Monday, 4/27

“We must all push on the walls until eventually we break through”—Cesar Chavez

This Week's Goal:
Finalize your Take Action project proposal and take action!
Why?
So that you can develop the strategic planning and leadership skills necessary to make impactful change both now and in the future!

Why?
Because, those who feel they have ownership over their lives, do work that they are passionate about, and can create their own reality, report being happier and feeling more successful in life. 

As 5th century Greek philosopher, historian and general, Thucydides once said, "The secret to happiness is freedom... And the secret to freedom is courage"   

Announcements

• Students performing with Lori's poetry slam-- must rehearse once in class this week if you didn't last week
  
• If you are going off campus for Take Action project work, you need parent permission and must sign out with Laurel
  
• Reminder on steps 2 and 3 of Take Action project
• 7 Lost American Slang Words
• Wed-Friday class will be MOVED due to PARCC testing happening in here.  1st period= Jessica's room, 2nd period = Kyle's room.  5th and 6th= Marcus Renner's room
• Check out the resources at the bottom of today's blog for help refining your sense of place writing piece (especially the "STATIONS" with short excerpts on student work

Work Time Steps
If you have already turned in a peer critiqued and refined draft of Sense of Place to Ashley, move on to the following: 

1. By the end of class on Monday, get a draft of your Take Action proposal done that answers all components (#s 1-5 ) on Rachel's workshop document: RACHEL'S WORKSHOP WORKSHEET

• Take Action Project Resources
  
• Check out this list of project ideas and organizations in our area

2. Sign up for a conference and have Ashley review your proposal and help refine it.

3. Begin working on the "how" (your approach and strategies)

4. Bring your project to life! Take Action! Don't forget to document it! (see Step 3 on pages 3-4 of Take Action Guidelines doc)

5. Honors: Read Half the Sky and work on seminar prep

6. Finish Happiness and Meaning art pieces or refine performance pieces
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Sense of Place Resources:

• **Minilessons Stations (good examples of excerpts from student writing focused on specific skills)
  
•  Sense of Place Essay Task Statement, Rubric + Examples and Sources for Inspiration 
• Google Doc Folder to all project resources
  
• Quick link to writing mini-lessons folder 
  
• Elements of Nature Writing handout + Metaphors/Similes/Analogies/Alliteration/Assonance
  
• List of poetic devices
• Categories of Sense of Place: Relationships to Place and Community Attachments