Writing Across Cultures

For your research today, please choose one of the following social institutions to examine: Government Economy Religion Education Family Arts (select a specific art form) Then examine your topic as it relates to culture in the United States. Find out how the institution has changed over its history, how it affects our culture, and how it leads or connects to pop culture and pop cultural topics. You will need to start somewhere online and get a basic understanding of what it is you are attempting to research. Once you've done that, keep track of key issues and side-issues in your topic. Take NOTES. Your notes will lead you to further research. Eventually, you will want a combination of text and visual images to present your social institution project to the class. During class we will select our next novel, sticking with Australian authors.

We will continue our pop culture presentations today. Here is another site for articles on Pop Culture  (a good source for media) and Mashable (a good site for culture, style, tech & business). To test your knowledge, play this game: You Know It! Where does this get us? Our next task is to do a little research. Our goal is to examine one of the following major social institutions and explore its history in America. You will want to research and create a graphic design to share with the class based on your research. You may select any of the following suggestions to visually capture your work: a padlet , a time line, a collage (or online collage: fotor photo collage  or ribbet , glogster , kerpoof  studio, mindomo mind mapping , animoto (make and share videos), or good old poster paper or arts/crafts stuff, etc. We recognize five major social institutions that have been evident in some way in every civilization in history: government  religion  e...

After our discussion on the book Jennifer Government , we will begin our Prezi presentations on our pop culture topics. When you present, please address the entire class. You should try to make eye contact with us, although to advance your frames and topic, you may find it helpful to refer to the screen. Viewers: as we watch the presentation, please provide some feedback to the presenter by completing the handout. Additionally, take notes on aspects of the presentation that you might be able to use in your own projects or writing in the future. Use this presentation time to think about ideas central to pop culture and its issues in forming culture. HOMEWORK: None.

Notes on portfolios: Rubric and feedback Pacing Revision in MP 2 Questions/Concerns Some writers had specific questions about how to deal with these issues in their writing. To help you, take a look at these links and read the material presented. You'll be glad you did. Titles. How to come up with an appropriate title . Help with conflict tropes Plot tropes 7 Different types of plot: Overcoming the monster/evil obstacle : protagonist learns of a threat to humankind and sets out to defeat or destroy it. Rags to riches : protagonist starts off inadequate (weak or even economically poor) but through a series of events that help the character mature and become responsible, the protagonist gains wealth and/or power. The Quest : protagonist starts on a journey that will help develop and strengthen some aspect of the character in search of a macguffin (an object of little importance ultimately, although much importance is attributed to the object in the beginning of th...

This morning complete any missing and/or work due. Work on your Prezi projects (last day to do so before they are due!) and/or read Jennifer Government . There are a lot of links, clips, articles, etc. that we have covered this marking period. Some of you haven't looked at these things, so please take some time today to refresh your memory and reinforce some of the ideas of this course. If you haven't yet turned in your portfolio, you must do so today by the end of class or you have received a '0' for your portfolio grade this marking period. This is a major assignment. HOMEWORK: Complete Jennifer Government . Complete your Prezi projects.

Please turn in your portfolios today. They are due. See previous posts for details. In the lab, please continue your pop culture prezi. Your deadline for this assignment is Tuesday, Oct. 22. Continue reading Jennifer Government . Aim to complete this novel by next Tuesday. Pop Culture Food for Thought. As you watch note how pop culture references, allusions to classical texts, and high culture meets low culture: Maggie Simpson: The Longest Daycare Logorama (Oscar winning animated short film) Thugnotes: 1984 Quentin Tarantino's References to Pop Culture in His Films South Park: The Avengers Bugs Bunny: Barber of Seville

This morning, please use the lab to further the following projects: --The cultural settings story --The pop culture prezi --Your portfolio --Reading Jennifer Government Your portfolio is scheduled to be due today. In your portfolio you will need the following drafts: 1. The cultural settings story 2. Any other work you have written up (poems, scenes, articles, essays, stories, etc.) 3. A marking period reflection (a 1-2 page reflection on the work and projects you are writing, or an explanation of the work you have put in your portfolio, or identification of what you want feedback on in the portfolio (apart from the general rubric: see below). Portfolio Rubric: 4 = Exemplary 3= Accomplished 2= Promising 1=Beginning 0=Failing Exemplary : Thoroughly and artistically developed characters, effective characterization, compelling or creative plot, structure, conflict, theme, and setting. Uses vivid description, effective diction and word choice, tone or voice, POV, imagery, a...

What is  Popular Culture ? Popular culture studies popular culture from a critical theory perspective. It is generally considered a combination of communication studies and cultural studies. Barriers between so-called high and low culture have broken down, which encompasses such diverse media as comic books, television, mass media, and the Internet. The theory of progressive evolution : Capitalist economies create opportunities for every individual to participate in a culture which is fully democratized through mass education, expansion of leisure time and cheap entertainment, media and paperbacks. In this liberal view, popular culture (low culture) does not threaten high culture, but is an authentic expression of the needs of the people. Click above at the link (a very pop culture idea in the first place) and read about Popular Culture on Wikipedia (another pop culture idea). Take notes to define, understand the component parts of the subject area, and its char...

This morning, please share your Pop Matters articles with the class. Afterward, take the quiz on the book The Stone Gods . Then we'll discuss the book. After our discussion, we will return to the lab to choose a popular cultural topic for our Prezi projects. Here is the padlet we created that may give us some ideas concerning topics. Padlet: Pop Culture After selecting a topic, begin researching it. Remember that you must cite your sources. If you use a particular website for information, please make sure you write down the address, author of the site, and date you consulted the material. If it is a journal or article, you will need to know the title, author, original publication information, etc. HOMEWORK: None. Portfolios are due next week.

 After our sharing of the Pop Culture articles, please turn in you homework for participation credit. In the lab, add pop culture examples from padlet. Click here and add visual pictures of pop culture, counter culture, trash culture, sub culture, progressive evolution, high/low culture, & fads. After our brainstorming, make a personal list of popular cultural topics you might like to research. After writing your list, go ahead and choose a topic, then research your topic. After researching your topic, you will eventually be asked to create a Prezi and class presentation to share your topic with the class.  HOMEWORK: The Stone Gods : Please read part three and four and complete the novel by Monday, October 7. Work on your portfolio, Pop Culture project/research, read the article "The Simpsons".