Blog Archives

Voting Rights Act: Historical Context

9/16/2016

Starter 9 (10 min)
To what extent do you agree with the following quotes? Write a substantive paragraph explaining your view.

"A democratic system rests ultimately on the belief that each man is the best judge of his own interests and that he should have, through the ballot box, a voice in choosing those who govern him.”

"Voting is the fundamental political right of citizens in a democracy. The right to vote is the right to influence officials and policy. To be denied the vote is to be denied the guarantee that one's interest will be taken into account when policy is made. There is no justifiable test of property, race, color, national origin, religion, or education for disenfranchising one class of citizens." --Evron M. Kirkpatrick Member, President's Commission on Registration and Voting Participation

Intro: We are launching into a case study on Voting Rights with specific focus on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in order to better understand how the three branches of government apply to a piece of legislation. Today, we’re going to learn about the historical context that led to the VRA of 1965! Yeeeeeeehaw for eradicating historical amnesia and becoming an informed populace!

Alabama Literacy Test

In groups of 3-4 take the 1965 Alabama Literacy Test to determine if you could vote back then
How’d you do? Check the answers
Class discussion or 4 Corners (10):
1. What was it like to take that quiz?
2. Do you think it is a legitimate way to determine if one is fit to vote?
3. SHOULD there be some sort of bar that citizens must clear in order to prove themselves informed enough to vote?

Background Knowledge: Jim Crow and Civil Rights

Jim Crow who? Jim Crow what? Respond to the following image as a group by discussing as many of the following questions as you can. Jot down some notes as you discuss:
1. What do you know about it?
2. What do you think it references?
3. What time period does it come from?
4. What is the background on it?
5. What were the implications socially/legally?

Brainstorm: What do you know about Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Movement? As a group, list as many things as you can. This could include dates, events, main ideas, key figures/leaders, important Supreme Court Cases and legislation.
Origin of the term, “Jim Crow”
1. First, read the Wikipedia definition:
  1. Wikipedia definition: "Jump Jim Crow" is a song and dance from 1828 that was done in blackface by white comedian Thomas Dartmouth (T.D.) "Daddy" Rice. The number was supposedly inspired by the song and dance of a physically disabled African slave named Jim Cuff or Jim Crow, who is variously claimed to have resided in St. Louis, Cincinnati, or Pittsburgh. The song became a great 19th century hit and Rice performed all over the country as "Daddy Jim Crow".
  2. "Jump Jim Crow" was a key initial step in a tradition of popular music in the United States that was based on the "imitation" of Blacks. The first song sheet edition appeared in the early 1830s, published by E. Riley. A couple of decades would see the mockery genre explode in popularity with the rise of the minstrel show.
  3. As a result of Rice's fame, the term Jim Crow had become a pejorative meaning African American by 1838 and from this the laws of racial segregation became known as Jim Crow laws.
2. Then we’ll check out the song lyrics here and a short video clip of a blackface performance from 1941
Jim Crow and Voting Discrimination Research and Response
1. Read the following documents Jim Crow laws + Jim Crow Era Timeline
2. Explore this website to learn more about the ways in which Jim Crow laws manifested in voting discrimination. [Keep clicking through “try to vote” or “yes”] and then answer these questions:
  1. What surprised you from the readings and the website? What stood out to you as particularly noteworthy?
  2. What was the “Grandfather Clause”?
  3. What were the various obstacles that black folks faced in order to vote?
  4. To what extent do you think voting discrimination happens today?

HOMEWORK
If you didn’t finish the Jim Crow Research and Response in class, finish it for homework. We will start class with this on Monday.

Gov't Basics: Bill of Rights and the Supreme Court

9/15/2016

Starter 7: Bill of Rights
Read through the Bill of Rights. See links to document on the docs page of my DP.

Which of these rights do you think is the most important? Why?
Which do you think is least important? Why?
What’s one thing you would like to see added, removed, or revised? Why?
When you’re done, put your name on your power diagram of the Checks and Balances and tack/tape it on the wall. Spend 2-3 minutes scoping out other students’ diagrams and try to clarify any confusions you may have had by seeing other examples.

Starter Discussion: In small groups of 4-5, share your starter responses. Try to come consensus on the most important right and the least important right. Then, try to come to consensus on your top revision to the Bill of Rights. Write your group’s “answers” on the whiteboard.

Homework Review: Discuss and clarify any confusions about last night’s homework

Judicial Review: Marbury v. Madison
Before we dive into understanding Voting Rights and the ways in which the 3 branches of the government have functioned throughout the history of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well as modern disputes about voting discrimination we’re going to learn about how the Supreme Court (Judicial branch) came to play the precise role we know it to play today by studying a Supreme Court case called Marbury v. Madison, 1803.

Key term: JUDICIAL REVIEW!
Summary of Case: Read this one-page summary of the case and summarize it to your partner.\
Minutes 8-27.
The intro was all about how the Supreme Court used to have very little power until this Supreme Court case and a brief intro of John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court)
NPR Podcast: Kittens Kick The Giggly Blue Robot All Summer”
1. Listen to this NPR More Perfect podcast and take notes! Here are some questions to guide your listening and notetaking:
  1. How did Marshall (aka Obi-wan Kenobi) “save” the Supreme Court from Jefferson’s Darth Vader ways??
  2. What ultimately became the core question that this case sought to answer?
  3. Who was Marbury? Who was Madison?
  4. What did Jefferson do upon learning of all the newly appointed Supreme Court judges?
  5. What was the main issue that spurred this case?

DP Update and Writing Reflection
Time to work on your Writing Reflection DP Update that is due tomorrow! (Remainder of class)

HOMEWORK:

DP and Writing Goals: Email link to completed DP to Lori before the start of class on Friday.
HONORS Essay Revisions: If you want to revise Honors Essay 1, you have until Thursday, 9/22 to submit a revised version. Please note that a revision must be submitted with the original copy and rubric, and should be heavily annotated (either digitally or by hand) to show the revisions you made.

Gov't Basics: Checks and Balances

9/14/2016

Starter 6
Sort the following terms in order of their importance to you. Justify why you ranked the top two and the last two where you did.

Justice
Liberty
Life
Common Good
Pursuit of Happiness
Truth
Equality
Diversity.

When done, form a group of between 4 and 5 people. See if you can agree on the order these terms should come in. When you’re done, add to your starter: How hard was it to rank these terms in order of importance in your group? Where were the sticking points?

The CONSTITUTION! (40 min)
Youtube video, Key Constitutional Concepts, parts 1 and 2 (See docs page for video links)

Watch
Answer prompts (see handout linked on docs page of dp)
Discuss/Questions

RPSLS tournament!
Ready to get rowdy? We're gonna drill down on a full bracket-style tournament – Rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock! Best of 5 – winner moves on, loser becomes the winner's biggest fan. Cheer your hearts out.

After the game, the winner will map out a 'power diagram' on the board for us and discuss his/her winning strategy.

Checks and Balances.
Brief discussion: Our branches of government work just like a complex version of RPSLS. The system is based on the idea that any person with the opportunity to seize more power will do it (we're coming out of tyranny, remember?), so each branch must have significant 'checks' on the others.

Legislative branch. Primary function: to make new laws.
Executive branch. Primary function: to “execute,” or carry out, laws that Congress writes.
Judicial branch. Primary function: to interpret the Constitution by ruling on difficult cases (to interpret the law through the lens of the Constitution).

Checks and Balances Diagram
Using colored pencils, markers, crayons, etc, create a “power diagram” similar to RPSLS. Use your “Checks and Balances Cheat Sheet” to help you (see docs page). Also, google image search the phrase “checks and balances” and you will get a lot of handy ideas. Beautiful work, people.

HOMEWORK:

DP Update and Writing Goals: Email Lori DP link when complete. DUE: Friday, 9/16, start of class.
Checks and Balances Diagram: See above for details. DUE: Thursday, 9/15, start of class.

College Essay Boot Camp- LAST DAY!

9/12/2016

And now, a note from your teacher...
Hey everyone! My kid is running a fever of 102 as I type this, so I will be home tomorrow watching endless episodes of Daniel Tiger and trying to coax her to eat chicken and stars soup. Everything you need to accomplish today is below- please read the instructions carefully! I will check my email when and if she naps, so if you have any questions, please email them to me.

To help you with the writing goals portion, you should use your college essay and the seminar reflection feedback I gave you (afternoon class, your graded reflections are by the projector--please grab them!). Honors folks, I will be sending you your essays as I get to them throughout the day. I apologize that they're not all done! Do the best you can with the writing goals- I will have your essays back tomorrow when I return to school, and you can revise your writing goals then based on my feedback.

College Essay Boot Camp Feedback
Complete the Google Form feedback survey on College Essay Bootcamp: SURVEY IS HERE!

Exhibit Your Work

Design the College Essay Display Board. See the Document of the same name linked to the documents page of my DP, and the example hung on my board.
When your display board is put together, stack them neatly on the table in the front of the room. We will hang them in the hallway tomorrow.

Writing Reflection

Look at the Three Levels of Writing and my Writing Rubric as a resource (honors folks, see the Honors Rubric).
Develop three specific writing goals for yourself as a writer based on these documents and my feedback. We're going to be using these goals for the rest of the semester to gauge your growth as a writer, and will use your end of semester writing reflection as a springboard for your senior project paper. As you feel like you achieve your goals, we'll develop new ones! This reflection will be worth 40 points, and will go into the "Am I developing as a learner?" category. HINT: This is worth as much as your college essay, so make it good!
Write 3 Goal Paragraphs: For each of those three goals, write a paragraph. That paragraph should include:
- What your goal is
- An example from your Tocqueville writing, your college essay, or your blog that shows the need for that goal
- Some ideas about how you can work towards improving this skill for your next piece of writing
- Example: Goal 1- Understanding the Text. I will make sure that I thoroughly understand the text I am using in my writing before I use it as evidence. In my "Habits of Highly Cynical People" writing, I used a quote that said "..........." In my essay, I said that this quote meant "....quote from essay....." However, I misunderstood this quote because I didn't put it in the larger context of the argument Solnit was making. In fact, the quote means (tell real meaning of quote here). To improve this in future writings, I think I need to summarize the meaning of every paragraph of the reading in my annotations, and I need to ask questions more actively during seminar coaching. If I'm reading it independently, I need to make sure I completely understand one paragraph before moving on to the next paragraph, rather than just continuing to read on.
- Example: Goal 2- Logical Flow. I will make sure that all my paragraphs logically flow from one idea to the next. In my seminar reflection, my first paragraph was about how both the presidential campaigns oversimplify what the other one is saying, and my second paragraph was about how naive cynicism is bad. I didn't connect these two ideas at all, so it was confusing for the reader to make that jump. In future writing, I could do a number of things to improve this. Early in my writing process, I could make sure that I have an outline, so that I've clearly thought through the logical flow of my paper. I can also use transition sentences to show the reader the links between ideas. Finally, I can references terms and ideas from the previous paragraph in the one after it to show the reader how the ideas from the preceding paragraph connect to the ideas in the next paragraph.
- Example: Goal 3- Semicolon Usage. I will make sure that I'm using semicolons correctly in my writing. In my college essay, I had written this sentence: "....example of sentence from college essay that uses semi-colons incorrectly..." In her feedback, Lori pointed out that I was using the semi-colon incorrectly here. I looked up the rules on semi-colon usage, and found that I should only be using them to join two complete sentences- right now, the piece after the semi-colon is not a complete sentence. In future writing, to make sure that I am doing this correctly, I can go through and circle every semi-colon I use, and then read the sentences before and after it out loud to make sure they can stand on their own as complete sentences.
Write 1 paragraph about your revision in your College Essay. Talk about one specific way that you grew as a writer between your first and final drafts of your College Essay. In this paragraph, you should include:
- How you grew (what skill improved?)
- What it was like before (give a specific example- you could quote an early draft of your essay here!)
- What feedback you got that pushed you to revise
- Evidence of your growth in this area (again, you should quote the final draft of your essay here!)
- Explanation of what you did to make this growth happen- what was your process?

DP Update
Create a tab for your college essay. It can be within your Humanities class tab, or can be separate. Include BOTH the information from you Display Board AND the full text of your college essay.

Put your writing goals on your regular Humanities page.

HOMEWORK

Email Lori your DP link when it is completely updated with the Writing Goals (see above- 4 paragraphs total) and your College Essay (see above for requirements). DUE: Friday 9/16, start of class.

College Essay Boot Camp- Day 6

9/9/2016

No Starter Today

Review what you need for Monday:

Final Draft College Essay (1 copy printed, 1 emailed to Lori)
Picture of yourself (need it digital)
Computer (for DP updates)

Conferences with Lori
If you signed up for Friday, you will conference with me today. Bring with you the most recent copy of your essay (it can just be pulled up on your computer), and any focusing questions you have for me. If you conferenced with me yesterday, I may have time to meet with you again, but no guarantees!

Revise, Refine, Write!
When you're not conferencing with me, you should be revising, refining, and making your essay as amazing as possible. Remember to rely on your peers for help here! You have lots of eyes--use them.

DONE?
Get a head start on Monday, and create your COLLEGE ESSAY DISPLAY BOARD!

HOMEWORK:

FINAL College Essay: Due Tuesday, 9/13, at the start of class. You need to have a copy printed and have it emailed or shared with Lori BEFORE class starts.

College Essay Boot Camp- Day 5

9/8/2016

Starter 5
Look at all the sentences pulled from college essays that are on the boards.

Choose your favorite one, and write it in your starter. Explain why you think it's a strong sentence.
Now, go through your draft of your college essay. Pull out one sentence you think is weak. Write the original version, then write a revised version. Explain what you did to make the sentence stronger.
List 3 more sentences from your draft that need revision.

Conferences with Lori
If you signed up for Thursday, you will conference with me today. Bring with you the most recent copy of your essay (it can just be pulled up on your computer), and any focusing questions you have for me.

Revise, Refine, Write!
When you're not conferencing with me, you should be revising, refining, and making your essay as amazing as possible. Remember to rely on your peers for help here! You have lots of eyes--use them.

HOMEWORK:

HONORS Essay 1: Due Friday, 9/9, at 8:15 am. Email or share with Lori. Make sure it's clearly labeled with your name and the assignment.
FINAL College Essay: Due Tuesday, 9/13, at the start of class. You need to have a copy printed and have it emailed or shared with Lori BEFORE class starts.

College Essay Bootcamp- Day 4

9/7/2016

Peer Critiques
Run group peer critiques. IF YOU ARE ABSENT- find a small group of peers to critique your paper before conferencing with Lori! See the documents page for a link to the tuning protocol.

Conference Sign Up
Sign up for a conference with Lori on either Thursday or Friday. You are REQUIRED to conference with Lori on one of these days.

HOMEWORK:

HONORS: Essay 1 due on Friday, 9/9 at 8:15 AM. Email or share with Lori.
FINAL COLLEGE ESSAY: Due on Tuesday, 9/13 at start of class. Printed copy, plus emailed/shared with Lori.

College Essay Bootcamp: Day 3

9/6/2016

Starter 4
Read this New York Times article about a controversial college essay and answer the following prompts:

What are your general impressions?
Would you advocate for accepting this student, given the rest of his application was worthy? Why or why not?
In general, do you think one should aim to "entertain" the admissions officer? Why or why not?

Support Group Check In (Be sure to save 5 minutes at the end of class to check back in and share out what you accomplished today)

Spend 5-10 minutes in your support group, checking in.
Make sure everyone knows what they need to do for the days
Have each person in the group share where they want to be by the end of class today.
Be sure to revisit the resources on the Documents page of my dp! Perhaps suggest a resource to someone in your peer support group if you think relevant!

College Essay Work Time
Today, your goal should be to get a complete draft written, and if possibly, do some initial refinements. Try to run right up against the word limit of your essay!

Support Group Check-In
In the last 5 minutes of class, regroup with your support group. Go around, see how well each person did at achieving the goal they set for themselves at the start of class today.

HOMEWORK
Have 3 printed copies of your essay for peer critique tomorrow. Make sure each copy includes:

The prompt you are responding to and word limits
Your current word count for your essay
A focusing question for critique (see College Essay Tuning Questions on the documents page for ideas here)

College Essay Bootcamp: Day 2

9/2/2016

No Starter Today.

Support Group Check In
Spend 5-10 minutes in your support group, checking in. Make sure everyone knows what they need to do for the days, and have each person in the group share where they want to be by the end of class today.

College Essay Work Time
Time to work on your college essay! You could tackle any of the following:

Choose a Prompt- Figure out what prompt speaks to you. Need help with this? Come talk to Lori!
Brainstorm- Use your own method, or any of the methods linked on my Documents page to help you generate ideas.
Write- Start writing, get words on the page. Remember, at this point it's okay to go over the word limit. We can always cut later.
Get Feedback- Show your writing to Lori, your support group, another teacher, other classmates.
Revise- Make it better! Cut, revise, focus, refine! Check for show don't tell, cut extra words, replace boring sentences with more powerful ones, check out the revision strategies on the Documents page of my DP.

Please note that you should NOT be using your time for any of the following:

College Applications- This time is for writing your essay, NOT filling out the applications. That needs to be done outside of my class.
Scholarship Applications- See above.
Work for Other Classes- This is pretty self-explanatory, right?
Time Wasting Techniques- Including, but not limited to....YouTube, social media, finger-boarding, cosmetics, movies, idle chatter.

Support Group Check-In
In the last 5 minutes of class, regroup with your support group. Go around, see how well each person did at achieving the goal they set for themselves at the start of class today.

HOMEWORK:
Complete draft of college essay. DUE: Start of class, Wednesday, 9/7. Need 3 printed copies for critique.

College Essay Bootcamp: Day 1

9/1/2016

Preface: Independence!
One of the themes of this year for me, for you, is increasing independence. As such, I’m putting you in the driver’s seat for much of this process. In college, it’s unlikely that your professors will have interim deadlines for papers and projects. You will have to plan your time, hold yourself accountable, and seek the help you need. So let’s practice that with this project—there’s some symbolic resonance, no?

Starter 3

What does success look like for you in this project? How will you measure if you’ve achieved it?
What is a potential obstacle to success, and how do you intend to overcome it?
Look through the tips of dos and don’ts. Which of these will be most helpful to you? Which of these might you have difficulty with? Why?

Sample Essay Read-aloud.
Choose one of the sample essays in your group to read out loud. Non-readers should follow along with the paper in front of you. As you read look for the following. When the read aloud is done, discuss:

Personality- where does it come from (use of story, written word, other?)
Favorite sentences/essay moments
What are the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the essay?
Would you want this person in your college? Why/why not?

Where Are You?
The corners of the classroom have been labeled with numbers 1-4. Go to the corner that best represents your current status in regards to college essays. Use the following criterion:

Which phrase best describes your current situation in regards to college essay writing?

I haven't started yet, and don't have a clue what the outcome might look like.
I have a prompt and have started writing, but I'm nowhere near done.
I have finished at least one essay, but it would benefit from some more refinement
I have mostly finished my college essays, but still have a few more and/or supplementary writing I can work on and refine.

Support Groups
Pick a group of 3 students from your corner and form a support group. You will be working in/with your support group for many of the remaining College Essay Boot Camp tasks. After your group is formed, see me for a scheduling sheet (Handout: “Support Group Scheduling” - Docs Page) and a packet of helpful resources. You'll run through the following tasks:

As a group, you'll create a schedule using the handout and resources on the handout.

Deadlines and Resources

Review deadlines (see class calendar if you were absent)
Review resources- tons of helpful stuff on the docs page of my DP! Explore them, use them if you get stuck!

HOMEWORK:

Non-Honors: Seminar Reflection (see yesterday's post for details). Due at start of class on Friday 9/2, emailed or shared to Lori.
Honors: Essay #1 (see honors page for details). Due at 8:15 am on Friday, 9/9, emailed or shared with Lori.

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