Organization-Writing-Feedback. Post due 11/17 @ 11:59. Respond to 2 by 11/119@ 11:59

Rye NH (photo credits Bent)

The picture looks a little desolate.  No real color and the ocean has just receded.  At times the work on your project paper may feel the way this beach in Rye looks.  Do not give up, you can do it.

We are about 19 days from when your paper is due, and  25 days from your group presentations are due.  This may or may not seem like a lot of time to you.  For those who are calm, that probably means you have a good handle on how to budget your time, but for those of you who are now a little uneasy, you probably should look at beginning to budge your time.

This (short) week we are doing group swaps to edit the storyboards.  By the beginning of next week, you will be ready to turn in a draft of the paper for more peer edits.

There are a variety of ways to edit.  There is self edit, there is peer edit, and then there is parent/friend edit. Why is editing a paper helpful?  In reality, do you take the edits and suggestions someone else makes to heart?  Why or why not?  When you edit someone else's paper, do you really pay attention and provide them with feedback, or do you just go through the motions so that you finish the process?  Explain.

How many times do you have your paper edited, or you self edit?  Be honest, and explain the reasoning behind what you do.

Any advice for your peers on writing and editing?

Research and Reading Reflection: Initial post due Sunday 10/20 @ 11:59, and responses (2) due 10/22 @ 11:59

Moving forward (Photo Credit Bent)

Researching and writing can be a daunting task, but if one chooses a topic he or she likes, it can also be an amazing journey of discovery.  You have now read chapters 4 and 5 from the Student's Guide to Writing.  In your reading you should have found some information to help guide your research process.  Share with your classmates what you have found informative in the readings, and how you think you are going to use this information to drive your research forward.

To make the response more appealing to the reading audience, find a picture of how you approach researching, or a picture of how you feel while researching. Post it with your response.

The larger ideas: Post One due Sun 9/15 @ 11:59, responses due Wed 9/18 @ 11:59

The Welcome Rock Outlook, St. Patrick's Parish, Grenada (Photo credits Bent)

Welcome back to school.  At this point we are finishing up our first full week of school, and are that closer to graduation (for you).  Changing your perspective on something creates possibilities/alternative views.  In my case, hiking in St. Patrick's Parish allowed me to see the Island of Grenada from a different angle. It also allowed me that infinite view of the British West Indies and the islands beyond Grenada.

I would like to use this blog as an interactive piece where we talk about BIG picture things and other topics during the school year.

In order to do that and to make your blog entries a little more interesting, please consider including pictures, links, videos, etc.  By doing this, your entries will be deeper and richer than just words in a blog.

For this first school entry blog, I would like you to choose two (2) of the following BIG picture topics and share your thoughts.  Please post your thoughts no later than Sunday night at 11:59 pm, (September 15th).  Then by Wednesday by 11:59 pm, (September 18th), please read and respond to two (2) other student blogs. 


Essential Questions:

How can I connect different perspectives? AND What other possible issues, questions, or topics do they relate to?

How can I avoid committing plagiarism?

What contributions can I offer a team?

How can I benefit by reflecting on my own work?

Bittersweet, the sun setting on our summer vacation

Sunset on Monadnock Mountain, Lemmington, Vt. (Photo credit Bent)

We are down to the wire; it is almost school time again.  As you finish your summer, think about The Gate-Keepers in terms of power.  Who has it? How does one use it? To what advantage is power in education?  Just things to ponder as you finish your summer work, and a hint at what we will be exploring in Unit One of AP Seminar.

Time sailing along...

The Sultana on the Chester River, Chestertown, Maryland (Photo credit Bent)

Happy late July.  I hope that you are at least at the halfway point in the book you are reading.  I am wondering if your opinion has changed or stayed the same about college admissions since starting this book?

Remember that this is but one lens of the admissions process. There are so many other angles to look at too.

Happy reading, and see you soon.  Summer is going by too quickly, so take advantage of it as best you can.

Welcome to the blog

Photo Credit: Bent Franconia Notch, NH

Welcome to your AP Seminar blog. 

Your first real assignments (summer) for Blogger will be due on June 28, July 28, and August 28.  See packet for instructions.  The packet can be found in Google classroom.

If you have any questions while we are still in school, you can find me in room 105.  You can also email me at bent@prsd.org, and if you want an immediate answer you can always text me at 603-321-5459.  Texting is best over the summer if you need a fast answer, just remember to tell me who you are the first time, and then I will add you to my contact list.  I use texting with my graduate and undergraduate students, and even with my Experiential Leadership class here at Pentucket, so I am happy to add you all as contacts.

Most of you know me, but for those who do not,  I am a veteran teacher who actually began her career as a kindergarten teacher.  I am also a adjunct college professor teaching both graduate and undergraduate education courses.  My family consists of my husband Dana, a retired federal officer  my older daughter, Nyla, a DVM candidate at Lincoln Memorial School of Veterinary Medicine, and my younger daughter, Dana, an education/psychology major at Roger Williams University and first responder with the Bristol R.I. rescue squad.