October 2 Homework due Tuesday, October 9

Moral Dilemma: Write about a time when faced with a moral dilemma.  Mention or indicate what written or unwritten law was violated, and describe the dilemma and the actions taken in detail.  Your narrative should be typed and at least one page long.  Due on Monday.

Wayne Joseph Radio Lab Interview

Wayne Joseph Radio Lab Interview

Casares Interview On NPR

Borderland: A Journey Along a Changing Frontier

September 23 Homework

Read Bharati Mukherjee's "American Dreamer" (114-119) and complete the QAR assignment.

Google Question-Answer Relationships to find out more specifics as to what kinds of questions you need to ask for each section.  I could only find pdf's that won't copy and paste here.  Here's an example below:

What Does This Look Like in Practice?
Good question. Just for practice and as an example, let's apply it to the following passage of text. One example for each type of QAR follows the passage.

The sun was setting, and as the senator gazed out his office window, he could see the silhouettes of some of the unique buildings and monuments of Washington, D.C. Directly in front of him at the other end of the National Mall, the stark obelisk of the Washington Monument thrust dramatically skyward, its red warning lights blinking in the approaching dusk. Although he couldn't quite see it, he knew that beyond the Washington Monument and the reflecting pool just past it, a huge statue of Abraham Lincoln sat thoughtfully in the Lincoln Memorial.       The senator was worried. A bill was before the Congress, called Safe Surfing for Safer Schools, that would deny federal education dollars to states that didn't have laws against internet pornography on their books. He was concerned about kids having access to dirty pictures, and even more concerned about internet predators having access to kids. But he also believed strongly in the right of people to freely access information, even if it meant sometimes children might be exposed to adult materials. And it seemed dangerous to take money away from schools, where the need was desperate, if state legislatures balked at this federal pressure on them.       His constituents had let him know in no uncertain terms that they supported strict standards of decency on the internet. He knew if he didn't support the bill, his next election opponent would paint him as pro-pornography, and anti-child. But he didn't want anything to get in the way of providing monetary support to schools through federal grants.       The unique spires of the original Smithsonian Institution were getting harder to see, but there was still a faint gleam on the green dome of the Museum of Natural History. What was the right thing to do?
Right There	What legislation is the senator worried about?
Think and Search	What arguments is he having to weigh in his mind?
Author and You	How would you advise the Senator, and why would you advise him so?
On My Own	What's a tough decision you've had to make?

Here's the graphic organizer I gave to students in class:

QAR Practice—“American Dreamer”

Bharati  Mukherjee (p. 114-119)

Directions: Think of some questions that could be answered from reading the text. Write at least   one question every two pages under each QAR heading. After each question write the answer in parenthesis.
In the Book---Right There 114-15 116-17 118-19	In My Head---On My Own 114-15 116-17 118-19
In the Book---Think and Search 114-15 116-17 118-19	In My Head---Author and Me 114-15 116-17 118-19

September 18 Homework:

Come prepared with two journal entries completed for Monday

Write a one page+ essay on one of the prompts below:

"Being Country" Pre-Reading Prompts

1. Write about a way in which you identify with food as an individual, family, community, or ethnic group.  Address how food contributes to defining one of these aspects. Be sure to describe a specific event that relates to the prompt. 

2. Think about the adage “the grass is always greener on the other side.” How has this idea affected your way of thinking at some time, either positively or negatively?  Be sure to describe a specific event that relates to the adage.

Non-Fiction Journal

WOW Non-Fiction Journal

Journal Instructions: While you read your non-fiction book, keep track of how individuals or groups of people are identified, categorized or discriminated against based on their gender, age, social class, religion, race, and national origin.  Pay close attention to who has privilege and why, and who are the oppressed and why.  Another aspect to consider is how people define themselves and how they are defined by others and are different from others.  What are the consequences of the way individuals are defined?

Requirements: 10 journal entries which include a quote and reference to a page number on one side, and your comments and thoughts on the other side.  Your comments should explain and discuss how the passage reflects on the themes of questions of identity, discrimination, privilege, and/or oppression.  Remember to have a conversation with the text and cover the scope of the book.  Each of your entries should be 100-150 words.

Here’s how to set up your journal:

Place the quote in the left column (you only need to include the first 8 words) along with the page number.

In the right column, write your thoughts based on the criteria found in the journal instruction description above.

The journal can either be typed or hand written.  All are due on Monday, October 13^th (30 formative assessment points possible).

Grading Criteria: 10 entries, follows format, legible, covers scope of novel, thoughts show depth and are purposeful (that is they don’t appear to be hastily done with little thought).  If you don’t meet the basic standards, then your journal will be returned to you without a grade.  You’ll need to resubmit the journal for a grade.

Quote and Page Number	Your Thoughts
Ex from “Ain’t I a Woman?” “he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ‘cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from? From God and woman! Man had nothing to do with Him”  p. 68	This passage is towards the end of Sojourner Truth’s speech. At first I thought Truth was talking about being black and not being able to vote, but she really is talking about being a woman and not being able to vote.   She is arguing that denying women the right to vote because “Christ wasn’t a woman” is illogical because ultimately, a woman created Christ.  She uses logic to counter the man’s logical fallacy. She is also frustrated by being denied the right to vote even though she is as strong, smart, and capable as a man (or even more so.) Here, Truth turns her gender into a point of pride and power, rather than one of weakness and servitude, by arguing that without a woman, there would be no Christ. Rather than being ashamed of her identity as a woman, she is proud of it.  (145 words)
Ex. From “The Way To Rainy Mountain”

Homework Due September 15th

        Current Event Reflection
Provide the following information along with a one page summary and reflection of your article:Your name; title of article; publisher/name of news organization; date of article.Summarize what you read providing details from throughout the article and reflect on your reactions to the article.  Consider the questions below if you need some help with this part.1)       What is the root of the conflict?
2)       To what degree did the military action or conflict achieve the reported result at this time?
3)       How was or could the conflict be resolved?
4)       What connections can you make between this conflict and another current conflict or one in history?

Genesis and Pandora Reflection

Directions: Your answers to these questions should be at least one paragraph each.

1) What do the similarities say about the nature of humans?  

2) What are women’s roles in the relationships? What are men’s roles?  

3) What is significant about the differences between the stories? 

4) What do these stories say about individuality and society?  

5) What lessons do the stories teach us?  

6) How is contemporary society reflected in these worlds, both before and after the fall?