Agenda: Monday, November 30, 2009

Quote of the Day: "There is no medicine to cure hatred." ~ African Proverb

Agenda:
1.  Goal of the Week
2.  We'll watch the inspirational Story of a  homeless teen in LA.  (Embedded video on this blog on previous post)
3.  Juniors will do Socratic Seminar on two selections.  They will read each selection and summarize them and then come up with two collective points about it to share with the class.

A.  Newsweek Article:  Making the Right College Work for You:  "Passions, Friends, and Great Profs:  After you arrive on campus, the real decisions begin." http://www.newsweek.com/id/210895

excerpt from article:  For four years of high school, dreams of college life kept me persevering through what seemed like unbearable times of teenage torment. So when I got to college, I felt a lot of pressure to make sure it was the best four years of my life. Although I made an excellent choice in Washington University in St. Louis, it was really the decisions I made once I arrived that made my college experience what I hoped it would be.

B.  "Student Success Stories" from this website:  http://www.mycollegesuccessstory.com/success-stories/
The students will meet in their tutor groups and read the stories aloud and then discuss them.  They will circle things they don't understand and underline main points.  Then they will find at least "2 Things" from the success story to share with the class.

Sophomores will do a Socratic Discussion surrounding the inspirational story of Terry Fox.  We will discuss how he overcame his disadvantages and  how his message is one that we can learn from. 
Terry Fox Foundation

Inspirational Story

NFL's $45 million man helps Skid Row teen's college dream link

Happy Thanksgiving

The History of Thanksgiving:

3:50 video from History Channel

The Puritans, George Washington, FDR?  Nahhh, the real hero here is Sarah Hale.

1924 is the date of the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.

1934 is the first Thanksgiving Day football game for the Lions.  (Of course, I'm not going to mention that other team that plays on Turkey Day.)

It is uniquely American.

But, of course, it's about family.  I'll be spending my Thanksgiving at home with my wife and son.  Yesterday we took a trip to Discovery Green in downtown Houston and had a nice picnic lunch and a special day together.  It's what Thanksgiving weekend is all about.

Agenda: Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Quote of the Day:  “It isn't what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart.” - Annonymous

Agenda:
Juniors - We will tutor in the flex area for students who need it for tests today.  In the classroom students will work on finishing their Thankful Letter -or- Road Trip Nation Curriculum.  We will watch a couple of these interviews:

Andrew Steele - AstroBiologist
"Life is a gift. And your life is a gift. No one has the right to tell you how to use that gift. And no one has the right to try and place you into a mold or into a position that they see right for you. You have already got the biggest gift there is: you are made of stars." - Andrew Steele

Ann Telnaes, Puliter Prize-Winning Political Cartoonist, Humors Edge

"Just be ready to look at other doors. I had a lot of doors open to me that I never thought about when I was a student, and I took them. It worked out really well."  - Ann Telnaes



William Morris, Glassblower & Artist, William Morris Glass
"Would you rather have one year of utter vitality, or would you have ten years of just sort of ho-hum mediocrity? Either choice is fine. . . . Live the choice that you make." - William Morris



Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, Drummer, The Roots
Philadelphia, PA"I don't know if anyone who's truly successful feels a sense of completion. I think it's just a constant mission to stay ahead."

Sophomores will finish their Thankful Letters and Watch Road Trip Nation interviews.  They will be thinking up questions that they will ask the people that they interview this spring.

Agenda: Monday, November 23, 2009

Quote of the Day:  “One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.” - Joan of Arc

Agenda:

Both Soph & Juniors will write "Thank You" Letters to a tutor, teacher, counselor, or principal at school who has helped you this year.  Must be 3 paragraphs and must list at least 2 specific reasons why you appreciate them.  Be as detailed as possible.  Close with Happy Thanksgiving.  Date it and sign it. 

Juniors will then present college videos.

Sophomores will do Road Trip Nation lesson #12.

Agenda: Friday, November 20th, 2009

Agenda:
Jrs - present college video projects.  Watch RTN interview.
Sophs - RTN Lesson #10 and #11.

Monday - We are going to write "Thank You" letters for Thanksgiving to a teacher, tutor, counselor, principal or someone you are engaged with at school.  These will be handed in on Tuesday for a test grade.

Agenda: Wed & Thu Nov. 18/19, 2009

Quote of the Day:

Agenda:

1.  Tutoring for first 1/2 of the period.

2.  Juniors will present their Video Projects on the college of their choice.  If time remains we will watch RTN Lesson #7

Sophomores will watch Lesson #9 "Making it Work":

We will read this from the RTN.org Website:

    Making it work is about putting all of the other Axles together.  By now, you have been exposed to a lot of insights from the road and hopefully you have a better grasp of the common themes that bind the Leaders’ stories together.  What is important to remember as you continue on your journey is that these themes will forever weave themselves into your own life.  Now that you are familiar with them, you’ll be able to recognize that the role each of these themes plays in your life constantly evolves as your circumstances change and you continue to refine your road.  Allowing this evolution is not easy – there will be compromises and decisions you have to make along the way, you will have to maintain focus and balance, and you must continually be an active participant in order to make it all work.

    While ”making it work” includes finding creative solutions so that you can continue paying the bills while doing what you love, it also includes the ability to recognize when things need to change, knowing when circumstances are out of your control, and not being hard on yourself when things don’t work out the way that you planned.  All of these things require persistence, dedication, stamina, tenacity, and the ability to find a balance between dreams and reality.  While the ability to bring all of these qualities into your life on a daily basis seems like a tall order, the cost of the alternative – living a life that does not align with who you are – far outweighs the constant practice of making it work.

     As you begin defining life for yourself, there are going to have to be a lot of compromises you make.  For example, if you’re like most people, you may have to work to support yourself while in pursuit of what it is you are passionate about.  You might have to take a low-paying internship, or even work for free just to be a part of something you are interested in – and that’s OK.  It’s this hard work and dedication that will enable you to continue building a life around what you love, and eventually you will be able to get to a place where you do not have to make these compromises.  Just like many Leaders have done, the more dedicated you are to incorporating your passions into your daily life, the more you will set yourself up for opportunities that align with what you want to do.

Students will discuss these questions when the video ends. (We will use the RTN books to help us)

1.  Using what you have learned from the Axles of The Roadtrip Nation Experience, now how are you going to respond to the question, “So what do you want to do with your life?” 

2.  Think back to your response when you first answered this question in Lesson 1.  Now that you have had a chance to absorb the Leaders’ common themes, which, if any, of the Axles shaped your response above the most?

Agenda: Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Quote of the Day: "To have a second language is to possess a second soul." - Charlemagne

Agenda:
Tutoring! Bring a good question. Lots of tests in the next week.

Things to do:
If you are signing up for the ACT/SAT see your counselor for waiver forms.
Do not sign up without one.

Also, be thinking of a teacher, counselor, or principal that you would like to thank. We will be writing "Thank You" letters for thanksgiving next week. I'll be putting the letters in the teacher's boxes.

Agenda: Monday, November 16, 2009

Quote of the Day:

Both classes will write their Goal of the Week.  We will correct them in class - peer edit.

Juniors will present their video projects on the college of their choice. Then we will watch:

Lesson 8 : Self-Confidence

Self-confidence is an Axle that touches all others. Without it, you are more likely to fall asleep at the wheel and less likely to take risks; with it, you’ll be able to define your life’s work and have the self-assurance necessary to continually work hard defining a path for yourself. Self-Confidence can be inconsistent – some days it may feel like you can do anything and then the very next day you might feel hopeless, confused, and unsure. While this may be frustrating, this is normal, and is part of the process of taking an active role in building your own self-confidence.

Developing your confidence is a continual process of learning to trust yourself in making decisions that are consistent with who you are. Living a life that is consistent with your core is empowering and will become its own self-fulfilling prophecy; the more steps you take to align your life in the right direction, the more positive thinking will consume you. The real challenge, however, is that often the good feelings of being on your own path lag behind the actual point of action; in other words, feelings of hesitation, self-doubt, and nervousness are often felt before the good feelings, which makes it hard sometimes to take action or envision the outcome of that action.

Sophomores will watch lesson 8 - Self Confidence and also an additional interview and we will discuss self-confidence.

Agenda: Friday, November 13th, 2009

Computer Lab Time for both Juniors and Sophomores.

The Juniors are working on finishing their college videos. We will start presenting on Monday.

The Sophomores will be working on the Road Trip Nation dot org website to answer feedback questions and assignments.

On Monday both groups will do lesson #8 of Road Trip Nation - Self Confidence.

Be prepared for a binder check next Tuesday. Take Cornell Notes!

Agenda: Wed & Thu Nov. 11/12, 2009

Agenda: Tutoring and then AVID class for...

Sophomores - Road Trip Nation Lesson 7
Juniors - ACT prep and discuss the College Video Project

Friday we will be in the computer lab.

Agenda: Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Quote of the Day: "Veni, Vidi, Vici!" I came, I saw, I conquered - Julius Caesar, 47 BC

Agenda:  Tutoring today.  Bring a great question.  Get some help.  First tutoring session of the new six week's period!

Agenda: Monday, November 9, 09

Quote of the Day:  "Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails... Explore, Dream, Discover."  -- Mark Twain

Agenda:

Juniors 4th period --
1.  Goal of the Week
2.  Road Trip Nation interview - The inspirational story of Damon Dash

Damon Dash claims he still doesn’t know what he’s going to be, yet he has always been sure of one thing: he's going to be successful. Growing up in Harlem, he acquired the entrepreneurial skills he would need to capitalize on those opportunities when they did arise. Instead of hanging out on a stoop in Harlem, as he once did, he now hangs out at his plush office in downtown Manhattan and gets paid handsomely for being there. As Dash recounts, personal tragedy also shaped his rise to the top. A turning-point occurred after his mother died. Only a teenager, he lost his sense of security and knew he had to take care of himself. Obliterated by the loss, he became fearless. At the same time, he tried to follow the Golden Rule by treating others as he wanted them to treat him. For someone who was the class clown and to his high-school peers probably the most unlikely to succeed, Dash has come a long way—without formally studying music, fashion, business, film, or any of the other enterprises with which he has been engaged. He combines an unflagging belief in himself with a strong work ethic.

 Damon Dash's Quote:  "You have to work hard - Always work hard. Don’t expect anyone to give you anything. If you really believe in something, then fight for it... Don’t let anybody tell you anything different."


3.  We'll pass out the ACT practice test books and work through those for the final part of the period.  We need to start setting our dates for when we want to take the ACT and SAT this spring.

 Sophomores - 
1.  Goal of the Week
2.  We'll catch up on some examples of Road Trip Nation lesson interviews.  Over the past week of working with Road Trip Nation our conversations have gone longer than expected and we have not gotten to a few of the video examples Mr. Duez was hoping for.   Jeff Adams, Olympic Wheelchair racer, is one of those interviews.  We'll take Cornell Notes.

District Football Champs!

Way to go Eagle Football!  31-7 win over Kingwood.
The Eagles finish the regular season 9-1 overall, 5-1 in district and will be the top seed in the Class 5A, Division II bi-district playoffs next week. They open against Chavez at 7 p.m. Thursday at North Shore.
See the Chronicle Game article here.

Agenda: Friday November 6, 2009

Quote of the Day:

Agenda:

Sophomores 7th Period:

Lesson 6: Hard Work Versus Luck
     What is more important, hard work or luck? It’s no secret that luck can often play a big part in positioning you for success – being at the right place at the right time, making connections with people, stumbling across something randomly that interests you. However, it’s your hard work and talent that keep you there and allow you to take advantage of opportunities when they come your way. As world-renowned film editor Walter Murch says in this lesson video, “The world is full of people who are talented, who were not lucky and did not work hard, and washed out.” In other words, there are people all around you that may have found themselves in situations where luck may or may not have played a role; but either way, they did not have the necessary foundations in place to sustain their talent in order to take advantage of opportunities and thus could not make anything of themselves.
     In order to understand the concept of how hard work can actually position you to take advantage of luck, we must first explain what working hard means. It is easy to label things that are tedious, laborious, difficult or even boring as “hard work.” But the real question is working hard for what? If you’re working hard at something that doesn’t matter to you, there’s little value in how your time is spent. The goal is to find ways to put hard work in the larger context so that you can see the big picture of where that commitment is taking you. You want to be working hard for something that you believe in.

We will watch the video that goes with the lesson and also see this video:

Walter Murch, Film Editor and Sound Designer; Apocalypse Now, Ghost, Julia, House of Cards

Fortunately for Walter, he discovered at an early age that he had a gift for sound recording, even though he didn't take his youthful experiments seriously until after he had explored other paths, including architecture and oceanography. Always eager to push things and see what happens, he found himself in good company at USC film school, where he met George Lucas, another graduate student whom instructors identified as a troublemaker for daring to challenge cinematic conventions. Impressed by Ingmar Bergman's Seventh Seal, a film Walter saw while at USC, he had the revelation that maybe he could create something equally moving and monumental and at the same time earn a living. He had his chance as the sound designer for Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, one of many award-winning productions with which Walter has been involved during a long and fruitful career. Known for taking risks and breaking the rules, he attributes his success to three main factors: luck, talent, and hard work. Each factor, he explains, functions like a leg of a tripod. The trick is to keep the tripod balanced, a skill he has mastered.

Junior AVID Students will be getting 3 materials:
1)  Road Map to College
2)  Financial Aid Information Packet
3)  The practice test for ACT
We'll spend the first 1/2 of the period working on Road Map and Financial Aid information in groups.  The second 1/2 will be working silently on ACT practice test.
On Monday we'll work on the first group of ACT practice test questions in our tutor groups.

Agenda: Wed/Thu November 4 & 5, 2009

Quote of the Day:

Agenda:
First 45 minutes - Tutoring (Any reassessments of binders/cornell notes - See Mr. Duez)
Second 45 minutes -  In Class Timed Writing Essay for Test Grade

Sophomores will write about a Road Trip Nation interview, lesson, or the RTN field trip this week.
Juniors will be writing the MLK "Friendly Letter."

Each essay will need to include:
1)  Paragraph Form
2)  Thesis underlined
3)  At least 3 paragraphs
4)  Name, Date, Period

The Road Trip Nation essay will give specific examples of what you learned and how you related to the interview, lesson or field trip.

The MLK "Friendly Letter" needs to answer the prompt:

Prompt: Your chosen leader - Martin Luther King, Jr. - had major concerns about problems, issues, or events that occurred during the period in which he lived. After studying one of these and the leader’s life, prepare a friendly letter, written as if it were from the leader to a specific audience, in which he or she discusses the problem related to an issue or event and some of the possible causes and suggests a solution. Both the problem and the solution must be consistent with the leader’s views, actions, and goals—and the historical period.

You may use the two packets given to you in class as a resource.  They contain "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" and also the "I Have a Dream Speech."

Agenda: Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Quote of the Day:

Agenda:
Tutoring
& Binder Check

Agenda: Monday, November 2, 2009

Quote of the Day: "Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare." - Japanese Proverb

Learning Target:  
* Create a definition of "failure"
* Understand Road Trip Nation's definition of failure and how it can actually be turned into a learning experience and an opportunity.

Lesson 5:  Road Trip Nation "Success, Risk, and Failure."

Think for a minute about writing an essay.  In school, you are asked to rewrite and rework drafts before you make your final submission.  There is a tangible end, and if you don’t make revisions or follow specific directions, you won’t receive a passing grade.  Life really works that way.  In life, you are constantly rewriting, redrafting, evolving, and adjusting where you want to go and who you want to be.  You never turn in a final draft; you’re just living with a working copy that you keep revising as you change and grow.  Once you get into your head that there is no definite endpoint, that there are no wrong answers on your path to success, it is much easier to shed the fear of failing.  Roadtrip Nation has defined failure as one of the greatest opportunities to learn and improve ourselves, or an acknowledgment that you’re pushing yourself outside your comfort zone.  It is that push outside your comfort zone in which you are making your life happen, not waiting for it to happen to you – that will always be a success regardless of the little failures that occur along the way.

Students will answer these two questions in class:

1.  Read Roadtrip Nation’s definition of failure above.  Now, redefine failure for yourself.  Through this new lens, what does the word “failure” now mean to you? 

2.  Think of a situation when you made something happen for yourself, and it didn’t work out the way you had hoped. What did you learn from that experience? Did the fact that you “failed” really matter in the long run? Explain.

Eages Win Again (with video)

Go Eagles!

AHS Eagles 17 - IKE 11

AHS Eagles Lead the Friday Football Frenzy: October 30, 2009  

AHS 17 - IKE 11! 

BEAT KINGWOOD and we are district champs next week.

AHS Pep Rally

Glad to hear AHS is winning tonight. Watched the Pep Rally here

Go Eagles!

Agenda: Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

Quote of the Day:  "What we do in life echoes through eternity."  - Roman General Maximus from the movie Gladiator (pictured to the left, played by Russell Crowe)

Agenda:
 Today we will look at Lesson 3 "No Roadmap" for Road Trip Nation.
We will also see video interview examples from this lesson. 
The students answered these two questions:

It is important to remember that creativity does not necessarily have to do with art.  Creativity can be applied to thoughts and ideas in many aspects of your life.  What are three ways you could be more creative with the choices you make so that the road you are traveling on is really yours?

Think of yourself (your likes, dislikes, passions, innermost thoughts, and dreams) like a diamond.  What makes you valuable? Unique? Amazing?

Your assignment - due Monday, November 9th:

Interview a teacher.  Ask that teacher 3 questions:

1)  What was your major in college?

2)  Did you always want to become a teacher?

3)  What was your road like to becoming a teacher? 

Agenda: Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Quote of the Day:  Quote of the Day: "Time the devourer of everything." - Ovid, Roman Poet (pictured to the right source)

Agenda -

1)  Tutoring.  First 45 min.
2)  Sophomores (wed) - We'll look at Lesson 3:  "There is no Roadmap" of Road Trip Nation.  The assignment is to interview 3 of your teachers.  Ask these questions: 

What was your favorite class in high school?
What was your major in college?  Why did you choose that major?
Since graduating from college, what jobs have you held?
Why did you ultimately decide to become a ____________ teacher?
Take notes on what the teacher says.  

The first students to return this to me will have the chance to be our spokesperson with AT&T which will be asking for our feedback on the Road Trip Nation program.

Our field trip to Deer Park ISD to visit the RTN RV is on Monday, November 2, 2009.  Please get your permission slip to me as soon as possible.

If time permits we will watch the RTN.com interview by Pat Croce. 

2)  Juniors on Thursday -- We will be looking at lesson 1 "The MLK Friendly Letter."  You wrote those last Friday for the sub and they were "subpar."  So we'll be working on improving them in class.  You will re-write them according to the actual prompt.  When this is understood and completed we'll move on to looking at redoing the last activity on MLK's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail."  We'll get in the same groups and look for actual sources of information and why you chose the characteristics that you did from Campbell.

Inspiration - Elena's "Notes Left Behind"

Girl's Notes "Left Behind" Help Parents Grieve

Girl's 'Notes Left Behind' Help Grieving Parents Help Others

POSTED: 3:24 pm EDT October 26, 2009
UPDATED: 12:38 pm EDT October 27, 2009
CINCINNATI -- Brooke and Keith Desserich say they never intended to write a book about their daughter.
It started as a parent's personal journal to their younger daughter Gracie, so she would be able to remember her 6-year-old sister, Elena, who was diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer.

Elena Desserich

"They told us at the very beginning that she had 135 days to live," Keith Desserich said.Though her parents didn't want her to know the severity of her cancer, they feel that she must have known what was happening. The tumor slowly took away her ability to talk.But Elena was still able to write."That was her way to letting us know everything would be OK," Brooke Desserich said.After Elena passed away, her parents discovered that their daughter had left a message behind for them -- a lot of messages, actually."We started to pull out notes and they would be in between CDs or between books on our bookshelf," Keith Desserich said.Then the couple started finding them everywhere."We started to collect them and they would all say 'I love you Mom, Dad and Grace.' We kept finding them, and still to this day, we keep finding them," Keith Desserich said. "Literally, there are hundreds of notes that we found."Elena’s parents each hold onto a sealed note they've never opened."We always want to know that there’s one more note that we haven't read yet," Keith Desserich said.The Desserich family initially didn’t want the story published, but in the end, they decided they would if all the money went to their cancer foundation, The Cure Starts Now, dedicated to finding "home run" cures for all cancers.The book, Notes Left Behind, goes on sale Tuesday. The family will appear at the Joseph-Beth Bookstore on Tuesday and at Barnes and Noble in Kenwood on Wednesday, at 7 p.m. both days.

You can watch the video on the website link above.  

Agenda: Tue, 27, Oct 2009

Quote of the Day: 

“Be not too tame neither, but let your own discretion be your tutor: suit the action to the word, the word to the action.” - William Shakespeare

Today we will be tutoring.

Bring a great question and be ready to help others.

A Great Field Trip to Texas A&M

Thanks everyone for making Friday's trip to Texas A&M so wonderful.  Best field trip I've been on yet.

Agenda: Monday, October 26, 2009

Quote of the Day:  "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire

Agenda:

1.  Goal of the Week - 2 sentences (1st - what is your goal, 2nd - how will you attain your goal).  Also a paragraph about last week's goal.

2.  For Juniors 4th Period -- We will read "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" in class in groups.  Each group will determine which of Campbell's 6 Characteristics of a Leader that section displays the most.

Read MLK's Letter from a Birmingham Jail here.

Read Campbell's 6 Characteristics from "Great Leaders Grow Deep Roots." here.
We divided into 7 groups.  One group for each page of MLK's Letter.  The students in each group read the page together, highlighted important passages, and then discussed which of the 6 characteristics were most important.  The six characteristics are:

1.  Integrity
2.  Vision
3.  Concern
4.  Creativity
5.  Results-Orientation
6.  Courage 

We are preparing to write the Essay for Assignment #2 (An in class Timed Essay):

Which personal characteristics mentioned by Campbell are central for understanding the leader you are studying (MLK)?  Why were these characteristics important when the leader lived?  How did they aid him/her to be a catalyst for change?

3.  For Sophomores Period 7- We will debrief on the Texas A&M trip and discuss the campus, our meeting with Lauren Clifford and Jarrod Johnson.  We will also take a look at this Sports Illustrated article about Jarrod:  "Texas A&M QB Jerrod Johnson's story is the best you've never heard." 

Jerrod and A&M beat Tech this weekend 52-30!  

Then we will watch Lesson 3 of Road Trip Nation.  

Lesson 3 : There Is No Roadmap 

It’s human nature to want to know how things will turn out.  Answers give us comfort and a feeling of security that things are going to be okay.  As a society, we tend to look at life through a very narrow lens and down a linear path of what life should look like – go to school, get a job, start a family, and the list goes on.  It’s easy to accept that there is one path to happiness, and it’s easy to find comfort in following a prescribed sequence as opposed to setting out on your own.

But the truth is that there isn’t one path, as much as many of us would like there to be.  As many of the Leaders we’ve interviewed can attest to, you never really know exactly how things are going to turn out.  We can’t control the deck of cards life deals us; we can only control our reactions.  More often than not, we make choices in life based on what feels comfortable, safe, and secure; but those are not necessarily the paths that will make us the happiest.  Many people are too afraid to make changes in their life simply because there is no assurance that things will turn out the way they want them to – but they find comfort in being like everyone else.  (From RoadTripNation)

We'll answer these two questions:

It is important to remember that creativity does not necessarily have to do with art.  Creativity can be applied to thoughts and ideas in many aspects of your life.  What are three ways you could be more creative with the choices you make so that the road you are traveling on is really yours? 

And

Think of yourself (your likes, dislikes, passions, innermost thoughts, and dreams) like a diamond.  What makes you valuable? Unique? Amazing? 

A great RTN inteview that can match this lesson is the Pat Croce one.  Watch the Pat Croce interview here.

Pat Croce has been working since he was eleven years old. His childhood paper route in his hometown of Philadelphia gave him a strong sense of work ethic, and the disciplinary and organizational skills he learned stayed with him throughout his life. During his college years he played on the football team, hoping it would lead to a professional career; but soon it became clear that playing pro football was not in his future, so he decided to take some time off college. He worked various odd jobs around Philadelphia. Still not knowing what he wanted to do with his life, he began volunteering at the hospital where he was introduced to the world of sports medicine: the perfect fusion of two of his passions, sports and health. He immediately began to plan his future in the field, and by 1979, he had opened the first sports medicine center in the US. Fifteen years later, he owned 40 centers across the country. Pat partially attributes his success to his paperboy values of customer service; in therapy, he works to ensure both the physical and mental well-being of his patients. His entrepreneurial spirit has enabled him to accomplish a wide variety of feats throughout his career, from owning the Philadelphia 76ers to being a best-selling self-help author.

Texas A&M Trip for the Sophomores

Reminder to the sophomores that we'll be heading to Texas A&M on Friday.  Bus rolls out at 6:30am.  We'll return at 4pm.  Be sure to wear comfortable shoes.  A&M has the largest campus in the nation... and we'll be doing a lot of walking.  It's 5,200 acre campus is huge!

 

Wed/Thu October 21/22, 2009

Quote of the Day: "A true friend is one soul in two bodies." - Aristotle

Sophomores on Wednesday
Agenda:
1.  Tutoring
2.  Road Trip Nation:  Lesson 2 ~ "Lesson 2 : Don't Fall Asleep at the Wheel"
We will watch the lesson on DVD and then write our answers to these two questions and discuss:

1. Imagine your life if you could follow your dreams.  What would it look like?  What would you be doing? How would you be contributing to the world?  In the space below, describe what your life would be like if you could do anything.
2. How have you actively engaged in your life today?  When have you felt most alive and in line with your true self?  Describe a time when it felt like you were living the dream. 

Remember Baron Wolman, the Rolling Stone Photographer?  He is a perfect example of "Don't Fall Asleep at the Wheel."  He has taken advantage of those moments in his life when he's had his chances.  Whether it was "being where the action was" in college with politics and being class president.  Or "being where the action was" by joining a special forces group to become a military spy.  Or "being where the action was" by taking photographs of the Berlin Wall.  Or taking advantage of his opportunities by becoming a Rolling Stone photographer.  Check out his story here (especially if you were absent and missed class):  Baron Wolman Interview from 2008 Road Trip Nation

Juniors on Thursday

Agenda:
1.  Tutoring.  
2.  "Watch "I have a dream" speech by Martin Luther King.  Follow along with the words of the speech.  Annotate & mark the text.  Write questions in the margin that you are needing answered.  Discuss after wards parts that you may not have understood or want to emphasize.
3.  Using the ACR Curriculum (AVID College Readiness Curriculum) we will do the first assignment that was given last period - the "Friendly Letter" assignment.  Instead of writing it out of class we will write it on Friday in class.  
Prompt: Your chosen leader (MLK) had major concerns about problems, issues, or events that occurred during the period in which he or she lived. After studying one of these and the leader’s life, prepare a friendly letter, written as if it were from the leader to a specific audience, in which he or she discusses the problem related to an issue or event and some of the possible causes and suggests a solution. Both the problem and the solution must be consistent with the leader’s views, actions, and goals—and the historical period.

Agenda: Tuesday, Oct. 20th, 2009

Tutoring today.  Come with a great question, leave as an improved student.

Agenda: Monday, October 19, 2009

Quote of the Day:  "One man with courage is a majority." - Andrew Jackson

Agenda:
1.  Goal of the Week is due:  1 sentence that describes the goal.  1 sentence that explains how the student will accomplish the goal.  Also a paragraph about last week's goal at the bottom.
2.  Juniors - Will see video clip on MLA Formatting and Plagerism.
YouTube.com Video:  Your Writing Not Someone Else's 
Sophomores - Will go to the computer lab to sign up for Road Trip Nation.
3.  Juniors will also look at Martin Luther King, Jr. as our subject of our ACR- AVID College Readiness writing assignment.

We will look at the "I have a Dream" speech and look at Campbell's Six Characteristics of Exceptional Leaders to find evidence of each characteristic.
We are working towards an in class writing assignment that will be a "Friendly Letter" from MLK written by the AVID student.

Watch the MLK "I have a Dream" Speech here

1.  Goal of the Week

2.  Plagiarism videos

3.  First writing assignment, pass it out. Discuss Campbell and MLK and the assignment

4.  Show the I have a dream speech video clip and then read out loud the I have a Dream Speech in class.

Thu

Use campbell and the i have a dream speech to determine which parts are showing which characteristic.

Write a sample friendly letter

Fri w/sub

1. Watch the I have a Dream speech

2. Have the students write quietly in class their "Friendly Letter from MLK."

1st Six Week's Award Winners

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Fourth Period Junior AVID Award Winners:
Eagle - Kaylin
Pigeon - Lee

Seventh Period Sophomore AVID Award Winners:
Eagle - Carol-lyn
Pigeon - Angie

Agenda: Friday, October 16th

Quote of the Day: "One of the most time consuming things is having an enemy." -- E.B. White

Agenda:
1) Road Trip Nation Video Interview - "Joe Quesada" The Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics. Check out Joe's story here:
Joe Quesada Road Trip Nation Interview
Themes: Chance & Luck, Finding Your Road, Desire, Determination, Planning

Meet Joe Quesada, “the luckiest son of a (gun) in the history of comic books.” While working at the toy store FAO Schwarz, Quesada, having recently graduated from art school, was doodling on a napkin. A stock-boy came in, saw his scribbles, and suggested he write for comics. Quesada brushed off the idea with, “Ah, silly stock-boy, comics are for kids.” However, the stock-boy insisted, and the next day he brought Frank Miller’s first issue of “Dark Knight” for Quesada.

We discussed in groups - 1) What surprised us about Joe's story? and 2) What did you relate to your life about his journey?

2) We also gave out the Eagle and Pigeon awards in class today.

Agenda: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009

Quote of the Day: "Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you."
— Pericles

Juniors are at UTSA for a field trip today.

Sophomores are tutoring.

Halloween is coming.. Aidan is prepared!

Halloween 09 - Indiana Jones! from Mr. Duez on Vimeo.
Aidan dressed up in his Halloween costume for 2009.

Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

What do you think of this surprising development?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Proud that an American has won the award. But, hope it only leads to more peace.

Agenda: TGIF October 09, 2009

Quote of the Day:  "What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but rather what is woven into the lives others."  - Pericles

Learning Targets:
* Students will learn cooperative text analysis through text based discussion - Socratic Seminar
* Students will understand the meaning of the English novel they are reading (Awakening or Lord of the Flies)

Agenda:
1.Discuss Field trip to UTSA (for Juniors). We leave at 6am on Tuesday.
(5 min total)
2.  Expectations for Socratic Seminar:

You will be assessed as follows:
50% on the Annotation and Questions written on the Funeral Oration text.
50% on the Notes on a separate sheet of paper and your reflection at the end. 
I will collect both the packet and separate sheet at the end of the period.

3.  Socratic Seminar on "Novel Essay" with Edmodo.com.  Students will be placed into 6 groups and then 1 facilitator/captain of each group will have a laptop that is logged into Edmodo.com.  As you discuss the text, add questions and comments through Edmodo and reply and help other groups through the laptop.
4.  Debrief on "Novel Essay" and Edmodo.  Collect Annotations, Questions and Reflections at the door.

8 Years Ago - We began war... we are still in Afghanistan

Many forget, we are still a nation at war. This story by Ann Curry reminds us all of the sacrifice.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Tips for Friday's Socratic Seminar w/Edmodo

Some tips for Friday's Socratic Seminar.

Reminder: Socratic Seminar w/Edmodo for Friday.

TO DO: Read the text, underline, circle, highlight things you think are important or that you do not understand. Write at least one question on the handout for class on Friday.

I will be choosing captains (facilitators) to lead the groups based on your questions and annotation of the text.

The texts that we will use are associated with your English classes and the novels you are reading.

Looking forward to seeing how it goes on Friday.

Some things to consider:

Listen actively.
Build on what others say.
Expose/suspend your assumptions.
Do not step on other’s talk. Silences and pauses are OK.
Emphasize clarification, amplification, and implications of ideas.
Converse directly with each other, not through the facilitator.
Let the conversation flow without raising hands, as much as possible.
Make references to the text and encourage others to do the same.
Watch your air time for how often you speak and how much you say when you speak.

Question 1—Agreement: Which parts of the text do we agree with in terms of our work?
Question 2—Aspiration: Which parts of the text do we aspire to or want to work toward?
Question 3—Alignment: What is the current reality, and what is the gap between where we are and our aspirations?”
Question 4—Adjustments: What needs to be done for us to succeed?

Debrief (5 Minutes). When everyone has spoken, the facilitator closes the discussion about the text and poses the following questions for open discussion:
· What did we learn?
· What new insights did we gain as result of this protocol?
· What worked well?
· Did we follow the protocol? If not, why?
· How could the process be improved?

Agenda: Wed & Thu 10/07 and 10/08, 2009

Quote of the Day: "I'm not young enough to know everything." - Sir James Matthew Barrie

TUTORING ~ bring a high level question, your binder, and some hard work to tutoring.

Sophs (wednesdsay) - After tutoring we will log into RoadTripNation.org for the first time and check out the site. I will also give you a text about Lord of the Flies that we'll read for Friday. We are preparing for our Socratic Seminar on Friday - using Edmodo (twitter like application).

Juniors (thursday) - After tutoring we will work on the laptops to research our college of our choice to create our Animoto videos. This is the last day we'll have to do research on the computers in class. We may have another day or two in the computer lab.

Agenda: Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Quote of the Day: "Anything looked at closely becomes wonderful." - Ammond

Agenda: Tutoring Today
Mr. Duez will be grading Binders on Wed/Thu so have them ready for next time. 5 Pages of "Perfect" Cornell Notes

Tonight: "Signing Party" and parent night in AHS Cafeteria at 6pm for Sophomores.

Agenda: Friday, Oct. 2, 2009

Good luck to all our sports teams this weekend! I'll be at the Volleyball game tonight as Cristina's guest. Very honored to be there on Teacher's Night. Go Eagles!

Quote of the day: “The most valuable of all talents... that of never using two words where one will do.” -- Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)

Agenda:
Juniors - In Blue LGI for Guest Speaker Lilly Chu and "Scholarship Scams."

Sophomores - We will work on Road Trip Nation.

College Research & Video Project

The AVID Juniors will be doing some research on the laptop computers over the next two weeks.

They will choose a college, research for information about it, find pictures and video to go with their school and then create a video from the website animoto to describe it.

The page below is used to guide their research:

College Research Project for AVID

The students will create an account on Animoto and then upload pictures and choose text and a song to create their videos. Using Animoto is very easy and friendly to use. Mr. Duez has a code that unlocks the site and will share that during the class period.

Very excited to see what you guys come up with! We'll link to the videos here on the blog when they are finished.

Agenda: Wednesday, Sept 30, 2009 & Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009

Quote of the Day: "Wake me up when September ends." - Green Day

TUTORING TODAY - Bring a high level question, energy and willingness to learn.

Juniors (4th Period):
After tutoring we will be using the laptops, a grade check form and then working on a video project.

Sophomores (7th Period):
After tutoring we will be using the laptops, a grade check form and then working on the road trip nation website. Road Trip Nation.com and Road Trip Nation.org

Agenda: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009

Quote of the Day: "Quote of the Day: "Be a fountain, not a drain." ~Rex Hudler

Today we will do tutoring.
Bring a Level 2 or 3 Question.

Thank you for all of your hard work Tutors! You guys are doing a great job. We appreciate it.

Juniors will get permission slips for the Oct. 13th trip to UTSA.
Sophomores will get invites to the Parent Meeting on Oct. 6th @ 6pm in the PAC.

Agenda: Monday, Sept. 28, 2009

Quote of the Day: "You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth." - Evan Esar (1899 - 1995)

Agenda:

Sophomores will be in the Blue LGI for a guest speaker.

Juniors -
1. Weekly Goal due at the beginning of the period. (2 Sentences, 1: What is your goal of the week? 2: How will you achieve that goal? Goals should be measurable, attainable, and important)
2. We will be discussing the packet that you received on Thursday during the sub. "AVID COLLEGE READINESS: Working With Sources"
part 1 - Analyzing the Prompt.
We will work in class to analyze college prompts for writing.
3. Inspirational Video (if time)

Did You Know? Videos

Earlier this week we were going to watch an episode of Road Trip Nation but the Internet was down. So I pulled out the New Did You Know 4.0 video.

How do you feel about our rapidly changing society? How do stats like "there are 240 million TV sets in America and 2 Million of them are in bathrooms!" -and- there are as many Facebook users as Americans! Over 300 Million.

Crazy, huh?

Agenda: Friday, Sept. 25, 2009

Quote of the day:
"Video Killed the Radio Star." -- Lyrics from the very first video on MTV by the Buggles. Aired at midnight on Aug. 1, 1981

Learning Target:
Juniors -- What is Road Trip Nation? How are we going to use it in AVID III? What does the phrase "Don't Fall Asleep at the Wheel" mean to you?

Sophomores -- What is a scholarship scam? How can I improve my chances of doing well in college?

Agenda:
Juniors will discuss Road Trip Nation. They will watch a video about Bev Kearney, UT Track and Field Coach. They will take cornell notes with a reflection. We will also see "Don't Fall Asleep at the Wheel." Students will take notes and reflect at the end. If time, we will group up and discuss our path to success. What will it look like?

Sophomores: We will be in the Blue LGI for Lilly Chu from the BBB (Better Business Bureau). She is going to be our Guest Speaker and discuss important topics like: Scholarship Scams and Cell Phones.

Have a great weekend!

Agenda: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009

Tutoring Today! We will come with high level questions and work well with our awesome tutors. Let's get some work done.

Agenda: Monday, Sept. 21, 2009

Quote of the day: "Do or do not. There is no 'try.'" - Yoda.

Agenda:
1) Correct Binders. We will do a student self check of their binder. The rubric is:

2.5 inch Binder itself: 60 points
Pencil Pouch: 10 points
5 Dividers: 10 points
Agenda/Calendar with class schedules, test dates, scores, and weekly goals written: 10 points
Cornell Notes: 10 points (to get credit for Cornell Notes this week the student needs to have 5 pages of perfect notes. That means they must have the heading (name, date, period), Title of the notes (subject and what the topic was), Notes in the right column, Questions and terms in the left, and a summary. One summary = one page of cornell notes. Perfect notes means that they must have all of the above to get the 10 points on 5 pages. If they are missing anything, the page doesn't count. If they don't have 5 pages, they get a 0.

Students can reassess their binders through the remainder of the week to bring their grade up to an 85, if it is below an 85. Binder grades = 60% of the total six week's grade.

2) We will watch an episode of Road Trip Nation and take cornell notes and write summaries. Even the juniors will see an episode so that they understand what it is and how it works. Mr. Duez will be going to Road Trip Nation training on Thursday and will not be here for school. It will be exciting to see how the training goes. The materials will be used mostly for 10th graders.

Open House Tonight @ AHS - 6pm.

Open house is tonight at 6pm at Atascocita High School. Hope you can make it.

We will be following a bell schedule so that you have equal opportunity to meet with all of your teachers.

Open House Bell Schedule
Monday, September 21, 2009
6:00 - 8:32

6:00 - 6:25 Parent can pick up child's schedule in front of the library

6:25 Bell rings for parents to head to 1st period
6:30 - 6:40 First Period
6:46 - 6:56 Second Period
7:02 - 7:12 Advisory
7:18 - 7:28 Third Period
7:34 - 7:44 Fourth Period
7:50 - 8:00 Fifth Period
8:06 - 8:16 Sixth Period
8:22 - 8:32 Seventh Period

Friday, September 18, 2009

Quote of the day: "Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or self-confidence." Robert Frost

AVID Sophomores 7th period - Guest Speaker in Red LGI

AVID Juniors 4th period - Guest speaker could not make it for today. We will see them again at a later date.

1. We will continue our socratic seminar over the text from US News and World Report "What students are most successful in college?"

2. We will also get into AP study groups to prepare for any upcoming papers or tests that are coming.

Super Site for Citing: Knight Cite

This is a great site for citing sources:

Knight Cite

It does MLA, APA and Chicago styles. Looks like this could definitely be helpful in creating source pages.

Hope it helps you in your AP Classes.

Agenda: Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009 & Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009

Quote of the day: "You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell if a man is wise by his questions." -- Naquib Mahfouz, 1988 Nobel Prize winner in literature from Egypt

Today is 80's dress up day. Pop your collars and peg your jeans. Yeah. (this is bring back bad high school memories for Mr. Duez - graduate of the year 1988!)

Agenda:
1. Tutoring
2. Socratic Seminar on the text from US News & World Report: "Which High School Students Are Most Likely to Graduate From College?
A study finds surprising evidence about which students are really on the path to a college degree"
By Kim Clark
Posted September 9, 2009
Here is the link if you were out of class: Socratic Seminar Text - Which are most likely to graduate

We will annotate the text, read in class, and then come up with 2 questions as we read. Then we will have a circle to discuss.

Agenda: Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009

It is "Tacky Tourist" Dress up day for Homecoming today. "Wow. I look good." -- Mr. Duez

Tutoring Today

Have a level 2 or 3 question. Participate in tutoring. Let's get after it in tutoring. I know we all need help.

Thursday - Tutoring & Road Trip Nation.