Vacation Work

Greetings from Philadelphia!

If you are itching for things to do, here's a few ideas:

1: Get your ROAR book, science fiction! Or, if you want straight ahead science, select a book from the 10th grade list. Obenglish10.blogspot.com

2: Lots of Culture Vulture options, especially for the museum category.

I am not sure about all the timing for when we get back to school in January, but will give you an email closer to then.

peace.

Snow Day/Culture Vulture Presentations

Ah, there's the snow...

For Monday and Tuesday, please complete the final assignments for Term 2:

1: Culture Vulture Poster
2: Culture Vulture Response FD to Turnitin.com
3: Culture Vulture Poster Works Cited
4: Culture Vulture Presentation

Period 3
Monday

Butler, Erica
Moreta, Limayri
Nazario, Nicole
Otoole, Evelyn
Tan, Jingquan
Otoole, Diana
Chen, Amy
Coyne, Peter
Sanchez, Daniel
Mendes, Milovanik
Diazvolquez, Julio
Martinez, Ashaunte
Cumberbatch, Lanijah
Pina, Justin
Ho, Sam

Tuesday
Daley, Liam
Vo, Silen
Hooker, George
Lopes, Jason
Nguyen, Jennifer
Le, Ngan
Almonord, Smucker
Martinez, Cheila
Eccleston, Kathleen
Thompson, Vincent
Yosief, Linda
Robersonsmith, Timothy
Lam, Vincent
Desravines, Stayssie

Period 5
Monday

Perez, Alicia
Woods, Kaysean
Ortiz, Dianna
Quaratiello, Cathlette
Kuczynska, Paulina
Vasquez, Gabriel
Edwards, Kiana
Salako, Christopher
Stlouis, Krista
Sequeira, Asahel
Romerolara, Marilixandra
Talbot, Christopher
Sanabria, Rosanny
Nguyen, Peter
Cintron, Eduardo

Tuesday
Mai, Asia
Miles, Tiliah
Li, Anna
Figueroa, Brenda
Pham, Nhu
Moliere, Jessica
Nguyen, Kathy
Rucker, Deyanna
Tran, Jane
Tejeda, Vanessa
Sadler, Onikeh
Valdez, Alexandra
Valentin, Gislaini
Boudreau, Jessica
Hill, Venessa

Anthem and book burnings

In class Web Quest


Here is information about a 1933 book burning:
http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/bookburning/burning.php
1: When was Anthem first published?
2: Where did Ayn Rand grow up, to where did she move?
3: What was the purpose of the 1933 burning?
4: What elements of the book burning are similar to the description of life in Anthem?

http://www.freedomtoread.ca/links_and_resources/bannings_and_burnings.asp
5: List three books that have been censored or burned.
6: Provide three reasons why books have been burned.

Term III ROAR Science and Technology Selections

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
By Mary Roach
What happens to humans in the great beyond? Well, some become crash test dummies and rhinoplasty test subjects. They help to make the world a better and safer place in their own way. They let car manufacturers know vital information like how much pressure can ribs take before they collapse and how to avoid brain damage when colliding with the windshield during a collision. Cadavers help plastic surgeons connect or disconnect the right tissue so when a live person is operated on, his or her skin is tightened instead of loosened.

Last Breath
By: Peter Stark
In the book are stories of fatal or near death experiences in the outdoors, which give insight to the way our body works under extreme circumstances. Included are stories following a skier forced to ski his way through a snowstorm, a kayaker stuck under water past his limit, and a fatal accident involving jellyfish along with many more. Each chapter gives a sense of death hovering over the characters as the story continues that only the reader seems to know as the character obliviously waits.


Dinner at the New Gene Cafe Book
It is deep in the late hours of the night at a farm, the farmer is asleep. Just a distance away is a field of corn, not just regular corn, but special kind of corn. There is some rustling in the bushes and a group of people walks up to the cornfield. Their faces are shrouded by the darkness of the night. They begin to attack the field of corn by tearing away the stalks and cutting them down with machetes. When the job is done they creep back into the night. In the morning the farmer finds the field destroyed and shakes his head in disbelief. He knows this was the work of saboteurs. The field of corn was actually genetically modified corn with a special gene that gave the corn resistance over herbicides, mainly Roundup, when used to kill weeds.

The Primal Teen Book
By: Barbara Strauch
Have you really ever wondered why teenagers act the way they do, or why they get into the moods they do that no one can quite seem to understand? Or maybe why they do such crazy actions that lack precaution? 'All of a sudden strange things are happening with the kids we know. These are good kids, bright kids, but the other day one stole some calculators from the high school and sold them, another can't finish their homework. Getting my own kids out the door in the morning now is this monumental thing. What is going on?? (Strauch 3)

The Golden Ratio
By Mario Livio
The Golden Ratio is used in famous paintings such as The Sacrament of the Last Supper by Salvador Dali and the main idea is based around a famous number that all mathematicians throughout History have included in their works. The number phi(1.6180339887) is used in real life problems such as in cutting objects into proportions. It could be proportions having to do with math, real-life problems, gambling, carpentry, and art. It all has to do with the perspective from which you look at the number and how you decide to use it.

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife
By: Mary Roach

Is death really the end of life? Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife is a compilation of stories told in first person by Mary Roach. The book is full of great information on the subjects of reincarnation, seances, soul weighing, and much more. The stories are mostly about experiments and concepts made by scientists from long ago.

The Seven Daughters of Eve
By: Bryan Sykes
The Seven Daughters of Eve is a book based on an actual study made in 1994, by a genetics professor from England named Bryan Sykes. Professor Sykes, who teaches genetics at the Institute of Molecular Medicine at Oxford University, was asked to examine the body of a male who was discovered trapped in glacial ice in Northern Italy. The body was discovered by Erica and Helmut Simon while walking in the Italian Alps on Thursday September 19th, 1991. The body was soon named 'The Ice-Man' by the scientific world. The Ice-Man was believed to have been frozen for at least 5000 years. During his examination, Mr. Sykes was able to extract DNA for testing. Part of the results showed Professor Sykes that there was a link between the Ice-Man and people living today.

The Demon in the Freezer
By: Richard Preston
The story begins when a man named Robert Stevens goes hiking in the mountains with his wife. Overtime, Stevens comes down with an illness that has not been seen in the USA for sixteen years. When Stevens dies, the doctors try to figure out how he contracted this disease and had it been spread. This incident leads a chain of other viruses that soon spreads around the USA.

The Universe in a Nutshell
By: Stephen Hawking
In our world, our technology is evolving, from the ships out in the ocean to the airplanes up in our sky. This book shares with us the great discoveries in science from Albert Einstein's twins paradox to James Watson and Francis Crick's double helix.

Invisible Allies
By: Jeanette Farrell
Microbes shape our lives. Right now, there are thousands of them crawling on our bodies and there is no way we can get rid of them. She also describes how without them the world would end because the microscopic organisms play a very important role in the world.
This book disgusted me in so many ways. It opened my eyes to so many things and how no matter how "clean" I think I am I always have microscopic organisms crawling all around me.


Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation: the Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex
By: Olivia Judson
A “Dear Abby” style science column that answers the who, what, when, where, why, and how of a fascinating variety of sexual activity for all creatures, great and small.


Rat: How the World's Most Notorious Rodent Clawed Its Way to the Top
By: Jerry Langton
"It would be ugly to watch people poking sticks at a caged rat. It is uglier still to watch rats poking sticks at a caged person", as once said by Jean Harris. The book not only clues us in on what diseases they cause or what kinds of foods they hate to eat, but he also mentions a lot of human encounters with these filthy friends.

The Elements of Murder: A History of Poison
By: John Emsley
In this story John Emsley writes and talks about some of the most shocking and brutal murders that happen in the past. Some of which consist of who was behind the madness of King George the 3rd, the delusions of Isaac Newton and the very very strange murder of King Charles the 2nd done by the most dangerous and heartless killers. For example Mary Ann Cotton who used arsenic to murder her mother, three of her husbands, a lover, eight of her own children and seven of her step children

Anthem Reading

Follow the link:

http://www.archive.org/details/anthem_librivox

Happy listening!

Final Week of the Term

You know the dates, schedule out your work!

ROAR

Culture Vulture

(no vocabulary)

bring earphones to class tomorrow.

Homework 12/11

Plan out the end of Term II

ROAR
12/18 10 posts

Culture Vulture

12/17 Rough draft and proof
12/22 Final Draft to Turnitin.com
12/22 Poster
12/22 Works Cited for poster
12/22-23 Poster Presentation

Homework 12/10

ROAR?

Oh yeah.

Please dedicate 30-60 minutes this gray evening to quality reading and posting.

Homework 12/9

-Study up for Vocab Quiz #9

-complete "Harrison Bergeron" study guide

Homework 12/10

1: ROAR reading for 30 minutes

2: Vocab Quiz #10 on Wednesday. Remember there will not be any Do Now activities with vocabulary, so you MUST study on your own and ask questions!

December Culture Vulture

Author Talk: Dennis Lehane

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m.
Rabb Lecture Hall, Copley Square Library

Dennis Lehane will speak on the theme of social justice in his latest novel The Given Day, as part of the BPL's Lowell Lecture Series

Roy Blount Jr. --
Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. in the Rabb Lecture Hall. In Alphabet Juice, his 21st book, Blount celebrates letters and their combinations.

from his book:
"Have you ever tried to spell any of the various sounds that pigs make? It isn't easy. It's damn well worth trying, but eventually you have to settle on something close. Steven Pinker, in Words and Rules, observes that pigs go oink oink in English, nøff nøff in Norwegian, and in Russian chrjo chrjo."


December fun at the MFA

Special Events Boston Children's Chorus Listen to the Boston Children’s Chorus sing holiday songs in the Koch Gallery and enjoy free admission all evening, including admission to "Art and Empire: Treasures from Assyria and the British Museum." Wed, Dec 3, 5:30 pm Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble The Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble performs holiday favorites in the West Wing. Sat, Dec 6 and Sun, Dec 7, 1–4 pm

Tasty Culture Vulture

Celebrate the art and science of cooking at Harvard

In December, two free public events at Harvard University will celebrate the art and science of cooking.

Cooking & Science with Ferran Adria: A Conversation on Creativity

Who: World-acclaimed chef Ferran Adria of El Bulli

What: Adria will discuss the fascinating relationship between modern

science and modern cuisine.

When: Tuesday, December 9 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Physics Department, Jefferson Hall 250

Note: Seating is first-come first-served. No exceptions.

From Bean to Bar: The Sweet Science of Chocolate

Who: Howard Stone, Vicky Joseph Professor of Engineering and Applied

Mathematics at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

and Amy Rowat, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Physics and School

of Engineering and Applied Sciences

What: Family-friendly holiday lecture on the science of chocolate (with

live experiments and demonstrations). Appropriate for children ages 7

and up.

When: Saturday, December 13

10:00-11:00 a.m. (morning lecture)

1:00-2:00 p.m. (afternoon lecture)

Where: Harvard Science Center, Lecture Hall B

Note: Tickets required. Registration will open November 25th.

Email: sciencetix@seas.harvard.edufor more information.

Homework 11/19

Post on your ROAR Blog (2 posts)

Study for Romeo and Juliet Quiz (Act 1-3)
* Questions will come off of your Study Guides

Homework 11/18

Romeo and Juliet
Read Act 4 Scene 2&3
5-4-3-2-1
Study

* 2 Posts are Due on your ROAR blog at 2:00 on Thursday

Homework 11/17

Romeo and Juliet
Act 3 Study Guide and Questions

For Thursday
You must have two posts( 5-4-3-2-1) uploaded by 2:00 on Thursday for your ROAR Blogs!!!

Homework 11/10

Romeo and Juliet
Read Act 3 Scenes 2 and 3
5-4-3-2-1 on both combined

Study for Vocabulary Quiz on 11/12
* Reminder - the quiz is on Lessons 1-7

Bring in ROAR books

Free Opera!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Evening of Opera at Whitehead Institute

Time: 6:00p–7:30p

Location: N25, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge)

A special evening of operatic performance by Andrea Matthews, soprano; Philip Lima, baritone; William Merrill, pianist.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Whitehead Institute

For more information, contact:
Ceal S. Capistrano
capistrano@wi.mit.edu

Homework 11/7

Romeo and Juliet
* Read Act 3 Scene 1
* 5-4-3-2-1- on Act 3 Scene 1
* Culture Vulture Poster and work cited
* ROAR Book due on Monday 11/10

Homework 11/6

Romeo and Juliet
* Finish Study Guide
* Do Work Cited List exercise
* Culture Vulture Poster Due on Monday

Homework 11/6 Works Cited

So you enjoyed a meal at Kaze Shabu-Shabu in Chinatown. Yumm!

Time to find information for your poster.

Web Page
1: Go to http://www.kazeshabushabu.com/tutorial.html

Who is the author?
What is the title of the web page? (check the bar at the top of your browser window)
When was it created?
When did you access the page?
What is the url?

2: Using the Culture Vulture Poster Rubric, create a works cited entry for this web site.

Image

1: Go to Flickr.com
2: search for "shabu shabu"
3: find an image you like

Who was the photographer?
What is the name of the photograph?
When when the photograph taken?
What is the url of the actual photo?

4: Using the Culture Vulture Poster Rubric, create a works cited entry for the photo

...still more Culture Vulture

Here are some quality options...

11.5 - 11.7 Michael Eric Dyson | Harvard

(Culture Vulture or Extra Credit)

W. E. B. Du Bois Lecture Series presents Michael Eric Dyson, Georgetown University Professor in three separate talks on: From Homer to 'Hova Hustling, Religion and Guerrilla Literacy in the Pavement Poetry of Jay-Z. at Harvard University (Barker Center, Cambridge)

Nov. 5 - 'Che Guevara with Bling On': Hustling, American Ideals and Jay-Z's Complex Vision of The Game

Nov 6 - Been Praying to God So Long That They Atheist': Jay-Hova and the Politics of Project(ed) Theology

Nov 7 - 'Monster of the Double-Endentre The Rhyme and Reasoning of Jay-Z's Oral Arguments.

All events begin at 4 p.m. For more info click here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Center for Latino Studies @ Harvard Events

RCC Spanish Film Series: Miniciclo Buñuel: El Angel Exterminador

Fri, 11/07/2008 | 7:30 - 9:30 pm

26 Trowbridge Street, Cambridge

Book Talk and Signing: Santiago's Children: What I Learned about Life at an Orphanage in Chile

Tue, 11/11/2008 | 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA

Coyote's Trail Film Series: La Misma Luna

Thu, 11/13/2008 | 6:00 pm

Tsai Auditorium, 1730 Cambridge Street

Brazil Film Series: The Sound of Brazil: Brasileirinho

Tue, 11/18/2008 | 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Tsai Auditorium (CGIS South), 1730 Cambridge Street

Great Extra Credit or Culture Vulture!

November 6, 2008, 4:30-6:30 pm
	H. Samy Alim
Assistant Professor of Anthropology University of California, Los Angeles

Topic:	Hip Hop and Academic Literacies: Linguistic, Poetics and Social Critique
Location:	Boston Latin School 78 Louis Pasteur Ave Boston, MA 02115 For directions go to: www.mapquest.com
.......................................

ICA Teen Night

ICA TEEN NIGHT

Next Teen Night: Friday November 7 from 6-9pm
What happens when you invite teens to a party in an art museum? Teen Nights—the ICA's art happenings organized and promoted for teens by teens.

http://www.icaboston.org/visit/directions-and-parking/

Homework 11/3

1. Lesson 7 Vocabulary Flash Card
2. Culture Vulture Poster Rough Draft Due Wednesday
3. Culture Vulture Poster Due Friday 11/7
4. Choose new ROAR book by 11/10 (Historical/ Hostory of....)

Homework 10/31

Happy Halloween!!!
Romeo and Juliet
Act 2 Scene 1&2
5-4-3-2-1

A Student Work:
* Work on your Culture Vulture Poster
* Culture Vulture Work Cited Page
* Select your next ROAR book (Make sure it is a historical novel)

Have a great weekend!!!

History ROAR!

Here are some choice selections from past years:

The Ultimate History of Video Games
By Steven L. Kent
This book is perfect for anyone who has ever touched a joystick or a D-pad. The premise of this book is how each big company or person that has made gaming history, from Nolan Bushnell (founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese), to Shigeru Miyamoto (the man behind Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Yoshi, and Star Fox).

The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars
By Joel Glenn Brenner
This book was about the war of chocolate. It started off telling about these two men who wanted to pursue a career in creating the best chocolates. The two men were Forrest Mars, and Milton Hershey.

Blue: The History of a Color
By Michel Pastoureau
Certain colors were forbidden outside certain social groups. The moral issue was not the actual color, but the product used to create it. This became part of how people distinguished social outcasts. "The crippled, the deformed, lepers, the 'weak bodied,' and those who were 'cretins and funny in the head' were often to wear bright colors" (Pastoureau 91).

Chewing Gum
By Michael Redclift
Michael Redclift shows a history of how gum was created. Thomas Adams introduced chicle to the Americans but Wrigley offered baking powder to customers who would buy two packs of gum. He convinced millions of Americans to buy his gum.

Babe Ruth and the 1918 Red Sox
By Allan Wood
As the 1918 season ended it was a significant moment for the Red Sox. Unfortunately, it was the last moment worth mentioning for the next 86 years. That year was full of controversy due to the player strike, threat of government shutting down the season, and the lack of players on rosters.

A History of the World in Six Glasses
By Tom Standage
Beer, spirits, wine, cola, coffee, and tea are six beverages that were each the most influential drinks at particular eras in history. These six beverages form a chain of drinks that were important to many people because they were used for important events.

Ice Cream: The Delicious History
By Marilyn Powell
The book takes you back to when ice cream first came to be, and what an interesting history it is. Marilyn Powell did a great in writing this book. She sure knew how to draw her readers in by intriguing stories, myths, and facts about ice cream.

Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light
By Mort Rosenblum
Chocolate, referred to as "the gods' breakfast" is "just about everyone's drug of choice." In the book Chocolate, Mort Rosenblum describes the history and the processes that make chocolate. Based on history, it is said that one hundred beans of cacao was worth one slave.


Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation
By Jeff Chang

The book Can't Stop Won’t Stop was about the hip-hop generation and how it started.
Hip Hop was a very popular type of music in the 1979 when it started. It appealed to people because it was a type of music like no other. Hip Hop originated from the Bronx, New York when DJs began isolating the percussion break from funk and disco songs.

The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager
By Thomas Hine
In the book the idea of “teenager” was discussed. Amazingly, this word did not always exist. According to Thomas Hine and many other people, teens were invented. "The word was coined during the early 1940's by some anonymous writer or editor to describe an age group that had suddenly become a great interest to marketers and social reformers."


Heroin
By Humberto Fernandez
Heroin, the notorious drug known for its addiction and devastation, dates back over 7,000 years ago as the Sumerians made the discovery of opium. One of the main cereal crops that the Sumerians grew was the poppy flower, in which they referred to as "hul gil", or "the plant of joy".

Salt: A World History
By Mark Kurlansky
Salt has made an important contribution to the world. As Mark Kurlansky says, “salt shaped the beginning of civilization and is an element of life.” It was said by some cultures that salt had magical powers. We know salt as something to sprinkle on food, but salt was so valuable that it served as money.

The Devil in the White City
By Erik Larson
The two men were very alike in physical features, but had different careers. One is an architect, while the other is a killer. Burnham, the architect, was well known for many of his like the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington. H. H. Holmes was at first a doctor who then built a hotel called "World's Fair Hotel” where the guests were brutally murdered.

Homework 10/30

Romeo and Juliet
Complete the Study Guide!
Part 1: Find examples of the words we defined in class
Part 2: Answer the questions for Act 1 (These do not have to be in complete sentences)

Culture Vulture

Culture Vulture Posters are due on November 7th.

Shakespeare Glossary

Romeo and Juliet
Here are some excellent glossaries on the web to help you with your Elizabethan English.

1. http://shakespeare.about.com/library/blglossary.htm
2. http://absoluteshakspeare.com/glossary/a.htm
3. http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/Section/Shakespeare-Glossary.id-305499,articleId-300084.html

You can also hunt around on google for good Shakespearean Glossaries, or glossaries specific to Romeo and Juliet

Homework 10/29

Romeo and Juliet
Finish reading Act 1 scene 5
Actively Read
Do a 5-4-3-2-1 for Scene 4 and 5 combined

Homework 10/27

Romeo and Juliet
Re-read Act 1 Scene 2 and Scene 3
Actively Read
5-4-3-2-1
on both scenes combined

Homework 10/24/08

ROAR Posts are due on Sunday the 26th at 6pm. All ten posts are due at this time.

Homework 10-23

Romeo and Juliet Stage Direction
Add stage directions to Act 1 Scene 1. The stage directions should be added to the part that we read today in class(the beginning until the Prince enters the scene, pg289-231). Please add movement, facial movement, props, setting, actions, fighting, voice tone, costumes, etc.

Homework 10/21/08

Romeo and Juliet
Read The Prologue on pages 287-289
After you have read:
1) Make an inference about what will happen in the play.
2) Ask questions, a minimum of 3 questions
3) Is there a rhyme, pattern, or beat to the prologue?
4) Find examples of literary terms, a minimum of 2

* Do not forget to study for your vocabulary quiz tomorrow
* Your Final Draft of your Culture Vulture is due on Thursday to turnitin.com

Homework 10/20

1: make flashcards for Vocab quiz (lesson 5)

2: review over notes on drama terms

3: finish your ROAR book and posts

4: complete your Culture Vulture response sheet and bring proof

Homework 10/16

Bring your ROAR book to class! Plan to read at least 30 pages tomorrow, and compose a 5/4/3/2/1 blog post. Use the computers at the back.

Remember that Culture Vulture is due Tuesday, October 21. If you do not complete a Culture Vulture response sheet by that day, you must attend an after school Culture Vulture film.

10 ROAR blog posts are due by Sunday, October 26 @ 6pm. Remember, you can only post twice in one day.

Homework 10/15

Day 2 of reading Of Mice and Men (1992).

Please complete a 5/4/ /2/1 journal based on our reading today. Sorry about the gruesome scene w/Curley's hand. I think the director made a great choice with how it was filmed, first focusing on Lennie's face, then switching to focus on the bloody hand. Notice how much time is given to the aftereffect of the violence. The violence lasts a moment, but the pain and consequences last for much longer.

Friday= Reading Day! Bring your ROAR book to class and get some posts on your blog.

Be ready to turn your books in on Friday, so please bring Of Mice and Men to class that day.

Homework 10/14

1: be sure to keep on reading and posting that ROAR work

2: Culture Vulture?

3: look back over the OMM film terms, be ready to use them in a HW tomorrow

Columbus Day Homework

1: No Vocab quiz next week.

2: 2 ROAR posts due on Tuesday to your blog

3: Annotate the OMM Film Sheet. Do that good reading!

If you lost the sheet, click here. Read p. 9-11

4: Time to get a Culture Vulture done

Homework 10/9

strange day with photos and all...

So, get your extra credit points for the vocabulary and literary terms section of the OMM test.

Upload your work to Turnitin.com before 2:00 tomorrow

Birds Culture Vulture

Did you know that Computer Science teacher Mr. del Solar is an amazing photographer?

Come out this Columbus Day weekend to enjoy some snacks and sample his wonderful work.

The Boston Nature Center Presents:
Eduardo del Solar's Birds of the Americas II

“In this exhibit I include images from places I have visited this year. Images of neo-tropical birds from Costa Rica, the clay-licks and rivers from the Tambopata rain forest in Peru, our own Everglades in Florida as well as birds from New England are part of this exhibit. Hope to see you there!”

Join us for the Exhibit Opening and Wine/Seltzer & Cheese Reception October 12, 2008 from 2:00-4:00 PM

Boston Nature Center
500 Walk Hill Street
Mattapan, MA 02126 617-983-8500
bnc@massaudubon.org

Homework 10/8

1: get that blog up and running

2: bring your ROAR biography book to class tomorrow

3: earn Extra Credit points on the OMM test by composing one sentence for each vocabulary word on the test, showing a knowledge of the word and using situations from OMM. Also, find passages from OMM that demonstrate the seven literary terms listed on the test; be sure to explain how your passage shows the literary term. Extra Credit due to Turnitin.com by Friday 1:59pm

Homework 10/7

1: Vocabulary Quiz #4

2: ROAR reading

3: Set up your blog!

Huge Culture Vulture Author Event!

You don't even know how huge this is!

Habits of Mind Lecture: Junot Diaz. October 9th, 6:30pm

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Diaz will be joining us in the first Habits of Mind lecture of the 2008-2009 year. Lecture will be open to all staff, students, and community members who wish to join. For more information, or to RSVP for the lecture, please contact 617-635-6789 ext. 214 or nlawton@boston.k12.ma.us

Boston Day and Evening Academy Directions

Dudley Station.

Exit the station and walk towards the major intersection of Malcolm X Ave./Warren Street/Dudley St.

Walk up Warren Street towards the Urban League. The Dudley Square library branch will be on your right.
Take a left onto Kearsarge Ave and walk up the hill to the school which will be on your right.

Film Culture Vulture

Here's a great film festival that is happening this week!

Films are shown at Boston University and Harvard Film Archive.

See the full listing here:

http://bostonlatino.bside.com/2008/schedule

Homework 10/6

1: Vocab quiz #4 on Wednesday
2: set up your ROAR book blog for Thursday
3: get a ROAR book and start reading for Thursday

Post your ROAR blog here!

Time to show off your blogs!

Add a comment to this post, and share the web address of your ROAR blog.

ROAR Assignment

When you have found your ROAR book, here's the next step! You must create a blog and inform me of its location by Thursday 10/9

ROAR Blog
Introduction
As you read your ROAR books this year, you are required to keep a record of your reading. For each book, you must compose 10 sections of 5/4/3/2/1 notes and post them on a blog.

You may not post more than 2 times in one day. If you do not have easy access to internet, hand write your notes and then take 10 minutes after school to post on your blog.

Assignment
5- strong comments about characters and plot
4- insightful questions
3- vocabulary words and definitions; give page #
2- examples of literary terms; give page #
1- summary sentence

Create the Blog
http://www.blogger.com

1: create a Google account
2: name your blog, make it interesting!
3: chose template for colors and layout
4: comment on our class blog and share your blog’s address

Homework 10/2

ROAR!!!!!

You must have a ROAR book for class on Wednesday. Make it a strong biography, at least 200 pages. Do look at the list below for student suggestions.

Vocab Quiz #4 on Wednesday.

ROAR Selections

Here are some ROAR selections from students over the past three years...

Kaffir Boy
Mark Mathabane
This book specifically focuses on the apartheid South Africa of Mark Mathabane's childhood. Publishers Weekly says the book is "Powerful, intense, (and) inspiring," and I strongly agree.

Red Scarf Girl
Ji-Li Jiang
Growing up into a wealthy family in China there were some problems Jiang Ji-Li
faced. Ji-li ,a beauty with brains, was about twelve years old when the Cultural Revolution first began its terror. During the Cultural Revolution in China many young people were blinded from the what was really happening.

Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit
Sean Ferrer
No one would have expected a famous actress to ever step foot on the terrains of Africa. But there is one person that devoted her entire life to sharing love and affection to people all around the world; she is the one and only Audrey Hepburn.

Warriors Don't Cry
Melba Pattillo Beals
What was it like growing up as a black student in the United States during the beginning of integration? Melba Pattillo tells her story when she was one of nine African-American children chosen to integrate Little Rock's Central High School.

No Disrespect
Sister Souljah
A great book for urban teens about Sister Souljah’s life experiences, which can show people the way city people work and the things people do to get money and how love can affect the way others think. Each chapter is about a person in her life who affected her greatly.

Confessions of a Video Vixen
Karrine Steffans
Many girls have the desires and dreams to become the ladies that they watch on television that gets the chance to dance with the stars, gets the chance to be famous
and noticed by the guys. Yet, The true story behind it all might not be that American dream you hoped it to be.

The Road from Home - The story of an Armenian girl
David Kherdian
Everyday, you get up at a certain time in the morning. On the weekdays you go to school, and on the weekends you stay at home or go out with your friends. You go on with your certain routine, not thinking about anything going wrong or changing. But what if it does. What if one day, out of no where, you and your family are told that you have to pack up your things quickly because you are being deported?

Gather Together In My Name
Maya Angelou
In this biography, Maya opens up by giving a description of herself by saying 'I was seventeen, very old, embarrassingly young, with ason of two months, and I still loved my mother and stepfather (Angelou 3).

Chinese Cinderella
Adeline Yen Mah
Not being wanted by her family was complicated. Yen Jun-ling, known in her family as Wu Mei (Fifth Daughter), was born unlucky. Her mother died while giving her birth. "If you had not been born," said Big Sister to her one day, "Mama would still be alive. She died because of you. You are bad luck."

The Life You Imagine: Life Lessons for Achieving Your Dream
Derek Jeter with Jack
One of the best shortstops in the modern era has been Derek Jeter; he is a three time gold glove winner and multiple time batting champ. In his book, he talks about his childhood and lifestyle now. He also tells you his lessons learned as a child from his parents and the world around him.

When I Was Puerto Rican
Esmeralda Santiago
Esmeralda is a girl growing up in Puerto Rico. Life is hard because her family is not that rich. Esmeralda experiences changes that show who she is and where she comes from. It helps show the transition to a new place and new people, how she has to change everything when she has to travel to new places and adapt to her new world. Esmeralda's journey shows her she will always be Puerto Rican.

Rat Bastards
John "Red" Shea
This is the true story of how a boy grew up during a very difficult time in the late 70's, in a predominately Irish neighborhood. He was taught to use his fists because the educational system had let the community down. He learned about respect and loyalty from the very people that would kill you just for pure greed.

Homework 10/1

Link to the Steinbeck Bio: Click!

Take 5 comments about the life of John Steinbeck.

Keep looking for your ROAR book. It must be 200 pages, and be a biography.

Homework 9/30

Review for Vocab Quiz #3

Start to look for a ROAR book. It must be-
1) a biography, memoir, or autobiography
2) at least 200 pages
3) have strong vocabulary (makes you use the dictionary from time to time)

You must bring the ROAR book to class on October 8th

OMM Test

Happy studies tonight.

Remember:
1: who are the characters in the story?
2: what vocabulary words did you learn?
3: how can you use OMM for examples of literary terms (plot, character)?

Of Mice and Men Extra Credit

-keep your eyes/ears open to find references to what we learn in class!


This might be before your time, but here are the Animaniacs:




Sylvester (stop calling me George!) takes on Steinbeck:

The End of Of Mice and Men

phew. Time to see what happened with George and Lennie...

5/4/3/2/1 Notes on Chapter 6

Of Mice and Men Test on Tuesday

Homework 9/25

Way to go on the Vocabulary quizzes! A ten point increase for period 5.

OMM 5/4/3/2/1 notes for chapter 5.

Homework 9/24

OMM 5/4/3/2/1 notes on Chapter 4

Homework 9/23

Vocab Quiz lesson #2...but keep up with last week's words too!

5/4/3/2/1 journal on OMM Chapter 3.

Homework 9/22

5/4/3/2/1 Notes for Of Mice and Men chapter 3 up to page 53.

Vocabulary Work: exercise II and IV for lesson 2 (25-26)

Vocab quiz on Wednesday

Weekend

Ah, a sunny Saturday. Softball game, Icelandic rock concert, community BBQ and Jazz...and lots of grading!

Hope yours has been well.

Homework
-questions for Of Mice and Men chapter 2
-vocab quiz on Wednesday Lesson 2

Homework 9/17

-finish the Of Mice and Men question sheet for chapter 1

-many of you owe summer reading work. Get it done.

Homework 9/16

Welcome to the blog.

-Study Vocab lesson #1 for quiz. Be ready with antonyms.
-5/4/3/2/1 active reading for Of Mice and Men chapter 1

9/9 Welcome Back

1: set up a Turnitin.com account, and enroll in our class
2: upload your Summer Reading Choice Book Quotation Assignment
3: begin to fill out your Access Plan sheet, think about getting that library card

100th Post!

Reminder that the rest of the year we will be starting summer reading. Get your books, and let's begin the summer right.

Also, be sure on your day off to check out Boston's High School baseball MVP's at Fenway Park. That's right, Fenway.

3:00pm start time, and it is free!

Cell phones=mental illness

Love this story, but am disturbed at the parents and kids who get addicted...

ps: check out the sweet idiom usage.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
BBC.co.uk

Spain treats child phone addicts

Two children in Spain have been admitted to a mental health institution to be treated for addiction to their mobile phones, Spanish media report.

The children, aged 12 and 13, were sent to the clinic by their parents, who said they could not carry out normal activities without their handsets.

They were doing badly at school and lying to relatives in order to get money to spend on their phones.

They have been learning to cope without their phones for three months.

Dr Maite Utges, who runs the Child and Youth Mental Health Centre in Lleida, near Barcelona in north-eastern Spain, said it was the first time the clinic had treated children who were dependent on their mobile phones.

"They both showed disturbed behaviour and this exhibited itself in failure at school. They both had serious difficulties leading normal lives," she was quoted in Spanish papers as saying.

The children had owned their phones for 18 months, and their parents had made little effort to restrict their use before noticing how serious their dependence had become.

'Tip of iceberg'

Dr Jose Martinez-Raga, an expert in addictions, said children who developed a dependency on mobile phones, like those who over-used video games, often became irritable, withdrawn and antisocial, and their school performance deteriorated.

He warned these cases could be the "tip of the iceberg", and that mobile phone addiction "could definitely be a danger in the future".

Fears have been raised in a number of countries about the adverse effects mobile phone use may have on children.

Dr Utges recommended that parents not allow their children to have mobile phones until they reached 16 years of age.

Last Homework

Weekend Homework!

1: upload your ROAR to Turnitin by Monday, close of school day. Remember that ROAR is a practice of the summer reading assignment for your choice book- pick three quotations and explain what is going on in the quotes and the overall story.

2: late Culture Vultures? Monday is the very last day.

3: Plan to celebrate dads and a Celtics victory on Sunday!

EXAM Time

Congratulations on the fantastic Odyssey Kick Ball work today. Some amazing catches, kicks, and even a few nasty collisions made us smile!

To review for the test:
1: look over vocab and idioms. There are too many to cram, but familiarize yourself with the ones you have no idea of their definition.

2: read through your Odyssey notes. SparkNotes will only confuse you since they cover the entire 24 books!

3: be familiar with poetry and literary terms.

HW 6/10

Homework

1: bring sensible shoes for Odyssey Physical Challenge

2: bring in your textbooks!

3: ROAR (6/16) and Culture Vulture (6/12)

Culture Vulture (last, last, minute)

Unless you plan to hit up the foreign video section at Blockbuster or the Library, here is a good Vulture Activity.

Boston Guitar Fest 2008!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008
4 p.m.	Williams Hall, NEC
	Boston GuitarFest 2007 Prize Winners First Prize: Cristina Pérez Madiedo, guitar (Cuba); Second Prize: Jérôme Mouffe, guitar (Belgium); Third Prize: Adam Levin, guitar (USA) This concert showcases the prize winners from last year’s performance competition. First prize was awarded to Cristina Pérez Madiedo (Cuba), second prize to Jérôme Mouffe (Belgium), and third prize to Adam Levin (USA). Madiedo was also awarded the VGo Recordings prize as the first place winner. Her first album, Eliot Fisk Guitar Series Vol. 2 will be available at this event. $8 Ticket

DIRECTIONS:


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My own Culture Vulture from Friday!



Brasil gave up an easy goal 5 minutes into the game. This was an upset tantamount to the Patriots loosing to the O'Bryant Tigers (not to take anything away from our team).

HW 6/9

Homework

1: ALL Late Work due tomorrow

2: Culture Vulture due 6/12 (Thursday 1st period before exam)

3: ROAR due to Turnitin.com 6/16

4: Look over study guide

5: Odyssey Physical Challenge: Wednesday!

HW 6/6

Weekend Homework

1: ROAR
2: Culture Vulture due the 11th.
3: Idioms #77-100 quiz for Monday
4: Finish your Odyssey Group Essay

Dragon Boat Culture Vulture

looking for a Sunday event?

Boston Dragon Boat Festival
Sunday, June 8, 2008

http://www.bostondragonboat.org/index.html

ON CHARLES RIVER
9:00AM – 5:00PM Hong Kong Dragon Boat Races Finals

ALONG MEMORIAL DRIVE
12:00PM –5:00PM Asian Foods

IN ARTS AND CRAFTS TENT
12:00PM – 5:00PM
Chinese Arts and Crafts Activities
Recycle Art Activities

RIVER BANK BOSTON SIDE (12:00PM-12:30PM)
12:00-12:10 Eye-dotting ceremony
12:10-12:20 Dragon Dance by Wah Lum Kung Fu
12:20-12:30 Dragon Dance Parade over Bridge with Sponsors

CAMBRIDGE SIDE IN BIG PERFORMANCE TENT (12:30PM-5:00PM)
12:30-12:40 Dragon Dance by Wah Lum Kung Fu
12:40-1:00 Opening Ceremony
1:00-1:30 Chinese Music Ensemble, Chinese Yoyo, and traditional Chinese dance
1:30-1:45 Korean Poongmul Drum/Dance Family Troupe
1:45-2:15 Hula and Tahitian Dance performance by Polynesian Dance Arts
2:15-2:45 Japanese Taiko Drumming by Odaiko New England
2:45-3:15 Chinese Martial Art and lion dance by Wah Lum Kung Fu
3:15-3:45 Chinese folk dance and music (drum and hulusi) by CCCC
3:45-4:00 Korean Poongmul Drum/Dance Family Troupe
4:00-4:30 Hula and Tahitian Dance performance by Polynesian Dance Arts
4:30-5:00 Japanese Taiko Drumming by Odaiko New England

HW 6/4

Here we go!

Green Book Active Reading: 688-696

peace.

Special Culture Vulture

well, maybe somethings do come to those who wait (procrastinate?).

Here is a Culture Vulture that will not disappoint.

Ever want to go to a museum that was filled with skulls?
And within walking distance of school?

The Warren Anatomical Museum at Harvard Medical School is the place for you!

read more here:

your head will spin at all the wonderful sights!

HW 6/3

Homework

phew. Kingdom...phylum...class...order???

That MCAS took much longer than I expected. So, here is the active reading for tonight.

Join Odysseus as he is reunited with his son Telemachus. Actually, it is more of a 1st meeting as Telemachus was a child when Odysseus left for Troy.

1: Green Book pg. 681-688

2: make your way to a Culture Vulture activity pronto.


Brookline Booksmith


Thursday June 5th 7pm
Richard Preston - Panic In Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science
As seen in his exhilarating scientific pageturners The Wild Trees and The Hot Zone, Richard Preston has proven himself a master of the nonfiction narrative. In his latest foray he focuses his microscope on self-cannibalization, the Ebola virus, and amateur Russian mathematicians who build a supercomputer in their apartment.

HW 6/2

Homework

welcome to June. Here are a few reminders.

1: Active Reading of "Trojan War" handout

2: ROAR review (3 quotations) due on 6/16

3: Culture Vulture due on 6/10 or 11

suggestions:

826 Boston Book Reading
I Wish They Would Have Asked Me
Join us in celebration of our first publication, I Wish They Would Have Asked Me, a 180-page anthology of essays, poems, short stories, and letters written by 11th and 12th grade students from The English High School.

When: Thursday, June 5, 2008, from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Where: The English High School, 144 McBride Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130.
-------------
Boston Public Library Events

On the Medical Frontlines: Richard Knox in Conversation with Doctors Without Borders—Thursday, June 5 at 7 p.m. Richard Knox, Health and Science Correspondent for National Public Radio, talks with four aid workers from Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). They will discuss the challenges of reaching people caught in conflict, treating malnutrition, and responding to epidemics, and share how they have made working with MSF a part of their lives.

New Year Baby -- Saturday, June 7 at 2 p.m. A documentary about a refugee's attempts to learn about her family's lives inn Cambodia. Part of a series by Boston Cares and Hostelling International, in partnership with WGBH and ITVS Community Cinema. A panel discussion will follow the film.

HW 5/28-6/1

Homework
greetings from Wilmington NC. I'll be sippin on Sweet Tea and eating a year's worth of "Chick Fil A."

For you:

1: Read to the end of Part 1 (678 in the Green Book, 924 in the Blue)

2: Work diligently on your Shared Essay. Make sure that everyone has e-mail addresses to send work to each other

3: Idiom Quiz #50-76 on Monday, June 2.

4: Get busy on ROAR reading and Culture Vulture activity

HW 5/27

Homework

With the sweet smoky smell of BBQ still lingering in the air, we turn our attention once again to the twists and turns of Odysseus.

1: Read and Notes for Green Book 662-667. Think about the procedures surrounding talking with the dead

2: CULTURE VULTURE update. So with the final exam calendar working the way it is, we will NOT be able to present a Culture Vulture Project. This means that for 5th term, you will only be required to submit a rough draft sheet and proof by June 11.

3: ROAR update. With trimming down the Culture Vulture, the ROAR will be moved forward and is now due on Monday June 16th by 2:00.

HW 5/23

Weekend Homework

1: Idiom quiz #23-49. This had better be a grade "pick-me-up" for you. Put good time into looking over and understanding the meaning of each idiom

2: Active reading of the Cyclops section: Green Book p. 654-662

HW 5/21

Homework

1) ROAR

2) The Odyssey active reading in the Green Book page 647-653.

3) get to the State House and make a change for our schools

HW 5/20

Ye old Homework

1: young lions, ROAR into your travel books. You must be getting some good reads in while the time affords.

2: Culture Vulture? That's right, it's due on the 11th...

HW 5/19

Homework

1) upload your Baz Luhrmann journal to Turnitin.com You must have something interesting to say in the journal, even if it is a question.

2) read pages 642-645 in the Green book, take active reading notes

3) begin the 2nd set of idioms, the quiz will be TUESDAY May 27

HW 5/15

For all the early morning blog readers...

Homework

1: get the ROAR book. Extra shame for people who have yet to think about selecting a book- there are folks who have already READ their book

2: Idiom quiz...Monday

HW 5/14

Homework

Day one of Baz and the Bard:

-Think back over the reading, and compose a 2 page response (yes, skip lines).

-Please move your thoughts beyond "Shakespeare uses swords, but this one had guns."

-Use the article from last night. Now you know Baz's style so comment on it.

Idiom test on Monday #1-22

ROAR book for Monday, too

HW 5/13

Get right on down to the science auditorium for some nice Baz Luhrmann Romeo+Juliet action.

Here is the article you need to actively read, that means take some notes (highlights are just pretty color)

Zeffirelli vs Luhrmann


Find that ROAR book.

Keep on with the idioms. Please come by after school if you can't make "heads or tails" of them...

Idioms List

Here is the list:

Idioms!


Guess the idiom:




credit to Linda Silvestri @ http://sketchedout.wordpress.com/category/animal-idioms/
her site is amazing!

HW 5/12

Homework

1: nothing all that new...

2: Test tomorrow, flip and dip to try and see if you can identify the speakers

3: Idioms #1-22 quiz on Monday! Make sure you are prepared and not going into the quiz buying a pig in a poke...

4: travel to the library and journey about until you discover a ROAR book that suits you and our requirements.

HW 5/9

Homework

1) Enjoy finding a ROAR Travel Literature book. It is due by Monday, May 19

2) Get your Culture Vulture done early.
Here is a wonderful event in Harvard Square on Sunday: May Fair!
-the streets are all shut down for food, music and dance!

A more reflective event on Sunday morning, Mother's Day Peace Walk in Dorchester.

Regardless of event, do find a way to celebrate the mothers in your life.

3) If you have not completed the Research Paper, it must be submitted on Monday, May 12 or you will be attending summer school :)

HW 5/8

Homework

congratulation! Research paper is done!

(if you have not turned in a paper, it must be submitted by Monday, May 12 by the end of the school day)

Weekend Work

1) find that travel book. Think of your favorite genre (fiction, non-fiction, math?) and select a book that has a journey/travel in it. Not a trip to grandmother's house, but an extended trip that is important to the plot and characters.

2) study over Romeo and Juliet Act 4 and 5. The test will be on Tuesday next week.

3) get ready for Baz Luhrmann's Romeo+Juliet


watch the trailer here:
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi58720537/

HW 5/7

Homework

ok. Last night for the research paper. Be sure to check the research paper guidelines, download a 2nd copy from the blog.

Here are some continual questions/answers:

Q: Do I have to pass in all the sections together?

A: Yes. This is one research paper with a cover page, at least five pages of writing, and a works cited page. Print and upload this paper as one document.

Q: Do I have to cite information that I put into my own words?

A: Uh...yes.

Q: Does this paper need an introduction?

A: To quote Kool-Aid Man, "Oh Yeah." Before the first section of RASH, give an overview of the paper: what was researched, why research is important, and that the paper investigates Romeo and Juliet.

Q: Who is that Harold Bloom on the (R) section?

A: He is a "famous" Shakespearian critic, and many of the books we have been using are written or edited by him. You only need to write about Zeffirelli and Garrick for the final section.

Q: What about the titles for all the sections?

A: On the board today, there was an outline of how it might look. See below:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

...Shakespeare died in 1616, and was buried in the same Stratford Church where he

was baptized. Unfortunately, we may never know whose body rests in the tomb

since Shakespeare wrote an epithet that curses anyone who dares "disturb these

bones" (Chapman 23).

Astrology in Elizabethan England

(tab)The power of Shakespeare's last words have remained to this day. While

people today might not be scared of a curse, this prevented anyone in Stratford

from opening the grave. In the late 16th century, people believed that their lives

were "governed by the stars" (Lackland 23). Shakespeare includes these popular

ideas in Romeo and Juliet as the title characters live and die because of fate found

in the sky.

HW 5/6

Homework

Research Paper

1: plan how you will use tomorrow's class...

2: start to put together your paper sections. Yes, you will need and overall introduction to the paper. If it helps, put topic headings in bold before the start of each section

HW 5/5

Homework

Research Paper
1) Final week of the research paper! Everything due on Thursday 5/8

2) The (R)eader section of the paper should answer these research questions:
How have directors changed the the play?
How have critics evaluated the play?

Use the reading from last weekend on Garrick as a starting place.
Use the "Bloom books" in the classroom for additional information.

3) Bring to class your research notes tomorrow so we can work on works cited formatting

4) Bring to class on Wednesday your 4 sections of the paper so we can think about pulling it all together.

ROAR
5) Make a visit to Amazon.com and BPL.org to research what book you are going to read for ROAR term 5

Culture Vulture
6) Culture Vulture for this term will be a public presentation of your information. We will share our events with other students and teachers.

phew. That seems like a lot, but it is just placing into words all of the work you have already been assigned and have been completing these past weeks.

ROAR Term V

For our last term, we will be reading Travel Literature. We will use a broad definition of "travel," and you can feel free to pick a book that recounts an actual journey or select a story of fictional travels.

Hint: If the title has "travel" or "journey" in it, then it is probably going to be acceptable.

You need to get right on selecting a book, since there is not a week break this term and it is so short.

Please use Amazon to research your books. Many students have written ROAR reviews that show dislike for the style of writing. This should not happen since you have the ability to read a few pages before launching full into the book.

Here are two that I like:

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
a riveting first-hand account of a catastrophic expedition up Mount Everest. In March 1996, Outside magazine sent veteran journalist and seasoned climber Jon Krakauer on an expedition led by celebrated Everest guide Rob Hall. Despite the expertise of Hall and the other leaders, by the end of summit day eight people were dead. Krakauer's book is at once the story of the ill-fated adventure and an analysis of the factors leading up to its tragic end. Written within months of the events it chronicles, Into Thin Air clearly evokes the majestic Everest landscape. As the journey up the mountain progresses, Krakauer puts it in context by recalling the triumphs and perils of other Everest trips throughout history.


The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.
Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers.

Research Paper Handouts

Here you go:

Rubric #1 (general guidelines)

Rubric #2 (six traits)

Rubric #3 (works cited)

HW 5/2

Homework

1) active reading of Romeo and Juliet Act 5
2) read the article on Shakespeare adaptation. This will be the start of your (R) section of the paper

HW 5/1

Happy May Day. This is a day traditionally used to celebrate spring rebirth, or national pride and industry.

Homework

1) upload (H) paper to Turnitin.com
2) create a solid advertisement for ROAR

tomorrow, we will look at Romeo and Juliet Act 5.

This weekend, you will start/complete the (R) section of the paper. We will work on that section on Tuesday. Be ready to compose a works cited page, so be sure to have all the bibliographic information for your books and websites.

HW 4/30

Homework
1) Bring in a printed copy of your (H) paper for us to edit
2) The ROAR quotes/explanations are due to Turnitin.com tomorrow
3) The ROAR advertisement is due on Friday (5/2)
4) Upload your (H) paper to Turnitin.com on Friday (5/2). It will be graded on formatting and connecting Historical research with lines from Romeo and Juliet.

Paper Clip Romeo and Juliet:

Locked in an eternal embrace...

Yesterday at Mantua, in an amazing echo of Romeo and Juliet, archaeologists revealed the discovery of a couple locked in a tender embrace, one that has endured for more than 5,000 years.


Read more here:

HW 4/29

Homework
1) Active Reading 4.3+4
2) Outline (H) section of Research Paper. You should have 3 or 4 paragraphs outlined.
M(ain point)
E(vidence from research)
A(nalysis of Romeo and Juliet using the research)

3) Schedule when/where you will conduct further research for the paper

ROAR Advertisement Rubric

The best rubric is to look at the Ads from last year. But here are the formal criteria for how your advertisement will be evaluated.

Rubric:

HW 4/28

Homework

1) Culture Vulture- rough draft and proof
2) Romeo and Juliet Active Reading Act 4 Scene 1
3) Research Paper (H)
-printed copy Thursday 5/1
-Turnitin.com Friday 5/2
5) ROAR 3 Quotations 5/1
ROAR Advertisement 5/2
4) ALL make up work must be completed this week

Vacation Culture Vulture

Hope you enjoyed the marathon yesterday.

Here are a few options for last minute culture vulture.

Jazz and Art:



Sat
April 26th
6 - 11 PM

Jazz Concert and Art Exhibition Opening
Piano Factory
791 Tremont St.
Roxbury, MA
6 - 8 PM Art Exhibition: Ralph Beach, Paul Goodnight, Kwest, Richard Waters, and Taina Vargas
8 - 11pm: Concert - Kenneth Holman and Agape








Copley Library Events

Tuesday, April 22
throughout the day
Copley Square
Josh Elder, the author of Mail Order Ninja, hosts two workshops and a discussion for fans of various ages.



At Copley, there is an interactive exhibition called "Facing History." It is a chance to ask how you view others in the community, and see how people have struggled to live together.
Also, there is a great map exhibition that shows bird's eye views of Boston.

HW 4/18

Homework

-get your research done for Historical Context. Get to a library.

-use an internet version of R&J and search for your topic. http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

e-mail me with questions.


The (H) section of the research paper will be graded for formatting and flow. Make your citations perfect, and make each sentence connect with the next one.

HW 4/17

Homework
-nail down the research topic for Historical Context
-prove to me that you have done some initial research on the topic with lines from Romeo and Juliet or about your topic

Please start to plan out your week of vacation.

I will be at the Copley Library on Tuesday and Wednesday 11am-1pm. Look for me on the main floor, go straight through the open staircase area, and I'll be at a table in the computer area.

Do send me an email so I can expect you there.

HW 4/16

Homework

-2 day research extravaganza begins tomorrow. Visit the library soon, and get books to help with your research

-by Friday, you need to show me your topic, and at least three places in Romeo and Juliet that relate to your topic.

-remember, your research question is "How does historical context help me better understand Romeo and Juliet?" You can find a whole library of information about boats in the Elizabethan era, but can that make it easier to read the play?

ROAR/Culture Vulture Update

With Term 4 providing a deluge of work, I have decided to amend the requirements for ROAR and Culture Vulture.

ROAR
(to replace the standard ROAR 2 page review)

-select 3 quotations/passages from the book
-explain why you found these selections interesting (paragraph per quotation)
-use standard ROAR heading (publication information, letter grade) and use proper MLA intext citation for each quotation

-create an advertisement for your book. The ad must be standard paper size (no billboards please) and show creative thought and quality construction (avoid tape, stock images, messy handwriting).
-the ad should contain the book's title and the author's name (since it is an ad, there is no need to underline/italicize the title)


Culture Vulture

-have fun by attending a Culture Vulture event!
-complete a Culture Vulture rough draft sheet, and attach proof
-we will write a newspaper article about the event next term


Due Dates
ROAR
3 Quotations (Turnitin.com) 5/1
Advertisement (in class) 5/2

Culture Vulture
Rough Draft & Proof 4/29

HW 4/15

Homework

-test, test, oh sweet test!

-pick a topic to research for the Historical Context part of the essay

-sorry, but the idea of R. Kelly having anything to do with Romeo and Juliet makes me laugh...

Approved Internet Sources

Here are some hotlinks for the Research Paper:


http://elizabethan.org/

http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/index.html

http://www.globelink.org/

http://www.folger.edu/eduPrimSrcArch.cfm

HW 4/14

Homework

-review Act 2 and 3 for the test this Wednesday (I suggest making a study guide like we did for Act 1. Know the outline of these acts: who is in each scene, what are the main plot points)

-like countless 9th graders, you have seen a bit more of Romeo in Zeffirelli's film adaptation than you expected. Do you have any thoughts about how the male body is shown in movies? Is there a difference with how the female body is shown? Two movies come to mind (I do not recommend either for your viewing): Borat and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. These films shock(ed)audiences with male nudity. Of course Zeffirelli shows Romeo from behind, but it still leaves little to the imagination.

HW 4/11

Homework
-Active Reading of Romeo and Juliet 3.5

-Act 2 & 3 Test on Wednesday. It will be the same format as the Act 1 test (plot/quotes)

Study Questions

Scene 5:
22. As Romeo is preparing to leave Juliet, what argument does she use to convince him to stay?

23. Later, why does Juliet think Romeo should leave?

24. Just as Romeo is about to descend the rope ladder and leave Juliet, what does Juliet say about the way Romeo looks?

25. Why does Lady Capulet think Juliet is crying?

26. When Lady Capulet threatens to send someone to Mantua to poison Romeo, what does Juliet say?

27. After Lady Capulet breaks the news about Paris, what is Juliet’s response?

28. If Juliet’s mother does not arrange to delay the marriage, what will Juliet do?

29. What is Capulet’s reaction to Juliet’s threats?

30. What is the nurse’s advice to Juliet?

31. How does Juliet’s attitude toward the nurse change?

32. What “scheme” does Juliet devise to get rid of the nurse and to get out of the house?

Weekend Culture Vulture

Math and Art

Hours: Wednesday, Thursday 6-9pm - Saturday, 2-5pm, or by appointment.

Green Street (Orange Line) T Station




826 Boston Grand Opening
North American Symposium on Sasquatch Research

On April 12, 2008, the Greater Boston Bigfoot Institute (GBBRI) will celebrate its grand opening with the North American Symposium on Sasquatch Research (NASSR).

From 12:00 - 3:00 p.m., GBBRI will be open to the public, featuring family writing activities, product demonstrations, music and author readings. Here is a tentative schedule:

* 12:00 – 1:00: Writing Activities for youth & families
* 1:00 – 1:30: Reading by M.T. Anderson, author of The Serpent Came to Gloucester
Reading by A.W. Flaherty, author of The Luck of the Loch Ness Monster
* 1:30 – 1:45: Mayor Menino Visits
* 1:45 – 2:30: Music & Dancing
* 2:30 – 3:00: Bigfoot Films & Product Demonstrations


3035 Washington St.
Roxbury, MA 02119
617.442.5400
Directions