Wednesday, June 11, 2014

It's Finally Finals

Your final exam will be an essay prompt that I will give you in class on the day of your final.

You will also need to read an article that I will also give you access to in class.

You may write your final essay on paper or in a Google Doc shared with me.
Please name the document correctly. (Period Last name, First name, Final Exam)

When you are finished with your final please complete the COURSE SURVEY

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Textbook Return

Read

Today, we will be returning textbooks to the library midway through the period.
Before we go please complete this Reading Survey.

Book reviews are due TODAY. Submit your links HERE

Finals are Wednesday for Period 4, Thursday for periods 6 & 7. 
Your final exam is an essay based on the readings we have done in the past weeks. You may write it by hand or use a computer. You can prepare by being familiar with the articles 'Undercover Parent", "Big Mother is Watching You" and "6 Ways Social Media Can Ruin Your Life"  You should also review the notes you took on the Frontline documentary from last Thursday. (The link is in the post below if you would like to see it again.) It will also help you to spend some time thinking about your own opinions about children, parents and the internet. Be prepared to explain what you think clearly, with reasonable arguments, effective evidence and specific examples. 

BRING BACK ANY BORROWED BOOKS!
Still have time to spare? Try writing a letter to your future self; advice for September, hopes for your senior year, or predictions about where you will be in five to ten years make great emails. FUTUREME.ORG

I'm also still taking BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Monday, June 9, 2014

Jigsaw Reading: Social Media Gaffes

Read

Sit with your letter groups today.

We are going to jigsaw read an article.
All groups should read the beginning. The rest of the article is divided into six hashtag-titled sections.
Each group will read one section and discuss it.  Then I will regroup you and you will need to be able to explain what you read and talked about in the section that your first group read.

6 ways social media can ruin your life
Recommend a Book

TEXTBOOK RETURN TOMORROW- BRING YOUR BOOKS TO CLASS

BRING BACK CLASSROOM LIBRARY BOOKS

Friday, June 6, 2014

Friday; AOW, book reviews and catching up

Happy Friday.   

1. Last AOW: Read "Big Mother Is Watching You"  Write a two paragraph response in your writer's notebook: first paragraph summary, second paragraph your thoughts about the issue. 
2. Write a book review in Goodreads.
3. Use the Independent reading tab above to send me your book review links if you are done with BOTH. (Last day to turn in both reviews is Tuesday 6/10/14.) 
4. You can scroll to the post below and watch more of the Frontline documentary we started yesterday IF you are done with all of your other work. 

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Catching up and moving forward

Read

Today we will catch up on what you did yesterday, talk about your final exam a bit and watch the beginning of a documentary about teens and the impact of social media.  I'll post the link to the video here later, so you can watch the rest on your own.

Frontline: Generation Like

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Read

I am at a planning meeting today. You have a long to do list.

Do these things in this order:

  1. Choose one paragraph from the post below and explain the author's argument in your writer's notebook. Use what you have learned about explaining arguments this week. 
  2. Write a book review and post it on Goodreads. 
  3. Update your status on Goodreads. (This is the one where you put in your page number.)
  4. Go to Newsela.com, sign in with Google and read "Facebook spreads rainy-day blues to sunny places, study says" It's about how social media affects our moods. Interesting. 
  5. Read "Big Mother Is Watching You" You will probably want to quote this article when you write your final essay. It's the opposite of Undercover Parent. 
  6. Read your book. 


Monday, June 2, 2014

Explaining Arguments

Happy Monday!   Read!

Goal #1:
Rhetorical Precis on Undercover Parent in your Writer's Notebook.  (15 minutes)

Goal #2: 
Practice explaining author's arguments.
Go to m.socrative.com and join our room (see code on whiteboard)
I will give you a paragraph to read that contains an argument.  Then I will send you a Socrative question and ask you to explain that argument in your own words.

Arguments to practice explaining: 
#1: The media’s portrayal of women consists of mixed messages, one minute we hear “curvy is beautiful” and the next we are barraged with images on magazines with petit skinny models. In reality the ridiculously skinny and photo shopped girls are the majority of what we see. This contradiction is confusing to women especially young girls who are looking to identify a role model. Magazines, television, movie stars, and advertisements are promoting unrealistic and unhealthy images for women in our society today.

#2: High-tech has created a new low. The term “sexting” is a combination of the words sex and texting, and refers to the practice of sending sexually ­explicit photos electronically, mainly by cell phone. The incidents of sexting have dramatically increased in the past few years; 20 percent of teens said they had sent a sexting message, according to a 2008 study commissioned by the National ­Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and Cosmogirl.com. Though many in our generation are taking part, few understand the serious consequences of this irresponsible fad.

#3. “Do you have a Facebook?” This is the question of a generation: one of the very first questions in a conversation when teens meet each other. That conversation can start at almost anything, from “Hey I’m wearing the same shirt as you!” to “I like that band too!” No matter where the conversation starts, teens are almost always drawn to the search for a username. Social networking sites are a fun, convenient way to make plans and stay connected, but teens can often form an attachment or addiction to them. Facebook and several other social websites bookmarked by today’s teenage generation bring with them negative side effects if used irresponsibly. Side effects of social media, both psychological and social, can have an extreme effect on teens; these problems must be addressed, managed, and prevented for the safety and security of today’s teenage generation.