Biography Project Research

The goal is get started on researching topics related to the biography you are reading.  Don't worry about what the research will be used for.*  Follow your interests.  Find some sources.  Save the source information so you can easily go back later.

1. Identify topics for research, using the handout

2. Set up a place to save and organize all your bookmarks.  This could be a folder with Safari or Firefox Bookmarks.  Or you may choose to set up an account on Delicious or Diigo.

3. Start identifying sites that are potential resources.  Don't just rely on Google.   See the Biography section of  Wirthportal (also on the right sidebar link of this site) and check out Marvel, Internet Public Library, Google Search tools such as "Advanced Search" and Time Defined Searchs, Google News, and Google Blogs.

4. Save your sites you find within your bookmarks folder (or on Delicious or Diigo).

*Some of your research may be later incorporated into a review of your biography. Some of your research may help you write genre pieces and may become part of your presentation. Even if your research is not directly used, it may help you have a better understanding of your biography and -- importantly -- you will get credit for each source you include as part of your bibliography.

Hamlet Project

The steps of the project include:
1. Choose a partner.
2. Choose a theme.
3. Collect 5 quotes on your theme & save them to a word document.
4. Write a statement that explains and interprets each quote.  (The statement should explain in a general sense what the quote might add to our understanding of the theme; it should not be specific to the play and its characters).
5. Choose an image to go with each quote & statement.
6. Put quotes, statements, and images together in the form of a slideshow, prezi, poster, or other.
7. Present to the class.

The full text of Hamlet is here.  You can locate quotes with your theme by using the "Command F."

The rubric for the project is here.

"There is the story of the woman who read Hamlet for the first time and said, 

'I don’t see why people admire that play so. It is nothing but a bunch of quotations 

strung together.'”             –Issac Asimov, Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare

Literary Terms

Definitions for literary terms can be found at:

http://dictionary.reference.com/wordlist/literary/

http://www.babylon.com/define/58/literary-terms-dictionary.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/17500/data/litdev/litdevA.html

Hamlet Journal

Click here for the Hamlet Act I Journal template.
Click here for the Hamlet, Act II Journal template.

Then copy and paste the template to your favorite word processing program.  Then save it as a document.

Hamlet on Facebook:
 If only Elsinore had Wifi:
Click here to view.

Hamlet Resources

 Resources:
Hamlet -- Full Text online

Enjoying "Hamlet" 
Shakespeare Resource Center
Hamlet: The Undiscovered Country

Poetry Out Loud 2012!

Every senior at SDHS is expected to find and learn a poem and to present it during our classroom competition.  (The date of this competition will be announced soon).

Poems are at http://poetryoutloud.org/poems-and-performance/find-poems

Poetry Out Loud learning goals include:

• in-depth understanding of a poem
• exposure to a variety of poems through the classroom competition
• develop skills in memorization
• develop ability and confidence in public speaking
• increased appreciation of poetry

Poems that are high on the short, easy, & accessible scale include:
"Another Feeling," "Battlefield," "Boy and Egg," "Carmel Point," "Catch a Little Rhythm," "The Cities Inside Us," "Domestic Situation," "Dream Song 14," "Eagle Plain," "Golden Retrievals," "Keeping Things Whole," "Layabout," "The Last Laugh," "The Lamb," "Question," "Sadie & Maud," "Thoughts in a Zoo," "War Widow," "Youth."

Reading for Variety

Standard 2 in English reads: "Students will read a wide variety of literature from many periods and genres to build an understanding of the dimensions of human experience."

It's a worthwhile standard and one that we hope you continue to build on through your lifetime.

Your Quarter 2 online reading journal, which is due by Jan. 18 (no penalty for getting it done early!), should include a personal reading list of books you have read during high school. It's ok to include a few favorite titles from your earlier years as well. Details, as well as a sample list, are below:


The goal is to list 12 or more titles that you have read in entirety during high school. These can be assigned texts or independent reading. If you have read dozens and dozens of books, it is ok to list only the top most memorable titles in your post. If you have read fewer than 12 books, it is ok to list books that you have read at least in part.

Listing author names is also a nice touch.

Sample List:
The Adventures of Ulysses
Monster
The Outsiders by SE Hinton
To Kill a Mockingbird
Romeo and Juliet by Wiliam Shakespeare
Night
Speak
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
After the First Death by Robert Cormier
Where the Heart Is
The Crucible
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Scarlet Letter
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Where Men Win Glory by John Krakauer --IR
Into the Wild by John Krakauer --IR
Great Heart: The History of a Labrador Adventure --IR
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race
the World Has Never Seen --IR

*IR= Independent Reading

Beowulf Resources

Fate vs. Free Will Resources

Beowulf -- Easy to read version

Beowulf -- Hypertext version

Beowulf -- Greene Hamlet Resources 

Beowulf Translations.net

Tim Romano Translation

Beowulf -- Translations.net zip file
(This valuable site with dozens of translations of Beowulf from different time periods is now available in the form of a Google-hosted zip file that can be downloaded, expanded, opened, and then used as a website that will be private to your own computer.  To download, click the link above and then click the download link on the top right corner of the page.)

2 More from Macklemore

Wings

My, Oh, My

College Essay & Resume Humor

An extensive list of resume bloopers and blunders is at jobmob.co

A list of bloopers from actual college admissions essays is at ems.psu.edu/

Resume Resources

A list of ACTION VERBS for your resume is at:
www.bc.edu/offices/careers/skills/resumes/verbs.html 
A sample FUNCTIONAL RESUME is in Google Doc format
here.
A useful online Resume Builder is at
http://www.resumizer.com/
Another good option for resume templates is via Google Docs.
(If you don't have a Gmail account, see me for the login info for the class Gmail account.)

Resume Headings: Activities Activities & Interests Additional Experience Additional Skills Additional Training Affiliations Associations Awards/Recognitions Career Goal Career Objective Certifications Coaching Experience Achievements Community Involvement Community Service Computer Skills Conferences Attended Education Employment Employment History Employment Objective Experience Goals Highlights of Qualifications Hobbies & Interests Honours & Awards Language Skills

Memberships Extracurricular Activities Objective Personal Achievements Presentations Publications Qualifications Related Activities Related Experience Relevant Experience Relevant Skills Scholarships & Awards Skills Special Skills Summary of Qualifications Teaching Experience Technical Skills Training Volunteer Activities Volunteer Experience Volunteer Work Work Experience

Ten Thousand Hours

Ten thousand hours -- fifty hours a week for four years -- is, according to Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, the key to success in any field.  In other words, you should expect to put in at least 10,000 hours in order to get really good at something.

What is your passion?  What do you care about enough that you are willing to invest ten thousand hours into it?

For some inspiration, listen to the Macklemore song, "Ten Thousand Hours."  The lyrics to the song are here.

College Admissions Essay Resources & Samples

The College Board has useful section on Essay Skills for the college admissions essay. Included are a section on how to choose a topic and tips on writing the essay itself.

Samples of successful essays can be found at quintcareers.com/ and at
college-admission-essay.com

The Common Application essay prompts are at https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/DownloadForms/2012/2012AppFY_download.pdf

A list, "Top Ten Common College Admissions Mistakes," is at
www.college-admission-essay.com/collegeadmissionessaymistakes.html

An extensive list of college admissions essay topics is at:
www.hpregional.org/departments/english/mhassenplug/100%20topics.html

True fact: You can pay as much as $1000.00 to have a professional essay editing service such as EssayEdge help you with your essay. (Or you can just ask me and get help for free).

The College Board suggests you compete the following as part of your brainstorming process:

• Discover Your Strengths: Do a little research about yourself: ask parents, friends, and teachers what your strengths are.
• Create a Self-Outline: Now, next to each trait, list five or six pieces of evidence from your life—things you've been or done—that prove your point.
• Find Patterns and Connections: Look for patterns in the material you've brainstormed. Group similar ideas and events together. For example, does your passion for numbers show up in your performance in the state math competition and your summer job at the computer store? Was basketball about sports or about friendships? When else have you stuck with the hard work to be with people who matter to you?

Sample College Admissions Essay #1

The sample essay is at:
http://www.conncoll.edu/admission/james-walsh.htm

Resources for Research

Locate & bookmark articles on your topic -- especially those that might have loaded words relating to your topic:

Google News Search:
https://news.google.com/

ProQuest News Search:
via Marvel -- scroll 2/3 down the list of links and click "ProQuest Newspapers"

Google Blog Search:
http://www.google.com/blogsearch

ProCon.org
http://www.procon.org/

Issues & Controversies
http://www.2facts.com/icof_home_feature.aspx