Cyberbullying Resources for Comm 11

Here are 2 websites I recommend:

http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/ - a comprehensive website, broken down into different age categories.

http://www.athinline.org/ - an MTV website that deals with a variety of issues teens face: cyberbullying, sexting, constant and controlling messaging.

This section is especially helpful for dealing with Facebook bullying:
http://www.athinline.org/q-and-a/1-someone-is-trying-to-make-my-life-miserable-by-posting-lies-about-me-on-my-facebook-wall#question

Alpha - Synthesis Essay

Hi Alpha blocks A and D,

On the side is the in-class example for the synthesis essay (along with the question, should you need it). Please come to class tomorrow prepared. You may bring in an outline and notes, and you may refer to the stories as you write (you can even post-it relevant sections).

Remember, key criteria:
-a clear, defined thesis statement
-examples and evidence support the premise of the thesis

Good luck!

Discussion Question 2

Is Macbeth feminist - in that it has roles for strong, dynamic women, for its time - or is it troublesome in its treatment of women? Defend your answer.

Discussion Question - Macbeth

I forgot to remind you about this in class, so deadline this week will be Tuesday.

So far (up until midway through Act 3), what is the worst thing that any character does in the play? Defend your answer.

Discussion Question 2

We talked a little in class about why we still read Shakespeare, so many years later. I suggested that it's because many of the character's thoughts, feelings, and experiences still ring true hundreds of years later. Why do you think we still read Shakespeare? Should we still read Shakespeare?

Discussion Question 1

What kind of marriage do you think Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have? Who has more power in the relationship?

Macbeth

This week, we began our study of Macbeth. We looked at prophecies: their nature, and whether there is any such thing as a true prophecy - or if all prophecies are self-fulfilling.
We read Act 1 out loud in class, and viewed the Polanski film version.

As you read through the play, you will be working on a Quotes assignment: you will choose one important quote from each act, and complete a brief analysis of it (why did you choose it? how does it contribute to characterization/theme?). Handout available at the side.

Shakepeare introductory notes are also available to the side.

Discussion Question

Macbeth Anticipation:

What do you already know about Macbeth? What questions do you have?

And if you don't know anything about Macbeth, what do you know about Shakespeare? What kinds of experiences have you had reading and studying his plays?

Essay Writing

Today we began a mini-unit on essay writing (see the plan linked on the side). You will be writing 3-300 word essays in class, and reading 5 essays of your choice from Models for Writers.
Please choose topics that you find interesting - and tell stories that you want to share - if you are bored writing, you can bet that I'll be bored reading. Enjoy!

Discussion Question

I see Into the Wild as a love letter to American values (and simultaneously, a cautioning against taking it to extremes) - freedom, westward movement, the open road. It's beautifully shot. What moments were your favourites? Why? What did they make you feel/think of?

Web discussion question 5.1

This is the last set of discussion questions for term 1!

Respond to the movie. Chris seems to be looking for what he calls truth. What do you think he's searching for? Did he ever find it?

Into the Wild

This week we've been watching Sean Penn's 2007 film, Into the Wild.
Into the Wild (as you now know) is the true story of Chris McCandless, a young college graduate who takes off to Alaska to live off the land. Roger Ebert describes the film better than I can:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070927/REVIEWS/709270305

So, why show this in English 11? As we move through the course, I've been thinking seriously about the relationship between freedom, happiness, and truth. In Brave New World, truth seemed to be found in confronting life in all of its joy and suffering. Huxley seemed to tell us: live, love, accept that hurt and pain will be a part of it, for there is truth in freedom. Yet John takes freedom and truth too far. Rather than living in moderation - sometimes accepting comfort, sometimes giving in to desire - he retreats to the lighthouse and punishes himself for any impure thought. But we are, of course, inherently impure.

I think Chris in Into the Wild is very similar. The questions I will ask you - what does he give up, in his search for truth? Is it possible that the very things he tosses away - family, relationships, love, work - are the things through which truth is found?

End of Term Roundup

Brave New World is finished (unless you still owe me a reading log or two), tests are in the marking pile, and I'm putting together your term 1 marks. They will be based on major, summative tasks: the test, the project, the essay, and reading logs. Also in the mix are the web questions and daily logs. All assessments are designed to measure where you are in terms of meeting the learning outcomes; however, marks are positively affected by good work habits and effort. The more you put in the more you can show me you've learned.

I'll have a mark ready to go for Thursday class. If you have handed everything in, it will stay the same for report cards. If you are missing items, please get them in by Friday.

Conflict and Theme

In the last few days, we've worked on the relationship between conflict and theme. First, we considered several conflicts in the novel - internal and external (notes are posted on the side). A conflict that I have been interested in is the incompatibility of real freedom and superficial happiness.
Today I showed you how you can extrapolate the conflict into theme. Conflict is specific; it deals with characters and their experiences. Theme is generalized, and it looks at big ideas and questions about life. Notes are on the side.

Unit Test

As I have mentioned several times in class, our Brave New World unit test is coming up on Thursday, April 1. The format will be paragraph responses. This Thursday, I will give you a list of 10 possible questions. 6 will appear on the test and you will need to respond to 4 of them; each will be assessed on a 6-point scale. They will be assessed for content and quality of expression; that is, you will need to follow writing conventions for a paragraph (introductory and conclusion sentence), and make sure you are discussing the text with evidence and examples.

You will be allowed to refer to the novel during the test, but no other outside materials.

Big thanks to today's presenters! I'm looking forward to the presentation taking place tomorrow.

Discussion Question 2

Some of you have suggested that Brave New World is thematically inappropriate for English 11... Was this book a good choice to study? Why or why not?

Discussion Question 1

Do you think we are at risk of heading towards a Brave New World-like society? In what way(s)?

Group Presentations

As I hope you are all aware, Monday is go-time for presentations. The following equipment is available:

-hookup for iPod
-laptop and projector for Powerpoint (please make sure your powerpoint is a .ppt file, not a .pptx - not a problem if you've worked at school), with DVD and CD playing capability
-overhead

If you need anything else please post it as a comment below.

As I said in class on Friday, the individual presentation report is now optional. You will want to take advantage of the option if you feel that your level of understanding and knowledge is better than you will be able to show in your group presentation (that is, you feel that your group is working at about a C level, and you think you are at an A or B).

Everyone will complete a participation self-assessment on Wednesday.

Back to school.

Today we worked on comparing and contrasting the Savage Reservation and the World State. Huxley writes about two extreme societies and comparing how they are alike and how they are different is engaging work. Comparing and contrasting is higher order thinking; that is, you need a deep understanding of a text to successfully complete it.

Some highlights of the discussion:

Important similarities - the WS and SR are constricted societies, intolerant of outsiders and new ideas, and major release is extreme religious behaviour. No one in either society has very much freedom.

Important differences - each society's behaviour in relationships and family is of course extremely different. WS is technologically advanced and the SR is very primitive. Despite much more difficult lives, people have more freedom in the savage reservation (irony alert!)

This week you will have Wednesday and Friday (entire classes) to work on your group projects. Please come prepared and use the time well. Presentations are due on Monday.

Discussion Question 2

All the people in the World State have been heavily conditioned, and are controlled by society. Do you think they are able to learn and change, or are they stuck in their beliefs?

Discussion Question 1

Would you rather spend one year living in the London of the World State, or one year living in the Savage Reservation? Explain your choice.

Week of March 1-5

Hey everyone,
I can't believe how quickly this week has gone by. We spent most of it on essay writing, completing an editing workshop and a re-write. Today your groups were assigned a major presentation (handout posted to the side).
I am just now thinking about what we still have to cover for Brave New World. The text is so rich that we could easily spend the whole year looking at it, but then we would miss out on other wonderful things. So, we will take more time on:

-irony
-compare/contrast the Savage Reservation and London
-character analysis of Bernard, Lenina, and John

The unit test will be at the end of March.

Make sure you have fun during Spring Break, and relax. Please also read up to the end of chapter 11, complete the web comment, and think about your presentation. You will be in good shape if you can have some background and ideas established as soon as we're back.

Monday

Hi everyone,
Hope you're all doing OK with the post-Olympics comedown. My friend just sent me a picture of downtown, and it's empty.
Today in class we talked about the nature of happiness - I challenged you to think about what it means to be happy. I think it's something that Huxley is contemplating through the novel.

We also looked at editing and revising. Editing is the process of examining your work for purpose and clarity. You will be editing, revising, and re-writing your BNW essay this week.

If you haven't posted on the discussion website, please do so. Participation seems to be dropping off and I don't want you to lose the marks.

Question 2

Many of you have stated that while the lives of the citizens of the world state are full of pleasure, they seem empty. What makes a life full and rich? Is having a full life the same as having a happy life?

Discussion question 1

With the pro-d and being sick, I'm a bit behind. I have, however, noticed that no one actually responds to these till late Sunday.

Question 1.
Many of you predicted that Bernard will lead some sort of rebellion against the world state. Will it be possible for him to overcome his conditioning and social experience?

English 8 Quiz

Hey English 11, don't worry about this post, it isn't for you.

English 8 H - Sorry I didn't get this out earlier. Hope you had fun in the library!
Here are some details on tomorrow's quiz. It will be practical - that is, you will use your skills. I am going to give you a short story, or an excerpt, to read. You will show me that you can ask questions, make connections, and visualize the text (draw an illustration/diagram/map). You will make predictions and inferences, and give specific textual evidence for your inferences and predictions. Finally, you'll write a short summary and I will ask you a few comprehension questions.

I am about 90% sure I will be back with you tomorrow, so we will also finish those last few presentations! See you D block, Ms. A.

Monday-Tuesday

On Monday, you had reading and reading log time, and then worked on a character map. I was sick and Mr. Lowall was in - it sounded like he was able to bring in some interesting perspectives.

Tuesday we looked closely at part 2 of Chapter 5, Bernard's solidaridy service. I think this is the moral low point of the whole novel: it is a perversion of religious experience that leaves the participants feeling empty, rather than connected.

On Thursday you will be writing an in-class essay (topic: How does the World State control its citizens?). Wednesday we will look more closely at essay conventions. You will be allowed to bring in an outline, so you may wish to begin preparing.

Group Discussion Day 2

Today we covered a new reading strategy, Reading for Purpose. As a heads up - I will be quizzing you on the reading strategies we've learned. They are powerful tools that you can apply to your life and education.

We continued with Brave New World and group discussions. I hope you can see that the more you prepare for your discussion, the more you get out of it. If you don't do your reading and your prep, you may be letting your group down.

For homework, you need to read up to the end of Chapter 4, and complete all sections of your reading log for chapters 1-4.

Discussion Question 2

People in the World State in Brave New World do not have freedom, but are taken care of - they have jobs, food, and access to leisure activites. What's more important - having your basic needs met (food, shelter, water), or freedom?

Web discussion question 1

Do you think the people living in the World State in Brave New World are happy? Why or why not?

Chapter 3

Wednesday-Thursday, we covered chapters 1-3. My hope is that you have an understanding of the setting of the novel - that is, the social dynamics, the values, and culture of the World State. We need to understand the World State before we can understand the characters within it.

Tomorrow we will be working in groups to discuss the novel. You have all been equipped with role sheets that you will need to complete before class. Preparing for conversation should allow you to discuss the novel - the events, the themes, the characters - and also the big ideas and connections you've made.

Reading Strategies

My focus this week is to use the beginning of Brave New World to teach reading strategies. Reading strategies are things good readers do to help themselves understand the text better. They make reading more work, but much more rewarding. Some strategies include:

-asking questions
-making predictions
-making inferences
-visualizing the text
-knowing when you don't know
-making connections
-reading with a purpose

We have covered Asking Questions and Visualizing the Text. The rest are coming up. Your reading logs are designed to give you practice in applying the reading strategies. Your job as a reader is to know when you don't understand, and see what you can do to begin understanding. Reading is one of the most complex tasks that we ask our brains to do - it goes far beyond sounding out the words. Becoming a better reader will support you in all your classes, and well beyond the classroom.

Homework: Please read Chapter 2 and do your 8 questions. You will use your questions to launch discussions in your small groups tomorrow.

Brave New World Chapter 1

Thanks everyone for posting below! Glad to see some engaged conversation.

Today we began reading Brave New World and talked about the Reading Log assignment (handout available to the right of your screen). The first chapter of the novel is quite difficult. Huxley intends to (and I think he succeeds) overwhelm us, his readers, by suddenly immersing ourselves in a strange and new environment. That's why there's so much complex vocabulary, and the processes are never fully explained. Remember, the director is talking to citizens of the World State - they know things that we don't, yet. If you're confused, don't worry: you're supposed to be somewhat confused. We will continue reading together tomorrow.

For homework, please complete your chapter 1 illustration. Remember it can be a diagram, flowchart, whatever, as long as it's a visual rendering of the ideas in the chapter.

If you have questions about the novel and don't want to ask in class, you can post them below (and in this case, anonymous is OK) and I will do my best to answer.

Brave New World - Intro

Today we started Brave New World, and previewed some of the important themes of the novel. On Monday we will break up into study groups, the group of people who will work with you through the unit.

Homework: Please bring in a quote about happiness or freedom, from any source. Print it large enough that I can post it up. You also need to do your web post.

Discussion Question #2

This week, you read several fairy tales and fairy tale adaptations. If you had your own children, or young children in your life, what kinds of stories would you read to them? Why?

Discussion Question #1

I believe that self-monitoring, or adapting your behaviour, language, and style for different audiences, is important. Some of you argued in class today that instead, you should always be true to yourself, and do as you please without being concerned with the reactions and responses of others.
Add your opinion to the mix.

Audience

Wednesday: small group presentations. Thanks for taking on the responsibility of marking.

Thursday: Mr. Smith came in and spoke about Writing 12. The idea of audience has come up a few times in the last few days; that is, the careful consideration of who you are writing for. We all have so many qualities, abilities, and parts of ourselfs. Well-adjusted people are able to be true to themselves in all situations, but do so with an awareness that it's appropriate to show different parts of yourself, at different times.
So do successful writers. You use all kinds of different modes in writing - grocery lists, lab reports, text messages, love letters, Christmas cards, journals, Facebook comments, more. The language you use in each of these modes is (or should be) different. It doesn't mean you aren't being true to yourself; it just means you are judging which of your many abilities you are putting on display.

Weekend homework (in case you want to get a jump on it) part 1: one blog post - questions are above. Part 2: find a quote about freedom or happiness. It can be from literature, music, pop culture, history, anything - it's easy to use internet searches to find quotation databases. I want to put them up in the classroom (they'll relate to inquiry questions for Brave New World), so please make them large enough to be legible from afar.

Critique work day.

Today we worked on our Fairy Tale critiques. They are due in-class tomorrow and should be 1-1.5 pages long, double-spaced. Please make sure your critique goes beyond summary and includes analysis.
Small group presentations will take place tomorrow. Be prepared to give your group a quick book-talk and share your ideas about analysis.

This link will take you to the peer-assessment rubric - give it a click to see what an A looks like.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0ASOfJIO2s-NAZGM1cjhieDNfMTZjM2dmcG5mMw&hl=en

Fairy Tale critique

**Handout links have been reconfigured! They should work now.**

Today we began learning logs. You will be responsible for a daily learning log. Please write down the class goal, and then respond to the question. I will collect the logs biweekly, and they will be worth 10% of your grade. Please get a notebook!

We also began our fairy tale critiques. Handouts are on the side. You will be responsible for an informal, peer-assessed presentation. Please don't get too worried about the presentation - it'll be conversational and relaxed, and to a small group of your classmates. You will also be writing a brief critique of a fairy tale. We will use class tomorrow to work on the critiques (on the laptops).

I'm extending web discussion by one day. You need to comment on one question by tomorrow. If you would like to use an alias, please let me know who you are.

Reading assessments

Today we read Cinder Edna, and then completed the departmental reading assessment. If you were not in class I will need you to do it next week. It isn't for grades, but is rather a piece of formative assessment - it allows me to see what you know.

Web discussion questions are now live and commenting will be open until Monday morning. Web commenting is worth 10% of your grade. You are allowed 2 "free weeks" - that is, weeks where you do not comment. Every other comment missed is a deduction of 1 point. There are 18 weekends this semester, so if you participate in 12 web discussions, you will receive 6/10. If you participate in 16, you will receive 10/10. You are welcome to follow the discussion and comment more than once. Web comment questions also make for great dinner table conversation!

Enjoy the weekend.

Week 1, Question 2

***Directions are posted below. You only need to choose 1 question to respond to.***

I think we all agree that the real world exists in shades of grey, not black-and-white when it comes to good and evil. However, are there examples of absolute and complete evil in the world? If so, will there ever be a way to rid the world of it?

Week 1, Question 1

Aristophanes was a guy who hung out with Plato (a very famous Greek philosopher) back in the day. In one of their discussions, Aristophanes described his understanding of love. He believed that originally, human beings were these big, happy blobs. There were 3 kinds of blob: one that was all male, one that was all female, and one that was hermaphrodidic (had male and female components). Zeus (an ancient Greek god) chopped them all in half, and mended them up, so that each being became two separate entities. Everyone was scattered all around the world. Now we say that we are looking for our "other half" to go back to that primal, happy, state. So we can never really be whole until we find that other person.

What do you think of this story?

Fairy Tales class 1

Today we began our Fairy Tales unit. There will be 2 major assessment pieces for this unit: a fairy tale critique (short written piece plus short presentation), and a group re-write of a fairy tale. We will (hopefully) be going over to Stride to read our fairy tales to real, live children. More details TBA.

To introduce the unit, I read a bizarre re-telling of Cinderella, we watched a clip from Shrek, and discussed some of the conventions of a fairy tale, and some of the ways contemporary writers play with those conventions to create humour and satirize. I will try to post the powerpoint on the side.

No homework today; however, if you have a particular fairy tale that you'd like to work on, please bring it in.

Also, I am going to post 2 discussion questions above. Please choose one to respond to. Responses need to be in standard written English, and should be several sentences long. You may answer the original question or respond to another comment. Your response can include a link, but please explain why you chose the link/video.

We will be doing this every week and it is worth 10% of your mark. The questions will usually be general and philosophical in tone, but will be inspired by the work we've done in class.

Love and communication.

Today we talked about communication and did a couple of activities to emphazise how important the non-verbal is. Here is an example from the wonderful world of the interweb:

Consider the case of Arlene:
Arlene is attractive and has no problem meeting eligible men — it’s keeping them that is the problem! Arlene is funny and a good conversationalist, but even though she laughs and smiles constantly, she radiates tension. Arlene’s shoulders and eyebrows are noticeably raised, her voice is shrill and her body stiff to touch. Being around Arlene makes many people feel uncomfortable. Arlene has a lot going for her that is undercut by the discomfort she evokes in others.
Arlene is articulate, attractive, and well-intentioned, but she struggles to connect with others because she isn’t aware of the nonverbal messages she’s communicating. But she can break this pattern if she learns to pay attention to the wordless signals she sends and receives:
Arlene notices that her date is tapping his fingers and that she has been swinging her leg and foot. He looks bored, and she feels tense all over. Taking a long, deep breath and a swallow of wine, she feels her shoulders drop and her jaw relax. Arlene leans across the table and breaks into a warm smile. Her date smiles back, and their eyes meet and hold. She has also used her new observational skills at work and is now much more comfortable interacting with others in that setting. (from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eq6_nonverbal_communication.htm)

See, I told you this class would help with your love life. I'm joking, but serious at the same time (what's the emoticon for that?). How you use your body makes a HUGE difference in how people respond to you.

I have changed the comment settings so that you do NOT need an account to post. Please post below so that I know you've figured everything out.

Tomorrow we will begin our Fairytales unit. If you have any favourite stories from childhood, you are invited to bring them in!

First day.

Today we went over the class outline and expectations, and started to get to know one another. You seem like an energetic, positive group of people and I look forward to working with you.

Quick follow-up on our end-of-class conversation about classes you enjoyed. It sounded like many of you value independence, and classes that you can be social in. If you can show me that you are willing to engage and work hard, I can offer you plenty of independence. You will work hard - no slacking off, please - but I will do my best to make the work you do valuable. I also agree that having a social community in class is important, and that's why we'll spend time this week getting to know one another, and eventually, spend a lot of time working collaboratively.

Homework: please have a parent/guardian complete the parent letter, and bring it back to school. Also, please say hello beneath to confirm that you understand how to comment. It looks like you will need to create a Google account. If you already use Gmail or Blogger, you have one; otherwise, go to http://www.google.ca/, click on "Log in" in the top right corner, then click on "Create an account now". It will lead you through a simple process, then, when you're ready to comment, you'll log in with your username and password. If you are confused please ask me and I will help you.

Welcome

Welcome to the web presence of Ms. Atkinson's English 11 class. I'm glad you've made it here, because this site will be an important part of our class community. Here you'll find class summaries, handouts, homework information, images, links, and more. I hope it becomes a place where we can connect our learning to the world outside of high school; furthermore, it makes the question, "So what did we do in class yesterday?" obsolete.

While I'm competent with technology, I know that many of you are much more savvy than me. So if you have ideas about how we can use this tool better, please let me know! And if you're having trouble sorting things out, please talk to me about it, so that we can figure it all out.

Before we get into the fun stuff, please observe the following etiquette:

• When you post, please do so with your name attached. Anonymous posts will be deleted!
• Please keep debate and discussion respectful; if you disagree, disagree with the idea rather than criticizing the person.
  
• Please keep to the topic - there should be (I hope) plenty of interesting content to discuss.
• Post in standard written English - that is, no abbreviations! No text-speak! Full words, full sentences, fully formed thoughts. Thank you.

First assignment: Please leave a comment below, so that I know you've found the page and figured out commenting. You can sign in using a Google account, or just select the name/URL option and leave your name.