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 Saturday, June 14, 2008
In addition to the history concepts, you should be able to identify important quotes, characters, and themes from Travels with Charley, The Catcher in the Rye, and the Lit Circle Novels.
Use this sheet to prepare for this section of the exam.
Here is the rubric for the timed writing on Monday. Remember, the more connections you can make between social studies content and the literature we studied, the better you will do.
The essay portion of the exam will be on Monday, June 16th. You will choose between two essay questions that require you to incorporate information from appropriate novels and historical concepts. One question will deal with conformity in the 1950s and the other will deal with change in the 1960s.
For a list of history concepts that will be on the multiple choice portion of the exam, click here.
Start reviewing your vocabulary words and grammar concepts for the final. If you're missing any of the vocabulary words, click here for a full list. You don't need to know the part of speech.
Here's a short review of the grammar concepts you should know as well. There are a number of websites that offer interactive quizzes such as Grammar Bytes and the Tongue Untied.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
On Monday you met in your groups to decide your writing assignment based on your lit circle novel. You can review the choices here. These short writings (minimum 300 words) are due tomorrow.
These writings will also determine your role in the talk show/group discussion that will take place on Thursday. In this way, you will be bringing the particular focus of your novel to bear on questions that are still relevant today:
1. What is more important to a society, tolerance and diversity or security and identity?
2. How did American identity change in the aftermath of the Sixties social upheaval?
3. Who benefited most from the Sixties upheaval and who was harmed the most?
4. What does it mean to be an American (from the perspective of an immigrant; from the perspective of a native)?
5. Which is more important, a solid knowledge of America's common history and culture (monoculturism) or the many cultures and groups that make it up (multiculturalism)?
5. Should English be declared the national language?
6. Is violence ever necessary to affect change in society?
7. Which should you have a greater allegiance to family or country?
The discussion on the "Iraq: What if we win?" packet will be on Friday.
Friday, June 6, 2008
The essay that was assigned in your lit circle groups should be read and the worksheet completed for Monday.
The Packet "Iraq: What If We Win" should be read for Thursday, June 12. Take notes and prepare to answer the discussion questions that were handed out today. There will be a graded discussion on Friday. You may use your notes.
Friday, May 30, 2008
The Group 9 Vocabulary quiz will be on Tuesday, June 3.
Don't forget that revisions on the literary analysis paper are due on Monday (if you want to improve your grade), and so is the next reading in your Lit Circle novel.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Today grade sheets were issued which included the grade on the literary analysis paper. This grade can be improved dramatically by making revisions. A new revised paper is due on Monday. Please hand in the following:The graded rubric and draft (with teacher comments)
A new copy of the paper with any material that has been added or changed highlighted or bolded.
Attendance at tutorial is encouraged.
The next reading (and HW) in the Lit Circle novels is due tomorrow.
HRQAM254 is due Friday along with the homework for vocabulary group 9 (see the bottom of the vocabulary sheet for details)
Thursday, May 22, 2008
But remember to complete your work.
You have another reading (and HW) due when you return on Tuesday. See the packet for the pages that are due.
There will be a vocabulary quiz on the Group 8 words.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
The Literary Analysis Intro Paragraph and Outline must be e-mailed to Mr. McHale tonight. This is worth 30 points in the writing category!
On Tuesday, you will take a quiz on HRQ251, and then spend the rest of the block working on your literary analysis paper. We will meet in room 158 and then go to the IMC computer lab after the quiz. Please have electronic copies of your intro and body paragraphs so you don't have to retype them. The paper will be due the next day (Wednesday). Bring your novel with you to class everyday including Tuesday.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Please refer to the following schedule for the next 3 weeks.
One Body Paragraph for the Lit Analysis Paper is due tomorrow. Please type it and follow the guidelines here.
Friday, May 16th Reading Homework 1
Intro Paragraph and Outline for Lit Analysis paper must be e-mailed by Sunday night.
Monday, May 19th No Class Due To Biology Testing
Tuesday, May 20th HRQAM251, Work in Computer lab on paper: Bring in your intro and body paragraphs on a stick drive or e-mail them to yourself.
Wednesday, May 21st Literary Analysis Paper due
Thursday, May 22nd Reading Homework 2
Tuesday, May 27th Reading Homework 3
Wednesday, May 28th HRQAM252
Thursday, May 29th Reading Homework 4
Friday, May 30th HRQAM254
Monday, June 2 Reading Homework 5
Tuesday, June 3 HRQAM261
Wednesday, June 4 Reading Homework 6
Thursday, June 5 HRQAM264 (LAST HRQ of the YEAR!!)
Friday, June 6 Reading Homework 7
The specific "Reading Homework" assignments vary according to the book you are reading. Please refer to the reading schedule in the packet distributed in class on Wednesday, May 14th for your assigned pages. ]
Thursday, May 8, 2008
The Vietnam War Poetry posters and presentations are due tomorrow. This is worth 40 points in the classwork category.The Word Weave poem that combines material from the Sixties Collection packet, and The Catcher in the Rye, along with original lines and a title is due on Monday. This is worth 20 points in the writing category.
We have been working on a variety of assignments designed to prepare you for your literary analysis essay. Now it's time to make some decisions about the focus of your essay. Please complete the worksheet that was handed out today for Tuesday. This is worth 15 points in the homework category.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Please post the work you did last week on the computer:The comparison of credos from the This I Believe website from the 50s and today.
The credo that you wrote about your own beliefs.
To do this, login to your website (linked to the left) using your login (school e-mail addess) and password. Once you are logged in you will see the Editors Only toolbar at the top of the page.
Click on News
Click on Create a News Item
Give your post a title (Credos from the 50s and Today, This I Believe)
Copy and paste your material into the text box.
Click on the Create News Item button below the box.
Scroll up and look at the post. Make corrections and delete random code in the text box and then click the Post Changes button.
When you are satisfied with your post (make sure your hyperlinks work), click the Post to Homepage button.
Make sure your post appears on your homepage.
Your done!
Both of these need to be posted by 3:00 PM tomorrow.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
As we mentioned yesterday, today you will write your own This I Believe essay. It should be a focused and cohesive piece of writing (350-500 words) that contains an illustrative anecdote from your own life. Don't just tell the reader what one of your core beliefs is and why, show them. This might involve descriptions of an event that shaped your belief, a time the belief was challenged, or a specific detailed story that illustrates how this belief shapes your everyday life. Further writing tips are available from the website here.
Please post this essay to your weblog (complete it in Word first). This is worth 30 points. Here is the grading rubric. Whatever you don't finish is homework.
Don't forget the other assignments that are due:
The Vietnam Project must be completed by the end of class today. Your group must email three separate files: (1) PowerPoint Presentation; (2) Guided Notes; (3) Assessment Questions
The Group 7 Vocabulary flashcard is due tomorrow. This should have a picture from a current news event on the front (or first PP slide). The back (or second slide) should contain a paragraph that summarizes the story using two group 7 vocabulary words. You should also include the definitions, parts of speech,synonyms and antonyms. Please e-mail PowerPoint Presentation to Mr. McHale by 8:00 A.M. or bring a hard copy to class tomorrow (8 points).
There will be a vocabulary quiz on Monday.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
The Vietnam Project must be completed by the end of class on Thursday, May 1st. Your group must email three separate files: (1) PowerPoint Presentation; (2) Guided Notes; (3) Assessment Questions PLEASE MAKE SURE THE NAMES OF ALL GROUP MEMBERS ARE ON ALL THREE FILES!
For those anti-environmentalist in the class that need a new copy of the assignment each and every time we work on it, here it is again.
Yesterday, we listened to an introduction on the development and revival of the radio program This I Believe.
Today, we would like you to examine some of the credos that have been written. As you know, this program grew from a radio show in the 1950s pioneered by Edward R. Murrow who believed that America was losing its way due to "fear of atomic warfare, increasing consumerism, and loss of spiritual values." Please read one of these original essays here. Then choose one from today by going to the essay search. Please leave the first three boxes blank, change country to USA, and essay type to contemporary. Next choose a theme that most closely matches the one from the Fifties you read (You can choose more than one theme by holding down the Control button). Click search and choose an essay to read from the search results.
Next in a post on your own weblog please respond to what you read in the following way.
First, link to and summarize each credo and explain why you chose it.
Next, compare the two. Are the values expressed similar in some ways? Explain. How are they different?
Finally, based on the readings you have done, and these credos, do you think that Americans' beliefs have changed in the last fifty years or are our beliefs and values timeless? This post is worth 15 points in the classwork category.
Homework: Now that you have read two model credos, please write one as Holden Caulfield. Use at least one quote from the novel along with an anecdote or experience from Holden's life that would support what he believes. Follow these guidelines in writing this credo. This will be due on Tuesday and will be worth 25 points in the writing category. Click here to see the grading rubric.
Don't forget that your Group 7 Vocabulary flashcard is due on Friday. This should have picture from a current news event on the front (or first PP slide). The back (or second slide) should contain a paragraph that summarizes the story using two group 7 vocabulary words. You should also include the definitions, parts of speech,synonyms and antonyms. (8 points).
There will be a vocabulary quiz on Monday.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
In addition to the Americans Textbook assignments due tomorrow (HRQ241) and Friday (HRQ243), please complete the following:
Use the Group 6 Vocabulary Words to create Catcher in the Rye Flashcards (see bottom of vocab sheet for details). This is worth 12 points and is due on Thursday. There will be a quiz on these words on Tuesday, April 29.
Read the packet of critical essays on Catcher in the Rye and complete the worksheet for Friday. This is worth 20 points and will help prepare students for the upcoming literary analysis essay.
Friday, April 11, 2008
On the exam day (Tuesday) there will be a Civil Rights Unit Test and an interdisciplinary timed writing. Unit test topics were issued along with the timed writing prompt.
One of the resources that may be used for this writing is the Travels with Charley Google Earth Tour the class developed. Click on this link to view this. You must have Google Earth installed on your computer for it to run. If you would like to download Google Earth, click here (It's free).
The Beat Poetry presentations will begin on Thursday, April 17. You will have more time after the unit test and writing to work on these. The poems must be written for Wednesday. There will be some time on Wednesday to practice the presentation.
Grade sheets were handed out today.
The HRQs for the unit on the Vietnam Era will be due on the following dates:
HRQAM221 Thursday, April 17
HRQAM225 Monday, April 21
HRQAM241 Wednesday, April 23
HRQAM243 Friday, April 25
We will begin working on the Vietnam Center PowerPoint presentations after the exam days. Plpeae make sure you have your notes and any pictures you took with you in class everyday.
Monday, April 7, 2008
The last section of Catcher in the Rye (chapters 21-26) should be read and three more journal entries completed for Thursday. These last three entries have a slightly different focus as described in this handout.
There will be a reading quiz on this material as well.
The responses based on the Civil Rights PowerPoint is due on Wednesday.
The Beat Poetry project will be due Friday. We will begin work on this in class tomorrow by filling out this worksheet.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Please read chapters 15-20 (pages 105-157) of Catcher in the Rye and complete three more journal entries for Monday.
There will be a reading quiz on these chapters on Monday.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Please read chapters 6-14 (pages 40-104) of Catcher in the Rye for Thursday and complete three journal entries. We reviewed these in class today.
There will be a reading quiz on this section on Thursday as well.
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Links
Drop Me Off in Harlem - a nice overview of the Harlem Renaissance
American Cultural History - a brief overview of major events in American History and Culture organized by decades.
America in the 1930s - excellent multimedia site about culture and life during the Great Depression
Harper Lee & Scout Finch - compares the childhood and life of Harper Lee with aspects of Scout
To Kill a Mockingbird & Monroeville - a feature from National Geographic on Monroeville, Alabama and how they pay tribute to the novel that made their town famous.
Fifties -great set of links to resources on the 1950's
Fifties Culture - a nice overview of American culture in the 1950's
Fifties Primary Sources - another great 50's sites with audio clips.
Fifties Literature and Culture -extensive links to writings, music, art, and primary documents.
Early Rock and Roll- an extensive listing of subgenres and influences before 1963.
A Visual Journey of the Counterculture Pictures and commentary from counterculture participant.
Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America -use flem98382 to login to this electronic book with info on aspects of American Culture arrnaged by decade
Sixties Culture - a nice overview of American culture in the 1960's
Sixties -great set of links to resources on the 1960's
Little Rock -a site from the high school on the 40th anniversary of the "Little Rock Nine."
Sun Records & Elvis -a nice report on the effect of early rock and roll.
Jackie Robinson -a short article on how he changed sports.
This I Believe-an excellent site from NPR on values of the Fifties with audio clips and an essay assignment from Edward R. Murrow
Map Maker - a site that enables you to view historical maps of New Jersey including this area.
Flemington Community Profile-a site that contains links to useful local information.
Free Rice - a vocabulary game that feeds your mind and the hungry.
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| News to Use | | 4/23/2009 |
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 Recalling the suburban gas riots of 1979. This much can be said for the advent of the $4 gallon of gas: It has not driven anyone to run riot. Yet.
Twenty-nine years ago, service-station owner Steven Lankin watched as a summer-night Levittown crowd seething over gas rationing, two-hour lines at the pumps, and a then-stunning hike to $1 a gallon turn violent.
What began as a truckers' gas-crisis protest lasted two nights, June 23 and 24, 1979. It drew thousands of people and left 100 people injured, nearly 200 arrested, and one Shell station shattered in the first gasoline revolt in American history.
BLACK POWER & BLACK PRIDE - TIME. AFTER the slogan "Black Power" was chanted on a Negro march through Mississippi in 1966, it came to signify a new spirit of defiance at one edge of the campaign for civil rights. Among whites and moderate Negro leaders alike, the concept inspired fears of a procession of hot summers, a raging Negro separatist movement—and perhaps in the end a costly showdown between black and white that might send U.S. race relations all the way back to the post-Reconstruction period. The new movement quickly developed its list of fanatical leaders: Stokeley Carmichael, H. Rap Brown, Ron Karenga and, in his special way, Cassius Clay. It fed largely on the despair and disaffection of the poor, the uneducated, the slum-bound Negro who had nothing to lose but his life.
Wildest trip of all: Sense of import | Philadelphia Inquirer | 05/04/2008. In the 1960s and early '70s, when I was a youth, LSD was supposed to be more than an abusable substance. It was nonconformity and peace and truth.
It was yellow submarines and profound Jimi Hendrix guitar solos. A path to God or nirvana or oneness with nature, or at any rate the Beatles and the Grateful Dead. It opened "the gates of perception." Dropping acid was an act of revolution.
For better and worse, people no longer think of LSD - or any drug - this way. They think of drugs with desperation, feel chained to them, are destroyed by them. They think of them in terms of law enforcement or D.A.R.E.
Top News - Blogging helps encourage teen writing. The survey, conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project with support from the College Board and its National Commission on Writing, explores the links between the formal writing that teens do for school and the informal, electronic communication they exchange through eMail and text messaging.
Teens who communicate frequently with their friends, and those who own more technology tools such as computers or cell phones, do not write more often for school or for themselves than less communicative and less gadget-rich teens, according to the study, released April 24. Teen bloggers, however, write more frequently both online and offline, the study says.
Rock Docs | Get Info About the The Night James Brown Saved Boston Episode, Find Info on the TV Show Online | VH1.com. April 5, 1968 -- the morning after one of the most catastrophic moments in American history: the assassination of Martin Luther King. The night before, America's inner cities began going up in flames. The night before, there was trouble in Roxbury, Boston's ghetto. Word on the street is that it's about to get worse. A lot worse.
At Boston's City Hall, Mayor Kevin White is trying to figure out what he can do to keep the fragile peace.
Mayor White wants to know if JB will encourage his fans to stay home and watch the concert on television. In so many words, the mayor is saying, "If you'll allow this concert to be on TV tonight, your fans in Boston (code for ghetto class African-Americans) will stay home and the night will be peaceful." Meaning that unlike what might is happening in so many other cities around the country, Boston won't erupt in flames. There won't be rioting. If James will give his blessing. And he does.
Finally, 40 years after that remarkable and historic moment, VH1 Rock Docs presents "The Night James Brown Saved Boston", a film from David Leaf Productions. It tells the story of that amazing night -- with rarely seen footage of the concert (until now, that concert has been buried in the archives). Through those amazing concert moments...and with the personal reminiscences of James Brown's band members, colleagues, awe-struck concert-goers, the Boston city government officials and the pointed commentary of several distinguished observers of African-American history -- the dramatic and emotionally-riveting story unfolds.
Broadcast on VH1 at 10:00 PM on Monday, April 7.
RVCC invites adults into 'This I Believe'- NJ.com. A 1949 lunchtime conversation between journalist Edward R. Murrow, CBS CEO William Paley and Philadelphia advertising executive Ward Wheelock was the inspiration behind a new program at Raritan Valley Community College.
At the time, the three men discussed the idea of launching a radio show that encouraged people to share their personal philosophies. It was the dawn of "the McCarthy Era," when people were being discouraged from voicing their beliefs, fearing they would be accused of being "un-American." And so This I Believe, as the new program was called, began broadcasting on CBS Radio in 1951. The program, hosted by Murrow, aired until the mid-'50s -- boasting 39 million listeners weekly. It also inspired two best-selling books in the U.S. that included contributions from such people as Eleanor Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Jackie Robinson and Albert Einstein.
More than 50 years later, Wheelock's son, RVCC adjunct professor Keith Wheelock, is carrying on this idea in a new Lifetime Learning Institute program at the college. RVCC's This I Believe (TIB), a free series for adults 55 and older.
Possible Nazi-era mass grave found - Europe- msnbc.com. BERLIN - At least 40 bodies found in a mass grave in the central German city of Kassel could be the remains of slave laborers from a Nazi armaments factory, a city official said Wednesday.
New Participatory Project: Classroom Propaganda of Yesteryear | Center for Media and Democracy. We've started an article on Sourcewatch about Coronet Instructional Films, a company that produced cheesy "social guidance" films in the period following World War II, dealing with topics such as personal hygiene, appropriate dating behavior for teenagers, and American economic and social values. The unintentionally humorous qualities of these films have made them ripe targets for ridicule on Comedy Central's Mystery Science Theatre 3000 and elsewhere. However, they had a serious purpose, according to Ken Smith, who has written a book about what he calls "mental hygiene" films. "Adults were scared," he says. "We forget that nowadays and look back on the '50s as an innocent time. No, parents were scared of the same things they are now. Whether it was how to teach a kid to behave on a date or not to have sex or to drive safely, there was a world full of dangers, and that's why these films exist." In addition to amusement, therefore, studying these films can provide insights into social attitudes as well as the propaganda techniques used to indoctrinate a generation of Americans.
Top Musicians Are Composing Own Curricula - washingtonpost.com. Van Zandt said his program, which is being written with help from the National Association of Music Education, is different from other music programs. Traditional music education emphasizes chorus, marching band and orchestra. His curriculum would teach students about U.S. history through music they appreciate.
"Rock-and-roll is a uniquely American art form," he said. "We receive emotional information as well as intellectual information from it."
Music producer Quincy Jones agrees. U.S. students, he said, are rarely taught the history of their own music, adding that Europeans, Japanese and others around the globe "know more about our music than we do."
"Our schools have an obligation," he said. "The culture is the soul of a country, and they aren't teaching the music which has helped mold the culture."
Travel | A novel New York Christmas, with "Catcher in the Rye" as a guide | Seattle Times Newspaper. "The Catcher in the Rye," by J.D. Salinger, was published in 1951. But nearly all the landmarks Holden mentions as he wanders around Manhattan at Christmastime — the Rockefeller Center skating rink, Radio City and the Rockettes, the zoo and carousel in Central Park, Grand Central, the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art — are still drawing holiday visitors more than a half-century later.
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