EXTRA CREDIT

Supply donations will be accepted for extra credit.  Students may bring up to ten items for extra credit.  Students are more than welcome to donate more, as they are much needed and greatly appreciated.  I have provided a list of items they may bring below, as well as the timeline. Thank you so much for all that you do.  I will miss teaching this class, getting to be a part of your student’s lives, and getting to watch them grow up to be wonderful young adults.  Let’s make this the best service project yet!                                 ˜ Rebecca Thrush                                   

Monday, May 4^th- First day for Donations

Monday,11^th-Wednesday, 13^th- Create Cards

Thursday, May 14^th- LAST DAY for Donations

Friday, May 15^th- Take Pictures and Load the VanJ  

Pkg of Paper                          Pocket Folders              Pencil Bags

Spiral Notebook                    Pkg of Pencils               Pkg of Pens

Composition Notebook         Pkg of Markers             Pkg of Map Pencil

Coloring/Activity Books      Pkg of Highlighters      *(no crayons please)

Alright guys!  You ready for your last assignment OF THE YEAR???
You will find the link below.  I know I am not here on the first day of this assignment and you might have questions.  Please write them down and ask me tomorrow, but you must still begin working today.  Create your folder on the drive and begin saving items in there for this assignment.  Juniors, this will be very beneficial to you next year.  The first part of this assignment is something you will already have a lot of info on from other projects this year.  There is just a little extra info needed about housing and stuff.  I look forward to going over all of this with you tomorrow, but for today please stay on task and get started.  BE IN YOUR ASSIGNED SEAT and get to work.  No entertainment sites until my stuff is complete.  Thank you and see you on Tuesday.
Thrush:-))

CLICK HERE:-)

These next two weeks you will be distinguishing between scholarships and grants.  You will identify different kinds of scholarships and grants, and acquire the skills needed to apply for these things.  Please recognize and abide by the DUE DATES!!!

FYI...When trying this out, I liked Piktochart but you may research and do whatever you like.  Have fun with it.  This is a GREAT tool for college! 

I will allow you to pick a partner or work individually on this project. This means it should be good!  Each person should do their part OR DO NOT PICK THEM AS A PARTNER!

CLICK HERE!!!

This week you will determine where you stand in regards to the admission process with colleges of their choice.

You will become knowledgeable about what you have left to complete.

CLICK HERE

Let me remind you, I have NOTHING to do with how well you do in this class.  You have your assignments and your due dates. If you do not comply with these requirements, the grade you receive is the one you EARNED.  I will not take excuses.  You want respect and to be treated like an adult, then I will have to ask that you begin acting like one and fulfill your duties.  The choice is 100% yours.

The spreadsheet should be filled out and PRINTED by Thursday (16th) at the end of class.
The blog is due (with all questions answered) at the end of class on Friday (17th).

Welcome back, juniors and seniors!!!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter with their family.  We have 7 weeks left (6 for seniors) so lets push through and end on a good note PLLLLEASE:-)).
This week you are analyzing the worth of a degree here in the U.S., as opposed to the worth of that same degree in another country.  Seems irrelevant, but a lot of you will be surprised.

A few things to notice...
1. You should play Spent at least 3 times (more if you want).
2. Your presentation must be on Prezi.
3. You are creating 2 haikus (not just 1) and printing them on ONE document with names.

On a final note...Have fun with this and don't go into it with negative thoughts.  Remember, you have all the control when it comes to your attitude!

CLICK HERE!

This week you will be working on your resumes.  Click the link below for your assignments.
Due date is THURSDAY, APRIL 2ND!!!  These 3 resumes should be PRINTED and turned into me on THURSDAY!

CLICK HERE!

Welcome back!!!  Only 9 weeks left, so lets make the best of them:-)).

Here is your new assignment and it is due A WEEK FROM TODAY (Monday) and BY THE END OF THE DAY!!!  We will begin presenting on Tuesday.

CLICK HERE!

Welcome back from that extremely unexpected FOUR-day weekend!

This week you will generate a presentation COMPARING AND CONTRASTING Mona Lisa Smile and Dead Poets Society.  The distinguishing should apply to characters, setting, themes, outcome, plot, etc. The presentation should consist of at least 15 slides, have graphics, scenes, character photos that apply to each slide, and have correct grammar usage and content for accurate description.  The first slide should have your name and a title, and the last slide should provide an explanation of which movie you preferred/related to most and why.  This leaves at least 13 slides to be used for distinguishing.  How creative can you get? This is due (emailed) by the end of class on MONDAY.

Make this fun! There is no limit to what or who you can compare and contrast so try to think outside the box!

We will begin presenting on Tuesday.

Tuesday, February 17th

WEBINAR TODAY FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS...
CLICK LINK FOR WEBINAR

WEBINAR LINK

BLOG for Friday, February 20th...
(*All of the blogs from this week are due by Monday morning.)

Again, be thorough in your responses!

1. Who is the most influential leader you have ever had? Why did he or she have such an influence on you?

2. “We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering; these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love; these are what we stay alive for.” Professor John Keating says this—what do you think it means? Do you agree? What are your views on poetry and why we read it?

3. “I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way. The world looks very different up here… Just when you think you know something you have to look at it in another way… When you read, don’t just consider what the author thinks, you must consider what you think.” Comment on this quote from Professor Keating. Do you agree? Why or why not? Do you have a personal story about a time you took another perspective?

4. Keating asks his students to consider what their ‘verse,’ or lasting impression, will be when they leave either Welton or this world. What ‘verse’ will you contribute in your lifetime? What do you hope will be the lasting impression you leave behind?

BLOG for THURSDAY, February 19th...

Be thorough in your responses!

1. Would Neil still have committed suicide if Mr. Keating had never come into his life? Consider multiple perspectives here as you draft your group response.

2. Who was really the bravest of Keating’s boys? Who was a coward? Be explicit and support your answers.

3. How did the poetry book make it into Neil’s room? (Did Keating put it there?) And if so, why, after telling the boys that the present administration would not look favorably on it, would Keating do that?

BLOG FOR WEDNESDAY February 18th...
Title the Blog with the Theme you choose to describe.

Theme:

As the film progresses, it becomes readily apparent that each primary character faces a challenge. These conflicts help suggest a theme, or central message, that the author and director are trying to impart to the audience.

What do you consider to be Dead Poets Society‘s central theme? Explain with examples in a well-developed paragraph of at least 200 words.

Tuesday, February 10th

DUE at the END of CLASS TOMORROW!!!

Add these to your study questions...complete sentences please.

Answer each question thoroughly—use at least three reasons to support each of your arguments:
18. Do you think Charlie is too daring? Why or why not?
19. Do you think Mr. Keating is a bad influence? Why or why not?
20. What does Mr. Keating do well as a leader? What are his downfalls as a leader?
21. Keating provokes defiance into his students without providing the social discourse (or, in other words, something to try and change) for true change. What is the effect of this when the students act on their defiance?

(The rest of the movie –approx. 30 minutes)
22. Who is most to blame for Neil’s death? Mr. Keating? Neil’s father? Neil himself? Why?
23. Do you think Neil would have committed suicide if Mr. Keating had never come into his life? Why or why not?
24. Who, do you think, was the bravest of all the Dead Poets boys? Why?
25. In the initial screenplay, Todd specifically does not sign the paper at the end. In the movie, we are not told one way or the other. Did Todd sign it or not? What do you think?
26. What happens next? What does the future hold for Keating and the boys?
27. Comment on each of the themes below—which theme were you most able to relate to? Which did you think was the most powerful?
              Feelings of alienation
              Dealing with increased feelings of independence and rebellion
              Academic pressure
              Symbolism and imagery
              Influence of role models
28. How has this movie helped you to think differently about poetry, teaching, school, alienation, etc. Pick one thing and focus on it.
29. Which piece of poetry used in the film did you like best and why? Why did it stand out to you?

If you need to see other questions that you skipped earlier in the film I will be back tomorrow to show you those.  Finish all that you can today so that you can play catch up tomorrow.
WORK DILIGENTLY!!! This is NOT group work so you don't need to be having conversations with ANYONE!
FYI- If there is a phone out it will be taken.

Last Day to Focus on Mona Lisa Smile...DUE TODAY!!!!!!!

Choose TWO of the discussion questions below to write about on your blog.  They must be answered thoroughly with a lot of thought and detail.  After that, Make sure to respond to at least THREE classmates ON YOUR CURRENT ROW with thorough responses (no one-sentence responses!). 

This is DUE TODAY so please stay focused!

We will begin Dead Poets Society tomorrow and will not finish it until Friday.  PLEASE try to be at school every day.  We are having an abundance of absences in every class.  You will be responsible for catching on your own so it is definitely easier to BE IN SCHOOL.  

1. Discuss the role(s) of women in the 1950s as portrayed in the movie. How are they different from the view of Katherine Watson?
2. Katherine Watson's teachings were labeled as "unorthodox". Explain and cite examples from the movie.
3. Betty is seen to have a tremendous reaction towards Joan's application to study in Yale. Why? If you were Betty, would you have similar reaction?
4. Katherine Watson was said to be "subversive". What is your understanding of this term?
5. Betty's marriage to Spencer – do you think she was happy? Note her mother's refusal to let her stay with her. Why?
6. The movie shows relationships of several characters. Were they acceptable in the society at that time? Why / not?

Why is Education Important?

•It is (or should it be) a human right to be educated.

•Imagine you are part of an organization that will open a new school.  What do you think should be part of the new curriculum?

•Should it be strictly academic subjects or vocational studies?

•Perhaps there should be practical courses (how to take out a mortgage; how to go on a date, etc)

•Pick a subject each and try to justify teaching it in your school.

Choose an "academic" and "vocational or practical" course to implement into your school.  Sell us on why these would be good courses to have, what would be needed to implement these courses, and why these courses would benefit student's futures.
DUE WEDNESDAY!!!

BLOG DUE MONDAY!!!:-))

The character of Katherine Watson has a definite philosophy of teaching and life.  It is partly defined by the conflicts that arise during the film: between the conventional expectations of society and Katherines belief that women should have the same freedoms that men have.  Realizing her students’ potential, she decided not to teach from the textbook and instead insists that they think independently.  She exposes them to exciting contemporary art (like Jackson Pollock’s painting) telling them they are “not required to like it; just consider it.”  We learned that this kind of teaching is called Progressive.

For your closing assignment- BLOG due Monday:

Compare this style of teaching with the teaching style that is described in this extract from

Charles Dickens’ mid-nineteenth century novel Hard Times:

“NOW, what I want is, Facts.  Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts.  Facts alone are wanted in life.  Plant nothing else, and root out everything else.  You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service upon these children.  Stick to Facts, sir!”

(Ch.1, p. 5, Everyman, London: 1994)

Okay, guys! Click the link below for this week's assignment.  It is DUE THURSDAY at the END of class.  It includes a blog response and your peer responses that will be checked FRIDAY at the BEGINNING of class!
Now get to work:-)).

CLICK HERE:-))

Your blog needs to include your thoughts on the different exams on each level.  Tell me what your thoughts are, which is easiest, which is hardest, how you could prepare for each...

Welcome to College Transition 2015!!!
This week (DUE THURSDAY:) you will create a FIVE slide power point using graphics and SAT-style vocabulary to describe the major details of your Christmas break.  Sound like a trick? It is! Be creative! Be fun! Be studious and WOW me with your intellectual vocabulary!

Remember...THIS IS DUE THURSDAY AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS!!!

It must be emailed to me within 5 minutes of class starting so we may begin presenting. You will have points taken away for late work, so DON'T BE LATE!!!