Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Thanks Patrice for sharing your birthday with us this afternoon (smile). We hope your new year is fantastic!
Today in class we continued in Cisneros with "Boys & Girls." If students have not responded to the two chapters "Cathy Queen of Cats" and/or the following chapter, "Our Good Day," complete that as well.We reviewed Pronoun Case and then read "Synthetica" and identified the errors. Homework is to typed the errors (7) and bring in electronically in essay form: heading, header, double spaced, 1 inch margins, Times Roman font. We will complete the introduction and conclusion together.
Bring Always Running Monday, Feb. 27, as well. Mail your letter to the governor. Let us know if you get a response. Bring a copy of the letter to me. Post it as well. Students also were supposed to do another cyber-assignment. Check the blog and make sure you are caught up.
We will write an essay in class next week, taking its topic from Yummy.
Pidd teaches us to pay attention to the details. Make sure you do so in your own writing. Proper nouns need to be capitalized. There should be two spaces after a period. Don't forget to complete the ellipsis exercises in the ancillary before typing your Pronoun Case body paragraphs.
Note the following:
Check your sentences against the errors recap:
1. ". . . Ditch wanted to come with Camper and I . . ." (1).
2. "the General attacked two of the hill divers, Camper and
I . . ." (1).
3. ". . . Ditch was smarter than Camper and me . . ." (1).
4. "Me and Camper laughed . . ." (2).
5. "It was me . . . " (2).
6. "you are almost as pretty as her" (2).
7."[I]f the Pidd men, Sid and me, can do a little camping . . . (2).
1. ". . . Ditch wanted to come with Camper and I . . ." (1).
2. "the General attacked two of the hill divers, Camper and
I . . ." (1).
3. ". . . Ditch was smarter than Camper and me . . ." (1).
4. "Me and Camper laughed . . ." (2).
5. "It was me . . . " (2).
6. "you are almost as pretty as her" (2).
7."[I]f the Pidd men, Sid and me, can do a little camping . . . (2).
Monday, February 13, 2012
Cyber-Assignment
Today the plan is to watch a film entitled Juvies.
This film looks at the incarceration of children in California. It looks at the effectiveness of giving juvenile offenders such long sentences. Does locking up children who break the law make society safer? What are the short and long term consequences of incarcerating youth for up to 25 years for first offenses? What do we mean as a society when we speak of rehabilitation?
When thinking about Robert "Yummy" Sandifer, how does he fit the profile portrayed here? How is he different? What solutions are offered or suggested?
Homework
Write a letter in Yummy's voice to Governor Jerry Brown on behalf of juvenile inmates in prisons in California. Include background on his life. The letter should be minimally 250 words or 1 typed page.
Perhaps you could start with:
13 February 2012
Dear Governor Brown,
I just finished watching a film, directed by Leslie Neale, called Juvies. I found the film really provocative, in that I learned a lot about my situation and how much control I had over the choices I made as a child 18 years ago before I was killed. Sitting in the way station between heaven and hell, I have had a lot of time to think. I feel like an advocate for other lost boys like myself, kids shown in the film like Duc's story which is so sad. He was brutalized by a father who didn't know how to use his words.
My story is . . . . You probably read about me. I am not proud to have made such a splash on the cover of Time magazine, but call it my cry for help which wasn't heard or answered. I am still crying from the grave, the statistics are horrendous and climbing to date.
Back to the situation in California's juvenile facilities take . . . case, why. . . .
Juvenile detention is a crisis in America and California is the leader in incarceration.
Sincerely,
Yummy
LESLIE NEALE
Director’s Statement
http://www.juvies.net/videoclips/index.html
"When I started volunteer teaching at Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles, I was naïve to juvenile justice, thinking children were handled fairly and with care, not only for their safety, but also for the safety of the public at large. What I found is that scores of children are getting thrown away in adult prisons instead of staying in the rehabilitative environment of the juvenile system, a structure originally designed to protect them from ending up in the adult system. The making of “Juvies” has made my life make an irrevocable turn towards correcting the juvenile justice system, making it one that is run with intelligence, responsibility and mercy."
n September of 1999, Chance Films was invited to observe a writing program at Los Angeles Central Juvenile Hall. What the filmmakers saw in that writing program inspired them to do a similar program using video cameras. They saw the need to give the kids in the Hall a voice that could reach beyond the walls that separated them from free society. What they didn’t know was that teaching basic video production skills and interviewing techniques was going to link them irrevocably to these 12 kids and a cause that most people would turn their backs on: correcting the juvenile justice system and making it one that is run with intelligence, responsibility and mercy.
The filmmakers were naïve to juvenile justice, thinking children were handled fairly and with care, not only for their safety, but also for the safety of the public at large. What they found was that scores of children were getting thrown away in adult prisons instead of staying in the rehabilitative environment of the juvenile system, a structure originally designed to protect them from ending up in the adult system.With the help of cameramen, producers, friends and a passionate nun, the video production class began in earnest in September 1999. At first, the administrators of the Hall were receptive, but cautious. After showing up two times a week for a few months, they realized this crew was really there to help the kids reach into themselves and out to others who were on the cusp of being pulled into the system. That didn’t make working within the system any easier, however. As the histories of these individual kids came to light in the class, the filmmakers realized there was more than a class happening here, there was a story to be told, a story that had the potential to impact thousands of people. They began working to garner all the approvals necessary to put these kids on camera and be able to use their stories to educate others about the system and how to avoid falling into it. The kids involved in the class were all chosen at random, based on very specific criteria:1. They had to be getting tried as adults;
2. They had to be facing long-term sentences;
3. They had to be under 18 so that they would continue to be housed at Juvi for as long as possible to get the most out of the class; and
4. The filmmakers had to get signed consents from the kids, their parents and their attorneys.The first group of kids was taught in the library of the boys’ school, with natural lighting and two cameras. This was the only program to allow a mix of boys and girls in the same class. Many times, the filmmakers would arrive prepared to teach and the kids were not available. Other times, they would work with only one or two of the kids. The participation of the kids was iffy at best, given individual court appearance requirements, availability of staff to be on premises with the kids and lack of communication amongst the Juvenile Hall staff.As time progressed, the kids were being tried, convicted and sent on to County Jail or State Prison. As the kids were sentenced to long terms and even life behind bars, the filmmakers were getting their own education. The naivete began to fall away and the truth of the failing juvenile justice system was making itself known. In May of 1999, high school student Duc was arrested for driving a car from which a gun was shot. Although no one was injured, Duc was not a member of a gang, had no priors and was 16 years old, he received a sentence of 35 years to life.Fourteen-year-old Anait, an Armenian immigrant, had been given a car by her parents. She drove two boys to a high school and dropped them off. The boys got into a fight with another boy and subsequently killed a third boy who attempted to break up the fight. Because she was the driver of the “getaway” car, Anait was charged as an accessory to first-degree murder and originally faced 200 years. She has since taken a deal and is serving 7 years.Then there’s Mayra, a girl raised in the gangs, who at 16 was asked by her gang to kill a girl who had broken one of their rules. She was sleeping with a boy from a rival gang. Mayra shot this girl, did not kill her, but paralyzed her for life. This girl was her best friend. Mayra received Life plus 25 years for her crime and had a baby while in juvenile hall. She has gotten to see her son two times since his birth. He is now 3 years old.At first the filmmakers thought these cases were the exception, but as time went by and all the kids were convicted and sentenced to adult prison facilities with long sentences, they began to realize this was the rule.
Being tough on crime is one thing. But trying children as adults, and dispensing brutal sentences that are shockingly out of proportion to the offense, is quite another. Most Americans would say this can’t happen here, yet for thousands of young people, this is the reality of the present day juvenile justice system, which has turned its back on its initial mission to protect young people and now sends over 200,000 kids through the adult system each year.
This film looks at the incarceration of children in California. It looks at the effectiveness of giving juvenile offenders such long sentences. Does locking up children who break the law make society safer? What are the short and long term consequences of incarcerating youth for up to 25 years for first offenses? What do we mean as a society when we speak of rehabilitation?
When thinking about Robert "Yummy" Sandifer, how does he fit the profile portrayed here? How is he different? What solutions are offered or suggested?
Homework
Write a letter in Yummy's voice to Governor Jerry Brown on behalf of juvenile inmates in prisons in California. Include background on his life. The letter should be minimally 250 words or 1 typed page.
Perhaps you could start with:
13 February 2012
Dear Governor Brown,
I just finished watching a film, directed by Leslie Neale, called Juvies. I found the film really provocative, in that I learned a lot about my situation and how much control I had over the choices I made as a child 18 years ago before I was killed. Sitting in the way station between heaven and hell, I have had a lot of time to think. I feel like an advocate for other lost boys like myself, kids shown in the film like Duc's story which is so sad. He was brutalized by a father who didn't know how to use his words.
My story is . . . . You probably read about me. I am not proud to have made such a splash on the cover of Time magazine, but call it my cry for help which wasn't heard or answered. I am still crying from the grave, the statistics are horrendous and climbing to date.
Back to the situation in California's juvenile facilities take . . . case, why. . . .
Juvenile detention is a crisis in America and California is the leader in incarceration.
Sincerely,
Yummy
LESLIE NEALE
Director’s Statement
http://www.juvies.net/videoclips/index.html
"When I started volunteer teaching at Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles, I was naïve to juvenile justice, thinking children were handled fairly and with care, not only for their safety, but also for the safety of the public at large. What I found is that scores of children are getting thrown away in adult prisons instead of staying in the rehabilitative environment of the juvenile system, a structure originally designed to protect them from ending up in the adult system. The making of “Juvies” has made my life make an irrevocable turn towards correcting the juvenile justice system, making it one that is run with intelligence, responsibility and mercy."
n September of 1999, Chance Films was invited to observe a writing program at Los Angeles Central Juvenile Hall. What the filmmakers saw in that writing program inspired them to do a similar program using video cameras. They saw the need to give the kids in the Hall a voice that could reach beyond the walls that separated them from free society. What they didn’t know was that teaching basic video production skills and interviewing techniques was going to link them irrevocably to these 12 kids and a cause that most people would turn their backs on: correcting the juvenile justice system and making it one that is run with intelligence, responsibility and mercy.
The filmmakers were naïve to juvenile justice, thinking children were handled fairly and with care, not only for their safety, but also for the safety of the public at large. What they found was that scores of children were getting thrown away in adult prisons instead of staying in the rehabilitative environment of the juvenile system, a structure originally designed to protect them from ending up in the adult system.With the help of cameramen, producers, friends and a passionate nun, the video production class began in earnest in September 1999. At first, the administrators of the Hall were receptive, but cautious. After showing up two times a week for a few months, they realized this crew was really there to help the kids reach into themselves and out to others who were on the cusp of being pulled into the system. That didn’t make working within the system any easier, however. As the histories of these individual kids came to light in the class, the filmmakers realized there was more than a class happening here, there was a story to be told, a story that had the potential to impact thousands of people. They began working to garner all the approvals necessary to put these kids on camera and be able to use their stories to educate others about the system and how to avoid falling into it. The kids involved in the class were all chosen at random, based on very specific criteria:1. They had to be getting tried as adults;
2. They had to be facing long-term sentences;
3. They had to be under 18 so that they would continue to be housed at Juvi for as long as possible to get the most out of the class; and
4. The filmmakers had to get signed consents from the kids, their parents and their attorneys.The first group of kids was taught in the library of the boys’ school, with natural lighting and two cameras. This was the only program to allow a mix of boys and girls in the same class. Many times, the filmmakers would arrive prepared to teach and the kids were not available. Other times, they would work with only one or two of the kids. The participation of the kids was iffy at best, given individual court appearance requirements, availability of staff to be on premises with the kids and lack of communication amongst the Juvenile Hall staff.As time progressed, the kids were being tried, convicted and sent on to County Jail or State Prison. As the kids were sentenced to long terms and even life behind bars, the filmmakers were getting their own education. The naivete began to fall away and the truth of the failing juvenile justice system was making itself known. In May of 1999, high school student Duc was arrested for driving a car from which a gun was shot. Although no one was injured, Duc was not a member of a gang, had no priors and was 16 years old, he received a sentence of 35 years to life.Fourteen-year-old Anait, an Armenian immigrant, had been given a car by her parents. She drove two boys to a high school and dropped them off. The boys got into a fight with another boy and subsequently killed a third boy who attempted to break up the fight. Because she was the driver of the “getaway” car, Anait was charged as an accessory to first-degree murder and originally faced 200 years. She has since taken a deal and is serving 7 years.Then there’s Mayra, a girl raised in the gangs, who at 16 was asked by her gang to kill a girl who had broken one of their rules. She was sleeping with a boy from a rival gang. Mayra shot this girl, did not kill her, but paralyzed her for life. This girl was her best friend. Mayra received Life plus 25 years for her crime and had a baby while in juvenile hall. She has gotten to see her son two times since his birth. He is now 3 years old.At first the filmmakers thought these cases were the exception, but as time went by and all the kids were convicted and sentenced to adult prison facilities with long sentences, they began to realize this was the rule.
Being tough on crime is one thing. But trying children as adults, and dispensing brutal sentences that are shockingly out of proportion to the offense, is quite another. Most Americans would say this can’t happen here, yet for thousands of young people, this is the reality of the present day juvenile justice system, which has turned its back on its initial mission to protect young people and now sends over 200,000 kids through the adult system each year.
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Cyber-Assignment on Yummy
Today in class students completed Essay 1: Sentence Punctuation. Some students had not typed their essays; other students were still working on exercises.
We divided the class and reviewed the essay together. If you are a student who did not complete his or her essay. Email it to me after checking it to make sure it is correct (pp. 50-51). Bring a copy of the essay to class if I do not respond with a grade.
In House on Mango, read stories: "Cathy Queen of Cats" & "Our Good Day." Students can respond to one or both. Remind me to backtrack and have students respond to "Boys & Girls." We skipped it by mistake.
The Interrupters Film
I have lots of tickets left for the film at the OM tomorrow the James Moore Theatre (10th & Oak in ). Students can start arriving at 4 p.m. for the reception. Be at the OM by 4:30 so we can go in together and get good seats. Call me if you are running late or cannot find me. I will be at the OM early. I have an interview with Aminah before the film.
If you can't make it, don't forget to watch the film on Feb. 14, 2012 on Frontline World (Channel 9). The link is below. There will be a writing assignment attached to this film.
I will show you a film on Monday entiled Juvies. Visit http://www.juvies.net/index.php
Homework
Homework is the continue in Pidd. Keep doing the exercises. We will have a quiz on "Sentence Punctuation" on Monday. We will also complete the next quiz, "Pronoun Agreement." The Monday-Wednesday sessions are going well. We are entering week 4 next week. I will not continue the two days--I am getting tired. Forgot to eat lunch and I am still here (smile). I will host a drop in writing workshop in March at the same time.
Yummy Homework: Food for Thought
Writing homework is to reflect on Yummy. The reflection should be 250 words min. It can be longer. Bring the response into class on Monday. Post here.
Questions to consider
Why was Greg Neri drawn to the story? (Read the end flap of the cover). What are your initial impressions to the Time article and to Neri's book? Was your response visceral as well? Does Yummy's story make you want to do something too?
How well does the author capture Yummy's character, personality and circumstances that led to his behavior and ultimately to his death?
How does what happened to Yummy impact his community and the larger society?
What do you like the most about the book? Be specific.
How is Yummy's nickname insight into his character. Use examples to support your claim. For example, he liked candy and stuffed toys.
He was a complicated little boy. Why is it sad that his only photo was a mug shot? Talk about the narrator, 11-year old Roger. How is Roger's story a glimpse into the larger question American society needs to face? How could someone know "100 Yummys"? Why is Yummy's grandmother's cry justified to a certain extent: "Why'd y'all let my baby go like that? Why'd y'all get Yummy killed?!" (Neri 86). Why does Roger's father comment on the Time article that the only way his community gets press is when someone kills or is killed (Neri 89)?
Different themes come up in the story: neglect, fear, safety, pain, addiction, crime, approval, faith, regret, forgiveness, home, society, family, judicial system. Which ones struck a cord with you? Talk about why you were affected by certain themes and how the both the author, Greg Neri and the artist, Randy DuBurke, illustrate this?
If you profile Roger, the narrator, how does he escape Yummy's fate? Why does Roger's brother have a change of heart? Why do you think about Roger's parents response to Gary? What do you think about the scene from the classroom?
Why does Neri include scenes from the school where Yummy went to school, the garage where he learned mechanics, the places where he played with friends and foes? Was there a chance that Yummy could have ended up differently?
Is Shavon's death a symbol, just as Yummy's is as well? Did they die by the same sword? How?
Is this story one about choices? Did Yummy have a choice? How many times did he say, "I didn't do anything wrong?" and eventually, "It was an accident"? How does society hold an 11 year old accountable for his deeds? Is there such a thing as redemption? Who decides whom gets to atone?
How do the two boys, brothers, Cragg and Derrick, who kill Yummy, get trapped in the net? They were book smart, but street stupid? Look at their choices.
There are many biblical references. In fact there are scenes where Yummy prays and the community prays, not to mention the name of the gang, Black Disciples. How does this further complicate an already complex, not easy to rationalize or dismiss, story.
Why or how does a city come under siege like Yummy and Roger's? Does it seem as though the community caves in or gives up? Do you know places like this? What happened? Do you have any answers? Are there any answers?
What are your lingering questions?
We divided the class and reviewed the essay together. If you are a student who did not complete his or her essay. Email it to me after checking it to make sure it is correct (pp. 50-51). Bring a copy of the essay to class if I do not respond with a grade.
In House on Mango, read stories: "Cathy Queen of Cats" & "Our Good Day." Students can respond to one or both. Remind me to backtrack and have students respond to "Boys & Girls." We skipped it by mistake.
The Interrupters Film
I have lots of tickets left for the film at the OM tomorrow the James Moore Theatre (10th & Oak in ). Students can start arriving at 4 p.m. for the reception. Be at the OM by 4:30 so we can go in together and get good seats. Call me if you are running late or cannot find me. I will be at the OM early. I have an interview with Aminah before the film.
If you can't make it, don't forget to watch the film on Feb. 14, 2012 on Frontline World (Channel 9). The link is below. There will be a writing assignment attached to this film.
I will show you a film on Monday entiled Juvies. Visit http://www.juvies.net/index.php
Homework
Homework is the continue in Pidd. Keep doing the exercises. We will have a quiz on "Sentence Punctuation" on Monday. We will also complete the next quiz, "Pronoun Agreement." The Monday-Wednesday sessions are going well. We are entering week 4 next week. I will not continue the two days--I am getting tired. Forgot to eat lunch and I am still here (smile). I will host a drop in writing workshop in March at the same time.
Yummy Homework: Food for Thought
Writing homework is to reflect on Yummy. The reflection should be 250 words min. It can be longer. Bring the response into class on Monday. Post here.
Questions to consider
Why was Greg Neri drawn to the story? (Read the end flap of the cover). What are your initial impressions to the Time article and to Neri's book? Was your response visceral as well? Does Yummy's story make you want to do something too?
How well does the author capture Yummy's character, personality and circumstances that led to his behavior and ultimately to his death?
How does what happened to Yummy impact his community and the larger society?
What do you like the most about the book? Be specific.
How is Yummy's nickname insight into his character. Use examples to support your claim. For example, he liked candy and stuffed toys.
He was a complicated little boy. Why is it sad that his only photo was a mug shot? Talk about the narrator, 11-year old Roger. How is Roger's story a glimpse into the larger question American society needs to face? How could someone know "100 Yummys"? Why is Yummy's grandmother's cry justified to a certain extent: "Why'd y'all let my baby go like that? Why'd y'all get Yummy killed?!" (Neri 86). Why does Roger's father comment on the Time article that the only way his community gets press is when someone kills or is killed (Neri 89)?
Different themes come up in the story: neglect, fear, safety, pain, addiction, crime, approval, faith, regret, forgiveness, home, society, family, judicial system. Which ones struck a cord with you? Talk about why you were affected by certain themes and how the both the author, Greg Neri and the artist, Randy DuBurke, illustrate this?
If you profile Roger, the narrator, how does he escape Yummy's fate? Why does Roger's brother have a change of heart? Why do you think about Roger's parents response to Gary? What do you think about the scene from the classroom?
Why does Neri include scenes from the school where Yummy went to school, the garage where he learned mechanics, the places where he played with friends and foes? Was there a chance that Yummy could have ended up differently?
Is Shavon's death a symbol, just as Yummy's is as well? Did they die by the same sword? How?
Is this story one about choices? Did Yummy have a choice? How many times did he say, "I didn't do anything wrong?" and eventually, "It was an accident"? How does society hold an 11 year old accountable for his deeds? Is there such a thing as redemption? Who decides whom gets to atone?
How do the two boys, brothers, Cragg and Derrick, who kill Yummy, get trapped in the net? They were book smart, but street stupid? Look at their choices.
There are many biblical references. In fact there are scenes where Yummy prays and the community prays, not to mention the name of the gang, Black Disciples. How does this further complicate an already complex, not easy to rationalize or dismiss, story.
Why or how does a city come under siege like Yummy and Roger's? Does it seem as though the community caves in or gives up? Do you know places like this? What happened? Do you have any answers? Are there any answers?
What are your lingering questions?
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
In class we reviewed the entire first Pidd essay: Pronoun Agreement which is due, typed and printed out Wednesday. We then continued reading Yummy. Our freewrite from Mango was "Hairs."
Read the Times magazine article and complete the assignment posted last week. Bring in the annotated article Wednesday for further discussion. We meet in A-205. Bring your laptops, just in case we don't have enough computers for everyone.
Oh, in Pidd continue doing the exercises.
Students also let me know whether they planned to attend the OM Screening of The Interrupters on Thursday, Feb. 9. I still have tickets. Let me know if you want one or two. They are sold out, so if something changes let me know. The event is free.
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Cyber-Assignment and Homework
Stewart Pidd Hates English
Today we had a lot of new students in the class. Instead of moving along we will continue with the first Pidd essay Monday, Feb. 6. Complete all the exercises in SPHE before class. We will start the essay which will be due Wednesday, Feb. 8, typed, printed out.
Our freewrite was the title chapter in House on Mango Street.
If any students is finding the exercises difficult, come by my office for the Pidd Boot camp (Monday & Wednesdays, 10:30-11:30 a.m. D-219).
Cyber-Assignment Response to Times Article
Other homework is to read the Times Magazine article. Annotate and bring a copy to class. Respond to the article in 1-2 pages. Include 3-5 free paraphrases in the summary essay. Refer to Pidd if you do not know what a "free paraphrase" is. We reviewed this last week. Post essay here.
Some students have not responded to the syllabus yet.
If you don't understand something, call me. I forgot to put my cell phone number on the board for students who might want to call me. Ask for it next week.
I'd like for us to go on a field trip this month, February 9, to see a film released theatrically last year called, The Interrupters. This film, which takes place in Chicago, looks at violence in the community and a program that addresses this.
At the screening there will be people on a panel afterwards entertaining questions, one who is in the film. The film screens on television February 14, 2012 on Frontline: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/interrupters/?utm_campaign=interrupters&utm_medium=GoogleAds&utm_source=keyword
Free Community Screening
The Interrupters
(I reserved 20 tickets. If you want to reserve tickets yourself here is the link: http://oaklandinterrupters-eorg.eventbrite.com/
A Film By Steve James and Alex Kotlowitz
The Interrupters tells the stories of three "violence interrupters" who, with bravado, humility, and even humor try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they themselves once employed.
4:00-5:00 PM Light Reception
5:00-7:00 PM Film Screening
7:00-8:00 PM Panel Discussion
Location:
Oakland Museum of California
James Moore Theater
1000 Oak Street
Entrance on 10th Street
After the film, join us for a panel discussion moderated by The Ella Baker Center For Human Rights' Abel Habtegeorgis and featuring two of the film's inspiring subjects, along with youth and adult leaders engaged in violence prevention work in Oakland to talk about what needs to be done here at home.
Panelists:
Ameena Matthews, Ceasefire Chicago (featured in the film)
Eddie Bocanegra, Ceasefire Chicago (featured in the film)
Kyndra Simmons, Intervention Specialist, Youth ALIVE!
Anthony Del Toro, Street Outreach Leader, California Youth Outreach
Moderator: Abel Habtegeorgis, Media Relations Manager, The Ella Baker Center For Human Rights
Presented by ITVS, KQED, The Ella Baker Center For Human Rights, Top Ten Social, Youth ALIVE!, and Urban Peace Movement
This event is a part of Women And Girls Lead, an innovative public media initiative designed to focus, educate, and connect women, girls, and their allies across the globe to address the challenges of the 21st century.
*PLEASE NOTE RSVP's do not guarantee seating. Seating is on a first come, first served basis.
Today we had a lot of new students in the class. Instead of moving along we will continue with the first Pidd essay Monday, Feb. 6. Complete all the exercises in SPHE before class. We will start the essay which will be due Wednesday, Feb. 8, typed, printed out.
Our freewrite was the title chapter in House on Mango Street.
If any students is finding the exercises difficult, come by my office for the Pidd Boot camp (Monday & Wednesdays, 10:30-11:30 a.m. D-219).
Cyber-Assignment Response to Times Article
Other homework is to read the Times Magazine article. Annotate and bring a copy to class. Respond to the article in 1-2 pages. Include 3-5 free paraphrases in the summary essay. Refer to Pidd if you do not know what a "free paraphrase" is. We reviewed this last week. Post essay here.
Some students have not responded to the syllabus yet.
If you don't understand something, call me. I forgot to put my cell phone number on the board for students who might want to call me. Ask for it next week.
I'd like for us to go on a field trip this month, February 9, to see a film released theatrically last year called, The Interrupters. This film, which takes place in Chicago, looks at violence in the community and a program that addresses this.
At the screening there will be people on a panel afterwards entertaining questions, one who is in the film. The film screens on television February 14, 2012 on Frontline: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/interrupters/?utm_campaign=interrupters&utm_medium=GoogleAds&utm_source=keyword
Free Community Screening
The Interrupters
(I reserved 20 tickets. If you want to reserve tickets yourself here is the link: http://oaklandinterrupters-eorg.eventbrite.com/
A Film By Steve James and Alex Kotlowitz
The Interrupters tells the stories of three "violence interrupters" who, with bravado, humility, and even humor try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they themselves once employed.
4:00-5:00 PM Light Reception
5:00-7:00 PM Film Screening
7:00-8:00 PM Panel Discussion
Location:
Oakland Museum of California
James Moore Theater
1000 Oak Street
Entrance on 10th Street
After the film, join us for a panel discussion moderated by The Ella Baker Center For Human Rights' Abel Habtegeorgis and featuring two of the film's inspiring subjects, along with youth and adult leaders engaged in violence prevention work in Oakland to talk about what needs to be done here at home.
Panelists:
Ameena Matthews, Ceasefire Chicago (featured in the film)
Eddie Bocanegra, Ceasefire Chicago (featured in the film)
Kyndra Simmons, Intervention Specialist, Youth ALIVE!
Anthony Del Toro, Street Outreach Leader, California Youth Outreach
Moderator: Abel Habtegeorgis, Media Relations Manager, The Ella Baker Center For Human Rights
Presented by ITVS, KQED, The Ella Baker Center For Human Rights, Top Ten Social, Youth ALIVE!, and Urban Peace Movement
This event is a part of Women And Girls Lead, an innovative public media initiative designed to focus, educate, and connect women, girls, and their allies across the globe to address the challenges of the 21st century.
*PLEASE NOTE RSVP's do not guarantee seating. Seating is on a first come, first served basis.
Monday, January 30, 2012
YUMMY Cyber-Response
Post your character profile here. When reading the book, what comes to mind when one considers the impact environment has on character, ethics and behavior?
Did Robert Sandifer have a chance at a normal life? What about the narrator, what is keeping him from ending up just like his neighbor?
How does the form of G. Neri's book, a graphic novel work in the interests of the story? How does the form of the novel help with the storytelling?
Talk about the illustrations. What other stories is Randy DuBurke telling that overlaps and expands the narrative? How do you think the illustrator and the author worked together?
Using the library database, find information that answers this question of collaborative storytelling between the two, Neri and DuBurke. Have the author and illustrator worked on projects together in the past? Is Yummy a different direction for them? Were there any specific challenges inherent in the graphic novel format or in this story specifically?
Neri speaks about his audience on his website? Who is he writing to? Talk about the use of current events as an inspiration for Neri. Clue, look at his first book.
You might not be able to answer all these questions, and I am not asking you to answer them now before our next meeting, just keep them in mind. I will have more (smile).
Here is a link to the Time Magazine article on Sandifer: http://www.gregneri.com/Time_magazine.html
This is another article, from People Magazine of Robert's funeral: http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20103912,00.html
Did Robert Sandifer have a chance at a normal life? What about the narrator, what is keeping him from ending up just like his neighbor?
How does the form of G. Neri's book, a graphic novel work in the interests of the story? How does the form of the novel help with the storytelling?
Talk about the illustrations. What other stories is Randy DuBurke telling that overlaps and expands the narrative? How do you think the illustrator and the author worked together?
Using the library database, find information that answers this question of collaborative storytelling between the two, Neri and DuBurke. Have the author and illustrator worked on projects together in the past? Is Yummy a different direction for them? Were there any specific challenges inherent in the graphic novel format or in this story specifically?
Neri speaks about his audience on his website? Who is he writing to? Talk about the use of current events as an inspiration for Neri. Clue, look at his first book.
You might not be able to answer all these questions, and I am not asking you to answer them now before our next meeting, just keep them in mind. I will have more (smile).
Here is a link to the Time Magazine article on Sandifer: http://www.gregneri.com/Time_magazine.html
This is another article, from People Magazine of Robert's funeral: http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20103912,00.html
What Kind of Thinker Are You Cyber-Assignment
Post your paragraph from D. Kruger's "State of Mind" here with the orginal post. Students were to create a literal paraphrase of a passage from the article I gave you last week.
Cyber-Assignment 1 from SPHE
Today in class we read the first 31 pages of the book Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty. Students traded off as different voices for a theatrical reading. In groups, students developed character profiles.
Post those profiles here. Don't forget to use a heading which includes all the student names from the group. The assignment date is today.
We also reviewed the Paraphrasing & Plaigarizing exercises. Students are to continue completing the exercises and post the response to the Literal Paraphrase on page 344 where students are instructed to "Write a sentence containing three examples of slang and then translate it into a literal paraphrase using formal language."
Post the two sentences on here. Another link will be for the homework connected to the article on Hamster thinking.
We summarized the chapter in Cisneros called "My Name." There were quite a few new students. Read the blog beginning with my letter to students dated, January 22, 2012, and then read forward. Respond to the syllabus on the blog and send me an email introduction of yourself.
I am not giving permission numbers to students who do not have books. Most of the students today are in that category, but they are registered. I don't need more students who are unprepared.
Keep going in Pidd. Complete the exercises in the beginning in the section: Confused Words then keep going to Sentence Punctuation. We will review this on Wednesday. My Pidd Bootcamp started today and continues for six weeks MW, 10:30-11:30 AM at my office D-219.
Summary:
"My Name," which is the fourth chapter in S. Cisneros's book, House on Mango Street introduces the character Ezperanza. This character was named after her great-grandmother. In English her name means "hope." She doesn't like her name because people cannot pronounce it. Ezperanza says she'd "like to baptize [herself] under a new name, a name more like the real [her], the one nobody see . . ." (11).
I hadn't realized that there is a 25th anniversary edition of Hse. out. In the book there is an interview or new forward by Cisneros. If you have this edition, please make me a copy of the introduction. I do not have this book. Mine is an earlier edition.
Post those profiles here. Don't forget to use a heading which includes all the student names from the group. The assignment date is today.
We also reviewed the Paraphrasing & Plaigarizing exercises. Students are to continue completing the exercises and post the response to the Literal Paraphrase on page 344 where students are instructed to "Write a sentence containing three examples of slang and then translate it into a literal paraphrase using formal language."
Post the two sentences on here. Another link will be for the homework connected to the article on Hamster thinking.
We summarized the chapter in Cisneros called "My Name." There were quite a few new students. Read the blog beginning with my letter to students dated, January 22, 2012, and then read forward. Respond to the syllabus on the blog and send me an email introduction of yourself.
I am not giving permission numbers to students who do not have books. Most of the students today are in that category, but they are registered. I don't need more students who are unprepared.
Keep going in Pidd. Complete the exercises in the beginning in the section: Confused Words then keep going to Sentence Punctuation. We will review this on Wednesday. My Pidd Bootcamp started today and continues for six weeks MW, 10:30-11:30 AM at my office D-219.
Summary:
"My Name," which is the fourth chapter in S. Cisneros's book, House on Mango Street introduces the character Ezperanza. This character was named after her great-grandmother. In English her name means "hope." She doesn't like her name because people cannot pronounce it. Ezperanza says she'd "like to baptize [herself] under a new name, a name more like the real [her], the one nobody see . . ." (11).
I hadn't realized that there is a 25th anniversary edition of Hse. out. In the book there is an interview or new forward by Cisneros. If you have this edition, please make me a copy of the introduction. I do not have this book. Mine is an earlier edition.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
We started SPHE this afternoon. We previewed the textbook, read the essay on MLA, looked over the works cited section and landed in Paraphrasing and Plagarism. I had some copies of this section and gave them to students who do not have the book yet.
All but two students have not had the Pidd Experience, so we will run the book over the next six weeks. Homeowork this weekend is to complete the package, pages 330-347 or in the second edition, pages 339-to the end of the book. Work until you get stuck or tired, about ten pages is fine.
Also for homework, students are to do a literal paraphrase of a paragraph from the essay on Hamster Thinking (smile). Bring in the paraphrase to class to share (typed is best). Type the original and the paraphrase.
Third and last, read or watch and take notes of the President's State of the Union Address. Here is a link: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/State_of_the_Union/state-of-the-union-2011-full-transcript/story?id=12759395#.TyCvMqWJdIE and
You can check them against each other. They are both supposed to be full text. The first post is also the footage. Oh I forgot to go to the White House website where I am sure the speech is documented.
Lastly, bring in SPHE, your dictionary, and House on Mango Street and Yummy next week. We will start with Yummy.
Students worked in groups and individually on the exercises. We took to quizzes on Confused Words and Sentence Punctuation, the first two chapters in SPHE. We will go over those chapters next. If you have any spare time, you can keep doing the exercises. We are going to complete them all9smi (smile). If you want to get ahead, I am hosting a Pidd Experience Boot camp being this coming Monday 10:30-11:30 AM at my office D-219. You are welcome to join us.
Students worked in groups and individually on the exercises. We took to quizzes on Confused Words and Sentence Punctuation, the first two chapters in SPHE. We will go over those chapters next. If you have any spare time, you can keep doing the exercises. We are going to complete them all9smi (smile). If you want to get ahead, I am hosting a Pidd Experience Boot camp being this coming Monday 10:30-11:30 AM at my office D-219. You are welcome to join us.
