End of Poverty; Documentary Comment

This morning we will take 5 minutes for your Penfield poetry submission. Most of you submitted yesterday, but as it's required, submit now if you did not get a chance to yesterday.

Then, take another 5 minutes to post a quick comment on the blog about the documentary film we have been watching. What has caught your attention? You may wish to comment on your own views regarding the topic (poverty), comment about the film so far, or comment on the artistry or camera work of the film using your film vocabulary terms.

When instructed, please return to room 238 to continue watching the documentary: The End of Poverty? As you watch the film, please complete the graphic organizer you started last class. This will be turned in as participation credit when we complete the viewing of the film.

HOMEWORK: None.

Poetry; Blog Post; Film Documentary: The End of Poverty?

EQ: Writing an original poem draft, adding a personal comment about a social issue, and continuing to watch the documentary The End of Poverty? in order to inspire and/or as a model from which to learn how to create our own documentary.

This morning we will start with a poetry prompt for your Penfield poetry submission. After the prompt, please take 15-20 minutes to complete the poem draft. On Monday, you will be able to revise and prepare your poem for the contest.

If you complete the poem early, please post a comment on the blog about the documentary film we have begun to watch. You may wish to comment on your own views regarding the topic (poverty), comment about the film, comment on the artistry or camera work of the film using your film vocabulary terms, or you may wish to write about Dandelion Wine and your response to beginning that book. In any case, please write for 5-10 minutes to complete a blog post.

During period 4, we will return to room 238 to continue watching the documentary: The End of Poverty? As you watch the film, please complete the graphic organizer you started last class. This will be turned in as participation credit when we complete the viewing of the film.

Documentaries: The End of Poverty

Today, we'll start with a little brainstorming:

• What are some key issues in American culture that you feel are relevant or important?

One category of realistic film (often connected to journalism) is the documentary film. An aspect of reality captured on film to create a historical record of the times we live in, documentary film is one of the oldest and most significant styles of filmmaking.

If we divide cinema into real and fiction, Documentary is the most realistic film style. Narrative, while attempting to be realistic, usually includes camera shots and angles that are most unnatural. Originally, documentary films started off as just "home movies" or simple scenes of ordinary life (without actors or scripts). They were capturing real life on film for the purpose of sharing reality with its audience. Filmmakers today use documentary to "document" important social, political, and popular cultural events.

What sort of topics might you come up with if you were going to make a documentary? Take some time to discuss this with your group and make a list to share with the class.

After our class discussions, we will screen the documentary film: The End of Poverty (2008). The film "explor[es] the history of poverty in developing countries. [Director] Philippe Diaz contends that today's economic inequities arose as a result of colonization, military conquest and slavery, with wealthier countries seizing the resources of the poor. The film is narrated by Martin Sheen. As factual information it includes interviews with numerous historians, economists and sociologists who shed light on the ongoing conditions that contribute to poverty."

HOMEWORK: Please read about documentaries (see link above) and complete the graphic organizer, grasping at key important concepts in the article. Due next class.

Research Article Due! Continuation of Something Wicked!

EQ: How do you research and write an article for a magazine or newspaper?

Because last class was cut a little short due to testing, please take no more than 3rd period today to complete your article. If you are done early, please post a response to your blog about what you found relevant or important from your research. You may also catch up on assignments from Ms. Perez' class if you have completed all my work.

During period 4, we will continue screening the film: Something Wicked This Way Comes.

HOMEWORK: None. If you did NOT turn in your article--it is late! Please complete it for homework and turn in as late next class.

Research Article

Please continue and try to complete your research by the end of PERIOD THREE. During period four, please use your notes and graphic organizers to write an ARTICLE based on your research. You should cite your sources on an MLA formatted page.

See MLA for more details.

HOMEWORK: None. If you did NOT finish your article today in the lab, please finish it for homework.

Research Project #1: Short Expository Paper

Last class you started from a broad topic to narrow your research to something smaller and more manageable. This time, we're going to pick a narrow topic of our choice and find its relevance to us as Americans in the 21st century. To get started, follow these steps:

1. Make a list of topics that you want to write about (particularly topics that you find interesting or want to know more about)--use one of the graphic organizers to help you, if you'd like.
2. From this list select one that you think other people might be interested in as well.
3. Begin to research your topic. You will need to find at least 3 outside secondary sources (not wikipedia, although you are free to use this; it just doesn't count as one of your three or more) to refer to in your article. When you find websites and on-line sources that help you, please record the web address. Remember that you can also use books, magazine articles, interviews, or media clips, etc. in addition to what you might find online. See MLA format sources below.
4. Take notes as you research. What is essential information that helps DEFINE or explain your topic? What is non-essential, perhaps, but interesting? Use the graphic organizers to help.
5. Write a short article about your researched topic. For models please look here (as well as our handout). Pop Matters.
6. Please include a works cited page. See below for proper format.

Q: So what is research? Isn't that just copying someone else's work and passing it off as mine?

A: No. Please record any sources that you use for your presentation/project. Write down website addresses and authors of these sources to include them in your works cited page. In your project it is important for you to cite the sources you use. If you borrowed an idea from someone, give them credit for it. For example: According to..., or _____ writes/states...., or In a comment posted by..., or writer/critic/author/artist/musician/reporter/etc. suggests/writes/states/mentions/posits/argues/believes, etc.
ANY REFERENCE TO SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE/LANGUAGE THAT IS NOT COMMON KNOWLEDGE MUST BE CITED OR GIVEN CREDIT.

Q: How do I set up a works cited page for: MLA Format & Chicago Style Formatting

• Books/texts
• Video/films
• Internet sources
• Paintings
• Interviews
• Magazines
• T.V. Programs/Radio
• Musical Sources/Album

HOMEWORK: Please read the short non-fiction articles.

Research Tips: Part 2

Writers conduct research. It is a key important skill for all writers (it's also helpful for students in every academic field). If you practice this skill, you might even be able to make a living as a researcher.

General guidelines for research

1. Ask for help. Seek out help from librarians, academics/teachers, experts, journalists, people...

2. Try to find out if someone's already done the research you're planning.

3. Learn the basics about your issue. Your research will do you no good if it isn't accurate and to the point. If your information is wrong, or if you don't fully understand what you're talking about, you'll undermine your position, and your argument will fail.

4. Know what you're going to use the information for.

5. Be skeptical about your sources, and check your facts twice. All sources of information are not equally reliable. The Internet is a great informational source, but there's no guarantee that any of it is accurate. If you find information on the Internet, it's best to be cautious about using it without first checking it elsewhere.

6. Be persistent. Information may be difficult and tedious to find. Persistence is perhaps the most important research tool there is.
Problems to avoid/Things to Remember:

•1. Don't rely on your opinions. A hunch or a belief is not a fact. If you can't back up a statement, it may not be true or relevant.

•2. Be wary of statistics. They can be used incorrectly to sway your opinion. You'll get better at figuring out if you're being duped by numbers. Critically think how the numbers are being used and for what purpose.

•3. Always double-check your sources.

•4. Know what the opposite side of the story is so that you are aware how your opponents or people who might disagree with you are thinking.

•5. Think critically. You have a brain. Use it.

Conduct some research. Report on your blog what you learned today after researching.

Researching a Topic/Social Institutions

We recognize six major social institutions that have been evident in some way in every civilization in history:

• government
  
• religion
  
• education
  
• economics
  
• family 
• the Arts

Choose one of these six major social institutions and use your blog to write about your perception of it in your personal life. After posting your thoughts, spend some time today RESEARCHING the social institution you chose. Use the internet to conduct research. In your physical journal, jot down the web addresses you consult or the articles and authors you read about. We will need this information next class.

HOMEWORK: None. Complete Chew on This if you haven't done so already.

Chew on This & Social Institutions

Today, please post a response to your reading of the book Chew on This on your blog. I'll give you about 10 minutes to post a response. Then, please get together in the following book groups to discuss: Chew on This.

Discuss your progress with the book so far. If you have questions about the book, please ask your group members. Together in your groups, please complete the handout/graphic organizer for your discussion. Turn this in as participation credit at the end of class today.

Topics to discuss:

• 1. The writing style (what did you like or dislike about the way the book is written or put together?)
• 2. The content or subject matter (is the subject matter or content important? Why or why not?)
• 3. The use of facts and research (how does the author use facts, examples, anecdotes, interviews, etc. to support an idea? What is the author's purpose or political stance concerning the subject? How do the facts and research support this?)

After our book group discussion, please complete the following task:

We recognize six major social institutions that have been evident in some way in every civilization in history:

• government
  
• religion
  
• education
  
• economics
  
• family 
• the Arts

Choose one of these six major social institutions and use your blog to write about your perception of it in your personal life. After posting your thoughts, spend some time today RESEARCHING the social institution you chose. Use the internet to conduct research. In your physical journal, jot down the web addresses you consult or the articles and authors you read about. We will need this information next class.

HOMEWORK: None. Complete Chew on This if you haven't done so already.

Research: Key Skills Learned in School

For much of your life from now on, you will be asked to conduct research. Being an adult, also means you are responsible for yourself and dealing with a myriad of problems that will come your way. Even as an author, it is no longer enough to "make up" all the details. You will have to conduct some level of research to get the answers you need.

"Research" means looking for an answer to a question or problem.

Different kinds of questions require different kinds of answers, and different kinds of answers require different kinds of research. Knowing what you need is a first step.

• If the answer you're looking for is a known fact: What's the percentage of teens who attend public schools in America, for example, then you're probably going to have to search the internet or look in books or articles in a library, or consult an expert.
• If you're seeking reinforcement, then you may have to conduct a study or experiment of some sort, or sift through existing records, books, websites, etc. to find what you're looking for. Libraries can be helpful, but you are likely to start with the internet first.
• If you're searching for evidence of harmful and/or illegal action on the part of a corporation or government agency, (or you end up studying law, politics, or sociology) you may have to do some actual detective work: searching through documents, taking pictures, talking to employees, etc.

Research encompasses all these methods and more. What kind of research you should do depends on what and what kind of information you need.

Advantages of research:

• Research supports your position/subject. Your research adds facts and statistics to your belief and passion. The latter two are important, but they won't actually convince too many people who disagree with you. Hard evidence might.
• Research gives you new information. Often, your research will turn up information that you didn't know about. This helps you learn.
• Research can provide you with anecdotes and examples to strengthen your position. While statistics and facts work on your argument's logos, examples are often more powerful to reach us through pathos because it makes the issue immediate and real. An anecdote or example doesn't necessarily prove a case, but it can make it easier for people to understand exactly what the issue is about.
• Research can confirm what you were suspecting or thinking as true. You may "know" that you're right about a particular issue, but it brings a great deal more security to be able to say that all the experts in the field agree with you, or that studies have shown that what you're writing/stating is true.
• Research gives you credibility. If you do your research well, it identifies you as a serious or intelligent person and will make people more willing to listen to you, and to believe what they hear. This is ethos.
• Research can disprove the opposition. If you've done careful research not only on your own position, but on the opposition's position as well, you'll have the information to answer their charges and questions, and either disprove their claims, or make reasonable and logical arguments against their position.
• Research makes you a learned expert. If you become known as the one with the right answers, people (legislators, officials, concerned groups, the general public, etc.) will come to you with their questions and concerns. When you're recognized as the authority, your advocacy position becomes infinitely stronger. People will trust you.

Blog Project

Before we move on to investigative journalism/documentary project, let's use today to set up a blog. For groups who have not yet completed your newsletter, you should do that as well.

First off, many of you are probably familiar with what a blog is, but if not, here you go--some important information:

A blog is a web log or web journal. A journal written online. Just like your physical writing journal, a blog can include ideas for stories, your own personal reaction to books/films/national events, etc. It can be a good place to publish your poetry, fiction, and plays before you eventually get paid for your writing. Some companies and media sources hire writers to set up and contribute to a company blog--and they pay you for it! For more info check here.

However, there's a lot to know about blogging. Check out the links below and read a little about blogs before attempting to create one.
5 Reasons Why You Should Consider Blogging

Here's a few sample writers blogs (with tips about being a writer)
Sample Blog
Sample blog
Sample blog (writing tips)
Sample blogs and types: Teen Blog #1, Teen Blog #2, Teen Blog #3, Teen Blog #4, Teen Blog #5, Teen Blog #6.

To set up your blog:

1. Go to blogspot.com or (tumblr.com). You may use blogger (read link to set up this), this is Google's blog site and you can use a Google email address, if you have one. The choice is yours.
2. You may take a quick tour, if interested. Otherwise, create a new account.
3. You must enter an email account (if you have no email, use one from your family; if this isn’t working, use an email account from a trusted and valued friend.) You can set up a new email account at gmail.com. This is a free service. Your email account name will be your “username”
4. Create a password, display your name, look at terms of service, etc.
5. Log onto your blog. Follow the prompts to set up your page.
6. You may provide biographical info and so on. At some point, you will need to create a NEW Post. Each new post needs a title and you should edit it before you post it.

Today, you will need to set up your Blog and write the following posts:

A. An introduction to your website. Welcome your guests and explain that you are a student @ SOTA, taking a creative writing course. This is important so that people know you are a teenager. Feel free to omit (leave out) your last name. You can also use a pseudonym if you'd prefer for privacy sake.

B. Write a short non-fiction entry about something you feel passionate about. You can rant, rave, etc. but remember that your blog is a public forum and other people in the world can access your writing. Don't embarrass yourself. Check your spelling and language so you don't come across as ignorant or unskilled. As always, it is important for a writer to think about his/her audience.

These two blog entries will be graded as participation credit. Please complete them today. If you finish early, you may either continue to read "Chew on This", research other blogs on the internet, or write another post for you blog on a different (your choice) topic.

HOMEWORK: Magazine projects need to be turned in! They are late! Complete your reading of Chew on This. Bring your book to class on Wednesday. Complete the posts if you didn't finish them in class.