02.27 - Wild Chimpanzees Discussion

At the beginning of class today, we reviewed everyone's responses for the reading questions associated with Jane Goodall's article, "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees".

We then moved into working with the post-reading questions for the reading. To look at this we reviewed what makes a good discussion question. The main guidelines we were following included:

1 - There is no single or definite answer

2 - The text provides insight on possible answers

3 - There is room for debate and various perspectives

Everyone then came up with their own discussion questions for this article, which they wrote down on slips of paper. We then had a full class discussion where we pulled questions randomly out of a box and discussed them. The questions we discussed in class were as follows:

Do you think over the next upcoming years, the intelligence of chimps/apes will increase?

Why do you think television portrays primates to be aggressive and wild unlike the real truth?

What makes chimpanzees want to imitate other chimpanzees? Like how eating termites was passed on by social tradition?

Did reading this article help you learn anything about humans?

If we accepted others the way that chimpanzees accept other chimps, would we be more peaceful and have fewer wars?

Since chimps are so much like humans, why don’t they experience jealousy in relationships?

For the final post-reading question, everyone should choose one of these questions to respond to formally.

Handouts:

"My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees" reading questions

Homework: 

Respond to the post-reading questions for Goodall's "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees"

02.26 - My Live Among Wild Chimpanzees

We began today's class with a discussion of student responses to the pre-reading question for our reading of "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees". This discussion looked at the relationship between animals and people with a particular focus on the idea of emotion and intelligence. Our discussion incorporated this clip from a Neil Degrasse Tyson talk:

Next, we reviewed the reading and post-reading questions for Goodall's "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees" and then students had time to begin reading and annotating the article.

In the last portion of class, we checked back in together and people shared out impressions or ideas that stuck out to them in reading the article.

Handouts:

"My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees" reading questions

Submitted Today:

Responses for "Living Like Weasels" story and reading questions

Homework:

Respond to the reading question for Goodall's "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees"

02.25 - Discussion for "Living Like Weasels"

For today's class we discussed responses to and perspectives on the reading questions and post-reading questions for Annie Dillard's "Living Like Weasels".

This discussion brought us into considering how a person's observations of the world around them shape their understanding of and relationship to that world. We will consider this question more tomorrow as we begin working with some writing by the famous primatologist Jane Goodall.

Handouts:

"Living Like Weasels" story and reading questions

"My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees" reading questions

Homework:

Respond to the pre-reading question for Goodall's "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees"

02.24 - Living Like Weasels

We started class today by reviewing the reflection responses that people wrote for homework last night around what it takes to make changes in society. 

We then looked at how people can identify and develop visions for the way life or the world should be by looking at Annie Dillard's story "Living Like Weasels". We began with the pre-reading question (see handout) which people answered and then we discussed together as a group.

Next, we looked at the reading annotations people would be taking while reading. We looked at the first paragraph together and then everyone had the remaining time in the period to finish the reading working individually or with partners to complete their annotations. 

Model Annotations From Class

Click Image to Enlarge

Everyone then had time in class to begin responding to the post-reading questions (questions 4 and 5) which everyone should finish answering for homework.

Handouts:

"Living Like Weasels" story and reading questions

Homework:

Finish responding to the post-reading questions associated with this story (due tomorrow).

02.23 - Taking Action

Today, we began shifting our focus from how to develop and use voice and argument to look at how to dedicate voice and argument to actions which positively affect one's community. We started class by having everyone respond to the following quote and prompt:

In your writer’s journal, explain and evaluate the following quote:

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problem.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Next, I introduced the format for concentric circle discussions and we had a concentric circle discussion (see sheet below with questions). For information on the concentric circle discussion format, check out this slideshow.

Handout:

Concentric Circles: Civic Action Discussion
(If you missed this discussion in class, use friends or family as your discussion partners)

Homework:

Respond to the final question on the bottom of the concentric circles note sheet.

02.09 - Revision and Argument Writing

At the beginning of class today, I returned the argument rebuttal and argument quote integration assignments that people had completed previously. We reviewed class performance and general feedback on these assignments (see below) as well as what was required for a 100 in this work.



Next, we established the debate format for our debate on Thursday. The format will be as follows:

Opening Statement (1 minute)
Topic Statement 1 (2 minutes)
Topic Statement 2 (2 minutes)
Topic Statement 3 (2 minutes)
Topic Statement 4 (2 minutes)
Topic Statement 5 (2 minutes)
Rebuttals (3 minute min, 4 minute max)
Closing Statement (1 minute)

Then, everyone had the remaining time in the period to look at using their evidence sheet to write a formal position on their area of their debate topic. If people had not completed previous steps leading up to this work, those steps needed to be completed first. The order of steps in this work are as follows:

Identify 6 sources from which to use information
Create 20 notecards of important facts that will help prove your position
Create 2 to 3 powerful claims that you can address to prove your position
Use the evidence sheet to identify which pieces of evidence to use in proving each claim
Create your written argument from the evidence sheet

Handouts:
Argument creation sheet
Formal Debate - Arguments and Evidence Sheet


Homework:

Have your formal argument position written for Wednesday.

02.06 - [Pep Rally]

Our class did not meet today as we had a pep rally during period 5.

02.05 - Argument Outline

I was at a writing conference today and so everyone was working with a substitute. The focus of today's class was building on the thesis and claims work we started in class yesterday.

In class, people started with the claims they established for homework and worked to make those more powerful. Once claims were established they were used to start creating an outline by identifying evidence that supports these claims. For this, I provided students with an outline sheet for each part of their argument (see handouts below).

Handouts:
Argument creation sheet
Formal Debate - Arguments and Evidence Sheet


Homework:

Complete the arguments and evidence sheet for each of your 2 - 3 arguments.

02.04 - Argument Practice (feat. demographics)

For the first part of class today, everyone prepared a five sentence argument on their side of the marijuana legalization debate specific to the area on which they have been focusing their research. We talked a bit about demographics and how messages can be crafted for and presented to specific audiences that fit a certain demographic. For the purposes of practicing debate, everyone then crafted their argument specifically for a parent of teenagers who was neutral on the topic of legalization.

Everyone had time to create this argument and then the class presented these arguments to a panel of three adults who were available this period. These adults assumed the perspective of a neutral parent with teenage children and listened to the arguments. After all of the arguments had been presented, this panel discussed what they had heard and how their views were affected by the arguments.

Next, groups got together to talk about these reflections and decide how they could better plan their debate to make it more effective in light of this practice opportunity and the feedback they got from our panel.

We then looked at creating topic specific thesis statements for the main arguments that people will be making.

Handouts:

Argument creation sheet

Homework:

Identify the 2 - 3 arguments you will be using to make your case for/against legalization.

02.03 - Argument Practice

We started today's class with an article that was published today titled, "Colorado Warns About Marijuana Danger for Pregnant Women, Drivers and Youth". People were to read this article and then write a five-sentence argument using information from the article that would serve their side in our class debate on marijuana legalization. These arguments were to use at least one direct quote and should feature proper in-text citations.

Following this, people had the remaining time in the period to work on the following three tasks (each task needed to be completed before moving on to the next one):

- Finish the article rebuttal activity from our class on 01.26
- Complete twenty notecards related to your individual topic for our class debate
- Identify two to three basic arguments into which you can organize your information on your debate


Homework:

Complete your article rebuttal (if it is not already done)

Complete your twenty notecards on your debate topic (if it is not already done)

Identify two to three arguments into which you can organize your information on your debate

02.02 - [Snow Day]

There was no school today due to the inclement weather.