Deadline For All Work

If you're planning to make up missing work, revise essays, or deal with any other back-work issue, it needs to happen before:

MAY 14th

Cycle 25 - Everybody

Okay, the final month is here. And each class is on their respective "plan" for the remaining 4 cycles. Be sure you're consulting the calendars I created for you often. Sophs, it's quality project all cycle, and "Stuckness" in class; Freshman, bring A Midsummer Night's Dream and get ready to do some performing; Composition, this cycle we write our nature essays.

Daily Bookmarks: Technology and Independence

Psychology Today: Mood Tools: High-Tech Tethers

The ubiquity of cell phones has dramatically increased the number of "grooming calls," nonessential expressions of concern, support, and love...



Watson'sComment: After spending some time at all grade levels in our school, one of the questions that keeps coming up is: how does technology change the way we (students) interact? This article addresses the questions from a few angles. Read on.

Inspirational

Spring break is almost here. And here's a poem that I love.

How To Be A Poet
(to remind myself)

Make a place to sit down.
Sit down. Be quiet.
You must depend upon
affection, reading, knowledge,
skill - more of each
than you have - inspiration,
work, growing older, patience,
for patience joins time
to eternity. Any readers
who like your work,
doubt their judgment.

Breathe with unconditional breath
the unconditioned air.
Shun electric wire.
Communicate slowly. Live
a three-dimensional life;
stay away from screens.
Stay away form anything
that obscures the place it is in.
There are no unsacred places;
there are only sacred places
and desecrated places.

Accept what comes from silence.
Make the best you can of it.
Of the little words that come
out of the silence, like prayers
prayed back to the one who prays,
make a poem that does not disturb
the silence from which it came.

Wendell Berry, Given

Cycle 21

The last cycle of the quarter is here! In the next few weeks, sophs and frosh, we'll be finishing our novels and looking ahead to final projects. Juniors and seniors, we'll continue to improve and innovate in our writing with fresh topics and model essays, as well as interesting, I hope, activities that will help you think about composing sentences and paragraphs in different ways. Oh, and that spring break thing too.

Cycle Theme: Recharge

SAT Vocab: paucity and appropriate (verb)

Freshman
In Class
Day 1 - "Shaman" quiz and discussion.
Day 2 - (After break) Flat World. CLCC.
Day 3 - Flat World. CLCC.
Day 4 - "At The Western Palace" quiz and discussion.

HW:
Over break, read "At The Western Palace."
When we get back, feedback for voice and sentence fluency, and a new revision. Denver and Seoul are going to take a break with us.


Sophomores
In Class:
Day 1 - "Revelation" quiz and discussion.
Day 2 - Film: Mosquito Coast.
Day 3 - cont.
Day 4 - Lit Circles

HW:
Over break, read "Judges."
Before break, a post comparing film to PB and anything else you find relevant.
After break, a commonplace post and a lit circle post.


Composition
In Class:
Day 1 - Sentence/Grammar Work.
Day 2 - Posting photos and writing sentences on wiki.
Day 3 - More work with sentences.
Day 4 - New essay, new topic

HW:
Over break, non-required writing and reading.
After break, posts due.

Blogging By Example

Check out these composition bloggers.

James is exploring the politics of blogging and school, while exercising the power of hyperlinks.

Linda is asking questions and reflecting on her service experiences.

Daniel is challenging his own assumptions and experimenting with point of view shifts.

Kate is showing us that presenting posts in different visual configurations can be quite effective.

Mr. Watson's Reading Habits

Here's my blog reading/grading schedule.

A - Composition 12:30
B - English I 2:30
C - Composition 10:30
E - English II 1:30
F - English II 11:30

Don't Miss This Game

Date: Friday, March 30, 2007
Time: 7:00pm - 8:45pm
Location: Pool

Tickets are $5 and t-shirts are $10. Both teams will include students and faculty (watch out for Mr. W representing). The meat club will also be selling food. All proceeds go to Sara Simmons (Mr. Johnson's wife) and their two children for educational and every day purposes. This is just a small way for our community to have fun while giving back to a family that has given us so much.

Tickets will be sold in the week before the game (possibly earlier) and at the door.
If you're interested in playing in the game, please contact Sasha Fuller.
If you're interested in helping us run/organize the game, please contact Lani Maher.

Cycle 20

We've been busy! And we've experimented with the use of a lot of new technology. So this cycle, we're not going to introduce anything new. Instead, we're going to reflect on where we've been and continue to do what we're doing. We'll do some more podcasting as a supplement to writing in all classes (frosh-seniors). I'm also going to ask you to consider what 'self' you've created on your blog and whether or not you're satisfied with that self. With the exception of my composition classes, we'll be moving deeper into our core novels. Lastly, don't forget that the end of the quarter is right around the corner. So make sure you're caught up with EVERYTHING!

Cycle Theme: Raising the bar.

SAT Vocab: penchant and pragmatic (add to your sidebar, make notecards, use in posts and class)

Sophomores
In-Class:
Day 1 - Class discussion led by lit. circle groups, new group and role
assignments.
Day 2 - Walk activity. Examples in sidebar.
Day 3 - Lit. circle time, center-of-gravity quotes.
Day 4 - In computer lab for reflective blog work. ("Revelations" quiz next A-day)
On Blog:
2 Lit. Circle Posts
2 Comments on other blogs
Blog revision and assessment (we'll discuss)


Freshman
In-Class:
Day 1 - In computer lab for Flat World Story Work - Organization.
Day 2 - In computer lab for Flat World Podcasting.
Day 3 - Lit. circle meeting.
Day 4 - "Shaman" quiz. Class discussion.
On Blog/FlatWorldWiki:
Feedback for two writers in row below your row posted by Thursday midnight.
New draft by next Tuesday (these are new deadlines)
Post a Hawaii ghost story on your blog.
1 Lit. circle work post.


Composition
In-Class:
Day 1 - Elbowing Day 2.
Day 2 - In computer lab for time to revise/give feedback using Wiki.
Day 3 - Finish King essay.
Day 4 - Defining Moment Essay due. Grammar work.
On Blog:
Leave 5 comments
4 Entries (Revise/delete after class discussion).

Extra: Mr. Burell and I are looking for some students to Skype with us and some of his students over the weekend. We'll talk about blogging and record our conversation as a podcast. Talk to me if interested.

Protect Your Podomatic - ATTN: Sophomores

Podomatic has a friend service that we're not going to use. So any requests for friends need to be denied. Thanks.

Check Your Email!

I sent an email to several of you about following the class blogging policy. It's a big deal so check you email and see if I sent you one. And I'd like everybody to go into their settings and make sure you've unchecked the box that makes you searchable.

Attention Graphic Artists

I'd like to create a logo to use on my blogs, wikis, podcasts, etc. Would any of you artists out there be willing to help me. If so, let me know.

Humanity Labotomy

Cycle 19

Okay, now that we've had a chance to sink our proverbial teeth into our blogs, I think I move a better sense of how to continue to use them effectively. So I've rearranged things a little because one of the biggest benefits of the blogs is that it allows us to see our in-class time differently. I'm going to try to explore and take advantage of that. Instead of cycle sheets, I'm going to write a post at the beginning of each cycle. Like this. It'll have a description of where we've been and where we're going, a list of things we're going to do in-class, including any activities for which you need to prepare specific work or feedback, and a list of homework to be completed on your blog. Unless a specific piece of work needs to be ready for a specific day of class, you can complete the blog postings in any order you see fit. Each post should be completed between each class meeting and should represent 20-30 minutes of blogging. It's easy to tell how long it took you. We're also going to engage in a cross-grade level, cross-class vocabulary development exercise. This cycle, everybody needs to look up these two words, use them in at least 2 of your posts (each word twice) and try to use them in class discussions. Also add them, with definitions, as a permanent list on your sidebars. The words are:
contumacious and impute

Sophomores:
In Class:
Day 1 - SAT writing and assessing
Day 2 - Literature 8's meeting and work
Day 3 - Literature 8's meeting and work
Day 4 - PB quiz and Lit. 8's class discussion

Blog:
1 post analyzing your SAT essay after class discussion.
2 posts worth of PB literature 8 work.
1 or more commonplace posts.
Maintain correspondence with partner schools.
Special note to sophs: I'm bringing my headset for TIB podcasting today after school.

Freshman:
In Class:
Day 1 - Reflection on 1001 project, what to do next: organization.
Day 2 - Literature 8's meeting and work: White Tigers
Day 3 - Literature 8's meeting and work.
Day 4 - WT quiz and class discussion.

Blog/1001 wiki:
Post feedback to partners in Seoul and Denver by Thursday midnight.
New draft of story by Sunday midnight.
2 posts worth of literature 8 work.

Composition:
In Class:
Day 1: A video, take a look at some of our blogs, how the notebook requirement will change, debrief on our use of the wiki as writing workshop, start reading a new essay, return essays?
Day 2: Elbow revised draft (be sure you bring three).
Day 3: Elbow #2
Day 4: Grammar work, but not what you expect.

Blog/Wiki:
Requirement change: 5 pages in notebook and 4 blog posts each cycle. Try to follow themes in your writing. In other words, carry on a conversation, explore it from different angles and points of view.

Watch This And Weigh In

This video has been going around the education blogosphere. Your friends in the English department watched it yesterday. What do you think?

It's Interim Time

Just a quick reminder that interims are coming up. I'm turning them on the 26th, a week from yesterday. If you have missing work, expect an interim.

The Life Aquatic

As most of you know, I wasn't at school yesterday or today since I was on the Rapture boat trip. I didn't know the best way to get in contact with all of you, so I just decided to write a quick post. I've really been relying on Mr. Kandell to take care of you, and it's comforting to know he's there. Please extend to him your and my appreciation for his help. I might or might not be at school tomorrow. Some of you have been emailing with questions about blogs and assignments. Please continue to leave me messages, and I'll do my best to send a timely reply. All you need to do is support each other. As far as work goes, just write a commonplace post each day. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that although I'm not there, I'm here for you. Aloha.