Last Current Events Entry of the Decade!

In order for you to know more about the Writer's Guild of America strike, I am posting a link to the wikipedia page relating to the strike. While I found 4 articles to post about the strike, I found that the wikipedia article had more useful information that the article.

You DO NOT need to read the entire article-- it is long. Instead of reading the entire thing, please read the following Sections:

1. Issues in the strike

4. Effect on television

5. Response

Please post a 2 paragraph response illustrating demonstrating knowledge obtained from the reading. Because there will not be a quiz, this blog post is worth 25 points.

Here is an interesting video from the writing staff of the office during the strike.

Mass Media: The Triumphant Return of Current Events 12/13/2009

Ahh...it has been too long since we have done a current events blog post. In order to receive full credit, you must post to the blog by the start of class on Tuesday (12/15) . There will be a quiz on Tuesday and you can use a 3x5 notecard with 20 words on it.

Invictus is getting a lot of press-- I hope to see it sometime this week.

I am not sure about Avatar. I just hope the story is as good as the special effects look.

E-Readers are all the rage this holiday season. Are they worth it?

Project Schedule

Once again I have left the schedule of who is to present next at school. I meant to post it to the blog on Friday, but that did not happen.

Please refer to the schedule that I handed out before Thanksgiving break. Paul was the last person to go, so the next three people are scheduled for Monday (in addition to Mike).

Sorry to not have the specific information-- I will try to post it first thing Monday morning.

Projects Due!!

This post is just a reminder that your projects are due!

Your 2 3/4 page paper is due by the start of class on tuesday. In addition to using www.turnitin.com (class code: 3001016) , please also bring a paper copy to class.

If your presentation is Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday -- please bring clips to class so that I can screen them.

If you have any questions, feel free to post them here- or email me: cullenc@hempfieldarea.k12.pa.us

Current Events 11/22

Standard procedures: quiz on Tuesday, 3x5 notecard with 20 words. Post at least 2 paragraphs about one of the articles.

The Road will be released soon. Here is an article from the Post Gazette.

Ahh..the infamous rhinestone glove of Michael Jackson.

This week we are going to discuss Garry Marshall's impact on television. As part of our "current events" quiz, please read his Wikipedia entry.

Say it ain't so Oprah!!

Here is an update about an article that I posted last week. If you post to this entry, I will give you up to 5 bonus points (must be done by 5pm on Friday 11/20).

Oprah to end show in 2011

Mass Media: Current Events 11/16/2009

Please post to the blog by the start of class Tuesday. You may bring a 3x5 card with 20 words on it for the quiz.

Here is an article that Mr. Gruber sent me about Xbox Live.

Oprah has a big question to answer...read about it!

The Fantastic Mr. Fox was in limited release this weekend. How involved was Wes Anderson? Find out here. (this is an older article, but worth reading!).

General 9

To help in your search of job skills, educational requirements and mean salaries, here is a link to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

You can search by category and then by specific occupation.

You can also use this link to help you find information. It is the occupational handbook and will allow you to see current data relating to career choices. This website is also from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Here is the link the Central Westmoreland Career & Technology Center (The Vo-Tech).

If you are thinking about going to community college, here is the link to the Westmore County Community College (WCCC).

By the end of the class today, you should have found at least 2 sources that will help you to better understand the job that you have decided to write about. You MUST also have your brainstorm paper completed.



I will be around to help you- please just ask.

Sesame Street: Let's Watch Some Videos

After the dvd debacle that was today's class, I have created a supplemental exercise for us. Instead of me showing you (or trying to show you) clips from the earlier years, I would like you to watch at least 5 clips from the Sesame Street Channel on Youtube. This channel includes famous guest appearances, musical numbers, current and class bits. It is definitely worth exploring.

For this assignment, you will go to the Sesame Street Channel on Youtube and watch at least 5 different clips. These clips range from 45 seconds to several minutes. You will then post the titles of the 5 clips that you watched and write a one paragraph response to one of them.

This assignment will be due Friday (11/13) at 1:00 pm. You can go to the comments section for an example.

Current Events: 11/8/2009

For this week you will need to only read 1 article and post your response to the article-- using at least 2 complete paragraphs. I do not want a summary of the article. I want your thoughts and reactions to the article presented in an intellectual manner. Please have the post completed by the start of class Tuesday. There will be a quiz on Tuesday (notecard with 20 words is permitted).

This week we will be talking about children's television focusing on Sesame Street. Mr. Rogers and other shows from the 1960s and 1970s. Here is an excellent article from USA Today about Sesame Street celebrating its 40th Anniversary.

Current Events 11/2

There will be a quiz on Wednesday. Normal rules apply: 3x5 card with 20 words on in it. Don't forget to post a two paragraph response to one of the articles.

Here we go!

Here is an interesting article that Paul found. [No quiz for Paul this week!]

V is new show based on a 1980s miniseries about aliens coming to Earth. Read about it here.

Def Jam Records is still relevant after 25 years...read about it here.

Ms. Rouse found this article. It isa few months old, but worth a read!

Jonathan Safran Foer is one of my favorite authors and he has a new book coming out this week. Here is an article about his first attempt at non-fiction. You do not need to read this article for the Current Events quiz-- I just thought that some of you might want to glance at it.

Mass Media: Current Events 11/1

Instead of me posting article for you, this week you are going to submit articles to me. I would like you to choose something interesting and relevant to the course, so please do not simply link the highest grossing films of the weekend. You have read enough "current events" posts to know the type of article that I like.

Before class on Monday I will choose four articles that were posted by students. You will need to read the 4 articles, post about one of them (like we normally do) and there will be a quiz on Wednesday (no school on Tuesday!). If your article is one of the four that I choose, you will automatically recieve a 20/20 on the quiz.

So, to sum things up: If you are reading this, you should post a relevant current events article.

I think that sounds like a fair deal!

Mass Media: 1950s Television Scavenger Hunt

For today's assignment, you will be researching the 1950's most popular television shows.

1) In trios, please follow this link.
2) Choose 1 of the shows other than I Love Lucy. The choosing of shows is a first-come, first serve basis. No duplicates!
3) You will have 1 class period to create a Google Presentation on the show. This presentation must include:

• Premise of the show


• Actors, Actresses & The parts they played


• Memorable Episodes


• Cultural Signifigance (why did people watch this show?)


• Pictures from the show

If you go above and beyond the minimum requirements, you will have a greater chance of earning a high mark.

This presentation MUST be shared with me via Google Documents no later than 2:00 pm today.

I will be posting links to all of your presentations on this blog. Tomorrow, you will each tell about your show and your presentation will be evaluated by the class.

Current Events: Supplemental

If you are reading the blog and would like to comment on this article, I think that it worth discussing. It doesn't really fit into our current unit, but does add to our overall conversation concerning mass media.

Here is the article and here is a link to the commercial.

If you post your thoughts, I might throw you some bonus points....

Mass Media: Current Events 10/26/2009

If everyone in the class posts to the blog by the start of class I will cancel the quiz.

Get ready for your last Current Events Quiz of the 9 weeks! As usual, you can use a 3 x 5 notecard with up to 20 words on it. Any words you want- 20 of them! Be sure to post a two paragraph response on this entry by the start of class Tuesday. If you have any questions, I will answer them before 9:30 pm tonight.

Here is a review of the new film about Amelia Earhart. It seems that her life was made for a movie.

Oh No!!! WORST NEWS EVER!

Movie theaters are no longer just for movies. See how the industry is keeping up by reading this article.

For the final article (the Hulu one was really short), I am going to plug one of my favorite shows: Madmen. Read about the set details here.

Bonus: I will throw you a couple of bonus points if you create your own Simpsons Character. While you do not need to enter the contest, you must answer all of the questions that they ask and post it to the blog.

Mass Media: Television Unit

For this assignment, you will begin researching a television show that you find interesting. Please follow the directions that I give throughout this blog post.

For this task, you will be using an article from time magazine and conduct brief internet "research". You will be required to post something on this blog.

First: Read this article entitled "How I Chose The List"

Second: Read through the entire list of Time's Top 100 Television Shows. Choose at least 5 shows that you found interesting. Read about these shows by clicking the title.

Third: Out of the 5 shows that you choose, pick 1 show that you would like to research more.

Fourth: Do "internet research" on your chosen show. This could be at wikipedia, tv.com, Entertainment Weekly or any other reliable television outlet

Fifth: Post a comment to this blog. This comment should include the following:

• The names of the 5 television show that you read more about.


• The name of the show that you wanted to research more about.


• Why you wanted to research that show (at least 4 sentences)


• What you found out after you researched your show (at leat a paragraph)


• Where you found this information

If this is not completed by the end of class it is homework.

Mass Media: Bonus Opportunity

A lot of you have asked me about bonus opportunities for this class. Since we have been working on radio broadcasting for quite some time, I feel that any bonus that I give should be an extension of what we have already done in class.

For bonus points, listen to the following interview from Fresh Air on NPR. The interview is with Spike Jonze, the director of Where the Wild Things Are. The clip is 20 minutes long and very interesting.

To earn bonus points, listen to the entire clip and post a 3 paragraph response to the interview on this post.

You have until Wednesday, October 21st to complete this. This will be the only opportunity for bonus.

Mass Media: Current Events 10/18/2009

In addition to the test that you will be having on Tuesday, there will be a current events quiz on Monday. Just like the other Monday quizzes, you will be able to write 20 things on a 3x5 notecard to help you on the quiz.

After you read all of the articles, write a two paragraph response on one of the articles. This is not a summary-- it is what you think about the article and why you think that way.

I will be posting review materials for the test later this evening. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Read about Pittsburgh finally getting some recognition in video games here.

One of my favorite comedians is Bill Cosby. Here is a review of one of his recent stand-up shows. Be sure to watch the clip at the bottom-- hilarious!

Balloon Boy is making a lot of news. Here is an article from CNN about media exposure and its affect on children.

I hope that all of you had a great weekend!

Mass Media: Current Events 10/11/2009

As per the previous weeks, please be sure to post a comment on this entry. Your post should be at least two paragraphs in length and us correct grammar, structure, etc. There will be a quiz on all of the articles and you will be allowed a 3x5 index card with at most 20 words on it.

Paranormal Activity was released this weekend. Read about why this movie is making headlines.

Here is an article about magazines going under. It is an interesting piece about the decline of the magazine industry as a whole.

Here is a really long article about the Beatles coming to Pittsburgh. I think that it is worth reading because of the local and historical context.

I will only post 3 articles due to the length of the Beatles article. I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend!

Mass Media: Radio Project

I have been listening to the radio all weekend. The more I listen to it, the more that I enjoy it. In fact, I might say that I am enjoying it more than listening to music. The only downside is that I did travel this weekend and I was listening to Wait..Wait..Don't tell me, but then I was too far away to recieve the signal. This is one of the reasons that Satelite Radio (XM & Serius) are doing [fairly] well.

Here is a list of links of the most popular syndicated radio shows.

National Public Radio has all of their shows streaming (I listened to Car Talk for the first time on Saturday. Very entertaining, even though I know nothing about cars!).

Here are some local Pittsburgh Stations:

• WDUQ
• Fox Sports 970
• WYEP

If you find some other radio shows that are worth posting, please feel free to comment (and I might give you a few bonus points).

Mass Media: Current Events 10/5/2009

Just like last week, you will be allowed to use a 3 x5 index card with up to 20 words on it. This will help you on the quiz. Please be sure to read all of the articles and write down what you think is important. Some of you need to do better on these quizzes.

As per other current events readings, you are to post at least a two paragraph response to one of the articles. If you would like to comment on multiple articles, that is encouraged, as long as you have at least two paragraphs on one of them. You have until 1:00 pm on Monday to do this for your work to be considered on time.

Dave Chappelle's "friend" is in the news- read about it hear.

A producer from the David Letterman show is in trouble for extortion. Read about it here and watch David Letterman address the issue here.

The Seinfeld cast is reuniting on Curb Your Enthusiasm*. Here is an article about it.

*While this show is not school appropriate, the fact that the most popular comedy show in history is having a reunion is a worthwhile event to discuss. I can NOT recommend that you watch this show due to its language and adult themes.

Here is why I have a picture of Sesame Street at the top.

TVWB: Online Tutorials

I know that it has been a while since I posted for your class (sorry Schuyler!), but we have been working in class, and homework was not really necessary.

Currently, you have a commercial-creation assignment due for Tuesday. Now that I have my computer updated, I hope that we can create these commercials during class time. Since we will not need any recorded material from the studio, I think that we can use these commercials to help us learn Mac's iMovie '08.

Here is a website that will help you with video and text tutorials as to how to use this software. Watching some of these tutorials will better prepare you for editing on this software.

Mass Media: Current Entertainment Events 9/27/2009

It is another Sunday evening (is it fall yet?) and time for another current events blog post. Please remember to post at least at two paragraph response to one of the articles on this post. Some of you are not earning full credit due to the fact that you are only writing 1 paragraph (and barely a paragraph at that!).

I would also like to remind you to check your work for spelling and grammar issues. Starting this week, you will also be graded on these aspects. There will be a quiz Monday but to make it fair, I will let each of you use a 3 x 5 notecard or piece of paper with 20 words on it. If you have more than 20 words, you will not be able to use it.

Ken Burn's new documentary premieres tonight on PBS. Here is an article about it.

New season of the simpsons tonight! See who guest wrote it here.

New season of SNL drops the bomb.

Roman Polanski was arrested for a crime he committed 30 years ago. Read about it here.

Don't forget to read the road!! Entire book due on Tuesday.

Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Here is a link to the assignment from today. If you liked Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!, you can download a number of episodes for free from the "Podcasts" section of iTunes.

Here is a streaming link to the episode that we listened to today.

Please remember to turn the assignment in no later than the start of class (for full credit) on google docs.

If you have any questions, you can post them here.

Mass Media: Current Events 9/20/2009

Once again, I will remind you to read all of the articles that I post. I may or may not have another quiz for you!

Here is an article from the post gazette about the upcoming fall tv schedule.

This is another article from the post gazette (I am trying to keep it local!) about zombies charing money for autographs (it will make sense when you read it!). [ If you remind me in class, I will tell you the story about when I met Greg Brady at a convention and how he was "charging for autographs". ]

Here is a short article (to make up for the longer zombie article) about the Emmys and changes they made to make it better. If you get a chance, remember to watch it! 8pm on CBS.

3-D television in the home? Read about it here.

Mass Media: The Road & Current Events 9/13/09

In addition to completing your "entertainment current events quiz", please remember that you have the first 100 pages of Cormac McCarthy's The Road to complete.

Please read all of the following articles and post a two paragraph response to one of them on the comments section of this blog post. Please remember that you are not summarizing the article, but responding to it in an intellectual fashion. Even though you are only responding to one article, I expect that you will have read all of them for class on Monday.

This is a graded assignment, so please check your writing for errors.

Guiding Light is ending a pretty impressive run (15,700 episodes!).

Show delayed for Maura Tuerney illness. Ellen and other daytime shows sued, new sytem for measuring viewership?

Big week for Jay Leno-- will the gamble pay off for NBC?

Kurt Cobain avatar on Guitar Hero irks band members & Courtney Love.

Mass Media: Newspapers 9/9/09

As an introduction to our unit on newspapers, I have asked each of you to spend some time with a newspaper finding an article that interests you. As millennial, you are more adept at searching online and having a great deal of information available to you with a click of your mouse.

For homework, I would like each of you to post a comment on this blog telling me in one paragraph how finding an article in the newspaper is different from browsing on the Internet.

Mass Media: Current Events 9/7/09

Here are some happenings in the entertainment world. There will be a quiz on tuesday.

The Beatles made the cover of Entertainment Weekly. Read why.

Top grossing films at the box office? Here you go!

The return of "At the Movies"- read about it here.

Here are some new shows that might be worth watching.

Read about Diane Sawyer's new job!

Mass Media

Just a reminder about the homework for tonight--

Please create a google account and share with me a link to an entertainment article. I want to make sure that all of you have a google account and are able to share documents with me. I hope that all of our documents will be turned in via google docs.

If you have any problems with this, please let me know!

Mr. Cullen

TV Writing

Sorry that this post is being put up so late...it was a long night...

That being said, here are some links to some Siskel and Ebert reviews from youtube:

Titanic

Braveheart

Dances with Wolves

Field of Dreams

Forrest Gump

Saving Private Ryan

Gladiator

There are a few to think about....

How is my summer going?

pretty, pretty, good!

PS: That is Dave Matthews

Sophocles PowerPoint

As promised: Sophocles PowerPoint


Here you go Austin, Michelle, Jon, Ryan and Julie!

Mr. Cullen

Hamlet Test and The Road Trailer!!!

Students,

I hope that you had a wonderful day at Kennywood. I really thought that it was going to thunderstorm, but it seems that the weather held. I have a few updates for you:

The Hamlet Test for Periods 6 & 7 will be Thursday May 21st. Be sure to review the Shakespeare PowerPoint, because that will be a lot of points on the test. Here are all of the Hamlet Study Guides, and here are all of the quizzes.

Since most of you read The Road, you might be interested to know that a trailer for the film was finally released. It will be in theaters this fall (only a year late!). Looks to be a very close adaptation to the book-- so it will be very scary and depressing.

Enjoy!

Hydroxy Cut

I rarely post things that are not related to the class, but I thought that this might affect some of my students. According to the FDA, you should stop using all Hydroxycut products immediately. 

Here is the article from CNN.com. 

Periods 6 & 7: Hamlet

Wow! It seems like it was only last week that we started Hamlet and we are already almost half of the way completed with it! I know that this can be a very challenging unit for the students, but my suggestions is to not allow yourself to get "stuck" on the language. This play is about the isolation of Hamlet from the rest of society-- so try to put yourself in Hamlet's shoes (and in the shoes of the other characters).

If you have any questions about the play, please feel free to post them here. If you need any help on the day that an assignment is due, please feel free to see me during activity period, 2nd period or 4th period. I also stay afterschool Monday-Thursday.

Happy Shakespearing!!!

Study Guide (All Acts)
Full-Text version (no line numbers-- but easy to read!)
Journal & Schedule

*BONUS

If you can tell me the title of the book that the above picture is from, I will give you 3 bonus points. Only 1 student per class can win the contest. You must post your answer as a comment to this entry...

Periods 3 & 5: 1984

Now that we have finished with Hamlet, we are reading George Orwell's 1984. My goal for this unit is for you to be able to make connections between the book and the world in which we live. While this book may seem "out there", it does have relevance to us.

This post will be updated with any and all changes. If you have any questions about the assignments, feel free to post them here.

Study Guide (sections I, II, III)

Reading Schedule

Journal Assignment

Full-Text 1984

Hamlet!!!

Seniors-

As period 6 & 7 begin Hamlet, period 3 & 5 are preparing for the culminating assessment for our unit on Shakespeare and Hamlet. 

On Tuesday I will update the blog to be more specific for period 6 & 7 in regards to Hamlet. If you are looking for the study guides, you can find them in in the post relating to period 3 & 5. 

For periods 3 & 5: Your Hamlet test is Tuesday, April 21st. If you have any questions about the play or the test, feel free to post them here. 

Good luck!!

The Time Traveler's Wife Movie: August!

For all of those waiting for the film adaption of the Time Traveler's Wife, they announced that it would finally be released in August! 

Here is the article. 

As far as the Road and The Lovely Bones, I have read nothing!

Periods 3 & 5: Hamlet

I love teaching Hamlet-- and that is one of the reasons that I love teaching Literary Studies. As we read Hamlet together, this post will be the epicenter for any and all of the resources that you will need.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to post them here!

Shakespeare/Hamlet PowerPoint

Journal Assignment & Reading Schedule (to be updated later)

Full-text version of Hamlet

Study Guide 1

Stuidy Guide 2

Periods 6 & 7: 1984

Here is the post that all things related to 1984 will be uploaded. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them!

Full-text version of the novel

Study Guide [all sections]

Due Dates

I will add things here as they pertain to the story!

Literary Studies: A Big Week Ahead of Us!!

Update: Here are the study guides for each of my Literary Studies classes. I will continue to update these documents (put them in chronolgical order and add any late assignments). While these are not perfect, they will help you prepare for the test.

Period 3

Period 5

Period 6

Period 7

Update 2: It has come to my attention that not all of the quizzes were handed back for our reading ofOedipus the King. Since these will be an excellent resource to study, I am posting all of the quizzes for Oedipus. Of course, you will need to fill in the answers yourself!

Oedipus the Quizzes

Update 3: I have decided to remove the essay from the test tomorrow. The test is long enough without an essay question to deal with. Please note that you will complete that essay at a later date (Thursday/Friday). 


Seniors-

First and foremost, I would like to thank all of the students that took the time and participated in the most recent opportunity for bonus. I will have all of the bonus points entered into Skynet by the end of the day.

As the title suggests, we have quite the busy week! I wanted to write a post so that you know exactly what is expected of you for each of the upcoming days.

On Monday you will be working with your partners (trios!) to complete the "Oedipus Quotes Assignment" that we started last week. If you want, you could also find a few quotes from Antigone, because that will also be on the test. If you lost your assignment sheet, here is a link to another. This assignment must be completed by the end of class. You will be able to access all of the quotes from all of the classes by 8 pm Monday evening. I am hoping that this is an excellent source for all of you to use to prepare for the test.

Tuesday will be an in-class review day for the upcoming test.

Wednesday will be your "All things Sophocles" test. For this test you will be responsible for all of the information that we have discussed concerning Sophocles, the Greek Theater, Oedipus the King and Antigone. I will tell you now: this is not an easy test. It is quotes based, so you will need to identify quotes, who said them and why they are significant to the text. Please also remember to study the Power Point that I gave at the start of the unit (You can find the entire presentation in an earlier blog post).

On Thursday, you will have your full book test. This test is worth 20 points and allows you to demonstrate an understanding of your novel. After the quiz, we will have reading circle discussions and immediately after your group's discussion, your journal is due. I am asking that these journals are typed and are at least 3/4 of a page long (double spaced). If you are having a problem thinking of a good journal topic, feel free to use the topics that I have created for you in this earlier blog post.

Friday will be a continuation of our reading circle discussions.

It is a busy week! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Mr. Cullen

Opportunity for Bonus: Closed!

Students-

Since many of you have asked for extra credit, I have decided to give you the chance to earn up to 4 bonus points. Since I am a big fan of movies, you will be attempting to pick the oscar winners for the top four categories (Picture, Director, Actor and Actress).

Before the Academy Awards begin (8 pm EST), please post who you think will win in the top categories. You will receive 1 bonus point for each of the categories that you get correct, for a possible 4 points.

And the nominees are:

Best Actor:

Frank Langella- Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn- Milk

Richard Jenkins- The Visitor

Brad Pitt- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke- The Wrestler

Best Actress:

Anne Hathaway- Rachel Getting Married

Angelina Jolie- Changeling

Melissa Leo- Frozen River

Meryl Streep- Doubt

Kate Winslet- The Reader

Best Director:

Slumdog Millionaire

The Reader

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

Best Picture:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

In order to expedite the process of looking at the results, please post them in the following format (and these are my picks!). If you do not use the following format, I will not accept your results. Good Luck!

Best Actor: Frank Langella

Best Actress: Meryl Streep

Best Director: Frost/Nixon

Best Film: Frost/Nixon

All Things Antigone

Seniors,

Since the rest of the week is somewhat hectic, I wanted to post the upcoming schedule for our reading of Sophocles's Antigone. First and foremost, if you neglect to bring your book home, here is a link to a full-text version with line numbers. Please be aware that (once again) the translation is different from our textbook, so the line numbers are a little bit off. Once again, all of our readings end after long parts spoken by the chorus.

Reading Schedule

For 2/17
lines 1-416

For 2/19
lines 417-1091

For 2/20
lines 1092- 1470

I expect that we will go through this play at a much quicker rate, since you are already familiar with Sophocles's style.

If you miss class on any of the above days, you will be expected to take the quiz on the following day.

Please feel free to post comments if you have any questions.

Random Updates

Since some of you do read the blog regularly, I have decided to post a few things that I found interesting today.

As some of you know, I love the Muppets. I found this article on CNN.com about Jim Henson's inspirations for some of his greatest characters. Very cool.

I also found this article about Marvel releasing motion comics for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. If you are familiar with the Watchmen, DC has already released a motion comic for the entire series (a bit pricey, in my opinion-- but they are great!).

I will be giving 3 bonus points to the first person from each of my classes that can identify the muppets in the above picture [the lobster's don't have specific names]

Good Luck!

New Kindle from Amazon!

Students,

While I am not entirely sold on the device for my everyday use (since I make so many annotations in my books) I do really like Amazon's Kindle (if you don't know what it is, you can think of it as an iPod for books).

Here is an article on the new version of Kindle that was released today. I think that some of you might find it interesting.

This device intrigues me, not because of the current applications, but because of the future applications. Wouldn't it be great to have all of your textbooks on one electronic device? Instead of going to the college bookstore and spending hundreds of dollars on textbooks, one day you might be able to download them wirelessly for a fraction of the cost! Very cool.

Of course, if the Kindle catches on, I might be making fewer trips to Half Price Books!

Reading Circle Journal: Update!

Seniors,

When your full book is due on Thursday, February 26th, you are also required to turn in a journal. In the past, students have had problems writing a journal and instead have simply written a summary. While summaries are sometimes important writings, I do not not simply want proof that you have read the text (your test score is the evidence I use for that).

Composing a journal entry is higher-level analytical writing as compared to a summary. Since these writings are sometimes more difficult to start, I am posting "possible journal entry questions" for each of the reading circle texts.

As a way to earn a few bonus points, you can post possible journal questions onto this blog entry.

This post will be updated through Wednesday evening (2/25), so please check back!

Mr. Cullen


Period 3
The Road
Slaughterhouse V
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Catch-22
The Color Purple
Interview with a Vampire
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy


Period 5
In Cold Blood
Lovely Bones
The Road
Wicked
Time Traveler's Wife
Fallen Angels

Period 6
The Catcher in the Rye
The Lovely Bones
Cat's Cradle

Period 7
Black Like Me
The Road
The Lovely Bones
Fahrenheit 451

*Please note that this post has been updated to include the date for the full book quiz and journal!!

Death of John Updike

American author, and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, John Updike has died. My seniors should remember him as the author of A&P, one of the short stories we read during the first nine weeks of school. 

Here is a link to his obituary [if you read his obituary, you might get some bonus points on the next reading quiz!] . 

Mr. Cullen

Terrible Towel Challenge

Update: The window of opportunity for this bonus has closed. Thank you to all of the students that sent pictures in! I will leave the pictures up as a way to celebrate our Super Bowl Championship. Way to go Stillers!

Mr. Cullen

In anticipation of the Stillers Super Bowl victory, I am going to offer students a chance to earn up to 3 bonus points for finders pictures of Terrible Towels in random places around the country or world. Pittsburgh and Tampa don't count. I will give bonus points based on how crazy/awesome the location of the Terrible Towel is. You can email me the picture and I will upload it to this post.

For example, here is the Terrible Towel at the International Space Station.

and here is a picture from www.postgazette.com:

Good Luck!

Update: submitted pics as of 1/28:

Sophmores: Anthem

Sophmores,

As promised, here is the information pertaining to our reading of Ayn Rand's Anthem. On this post you will find study guides and the vocabulary handout. If you have any questions about the book, please feel free to post a comment (I am sure that another student may have the same question!).

Chapter 1 Study Guide (Due 1/28). Please write out the answers to these questions in your journal.

Vocabulary List You will have a test on the first 12 words Friday (1/30) after your 4-Sight test.

Left your book at school? Here is a full-text version of Anthem (not easy to read, but you can still do your homework!) 

Oedipus Schedule

Since the snow is falling and delays are being called, I wanted to give all of you the schedule ahead of time pertaining to our reading of Oedipus the King. The dates listed are the dates that the reading is due, not the date that it was assigned. Expect a quiz everyday.

[The due dates have been adjusted for the snow day on 1/28]

Due Date Line Numbers*

1/27 1-244

1/29 245-571

1/30 572-996^

2/3 997-1350

2/4 1351- end

*I could not find the exact version that we use in class. This version is a different translation, but is very close to our textbook. The above line numbers are for the textbook version. The version online is a little bit longer-- just pay attention to when the chorus ends (that is where I have broken up our readings)

^ Due to the snow delays this week, I shortened the reading for period 3. If you are in period 3, you only need to read up to line 768. This will allow us to discuss things that we have been unable to discuss thus far. Expect a quiz!

Due Date Change

Seniors,

Due to our readng of Oedipus Rex, I have decided to push your reading cirlce novels back 1 week. Now, 1/2 of your book is due for February 5th. If you would like to take your reading circle quiz early, you may do so by coming to my homeroom (159) during activity period. \

Mr. Cullen

Oedipus Rex

Seniors, 

We have a very busy week a head of us in Literary Studies. First and foremost, we are starting to read Oedipus the King. Even though we will read daily in class, you will have homework each night-- and expect a quiz the following day. For these quizzes, you should be familiar with our class notes on Sophocles and Oedipus the King, in addition to the reading completed for homework.

Here is a link to a full text version of Oedipus the King (with line numbers). 

If your group has yet to present your Greek God project, you will do so sometime in the near future (most likely not this week). 

Please also remember that 1/2 of your reading circle book is due on Thursday the 29th. 

Go Stillers!

Greek God Presentations

Here is a link to the assignment sheet for your Greek God Project. Your PowerPoint is due to me 1/22. Please upload it to Google Documents and Collaborate it with my email: cullenc@hempfieldarea.k12.pa.us

Feel free to post a comment if you have any questions!

Greek Gods Assignment Sheet

The Terrible ShamTowel

I thought that some of you might enjoy a picture that I made. Have a great Stillers week!

~ Mr. Cullen

Sophocles PowerPoint

Research Papers- Graded and in Skyward

Parents and students-

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Holiday break. I am posting to let you know that all research papers have been graded with the scores put into Skyward (so that you can view them through the parent portal). 

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me. Students will get their entire research folder in class on Monday, January 5th. This will include my scoring rubric with comments about the paper. 

Overall, I was impressed by the quality of both the research and the writing. For the most part, students did a great job this year and they should be proud of the work that they put into their papers.