Top 10: Winter

1. After a steaming summer, the cold weather is strangely refreshing.

2. Children and most dogs love snow. Children and dogs make better company and are more fun than most adults.

3. It is socially acceptable- perhaps even encouraged- to overeat and loaf around like a pre-hibernation Grizzly.

4. People's true colors emerge. The holidays (ironically) cause stress and some New Englanders still haven't figured out how to cope with winter weather. Ever try to go grocery shopping the day before a storm? There's a strange sense of urgency. The parking lots are reminiscent of Thunderdome. Despite these strange realities, it is useful to observe how people handle, or fail to handle, stress.

5. Christmas music reminds us of how good non-Christmas music really is.

6. Classic holiday movies remind us of how bad many new films actually are.

7. Snow is but one of Mother Nature's ways of reminding us who's boss.

8. 4-Wheel-Drive vehicles are both utilitarian and fun.

9. Icicles rule (see photo).

10. If you don't like it, remember that it only lasts a few months.

POS: Song Rating System Amendments

You are now very familiar with the SSRS format that my former students developed.  Now it's your turn to suggest modifications that will enhance the system. After we sift through the suggestions and arrive at a new and improved form, we will give it a test run to ensure its quality.

1. The suggestion was made (shout-out to K.M.) to divide the final tally by the number of lines. This would evaluate a song's poetic potency and reduce the amount of impact the length of a song has on its score. Do you like this idea? Why/why not?

2.  We have quite a few poetic devices and elements on the form, but there are many more. Find 3 devices (and their definitions) that you feel merit consideration.

3. Identify at least one aspect of the form that should be considered for deletion and defend your reasoning.

4. Consider the layout. Do you have any suggestions to make the form more user-friendly?

Seniors: Metacognitive Assignment

Metacognition is defined as "cognition about cognition", or "knowing about knowing." It can take many forms; it includes knowledge about when and how to use particular strategies for learning or for problem solving. This assignment gives you an opportunity to step back and reflect on your own strengths and weaknesses as a student during a hectic and formative time in your life. For this assignment, you will share the following products with your classmates and teacher:


1. A personal and academic timeline with three potential "forecasts". 
2. A five-year "bucket list".
3. A lifetime "bucket list". 
3. The results of your Learning Style Test and your 41-Question Personality Assessment. 
4. A set of 4 essential questions.
5. A set of 4 particular learning strengths and interdisciplinary applications.
6. A set of 4 particular learning weaknesses and corresponding improvement plans.  
7. A self-addressed stamped envelope containing your bucket lists and a personal letter to yourself. 

POS: Poetry Research Assessment

Please respond to the following questions completely and carefully. You may use your notes for this assessment, but you may not refer to the research itself. Your responses will receive a letter grade based upon the school-wide writing rubric (available on edline).

1. I began my paper with a piece of narrative imagery. Describe this image and how it relates to the research as a whole. (10 points)

2. Produce a bulleted list of 5 of the salient benefits of poetic instruction. (20 points)

3. This paper was not driven by a thesis but by an essential question. If I were to produce a thesis for this paper, what would it look like (write it)? (20 points)

4. I claim that "central to a defense of poetry’s value are several conclusive tenets". Identify the tenets. (20 points)

5. I am planning on continuing my research on this topic. What suggestions would you have for further research? What considerations did I fail to acknowledge that I should revisit or explore? (20 points)

Honors English IV: Flow Short Essay



Alex Grey



Role: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Audience: Robert A. Compton (Executive Producer of 2 Million Minutes)

Format: Personal Letter to Mr. Compton

Topic: Interpretation of, and opinions regarding, Mr. Compton's film

This letter must include:

-3 vocabulary words from lessons 1-5.

-2 sentence types from The Wizardry of Sentence Variety (labelled in parentheses).

-a sound thesis statement.

-elements of persuasion.

-employment of Csikszentmihalyi's diction and style.

Norton Patch

Norton Patch is a new web site which covers local news. 

Check out the article on the girls soccer team by clicking here.

Check out the article on the boys soccer team by clicking here.

Check out the article on the banquet by clicking here. 

Short Essay: English IV

What does Hosseini gain or lose in creating an unreliable, or- at least- flawed narrator? Does this decision contribute to, or detract from, the delivery of the story? Do Amir's transgressions elicit a response from the reader? If so, how might you characterize it?

Your response must include:

-a sound thesis statement

-explicit support and direct quotations

-3 complex sentence types from the Sentence Wizardry form (available in your binder/on edline department page)

-2 vocabulary words from lists 1-4

Bring your "A Game" because the rubric will bring hers.

POS: Backmasking and Reverse Speech in Music

Backward messaging in music (commonly known as backmasking) has been a controversy ever since the late 1960s, when messages were found backwards on some Beatles' albums, hinting that Paul McCartney had died. Some of these subliminal messages have been identified as purposeful while some are apparently inadvertent. Some believe that many of these backward messages were in fact examples of "Reverse Speech" in music. Speech reversals occur naturally in all forms of speech, sung or spoken. Explore some of the links and sites regarding this subject and offer your opinion on at least 10 specific examples. Do you buy into the theory of Reverse Speech or is it all a bunch of hogwash?


THE THEORY OF REVERSE SPEECH AND SPEECH COMPLEMENTARITY.

(1) Human speech has two distinctive yet complementary functions and modes. The Overt mode is spoken forwards and is primarily under conscious control. The Covert mode is spoken backward and is not under conscious control. The backward mode of speech occurs simultaneously with the forward mode and is a reversal of the forward speech sounds.

(2) These two modes of speech, forward and backward, are dependent upon each other and form an integral part of human communication. One mode cannot be fully understood without the other mode. In the dynamics of interpersonal communication, both modes of speech combined communicate the total psyche of the person, conscious as well as unconscious.

(3) Covert speech develops before overt speech. Children speak backwards before they do forwards. Then, as forward speech commences, the two modes of speech gradually combine into one, forming an overall bi-level communication process.


List of Backmasked/Reverse Speech Songs

Jeff Milner's Site

Reverse Speech Site

Click here to here a well known sample of backmasking from Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven". This audio file will play both forward (original context) and backward (backmasking revealed).

POS: Legend and Myth in Music

Read all of my directions before asking for assistance. Submit your work (as a comment) here.

PART ONE: Below you will find a list of some of the more noteworthy legends and myths of modern music history. For Part One of this assignment, you should research and summarize each incident in a well-developed paragraph. (6 paragraphs total).


Myth/Legend #1: Robert Johnson sells his soul to the devil


Myth/Legend #2: Ozzy Osbourne's taste for doves and bats


Myth/Legend #3: The mythology surrounding the Abbey Road cover


Myth/Legend #4: Bob Dylan goes electric


Myth/Legend #5: Research on your own and choose your favorite

Myth/Legend #6: The mythology presented in the Sgt. Pepper cover (click here). Identify and summarize the notariety of 3 individuals whom you recognize and 3 individuals of whom you are ignorant.

Make sure that your sources are legitimate. Remember- any information that you gain from any source is not yours. You must cite your sources using MLA format. Use the links on this blog to assist in your citations. Keep in mind that the 30 other students in your class will uncover much of the same information, so in order to separate yourself from the pack you must focus on authoritative sources, excellent writing, detail, and proper citations.


For MLA documentation assistance, click here.


PART TWO: Use 3 different Website Evaluation Guides (linked below) to validate 3 of the web pages cited in your work above. Complete and print these guides and turn them in.

Schrock's Evaluation


University of Maryland Evaluation


University of California at Berkeley Evaluation

Seniors: The Kite Runner Frontloading

Part A (quiz): Click here to visit the CIA's World Fact Book. Peruse the site and respond to the following questions (due as a comment to this post by midnight October 29).

1. What are the top eight agricultural products? What product is #1? 

2. What is the life expectancy rate? What is the infant mortality rate? What deeper issues are typically reflected in these statistics?

3. How many kilometers of coastline does Afghanistan possess? How might this number have contributed to the country's history?

4. Identify the transnational issues that Afghanistan faces. 

5. Construct a thesis statement that encapsulates the essence of the Afghan nation (both its assets and its challenges). 

Part B (quiz): Click her to visit The Boston Globe's "The Big Picture: Afghanistan". View each photograph (use your judgement for the objectionable pieces) and read the corresponding footnotes. Choose the most powerful image to prompt a piece of fiction. Write a descriptive passage that embodies the "show vs. tell" technique we have discussed in class (due as a comment to this post by midnight Halloween).

Part C (quiz): Article: "Hazaras: Afghanistan's Outsiders" (9 pages). Produce a thesis statement that encapsulates the author's message and illuminates the deeper meaning of the text (due as a comment to this post by midnight Halloween).

Part D (quiz): Click here to view the Frontline Program: "The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan". Take notes and prepare for a Discussion Facilitation regarding this topic.

Extra Credit: A quiz grade of 100 will be awarded for comprehensive notes for the Frontline Program: "The War Briefing". 

Shakespeare and Predestination

As we study William Shakespeare and read Romeo and Juliet in class, consider the following prompt: The concept of predestination is reflected in the work of Shakespeare. The lives of men and women are "mapped out in the stars", and attempts to transcend or disrupt this order, or chain of being, only lead to tragedy. Does belief in predestination exist in some form today? Do we subscribe to a similar or different philosophy? How does predestination relate to, or conflict with, the "American Dream"? How might you categorize the belief systems of our world today? Do you believe that your destiny is mapped out for you, or do you think that you control your own fate? (3-5 paragraphs; due via post and hard copy Thursday, 10-21).

POS: Reflections of Popular Culture in Music

"As the music is, so are the people of the country." Turkish Proverb

Type your response to the following prompt as a Word document and be sure to proofread and edit before you paste and post. You will be assessed using the Short Essay Response Rubric.

Check either Billboard or Rolling Stone for the current list of America's top 50 songs. Choose at least 3 songs; avoid any songs you are very familiar with. Listen/study the lyrics to the selected songs. Consider the subject matter, content and point of view of today's top songs and identify lines which contain poetic merit. What do these songs, as a whole, say about our modern American culture? In particular, what do these songs say about your generation as the greatest consumers of music media? How are gender roles represented in popular music? How is success measured?

Beowulf

Click here to link to a full-text online translation of Beowulf.

POS: Theme-Genre Brainstorming

Here is where you will participate in our online discussion by posting 3 potential theme-genre concepts and commenting on at least 10 peer theme-genre concepts. This homework assignment will be graded on September 18th. Make sure to direct your comments with names and to sign all of your comments with your first name and last initial. And- no, that is not my head in the picture.

POS: 5-25 Classwork

Please complete the following:

1. Don't talk. The seniors are taking their exams.
2. Check edline to see what you are missing. If you are missing something, complete it.
3. Make sure that all of your work is posted to your blog. You will present your entire blog (as a portfoilio of your coursework) during the last week of school.
4. Finally- as a classwork grade for today, view the photos under The Big Picture.  There are many photos under each section- make sure to browse several sections. Choose 3 of your favorite photos to pair with the lyrics of 3 songs. List and explain the pairings as a blog comment here.

To Kill A Mockingbird: Scavenger Hunt

Complete the following tasks/answer the following questions. Use your critical thinking skills to determine the best routes and resources.


1. Truman Capote said "Everything she wrote about it is absolutely true". What is the "it"?


2. What does Lee think of the film adaptation of Mockingbird? Use a quote in your answer.


3. Finish Lee's statement: "Now, 75 years later in an abundant society where people have laptops, cell phones, iPods and minds like empty rooms, I still..."


4. Identify Lee's 3 favorite authors and name a title from each.


5. Lee is a recluse but for several years she has quietly attended the awards ceremony for a particular contest. Describe this contest.


6. How are the Scottsboro Trials relevant to the novel?


7. Though Lee always declines interviews, she does write each refusal individually. When asked why she did not simply send out a stock response to the media's pleas, she responded that such a letter would simply say...


8. Click here. Listen to the audio. Who was the statewide essay winner? Who potrayed Scout in a school play and developed a repoire with Lee?


9. List and quote 5 parallels between Harper Lee's real life and her novel.


10. Lee's character Dill is based upon Truman Capote. Capote returned the favor by basing what character (from what story) on Lee?

Art I: Exemplary Student Work

The work below is by Bryanna Dague and Danielle Puopolo. Great stuff, ladies.

POS: Poetry Contest

The NEED organization is requesting submissions for a "Thank a Teacher" poem to appear on its annual card.

Criteria:
-the subject is to thank teachers (in general) and how they impact your life
-it should be approximately 12 lines of text
-it need not rhyme
-it must include your name, my name and your phone number

POS: Plagiarism in Song

For blog-work this week, research and listen to some examples of musical plagiarism. Identify: 1) at least one example of a truly plagiarized song and 2) at least one example of a coincidental relationship between 2 songs. Discuss your findings here. Some notable instances include (listed as original/supposed plagiarism): Chiffon's "He's So Fine"/George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"; Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance"/The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California"; and, most recently, Joe Satriani's "If I Could Fly"/Coldplay's "Viva La Vida".

POS: Legend and Myth in Music

Read all of my directions before asking for assistance. This will be graded as a TEST over April Break. Submit your work (as a comment) here.




PART ONE: Below you will find a list of some of the more noteworthy legends and myths of modern music history. For Part One of this assignment, you should research and summarize each incident in a well-developed paragraph. (6 paragraphs total).


Myth/Legend #1: Robert Johnson sells his soul to the devil
Myth/Legend #2: Ozzy Osbourne's taste for doves and bats
Myth/Legend #3: The mythology surrounding the Abbey Road cover
Myth/Legend #4: Bob Dylan goes electric
Myth/Legend #5: Research on your own and choose your favorite


Myth/Legend #6: The mythology presented in the Sgt. Pepper cover (click here). Identify and summarize the notariety of 3 individuals whom you recognize and 3 individuals of whom you are ignorant.


Make sure that your sources are legitimate. Remember- any information that you gain from any source is not yours. You must cite your sources using MLA format. Use the links on this blog to assist in your citations. Keep in mind that the 30 other students in your class will uncover much of the same information, so in order to separate yourself from the pack you must focus on authoritative sources, excellent writing, detail, and proper citations.


For MLA documentation assistance, click here.


PART TWO: Use 3 different Website Evaluation Guides (linked below) to validate 3 of the web pages cited in your work above. Complete and print these guides and turn them in before April Break. Your test grade will be posted as a "0" until you do so.


Schrock's Evaluation
University of Maryland Evaluation
University of California at Berkeley Evaluation

G Block Blog Quest

1. Visit FreeRice.com. Earn 500 grains via "English Vocabulary" and 500 grains via "English Grammar". Show Mr. Kefor your results.

2. Click here to complete an "I Am" Poem. Copy and paste the results as a comment here.

3. Click here. Check out today's best photography. Create and post 2 sentences inspired by 2 different photographs that display your use of a complex sentence type.

4. Click here. Take the test. Have fun.

POS: Tone in Song

Compare and contrast the tone of Boston's "Rock and Roll Band" with the tone of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar". How do the artists' attitudes towards both subject matter and audience correspond and differ? Cite lyrics from the song to support your analysis.

Food For Thought

I was searching for a particular quote I recalled from Pablo Picasso and was struck by the number of great statements he made. Here are a few of the more memorable ones:

Action is the foundational key to all success.


All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.


Art is a lie that makes us realize truth.


Bad artists copy. Good artists steal.


Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.


Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.


Everything is a miracle. It is a miracle that one does not dissolve in one's bath like a lump of sugar.


He can who thinks he can, and he can't who thinks he can't. This is an inexorable, indisputable law.


I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.


I don't believe in accidents. There are only encounters in history. There are no accidents.


Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.


Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.


Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.


Painting is a blind man's profession. He paints not what he sees, but what he feels, what he tells himself about what he has seen.


Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.


The people who make art their business are mostly impostors.


To finish a work? To finish a picture? What nonsense! To finish it means to be through with it, to kill it, to rid it of its soul, to give it its final blow the coup de gras for the painter as well as for the picture.


We don't grow older, we grow riper.


Who sees the human face correctly: the photographer, the mirror, or the painter?


You have to have an idea of what you are going to do, but it should be a vague idea.


If only we could pull out our brain and use only our eyes.


It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.


My mother said to me, "If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope." Instead, I was a painter, and became Picasso.

Freshmen: Personal Reflections

Due 3-11-10 as a comment posted here:

In class, we created a pie chart illustrating the values we place on activities, relationships, academics, etc. We then created charts representing the amount of time we devote to each category. Reflect on these charts and consider the following: Theoretically, if life were perfect, our charts would appear identical. In other words, our priorities would correspond to the amount of time we devote to them. In reality, this is rarely the case. Consider the disparity between your charts and discuss your observations. What changes could you make in order to manage your time in a fashion that is productive for you?

POS: Literature Quiz

1. Describe Levitin's argument linking a love of music to evoulutionary theory. What claim does he make? How does he support this claim? Cite excerpts to support your response.

2. Describe Oliver Sack's anecdote regarding Tony Cicoria. What does his story suggest about music and the brain? Cite excerpts to support your response.

3. Accoring to Sacks, is the iconic profile of the "blind musician" substantiated or unsubstantiated ? Explain.

4. How has Radiohead's rogue release of In Rainbows changed the music industry? What might this represent to producers and consumers of music?

POS: Reflections of Popular Culture in Music

"As the music is, so are the people of the country."
-Turkish Proverb

Type your response to the following prompt as a Word document and be sure to proofread and edit before you paste and post. You will be assessed using the Short Essay Response Rubric.

Check either Billboard or Rolling Stone for the current list of America's top 50 songs. Choose at least 3 songs; avoid any songs you are very familiar with. Listen/study the lyrics to the selected songs. Consider the subject matter, content and point of view of today's top songs and identify lines which contain poetic merit. What do these songs, as a whole, say about our modern American culture? In particular, what do these songs say about your generation as the greatest consumers of music media? How are gender roles represented in popular music? How is success measured?

Freshmen: Co-oper-write Research

Google Search Cheat Sheet

The MLA Machine

MLA Information


You must complete a hard copy of one of the website evaluations below for EVERY piece of online information you use:
Schrock's Evaluation
University of Maryland Evaluation
University of California at Berkeley Evaluation

Lost Generation Film

Click here.

Here is where you will participate in our online discussion by posing 3 potential theme-genre concepts and commenting on at least 10 peer theme-genre concepts. This homework assignment will be graded over February vacation. Make sure to direct your comments with names and to sign all of your comments with your first name and last initial. And- no, that is not my head in the photograph.

Click here.

POS: Final Blog Quest

A. View the clips below and respond in a brief paragraph.

CBS News: Musical Savants

CBS News: Musical Savants 2

CBS News: Musical Savants 3


B. 6 Degrees of Wikipedia:

1. Neil Young - crustacea
2. Taylor Swift - Cheeze Whiz
3. Lil' Wayne - United States Secretary of State
4. Bob Dylan - Buffalo Wings


C. Any leftover time should be devoted to Quizlet review for the Final Exam.

Electric Newt Squad: Stephen Wiltshire

Click here to visit Stephen Wiltshire's website. Mr. Wiltshire is an artistic savant who is capable of reproducing incredibly detailed landscapes from memory.

1. On the left, click on "My Videos". Watch at least four of the videos and offer a commentary for each.

2. Visit his "Gallery" and browse through his work. Identify his most impressive drawing and his most impressive painting; offer explanation for each.

Lord of the Flies: English I

Open Response Essay: Lord of the Flies is set during the mid 2oth century. If a group of young men were put in the same situation today, how might they fare? Does our modern culture better equip us for such scenarios, or would we be at a disadvantage? Explain.

This essay is due on Friday, January 22.

POS: The Last Waltz

You will complete a final song analysis, along with a corresponding song rating system form, for submission as a part of your final exam. Your analysis must also be posted to your blog. The catch? The song you select must be from your theme-genre and score at least 120 points (remember the 50 point baseline).

G Block: 1-8-10

1. Click here to view the freshman college planning guide. Read the suggestions and identify which steps you need to take before the year is over. Respond here.

2. Click here to complete the time management tool. How do you spend your time? Use the results to figure out where you might have some extra time. Consider how you might improve your schedule. Respond here.

3. Vocabulary 1-6 Quizlet.