Senior Humanities
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College Essays - Day 3 - Writing a Draft

9/11/2024

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​​​​​​
  1. Idea Fishing- Part 2. DUE: Wednesday 9/11, Start of 2nd period (9:25 am).  Google Classroom.
  2. College Essay Rough Draft. DUE: Thursday 9/12, Start of Class. Google Classroom.
 
DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)​​
  1. Annotations for "Habits of Highly Cynical People" and "Screw motivation, what you need is discipline" articles. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Tuesday 9/10, End of Class. 
  2. In Class Writing. SEE LORI FOR HOW TO MAKE THIS UP: No later than Tuesday 9/10, End of Class. ​
Announcements/Reminders:
  1. College Essay Conferences- Sign up with either Erin C-R or Lori. For Erin-CR, make an appointment with her!

Starter 7: 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, OR one of these from former AHS students. 
  3. In your starter, provide 2 examples of the three D’s from your example essay (Copy and paste them, or jot them down). Be prepared to share one example. 
  4. List where you might include details, dialogue, and description in your own essay
​
Goal for Today
By the end of class, have a solid outline DONE.  If possible, have started your draft! MAKE SURE IT ANSWERS THE QUESTION IN YOUR PROMPT!

Today’s Tasks:
  1. Outline and draft your story idea. Your personal narrative. 
  2. Sign up for a conference with me - your name needs to be on the board!
  3. Help each other out! Talk through ideas with each other. 3 D’s ideas. The main message. 
  4. Use the Resources on my DP. Look there for more things you can do!

College Essay Boot Camp - Day 2 - Outline

9/6/2024

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​​​​​​
  1. Idea Fishing- Part 2. DUE: Wednesday 9/11, Start of 2nd period (9:25 am).  Google Classroom.
  2. College Essay Rough Draft. DUE: Thursday 9/12, Start of Class. Google Classroom.
 
DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)​​
  1. Annotations for "Habits of Highly Cynical People" and "Screw motivation, what you need is discipline" articles. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Tuesday 9/10, End of Class. 
  2. In Class Writing. SEE LORI FOR HOW TO MAKE THIS UP: No later than Tuesday 9/10, End of Class. 
Starter 5- Model Essays (10 min)
Read at least one of these examples. If you have time, read more than one.  Then answer the questions below on your starter document.
  1. Describe this person in one sentence
  2. What did you learn about the individual?
  3. What did you like? Dislike?
  4. What did you notice about how this essay was written? What techniques did they use?

Debrief as a class

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 and today, 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 1 minute 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. Take 1 minute to write down insights you want to capture from this process
  7. Repeat with your partner’s topic.

Repeat with Partner and Topics 2 and 3

Choose Your Own Adventure: 
  1. CHOOSE A PROMPT! YOU MUST CHOOSE A PROMPT! Then answer the question in the prompt!
  2. Brainstorm some more (see resources linked on my DP)
  3. Outline (see the outline resources linked on my DP)
  4. Start writing a draft

College Essay Boot Camp - Day 1 - Brainstorm

9/5/2024

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​​​​​​
  1. Idea Fishing- Part 2. DUE: Wednesday 9/11, Start of 2nd period (9:25 am).  Google Classroom.
  2. College Essay Rough Draft. DUE: Thursday 9/12, Start of Class. Google Classroom.
 
DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)​​
  1. Annotations for "Habits of Highly Cynical People" and "Screw motivation, what you need is discipline" articles. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Tuesday 9/10, End of Class. 
  2. In Class Writing. SEE LORI FOR HOW TO MAKE THIS UP: No later than Tuesday 9/10, End of Class. 
Starter- This is Water, by David Foster Wallace (10 min video, 15 total)
  1. Jot down key ideas/takeaways- at least 3
Pair Share
  1. To what extent do you agree with these claims or pieces of advice? Do any ring true for you? Others you know? How so?
  2. Starting college essays today, where you’ll be focusing SOLELY on yourself and your own beliefs/experiences, etc… What is one big idea you can take from his speech to help you with your essay? (post it on board)

Instructions (5-10 min)
  1. Log on to Google Classroom
  2. Find the College Essay Assignment under Classwork
  3. Open it and read through silently 
  4. Let’s look at the list of resources on my Resources page (2 minutes)
    • College Essay Guy is amazing!  You need to email to request access to the free guide, but it is worth it! Do it! We’ll check out the various resources he has listed in that guide real quick….
GOAL = Refined 2nd draft of at least one college essay.  
​
Which phrase best describes your current situation in regards to college essay writing? (5 min)
  1. I haven't started yet, and don't have a clue what the outcome might look like.
  2. I have a prompt and have started writing, but I'm nowhere near done.
  3. I have finished at least one essay, but it would benefit from some more refinement
  4. I have mostly finished my college essays, but still have a few more and/or supplementary writing I can work on and refine.
Write your names on the paper in your corner- we will come back to this tomorrow to help us form some groups!

Narrative Structure- Straightforward, linear story.
  1. Challenges + Effects or EXPERIENCES
    This part gets into specific detail regarding a specific challenge the student has faced, and the various effects of that challenge. Tough stuff you’ve been through. Big experiences. Their subsequent impacts. Various obstacles you’ve had to overcome. NO TRAUMA DUMPING.
  2. What I Did About Them
    Actions you took to overcome those challenges and their effects, often to meet specific needs. These actions help to illustrate your values and growth.
  3. What I Learned
    Lessons and insights you’ve gained through these experiences. Reflection on how your experiences have shaped you and why that matters. What you will bring to that college because of these experiences.

Montage Structure
  1. A technique that involves creating a new whole from separate fragments (pictures, words, music, etc.). 
  2. A few images tell the whole story. And you can use this technique for your essay. (Example - Bracelets)
  3. Find a focusing lens: You can’t discuss every single aspect of your life; you can, however, show us a few important points through a single lens or metaphor. 

GOAL TODAY = Lots of brainstorming and ideation
Even if you already have an essay, I can tell you that so many students throw out the drafts they have midway through this semester to start again.  My goal here is to give ALL of you many ideas to return to and to start with, and to make sure that ideas that you have are unique and specific to YOU.

Create a brainstorming document!  If you prefer to do this by hand, grab some paper. Here we go.

Brainstorm 1: Core Values Exercise
  1. Narrow down your values.
  2. Connect your values to your experiences- for each value, come up with an experience or story.

Brainstorm Framing- 
Our goal here is to identify key experiences, qualities, values, and touchstones that you can use regardless of your essay structure that you choose.

Brainstorm 2: I Love + I Know
Spend one minute making a random list of things you love. If you have a partner nearby, set a timer and speak your list aloud while your partner writes down what you say. Examples: I love ... the ocean. I love ... the way clean laundry smells. I love ... physics. I love ... my grandmother's pupusas, etc. Then switch roles, and you write while your partner makes their list. Here's a video of me doing this one.

After you've done that, spend one minute making a list of things you know a lot about. (Examples: I know a lot about ... board games ... World War II history ... constructed languages, etc.) Again, if you have a partner, take turns talking and writing. 

Connect to values- star the ones that connect to your values when you’re done!

Brainstorm 3: Feelings and Needs
Walk through the handout.

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.")
Here are 20 questions to help you brainstorm (again, you can write them below):
  • What’s an object that reminds you of home?
  • What object makes you feel safe?
  • What’s a food that reminds you of your family?
  • What object represents a challenge you’ve faced?
  • What’s a dream or goal you have for the future?
  • What’s something about you that sometimes surprises people?
  • Who are you with and what are you doing when you feel most like yourself?
  • What brings you joy?
  • What’s hanging on your bedroom walls?
  • What are you proud of?
  • What’s an object that reminds you of something that still feels unresolved in your life?
  • What’s an object that represents something you know now that you didn’t know five years ago?
  • What action or gesture represents love to you?
  • What do you like to do that does not involve technology?
  • What will you save for your child someday?
  • What's the most memorable meal you've ever eaten or made?
  • What's in your bag right now? Anything that's always there?
  • What do you like to collect?
  • What have you kept from a trip?
  • What’s something that people associate with you?

Cynicism In-Class Writing

9/3/2024

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​​​​​​
  1. Annotations for "Habits of Highly Cynical People" and "Screw motivation, what you need is discipline" articles. DUE: Tuesday 10/3, End of Class. Turn these in with the in-class writing that day- you may need them to complete it.
  2. In Class Writing. DUE: Tuesday, 10/3, End of Class. Google Classroom.
  3. Idea Fishing- Part 2. DUE: Wednesday 10/4, Start of 2nd period (9:25 am).  Google Classroom.
 
DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)​​
  1. Idea Fishing. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Wednesday 10/4, Start of 2nd period (9:25 am).  Google Classroom.
Announcements:
  1. Fall Senior Postsecondary night-Tomorrow! Wednesday, September 4th, 5:30-7:00pm, AHS Commons. We will discuss a timeline for senior year, the college application process, work based learning opportunities/LINK 2.0, and Financial aid/FAFSA.
​
Some Guidelines:
  1. Use the whole two hours! You will get full credit for this assignment if you work diligently during the time provided.
  2. This is a baseline writing assessment that gives me information about how you are writing. Rather than a grade, you will receive feedback on the rubric and this will inform the writing goals we develop together for your work moving forward.
  3. There is no world where using AI on this assignment benefits you! It can only hurt the authenticity of our writing goals and take away these 20 easy completion points.
  4. If you finish early, go back and revise! Add an interesting intro? Play with your conclusion? Do additional research?
  5.  If you are really done done, go ahead and finish Idea Fishing Part 2 (due tomorrow before class!)

Seminar Writing:
Choose any of seminar questions listed below, and write a 500-750 word response to the question.  This writing should include the following:
  1. A clear thesis statement that answers the question.
  2. At least two body paragraphs that quote or paraphrase the text(s) that are organized and clear.
  3. A small conclusion- this doesn’t have to be large, but a short paragraph that wraps up your argument and synthesizes your ideas.

Choose ONE of the following to answer:
  1. In this essay, Solnit offers a number of criticisms of naïve cynicism.  What is the most important/cutting critique she offers?  Why?
  2. What kind of thinking habits do we need to cultivate to move beyond naïve cynicism?
  3. To what extent are you a naïve cynic?  How much of what Solnit describes rings true to you about yourself?  Explain.
  4. How do these articles connect to your education?  To your senior project/thesis? 
  5. What impact do you think naive cynicism plays in our current political climate and dialogue?
  6. What is a connection you can make between the idea’s in Solnit’s text and the ideas in “Screw motivation…”? What new insight can we gain from that connection?
  7. If you have a different question you would like to address that is NOT on this list, run it by Lori/Jessica for approval!

Cynicism/Discipline Seminar + Writing Prep

8/30/2024

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​​​​​​
  1. Annotations for "Habits of Highly Cynical People" and "Screw motivation, what you need is discipline" articles. DUE: Tuesday 10/3, End of Class. Turn these in with the in-class writing that day- you may need them to complete it.
  2. Idea Fishing- Part 2. DUE: Wednesday 10/4, Start of 2nd period (9:25 am).  Google Classroom.
 
DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)​​
  1. Signed Syllabus. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Tuesday 9/3, Start of Class.  In Turn In Box.
  2. Idea Fishing. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Wednesday 10/4, Start of 2nd period (9:25 am).  Google Classroom.
Seminar Grades (5-10 min)
Debrief Friday’s starter, decide on graded or ungraded for seminar.

Starter 4- Seminar Habits (10 min)
  1. What do you, personally, need to do in order to be a strong participant in our seminar today? Set a goal for yourself.
  2. Do you feel prepared for our discussion today? Why/why not?

Seminar Style: (5 min to set up)
  1. 2 circles with extra chairs in the middle
  2. We’ll switch once, 30 minutes in (could also switch every 10-15 minutes…give kids the choice)
  3. Feel free to jump into chairs in the middle at any point- for 30 seconds or the whole seminar, it doesn’t matter
  4. Note-taking is highly encouraged! This will be leading into a writing assignment next week- having some notes will likely be helpful in that endeavor.
  5. Bring with you- Annotated articles, pen or pencil

Socratic Seminar Questions (50-60 min)
Opening Questions
  1. What is Solnit’s definition of a naïve cynic?  What are the two types (see paragraphs 8 and 11), and what characterizes their thinking?

Core Questions
  1. In paragraph 6, Solnit talks about now naïve cynicism “…flattens out the past and the future, and because it reduces the motivation to participate in public life, public discourse, and even intelligent conversation that distinguishes shades of gray, ambiguities and ambivalences, uncertainties, unknowns, and opportunities.”  What does she mean here?  How does the attitude of naïve cynicism do this?
  2. Is there a difference between cynicism and skepticism?  What is it?
  3. In paragraph 7, Solnit offers a number of criticisms of naïve cynicism.  What is the most important/cutting critique she offers in this paragraph?  Why?
  4. In paragraph 7, she says, “The openness of hope of dangerous.”  What does this mean?  Do you agree?
  5. What point is she trying to make with the OWS example on page 3?  How convincing is this example?
  6. What point is she trying to make with the climate change example on pages 3-5?  How convincing is this example?
  7. In paragraph 20, Solnit says, “Accommodating change and uncertainty requires a looser sense of self…”  What does she mean by this? 
  8. Do you have to KNOW things to avoid falling into naive cynicism? (see paragraph 23 about historical memory and long timelines)
  9. To what extent is cynicism useful?  Harmful?  What is a healthy level of cynicism?
  10. What motivates/causes this attitude of naïve cynicism?
  11. Can cynicism be productive?
  12. How does our media environment contribute to the development of naive cynicism?
  13. What kind of thinking habits do we need to cultivate to move beyond naïve cynicism?
  14. How do we see naïve cynicism playing out in this election (think about BOTH parties!)?
  15. Are motivation and discipline distinct things, or do they overlap? To what extent?
  16. This article makes the argument on page 3 that discipline requires delayed gratification. Is this harder now than it used to be? Why/why not?
  17. Do you think motivation or discipline helps more? Which do you tend to rely on?

Personal Questions
  1. In paragraph 6, Solnit makes a number of points about complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity.  To what extent are you comfortable with complexity and uncertainty?  Give a concrete example.
  2. To what extent are you a naïve cynic?  How much of what Solnit describes rings true to you about yourself?  Explain.
  3. How do you see naive cynicism in Durango? AHS?
  4. How does this article connect to your education?  To your goals this year in Humanities?  To our class values and behaviors?
  5. If we acknowledge naïve cynicism, can we remove it from our classroom?  Do we want to?  How?
​
Seminar Writing:
Choose any of seminar questions listed below, and write a 500-750 word response to the question.  This writing should include the following:
  1. A clear thesis statement that answers the question.
  2. At least two body paragraphs that quote or paraphrase the text(s) that are organized and clear.
  3. A small conclusion- this doesn’t have to be large, but a short paragraph that wraps up your argument and synthesizes your ideas.

Choose ONE of the following to answer:
  1. In this essay, Solnit offers a number of criticisms of naïve cynicism.  What is the most important/cutting critique she offers?  Why?
  2. What kind of thinking habits do we need to cultivate to move beyond naïve cynicism?
  3. To what extent are you a naïve cynic?  How much of what Solnit describes rings true to you about yourself?  Explain.
  4. How do these articles connect to your education?  To your senior project/thesis? 
  5. What impact do you think naive cynicism plays in our current political climate and dialogue?
  6. What is a connection you can make between the idea’s in Solnit’s text and the ideas in “Screw motivation…”? What new insight can we gain from that connection?
  7. If you have a different question you would like to address that is NOT on this list, run it by Lori/Jessica for approval!

Cynicism/Discipline Seminar Coaching and Prewrite

8/28/2024

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​​​​​​
  1. Annotations for "Habits of Highly Cynical People" and "Screw motivation, what you need is discipline" articles. DUE: Tuesday 10/3, End of Class. Turn these in with the in-class writing that day- you may need them to complete it.
  2. Idea Fishing- Part 2. DUE: Wednesday 10/4, Start of 2nd period (9:25 am).  Google Classroom.
 
DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)​​
  1. Signed Syllabus. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Tuesday 9/3, Start of Class.  In Turn In Box.
  2. Idea Fishing. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Wednesday 10/4, Start of 2nd period (9:25 am).  Google Classroom.
Starter 2- Seminar Norms (15 min)
  1. What needs to happen for a class to have a successful seminar?  What behaviors do you need to see, and what kind of thinking and preparation need to occur?
  2. Do you prefer to have seminars graded or ungraded?  Why?  If graded, what kind of grading system makes sense?

Reading Time- 10 min
Finish reading and annotating both seminar texts. If you're done, add to your annotations, or work on Idea Fishing Part 2.

Seminar Coaching 
Review of Coaching Goals
  1. Get everyone on the same page about the basic meaning of the text
  2. Clarify confusions

Step 1: Habits of Highly Cynical People
  1. Summarize the main point of this article.  What, in one sentence, is it saying?
  2. Go paragraph by paragraph.  Pay special attention to paragraphs 3-7, 20, 23
    1. Summarize main idea
    2. Answer questions/clarify meaning

Step 2: Screw motivation, what you need is discipline
  1. Summarize the main point of this article.  What, in one sentence, is it saying?
  2. Go page by page
    1. Summarize the main ideas/points made on that page
    2. Answer questions/clarify meaning/vocab

Step 3: Generate seminar questions
  1. Your coaching group needs to write 2-3 discussion questions for seminar on an index card and give it to me. These could be large questions, or questions that ask the class to focus on specific aspects of one or both texts.

Seminar Prewrite (rest of class, due tomorrow)
For this, you must answer two questions. One is required, and the other you may choose from the list provided. Each question should be answered in a full paragraph, and should reference something specific from the text. 

Required: What are the connections between these two essays? 

Choose ONE of the following in addition:
  1. What is Solnit’s definition of a naïve cynic?  What are the two types (see paragraphs 8 and 11), and what characterizes their thinking?
  2. What is the difference between being cynical and being critical/skeptical? 
  3. To what extent are you a naïve cynic?  How much of what Solnit describes rings true to you about yourself?  Explain.
  4. In paragraph 6, Solnit makes a number of points about complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity.  To what extent are you comfortable with complexity and uncertainty?  Give a concrete example.
  5. In paragraph 7, Solnit offers a number of criticisms of naïve cynicism.  What is the most important/cutting critique she offers in this paragraph?  Why?
  6. In paragraph 20, Solnit says, “Accommodating change and uncertainty requires a looser sense of self…”  What does she mean by this? 
  7. What kind of thinking habits do we need to cultivate to move beyond naïve cynicism?
  8. How does this article connect to your education?  To your goals this year in Humanities? To your senior project? Choose something specific to focus the connection on.

Fall Senior Project- Week 1

8/27/2024

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​​​​​​
  1. Annotations for "Habits of Highly Cynical People" and "Screw motivation, what you need is discipline" articles. DUE: Thursday 8/29, 30 minutes into Class. Google Classroom OR Show Lori during class. 
  2. Idea Fishing. DUE: Wednesday 8/28, Start of 2nd period (9:25 am).  Google Classroom.
 
DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)​​
  1. Signed Syllabus. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Tuesday 9/3, Start of Class.  In Turn In Box.
2nd Period- Senior Project Exploration (30 min)- COMMONS ALL SENIORS
  1. Examples of projects (5-8 projects)
  2. After teacher talks through these, find a partner or group of 3 and discuss:
    1. What were the common threads that connected these exemplars?
    2. What did you learn about what makes a good project?
    3. How does this shape your ideas or hopes for your senior project?
    4. What questions does this raise for you?

2nd/3rd- Zen and Motorcycle- Read, Discuss, Write
Discussion Groups (45 minutes)
  1. Read and annotate- make sure to mark favorite lines
  2. Put chairs in a circle
  3. Spirit Read (each student shares their line)
    1. Discuss patterns, bring into Socratic seminar
  4. Seminar Questions:
    1. “The idea that the majority of students attend a university for an education independent of the degree and grades is a little hypocrisy everyone is happier not to expose.”  What does this mean?  Do you agree?  Why/why not?
    2. How much are you subject to the “mule mentality” (paragraph 8)?  What impact does this have on you?  Where does this come from?
    3. “The purpose of abolishing grades and degrees is not to punish mules or to get rid of them but to provide an environment in which that mule can turn into a free man.”  To what extent are you a mule?  To what extent are you a free man?
    4. The transformation described in this piece is predicated on the idea that everyone has an innate “creative intelligence” that has been stifled.  Do you agree with this premise?  Why/why not?
    5. “He’d be a knowledge-motivated person. He would need no external pushing to learn. His push would come from inside.”  When have you felt this?  What contexts/subjects are conducive to this experience?
    6. How motivated are you by grades?  How motivated are you by knowledge?  What implications does this have for your senior project?
    7. Make sure to note that senior project itself is ungraded...how then, can we connect senior project to ideas in this text.  Inspiring?  Terrifying?  Both?
    8. Last line:  “It would be the real thing.”  What do you need to do to make sure your Senior Project is the “real thing?”
    9. The world outside of school is one that exists without grades.  You succeed or fail based on your track record and reputation as well as a list of your accomplishments, not your GPA.  How can the final senior project provide you with an artifact or story that will propel you forward outside of school?
    10. How can your senior year help you make connections in the community, locally and abroad?  How can those connections help you after your high school career is over?

Final Reflection (15 min)
Take 10 minutes to write in your Humanities Starter document.  What are you thinking about senior project right now?  What hopes do you have?  Ideas?  Questions?  Emotions?  How did this discussion spark your imagination, ideas, or intentions? Write the whole time!  Now, underline the most interesting line of your reflection, and share it with a partner.

3rd/4th- Idea Fishing Part 2- Slideshow and Instructions
Students sort into corners based on the following statements.
  1. I am more confident than ever that my idea is pretty good, and I want to keep pursuing it.
  2. I like my project, but am not confident about my thesis.  I’m not sure if I should scrap it or keep digging into it.
  3. I like my thesis, but am not confident about my project. I’m not sure if I should scrap it or keep digging into it.
  4. I hate my original idea, or I think it’s not going to work.  I need something new. 

Idea Fishing Part 2- Where are you? Discussions (15-20 min)
Group into groups of 4-5 based on who is in your corner. Go sit at tables together. 
  1. Group 1: Confident in current idea
    1. Get in a group of 4-5 people
    2. Share your current ideas for your research question/topic and your project
    3. Share why you are excited about this, and one interesting thing you learned in idea fishing
    4. Discuss with each other how you need to narrow your topic.  Help each other come up with a revised research question to pursue, based on the first round of research
 
  1. Group 2: Confident in project, thesis idea is less good
    1. Get in a group of 4-5 people
    2. Share your current ideas for your research question/topic and your project
    3. Share where you think your ideas are strong, and where they need refinement
    4. As a group, help each other refine the pieces that need refining, and come up with a revised research question (or questions) to pursue.
 
  1. Group 3: Confident in thesis, project idea is less good
    1. Get in a group of 4-5 people
    2. Share your current ideas for your research question/topic and your project
    3. Share where you think your ideas are strong, and where they need refinement
    4. As a group, help each other refine the pieces that need refining, and come up with a revised research question (or questions) to pursue.
 
  1. Group 3: Need a new idea
    1. Get in a group of 4-5 people
    2. Share your last idea, and why you don’t want to do it. 
    3. Going in turn, spend 3 minutes for each person brainstorming new ideas they could research for this round

Idea Fishing Part 2- DUE next Wednesday at 9:25 AM.
Split between Kyle and Lori’s rooms.
  1. Option 1- The Mola Mola
    1. Repeat the previous idea-fishing process with an entirely new idea or topic
  2. Option 2- The Lungfish
    1. Repeat the idea-fishing process on the same idea
    2. This time, try to start with a more specific question rather than a super general topic
    3. Look for more specific pieces of information to fill in gaps or answer questions you identified in round 1

Highly Cynical People + Discipline vs. Motivation

8/26/2024

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​​​​​​
  1. Annotations for "Habits of Highly Cynical People" and "Screw motivation, what you need is discipline" articles. DUE: Thursday 8/29, 30 minutes into Class. Google Classroom OR Show Lori during class. 
  2. Idea Fishing. DUE: Wednesday 8/28, Start of 2nd period (9:25 am).  Google Classroom.
 
DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)​
  1. 3-2-1 Brainstorm. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Tuesday 8/27, Start of Class. Google Classroom.
  2. Signed Syllabus. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Tuesday 9/3, Start of Class.  In Turn In Box.
 Announcements:
  1. Wednesdays- These are reserved for Senior Project work. You must be here periods 2-4 (yes, you get to sleep in). Go to the Commons to gather on Wednesdays, unless we tell you otherwise.

Set Up Starters 
Every student creates a Google Doc labeled with “Full Name- Humanities Starters,” and shares it with me.  Make sure to give me permission to comment!
  1. Every starter should be clearly labeled with the Starter # and date
  2. Newest starter goes at the TOP of the page

Starter 1- Cynicism 
  1. What do you think it means to be cynical? 
  2. How cynical are you on a scale of 1-5? (1 = not at all cynical, 5 = deeply cynical). Explain your answer.
  3. What reading habits do you need to use to make sense of complex or difficult texts? Think about both mindsets and about concrete actions that help you make sense of these. 
  4. Preferred name/pronouns- Please let me know what you would like to be called, and what pronouns you prefer to use. If this changes at any point in the semester, you can let me know either in person or via email- I will do my absolute best to honor and use your preferred names and pronouns! Feel free to yell at me if I screw it up.

4 Corners
  1. I believe that I can make changes in the world.
  2. When I am trying to make changes, I expect to see results in a short time period.
  3. I feel like no matter what I do as an individual, I will not have an impact in larger social and political issues.
  4. Motivation is one of the most important factors in being successful.

Annotation Review
Discuss quickly in your groups, then share out:
  1. Why do we do it?
  2. What does it mean to think deeply about a text? What habits are necessary?

Annotation Station- Review 2 possible types (on text with a pen/pencil in the margins, or on a separate document)

Seminar Readings 
  1. Screw motivation, what you need is discipline
  2. The Habits of Highly Cynical People
    1. NUMBER the paragraphs in Highly Cynical People. You should have 23 total.
    2. For framing here- The first 4 paragraphs are a big list of historical events. Please see the handy linked guide here: Highly Cynical References

Read and annotate both of the articles—they will be the basis for a Socratic seminar that is connected to our critical thinking goals for the course this year.  Make sure to mark:
  1. Places where you are confused
  2. Important or beautiful sentences/ideas
  3. Vocab (look it up!)
  4. Questions you have

You will have 20-30 minutes to finish reading tomorrow. My suggestion is to get through Highly Cynical People first, and save the other one for class tomorrow.

Senior Project- Idea Fishing

8/26/2024

 
DUE DATES- ON TIME​​​​​​
  1. Signed Syllabus. DUE: Tuesday 8/28, Start of Class.  In Turn In Box.
  2. Idea Fishing. DUE: Wednesday 8/28, Start of 2nd period (9:25 am).  Google Classroom.
 
DUE DATES- LATE (-10%)​
  1. 3-2-1 Brainstorm. LAST DAY TO TURN IN: Tuesday 8/27, Start of Class. Google Classroom.
Announcements:
  1. Wednesdays- These are reserved for Senior Project work. You must be here periods 2-4 (yes, you get to sleep in). Go to the Commons to gather on Wednesdays, unless we tell you otherwise. Later in this semester, Wednesdays will be off-campus research time.

Introductions
  1. Phones away out of sight
  2. Earbuds out of ears

Erin C-R- 3rd/5th
Here to talk to you about the path BEYOND this building!

Idea Fishing
  1. Intro and walk them through it (be sure to mention things that are allowed here- Chat GPT, Wikipedia, documentaries, etc.)
  2. Goal = to help them see if their top idea right now is one that remains interesting, to narrow research a bit
  3. Give them time to research
  4. This is due, completed, by the start of 2nd period on WEDNESDAY morning.

Senior Project Orientation- Day 3

8/22/2024

 
3rd/5th- Finish Yes/And Protocol,  Idea Fishing
Finish Yes/And Protocol if necessary.

Intro idea fishing, get them started on this. Tell them they will have more time to finish this on Friday. It will be due next Wednesday at 9:25 AM (the start of 2nd period).

3rd/5th- Zen and Motorcycle- Read, Discuss, Write
Discussion Groups (45 minutes)
  1. Read and annotate- make sure to mark favorite lines
  2. Divide senior class into mixed groups
  3. Spirit Read (each student shares their line)
    1. Discuss patterns, bring into Socratic seminar
  4. Seminar Questions:
    1. “The idea that the majority of students attend a university for an education independent of the degree and grades is a little hypocrisy everyone is happier not to expose.”  What does this mean?  Do you agree?  Why/why not?
    2. How much are you subject to the “mule mentality” (paragraph 8)?  What impact does this have on you?  Where does this come from?
    3. “The purpose of abolishing grades and degrees is not to punish mules or to get rid of them but to provide an environment in which that mule can turn into a free man.”  To what extent are you a mule?  To what extent are you a free man?
    4. The transformation described in this piece is predicated on the idea that everyone has an innate “creative intelligence” that has been stifled.  Do you agree with this premise?  Why/why not?
    5. “He’d be a knowledge-motivated person. He would need no external pushing to learn. His push would come from inside.”  When have you felt this?  What contexts/subjects are conducive to this experience?
    6. How motivated are you by grades?  How motivated are you by knowledge?  What implications does this have for your senior project?
    7. Make sure to note that senior project itself is ungraded...how then, can we connect senior project to ideas in this text.  Inspiring?  Terrifying?  Both?
    8. Last line:  “It would be the real thing.”  What do you need to do to make sure your Senior Project is the “real thing?”
    9. The world outside of school is one that exists without grades.  You succeed or fail based on your track record and reputation as well as a list of your accomplishments, not your GPA.  How can the final senior project provide you with an artifact or story that will propel you forward outside of school?
    10. How can your senior year help you make connections in the community, locally and abroad?  How can those connections help you after your high school career is over?

Final Reflection (15 min)
Take 10 minutes to write.  What are you thinking about senior project right now?  What hopes do you have?  Ideas?  Questions?  Emotions?  How did this discussion spark your imagination, ideas, or intentions? Write the whole time!  Now, underline the most interesting line of your reflection, and share it with a partner.
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