Do Now: Take out your copies of "Of Mice and Men" and your quotation charts. We will read the second half of Act I, scene 2 and fill out our quotation charts before going to the library to check out books!
Wednesday, May 18th, 2016
Do Now: Have you ever been a victim of a prejudice? What is your experience with this? Be as specific as you are comfortable with.
Today we will learn about prejudice and discrimination in America in the 1930's and beyond. The purpose of this presentation is to help us understand the lingering racist attitudes since the Civil War and the treatment of Crooks in "OMAM".
Jim Crow and Lynch Law PowerPoint
Take notes as we review the powerpoint. Ask any questions that we can and we will compile a list of class questions we want to find the answers to.
Thursday, May 19th 2016
Do Now: 20 minutes independent reading. Dive into your book and get lost!!!
Open Notebook Quiz: Notes on 1920's America and Segregation Laws.
Handout and Review: Final Book Project!!! Annotate as we go over the assignment.
Read Aloud: Act II Of Mice and Men
In-Class Writing Assignment: Speeches!!!
Due Date: May 31st.
We will be working on this in class so you need to MANAGE YOUR TIME to complete your book talk at home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI
Reflect and share out...
Work Period: We will begin working on our speeches.
Steps to Writing a Graduation Speech
How to write an inspiring graduation speech by Norma Budden
Graduation is a momentous occasion to be remembered for a lifetime. A milestone has been achieved. Students have become young men or women and, overnight, have become responsible for their future. The world of opportunity opens before them as they had only dreamed or imagined.
Some tips to keep in mind when writing an inspiring graduation speech are:
1. Engage the listeners
An inspiring graduation speech - whether given by the valedictorian, a graduate's parent, or a special speaker invited by the graduation class - should engage listeners and be entertaining. Like any speech, the first sentence will either gain the attention of the audience or will cause them to lose interest.
Many speakers begin with a story from their own experiences. Even popular writers, musicians, singers, and so on, are regular people with events happening to them which prove they are just as human as anyone else. When speakers bring themselves to the level of their audience, they will gain their respect and attention and, providing their speech continues to be engaging and entertaining, everyone should be in for an enjoyable evening.
2. Use every day language
Even world renown scholars appreciate the opportunity to sit, relax, and listen to a speech where they don't require use of their built-in mental dictionaries. Speaking in every day language will be more interesting for everyone. Also, it will enable graduates to remember what was said long after graduation day is over, which is what speakers aim to do. After all, what speaker wants to pour his or her heart into a graduation speech that won't be remembered?
3. The message
A graduation speech needs to have a primary message. Often, graduation speeches encourage graduates to pursue their goals in life - that the sky is the limit to what they can achieve if they put their minds to it. The message may even encourage other people in attendance to work at achieving personal goals they had set aside for too many years.
However, a word of caution: don't focus an entire speech on personal definitions of success because people view success differently. Some measure it by the amount of money in their portfolios while others measure it by the amount of time they spend with their families. Some graduates may feel their level of success would be to work with non-profit organizations - working with underprivileged children - while others feel they need to be at the top of a corporate ladder. Thus, motivate an audience to be the best they can be and they will decide what personal success means. In time, success may be defined differently, but that can only be gained through life experience.
4. The delivery
After the message has been delivered, it should live on in the minds of graduates. As such, if it's delivered in the same manner as a classroom lecture, graduates may soon turn a deaf ear.
If delivered without passion, graduates and their guests will become bored. If it drags on, everyone will wish they could escape.
The speech has to be upbeat and inspirational. When delivered as though the speaker is talking directly to each person present, it gains many points. Graduates become motivated to be the best they can be, as individuals and professionals, and even the remainder of people attending become inspired.
5. Conclusion
While the opening of a speech is designed to captivate the attention of the audience, the conclusion is designed to leave a lasting impression. Often people will remember bits and pieces of what a speaker has said but the conclusion, if written and delivered properly, will stand out.
The conclusion can be a famous quote to be reiterated to the graduation class and their guests. However, it could simply be a point which has directed the life of the speaker on many occasions. Whatever the speaker chooses to share should be delivered in a manner to catch everyone's attention. For example, a quiet natured man who concludes his speech by shouting, "Reach for the stars, and don't quit in the face of adversity," will catch attention.
Furthermore, it will be a moment everyone will remember for years to come. They will talk about it and, perhaps, laugh about it. However, throughout the course of peoples' lives, these words will come back as a source of inspiration when life gets rough. It can be the fuel that lights the torch in others taking action to reach their goals despite the obstacles involved.
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“How to Write a Graduation Speech” by Naomi Rockler-Gladen
Most graduation speeches aren't very good. You know why? Because they're too generic. They talk about the future and "spreading your wings" and all kinds of cliche things that can apply to any graduating class. A good graduation speech should be tailored only for your graduating class. The speech should be unusable by other classes because it is filled with details and stories specific to these students' experiences.
Here are some tips to writing an unforgettable graduation speech:
* Tell lots of stories. The stories should be about the students in the graduating class, the teachers, and other important people in the school. The stories can be funny, or touching, or just descriptive. The audience is filled with parents and people who are not part of the graduating class, so what you want to do is make that graduating class come alive for the people who aren't a part of it.
* Talk about major events. What are some important things that happened in the world, your community, or at your school in the last four years? Include them in your speech, especially if these events evoke emotion. If a teacher or student died, mention them and say how much everyone misses them. If your football team won the state championship, mention this (and expect enthusiastic applause from the audience).
* Talk about meaningful activities your class did together. Here's where you talk about the prom, Spirit Week, a successful charity event, the awesome school play, etc. If your school has some traditional events, mention them. Some of the audience members will be alumni and will appreciate this.
* Talk about values that are important to the students and the audience. If this is a liberal arts college, talk about the value of a liberal arts education. Don't dwell on these kinds of topics or you risk sounding corny, but mentioning them will make your speech feel more inclusive to everyone.
* Be inclusive. Talk about everyone in the class: the jocks, the band geeks, the Honor Society kids, and everyone else. This speech is for everybody.
* Use popular culture references. This is a popular culture era, so including popular culture references is another thing you can do to make your speech more personal. Work in references to popular TV shows, movies, and songs.
* Don't talk about yourself. Well, you can talk about yourself a little bit, but only a little. This speech is for everyone, and it isn't very classy to steal the focus.
* Don't speak badly of anyone. This is not the time to make fun of that nasty English teacher, nor is it time to get even with that kid who bullied you from grades 3 through 8. Be nice. You can gently poke fun of quirky things, like that weird green stuff they serve every Thursday for school lunch, etc. But do this sparingly, and be careful not to offend anyone.
* Be appropriate. Use common sense. Don't swear.
* Use inside jokes sparingly. Your classmates might appreciate inside jokes, but the audience won't know what you're talking about.
* Avoid cliches. The phrases "spread your wings and fly," "new chapter in our lives," and "be true to yourself" should not appear in your speech, and neither should other cliches.
* Give advice sparingly. Graduation speeches do not have to contain advice, and if you're part of the graduating class, you may not have much advice to give.
* Thank the parents. Ask everyone in the graduating class to give them a round of applause. This will mean the world to them. Make your mom cry.
* Thank the teachers. Lord knows teachers don't get enough praise. Thank the principal or the assistant principal too.
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