Extra Credit is changing in the second semester.
All extra credit will be based on readings and debates. Learn more on the HSPVA Choices Site.
Update for third six weeks! Available to all AP & Pre-AP students in addition to the other opportunities below. Abraham Lincoln has been written about more than any other topic, much less human being, in history. Yet now we get the film adaptation of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s masterpiece, A Team of Rivals the Lincoln the politician. It’s an inspiring story of the compromises made for the greater goal of freedom and the enduring principals of our nation. Directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Daniel Day-Lewis and written by Tony Kushner, I cannot imagine a more useful way to spend two hours. And now, I will give you extra credit for your thoughtful time with this film, one percentage point on your six week average. Go see this movie!
Here’s how to earn extra credit:
Submit to turnitin.com by the extra credit deadline.
Offer a synopsis of the plot.
Critique the dialogue and screenwriting generally.
Critique the performances of the actors.
Describe something about the historical case you did not know before.
Explain the themes explored in the film.
Offer your analysis of the themes, impress me with your insight, make me say, “wow”.
Here’s how to earn extra credit:
Submit to turnitin.com by the extra credit deadline.
Offer a synopsis of the plot.
Critique the dialogue and screenwriting generally.
Critique the performances of the actors.
Describe something about the historical case you did not know before.
Explain the themes explored in the film.
Offer your analysis of the themes, impress me with your insight, make me say, “wow”.
Extra Credit - Pre-AP and WHAP
Philosophically, I’m not a big fan of extra credit. For one thing, it can lead students and parents to let the extra credit outweigh the required assignments, to “under work” the main (and more important) class assignments. On the other hand, I believe in redemption! So as long as you understand these are back stops, insurance policies against a lower grade than you wish to earn, I’ll offer these opportunities.
You better read this ALL before doing the work. I WILL NOT ACCEPT incorrectly written or submitted assignments!
There are assignments for any student, freshmen or sophomores; and there are assignments for one or the other. Look below to see which is which.
Please read the directions below. I am going to be unresponsive (read nasty) to people who haven’t bothered to read my explanation before they ask me questions!
ALL STUDENTS
In each marking period, you will see an assignment for “extra credit” in the grade book. It is set so that it adds percentage points to a student’s 6 week grade average. Different assignments are worth a different number of maximum average points.
All assignments are for writing. Communicating effectively in writing is often a soft spot in student’s academic armor. If I’m going to give you extra credit, you are going to become a better writer.
All extra credit must be submitted by the deadline listed through the website, TurnItIn.com, to insure there is no plagiarism. Late work will not be considered. Details of the submission process are at the bottom of this page.
All extra credit must be submitted using the MLA manual of style. Improperly formatted work will not be considered, really. I won’t even read it, laziness in formatting will cost you the points. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
In the social sciences, we are piecing together an urn from the broken shards of pottery. That metaphor is meant to point out that all our conclusions, our arguments, our “truths”, come from many primary sources. Every source has its bias, its hidden agenda, and its hints about the context for the events and times we wish to understand. This is the essential skill of the Social Scientist, from Geographers, to Sociologists, to Psychologists, to Anthropologists, and yes, for Historians. Can we assemble an argument for the way things are, the way things were and what caused them? Was it one process contingent upon another? Was it an accident of fate? Was there a conjuncture of developments that lead to an outcome?
We can apply the same analysis to secondary sources, other people’s version of the story. Can the pieces be assembled in a different way? Is there a vital piece missing? Did the other writer ignore important pieces? And if the answer is “yes” to any of these, then what effect did that have on their version of the story?
These assignments are meant to move your mind in the direction of thinking that way. I also hope you might find them interesting.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR EXTRA CREDIT WORK:
You must create an account through Turnitin.com and use the appropriate Class ID to register for my class. One you've completed both tasks, you can submit your extra credit assignment in the appropriate six-weeks. Please enter the specific and appropriate title for the assignment, your name, and class period when submitting extra credit. Extra credit must be submitted by the due day for each six-weeks before 11:59 p.m.
Class ID WHAP: 5502127 Class ID Pre-AP: 5502142 Password for either: effort
Link: Turnitin.com
WHAP Students: On your pacing guide you will find several topics listed for most weeks in a section cleverly called, “extra credit”. Each one is worth 1 percentage point on your six week average. I will score them "acceptable" or "no credit". You will write a two page briefing that summarizes the topic. Think of it as a mini-lesson. You are answering the journalistic questions; what, where, when, who, how and most importantly, two versions of why. Why did it happen, and why is it important/significant.
These are due, and will not be accepted by Turnitin.com, after 11:59 PM of the Tuesday before the end of the marking period. (As always, check the calender on this site.)
Pre-AP students: It’s the same as above. But you will need to follow this link for a growing list of topics.
Book Reviews: You may earn up to 5 points on your 6 week average in either the 3rd six weeks or the 6th six weeks marking periods. The first deadline, and the only one for Turn it Up is December 11. The second deadline is May 24, 2013. You may submit any of these before the deadline, in fact, I’d be grateful!
You better read this ALL before doing the work. I WILL NOT ACCEPT incorrectly written or submitted assignments!
There are assignments for any student, freshmen or sophomores; and there are assignments for one or the other. Look below to see which is which.
Please read the directions below. I am going to be unresponsive (read nasty) to people who haven’t bothered to read my explanation before they ask me questions!
ALL STUDENTS
In each marking period, you will see an assignment for “extra credit” in the grade book. It is set so that it adds percentage points to a student’s 6 week grade average. Different assignments are worth a different number of maximum average points.
All assignments are for writing. Communicating effectively in writing is often a soft spot in student’s academic armor. If I’m going to give you extra credit, you are going to become a better writer.
All extra credit must be submitted by the deadline listed through the website, TurnItIn.com, to insure there is no plagiarism. Late work will not be considered. Details of the submission process are at the bottom of this page.
All extra credit must be submitted using the MLA manual of style. Improperly formatted work will not be considered, really. I won’t even read it, laziness in formatting will cost you the points. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
In the social sciences, we are piecing together an urn from the broken shards of pottery. That metaphor is meant to point out that all our conclusions, our arguments, our “truths”, come from many primary sources. Every source has its bias, its hidden agenda, and its hints about the context for the events and times we wish to understand. This is the essential skill of the Social Scientist, from Geographers, to Sociologists, to Psychologists, to Anthropologists, and yes, for Historians. Can we assemble an argument for the way things are, the way things were and what caused them? Was it one process contingent upon another? Was it an accident of fate? Was there a conjuncture of developments that lead to an outcome?
We can apply the same analysis to secondary sources, other people’s version of the story. Can the pieces be assembled in a different way? Is there a vital piece missing? Did the other writer ignore important pieces? And if the answer is “yes” to any of these, then what effect did that have on their version of the story?
These assignments are meant to move your mind in the direction of thinking that way. I also hope you might find them interesting.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR EXTRA CREDIT WORK:
You must create an account through Turnitin.com and use the appropriate Class ID to register for my class. One you've completed both tasks, you can submit your extra credit assignment in the appropriate six-weeks. Please enter the specific and appropriate title for the assignment, your name, and class period when submitting extra credit. Extra credit must be submitted by the due day for each six-weeks before 11:59 p.m.
Class ID WHAP: 5502127 Class ID Pre-AP: 5502142 Password for either: effort
Link: Turnitin.com
WHAP Students: On your pacing guide you will find several topics listed for most weeks in a section cleverly called, “extra credit”. Each one is worth 1 percentage point on your six week average. I will score them "acceptable" or "no credit". You will write a two page briefing that summarizes the topic. Think of it as a mini-lesson. You are answering the journalistic questions; what, where, when, who, how and most importantly, two versions of why. Why did it happen, and why is it important/significant.
These are due, and will not be accepted by Turnitin.com, after 11:59 PM of the Tuesday before the end of the marking period. (As always, check the calender on this site.)
Pre-AP students: It’s the same as above. But you will need to follow this link for a growing list of topics.
Book Reviews: You may earn up to 5 points on your 6 week average in either the 3rd six weeks or the 6th six weeks marking periods. The first deadline, and the only one for Turn it Up is December 11. The second deadline is May 24, 2013. You may submit any of these before the deadline, in fact, I’d be grateful!
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All Quiet on the Western Front, by Eric Maria Remark. As to the nature and value of this particular book, well, it’s nothing special other than perhaps the greatest indictment of war ever made. It stands alone as a great piece of art that you should read as part of your essential education. It is an example of an era in literature and human thinking that came about after the horrors of the First World War that still deeply influence our lives today. It is there in our literature, our visual arts, our philosophy and in the way we look at our lives.
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The young men and women that faced the brutality of World War I were known as the “lost generation.” They started out so full of promise and with a naive optimism about the future that lay before them. In the end they lost their spirit and gained an unending questioning of the mass society, governments and corporate world that produced “their” war.
It is a pattern that has repeated itself over and over in the 300 or so generations of recorded history. And so for this reason alone, it is worthy of your attention. In what ways will you see parallels to your own life, to your war, to the events swirling around in your world? Is the pattern repeating itself again? Can it be said that your generation is lost? You may earn up to 5 percentage points. Turn it Up is a firsthand account of the last two years in the life of the band, Lynyrd Skynyrd – you know, Freebird, Sweet Home Alabama, That Smell, Gimme Three Steps? – up to and including the author’s story about being in the plane crash that killed four members of the band. Ronnie Eckerman was the tour manager for the band, so his perspective is up close, just the way we like our sources in history. History you say? Well, since you were all born in the ‘90s, the late ‘70s IS history. I think you’ll find this a compelling and interesting read. Best of all, those students who complete this assignment will get an opportunity to meet the author during lunch and ask any question you will no doubt have after reading the book. This assignment is due on or before December 11th at 11:59 PM (electronic submission, remember?).
You may earn up to 5 percentage points. |
PARENT WARNING: as you might imagine, the author references improper language and drug use in the story. Please consider this before allowing your student to purchase this book.
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