NPR Pieces

Here are links to the pieces we listened to the other day if you'd like to use them as sources for your essay.

CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE

Week of December 16-20

Monday - Essay preparation and Transcendentalism readings continued.

Homework - 1.) Rough draft of your essay due tomorrow.  Print off a hard copy.  2.) Purchase your copy of Between the World and Me from the bookstore ASAP.

Tuesday - Meet in the Reading/Writing Center.

Homework - 1.) Final draft of your essay due Friday.  2.) Purchase your copy of Between the World and Me from the bookstore ASAP.

Wednesday -Thoreau's "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience."

Homework - 1.) Final draft of your essay due Friday.  2.) Purchase your copy of Between the World and Me from the bookstore ASAP.

Thursday - Thoreau's "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience."

Homework - 1.) Final draft of your essay due tomorrow.  2.) Purchase your copy of Between the World and Me from the bookstore ASAP.

Friday - The Crucible.

Homework - Enjoy break!

NO BLOGGING UNTIL 2ND SEMESTER.  IF YOU'D LIKE TO MEET WITH MR. LAWLER NEXT WEEK DURING A FREE PERIOD TO DISCUSS YOUR UNIT 2 ESSAY ON "DISSENT," SET UP AN APPOINTMENT.

Week of December 9-13

Monday - Discuss Act III.

Homework - Read Act IV in The Crucible for tomorrow.  Complete the reading guide and be ready for a quiz.  

Tuesday - Discuss Act IV and "Dissent" essay introduction.

Homework - "Dissent" unit essay prewriting due Thursday.

Wednesday - "Dissent" essay intro and preparation continued . . .

Homework - "Dissent" unit essay prewriting due Thursday.

Thursday - Intro to Transcendentalism.

Homework - Read the excerpts from Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance" on pages 4-5 in the packet of readings and complete a summary for each paragraph.  Be ready to discuss tomorrow.

Friday - Discuss Emerson.

Homework - Rough draft due Tuesday.  Be sure to utilize the packet of sources I've provided and also complete your interviews with adults.

NO BLOGGING UNTIL 2ND SEMESTER.  IF YOU'D LIKE TO MEET WITH MR. LAWLER NEXT WEEK DURING A FREE PERIOD TO DISCUSS YOUR UNIT 2 ESSAY ON "DISSENT," SET UP AN APPOINTMENT.

Week of December 2-6

Monday - The Crucible film.

Homework - Finish Act I in The Crucible for tomorrow (skip the narrative section on pages 31-34).  Complete the reading guide and be ready for a quiz.  

Tuesday - Discuss the second half of Act I.

Homework - Read Act II in The Crucible for Thursday.  Complete the reading guide and be ready for a quiz.  

Wednesday - Film day.

Homework - Read Act II in The Crucible for Thursday.  Complete the reading guide and be ready for a quiz.  

Thursday - Discuss Act II.

Homework - Read the first half of Act III (pages 77-93) in The Crucible for tomorrow.  Complete the reading guide and be ready for a quiz.

Friday - Discuss first 1/2 of Act III and film.

Homework - Finish Act III in The Crucible for Monday.  Complete the reading guide and be ready for a quiz.  

CHANGE OF PLANS: NO BLOGGING UNTIL 2ND SEMESTER.

Week of November 25 and 26

Monday - Intro to The Crucible.

Homework - Read pages 2-23 in The Crucible for tomorrow, but skip the narrative section on page 3 starting with "His house stood . . ." until page 6 where you'll start reading again with, "The Salem tragedy, . . ."  In addition, answer the questions in the reading guide as preparation for our discussion.  Be ready for a possible reading quiz tomorrow.

Tuesday - Discuss pages 3-23 in The Crucible.

Homework - Enjoy break!


NEXT BLOG POST DUE DATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOMETIME NEXT WEEK.  NO NEED TO BLOG FOR NOW.

Junior Theme Possible Topics

CLICK HERE if you're in period 2.

CLICK HERE if you're in period 3.

Week of November 18-20

                                    *PURCHASE YOUR COPY OF THE CRUCIBLE!*

Monday - Meet in the Reading/Writing Center to work on your rough drafts of your unit 1 poems.

Homework - 1.) Final drafts of your unit 1 poems due Monday.  If you'd like to meet with Mr. Lawler to get extra assistance, set up an appointment.  2.) Vocabulary.com list for The Crucible is due tomorrow.

Tuesday - Meet in the library for early Junior Theme work.

Homework - Final drafts of your unit 1 poems due Monday.  If you'd like to meet with Mr. Lawler to get extra assistance, set up an appointment

Wednesday - Meet in the library for early Junior Theme work.

Homework - Final drafts of your unit 1 poems due Monday.  If you'd like to meet with Mr. Lawler to get extra assistance, set up an appointment.


NEXT BLOG POST DUE DATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOMETIME NEXT WEEK.  NO NEED TO BLOG FOR NOW.

Week of November 11-15

                                    *PURCHASE YOUR COPY OF THE CRUCIBLE!*

Monday - Discuss "Carlos Doesn't Remember," "Dissent" chapter from Dan Rather, and intro to the definition poem.

Homework - Poem prewriting due Wednesday.

Tuesday - Free speech discussion.

Homework - Poem prewriting due Wednesday.

Wednesday - Free speech discussion continued, and intro to Hawthorne and "The Minister's Black Veil."

Homework - Vocabulary.com list for The Crucible is due Tuesday, November 19th.

Thursday - Reading day for "The Minister's Black Veil."

Homework - 1.) Finish reading "The Minister's Black Veil" for tomorrow.  2.) Vocabulary.com list for The Crucible is due Tuesday, November 19th.

Friday - Return poem pre-writes and discuss "The Minister's Black Veil."

Homework - 1.) Rough draft of your unit 1 poem due Monday, November 18th. 2.) Vocabulary.com list for The Crucible is due Tuesday, November 19th.

NEXT BLOG POST DUE DATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOMETIME NEXT WEEK.  NO NEED TO BLOG FOR NOW.

Link to "Revisionist History" Podcast

CLICK HERE to listen to "Carlos Doesn't Remember," by Malcolm Gladwell.

Week of November 4-8

Monday - Discuss pages 194-214 in The Assistant.

Homework - Finish The Assistant for tomorrow.  Be ready for a quiz.  

Tuesday - Discuss the ending of The Assistant and intro to final reflection.

Homework - Brainstorm ideas for your final reflection on The Assistant.  It's due Friday.

Wednesday - Brainstorming day and "Carlos Doesn't Remember."

Homework - Final reflection on The Assistant due Friday.

Thursday - In-class drafting day for The Assistant final reflection.

Homework - Final reflection on The Assistant due Friday.

Friday - Intro to Unit 2: Dissent.

Homework - Next current events blog post due Monday.  Be sure to also comment on a classmate's post.  Choose a different classmate than last time.

Week of October 28-November 1

Monday - Only period 3 meets this day.

Homework - Read pages 130-168 in The Assistant for tomorrow.  Be ready for a quiz.  

Tuesday - Discuss pages 130-168 in The Assistant.

Homework - Read pages 169-193 in The Assistant by Thursday.  Be ready for a quiz.

Wednesday - Reading day.

Homework - Read pages 169-193 in The Assistant by Thursday.  Be ready for a quiz.

Thursday - Discuss pages 169-193 in The Assistant.

Homework - Read pages 194-214 in The Assistant for Monday.  Be ready for a quiz.

Friday - Reading day.

Homework - Read pages 194-214 in The Assistant for Monday.  Be ready for a quiz.

NEXT CURRENT EVENTS BLOG POST IS DUE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11th.

Week of October 21-25

Monday - Discuss The Assistant.

Homework - Quiz on The Assistant tomorrow.

Tuesday - The Assistant quiz and reading day.

Homework - Read pages 103-129 in The Assistant for Friday  Be ready for a quiz.  

Wednesday - "The Laramie Project."

Homework - Read pages 103-129 in The Assistant for Friday  Be ready for a quiz.  

Thursday - "The Laramie Project" and final discussion.

Homework - Read pages 103-129 in The Assistant for Friday  Be ready for a quiz.  

Friday - Discuss pages 103-129 in The Assistant.

Homework - Read pages 130-168 in The Assistant for Tuesday  Be ready for a quiz.  

YouTube Link to "The Laramie Project"

If you miss any days during our viewing of "The Laramie Project," CLICK HERE to get caught up.  We watch about 30 minutes per class period, by the way.

Week of October 14

Monday - Finish discussion of The Zoo Story.

Homework - 1.) First current events blog post is due Wednesday.  2.) Purchase your copy of The Assistant from the bookstore ASAP!

Tuesday - Finish discussion of The Zoo Story.

Homework - 1.) First current events blog post is due Wednesday.  2.) Read pages 3-102 in The Assistant for Monday.  Be ready for a quiz.  

Wednesday - Reading day.

Homework - Read pages 3-102 in The Assistant for Monday.  Be ready for a quiz.  

Thursday - Introduction to The Assistant and start "The Laramie Project."

Homework - Read pages 3-102 in The Assistant for Monday.  Be ready for a quiz.  

Friday - "The Laramie Project."

Homework - Read pages 3-102 in The Assistant for Monday.  Be ready for a quiz.  

"Free Speech Is Killing Us"

If there's any value that Americans seem to hold onto most dearly, it's freedom of speech.  It's a right enshrined in our Constitution and many Americans held up as heroes are celebrated for their sharing of profound ideas through their speech.

But when can speech be dangerous?  For example, the "loner gunman who killed innocents was radicalized on-line" is a  depressing news story that seems to happen every 6 months or so -- if not sooner -- in our news cycle.  Stories like this raise the question, "Are there tools at our disposal today (social media platforms, in particular) that should be reigned in with regard to what kind of speech they allow?"

These are some of the questions Andrew Marantz explores in his editorial from this weekend's New York Times.  His article is titled, "Free Speech Is Killing Us," and this is one of the quotes that caught my eye: "I am not calling for repealing the First Amendment, or even for banning speech I find offensive on private platforms.  What I'm arguing against is paralysis.  We can protect unpopular speech from government interference while also admitting that unchecked speech can expose us to real risks.  And we can take steps to mitigate those risks."

Marantz then goes on to list some examples of what the government and private sector can do to mitigate the risks of what he calls "unchecked speech" (CLICK HERE if you'd like to read his editorial).

So here some questions to consider: should private social media companies feel a stronger urge to reign in offensive speech?  And what might a social media company deem as "offensive?"  How does one draw the line?  Finally, if any of you out there are in favor of government regulation of hate speech on social media platforms, what's your reasoning for this kind of action?

Week of October 7-11

Monday - Intro to "The Zoo Story."

Homework - 1.) Read pages 1-top of page 11 in "The Zoo Story" for tomorrow and respond to the prompt on the front of the packet.  Write your response (typed and double-spaced) and be ready to share and submit in class.  2.) First current events blog post is due October 16th.

Tuesday - Discuss first half of "The Zoo Story."

Homework - 1.) Finish "The Zoo Story" for Monday and respond to the prompt on the front of the packet.  Write your response (typed and double-spaced) and be ready to share and submit in class.  2.) First current events blog post is due October 16th.

Wednesday-Friday: NO SCHOOL.


First current events blog post is due October 16th!!

Blogging Tips: Link for Newsela and Useful Resource for News Sources

CLICK HERE to join our class in Newsela and get some news stories.  And here's an image that's useful for evaluating news sources for bias.  It's from our librarians.

Week of September 30-October 4

Monday - NO SCHOOL.

Homework - None.

Tuesday - Start reading Frederick Douglass in class and review current events blog posts.

Homework - Read chapters 2, 7, and 9 from Frederick Douglass' Narrative Life and complete a journal entry for class Wednesday.  This should be double-spaced and typed.

Wednesday - Discuss chapters 2, 7, and 9.

Homework - Read the rest of Frederick Douglass' Narrative Life and complete a journal entry for class Friday.  This should be double-spaced and typed.

Thursday - Continue discussion of chapters 2, 7, and 9.

Homework - Read the rest of Frederick Douglass' Narrative Life and complete a journal entry for class Friday.  This should be double-spaced and typed.

Friday - Discuss the rest of Frederick Douglass.

Homework - First current events blog post is due October 16th.

Field Trip - GO TREVS!

Week of September 23-27

Monday - Intro to Frederick Douglass.

Homework - 1.) Vocab.com list for Frederick Douglass due tomorrow.  2.) Pay in Revtrak for the field trip Wednesday and get your excursion cards signed by your parents and teachers.  Also bring money for lunch!

Tuesday - Frederick Douglass intro continued.

Homework - Pay in Revtrak for the field trip Wednesday and get your excursion cards signed by your parents and teachers.  Also bring money for lunch!

Wednesday - FIELD TRIP!

Homework - None.

Thursday - Debrief King Hedley II and start Douglass.

Homework - Read chapters 2, 7, and 9 from Frederick Douglass' Narrative Life and complete a journal entry for class Wednesday.  This should be double-spaced and typed.

Friday - Douglass start continued . . .

Homework - Read chapters 2, 7, and 9 from Frederick Douglass' Narrative Life and complete a journal entry for class Wednesday.  This should be double-spaced and typed.

Vocabulary.com Sign-Up

We'll use a resource called vocabulary.com in order to build our vocab.  In order to join,

CLICK HERE for period 2.

CLICK HERE for period 3.

Week of September 16-20

Monday - Writer's workshop (only period 3 meets).

Homework - Rewrite of your summer reading essay is due Monday, September 23rd.

Tuesday - "The Story of an Hour."

Homework - 1.) Read the selections from the packet ("Fish Cheeks" and "Ain't I A Woman?") and complete the prompt on the front page of the packet for Thursday.  Be ready to share in class.  2.) Rewrite of your summer reading essay is due Monday, September 23rd.

Wednesday - "The Story of an Hour."

Homework - 1.) Read the selections from the packet ("Fish Cheeks" and "Ain't I A Woman?") and complete the prompt on the front page of the packet for Thursday.  Be ready to share in class.  2.) Rewrite of your summer reading essay is due Monday, September 23rd.

Thursday - "Fish Cheeks" and "Ain't I A Woman?"

Homework - 1.) Read the selections from the packet ("Charlie Howard's Descent", "Theme for English B" and "My Native Costume") and complete the prompt on the front page of the packet for tomorrow.  Be ready to share in class.  2.) Rewrite of your summer reading essay is due Monday, September 23rd.

Friday - "Charlie Howard's Descent", "Theme for English B" and "My Native Costume."

Homework - 1.) Rewrite of your summer reading essay is due Monday, September 23rd.  2.) Vocab.com list for Frederick Douglass due Tuesday, September 24th.

EXCITING NEWS, TREVS!  WE HAVE A FIELD TRIP ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH TO SEE A PLAY AT THE COURT THEATRE.  CLICK HERE TO PAY IN REVTRAK.  ALSO, BE SURE TO GET YOUR EXCURSION CARD SIGNED.

Family History Blog Post Examples

Here are a few examples of past family history blog posts I've had students complete.  One is attached in the form of an image to this post (see below), and CLICK HERE for another example.

With the link above you'll also see comments on this former student's post.  Have fun with this assignment!

Week of September 9-13

Monday - In-class essay on The Color of Water.

Homework - Submit your permission form for blogging ASAP!

Tuesday - "What Makes an American?" article.

Homework - 1.) Finish the article for tomorrow, respond to the prompt, and be ready to share in class discussion tomorrow.  2.) Submit your permission form for blogging ASAP!

Wednesday - Article discussion and intro to the family history blog post.

Homework - 1.) Family history blog post due Monday.  In addition, comment on a classmate's post.  2.) Summer reading essay revision due date to be announced . . . 

Thursday - Unit 1 intro.

Homework - 1.) Read "Inclusion" from Dan Rather's book What Unites Us for class tomorrow and complete a freewrite from the unit overview sheet.  2.) Family history blog post due Monday.  In addition, comment on a classmate's post.  3.) Summer reading essay revision due date to be announced . . . 

Friday - Writer's workshop.

Homework - 1.) Family history blog post due Monday.  In addition, comment on a classmate's post.  2.) Summer reading essay revision due date to be announced . . . 

EXCITING NEWS, TREVS!  WE HAVE A FIELD TRIP ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH TO SEE A PLAY AT THE COURT THEATRE.  CLICK HERE TO PAY IN REVTRAK.  ALSO, BE SURE TO GET YOUR EXCURSION CARD SIGNED.

Week of September 2-6

Monday - Labor Day.

Homework - Second summer reading discussion is tomorrow.  Review pages 107-201 in The Color of Water and complete a journal entry.  Be ready to share your thoughts and hand in your journal entry. 

Tuesday - Second discussion on The Color of Water.

Homework - Final summer reading discussion is Thursday.  Review pages 203-285 in The Color of Water and complete a journal entry.  Be ready to share your thoughts and hand in your journal entry. 

Wednesday - Meet in lab 377N.

Homework - Final summer reading discussion is Thursday.  Review pages 203-285 in The Color of Water and complete a journal entry.  Be ready to share your thoughts and hand in your journal entry. 

Thursday - Final discussion on The Color of Water and intro to the reading assessment for The Color of Water.

Homework - 1.) The Color of Water summer reading assessment is in class on Monday.  Remember that this will not be graded until you have a chance to revise it.  Bring your copy of the book, paper, and a writing utensil.  2.) Submit your permission form for blogging ASAP!

Friday - No class for English classes on this day.

Homework - 1.) The Color of Water summer reading assessment is in class on Monday.  Remember that this will not be graded until you have a chance to revise it.  Bring your copy of the book, paper, and a writing utensil.  2.) Submit your permission form for blogging ASAP!

Week of August 26-30

Monday - Names/seats, course expectations, and participation philosophy document.

Homework - Answer the 4 questions at the end of the "Participation Expectations and Evaluation" document.  Your responses should be typed and double-spaced.  You will not share them with everyone -- just Mr. Lawler.

Tuesday - Collect reflections, intro to the class blog, intro to the summer reading journals, and junior year "myths and realities."

Homework - First summer reading discussion is Friday.  Review pages 1-105 in The Color of Water and complete a journal entry.  Be ready to share your thoughts and hand in your journal entry. 

Wednesday - Course theme introduction ("Myths and Realities").

Homework - First summer reading discussion is Friday.  Review pages 1-105 in The Color of Water and complete a journal entry.  Be ready to share your thoughts and hand in your journal entry. 

Thursday - Course theme introduction continued ("Myths and Realities").

Homework - First summer reading discussion is Friday.  Review pages 1-105 in The Color of Water and complete a journal entry.  Be ready to share your thoughts and hand in your journal entry. 

Friday - First discussion on The Color of Water.

Homework - Second summer reading discussion is Tuesday.  Review pages 107-201 in The Color of Water and complete a journal entry.  Be ready to share your thoughts and hand in your journal entry. 

Welcome to American Myths and Realities

You’ve all heard the litany of so-called “wisdom” about junior year at New Trier: “it’s the year that counts . . . it’s the most stressful year . . . it’s when you need to start targeting where you’ll go to college . . . it’s when you need to move up in levels to show colleges you’re taking a rigorous program . . . it’s the year that will determine much of your future.”  Perhaps you’ve heard statements like these from peers and family members.  Perhaps some of you have even uttered something close to these statements above.

But to what extent should we believe the conventional wisdom of these statements?  Think about it for a minute: if a lot of people in a given community say something, does that make it true?  Maybe we should ask, “to what extent are the common statements we hear about junior year at New Trier myths?  To what extent are they realities?”

“Myths” and “Realities” are words we’ll use a lot this year.  We’ll use them to think about our country – its past and the state of our country today – and we’ll also use these words to explore the literature of our country.  Our approach in this course will be thematic; we’ll use the theme of “American Myths and Realities” – as well as broad, guiding questions – to explore both American Literature and our world today. 

John Dewey (gotta respect the stache)

In the end, my goals are to engage your interest and to promote a classroom environment where you develop a deeper appreciation of reading and writing.  Moreover, I want you to reflect on the world in which you live and how we can create a more just and democratic society.  And perhaps most importantly, I want you to develop a deeper understanding of who you are and how you fit in the America of 2019.  John Dewey, our country’s greatest educational philosopher, once wrote, “Education is a social process; education is growth; education is not preparation for life but is life itself.”  My hope is that by June of 2020 a “reality” of this course is that we’ve come a bit closer to living Mr. Dewey’s philosophy.  Have fun!