Argumentative topics?

Besides video games, what are some other school based argumentative topics we could argue? We are preparing for our formal argumentative essay, and I  may let you choose your topic. Suggest a school related issue in the comment box below!

Wednesday, October 26th

Let's Debate!!

Bell Work:

Take a look at your rubric for the class debate and watch the following video. Give Samantha Booke  a score for each category and provide criticism in your composition book. We will discuss what you decided to score it when everyone is finished.
Questions to consider:
1. What did you notice about the audience?
2. Which rhetorical strategies did she use?
3. Why do you think she feels so strongly about the issue?

Today's Goals:

* 10 Minute team meeting.
* Complete your debate preparation worksheet and put in your team's debate folder.
* Begin working on your portion of the speech. Remember to use your research notes and rhetorical strategies, keeping in mind the required length of your speech. It takes less than two minutes to read an entire page.
* Feel free to use the Tennessee Electronic Library database "Opposing Viewpoints" for additional facts and research.



Extra Credit:
1. Log onto Brainpop (username: rsmtn password: brainpop).
2. Click on "Writing" and choose "Debate".
3. Watch the movie and complete the worksheet from Mrs. Benavides. Be sure to explain HOW the vocaulary word relates to a debate/argumentative writing.

Bell Work . . . September, 22nd 2016

BELL WORK - Watch the video below and answer the following questions:

1. What is an ellipses?

2. When do you use one?

3. Name two rules associated with using an ellipses. 

Bell Work - Tuesday, September 13th

Bell Work: Watch the video and write three sentences (one simple, one compound, and one complex) about the scariest movie you've ever seen. 

Research Resources for your essay

Food Waste in America

The following links will help you collect research for your food waste essay. You must come up with 10 shocking facts for statistics to bring to your group meeting on Wednesday. You may also use any of the food articles I have posted on Jupiter, BE SURE TO RECORD THE NAME OF THE ARTICLE AND AUTHOR if you plan to use the quotes in your essay.

Eat Ugly article

Super cool APP!

Food Waste in America

Vote for the ugliest fruit or veggie!

Vote in the comments below for the ugliest piece of produce. Can you assign them funny names? 

Pokemon Go, a big no-no?

Pokemon Go Banned in Iran?

Pokemon Comma Search

Locate and quote the following in your notes:

1. A comma with a quotation

2. A comma in an introductory element

3. Commas with an appositive.

4. A comma with a conjunction. 

Iran has become the first country to ban the mobile game "Pokemon Go." The country claimed it was concerned about the game's use of location-based virtual reality technology. The game uses a smartphone's GPS and camera to make Pokemon characters pop up on the player's screen.

Abolhasa Firouzabadi is the head of Iran’s supreme council of virtual space. This government agency monitors the use of the Internet in the country. He told a news agency that any game that wants to operate in Iran needs to request permission first. According to him, "Pokemon Go" has not yet asked for permission.

Says Game Is A Threat To Iran

A senior official, Abdolsamad Khorramabadi, was quoted last week as saying that the game was a threat to the country, and that Iran's intelligence agency approved of the ban.

Iran’s tech-savvy young people quickly embraced the game. "Pokemon Go" has become a global phenomenon since its release last month.

Officials had previously hinted that they may allow the game in Iran. However, they said that the game must store its information inside the country and remove certain locations from the game. The makers of "Pokemon Go" have not responded to that request.

Anti-Filtering Software Used By Millions

Internet filtering is common in Iran. Through this practice, the government blocks people's access to certain websites and content. However, it has not stopped millions of users from going on blocked apps and websites. Iranians use anti-filtering software to get around state restrictions. They have been able to bounce back quickly from unexpected blocks, often migrating in huge numbers from one platform to another when a block is introduced. The success of the messaging app Telegram, which is used by 1 in 4 Iranians, is proof of this. 

Millions of Iranians are also on the social media websites Facebook and Twitter, even though both sites are blocked. In response, authorities are now using smart filtering. Instead of blocking an entire website or app, the government only blocks certain content. For example, the popular apps Instagram and Telegram can be used by Iranians, but some content on those apps has been filtered out. 

Using anti-filtering software slows down the speed of a user's connection. It may not be possible to use the software when playing "Pokemon Go."

The decision on filtering does not rest solely in the government’s hands. Other institutions in Iran, like the judiciary, act independently of President Hassan Rouhani and his administration. These institutions also have a say in deciding what should and shouldn't be censored in Iran.

Ban Not Being Taken Seriously

Mana Neyestani is a prominent Iranian cartoonist. He reacted to the ban by drawing a cartoon depicting a "Pokemon Go" character fleeing from the Iranian morality police. These undercover officers patrol the streets of Iran to make sure that people are following strict codes of behavior.

One Iranian user joked on Twitter that it was difficult to focus while walking on the streets in Iran. “You have to both look around to hunt Pokemon and also watch not being hunted yourself by the morality police," the user said.

Thursday, August 11th

Bell Work: Click Here and skim through the personality types. Do you remember the personality you chose? Out of the 16 personalities, which one would best suit "Gru" from Despicable Me? Explain why. 

After you are finished with the test:
1. Read through your personality profile! Be sure to check out the introduction, strengths and weaknesses, and career paths.
2. Complete the activity on the board. You must do this in your composition book.
3. Check out this cool website - Click Here4. Create an overview of your personality. You need to come up with 20 buletted notes (does not need to be in full sentences).  

High School

How to Survive the First Day of High School

Watch the following video and respond to the following prompt on my blog:
What are you most excited for about high school?
What are you most nervous about?
Identify and describe some conflicts in the video.

Ode to the No Name Paper

Ode to The No Name Paper

Oh, No Name Paper,
what have you done to have been abandoned 
by your owner, your author, your maker?
days go by and there is no taker
Were they lazy?
Or ashamed?
How would you feel if you'd never been named?

Oh, No Name Paper,
For days you go unclaimed,
unaltered, unbothered, unnamed.

And after weeks of solitude,
And never once being viewed,
Out of the teacher's frustration,
You reach your final destination.


The trash.
R.I.P No Name Paper

Which of the Ode requirements did I meet? Which requirements did I forget? 

Click Here for the rhyming dictionary website

Thursday, April 14th Bell Work

Biography/Interview Reflection

Goal: Reflect and explain what you learned about your career or university after studying/interviewing a person.

Studying Julian Beever has made me realize that art isn't just what you see in galleries. Art comes in many different forms. I agree with Beever when he says that art should be for everyone to enjoy. Also, while studying artists as a career, I always thought that success meant making large amounts of money and selling a multitude of pieces to galleries and collectors. After researching Beever, I have changed my mindset. I believe that artists may not feel the need to make a lot of money to become successful; instead, having your art admired my many, even if that means displaying it for free, is success in itself.  I also learned that defining art is quite difficult. Some people called Beever's work "graffiti", but isn't graffiti a form of art as well? I suppose art is in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps one day, graffiti and other unconventional art forms will be in galleries as well!

1. Locate some sophisticated vocabulary words in my reflection.

2. Locate an AWWUUBBIS sentence or a compound sentence in the reflection.

3. Which strategy did I use to conclude my reflection?

4. Find two sentences that I could have combined using a FANBOY. 

Tuesday, April 12th Bell Work

Let's play Kahoot

Click HERE to get on Kahoot and wait for your pin number. 

Interview Format

Name: Kaitlyn Benavides

Date of Interview: Monday, April 11th

Location of Interview: Rutherford MedPoint Clinic

Interviewee: Dr. Michael Richardson – A resident MD. Graduate of Vanderbilt. He has worked with MedPoint for three years, particularly in the field of Pediatric medicine. 

BENAVIDES: Do you remember a distinct moment when you realized you wanted to be a doctor?

RICHARDSON: I was an athlete and an accident prone kid. I was always in and out of the doctor’s office for everything from a broken wrist to a fractured toe. I loved visiting my pediatrician’s office because he made me laugh and feel at ease. I always left feeling better than I arrived. I wanted to do the same when I grew up.

BENAVIDES: Do you find that you treat a lot of sports injuries in young people?

RICHARDSON: I get a great deal of head injuries in a variety of sports which concerns me as a pediatrician. Kids are way too young to be dealing with brain trauma.

BENAVIDES: How is your job unique from a regular doctor?

Friday, April 8th - Bell Work and Biography Resources

Happy Friday!
The second piece of your multi-genre writing project is a biography or interview. Although they both involve a person, the format and content are quite different. 

What are the main differences between a biography and interview? Which one do you think gives a better understanding of what your chosen person is like? Explain.  (Pay attention: this is a two-part question).

Here are some resources that we will discuss today. These websites should serve as a starting point for your research.

Biography Website
Britannica Website
The Famous People
20 Most Innovative Surgeons Alive!
Top 10 Celebrity Lawyers

April Bell Work

You do WHAT!? (This is Thursday's bell work - Tuesday's is below)

While watching the following video, select one job that you would choose if these were your only job options. Record two benefits and two pitfalls about your chosen job. 

Bell Work: Tuesday, April 5th

Bell Work Question of the Day

What is the difference between a job and a career? Is there a difference?

Don't forget to add your name to the comments for bell work credit!!

Check it out!

Check out the following websites to brainstorm some ideas for your multi-genre project! Also, the following questions are due after spring break!

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/

http://www.careerprofiles.info/careers.html

http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/the-100-best-jobs

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/best-jobs/fl/types-of-jobs.htm

oh, CRAAP!

Friday, February 19th 

Go to the following links and using the CRAAP method, determine whether these are reliable websites. Post your response as a comment. Remember to choose "NAME/URL" in the comment box:

Mystery website #1: http://www.americanhistory.com/
Mystery website # 2: http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/category/ancient
Mystery website #3: http://news.discovery.com/history

Bell Work - Wednesday, December 9th

BELL WORK

Review: Can you remember some good compare and contrast transitions from yesterday? List at least two in sentence form for bell work. You may use a sentence from yesterday's compare and contrast worksheet.

Compare Contrast Assignment

The Compare/Contrast Essay

Instructions: Watch and take notes on the following videos. Afterwards, choose one of the following topics. You will write TWO well developed paragraphs comparing and contrasting something specific about your chosen topic. Your paragraph needs: A) A topic sentence, B) correct use of compare and contrast transitions. 
* Being a toddler vs being a teenager
* The life of a dog vs. the life of a cat
* Acting vs. lying 
* Scrooge vs. The Grinch 

* You will upload your paragraph onto the 365 folder titled, "Compare and contrast paragraphs".