Senior Humanities
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Weds- Hidden Rules

9/14/2022

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​
  1. A Touchy Subject Annotations. DUE: Monday, 9/19, Start of Class.

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)
  1. College Essay FINAL/Cover Sheet. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Monday, 9/19, Start of Class
Debrief Manna (10 min)
  1. What did you notice about the feel of the space, and how it was set up?
  2. What was the most interesting thing you learned or heard?
  3. New questions you have?
  4. Possible project ideas, connections?  Things you’d like to explore further?

Key Takeaways:
  1. What are the “hidden rules” of different social classes?
  2. How do hidden rules work?
  3. Which rules do I know?  What rules make me uncomfortable?

Starter 10- Hidden Rules of Social Class: The Wire (15 min- 5 video, 5 write, 5 debrief)
The clip you are about to watch is taken from The Wire, a tv show that explores poverty in a Baltimore neighborhood.  In this clip, Bunny, a police officer, is taking a group of teenagers from the inner-city out to a fancy dinner as a reward.  This has mature language. If you want to remain innocent, cover your ears!  As you watch this, keep track of the following:
  1. When do the students seem confused or uncomfortable?
  2. Why were they unable to relax and enjoy this experience?
  3. What “rules” were they unaware of?

Hidden Rules Demo (15 min)
  1. All students sit in a circle
  2. Challenge of the game:  Discover the hidden rules for creating two magic sticks.
  3. Debrief:
    1. What were your expectations when you entered the game?
    2. What strategies did you use to uncover the hidden rule?
    3. What rules did you consider as you developed hypotheses about the rule?
    4. How did you feel if you discovered the rule early?  How did you feel if you struggled to discover the rule?
    5. If you discovered the rule early, were you motivated to share it with others?  Why/why not?
    6. If you were struggling to discover the rule, how did you feel about those how figured it out early?
    7. How did you feel about yourself as you discovered or struggled?
    8. What did you notice about others in the circle?  Expressions, engagement, other?
    9. How can you connect this to social class?

Could you survive in a different class? (15 min)
Take the quiz on the Hidden Rules of Social Class.  Debrief:
  1. Which class are you best equipped to survive in?
  2. Were there any of these skills that stood out or surprised you in any of the classes?
  3. How do you think it would feel if you were in a situation where it was assumed that you had the skills of a particular class...and you didn’t?  Have you ever been in a situation where you didn’t know the rules?

Hidden Rules of Social Class: Notes (30 min)
  1. Hidden Rules = unspoken rules, cues or habits that let you know if you do or do not belong
  2. Economic class rules based on how stable your life is (more money generally = more stability)
  3. Hidden rules are about how well we navigate different situations and understand economic and social environments different than our own.
  4. It is helpful to learn hidden rules in order to improve relationships and resolve conflicts.
  5. Hidden rules come directly from the environment in which we live. All of us bring with us the rules.
  6. Let’s make some predictions.  For each of the following, predict the hidden values or rules for lower, middle, and upper class.
    1. Personality: What is valued?
    2. Food: Key question, what is valued
    3. Education: How is it seen?
    4. Family Structure:  What is it?
    5. Driving Forces: What are they?

Hidden Rules Chart
Okay, now let’s compare the hidden rules you came up with to this chart created by Dr. Ruby Payne, based on her research.  Small discussion groups.
  1. What did you get right?  What did you get wrong?
  2. Which rules does school follow?
  3. What happens when you work or study in a place with middle class rules, but you personally are accustomed to the hidden rules of another class?
  4. Are you at risk of being judgmental when someone uses one of the hidden rules?  What hidden rules of another class are hard for you accept?  Why?
  5. How might these hidden rules cause conflict?
  6. Can you come up with a situation in which you have seen the hidden rules of a class hinder someone’s education? Work life? Relationships with another?
  7. Is there a time in your life when you have experienced not knowing the unspoken rules?  How did that feel?  What was your response?

Tues- Manna Prep, College Boards

9/13/2022

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​
  1. A Touchy Subject Annotations. DUE: Monday, 9/19, Start of Class.

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)
  1. College Essay FINAL/Cover Sheet. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Monday, 9/19, Start of Class
In class today, you have THREE tasks to complete!  You must have ALL of them done by the end of 4th period.

TASK 1: Create College Essay Board
  1. I have printed all the essays and cover sheets that have come in. Please let me know if you turned yours in late, so I can print for you
  2. Tape NEATLY with double sided tape onto your display board
  3. Hang on the wall in the hallway (use a LEVEL please!), with a pushpin in every corner

TASK 2: Prepare for Manna Visit
  1. Starter 9 (in your starter document):
    1. What are some stereotypes that people have about the homeless population?  List them.
    2. Now, what questions might you ask to get the data you need to turn these stereotypes into generalizations?  Think about what you would need to know to create accurate and descriptive generalizations.
  2. Choose ONE of the following resources to look at (or more if you have time!):
    1. NINA Durango- Facts and Myths
    2. World Population Review- Comparison of Homeless by State
    3. NYT Editorial- Housing Crisis- Lack of Supply, Zoning
    4. LA Times- Study linking Homelessness to Lack of Housing
  3. Read the resource, and take notes on:
    1. What are the most important ideas in this resource?
    2. How well supported are these ideas with evidence and data?
    3. What generalizations can you make about homeless or homelessness based on what you read?  Remember, generalizations are descriptive, accurate, and capturing patterns supported by data!
    4. What questions do you have about homelessness in Durango?
  4. SHOW LORI to get the reading for Task 3!
 
TASK 3: A Touchy Subject
Begin reading and annotating this essay about class distinctions in America.  You may annotate directly on the document, or on the form on Google Classroom.  Please remember, we’re looking for 2-3 annotations per page, and you need to do 5 vocab words as well (definitions + use in a sentence).

We will finish this in class on Friday.

Mon- What is Socioeconomic Class?

9/12/2022

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​
  1. A Touchy Subject Annotations. DUE: Monday, 9/19, Start of Class.

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)
  1. College Essay FINAL/Cover Sheet. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Monday, 9/19, Start of Class
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
  1. Car Tally- Who can drive?  Who CAN’T drive?
  2. Honors Meeting
Need to do an honors meeting at lunch this week.  Will check in with each of you doing honors to figure out the best day.
  1. College Display Boards: TOMORROW.
    1. I will have you 3rd and 4th tomorrow- we will meet ALL IN MY ROOM!
    2. We go to Manna 5th period tomorrow.  BRING ME PERMISSION SLIPS!!!  Meet in Lori's room after lunch!

Key Takeaways:
  1. What classes do we have in the US?
  2. What kinds of things do we use to make distinctions between classes?
  3. What is the difference between a generalization and a stereotype?

FRAME: In Kyle’s class, you are going to start to look at the economic side of inequality.  In my class, we’re going to attack this from more of a sociological angle, which means looking at social class, or socioeconomic class.  So this week, in addition to our field trips, we’ll be digging into what class is, how we divide them, and what markers are for different classes in the US.  NOTE: This can be really sensitive, and hard to talk about.  Ask you all to remain sensitive to the diverse experiences

Starter  (20 min)
  1. What classes do you think we have in the United States?  How many?  What % of the US population do you think is in each class?  What would you use to define each class?
  2. Now, look at this class diagram.
  3. After looking at the diagram, what’s one big difference you notice between your brainstorm and the data you see in front of you?  What’s one thing about this diagram that surprises you or stands out to you?
  4. Now, look at this chart of class perceptions. What do you notice about this chart?

Generalizations vs Stereotypes (15 min)
  1. What’s the difference between a generalization and a stereotype? Talk in groups, then create a table on the board.
  2. I lay out the differences.
  3. Students develop examples for a specific group

Stereotypes Activity: What do we already think about class? (50 minutes)
Now that you understand the differences, we’re going to work on identifying what stereotypes we are carrying around with us about different classes--ultimately, we hope to be able to make generalizations, but we probably don’t have the data for that yet.  By examining and making visible these stereotypes, we will start to understand how we mentally define and categorize people.  To make this simple, we’re going to do this on only 4 classes:  Lower Class, Working Class, Middle Class, and Upper Class.
  1. Individually: Write what class you think you belong to.  Consider how you decided this (what indicators did you use...area, jobs, accent, income, dress, education, other?)
  2. Tape poster down to table, divide into 4 quadrants
  3. Label each quadrant:
    1. Lower Class
    2. Working Class
    3. Middle Class
    4. Upper Class
  4. In groups of 5-6, on poster, we’re going to create class descriptions.  These will be a mix of stereotypes and generalizations.  For now, don’t think too hard about this! Think about:
    1. What do they wear?  What are visible external markers of class?
    2. Where do they live?
    3. What are their houses like? Their neighborhoods?
    4. What are their hobbies?  What do they do for fun?
    5. How do they talk and act?
    6. What kinds of jobs do they have?
    7. What kind of education do they have?
    8. What bad or negative traits or habits do they have?
    9. What positive traits or habits do they have?
    10. What do they value?
    11. What skills do they have?
    12. Anything else?
  5. 20 minutes to brainstorm and create.  On the poster can be words, phrases, descriptions, images, symbols
  6. Now, go through your poster and put a G next to generalizations, and an S next to stereotypes. 
  7. Take 5 minutes to walk around and look at the groups.  Take notes on…
    1. What similarities or patterns do you see?
    2. Where do you think these impressions and stereotypes come from?  
    3. Anything that is surprising, or that stands out?
    4. Where was the process uncomfortable?  Were there classes that were easier to do this activity for?  Why? 
    5. Did this make you realize anything about class in the US?  What?
    6. Is there anything on here that makes you uncomfortable?  That seems wrong or inaccurate?
  8. Close:  We have now purged!  Our task for the rest of this project is to take these stereotypes, and figure out which can made into more accurate generalizations, which need to be thrown out, and ultimately to explore WHY these patterns and trends exist.    We will revisit these later, and perhaps update them.​

Thurs- College Essays Day 6

9/8/2022

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​
  1. College Essay FINAL + Cover Sheet. DUE: Monday, 9/12, Start of Class (but Friday by end of class is better, so I can print!!!)

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)​
  1. Seminar Reflection. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Friday, 9/9, Start of Class
​Tasks for Thursday
  1. Revision and Proofread- There's a checklist to help with this on the front table!

  1. Create Cover Sheet for College Essay Display
    1. Instructions for this are on Google Classroom- it should be pretty straightforward.  
    2. Remind them that to turn in their College Essay, the cover sheet should be on one page, and the college essay should be on the next page in the SAME DOCUMENT.
 
  1. Other things they COULD do:
    1. Seek another peer critique
    2. Conference with you for feedback about their essay
    3. Revise and re-submit their seminar reflection, if they have received feedback and are DONE with their college essay.

Weds- College Essays Day 5

9/7/2022

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​
  1. College Essay FINAL + Cover Sheet. DUE: Monday, 9/12, Start of Class

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)​
  1. Seminar Reflection. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Friday, 9/9, Start of Class
Step 1: Prepare for the peer critique
  1. What is one thing you really like about your essay/topic?
  2. What is one thing you do not like or would like to change?
  3. What is a question you need help with from your group?

EXAMPLES: Does my word choice and tone show my personality?  How could my hook grab your attention better?  How can I end my essay in a less obvious way? Do you understand the moral of my story clearly? How could that be clearer or stronger?  Where could I add more depth and detail? 

Step 3: Essay Tuning Protocol
  1. Follow the protocol
  2. Actively participate
  3. Remember, feedback should be helpful, specific and kind.

End of Class: Review how to turn this in!
Review assignment on Google Classroom and turn in instructions

Tuesday- College Essays Day 4

9/6/2022

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​
  1. College Essay Rough Draft. DUE: Wednesday, 9/7, Start of Class

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)​
  1. Seminar Reflection. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Friday, 9/9, Start of Class
Starter- Creating the Magnet
  1. Read Creating the Magnet 
  2. Go to your essay and write 2-3 variations of a starting sentence for your essay, using the techniques here.. 
  3. Share with a partner for feedback.

Goals for Today
  1. Revise and perfect your opening line
  2. Have a completed rough draft that is within 100 words of the word count limit.
  3. Conference with either myself or Erin C-R about your draft

Today’s Tasks:
  1. Outline and draft your story idea. Your personal narrative. 
  2. Sign up for a conference with me - today is your last shot!
  3. Help each other out! Talk through ideas with each other. 3 D’s ideas. The main message. 
  4. Come up to the front table and grab a resource! Or my DP!

Friday- College Essays Day 3

9/2/2022

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​
  1. College Essay Rough Draft. DUE: Wednesday, 9/7, Start of Class

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)​
  1. Syllabus signed by you and parent/guardian. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Tuesday, 9/6, Start of Class.
  2. Seminar Reflection. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Friday, 9/9, Start of Class
Starter 5: 3Ds and Example Essay
  1. First, read the article The 3 D’s: Details, Dialogue, and Description.
  2. Then read one more of these example essays. 
  3. In your starter, provide 2-3 examples of the three D’s. (Copy and paste them) Be prepared to share one example. 

​Goal for Today
By the end of class, have a solid outline DONE.  If possible, have started your draft!

Today’s Tasks:
  1. Outline and draft your story idea. Your personal narrative. 
  2. Sign up for a conference with me - today or tomorrow. 
  3. Help each other out! Talk through ideas with each other. 3 D’s ideas. The main message. 
  4. Come up to the front table and grab a resource! Or my DP!

Thurs- College Essays Day 2

9/1/2022

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​
  1. Seminar Reflection. DUE: Friday, 9/2, Start of Class

DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)
  1. ​Habits of Highly Cynical People Annotations/Vocab. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Friday, 9/2, Start of Class.
  2. Syllabus signed by you and parent/guardian. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Tuesday, 9/6, Start of Class.
Starter 4- More Model Essays (10 min)
  1. Read at least one of these examples. Then answer the questions below.
  2. Describe this person in one sentence
  3. What did you learn about the individual?
  4. What did you like? Dislike?
  5. What did you notice about how this essay was written? What techniques did they use?

Brainstorm 4: Essence Objects (10 min)
Spend at least five minutes naming 10 "essence objects." These are tangible things that represent memories, moments, relationships, or values that are important to you. Briefly say why each one is meaningful (Ex: "The beads on my desk were hand-painted by my friends for my daughter and they represent the love from my community.")

Ira Glass on Storytelling (10 min)
Listen to this.  List 3-5 things that you learned about telling effective stories.
Turn to your partner- how can you incorporate this into your college essay?

So What? Exercise (20 min)
Based on your brainstorms yesterday, list your top 3 anecdotes/experiences for your college essays.  This is going to be a rapid fire verbal brainstorm with different partners to suss out the possible So What of your essay.  You will want something to take notes with.

Partner 1/Topic 1
  1. Take 30 seconds to explain your anecdote.  Just tell the story, describe the experience.  DON’T explain why it’s important to you.
  2. Partner: Ask, “So what?”
  3. Answer them (30 sec)
  4. Partner: Ask, “So what?” again
  5. Answer them (30 sec)
  6. Partner: Ask “So what?” again
  7. Answer them (30 sec)
  8. Take 1 minute to write down insights you want to capture from this process
  9. Repeat with your partner’s topic.

Repeat with Partner and Topics 2 and 3

Choose Your Own Adventure: 
  1. Brainstorm some more (see resources linked on my DP- RESOURCES PAGE)
  2. Outline (see the outline resources linked on my DP- RESOURCES PAGE)
  3. Start writing a draft ​
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  • Daily Lessons
  • Course Overview
  • Resources
  • Senior Project
    • 2023 Award Finalists
    • 2019 Award Finalists
    • 2018 Award Finalists >
      • Early Senior Theses and TED Talks
  • Honors