Your Last Day

Hi Seniors -
It's here. The last period of your last day of high school. I'm really going to miss all of you, and I wish you nothing but the best in the future. And of course, I'll see you at Ravinia! Thank you for a fun and interesting year. Thank you most of all for all the times you made me laugh!
Mrs. Allen

Here are some options for today:

1. I was reading an article this weekend about how people remember high school as "the good ole days" but most people's memories are high school aren't very accurate. How accurate do you think your memories of high school will be? How accurate would you want them to be? Would you rather remember high school as it was, or better than it was? Discuss this as a group.
2. The New York Times this weekend has a column on Advice for College Students. Read through some and discuss interesting ideas with each other.
3. Send me an email with any other thoughts you have on things I should or shouldn't do in Issues next year.
4. Sign yearbooks. 

The Soul of America

Review of the Soul of America

‘Assume the Worst’: This Isn’t Your Ordinary Graduation Speech

Understanding the Transition to College

Understanding the Transition to College

Marketplace of Ideas Rubric

Here is the rubric for the Marketplace of Ideas.

Genocide Remembrance Day

Hi Class - 

In the craziness of last week and with us having no class on Friday, I neglected to discuss with you the opportunity to hear a speaker today in honor of Genocide Remembrance Day. 

Steen Metz is a Holocaust Survivor who will be speaking in the auditorium during periods 6 and 7. As time passes, there are fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors alive to tell their stories. This is an increasingly rare and important opportunity, and I'm grateful to all who worked so hard to bring us this remembrance day. If you would like to attend, you will be excused from period 6 and 7 for an in-school field. You will not be able to attend unless you can attend both periods. If you chose to attend, please be sure to check in with me in the auditorium for attendance purposes. I hope to see you 6th period.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mrs. Allen

Schedule for the Marketplace of Ideas

Here is a recommended schedule for your work over the next 3 weeks.

At the end of each class period, you will hand in an exit slip updating me on what you did during the period, and where are you in the project.

Notes on Ending Gun Violence

Please use this format for your notes:

• Statement of the solution you would like to see (your thesis)
• Evidence
• Analysis
• Evidence
• Analysis
• Evidence
• Analysis
• Continue with evidence and analysis
• Bibliography

Your notes should reflect two and a half hours of work time.

End Gun Violence

This week, you will research in order to prepare for a debate on ending gun violence.

Marketplace of Ideas Schedule

Today we will complete the presentations about voter access.

We will then discuss the details of the Marketplace of Ideas.

We will also discuss a recommended schedule for completing the work.

Preparing for the Presentations

You have the period today to work on your presentations. Everyone must be prepared to present on Wed. Bring in a hard copy of your outline and your works cited page.

Voting and Marginalized Groups in America

Today we will research groups in the United States who are marginalized in terms of voting, and prepare presentations to better understand the struggles of these groups.

8 marginalized groups still fighting for the freedom to vote in the U.S.

Race, Bias and Identity

Today we will continue looking at groups within our society that are often times not given equal rights and opportunities. Work on the assignment 25 Mini-Films for Exploring Race, Bias and Identity. At the end of the period, upload your assignment to turnitin.com.

Reviewing "Iron Jawed Angels"

Today, you will work on writing a review of Iron Jawed Angels

Iron-Jawed Angels

Today, we will begin the movie "Iron Jawed Angels"

Ted Talks on Protest and Civics

Watch the two Ted Talks below and answer the questions, using specifics from your own experiences as well as the Ted Talks. You can handwrite or type your notes; you will check them in in-class. Upload your answers to turnitin.com. This assignment is due on Friday.

Jamila Raqib: The secret to effective nonviolent resistance | TED Talk

Eric Liu: Why ordinary people need to understand power - TED Talks

1. What are the strengths of a protest like the ones students participated in today?
2. What are the limitations of a protest like the ones students participated in today?
3. What is civics? What is power? What is the connection between the two? (use your own words)
4. Why are people disengaged from civics? What are the potential consequences?
5. What is a problem in the life of our city? What is a change you would like to see? How can you make that change happen? 

Presentations of 14th Amendment Cases

Today your groups will be presenting the 14th Amendment Supreme Court cases from class last Friday.

Women's Rights and Incremental Change

Today we will continue looking at social activism, focusing on women's rights and how incremental change has come through social action and the court system.

We will begin by reading and discussing the 14th Amendment.

The “Equal Protection Clause” of the 14th Amendment
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Next, we will read and discuss:  “Introduction: Interpreting the Equal Protection Clause”
• What was the initial purpose behind the ratification of the 14th Amendment?
• Explain the different ways the Supreme Court evaluates equal protection claims.
• Why do women not receive the same protection from the 14th Amendment as racial and ethnic minorities?

Finally, we will analyze how this has played out in the courts related to Women's Rights.

Group 1: Reed v. Reed
Eric
Katie
Kyle
Dylan
Emma

Group 2: Frontiero v. Richardson
Myles
Annabel
Brett
Josie

Group 3: Craig v. Boren 
Ethan
Justin
Meg
Kelley

Group 4: United States v. Virginia
Freddy
Sophie
Julian
Joe

Social Activists

Today we will try again at looking at social activists across different times and causes.

Primary Ballots

Find what will on the ballot for the March 2018 Primary

Student Activism Research

Today you will be conducting research on student activism at various points in history. Make a copy of the chart, and then enter your research.

This is an individual project, even if someone else is working on the same time period.

At the end of class on Friday, upload the work you have done so far to the turnitin slot "Day One Research"

Time Periods:

1876-1900 - Annabel
1901-1925 - Justin, Josie
1925-1950 - Joe, Kelley
1951-1960 - Megan
1961-1970 - Eric, Kyle
1971-1980 - Freddy, Emma
1981-1990 -Myles, Julian
1991-2000 - Sophie, Katie
2001-2010 - Ethan, Dylan
2011-2017 - Brett

Try to find a student activist. If you can not find a student from your time period, you may research an adult. But try to find a student! You can search by time period, or by movement. As a starting point, here is the list of movements we came up with in class.

Civil Rights
Vietnam War
Standing Rock (Dakota Access Pipeline)
26th Amendment
Women’s Voting Rights
Children’s Crusade
School Funding / Budget Cuts
Dress Code
Invasion of Cambodia
Black Lives Matter / I Can’t Breathe
Equal Education
LGBT Movement
Racism Lives Here

He Named Me Malala (continued)

Today we will complete the video "He Named Me Malala"
For homework, answer the following reflection questions. Upload your answers to turnitin.

1. Director David Guggenheim asks Malala if she feels hatred towards her attackers at one point in the film. She responds no, “not even one atom, one neutron.”
1. How do you think Malala maintains such poise under so much pressure? Is this realistic for most people? 
2. Why is it possible to feel anger or sadness towards those who carry out injustice but not hatred? 
3. What is the injustice what brings up the strongest emotions for you, even if you are not personally impacted by it? 
2. In the opening scenes of “He Named Me Malala,” Malala tells the story of a young girl who led her people to a great victory but died on the battlefield. She states that it was better to live like a lion for one day than it is to live like a slave for a thousand years. 
1. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
3. Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai blames himself for why Malala ended up getting shot. 
1. Was he right to encourage his daughter to publicly speak out against the Taliban? Defend your answer.
4. American right now is incredibly divided, to the point where people on opposing political sides often don’t even speak.
1. Do you think it’s necessary to have a meaningful dialogue with people who disagree with you? Explain your answer. 
2. Do you think it’s possible to change people’s minds around issues of racism and sexism? 
3. What are some examples where society has showed progress towards a particular group of people or on a specific issue? What happened in history to affect those changes?

He Named Me Malala

Today we will watch the video "He Named Me Malala".

I will also check-in your video notes from the Hunting Ground, and your nonfiction book choices for the Marketplace of Ideas.

Intro to Student Activism -Malala Yousafzai

Today we will begin our discussion of student activism by learning about Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani activist.

To begin, we reflect on the following two quotes:

1. “One teacher, one child, one book and one pen — they can change the world.” Malala
1. How do you view your education? 
2. What difference does education make in your life?
3. How important is it to you to use your education to stand up to social injustices?
2. “The voices of young people don’t matter - it’s the adults that make the rules that we have to live by."
1. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?
2. Do young people know and care about issues in the larger society?

For homework: Read "He Named Me Malala" by reading parts of the film's discussion guide. Read and take notes on the following:

He Named Me Malala: A Discussion Guide for Study and Action

1. Read and take notes on P.4 - Letter from Malala and Her Father
2. Read and take notes on P.5-6 - Introduction to the Film
3. Group readings - Read and take notes on your assigned reading.

Group 1-P.7 - About Pakistan
Group 2-P.8-9 - Influence of Family
Group 3-P.10 - Religious Extremism Comes to Swat
Group 4-P.11-12 - The Global Status of Girls’ Secondary Education
Group 5-P.13-14 - Why Education is So Critical

Group #1 Justin Julian Kelley

Group #2 Annabel Brett Eric

Group #3 Katie Megan Dylan

Group #4 Kyle Josie Ethan Joe

Group #5 Emma Freddy Myles

Affirmative Consent Laws

Today you'll explore whether affirmative consent laws are an effective means to lessen the risk of sexual assault.

Read the following articles. Make sure to click on hyperlinks within articles to learn more.

The Aziz Ansari Allegation Has People Talking About Affirmative Consent. What's That?
When Does Drunk Sex Become Rape?
Affirmative Consent:Are Students Really Asking?
Adults Hate Yes Means Yes Laws. The College Students I Meet Love Them

Please respond to the following, and upload your answer to turnitin.com:

• Explore your thoughts and ideas about consent laws or policies. Will they work? Why or why not?  Be specific, and include specifics from the articles.
• Describe what you think should be done in Clara's case from the 2nd article above. Be sure to explain your reasoning.
• Using specific information from the articles, answer these questions:
• How will changing standards of consent affect student behavior, and the handling of sexual assault cases on college campuses and in the larger criminal justice system?
• What does the need for increasingly explicit rules around consent say about our culture’s understanding of sex?

Discussing "The Hunting Ground"

We will complete the film The Hunting Ground in class today.  You will continue taking notes as you watch. 

Then you will answer the following using information from the video as well as the other content we have covered in class.

1. What is your review or assessment of The Hunting Ground? 
2. What, if anything, does the film prompt you to do? 
3. The film received a 93% positive rating at rottentomatoes.com. Here are a few of those positive reviews Tribune Review, NY Times Review. Do you agree or disagree with this assessment? 
4. Here is a negative review or critique of the film Slate Review. Do you agree or disagree with this assessment?
5. What information that you learned over the last week (either in the articles or film) is most surprising and why? 
6. Does a "rape culture" exist in our society? If so, what is its impact? 
7. What kind of responsibility do colleges have to address the issue of sexual assault on their campuses? Why don't they seem to take it more seriously? 
8. What should sexual assault awareness programs address? Why? 
9. What is the role of bystanders? 
10. What other issues that were raised in the articles that you read or the film are most important to you? Why?

Upload your answers to turnitin by the start of class tomorrow.

The Hunting Ground

Today we will start the film, The Hunting Ground (the film is available to rent at the link).  You will be taking notes as you watch. 

After we complete the movie tomorrow, you will be answering the following using information from the video as well as the other content we have covered in class.

• What is your review or assessment of The Hunting Ground? 
• What, if anything, does the film prompt you to do? 
• The film received a 93% positive rating at rottentomatoes.com. Here are a few of those positive reviews Tribune Review, NY Times Review. Do you agree or disagree with this assessment? 
• Here is a negative review or critique of the film Slate Review. Do you agree or disagree with this assessment?
• What information that you learned over the last few days (either in the articles or film) is most surprising and why? 
• Does a "rape culture" exist in our society? If so, what is its impact? 
• What kind of responsibility do colleges have to address the issue of sexual assault on their campuses? Why don't they seem to take it more seriously? 
• What should sexual assault awareness programs address? Why? 
• What is the role of bystanders? 
• What other issues that were raised in the articles that you read or the film are most important to you? Why?

Steubenville, Stanford and Sexual Assault

Today we will continue discussing the Steubenville rape case by looking at what happened in the months and years after the assault: follow-up articles.

We will then discuss Brock Turner and the Stanford Rape Case by looking at:

• Victim's Statement
• Brock Turner’s Father’s Letter
• Brock Turner Is Appealing His Sexual Assault Conviction

Finally, we will discuss to what role alcohol abuse plays in sexual assaults:

• 5 Ways Sexual Assault is Really About Entitlement

Ohio Rape Case

Today we will discuss the Ohio Rape Case.

Finish the article and take notes for homework for Wednesday.

Sexual Harassment on the streets and college campuses

Today in class, we will complete the charts from yesterday. Once your group has completed the chart, discuss and answer the following questions:

1. What did you think of these articles? 
2. How prevalent is sexual harassment? 
3. What is the impact of #metoo?

Type your answer at the bottom of the chart, and be sure to share the chart with me.

We will then explore sexual harassment on the streets and on college campuses by watching the following videos:

1. 10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman
• What is Street Harassment? (Optional definition of street harassment)
2. Sexual Harassment in College

Voter Registration

You can register to vote tomorrow during lunch, or you can register online using the link below. Please register, vote in the primary, vote in the election, and commit to being a lifelong voter!

Illinois Online Voter Application

Sexual Harassment PSAs

In groups, open this link to the Sexual Harassment PSAs. There are 6 listed on the right; each person in the group should pick one to watch. Once you have watched your video, report back to the rest of the group on:

• What happened?
• How did you feel watching the video?
• Did the scenario feel realistic?

Next, you will continue the discussion of what sexual harassment looks like in various industries by completing the following:Sexual Harassment Articles

Group #1 Freddy Kelley Ethan Justin Katie

Group #2 Brett Eric Josie Sophie

Group #3 Joe Kyle Megan Annabel

Group #4 Emma Myles Julian Dylan

Sexual Harassment Scenarios

• Read this definition of sexual harassment and this list of actions that may possibly constitute sexual harassment.
• Then, using those definitions as well as what you know from your reading last night, go through these scenarios. Complete the chart I pass out; this will be collected. You may work individually or in small groups, but everyone must complete the chart individually.

HW: Complete the chart individually before class on Wednesday.

Continued discussion of sexual harassment

Today we will continue reading, answering the questions, and discussing the sexual harassment articles from yesterday.

For homework:

1. Complete and upload your answers to the questions on the sexual harassment articles.
2. Complete the survey on the Marketplace of Ideas (online proposal form)

Sexual Harassment

With so much in the news today about sexual harassment in many of our major industries as well as the #MeToo movement that began on Facebook, it's important to understand what sexual harassment is and discover the places where we may confront it.

Today your task is to consider the issue of sexual harassment in schools.
Read these articles actively: Sexual Harassment in Schools
Answer these questions as you read or after you read: Harassment Article Questions.


Upload your responses to these questions on turnitin by the start of class on Friday. Be sure that your responses are thorough, detailed, specific and your OWN work.

Completing your social media essay

You have the period today to work on your essay. Include specific quotes from the sources. Upload your essay by the end of class.

Social Media Essay

In class on Wednesday, January 31, you will be writing an in-class essay on social media.

You will either argue:

• The positives of social media outweigh the negatives 
• OR 
• The negatives of social media outweigh the positives 

Your essay must contain

• An introduction with a thesis statement 
• First body paragraph with an assertion 
• 3 pieces of evidence from the material in class or from your outside research 
• Second body paragraph with an assertion 
• 3 pieces of evidence from the material in class or from your outside research 
• A conclusion that contains some prediction for the future with regards to social media 
• Internal citations and a properly formatted MLA Works Cited page with credible sources 

You'll have the entire class period on Wednesday to write your essay. All essays will be submitted to turnitin by the end of Wednesday's class period.

Being 13 - Social Media Continued

Today we'll finish Being Thirteen: Inside the Secret World of Teens.

HW for the weekend is to browse these articles and choose two to read completely. Write a one paragraph response to each of those two articles, and upload your responses to turnitin. Be sure to include the article title with the response. 

• What teens wish their parents knew about social media

• The Secret Social Media Lives of Teenagers

• Teens: This is how social media affects your brain

• 10 Reasons Why Social Media Is Great For Teenagers

• Social media bad for the minds of young people, right? Maybe not.

• The Vital Time You Shouldn't Be On Social Media

Generation Like

Today we will continue watching and discussing Generation Like

Social Media

Today we will begin our discussion of social media by answering these four questions:

• What are the benefits of social media for your personally?
• What are the disadvantages of social media for you personally?
• What are the benefits of social media for the larger society?
• What are the disadvantages of social media for the larger society?

We will begin by focusing on the impact of social media in the larger society by watching and taking notes on Generation Like

The Marketplace of Ideas

Welcome to Second Semester!

This semester, we will be working towards building our:

Marketplace of Ideas

Death Penalty in 2017

Use Of The Death Penalty In U.S. Near A 25-Year Low, Report Finds

Clemency and the Death Penalty

Today, we will begin preparing to debate whether or not certain death row inmates deserve clemency:

Clemency Arguments
Argument Brainstorming Sheet

Your nonfiction book review assignment:

Nonfiction book review