All Classes: Guidelines & Expectations 2015

If  you prefer a video you have to squint to watch . . .

Everyone will also receive a hard copy and will be emailed a digital copy once laptops roll out.

Humanities 2BG: Shelves of Inspiration and Artifacts

In today's class, we opened with a quick review of names and attendance.  (I think Mr. Brackett and I performed admirably, if I do say so myself.)

The focus of our day was a discovery of the inspiration shelf in the back of the room.  Mr. Brackett and I have populated the shelf with items that inspire us as thinkers, creators, makers, teachers, people, problem solvers.  Each item is there for a reason.

We distributed a graphic organizer (Notice/Wish/Wonder) to help you explore and uncover the meaning behind those objects.

After being given time to complete the organizers, Mr. Brackett explained the cuneiform artifact and I explained both the Superman lunchbox and the Stanford d.School bookmark.

We ended with some quick takeaways on the day, etched on sticky notes and plopped in the front of the room.

Pop Culture 3B: HMW LEGO Pop Culture?

We opened our first day of class with a request for design kits.

And then we wasted no time answering the question: How Might We LEGO Pop Culture?

We took about half an hour to explore possibilities of both literal and representational ways of showing our current understanding of pop culture, even before a single lesson occurs.  

It was a fantastic display of creativity, observation, commentary and critical thinking.

And some video with commentary and explanation.

We ended the day with a debrief on the nature of pop culture -- the importance of the now -- and how pop culture is forever evolving and changing, building upon the past by recollecting it and growing into the future .  We did this by way of Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo, the Gutenberg press and MTV's The Real World and a handful of other examples.

Big thanks to Mr. Tierney for the LEGO inspiration.

Humanities 2BG: HMW LEGO Our Summer?

Today we asked: How might we LEGO our summer?  (Technically I believe the question was, "HMW show our summer in LEGO, but I prefer this new iteration.)

We started the day with attendance, working the names, and sharing the expectations for the encouraged personal design kits. 

We built like we've never built before, for it was the second day of class.

And then we dove into building with LEGO and explored ways of relating our summer experiences to one another.  Some folks made very literal builds and others made very conceptual, abstract builds.  What was the most exceptional development of the day?  Everyone made something.  

I ran around with my phone to document the amazing and some of it can be seen here.

We also used Periscope to share our work with the rest of the world.

Mr. Brackett and I both thought this was a pretty fantastic day.

Big thanks to Mr. Tierney for the LEGO inspiration.

Brit Lit: Readings and Blog Post. Final Week.

Reading 4. Find an article about a topic of your choice and interest.  Be certain it comes from a reliable source.

Choose One of the Four Literacy Strategies and Create a MLA formatted citation for your reading.

1.  Find an article/video/podcast/website related to your design challenge:  mudding signage or thermostat car starter

2.  Use EasyBib.com to create a proper MLA formatted citation for  your article/video/podcast/website.

3.  Complete one of the four literacy strategies to show that you understand the text.

Notice/Wish/Wonder.

Text Connections.

Sketchnotes.

Soundtracking.

Blog post 4.

Production.  What happened?  In what ways did your group execute and in what ways did they not?  Why?  What do you think could have changed the outcome?  What action could you have taken?  When faced with similar sorts of challenges -- difficult tasks, tight deadlines, personal responsibility -- in the future, how might you better ensure a better outcome?

Due. Friday.  May 29.

Brit Lit CPI: Final Essay and Resume 2.0

Essay Topic Choices.

• Explain what you have learned over your high school career that will stay with you into the future.
• Thank someone who has had a powerful impact on you.
• Discuss how a little gesture, event, or item can have a major impact.

Rubric

Design a Resume 2.0.

Demonstrate your skills and talents in a way that people would not expect from a typical resume. What should be included?
Personal contact information.
Education background.
Work history.
Skills and talents.
Personality and sense of self.

Use the examples linked below to inform your own design.

Example 1.  Katie Briggs.

Example 2. Fabio Moderno.

Example 3. Anton Yermolov.

Example 4.  Sara Catanzariti.

Make your resume using Pages, Google Drive OR Piktochart.

Rubric.

Due Tuesday, June 2nd.

Humanities: Final Essay