11/17: Final class day for work on the proposals
11/16: We worked on the proposals.
1/15: We worked on the proposals.
11/14: HOMEWORK: Continue to work on your drafts. See grading criteria attached below ("Poverty proposal criteria"). See also "Board notes about citing research" (attached). We gave response and worked on drafts. Here's a link to a student draft with my comments .
Citations for "I Stand Here Ironing" and "What is Poverty?" (these are also on the works cited research page). Please use these instead of the ones on your stories.
Olsen, Tillie. "I Stand Here Ironing." QPB Anthology of Women's Writing, edited by Susan Cahill, Quality Paperback Book Co., 2000,
pp.327-335.
Parker, Jo Goodwin. "What is Poverty?" 75 Readings: An Anthology, edited by, Santi V. Bucemi and Charlotte Smith, McGraw-Hill, 2004,
pp. 96-100.
Citations for On the Media podcasts:
This is the episode with the Ben Franklin story, the woman who received the large tip from the church, etc.
"# 3: Rags to Riches." On the Media. from WNYC, 14 October 2016. http://www.wnyc.org/story/rags-riches/
This is the episode that talks about the poor couple whose Go Fund Me was not funded and the one with research about how many people would be in financial trouble if they had an unexpected expense, and the story about the mother with a sick child:
" 'Busted' #4: When the Safety Net Doesn't Catch You." On the Media, from WYNC, 17 January, 2017. http://www.wnyc.org/story/busted-4-when-safety-net-doesnt-catch-you/
"Rags to Riches." On the Media. from WNYC, 14 October 2016. http://www.wnyc.org/story/rags-riches/
11/13: HOMEWORK: Complete first drafts of proposals due tomorrow - no coupons. HARD COPIES. In class, In groups of three or four, please take a look at the draft paragraphs I took from your classmates’ proposals. I am giving you three draft openings and two draft body paragraphs. I think the first draft in each category is the strongest – use those as models. See " Poverty proposals drafts for class" attached below.
11/7: B BLOCK: See "OV Policy proposal after initial research" attached below. PLEASE READ"OV Proposal Planning" attached below and come to class with questions tomorrow.
11/6: C BLOCK: See "OV Policy proposal after initial research" attached below.
11/3: B BLOCK HOMEWORK: Start by looking over the research notes that you already have and freewrite (on the back of the colored notecard) about what kinds of proposals you are considering and WHY (what did you discover in the research that helped you to begin to shape your ideas), ask questions, think about next steps, go back through your stories/essay to find support for your policy (find examples of the obstacles and think about how your proposal would begin to weaken the obstacles), etc. Please DO NOT bullet. Fill he back of the card.
In class - more research.
11/2: B and C Blocks: research in groups about policy possibilities (see "Poverty resources" link below).
11/1: C BLOCK: HOMEWORK: Choose one of the following options: 1) Read or reread a piece that someone in your group found interesting/important to be fresh eyes. Take notes and make connections to the pieces we read on the back of the notecard. 2) Take one or two of the obstacles you found in at least 2 of the pieces we read and use those to reflect, on the back of the notecard, about the policy options you discussed today. How would they help? Why? What would the problems be in instituting the policy? What effect would they have on the characters i the stories? What problems might they create, etc.? IN BOTH CASES: fill the back of the notecard.
In class: research in groups about policy possibilities (see "Poverty resources" link below).
B BLOCK; We started our brainstorming about obstacles we've seen in the stories we've read to pursuit of happiness.
10/31: We are tying together the work we've done on pursuit of happiness and the American Dream as we ask ourselves what can be done to make this more of a reality? What policies are available and would they work?: Piff + monopoly + board games (cultural views of pursuit of happiness and American Dream and how these views might influence our beliefs, behaviors and actions), poverty and the limits it imposes on the Dream: lack of models, of money, of time, of hope, limits imposed by location, family, children, time, etc. " What can I say, except that I have heard/The poor have no children, just small people." - Ai. To do so, we listened to sections of this podcast (starting at 7:50 and continuing through to the end) and respond on the back of the notecard.
10/30: We listened to the first 6:30 minutes of this podcast and responded on the front of the notecard. We also talked about "What is Poverty?" "I Stand Here Ironing" and "Your Brain on Poverty" and about empathy.
10/27: HOMEWORK: Please read “Your Brain on Poverty” (attached below). In the space at the end of the article, respond to what you read by writing about 3 ideas that surprised you OR that you find concerning and tell me why. Then, make at least 3 connections between what you read in the article and either “What is Poverty?” or “I Stand Here Ironing” – these should be ideas form the research that help to shed new light on aspects of the earlier readings.
In class: see "OV 'I Stand Here Ironing' and "What is Poverty?' group work" attached below.
10/26: HOMEWORK: Read and reflect on "I Stand Here Ironing." See "OV What is Poverty and I Stand Here Ironing" (attached below) for the prompt. You can find "I Stand Here Ironing" here.
C Block: We talked about "What is Poverty?" including about our own guilt, her tone and our ability to empathize.
10/25: B Block: See page 1 of "OV What is Poverty and I Stand Here Ironing" (attached below) for classwork and homework. You can find the poverty essay here and "I Stand Here Ironing" here.
10/24: HOMEWORK (C BLOCK); See page 2 of "OV What is Poverty and I Stand Here Ironing" (attached below). You can find the poverty essay here and "I Stand Here Ironing" here. In class, we discussed both stories, their motifs, themes and connections to each other, to "Kindness" and to the ideas we've been exploring about the pursuit of happiness.
10/23: HOMEWORK: Read whichever story ("H" or "Woman Hollering Creek" ) that you did not read last week. Discussion tomorrow.
We worked on "Kindness" as a way to model making our way through a poem.
10/20: HOMEWORK: Read the story you haven't yet read for Tuesday.
We worked in groups on the stories: character and relationship, repetition and patterns: imagery, action, motifs (naming, blackness, water, rage, etc.)
10/19: HOMEWORK: Read either "Woman Hollering Creek" or "H" for Friday.
We worked on "Now I Can see the moon"
10/17: C BLOCK: See " 'Now I Can See the Moon' classwork" for classwork and homework.
10/16: B BLOCK HOMEWORK: For Thursday, read “Now I Can See The Moon.” On the front of the notecard: Write about your reaction to it, what you thought about as you were reading, what you thought about when you were done, what confused you, how this might tie into the pursuit of happiness idea, etc. On the back: “There’s a little bit of magic in everything/ and then some loss to even things out”- Lou Reed These lyrics make me think about “Now I Can See The Moon.” Tell me why/how these lyrics connect to the short story. Be specific and clear. Fill both sides of the card.
10/13: C BLOCK HOMEWORK: "Read Now I Can See the Moon" for Tuesday, In class on the front of the notecard: Reflect about the Jeffersonian idea of "pursuit of happiness. Should we make room for it in our world today? Do we? When? How? What would be gained if we did? Why would that matter? What would be lost? Why would that matter? Fill the front of the card. We also watched the first half of Paul Piff's TED talk (to the end of the test with cars). On the back of the notecard: react to Piff's experiments. Make sure to write down what you most want to remember, then reflect on what you took in - what do you think about the findings? Do you see evidence of this in real life? When? How? What implications do the findings have for how we behave in society? Fill the back of the card.
B BLOCK:
In class: We read, discussed and applied the Jeffersonian idea of "pursuit of happiness" to BreadGivers. (see Jefferson + pursuit of happiness after BG" attached below).
on the front of the notecard: Reflect about the Jeffersonian idea of "pursuit of happiness. Should we make room for it in our world today? Do we? When? How? What would be gained if we did? Why would that matter? What would be lost? Why would that matter? Fill the front of the card. We also watched the first half of Paul Piff's TED talk (to the end of the test with cars). On the back of the notecard: react to Piff's experiments. Make sure to write down what you most want to remember, then reflect on what you took in - what do you think about the findings? Do you see evidence of this in real life? When? How? What implications do the findings have for how we behave in society? Fill the back of the card.
10/12: HOMEWORK (both blocks): Revised BreadGivers paragraphs due tomorrow (no coupons). See "Work and Education" page for more information.
B & C Block: We journaled about pursuit of happiness: what it means to us, What do you need to pursue happiness? Do you expect to achieve happiness? Do you know people who have achieved it? Do you think everyone believes it is possible?
If you think everyone can achieve happiness - how? If you don't - why/ what obstacles? Define happiness. C Block ONLY: We discussed this then looked at an older definition, one more closely aligned to Jefferson's and applied that to BreadGivers (see Jefferson + pursuit of happiness after BG" attached below).