Stand Up and Speak! May 20 or 23, 2019

Focus: What do we want each other to understand better or differently?

1. Warming up with your American Lit stats

2. Speaking and Listening: Enjoying our first presenters and panel discussions

• Remember that your goal is to participate at least twice as an audience member.

• Click here for ideas about good panel discussion questions.

3. Wrapping up with your American Lit course evaluation, if time allows

HW:
Go enjoy your summer!

The First and the Last: May 17, 2019

Focus: How do we develop an engaging framework for our speeches?

1. Warming up with power posing


2. Thinking about transitions and the larger logic of your presentation

3. Practicing, practicing, practicing (remember to work on transitions)

HW:
1. Work hard on building the structure of your speech (click HERE for the presentation order).

2. See you during finals week!

2nd hour: Monday, May 20 at 11:40 am

6th hour: Thursday, May 23 at 10:05 am

Fine-Tuning Our Presentations: May 16, 2019

Focus: How do we fine-tune our presentations?

1. Warming up with a Ted tips on how to use presentation slides

2. Developing and practicing your presentations with a focus on how you're using your slides

• Can your speech stand on its own?

3. Focusing on the first thing you say to us

• Click here for an overview of speech openings and closings.

HW:
TODAY: Last day to submit any make-up / revised work for American Lit. I will not be accepting any course work after this date.

Note: If you still have a Fences or Great Gatsby book, you need to turn it in by THURSDAY.

2. Our final exam time:

2nd hour: Monday, May 20 at 11:40 am

6th hour: Thursday, May 23 at 10:05 am

Answering the Call: May 15, 2019

Focus: How do we answer the call?

1. Warming up with our first final speech and panel discussion!

2. Figuring what "call to action" really means

• For some heroic, everyday teenagers, click here: YSA (Youth Service America)

• For ideas on how to answer the call, click here: www.dosomething.org/us

3. Recapping the overview of your American Lit final speech and figuring out the underlying structure to your speech and your call to action

• Feel free to use the American Literature speech planner.

HW:
THURSDAY, MAY 16: Last day to submit any make-up / revised work for American Lit. I will not be accepting any course work after this date.

Note: If you still have a Fences or Great Gatsby book, you need to turn it in by THURSDAY. If you can't find your book, you will need to pay the fine. You will not be able to register for next year's classes until all books/fines are taken care of.

Book Clubbing, Day 3: May 14, 2019

Focus: What does your author want you to understand better or differently, and how does the book's resolution contribute to this?

1. Warming up with individual book reviews (click HERE for ideas about star-ratings)

Click on your book club's document below, find your first name and last initial, and follow the directions. Please note that you are doing this individually (not as a group) because you may have differing opinions on your book. I am grading these since they take effort for you to do (20 points per review).

• Brain on Fire
• The Happiness Advantage
• Moneyball
• The Blind Side
• Fast Food Nation

Next year, I will link your reviews directly to the book list; this way, students can make informed decisions about which book they're choosing.

2. Enjoying your final day of book clubs; I will be checking on your syllabi as you discuss from home.

3. Wrapping up with your final exit tickets

HW:
THURSDAY, MAY 16: Last day to submit any make-up / revised work for American Lit. I will not be accepting any course work after this date.

Note: If you still have a Fences or Great Gatsby book, you need to turn it in by THURSDAY. If you can't find your book, you will need to pay the fine. You will not be able to register for next year's classes until all books/fines are taken care of.

Becoming Experts, Part 2: May 13, 2019

Focus: How do we become experts on our speech topics?

1. Warming up with three good things

2. Enjoying reading time: Where do you see your author using ethos, pathos, and logos?

3. Creating a list of what you need to research, then dividing and conquering

A. Brainstorming example from Blackfish:

• Interviews with Sea World trainers--did they know about the dangers?
• Interviews with Sea World former executives
• Tilicum's history--has he been aggressive before?
• History of attacks at Sea World and other marine parks
• Court documents surrounding this case
• Footage of Sea World shows
• Background info on whales in their natural environment
• Accounts of whale behavior in captivity vs. natural environment
• How are whales captured? How are they trained?
• Accounts of attack on Dawn
• Protests on Sea World

4.  Researching your investigative question and becoming an expert on your topic

• Finding reliable and diverse sources (ever heard of the C.R.A.P. test?)

• Using www.easybib.com as you go (Works Cited due by end of class on Wednesday)

Click here for the American Lit Speech Planner.

HW:
1. TOMORROW: Final book club meeting.

2. THURSDAY, MAY 16: Last day to submit any make-up / revised work for American Lit. I will not be accepting any course work after this date.

Becoming Experts: May 10, 2019

Focus: How do we become experts on our speech topics?

1. Warming up with reading time: Where do you see your author using ethos, pathos, and logos?

2. Brainstorming ideas about how you can use ethos, pathos, and logos in your speeches

3. Creating a list of what you need to research, then dividing and conquering

A. Brainstorming example from Blackfish:

• Interviews with Sea World trainers--did they know about the dangers?
• Interviews with Sea World former executives
• Tilicum's history--has he been aggressive before?
• History of attacks at Sea World and other marine parks
• Court documents surrounding this case
• Footage of Sea World shows
• Background info on whales in their natural environment
• Accounts of whale behavior in captivity vs. natural environment
• How are whales captured? How are they trained?
• Accounts of attack on Dawn
• Protests on Sea World

4.  Researching your investigative question and becoming an expert on your topic

• Finding reliable and diverse sources (ever heard of the C.R.A.P. test?)

• Using www.easybib.com as you go (Works Cited due by end of class on Wednesday)

Click here for the American Lit Speech Planner.

HW:
1. MONDAY: Reading and speech development (bring your book to class).

2. TUESDAY: Final book club meeting.

3. THURSDAY, MAY 16: Last day to submit any make-up / revised work for American Lit. I will not be accepting any course work after this date.

Book Clubbing, Day 2: May 9, 2019

Focus: What is your book helping you understand about yourself/the world around you?

1. Warming up with reflecting on your Gatsby essays and your Weekly Focus and Participation

2. Investigative Book Clubbing, Day 2!

• Make sure you have made a book club folder. Your first syllabus (and all subsequent syllabi) should be in that folder.

• Type discussion notes into your syllabus as you go or at the end.

• New: Only ONE open laptop per group, please.

3. Completing your Book Club Exit Ticket #2 (to be completed individually)

HW:
1. TOMORROW and MONDAY: Reading and speech development (bring your book to class).

2. TUESDAY: Final book club meeting.

3. THURSDAY, MAY 16: Last day to submit any make-up / revised work for American Lit. I will not be accepting any course work after this date.

Investigating Your Books: May 8, 2019

Focus: How is your book building up to its climax / turning point?

TRIBE: Shortened class

1. Warming up with by touching base briefly with your book club to set goals

• Something to consider: In response to yesterday's events, why is it important that you are reading this book right now?

2. Reading your book club book and creating syllabi

HW:
TOMORROW: Assigned book club reading and syllabi.

Life, Animated, Day 2: May 7, 2019

Focus: What does Life, Animated want us to understand better or differently about ourselves?

1. Warming up with a few observations of ethos, logos, and pathos in Life, Animated

2. Watching the second half of Life, Animated with a focus on the one rhetorical appeal you haven't studied yet

3. Wrapping up with small-group discussions to analyze and evaluate the film's use of rhetoric

HW:
1. WEDNESDAY: Bring your book club book to class.

2. THURSDAY: Assigned book club reading and syllabus.

Life, Animated: Day 1: May 6, 2019

Focus: What does Life, Animated want us to understand better or differently about ourselves?

Please turn in your Gatsby books if you have not yet done so.

1. Warming up with three good things and your previewing questions for Life, Animated  (10 minutes)

2. Watching the first half of Life, Animated with a focus on the one rhetorical appeal you haven't studied yet

HW:
1. WEDNESDAY: Bring your book club book to class.

2. NEXT THURSDAY: Assigned book club reading and syllabus.

Investigating Your Speech Topics: May 3, 2019

Focus: How do we build the foundation for a compelling speech?

1. Warming up by acknowledging the instant gratification monkey

2. Picturing the narrative arc as you build your speeches:

• What did Waiting for Superman and Blackfish build up to? 
• What question was each investigating? 
• What was the call to social action? 
• What were the main building blocks in between?

• What will your speech build up to? (Do this independently, then compare notes.)
• What question will you investigate?
• What is your call to social action?
• What are your main building blocks in between?

3. Reading your book club books, keeping in mind your investigative questions

HW:
NEXT THURSDAY: Assigned book club reading and syllabus.

Book Clubbing, Day 1: May 2, 2019

Focus: What do the opening chapters of your book make you wonder about?

1. Warming up by investigating three sentences from the opening chapter of your book

• Find three sentences from the opening chapters that made you wonder / question / reflect. Write them out on the left side of your sheet of paper.

• On the right side, ask a few questions / offer a few personal reflections.

• Also on the right side, try responding to this question: Based on the opening chapter, what do you think your author wants you start questioning or reconsidering?

2. Investigative Journalism Book Clubbing, Day 1

• Make sure you have made a book club folder. Your first syllabus (and all subsequent syllabi) should be in that folder.

• Type discussion notes into your syllabus as you go or at the end.

• New: Only ONE open laptop per group, please.

3. Wrapping up with your exit ticket (to be filled out individually and honestly)

HW:
1. TOMORROW: You will have some reading time and speech preparation time, so be sure to bring your book.

2. NEXT THURSDAY: Assigned book club reading and syllabus.

Investigating Your Books: May 1, 2019

Focus: How do set ourselves up for book club success?

1. Warming up with Weekly Focus / Participation goals, book club reminders, and touching base briefly with your group

2. Reading our book club books

HW:
For THURSDAY: Complete your assigned reading and syllabus. Since we have fewer syllabi and book club meetings, each syllabi / meeting will be worth 50 points.