Course Evaluation

Course Evaluation

Night Anticipation Response- Post Reading

After reading Night, blog your response to one of the statements on your anticipation sheet.  Be sure you write in complete paragraphs citing evidence from the novel in your response.

Netbook Surveys

Use the links below to tell me what you think about netbooks!

Part I
Part II

Justice

Please read the article, "Demjanjuk Guilty of Nazi War Crimes" by clicking on the link below.  When you have finished, I would like you to write a one paragraph response answering one simple question:  Was justice served?   Please cite evidence from the article to support your stance.

 Nazi War Criminal Found Guilty

Cattle Car Complex by Thane Rosenbaum

Thane Rosenbaum, the son of two Holocaust survivors, gave up his career as a lawyer to become an author.  In his first book, a collection of short stories entitled, "Elijah Visible," Rosenbaum uses his family's experiences as a background for many of the story's characters.

What scene in Night is similar to the experience that Adam has on the elevator?  What provoked his delusion?  How do perceptions of a situation make it more or less stressful?

Holocaust Webquest

Use the link below to enter the website for the Holocaust interactive webquest.

Holocaust Webquest

Annotated Bibliography In Class Example

Title:Driven to distraction: why is texting while driving so dangerous?(HEALTH)

Pub:Current Science, a Weekly Reader publication 

Detail:Kirsten Weir. 96.13 (March 11, 2011): p.4(2). (829 words) From Student Resource Center - Silver. 

Full Text:COPYRIGHT 2011 Weekly Reader Corp.

Lindsey Harden had just turned 18 and was looking forward to graduation in six months when her world turned upside down. After fighting with her boy-friend one cold January morning, she stormed out on him. The fight continued by text messaging as she drove away. "We were feuding through text," she recalls.

With her eyes on her phone, Harden didn't see a patch of ice on the road ahead. She lost control of the vehicle, and it slammed into a parked car and then a rock wall. She fractured her pelvis, seven ribs, and two disks in her neck. Both legs were badly broken. Sections of muscle, skin, and bone from her lower right leg were lost.

In the hospital, Harden suffered a stroke--brain damage caused by the interruption of the blood supply to the brain. It left her unable to control the muscles on the right side of her body. "I didn't fully understand what happened to me until a month after the accident," says Harden. As the shattered pieces of memory reassembled, it became clear to her that her decision to text behind the wheel was a devastating mistake.

OVERWHELMED BRAIN

In 2009, Americans sent more than 1.56 trillion text messages, according to wireless industry statistics. No one knows how many of those messages were typed or read inside cars, says Deborah Trombley, but distracted driving is a huge problem in the United States. Trombley is a transportation program manager at the National Safety Council (NSC).

The NSC estimates that texting plays some part in at least 100,000 crashes per year. Talking on the phone plays an even bigger part. The NSC estimates that 1.2 million crashes a year--about 21 percent of all auto accidents--involve talking on a phone, including hands-free calls, while driving. In 2009, distracted driving led to accidents that injured half a million people and killed another 5,500, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Driving, texting, and talking on the phone are all cognitively complex tasks; they require sophisticated brain functions such as memory, attention, problem solving, and decision making. To better understand how the brain handles such tasks, the NSC compiled a report drawn from a number of research studies. The report concluded that the brain can't perform two cognitively complex tasks at the same time. Instead, it switches quickly from one task (such as checking the intersection ahead) to the next (such as glancing at a text). That switch happens so fast, it feels as if you're paying attention to both things at once. In reality, your overtaxed mind is overlooking important chunks of information--such as that red light you just blew through.

"When the brain is overwhelmed, it deals with it by choosing to block off some information. That information never gets into your working memory," Trombley says. "People aren't even aware that they're distracted."
When drivers are distracted, their reaction time slows way down. That's bad because every millisecond counts behind the wheel. Car and Driver magazine recently tested a 22-year-old driver's reaction times as he drove under different conditions. In one test, he read a short text message while driving 56 kilometers (35 miles) per hour. He was so distracted that he traveled an extra 6.4 meters (21 feet)--more than one car length--before hitting the brakes. Overall, his reaction times were slower when he was sending and reading text messages than they were when he was legally drunk.

HARD LESSON

Why do so many drivers ignore the risks of distracted driving? "A lot of people are afraid they're going to miss out on something," Trombley says. Drive carelessly, though, and you might miss out on the rest of your life.

Trombley suggests that drivers have passengers take calls or send texts for them. Or, better yet, get into the habit of tuning out incoming messages until they can be safely answered. "You can always catch up when you're parked," she says.

Texting while driving is already illegal in 30 states, says Trombley, and in 28 states teen drivers are banned from any type of cell phone use. More states are expeted to pass similar laws.
Although breaking the law is obviously a bad idea, there's an even better reason not to drive distracted: your health. After her crash, Harden spent four months in the hospital and a rehabilitation center. She missed graduating with her class.

Two years later, the accident's effects still linger. Because of her stroke, Harden can't use her right hand. She still has swelling and pain in her legs and ankles and can't be on her feet for long. She has also suffered mental setbacks. "I have extreme problems with my memory, and I have a hard time concentrating," she says.
Still, Harden knows she's lucky to have survived. No phone call or text is worth what she's been through, she says. "For your mind to fully focus, it has to have one task in front of it," she says. "I've learned my lesson."


Source Citation

Weir, Kirsten. "Driven to distraction: why is texting while driving so dangerous?" Current Science, a Weekly Reader publication 11 Mar. 2011: 4+. Student Resource Center - Silver. Web. 26 Apr. 2011.

Document URL
http://find.galegroup.com/gps/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=IPS&docId=A251278248&source=gale&srcprod=SRCC&userGroupName=kiel68450&version=1.0

Persuasive Speech Survey Links

Post your survey link here!

Snuggie Survey

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PKWB3PS

Protest and Revolt

Over tehc ourse of history, people have sought to imporve their lives and coutnries through protest and revolution.  Protest and revoltion can take many forms, from picketing and strikes to speeches and fasts.  In the two selections we read today, Orwell's "Animals Unite" and Gandhi's "The Fast" leadership played an imperitive role in igniting revoltution.  Choose either Major or Gandhi and in a one paragraph response, describe the character traits which helped them to inspire the masses.  Cite evidence from the selections to support your response. 

Persuasive Video

Top 100 Speeches

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/top100speechesall.html

The Top 100 Speeches is an index to full text transcripts and audio to 100 of the most significant American political speeches of the 20th century.  Open the above site twice, in two separate windows. Choose a speech from the list. In one window, play the audio. Use the other window to open the transcript and follow along. After you have finished, respond to the following prompts and questions in a word document.

• Who delivered this speech?
• To whom was this speech given?
• What was the occasion of this speech?
• What did the speaker need to know about the audience before writing this speech?
• How did the speaker gain the audience's attention in the introduction?
• Summarize the thesis of the speech
• How was this speech organized?
• List three transitions the speaker used.
• Was the speaker knowledgeable and likable? How did he/she demonstrate this?
• List any examples of figurative language which the speaker used.
• Why do you believe this speech is ranked among the top 100?
• What grade would you give this speech?

Outline Example

FORMAL SENTENCE OUTLINE FORMAT

Student’s Name:

Date:

Topic: Key statement that describes the topic of your speech

General Purpose: To inform

I. Introduction

A. Attention Getter: Something that grabs the attention of the audience.

Examples of this: startling statistics, stories, rhetorical questions, quotations, scenarios, etc. This point should be more than one sentence long.

B. Reason to Listen: Why should the audience listen to your speech, make it personal to each of them.

C. Thesis Statement: Exact same statement as above.

D. Credibility Statement:

1. What personally connects you to this topic?

2. What type of research have you done to establish credibility?

E. Preview of Main Points:

1. First, I will describe …

2. Second, I will examine …

3. Third, I will discuss…

II. Restate thesis, exact statement as above.

A. Statement of the first main point; you should not use a source in this sentence.

1. Idea of development or support for the first main point

a. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc.- cite source)

b. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)

2. More development or support

a. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc.- cite source)

b. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)

3. More development if needed

Transition: (Required) Statement of movement that looks back (internal summary)

and looks forward (preview).

B. Statement of second main point. Do not use a source in this statement.

1. Idea of development or support for the first main point

a. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)

b. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)

2. More development or support

a. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)

b. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)

3. More development if needed

Transition: (Required) Statement of movement that looks back (internal summary)

and looks forward (preview).

C. Statement of third main point. Do not use a source in this statement.

1. Idea of development or support for the first main point

a. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)

b. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)

2. More development or support

a. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)

b. Support material (ex: statistics, quotation, etc. - cite source)

3. More development if needed

III. Conclusion

A. Review of Main Points:

1. Restate your first main point.

2. Restate your second main point.

3. Restate you third main point.

B. Restate Thesis: Exact same as above.

C. Closure: Develop a creative closing that will give the speech a sense of ending. This point may be more than one sentence. You should refer back to your Attention-Getter.

Works Cited

·         MLA format; all references need to be sited in MLA format.

·         Be sure to make sure that the references are in Alphabetical order.

·         Double-Spaced; all references should be double-spaced and indented.

·         Please note:  The citations given by the electronic databases along with EasyBib and other bibliography websites are created by a computer and are often incorrect. You may use these; however, you do need to double check the format.

·         Three source minimum: two must be electronic databases.

Fences

Respond to the following in paragraph form using proper grammar and mechanics.

There is an old adage which states, "Good fences make good neighbors."  What do you think this means?  Do you agree or disagree with this statement?  To what additional areas of life (other than the obvious property) can it be applicable? 

Responsibility 3/7

Character and Responsibility

“Character – the willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life – is the source from which self respect springs.”

~Joan Didion

In a paragraph, ponder today’s quote. Is the source of character and self respect a willingness to accept responsibility for your own life?  If not, why would anyone want to take responsibility?  Or is there more to it? 

Today and Yesterday's Values

Respond to the following in a five sentence minimum paragraph with proper English conventions.

How do the values today's generation holds differ from those held by previous generations.

Values Wordle

Personal Influences

In a five sentence paragraph, please respond to the following using proper English conventions.

To whom do you owe some of the skills, interests, personality traits, personal tastes, and lifestyes you enjoy?  Did family, friends, media, teachers play a role in the development of who you are today?  What are some of these skills, interests, personality traits, personal tastes, and lifestyes you enjoy? 

Now and Then

How does the past impact the future? 

Analysis of Multicultural Folktale

Through your examination of the similarities and differences between the multicultural variations of the folktale, what conclusions can you infer regarding each culture's values?

Impact of Multicultural Literature

Over the past twenty years there has been increased appreciation for multicultural literature.  Due to this increase, what advantages will students of this generation have over those who came before?  How will this impact the future of our society as a whole?