AP Lit 4G: Time to Work

Today, time to work.  

I'm going to make a point of providing a couple of class periods in a row each quarter for time to get caught up, ask for help, workshop with peers and otherwise freestyle your day.

Today was the first of those days this week.

You've quite a collection of due dates on the horizon, including today.

Remember that they are all available on the AP Lit Major Due Dates schedule.

HOMEWORK.

Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Post: Read Foster's "Is That a Symbol?" and then complete one of the following two tasks:

Apply one of the symbols Foster uses to your own life.  To what extent does it hold true to your experiences with that symbol?

or

Identify a motif in your life that Foster would apply to literature with great aplomb.  Make a case why this is so.

Complete: Frankenstein Pinned

Due: Today!

Revise: Synthesis Essay

Complete: Revision Form

Due: Last Day for Revisions - Fri, Oct 24th

Design: Power Guide: Composition

Due: Oct 27th/28th

Read & Complete: Indie Book Project Q1

Due: November 3rd/4th

Humanities: Reset & Gear Up for New Unit

Today, we'll take a day to reset after a long weekend, get our mental workshops cleaned up, take care of those lingering projects, and get ready to start something powerful and new.

ROOTS & VOCABULARY.

Thursday, you have Roots 2 Quiz and a Roots 2 Product due.  Use the following slideshow to help you prepare.  Also, check out the link to the Quizlets over in the right sidebar.

GET YER WORK. 

Done.

Tomorrow we start Speak and our first big design challenge: How might we improv the climate and culture of Mt. Blue Campus?

Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Post: Create a 3 song playlist/soundtrack for Mt. Blue Campus.  Imagine these three songs are played between every class; why have you chosen these three songs?  Justify your choices.
Due: Friday, Oct 17th

Roots: Roots 2
Study: Quiz Over Roots 1 & 2
Create: Roots Product (Uses at least 5 root based words effectively)
Due: Thursday, Oct 16th

Complete: Whole New Mind Portfolio
PAST DUE: Thursday, Oct 9th

Pop Culture: Food Culture Begins & Design Challenge: Franklin County Eatery Pitch

Today we started our food culture mini-unit and our next design challenge to follow up on our Soundtrack A-Side/B-Side design project.

We started by quickly looking at food advertisements in magazines of yesteryear, particularly National Geographics of the 1940s and LIFE of the early 1970s.  Not the most scientific work, mind you, but I wanted you using physical magazines and not just flipping through the complete run of LIFE on Google Books. (Yet.)

We identified the food we saw advertised, then sorted that information to look for trends.  We discovered a strong presence of alcohol ads in the early 1970s and then I speculated, by playing some connect the dots between cultural experiences, intended targets of the ads, and content of the ads themselves why that might be the case.  (Middle age white male + cultural revolution = self medication?)

After that, we created food maps of RSU 10.  Where can you buy food in our district.  We discovered some interesting trends around local food vs chains, quality vs quantity, and a preponderance of pizza places.  

This lead to our next design challenge: How might we design a successful pitch for a new eatery for Franklin County?

Consider the steps.

DISCOVER. Your challenge.  What are you creating.  What do you need to know in order to develop a successful pitch for an eatery?  Unpack it.  What are the terms in there  you need to know.  What does that make you consider?

EMPATHIZE.  Interview.  Get out there and find out what people what.  What would people flock to and in how many droves? What DON'T they want to see?

EXPERIMENT.  Create some low-rez prototypes of what this place might look like.  At the same time, what might the pitch sound like?  Function like?  What media could you use to support your pitch?  Presentation slides?  Video?  Signage?  Something else?

PRODUCE.  Create the pitch.  Try it out.  Get some feedback before the final version.

You'll be using the DEEP DT process to design and then pitch this idea to your investors i.e. the rest of the class and perhaps even some members of our admin team here.  We'll also deliver these pitches in the Forum.  A proper space for such intensity.

The rubric is not yet ready.  But it will be.  It will be....

HOMEWORK.

Blog: 3+ Posts.  (Tracker is fixed.  Post last week's links please.)
Req'd Post:  For this week's blog post, discuss the food culture in your family.  What does your family typically eat?  What traditions do you maintain?  What, if any, ethnic/regional/heritage foods inform your family's eating?  

Have fun.  Do some exploring.  And if possible, include some pictures.  Maybe even some highlighting those traditions.

Design: How might we design a successful pitch for a new eatery for Franklin County?

Form: Team of 1, 2 or 3 members

Complete: DEEPdt Process Packet.  EVERY MEMBER MUST COMPLETE AN INDIE PACKET.  Combine your data and info for team-based mighty power thinking.
PITCH DUE:  Thursday, Oct 23rd.

Research: How to successfully pitch an idea.  (Got Netflix or cable?  Hunt up The Pitch.  Got HuluPlus?  Hunt up some Shark Tank.  Got an internet?  Look up "elevator pitches," "PIXAR pitch," and "Art of the Pitch."  Here's a slideshow with some good intel as well.)

The Art of the Pitching from huer1278ft

Humanities: Whole New Mind Portfolio Work & Review & Tips on Better Presentations

Hey folks,

WHOLE NEW MIND.
On Monday, we reviewed the Whole New Mind senses by first putting the definitions in our own words (using the 3 second pause to check for understanding), then putting the senses on notecards to create maps that help us connect the dots between the senses we understand and the ones we don't, and then used doodle to think skills to create doodle representations of each sense on the cards.  We put those decks in our books for easy access and remembering later.  (That was a huge run-on sentence back there.  Sorry for that.)

Tuesday, we worked.  We also ate sweet blueberry kielbasa from Gavin.

On Tuesday, we forgot to assign Roots List #2.  There will be a quiz next Thursday over both Roots #1 & #2.  Also, a Roots Product #2.  It needs to use at least 5 roots-based words from Roots List #2.

DESIGN.
Here's a GREAT slide deck to help you with your portfolios.  Don't feel like you have to read every slide, especially if you don't understand the wording.  There are tons of great examples and tons of TERRIBLE examples.  Just be sure you know if you are looking at  good examples or bad examples.

Tweak Your Slides: Ten Design Principles for Educators (version 3.0) from Chiara Ojeda

Here's another one.  Each slide pairing is a bad one, then a better one.

Bad PowerPoint Slides from HADOMAN

HOMEWORK

Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Blog Post:  #showyourwork. Share some of the images and ideas of your Whole New Mind portfolio as you are working on it.  What are you struggling with?  What are you proud of so far?

Roots: Roots 2
Study: Quiz Over Roots 1 & 2
Create: Roots Product
Due: Thursday, Oct 16th

Complete: Whole New Mind Portfolio
Due: Thursday, Oct 9th

Pop Culture: Music & Politics & Blogging

BLOGGING.
We started today by looking at the Blog Post Tracker in your Google Drive.  It can be found the in Pop Culture 2014 OUT folder.

This was also a reminder to blog and to be consistent in your blogging.  If you get behind, it gets difficult to catch up.  There has been time in almost every class to blog IF you take advantage of it.

What do I mean by "Connections?" That's reading something online related to pop culture and/or reading someone else's blog post and commenting about it on your blog.

INTRO TO MUSIC MATTERS.
From there we watched this clip from Portlandia featuring Carrie Brownstein.

She's a more important figure to modern music than a lot of folks realize because of her band Sleater-Kinney which was hugely influential in establishing the indie rock scene of the mid-90s.  We watched this interview where she discusses the influence of gender on music listening.  (Spoiler: She doesn't think it matters too much.)

While Sleater-Kinney weren't a political band in terms of singing about government and laws and such, they were political in that they pushed for DIY over corporate control, were feminists in a way that said "feminism isn't about man-hating; it's about being hardcore rad women -- period."  Listen to their stuff.  Highly recommended.

MUSIC MATTERS.  MUSIC AND POLITICS.

This led us to day one of our music as politics exploration.

We looked at this Music Matters graphic organizer which is also in your Google Drive under Pop Culture 2014 OUT.

We chose Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" as the song to use as a model for the class.  This led us to The Roots & John Legend as well as Pharrell and Robin Thicke and what is currently going on in Ferguson, Mo.

This work is due at the end of class on Wednesday.  You may work with by yourself, with a partner, or with two partners to complete that work.

You have your first of two major projects for this quarter due this week.  (The second is a restaurant project to be introduced next week.)  The rubric for the Side A/Side B Soundtrack is available right here and embedded here as well.

Finally, you have a req'd blog post due this week.  It is described in the Pop Culture 2014 Blogs link to the right and also here below.

HOMEWORK.

Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Post:
Week of 10.3
To what extent should music be edited/censored before being broadcast/played in public i.e. on radio, television, sporting events, school?Provide two points of view (at least one paragraph for each):1. Your own.2. That of someone who thinks the opposite of your opinion.  Try to see it from their point of view and present an honest version of what that individual would say.
Due: Friday, Oct 3

Complete: A-Side/B-Side Soundtrack Project
Rubric: Here.
Described:
Create: A-Side/B-Side Soundtrack
A-Side Soundtrack of Your Life (4+ Songs)
B-Side Soundtrack for Others (4+ Songs)

A-Side Soundtrack of Your Life
Consider:

Music tied to experiences

• Music that tells the story of who you are and where you have been
• Music that could take the place of your presence

B-Side Soundtrack for Others
Consider:

• Who is your audience? Be specific.  Crystal clear.
• Interview your audience.  Empathize.
• Music that serves your audience's needs

Also

• One-paragraph rationale for each of your songs.
• Cover art for each side; be intentional

Due: Friday, Oct 3

In-Class Work for Wednesday: Music Matters: Music and Politics

AP Lit 3B: Frankenstein & Synthesis

CLOSE READING.
Today we'll focus our energies on close readings of Frankenstein and then an exploration of Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias."

We'll use GoSoapbox as a back channel for our discussion.  Check your email for the access code.

We'll follow this with another essay workshop and time to connect to one another on the blogs, show you how to turn in your blog posts on our new tracking tool.

When working on  your synthesis essays, keep these structural and contextual ideas in mind.

Also Mr. Ryder's feedback shorthand...

HOMEWORK.

Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Creative Post:  Casting Call.  Cast a high quality new film version of Frankenstein.  Justify your choices.

Compose: Synthesis #1

Submit: First Submission Draft
Due: Wednesday, Oct 1
Note: Submit as Google Doc; Place in AP Lit IN folder

Humanities: LNG, Blogging & Play

L-N-G.

We'll start his morning going with our second L-N-G current events reading from newsela.com .

WHOLE NEW MIND. PLAY.
From there, we'll talk about play sense for a few minutes. 

And DOODLE CIRCLES!  

Also, you need to complete the 2nd -- and final -- Notice/Wish/Wonder over Whole New Mind -- this one about design/play/meaning.  This is due on Thursday.

You'll be working with a group of likeminded folks to determine a way to turn work into play in a class where you may struggle a bit.

That work is the subject of your creative blog post for this week.

Week of 10/3
Creative Blog Post:  Invent a game to help you learn in a class where you usually struggle.  It may be the same game you create with your class partners or it may be another.  Explain how the game works and why you think it will help you in that class.

Update: Here's some of what people came up with in a hurry.  There will be more time.

BLOGGING.
We will be showing you how to post links to our new blog tracking document, so we can best assess your blogs quickly and efficiently.

And finally, we'll be getting everyone signed up on Remind today who isn't. Instructions are in the Humanities 2014 OUT folder on Google Drive.

GETTING ASSESSED? HOW TO READ OUR COMMENTS.

HOMEWORK.

Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Post:
Creative Blog Post:  Invent a game to help you learn in a class where you usually struggle.  It may be the same game you create with your class partners or it may be another.  Explain how the game works and why you think it will help you in that class.

Due: Friday, Oct 3

Complete: Whole New Mind: I Notice/I Wish/I Wonder #2

Focus on Portfolio Sections:  Design/Play/Meaning

Due: Thursday, Oct 2

Roots: Roots List #1 (See right hand side bar for lists and Quizlet links)

Quiz: Thursday, Oct 2nd

Roots-Word Product: Story/poem/song/film/letter/essay/blog post/etc that uses at least 5 root-based words

Due: Thursday, Oct 2nd

Compile & Design: Whole New Mind Portfolio

Rubric: http://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?code=KXWB553&sp=yes

Due: Thursday, Oct 9