Colonial Project Newspapers

Students in Mr. Nekrosius's humanities project groups recently researched, wrote, and designed online newspapers about the Salem Witch Trials. To learn more, there is a link to the newspapers below.

For Mr. Drogos's humanities classes, here is your blog post assignment:


Choose ONE of the online newspapers created by Mr. Nekrosius's project groups and spend twenty-to-thirty minutes browsing through the various pages (you can find links to the two newspapers here). When have finished reading the newspaper, post a comment in which you write the following:

1.Three things you learned about the trials and/or the people of Salem--be specific, and be thorough.
2. A detailed connection between the events of Salem and the events you studied for your project (or, if you are in Mr. Nekrosius's project group, a connection between something you read and something you wrote for your own article.)
3. One question for an author or one of the designers of the newspapers.

(If you are in Mr. Nekrosius's project groups, you should post on the other class's newspaper.)

Remember:

You should include ONLY your first name and your class period (NO LAST NAMES) at the end of your blog post.

Also, remember to be positive, constructive, and detailed in your responses! Your posts are due Tuesday, November 27th.

Debate Extra Credit

Tonight is the first of three presidential election debates (there will be one vice-presidential debate). The debate tonight is meant to focus on domestic policy-- issues affecting only the United States itself. As you watch the debate, ask yourself the following questions. Answer the questions in several complete sentences each on this blog.

1. What makes for a strong response to the questions, in your opinion? Support your claim with an example from the debate.

2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the debate format? How does the format of the debate shape the discussion? Support your answer with an example. How would you change the debate format?

3. What "domestic policy" questions did not get discussed, that you think were important?

Please remember to be respectful of others. This forum itself is not a debate forum-- it's a chance for you to reflect on the format of the debates, and the benefits and limitations of that format.

The Themes of American Born Chinese

Now that you have read most of  American Born Chinese, you should be able to see certain themes emerging that appear in all three different story lines within the graphic novel. Your assignment is to describe one of those emerging themes and explain, using specific examples from the text, how you see each of the three story lines embodying or developing that theme. Your post should be at least six sentences long. You may choose to write your answer in paragraph form if you wish. If you are unsure on what the definition of "theme" is, consult your literary term glossary at the back of Social Justice. Your comment is due by the start of class on Thursday.


Remember--read the post, and then click on the word "comments" just below that post. After you have written your post, add your first name and last initial, then "Drogos," then your period (so, Calvin H. Drogos 1-2). Then, select "Anonymous" for your identity and click "publish your comment."

Escaping the Box

We have spent the past week and a half discussing questions surrounding identity and culture. As part of those discussions, we you have read several stories and a poem, listened to music,  written in journals, and created identity collages to express your own unique cultural identifiers. We have also discussed various examples of "the box," which is a metaphor for any obstacles or barriers that might isolate, frustrate, enclose, or sometimes protect someone from a larger world.

Think back over everything we have read so far for this unit ("Theme for English B," "Alone and All Together," "Sylvia's Story" from National Public Radio, "American History," "Little Boxes," "Crickets"). Your task now is to write and post a comment in this forum in which you describe a connection between at least TWO of these works, focusing on the role of "the box." Think about how different characters face similar or different challenges. Think about similarities or differences in the way characters both push against the walls of their boxes and wish they could hide inside some boxes. Do you think these characters will escape from their boxes? What kinds of factors put characters and/or people in boxes? Are the "boxes" constructed by society (for example, by stereotypes), or do families and individuals create their own boxes?

When you have made a connection between at least two works, write a post describing that connection. Make sure to mention specific characters/narrators, and to be clear about how the "boxes" they experience are similar. These posts do not need to be long: about four sentences, give or take one, will do. Your post should be in the form of a  paragraph with evidence and examples directly from the text(s). You should feel free to respond to your classmates' posts, as well as to ask your classmates questions.

*** Remember to use your first name and "Drogos Period ___" when you sign your post. Also, if you choose to respond to what another classmate wrote, please do so in a respectful manner.

Alone and All Together

 
We've read two stories and one poem this week about community, belonging and exclusion: "Theme for English B," "American History" and "Alone and All Together." Think about what the three stories have in common. What is their shared message about identity and community? How do they differ? Please write two questions that you would like to ask the class to discuss tomorrow. The questions should be open-ended, not empirical. You may wish to ask about the essays' meaning, you may wish to ask about the symbols and figurative language you saw in the stories and what they mean.

One question should be only about "Alone and All Together." The second question should incorporate or should be applicable to two or all three readings. 

Write your questions in the comment section below. In order for you to submit your comment, be sure you are first logged out of any google account.

Second, click on "Comments," then "Add a Comment."

Third, write your two questions, numbered one and two.

Fourth, in the drop down menu select "Comment As: Name and URL."

Fifth, type in, as your name, your first name, your last initial, my name, and your period of humanities. For example, if your name is Bob Loblaw and you have Mr. Drogos in the morning, you would write, "Bob L. Drogos 1-2" DO NOT WRITE YOUR WHOLE NAME. 

Last, click publish. Your comment will not appear right away. I will have to approve it first.

You can email me with questions.

Good Luck!

Welcome Back!

 

Welcome to 7th Grade Humanities and welcome back to Lab! This week we'll be introducing a couple important ideas that will serve us for the next few months and throughout the year. We'll introduce ourselves to each other, to the course and its procedures, and to our first unit: Identity. Over the next couple months, we'll spend a lot of time examining what determines the identity of a person, a group, and a culture. We'll read non-fiction, poetry, graphic narratives; and we'll write-- a lot! I hope you are as excited as I am to begin the year!

If you are looking for homework for humanities class, you can find this week's schedule and assignments here.

I will use this page for group and class discussion, and occasionally to post links to other sites. Remember, if you post on the blog:  

1. Use your first name, your last initial, and the class you are in. For example, I would sign my posts as: Joe (my first name) D. (my last initial) Drogos 1-2 or Drogos 6-7 (the classes I'm in.)

2. Be respectful and thoughtful.

3. All comments are moderated before they are published.