To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence

Today a 99 page document on the reading habits of Americans was released by the National Endowment for the Arts. For this report the authors looked at 40 reading studies completed in the past 4 years and then analysed the data to come to their conclusions. Some of those conclusions are eye-opening.

Begin by reading the 2-page Washington Post article. Then click on the link to the full 99 page report in the second sentence of the article. Once the pdf file opens, read pages 16-20 entitled, "The Declines in Reading Have Civic, Social, and Economic Implications".

Post your comments about both the Post article and the section from the actual report. How will your future income opportunities be affected by your reading habits? Maybe Mrs. Henry's Outside Reading requirement is good for you after all.

Be Careful What You Do in High School

Recently, Capuchino teachers took some time during class to talk about our college choice and experiences. I chose the University of Hawaii Manoa Campus, not for its beauty, but for its distance from my high school peers.

We also spent some time going over what colleges are looking for in student requirements. Today, I noticed this article, Schools Balk at Disclosing Offenses, on the front page of the Boston Globe. As you'll discover by reading the article, most colleges now ask a question about both academic and behavioral misconduct. That means if you have been referred to the Dean for misbehavior or violated Cap's Academic Integrity Policy, colleges will expect you to report those infractions.

Read the article and give your feedback about it. Remember to include information from the article to show that you have read it.

Poetry in Motion

I was talking to a friend that lives outside of Seattle, and she mentioned that they publish poetry on their buses.  I did a search online and found an article about this year's launch party.  It also includes a link to  the chosen poems.  I couldn't resist the title of the one above. Looks like it's a fun and easy way to earn $125. 

Choose several to read and post your comments about the quality of these short poems. You might even mention the literary and poetic elements used by the poets.

American kids, dumber than dirt

This week I'm stepping back from posts directly connected to our work in class.  My husband pointed out this article two weeks ago when it appeared in the SF Chronicle.  Mark Morford writes a pretty persuasive article with much evidence. Read the article to see what he says. (By the way, the article is written at the 10.6 grade level.)

Your task this week is to provide the counterarguments. You are the generation he is calling 'dumber than dirt'.  Defend yourself.