about the final paper tomorrow. It must follow the guidelines we established at the beginning of the year. I will not accept a paper that is not properly formatted. These guidelines are as follows:
- 12 pt Times New Roman font
- Double-spaced with 1" margins
- Header (on the left) with your name, my name, the class name, and tomorrow's date
- A title in 12 pt Times New Roman font (do not use bold or italic font)
- Page numbers at the top right corner in this format: Last #
- At least three pages in length (your final paper should have a "4" at the top)
- No works cited is necessary for this paper unless you use outside information
This paper is your chance to show me what you can write, that you can apply what we've learned these past weeks. Turning in a paper is not a guarantee that your grade will go up, but if you write an excellent paper that illustrates your understanding of the concepts we've covered, it can dramatically raise your grade.
If you have any questions, email me or comment below.
Read More......
If you were absent this Friday, your assignment is to choose a book and read it. We will continue the journals through the end of this semester, but I'd like you to find something you're interested in and read it. The type, genre, content, author, time period, and place of publication does not matter.
If you would like some suggestions, please comment below or check out the book widget on the side of the page. I'm happy to help you narrow your search. Happy reading—the weather's perfect for it.
Read More......
by the brevity of "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula LeGuin. LeGuin's tale is not a simple one.
Here is a copy. Print it out, read it tonight if you'd like. We will read and then discuss the tale in class tomorrow.
A couple of questions to consider for your journal:
- Is the happiness of the citizens worth the child's lot?
- Would you stay, or would you walk away from Omelas?
- Are there situations in the real world that are similar to this one?
Also, don't forget your quick journal assignment for tonight:
Record at least twenty choices that you make during the day. The seeming importance does not matter; you can write about choosing your clothes in the morning, what music you listen to, or whether you did your homework or not. The list does not need to be a narrative, just a sentence or phrase for each. Be prepared to share in class tomorrow.
Read More......
By popular demand, our discussion this week will be centered on the emotion of happiness. Some possible things to consider:
- What makes you happy? (and the obvious follow up: Why?)
- How important is happiness?
- How powerful is happiness as a motivator?
If you think of any other questions, please add them to the comments section.
Interesting side note: In Buddhist philosophy dukka (desire) is the source of all pain or unhappiness in an individual. So, the renunciation of all desire (remember last week's discussion) will lead to happiness. What do you think?
Read More......
the next time we complain about our building.
While many people dream of buying a large tract of land on which to retire, high school teacher Matt Schlein saved enough money to purchase 260 acres of land and then built a school. Sort of. Check out the story at NPR's website.
Read More......
Per your vote, the emotion of the week is desire. Look for it in your everyday stuff, write about it, talk about it in class.
Read More......
Go for it. I'm excited to see the plan.
Read More......
Check out this blog (Tuna's Aquarium) created by a high school senior taking AP Lang. I came across it while reading teacher-y stuff on Clay Burell's blog Beyond-School.org. I don't know how may of you blog (or if you do, if you would want to share that information with all of us), but I'm impressed by this student's style. Enjoy. As always, comment for the good of all, and post links if you want to share.
Read More......
