Academy of Environmental Sciences Writing and Literature

"the last spin" news article - June 12th

2008-06-12T05:25:00.000-07:00

You are reporters for a national teen magazine. Your editor has asked you to find out why a teenager called Danny committed suicide. Your mission is to cover the story from one of four angles.

Reporter 1 :
Check for background information on teen gangs: Write a profile of Danny based on your findings.
Reporter 2:
Check the schools for information on how they deal with teen gangs: Write a plan on how to deal with the issue at school.
Reporter 3:
Speak to Danny's parents: Write an interview with his parents based on your findings on parental involvement or lack of it.
Reporter 4:
Speak to his girlfriend: Write the interview. Could she have prevented Danny from belonging to the gang?

here is a link to the short story "the last spin"

extra credit

2008-06-08T06:05:00.000-07:00

here is the link to the short story "The Killers" by Ernest Hemingway

Read the short story and then fill out the literature circle handouts using the story

the killers

handouts -
discussion director
literature luminary
vocabulary enricher

Thursday May 29th: Powerpoint Facebook

2008-05-15T00:26:00.001-07:00

As a way to practice making Powerpoint Presentations, you will now use PowerPoint to make a facebook presentation of yourself using the techniques I showed you in my Facebook PowerPoint. THINK MYSPACE!

In your facebook you must have pages that include:

A quick profile of yourself (For Example: name, age, place of birth, hometown, favorite quote, interesting facts about yourself, etc.)
Information about your education

Also, you should include pages dedicated to describing at least FOUR of the following.

some of your interests/hobbies
your musical tastes
your favorite tv show(s)
your favorite movie (s)
your favorite book (s)
your personal heroes
your plans for the summer
places you have traveled or would like to travel

**include pictures if available

Pointers:

vixy.net allows you to convert youtube videos
you can drag pictures from websites into your PowerPoint
Experiment with custom animations for different effects.
Use the insert tab to include music or videos.

GRADING: include all necessary information; Creativity

ANY OFF TASK BEHAVIOR AND YOU WILL YOU RECEIVE AN IMMEDIATE ZERO!

May 6th, 2008: "The Green Mile" Writing Assignment

2008-05-05T21:20:00.001-07:00

Now that you have finished watching the film "the Green Mile," type up your reaction to the film.

Print this out in a word document and turn it in! DO NOT put it on your blog!

In order to receive full credit, your reaction should include answers to the following questions.

1. What did you think of the film overall?

2. Describe your favorite/least favorite scene from the film

3. Who were your favorite/least favorite characters in the film and why? (Ex. John, Percy, Crazy Bill).

4. What were some of this character's traits? (Example: brave, stupid, intelligent, etc.)

5. Discuss what you think John was. An angel? A superhero? Something else?

5. John voluntarily lets them execute him instead of having them help him escape. Talk about why you think John did not want to go on living.

6. Did you agree with the ending of the film or would you have made it different somehow?

7. Any other aspect of the film you might want to discuss.

When you have submitted this assignment you may have free time on your computer. Any other websites that are open before submitting this assignment and you will receive a zero for the day and be kicked off your computer.

REMEMBER TO PRINT THIS ASSIGNMENT OUT! DO NOT POST IT TO YOUR BLOG!

ALSO REMEMBER YOU MUST SUBMIT 4 COMMMENTARY PARAGRAPHS FOR THE FILM!

The Green Mile Writing Assignment

2008-05-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

Wednseday, April 30th: Email to Tookie's Legacy Staff

2008-04-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

Class, I am having you do one final assignment for the Tookie Williams unit

Today you will be writing an email to Tookie's Legacy Staff.

***Follow these directions to receive full credit***

A. Open up a word document.

B. In about 100-150 words, write an email to Tookie's Legacy staff discussing what you learned about in the unit we finished right before Spring Break.

This email should include:

An introduction: "Dear Tookie's Legacy Staff..."
2 to 3 things you learned about Tookie Williams and his anti-gang activism

(For example: his idea of Self-Hate)

What you thought about the selections from his books

Life in Prison" and "Blue Rage, Black Redemption"

What you thought about the film "Redemption" and its portrayal of Tookie's life
Any suggestions you might have on gang prevention
Brainstorm 2 to 3 questions of your own to ask Tookie's Legacy staff

For example "What is being done to continue Tookie's anti-gang activism after his death?"

C. Copy and paste this into an email and send it to Tookie_legacy@tookie.com as well as to chris.lowe83@gmail.com when you are done. ***you will need your own email address to send this email***

D. After I have received and approved your email, you may have free time on your computer.

***Any disruptive behavior or visiting other websites before you have completed the assignment will earn you a grade of ZERO and you will be kicked off your computer***

TOOKIE'S APOLOGY BLOG ASSIGNMENT

2008-03-27T06:24:00.000-07:00

Class, here is your assignment for Thursday, April 10th

FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!!!

Go to http://www.tookie.com/ (click the link)

On the LEFT SIDE of the page click on the link to “The Apology”

Read Tookie’s “Apology”

On your INDIVIDUAL BLOG, write a response (11 sentences minimum) to this question:

“Was Tookie truly sorry for his crimes and was he redeemed? How does he show in his apology that he was sorry?”

Discuss the following using examples (quotes) from the text:

- What Tookie specifically apologizes for.

- What he never imagined would happen.

- What Tookie means by no longer being “dyseducated.”

- How Tookie plans to fight back against the Gang violence he helped create and what his goal is.

****Continue to work on your movie review for COLORSy****

****YOU HAVE A OPEN NOTES/PACKET QUIZ MONDAY IN CLASS! PRINT OUT THE NOTES FROM THE CLASS WEBSITE IF YOU NEED THEM!****

TOOKIE WILLIAMS NOTES FOR QUIZ ON MONDAY

2008-03-27T02:06:00.000-07:00

Notes: Stanley “Tookie” Williams Timeline

(December 29, 1953 – December 13, 2005)

1971: co-founded the Crips along with Raymond Washington in South central LA, intended as a “neighborhood watch”
1979: Convicted of murder, sentenced to death row at San Quentin prison in California.
1993: renounced his gang affiliation and became an anti-gang activist, eventually nominated for a Nobel prize 5 times for authoring anti-gang youth literature.
December 2005: executed for 1979 murders despite controversy over anti-gang activism and possible innocence.

Notes: Questions to consider

1. In what ways was Tookie a REBEL?

2. How did he rebel against the gang culture that he helped create? (Explanations?/Alternatives?/Solutions?)

3. Was Stanley Tookie Williams truly “redeemed”?

Notes: Tookie Terms

1. Redemption: to make up for, to make amends, to RESTORE

2. Self Hate - Tookie’s theory that a people who are “spoon-fed” a negative stereotype of themselves for so long begin to believe this image, violently lashing out at others who fit this image (inner-race violence).

3. “Dyseducation” - How people are taught to self hate (negative images).

Notes: Psychoanalysis

Criminology - the study of crime; its different forms; causes/effects.

Penology - the processes of punishment, the prevention of crime, and the treatment of prisoners.

Notes: Sigmund Freud

19th century psychiatrist; invented psychoanalysis (study of the unconscious mind)

Proposed 3 parts of the unconscious mind:

Notes: The psyche

Id - childlike portion of the psyche; impulsive; only cares about what it wants (desire) and disregards consequences (ex. Babies)

Super-ego - develops through interactions with parents and other adults; the conscience and morals (difference between right and wrong)

Ego - The balance between the two; how a person acts

When 3 (id, superego, ego) are in balance, person leads a normal life

Out of balance and 1 dominates; leads to destructive behavior.

Parental neglect or traumatic childhood can lead to overdevelopment of ID; low SUPEREGO--don’t care about right/wrong or about others--leads to violent/criminal behavior

Movie Review Assignment

2008-03-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

On your individual Blog:

Write a Film Review for the film "Colors" starring Robert Duvall (Hodges) and Sean Penn (MacMurphy)

In your movie review you should include the following parts (model taking from the following movie review site...http://www.moviefilmreview.com/ht):

1) A photo (or photos) from the film

2) You will need to include the following: name of the film, prominent stars of the film, basic setting ( time and place), and type of film ( comedy, adventure, drama, etc.)

3) You will need to write a plot summary for the movie. Do not reveal the ending. Discuss at least 5 events and be sure to cover the entire scope of the movie, except the very end.

4) Discuss one aspect of filmmaking. You may choose from acting, direction, editing, costume design, set design, photography, background music, or anything else you may think of. Be sure that you are specific and cite examples from the movie.

5) Discuss another aspect of filmmaking. You may choose from acting, direction, editing, costume design, set design, photography, background music, or anything else you may think of, but obviously choose something different from what you discussed in the previous paragraph. Be sure that you are specific and cite examples from the movie.

6) Give your overall reaction to the film as well as your opinion on the quality of the film. also include your recommendations for potential viewers.

7) Close your review by giving a 1-10 rating, with 10 as the highest score and 1 as the lowest.

* RE-READ, EDIT AND SPELL CHECK YOUR WORK BEFORE YOU POST ONTO YOUR BLOG!!!

****Also:

Your 3 Movie Commentary Paragraphs

Remember the 3rd commentary paragraph includes a Venn Diagram and Mini- Essay comparing and contrasting the movie and the Watts Article Packet

ESSAY ASSIGNMENT (FRIDAY, MARCH 14TH)

2008-02-26T20:32:00.001-08:00

Watts Essay Assignment

MARK UP THE TEXT of the Watts Article you found on the internet.
Develop 1 to 3 Discussion question from marking up the text.
Using this article as well as your Watts Article Packet, write a 4-6 Paragraph Essay response to this question:
“What factors led to the current gang situation in Watts and Why has it spread across the country?”

All DUE TUESDAY, MARCH 11th

Notes and Student Examples - Quotations and Paraphrasing

2008-02-25T21:51:00.000-08:00

Notes: Quotations and Paraphrasing (concrete details)

Quotations - passage matches source word for word and identifies original author with a citation ( “quotation marks ”)

Paraphrasing - putting the passage into your own words. Still identify original author.

Quotations:

* * Put “ ” around what you are borrowing word for word from the source.
* Surround “ ” with correct punctuation. “ ” introduced or followed by said, observed, etc. need a comma.
* Commas/periods ordinarily go inside “ ”.
* Period follows “ ” when sentence ends with a citation in parentheses ( ).
* !, ? can be inside or outside “ ”. If you are asking the question, put ? outside.

Paraphrasing Example
I think that reading #3 of the Watts Article was a very informational piece. I never knew that there were 30,000 gangs in American and with 800,000 members, in 2,500 communities across the United States.

Quotation Example
Eva always thought to never go against “your own people, your own blood.” Eva felt guilty though because Paco murdered some boy. She had to go against her own. She had to because she felt guilty. She thought of her mother when she looked into the boy’s mother’s eyes. She remembered when her father and brother were going to jail. She kept thinking to herself, “how does it feel to be sending an innocent person to prison?” That made her think of her father and how he went to jail. I think that Eva did the right thing because if it was here she would not want to go to jail for something she did not even do. She went against her people but she did the right thing.

Watts Essay Assignment

2008-02-25T21:49:00.000-08:00

Watts Essay Assignment

MARK UP THE TEXT of the Watts Article you found on the internet

Develop 2 or 3 Discussion Questions from marking up this text (How or Why ?’s)

Give a 4 paragraph Essay Response to one of these Questions.

All 3 DUE MONDAY, MARCH 10th

Developing Final Version of Gang Analysis Survey and Beginning Watts Article Essay

2008-02-12T22:31:00.000-08:00

Part 1: Group Gang Analysis Survey

Directions:
1. Open up a word document

2. Type in a minimum of TEN questions from the ones your group brainstormed together (You must have at least TEN QUALITY questions to receive full credit!)

3. You may copy and paste the below example of a gang analysis survey template or make your own template in the word document.

4. Print out a copy of your survey and give it to me to approve.

Sample Survey Template

Academy of Environmental Sciences

8th Grade Literature

Gang Analysis Survey

Administered by: Group Members Names

1. Have you ever considered joining a gang?

___Yes

___No

2. What reasons do you think lead people to join gangs?
(Check all that apply)
___Protection
___Respect
___Love
___Friendship
___Peer Pressure
___Fear
___Money
___Other

Part 2: Running Project - Finding your own Watts News Article

1.Find a News Article online on the current gang situation in Watts, California.

2. Get my approval on the news article and print it out.

3. Develop 1-3 Discussions Questions (similar to the ones we did in class) on your news article and post these on your blog.

Article Examples:

"Two arrested in Watts killing linked to feuding local gangs"

Watts Gang Task Force Making Life Safer for the Community

Notes: Watts, California

2008-02-12T22:08:00.000-08:00

Notes: Questions to consider

What factors led to the current gang situation in Watts?

Why and how did it spread across the country?

Important Dates

1940: Mostly black population living in housing projects (Nickerson Gardens, Jordan Downs, Imperial Courts) built to house workers in war industries during WWII.

August 11th, 1965: Resentment towards Police and poor public services (schools, hospitals) led to Watt Riots.

1970’s: Gangs gain strength, 1989-2005 more than 500 homicides, mostly gang-related.

1992: Rodney King Riots; Grape Street Watts Crips, Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods, PJ Watts Crips form the Watts Truce.

LA WEEKLY NEWS ARTICLE - "L A GANGS: NINE MILES AND SPREADING"

2008-02-04T19:14:00.001-08:00

Here is the news article that we will be reading in class starting this week.

LA WEEKLY NEWS ARTICLE - "L A GANGS: NINE MILES AND SPREADING

If you lose your packet you can use this to print out a new one.

Willie Perdomo and others on Def Jam Poetry

2008-02-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

Willie Perdomo

Mike Booker

Alicia Keyes

Wyclef Jean

Saul Williams

Dave Chapelle

Essay Notes

2008-02-03T18:27:00.001-08:00

Essay Notes: Vocabulary Terms

Thesis: A sentence with a subject and opinion. The entire essay centers around this sentence.
Concrete Detail: Specific details that form the backbone or core of your body paragraphs (facts, quotations, evidence).
Commentary: your opinion or comment on a concrete detail.
Chunk: 1 sentence of concrete detail and 2 sentences of commentary. Smallest unified group of thoughts you can write.
Ratio: The ratio of 1 part concrete detail (CD) to 2+ parts commentary (CM).
Weaving: Blending concrete details (CD) and commentary (CM) in a body paragraph.

Essay Notes: Format

Introduction (approx. 3 sentences)

Thesis

Body Paragraph

Topic Sentence (TS) - subject and opinion; “mini-thesis”

Concrete Detail (CD) >
Commentary (CM) > CHUNK

Commentary (CM) >

Concluding Sentence (CS) all opinion, sum up point

Conclusion

Rephrase Thesis (approx. 3 sentences)

Essay Notes: Steps in the Writing Process

Prewriting: brainstorming, research, gathering concrete details
Shaping the Essay: outline of thesis, concrete details, and commentary ideas
First Draft
Peer Response
Revision
Final Draft

UNIT DIAGNOSTIC TEST

2008-01-22T06:29:00.000-08:00

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ON YOUR BLOG

1. Describe a time in your life when you felt like an OUTSIDER or left out of the larger group.

2. What are some times in your life when you were made to do things that you did not want to do? (going to school, for example).

3. What would be your definition of REBELLION? Of a REBEL?

4. What are some REASONS that you think people REBEL?

5. Who are some people that you consider REBELS? WHY? (Post some pictures of these people or their music if you can)

6. Do you think VIOLENCE solves problems? Could you provide an example?

7. What do you think are some NON-VIOLENT WAYS to solve problems?

8. What is your definition of a GANG?

9. What is your opinion of GANGS?

10. Why do you think people form GANGS?

11. Have you or anyone you know ever been affected by GANG VIOLENCE? Can you describe this experience?

12. What are some books, movies, TV shows, or music you have read, seen or heard that present GANG life?

13. Were the GANGS shown in a good or bad light?

14. Do you have an opinion on Stanley “Tookie” Williams’ execution? (Co-founder of the Crips and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee)

Thursday and Friday

2007-11-28T10:03:00.000-08:00

Students, here's what is happening the next two days

Thursday - Quiz - Poetry

Friday - Poem/Song Presentations

Homework 11/14

2007-11-14T19:39:00.000-08:00

The written part of your recognizing conflict assignment is due Friday the 16th.

Types of Conflict

2007-11-13T22:14:00.000-08:00

Here are examples of the different types of conflict for you to look at for today's project.

Protaganist - the central character in the conflict

Antagonist - the force in conflict with the protagonist

Image Examples:

Character vs. Character

protagonist - spiderman

antagonist - Venom

Character vs. Nature

protaganist - the woman

antagonist - the tornado

Character vs. Society

protagonist - humans

antagonist - zombies

Character vs. Self

protagonist - the girl

antagonist - the girl

News Article Examples of conflict:

Out of the Void: Coombs vs. the Avalanche

In June 1992, Colby Coombs was a 25-year-old National Outdoor Leadership School instructor on vacation in the Alaska Range with his friends Ritt Kellogg and Tom Walter. The trio headed off for 17,400-foot Mount Foraker and over three days attempted to put up a new direct finish on its Pink Panther route. But as they neared their goal, a storm moved in, and the mountain let loose.The avalanche knocked Coombs and his companions 800 feet down the side of the face. When Coombs awoke six hours later, he was dangling from his rope, suffering from two fractured vertebrae in his neck, a broken shoulder blade, and a fractured ankle. He swung over to Walter, who was hanging on a rope nearby, but his friend's face was fully masked in ice, and he was dead. A day later, Coombs found his old college roommate, Kellogg, who had also been killed.Over the next four days, Coombs shut out all thoughts of his dead friends and laboriously picked his way down the mountain. "I just had to keep my eyes open and ignore the pain," remembers Coombs, who now runs the Alaska Mountaineering School in his hometown of Talkeetna. After reaching base camp, he still had to complete a dangerous five-mile crossing of Kahiltna Glacier, with no way to rescue himself if he fell into a crevasse. Against all odds, he made it. Today, the 37-year-old Coombs constantly emphasizes safety in his AMS courses. "I don't tell my story much, only when it comes up during teachable moments," he says. "But if you do get in trouble, anything that gets in the way of success has to be eliminated—emotion, fear, pain. It's the mental things that will impede your survival."

Type of Conflict - Character vs. Nature

Protagonist - Colby Coombs

Antagonist - The Avalanche

How the conflict was resolved - Colby laboriously picked his way down the mountain.

Dear Students

2007-11-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

Dear students,

your paragraphs for your group compare and contrast papers are due this Thursday, November 8th.