[AF] QuestBridge seeking academically excellent, low-income students

QuestBridge matches top juniors from low income families to excellent colleges across the country.  We would love to recommend you.  Check this link and read the qualification criteria to see if you are eligible; if you are, let Ms. Colln or Ms. Fletcher know, and we'll refer you!  QuestBridge will take it from there.

Mayfair alumni Nashville Burrola went to the University of Chicago on a full QuestBridge scholarship.  I can't remember which year!  Maybe somewhere between 2003 and 2007?  Ms. Colln, do you remember?

Atomic Habits Summary

Small atomic habits don't make a big differences in the beginning but over time it slowly leads to exponential growth that makes a massive differences. Habits over time also changes your beliefs about yourself in return you start getting results you might not even have been able to imagine. Also rather then trying to get an outcome first start with what kind of person you want to be. Then ask questions about what kind of person you want to be when faced with a difficult situation. For instances, "what would a kind person do? or "what would a hard worker do". By asking these question if gives you a chance to think about what to do and eventually you'll become a hard worker or kind person because that is now your identity. Although goals work it is often better to look at the system or the process to achieving your goals instead of trying to get an outcome or result.

Atomic Habits Book Club Discussion

During the book club we slightly argued about one of James Clear's claim that it is not necessary to set goals rather we should look at the process. One of our members disagreed with this claim because without goals we wouldn't be able to know when we have succeeded. While I agreed with James Clear because if you set a goal to clean your room each time it gets messy you constantly have to set the goal to clean, however if you have a system you almost never have to set the goal because the system will help keep your room consistency clean. Overall, we didn't have much to talk about yet, but I did enjoy our group discussions.

[AF]: TED Talks on Language

Language is like the proverbial fish in water (check tattoo) -- we swim in it, not often thinking about what it actually is.  We are born into the world ready and hard-wired to learn a language, and learn the basics inside of 2-3 years; we are then immersed in language, but rarely think about it, how it works, how we acquire more of it, or how our perceptions may change when we switch from one language to another.

Getting better at using language is an advantage, and knowing more than one language is an advantage; anything we can do to improve language proficiency overall will open opportunities that we often cannot even imagine.  For example...

Here's the thing that always blows my mind:  if I don't have a word for something, I can't even really perceive or think about that "something" well, no matter what it is.  I mean, sometimes we may have an idea and then a word will appear that describes this idea and helps us to develop it, but it's usually the other way around.  For me, that word was "hegemony."  Once I learned that word, an entire universe of learning and reading and thinking opened up.  I only had hazy ideas about hegemony before learning the word.

It's a fascinating subject, and one that comes up on the AP exam surprisingly often.  Since you are taking an AP English LANGUAGE class, perhaps you'd like to look into this topic a bit deeper.

TED TALKS ON LANGUAGE 

[KC]: Letter from Birmingham Jail Writing Assignment

Hi kids!
Here's the writing assignment from today in case you need to reference it as you work this week :]

Remember, you're practicing good analysis skills so show some depth of thought and support your thought with the text. 

- Colln and Fletcher

AF: Write this up in your notebook

Novel Review and Study Guide for The Awakening, by Kate Chopin

A novel can be used as evidence in an argument.  Anything you know, and can remember, might be useful.  The trick is remembering.  

For example, the fact that Kate Chopin's novel was ill-received, badly reviewed, generally hated and banned is interesting and sad.  She died when The Awakening was a failure and now it is read and discussed in high schools and universities across the country.  That little snippet of information is a good illustration of how ideas and social mores change over time.

Think about the argument you wrote about the value of the unknown.  Could you use anything from the Awakening to show how this assertion might be true?

But before you write about The Awakening in an AP essay under timed conditions without access to notes, you have to remember some basic information.  This information will be a part of your test review process this coming May.

In your notebooks, please write the following. Please do this without looking at Sparks Notes.  Do not cheat yourself.  Use your own good brain.

• Title, author, year published
• Significance of title
• Major themes, comments on life and society
• Major symbols and their meanings, significance to story
• Significant character #1:  name, significance to story
• Significant character #2:  name, significance to story
• Significant character #3:  name, significance to story
• Minor character #1:  name, significance to story
• Minor character #2:  name, significance to story
• Choose three important passages and write them out, and make a note about their significance.  You can use the ones we discussed this week, or use one that you choose on your own.

This is a notebook assignment.  Notebook check on Tuesday, during vocab quiz.

"How long does this have to be?"  Our advice: using complete and correct academic sentences and bullet lists when appropriate, use as few words as possible.  While you don't want to sound like, "Me Tarzan. You Jane,"  you do want to be concise, young writers.  Get it down, clear and tight.

“The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth.”

Visit the Kate Chopin Website

Take 8-10 minutes to poke around Katechopin.org, and you'll be all set and ready to rip through The Awakening, returning to school on January 7th with something to say.

That first week back, we'll take a quick romp through StudySync, have two structured discussions (Save the Last Word, and Fishbowl), pen a Writer's Notebook entry, and practice close reading with a familiar exercise.

Ms. Colln and Ms. Fletcher both wish you safe and joyous holidays, and a relaxing break, sprawled out on your cozy bed, reading The Awakening.