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

Daily Blog

Friday, April 29th

4/29/2016

0 Comments

 
Breck's powerpoint presentation on Oil/Gas

Starter #35
React to Breck Enoch's presentation!

Recommended Reading:
REALLY GOOD ARTICLE TO READ ABOUT WHY WE AS A WESTERN SOCIETY HAVE MORE OF AN ACQUISITIVE NATURE AND WHY DEVELOPING A SENSE OF PLACE IS SO IMPORTANT

Agenda
1. In groups, share your work!
  • Student #1, explain your research or read a couple excerpts from your journal!
  • As the reader reads/explains, jot down questions you have
  • Q and A with the reader/presenter.
  • Switch!

​2. Turn in either your journal or your research notes. The other is due BOC Monday.

3. Work time!


4. 2nd period Guest Speaker: Ty Churchwell from Trout Unlimited
0 Comments

Thursday, April 28th

4/28/2016

0 Comments

 
Starter #34
  • Review yesterday's guest speaker presentation. What stood out to you? What were some key points or interesting ideas?
  • What is your perspective on coal power plants?
  • So this is how goats grow?!
​​

Class Biz
  • Emy Zah's powerpoint on Navajo Transitional Energy Company
  • The other two guys' powerpoint on the coal mine 
  • Either the inspiration journals OR research is due tomorrow (B.O.C). The other assignment is due Monday, B.O.C.

Agenda
1. Research time or write your inspiration journals
2. Guest speaker:  Breck Enoch from the oil/gas industry

Mr. Enoch earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from University of Alabama in 2003. He moved to the 4-Corners area, from Tennessee, for a job with Pathfinder Energy Services in January 2007.  Currently he is an independent contractor as a Field Engineer in Directional Drilling.  He has been independent for about 6 months now.  He spent his career in the oil & gas industry starting out as a Field Engineer in Measuring & Logging While Drilling (M/LWD).  He spent 2007 - 2011 in that position and transitioned to Well Planning & Geo-Steering specialist for the years 2012 - 2013.  Brek moved from there to a management position in charge of the M/LWD Field Engineers, Well Planners & Geo-Steering Specialists in my district.  Pathfinder was bought by Schlumberger in 2011 and he made a change of companies to Gyrodata in 2013.  With the recent contraction of the workforce, he was let-go from Gyrodata and has been contracting since.  ​


0 Comments

Wednesday, 4/27

4/27/2016

0 Comments

 
Class Biz
  • NEST meeting today (Bluegrass performance! Stephen Sellers band)
  • Due Friday, B.O.C. either your journals OR the research assignment. The other assignment would be due Monday, B.O.C. You pick!

Starter

Please insert which energy production scheme(s) you are studying for our mini-research assignment into this document.  Also, add any links to GOOD websites you've found that might be helpful to your peers.

Agenda
8:30-9:05: "Get your motor runnin'" research time (OR go outside and do an inspiration journal!)
9:05-9:10: Break
9:10-10:10: Guest Speaker- Erny Zah from the Navajo Transitional Energy Company at the Navajo Coal Mine

0 Comments

Tuesday, 4/26

4/26/2016

0 Comments

 
Starter 34:
As a class, watch the above TED Talk then respond to the following questions:

- What are her main points?
- What is your reaction to her talk?
- Could you apply her spirit of innovation to ANY job you pursue? (education, healthcare, engineering, environmental consulting, coaching, business, etc....)  
If yes, HOW SO?  If no, why not?

Agenda
1. Finish Mutation and Innovation ppt

2.  Get your motor runnin': Energy Production Impact and Solutions mini-research assignment overview
 
  • Watch this short video comparing pros/cons of coal, nuclear and natural gas
  • Watch this short video on how industry can contribute to CO2 reduction
  • Ashley will explain this mini-assignment to  y'all so that you understand what you're doing and hopefully don't have any confusions.
  • Pick your topic!
  • Share out which topic you chose and why!
​
3. Time to research!
0 Comments

Monday, 4/25

4/25/2016

0 Comments

 
Class Biz
  • Inspiration Journal Assignment #1 due today! I will be checking all 4 of them next Monday.
  • Inspiration journals 2-4 due next Monday, May 2nd (30 minutes per journal!)
  • Honors Cat's Cradle project due NEXT Monday, 5/2
  • Test corrections due today
  • Camping trip photos (cred: TJ and Ben).  (We missed those of you who couldn't be there!)
STARTER #33 Creative writing prompt!
Choose one of the pictures from this google doc and tell its story. Feel free to go beyond what is physically or practically possible in your story. You can attempt to be accurate in your description of the scene or you can go bananas with the story you tell.

Use active verbs! instead of “is” and “have”. Verbs not adjectives really make a piece move and
come alive. Example: Instead of “the jaguar is a predator and has big teeth,” something like “the
jaguar stalks the jungle and its teeth can rip apart a young deer in mere seconds.”

If you are stuck:
  • Start with observation! Just describe the image in as much detail as possible.
  • Write about what caused this setting/image to become the way it is
  • Write about the present or future reality for those who live in or near this landscape
​
Agenda
1. Share out an excerpt from your inspiration journal writing

2. Innovation and Mutation! (ppt)


3. Interesting article reading and discussion time!  Choose between the two options:
  • "Scientists Warn of Perilous Climate Shift within Decades, not Centuries"
  • "Hit the Reset Button on Your Brain"-- fascinating research on why multitasking and over-stimulation from our phones/social media actually hinders creativity and causes brain fatigue.
0 Comments

Wednesday, April 20th + TEST CORRECTIONS DUE MONDAY!!

4/20/2016

0 Comments

 
Don't forget Environmental Ethics test corrections are due MONDAY 4/25
energy_and_place_inspiration_journal_assignment1_2016.docx
File Size: 110 kb
File Type: docx
Download File

Inspiration Journal Assignment (to be done on our desert camping trip, or for those not attending (and thus breaking Ashley's heart) it is due on Monday, April 25th)

Starter #32.2 (Monday's starter #32 didn't really count)
Pick a line from Abbey's reading that stood out to you (maybe you HATE the idea or it makes you want to do a joyful jig). Just write the quote down.  We'll do a spirit read to start our seminar 2nd period!  

Other class biz
  • Did you bring your group gear contribution? If not, ARG! make a reminder NOW!
  • Menu for our trip-- bring additional snacks or other food items you think you'll need (but no junk food!)
  • Last minute packing questions for camping trip? Who is bringing tents and stoves?
  • Driving groups
  • $10 please
  • Please report to my classroom immediately after your CMAS test to help schlep gear to cars!

Agenda
1. Time to finish Edward Abbey seminar prep
2. Seminar
0 Comments

Monday, April 18th

4/18/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture

Random giphy of the day: "Revenge of the buxom pink dung beetle"?  (I predict you all will knock this week's tests out of the park like this buxom pink dung beetle transformer knocked the van off the cliff)

​Starter #32

Podcast: "Freakonomics Podcast: Why Bad Environmentalism is such an easy bad sell" (Just the parts on Bamboo:  0:00-7:00 and San Francisco: 17:25-End)
  • How can thinking exclusively locally about environmental impact have global environmental impact?
  • How could NIMBY-ism be related to environmental justice?  

Class Biz
1. Test Corrections
  • If you got under a 90% or less you may do test corrections.
  • For all the questions you got wrong or incomplete, write down why you got the answer wrong and then what the correct answer is for 1/2 credit.
​2. Camping trip info
  • Final head count (and driving needs)
  • Packing list (take off utensils/plate-- I have all that for y'all-- but ADD camping chair!)
  • $10 deposit due Wed. at latest
  • Where are we going? (Muley Point, in Cedar Mesa west of Blanding, UT) Google map of directions
  • Dietary restrictions/needs?
  • Group gear needs (bring to school on Wednesday!)
  • Tents/stoves for cooking and camping groups

3. Honors: Turn in Cat's Cradle proposals if you're doing a project on this book.

4. This week's assignment:
  • Read and prepare for the Edward Abbey seminar on Wed. 2nd period.
  • Complete the inspiration journal assignment #1 that will be posted on Wednesday's DP blog (due Monday-- those on camping trip will complete it ON our trip overlooking the lovely gooseneck formations of the San Juan River!)

AGENDA

1. Read the handout on elements of nature writing (page 1 and 2 only for online version) and answer the questions on the backside at the bottom of page #2.
(POWERPOINT ON NATURE WRITING: Helpful additional source if you need it)

2. Get a sense of the aura that is Edward Abbey (his tone of voice, his mannerisms, his essence): Watch this video!

3. Edward Abbey seminar prep work time
  • The  purpose of these readings is for you to begin to get a sense of one type of nature writing as well as to analyze and critique Edward Abbey's environmental ethics.
  • "Freedom and Wilderness" is from a book of his called The Journey Home, published in 1977. It is more of a politically-focused essay.  The other reading contains excerpts from his book, Desert Solitaire, published in 1967, and is more about his  sense of place and environmental ethics as influenced in part by his time as a park ranger in Arches National Monument.


0 Comments

Thursday, April 14th

4/14/2016

0 Comments

 
Class Biz
  • No homework over the weekend! (Except Happiness and Meaning projects for those of you to whom this applies)
  • Honors-- get those project proposals for Cat's Cradle in by Monday.
  • Bring $10 in for our desert camping trip for food.

Agenda

1. Review: What idea from the readings or which environmental ethic(s) are you most unclear on right now? What questions do you still have about our content covered thus far?

2. Ashley reads The Lorax by Dr. Seus

3. Environmental Ethics Exam
Did the last line of each page on your copies get cut off? If so here is what they said:
Page 1: ....they pictured vast abysses waiting to suck the traveler down into a bottomless gulf.
Page 2: ....but the poet's insight has not become of general knowledge.
Page 3:....things are being introduced into our environment at a rapid rate. There simply is no time for the living protoplasm to adjust to them.

Vocab terms from Rachel Carson's speech
Portentous: sinister, ominous, threatening
Humility: humbleness
Protoplasm:
 the colorless material comprising the living part of a cell, including the cytoplasm, nucleus, and other organelles.
Verities: important truths
Evasion: avoidance

​
0 Comments

Wednesday, 4/13

4/13/2016

0 Comments

 
Starter #31:
Think back to all the ethics we've covered so far:
How would you characterize your own environmental ethic and how did you come to hold these beliefs? In other words, what childhood experiences,  works of literature or other influences inspired these beliefs? Think about whether or not your ethic comes from self-interest or from a true interest in non-human elements.  Or does it come from an interest in sustainability (using enough of the land for what we need while preserving as much as possible for future generations) or justice (ensuring that all people have access to clean environments)? 
  • Preservationism
  • Conservationism
  • Anthropocentricism
  • Environmental Justice
  • Sustainability
  • NIMBY-ism
  • Nature has intrinsic value
  • Nature has instrumental value
  • The Land Ethic (land is part of our community, everything is connected....)

Class Biz
Camping trip planning group lunch meeting today.


Agenda

1. Share your starter in groups of 3-4
2. Review!! 
          A. "Land Ethic"
  • How does this piece of rhetoric capture the first part of Leopold's argument in "The Land Ethic"?  
  • ​What are THREE BIG ideas that stand out from Leopold's "Land Ethic" essay?
  • Find one quote that captures ONE of those ideas
  • What questions do you have about his essay (lines/passages you don't understand or BIG idea questions you don't quite get)
​
​          B. Environmental Justice and NIMBY-ism (Definitions? What was the Environmental Justice                       Leadership Summit?)

3. Let's read an article on Environmental Justice in real life! First, we'll scope out the photos showing life in Mountain View, New Mexico then we'll have some time to read and discuss “The Environment is Where We Live” (just through page 2 on the online version. As you read, make note of or be sure you understand the following:
  • Describe the environmental justice issue facing Mountain View.
  • What are the health risks for residents of Mountain View?
  • Is this a situation that could happen in Durango?  If not, do you know of any towns in Colorado where this is occurring?
  • How does NIMBY-ism come into play in this article? 

For those interested, further reading on Environmental Justice legislation:
  • U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Order on Environmental Justice and a list of other types of environmental justice legislation
  • Executive Order 12898 signed by Bill Clinton in 1994 to address issues of environmental injustice
  • University of Colorado- Boulder's Native Communities and Environmental Justice Program

4. Open test review time + Honors Seminar on ​Cat's Cradle
  • Review the definitions and ask Ashley for clarification
  • Try to find areas in Leopold's essay where he articulates (either in agreement or opposition) various key terms from the powerpoint presentation
0 Comments

Tuesday, April 12th

4/12/2016

0 Comments

 
Starter #30 Watch this video clip entitled "NIMBY-ism's threat to renewables" 
  • What is your reaction to the video?
  • How does this video influence your thinking on (or relate to) the relationship between energy production, environmental ethics and one's connection to a place?

CLASS BIZ
  • For our field trip to the Navajo Coal Mine-- they advised me it will be too tight to do both the mine and 4 Corners Power plant in one day and still get back by 3.  So, what are the chances of you all being able to get to school early?
Agenda
1. Finish Environmental ethics powerpoint
2. Intro to the ethic: "Environmental Justice" 


  • Watch Cancer Alley film trailer
  • Read "The Principles of Environmental Justice" and with a partner summarize the main purpose or goal of the "summit" AND come up with 2 hashtags for each principle. I'll give you an example!
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