Remember:  If you share a computer to get directions for this assignment, you do NOT share answers!  Also, you are NOT permitted to print anything for this assignment. Read the articles and questions on the computer, and put all answers on your OWN paper.

Step One:
- Read the lyrics to Bob Dylan’s song, “Blowin’ in the Wind,” by clicking here.
- This song was written during the early 1960s.
- Answer the following questions:
1. Knowing the historical context of the song, what do you notice about the lyrics?
2. What is the song about?
3. How does Bob Dylan use rhetorical questions to engage listeners?
4. What does he mean when he says “the answer is blowin’ in the wind”?
5. Last year, Neil Young said, “I know that the time when music could change the world is past.” Do you agree? Why or why not?
6. Was there a time when music had more impact?
7. What makes a song significant as opposed to just popular?
8. Does music in general have the potential to change the world?

Step Two:
- Read the article, The Morning After “American Idiot,” by clicking here.
- Answer the following questions:
a. How did the success of “American Idiot” affect Green Day?
b. What is significant about their album “21st Century Breakdown”?
c. How is the “cultural moment” at which this new album is arriving different from that during which “American Idiot” emerged?
d. In what way is it worse, according to Billie Joe Armstrong?
d. What do song titles like “American Eulogy” and “Last Night on Earth” suggest?
e. What themes emerge on the new album?
f. How is the new album structured?
g. Which characters people the album? Why do you think the lyricist creates these different personae?
h. Why does the author begin the article with a tour through a tour of their longtime studio and trace the band’s evolution as part of the article?
j. Why does Armstrong hold off on completing the vocals?
k. What do you think Armstrong means when he talks about what he would like to write saying, “It’s something where you write the soundtrack to the chaos. And you write the soundtrack to some kind of revolt”?

You may turn in your work one step at a time or all at once. ALL work (including this class work, Odyssey/FCAT Explorer work, and AR Notes) is due by Friday, 5/29/09. NO late work will be accepted without an absence.

Remember, you are to WORK ALONE on this assignment.  Even if you share a computer, you do NOT share answers!  Also, NO PRINTING will be allowed on this assignment.  Do ALL of your work from the computer and your OWN paper.

Step One:  Where do you stand?
- Review the worksheet found here.  Answer the opinion questions on your own paper.
- Then answer these questions:
a) How quickly were you able to make up your mind about these issues?
b) Did you use facts or emotions to make your decisions?
c) Did you take a case-by-case approach to decision-making, or were all of your decisions made according to your personal morals?

Step Two:  Read the Article
- Read the New York Times article here.
- Answer the following review questions:
d. Identify three different points of view portrayed by the article. What is at stake for each? Are there any viewpoints on this issue that are not represented and what are they?
e. What are the possible solutions to the Best’s problem? Which solution do you think you would choose if you were in their place and why?
f. In your opinion, what changes in practice or regulation, if any, should be made to the current system used by fertility clinics in the United States?
g. After reading the article, have your views or opinions about Scenario 1 in the initial activity changed? How so and why?

Step Three:  Explore
- Look at the graphic organizer found here, and make one like it on your own paper.
- Use one of the following articles to help you fill in the organizer:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/opinion/31kristof.html

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/archival/19970628euthanasia.pdf

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/26/business/worldbusiness/26corn.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/20/science/20tier.html

http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/24/rationing-health-care-part-2

Turn in all work by the end of the week.

Optional Extra Credit Assignment:
If you attended the guest speaker presentation on Monday, you may do the following for extra credit.  You must complete ALL steps or you will NOT get your extra credit.
1. List 3 things you learned from the presentation.
2. List your plan for life after high school.
3. How will you achieve that plan?  What money will you need, skills/training, etc.?
4. Go to one of the scholarship web sites listed below, and find a scholarship you qualify for.  List the name of that scholarship and the dolar amount.
- Fastweb
- College Scholarships
- Find Aid
5. Turn in your extra credit work along with the rest of your class work by Friday, 5/22/09.

Directions:  Work alone, not in a group!  Even if you share a computer, your answers should be independent. 

Read one of the following articles online.

America Faces 1933′s Realities

The American Dream

There’s No Time for Dreams

The Looming 80′s

Her Own American Dream

Then answer the following questions:
1. What events, people, movements, ideas, norms and/or perceptions does this article mention that were important during the time period in which the article was written?
2. How is the American Dream defined and/or described in this article? How does this definition reflect the historical context in which the article was written?
3. What quotes from the article best illustrate the article’s “take” on the concept of the American Dream? Do you agree with the image of America that these quotes present? Why or why not?
4. Compare and contrast the article’s presentation of the American Dream with contemporary conceptions of concept. What about the representation of the American Dream has stayed the same through time and what, if anything, has changed?

Turn in your work, together with your comprehension questions on the article, by the end of the week.

Well Blog: Depression

Bullying and Depression

MySpace and Suicide

Thirteen Reasons Why website

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

National Institute of Mental Health

Defining Torture:

http://terrorism.about.com/od/t/g/Torture.htm

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/t/torture/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=torture&st=cse

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/torture/#DefTor

The Role of Torture in War

http://terrorism.about.com/od/humanrights/p/Torture.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/04/17/us/politics/20090417-interrogation-techniques.html?scp=4&sq=torture&st=cse

Is Torture Ever Justified?

http://civilliberty.about.com/od/tortureandrendition/p/is_torture_just.htm

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/torture/#WhaWroTor

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/torture/justify/

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/t/torture/editorialsand_opinion/index.html

1. “The Yellow Wallpaper” assignment:
- Get Great American Stories (blue book), open to page 153 and read “The Yellow Wallpaper.”
- As you read, fill out the following information.
How does the author describe …
(Write down the examples from the book and your interpretation of those examples.)
a) Her room?
b) The wallpaper?
c) Her illness?
d) Her husband?
e) Her other family/caretakers?
f) Herself?
g) Her journal?

2. “The Last Leaf” comprehension assignment:
Read “The Last Leaf,” on page 187 of Great American Stories.
BEFORE READING:
• How many seasons are there in Florida? What are they?
• In which season is it easiest to fall ill?
• How many seasons does New York have?
DURING READING:
1) There are 3 painters in this story. What are their names?
2) How would you describe Mr. Pneumonia?
AFTER READING:
1) What is the greatest sacrifice you have ever made for your family or friends? An example of this may be when you have stayed at home to help your family instead of going out with friends. Write a paragraph about a time you sacrificed something you wanted in order to help someone else.

3. Policy Reminder
- This was a letter Mrs. Cook sent home, reminding you and your parents of the classroom rules and policies. It should be signed by you AND a parent and returned to Mrs. Cook

4. Odyssey Test
- Log in to Odyssey.
- Click “Lang. Arts Assignments.”
- Click “Test and Reading Path.”
- Click “Explore FL 8 Reading Test” and complete the test.

5. Independent Reading AR Response (15 points):
A. Write the following things about your Independent Reading Book:
- Make a prediction
- What do you think of the book so far?
- Summarize what you have read so far.
- Describe something you can visualize about the book.

6. “The Open Boat” Comprehension Questions
Read “The Open Boat” on page 215 of Great American Short Stories. As you read, you should answer the following questions.
1. What does it mean that “None of them knew the color of the sky”? What kind of mood does this set for the story?
2. What type(s) of conflict is presented at the beginning of “The Open Boat”?
3. What kind of story does this opening suggest will unfold?
4. What does this opening make you feel as a reader? What kind of imagery does the scene present?
5. How does the narrator describe the crew? What adjectives does the narrator use?
6. What are their jobs?
7. Are readers provided with hints as to their strengths and weaknesses?
AFTER READING:
- Write a paragraph discussing the narrator in the story. How does the narrator add to or take away from the story’s development?

7. Diagnostic #2 Self Assessment
- Grade your own second diagnostic test.
- Figure out what your strongest and weakest categories were (from Reference and Research, Words & Phrases, Main Idea/Plot/Purpose, and Comparisons/Contrasts).
- Write one paragraph about your strongest category and one paragraph about your weakest.
- You will earn 100 points for your assessment of your performance, regardless of the grade you earned on the actual test.

8. Hoodwinked comprehension questions
- Get a worksheet from Mrs. Cook and answer the questions about the movie, “Hoodwinked.”

9. Making Inferences
- Listen to the Garth Brooks CD from Mrs. Cook. List 3 facts about the CD, and 3 corresponding inferences about Mrs. Cook because she owns the CD. Then make one active reading response about Mrs. Cook and her ownership of this CD.
- If you were not here the day we listened to the CD, then you can choose a CD and make inferences about the type of person who would own that CD.

11. Independent Reading AR Response (25 points):
Write three individual active reading notes about your independent reading book.
- The three notes have to each be a different type (eg. Don’t turn in 3 predictions, etc.)
- At least one note has to be an advanced AR strategy (experiential, cultural, social, psychological, or textual notations)

12. Compare and Contrast
- Choose two things to compare and contrast (foods, drinks, movie stars, etc.). Create a Venn Diagram and include 3 items in each section of the diagram.

13. Class Work 12.5
- This was work you would have done in class; you would get credit if you were here and you did the work. If you were absent, you are excused.

14. Independent Reading 12.5
- Read for 15 minutes.
- Compose a response to the following AR questions:
a) Compare and contrast two characters in your book. Write it out in 3-4 sentences.
b) Compare and contrast your book to another book or movie. Write it out in 3-4 sentences.

15. Parent Interim Letter
- Mrs. Cook sent home letters with students who had a D or below on their Interim Report Card.
- Students who received letters need to take them home and have them signed by a parent/guardian before returning them to Mrs. Cook.
- If you had an A, B, or C at interims, you are excused from this assignment.

16. Independent Reading 12.12
- What is one message the author of your book is trying to convey?
- Give three examples of places you see that mesage in your book.

17. Class Work 12.12
- If you were here, you got credit for doing the work every day.
- If you were absent, you are excused.
- If you chose not to participate in the assignments, you get a zero.

18. Class Work 12.19
Monday – We listened to the song, “Hands Held High,” by Linkin Park and chose four main lyrics from the song.
Tuesday – We discussed our chosen lyrics and worked in small groups to write a summary of the song.

19. Active Reading 12.19
a) What is one message your author is trying to convey (different from the last message you chose)?
b) What are three examples/quotes from your book that show this message?

20. Extra Credit Project - Check the post below this one.

21. Wall-E vs. The City of Ember
- Make 5 Venn Diagrams, comparing and contrasting The City of Ember (book) with Wall-E (movie). The diagrams should compare:
1) Wall-E vs. Doon and Lina
2) The Axiom Spaceship vs. The City of Ember
3) The CEO of Buy n’ Large vs. The Builders
4) Earth vs. Earth
5) The Scriptwriter’s message vs. The author’s message
Then choose ONE Venn Diagram to write out in paragraph form.

In order to complete this project, you may want to look back over the text of this story. You may find a copy at your local library or look online. Here are some web sites where you can view the text and summaries of the text:
- text online
- Wikipedia
- Sparknotes

For your project, you must complete the following activities. Put them together in a stapled packet or folder and turn them in to Mrs. Cook. This project will be worth 50 extra credit points.

A. First Task: Draw the Pentangle
When Gawain’s armor is described in the story, it is said that on his shield he has a pentangle, or a 5-pointed star representing the five virtues of knighthood. These virtues are:
(a) free-giving (or generosity)
(b) friendliness (or brotherhood)
(c) chastity (or purity)
(d) chivalry (or courtesy)
(e) piety (or compassion)
For this part of the project, you must draw a shield (on paper or on the computer) that represents these five virtues in a modern way. Use drawings and symbols to represent the virtues on the shield. It should be full-color and accurately depict what a knight’s shield would look like.

B. Second Task: Modern Gawain
Think about how the modern man or woman might represent these five virtues of knighthood. For each virtue, choose someone (famous or someone you know personally) who represents that virtue well. For example, you might choose a person who does a lot for charity for the first virtue, or someone who helps other people for the last one. Write out a short paragraph (2-4 sentences) for each virtue, explaining who represents that virtue and how they represent it in a modern way.
EXAMPLE – You may not use this one:
Mrs. Cook is an extremely compassionate person. She is so nice, that she let us complete this extra credit project as a way to improve our crappy grades in her class. I have never known a teacher as nice as Mrs. Cook, and this is why I am choosing her to represent piety, or compassion.

You must complete BOTH PARTS of the project in order to earn any points. You will be graded on effort, creativity, and understanding of the text.

Monday – We listened to the song, “Hands Held High,” by Linkin Park and chose four main lyrics from the song.

Tuesday – We will discuss our chosen lyrics and work in small groups to write a summary of the song.

Wednesday – We will discuss how the main idea of a passage can also be the author’s message to his/her audience. We will read our IR books and write a response about the following:
a) What is one message your author is trying to convey (different from the last message you chose)?
b) What are three examples/quotes from your book that show this message?

Thursday and Friday – We will work on building up our Odyssey assignments and reading more of our IR books.

REMINDER: All books are due back by Friday, December 19, 2008. If you took them without permission or checked them out with permission, Mrs. Cook needs them back before the break. PLEASE return the 10 missing library books as soon as possible!!!

The students don’t like to take tests, so I thought I would post the rationale for this particular test here.

Q: Why do we have to take the Kaplan test?
A: Because …
1. It gives Mrs. Cook a way to measure your progress - did you do better or worse on the second test than you did on the first? Are you making learning gains or falling behind?
2. It tells Mrs. Cook your strong and weak areas in reading so she can plan lessons to help you improve your weaknesses.
3. The Kaplan is supposed to be an indicator for the FCAT. This means that if you do well on the Kaplan, you will do well on the FCAT; and if you do poorly on the Kaplan, you may do poorly on the FCAT. So your Kaplan score helps Mrs. Cook see how far you need to go before you will be successful on the FCAT.
4. The Kaplan helps you practice for the FCAT. Sometimes the hardest part of the FCAT is just having to sit there and take a boring test. The Kaplan helps you practice the test-taking skills and strategies you will need on the FCAT, only with fewer questions and less time.

So, try your best on this test! Make sure you are here for the rest of this week to finish your test, because it will go in the grade book!

1. Class Work (25 points)
- Be in class every day, working on assigned work.
- This may include taking notes, participating in discussions, or completing group and individual work.
- Absent students may make up the 5 daily points they miss by making up written work for those days.

2. Independent Reading (25 points)
- Read your book every time Mrs. Cook assigns you to do so.
- Complete a weekly, written, active reading assignment about your book.

3. Odyssey (25 points)
- Work toward completing your Odyssey Reading Path assignments.
- Each week, you will earn points for making progress in your reading path during that week.

This means that students will earn at least 75 points per week, just for completing the assignments that week to the best of their abilities. Additional grades will be added for individual assignments, as they come up.