AHS * HUMANITIES 11
  • Daily Blog
  • Syllabus
    • Meet the Teacher
  • Documents
  • Homework
  • Honors
  • Writing Resources
    • Writing Growth Example Page
  • Glamour Shots
  • Advisory

Daily Blog

Monday, February 1st

1/31/2016

0 Comments

 
A Super Important Note from Ashley:

Dear students,

You can tell that I am not here today as the adult in the classroom looks quite different than I.  I am sorry to abandon you in your time of need and miss you all like a little German boy misses his Aunt Helga's schnitzel when she had a mid-life crisis and decided to go on a cruise in the Caribbean and ended up meeting a car salesman from New Jersey and moved away from Berlin for good.

But I digress. The point is to let you know that today's lesson plan is a hoot! You've got a fun 2 hours of Humanities before you. It may take a little bit of resourcefulness and your focus on my DP below, but I trust you will all pull through.  The reading called "Catastrophe of Success" is awesome (and not too long) and was written by this amazing playwright, Tennessee Williams, you became quite famous and "successful" in the eyes of society. But again, WHAT IS SUCCESS? His essay you'll read and discuss today calls into question the definition of success and provides an (inspirational? thought-provoking?) alternative. Soak it in kids!


Starter #13

Step 1:  Listen to Episode #5: Alain de Bottom's Success Podcast: "What's a Kinder Way to Frame Success?"

Context to Alain de Bottom:
  • Alain de Botton is a Swiss/British writer, philosopher, television presenter and entrepreneur, resident in the United Kingdom.
  • Frenetic: fast and energetic in a rather wild and uncontrolled way.

Step 2: Respond to these three questions
1. While listening, take notes on Alain's main points about mainstream definitions of success compared to how he suggests we should redefine success on our own terms.

2.  Which of the podcasts most connected with you?

3. If you had to distill your own definition of success into a "question- title" for this podcast series (like these examples) what would it be? WHY?  Explain your title.

For your reference- brief summaries of main points of each podcast:
  • Tony Robbins - don't let your story define you, follow your passion as drive is the key to success

  • Angela Duckworth- grit is the key to success, growth mindset helps one have grit

  • Ron Gutman- Smiling makes one appear more successful and there is a correlation between one's smile and one's success in life

  • Mike Rowe- Don't follow your passion if it makes you unhappy; ideal is to blend what makes you happy with what makes money; people with dirty jobs are perhaps the most successful

  • Alain de Bottom-  Our current definition of successful sets people up as winners or losers so we should redefine success in a way that is kinder and more compassionate.  You can't be successful in all realms of our lives.  You have to make  a choice between being successful in work or life.  We must make a choice as to in which realm of our life we want to be successful. It is a personal choice-- must decide for yourself.  There shouldn't be a one-size fits all definition of success. 
​
Class Biz
1. Honors exhibition TOMORROW at the Steaming Bean from 5:30-7.  Please come support your classmates
2. Do y'all want to have class at a coffee shop on Friday?


Agenda
1. Share responses to today's starter

2. Underneath today's starter, write "LEGACY JOURNAL"

In TWO solid paragraphs, answer the following questions
  • Do you think it is important to leave a legacy behind  you when you move on from a place like Animas, College, your career or life in general? In other words, is having a strong/positive legacy a marker of  a life well-lived? Why or why not?
  • Regardless of whether or not you think it is important, what do you think your legacy WOULD be? In other words, how would people remember you after you left _________(choose one of  the places mentioned in the previous question).  For instance, what might your classmates and teachers say about you a year after you graduated from Animas?
​
3. Read  "The Catastrophe of Success" 
  • When done, jot down some notes to the discussion questions at the end (be prepared to turn these in for a completion grade at the end of class)
  • Discuss  the questions in table groups
  • Turn in your notes to the tray. Put your name on it.

4. Lit Circle Time:
  • Confirm who the discussion director is and what page you are supposed to be at for tomorrow
  • Read lit circle books and prepare for tomorrow's meeting (review the guidelines on the white board) Keep tracking your hero's journey!!!


0 Comments

Friday, January 29th

1/29/2016

0 Comments

 
Starter #12
Journal on yesterday's experience:
  • In general, what was it like to have the full class to work on a project of your choosing? 
  • Was it a productive use of time? Did you do something worthwhile with your time? Did it contribute positively to our class culture? DEFEND your response.
  • Were you motivated?
  • Do you think your classmates used the time meaningfully? Explain.
  • What other requirements/expectations should there be for how students use their time or what they "produce"?

Agenda
Watch a video clip from Mike Rowe's t.v. show "Dirty Jobs": "Are People with Dirty Jobs the most Successful?" (Mike Rowe is an American media personality, actor and amateur comedian best known as the host of the Discovery Channel series Dirty Jobs. He can also be heard as narrator on a variety of series and has appeared in recurring commercials for Ford Motor Company.)

Listen to "Success" Podcast Episodes 2 and 4

Written reflection in starter docs on the latest "Success" episodes:
  • What line(s) stood out to you?
  • How does these two speakers define success?
  • To what extent do you agree with these two speakers? Which one resonates with you more?

Lit Circle Meeting #4 
  • Make sure your reaction is typed up in your group's google doc for today's meeting notes. 
  • If you did annotations, write "ANNOTATIONS" under your name for today's meeting and have Ashley check your annotations today
  • Share your written reaction and/or summarize the annotations that stood out to you
  • Discussion director- lead group in discussion of your questions and other questions your group members have.
  • Continue discussing the "hero's journey" and how it does/does not apply to your book's hero(es).

End class with appreciations!
0 Comments

Thursday, January 28th

1/28/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Anyone else confused as to how the images here are meant to represent the words?
AUTONOMY DAY!!
​Today's the day you've been waiting for....your entire life.  May you enjoy these two blissful hours of self-directed, purposeful work to master something that will positively contribute to class!

Why are we doing again?  Ah yes, because "The Surprising Truth about what Motivates us" suggests this type of "experiment" might actually yield positive results

0 Comments

Wednesday, January 27th

1/27/2016

0 Comments

 

Starter #11

Review what you learned from Professor Roberts-Cady's lecture on Aristotle
  • What were the major points of Aristotle's philosophy?
  • What questions do you have about it?
  • To what extent do you agree with Aristotle's philosophy of eudaimonia? 

Class Biz
Readings from Prof. Roberts-Cady on Happiness/Meaning
  • "The Meaning of Life" by  James Rachel
  • "The Meaning of Life" by Richard Taylor
Summary of Aristotle's philosophy of Eudaimonia (ignore page 1)
NEST meeting today
Honors exhibition next Tuesday, Feb 2nd from 5:30-7 at Steaming Bean. Please come support them!

Agenda
1. Turn and chat:
How do you define success?
2. Listen to the Ted Radio Hour on "Success" Episodes #1 and #3:
  • As you listen, write down a line that stands out to you as significant (either you strongly disagree with it or strongly agree with it) from both speakers 
  • After listening: Summarize both speakers’ definition and discuss to what extent could either speakers’ definitions of success positively affect your own life. How?

3. Mini-study on "The Hero's Journey" 
Objective:
Understand the archetypal hero's journey and apply this framework to Into the Wild and A Tale for the Time Being to help you better analyze the novel and determine if Chris McCandless and Nao are heroes in the literary sense.

Step 1: Read the handout entitled "The Hero's Journey" and ANNOTATE it by making connections to your list circle book

Today's Driving Question: To what extent does Into the Wild and T4TB align with the archetypal hero's journey? 

Step 2: Seminar
  • While Into the Wild students have time to read and prep for Friday's lit circle meeting, Ashley will seminar with T4TB groups
  • Then we'll switch!
  • Into the Wild folks: What might Chris's hamartia be? [hamartia (n): tragic flaw (vice - or excess of virtue -leading to one’s downfall)

4. Time to read your book and prepare for Friday's lit circle meeting
0 Comments

Tuesday 1/26

1/26/2016

0 Comments

 
Starter #10:  
Reflect on how lit circles are going:
  • To what extent are you enjoying the format of lit circles?
  • What would you want changed?
  • Are you enjoying your book? Why or why not?

Class Biz
  • Honors Book Club meeting this Thursday at lunch
  • NEST meeting this week!
  • THURSDAY= Autonomy Day!  2 full hours to work on your "project" idea! Bring whatever materials you need to class that day.
  • Keep up with  your assigned reading and role for lit circle meetings (next one is Friday)

Agenda
1st Period
  • Thug Notes on The Stranger: HILARIOUS!
  • Lit Circle Meeting #3

2nd period
Professor Sarah Roberts-Cady presenting in the Commons on Aristotle's philosophy on happiness as a counterpoint to existentialism
0 Comments

Thursday, January 21st

1/21/2016

0 Comments

 
Starter #9
 "Why I Hate School but Love Education"
React to the above poem:
  • What stood out to you that resonated with you or that you hated?
  • To what extent is Animas doing things differently than "everywhere else" in America? (To what extent is Animas providing not  just a "schooling" experience but an "educational" experience?)
  • Are you motivated at Animas? Why or why not? In what ways? etc....

Agenda
1. Watch and discuss this RSA Animate called "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us"  
  • What is the thesis of this video/podcast/presentation?
  • How might this affect the choices you make about your future (LINK placement? Career paths? Colleges?)


2. Experiment time!!  Let's test the theory out!  You can have the next 1/2 hour to do whatever you want as long as it adds POSITIVELY to the classroom culture/learning environment in some way. At the end of the time, you'll need to be able to defend how what you chose to spend your time on enhanced our class culture.

3. Reflect on our "Free time" experiment

4. Lit Circle meeting #2

5. Complete the self-evaluation on your lit circle contributions

6. Time to read


0 Comments

Wednesday, January 20th

1/20/2016

0 Comments

 

Starter #8

What is the most important relationship in your life and in what ways does this relationship influence you and your well-being?


Agenda
1. Watch this TED Talk entitled "What Makes a Good Life: Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness"
  • During the talkwrite down one idea/phrase/word,/concept that stands out to them
  • After talk, write down one question you would like to ask this researcher, or that this talk sparked for them.
2.  Small group discussion:
  • With your group, take turns sharing your idea/phrase/word/concept, and talk about them.  Notice similarities and differences.
  • What was the thesis of this talk?  What, ultimately did the research reveal about what makes a good life?
  • Share your questions: discuss them as  a group

3. Lit Circle Meeting #1
  • Discussion Director leads!
  • Have people share their roles
  • Facilitate discussion with your questions and if applicable, the essential questions on top of page 1 of your group's note document

4. Lit Circle reading and Meeting #2 prep work time


0 Comments

Tuesday, January 19th

1/19/2016

0 Comments

 
Today's Goals
  • Understand the protocol for lit circles
  • Get organized with your Lit Circle group

​Starter #7: 15 minute Free write!!
I would encourage you to journal (or write creatively-- a poem, short story start, etc..) about the thoughts that may be swirling around in your mind after studying existentialism the past two weeks!  We will periodically do some journaling on the Happiness and Meaning content in order to help you generate inspiration for your final project and to help you formulate your own personal philosophy.  

Class Biz
  • Chem Lab this Friday * No Humanities class :( 
  • Ind. Study Honors-- Feel free to schedule a conference with me as needed. It is time to get your butt's in high gear though! Exhibition is February 2nd.
  • Clarification on Alienation-- as it applies to existentialism it means alienation from yourself. You don't define your own identity/values and thus have the feeling of being "lost in the crowd".  The way out is through authenticity. Thus, The Stranger is how Mersault is estranged from himself and suggests we all are until we embrace the absurd.

Agenda
Review "Paradox of Choice" TED Talk
1. We need freedom to feel happy
2. Too many choices are bad because:
  • Cause regret and anticipated regret
  • There are opportunity costs
  • We get escalated expectations
  • We end up blaming ourselves for making the wrong choice
3. The key to happiness is therefore LOW EXPECTATIONS and fewer choices

Turn and Chat about "Paradox of Choice"
  • What is an example in your life where you feel paralyzed by too many choices or where you have struggled to make a choice or where you've been disappointed by/regretted making the wrong choice?
  • What can you do to avoid the negative emotions associated with increased choices in our affluent, industrial, Western society?

​​Introduction to Lit Circles!
  • Get into groups!
  • Quick tutorial on how to find lit circle (and ALL project) resources
  • Go over the Lit Circle Guidelines/Meeting Notes 

Get organized with your lit circle
  1. Make a copy of the Lit Circle Guidelines/Meeting Notes 
  2. Come up with a group name
  3. Title the document like this: Lit Circle Work_GROUP NAME
  4. Share it with all group members and ME!!
  5. Divide up the reading and fill in the page numbers/chapter numbers on page 1 under "READING SCHEDULE"
  6. Decide which role each of you will play on the assigned days
  • Fill in your role for each day on the blank lines under "READING SCHEDULE".
  • Fill in the master schedule on page 2 under "LITERATURE CIRCLE SCHEDULE"

Research your book and then discuss these prompts:
Resources on your book can be found HERE
(please add any good resources you find to this document throughout our lit circle time)
  • Read the introduction/preface/reviews in the front of the book as relevant
  • Learn about the author. When were they born? Where? What was their life like? What experiences may have influenced this book?
  • When was the book published and/or when does the book take place? What important historical/social/political events were occurring then that may influence the plot/themes, etc..?
  • What important themes stick out in this book?

Time to read and prepare for meeting #1 (which is tomorrow!)
0 Comments

Friday, 1/15

1/15/2016

0 Comments

 
Class Biz
Check out Ally and Stephen's students' Truth of War exhibition happening in Ally's room today 3rd period-lunch!


Seminar Groups
​

Agenda
1. Turn in your seminar prep
2. Take 10 minutes to review your seminar notes
3. @ 8:37 set up the classroom for seminar (see the drawing on the white board)
4. Fishbowl seminar
5. Watch TED Talk: Paradox of Choice 
6. Journal response in your starter doc, titled "Paradox of Choice"
  • Summarize the main points of the Ted Talk
  • In what ways have you experienced or do you think you could experience the paradox of (too many) choice in your own life? 
  • Do you think the increase in choices in today's world may lead to a greater likelihood of existential angst? Why or why not?
  • What other lines stood out in the talk to you? Why?
0 Comments

Thursday, 1/14

1/14/2016

0 Comments

 
STARTER #6
Choose one of the questions below and respond to it!
  • “But a man who knows about his own death and willing accepts it and dies anyway, isn’t that the type of man  you want to keep alive?” (paraphrased, Ms. Eiffel)  Is Harold from the movie Stranger than Fiction an “Absurd Hero”?  
  • What is Ms. Eiffel supposed to represent?
  • Are the film producers suggesting there is a higher power that controls our fate or was Harold able to have free will?
  • Would you rather live a long life and die by choking on a mint or would you rather die in a meaningful way that helps you leave a powerful legacy?
  • How does Stranger than Fiction relate to The Stranger? In what ways are Mersault and Harold Crick similar? In what ways are they different?
  • What or who might Dustin Hoffman represent (think about his advice to Harold about pancakes AND to accept his death...)

AGENDA
1.  Discuss the film-- starting first with your general reactions, confusions, questions
2.  Listen to "Killing an Arab" by The Cure (based off of Mersault) and follow along with the lyrics
3.  Individual Seminar Prep time: 
  • Please have  your annotations out during work time for me to check


0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    Categories

    All

    Ashley Carruth

    Humanities 11 Teacher at Animas High School

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Daily Blog
  • Syllabus
    • Meet the Teacher
  • Documents
  • Homework
  • Honors
  • Writing Resources
    • Writing Growth Example Page
  • Glamour Shots
  • Advisory