The Final: May 16 or 17, 2016

Focus: What can we learn about our society through each other's films?

PLEASE TURN IN YOUR LAPTOPS AND CHARGERS BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE ROOM.

1. Warming up with a few final thoughts:

• Turn in your Works Cited page with your name on it (if it's not in your film).  

• Keep it on the quiet side...tests could be happening on the other side of the wall.

• No late work will be accepted at this point; make-up work and revisions were due last Wednesday.

• Final grades for this class will be posted by noon the day after your English final.

• An 89.4% = B+; an 89.5 = A-. Grades are non-negotiable, so please don't e-mail me.

• Watch each other's mockumentaries respectfully, and enjoy!

2. Presenting our films!

3. Click HERE for the course evaluation.

HW:
Have a fantastic summer, and please stop by next year to say hello!

The Final Begins! May 13, 2016

Focus: What can we learn about our society through each other's films?

1. Warming up with a few final thoughts:

• Turn in your Works Cited page with your name on it (if it's not in your film).  

• Keep it on the quiet side...tests could be happening on the other side of the wall.

• No late work will be accepted at this point; make-up work and revisions were due last Wednesday.

• Final grades for this class will be posted by noon the day after your English final.

• An 89.4% = B+; an 89.5 = A-. Grades are non-negotiable, so please don't e-mail me.

• Watch each other's mockumentaries respectfully, and enjoy!

2. Presenting our films!

Do you know when your English 10 final is?

(If you are not present at your final, your film will be counted as late and receive half credit.)

1st hour: Monday, 7:15 am

3rd hour: Tuesday, 8:56 am

HW:
1. Show up for your final on time.

2. If you have any books, please turn them in to avoid hold-ups at arena scheduling.

3. If you have a school Chromebook, you must turn it in and its charger on the day of your final in this class.

Finalizing the Film: May 12, 2016

Focus: What final editing does our film need?

1. Warming up with Ms. Leclaire's final mini lesson on publishing:

Be sure your film is finalized and shared BEFORE class tomorrow (it can take some time, so don't wait until class).

• You will likely click "Publish," and/or "Exports" and/or "Upload to Youtube"; you don't have to convert to a youtube video, but you need to have a link you can share with me and simply click "play." 

• Check to make sure it works.

• E-mail your link to me at kleclaire@lps.k12.co.us OR share it with me by placing it in your English 10 folder in Google Drive.

• You want it in a place where you won't have to sign in on my computer.

2. Working on your films for the final time!

3. Looking through the rubric one last time; make sure you have a copy for me to use tomorrow. Remember also that your Works Cited page must either be part of your film or printed; it cannot just be shared with me via Google Drive.

Do you know when your English 10 final is?

(If you are not present at your final, your film will be counted as late and receive half credit.)

1st hour: Monday, 7:15 am

3rd hour: Tuesday, 8:56 am

HW:
1. Mockumentaries are due at the beginning of class tomorrow, May 13. Extensions are not an option, so you will need to play your film as it is.

2. Please print your Works Cited page or include it in your film. 

Editing the Film: May 11, 2016

Focus: How can we edit and polish our films?

1. Warming up with shocking last-minute conversations of years past

2. Offering you a mini lesson on Works Cited pages: Try easybib.com

Your two Works Cited options:

Include a Works Cited slide in your film.

OR

PRINT a hard copy of a Works Cited page and hand it in BEFORE you present your film.  Please do not just Google share it with me because I will be grading your films on the spot.

Remember to include all sites on your Works Cited page.

3. Working on your mockumentary films and checking out THE RUBRIC

HW:
1. Record your narration today/tonight if you have not yet done so.
2. TODAY is the final deadline for revisions, make-up work, etc.
4. MAY 13 is the final deadline for mockumentaries; no extensions will be granted.

Creating the Film: May 10, 2016

Focus: What techniques can we use to create the film?

1. Warming up with simple yet effective film techniques:

Example #1: A published mockumentary from 2007: Epic
Example #2: Supersize Me

2. Giving you time to gather images, music, and videos

Here are helpful links/ideas from yesterday's blog:

• MUSIC: Click HERE  for a website that converts youtube music videos to MP3s (this is an easy way to get music for your film).

• VIDEO: Click HERE for a website that converts youtube videos into videos (MP4s) you can use in your film.

• KEEP TRACK OF ALL WEBSITES USED.

• If your film will be five minutes or less (or you're willing to pay), try www.wevideo.com

• If you have a Mac, use iMovie.

• If you have a laptop with Windows and your film will be longer than five minutes, try Movie Maker.

HW:
1. Record your narration today/tonight if you have not yet done so.
2. MAY 11 (tomorrow) is the final deadline for revisions, make-up work, etc.
3. MAY 13 is the final deadline for mockumentaries; no extensions will be granted.
4. If you have a laptop, you need to be charging it and bringing it this week.

From Script to Film: May 9, 2016

Focus: How do we turn our preparatory work into a film?

1. Warming up with happy Monday thoughts and self-editing your script

2. Offering you a few film-making options:

• If your film will be five minutes or less (or you're willing to pay), try www.wevideo.com

• If you have a Mac, use iMovie.

• If you have a laptop with Windows and your film will be longer than five minutes, try Movie Maker.

3. Giving you time to gather images, music, and videos

Here are two helpful conversion websites:

MUSIC: Click HERE  for a website that converts youtube music videos to MP3s (this is an easy way to get music for your film).

VIDEO: Click HERE for a website that converts youtube videos into videos (MP4s) you can use in your film.

KEEP TRACK OF ALL WEBSITES USED.

HW:
1. Record your narration at home.
2. MAY 11 is the final deadline for revisions, make-up work, etc.
4. MAY 13 is the final deadline for mockumentaries; no extensions will be granted.

Writing the Script, Part 2: May 6, 2016

Focus: How do we write compelling scripts?

(1st hour: Our last banned book presentation)

1. Warming up with a common script pitfall (and how to avoid it)

• Put your head down when you lose interest.

• What does this script need?

2. Looking at a sample script and developing/editing the timeline and script for your mockumentary

• Highlight/underline the parts that grab your attention. What makes them powerful?

3. Setting your own timeline for this weekend and next week

HW:
1. Finish your script and aim to record it over the weekend; recording your script will take you approximately one zillion hours.

2. Final mockumentaries are due before class on May 13 (the last Friday of classes); this means that you have six work days left. Extensions will not be granted for any reason. Students usually have one or two nights during this project where they spend a few solid homework hours creating their film (especially when it's time to record the script).

3. All make-up work/revisions must be submitted by Wednesday, May 11. No grades in IC will be changed after this point (this is to ensure that I have time to grade your work).

Writing the Script: May 5, 2016

Focus: How do we write a script to develop real and imagined events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences? 

1. Warming up: Listening to an opening clip from a "real" documentary

What do you notice about the script itself (powerful words and phrases)?

How does the script turn this into a movie about us? In other words, how does it capture human interest?

What ideas can you steal for your mockumentary?

2. Looking at a sample script and developing/editing the timeline and script for your mockumentary

3. Please make sure that by the end of class, you have shown me your annotated research and your timeline as an absolute minimum; hopefully, you can show me your script as well. Please note that we have only FIVE days of work time left.

HW:
1. Finish your script by the end of class on Friday; aim to record it over the weekend; recording your script will take you approximately one zillion hours.

2. Final mockumentaries are due before class on May 13 (the last Friday of classes); this means that you have six work days left. Extensions will not be granted for any reason. Students usually have one or two nights during this project where they spend a few solid homework hours creating their film (especially when it's time to record the script).

3. All make-up work/revisions must be submitted by Wednesday, May 11. No grades in IC will be changed after this point (this is to ensure that I have time to grade your work).

Trending, Then and Now: May 4, 2016

Focus: How can we combine our ability to invent with our ability analyze history?

1.Warming up: Which projection into the future is stronger and why?

Projection #1: In the year 2021, Apple releases a new version of iPod that is smaller, comes in various colors and patterns, and can be worn as jewelry.

Projection #2: In the year 2021, Apple releases iChip 1, an iPod that measures one millimeter by one millimeter and can be implanted directly into the tympanic cavity of the ear. Although the iChip has to be surgically implanted, it is an outpatient procedure costing less than a typical professional teeth whitening session. Many recipients of the iChip 1, however, complain about the inability to turn the iChip off, finding themselves tormented by constant noise and unable to think or concentrate.

2. Offering you an overview of the timeline (click here for an example)

3. Finishing your annotated research and creating your timeline

THE TRICK: Find interesting trends from the past and imagining how they might play out in the future.

HW:
1. Please finish your timeline before class tomorrow so that you can use Thursday and Friday and compose and start recording your script.

2. Final mockumentaries are due before class on May 13 (the last Friday of classes); this means that you have six work days left. Extensions will not be granted for any reason. Students usually have one or two nights during this project where they spend a few solid homework hours creating their film (especially when it's time to record the script).

Tackling the Research: May 3, 2016

Focus: How we can we establish a strong, academic background for our mockumentaries?

1. Warming up with banned book presentations

2. Finishing your how/why charts and five annotated articles; please show me EACH STEP AS YOU FINISH.

• Remember that you need to annotate each article with your brainstorming and questions: 

• You can copy and paste articles into a Google doc and insert comments, or 
• You can print and manually highlight and jot stuff down, or 
• You can copy only what you need from each article and follow it with a bullet point of your thoughts. Whatever works!

• Keep track of your sources and start a Works Cited page (I suggest Easybib and a list of hyperlinks).

• Keep everything inside your Mockumentary Folder.

3. Introducing the timeline and creating your projections into the future

HW:
1. If you have not yet finished finding and annotating your five annotated articles, please finish BEFORE class tomorrow.

2. Remember that final mockumentaries are due before class on May 13 (this is the last Friday of classes); we will be begin watching them promptly at 7:20 and will continue watching them through our finals period.

The Final Essay: April 29, 2016

Focus: How can I write a compelling synthesis essay?

A few reminders:

1. You may compose this essay either at the bottom of your Big Synthesis document, or you may open a new document. If you start a new document, make sure you label it clearly and place in your shared F451 folder.

2. You will want the following:

• A short of paragraph of introduction that concludes with your thesis.
• 2-3 body paragraphs, each with a topic sentence, 2-3 quotations/examples, and analysis (the outline lays this out pretty clearly).
• A short paragraph of conclusion.

3. Please double space and use 12-point font.

4. You may listen to music as you type; if you finish early, work on the research component of your mockumentary. If you finish really early, look back over your essay to figure out where it needs development. This should take you the entire hour.

HW:
1. Make sure your how-why chart (including the larger conclusions) is done by Tuesday. You may also wish to start your annotated research if you have not yet done so.

2. Meet in the Forum for MAP testing on Monday, May 2.

3. If you have not yet presented your banned book speech, you will present on Tuesday, May 3 (sorry that you had to get rescheduled twice).

Exploring Our Society's Past: April 28, 2016

Focus: How do we start creating our mockumentaries?

1. Warming up. Testing your topic by brainstorming its history: The How/Why Chart

Pencils vs. cell phones

Aim to finish this step in class today, and show me so that I can give you credit on your rubric and get you started on your annotated research.

2. Exploring the overview of the mockumentary

3. Starting on your annotated research if time allows; click HERE for an example of annotated research  (keep the C.R.A.P. test in mind)

4. Asking any last-minute questions you have about tomorrow's timed writing

HW:
1. Make sure your laptop is charged, your outline is ready, and you're ready to write your last essay as an English 10 scholar.

2. On Monday, May 2, please meet in the Forum for MAP testing.

Imagining Our Society's Future: April 27, 2016

Focus: What will our imaginations create in the final two weeks of English 10?

PLC: Shortened Class

1. Warming up: Viewing a few sample mockumentaries

Ralph Lauren
Meninism
Boring History Lesson on Music
iPods

2. Figuring out the purpose and process of creating a mockumentary

3. Brainstorming possible topics and starting the how/why chart

HW:
1. Look to your outlines for feedback; if you have immediate questions, please contact me no later than midnight tonight (Wednesday), or ask me during class on Thursday. I am going out of town Thursday afternoon and will be unavailable until Monday morning.

2. Schedules are due today by 2:16 pm in the counseling office.

3. On Monday, May 2, meet in the Forum for MAP testing.

Writing with Structure and Freedom: April 26, 2016

Focus: How can we fortify our outlines with creativity and analysis?

1. Warming up by exercising your sensory imagery

a. Find the most intriguing word in your thesis. Look it up in Google images, and find an image that speaks to you and relates somewhat to your essay.

OR...if you're writing about a film, find a screenshot from that film that relates somewhat to the topic of your essay.

b. Write one sentence of plot description. What's this a picture of?

c. Pick three senses this image evokes (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch). Write several senses evoking these three senses/using these three senses to describe the picture.

d. Write one sentence explaining how what you just described relates to the topic of your essay.

e. If you can use any of this writing in your introduction or conclusion, add it to your outline now.

2.  Recalling the close reading pyramid

3. Perusing my feedback and finishing your outlines (they're due at the end of class today)

HW:
1. Check your outline for feedback. If you have fallen behind, now is the time to catch up. Our timed writing will be this Friday, April 29.

2. If you are presenting this Thursday or Monday, now is the time to prepare.

3. Schedules are due this Wednesday in the counseling office by 2:16. If you're taking A.P. Language, make sure I sign your schedule.

Finding the Underlying Structure: April 25, 2016

Focus: How do I effectively structure my complex ideas?

1. Warming up with musical chairs: How's my thesis? What do you think my two body paragraphs will be about? Click here for the online version of today's handout.

2. Breaking down your thesis into two body paragraphs: Two tricks

THESIS: People must reject their societies' false "truths" and embrace their individuality, showing that the human desire for truth conquers the allure of lies.

EACH TOPIC SENTENCE TAKES A PIECE OF THE THESIS AND GETS MORE SPECIFIC WITH IT.

1. First body paragraph: Sylvia from The Truman Show and Clarisse from Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 inspire the protagonists to question and ultimately renounce their societies' inauthentic realities.

2. Second body paragraph: In Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, The Truman Show, and Hosseini's The Kite Runner, the protagonists must pursue what makes them unique in order to build a more authentic, fulfilling reality.


What if my thesis is only making one point right now?

People must escape their repressive societies.

My trick: Turn this into a problem-solution essay, in which you dedicate one body paragraph to developing the problem and one body paragraph to developing the solution.

Repressive societies create ignorance, but escaping these societies fosters intellectual and emotional growth.

3. Finalizing your topics sentences and gathering examples; finish your entire outline by the end of class on Tuesday, April 26.

HW: 
1. Outlines are due by the end of class tomorrow (Tuesday, April 26).

2. If you are presenting this week, make sure I talk to you about your presentation date.


3. Schedules are due in the counseling office on April 27 by 2:16 pm.

Finding the Patterns: April 22, 2016

Focus: How do we form complex thesis statements from our brainstorming?

1. Warming up with banned book presentations

2. Offering you some ideas about finding patterns in your brainstorming charts and using them to form a rough thesis

3. Seeking patterns and forming thesis statements

HW: 
1. Finish a strong draft of your thesis BEFORE class on Monday so that it's ready for workshop. 

2. If you are presenting next week, make sure I talk to you about your presentation date.

3. Schedules are due April 27.

Getting Specific: April 20 or 21, 2016

Focus: How do we generate specific, complex support?

1. Warming up with a sample close reading of a scene

• Why is Truman looking a mirror?

• How are his drawing and speech symbolic?

• How is this moment significant to the film as a whole?

2. Completing Step 3 in The Big Synthesis

• Remember to look for quotations/examples that have a striking word, phrase, symbol, etc....something you can sink your teeth into when you analyze.

3. Seeking patterns with a little color coding (if time allows)

HW: 
1. Complete most of Step 3 before class on Friday if you did not do so in class today.

2. If you are presenting this Friday, April 22, now is the time to practice.

3. Schedules are due in the counseling office by 2:16 on April 27.

Go Big or Go Home: April 19, 2016

Focus: What big ideas this semester interest us the most?

1st hour: 11:35-12:11
3rd hour: 12:57-1:34

1. Warming up with the beginning, the ending, and some big questions

What big questions do you think Peter Weir, the director, wants to talk about after watching his movie?

Ex: Should we accept the reality with which we are presented?

2. Meeting The Big Synthesis (click here and make a copy for yourself inside your F451 folder)

3. Developing your questions and sources (Steps 1 and 2)

HW:
1. If you didn't finish Steps 1 and 2, you need to complete them before class tomorrow. Remember that completing each step on time is essential to this essay; late work will lose three points per assignment. If you're absent, be aggressive about staying caught up.

2. If you're giving your presentation this Friday, April 22, make sure you are prepared.

3. Schedules are due Wednesday, April 27th by 2:16 pm in the counseling office. If you turn in your schedule late, you will be last in arena scheduling. Don't be that guy!

How's It Going To End? April 18, 2016

Focus:

1. Warming up with your Level 1 and 2 questions about The Truman Show

2. Finishing The Truman Show and focusing on the following in your notes:

This document will eventually be worth 40 points in the growth category.

Include the following categories in your notes:

a. Characters: Names, personality traits, clothes, things they say

b. Motifs/symbols: Specific objects that seem symbolic, what they might represent, and how they change throughout the film

c. Questions: Level 1, 2, and 3 questions; try to answer them at the end of the film

d. Connections to Fahrenheit 451: Be specific and original (these will form the backbone of your essay)

3. If time allows, analyzing the film with your grid groups

Topic #1: What specific moments from the ending of the film seemed most important to you? What do you think they meant?

Topic #2: What were the most important symbols and motifs? What larger patterns did they form? And/or, what did you think about the characters' names, especially "Truman" and "Christoff"?

Topic #3: Peter Weir is the director of this film. What big questions do you think Weir wants us to be talking about after watching this film?


HW:
1. Check Infinite Campus for grades (fishbowl, Truman Show notes, journals); if you're handwriting, make sure you bring your sticky notes/journals to class each day until I check them.

2. If you're giving your presentation this Friday, April 22, make sure you are prepared.

3. Schedules are due Wednesday, April 27th by 2:16 pm in the counseling office. If you turn in your schedule late, you will be last in arena scheduling. Don't be that guy!

What Does It Mean To Be a True Man? April 15, 2016

Focus: Is a perfect life a happy life?

1. Warming up with a round of banned book presentations

2. Sharing the best of your notes from The Truman Show

Please start a new document called "___________ (your last name) Truman Show Notes" and place it in your F451 folder. Though I don't often grade notes, I do assess these.

This document will eventually be worth 40 points in the growth category.

Include the following categories in your notes:

a. Characters: Names, personality traits, clothes, things they say

b. Motifs/symbols: Specific objects that seem symbolic, what they might represent, and how they change throughout the film

c. Questions: Level 1, 2, and 3 questions; try to answer them at the end of the film

d. Connections to Fahrenheit 451: Be specific and original (these will form the backbone of your essay)

3. Watching and analyzing The Truman Show: What does Truman want? What's in his way?

HW:
1. Check Infinite Campus for Round 3 of your reading journal grades; if you're handwriting, make sure you bring them to class each day until I check them.

2. If you're giving your presentation next Friday, April 22, make sure you are prepared.

3. Schedules are due Wednesday, April 27th by 2:16 pm in the counseling office. If you turn in your schedule late, you will be last in arena scheduling. Don't be that guy!