The week that was…Homecoming flew by with halls filled with Roughnecks who built the Legacy that students today are adding to.  It is always a blessing to visit with old friends, make new ones, and catch up with former students.  The stadium pep rally was a tad on the warm side, but the MoJoe was hot and that was inspiration enough for the football team as they rode to victory on a homecoming high.

This week will be a bit of a challenge as it is the week before my only son marries.  I am blessed to work with students who share their lives with me and allow me to share mine.  We are all, hopefully richer for it.

Psychology:

Students will be able to:

~identify how surveys and interviews can be worded to elicit specific responses.

~identify the importance of sample size and representative random sampling.

~consider the power of the media in relation to the presidential election, poll predictions, political campaigns etc.

Monday:

film:  misleading statistics–discussion & debate

Tuesday & Wednesday:  discussion of presidential election and the use of psychology to manipulate/motivate voters

Thursday & Friday:

 

Introduction to Journalism:

Students will be able to:

~explain what yellow journalism was, give examples and compare to tabloid journalism today

~explain muckraking and compare it to advocacy journalism today

~explain the historical events that contributed to the Spanish American War of 1898

~explain Pulitzer’s impact on 20th century journalism

Monday-Wednesday:  Newsies

Thursday:  Test

Friday:  Current Events

Reflection:

It was a very busy week filled with homecoming excitement, preparation, deadlines and hopefully learning.  Psychology students learned about Sigmund Freud’s impact on the 20th Century and his powerful introduction of  the existence of the unconscious to mainstream thinking.  Coupling the idea of what shaped 20th Century culture, society and history contrasted with changing technology, mores, norms and perhaps even the economy of the 21st Century inspired debate, discussion and to a degree some trepidation about what these students will be facing as adults in this new century.  As always the lessons ultimately tied into what choices the individual student has in relation to their futures.

The Intro to Journalism class as usual was broad in its lesson pursuit, from daily reading of the Longview News-Journal, discussion of breaking news, AND the pursuit of writing at higher and higher levels.  The students studied review writing tips, read examples, and worked on process rough draft writing.  Each scholastic journalist met individually with the teacher to go over two stages of their rough draft writing before turning in a completed review.  On Friday we read a movie review of a just released movie in the LNJ (from a wire story written by a San Francisco Chronicle critic) and then compared the writing, style and level of writing to a review of the same movie from a New York Times reporter.  The class then watched a preview of the movie.  The lesson construction seemed to inspire a greater level of interest in the writing process, in additon the individual attention helped those students who were struggling with their writing.

The Roughneck Yearbook staff is busy with first assignments, contest deadlines and prep for our first yearbook sale of the year which begins Monday.  The Gauger staff is busy working on wrapping up the Homecoming Gauger.  The pressure cooker of public products is definitely ratcheting up the stress and skill level of those scholastic journalists that are rising to the occasion.

Lesson Plans:

Psychology students will be able to:

~explain what the id, ego and superego are as defined by Sigmund Freud

~identify and briefly explain Freud’s three major works and their impact on mass culture as well as the field of psychology

~explain Carl Jung’s take on Freudian psychology and the break that resulted in Freud’s & Jung’s philosophies

Monday & Tuesday:  pursuit of the above through lecture, discussion & journaling

Wed.-Friday:  tie-in to Homecoming–how individuals are shaped by their environments, education and culture

 

Introduction to Journalism:

Students will be able to:

~explain the contributions of Joseph Pulitzer to American and global journalism

~explain the birth of Yellow Journalism in relation to the circulation wars of Pulitzer & Hearst

~identify historical events and reforms that the two journalists influenced (ex. Spanish-American War, muckraking results)

Monday:

Read brief bios of Pulitzer & Hearst and bullet most important points

Tuesday:

lecture & discussion of the Newsboy Strike in NYC early 20th Century (impact on labor movement, news industry etc.)

Wednesday-Friday:  film–Newsies, essay,

What a busy, busy overwhelming time at WOHS.  Students are busy preparing for the fall play, band and choir competition, and working to make playoffs or regional competitions in football, volleyball and cross country.  At the same time, in the production room the staff is busy selling ads, preparing a yearbook sale, working on the second broadsheet Gauger (which will also be the Homecoming Gauger), and working on the first yearbook deadline.

On Senior Friday in psychology, we talked about university/college choice for a good individual fit, early admission and housing deadlines, study skills needed, and read testimonials of three students at A&M, ACU and SFA in reference to their adjustment from high school to college and what is required to be successful.  One of my goals is to help the kids keep focused among the chaotic whirl of their senior year, their ultimate career and life goals.

College and real world work success is often far removed from the grade and test pattern of education that they are familiar with.  WOHS teachers are working hard to ensure their future success by incorporating lessons that focus on higher level thinking skills, problem solving and creativity.

Psychology:

Students will be able to:

~explain the environment and family dynamics of Sigmund Freud that led to his philosophical and conceptual approach to psychology that resulted in the new discipline of psychotherapy

~identify the major contributions of Freud to the field and to the 20th century

~explain the role of biochemistry & behavior

~explain how pharmacology and therapy can be used alone and in tandem to address serious psychological problems

~identify the different parts of the brain

Monday:

A&E Biography film:  Sigmund Freud

Tuesday:

complete film and discuss

Wednesday:

Brain chapter review

Thursday:

film:  Behaving Brain  lecture & discussion

Friday:

film:  Responsive Brain  lecture & discussion

 

J1

Students will be able to:

~demonstrate understanding of basic AP Stylebook Rules

~demonstrate the ability to write a review according to journalistic guidelines

~explain the major events of Joseph Pulitzer’s life & contributions to American & International Journalism

Monday:

Turn in review; watch Biography film on Joseph Pulitzer

Tuesday:

Complete film & discuss

Wednesday:

Discuss William Randolph Hearst’s competition with Pulitzer and contributions to American journalism, background on Citizen Kane

Thursday & Friday:

Citizen Kane

Reflections:

What a great week!  The Gauger staff led by Donald Griffin is busy working on the homecoming Gauger.  It will be our second broadsheet production.  The Roughneck yearbook staff led by Austin Jordan has been busy working on contest entries, planning spreads and choosing cover materials and design approaches.  National graphic design consultant Paul Ender visited with Austin and some staff members going over their plans.  Paul was ecstatic with the design plan and said he had NEVER seen it done before (& he is a NATIONAL judge and consultant)!

The psychology class has had their nose to the grindstone with lecture and discussion of the contemporary approaches to psychology.  A broad overview of psychoanalysis, behaviorism, cognitive psychology, sociocultural psychology, the humanist approach and more have been outlined and discussed.

J1, God Bless them is struggling through lessons on writing leads and are hard at work on writing an interview.

In between all of the above, we took the time in all classes to read and discuss the Nobel prize in physics and the breakthroughs taking place in Quantum Physics AND we read and discussed the contributions of the 13-year-old Pakistani female blogger who was shot by the Taliban this week.  Her crime?  Advocacy for the education of girls.  And so it goes, in the room in the corner at the back of the school.

Psychology:

Students will be able to:

~identify & explain the variety of experimental research methods that are used in the field and give examples of each orally and in writing

~explain the process of the scientific method

~explain how probability works, the importance of  sample size and random sampling

Monday:

film:  Phillip Zimbardo–Research methods in psychology

Tuesday:  probability experiment and application of knowledge in producing a visual representation (bell curve, scatter graph, bar graph etc.) of results

Wednesday:  M&M sample size & Random Sampling experiment and results

Thursday:  Lecture & discussion on Sigmund Freud, Father of Psychoanalysis

Friday:  A&E Biography film on Freud

 

Introduction to Journalism

Students will demonstrate the ability to:

~write a journalistically sound lead and review as if for publication

~trace and explain the role of newspapers in the Civil War, post-war period of Westward Expansion & Yellow Journalism

Monday & Tuesday:

One-on-one evaluation of student leads and reviews

Read LNJ

Wednesday & Thursday:

Lecture & Discussion on pre-Civil War role through period of late 19th century yellow journalism & muckraking

Friday:

A&E Bio film:  Joseph Pulitzer

Last week was one of ‘those’ weeks with so many obligations, interruptions and glitches.  It was one of those weeks when you know you have chosen that right profession, that you are surrounded by caring colleagues, administrators and amazing students.  We produced our FIRST broadsheet Gauger (HS newspaper) with COLOR no less.  Despite a few errors it was one of the the best newspapers we have produced since I came here in 1995.  Editor-in-Chief Donald Griffin and his staff did an amazing job.  Kudos to the hardworking scholastic journalists.  Yearbook EIC Austin Jordan has planned the yearbook and is busily designing the cover.  It will be another FIRST that will be highly anticipated.

Psychology:

Students will be able to identify and explain:

~early historical figures who helped define the field

~the significance of the application of the scientific method in relation to the field of psychology

~the importance of probability and random sampling

~the contribution of Sigmund Freud as the father of psychoanalysis

Monday:  lecture & discussion over historical underpinnings of the field

Tuesday:  film over research & psychology

Wednesday:  probability experiment (partner project-predicting probability)

Thursday:  lecture & discussion of importance of representative & random sampling

M&Ms project (prediction based on sample size-experiment)

Friday:  film:  Sigmund Freud

 

Introduction to Journalism:

Students will be able to demonstrate master in review writing.

Monday:  lecture & discussion on review writing (includes basic Associated Press guidelines)

Tuesday:  begin writing review

Wednesday:  read leads in class and peer critique

Thursday:  Reviews due

Friday: LNJ–current events quiz

Last week was busy with the study of the history of psychology, conceptual foundations of journalism, upcoming newspaper deadlines and more.  After missing Thursday and Friday to help my 85-year old mother host a family engagement party for my son, and gaps in Monday’s instructional time because of drug tests we are getting back on track for a week filled with powerful lessons and growth, both academic and personal.

Monday:  class disrupted by drug testing

Psychology:

Students will consider Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development in relation to the stage they are in:  identity vs. role confusion.  Students will:

~identify childhood dreams that may indicate lifelong careers and/or interests

~plan how to accomplish dreams that should be evolving into goals

~identify mentors and their impact on individual student’s lives

~explain how they can mentor in turn affecting the lives of others

~demonstrate grasp of conceptual knowledge and apply what is being learned in writing and through discussion

Tuesday:  complete film Bucket List, begin lengthy introspective essay process

Wed. & Thurs.: complete essay test

Friday:  Senior Friday:  choosing a university–how to make sure it is a good fit for you

Intro to Journalism:

Students will be able to:

~produce a review based on sound rules of review writing and meeting Associated Press Stylebook rules

~explain the major breaking stories of the week

~identify news, news feature, feature and column writing as presented in the Longview News-Journal

Monday:  class disrupted by drug testing

Tuesday:  Instruction on Review Writing

Wednesday:  Instruction in basic AP Stylebook Rules

Thursday:  writing review

Friday:  review critiques

Psychology students pursued discovery of the Roots of Terrorism.  The historical events that contributed, the socio-economic factors, religious, and in relation to the study of psychology how whole cultures can be changed by relational politics.

Journalism students continued to study current events, breaking stories and the terminology of the field through the study of the daily Longview News Journal and lecture.  The class is also continuing to discover the power of the written word, the importance of Voice and how powerful writing can be a variety of styles.  Sampled this week was Rick Bragg’s All Over But the Shoutin’.

Psychology:

Students will be able to:

~define the basic terminology of the field

~identify the three basic approaches to psychology

~be able to explain the historical underpinnings of the field itself

~explain the significance of the scientific method in relation to the field

Monday-film:  Research in Psych.

Tuesday & Wed.:  notes on statistics; representative sampling, probablility lab

Thurs. & Friday:  completion of work on scientific method & statistical analysis (structure of group assignments on creation of original research)

Introduction to Journalism

Students will be able to:

~identify the parts of the newspaper,

~explain thoroughly the different forms of journalistic writing:  news, feature, editorial

~explain the historical roots of journalism with the birth of the mass media

Monday-Wednesday:  Lecture & discussion of history of journalism:  Printing Press-birth of newspapers-1690 Publick Occurrences-1735 John Peter Zenger-role of newspapers in revolution-impact of journalism-founding fathers-first amendment

Thursday & Friday:  John Peter Zenger Trial

Last week was spent watching the documentary 9/11 which seemed to affect all of the students tremendously.  Their written responses were powerful to read.  The week culminated with our local first responders (police, fire & EMTs) being honored at Friday’s pep rally.  Journalism students also followed the breaking stories in Libya and Egypt which certainly seemed to have more import after they had learned first hand from eye witness accounts about 9/ll.

This week will be focused on solid academic examination of the historical backgrounds of both psychology and journalism.

Psychology:

Students will be able to:

~identify the historical underpinnings of the field of psychology

~identify the significance of and contribution to the field by the following:

Wilhelm Wundt, William James, Titchener, G. Stanley Hall, Sigmund Freud

~explain historical approaches of  structuralism & structuralism

~explain what the micro, macro & molar approaches are to studying psychology

Monday:  Philip Zimbardo Introduction to Psychology film

Tues.-Thurs.  discuss film, introduce historical background through text reading, handouts & lecture

Friday:  Senior Friday:  Study Skills instruction

Introduction to Journalism:

Students will be able to identify and explain the significance of the development of mass media of the printing press to the internet.  The unique underpinnings of American journalism will be focused on with special attention paid to Founding Fathers’ protection of journalism, the only privately owned business specifically protected in the constitution of the United States.

Monday:  Create historical timeline from the invention of the printing press to the printing of the first newspaper in colonial America Boston 1690.

Tuesday:  Lecture & discussion of import of John Peter Zenger Trial 1735 and the foundation for the idea of freedom of the press, elimination of prior review and right to speedy trial.

Wednesday:  Lecture & discussion of the impact of newspapers in the American Revolution & the founding fathers protection of the press.

Thursday:  Study of the significance of the Penny Press on acculturation of immigrants, literacy and the evolvement of the modern newspaper in the United States.  Role of telegraph in mass communication and journalism.

Friday:  Role of newspapers in Civil War, westward movement, yellow journalism, muckraking and the impact of Hearst & Pulitzer.

What a week it was!  Lessons on 9/11, Lone Star Cup awarded and the 2012 yearbooks arrived.  It just doesn’t get any better than that.  If you missed the presentation of the 2A Lone Star Cup at Friday’s football game you really need to come by the high school and check it our.  The kind of UIL Dan Noll is busting his buttons with pride and the faculty and much of the student body is as well.  Life is good in the Valley of the Roughnecks as Col. Randall Smith often reminds us.

Monday-Friday:

Psychology & Journalism students will complete the viewing of the documentary 9/11.  We will discuss what we have seen, the implications for our nation, our culture and our future.  We will also watch the documentary The Seeds of 9/11 which explores the roots of terrorism in the Middle East starting with WWI to post 9/11.  We will have class discussions, journal reflections, written assignments for J1 based on newspaper front pages, and predictions based on present of economic, political and cultural repercussions.

 

Psychology:
After lecture, discussion, exposure to film and reference resources, students will be able to:
TEKS 113.36
(7) understand the history of the field of psychology. The student is expected to:
(A) identify defining characteristics that differentiate the field of psychology from other related social sciences;
(B) trace the impact of associationism, psychodynamic (Freudian) thinking, behaviorism, and humanism on current thinking in psychology;
(8) The student compares the processes of theory development and validation. The student is expected to:
(A) define and differentiate the concepts of theory and principle;
(B) describe the relationship between earlier and later theories related to a give psychological construct; and
(C) identify and describe the basic methods of social scientific reasoning
Monday: read Chpt. 1 Sec. 1 & discuss Why Study Psychology
Overview of field
Identify Goals of Psychology
Explain orally the scientific basis of field

Psychology students will be able to:

~identify the historical roots of the academic discipline

~explain the origin of the term psychology including the mythological story of psyche

~consider a broad overview of the discipline and its myriad approaches

Monday:  Story of Psyche, discuss broad outline of discipline

Tuesday:  introductory psychology film

Wednesday-Friday:  9/11 documentary

Introduction to Journalism:

Introduction to Journalism:
TEKS 110:62
(1) Students will demonstrate an understanding of media development, press law and responsibility;
(A) identify the history and development of American journalism through people and events;
(B) identify the foundations of journalistic ethics;

Students will be able to:

~identify the parts of the newspaper

~begin timeline of mass media in history

~view and discuss real time coverage of a breaking event 9/11

Monday:  newspaper quiz, read LNJ & discuss

Tuesday:  discussion of media response on 9/11

Wednesday-Friday:  9/11 documentary