UP, up, and Away!

What's UP with this thing, anyway??? (Read through this and respond to the questions)

Here are just a few quotes to begin:

Elizabeth WeitzmanNY Daily News (http://events.nydailynews.com/reviews/show/47109-review-up)
"Has there ever been a company with Pixar's unqualified success rate?
Amazingly enough, their secret seems to be as straightforward as the projects are complex: they simply refuse to underestimate their audience.
"Where most animated films pander to children and wink at adults, the Pixar geniuses assume we're all equals, and equally deserving of the best they can create."

2nd Up Early Review
Disney/Pixar Film Directed by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Dominic von Riedemann (http://hollywood-animated-films.suite101.com/article.cfm/2nd_up_early_review)
"Faraci watched a 45-minute clip from the movie at BNAT, filled with occasionally finished animation but – more often than not – sketches and storyboard sequences with temporary music and overdubbed voices. Despite the raw nature of the clip he saw, Faraci claims that the film was 'completely engaging and often beautiful, visually and emotionally.'"

Disney Pixar's UP - Quickie Movie Review
Posted by Brett Singer (http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/2009/05/30/disney-pixar-s-up-quickie-movie-review.aspx)
"I don't want to spoil anyone's fun, so I'm not going to get into too many details. Let me say that there's a lot more to the film than what you saw in the trailer. And if you, like me, are bummed out after the first few minutes, just wait. Trust me.
"This is probably the best kid flick I've seen since I had children. It's also one of the better films I've seen in recent years. Admittedly, I don't get out to the movies much. But I doubt any of the Oscar-nominated films this past year were this much fun.
"Seriously, "Up" has great action sequences, a good story, moments that tug at the heartstrings -- and by far the cleverest talking animals you will ever see. I don't mean that they say funny things, although they do. I mean that the usage of said animals is a million miles ahead of anything you've seen before.
"I'm going to go a little over the top and say that I think "Up" will get a nomination for Best Picture and also Best Screenplay. Yes, it will probably be nominated for Best Animated Feature, and like every other Pixar movie, it wil win. But it's better than that, and I think it will be recognized as such. So you heard it here first -- "Up" for Best Picture.
"I don't want to build it up (no pun intended) too much. But it's really good. Go see it and don't let your kids talk too much."

Movie review: Up -- 4 out of 5 stars
By Roger Moore Orlando Sentinel Movie Critic (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/orl-movie-review-up,0,5308777.story)
"The third-act action is whiz-bang stuff involving the balloon house, vintage fighter planes, a zeppelin and one very big, but very subtle lesson.
"Life's adventures aren't just "out there." They're here, too, wherever life is lived and love is shared. And it's not photos or mementos that matter; it's the memories of those adventures that keep us warm when we're old.
"Up is preceded by an equally sweet short cartoon, Partly Cloudy. Pixar makes this look as effortlessly sweet and funny as everything else they do."

'Up': A Pixar-Style Lift, Pretty Much Guaranteed
Kenneth Turan (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104567219) and
(http://www.fandango.com/up_114055/criticreviews)
"As success follows success for animation powerhouse Pixar, the pressure to maintain the streak must be phenomenal. Will the next film be the one that stumbles, the one that breaks stride? No one need worry, however, about Up, Pixar's 10th and latest effort. It's not only good, it's one of Pixar's best. Some films are an obligation to write about, Up is the purest pleasure.
"Though films such as Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. and Wall-E are tough to compete with, director and co-screenwriter Pete Docter, a Pixar veteran who had a credit on all those films, was able to push Up into the pantheon. He did it by letting his imagination fly away. Working with co-director and co-writer Bob Peterson, Docter came up the idea of cranky 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Ed Asner) floating off to parts unknown when his house gets hoisted into the air by exactly 20,622 helium balloons. Try pitching that idea to your agent.
"But what makes Up stand out is not just that core concept, but what the Pixar team has been able to do with it. Rarely has any film, let alone an animated one powered by the logic of dream and fantasy, been able to move so successfully -- and so effortlessly -- through so many different kinds of cinematic territory.
"Because Up is a Pixar film, it's of course clever and playful. It also has the high excitement of an adventure story, and enough menace to make it only the second Pixar film to be rated PG instead of G. (The other was The Incredibles, with its superhero-themed action violence.)
"The wordless visual magic of that floating balloon-powered house is paired with a genuinely wacky sense of humor that will have you laughing helplessly at the antics of a pack of dogs equipped with collars that turn their canine thoughts into words.
"As if all this wasn't enough, Up also generates genuine emotion by dealing unapologetically with one of Hollywood's last and most persistent taboos: old people. Instead of a Clint Eastwood-type senior citizen who is fitter than people half his age, Up gives us a man who uses a walker and can't handle stairs — but who still manages to be a hero when it counts.
"Up's opening multi-minute montage, which frames the long married life of Carl and his wife Ellie, is a small gem, and one that will stay with you for a lifetime. In fact, if parts of Up don't bring a tear to your eye, I just don't want to hear about it.
"Though Up does so many things so well, the quality that stays with you the longest is its fearlessness in the face of emotion. This is a film that is heartfelt enough to restore your faith in whatever needs restoration."

USAToday.com Claudia Puig
(http://www.fandango.com/up_114055/criticreviews?review_source=USAToday)
"Who would expect a 78-year-old curmudgeon who smells of prunes and a pudgy 8-year-old to emerge as the summer's most heroic duo?
"Adventure comes in many forms and can happen at any stage of life. Disney/Pixar's Up conveys that message through an artful blend of exhilaration and poignancy.
"The company that created WALL•E, Ratatouille and the Toy Story movies maintains its standard of excellence. Up will elicit a giddy joy among audience members with its gorgeous visuals and glossy 3-D animation.
"But the film's exquisite emotional depth puts it in a category of its own. Wordlessly, co-directors Bob Peterson and Pete Docter capture the full measure of a man's life in what may be the most touching and effective montage sequence ever. All too often, a montage functions as padding rather than narrative illustration. Here, in about eight minutes, accompanied by Michael Giacchino's evocative score, Up wondrously conveys the highs, lows and middles of a life that is both ordinary and extraordinary."

Ok. This is my first recommendation to you for summer, in case you haven't done it already. I'd like to see what you think of it, and I'd also be interested in your responses to the quotes from the critics' reviews. Perhaps you want to add your own comments (in agreement or disagreement--it's ok for us to disagree here!) or you want to take a morsel from the quotes above (or the extended reviews you can locate from the various URL's included) and defend, challenge, or qualify (if you're in AP, that's a phrase you'll hear often--defend means agree with and support your point with reasons, challenge means disagree with and support your contrasting ideas with specifics, and qualify means agree with part and disagree with part or redefine something that the original critic said and support your ideas with details). I'd love to hear from you.

Meanwhile, enjoy the movies! By the way, we'd all love to hear other recommendations, as you will be hearing some others from me in the near future as I have time and opportunity to write!

Ms. B

School's out for summer!

Welcome to the Realm, Summer 2009!

If you haven't gone to my website to begin your summer reading, please do so. Doesn't matter whether you're in English III AP, English III Honors, or English I Regular, there is information for both you and your parents, so check it out!

Come blog with me!!!

Ms. B

Frankly, my dears...

Have you ever felt like Scarlett O'Hara at the end of Gone with the Wind? When Rhett has had enough and finally heads for the door, she clutches his coat and begs him to stay, saying, "All I know is that you do not love me and you are going away! Oh, my darling, if you go, what shall I do?" You've probably heard about Rhett's famous answer, but the answer he gave Scarlett's not what you want to hear when you have a problem, is it? Most people would love it if they had someone at their beck and call to tell them where to find the answer or even to get the answer for them--like the "easy" button in the offfice supply commercials, but that really isn't how life works, most of the time. If life's not that easy, we need a plan to deal with problems when they come along, yes? Hm...

"To solve any problem, here are three questions to ask yourself: First, what could I do? Second, what could I read? And third, who[m] could I ask?" Jim Rohn

Here's a good placed to start--the brainstorming. Take the questions in order. Make yourself a plan first; then, do the research. You would be surprised how much you can discover if you get out your metaphorical shovel and start to dig. Evidence also shows that independent learning is a beneficial process of a student's education. Take a look at this information from http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/policy/cels/el7.html:

"In this process, independent learners develop the values, attitudes, knowledge and skills needed to make responsible decisions and take actions dealing with their own learning. Independent learning is fostered by creating the opportunities and experiences which encourage student motivation, curiosity, self-confidence, self-reliance and positive self-concept; it is based on student understanding of their own interests and a valuing of learning for its own sake.
Independent learning is part of an ongoing, lifelong process of education that stimulates greater thoughtfulness and reflection and promotes the continuing growth of students' capabilities and powers. More than the rote learning of facts and skills, this approach to learning encourages students to make meaning for themselves, based on their understanding of why and how new knowledge is related to their own experiences, interests and needs.
Independent learning is a direction for the process of education, not an absolute standard; this process takes different forms for different students and it varies according to subject matter and students' interests and abilities in the subjects. Independent learning involves the teacher and learner in an interactive process that encourages students' intellectual development and their capacity for independent and reflective judgment. "

Now, I'm not including that information to say that I expect you to learn everything on your own--quite the contrary. I just want you to be aware of how well taking part in a process like independent research can actually benefit you. You will learn a lot by taking responsibility for finding information yourself, and then, you can go back to the Jim Rohn quote--step 3. To whom can I turn when I have questions?

That answer's easy. You have (or will have at least three Study Buddies) my email address, my website, this blog, and my cell phone number. Some people hesitate to use their buddies and especially me as a resource; however, it's a very sad thing when you hesitate to come to a teacher with a problem. That's what we're here for. It's a very positive sign to a teacher when you ask for help (not when you ask the teacher to do it for you, but when you've taken steps one and two already). It shows that you've already been resourceful and have already made an effort, and it also shows that you care about learning (or at least your grade) and that you're doing the responsible, mature thing by getting help when you need it and not allowing yourself to fall into an even bigger problem--the quicksand of failure. Teachers really love it when students make an effort and use all of their available resources to do the best they can! (NO JOKE!)

Rohn's basic message isn't rocket science--brainstorm, do the research, and ask for help. When you've got a problem, it's an excellent plan! Try it out! (And not just in English class) I'd be keenly interested in hearing your results. :-)

"Mary, Mary, Why Ya Buggin'?"

Hm...maybe Mary was "buggin'" because she was trying to grow something new in her garden, and it made her a little bit nervous, apprehensive, or scared.

I ran across this quote from Brian Tracy today: "Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new."

And after the week I've had, I agree with it completely. You see, I myself am in the process of learning something new--something completely foreign to me. When I find myself in a position in which I am not confident and/or in which I don't have very much prior knowledge, I tend to get a little nervous and shaky. Most people wouldn't believe that because they tell me that I don't have any shy bones in my body, that I'm very assertive, that I'm at least reasonably smart, and that I know no strangers (meaning I will walk up, say hi, and strike up a conversation with just about anybody).

I find all that odd, because when I'm in new situations like the one I described above, I feel very shy, scared, timid, retiring, taciturn, skittish, bonkers, and blunt as a post. Yep. I think it happens to all of us. But if I'm to take anything away from that quote, it's that the only way I'm ever going to get past that crazy feeling is to go through it--to be open to experiencing that and get out of what makes me comfortable.

For example, let's say I tried out for the game show Jeopardy! (one of my favorites, by the way--I have it pre-programmed on my DVR and have actually learned quite a bit just from watching). If the categories were things like "Shakespeare," "Vocabulary," "Famous Movies," "Romantic Poetry," "80's Song Lyrics," and "Broadway Musicals," I'd be very confident and fast to ring in on that buzzer! "Take that, Trebek!"

But if you made me play on the day that the show featured "Math 101," "World Geography," "Engineering," "Auto Mechanics," "Arthropods," and "17th Century Asian History," count me out. I'd sit there like moldy Cheez Whiz on a stale cracker.

At one point or another, everybody may feel uncomfortable; however, if you really want to grow, you've gotta go ahead and let yourself experience that weirdness, and it will pass. If I actually studied Arthropods, I might wipe out the entire category. Who knows? And so can you!!!!!

So what if, at this moment, you don't know the difference between past perfect and future perfect, between subjunctive and conjunctivitis, between romance and romantic literature, between pathetic fallacy and logical fallacy? You will--if you stick with it! At one point, you probably didn't know how to walk, dress yourself, eat with a fork, or tie a shoe, either, and just look at you now!!!

Here's a new nursery rhyme for you:

_____, _____ (Imagine me, filling in the blank with your name), quite quite wary,
How does YOUR garden grow?

And you answer---

With _________ (ingenious idea 1), _________________ (fascinating fact 2), and pretty ___________________________ (earthshattering epiphany 3) all in a row!"

Let's challenge ourselves to see how we can make our gardens grow this year, shall we?

AP Summer Reading Questions and Announcements

Some of you have approached me with questions about sentence diagramming. I apologize if there has been any confusion! Some of the batteries say you may "chart" the sentences, but that doesn't mean you have to do an old fashioned diagram. Here's an excerpt from a reply I sent to a question this morning:

If you look to the right hand column which says "Course Resources," you will see a long list of links. These can help you with your work, but don't worry about it. Just do the best you can. Our main goal is to get as much of this review as possible out of the way during the summer. As for "diagramming," you don't have to do diagrams if you don't want to. It says "charting" on the instructions for some of them, but what I mean by that is to write down things in a set of columns, i.e., first word of the phrase (or clause), last word, key word, objects/complements/modifiers, word modified (if it's an adjective or adverb) or function (if it's a noun), and part of speech (if it's a participle, it will always be an adjective; if it's a gerund, it's always a noun; if it's an independent clause, it doesn't have a part of speech). Hopefully, this info will help. You don't have to do the old fashioned diagramming unless it just helps you visually.

I'm not sure how all of you feel, but this is my personal take on diagramming: I think it's very helpful for visual learners. If you are a visual person, diagramming may be one of the best ways you can learn; however, it starts to get really complicated at our level. You have more than just the basic subject/verb, and you have subordinate clauses and phrases, as well as the occasional idiomatic expression, to identify. Those conundrums can present serious diagramming challenges. As for me, personally, I could always tell what the words in the sentences were doing, but I could never remember whether the line was straight, slanted, dotted, or solid. Some constructions go on stilts; others are attached underneath the basic line. After 8th grade, I just gave it up! But if you like diagramming, go for it! Do whatever helps you best! Think about your learning style (we'll be doing some of that in class if you don't already know yours) and use the one best suited to you.

And if you have questions, do not be afraid to call me! (615)424-1218

On to the announcements--let's have a review session on Thursday, August 7, at Border's coffee shop at 6:30 PM. Bring any questions you have about grammar, the batteries, etc. I will be there to help!

See you then! (Send me a quick email to let me know if you are coming, ok?) bethb@wcs.edu

"If I could save time in a bottle, I know just what I'd like to do..."

As I was preparing syllabus materials for the upcoming school year, I looked back in shock at where the summer has gone. Doesn't it seem as though we just said goodbye to the Class of 2008? Now, it's time to usher in a new crop of seniors and to start another year. After the initial jolt of that notion wore off, I noticed that we would only have 14.5 days before our first vacation (Labor Day), then only a month or so before Fall Break, only another month before Thanksgiving break (which is an entire week this year, hooray!), and then only a couple of weeks until the semester is complete, and we will be ready to welcome in 2009! I had to wonder, "Where does the time go?" Then, I began thinking of some of the sayings I've heard about time over the years. Here are a few:

"Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions." John Randolph
"Time is our most valuable asset, yet we tend to waste it, kill it and spend it rather than invest it." Jim Rohn
"You may delay, but time will not. " AND
"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that the stuff life is made of." both from Benjamin Franklin
"Time is equal to life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life. " Alan Lakein
"Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can send it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back." Harvey MacKay

Clearly, these folks seem to place a great deal of value in time, but they bemoan a general societal lack of ability to make valuable use of it. For instance, how many times have you heard someone say he or she could have done something better if only he or she had had more time? Have you yourelf ever felt as though you just had too much to do and too little time? (I'm sure you answered yes to at least one of those questions. If so, read on.) The ideas expressed in the quotes above beg the question: how much thought have you given to the way you use your time? Have you ever stopped to consider how much time you spend per day engaged in any given activity? You might be surprised if you made a conscious effort to do so.

Try something when school starts. Take a week or two and set aside a page or so of notebook paper per day (or you could do this in your planner). At the end of each day, jot down the approximate amount of time per day you spent doing each thing. Total up the amount of time you spend per day and per week in each particular type of activity.
Then make a note of the times of day in which you felt and actually were most productive and when you seemed sluggish and tired. You may also want to note whether you got what some people refer to as a "second wind" somewhere in the middle of the day.

After reviewing your results, consider these ideas for a moment:

"Until you value yourself, you will not value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it."M. Scott Peck
"It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste." Henry Ford
"There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing." Brian Tracy
"Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived. " Patrick Stewart, playing Jean Luc Picard on Star Trek
"To get all there is out of living, we must employ our time wisely, never being in too much of a hurry to stop and sip life, but never losing our sense of the enormous value of a minute." Robert Updegraff
"Time is the most precious element of human existence. The successful person knows how to put energy into time and how to draw success from time." Dennis Waitley
"You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it. " Charles Bixton
"Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much can be done if we are always doing." Thomas Jefferson
"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein." H. Jackson Browne

These guys, that last one in particular, are a little harsher. They seem to be telling us we need to get off the couch, prioritize, make time for the important things, and savor them with gusto without complaining for a second. In looking at your time log, you may find areas of your day in which you could accomplish much more than you currently do. You may also find that you are trying to do tasks which require a great deal of effort and energy (be it physical, mental, or emotional) at your most sluggish, ineffective times of day. Take a look at where you can get things done most effectively, and you will probably find that you can open up big chunks of time you never thought you had. Luckily for us, there are a couple more quotes to encourage us on our way:

"This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it." Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." Michael Althsuler

At last--positive news!!!!!! The time you're in is fabulous if you can figure out how to master it, and you are in control of how you do it! With a little ingenuity, you can master your time and have a fruitful, enjoyable, successful year (not to mention life!).

I am going to embark on a schedule revamping myself--I have some priorities of my own, and I'd like to see if they will come to fruition if I try to carve out a little more time and use it more wisely. Want to join me and attempt to become a more successful time pilot? We'll probably find it easier if we have support in this process. Have a great weekend!

Risky Business 3

Here's another thought I found for you--this one was in an old email I received, and I just happened to glance at it while I was going through and cleaning out my "in box." It's a quote by Rhonda Byrne, the author of The Secret:

How can you make a big dream come true?
You need to have one secret element, and when you have that secret element, nothing will get in your way. That element is an intense desire! You must desire something with all of your heart to manifest it. Often the difference between those who manifest something and those who do not, is the element of desire. When you have a burning desire for something you ignite a fire within you that attracts with an incredible force. The law of attraction is magnetically drawn to that intense fire element in you, and it responds by gathering all universal forces to make your dream come true.
Very often we ask for things because we think our life will be better with those things, but inside of us we do not have an immense desire for those things. When you don't feel that immense desire within you, you are receiving guidance telling you that this is not something you really want. That is why it is so important to get clear on what it is that you really want with all of your heart, because what you really want with all of your heart is the very desire that you can manifest quickly.
When your heart is on fire with desire you will attract the right things to do, you will find visualizing so easy, and you will find it is effortless to think positive thoughts of your desire. You will attract all the qualities you need, such as strength, courage, belief, persistence, faith, and a powerful will. An intense desire lights up your being, producing a magnetic force that enables the law of attraction to cut through every physical obstacle for you and make your dream come true.
Go for your dreams! Don't cheat yourself in your life with petty desires because you don't think you can live your dream. THE DREAM inside you is the one thing that you have the greatest power to create, because you have an immense desire for it. Find the dream inside you - and make it come true!"

I think it ties in really well with the idea of taking risks and taking action to achieve what you want. Get clear on what you really want, and nothing can stop you! Consider what might happen if you decided that you really wanted to do well in school or any field because you have decided that's what you really want. Get focused, believe in yourself, and take action! I am excited in anticipating the potential that we all have this coming year to take forward steps in making our dreams come true!