Lesson Plans Sept. 26-Sept. 30

PSYCHOLOGY:
Students will be able to identify the contributions of Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson and Abraham Maslow to personality development.
Students will be able to trace the influence of Freud’s family, educational & socio-political background to the evolvement of his theories of psychoanalysis.
Students will be able to identify the role of psychoanalysis in psychiatry & psychology.
Monday & Tuesday: view Biography film of Sigmund Freud
Wednesday: in class essay test over Freud
Thursday & Friday: Sybil

Introduction to Journalism:
Students will be able to:
~identify the contributions of Pulitzer & Hearst to American journalism
~explain the impact of Citizen Kane on filmography and societally
~identify the contributions of Joseph Pulitzer in establishing 20th century standards for journalism
Monday & Tuesday: view Citizen Kane
Wednesday: Essay Test
Thursday & Friday: Biography: Joseph Pulitzer view & discuss

Reflection Week of Sept. 19

The week was exceedingly hectic with yearbook distribution and the ensuing issues that go with troubleshooting missing books and other problems. I am still recovering from the 24/7 nature of the week which will continue this next week with school pictures, more yearbook, Gauger deadline and end of six weeks grades due. With that said, it was a productive and interesting week in class.
PSYCHOLOGY students are studying Sigmund Freud and the impact he had on not only the field of psychology, personality theory and psychoanalysis, but also on the 20th century in general.
We also held a SENIOR FRIDAY session where we discussed how to schedule college classes for maximum success, the importance of work study job connections, and how to network with professors.
In INTRO TO JOURNALISM we reviewed yellow journalism, muckraking, Pulitzer & Hearst and are presently viewing the film Citizen Kane. In addition to the parallels to Hearst’s life, we are learning about photo composition while freezing frames from the film to identify leading lines, framing, light & shadowing etc.
CSU leaders, led by Cory Evers are busy planning the See You At The Pole SYATP scheduled for next Wednesday.
Calendar for the week of Sept. 26:
~continue distribution of yearbooks & work on Gauger deadline
~Tuesday: all school pictures (except for seniors)
~Wednesday: SYATP
~Friday: end of six weeks

Lesson Plans Sept. 19-23

Psychology:
Students will be able to identify and explain the significance of early individuals in the development of the discipline of psychology.
Students will be exposed to the vast number of specializations within the field of psychology.
Students will be able to explain the necessity of using the scientific method in psychological research to ensure validity.
Students will be able to list and explain the primary methods of research used within the field and explain the significance of representative sampling and sample size.
Probability will also be thoroughly explained.
Monday: Lecture and discussion
Tuesday: Philip Zimbardo film over research methodology in field of psychology.
Wednesday: probability experiment: partners & dice…students will conduct experiment, collect data, illustrate data in bar graph, scatter graph or bell curve and in writing give analysis of results.
Thursday: experiment on representative sampling using colored M&Ms. Students will conduct experiment, collect data, analyze data according to varying sample sizes drawing conclusions after each compilation.
Senior Friday: Scholarship resources, importance of freshman orientation, how to schedule classes, Pell grant information

Introduction to Journalism:
Students will be able to explain the historical significance of the period of Yellow Journalism & muckraking in the late 19th & early 20th century.
Students will be able to identify the impact of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst in the development of American journalism, the Spanish American War and the establishment of newspaper chains.
Monday: Lecture & discussion over yellow journalism and impact of Pulitzer.
Tuesday: Test first and then view Biography film over Joseph Pulitzer
Wednesday: complete film & discuss
Thursday: introduction to Newsboy strikes of late 19th century and impact on newspapers and labor movement. Begin film: Newsies
Friday: Continue Newsies.

Week of Sept. 12 Reflection

In psychology this week we have watched a film on the roots of terrorism. We have examined the role of 19th century colonialism and the residual effects of the abandonment of the former colonies in relation to nation building after World War I. It also examined the role of Nazi Germany during WWII in influencing the development of fascism in the Middle East. The Cold War influences of the Soviet Union were traced and the economic explosion that resulted from the oil boom of the late 1950s & 1960s. We also studied the effects of the rise of the Egyptian Islamic Brotherhood which was the precursor of Al Quaida, the Iranian Revolution and the impact of the Ayatollah Khomieni on the rise of fundamentalist Islam. The background of Osama bin Laden was surveyed as was the role of United States foreign policy and the ensuing events from the Afghan overthrow of the soviets to the first Gulf War to 9/11 and the decade long Afghan war and US involvement in Iraq. The impact on the US economy and politics was also discussed along with the historical intransigence of foreign policy in relation to changing presidential administrations.

Senior Friday: we discussed early college admission dates–Nov.1, college entrance tests and desired scores, what normative testing is, and the FAFSA and where to find information online to expedite admission process.

In Intro to Journalism we have examined the front pages of major daily newspapers from 9/11/01 and 9/11/11. We have brainstormed feature story ideas, journaled students’ memories, and compared coverage in the NY Times to that of other major dailies. We also have reviewed the parts of the newspaper and the history of journalism in America from the publication of the first newspaper in 1690 up to the period of Yellow Journalism. The importance of the First Amendment continues to be examined and emphasized.
J1 Friday: after quiz, I read a selection from Bissinger’s Friday Night Lights.

Lesson Plans Sept. 12-16

Psychology:
Students will demonstrate the ability to identify individual and group behavior that contributed to the development of a new kind of terrorism in the 21st century.
Students will analyze long term and short term behaviors that have contributed to the growth of terrorism.
In addition, students will brainstorm possible security, political and cultural solutions or ways to minimize threats.
Monday:
~Essay test response to documentary 9/11
Tuesday & Wednesday:
~film: Roots of Terrorism
Thursday:
~Discussion, debate & brainstorming
Friday:
~Journaling
~Senior Friday: College prep tips, schedule of early admissions, ACT/SAT testing

Introduction to Journalism:
Students will be able to identify the elements of a newspaper orally & in writing.
Students will be able to identify key historical events in the development of journalism from 1690-mid 19th century.
Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of what Yellow Journalism is and the impact of Hearst & Pulitizer on the development of journalism in America.
Monday:
~quiz front page elements
~9/11 essay
Tuesday:
~Lecture & Discussion Yellow Journalism & Muckraking
Wednesday:
~film: Biography-Joseph Pulitzer
Thursday:
~Journaling response to film
Friday:
~Test: over history of journalism in America 1690-early 20th century

Reflection Sept. 5-9

This week was spent watching the documentary 9/11 and discussing the impact of the events on America financially and psychologically. More importantly, we focused on the character exhibited on the part of Americans in their response to the trauma.
About 15% of the people who died on 9/11 were First Responders. We examined the commitment and dedication necessary to pursue a profession based on sacrifice. We also found examples of everyday Americans who responded with courage and compassion.
This unit will conclude next week with the viewing of the roots of terrorism spanning changes wrought from the Ottoman Empire to the Colonial Period,WWI & WWII, Cold War and 21st Century. Depth of study and the identification of long term causes including cultural and political policies that contribute to unintended results and the effects of response.
The level of student interest has been extremely high and includes a student driven project to collect water and gatorade for our local volunteer fire departments.

Lesson Plans Sept. 6-9

Psychology TEKS 113.36
(1) The individual in society. The student understands the dynamics of the relationships between self and others to be a contributing member of the community. The student is expected to:
(A) participate in class as a leader and a follower
(B) adjust behavior appropriately to fit various situations;
(C) contribute to the development of a supportive climate in groups; and
(D) accept and fulfill social responsibilities associated with citizenship in a group setting.

(2) The individual in society. The student understands that beliefs, decisions, and actions have consequences. The student is expected to:
(A) predict the likely outcome of given courses of action in particular situations;
(B) evaluate the predicted outcomes of given courses of actions in particular situations based on an understanding of the development of morality.

Journalism TEKS 110.62
The student is expected to:
(A) locate information sources and researches to prepare to investigate a topic;
(C) evaluate and confirm the validity of background information from a variety of sources such as other qualified persons, media sources, books, and reports;

Objectives:
After completing this unit on 9/11 & terrorism, students will be able to:
~explain the events and the impact they had on both the city of New York and America
~demonstrate understanding of the historical events that contributed to the development of terrorism as it emerged in the 21st century
~demonstrate appreciation for the job that local police, fire and first responders of our community through letters that will be delivered to them.

Students in both my psychology and journalism classes will be watching the documentary 9/11 by documentarians Jules & Gideon Gaudot. The two brothers had planned to do a coming of age story following a New York City fire cadet from academy to his first fire which turned out to be the Twin Towers. As a result, one of the brothers was actually in Tower 1 after the planes had crashed into the buildings. The film follows the members of one fire house and their experiences.
The seniors were in second grade when 9/11 occurred and this will be the first time they will have been exposed to the ‘real time’ story of the event.
After viewing the documentary I will share my experiences and my son’s with some of the firefighters who survived this horror that we had the opportunity to meet. I will share personal pictures from 2003 & 2004.
After this we will watch a film that traces the historical background of terrorism as it has evolved in our time.
Evaluation:
Students will journal responses, participate in class discussions and produce written expressions of appreciation for local first responders.

Week Two Reflection

Psychology: The senior psych students have spent a week learning the basics of the history of psychology. After lecture, discussion and text reading, the students were introduced to how the scientific method applied to research resulted in the ‘science’ and thus, the validity of the field. We also viewed a college level film narrated by Dr. Philip Zimbardo that outlined an introduction to the discipline.
On Friday we started viewing the documentary 9/11. We will spend all of next week on a special unit commemorating the 10th anniversary.

Intro to Journalism: The students have learned the parts of Page 1 newspaper terminology and learned the history of journalism in America from the publication of the first newspaper in America (1690 Publick Occurrences) to the game changing 1735 John Peter Zenger trial which established the precedent for Freedom of the Press in America and the baseline of ‘Truth is not libel’. Students continued their study of the journalism through the invention of the telegraph in 1844 and its impact on news writing and war coverage in the Civil War.
The journalism students started the documentary 9/11 on Friday and will spend the rest of next week on the documentary and historical background of this event.

Publication Staff: A budget for the first newspaper is being planned by Gauger editor Chloe McMahon and her staff. Yearbook editor Elizabeth Horne and assistant editor Austin Jordan have begun planning the 2012 yearbook. The staff has spent the week studying journalism basics before tackling their first assignment.