September 29, 2008
September 21, 2008
Perspectives Assignment
Hi again, folks. Remember me? I should only be gone one more day, because this is my last day of comprehensive exams. However, I still have this horrible virus-thing, and I've lost my voice... So I'm not promising anything just yet.
Here's the drill: We talked a while back about audience, purpose, composition, and context. I want you to write a 3-5 paragraph essay that addresses the first three of these in 'This Boy's Life.' Talk about who this is aimed at, and what you think Wolff wants to accomplish. Remember that both of those are CLAIMS. For EVIDENCE, you need to look at the composition--the writing. At the very least you can talk about what happens in the book. But if you want better than an average grade, talk about HOW the book is written as well.
Hand it in to your friendly sub. Do your best. I'll be back soon...
Here's the drill: We talked a while back about audience, purpose, composition, and context. I want you to write a 3-5 paragraph essay that addresses the first three of these in 'This Boy's Life.' Talk about who this is aimed at, and what you think Wolff wants to accomplish. Remember that both of those are CLAIMS. For EVIDENCE, you need to look at the composition--the writing. At the very least you can talk about what happens in the book. But if you want better than an average grade, talk about HOW the book is written as well.
Hand it in to your friendly sub. Do your best. I'll be back soon...
September 17, 2008
Assignment: Blog Review #2
Hey everyone,
I'm still battling whatever virus this is, and I'm starting to take my comprehensive exams anyway, so think good thoughts for me.
In the meantime, here's the deal: I want another blog review out of you. Make sure you title it "Blog Review #2" and include your name, the date, and the hour of your class in the upper right. Down below the title, make absolutely sure you include the name (or names) of the blogger (or bloggers), the title of the blog, and the url (the address you type in).
Hopefully, since this is the second time you've worked through this list of questions, you'll have a little extra time. Oh, one other thing: this time it has to be a blog that I have not linked to.
Otherwise, the instructions are the same as last week. Plus, if you're not sure you did the right thing last week, I've posted an example.
I'm still battling whatever virus this is, and I'm starting to take my comprehensive exams anyway, so think good thoughts for me.
In the meantime, here's the deal: I want another blog review out of you. Make sure you title it "Blog Review #2" and include your name, the date, and the hour of your class in the upper right. Down below the title, make absolutely sure you include the name (or names) of the blogger (or bloggers), the title of the blog, and the url (the address you type in).
Hopefully, since this is the second time you've worked through this list of questions, you'll have a little extra time. Oh, one other thing: this time it has to be a blog that I have not linked to.
Otherwise, the instructions are the same as last week. Plus, if you're not sure you did the right thing last week, I've posted an example.
September 11, 2008
Sample Blog Review: Andrew Sullivan
"The Daily Dish"
Andrew Sullivan
andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com
Andrew Sullivan is an editor for the Atlantic Monthly, and has been blogging since the summer of 2000. On his blog, The Daily Dish, he writes about politics, religion, current events, pop culture, and sometimes (though less often these days) about gay rights issues. Sullivan is Harvard-educated, Catholic, gay (and married, as of early 2008), and politically conservative (the libertarian kind). His most recent book, The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How to Get It Back, was about the influence of religion on political conservatism. He updates his blog daily, often twenty or thirty times in a day.
His online work for the Atlantic seems designed primarily to provoke strong opinions. Sullivan won't just write about the events of the day, he tells you what he thinks about them. He sometimes gets into heated exchanges with other writers, both on and offline. As much as anything, I think, it's this strong set of opinions that keep readers--both those who agree and those who disagree--to come back and read more.
The Daily Dish is easy to navigate. The stories are on the left, while links--including those to his archives and biography, and a number of other websites and blogs--are on the right. He links to blogs of all political leanings, even those he consistently disagrees with. He includes photos and YouTube videos, but probably only about 10% of the time. Regular features include "The View from Your Window," in which readers e-mail photographs from their homes around the world, and "Mental Health Break," where Sullivan posts some random, often ridiculous YouTube video.
I read Sullivan regularly, because I consider him a smart guy with a lot of interesting things to say. He writes about topics that interest me, and I find his writing voice sharp and often funny. The Daily Dish is linked to my own blog.
Andrew Sullivan
andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com
Andrew Sullivan is an editor for the Atlantic Monthly, and has been blogging since the summer of 2000. On his blog, The Daily Dish, he writes about politics, religion, current events, pop culture, and sometimes (though less often these days) about gay rights issues. Sullivan is Harvard-educated, Catholic, gay (and married, as of early 2008), and politically conservative (the libertarian kind). His most recent book, The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How to Get It Back, was about the influence of religion on political conservatism. He updates his blog daily, often twenty or thirty times in a day.
His online work for the Atlantic seems designed primarily to provoke strong opinions. Sullivan won't just write about the events of the day, he tells you what he thinks about them. He sometimes gets into heated exchanges with other writers, both on and offline. As much as anything, I think, it's this strong set of opinions that keep readers--both those who agree and those who disagree--to come back and read more.
The Daily Dish is easy to navigate. The stories are on the left, while links--including those to his archives and biography, and a number of other websites and blogs--are on the right. He links to blogs of all political leanings, even those he consistently disagrees with. He includes photos and YouTube videos, but probably only about 10% of the time. Regular features include "The View from Your Window," in which readers e-mail photographs from their homes around the world, and "Mental Health Break," where Sullivan posts some random, often ridiculous YouTube video.
I read Sullivan regularly, because I consider him a smart guy with a lot of interesting things to say. He writes about topics that interest me, and I find his writing voice sharp and often funny. The Daily Dish is linked to my own blog.
Assignment: Blog Review
Over the past couple of weeks, you've been looking for blogs that suit your interests. Today, you're going to write about a couple of these blogs. Here's what I want to know about each of them:
- Purpose. What reason does the blogger seem to have for continuing to update the blog, and what reason does the reader have for continuing to visit it? What topics are the focus of the blog?
- Point of view. Describe the author's perspective. What credibility does s/he seem to have on this topic? What attitude does the author take toward his/her topic, and toward his/her audience?
- Quality of presentation. How easy is it to navigate the site? What kind of content is included? How much does the blogger rely on content found elsewhere on the Internet? How often is other media (images, video, audio) included?
- What about this blog appeals to you? Why is this one of the blogs you'd be interested in reading on a regular basis?
Write about one blog at a time, providing the title, blogger's name, and url (the web address). Provide the above information in a clear format, single-spaced.
September 10, 2008
September 8, 2008
AP Assignment
AP students: please read chapter two of Patterns of Exposition (excluding the essay in that chapter), and Donald Murray's "Why I Write." Do a RN (reading notebook) entry on Murray's essay.
September 4, 2008
A Couple More Blogs
Ta-Nehisi Coates blogs for the Atlantic about rap and hip-hop, as well as politics.
Two cake-related blogs: Yes, cake. Or rather, cake and cupcakes.
Two cake-related blogs: Yes, cake. Or rather, cake and cupcakes.
Six More Blogs, Suggested by Students
A motorcycle blog.
A science and technology blog.
An entertainment blog.
An electoral map blog.
A fake blog, written by the character Dwight, from NBC's The Office.
And another cat blog. (This should not be interpreted as advocating websites dedicated to cats.)
A science and technology blog.
An entertainment blog.
An electoral map blog.
A fake blog, written by the character Dwight, from NBC's The Office.
And another cat blog. (This should not be interpreted as advocating websites dedicated to cats.)
More Blogs of Interest
FiveThirtyEight -- Dedicated to electoral projections and political polls; very interesting stuff.
The Cool Hunter -- It's hard to pin down the focus of this one... design, architecture, culture. Very, you know, cool.
Tifaux -- Blog about TV. I just found it... strikes me as potentially pretty funny.
Stereogum -- Music blog.
Matt Taibbi -- (Student Pick) Blog by a columnist for Rolling Stone. Politics, liberal slant.
Laura Freberg -- (Student Pick) Blog by a psychology professor about... psychology.
Tattoo Blog -- (Student Pick) A blog dedicated to photos of, and commentary about, tattoos.
Lick of the Day -- (Student Pick) That's "lick," as in, "riff." This blogger provides, as he says it, "a new guitar lick every day."
The Movie Blog -- (Student Pick) Pretty self-explanatory.
One student suggested a blog debating religion, but it seemed a little too combative to link. But it's obviously a topic that interests people, so I went looking for some with moderated views. Here are a few blogs (in no particular order) about religion, philosophy, and ethics, from different points of view -- David Kuo on BeliefNet, Planet Humanism, ThinkBuddha, Ijtema.net, Virtual Philosopher, and Civil Religion.
And what would the Internet be without cute pictures of furry animals? (Answer: one-third as big.)
The Cool Hunter -- It's hard to pin down the focus of this one... design, architecture, culture. Very, you know, cool.
Tifaux -- Blog about TV. I just found it... strikes me as potentially pretty funny.
Stereogum -- Music blog.
Matt Taibbi -- (Student Pick) Blog by a columnist for Rolling Stone. Politics, liberal slant.
Laura Freberg -- (Student Pick) Blog by a psychology professor about... psychology.
Tattoo Blog -- (Student Pick) A blog dedicated to photos of, and commentary about, tattoos.
Lick of the Day -- (Student Pick) That's "lick," as in, "riff." This blogger provides, as he says it, "a new guitar lick every day."
The Movie Blog -- (Student Pick) Pretty self-explanatory.
One student suggested a blog debating religion, but it seemed a little too combative to link. But it's obviously a topic that interests people, so I went looking for some with moderated views. Here are a few blogs (in no particular order) about religion, philosophy, and ethics, from different points of view -- David Kuo on BeliefNet, Planet Humanism, ThinkBuddha, Ijtema.net, Virtual Philosopher, and Civil Religion.
And what would the Internet be without cute pictures of furry animals? (Answer: one-third as big.)
September 3, 2008
"Tangled Web"
Kelsey Beltramea, former AP Language and Perspectives student, has the cover story in the current Student Press Law Center magazine. The SPLC is, according to its website, "an advocate for student free-press rights," and is located in Washington, D.C.
This is a big deal. Congratulations, Kelsey!
This is a big deal. Congratulations, Kelsey!
September 2, 2008
Assignment
Perspectives, for 9/2: Read through p. 17 of This Boy's Life, take notes on what we know about the characters, including Roy.
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