Memoir Exhibition - My Example

This is my Memoir Exhibition. Use it as a reference as you complete your own Memoir Exhibition.

Email me at sstaysniak@gmail.com with any questions.

SLC #1 Presentation Template

Open this presentation template and make a copy to use in your SLC.

Have a Great Columbus - er - Indigenous Peoples' - Have a Great Weekend!

Thanks for everyone who contributed to our thoughtful discussions about the renaming of Monday's holiday to Indigenous Peoples' day in Minneapolis and Seattle.

This is a copy of the readings from today's class.

This is a copy of how to create your seminar statement or seminar questions, if you need a reminder.

B-Day classes, this is another copy of the roundtable goal sheet if you need a blank copy to prepare for Thursday's roundtables. Here is another copy of the example I shared in class. 

A-Day classes, this is another copy of the roundtable reflection sheet - this is due Tuesday.

Have a great weekend!

Fist Stick Knife Gun Meets Cholo Style

In the world of Chin, Luis Rodriguez's street name, la vida loca, or the crazy life, meant navigating the struggle of gang life in the Mexican barrios, or neighborhoods, of East Los Angeles.

Luis tells his story from the up-close first-person perspective, looking back on the events such as forming a club with friends for protection against other boys in the neighborhood and joining older boys in robberies to make money which led to him being a hardcore drug user and gang member by 15. Intermixed with Rodriguez’s commentary on the lure of gang-life is a simultaneous narrative about the ever-present anti-Latino racism perpetrated by whites and some in positions of authority including school officials and police.

Similar to Geoffrey Canada’s memoir Fist Stick Knife Gun, Rodriguez looks at the choice between defending one’s reputation on the street and pursuing a dream for the future and as a struggle of life or death. In Rodriguez’s case, his memoir stands as a personal triumph - but one that comes with a hefty cost.


YOUR ASSIGNMENT:
Write a review of a text you have read & completed as a part of your Independent Reading in English I. Refer to this sheet for specific guidelines. Looking forward to posting your review!

Friday Seminar Share - Let there be peace

On Friday, all B-Day sections of English I at Metro engaged in readings and discussion centered around the idea of peace. Our discussions ranged from the from the role of police in society, to the  "fake friends and false enemies" that may emerge as a result of one's success.

Thank you to everyone for a productive second Friday Seminar Share.

Here are links to the readings for the day:
New Haven Independent Article (full article)
Poem - "Anyway"

Micro-Memoir #2

After reading chapter 19 from Maya Angelou's memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in which she uses many literary devices of comparison, write your own micro-memoir that utilizes simile, metaphor, and allegory.

In this link to the handout from class, you will also find my second Micro Memoir. Use it as a model if you are having trouble getting started on your own.
Micro-Memoir #2 Assignment


INDEPENDENT READING

Did you read over the summer? If so, enter two of your books here using the Read 2 Do 2 form on the Metro Library site. 

If you read more than two books over the summer and would like credit for them, please email me at sstaysniak@gmail.com

Micro-Memoir

A-Day micro memoirs will be collected on Wednesday. B-Day micro memoirs are due tomorrow, Tuesday.

Micro-memoir assignment sheet. 

Welcome to English I

Below are links to two of the handouts from the first day of English I - the reading from class is not posted here.

You may print these documents if you need extra copies. If you want to complete your homework electronically, open the file, click FILE, select MAKE A COPY, and then rename the file.

Work completed online can be printed out and handed in to me, or shared with me. To share, click the blue button in the upper right hand corner and in the "Invite People" box enter my gmail: sstaysniak@gmail.com


Daily Flow

Literacy Inventory

To be handed out next week:
Course Outline

Final Portfolio - Redefining the Standards

Your Final Portfolio task asks that you draw from your best work in Writing Workshop and English I to demonstrate your proficiency or mastery of the six standards for our course.

This is the document you were given in class that more clearly outlines the Final Portfolio task, how it will be used in your final exam, and gives you space to re-define the standards in student-friendly language. 

Speeches & Self Analysis

The most important task for the fourth marking period is your "How-To" speech and the self-analysis you will write after watching the video of your speech and reading the feedback from your classmates and myself.

This is the self-analysis task description. 

Article of the Week #13

In your small group, open the collaborative document for your class and search for anything you can find about any of the topics in the document. You can write summaries of what you find and/or paste pictures or snippets of information and links.

Time Limit: 10 minutes

B2 Crowdsourced Background Knowledge Document


B3 Crowdsourced Background Knowledge Document

B4 Crowdsourced Background Knowledge Document

A speech that echoes...

Final preparations for your "How To" speech must include some careful thinking about how you will end your speech. How will you make your words echoes in the ears and minds of your audience?

These are the three speeches with powerful closings we sampled during class:

Tremale Berger (Toastmasters) - 5:25

Marc Ronson (TED Talk) - 13:05

Robin Roberts (ESPY Acceptance Speech) 1:28*

As you continue to think about your "How To" speech, feel free to email me with questions or 

concerns. 

Article of the Week 11 - Crowdsourced Background Knowledge

In my quest to find better ways to integrate the tools of technology into our class, I have created a collaborative document with terms and phrases that will help us build background knowledge before reading this week's Article of the Week.

In your small groups, nominate one person to type and have the rest of the group work on research and helping the person who is typing. As a group, our goal is to have some knowledge about every term and phrase on the sheet before we begin reading.

The collaborative documents for each class can be found here:

B2's Crowdsourced Background Knowledge Document


B3's Crowdsourced Background Knowledge Document

B4's Crowdsourced Background Knowledge Document

Response to Lashaunda Rundles

After watching Ms. Lashaunda Rundles' speech at the 2008 Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking, use your notes to complete a response that answers these questions:

- What was Ms. Rundles talking about? What was the most important CONTENT of her speech?

- How did Ms. Rundles use FORM to deliver her message? What did she do with her voice, body, actions, or the surroundings to supplement her speech?

- How did Ms. Rundles try to get the audience on her side? Did she get you on her side by the end of the speech?

This is our actual handout from class if you need another copy - but you can type or hand write your answers in Drive (share with me) or on another piece of paper if you'd like.

Use this link to see Mr. Staysniak's notes and response if you need ideas on how to compose your own response.

Article of the Week #9 & #10

This is a link to Article of the Week #9 - B Day only.

This is a link to the Article of the Week #10 assignment and the article is here  - A Day only.

Content & Form - Beginning Unit IV

In our final unit of the year we will look at ways in which content and form are interrelated in public speaking.

This is a copy of the text we are using to analyze the two versions of Romeo & Juliet.

For your homework after today's class, you are expected to write a response in which you argue for the version of Romeo and Juliet that made the most effective use of the elements of form.

This is my response as well as some tips on how to approach this response. Read both for an idea of how you might compose your own response.

Unit III Final Paper - Revising and Editing

Almost done!

The last step in writing your paper before I read it using the district rubric for assessment is to revise and edit what you have written. 

This is the revision and editing checklist you must use to receive the final 5 points for your final paper grade. 

If you are going to do the revision and editing checklist at home, please make a copy of the document in your Google Drive and share the checklist with me once you have reviewed it so I know you are ready for your paper to be assessed. 

Please email me (sstaysniak@gmail.com) with any questions. 

Unit III Final Paper - Day 3: Conclusion

You are getting closer!

Today, work on answering the three questions in your paper outline about the conclusion. The more you write in your outline, the easier it will be to turn the outline into a paragraph.

Here is my final paper with all three sections outlined and drafted.

This is another copy of the guide for today. 

Click here to see your homework for tonight. 

If you need it, here is the list of criteria for a courageous act.

By our next class meeting, you must have your paper completely drafted. We will use class time next week to revise and edit your papers.

If you have problems or questions, don't hesitate to email me at sstaysniak@gmail.com.

The Body of Your Argument - Work Day #2

Focus today on completing the outline of the body of your argument.

This is an example of what my outline and drafted argument body looks like. 

Click here for another copy of today's guide. 

Here is the homework assignment for tonight. 

Problems? Questions? Email me at sstaysniak@gmail.com

I am able to help with this assignment any day during lunch or after school on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

Mr. Staysniak

Article of the Week 7 - Background Information

Use the resources available to you (Google, twitter, personal knowledge, dictionary.com) to find out what you can about any items on this list.

Post your response as a comment.

In your comment, make sure you:

1. Paste the item to which you are responding.

2. Reply with a brief (less than 50 words) summary of what information you were able to find and the link or links you used in your search.


ITEM #1
Who is this?
What does he have to do with the CT minimum wage hike?
What are his plans for the future?


ITEM #2
- What is the current minimum wage in CT?
- Who are the majority of minimum wage earners in CT?
- What kind of jobs offer minimum wage pay?
- If you earn minimum wage, how much can you expect to pay in taxes? In other words, how can you calculate your NET PAY?

ITEM #3
- Where in CT is there a restaurant called "Cafe Beauregard"?
- Why was this restaurant in the news recently?

ITEM #4
- Where else in the country is there a fight over minimum wage?
- What cites or states have minimum wage proposals over $10.10?
- Where is there opposition to raising the minimum wage?

ITEM #5
- What does it mean to "pass legislation"?
- What is a "party line" in politics?
- What does an "advocacy group" do?
- What does the word "momentum" mean?
- What is the poverty line?
- What does it mean to say someone has a "schizophrenic attitude" on a certain issue?

Unit III Final Paper: First Steps

Take a breath. Take another breath.

You have done a lot of work for this paper already.

Today, your job is to start to outline your introduction. Simply answer the questions I have created in the paper template.

Click here to open the paper template. 

Follow the instructions on your guide for what to do next.

This is a link to view my completed Homework for this part of the project. 

Arguments of Courage - Reading #3

Our third reading in the "Arguments of Courage" course-pack is the testimony given by Ms. Fannie Lou Hamer at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. Our work in class will be to closely analyze the literal elements of Ms. Hamer's testimony, discuss inferences about the "real story" of her testimony, and draw conclusions about what Ms. Hamer's testimony means to us today.

You can view archival footage of a portion of her testimony using this link.

This is a link to the full audio of Ms. Hamer's testimony.

Rorschach Response - Responding our Picture Books

In class, we read picture books to practice analyzing literature and discussing our findings with peers.

Your response to the picture book, your argument about what the "REAL" story in the picture book might be, is your second attempt at writing arguments.

This is the outline for the response. 

This is a sample of my response to Where the Wild Things Are.

These are the directions for how to draft your argument about your picture book. 

Don't remember your picture book? Email me right now (sstaysniak@gmail.com) and to ask how you can borrow a book from me, read a picture book online, or use another text for this assignment.

Many Rivers Response

After your class completes watching the final chapter of "Many Rivers to Cross" it's time to put your ideas into words!

Use this document to read the details of this written response assignment.

B-Day outlines are due on Wedesday, A-Day outlines are due on Thursday.

Class time on Wednesday and Thursday will be used to compose the written responses.

Check out this link to the PBS site for Many Rivers to Cross to watch the episode (or any portion of the episode) again - or to share it with someone else!

This is a link to my response to the film. 

Independent Reading Project

This is a link to the Independent Reading Project description for the third marking period.

This is a link to a blank copy of the Reading Schedule document. Your reading schedule is the first assigned component of this project.

For help choosing your next book, use this link to a list of sites compiled by the Metro Library.

Once you have finished reading your book, complete a one-pager to reflect on what you've read. All the one pagers are essentially the same, just with different options of how to respond to your book. Choose any one-pager you like, print it out, and complete it!

One Pager 1
One Pager 2
One Pager 3
One Pager 4
One Pager 5

Need Help Choosing a Book for our Independent Reading Project?

Ms. Cupole has put together this great list of sites that can help you choose a book.

Check it out!

English Mid Term

The MidTerm consists of two sections, a reading section & writing section.

You will be able to use the memoir you chose to read for the second marking period for the reading section and your Writer's Notebook for the writing section.

If you complete any of the MidTerm extra credit, you will be able to use that as well.

Here are more details on each section of the MidTerm, model responses , and the extra credit.

MidTerm Reading Section

MidTerm Writing Section

MidTerm Writing Section Rubric

MidTerm Extra Credit

MidTerm Detail Sheet (handed out last week - but here it is in case you'd like to look at it again)

I am available for extra-help after exams every day this week except Friday. You can also email me, call me, or text me (617-721-9963) if you are not able to stay after school.