San Francisco Universal Health Care

Read the following article from the New York Times:  www.nytimes.com/2007/09/14/us/14health.html

Summarize the article and post your response here.

Healthcare in America

How would you like to see healthcare in America change over the next ten years?  Do you think this is realistic?  Why or why not?

Reflection

After having viewed The Pianist, read Maus, and watched Hotel Rwanda, reflect on the following questions:

What can we learn about personal and collective responsibility when injustices are being committed against a group of people?

Raisin in the Sun Final Draft Due Monday July 28!!

Make sure to have your final draft finished when you come to class on Monday July 28.

Maus Character Reflection

Vladek is a complicated figure.  How would you describe him as a person?  Why?

Choose four scenes that you think demonstrate something important about Vladek's character.

Essay With an Attitude

What makes you angry or gets on your nerves in society, in your community, in your school?  What would you like to see changed about your world?

Assignment:  Choose a topic, find two sources to support your attitude towards this subject, write a two page paper that addresses the following questions:

What is the big deal?

Why does it bother you?

How could it change?

Assignment Check List

So far you should have the following assignments completed:

Juvenile Justice Essay Rough Draft

A Raisin in the Sun Essay (1st Draft w/peer edit, 2nd Draft)

(If you have not completed either of these assignments, email me at emily.surowitz@albany.k12.ca.us.  Do not cut and paste!  Send a word attachment.)

On the blog:

Praise Poem

Found Poem

Newspaper Reflection:  2 assignments (4 reflections total)

Helpful Website

Zach & Monika found a website with examples and statistics about juveniles sent to adult prison.
http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/issues/adultjails/factsheet.html

MLA Citation Guide

Check out this helpful website:

http://www.fhs.fuhsd.org/acad_library/library_citation.html

Citations

One of the most important features of academic writing is the use of the words and ideas from written sources to support the writer's own points. There are esentially four ways to incorporate words and ideas from sources.

-Direct Quotation: Paul Thompson says, "The biggest surprise in recent teen-brain research is the finding that a massive loss of brain tissue occurs in the teen years."

-Paraphrase: In "Startling Finds on Teenage Brains," Paul Thompson notes that teenagers actually lose brain tissue which may explain their impulsive behavior.

-Summary: In "Startling Finds on Teenage Brains," Paul Thompson summarizes recent research on teen-brains that shows teenagers actually lose brain tissue which may explain their impulsive and violent behavior. Such changes in the brain don't mean that teens are not responsible for their violent behavior, but Thompson believes they should not be treated the same as adults in the criminal justice system.

(California State University)

Juvenile Justice Essay Prompt-Rough Draft Essay due Wed July 16!!

Should teenagers accused of violent crimes be tried and sentenced as adults?  Why or why not?

Requirements:

*Include a well developed thesis statement supported by evidence.

*Use at least two different sources (one you found, one we read/viewed in class).

*All evidence MUST be cited properly (textnote citations).

*Include a properly formatted Works Cited page.

Be sure to refer to and cite the readings and your web-based research.  You may also use examples from your personal experience or observations.

National/International News

Read one national and one international news story.  For national stories, try newspapers such as the LA Times, NY Times, SF Chronicle, Miami Herald, Washington Post, Chicago Sun Times or Boston Globe.  

Blog a brief summary of the story and your response.

A Raisin in the Sun Essay Prompt

Write a multi-paragraph essay in response to one of the prompts below.  Make sure to include an introduction with a clear thesis statement, a body with strong topic sentences using at least 4 quotes or paraphrases, and a conclusion.

What is the most important lesson about life from A Raisin in the Sun?

How do power and authority change over the course of the play?

How does this play answer Langston Hughes' quesion, "What happens to a dream deferred?"

The American Dream/A Raisin in the Sun

Dreams, goals, happiness, success, relationships, choices, alienation, identity, prejudice and discrimination are elements of the American  Dream and motifs in A Raisin in the Sun.  

With your group, discuss how these concepts motivate and drive the characters' actions in A Raisin in the Sun.  Blog your responses here.

Found Poems

Post your Found Poems from A Raisin in the Sun here!

MOMA EXTRA CREDIT!!

Given the need for permission slips, there is not time to plan an after school excursion to the MOMA.  However, Tuesday July 1 admission to the museum is free. 

 If you are able to visit the museum on your own and provide a written reflection of your visit, you will receive extra credit.

What's in the news?

Read and respond to newspaper articles from one local and one national paper.  

America

America

Claude McKay

Although she feeds me bread of bitterness,

And sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth,

Stealing my breath of life, I will confess

I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!

Her vigor flows like tides into my blood,

Giving me strength erect against her hate.

Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood.

Yet as a rebel fronts a king in state,

I stand within her walls with not a shred

Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer.

Darkly I gaze into the days ahead,

And see her might and granite wonders there,

Beneath the touch of Time's unerring hand,

Like priceless treasures sinking in the sand.

What does this poem mean to you?

Respond to line 4, "I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!" Do you relate to this comment?  How?

Summer Jazz Concert

How was your experience at the summer jazz concert?  What did you hear, see, think?  What did you learn?  What surprised you?

Reflect on the concert here!

Praise Poems

Please post your Praise Poems here. To do so, click on the "Praise Poem" blog post, and then click on Post a Comment. Post your poem as a comment.

Welcome to the Summer School Blog Spot!

This is a space where assignments will be posted and where you will be expected to share ideas and communicate with each other about our summer school curriculum.