AHS * HUMANITIES 11
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Daily Blog

Tuesday, September 30th

9/30/2014

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Today's Goals:
1. Form an opinion on what you think patriotism means and whether or not you agree with the  Jefferson County School Board's ideology regarding the appropriate manner in which students should learn American History.

2. Be able to define rhetoric and respond to an example of rhetorical discourse

Announcements
  • Honors Lunch meeting Wednesday
  • Check in with me during "work time" at the end of class if you missed class Friday or yesterday OR if you need to finish the exam. 

Starter:  Read both of these quotes, and respond to ONE.
Your response should:
  • Be 1 paragraph in length (5-7 sentences)
  • Contain a 1 sentence summary of the main idea of the quote
  • Contain your explanation of why you agree or disagree with the ideas in the quote

“If patriotism were defined, not as blind obedience to government, nor as submissive worship to flags and anthems, but rather as love of one's country, one's fellow citizens (all over the world), as loyalty to the principles of justice and democracy, then patriotism would require us to disobey our government, when it violated those principles.” -Howard Zinn, Historian and Civil Rights Activist, in Declarations of Independence: Cross-Examining American Ideology (1991): "Obligation to the State"

“In my view, teachers in state-controlled public schools are hired to teach there…Certainly a teacher is not paid to go into school and teach subjects the State does not hire him to teach…..The original idea of schools, which I do not believe is yet abandoned as worthless or out of date, was that children had not yet reached the point of experience and wisdom which enabled them to teacher all of their elders. It may be that the Nation has outworn the old-fashioned slogan that ‘children are to be seen not heard’ but one may…be permitted to harbor the thought that taxpayers send children to school on the premise that at their age they need to learn, not teach”- Supreme Court Justice Black dissenting with the majority opinion of the Tinker v. DesMoines 1969 Supreme Court Case about student protests during the Vietnam War.


Agenda
**Journal #2 REQUIRED today (make up if you're absent)**


1. Jefferson County Schools' Student Protests over School Board Decision
A. Video about the protests and Video Interview with school board member (5 minutes)

JOURNAL RUBRIC:
                                                                                 

4 = Excellent (entirely complete and shows effort beyond just “getting it done,” thoughtful, in-depth understanding of the material relevant to the journal prompt)– 100%

3 = Good (complete, shows good effort but not necessarily full comprehension of the material or required length) – 85%

2 = OK (partially to almost complete, shows some effort for the journal but is about half the required length or reveals big misunderstandings in the content) – 70%

1 = Needs Improvement (barely complete, does not show effort for the journal) – Not Passing

B. Journal #2: Response to Jefferson County Schools School Board Decision (30 minutes)
INSTRUCTIONS: Read this article with more specific details and answer the following questions (length requirement= 1-2 sentences per question)
  • What is the purpose of this article?
  • What type of materials has the School Board demanded be and NOT be in the new history curriculum
  • What is the author’s bias?
  • What evidence best reveals this bias?
  • Do you think that the school board has the right to dictate the history curriculum in this way?  
  • Which approach(es) to justice (security/welfare, liberty/equality) do you see involved in this issue?
  • Which of our Constitutional Amendments do you see at play in this issue? 

FYI-- Who are the Koch Brothers?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_activities_of_the_Koch_brothers

2. Introduction to Rhetoric

Discuss the following prompts (A-D) with a partner before we share out as a whole class:
A. How does this video make you feel?

B. Discuss the last time someone persuaded you to do something, buy something, or believe something.  What did that person do that was convincing? 
-OR-
Discuss the last time you persuaded someone.  How did you convince your “audience”?

C. Examples of Persuasion:
Tyler Durden's Speech
  • What is his  message?
  • Is it convincing?  Why?

D. DEFINITION OF RHETORIC:  WRITE THIS DOWN!
Rhetoric is symbolic expression (including, but not limited to, language) intended to modify
(ideologically or emotionally) the perspective (the ideas and/or feelings) of its audience.  


3. Read and respond to ONE student's edmodo posts from Friday (30 minutes)
  • Read the article they posted
  • Quote a line in the article
  • React to that line and the article in general: Do you agree with the perspective? Why did you chose to quote that line? What other events can you connect this to? 
  • Link one more article on that topic that provides a DIFFERENT perspective to help us think more deeply/critically about the issue?
  • Once you're done, read  and comment on a few other posts. Get informed on current events! This stuff is interesting!

4. Take the survey to give me positive, specific and helpful feedback on how this class is going (10 minutes)

5. Ticket out the door: Share your Appreciations from Friday with the people whom you appreciated.
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Monday, 9/29

9/29/2014

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Exam today!

No homework :)

If you are feeling like I have forsaken you in your time of need, watch this inspirational pep talk (from 2 minutes in) and know that if I were there today, I would be giving you all an inspirational pep talk about how "Today, you are the greatest group of philosophers! Today, you were meant to ace this exam. This is your time! I'm sick of hearing how complicated Immanuel Kant's ideas are. You are all brilliant and are no match for his fancy word choice and categorical imperatives.  Now go out there and ace that exam!"

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Friday, September 26th

9/26/2014

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Weekend Homework:
  • Study for the exam
  • Finish posting to edmodo if you didn't have time in class (see below for instructions!)


EXTRA CREDIT!
To encourage you to regularly check my dp if no other reason that to be wowed by the beauty and organization that is my DP, I will give you 2 extra credit points if you send me an inspirational video by 8:24 a.m on Monday.  (Examples: Ted Talks, slam poetry, videos of people doing inspiring and awesome acts be they athletic, musical, or otherwise). 

Resources for the exam prep:
  •  checklist  for the test 
  • Note-taking form
  • MORAL/POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY POWERPOINT
  • Jeopardy Powerpoint from today
Goals:
  • Feel confident on the material for our exam and what to study this weekend
  • Begin getting ideas for your project

Starter:
  • Write down an appreciation for both people sitting next to you

Agenda:
1.  Jeopardy 

Jeopardy Rules:
  • 4 teams
  • Come up with a team name
  • 1 notetaker
  • All teams must deliberate and record their answer when it is NOT their turn because Ashley will call on you next to answer. If you didn't have an answer written down, she won't accept it. 
  • Spokesperson must rotate each round
  • Double Jeopardy at the end: Can wager as many points as you want toward the final answer

2. Group Brainstorm of topics for our project (A-E below)

A. Example of Rhetoric and a current event involving a debate between welfare, security and equality:
Tea Party's Anti-Obamacare Ads
  • How does this video make you feel?
  • Persuasive messages demand a response: Critique of the creepy anti-obamacare ads
  • Ashley's Edmodo Posts: Latinos Uninsured Rate Plummets with Obamacare   and Obamacare is more Unpopular than Ever 

B.  Reminder of op-ed article requirements

C. Join Edmodo!  Use your animas high school email and password

www.edmodo.comSign up as a Student
Group Code:
 rs2hwq

D.  POST TO EDMODO:
  • Post an article or video about a current events issue that involves a political dilemma between security/liberty/equality (one of those MUST be present for this post)
  • At the top of your post, write which "approach to justice" is apparent in the article (security, liberty and/or equality?) 
  • Write a brief summary of the article and your personal reaction

5. Appreciations


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Thursday, September 25th

9/25/2014

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Resources for the exam prep:
  • checklist  for the test 
  • Note-taking form
  • MORAL/POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY POWER POINT
  • Today's small group practice dilemmas/scenarios

Learning Goal:
Be able to apply all 4 philosophies to moral dilemmas and political scenarios

Starter
  • Pick 1 of these prompts and write a paragraph explaining your perspective and APPLYING the ideas you have now gained from the moral philosophies.  You should reference at least one of the philosophers to defend your perspective!

  • How has your perspective or your ability to defend your perspective changed since the first time we looked at these prompts?

Agenda

1. Small group activity (2-4 people): "Practice Application" Activity: Discuss the various social/political dilemmas through the lens of each philosophy


  • Notetaker: create a google doc for your group's answers and share with group members and Ashley


2. Skits and Whole class discussion on the "practice application" activity


3. Whole class Q and A


4. Time to study independently or in small groups

RECOMMENDATIONS: Make flash-cards!
Use the powerpoint, note-taking form and  this checklist  for test review to guide your flashcards


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Wednesday, September 24th

9/24/2014

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STARTER
  • Read and complete this checklist for test review.
  • Then, flip through your note-taking form and highlight or mark sections you need the most help with.  

MORAL/POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY POWERPOINT


Agenda
1. Watch the above video as a whole class. 
  • Here's another Video of the difference between Deontology and Utilitarianism if you need more examples/explanations

2. Finish powerpoint slides on Deontology


3. Study group discussion on Deontology

4. Ashley's review of key terms/big ideas in the powerpoint OR time to complete the note-taking form on your own, followed by Q and A for Ashley.



5.  Time to complete the note-taking form and to quiz each other on items from the check-list





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Advisory, Wednesday September 24th

9/23/2014

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CU Boulder is here! Feel free to go listen to their talk.

Can someone go borrow a camera from Sara Price or Roxy?


Circle check-in: 
  • Roses, Thorns, Buds: What is a rose so far from junior year, a thorn and a bud (something you are hopeful or excited about)

Advocacy Chat
  • When is a time you have advocated effectively? When is  a time that your attempts at advocacy failed or were never realized?
  • What are tips for advocating with teachers, administrators, bosses/professors? Timing, tone, nature of request, solution-focus?

Game
  • Mafia


Business Items
  • Sign-up for food for next week! Or do a rotation for the rest of the year (2 per grade check)
  • Facebook photo re-take outside 
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Tuesday, September 23rd

9/23/2014

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Today's Goals:
  • Understand John Rawls' Philosophy of "Justice as Fairness" and the ideas of the veil of ignorance, the difference principle, the equality principle and the  liberty principle and moral arbitrariness

Starter
1.Do you believe that your achievements in life are due exclusively to your hard work alone and within your control? Why or why not?

2. According to philosopher John Rawls, it’s not fair if the children of poor parents have much lower prospects in life than the children of rich parents simply because of the family they were born into; therefore, steep inheritance taxes are justified.
That means that those who were born to rich parents should pay a tax to help the government redistribute their wealth to those who are not?
Do you agree?  Why or why not? 

Agenda
1.  Discuss starter and this quote that explains Rawls' "Difference Principle"

"Those who have been favored by nature may gain from their fortune only on terms that improve the situation of those who have lost out"

2.   Class 5/6: Go over Morality and Politics of Justice project explanation

3.  Study group on chapter 6 
  • For today's study guide: Delete question #8
  • For tomorrow's study guide: Delete questions # 6 and 7

4. Ashley's powerpoint on Deontology


5. Journal #1(b): Reaction to THIS ARTICLE "The Government is Literally Going to Make America Stupid by Starving the Poor":

  • Briefly summarize the thesis (main argument) of this article
  • React to the ideas here: Think critically! Do you agree? Do you disagree? How do the moral philosophies we've studied help inform your understanding of this article? What would a Libertarian reply in response to this author's perspective? What would John Rawls say? What would Jeremy Bentham say? What would J.S. Mill say?

6. Time to read pages 103-124 of Chapter 5



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Friday, September 19th

9/19/2014

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Starter:
Watch the first minute of the trailer on the  film version of Vonnegut's 1961 short story, "Harrison Bergeron". Choose one of the following prompts to respond to:
  • Write the prequel to this trailer:  Why did the government decide to make everyone equal and how did they manage to do it?
  • What was going on in our society at the time of Vonnegut's writing that might inspire him to satirize the idea of equality? (Think about the Cold War and 1950's mainstream American culture if you know anything about either of these events)

Agenda:

Pass back pop quizzes 
ANSWER KEY is here if you want to check your answers

1. Discuss starter
  • Watch Leave it to Beaver clip (only first minute)
  • What do folks know about communism? 5 minutes of research!
  • http://people.howstuffworks.com/communism.htm


2. What are potential problems with Material Equality? 
Formal equality v. Material Equality definitions (Watch the first 1:30 of the video)


3. Watch Kurt Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron"


SATIRIZE: the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues

4. Seminar Prep: 
Morality and Politics of Justice Journal #1: Equality Seminar Prep  

Choose 4 of these questions and write complete paragraphs responding to each question.  
  •  ESSENTIAL QUESTION: To what extend does emphasizing equality lead to a just society?
  • What is your reaction to this short film?  How does understanding a bit about the historical context and the moral philosophies inform your understanding of this film?
  • What is equality? 
  •  Is the possession of a right to pursue happiness empty if we lack the ability or opportunity to exercise it? Do the sharp divisions between haves and have-nots—whether of wealth, opportunity, or natural talents—mean that equality is not achievable, without government intervention?
  • Why do Americans love equality? Should we? Can the desire for it ever be satisfied?
  • What do we owe those of our fellow citizens who are worse off through no fault of their own? 
  • Would you object if society sought equality not by handicapping the gifted but by lifting up the not-gifted, say through genetic engineering or biotechnological enhancement? Evaluates the pros and cons of “lifting up.” 
  • What is the difference between equality of outcome and equality of opportunity? Provide examples of both.  Which one should we strive to achieve and why?

5. Whole Class seminar on discussion questions at the end of the story

If Time:
Go over Morality and Politics of Justice project guidelines

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Thursday, September 18th

9/18/2014

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Today's Goals: 
Understand the basic principles of Libertarianism


Starter:
Review the
powerpoint slides on the definitions of Welfare, Liberty and Equality/Fairness through the slides on Libertarianism.

To help you retain this information, write a reaction to the ideas we've studied so far in moral philosophy-- some things to consider for your reaction:

  • Which philosophy or "approaches" do you find yourself agreeing with the most? Why?
  • Pick a moral dilemma or current political issue and solve it from the perspective of a Utilitarian (either Bentham or J.S. Mills) and a Libertarian.
  • What questions do you still have about the content we've covered so far?

Agenda
  • Whole class Q and A about content covered thus far
  • Study group guided questions on Ch. 3: Libertarianism 
  • Starter Check!
  • Time to go over questions on chapter 3 as a whole class
  • Ashley's powerpoint overview on John Rawls' philosophy of "Justice as Fairness" (John Rawls' primary focus here in on equality)
  • Time to read Ch. 6 on Rawls' philosophy
  • Last 5-10 minutes: A word from Zoe about LINK

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Wednesday, September 17th

9/17/2014

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Starter: 
 Draw an image that best represents Utilitarianism. 

Try to capture these big ideas:
  • The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few
  • The ends (outcomes) justify the means (methods/actions to achieve the outcome)

Today's Learning Goals
  • Understand Jeremy Bentham's philosophy of Utilitarianism
  • Understand John Stuart Mill's philosophy of the Harm Principle and how it relates to Utilitarianism

Agenda
1. Discuss starter responses

2. Whole Class Review of ch. 2 to make sure we all have a basic understand of the reading/philosophy:
A.     On page 33, Sandel explains two different approaches to justice that arise from a debate about the lifeboat case.  What are these two different approaches to justice and which are you most drawn to at this point?

B.   What does Bentham mean when he says, “We are all governed by the feelings of pain and pleasure.  They are our ‘sovereign masters’. They govern us in everything we do and also determine what we ought to do” (34).  How does this apply to the concept of utilitarianism?


C. Your note-taking form: (you need to fill out sample moral dilemmas and the objection boxes on your own. They are not all in my power point slide but are in the readings and we'll discuss some of them in class)

3. Study group guided questions for Chapter 2 of Justice
  • EVERYONE open the shared google doc
  • Review my feedback on Monday's activity and make sure you all understand my comments
  • Begin working together on Wednesday's discussion guide.

4. Whole Group clarification of small group discussion

5. Time to read chapter #3 Libertarianism
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    Ashley Carruth

    Humanities 11 Teacher at Animas High School

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