Monday, June 7, 2010

Portfolio with Last Assignments

End of the quarter is near--we will all make it together!  Work hard and jointly on your Creative Final Project--DUE on Monday, June 14th!

The end of the quarter portfolio assignment asks you to write about your learning in: 1. Writing; 
2. Communication & 3. Integrated Learning.  Please read the assignment carefully--do any revisions for the Portfolio and bring it in a 3-hole punched folder on June 16th.  UPDATED WORKS CITED LIST

Research on Non-violent communication--DUE as an Annotated Bibliography on Wed. June 9th.

Ask Kevin about the Potluck for our Final Evening Together and Plan to bring Food!

Monday, May 31, 2010

Essay #2 and Reading New Assignments for Wednesday!

For Wednesday's Class:  Essay #2--Please bring the final essay--well edited and proofread, 2 peer reviews, and 1 draft ++ your process narrative--see all the questions posted on the left & use Sam's groups listing of Works Cited if you have any questions.

For Wednesday's class:  READ the articles posted on the left side of the BLOG including the Final Project Assignment.  We will also have a "seminar" on the "Accidental Asian" chapter of Liu's book.  Questions for the Eric Liu chapter above.

In Memory of those lost in war and in our lives--Rememberings for all today and into the future!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Reading Accidental Asian by Eric Liu

1.  Essay #2--Bring 3 copies--DUE ON MONDAY, May 24th+Peer Editing IS IMPORTANT

2. Our last book, Accidental Asian by Eric Liu,  will have many of the themes we have addressed all quarter, but perhaps add more answers to our conversations about these themes.  Some of the dialogue won't end when our class finishes, and the most important learning will be all of our ongoing communication across our divides.  We are all "becoming" who we are and that is a life time process.
Here is a scholarly paper analyzing and criticizing some of Liu's book.

**NO SEMINAR Papers for this book--we will do a jigsaw on the chapters--assigned in class--and incorporate some responses as we finish our last work--an Integrated Project and the Portfolio.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Resources for Your Critical Thinking

"The Danger of a Single Story" by Edwidge Danticat

Critical Thinking Organization for our Class Discussion

Bloom's Taxonomy to Guide our Thinking about Thesis

Stanley Fish on "Arizona: The Gift that Goes on Giving"

Ted Talks on Cultural Relativism

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat

Edwidge Danticat wrote this fiction book, Breath, Eyes, Memory,  in 1994 when she was just 25 years old.  She has written several other books--both fiction and memoir since.  She is Haitian American.  Reading her book will give you a window into that troubled country, her culture, and the courage of the immigrants who come to America for a new life.  I heard her speak several years ago in Seattle at Benaroya Hall when she was a featured speaker in the Arts and Lectures series.  She was inspiring to hear and learn about her work as a novelist.  There was an interview with her in The New Yorker after the earthquake in Haiti in January.

Ted Talks by Edwidge Danticat
Interview with the Author

Read the book as quickly as you can.  We will have one seminar paper on this book DUE on May, 19th.  By Sunday the seminar assignment will be posted.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Cultural Interview and Finish Obama's Dream

For Monday's Class--Cultural Interview #2 is DUE in class--bring two extra copies. We will share and use the rubric to evaluate each other's work.


Complete your reading of Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama for Wednesday's  seminar #4--do 3 quotes and unpacking if you only did one for Seminar #3. 

BRING all of your books, articles (if you have them printed) to class this week for our work on the Big Ideas and Questions about the work/texts/conversations that we have been doing in our class.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Essay #1 and Seminar Assignments for Obama's Autobiography

Essay #1 about your life with some connection to our texts--DUE on Monday, May 3rd--Include the short paper about your writing process--linked on the left.  [No late papers without notifying the teachers and expecting some "points" off for late work.]

Seminar Preparation Papers #3 and #4--DUE on Wednesday, May 5th and May 12th for Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama.   


Leticia Nieto's articles on Understanding Oppression--