The topic is New York Times reporting on violence in hockey. And our guest is a sports reporter, John Branch, who will be taking questions from student readers about the role of hockey “enforcer” and what he learned in reporting a series of articles about the late hockey player Derek Boogaard, as well as about the way he developed the series.

Here’s the link to the details: Please Join Us: Student Facebook Chat With a Times Reporter – NYTimes.com

I can see definite credit potential for participating and writing a reflection of it afterward.

PROMPT: Write from the point of view of someone who sees these slippers while waiting to checkout at Walmart, thinks they are pure genius, and can’t wait to try them out when they get home.

AD English 9 – January 9-13
English 10 – January 9-13

We’re settling into our new year back in C106, reflecting on the past and looking forward to a successful 2012.

During each of the last three grading periods, all my sophomores and freshmen will be adding memorization to their oral-communications skills.

We’ve been doing dramatic presentations, which focused on verbal and nonverbal techniques (like gestures and expression), and we’re not completely forsaking this. With Memory Work, students will still be expected to do more than merely speak the correct words correctly. Expressing those words in a way that helps listeners hear, understand, and feel them is also crucial.

Memory Work is a long-standing practice here at GWHS for all seniors, who memorize and present during each of the six grading periods, so this will be good practice for everyone for what’s to come.

Plus, memorization can open us up to new words, patterns, and modes of expression we’ve never experienced, helping us develop into better writers and readers.

Consider this excerpt from Michael Knox Beran’s piece called “In Defense of Memorization” from the Summer 2004 City Journal:

“…Memorizing poetry turns on kids’ language capability. It not only teaches them to articulate English words; it heightens their feel for the intricacies and complexities of the English language—an indispensable attainment if they are to go on to speak, write, and read English with ease. Susan Wise Bauer, author of The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had, argues that memorization ‘builds into children’s minds an ability to use complex English syntax.’ The student ‘who memorizes poetry will internalize’ the ‘rhythmic, beautiful patterns’ of the English language. These patterns then become ‘part of the student’s ‘language store,’ those wells that we all use every day in writing and speaking.’ Without memorization, the student’s ‘language store,’ Bauer says, will be limited: memorization stocks ‘the language store with a whole new set of language patterns.’”

Wow. That’s what I’m talking ’bout.

Today’s video corresponds to a lesson in life goals, in which we will analyze (and be COMPLETELY AMAZED by) John Goddard’s Life List, which he created as a teenager, and create a list of our own.

Here are handouts of John Goddard’s original Life List and a sheet called “My Life List” that will help you make your own.

You can also visit Mr. Goddard’s website to see the video, the list, and find out additional information about him and his accomplishments.

It was around 1996, and my old friend Mike was showing me the website he had put up for our rock band, The Flaming Blue Iguanas (don’t hate ).

We were looking through some comments and he said the parenthesis and colon formed a smiley face. “Turn your head sideways and look at it.”

And the rest, as they say, was history.

Students: Tell us about the new emoticons, or emoji, you think the world might need, and describe what they might look like. For instance, what messages do you often find yourself texting your friends or your parents that could be simplified somehow into punchy cartoons? What emotions do you sometimes feel that might make useful emoticons? What places, events or activities would be handy to have as in your phone as emoticon shorthand?

LINK: Student Opinion | Should People Be Allowed to Obscure Their Identities Online? NYTimes.com .

Instructions for posting:

To participate, follow the link above to the NY Times website, read the article, and respond in the comments there. (Remember to use your first name only at the NY Times website.)

After your comment is posted, click on the “Link” link under the date, copy the URL, and paste it into the comment box below. (Remember to use only your first name and last initial on this page below.)

P.S. 5 points EXTRA for the first English 10 student who finds and posts this week’s vocabulary word that’s on the NY Times page!!!

Students: Tell us what you think about the question of identity online. What, to you, are the most compelling arguments for or against real-name policies? How and why does it matter whether you are identified authentically online? Do you participate in online networks, Web sites and activities where you are identified? Do you participate in any where you can be anonymous? What’s the difference?

LINK: Student Opinion | Should People Be Allowed to Obscure Their Identities Online? NYTimes.com .

Instructions for posting:

To participate, follow the link above to the NY Times website, read the article, and respond in the comments there. (Remember to use your first name only at the NY Times website.)

After your comment is posted, click on the “Link” link under the date, copy the URL, and paste it into the comment box below. (Remember to use only your first name and last initial on this page below.)

Hmm…I think something’s gone awry…

This New York Times student opinion question is about good manners:

Students: Tell us how you’d define “good manners.” Is it knowing proper etiquette when you’re in a restaurant? Saying “please” and “thank you”? Being kind and thoughtful of others? Do you think having good manners is important? How would you rate your own manners? Do you think our society in general is becoming less civil and more rude? Why or why not?

LINK: Student Opinion | Do You Have Good Manners? NYTimes.com

Instructions for posting:

To participate, follow the link above to the NY Times website, read the article, and respond in the comments there. (Remember to use your first name only at the NY Times website.)

After your comment is posted, click on the “Link” link under the date, copy the URL, and paste it into the comment box below. (Remember to use only your first name and last initial on this page below.)

Here are the questions:

Tell us about your role models. Is Kelly Clarkson, or Steve Jobs, among them? How have your role models influenced your life? Have you ever been disappointed by news about a person you admire? Are there people who view you as a role model? If so, does this honor bring extra responsibilities or affect your actions? Do you want to be a role model? If so, for whom?

To participate, follow the link above to the NY Times website, read the article, and respond in the comments there. (Remember to use your first name only at the NY Times website.)

After your comment is posted, click on the “Link” link under the date, copy the URL, and paste it into the comment box below. (Remember to use only your first name and last initial on this page below.)

This week, we’ll start practicing with an online word-processing tool that is like the one used to take the test. To do this, follow the directions below.

You will need to print out or write down the directions before you begin because the practice tool takes over your browser, and you won’t be able to move back and forth from this page to that one after it starts.

1. Go to the Virginia Department of Education Web site:
   http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/english/2010/online_writing/index.shtml.
2. Under “Writing Practice Tools and Guide” click on the End of Course (EOC) Writing Practice Tool link. Then, on the next page, click on the link to leave the DOE website.
3. If prompted by Java, choose to run the tool.
4. Once the program has loaded, type your name in the text box. Use your first and last name, using standard capitalization. Then, click “OK.”
5. The next screen is the “Prompt” screen. If this were the actual test, your prompt would appear in the box. Instead, use the prompt you have been given for this activity. Then, click “Next.”
6. The next screen is the word-processing page. This is where you will type your response to the prompt today. On the actual test, this is where you will type your essay. Use the cut, copy, paste, undo, and redo buttons as necessary. When you have typed your response to the prompt, click “Next.”
7. Next, you will see the Checklist for Writers. You can use the pencil and eraser to mark the checklist, if you like. The Checklist for Writers is also accessible from the previous word-processing page; at the top left, next to the pencil and eraser, its icon looks like two papers. After you have used the Checklist for Writers, click “Next.”
8. On the Review screen, you can click to go back to the prompt, back to your written response, or back to the Checklist for Writers. Click on “Continue to Test Overview.”
9. The next screen gives you three options. Option 1 allows you to go back and review your answers. Option 2 will not work in this practice (your response will be lost), but in the actual test, it will allow you to save your answers and return later. You should choose Option 3 today: “I am finished with this and I want to submit my final answers.”
10. Then, click on “Submit and Exit Test.”
11. Click on the green “Final Submit” button.
12. Then, click on the “Print” button.
13. Finally, close the program and turn in your printed page.

*Please note that there is no “word wrap” in the text box, so the formatting will be all off. Don’t worry about this. It will not affect your grade on this activity.

Revised 01/06/2012 to update VADOE link.
(Adapted from Pearson’s Writing Practice Tool Guide.)