NPR story

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We've already talked about this and you've already thought about it, but if you want more information, go here.

Submit your story here.

If you want even more information, go here.

Also email me your story at the address in the sidebar.

Note that this is, in part, a creative exercise and, in part, an exercise in following directions. Good luck.

English 4: May 14, 2010

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Read this, then come back and answer the questions. Send your answers to my email. Then spend the rest of the time working on your bundles. I'll be consulting with groups again.

1. Why do these guys think we need an alternative to Facebook? (Be specific.)

2. Are you worried about privacy concerns with Facebook?

3. If you use Facebook, what would it take to make you stop? If you don't use Facebook, what would it take to get you to join?

AP: May 11, 2010

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Your sole homework assignment for the rest of the year is as follows.

1. Do not do just 2 or just 3. Do 2 and 3 simultaneously.

2. You will work in eight groups of four (no more, no less).

3. You will pick one of the hundredthirty or so options available here.

4. One group, one bundle. Pick people you can work with, pick a bundle you're all interested in, etc.

5. You have the rest of this month to find the parts of the bundle and consume them. The site's sidebar has helpful links for libraries etc.

6. As you read (or watch or etc), be thinking about what all these things have in common. Their common thread is what your presentation will be on.

7. In June you will give half-hour presentations.

8. I will grade your presentation. The points will be distributed according to how you grade each other.

(hit older posts to see this week's in-class assignment again)

AP's tasks for this week.

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We'll be officially in the D computer lab all week. As you need passes to the library etc you are welcome to them.

1. Visit this list, claim your stories, get researching.

2. On Monday May 17 you will give a presentation on both stories. Your presentation will include a brief retelling of both stories and at least one example of one of your stories being used in modern literature (1550 or later). (You might find it more useful to begin with a modern tale and deconstruct it to its classical or biblical ancestors.)

3. Because part of our goal is to unwind after all this test stuff, let's make posters too. You don't have to use both stories in your poster if you don't want to. Let's make that due the same day as the presentations.

4. Part of the reason Greek myth and the Old Testament have been so formative for Western culture is because they're dang good stories. If you not having fun with this assignment, you're doing it wrong.

5. I'm sitting right over there. Feel free to ask me questions.

6. New task coming tomorrow. But it's not "for this week" in the same way this is.

April 23, 2010

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Seniors.

We have now finished reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X and, having read the epilogue, we have a sense of how Alex Haley was involved in creating and finishing the manuscript.

A new biography of Malcolm X is in the works and its author recently talked about the autobiography and the difficulty of doing original research on Malcolm. Here is the interview. Was Alex Haley in cahoots with the FBI? Did you know the FBI had 40,000 pages on Malcolm? Was the FBI afraid he was a "black messiah"?

And those are just questions about the FBI.

The interview is rather long, but go check it out.

Once you feel you have a good sense of the interview, answer these questions and email them to me (my email address is in the sidebar). Write coherently and with proper paragraphs and sentences. Those of you with lots of zeros, please don't let this become another one.

I look forward to your thoughtful responses.

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1. What is in the Autobiography's three missing chapters? Why do you think they were not included in the final, printed book?

2. What makes Malcolm X's death even more suspicious to Professor Marable? Who do you think is most to blame for his death?

3. Based on the epilogue and this interview, do you think Malcolm X was correct or mistaken in coming to trust Alex Haley? Explain why you think that way.

4. How did this interview change your thinking about Malcolm or the Autobiography? Why or why not?

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Have a good weekend!

Seniors: Bundle preparation

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For those of us who will be here for the final quarter, in addition to the readings and writings for the Autobiography of Malcolm X and Nineteen Eighty-four (our next book) you will have one major homework project. This is a group project. We will figure out groups next week, but I want you to look at the options available to you know. Think about which projects interest you and which people you trust enough to work with.

Do NOT think you can slide through this assignment without helping. The grading is arranged in such away that although you work as a group, you are graded for your individual contributions. So you need to be prepared to pull your weight. (That said, you also can't just let people in your group drop out and do nothing. That's not going to fly either.)

Here is the website with your options: http://themedassignment.blogspot.com/. Currently there are 126 options, so you should be able to find something that interests you.

When you settle on one (not today), your group will have to find all the items on the list, read/watch all the items on the list, and prepare a presentation for June on what you've learned. I'll give you more details later. Right now just explore.

Due at the end of the block: Email me three bundles that look interesting to you and describe how much work you think each bundle might be.

(Note also that this is the last day to do wikiwork before grades go in.)

March 19, 2010

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Two main tasks for today:

1. Read this article or this article or this article. Do a Soapstone on it and email that Soapstone to me at the email address over there ------------>.


2. Add to the wiki.

Don't forget to <ref></ref> your references!

Thing to be added:

Don't forget to <ref></ref> your references!

From Othello:

most of the characters still don't have pages

Zora Neale Hurston (an article for her, an article for "Sweat", articles for Delia Jones, Sykes Jones, etc)

Ray Bradbury (an article for him, articles on Fahrenheit 451, characters therefrom, etc)

More lit terms (soliloquy and aside are two we talked about for Othello but we still have room for lots more.

Don't forget to <ref></ref> your references!

And keep in mind that you will be getting a grade for the wiki sometime next week. Make sure you've done lots of work.

March 2010

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Go to http://gaucho.wikia.com and make articles.

(Make sure you log in or you will not get credit for your work!)

You may make articles on lit terms, root words, characters from Othellow or Fahrenheit 451, places on campus, etc. (Click here to see articles people have been working on lately.)

You are graded on quality and quantity of edits.

ASK ME QUESTIONS.

(You might find this helpful.)

Feb. 12, 2009

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If you haven't made your Wikia account yet, do it over the break. This is big points and you have ten days to do it. Make it happen.

(Just follow Step one.)

Today I want you to explore other wikis on Wikia. Here's a list of the 250 most popular. Find a few that interest you and check them out. (In other words, just look around and read stuff that interests you. There are hundreds of wikis so you'll be able to find several you like.)

Also look inside the articles, figure out how they work. You do this by clicking "Edit this page". Don't make any actual edits --- and please don't vandalize any articles, or you'll get us blocked and wiki work will become homework from now on.

But look inside them and see how they do what they do.

Keep a list of what you liked and didn't like about the different wikis and show it to me. You can do this in an email to yourself or on paper or however, just show it to me so I can check off that you are being thoughtful about what makes wikis work, so we can apply that knowledge to the one we will be building.

Then when the bell rings, have a great week off.

(Don't forget to sign up if you haven't already.)

English 4: February 5, 2009

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Go to http://gaucho.wikia.com.

Larger version of the images below
(they aren't in order --- sorry about that):
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/8008/newarticle.jpg
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/3985/newarticle5.jpg
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/6456/newarticle4.jpg
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/4544/newarticle3.jpg
http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/5803/newarticle2.jpg
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/8746/createanaccount.jpg
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4350/createanewarticle.jpg


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Step one: Create an account.



On your user name (THIS IS IMPORTANT assuming you want credit for your work), follow this pattern. (If you do not follow these instructions, I WILL NOT KNOW WHAT YOU DO and thus I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU YOUR POINTS. Please please please do this right.)

How to make a username that I will be able to identify as you:

a) Your block number followed by an underscore
b) The first three letters of your last name
c) The first three letters of your first name
d) If your user name is already taken, add some numbers to the end.

For instance, if you are in second block and your name is Barbara Boxer, your user name will be 2_BoxBar (or 2_BarBox123 or something if that one was already taken).

Making your user name according to these instructions will mean that I will know who to give credit to for all the work 2_BoxBar does.

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Step two: Create a new article.

Using the list of literary terms we generated earlier this week (although feel free to go off the list if you want, write an article. (If an article already exists for that item, feel free to improve it.



When you click to create a new article, you see this screen:



First thing, click on this button:



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Step three: Write the article

Now, under "Title:" put the name of the lit term.

In where the article will go, write it again, surrounded by three apostrophes. We didn't talk about this on your cheat sheet, but this makes things bold. Then give a definition. If you quote something directly, use quotation marks. But whether you quote it directly or not, be sure to include <ref> tags with your reference inside.


(Sorry that the title is covered up in this image. My browser's being goofy.)

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Step four: Reveal the references.

Make a new section with a new header called "References" and then type {{Reflist}}.

(Note: at any time you can hit the preview button and see how the article looks so far.)



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Step five: Finish it up.

Click this button:



Type in "Literary Term".

Under "Summary:" give a brief description of what you did. In this case, for instance, you might write something like "new article". This is helpful when I'm grading. Makes it easier for me to know what you've done.

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Step six: Don't forget to hit "Save Page"!!!!!!!!!!