Review for Final: Wednesday, July 6th

Open both of the following PDF files. Answer the questions that appear to the sides of the article. First, answer questions 1-5 using your prior knowledge, and then answer the questions in the margin. You can hand write your answers or type them in Microsoft Word. This is the last graded assignment of the semester. happiness1  happiness2

Open this Power Point for a few review slides and the vocabulary words to know for the final: FinalReview952

Lab #12: Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Today’s lab has two parts:

Part 1: 

context clues practice

Part 2:

Should the Internet be regulated? In a paragraph of at least five sentences, explain whether you agree or disagree with one of the points of view displayed below (Bill of Right Supporter, Citizen, Musician, or Politician). Include specific details and examples to support your point.

Summary
Some governments exert a lot of control over the internet and the information that their citizens can share. Internet policies and regulations in the United States continue to evolve with issues like national security, identity theft, freedom of speech and privacy being part of the conversation. Does our government need to regulate the internet? How do we best protect our freedoms and our citizens?

Scenario
Recently, in the midst of technology driven revolutions in the Middle East, the internet was “shut down” to the general public. Some countries, such as China, control what their citizens can see on the internet on a regular basis. Internet policies and regulations in the United States continue to evolve. Do we need to regulate the internet or should we protect free speech at all costs? Take a look at some of the issues that need to be addressed from different perspectives and help decide how to best protect our freedoms and our citizens.

Four Points of View

• Bill of Right Supporter: Freedom of Speech and privacy are two very important issues to me. Anyone should be able to express and share their point of view on the internet, even if other people don’t like it. I also do not want people to have access to the sites that I visit and e mails that I send. I don’t want anyone tracking what books I am reading or sites I am visiting. I know that many companies track the sites that I visit on the internet and some even sell the information. There is information on the internet that I do not want everyone to know. I think it is scary that people can see my house on the internet. I am also concerned about the safety of shopping on the internet – if someone steals your identity they can ruin your life by emptying your bank account and committing other crimes. We must protect free speech, even if it is hateful, and our privacy!
• Citizen: The internet makes my life easy. I can shop, communicate with friends, get news and even do my banking online. I don’t even have to pay taxes on the items I buy on the internet! I would love to be able to vote online, it would be so convenient and people would have no excuses! I think it is okay to put up filters in schools so kids won’t get to certain sites. I would also like to see what sites kids and teachers visit in the school, just as I like to know what books are available in the school library. As far as security is concerned, I think it is okay for the government to develop software that will spy on certain suspicious people. I think that they should be spying on people who are looking up bomb information, talking about terrorist plots, and forming hate groups.
• Musician: I love the internet; it gives me the opportunity to advertise my music for free. It also has great places for people to share that they like it- a song can go viral by people sharing the Youtube video. However, I do not like the fact that they can “share” my music for free. Music is my intellectual property, just like books, pictures, etc. I have a copyright which means that I have the exclusive right to control, publish and sell my work. If people can just give it away for free, I will not be able to make a living. I think that software that helps people “share” intellectual property for free (like Napster did) should be against the law and using the software should be considered stealing. Cutting and pasting information has also made plagiarism too easy. How will we control all of this? It is time that we get control of this internet. People have talked about voting online. What about the people who do not have computers. Wouldn’t voting by computer shut out the voters who are poor? This will lead to discrimination.
• Politician: There are a lot of things that should be regulated on the Internet, for example, shopping. We are missing out on a lot of money to pay for schools and protect our citizens by not taxing sales on the internet. The internet is a great way to increase democracy because people can get involved and learn about candidates very easily now. They can form special interest groups to support their causes and their candidates. However, sometimes it is very difficult to separate fact from fiction on the internet. Anyone can make a website and post things, this gives extremist groups an easy way to unite and communicate. They can easily spread fear and propaganda through the internet. Allowing voting on the internet may cause some discrimination as not all people have internet access. As far as security, I support the web-tapping program “Carnivore” which keeps track of “suspicious people” and “suspicious words” that come up on the internet.

Increasing Reading Rate Power Point

summer speed reading

Lab #11: Thursday, June 30, 2011

Watch the clip Excerpts from Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story

Then, view Ben Carson’s website. Click on two different links on the site to learn more about what the site has to offer (About CFS, Dr. Carson, Blog, etc.).

In a paragraph of at least five sentences, explain what you have learned about Ben Carson that you did not know before. Include information from the video clips, from the website, and from the story we read in class yesterday.

Then, complete the following activities:

(1) Figurative Language Jeopardy (This you can play with one or two players)

(2) Simile Practice

(3)Metaphor Practice

Lab #10: Wednesday, June 29, 2011

If you do not have your textbook, use this site to read chapter 12 of Coming Into My Own.

Browse the Readers Respond articles to find an article to focus on for the last part of today’s class work:

Readers Respond

Lab:

Select any song of your choice and look up the lyrics. If you can’t think of a song to select, you can browse the Billboard Top 100 for ideas.  If you want to select an older song, browse this site: Hot 100 All Time Top Songs

Look for figurative language in the lyrics of the song you have chosen. Remember that figurative language is a way of describing something that makes sense on an imaginary level. Similes make a comparison by using the word like or as. For example, “Curtains lift and fall, like the chest of someone sleeping.” Metaphors directly equate two objects. For example, “My life has stood – a Loaded Gun.” Here, life is equated to a loaded gun. Personification is when qualities of a person are given to an animal or object. A hyperbole uses an exaggerated statement to create a strong emotional response. For example, “I told you a million times not to lie” is a hyperbole.

Find four examples of figurative language in the lyrics. Leave a comment quoting the four phrases you have chosen, and explain what you believe is the meaning behind them. Also, state whether you think each phrase is a simile, metaphor, personification, or a hyperbole. Next, explain whether or not you believe the lyrics are biased, and make sure to explain your reasoning. A writer is biased if he or she takes one side of an issue and does not recognize opposing viewpoints.

Lastly, comment on a classmate’s post. See if you can come up with an alternative meaning for one of the phrases they have chosen to explain or you can look up the lyrics to their song and find another example of figurative language.

Lab #9: Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Watch the following clip: Jonestown: Massacre News Reel

Read the answers to the questions in the article Q&A: A Jonestown Survivor Remembers

 

For another short description of Jim Jones and some photographs, view the PBS site Who Was Jim Jones?

After watching the clip and reading the Q&A, complete the Microsoft Word Document: Jonestown Assignment

Lastly, use information from the Stanford Prison Experiment (from last class) and the Jonestown Massacre to create an outline. Choose a topic to focus on, such as mind control or how ordinary people can display unexpected characteristics. Create two different main ideas to include in the outline such as how people were influenced to do things they may not normally have done or what the consequences of being influenced were. Include a supporting detail for each main idea such as a desire to be a part of something. Then include two specific details for each supporting detail. Use the Microsoft Word outline to get started: Outline Template

Vocabulary Practice for Tuesday’s Quiz

Open the Power Point, click on slide show, then click on from beginning. Go through the slides and see how many of the vocabulary questions you are able to answer correctly.

Vocabulary Review

Lab #8: Thursday, June 23, 2011

Part 1:

Explore the website The Stanford Prison Experiment (click on begin slide show at the bottom and browse the pages) and leave a comment  explaining four facts, videos, or pictures that you found interesting.

Part 2:

Go to the Cyberbullying site and look through the Viewpoints section. Find two opposing viewpoints and read two articles.

Complete the following Microsoft Document using information you learned from the readings: Opposing Viewpoints

Link for class today (Wednesday, June 22)

Medical Marijuana Legalized in Arizona

Jamaica Considers Legalizing Weed

Teen Weed and Alcohol Use on the Rise

Lab #7: Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Complete the following Microsoft Word document: Web and Summary Lab