Thursday, August 31

Let's go to the woods! Be ready to load up at 3:30!
Today's Goal:

Be able to define "rhetoric" and give examples of rhetorical discourse.

Starter 8.31  At this point in your thinking, how would you answer these questions:

How is the study of history an ideological act?  

How do our perspectives on the present impact how we view history and vice versa?

What is Ray Raphael trying to persuade us of?  Is his argument convincing?  Why or why not?

PERSUASION IS PERVASIVE!!!

(Pair share) Think about the last time someone persuaded you to do something, buy something, or believe something.  What did that person do that was convincing?

-OR-

Think of the last time you persuaded someone.  How did you convince your “audience”?

Examples of Persuasion:  Two pep talks

Tyler Durden's Speech

1.  What is his message?

2.  Is it convincing?  Why?

3.  How does he appeal to his audience?

A Pep Talk from Kid President

1.  What is his message?

2.  Is it convincing?  Why?

3.  How does he appeal to his audience?

What is rhetoric?  

Look up definitions (solo or partners) and then paraphrase in your own words.

Definitions of "rhetoric":  http://www.americanrhetoric.com/rhetoricdefinitions.htm

Begin reading "An Overview of Rhetoric" by James Herrick.  Read through (including) page 7, the section called "Defining Rhetoric."  

Mini-lesson:  An Overview of Rhetoric

WORK TIME/HOMEWORK for Tuesday

1. Read Herrick article, an "An Overview of Rhetoric" through p 17, you may STOP at the header RHETORIC AS AN ART.

2. Reverse Outline   (Quiz on this content!)

Wednesday, August 30

Starter 8.30: A Significant Omission…..

Read the omitted passage from the Declaration of Independence and answer the following questions:

1. To what is Jefferson referring?
2. Why do you think Congress removed this from the adopted  draft?

He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating and carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation hither … And he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he had deprived them, by murdering the people upon whom he also obtruded them: thus paying off former crimes committed against the liberties of one people, with crimes which he urges them to commit against the lives of another.

Discuss Declaration Packet. (TURN IT IN!)

What are the ideologies upon which our country is founded?

What bias did you see in each of the historian excerpts?

Four corners:  

America is living up to the ideals set forth is the preamble of the Declaration of Independence.

Re-examining the Revolution....

How is the Revolution usually taught in schools?  How might ideology impact the telling of this part of our history?  How does bias matter in the telling of history?

The American Revolution:  Crash Course US History

WORK TIME

Read and annotate:  “Re-examining the Revolution” by Ray Raphael

JOURNAL 8.30 Raphael Response

Respond in your digital comp books to these prompts:

1.  Ray Raphael says, "We continue to see ourselves as David to prove we are not Goliath..."  What does he mean by this?  How does he see this as a result of mythologizing the study of history?  Why should we care?

2.  Do we agree with Raphael's claim that "the historical self-portrait of America as the little guy, together with a myopic denial of international politics, fuels the quest for unbounded global power"?

3.  What is his ideological perspective?

Tuesday, August 29

STARTER 8.29:  Watch part of the VICE News coverage of Charlottesville.  (WARNING:  Be willing to be disturbed!)

React.  AND Explain how the conflict portrayed in the video is ideological in nature.

Announcements:

• Honors meeting at lunch!
• Get camping permission slips to Ashley TODAY!  

The Big Question:

To what degree is the United States living up to the ideals set forth in the Declaration?

DISCUSS:

1. What do you remember about the American Revolution?  What have you learned about it in your education?

2. What are some of the ideals upon which the Revolution was based?

2. Why was the Declaration of Independence written?  

History channel excerpt

Declaration of Independence video (watch preamble)

How does the rhetoric of the Declaration impact you as an American?  

The Ideology of the Declaration of Independence

• Declaration Preamble
• Why did the Founding Fathers write the Declaration?

A Significant Omission…..

Read the omitted passage from the Declaration of Independence and answer the following questions:

1. To what is Jefferson referring?
2. Why do you think Congress removed this from the adopted draft?

He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating and carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation hither … And he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he had deprived them, by murdering the people upon whom he also obtruded them: thus paying off former crimes committed against the liberties of one people, with crimes which he urges them to commit against the lives of another.

Discuss Declaration Packet. (TURN IT IN!)

What are the ideologies upon which our country is founded?

What bias did you see in each of the historian excerpts?

Four corners:  America is living up to the ideals set forth is the preamble of the Declaration of Independence.

Monday, August 28

Starter 8.28:  Complete this sentence as many ways as you can think of.  Be literal and/or figurative, positive and/or negative.

• America is....

PROJECT LAUNCH! (Let me know if you want me to print you a hard copy of this description.  Otherwise, it can be found under the “PROJECTS” link on my DP for your reference)

So let’s deconstruct a little piece of Americana….

Pink Houses

Listen once without video and answer prompt questions

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

2.  Make an interpretive claim about this song using evidence. What is he saying?  What is the message?  What do you think this song is trying to express about America?

3.  Group share/interpretation:  What meaning do we find?  What do the people in the song believe about America?

WATCH THE VIDEO

4.  Discuss:  Does the video change your interpretation?  How and why?

5. How might ideology impact how we are seeing the song? How we view the American experience?

IN OUR OWN WORDS (Pair Share)  What is ideology?

REMINDERS:
Turn in Syllabus letter
Turn in "Tell Me About You"
Share your Digital Comp Book with me!
HONORS meeting at lunch tomorrow. Turn in Zinn questions before the meeting.

Friday, August 25

Starter 8.25: Causes of Partisan Perceptions

Choose several of the items on this list and discuss where you have seen the principles in play in society. Think about yourself and your own views.  Do you find yourself falling victim to any of these causes of partisan perception?  Or think about the climate of information we are living in.  What are examples of people seeing the same events/ideas in different ways.  Why does this happen?

What is confirmation bias?  How does our media environment feed our confirmation bias in today’s politically divided society and keep us from having our ideas shaken and disturbed?

Seminar Prep (30 minutes)

Please review the three seminar readings from this week and try to draw on all three of them for these questions:

1. What preconceived notions or prior beliefs did these readings challenge for you? (Think specifically about what you believed to be true about the world, school, yourself, other people)
2. What are your key takeaways from these readings? What ideas do you hope you’ll carry forward with you?
3. Now take some time to review the seminar questions listed below and circle a few that you for sure would like to ask/discuss during seminar.  

Seminar Questions from “The Function of Education” by Krishnamurti

1. What kind of student do you want to be this year?
2. ​How do you want to engage with your education?  
3. What do you want junior year to be like for you and for our class?
4. What does Krishnamurti argue the function of education is? What is the THESIS of his essay?
5. What ideas/beliefs/values that seem core to our cultural/social/political lives as Americans does he call into question or challenge? Why? Do you agree that these things should be questioned/challenged/changed? What alternatives does he propose? What alternatives do you propse?
6. What push backs/challenges do you have for the author? With which ideas do you disagree or find problematic?
7. Does Animas create an environment where this is possible? Should we be aspiring to?

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Seminar Questions from “Willing to be Disturbed”

• What is her thesis?  Do you agree with her thesis?
• In what ways do you need to be challenged regarding your beliefs/perspectives? How can you do that? What role do you play in that process? How can  Ashley and your classmates best support you in challenging your beliefs?
• What are ideas that we as a society need to be “willing to be disturbed” on?
• To what extent do you feel safe to share your political views in class at AHS?
• Is it more important to speak or listen? To be a persuasive speaker or good listener?

Seminar Questions from “The Seduction of Safety, on Campus and Beyond”

• Does one need to feel safe in order to be a successful learner? What else should a classroom environment/culture provide to be conducive to learning?
• How would you define “a safe space”?
• What do you need to feel safe?
• To what extent would you consider Animas’s communal areas and broader community to be a “safe space”?
• What feels safe? What feels unsafe?
• To what extent have your classrooms at Animas been “safe spaces” in the past?
• What groups of students at Animas might feel less safe? How can we support these groups?
• What is “hate speech”? Do you believe free speech should protect hate speech? Why or why not?

THE BIG IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:   So what kind of classroom do we want to create?  What norms and behaviors will be necessary to achieve it?

TO-DO (by Monday)

1. Review my syllabus and have your parents review it.  Return the letter signed..
2. Tell me a little bit about you
3. Set up your Digital Comp Book
4. Honors ONLY:  Zinn, Chapter 1 with questions

Thursday, August 24

COMP BOOK GUIDELINES

Did you set up your digital comp book? (No worries if you haven't yet! See guidelines on yesterday's post)

Starters and Journals: always highlighted in blue and labeled by date. Please call them the same in your document!

RESOURCE: Digital Comp Book Table of Contents found under "Resources" link

STARTER 8.24 (In Digital Comp Book if you have it set up)

How would you classify your own political views? Liberal? Conservative? Other? Where did your political beliefs come from- How did you form the political views you currently hold? To what extent have you felt safe to share your political beliefs in school? Beyond?

Reading: "Willing to be Disturbed" (seminar reading #2)

1. Mark lines that stand out
2. Identify the main argument/thesis of this writing
3. In what ways do you need to "be disturbed"? What ideas/beliefs/identities do you cling to that you could be challenged on?
4. Why am I having you read this?

A Norm for Class Discussion:  Ouch and Oops

Charlottesville, VA (8/12/17) Case Study

1. Define Key Terms:  White supremacy, Nationalist, Neo-nazis, Fascists, Anti-Fascists, Hate speech
2. Watch: Charlottesville Violence
3. 4 Corners

• Hate speech should be protected under the 1st Amendment
• Statues of historical figures who have committed racist, illegal, immoral or inhumane acts, should be dismantled.
• Reverse discrimination (racism against white people) occurs within our legal system and/or political system

Reading: The Seduction of Safety on Campuses and Beyond (Seminar reading #3)

****Before reading: define “Safe Space”

Work Time

Read and annotate reading #3 for tomorrow's seminar and work on to-do list for the week

Wednesday, August 23

WELCOME TO HUMANITIES 11!!!!

Today's Goals:

1. Think critically about what the function of education is
2. Begin to get oriented to Humanities 11

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Introductions

1. Let's help the new Ospreys feel welcome!

• Name
• Why did you choose Animas? OR What are you excited about?
• What is something that is confusing you, disturbing you, or amazing you about life in America right now?

​

2. Who am I, Jessica, your teacher?  Questions for me?

​

3. A note on junior year:  Best year of your life so far?  

• "For there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so." --Hamlet
• THIS IS YOUR EDUCATION!!!  We are going to be doing this together.

 

PAIR SHARE:

A. What do you know about the event depicted in this photograph?

​B. If you know where this photograph is from, what are your attitudes about the event? If you do not recognize this photograph, what guesses do you have about what happened and WHY?

1. Discuss photograph
2. Generate a list of what you KNOW and what you WANT to know related to the event depicted in the photo.
3. Get informed: We will be studying race politics and the history of racism in the United States over the next few weeks in the context of our Rhetoric and Ideology project.  If you have not been doing so already, please try to get informed about the recent events in Charlottesville and the ensuing debate it is has raised.  Try to consume news from all over the political spectrum.  What do I mean by this?

Read and annotate "The Function of Education" by Krishnamurti (Seminar reading #1)

• Read as much of the reading as you can. Mark quotes that stand out to you as thought-provoking, interesting, inspiring or with which you strongly disagree.
• Try to identify the author's thesis: What does Krishnamurti claim the purpose of education is?
• Be prepared to share your selections and make meaning together.

"The Function of Education":  Spirit Read

1.  Everyone participates at least once.  You can speak more than once.

2.  Read a word, phrase, or sentence.

3.  No commentary or opinions.

4.  When possible, try to connect with what was just read.

5.  Give all voices a chance.

6.  Pauses can be powerful.

7. Repeating words and phrases is fine.

AFTER:  Jot down key takeaways that answer this question:  What ideas from this reading would you like to apply to our own class culture (how we treat each other, how this class is run, etc...?  Or, if there are certain ideas that did not resonate with you, feel free to jot down those ideas that you DON’T want to be a part of this class culture.  This reading will be one of several core texts for a seminar we are going to have on Friday of this week.

SYLLABUS AND OTHER BUSINESS

Course Description and Project Essential Questions from Syllabus

Interested in Honors?  Please read over my HONORS SYLLABUS as homework.  You will notice that you have a reading for this week.  There are hard copies at the table near the door. If you are in, complete the reading and corresponding questions and come to a lunch meeting next Tuesday, August 29

What materials do you need for this class?  Where do we put our stuff?

Bookmark my webpage!  

Tell me a little bit about yourself

Digital Comp Book Set-up

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

2.  Share the document with me at jessica.mccallum@animashighschool.com.  Make sure you 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!

7.  Chat with me if you prefer to keep your comp book on the Earth instead of in the Cloud.

TO-DO (by Monday)

1. Review my syllabus and have your parents review it.  Return the letter signed..
2. Tell me a little bit about you
3. Set up your Digital Comp Book
4. Honors ONLY:  Zinn, Chapter 1 with questions