Enamored with English

Over the weekend you should be working on your IRB exhibit.  You will have Monday-Wednesday next week to work.  Please make sure you bring whatever materials you need to class on Monday, so that you are productive and use the time given to you.  On Monday, if you write a draft of your IRB essay you will have a chance to conference with me.  You will also receive back your college essays.  Final drafts of these essays are due on Monday, June 20th.  If you want to conference with me at any point during class on Monday-Wednesday we can.

IRB Exhibit Presentations will begin on Thursday, June 16th and go through Friday, June 17th, but all presentations are due on THURSDAY, JUNE 16th.

ALL four poetry responses are due and will be collected tomorrow.

·         If you want me to read a draft of your question 3 essays, I need them by Monday (not required)

·         Individual Writing includes: 1) analytical essay and 2) personal reflection – questions are on original assignment sheet.

·         Don’t forget to document the process!

·         Your annotated bibliography can be the same document that provides resources to individuals who want to continue their study of your topic.  Make sure your annotations for each source are clear and informative.

·         You will spend every day until June 16^th working on this project.  PLEASE make the most of the time I’m giving you in class.

**Also, don’t forget that your poetry responses are due on June 10^th.

**I’m also going to move the due date of your final essay drafts to Monday, June 20^th - the first day of final exams.  I’ll give you your drafts back on Monday, June 13^th at the latest.

Mark your calendars!
The film, Race to Nowhere, will be shown Wednesday, June 8, at 7 pm at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, in the Fitzgerald Theater.  Filmmaker and mother, Vicki Abeles, aims her camera at high-stakes, high-pressure school culture and its impact on students.  The film asks families, educators, and the community to question our assumptions on how to best prepare our youth to become caring, engaged, and contributing adults. 

The showing will be followed by a short discussion.  Tickets may be purchased on the Race to Nowhere web site and at the door (if not sold out).  The film is co-sponsored by the CRLS Student Council and School Council.  More information below.


What is it?  Race to Nowhere, a documentary inspired by a parent's desire to understand how schools were causing stress in kids, has been making the rounds in nearby communities.  The grassroots phenomenon has parents across the country talking about homework policies and promising to lower stress on their kids and has students thinking deeply about the meaning of education.  Many people in Cambridge saw the movie in other places, and the buzz led a few to organize a showing.   

Why this movie?  It's a thought-provoking movie that inspires parents, teachers, students and community members to ask questions about our education system.  The CRLS Student Council and SChool Council are co-sponsors.  In the words of one senior who saw it in another town  " I think parents and teachers NEED to see it."

When? Wednesday, June 8   7 pm 

How much?   Tickets are $10 in advance (plus processing fee) or $15 at the door.  Every adult who buys a ticket can order one free student ticket.  The film distribution company charges a license fee and requires admission fees -- but shares proceeds with a nonprofit.  For the CRLS showing, all proceeds beyond the licensing fee will go to Friends of CRLS.

Tickets?  Buy online at:   rtncrls.eventbrite.com
As part of the agreement, the filmmakers handle ticketing for all community screenings.
If the link doesn't work, go to the website www.racetonowhere.com  -- click on screenings and find the June 8 CRLS showing. 

Read what a CRLS teacher wrote after seeing the movie:

I went into this screening without any prior knowledge of the film, nor an idea of "who" the film was targeting (cynically assuming a film like this had to target one group or another).

During the next eighty minutes I sat and watched -  at times, ashamed, saddened by what was being said and seen before me, reflecting on my role as an educator and parent; I was angered by some, empathized with most.  At the end of the screening three professors in the education department at Tufts answered questions and responded to comments for 25-30 minutes or so.  Many individuals, from the Medford, Boston, and Somerville public schools were present. A lot of undergraduate education students from Tufts were present, and used this time to comment on the film in light of their recent experiences in high school.  I sat back and listened, thinking to myself, yes, something needs to change....I feel passionately about this film, and believe that it is something the community should definitely see.

Weekend Homework: 
1)  Draft 2 of your college essay is due in my email box by Sunday morning @ 9AM.
2)  Continue working on your IRB project
3)  Poetry responses (all 4) are due on Friday, June 10th.  Plan accordingly.

A recap of today's announcements:

1)  You should have passed in your Obasan rewrite and draft today.
2)  College essay 2nd drafts are due this Friday.
3)  The Handmaid's Tale Test has been moved to Friday.
4) Poetry responses are due on June 10th (all 4)
5) We are meeting in the TRC on Wednesday and Thursday this week and Monday and Tuesday next week.  Make sure you plan your exhibit work accordingly so that you have something to work on.

You should be writing a weekly poetry response AND working on your IRB exhibit.  THANKS! 

1) Rewrite your Obasan essay
2)  Finish reading The Handmaid's Tale (but you don't have to read the section called "Historical Notes."  We will read this in class on Tuesday.

1. Draft 1 of your college essay is due tomorrow.
2. Read chapters 31-37 in The Handmaid's Tale.

Announcement: THT Test has been moved to Wednesday, June 1st.

I will pass back both of these documents tomorrow.  Remember that you have a draft of your personal statement due on Friday.  I will give you the actual personal statement (college essay) assignment tomorrow.