Mark Twain's Birthday
November 30, 1835 is Mark Twain's birthday. More information on Mark Twain here.
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November 30, 2007
November 27, 2007
Self-reliant Individual Essay
English 11 Self-reliant Individual Essay assignment.
November 20, 2007
The Future of Books?
Amazon's Jeff Bezos already built a better bookstore. Now he believes he can improve upon one of humankind's most divine creations: the book itself.
Can It Kindle the Imagination?
And then there's the One Laptop Per Child initiative . . .
November 19, 2007
Favorite Poem Project
The Favorite Poem Project is dedicated to celebrating, documenting and encouraging poetry’s role in Americans’ lives. Robert Pinsky, the 39th Poet Laureate of the United States, founded the Favorite Poem Project shortly after the Library of Congress appointed him to the post in 1997.
Favorite Poem Project Videos:
Longfellow's "A Psalm of Life"
Whitman's "Song of Myself"
Emerson's "Concord Hymn"
Walt Whitman's Notebooks - American Memory from the Library of Congress
November 14, 2007
Sherman Alexie
Sherman Alexie won the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
Alexie will speak at Cleveland Public Library's Writers & Readers Series
November 18, 2007 2:00 - 5:00pm
More about Alexie here.
November 11, 2007
Kurt Vonnegut's Birthday
Today is Kurt Vonnegut's birthday. For more information, go here.
Kurt Vonnegut, who also wrote Cat's Cradle (1963), God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1965), Breakfast of Champions (1973), and many other books. He once said, "If you make people laugh or cry about little black marks on sheets of white paper, what is that but a practical joke? All the great story lines are great practical jokes that people fall for over and over again." - From The Writer's Almanac
November 10, 2007
Multi-Genre Autobiographic Almanac
You will be producing your own almanac patterned after the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and Poor Richard’s Almanac. Your almanac will be a mixture of information and personal writing about yourself and where you live.
Benjamin Franklin | PBS
Benjamin Franklin's Pseudonyms and Benjamin Franklin on Self Improvement
Benjamin Franklin's Method for Achieving Moral Perfection
To make the project more interesting, you may want to organize your selections around a particular theme – a sport, a holiday, your hobby or place of employment. Your almanac must include the following:
1. Life-map or Google Map illustrating major events of your life.
- Mr. Lackey's Life Map
- Bill Gates Timeline
2. Autobiographic Incident Narrative:
- Based on Life Map assignment
- Opens with trigger incident and closes with epiphany
- Includes at least five sensory details and three figurative devices
- 250 words – submit to Turnitin.com
Check out Song and Memory to hear how music triggers recollection.
3. Credo or Epitaph after the fashion of:
- Robert Fulgham's Credo or Ben Franklin's Epitaph
4. Copy-change poem following the pattern of one of the following:
- Where I’m From by George Ella Lyon
- I Live In . . . by Ntozake Shange
- When I Was Young in . . . by Cynthia Rylant
5. General Information – include at least three:
- Weather
- Phases of the moon
- Astrological Information
- Planting/Crop Information
- Holidays
- Proverbs, Aphorisms or Quotations
- Recipes
- Other essential suburban survival information
For almanac resources see Old Farmer's Almanac, Farmer's Almanac or the Urban Almanac
6. Glossary of Slang – include at least 10 words with definition and usage. For Slang Dictionaries:
- Word Spy
- SlangSite
- Online Slang Dictionary
- Yahoo Slang Dictionary Directory
7. Strongsville Local Lore – write a short article (150 words) and include photographs about one of the following:
- Living Strongsville Treasure –a person in Strongsville who embodies the spirit of your community and has a strong sense of place.
- Suburban Sanctuary – A place of peace and contemplation indoors or out where you can go to rest, relax and connect with your self.
- Essential Place in Strongsville – A location that represents the character and essential nature of the town.
8. Publication - Think about how Franklin would publish his Almanac today. Consider creating a blog, web page, video, or PowerPoint presentation. Paper and ink are also certainly acceptable.
9. Include Works Cited information for Copy-Change poem, General Information and any other information sources in your almanac.
Multi-genre Autobiograpy Rubric
Mr. Lackey's "Where I'm From" PowerPoint Slides
November 09, 2007
Digital Ethnography
“Today’s child is bewildered when he enters the 19th century environment that still characterizes the educational establishment where information is scarce but ordered and structured by fragmented, classified patterns, subjects, and schedules.” – Marshall McLuhan 1967
Digital Ethnography at Kansas State University
November 08, 2007
Lackey's Life Map
Where I'm From
November 07, 2007
Mrs. Lackey's "Where I'm From"
