12.20- Bell-ringer, Research Project

Directions: Describe the best gift you ever received. When did you get it? What was the occasion? Who gave it to you? What made it the best? Write at least a paragraph.  

Christmas Mini Research Project

Directions: Use online resources to answer the following questions. Your answers must be written on your own sheet of paper. They do not have to be complete sentences.

1.    The country from which we get the red flower called the Poinsettia

2.    The country that the tradition of having a Christmas tree comes from

3.    The man who lit the first Christmas tree

4.    The country in which the original St. Nicholas was born

5.     In what season does Christmas happen in Australia

6.    The name of the special celebration in Melbourne, Australia, held on Christmas Eve each year

7.    The things that children in France leave by the fireplace on Christmas Eve

8.    In France, the award you get if you find the bean hidden in the Three Kings’ Cake

9.    What Children in Great Britain do with their letters to Santa

10. Where children from Holland believe Santa live

11. What people from Ireland leave in the window Eve for

      Joseph and Mary on Christmas Eve

List the name of Santa Clause in each of these countries:

12. Brazil ______________________________

13. England ____________________________

14. France _____________________________

15. Germany ___________________________

16. Italy _______________________________

17. Russia _____________________________

Choose a country and find the following information about Christmas in this country:

1.     The name of the gift giver

2.    List some popular Christmas  decorations

3.    Tell about the food or meal the people eat to celebrate Christmas

4.    List at least 2 interesting customs or traditions that the people in this country do to celebrate Christmas.

12.19- Bell-ringer, Group Evaluation

December 19, 2017

Bell-ringer- Create an original sentence for each of the words below. Your sentences should be creative, interesting, and at least ten words long.

1. facetious- adj. funny (especially something that should be serious)

2. facile- adj. easy

3.  facsimile- n. a copy

4. fastidious- adj. hard to please

5. fealty- n. loyalty

 Write down the name of one of your team members.

1.     How well did this person work with others in the group?

2.     Did this person complete the tasks that were given to him/her?

3.     Did this person assist with other components when they finished?

4.     What grade would you give this person?

5.     Would you want to work with this person again? Why?

Do this for each person in the group.

Answer the questions about yourself except for #5.

12.18- Bell-ringer, Spelling List

Directions: Write the following sentences and then define the underlined words using context clues.

1. The facetious video you showed us made my family die in laughter.

2. That puzzle was so facile that even my baby sister could solve it.

3.  We only have a facsimile of the Mona Lisa, not the real one.

4. My father is too fastidious; nothing I do is ever good enough for him.

5. The fealty of the soldier’s dog was inspiring; it even stayed beside his coffin.

1.       Yuletide

2.       wintry

3.       Toboggan

4.       poinsettia

5.       Partridge

6.       Nativity

7.       Mistletoe

8.       Kwanzaa

9.       Hanukkah, Chanukah

10.   Frankincense 

12.14- Bell-ringer, Crisis Tasks

Bell-ringer: Write the quote and then answer the questions that follow.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.

1.     Put Dr. King’s quote into your own words.  

2.     “Drive out” means to get rid of; why can’t hate get rid of more hate?

How can this quote be applied to the world we live in?


Candidate Crises:

On NBC’s Nightly News last night, a negative story about former Mayor Alexander Rubens was reported on. In the report, it was mentioned that Rubens had been living with his current wife, Tatiana, for over three years while still being married to his ex-wife, Elizabeth. In fact, even though Alexander and Elizabeth attended Mayor Ruben’s first mayoral inauguration as husband and wife, Rubens had actually already moved in with the model and had been living with her for over six months. The timeline suggests that even though the former Mrs. Elizabeth Rubens campaigned for her then husband, they were not actually living together and had been planning to divorce throughout the whole campaign. The two remained married for two more years until the right time was determined by the mayor’s staff for a divorce. During this time, they did not live together. When asked for a comment, Elizabeth Rubens (the mayor’s ex-wife) stated, “I only did what Alex asked of me. I was still in love with the man and wanted for him whatever made him happy.”

Earlier this week on Fox News, a phone call that had been recorded between Gov. Anthony Di Stefano and a group of top donors was aired during the primetime news hour. In this recording, a voice, which has been identified (but not verified) as Di Stefano can be heard saying, “I don’t get these Solvo people. They talk about being religious and caring for the poor, but they would push a homeless man in front of a moving car if they thought it would save them money. Are these people retarded?” The Council for Disabled Individuals has quickly pulled their support of the governor’s presidential campaign and has decried him as, “a bully who is no better than the nasty kid on the playground.” This is not the first time that DiStefano has used derogatory language when referring to his political enemies.

In the Los Angeles Times, portions of an essay entitled, “The Problem with Religion,” were published on the front page. This essay was written by Madeline Sneed while she was a philosophy student at Oxford University forty years ago. In this essay, Sneed states that, “The belief in God only exists because people need to have something to rely on and that the truth is too difficult for most people to grasp.” She writes that “There can be no afterlife, and that believing in such an idea only occurs because people are gullible and willing to believe in anything that will give them hope.” This essay was written in a course that focused on religion. Many of her supporters have defended Ms. Sneed saying that this was only written for a class and that she was only trying to please a professor. However, many voters within her own party wonder if Sneed is actually an atheist. Sneed has never made mention of her religious beliefs.

The Washington Post reported on an investigation that they had conducted on former Sec. Diane Ellsworth’s time at the Pentagon. While most of this investigation revealed little, there was one piece of information that the investigative reporter found interesting. In the article, the reporter detailed that while Ellsworth was Defense Secretary, she pushed Congress to pass a bill that would allow the Defense Department to purchase new weapons from Titan Defense Supplier. At the time, Congress easily passed the bill which was quickly signed by the president. Nearly $1.5 billion was spent on the new materials, pushing the government into even more debt. It has now been uncovered that one of the largest investors in Titan Defense Supplier was. Richard Wells, who is the cousin of Sec. Ellsworth. As an investor in the company, Wells receives a portion of the company’s profit; he is also a financial supporter of Ellsworth’s campaign. Some are now accusing Ellsworth of nepotism for making deals for the sole purpose of helping her family. While Titan Defense Supplier is one of the leading arms suppliers in the world, the report indicated that Ellsworth did not determine if any other company could provide the same materials for less money. 

On MSNBC last night, Al Sharpton reported that while Rep. Ryan Davis was in college, he attended an independent Catholic Church (a church that is not sanctioned by the international church) lead by Father Zachariah Meyers. Meyers has been in the news throughout three decades for making anti-American and racist statements. At times, his comments have been so defamatory that some have accused him of being a traitor and have caused racial tension to rise. These comments include, “America isn’t great. America has never been great. God does not bless America. Why should He? We’re the problem in this world. We pray for safety. Why? We’re the terrorists!” The priest has also been known for railing against Jewish people, even stating, “Perhaps Hitler was sent on a mission from God.” This comment was quickly recanted by Father Meyers. Rep. Davis attended this church for two years while he was in college. Though he has not attended this church for decades, records show that his wife made a contribution to the church five years ago. Some are now questioning Davis and his wife’s patriotism.

 Today's tasks:

1.       Write a speech (minimum one minute) that your candidate (anyone in your group) will give this afternoon This speech should address the crisis that your candidate now has to face. Decide if the person will simply apologize, if the person will justify his/her actions, or if this person will deny it. Will your candidate “throw another candidate under the bus” to shift the attention away from him/herself? Will your person own up to it ? Make sure that you include logos, pathos, and ethos. If you need help with details, ask Mr. Spivy—due this afternoon. 

2.       Write a memo to your campaign volunteers throughout the country. In this memo, you need to tell your staff how they should address the crises of the other candidates. Should they be supportive of the other candidates? Should they be critical of the other candidates? Should they just ignore the other candidates’ crises?

Write a paragraph about each of the other candidates with how your volunteers should address these crises and the reasoning behind your decision—due Monday. 

12.13- Bell-ringer, Debate Questions

Directions: Rewrite the following sentences with any corrections that you make.

1. Our set of forks are for sell in the auction.

2. Jimmy, and Lucy have went to the movies, but left me at home.

3. Mr. Smith choosed Roxanne and I for student council.

4. Where you at?

5. His Mother told George, and I to stay home yet we decided to go anyways. 

Debate Questions

1.       What would you do within the first year of your presidency? What does America look like when you are president?

2.       As of 8:00 this morning, the national debt was over $20.6 trillion. How do you propose to balance the budget? Will this be a priority of your administration?

3.       If you could do one thing as president to assist the economy, what would that be?

4.       The rate of joblessness has dropped over the past six years; what will you do as president to continue this trend?

5.       The environment in Washington has been toxic for nearly a decade with those in different political parties typically choosing to argue with one another instead of trying to work together. This has led to the shutdown of the government multiple times. How can you as a president help improve the climate of Washington?

6.       There are parts of Affordable Care Act of 2010 that have helped many people pay for healthcare that could not afford it before; there are other parts of Obamacare that are hurting the economy and making health insurance unaffordable for many Americans. Is there anything you would do to Obamacare as president?

7.        What is the best solution for an unwanted pregnancy?

8.       What is your solution for the illegal immigration problem?

9.       In 2014 alone, there were close to 50,000 gun related incidents. Of those, only 3% are self-defense related. Since 1992, there have been close to 400 school shootings. Children ages 5-14 in America are 13 times more likely to be murdered with guns as children in other industrialized countries. Do you believe that the United States has a gun problem?

12.12-Bell-ringer and Tasks

Bell-ringer: Directions- write an original sentence for each of the words below. Make sure your sentences are at least ten words long.

1. emulate- v. to try to equal; to imitate

2. enamored- v. (adj.) to be fill with love

3. encumber- v. to impede or hinder; to delay

4. engross- v. to hold completely (when referring to people’s attention)

5. enigma- n. a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence; a riddle

Campaign Tasks

1. Finish the five posters (three for 5th period) due tomorrow. Review the instructions for these posters from last Monday. 

2. Finish the two position statements due tomorrow. Review the instructions for these position statements from last Monday. 

3. Research the illegal slave trade that is occurring in Libya. Determine how your candidate would respond to this crisis if s/he was elected president. Would they be a war-hawk and go into Libya with American troops (which inevitably will cost a lot of money and stir up much unrest in that part of the world)? Would your candidate promise to work with international organizations (like the United Nations and the African Union) to address this crisis (leading some to believe that your candidate would move slowly to address this pressing matter)? Would your candidate send "thoughts and prayers" but nothing else because we have our own problems? Is there a deeper problem than the slave trade? Be prepared to give a 60 second spoken statement this afternoon. Remember, your candidate is running for president, and anything s/he says will affect how the public perceives your candidate. 

12.11-Bell-ringer and Campaign Tasks

Bell-ringer:

1. The toddler tried to emulate his father; he even put on a tie like his dad.

2. Lucas is completely enamored with Leah; he basically worships the ground she walks on.

3. Fallen branches and heavy boulders encumbered the traveler’s journey.

4. Her angelic singing engrossed the audience for many hours.

5. My brother is talented at solving enigmas; the Sphinx’s riddle is his favorite.

Campaign Tasks 

1. This afternoon, someone from your group will be giving the candidate's announcement speech. Look at previous posts for instructions. Fifth period will give the speeches at the end of class

2. Five final campaign posters will be due Wednesday. Look at previous posts for  instructions. 

3. Two position statement articles are due by Wednesday. Look at last Monday's post for information regarding these. 

4. Create a 60-second commercial advertising your candidate. This commercial should focus on persuading undecided voters to vote for your candidate. This can be done using any combination of ethos, pathos, and logos arguments. Since this is a political campaign, the commercials can either be positive (highlighting your candidate's accomplishments and ideas), negative (attacking another candidate), or a mixture of both.  You will be turning in a script before presenting your final product. Since the candidates are fictitious, anyone in the group can portray the candidate for the commercial. Due Monday. 

12.4-Bell-ringer, Campaign Tasks

Bell-ringer:

In one paragraph (or more), describe a real or made up dream/nightmare you have had.


Campaign Tasks:

1. On Tuesday,  each group will give a speech announcing your candidate’s decision to run for president. One person in your group will assume the role of the candidate to give this speech (using I, me, we, and us). This speech needs to announce to the country why your candidate is running for president, why s/he would be the best choice, and what makes him/her qualified. Use all three types of arguments that were discussed in class (logos, pathos, and ethos). Research other presidential announcement speeches to help give you an idea where to start. This speech needs to be at least one minute and thirty seconds. 

2. Create rough drafts for five different types of posters. One poster should be a generic poster with the person’s name, the office s/he is running for, the political party (except for Rubens), and the year. One should be of the slogan. One should be tied to the focus (which would be discussed in the notes you took last week) of your campaign. The other two can be whatever you want them to be. These rough drafts should be on notebook paper, do not have to be colored, and should be completed by the end of class today. If all five of the rough drafts are completed, you may begin working on your final drafts if Mr. Spivy approves them. If Mr. Spivy is not available to approve them, then then responsibility falls to team leader. These should be colored and on computer paper. Final drafts will be due Thursday.

3. The voters want to know where you candidate stands on certain issues. Of the issues that are on
your candidate’s profile (abortion, business and budget, foreign policy, gun control, healthcare,
and immigration) select two that you would like to write a position statement on. Each
statement (one for each issue—two total) needs to focus not only on what your candidate
believes but also why s/he believes this. Because the profile only provides you with a few
sentences, you will need to develop an argument on your own. Do some research of why other politicians who share a similar view as your candidate believe they way they do. Your position statements should include a strong introduction of your main claim and details to support this claim. Be sure to usel ogos, pathos, and ethos arguments. Your position statement should be written in the first person point-of- view as if the candidate is writing it. This should be at least three paragraphs
long and is due on Thursday.
 

12/1-Bell-ringer, Comma Notes, Comma Exercises

Bell-ringer: The Fabulous Fudge Emporium serves fudge made from an old secret recipe. Marvin works at the shop after school. He does not know what all of the ingredients are, but he knows that in 3 days they use 15 pounds of dark chocolate, 30 pounds of sugar, and 21 pounds of butter. When Marvin orders chocolate, sugar, and butter for 3 weeks, how many pounds of each ingredient does he order? Show your work. 

Comma Notes

The comma in a compound sentence is placed before the coordinating conjunction.

When a dependent clause is placed at the beginning of a sentence, place a comma between the independent clause and the dependent clause.

When a dependent clause is located after an independent clause, do not place a comma between the two.

An essential clause or phrase is used to modify a noun. It adds information that is critical to the meaning of the sentence.

Essential clauses are not set off by commas.

A nonessential clause or phrase adds extra information to a sentence. This information can be eliminated from the sentence without influencing the meaning of the sentence.

Always place commas around nonessential phrases and clauses.

Commas should be placed in series of words, phrases, or clauses.

Use commas to separate adjectives that provide an equal description of a noun. The test:

§Can you put “and” between the adjectives?

§Can they be described in reverse order?

§If yes, use a comma.

•If a prepositional phrase or adverb phrase comes at the beginning of a sentence, a comma should follow. 

Comma Exercise-- click here 
Comma Exercise, the Sequel-- click here

11.30- Bell-ringer, Additional Campaign Task

Bell-ringer: Directions- write the quote and then answer the questions that follow.

“It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.”   Mark Twain

1) What does Mark Twain mean?

2) Do you agree with him? Why?

3) What is something you can do to keep yourself from saying foolish things?

Additional Campaign Task
On Tuesday, each group will give a speech announcing your candidate’s decision to run for president. One person in your group will assume the role of the candidate to give this speech (using I, me, we, and us). This speech needs to announce to the country why your candidate is running for president, why s/he would be the best choice, and what makes him/her qualified. Use all three types of arguments that were discussed in class (logos, pathos, and ethos). Research other presidential announcement speeches to help give you an idea where to start. This speech needs to be at least one minute and thirty seconds. 

11.29- Bell-ringer, Campaign Tasks

Bell-ringer: In a paragraph (or two) write about one of your favorite stories from your childhood. You could write about your first trip to the beach, a funny accident that ended with someone in the hospital, an incident with a slightly crazy aunt, or any other story that is told when your family spends time together. Do not give me the excuse that you cannot think of one; I will not accept that.

Campaign Tasks:

1.      Take your time and read over the profile of your candidate again. Write down at least three questions you have about your candidate. These could be about his/her personal life, views on other topics, and/or opinions.

2.      Discuss why you believe that candidate is running for president—what does s/he offer that no other candidate offers? What would compel them to run for president? If there is one thing that s/he would change about the nation, what would it be? Remember, your whole campaign will be based off of this discussion. This should be a discussion among the whole group. If I ask any person in the group any of these questions later, s/he should be able to answer it. Take notes on this conversation and put it in the folder by the end of class.

3.      Craft a slogan that will define your campaign. The slogan should be connected to your overall message, be clear, and be catchy- due tomorrow.

4.      Create a campaign logo. This logo should be neat, on computer paper) and colored. You will be required to show Mr. Spivy a rough draft before he will give you computer paper-due tomorrow.

5.      Create a press release (short newspaper article) announcing your candidate’s decision to run for president. This press release should include who your candidate is, why s/he is running for president, and why s/he would be the best person to be elected president. This press release should be written in the first-person point-of-view as if the candidate is writing it him/herself. This article should be at least three paragraphs long—due tomorrow at the end of class. 

11.28- Bell-ringer, Presidential Campaign Project

Bell-ringer: Using the words from yesterday, write an original sentence for each of the words. These sentences should be at least ten words long.

                                                                                        

1.  eccentric- adj. odd; out of the ordinary

2.  edible- adj. able to be eaten

3. effeminate- adj. having female qualities

4. egress- n. an exit

5. emit- v. to send out; to release

Presidential Campaign

Directions: Congratulations! Your team has been selected to operate and manage the presidential campaign for a fictitious candidate. As the campaign team, you will be responsible for crafting the overarching message, a slogan, a logo, press releases, speeches, a commercial, and a debate. Along the way, you may be faced with a crisis or two. No one in the group is running for president, but for some tasks (such as speeches, the debate, and a commercial), someone will have to portray the candidate.

Each day, new tasks will be put either on the blog (accessed through the iPads) or in your group folder. All work for the day needs to be put in the group folder and placed in the tray. This is how the candidate will communicate with you, and how you will receive your grades.

The ultimate goal is for your candidate to win the presidency. To do that, you will have to gain more points on each task than the other campaign teams.

The purpose of this project is to become proficient persuasive writers and speakers. The challenge is that you will have to persuade your audience using the candidate’s beliefs, not your own. 

11.27- Bell-ringer, Essay Reflection, Team Contract

Bell-ringer: Directions- write the following sentences. Then, define the underlined words using context clues and prior knowledge.

1.  My eccentric aunt likes to wear colorful fake fur, big jewelry, and enjoys swing dancing in public.

2.  Her cooking is not totally edible; it is rumored she accidently poisoned her husband.

3. Though a male, the bird has some effeminate features.

4. There is an “Exit” sign over all egresses in the building.

5. That piece of cheese emits a foul odor.


Essay Reflection

Directions: Read over your essay again. Read through the changes and notes that Mr. Spivy made.

1.       Did you receive the grade you expected to receive? Explain.

2.       How could you have improved your essay?

3.       What are you going to do next time to write a better essay? 

Team Contract

Contact Information

1.      Write down the name of each person in your group. Then write down a way they can be contacted (e.g. Facebook, texting, Instagram, etc…)

2.      Write down the name of the leader and back-up leader. These people will be the students who are ultimately responsible for the decisions made for the group as well as for the final products.

Create the rules of your contract:

Each rule should have two parts- the expectation and the consequence. So each rule should have an “if” statement and a “then” statement. (Example: If a student does not turn in his or her work, then that student will be required to make up additional work.)

1.  Create a rule/expectation for what you expect if someone knows they are going to be absent ahead of time and write it here.

2.  Create a rule if someone is unexpectedly absent.

3.  Create a rule for when someone does not do the work that was assigned to him/her.

4.  Create a rule for how work will be divided (so that each person is doing an equal amount of work).

5.  Create a rule for getting distracted (try to think of the things that might distract you and be as specific as possible) and what happens when you do.

6.  Create a rule for how you are going to handle disagreements or conflict.

Discipline Process:

Now detail your process for discipline (what steps do you have to go through to keep each other accountable and eventually fire someone if necessary). You must have four, enforceable steps. Steps cannot include physical violence or require Mr. Spivy to stay during lunch or after school (no detention). The last two steps will always be a meeting with the team and teacher and the team member being fired. Mr. Spivy will not fire a team member until he has been shown proof that the team has followed this discipline process.

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3: Meeting with team and teacher

Step 4: Team Member Fired

Understanding and Signatures

1. Each team member must write the statement below.

I understand that the above contract and all of the rules and consequences listed therein apply to me. I also understand that it is my responsibility to check anything that the team turns in for accuracy, plagiarism, creativity, and overall completeness. I understand that any team assignments will be team grades.

2. Each team member must sign each copy of the team contract. 

11-16- Bell-ringer, Activity

Bell-ringer: Write the quote. Then, answers the questions that follow.

“I encourage people to find and use the power of their voices just as much when I do not agree with those voices as when I do agree with them.”—Nikki Haley, current US Ambassador to the UN

1.    Why would a person want to vocalize their thoughts and opinions even if they disagreed with them?

How can we avoid automatically disliking someone just because we disagree with his/her opinions?

Directions: On your own sheet of paper, answer the following questions.

1.       This word comes from the Latin word that means “to cry aloud.”

2.       When referring to a law, this word means “involving the personal enjoyment of proceeds.”

3.       This word is derived from the Latin word meaning “flesh.”

4.       This word has a prefix meaning “together.”

5.       This word derives from and Anglo-French word and contains a suffix that changes a verb to a noun.

6.       A Germanic tribe in the 5^th Century that was known for committing gruesome and destructive acts helped form this word.

7.       This word derives from the Latin word that means “to trade.”

8.       This word is a combination of “differential” and another English word.

9.       “Affluent” is a synonym for this word.

10.   The term comes from the Latin word “gignere.”

11.   One definition of this word is “to steer in various directions as required.”

12.   An antonym of this word is “flatter.”

13.   This word is used in laws and has a suffix that means “action or process.”

14.   The name of a certain prayer in a Catholic Mass (church service).

15.   The root word of this term means “to exact satisfaction.” 

1.    sustenance

2.    condemnation

3.    belittle

4.    beneficial

5.    coexist

6.    fortunate

7.    negotiate

8.    memento

9.    proclaim

10.  vengeance

11.  vandalism

12.  preferential

13.  maneuver

14.  ingenious

15.  carnivorous