september 10

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Lo Que Dice" by Ozomatli; "Words (Between the Lines of Age)" by Neil Young]

Adults say it to toddlers all the time: "Use your words."  What do you mean, my words?  We know that fiction authors use dialogue for the purpose of indirect characterization-- as you write the story of your life each day, how do the words you choose create an impression of who you are?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Two Dogs & the Nature of Story
3. Where are you on your walk in the woods?

HW:
1. Post your ideas from today's class (title: TODAY I WAS THINKING)
2. Bring brag sheet or résumé on Wednesday

september 7

*Being sick sucks.  Take care of your health.*

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Predict the future! What do you think our school's campus will look like in 100 years? 1000 years? Describe in detail.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Update your blog (suggested post idea, sum up what you learned in class this week. Title: THE WEEK IN REVIEW
3. Prepare for next week-- choose a book to read for your literature analysis, reflect on your big question, and bring a brag sheet or resume to class 4. Continue "Young Goodman Brown"

HW:
1. Post insights and vocab from the story on your blog
2. Like the protagonist in the story, you are now alone in the woods.  Finish reading the story, post a response to the ending, and come to class on Monday prepared to discuss.

september 6

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Your friends invite you to a fancy restaurant in San Francisco-- all expenses paid! The waiter brings you a soda, calls you "sir" or "miss" and hands you a menu. With horror you realize that every dish consists of insects in different sauces! What will you do? 

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. CFA
3. Continue "Young Goodman Brown"

CFA 1

Please read the following two passages from a recent newspaper article:

 

A 24-year-old man was charged with murder on Tuesday after he led detectives to the body of a woman, believed to be that of a college student who went missing a month ago, in an Iowa cornfield, state investigators said.

 

 

A 24-year-old man described as an illegal immigrant from Mexico was charged with murder on Tuesday after he led detectives to the body of a woman, believed to be that of a college student who went missing a month ago, in an Iowa cornfield, state investigators said.

 

Write a paragraph in which you explain what the underlined words mean, and how they influence the tone of the paragraph.

september 5

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Symbol in My Driveway" by Jack Johnson]

Describe three symbols in your life that give people a clue as to who you really are.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Tone
3. Intro/begin "Young Goodman Brown"

september 4

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: radio silence]

What song do you sing when there's nothing on the radio? What thoughts do you think when it's quiet and you have the chance to think about whatever you want?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Checking in / blog audit
3. Reflecting on the experience of writing an essay

HW:
Publish a post to your blog on the experience of writing an essay (title: THE MAKING OF AN ESSAY)

weekend essay prompt

Now that you've read "Conscience of a Hacker,"  please write an essay in response to the following prompt and post it to your blog:

What does the author want his readers to understand?  How does he make his point?  To support your perspective, you may want to include his evidence, his writing style, and your own experience.