to school in January, but will give you an email closer to then.

peace.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Snow Day/Culture Vulture

Ah, there's the snow...

For Monday and Tuesday, please complete the final assignments for Term 2:

1: Culture Vulture Poster
2: Culture Vulture Response FD to Turnitin.com
3: Culture Vulture Poster Works Cited
4: Culture Vulture Presentation

Period 1
Monday

Baxter, Renee
Smalls, Kyle
Jeanmichel, Shelby
Perry, Christina
Demontegnac, Delroy
Kamara, Kanjo
Rosa, Claribel
Moy, Annie
Tan, Brendon
Tejada, Alan
Salomon, Christelle
Riosalers, Manuel
Cyrus, Jahlil

Tuesday
Brown, Alex
Antonelli, Anthony
Mejia, David
Sakhta, Wadea
Cummins, Marleah
Price, Lydia
Sepulveda, Andrew
Amarante, Tiara
Tarshahani, Tamara
Brito, Vicmarys
Hartfield, Alexis

Period 2
Monday

Ortiz, Sindy
Pimentel, Juleissy
Tang, Tai
Fajardo, Yaritza
Prifti, Gjergji
Andrew, Kishma
El-Behaedi, Salma
Ndugba, Obinna
Demontegnac, Aldwayne
Weathers, Justin
Bumar, May
Herman, Kevin
Meng, Angellica

Tuesday
Copeland, Maya
Lara, Ramsel
Webster, Marquette
Wu, Tiffany
Li, Julia
Miranda, Josiefina
Creese, Michael
Durand, Pierline
Um, Karuna
Vance, Isaiah
Brea, Katherine

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Extra Credit!

@Boston Latin 3:00

OUT OF EXILE
The Abducted and Displaced People of Sudan

Edited by Craig Walzer
With an introduction, additional interviews, and an afterword by
Dave Eggers, Valentino Achal Deng, and Emmanuel Jal

Decades of conflicts and persecution have driven millions from their homes in all parts of the northeast African country of Sudan. Many thousands more have been enslaved as human spoils of war. In their own words, the narrators of Out of Exile recount their lives before their displacement, the reasons for their flight, and their hopes of someday returning home. Included are the stories of:

ABUK, a native of South Sudan now living in Boston, who survived ten years as a slave after being captured by an Arab militia.

MARCY AND ROSE, best friends who have spent the vast majority of their lives in a refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya. They remember almost nothing of their former homes in Sudan.

MATHOK, who struggled to find opportunities as a refugee in Cairo, but eventually fell into a world of gangs and violence.

JOHN, a teacher fighting to keep a school for Sudanese refugees alive in a poverty-stricken slum in Nairobi.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Final Week of the Term

You know the dates; plan your time!

ROAR

Culture Vulture

TKAM essay

(no vocabulary this week)

sci-fi ROAR

Here are some Term III ROAR choice selections.

Science Fiction= a future story that deals with present issues

Kindred by Octavia Butler
Dana, a black woman living in Los Angeles in 1976, is mysteriously transported to 1815 to save the life of a small, red-haired boy on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

The Dispossessed by Ursula LeGuin
Describes what a society based on true anarchy might be like...

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
It was a crime to own books, and if found they were burned

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
A r
evolution on the moon in 2076, where "Loonies" are kept poor and oppressed by an Earth-based Authority that turns huge profits at their expense.

1984 by George Orwell
Big Brother is watching you. Enough said.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Ordinary guy Arthur Dent is trying to fight city hall to save his house from being bulldozed, then ends up in space with a towel as his only hope for survival.

At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft
While exploring Antarctica, scientists discover the remains of vaguely amphibious creatures which cause them to conjure up horrific memories

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
the author of Jurassic Park writes about a super virus that wipes out America

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Ice that freezes at room temperature; the world is in danger! A satire of science gone wrong.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Film Reading #2

For those who took the time to record notes and employ film vocabulary, your reading paragraphs were fantastic. In fact, yesterday was the highest number of Check + for any assignment this year!

Keep up the strong reading tonight. Compose a 2nd Film Reading paragraph

ROAR
12/19 10 posts

Culture Vulture
12/17 Rough draft and proof
12/22 Final Draft to Turnitin.com
12/22 Poster
12/22 Works Cited for poster
12/22-23 Poster Presentation

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Read a film???

1: show off your new found vocabulary with a paragraph that reflects on today's reading.
-think about how the film frames the cigar box containing the watch, crayons, and other symbolic items.


2: Vocabulary Quiz #10 tomorrow


ps: a bird told me you could go here to refresh your TKAM reading:
http://www.viddler.com/explore/pseudosummer/videos/1/

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Are you in the frame?

Hope the philosophical musings on "frame" does not keep you awake...

But this is why it is so important to be "in the frame" and not cut out of the picture.

For tonight, read over the 4 pages of film terms and ask some questions.

Vocab quiz #10 on Thursday

Monday, December 8, 2008

Monday, Monday

1: Create a cover for your TKAM notes. See previous post for instructions. The TOC does not need to be typed, nor does the cover for that matter. All internet images MUST include a separate works cited page.

2: ROAR reading

3: Vocab quiz #10 on Thursday

Friday, December 5, 2008

The end, is the beginning

With the end of TKAM, we turn our attention to History ROAR and Culture Vulture. While our reading has abated, we will read the film adaptation of TKAM next week and compose a critical essay on the novel. For those of you enrolled in Digital Storytelling, this will be a chance to show off your film knowledge; for the rest, a foreshadowing of what's to come!

Weekend Homework
1: spend one hour ROAR reading. Do it. You have the ELA time for it this weekend.
2: plan out your Culture Vulture work. The rough draft and proof are due on 12/17, and then your poster (research, works cited, and presentation) will be due on 12/22.
3: Compose a cover and table of contents for your TKAM notes. It is due on 12/9.

Here are the required elements:

Cover
-title of book
-author
-creative and critical images that connect to the book
-a sheet of printer paper will be fine
-internet images or magazine/newspaper images require a Works Cited page

Table of Contents
-listing of your work (name of work and date)

Thursday, December 4, 2008

TKAM Review

Enjoy the videos! But, please don't get all hung up on themes and all the other gunk that homework help sites tend to emphasize.







Here's some more video fun!

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v6573413zhg4g4fe

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v6529746xrTxs7xx

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v6419555yY6sn4K3

Monday, December 1, 2008

December Culture Vulture

dennis Lehane

Author Talk: Dennis Lehane

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m.
Rabb Lecture Hall, Copley Square Library

Dennis Lehane will speak on the theme of social justice in his latest novel The Given Day, as part of the BPL's Lowell Lecture Series

Roy Blount Jr. --
Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. in the Rabb Lecture Hall. In Alphabet Juice, his 21st book, Blount celebrates letters and their combinations.

from his book:
"Have you ever tried to spell any of the various sounds that pigs make? It isn't easy. It's damn well worth trying, but eventually you have to settle on something close. Steven Pinker, in Words and Rules, observes that pigs go oink oink in English, nøff nøff in Norwegian, and in Russian chrjo chrjo."


December fun at the MFA

MFA for the Holidays





Special Events
Boston Children's Chorus
Listen to the Boston Children’s Chorus sing holiday songs in the Koch Gallery and enjoy free admission all evening, including admission to "Art and Empire: Treasures from Assyria and the British Museum."
Wed, Dec 3, 5:30 pm

Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble
The Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble performs holiday favorites in the West Wing.
Sat, Dec 6 and Sun, Dec 7, 1–4 pm

December, Day 1

1: Active reading of "The Scottsboro Trial" and TKAM p. 211-227
2: ROAR post (the 10 posts are due 12/19)
3: Culture Vulture Rough Draft and Proof 12/17
4: TiP Short Story submission. Check "Thanksgiving Break" post for info.
5: Vocab Quiz #9 on Thursday
6: TKAM Test on Friday.

Grammar Queen

Here she is, in all her Grammar Glory. Listen to the song and appreciate the proper use of the subjunctive mood.


Here's a blast from the past, with poor subjunctive mood:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icr0eW1fRSs