Banned Books Week September 18 – 24, 2022

Ms. Gath (she/her) Uncategorized 0 Comment

Why Are Books Being Banned Across the U.S.?

It’s happening again!  According to the American Library Association, book challenges and banning books have more than doubled since 2020. https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2022/03/large-majorities-voters-oppose-book-bans-and-have-confidence-libraries#:~:text=More%20than%20330%20unique%20cases,challenge%20totals%20(377%20challenges).

Banning books is not something new in our society but it has become a popular topic in many states.  It is important for people to be aware that this is happening and why.

Review the lesson from Schoology then respond to the following questions as a comment on this post.

  1. Identify a current event that is centered around banning books.  Give a brief summary of what is happening.
    • For example: In January 2022, a school board in Tennessee voted to ban Maus, from it’s 8th grade curriculum because it contains information that is inappropriate for students.  Maus is a Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel about the author’s parents’ survival of the holocaust.   The board members made this decision because they thought that the topics such as nudity and suicide were inappropriate.  These topics are relevant to the Jews’ experiences in the concentration camps.
  2. “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” ― Haruki Murikami  What does this quote mean to you in light of the recent surge in banning books?
  3. Do you think it’s important to have books that depict other cultures and people who don’t represent you? Why?
  4. How can you be an advocate for the freedom to read?

“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.” ― Joseph Brodsky

LGTBQ History Month – Be yourself!

Ms. Gath (she/her) Uncategorized 28 Comments
LGTBQ History Month – Be yourself!

First, I want us all to be respectful on this page. This is a safe space for students to express their ideas.  This is a post to help us share ideas to create awareness about the LGBTQIA+ community.

You will answer the following questions with a th0rough well thought out response. You can review the PowerPoint, Jamboard and any other notes on Schoology if needed.

  1. What are your pronouns (if you feel comfortable sharing)?
  2. What are three new things you learned about LGBTQIA+ History? Use information from the Jamboard, your notes, and your own research.  Be specific.
  3. After thinking about the following questions, response in 3-4 sentences. Your response should be a synthesized response to these questions, it is not a response to each one. (synthesize = take specific concepts and consider them together to understand how they compare/contrast and how they relate to one another ) 
    • How would someone who identifies as LGBTQ feel knowing that nearly every word used to describe them can also be used to hurt them?  
    • What do you think the outcomes of all this negative language are on the feelings and thoughts of (young) people who identify as LGBTQ? 
    • Do you think that is why there are LGBTQ people right here at your school who are too scared to come out?

4.  How can we make a welcoming environment at our school and in our community?

5. Thinking about the image of the head, heart, and feet, what would you put in each shape.  Head =…. Heart =… Feet =…

Could Artifical Intelligence Replace Our Teachers – Part 2

Ms. Gath (she/her) Uncategorized 13 Comments

Could_Artificial_Intelligence_Replace_Our_Teachers____Education_World

Answer each question in 50-100 words.  So I can distinguish your answer, make sure to number your response to each question.

Read “What AI Can’t Do” through the end of the article and then answer these questions:

  1. What are some human traits that a computer cannot replicate?   How do these traits affect learning?
  2.  What are some ways you think AI could be used in a classroom that might enhance learning?
  3. Describe some ways you think education will change in the future.  Think about different tech tools and use your imagination.  You might be someone who creates a new way of learning or a new way of doing business, etc.

Could Artificial Intelligence Replace Our Teachers?

Ms. Gath (she/her) Uncategorized 12 Comments

Could_Artificial_Intelligence_Replace_Our_Teachers____Education_World

Answer each question in 50-100 words.  So I can distinguish your answer, make sure to number your response to each question.

Read the introduction to ” Could Artificial Intelligence Replace Our Teachers?” and  the section under “The Digitization of the Classroom.”

We are on week two of online instruction due to the current health crisis.

  1. What are some online tools you have been using to help you keep up with your schoolwork?
  2. In what ways has this style of learning been easier? And in what ways has it been harder?
  3. Do you think that online education in K-12 will become more comment in the future? Why or why not?

 

Has the Smart Phone Destroyed a Generation? #3

Ms. Gath (she/her) Your voice matters! 134 Comments

After reading pages 61 -63  (Stop at the paragraph that starts with “One of the ironies…”) and then answer the following questions.  Make sure to answer each question in a thorough way – this may mean a paragraph or longer depending on the question.  Review your answer for spelling and grammar before you post it .  You might want to type it in Word first,edit it, and then copy and paste it.

Think about the different generations that are mentioned – Generation X (1961 – 1981), Millennials (1981-1994), iGen (1995-2012).

  1. Review the tables on page 62 – summarize the information between each of the 3 generations for all 6 tables.
  2. What is your reaction to the question on page 63 – “Why are today’s teens waiting longer to take on both the responsibility and the pleasures of adulthood?” (This needs to be well thought out and multiple sentences.)

Has the Smart Phone Destroyed a Generation? #2

Ms. Gath (she/her) Your voice matters! 58 Comments

Read page 59 and = up to where is says “In the Early 1970s”  on page 61. (There is no page 60).

 

  1. What are the main ideas from this section of the article?
  2. Describe the “iGen” generation and the “Millennials”  How are they the same and how are they different?
  3. The article states, ” But the twin rise of the smartphone and social media has caused an earthquake of a magnitude we’ve not seen in a very long time, if ever.” (p61)   Do you agree, disagree, and what is your reaction to this statement (for example does it seem to be an exaggeration?)  THIN… THINK….THINK…

Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation?

Ms. Gath (she/her) Your voice matters! 16 Comments

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/

Before reading this article, look at the first picture and read the caption.

1) What do you think this article will be about?

2) What are you thoughts and reactions to this picture and this topic?

3) Do you think you will agree or disagree with the information you anticipate  reading in this article?  Explain why.

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