Humanities: RAFT: Redesigning Orientation at Merryweather High

You teach at Melinda Sordino's Merryweather High.  

The administration has said, "We need to do a better job with orientation and creating a welcoming culture for our students" and has asked you to be part of that task force. 

Design an orientation experience that would help all students, including introverts and "outsiders," feel safe and welcome at Merryweather High and be prepared to explain to the administration the reasoning behind your design.

These resources are here to help. Make sure you credit your sources of inspiration.  

School Climate

http://www.edutopia.org/stw-sel-classroom-management-research

Supportive School Environment

http://www.devstu.org/research-articles-and-papers-the-role-of-supportive-school-environments-in-promoting-academic-success

Creating an Inclusive School

http://www.tolerance.org/lgbt-best-practices

Transition Ideas and Programs

http://www.boomerangproject.com/high-school-transition

Orientation Activities

http://sao.nd.edu/studentgroups/groupresources/halls/fyo/LargeGroupExercises1.pdf

Positive School Environment

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yD1DoVNq7pI&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DyD1DoVNq7pI

Tips for Incoming Freshmen

http://www.aps4kids.org/MountainView.cfm?subpage=782880

Freshmen Orientation Video Sample

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xgoHrPb5ct8

HOMEWORK
Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Posts:
2 Req'd Post for the Week
1) Give yourself grades for the first semester, similar to how Melinda grades herself.  Notice that she grades herself in things that aren't just academic classes. After grading yourself, include the reasons behind your grades.  Be specific and clear.

2) Brainstorm the video/transition experience for the incoming ninth graders in April.  List every idea of what that video could be, what the activities could look like, or what else could happen next fall.

Need ideas for more blog posts?  Check out the tag "Blogger Fodder" and the videos/links that have been posted.

Read: Complete the "First Ranking Period" (pg 46)

Due: Thursday, Feb 6

Roots: Roots 9 Product & Quiz

Roots Quiz 9 (6, 7, 8, 9) & Product Due: Thursday, Feb 6

PACE: Macbeth & Conflict

Today we'll be looking at internal and external conflict, as well as digging deeper into the resources you have for understanding Macbeth.

We will also continue to unpack our standards, focusing on listening & speaking, writing and reading.

We finished unpacking the listening standard today.  This should help us move through the others more quickly next week.

As you work on your three graphic organizers for Macbeth, choose from these ten scenes.

1. 1.3 (3 lines) KEY
2. 1.5 (important - Lady mcbeth)
3. 1.7 (important)
4. 2.1 (important)
5. 3.4 (important)
6. 4.1 (important)
7. 4.3 (2) (important)
8. 5.1 (out damn spot) Imporatn)
9. 5.5 (out out brief candle)
10. 5.8 (death and new king)

You may want to use the Shakespeare Navigators site to help you understand.

We'll get some help from Ms. Campbell today to help us better understand internal & external conflict.

Conflict

Conflict

Internal- Conflict going on inside of a character; a character versus him or herself.

1. Man vs. Self

• "The" internal conflict
• Character versus him/herself
• A choice between two paths
• Classic: Requiem For A Dream

• Example: HIMYM: Robin comes to Ted, Lilly leaves Marshall

External- Conflict between a character and an outside entity.

1. Man vs. Man (to be PC, "Person vs. Person")

• Conflict between two people
• Classic: Dorothy vs. Wicked Witch in Wizard of Oz, Any Hero vs Any Villain (ever)

• Example: HIMYM Slap Montage

2. Man vs. God/Supernatural/Fate

• Fighting fate/destiny/one's path
• Classic: The Shining, Macbeth (the witches!), Dracula

• Example: HIMYM: Dopplegangers Dictate Baby

3. Man vs. Nature

• Character versus the elements
• Classic: Old Man and the Sea, Robinson Crusoe... Castaway...

• Example: HIMYM: Ted Makes It Rain

4. Man vs. Society

• Character is "against the world" (or at least a group of people)
• Classic: Charlotte's Web

• Example: HIMYM: Canada vs. Shrimp Fried Rice

HOMEWORK
Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Post: You work for a major multimedia corporation that has just decided to make a series of films, TV shows, video games and books based on Shakespeare's plays because they are royalty-free.  The board of directors hired you to generate some ideas around Macbeth.  Unfortunately, you've never read the whole play or even seen the whole film. Using any line or phrase from Macbeth as your inspiration and the title, and what little you know about the play, pitch one idea to the board of directors for a film, TV series, video game, or book.
Due: Friday, Feb 8

Macbeth Graphic Organizers: Must Complete 3

Teacher Pace Due Dates:

Wed: Feb 12

Tue: Feb 25

Wed: Mar 5

Want different dates? Go to the Due Dates Form. 

MUGS: Commonly Confused Words #2
Quiz: Friday, Feb 14

Start Thinking & Planning: Movie/Video Game/TV Show Pitches & Bibles
Due: Early March

PACE: Macbeth Graphic Organizer Tutorial

Humanities: Insights & "How Might We" Improve MS to HS Transition & Speak

Tuesday, we started with a quick round or two of knockout to prep for our Roots 9 quiz on Thursday.  Remember there is also a Word Map or Roots Product due as well.

Then we divided into two groups to work on our 8th to 9th grade transition design challenge.

One group worked with Mr. Ryder on capturing insights from our "first day at school" writings and seeing how those insights will affect our designs.

One group work with Mr. Dunbar on "How might we" improve the transition from 8th to 9th grade.  They focused on who should be interviewed and what questions should be asked.

After debriefing this work, some folks went and read Speak on their own, while others worked with Mr. Ryder.

HOMEWORK
Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Posts:
2 Req'd Post for the Week
1) Give yourself grades for the first semester, similar to how Melinda grades herself.  Notice that she grades herself in things that aren't just academic classes. After grading yourself, include the reasons behind your grades.  Be specific and clear.

2) Brainstorm the video/transition experience for the incoming ninth graders in April.  List every idea of what that video could be, what the activities could look like, or what else could happen next fall.

Need ideas for more blog posts?  Check out the tag "Blogger Fodder" and the videos/links that have been posted.

Read: Complete the "First Ranking Period" (pg 46)

Due: Thursday, Feb 6

Roots: Roots 9 Product & Quiz

Roots Quiz 9 (6, 7, 8, 9) & Product Due: Thursday, Feb 6

Blogger Fodder: What It Means to Be Human

David Byrne is a rad, rad dude.  Back in the late 70s and then into the 80s and 90s he was part of the seminal art-punk-new-wave group, Talking Heads.


And then later he did a ton of other cool stuff.

He got kind of obsessed with PowerPoint for a while, seeing it as a way to create powerful art if only it was used to do so.  He really hates slideshows.  Here he talks about technology.

But this came across my Twitter feed and got me thinking a lot about visual note taking and our relationships with our stuff and others around us and . . . well . . what do you think?

Link with lots more here: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/01/18/david-byrne-arboretum/?utm_content=buffer988b1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

PACE: Macbeth & MUGS & More

We'll start by taking a look at MUGS and how NoRedInk.com can help you with practice sessions, in addition to your assignments and quizzes.

From there, we dig out the work we did on famous lines from Macbeth.  We'll make a wall of predictions based on the analysis and connotation work we did.  The big question?

Now that you've read a number of lines from the play, what do you think this play will be about? What will happen? What might be some of the themes?  What might be some of messages Shakespeare wanted to get across?

We'll take some time to unpack the following standard by creating "I Can" statements.
Reading
Writing 
Listening & Speaking

We'll put the results up on the board.  We've got to do this to make sure we stay focused in the Macbeth unit and not let our projects take over -- creativity is awesome and we have to make sure we balance freedom with meeting the standards.

And if we have time after all of that, we can watch some more Macbeth.  Important groundwork laid today.  We're going to be doing intense work and we need to know where we are headed before we take off.

HOMEWORK
Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Post: You work for a major multimedia corporation that has just decided to make a series of films, TV shows, video games and books based on Shakespeare's plays because they are royalty-free.  The board of directors hired you to generate some ideas around Macbeth.  Unfortunately, you've never read the whole play or even seen the whole film. Using any line or phrase from Macbeth as your inspiration and the title, and what little you know about the play, pitch one idea to the board of directors for a film, TV series, video game, or book.
Due: Friday, Feb 8

MUGS: Commonly Confused Words #2
Quiz: Friday, Feb 14

AP Lit 3G: Gallery Walk & Feedback & Hamlet

Today, we'll start with a quick recalibrating -- this feels more like a start to a new quarter than last week did.

Let's climb on to NoRedInk.com for a couple of minutes, play with Apostrophes 3, explore the practice areas.  We can do this while transitioning into our next work.

We'll review effective feedback.  Take a look at all of these pictures from the way back machine when we were doling out feedback on our last round of projects.  Let's see if we can increase our rate of meaningful, effective feedback for these.

Then it is time for the gallery walk for the latest round of book projects.  Post-It Notes will abound.

From there, a few minutes with How to Read Lit Like a Professor and powerful takeaways worth putting up on the board.

We will end today with a Hamlet viewing, picking up where we left off just after "To be or not to be."

HOMEWORK

Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Post: Create a visual 3x3 of the town (or county) where you live.  What does that place mean to you?  How can you capture your relationship with your town through pictures?  Consider taking or drawing/painting your own.  Give considerable thought to how you arrange them.

MUGS: Apostrophes 3 on NoRedInk.com
Quiz: Thursday/Friday Feb 6 & 7

Read:  Read & and review Joyce's "The Dead" & all three other Joyce stories; be certain to 3x3 "The Dead"
Be Prepared: To work with all four 3x3s, Wed/Th/Fri

Read & Annotate: How to Read Lit Like a Professor "Geography Matters . . ."
Post: Annotations on the blog

Heads Up: Frankenstein is next!  Will need to be read by Thursday AFTER Feb break.  Let me know if you need a hard copy.  Many, many, many places to get it free online including here.