Thesis Writing Practice

Masters Writers:  Practice Your Organizational and Pre-Writing Skills by writing thesis statements and short outlines to the following questions.

1.  Is the death penalty effective?

2.  Do curfews keep teens out of trouble?

3.  Are law enforcement cameras an invasion of privacy?

4.  Should cigarette smoking be banned?

5.  When should parents let teens make their own decisions?

Advanced SSP - Additional Reading /

109 SSP Topics: Business Versus Ecology

http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2011/11/01/141903604/toward-an-ethic-of-sustainability?print=1

http://www.ted.com/talks/pavan_sukhdev_what_s_the_price_of_nature.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/van_jones_the_economic_injustice_of_plastic.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_byrne_sings_nothing_but_flowers.html

108: Gambling

http://www.npr.org/2012/05/14/152670772/australias-poker-machines-are-they-too-popular

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128155835

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125736598

Language Studies - Master's Level Links

Dear Master's Students,

Here is the link to the website and video about General Sherman's march, as I promised earlier today:
http://www.history.com/topics/shermans-march

Also, please remember to choose a speech to watch for tomorrow so we can move forward with your speaking projects.  Here's the website where you can find approved, political speeches:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/

Good luck!

Second Quiz Study Guide!

Dear Students,

Here is a link to Can Weng's winning quiz.  It's a PDF file.  If you have any trouble loading it, please let me know.  All of the vocabulary that appears on his file will be fair game for tomorrow's quiz.  Good luck studying!  Also, don't forget about those speaking evaluations!  And today is American Mother's Day!  Call your mom if you can--I'm sure she would appreciate it!

Disaster Preparedness (105&106)

Click on the link below to answer the questions on a sheet of paper:
After the Quake, Japanese Shop for Survival (NPR)

1.  What is a retailer?
2.  What are the shops selling?  Why?
3.  What are "goods?"
4.  What did the researchers at Tokyo University say in this story?
5.  Name three products for sale that are mentioned in this story.

LS / Masters Quiz Vocabulary

Dear LS Students: Here are the words you should study for the quiz on May 4th. You will be expected to explain these concepts using complete sentences.  Good luck!

• receptivity
• pheromones
• estrus 
• pride
• synchronize 
• hypothesis
• copulate
• coalition
• ovulate
• nomadic
• scavengers
• euphemism

Source: Joshua Klein on the intelligence of crows

Step A:  Watch the TED video at the following link: http://bit.ly/vTWLcm

Step B:  Take Notes!!!

Step C:  After watching the video, answer the following questions using complete sentences.

*1. Where and when did Joshua Klein get the idea for his invention?

**2. Use context to answer: What is a responsive breeder?

**3. "Build something that's ___________ _______________."

**4. Re-write #3 using different vocabulary.

*5. Why are crows thriving everywhere?

*6. What do Caledonian crows use in the wild? Why do they use them?

**7. Paraphrase (briefly) the story of the crows at University of Washington.

**8. Why did the man build the vending machine?

*9. What three ways did the man give in which crows could aid human society?

***10. Joshua Klein says that the crows display what researchers call "cultural adapation." How would you explain this idea to a friend? Can you think of any other species that exhibit cultural adaptation? If so, explain (briefly) your example.

Drive On to Preserve Native American Tongues

Listen to the MP3 Link here.

*1. What is the problem?

**2. What are people trying to do?

***3. About how many native languages are still spoken

today in California?

****4. Where does today's knowledge of the Coastal Miwok

language come from?

NPR Listening Activity: America's Forgotten Fruit

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/09/29/140894570/the-pawpaw-foraging-for-americas-forgotten-fruit?ps=cprs

1. Write a topic sentence for this news article.

2. Find three adjectives from this article that describe the pawpaw.

3. What does the journalist mean when she says, "If scientists could put a "health halo" over the pawpaw . . . . it would give the fruit a commercial boost."

Reading Activity #4

Students, please read this news article and answer the questions below. Then, you may read from any reading site found at http://brianteacher.blogspot.com. Happy Tuesday!

1. WHERE will the journalists go over the course of the next year or so?

2. WHY does the article’s writer say the assignments are “not so glamorous anymore”?

3. WHY might this “dream assignment” also be nerve-racking?

Dear Students, please visit these two websites:

http://homepage.smc.edu/reading_lab/online_readings.htm

http://college.cengage.com/collegesurvival/watkins/learning_companion/1e/students/timed_reading.html


Read one story or article from EACH.

The rest of the period, please read from your choice of articles at www.npr.org or www.nytimes.com

Happy Monday!

Listening Activity #2

Listening Quiz

For Slice Of Fame, Pizzerias Spar Over 'Oldest' Title
by Joel Rose

Listen to the MP3 here.

1. 
   

   Explain the controversy in this story.

2. 
   

   What is a pizzeria?

3. 
   

   How is pizza flattened at Azzaro's?

   
   
   
   
   

4. 
   

   What is Ed Levine's book called?

5. 
   

   Where does John Brescio work?

Reading Activity #3

Read both pages of the article linked here and then answer the questions below.

WHO is Yuja Wang?

WHERE is she from?

HOW old is she?

WHAT accomplishments has she already achieved?

WHAT does Ms. Wang have in common with Kirill Gerstein and Daniil Trifonov?

WHAT is the phenomenon observed in the article by those who teach young musicians?

WHY is it happening?

WHEN was the golden age of pianists, according to many music buffs?

Reading Activity #2

Where Politics Are Complex, Simple Joys at the Beach

Read the Article (linked above) and answer the questions below:

1. WHO traveled to Israel to take a dip in the ocean in Tel Aviv?

2. WHO were their hosts?

3. WHAT risks did they take in undertaking this trip?

4. WHAT was remarkable about the beach visit?

5. WHERE do the visitors live?

6. WHEN was Palestinian movement into Israel first restricted?

7. WHY does the group, We Will Not Obey, oppose the Law of Entry into Israel?

8. HOW did the Palestinian women “disguise” themselves to cross the border?

Reading Activity #1

The Learning Network: Life Skills 101
By By KATHERINE SCHULTEN
Published: July 19, 2011
6 Q's About the News | What are the "essential life skills" you think a young person might need in order to live on his or her own?

Click Here to Read

Listening Activity #1: Do Schools Really Kill Creativity?!