Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Current Event Blog #1

"Sen. McCain: LI 'regrettably' part of U.S." by Tom Brune from Newsday


You will be responsible for finding a current event article that is of interest to you. Make sure your article is from a credible source (ex: Newsday, News 12, New York Times, etc.).  You will then respond to this article on the blog.  Responses should be 6-8 sentences long and are due at the end of the period.  Please make sure your response: 
  • Includes the title of the article AND the URL (see above)
  • Is appropriate 
  • Summarizes the article
  • Incorporates a quote from the article
  • States what in particular made you choose this article
  • Any other specific reflections you may have
  • Is grammatically correct.  

***It is a always good practice to first create your response on a word document and then copy and paste it onto the blog.***

ONLY RESPONSES THAT MEET ALL REQUIREMENTS WILL BE GIVEN FULL CREDIT (50 PTS.)!

Reminder:  Act II Vocab Quiz tomorrow!

Monday, October 17, 2011

V is for Vendetta and Ayn Rand



Think about and write your response to one of the following questions. Your response should be at least one well-constructed paragraph. Please indicate what number you choose as well as leave your name at the end of your response.

1. What is identity? Cultural identity? What are our responsibilities to others based on this identity?
2. What role does society play in crafting identity? How does current events and society influence our perspectives?
3. What are our responsibilities to society and how can culture play a role in these responsibilities?
4. What is the current system of governmental ideology in America? Is this system any more valid than other systems?


Monday, September 19, 2011

The Roseto Mystery



DIRECTIONS:  After carefully reading and annotating the essay, choose three of the following questions and answer fully.

  1. This essay is the introduction to Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling book Outliers.  In what way does the town of Roseto qualify as an “outlier”?
  2. Summarize the first two paragraphs of the essay. Why do you think Gladwell chose to begin the essay this way?
  3. In the essay, who or what do you think was most responsible for the (new) Roseto’s flourishing?  Cite reasons for your response (include page numbers).
  4. Describe what Dr. Stewart Wolf found when he studied the population of Roseto. Cite statistics in your answer.
  5. What are the three possible explanations Dr. Wolf gives for the astonishing results of his study?  How is each one refuted (disproved)?
  6. What does Dr. Wolf finally conclude is the reason for the remarkable health of Rosetans?  Quote from the essay in your answer.
  7. Choose any five vocabulary words whose meaning you are unsure of.  List them, giving page nos. and partial sentence. Then define each one.