March 23, Welcome to Term 4

The Great Gatsby

• Students checked out books at the Writing Lab
• Students received a packet and schedule--I did a packet overview
• Students viewed the first 13 minutes of the Leonardo DiCaprio Gatsby
• Students did a close reading exercise--read first two pages of Ch 1; highlight important phrases; write main idea of each paragraph in the margins

HOMEWORK

1. Read Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby; reading quiz next time
2. "Most Awards," Chapter 1: do the first two "awards" before class
3. Study Ch 1 vocabulary, and memorize the definitions of these words: feign, conscientious, incredulous, bantering, and complacent

December 5 & 6

This I Believe Personal Essay--see me for the green packet. Today in class, we did a series of Writer's Notebook writing prompts to help students discover a topic.

Writer's Notebook Prompts:
1. Listen to "Be Cool to the Pizza Dude," "Always Go to the Funeral," and "Grown-Up Barbie," and answer this question for each one: What is this person's belief and why is it important to that person? (You can easily find these essays online.)
2. What person or kind of people do you admire?
3. What is something important that your parents (or some other significant person) have taught you?
4. What childhood toy or activity taught you something that's still important today?
5. (green packet, p. 2) Complete the following phrase--I've learned that _____________.
6. What life lesson have you learned from pop culture? (a cartoon, a TV show, a movie, or a song lyric)
7. Find a quote you like and write it in your WN. Then comment on why you like it.

Review everything you wrote in your WN and write your belief statement: I believe _____________. (5 points)

I collected homework ("Thoreau Thinking Readings," yellow packet)

December 1 & 2

Different Drummer, continued

Advertising--The class watched another clip from the PBS documentary "The Merchants of Cool." What methods do advertisers use to sell to teens? How do advertisers use logos, pathos, and ethos? In class, students worked with a partner to analyze a magazine ad and presented their analysis to the class. (10 points)

Thoreau Project--Complete both sides of the "Thoreau: Marching to the Beat of a Different Drummer" handout, including information about the Thoreau Project you've chosen. (12 points)

HOMEWORK, "Thoreau Thinking Readings" (20 points)

November 29 & 30

Focus on Thoreau's "different drummer"
1. YouTube video of uninhibited kid.
2. "Life with Principle" DVD--Different Drummer.
3. Discussion questions 1-7.
4. PBS "Merchants of Cool."

November 22 & 28

We watched the DVD Tuesdays with Morrie.

November 4 - 21

Finer Things Clubs

HOMEWORK:
1. Read your 35 pages of Tuesdays or Last Lecture.
2. Bring a newspaper article that connects to the reading.

November 2 & 3

Finer Things Club practice (pink) and Finer Things Club rules (green)--see me for packets.

HOMEWORK:
1. Read 35 pages of Tuesdays with Morrie OR The Last Lecture.
2. Find a newspaper/magazine/internet article that relates to the reading.
3. Bring your book and green packet to class.