september 30

I don't want to spend my weekend editing resumes and reading journals.

You don't want to spend your weekend catching up on old work.

We have a lot to do next week.

Today we have 50 minutes together.  Let's GSD.

september 29

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" by The Pretenders]

What's the difference between love and hate?  Are these emotions truly polar opposites, or are they two flavors of the same energetic ice cream?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Intentional v. unintentional argumentation
3. Your brain is messing with you
4. "The Pedestrian" didn't end.  It's just beginning.

HW:
Please write a blog post in which you describe how authority figures support you being your best self out loud and/or how they threaten your willingness to be yourself in public. (title: RESPECT MY AUTHORITY?)

just because

Dad skills

september 28

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "I Want to Hug You" by John Lee Hooker; "Hug You, Squeeze You" by Stevie Ray Vaughan]

Are hugs important?  Why/why not?  How do they communicate ideas and/or feelings?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Logical fallacies continued
3. "The Pedestrian" / inciting incident and beyond

HW:
Read your literature analysis book

september 27

9:59 PM
A couple hours have passed since the debate.  It's finally cooling off (a little) outside.  Thinking about logical fallacies and how so many people in this country are in so much pain that they may not be thinking clearly.  Thinking about what I want to do tomorrow.  Thinking about the language at school: "Minimum Day."  What does that mean, anyway?  How does it translate to making the most of our learning?  Why do I so often feel like I'm working for students against all the influences that encourages students to be less than their best?  Is it really too hot to learn?  Thinking that I'll pass on doing the agenda now and post it late night or early morning.

*Update/5:34 AM

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "On the Turning Away" from A Momentary Lapse of Reason by Pink Floyd]

Who do you think won last night's presidential debate?  Why?  Please explain your answer in terms of ethos, pathos, and logos.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Logical fallacies & "winning" last night's debate
3. "The Pedestrian" inciting incident

HW:
1. Write your impression of the inciting incident in "The Pedestrian" (title: INCITING INCIDENT)
*If I don't have your resume by tomorrow (Wednesday) I won't read it.

tonight's presidential debate

The debate begins at 6 PM.  Some of you have asked where you can see the debate.  Answer: Everywhere.  Every major TV broadcast network will carry the event commercial-free.  You can also stream it online (learn how here).

september 26

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Tonight America will add a chapter to its political story.  What will historians say about this presidential election?  Does the election or the debate matter to you and your family?  Why or why not?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Collect resume drafts
3. TIP/progress & this week
4. Logical fallacies

HW:
Watch at least 15 minutes of the debate and comment to your blog with descriptions of logical fallacies you observed (title: MISTAKES FOR PRESIDENT)

september 23

JOURNAL:

I'm not there.  Hopefully you're seeing this anyway.  Which brings up a question: Where do you go for information when you think something might be happening but you're not sure and no one is telling you?

AGENDA:
1. Journal (happy Friday, as they say, please remember to leave your journal)
2. Work by yourself or with a friend to:

• tighten up your resume
• make sure your TIP is up to date
• begin answering questions (or read if you need to) for lit analysis #2

HW:
1. Please bring your resume and TIP to class (on paper, in hand, resume TYPED) on Monday
2. Think an interesting thought and post it to your blog (title: SOMETIMES MY MIND...)

today's assembly

Some students feel the need to attend today's assembly on Bullying.  Some students feel their time is better spent on resumes and all of the other things we have going in this course. 

About the last thing I want to do is influence (bully? :) people into a decision.

So, in third period Augustin, Luis, Isaias, Karen, and a handful of others opted to attend the assembly.  They promised to blog about it and share the value with the rest of us, so feel free to visit their blogs and comment. 

The rest of us focused on our goals as previously scheduled.  Hope everyone gets the most out of the day!

september 22

JOURNAL: [today's tunes: "I Fought the Law" by The Clash; "I Shot the Sheriff" by Eric Clapton]

Describe a positive experience with someone in the military or law enforcement.  Describe a negative experience with someone in the military or law enforcement.  If you haven't had personal experiences, describe a situation you heard about from someone else or the media.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Your objective is our objective
3. Musing on the Big Question
4. "The Pedestrian" continued

[*Please post to your blog about the inciting incident in "The Pedestrian." The title is up to you.]

HW:
1. Read your lit book
2. Write your objective and complete your first draft of the resume
3. Keep your TIP up to date

september 21

JOURNAL TOPIC: ["Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett; "Strength, Courage & Wisdom" by India Arie]

Former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden observed, "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."  Briefly describe your character and your reputation.  What differences do you see between the two?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Discuss vocab
3. Resume: G.P.A. / Class Rank & Position / Skill Formats
4. Characterization (indirect v. direct, static v. dynamic)
5. Plot
6. Begin "The Pedestrian"

[*Post first impression of the story to your blog.]

HW:
1. 10 min. min. on vocab
2. Add G.P.A. / Class Rank to your resume and format entries
3. Read 20-30 minutes in your literature analysis book and post to your blog about it with at least one observation about theme, tone, plot, diction, syntax, or characterization
4. Update your Time Investment Portfolio

september 20

JOURNAL TOPIC: ["Walking in L.A." by Missing Persons; "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed; "Walk On" by U2]

Taking a walk.  It seems like such a simple, normal, everyday (dare I say banal?) thing to do.  But in stories it can take on all the meaning of our inner feelings and perceptions.  A walk can be a head-clearing, healthy thing; it can also be an act of rebellion.  The way we walk, the time of day we walk, the contexts we walk in and out of, they all become important when we're trying to get a message across.  Think about your walking life.  Describe a walk you took that was important to you.  If you can't think of one, then describe your walk to this class in as much detail as you can remember.  If you can't remember detail, first ask yourself why the &*!! not (it was only two minutes ago!) and then reinvent your walk as a fictional vignette.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Resume: the header
3. Vocab: definitions/Q&A (Socratic)
4. Big Questions (Socratic) / Fields & Mentors
5. Time Investment Portfolio (Socratic)
6. Intro: "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury

HW:
1. Notes [TBD]
2. Begin resume doc in word processor with header and sections
3. 10 min. min. on vocab
4. Describe an ideal mentor (or two) for your Big Question in a post (title: MY YODA)

literature analysis #2

What are you reading now?  Who wrote it?  Please tell us in a comment to this post.  Mahalo.

vocabulary: fall list #4

intermittent
ebb
regress
tendency
antiseptic

resume template

Please see below-- we will discuss in class.  And check this post later, because when I have a few minutes I'm going to update with a riff on letters with accents and how to include in your blog :)

AP Resume Embed

september 19

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" and "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" by Bob Dylan]

Describe a moment when something unexpected happened and you learned from it.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Brag sheet/resume
3. Vocabulary: fall list #4
4. Ray Bradbury
5. Big Question
6. Time Investment Portfolio (TIP

HW:
1. Please Categorize and list resume items (offline)
2. Please post vocab definitions and sentences to your blog (title: FALL VOCAB 4)
3. Please post the fields/disciplines that inform your Big Question (title: BIG QUESTION DISCIPLINE/S)
4. Please begin your TIP log (offline)
5. Please comment to the Literature Analysis #2 post with the title and author of the book you chose this weekend

september 16

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Alive" by Pearl Jam]

What makes you feel Alive?  Not just like you're functioning, not just surviving, but really, truly Alive?  (My inner surfer might call this "stoked.")  Describe a moment that you conquered a fear, did something that made you feel triumphant, or experienced anything else that shocked you into a feeling of being totally Alive.  It can be as simple as the hot water shutting off or realizing you walked into a room for something and totally forgetting why.


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab quiz
3. Set TIP goals for the weekend

HW:
1. Invest your time intentionally
2. Choose your next literature analysis book and bring to class Monday

september 15

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "I Love to Laugh" by Richard & Robert Sherman from the movie "Mary Poppins"]

Please describe-- in vivid detail-- the last time you laughed so hard you couldn't catch your breath.  Bonus if you fell out of a chair or dropped to your knees.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Loose threads
3. Vocab

HW:
Study vocab for tomorrow

perspective

You're more likely to be killed by your own clothes than by an immigrant terrorist.  Read the full story here.

don't blame me if the nsa bugs us

So on the way out Satchel sez: "I don't buy the NSA warnings, I spent the evening with step-by-step instructions on how to build a nuclear reactor."  Jason and Abegail were there. 

just talked with my guardian angel

Just talked with Angel and he got me thinking about the conection between video games and strategy.  Hmm... gives me some ideas for the course.  Thanks Angel!

september 14

Revisit goal post (get it? :) and ingredients for next grading period... 

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Make a plan.  What will you do in this class over the next grading period?  What's your goal?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Study/practice vocab
3. Actual TIP vs. Ideal TIP

HW:
1. Study vocab
2. Have the time of your life

the answer is...

Ray Bradbury

september 13

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Dream On" by Aerosmith; "Right Now" by Van Halen]

Time to get stoked.  Imagine that you have the magic wand, you get to do or be anything you want to do, and all you have to do is make up your mind that nothing will stop you.

["WAIT!"  they're saying.  "We've heard all this crap from motivational speakers!  We've seen the posters in the halls!  It's bu$%&$t!"]

Try this: What are you willing to sacrifice to get what you want?  What do you want that badly?  Does anything matter that much to you?  What might matter that much?

Also, think of it this way: If you do everything you can, success isn't guaranteed.  But if you don't do everything you can, failure is.   

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. From brag sheet to resume
3. Time Investment Portfolios
4. Vocabulary

HW:
1. Finish vocab
2. First draft resume (hard copy due Friday)

categories of time allocation

Here are some excerpts from Time for Success that will help with your TIP:

SELLING TIME
When you go to work or school, you agree to allocate a specific amount of time to activities determined by your involvement with an organization.  In return, the organization to which you allocate your time agrees to compensate you with a specific amount of money.

september 12

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Time" by Pink Floyd]

Describe your understanding and experience of time.  Is there ever enough?  When does it go faster or slower?  Do you have the sense you use it well?  Why/why not?

AGENDA:
1. Journal/return essays & vocab tests
2. Time & Language
3. Time & Your Goals
4. TIP
5. Wrap up conferences

HW:
1. Time Portfolio
2. describe the grade you earned on your essay and your reaction to it.  Why did you receive that grade?  Dpoyou agree with it?  AND: what other grades have you earned, what work have you done so far in this course, and what do you think you've earned for the first grading period?  (title: MY AERIES)

goallllll

(Update 9/12: FIFA sucks. Here's the video.)

"Why bother creating our own goals," a student asked me once, "when we're already told what it means to succeed in school?  Aren't we just supposed to get A's?"

Being able to set and achieve goals is important in every endeavor: sports, organizations, self-improvement, emptying the dishwasher before your mother gets home.  Even though they know their roles and agree on the idea of winning, for example, Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski requires his players to set goals for themselves and the team each season.  In Coach K's words, “Mutual commitment helps overcome the fear of failure—especially when people are part of a team sharing and achieving goals. It also sets the stage for open dialogue and honest conversation.”

When you share your goals you're sharing ideas that inform and inspire your colleagues.  These goals will form the basis for your Learning Plan for the rest of the year, so please don't delay: get the job done. 

Keep something else in mind.  Unlike players on a basketball team, you are being allowed, encouraged, and required to change the game itself.  Why not analyze a political argument by comparing it with your favorite book or movie?  If you zone out and watch somebody's cat on YouTube for a while, fine.  And then think about how to demonstrate what you just experienced in your mind in such a way that it will help us.  What's that?  You'd rather build a robotic cat that writes, reads, interprets, and explains political arguments to irritating teacher types?  Cool.  You can do that too.

If you are still thinking of this as a high school course to be gamed, please immediately find your closest friend and ask her to roll up a newspaper and smack you on the nose with it.*  (*If this doesn't work the first time, ask a friend who reads the newspaper on a computer.**) [**In this day and age, I should probably point out that this is not a literal instruction. Hands are not for hitting. Baseball bats are, but that isn't really relevant or appropriate here and now I find myself wondering how Montaigne ever righted the thinking ship once he got off on one of these tangents.] If you're one of those people who cut corners and thought we didn't notice, she will be doing you a favor.  It's better that you get your act together in private before we get started, before everyone sees what you do all the time, before 70% of your course grade is determined by your learning network.  Yep.  That's right.  You won't succeed without them.

The first month was rehearsal.  This is showtime.

More on how to achieve your goals and develop your community of critique tomorrow. 

september 9

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "A-Team" by Mike Post; "Winning" by Santana; "We Are the Champions" by Queen]

Would you rather be a minor player on a great team*, or a star on a so-so team? (*Think not only sports, but projects, organizations, etc.)

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Brag sheets
3. Individual conferences
4. The Lab

HW:
1. Catch up as needed
2. Finish your brag sheet (hard copy) and bring to class on Monday

september 8

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Are You Real" by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers]

Last week we talked about how we see reality and distinguish it from dreaming.  As you think about characters in stories and people you know, what gives you the sense that someone is real?  Why do you think the phrase "keeping it real" became popular?  What does the word "real" mean when we use it to describe how people act in their communication/relationships with others?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Individual conferences
3. The Lab

HW:
1. Catch up as needed

today's essay prompt

Here's the prompt, 'cause I told you so:

_____________________________
In an organized thesis supported by a textual analysis of diction and syntax, please explain the differences in the themes and tones of Young Goodman Brown and Earth on Turtle's Back.
_____________________________

(*Later, you can show other people this post and say, "Yeah, that's hard, right?  College-level stuff..." while secretly smiling and realizing you GOT THIS.  And if for any reason you didn't, or you FORgot this, please write about it in your journal or see me so that I can help you prepare for next time.)

september 7

JOURNAL TOPIC:
(please write AFTER the essay or for HW.)

How well did you understand the prompt?  How well did you organize your thoughts?  How well did you write?  Where do you want to improve most for the next essay we write?


AGENDA:
1. Month 1 Final Essay Exam
2. Journal (if time)

HW:
1. Journal/catch-up work

september 6

JOURNAL TOPIC: (today's tunes: "Under Pressure" by David Bowie & Queen; "Back in the High Life Again" by Steve Winwood)

Sometimes pressure seems like a bad thing; other times it can bring out our competitive instinct and give us the opportunity to be great.  (Think about it-- if there wasn't a clutch moment at the end of the big game, no one would have the chance to be a hero.)  How will you approach tomorrow's exam and what do you hope/expect to achieve?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Press Conference: "Young Goodman Brown" & "Earth on Turtle's Back"
3. Final Exam Review
4. Vocab

HW:
1. Study your notes
2. Get ready to rock
3. Define vocab words and write sentences on your blog (title: VOCAB 3)

in-class essay this week

On Wednesday we will have an in-class essay.  If you think this will be hard for you, have some empathy-- I will have to read about 130 papers. 

None of us have anything to fear.  This will give everyone a clear sense of where we are in the traditional elements of American Literature and how well we write in this format.  Tomorrow I'll go over some tips and review the material I'll be asking about.  Looking forward to reading your ideas!

vocabulary: fall list #3

coherent
belabor
eschew
acquisitive
emulate
banal
excoriation
congeal
carping
substantiate
temporize
largesse
tenable
insatiable
reconnaissance
germane
ramify
intransigent
taciturn

sometimes ideas are all around us

Today in each class I talked about the "Two Dogs." I used Sitting Bull's words to think out loud about the conflicts all of us experience and the choices we make.  Then, for the first time, at lunch I visited the art classrooms.  Mrs. Jennings and Mrs. Goldin showed me their students' amazing work, and brought me back into the workshop areas behind their rooms.  In the last corner I visited, I walked up to a girl working at an easel.  She was finishing a painting for Mr. Domingues to put in his office.

This blew my mind. 

Yep. Sitting Bull.  Two dogs (wolves, as he's sometimes quoted).  What a great way to end the week.  See you in class Tuesday.  Probably see you here first.

september 2

JOURNAL TOPIC:
How well do you expect to do on today's vocabulary quiz?  Why?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab quiz
3. Two Dogs

HW:
Enjoy the long weekend.  And feed the right dog.

who do you want to be tomorrow?

Be this guy.

Not this guy.

september 1

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Lo Que Dice" by Ozomatli; "Words (Between the Lines of Age)" by Neil Young]

Adults say it to toddlers all the time: "Use your words."  What do you mean, my words?  We know that fiction authors use dialogue for the purpose of indirect characterization-- as you write the story of your life each day, how do the words you choose create an impression of who you are?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Vocab
3. YGB
4. Literature analysis
5. Big questions
6. Blogs
7. Hack to school night...