Traditions

    My family is big on tradition.  As a child growing up, Christmas morning was one of the few times during the year where we kids got donuts.  There would cream sticks, and regular donuts--glazed, powdered, chocolate.  It was also the time when we could not go downstairs until mom and dad had turned on the lights, turned on the Christmas music, and turned on the coffee.  While they did these things, we sat anxiously waiting to descend the stairs to see what Santa had delivered.  My sister-n-law and I spoke of these types of traditions over the Thanksgiving breaks.  We recalled them with great fondness knowing that we too liked creating traditions for our children.
    So many of our memories are rooted in tradition.  We look back and lasso those rituals from our past and then we attach our emotion and future choices to them.  My own children know our traditions.  We too make our kids sit on the stairs until the all clear is given.  We await the arrival of our in-laws before opening presents.  I make a breakfast casserole and cinnamon rolls and then we spend most of the day, in our PJs.  These traditions are more than just rituals.  They are how we make sense of the world.  They provide us with comfort and a sense of family.  
    Look at your Holiday traditions.  What traditions do you have?  Describe these traditions--who is involved, when do you do it, what happens, and why does it matter.  

Words

     Spoken Word Poetry is amazing to listen to.  This week we will listen to two poets.  Their language. rhythm, and performance status is inspiring.  Words on the page speak volumes.  Watching the words come to life, well, this is magical.  
     If you click the name of the artist, you can watch their performance.  Marshal Davis Jones performs a poem where he talks about misspelling the word Father in a spelling bee.  Sarah Kay performs the poem "If I should Have a Daughter."  Both poems speak to us.
    Your assignment--Listen to both poems.  Choose which one speaks to you.   Explain why you like the poem.  Pull specific lines, parts, images that jump out at you.  Explain why you like them.  

Thankful

It is close to Thanksgiving.  It is hard to believe.  We are about to embark on the holiday season and all that it brings with it.  On Facebook, so many people are posting what it is that they are thankful for.  It seems cliché, yes.  However, it is apropos.  So, I would like for you to take part in this ritual.
     For your post this week, please make a list of the following things you are thankful for:
1. A person and why.
2. A material possession and why?
3. A place and why?
4. A piece of advice and why?
5. A moment of learning and why?


I will go first:
1. I am thankful for my two daughters.  They remind me everyday of the person I want to be, should be, and the person I will be.
2. I am thankful for my iPad.  I love having reading material forever at my fingertips.
3. I am thankful for my home.  It is a place built with my husband, for our daughters and our new puppy.  It is a safe haven, a place where sweatpants and a hoodie are always acceptable.
4. I am thankful for the advice my dad gave me when I was younger.  He always told me that when you go into a fight never take something you wouldn't want used on you.  It is appropriate in so many ways.  I think about this when I engage in debates, when I face adversity and when I need to remember my human side.
5. I am thankful for learning how to cook.  I worked in a kitchen with a woman named Bev who taught me so much about working with food and flavors.  She taught me to not be afraid and to try any recipe that I wanted.  I love to experiment with food and new recipes thanks to working in
restaurants during college.

Quotes

When we read a book that speaks to us, it stays with us.  There are many books that when I read them, I mark them up.  I annotate them until the page becomes a mix of mine and the author's words. These words will resonate for some reason or another.  Sometimes it is because we agree with the thinking; sometimes it is because on that day and time it fit with our state of mind; sometimes it supports a belief we have.  The reason the words resonate is personal.

Your blog this week is to pull out a quote from a piece of school appropriate literature and explain why it resonates.  Now, don't pick something that is so personal that it makes you uncomfortable to share.  Type the quote, gives us some context, and explain why it matters to you!!!!

For example: This is from The Things They Carried by Time O'Brien.
           "And in the end, of course, a true war story is never about war.  It's about sunlight.  It's about the special way that dawn spreads out on a river when you know you must cross the river and march into the mountains and do things you are afraid to do.  It's about love and memory.  It's about sorrow.  It's about sisters who never write back and people who never listen" (85).

The Things They Carried is a book about the Vietnam War.  I love this quote from the book.  It reminds us that war is often not what we think it is.  It reminds us that we are human.  When we hear of war on television or in video games, it is about the fighting.  O'Brien reminds us that at the heart of war is a human.  It is about making a statement and no one caring what is said.

Art and its purpose

       We have been looking at the author's purpose in the songs we listen to for Music Mondays.  However, author's purpose is present in any text we read, any art piece constructed, any movie created, and so on. The way we see art differs from person to person just like the way we hear a song is different from person to person.  I enjoy street art.  I find it to be incredibly interesting and I love the commentary it makes about society.  However, the word art has so many connotations.  
        The word "Art" like any word is subjective.  We see art everyday and do not stop to appreciate it. Go to the site, Huffington Post, and look at what the different individuals say about the role or definition of art. Once you have have read through those definitions, go to the below websites and choose two art pieces to discuss.  

What to discuss:
1. Give the title of each art piece before you discuss it. (If the art piece does not have a name, describe it as best as you can.)
2. Explain which artist's definition applies to each artwork.
3. Explain what you see when you look at the art piece.
4. What is the purpose behind each artist's piece of artwork? What is their message for society?

Websites to find the artwork:
1. http://kurtwenner.com/gallery/street_gallery/
2. http://www.streetartutopia.com/?p=8241

As always, keep all posts school appropriate! 

Hero

       As we approach the month of November, it becomes important that we look at those to whom we should be grateful.  One of these individuals is the person who is the hero in your life.  Putting the label or tag of hero on a person is a rather intimidating task.  It begs to have the hero fall off his/her proverbial white horse.
       Nevertheless, we all have someone who has made a significant impact on our lives.  One such person is my grandmother.  Her name is Frances Murphy and she passed away about four years ago.  She embodied everything good.  I know this sounds like a rather lofty description, but she truly was one of the best people I ever knew.  She was raised with very little money.  She had very little in material goods.  As a young woman she attended school to become a preacher.   This was an unprecedented event given the time period.  She was the mother of six children and while raising her children, she worked multiple jobs: bus driver,  she worked in a hospital, she taught Sunday school.
These things made her an amazing person.  However, she is my hero because of her outlook on people and life.  I never heard my grandmother ever say an unkind word about anyone.  She accepted everyone and she loved unconditionally.  She taught me how to embrace people flaws and all.  For this, I am grateful. 
       Your blog for this ghoulish week: describe the hero in your life.  Who is this person, what makes them a hero in your eyes, and what have they taught you. 

The Little Things

      There are moments in life that remind us of what it means to be human.  We are born to die according to Shakespeare.  We are born, and then well, we die.  It is cliche to say it is what we do in the in between time; however, it is true.  Zac Brown writes in "Chicken Fried,"...it's the little things in life that mean the most."  I tend to agree with him.  It is the little things: the first kiss, the smell of my babies after a bath, the gentle paw of my new puppy, the laughter of my daughters when they do not know I can hear them, the smell of pepperoni rolls baking, a kind word from another person, a hug when it is needed... I could go on for a long time about all of the little things I appreciate.
      We often don't know how those little things can add up and mean so much to another.  This week's blog is a challenge.  I want you to do little things for others.  You do not need money or even anything material in nature.  All you need is the desire.  I challenge you to do one little thing for another person for seven consecutive days.  Now, each little thing does not have to be done for the same person.  It could be a new little thing for seven different people.  Or, you could pick one person and do something little for them each day.  The following is a list of possible ways to do something little: write a thank you note; do the dishes without being asked or another chore without being asked; take dinner to someone who needs it; offer a seat to someone who does not have one;  make someone some cookies or another type of food.  The options abound.  
      Once you have done your nice things, I want you to post about a nice thing done for you and how it made you feel.  Don't blog about what you did.  This is about how others made you feel.  
             My example:  When I was pregnant with my youngest daughter, my husband and I moved to a new neighborhood.   We did not know any of our neighbors since we moved in December and the cold weather kept everyone indoors.  By the time summer came, we still did not know many.  I knew that my next door neighbor had given birth to twins in April so she was very busy with taking care of her young ones.  I never met her until I had my youngest.  After I came home from the hospital, I was exhausted.  Two children is a different story all together after having only one.  I remember I was vacuuming the house when the door bell rang.  It was my neighbor and she had her arms full.  She came into my house bringing me two lasagnas, loaves of bread, salad, and dessert.  I was not sure what to say.  She just looked at me and said, "I thought you could use this." (or something like that.)  
             I have never told her this, but that day meant a great deal to me.  She is currently one of my best friends and it all started with a kind gesture.  
   

Stairs

We have been looking at metaphors in class and in last week's blog.  We use metaphors all the time to make our points, to persuade others, and to explain how things function.  This week's blog is asking you to think about  this week's music Monday song and to explain the song using the image on this page.

First, describe what you see in the picture.  Once you have described the picture, describe the song.  What is happening in the song? Finally, explain how they are similar.  How can this picture apply to a song by Bon Jovi?

Your answer must be detailed and well thought out.

Metaphors

We have looked at several texts this year.  Between the summer reading, the essay "My Father's Noose," Stephen King's book--On Writing, and the songs we have listened to and analyzed, we have been exposed to much.  Each one of these texts provide the reader with some type of conflict, or idea.  Through these, connections are made.  

Look at the photo on this page.  Examine what is happening in the picture.  What is it?  What is it doing?  How is this different than what we would expect?  In examining this photo, determine how it is a metaphor.

Once you have determined how the image is a metaphor, connect it to one of the pieces we have read thus far.  In your post, explain the metaphor and then explain how this metaphor and image connects to one of our previously read pieces.  

What Nourishes Us

      I love food.  Like most people, I see food as being more than just what is put in front of me.  My choices of restaurant, my choices of meal, my clothing choice for the meal, and the atmosphere all are linked together.  For me, food is more than just physical nourishment.  It is about the nourishment of the mind and the soul.  It is an experience.  I made the comment the other day that I wondered when I would start to eat like a grown up.  I keep expecting myself to suddenly love salads or want to eat a well balanced meal at each sitting.  Sadly, that is not the case.  There are some days when I wake up and think, "I really would like a nice big Santa Fe salad."  On other days, I feel like Homemade Chicken noodle soup or pork loin with baby red potatoes and asparagus.  The thing is, all of these are about how I am "feeling" at the moment.  

      Our sense of smell, and our meals are all attached to our memories.  Sometimes, we think of how we felt when we ate a certain food and want to reclaim that feeling so we try to recreate that through a meal.  Other times, we tried a meal because the person who made it for us asked, and because of our affection for them, we push ourselves.  Then, when we no longer have that person with us, we make the food to feel closer to them.  
      This week, think about food.  What is your favorite food/meal?  Why is it your favorite food/meal?  Who made it for you?  How do you feel when you eat it?  These all help us to think about what connects us to each other.  
      For example: As a child, my mother would always make cornbread and beans.  The stove would house a huge pot filled with the beans boiling steeped in onions and a ham bone.  In the oven, cornbread would be baking.  The kitchen smelled so good.  The air was full and warm.  Whenever I smell cornbread baking, I am reminded of my mother making this.  I have asked my mother many times about this meal.  We had it often growing up and I wondered why.  Her response:  "It was cheap.  I could feed the entire family for little money."  She went on to tell me that when my dad lost his job when I was little, this was an affordable meal for a family of seven.  When I look back on this time in my life, I don't see it as cheap.  I remember it as a moment rich in family and tradition.

   Your assignment: Write about a food that is rich in memory for you.  Who is involved?  Why is it special.  A very full paragraph should do it.  Enjoy!!!!

Stories

    Stephen King posits that stories are what saved him as a child.  He found solace in reading and writing.  As members of the human race, we all are exposed to stories.  The stories we hear each day on the bus, at lunch, from our teachers, the media, and from ourselves allow us to see our place in society.  We live in a world where stories are one of our ways of communicating.     
    I grew up in a household of story tellers.  My mother would brush, braid, or design our hair each day and in the process of this act, she would tell us stories.  These stories helped to define my childhood, helped my understanding of family and allowed me to see myself in the world.  One such story was of when my mother wrecked her bike.  
   --She was racing her friend to school.  In her haste, she flipped her bike and landed hard on the concrete.  Her bike came down on top of her.  Some men who were on their way to a family member's funeral saw my mom laying on the ground.  They pulled over and got out of their black limousine to check on the young girl pinned under her bike.  At the same time as the men got out to check on my mom, the school bus passed her.  The men drove my mother home so she could get her injuries checked out.  Meanwhile, the kids on the bus saw the men put my mother into their "funeral car" and drive her away.  Those same kids who were on the bus went to school and told my mother's sister that her sister was dead and put in the "funeral car."  My aunt was so upset that she went to the office to call home.  It was then that my grandmother revealed that my aunt's sister/my mother was not dead, just hurt.  

This story may not seem like much.  But as a family, we would often find ourselves laughing at this mistaken information.  My mother is so competitive that she ended up scarring her sister.  This story lets me see this same nature in myself. Being a little competitive is a good thing, but when it causes others/or the self harm, perhaps reflection is needed.  

Your assignment:
Tell a family story.  A very full paragraph should be enough.  Once you have told the story, explain what this story helps you to understand about yourself.  

Mindset

We have been looking at Mindset in class and how Mindset looks, sounds, works in the world we live.  We have listened to a TED Talk, read an article, and watched it in a speech.  This week, I want you to examine how Mindset appears in your world.  

Choose a scenario: a classroom conversation; a television show/movie; an interview with an athlete, writer, artist; a conversation with a family member; or anther situation you find yourself present for.  Examine the scenario and record how you see Mindset. 

Here is an example for you to follow:The movie Remember the Titans:

Coach Boone: This is where they fought the battle of Gettysburg. Fifty thousand men died right here on this field, fighting the same fight that we are still fighting among ourselves today. This green field right here, painted red, bubblin' with the blood of young boys. Smoke and hot lead pouring right through their bodies. Listen to their souls, men. I killed my brother with malice in my heart. Hatred destroyed my family. You listen, and you take a lesson from the dead. If we don't come together right now on this hallowed ground, we too will be destroyed, just like they were. I don't care if you like each other of not, but you will respect each other. And maybe... I don't know, maybe we'll learn to play this game like men.


Here Coach Boone is trying to help his players change their mindset on how they see others and how they interact with each other. They came to camp a town divided by race, and in the end they have begun to demonstrate the growth mindset. They allowed their views of others to change--to grow. As a result, they won games, worked hard for each other, and formed lasting relationships with their teammates. Those who were unable to change, the fixed mindset, found themselves unable to perform as athletes and form the friendships on the team.

New Beginning

       School starts every August.  This is one thing we can be sure of as students in America.  We begin to see the advertisements for school supplies and back to school clothing sales each July.  For many, a feeling of excitement and dread comes about at this time.  The best thing about beginnings, though, is that each time we get a "do over."  We get to start the year off fresh.
      Fresh starts are like a clean chalkboard.  We are free to write our story.  The teachers do not know us, our work habits get to be reborn, our outlook is our responsibility.  Like all beginnings, this one is important for you.  You get to choose who you will be and the actions you will take.  Ironically, this beginning of twelfth grade is also your last high school beginning.  Look back at all of your beginnings and decide how this one will be different.  
      For this week's post, I am asking you to set three goals for your senior year. I want them to be academic goals.  These are not social goals or generic goals.  I want them to be specific to you.  An example of an academic goal would be as follows:  I want to turn in all of my work knowing it is the best I have to offer.  Make your goals reasonable and attainable.  Goals are what we strive for.  They give us hope, and they give us incentive.  Make your goals, and let's work toward these goals all year long!
       

Moment of reflection

     As with most moments in our lives, we are approaching an ending.  This ending is one that we count on from the moment we step into the doorway of kindergarten.   Graduation is a time for celebration.  Meeting the graduation requirements is a testament to the world, to you, and to those who care about you that you have completed your journey.  This is about you working hard to complete your journey so that a new one awaits on the horizon.  Once you complete this, you will find that it is only the beginning.  Many more journeys will grow from this.  It is your responsibility to determine how much of a blossom you allow the the world to see.  
     For this week, I want you to reflect on a moment.  What moment in your life prepared you to meet and excel beyond this milestone?  Tell me a story about one of your stepping stones to graduation.  Your stepping stone may have been a moment of failure where you learned to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and then persevere regardless of any obstacles; or,  it may be a moment of inspiration or success where you knew in that moment you were bound for success.  Tell me a story.
     With only a few weeks left until the end of this journey, you can see the finish line.  Don't slow down, don't stop believing (Sorry Journey!), and don't allow yourself to be detoured.  
Happy blogging:)    
   

Guidelines: If your story is negative and would paint another person in a negative light, please refrain from using their name.  This is not meant to bash others, but to celebrate you and your many stepping stones.

Voice is an incredibly powerful tool.  The voice of a writer is defined as the following: 

VOICE is an author’s distinctive literary style, basic vision and general attitude toward the world.  This “voice” is revealed through an author’s use of SYNTAX (sentence construction); DICTION (distinctive vocabulary); PUNCTUATION; CHARACTERIZATION and DIALOGUE.  The voice of an author may cover a wide range of possibilities (e.g. “victim,” “judge,” “friend," "coach," “spy,” “opponent,” "cheerleader,” "critic," "alien") (AP Glossary of Literary Terms).

All of us have a distinct writing voice.  The way we construct our writing and present our ideas to the world is unique to each of us.  Your blog this week is to find an example (not discussed in class) that you can determine the following:

Type a paragraph of the text into your response. This can come from any school appropriate source.   Explain the following about your passage.
1. What is the passage trying to say?
2. How does this writer say it? Look at vocabulary, sentence structure, punctuation, and dialogue.
3. Why does this style appeal to you?

The News

     I struggle to keep up with the news.  It can often be a problem.  People around me will engage in a conversation and I am left out of the dialogue simply because I did not read my Twitter feed or catch the six o'clock news.  I have gotten better at following along.  What I have found interesting, though, is the organization, vocabulary and perspective of the news.  Depending on the paper it changes.
    Certain news sources have elevated vocabulary, longer sentence construction, and more complex text.  Others, have more ads, more hyperbole, smaller  vocabulary, and sentences that are not very complicated.  The reason, audience.

Your assignment this week is to choose ANY SCHOOL APPROPRIATE news article from a reputable news source: New York Times, Boston Globe, Plain Dealer, Washington Post--to name a few. Read one of the articles--preferably a full length article--full pages.  Using the article, complete the following information:

1. Summarize the article and cite the source
2. Explain what you notice about the writing: sentence construction, vocabulary, topic etc.
3. Who is the audience of this article? (Teens, woman, economic level...)
4. How do they build their argument? (Ethos, logos, pathos)  How do you know? 

Street Art

The word "Art" like any word is subjective.  We see art everyday and do not stop to appreciate it. Go to the site, Huffington Post, and look at what the different individuals say about the role or definition of art. Once you have have read through those definitions, go to the below websites and choose three art pieces to discuss.

What to discuss:
1. Give the title of each art piece before you discuss it. (If the art piece does not have a name, describe it as best as you can.)
2. Explain which artist's definition applies to each artwork.
3. Explain what you see when you look at the art piece.
4. What is the purpose behind each artist's piece of artwork? What is their message for society?

Websites to find the artwork:
1. http://www.aasarchitecture.com/2012/10/3D-street-artists.html
2. http://kurtwenner.com/gallery/street_gallery/
3. http://www.streetartutopia.com/?p=8241

As always, keep all posts school appropriate! 

End of a Quarter

The third quarter is dwindling down to the end.  This last quarter is your last nine weeks of high school.  College and the real world will bring about new expectations; often times, these expectations will be much higher than what was expected of a student in high school. 

This next step is a necessary step in the maturation process.  You will need to step out in the world and be on your own.  Some will find themselves in college, others the military, and others will join the work force.  You will be an adult.  You will be responsible for yourself.  I can preach to you the changes that are coming, but I want you to hear it from your peers.

This week's blog asks you to list five things you know will be different in your life within the next year. What will you need to do in order to prepare to meet these changes and who will help you meet these changes directly?

The Blind Viewer

         We watch an amazing amount of television in this country.  Some of it is good and some of it is not so good. Reality television takes the drama that most people run from in their own lives and broadcasts it for a full audience.  Whatever the television show, there is a meaning to be taken.  The Wizard of Oz was originally commentary on the Industrial Revolution. We have turned it into an iconic film filled with romance of days past and what could have been.  The movies, Red Dawn, Hunt for the Red October, and No Way Out are all movies that came out in the 80"s.  This in turn was to provide commentary on the Cold War.  
         My point is that what we watch each day impacts our ideas and our views.  Look at what you are watching now.    The movie remake, Red Dawn changed its antagonist to North Korean invaders.  What commentary are they making now?  What are you watching and what do the writers, directors, and actors want you to take from it?  

• Your assignment: Look at what you watch this week.  Pull one example.

1. Briefly provide some background information
2. Explain what message is being conveyed to those viewing
3. How is that message being conveyed--characterization, visual imagery, archetypes, etc?

Sarah Kay

The imagery of our lives is what allows our world to go from black and white to a world exploded into a Willy Wonka color phantasm.  The way we paint the world with our language is what allows us to connect--two people drinking from the same straw.  Two people connected by thirst.  Watch Sarah Kay's spoken word poem about Forest Fires. (The title is the link.)  Listen to her story and listen to her imagery. Pay attention to how her descriptions speak volumes.  

The language we use determines the way we feel and understand a piece of writing.  Listen to hers. 1. Once you have listened, pull one of her images and explain why you like it.  What does it do for you as the listener?
2. Go to a text we are reading in class--Hamlet, Crime and Punishment or As I Lay Dying--and pull an image that resonates with you.  Explain why it speaks to you the way that it does. 

Continuum

We live in a world where we are impacted by the history of the town, the city, the state we reside.  The fingerprint left on us is one that is subtle and often not realized until we are older.  As seniors preparing to embark on a journey that may or may not take you far from home, it is vital for you to think about the place you come from.  Watch this video by John Greene entitled Space Time Continuum: Thoughts on Dublin and think about the influences made on you.  How much of the history is part of you?  What have you learned from where you are from? 

I grew up in two places: my first place was a thirty-three acre farm and the second was Akron.  Both of these places have left their fingerprint.  Both have helped to mold me into the cynically lighthearted person that I am.  On the farm, I was exposed to the natural side of the world.  My family grew many vegetables in the garden, shot and ate groundhog, killed snakes, and climbed trees in the apple orchard.  In Akron, I learned about the others in the world, learned what profanity was, learned to be tougher, and that I was the only one who would ever stand up for me, so I better figure out how to do it.  Both of these places nurtured in me the duality that is me.  I am two cymbals held by two different hands and when they are clanged together, they make a pretty cool sound.  (Yes, I just described myself as cool:)) Now, I live in another place, suburbia. It is quiet, quaint, and home.  The perfect bend of my two other worlds--perhaps a watercolor where my colors have blended removing the rough edges, but maintaining the original art. 

Art

Every day we see the world.  We see with our eyes, but what we often miss are the details.  Here are three pieces of art.  Look at what is going on in each piece.  What emotion is brought out through the colors, shapes, designs? 

Choose one of these pieces to connect to either a poem, novel, or essay read this year in class.  Explain how the artwork connects to an idea, a particular scene, or even a character.  Break both down in your explanation. 

Your explanation should breakdown what you see in the artwork and then connect the art to your poem, novel, or essay.  Remember to focus in on a specific character, scene or idea.  All ideas should be original. 

Gender Roles:

Throughout history, the role of gender has been debated. What can or can’t a woman do? What constitutes a man? These are just some of the questions posed. These same questions are evident in the literature we read. In the Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath presents her thoughts on what women want and how women are seen during the time. Chaucer uses this to provide commentary on his world and the role of women. This idea is still present today.

Look this week at the television shows or video games you normally watch or play. What character traits are the women given? What character traits are the men given? What does the assigning of the traits say about our society? Also pay attention to the physical traits of each. Are the females presented as curvaceous and dull witted or slim and intelligent?  Your idea does not have to be about sexism.  I want you to look at how men and women are being portrayed and what message is being conveyed about gender roles in society.   

The show I would address is “Three’s Company.”

This show is about three roommates and the many conflicts that present themselves in their day to day activities. It takes place in 70s and 80s. The roommates consist of two women and a man. One of the females is a blonde and the other is a brunette. The show portrays the two women differently: the blonde is supposed to be very attractive, curvy, and lacking intelligence. The brunette is portrayed as intelligent, a planner, and “cute.” The male roommate is a man who very much likes women, a klutz, and in need of mothering by the female roommates.  

In this show, the women have to battle the way they are portrayed. This shows the shift in the role of women. Women were fighting for more equality and to be seen as more than just homemakers and dependent on males. Both women were single seeking husbands, but also speaking to independence.  The man is a chef. He needs to pretend to be what he is not in order to be permitted to rent the apartment with the girls. He is battling with the preconceived role of the quintessential male. Here we see gender trying to make a shift—move from traditional roles while using humor and the novel idea of roommates.

Be mindful of your language and how you present your case.  Keep it PG!  Do not say anything you think might be offensive! 

Commercials

We are bombarded by visual images each day.  Yesterday, was a celebration of not only football, but the commercial.  What new and innovative techniques were to be used in order to make the commercial worth the money being spent on the advertisement and time slot? 
My favorite commercials are the Pure Michigan commercials. I love the feel of the commercial.  The music, the voice of Tim Allen, the imagery--they all just resonate with me.  They make me nostalgic.  Watch this commercial (the word commercial is the link) and pay attention to what is being done to make Michigan attractive. 
What I want you to do is to watch television this week and look at how advertisers are trying to speak to you.  Answer these questions:

1. What is the advertisement for?
2. How are they trying to persuade you to Buy in to their product--ethos, logos, pathos?
3. What appeals to you when it comes to advertising?

WARNING---Keep your comments clean and PG!!!!! If I have to delete your response, you do not get points.  If I am offended, that is all that matters:)


    

Why we read...

I often hear my students provide the disgruntled groan when asked to read something for class.  It is not out of disrespect or angst directed toward me.  It is, I think, because we have become a society that views reading as a chore.  It asks us to engage with a text--not in a shallow or quick manner--but in a manner that asks us to make a commitment.  We need to pay attention to our words.  Not just the meaning either, but what they say, how they say it, what order they fall in, and to whether or not they are used out of context.  Additionally, we have to look at the figurative language, punctuation and the time period of the text.  All of this attention to detail begs us to engage.  We cannot be passive.  We must pay attention!!!

We are very capable.  We do this during video games, sporting events, musical entertainment.  We can do this for reading.  This video is by John Green (his name is the link) and he is an author of several books.  Pay attention to what he says about reading and how it benefits you to read. 

Your assignment:
1. Point out and explain one of his main points about reading critically.
2. What do you need to do as a reader in order to read more critically?
3.  Why do you love to read, or why do you hate to read?  Explain!


Happy blogging!!!

Creativity

We often take for granted creativity.  As children we enjoy drawing in the sand with a stick, using street chalk, painting with our fingers, and making up stories.  All of these are still part of who we are.  In our book Anthem and in our other texts read this year, we see the importance of our childhood and its impact on our later years. 
Being creative is so much more than being able to draw or tell a good story.  It is about being an original.  It is about allowing ourselves to step out of line and form our own steps, build our own buildings, or write our own tunes. 
I want you to watch this Ted Talk.  It will take you about 18 minutes.  (Yes, I know this is longer than normal.)  Listen to Jarrett J. Krosoczka (his name is the link) and what he says about creativity and how it is formed. Once you have listened, think about what influences your creative side. 
In your post, you should do the following:
                      1. Point out something you found to be interesting about Krosoczka's life and his art and 
                      explain why.
                      2. Explain what inspires your creative juices and what dampens them.
                      3. Explain how you will use art or the arts in your future career(s).