3/23 the time of year when summer turns to spring

Just got back from The Hunger Games.  So. Very. Great.


:-)


I admit it: I cried when one of the characters died. (If you've read it, you know who I mean.)


As for today in school: we watched videos in all classes because of absences. We will return to normal after break.

E2CP: Instead of the fishbowl discussions today, we decided to have everyone write a paper (approx. 2 pages) on the topic assigned to them in yesterday's blog. Email it during the break.

E3H: We'll be starting Macbeth when we get back, but not before getting the Capstone Project off the ground. Look back here over break for some ideas and examples.

WORD OF THE DAY*:       HAVE A GREAT BREAK!!!

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3/22 hungry for the games

I know: I have a one-track mind.

Sorry. But I really am excited about this movie! I don't expect it to be great or anything, but I am looking forward to seeing the world of Panem as it is created on the silver screen. And I must say that Jennifer Lawrence is so outstanding a performer that I do expect brilliance from her. :-)

Film:  Finished Social Network; we'll think of something to do tomorrow. :-)

E2CP: Finished discussing Catcher. Tomorrow:

• Catcher journals are due.
• In-class "fishbowl" conversations for Catcher final assessment:
• You will take part in a graded conversation for which you should prepare tonight by going back through the book and, for the specific question you are assigned, finding textual support and ideas that will allow you to discuss it with clarity and purpose.
• Your grades for this will be based on the following rubric:
• Criteria for judging the Fishbowls:
• quotations cited
• questions asked
• genuine responses to others
• new ideas raised when conversation gets stale
• effort to bring any quiet students into the conversation
• NB: quality, not quantity of comments is important
• NB: do not try to dominate the conversation
• NB: "NB" stands for "nota bene," which means "note well"; in other words: this is important, silly person!
• Groups and questions for fishbowls (assuming all are here): 
• 1. What do Holden's relationships (and non-relationships) with women reveal about him?
• Peter, Claire,, Annalisa, Catie, Allie
• 2. Discuss the "catcher in the rye" theme throughout the novel.
• Andrew, David, Andy, Casey, Tommy L
• 3. We have repeatedly called Holden a hypocrite. Argue that he is not.
• Collin, Tommy W, Willie, Isaiah, Amadeus

E3H: We had our fishbowls and they were good. We'll wrap up Thebes tomorrow and head into vacation fresh!
WORD OF THE DAY*:     QUARRY
* Click word for information.


Tomorrow's Conferences: almost all sophomores

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3/21 portfolios, hunger games, and spring break

What do those three things have in common?

They are pretty much the only things I can think of this week.  :-)

Film: We continued watching "The Social Network."

E2CP: Continued discussing Catcher.

• Reminders: 
• Catcher journals are due before you leave for break. See assignments box for link.
• We're nearing end game on discussion. Please review from 161 on for tomorrow. There could be a quiz.

E3H: We finished discussing Anouilh today and will have our fishbowls tomorrow. If you are not in class, you will need to write an essay to replace the grade.

• Criteria for judging the Fishbowls:
• quotations cited
• questions asked
• genuine responses to others
• new ideas raised when conversation gets stale
• effort to bring any quiet students into the conversation
• NB: quality, not quantity of comments is important
• NB: do not try to dominate the conversation

WORD OF THE DAY*:    PANACEA
* Click word for information.


Tomorrow's Conferences: Claire (but there are only two days left in Cycle 5, and only a few have had conferences!)


Here are some behind the scenes looks at the filming of The Hunger Games:

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3/20 so, did you stand an egg on end?

Seriously. You're supposed to be able to do that today.

Vernal equinox and all. Not that we are actually experiencing anything like a normal vernal equinox. More like a summer solstice. But things are supposed to get back to "normal" next week, when the high temps are supposed to be :

60/59/61/67/57/60

In any other year we'd be jumping for joy to see that. I suspect that, this year, we'll be cursing a bit at the timing of things. :-)

Of course, it's 87 today, so...

Film: We began watching "The Social Network" today.

E2CP: Continuing to discuss Catcher; journals on the book ( see link in assignments box) are due before you leave for break.

E3H: Continued Anouilh's Antigone; pizza tomorrow. For Thursday: fishbowl discussion: prepare by researching Oedipus and the two Antigones and Creons so that you can argue either side of the issue of whether these characters create themselves from free will or whether it is fate that takes command.
WORD OF THE DAY*:    MYRIAD
* Click word for information.


93% Fresh so far:





93% Weird so far:

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3/19 so, did anything important happen today?

Hmmm...  Let's see now.  Did anything important happen in any of my classes?

I'm thinking...

Oh, right, there was something about...

No, that wasn't it. But there was that thing about...

No, it wasn't that either.

I've got it! Juniors turned in their PORTFOLIOS today!!!!

Film: Discussed editing and watched some videos about it.

E2CP: WW today. Your portfolio countdown has begun and stands at 42 days. Catcher tomorrow; journals are due before break!


E3H: We turned in portfolios today!!!!!!!


WORD OF THE DAY*:     ENERVATE
* Click word for information.


Double Daily Dose of Cuteness:

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3/16 everyone is not REALLY irish, you know...

It just seems that way. :-)

This is the final weekend before the junior portfolios. I hope that you have them well in hand and no one needs to spend an absurd amount of hours at the last minute putting them together, and I certainly don't want anyone pulling all-nighters on Sunday to finish the project. If it rains tomorrow, take advantage of the weather!!!


FILM: Yes!! We needed to stay 90 seconds overtime, but we did it! we finished North By Northwest! If you were not here, the whole thing culminates with a dramatic chase atop Mt. Rushmore that can be seen on this video. At the end of the chase, just before the film ends, there is one of the classic film edits of all time, followed by a brilliantly conceived "train going into a tunnel" metaphor. Here Hitchcock himself discusses the detailed  crop duster scene. (The interviewer speaks in French, but Hitch is speaking in English after the first few sentences.)



See the importance of each part of the sequence? That is why he storyboards!

E2CP: Today was RW. The RW assignment requires that you are keeping track in groups of weekly notes. Make sure that you are, even if the group is having trouble each week--even if you abandon a book there should be weekly notes. Your groups should finish at least two books in this project, and target the end of vacation for the first one. On the Friday after vacation, you will meet for the final time before the first grade; the group notes will be collected the following Monday. There will be a WW on Monday.

E3H: We had an impromptu WW today; the Portfolio is due on Monday. No excuses, folks. Bring goodies if you can; we can have a small party! (You'll deserve it.)  :-)

WORD OF THE DAY*:     CAJOLE
* Click word for information.


Tomorrow's Conferences:  Margot, Andrew Nehring

Do you watch Modern Family?





Want to be the cool girl?





Note: in no way do I endorse any of the activities depicted in the following video. But the darn thing is catchy as heck...

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3/15 beware the ides of march

That's today. The ides of March. The fifteenth. So beware. :-)

Film: We did not really meet today. Trying again to continue the movie tomorrow.

E2CP: continued discussing Catcher; RW tomorrow!

E3H: discussed the opening scenes of Anouilh; compared it to Sophocles. Finish reading it tonight and bring it with you tomorrow.

WORD OF THE DAY*:     SUPERFLUOUS
* Click word for information.


Tomorrow's Conferences: Catie, Peter, John Rosencranz

The theme of the day is...DRUMMERS!


THIS KID IS AMAZING!





AND HERE IS A DRUMMER WHO IS JUST...WELL, WATCH HIM :-)





AND JUST FOR KICKS: THE IDES OF MARCH!

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π Day (looking for simple simon)

AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!

I just had the entire post finished and somehow managed to delete it all! Not cool! And I have no intention of rebuilding it.

I need pie.

:-(

Film: We watched more of North By Northwest.


E2CP: Discussed through Ch 11; finish book by tomorrow.

E3H: Started discussing Anouilh's Antigone; try to read it tonight.

TODAY'S VOCAB WORD IS QUERULOUS.

After today's "American Pie," a student asked if we could hear "Bohemian Rhapsody" next. So here goes:

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3/13 venus and mars (and jupiter) are all right tonight

Have you guys seen the planets this week? It's way too cool to miss! Look in the western sky if it isn't cloudy tonight: you will see Venus and Jupiter thisclose together! Venus is the brighter one because it is closer to us, but I have heard that even if you have a smallish telescope you can seen at least four of Jupiter's moons. :-) Then, after seeing them, turn around and face east: you can also see Mars super-clearly! It's that small red planet midway up in the eastern sky. Overall a great time for looking skyward!

Film: We continue North By Northwest.


E2CP: Catcher ch.23 due tomorrow.

E3H: Discussed Antigone today. Tonight, please begin reading the 1940's version of the story written by French Resistance playwright Jean Anouilh. You can download a copy here. (It is linked on the E3H pages.) You do not need to finish it tonight; just get it started and note the differences in style and character from the Sophocles.

WORD OF THE DAY*:     APPROBATION
* Click word for information.


Tomorrow's Conferences: Allie

A baby boomer's lament:



And...here is a guy who desperately needs an anger management seminar:

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3/12 single digits

Yes, juniors: you are in single digits now! The portfolio countdown is under a week!!! (Ah, it seems like just yesterday that you had sixty days. How time does fly...as I might have mentioned last October.) Anyway, I suppose I will be expecting many (if not all) of you in drop-in conferences this week?

:-)

Film: We started "North By Northwest." For homework: Watch the videos from Friday's links--the ones you didn't watch over the weekend--and write neat notes on them which you will turn in tomorrow for a grade.

E2CP: WW today in which we went over Portfolio Requirements. (See link to the far left under "links.") Catcher tomorrow through Ch. 18.

E3H: WW today (you betcha). Antigone due tomorrow.

WORD OF THE DAY*:   GREGARIOUS
* Click word for information.


Tomorrow's Conferences: Tommy, Andy Nelson, Collin, Emma

TED is a conference of technical wizards giving discussions on the great advances that the future holds for us all. IMPROV EVERYWHERE decided to prank the conference with this:

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3/9 another weekend cometh

The extended forecast is in the 50's and 60's; here's hoping winter is slipping away for good. In any case, my front garden has yellow, white and purple crocuses blooming, so there's that. :-)

Film: Watch the video I put on yesterday's blog for you. Or click here to watch it on youtube. Then watch the remaining parts of the program: (Part Two and Four are unavailable--though there are a couple of links, they aren't really the right thing; it should not matter much.),  Part Three,  Part Five,  Part Six,  Part Seven.  The whole thing will take about an hour. Take some notes so we can discuss this on Monday; compare it to what you learned in class and in the book. In this week's review, focus on editing.

E2CP and E3H: WW Monday. See yesterday for reading assignments for Tuesday.

WORD OF THE DAY*:    ASSIDUOUS
* Click word for information.

Monday's Conferences: Summer, Joseph

Junior Portfolios are due on March 19. Do you know where your portfolio is?

Some political humor for the weekend:

So I found this absolutely hilarious pseudo-"ad" that I had to show you because it made fun of the use of double (and triple and quadruple) negatives for its humor, and (because I would not want to be accused of bias) I went searching for something to balance it and I found a perfect video!


Here is the "ad":

Double Negative Political Ad - watch more funny videos      

And here is the other video, which consists of slides of all sorts of anti-Obama graphics from all over the web, many of which are truly witty, even hilarious, because they rely on cleverness to convey their message instead of the more usual rancor (which is what makes such videos so hard to find in the first place).




HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

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3/8 happy international women's day!

I'm serious. It's International Women's Day. Did you know that?

Film: We finished our movie and started talking about editing. Bring books tomorrow and watch the video below:



E2CP & E3H: We discussed our literature today (Catcher and Antigone). For Tuesday: Sophs read through Chapter 18; juniors finish reading the play. RW tomorrow; juniors we do have a lab for those who wish to write.
WORD OF THE DAY*:     INTRANSIGENT
* Click word for information.


Tomorrow's Conferences:Catie, Carter, Amadeus, John Rosencranz

It's International Women's Day!

Rush Limbaugh recently called women who use birth control sluts. These singers would like to respond.

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3/7 (not quite yet) the first day of spring

I need to do this now:

I mean the actual first day of spring it will probably snow. :-)




Film: We just about finished "Singin' in the Rain today. We will do so quickly tomorrow and then discuss Editing so bring your books.

E2CP: Discussed more of Catcher; tomorrow we'll be discussing through Chapter 11.

E3H: Today we had a bit of fun with Oedipus. Here is a little more:


WORD OF THE DAY*:   CAPRICIOUS
* Click word for information.  


Tomorrow's Conferences:  Kylie, Henry, Allena, Ahmmad, Kathleen, Tom, Claire

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3/6 sorry so late!

I was amazed to hear that temps were in the 60's. Well, I did see a couple of crocuses yesterday...

Film: Still watching "Singing' in the Rain."

E2CP: Read Catcher 6-8 for tomorrow.

E3H: I had to leave school immediately after school and did not get home until just now (7:30), so I don't have time to chase down the video I wanted to find. Thus I will instead leave you with this one, which is at least something:



WORD OF THE DAY*:     TRACTABLE
* Click word for information.

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3/5 it's beginning to feel a lot like...

So, three weeks to Spring Break. Why then does it feel like the day after Thanksgiving break? From the temps and the snow, I think we should be heading toward Christmas...

jingle bells, jingle bells...


Film: We started "Singin' in the Rain" today. You should have read the Editing chapter of your text; we will be discussing that either tomorrow or Wednesday; have it with you.

E2CP: WW today. Back to Catcher tomorrow. Read Chapters 4,5.

E3H: WW today. Back to Oedipus tomorrow. Please have finished reading the play.

WORD OF THE DAY*:    DISSEMBLE
* Click word for information.


Tomorrow's Conferences: Kasia, Tommy L, Emmett, Tommy S, Laura, John Roberts, David, Casey

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3/1 a new month, a new beginning

Let us hope so.

Go home this weekend, talk to your parents, talk to each other, and maybe do the two things that are hardest of all: be honest and listen. It's been a rough week. My wish for you all is that you spend time this weekend parsing it and working through it. I'll see you Monday.

No new homework this weekend other than the standard stuff.

This song just seems right today:




So does this one...



OK. Enough. Now here is a cute dog video to make you smile:



Seriously. Try to treat yourselves well this weekend, OK?

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