Articles of the Week #3: APUSH

As a former U.S. history student, you have been called upon to review the recent events in Colorado and recommend a course of action for the Jefferson County School District, the second largest district in Colorado. Your task this week is to read several articles on the APUSH issue. In a two to three page letter to the Jefferson County school board, please address the following:

• Review why students and teachers in the Jefferson County School District are unhappy. Identify the source of the conflict. 
• Explain why students and teachers are justified in their walkouts, or why the school board is correct in proposing revisions to the APUSH curriculum. Analyze the fairness or unfairness of the APUSH curriculum.
• Explain how the media has influenced public perception of this issue. 
• Discuss any other points you consider pertinent to the issue. 
• Propose a course of action for the school district.

Read these articles (and others as well) to help you write your letter:

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/lifestyle/education/what-in-the-ap-us-history-curriculum-apush-sparked-controversy-in-the-jeffco-school-district

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/24/jefferson-county-students-protest_n_5876716.html

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/09/24/hundreds-colorado-students-protest-proposed-history-curriculum-changes/

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/student-walk-outs-possible-at-pomona-arvada-west-and-ralston-valley-high-schools-tuesday

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/trending/jeffco-school-board-lampooned-on-twitter-over-proposed-revisionist-history-lessons

I will not be grading annotations this week. I will only be assessing your letter for your ability to summarize the issue, make inferences, cite evidence to support your thinking, and write a clear, cohesive argument in favor of the board and its actions or the students and teachers who are currently protesting. 

Your letter is due Thursday, October 9th. 

"Harrison Bergeron" Compare/ Contrast Literary Analysis

After reading "Harrison Bergeron" and watching 2081 (directed by Chandler Tuttle), you are ready to tackle standard RL.7:

Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment. 

That seems easy enough. We've already identified some major differences between the two mediums. But what do you analyze? For the purposes of this paper, you may focus on either of these standards to help you with your analysis:

RL.5: Analyze how an author's (or director's) choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it, and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise (or changes in mood and tone). 

or

RL.3: Analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. 

Assessments...

Click here for an EOC-style assessment over our memoir unit and then take this quick "Harrison Bergeron" quiz. The last question will be homework.

Memoir Scoring Guide

Review your memoir using the following scoring guide:

After you have made any necessary changes, please submit your memoir to turnitin.com.

Your class code is: 8663506/

Your password is "Write!"

Autobiographical Poetry

As we finish up our memoir unit, let's take some time to examine poetry. While a more traditional memoir requires you to make a few inferences, a poem requires you to infer constantly. Please read these poems. As you read, annotate each line to help you determine the meaning and tone.

Article of the Week #2

Click here for your most recent Article of the Week. Your annotations and analysis are due on Monday, September 22nd. Please turn in your annotations and analysis on time: 10% will be deducted for each day that your thinking and writing is late.

Review of symbolism and CEI

Dialogue take two

When writing dialogue in your memoir, you must format and punctuate it correctly. Here's a before and after picture of how to fix up your dialogue. BEFORE: AFTER:

Another Memoir

Let's examine a memoir that deals with a different kind of parent-child dynamic. As you read this memoir, highlight the figurative language that you notice as well as word choice that you think expresses a certain tone or mood. In addition, annotate as you read by making comments. What are you thinking as you read this memoir?

Click here to access the memoir. 

Make a copy for yourself. Instead of "Copy of...", you should title your document with your first and last name in front of the title. 

Share it with me (mtaylor--Melissa Taylor). 

Please ask if you don't know how to highlight or comment.