Excerpted from Structure, Sound, and Sense:

“Art is a lie,” Picasso said, “that leads to the truth […]. It gives us a keener awareness of our humanity […]. It helps us to understand our world, our neighbors, and ourselves. […] Through the act of reading a story [listening to a song, watching a movie, etc.] and sharing in the author’s imaginative vision, you will gain not only a pleasurable experience but growth in your understanding of the world and of the human condition.”
 

YOUR TASK: Find a song, movie, TV show, book, poem, etc. that you feel creates a sense of empathy in its audience. Explain your choice

I. Introduce song, film, story, poem, etc...with a brief description/summary and explanation of why you chose this particular piece; be sure to include the name of the artist who created it.

II. Quote directlyfrom the text and explain/analyze each quotation as it applies to your thesis. (Re-read the Picasso quote for ideas.) Make sure you consider the various elements that make up the work of art as a whole. For example, discuss how a song's lyrics work together with the music to create a particular feeling. Think structure as well as content.

III. Continue analysis and conclude.

Official College Essay Assignment

We've talked about the college essay, looked up questions, read model papers, etc...  All that is left to do now is to write one ourselves.  So, use one of the questions you found from a real college application and begin writing a first draft.  Your draft should be typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt.  Stay within the word limit asked for by the college.

These are due next week.  I will collecting them in three different groups. This system helps me get them back faster.

Period 4:  Last name A - I is due Tuesday;  K - O is due Wednesday; P - W is due Thursday.

Period 7:  Last name B - Gio  is due Wednesday;  Gre - McG is due Thursday;  Mit - Z is due Friday.


**I will alternate this type of collection each time I collect writing, so that it is fair to everyone.**

A New Beginning

By the end of class today, I would like everyone to create a new introduction to their essay. So, work on your college essay as we have done the past few days, but by the end of the period I want you to hand in your first page again.

This first page will look like it did yesterday, but I want you to write a different lead paragraph. Open your word document and leave it as is, don't delete anything, but add on a lead paragraph that begins your essay in a totally different way. Do this paragraph in italics, so we can compare the beginnings.

Everyone hand in your first page at the end of the period.

College Essay Tips of the Day

TIP #1
Avoid the filthy five beginnings – One Day…,
When I was…,
My _______is….,
Last year, last month, etc…, A date,
Throughout history, Throughout mankind

TIP #2
TYPES of LEADS:


a) Starting in the Middle of a Scene – action right away
b) Starting at the End
c) Leisurely Lead - Descriptive
d) Straight Dialogue from the event you’re retelling
e) Backstory Lead – explain the situation
f) Brief anecdote/analogy

Searching for the College Essay Question

Today, we will be looking for real essay questions from real colleges that you would really like to attend - for real!

Search college websites for their online applications.


Find the writing portion of the application.


Print out these questions.


You will be writing your essay on one of the questions found during this process.

College Essays That Worked

Go to the link below of a college website that shows real essays written by their accepted students:


http://www.conncoll.edu/admission/apply/essays-that-worked/

The College Essay

As you search for college essay questions, have a look at some other essay questions from around the country:

Describe a work of art that has had a profound impact on you and the way you look at the world. (UMASS)

Please complete a one-page personal statement and submit it with your application. (James Madison University)

How would you describe yourself as a human being? What quality do you like best in yourself and what do you like least? What quality would you most like to see flourish and which would you like to see wither? (Bates College)

Describe the most challenging obstacle you have had to overcome; discuss its impact and tell what you have learned from the experience. (Guilford College)

To learn to think is to learn to question. Discuss a matter you once thought you knew ‘for sure’ that you have since learned to question. ( Bryn Mawr College)

Describe any interesting experience you have had during your college admissions search. (Juniata College)

Discuss a risk that has led to a significant change (positive or negative) in your personal or intellectual life. (Simmons College)

In 100 lines or less describe any circumstances or experiences that you feel are important for us to know.

Describe your reason for applying to this college and one personal experience that made you who you are today.

Please submit a personal statement describing a significant achievement, experience, or risk and its impact on you. (University of Dayton)

TASK:  Write a reponse to one of the above topics.

Don't Be Bland

This Newsweek article is from an admissions officer in California. He suggest ways to "show the person behind the test scores."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/46420

Course Change Policy 2013-2014

2013-2014 Course Change Policy

 

According to Superintendent’s Regulation 4710-R, a student’s selection of specific courses involves a commitment to those subjects.  It also involves factors such as staffing and classroom usage that have cost implications. Consequently, a student should consider withdrawing from a course only for the most serious academic and personal reasons, and only after consultation with parents, teacher and school counselor.  Students are expected to continue following their current schedule until any changes are approved.

 

Students requesting schedule changes should access the form located on the Guidance page of the high school website.  Students should use the username and password they utilize when accessing the school computers.  Students requesting a schedule change must adhere to the following timelines:

 

Full year courses:

• No changes, except for additions or correction of errors, will be permitted during the first six (6) school days of a full year course.  After this time period, changes will be considered for the remainder of the first quarter. 
• After the conclusion of the first quarter, any drop will result in a “W” being added to the report card and final transcript.
• No changes or drops will be permitted after the Friday of the first week of quarter three.
• If a student wishes to pursue a drop it will be strongly recommended that another course be added, if logistically possible and pending course availability.

 

Semester courses: 

• No changes, except for additions or correction of errors, will be permitted during the first six (6) school days of a semester course.  After this time period, changes will be considered for the next twenty (20) school days. 
• After twenty-six (26) school days of the start of the course, any drop will result in a “W” being added to the report card and final transcript.
• No changes or drops will be permitted after the Friday of the first week of the second quarter of a semester course.
• If a student wishes to pursue a drop it will be strongly recommended that another course be added, if logistically possible and pending course availability.

 

 

Under no circumstances may parents/guardians or students request changes to a schedule to:

• Change teachers
• Change lunch periods (unless supported by medical documentation)
• Change to a more convenient and/or desirable period
• Group friends together in the same class

 

Academic Concerns:

Students demonstrating academic difficulty in a course may request to move from one level of a subject area to a different level.  These changes must take place by the Friday of the first week of quarter three for a full year course or the Friday of the first week of the second quarter of a semester course.  Students moved from one level of a subject to another level of the same subject will receive a final grade based upon performance in the course for which credit will be earned.  Students will receive a “W” on the final transcript for the original course.

 

Full Year Courses	First Semester Courses	Second Semester Courses	Result
9/9/13–9/16/13	9/9/13–9/16/13	1/31/14–2/7/14	No schedule changes permitted
9/17/13-11/8/13	9/17/13–10/15/13	2/8/14–3/14/14	Course changes or drops not reflected on transcript
11/9/13–2/7/14	10/16/13–11/15/13	3/15/14–4/11/14	Course changes or drops result in a grade of “W” on transcript
2/8/14–6/26/14	11/16/13–1/30/14	4/12/14–6/26/14	No schedule changes permitted

Humanity and Empathy in the 21st Century

I. COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this course, we will engage in the discussion and exploration of the tendency of humans toward inhumanity, the difference between empathy and sympathy, our hopes for the future, human artistic expression and its role in the path to tolerance, the foundation of human rights and globalization, and our role as citizens of the world.

II. GRADING POLICY

All work for each quarter will be graded and recorded.  Daily journal writing will be collected twice a quarter and will count for one-third of your quarter grade. You will also be evaluated on class participation, homework, quizzes (announced and unannounced) and short and long-form writing assignments. Late papers will lose one full letter grade for every day they are late.  If you are absent from class for an in-school function on the day an assignment is due, you must make arrangements to get the assignment to me on that day.

 

Make-Up Work:  It is your responsibility to find out if you have missed any work and/or notes and to make up any work missed due to legal absences. All make up work must be completed within a week of your return to school.  Any work, tests, or quizzes missed due to cutting will automatically receive a zero                     

III. EXPECTATIONS & EXTRA HELP

You will be treated with dignity and respect and I expect that you, in turn, treat me, your classmates, the classroom, and yourself with respect. You are expected to come to class each day prepared, on time, and ready to participate in your education. If you are having difficulty with any of your coursework, I am available by appointment before and after school as well during my free periods

IV.  SUPPLIES:       A notebook exclusively for this class

                                  A folder for handouts.
 
                                  A blue or black pen

 

V.  EXTRA HELP: I will make any accommodations necessary to meet with anyone that needs extra help.  Talk to me after class, leave a note in my mailbox (in E administration), or e-mail me -  rriegger@smithtown.k12.ny.us

 

   The English Department of the Smithtown Central School District expects the highest conduct from its students.  We encourage all of our students to work hard and to do their own research and writing for homework, special assignments or projects. Any evidence of plagiarism may result in no credit for the assignment.  Assignments are considered to be reflections of an individual’s work unless otherwise instructed by the teacher. If a student is caught using material that he or she did not create themselves, the student may not get credit for the paper, project, etc.

      Exams and other assessments should be considered opportunities for a student to show what he or she has learned over the course of the unit, semester or year.  During any assessment, if the student is caught using any kind of electronic device (including but not limited to cell phones) or has an electronic device out, the student may automatically fail the exam. Therefore, cell phones and other electronic devices should be left at home or in the student’s locker during exams.   In addition, attempting to give or receive assistance in any form during an assessment may result in a failing grade for all parties involved.