TED Talk:  Brian Stevenson




If you have not yet sent me an email self-assessing your own seminar performance, please do so first thing today.

• According to the rubric, what grade do you deserve on seminar?  Write a paragraph explaining the grade you gave yourself.

Seminar Reflection Writing (due Tuesday before class begins)

TEA paragraph review

For your enjoyment:  "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"

Seminar: Racism in the U.S. and Crash

Seminar Rubric

Seminar Norms:

1. Hard on content, soft on people
2. Discussion not debate
3. Connect to text (film and articles)
4. Clarify and question
5. Use conversation movers
6. Quality over quantity
7. Talk to each other, not to me
8. Yield to people who talk less/invite quieter people to participate
9. Do not make unfounded claims….give evidence

Conversation Movers

1.   I respectfully disagree with the point that ____ made, because…

2.   Hmmm, I’m confused about what _____ said…

3.   I’d like to comment further on what _____ said…

4.   I’d like to move on from this topic/discuss a new question…

5.   I’d like to make a connection between…

6.   It says in the article____ that…/In the film,__________

Rotating Fish Bowl
9:30-9:55   A and B
9:55-10:20 B and C
break
10:30-10:55 C and D
10:55-11:20 D and A
Closure/Turn in Seminar Prep

1. While you are not in the circle, you should be on the outside listening intently and taking notes.  You may respond to comments made by people that are not in your rotation.
2.  You will refer to comments made during the seminar in your reflection essay.


HOMEWORK:
Send me an email:  According to the rubric, what grade do you deserve on on seminar? Write a paragraph explaining the grade you give yourself.

Process the seminar and think through the perspectives you have been developing.  Tomorrow, we will spend 1.5 hours in class writing a seminar reflection.  If you would like to preview the reflection assignment, here it is.

Notice:  I will be grading Digital Comp Books this weekend, so please make sure you are caught up.  See Table of Contents if you are unsure.

Crash

Viewing Guide/Seminar Prep (during film or after):  Your ticket to seminar tomorrow.

Seminar Rubric

Seminar Questions

BIG QUESTIONS:

1. What is racism and how does it play out in today’s society?

2. How might it end?

Question Bank

·         What are some of the racial stereotypes that you see highlighted in this movie? How do these stereotypes affect people’s behavior toward each other?

·         Racist and un-racist are not absolute binaries.  Where does this binary get complicated in this movie?

·         Choose a character and discuss what he or she learns.

·         How did viewing this film change, expand, or support your perceptions of race relations in modern-day society?  Select and describe one scene from the film that supports your claim. 

·         What is the role of the individual in breaking or perpetuating the cycle of oppression?

·         What does this film say about human beings and the nature of racism?  Is racism natural? Is it learned?

·         How do the characters in this film fit the stereotypes that others hold of them?  How do they prove them different?

·         What is the relationship between racism and ignorance?

·         Why is Matt Dillon’s character a racist?  Is there ever just cause to be racist?

·         Why does Ryan Phillipe’s character shoot Graham’s brother?  What does he learn about himself?

·         What is the meaning of the title?  What is the significance of what Graham says in the beginning about us living behind metal and glass?

·         What is the relationship between race and social class?

·         What was a question that YOU thought of during the film or our course of study this week?

Continuing on from yesterday....

Guiding Questions
1. What is racism and how does it play out in today's society?
2. How might it end?

1. Starter 8.26:  How did reading the two homework articles complicate or extend your thinking on the Michael Brown situation?  Think about how the perspectives represented in the readings put Ferguson into a bigger context?

2.  http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/g65t3j/the-r-word

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

2.  Finish racism definitions from yesterday:  Powerpoint

Links used in today's powerpoint:

• Redlining:•http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/04/25/1934-philadelphia-redlining-map/
• Real Estate practices TODAY: http://www.bostonfairhousing.org/timeline/1968-Housing-Discrimination-Today.html
• Media's headlines:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/14/media-black-victims_n_5673291.html
• #Iftheygunnedmedown: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/08/12/if-they-gunned-me-down-hashtag-twitter/13982539/
• Discrimination in job hiring (resumes with white-sounding names v. black-sounding names and # of call backs)
• https://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/affirmative-action-pros-and-cons (Read discussion feed below)
• Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
• Evidence on colorblind ideology vs. a multicultural perspective

3.  Reading Diverse Perspectives:
           A. Read and react to this article from a white mother's perspective- What are your 
                reactions to "A Mother's White Privilege"? Do you agree with her?



4.  Answer the following questions in the provided space in the Racism in the U.S./Crash notetaking page (in comp book) as we watch the two video clips.
a. Did something someone said surprise you? If so, why? What does that suggest about your own beliefs and/or values?  You might also paraphrase a quote from the video clip and respond to it.       
b. How does this film clip answer our driving question: “What is racism and how does it play out in today’s society?

• American History X:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niP07kbZMiU
• John Oliver:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUdHIatS36A

5. Discussion: What do you know about the legacy of racism in this country?

• Lynching in the early-mid 1900's
• Black codes
• Jim Crow Laws
• Voting Rights Act of 1965

6.  Begin watching Crash (first 15 minutes)

HOMEWORK:
1.  Finish Part C of notetaking guide.  Watch John Oliver video and answer question.
Explore any and/or all of the links on today's post.  In your comp books, react to one (or multiple) perspective(s) that that address our guiding questions for the week.  

This Week's Big Questions:

• What is racism and how does it play out in today's society?
• How might it end?

Starter 8.25 (in Digital Comp Book)

React in writing to the recent and ongoing circumstances in Ferguson, MO.  What struck you, surprised you, disturbed you, or made you think differently?   How (or what) does the situation in Ferguson make you feel as an American?

Agenda
1.  What all do we know about the Michael Brown shooting?  

2. Read  and discuss "Willing to be Disturbed"

3. Establish ground rules for our discussions on race

• Oops/Ouch
• Speak your truth while listening with an open heart to others’
• Be “Willing to be disturbed”

4.  Four Corners

• In America, everyone has equal opportunity to lead a successful, happy life.
• Social class is more relevant than race in determining someone’s likelihood of success.
• In order to combat racism, we should all try to be colorblind.
•  Affirmative action is reverse discrimination

Affirmative Action refers to a policy or program providing advantages for minority groups who have experienced historical discrimination with the aim of creating a more egalitarian society through preferential access to education, employment, health care, and social welfare. We will be focusing on race-based educational affirmative action.



5. Go over this week's homework and seminar prep packet  

• Open the document in Google Docs
• Cut and paste it into your Digital Comp Book
• Let me know if you prefer a paper copy, and I will print it for you.

6.   Establish definitions for some terms key to our discussion on race.

• Key Terms Powerpoint
• Extended Reading:  Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

Junior Seminar announcements: Welcome, Zoe!


HOMEWORK:
Complete Part B of the Seminar Prep Note-taking Guide 

Today We ...
1.  Get the wheels turning:  What ideas do we have about America?
2.  Attempt to deconstruct a text.
3.  Preview our year together and discuss our excitements and anxieties about Junior Year.

Freewrite (on back of Tell Me sheet): 

·         What are your concerns/fears and excitements about Junior Year? 

·         What have you learned so far in your HS career to help you excel this year?

·         What do you still need improvement on in order to be successful (in Humanities and in general) 

Google Form:  Class Data


Digital Comp Book Set-up

1.  Create a new Google doc and name it:  FirstName LastName Digital Comp Book 

2.  Share with jessica.mccallum@animashighschool.com and give me editing power 

3.  Each entry should be labeled so that it is clear to me which entry goes with which prompt

4.  Master document on my Resources page to keep up with prompts

5.  You are responsible for all starters and entries, even if you are absent

6.  Feel free to add images, links, and other digital content in your responses!

Starter 8.22 (IN DIGITAL COMP BOOK):  Complete this sentence as many ways as you can think of.  Be literal and/or figurative, positive and/or negative.

• America is....

Pink Houses

Listen once without video and answer prompt questions in 1 solid paragraph each in Digital Comp Book

1.  Do you think that John Cougar Mellencamp’s tone is more patriotic or cynical?  Explain why you think so.

2.  Make an interpretive claim about this song using evidence. What is he saying?  What is the message?

Does the video change your interpretation?  How and why?

Seminar-ish Discussion:  Junior Year expectations and syllabus chat


Honors Humanities Overview:  See DP Link for full details!  If you are interested in Honors, read over project description in detail this weekend to help you decide.  



TURN IN:  
1.  Tell me a little about you
2.  Syllabus signature page
3.  film permission letter



HOMEWORK:
1.  If you are thinking about Honors, read closely the application process and the Independent Study Project Overview.  Explore some of the documents on the Honors tab of my DP.  If you want to apply, send me an email so that I can have printed copies of the historical documents ready for you on Monday.
2.  Pay attention to the news coming out of Ferguson, Mo.  If you are not already familiar, find out what is going on there.


HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!  I am so excited about our year together!

Welcome to Humanities 11!

Today We Will:

1.  Get acquainted with each other and the course

2.   Interpret an excerpt from a great American literary text 

3.   Establish a basic understanding of the concept of deconstruction as a Humanities lens

Introductions:

1. Name; 2 interesting details about yourself; How are you feeling today?  Questions for each other?  Let's help the new Ospreys feel welcome!

2. Who am I?  Questions for me?

The Creation by Eduardo Galeano

1.  Read, read, read, annotate, annotate

2.  Illustrate or create some sort of visual representation of your interpretation of this passage.

3.  Group share/interpretation:  What meaning do we find?

4.  DECONSTRUCTION?  (A good explanation of deconstruction...)

5.  What are the binary ideas in this text?  Where do they get complicated?

6.  One paragraph interpretation (What does good interpretation look like?)

Course Description from Syllabus: Deconstructing America

HOMEWORK for tomorrow

1.  Tell Me About Yourself

2.  Read syllabus, share with parents, get it signed

3.  Crash letter/permission 

   

  

Walt Says...

Have you reckon'd a thousand acres much? have you reckon'd the earth much?

Have you practis'd so long to learn to read?
Have you felt so proud to get at the meaning of poems?

Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems,
You shall possess the good of the earth and sun, (there are millions of suns left,)
You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, nor look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres in books,
You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me,
You shall listen to all sides and filter them from your self.