Thursday, April 25, 2013

Restorative Justice - What is it and how does it connect to justice and peace?


New York Times Article - Can Forgiveness Play a Role in Criminal Justice? - Annotated

1) What is the goal of punishment? Of prisons/jails/etc.

2) Compare and contrast: punishment and consequences

3) After committing this murder, what were the punishments and consequences? Which affected him more and how/why?


Unit Word Bank:
- Justice:
- Injustice: - something that’s harmful to someone else
- Restorative justice:
- Equality // Equity:  

- Security:
- Peace:
- Common good:
- Solidarity:
- Coexistence:
- Responsibility:

- Violence:
- Non-violent:
- Conflict:
- War:
- Sanction:
- Revenge:

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Exemplar Non Fiction Letters

Miranda

Emily

Evan

Joe

Alan

What skills do these products reveal mastery of?

Add your answer as a comment on the post. 

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Why a Formal Submission Letter Matters in the Writing Process

When my students hand in a project or paper to me, they compose a submission letter. In the style of a formal cover letter, they learn an important professional format.

This letter, while it may vary by content, has a pretty general structure: Introduction, Reflect on Process, Reflect on Product, Conclusion/What I should know. Examples from non-fiction unit, and an essay.

I ask students to write me a letter even if they are not prepared to hand in their work that day. Their words provide a glimpse into where their work broke down, and a measure of accountability to a due date, even if they're not meeting it.

If students are late, I can use their letter as a 'to-do' list for touching base each day, jotting notes to myself about what progress they're making to complete the work. (See example below)




Students who are prepared are justifiably proud of
themselves and are given the opportunity
to highlight strengths that they found in this work. 

Students who will be late are given the space to explain what
 that have completed, and what they need to finish.
It gives some positives to emphasize, even if they don't have their final paper.   
For students who don't hand their work in the next day, I make notes on what they do during class (go to the library, type, etc) and then also note when they submit the paper. The letter basically becomes a log of how I've checked in with the student and is stapled to the top of their submission. 



Wednesday, April 10, 2013

How to embed a Google Doc on your blog

For those of you submitting your letter via your blog, you will need to do some very easy coding to make it look professional. Watch this screencast to find out how to do it.


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Monday, April 8, 2013

Teaching with Technology [presentation]




Thursday, April 4, 2013

Non-Fiction Unit - Formal Submission Letter

Dear Sophomores - 

To 'hand in' your work for this unit, you will write me a formal submission letter. The purpose of this letter is to convince me that you have successfully completed the objectives of the unit. It's a great opportunity for persuasive writing - convince me what grade you think you deserve. 

Below, you will find a model / suggestions for how to complete each paragraph. Concern yourself with a cohesive and articulate letter, which may mean you don't answer every single question. 

This letter will be due on Wednesday. For extra credit, you can embed your letter into your blog, and add hyperlinks to your evidence of completing the standards (Pearltrees, your final product, etc). This takes a bit of patience, but will produce a beautiful final digital piece that you will be proud of. 

Sincerely, 
Ms. Kennett