Blog Archives

Low-fat Pig

10/31/2017

According to news reports, Chinese scientists have genetically modified pigs and "created" pigs with 24% less body fat than normal pigs. The plan is to make pig meat less expensive and "healthier" for human consumption, so they genetically modified pig genes with rat genes to make their body temperatures rise in colder weather. Slimmer pigs? Healthier meat: bacon, pork, ham and pork rinds.

Comment on the following prompt: To what extent should scientists manipulate genes to create genetically modified foods for the sake of artificially "fixing" the health of humans, instead of encouraging exercise?

INCLUDE: First initial AND last name AND class period.

Respond in no more than 10 sentences and no less than five. You must also reply to TWO classmate's posts. You cannot post identical comments on different classmates' posts. Posting shallow comments such as "I agree" or "I disagree" will not earn you a passing grade. Make sure your posts address the reply that you are responding to.

Be sure to--

Be clear about your position
Provide specific support for your argument
Use rhetorical devices and other grammar elements
Write EPIC Content-Engaging, Powerful, Informative, Creative

CAUTION!! Do NOT embarrass me, yourself, your class, the English department, the school or your parents with tasteless, meaningless comments. This is for a grade.

Due: Fri., November 4, 2017 11:59 p.m. CST

The Struggle is Real

10/23/2017

According to Winston Groom, "Life is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you're going to get." But what if you did? What if life was always exciting and rewarding? Could you still be happy? What about pain? Suffering? Heartache? Sadness? Are those emotions essential to living completeness? How would you grow? What would you learn from a life full of bliss? Do you need to struggle? Hmm..you decide.

Instructions. Comment on the following prompt: Is struggle essential to happiness? How or Why?

INCLUDE: First initial AND last name AND class period.

Respond in no more than 10 sentences and no less than five. You must also reply to TWO classmate's posts. You cannot post identical comments on different classmates' posts. Posting shallow comments such as "I agree" or "I disagree" will not earn you a passing grade. Make sure your posts address the reply that you are responding to.

Be sure to--

Be clear about your position
Provide specific support for your argument
Use rhetorical devices and other grammar elements
Write EPIC Content-Engaging, Powerful, Informative, Creative

#MeToo | #itwasme

10/17/2017

October 16-20 is Domestic Violence Awareness Week. All week long, people have been wearing purple in support, and social media has been flooded with stories about domestic assault, followed by the hastag, #MeToo.

First, the Harvey Weinstein scandal, then Alyssa Milano posted this on Twitter:

And women did it.

Then today, Roy Price, the head of Amazon Studios, resigned after allegations of sexual assault in the workplace were exposed.

Since, a firestorm of stories about women being sexually assaulted have blazed the Internet. To read these stories is stunning. Women are publicly exposing their abusers in unprecedented numbers. As of Monday, Twitter reported more than half a million #MeToo tweets.

Women have had enough.

Finally, women have forced a conversation about sexual harassment/abuse that is difficult to stay quiet about. Shockingly, even abusers are taking responsibility for their crimes, writing about them on social media with the hashtag #itwasme.

People have had enough.

Comment on the following prompt: What do you think will be the impact of women (and men) coming forth on social media about sexual abuse? Do you think it is necessary to expose those kind of truths on the Internet?

INCLUDE: First initial AND last name AND class period.

Respond in no more than 10 sentences and no less than five. You must also reply to TWO classmate's posts. You cannot post identical comments on different classmates' posts. Posting shallow comments such as "I agree" or "I disagree" will not earn you a passing grade. Make sure your posts address the reply that you are responding to.

Be sure to--

Be clear about your position
Provide specific support for your argument
Use rhetorical devices and other grammar elements
Write EPIC Content-Engaging, Powerful, Informative, Creative

Image Reflection

10/10/2017

In order to prevent swaying your opinion one way or the other, I've decided to let you give me your thoughts before I give mine.

The image above is a Dove ad that the company ran to "highlight the fact that all skin deserves gentleness."

Instructions. Analyze the image above then answer the following question: What do you think about the ad? Ready...go!

INCLUDE: First initial AND last name AND class period.

Respond in no more than 10 sentences and no less than five. You must also reply to TWO classmate's posts. You cannot post identical comments on different classmates' posts. Posting shallow comments such as "I agree" or "I disagree" will not earn you a passing grade. Make sure your posts address the reply that you are responding to.

Be sure to--

Be clear about your position
Provide specific support for your argument
Use rhetorical devices and other grammar elements
Write EPIC Content-Engaging, Powerful, Informative, Creative

Call A Spade A...Diamond?

10/2/2017

According to several news publications, in his possession, Stephen Paddock had 42 guns, lots of explosives and "several thousand rounds of ammunition." With some of these weapons, Paddock mortally wounded 59 people and severely injured more than 500.

However, as heinous as his crime was, it earned him the labels "lunatic," "psychopath," "crazed," "evil," "the gunman," "lone gunman," "desperate," a "lone-wolf," and many other woe-is-me type names. Also, pictures of Paddock and his family and girlfriend depict...a victim. Yet, unequivocally, not one media outlet will call him what he truly was: a terrorist.

Facts: all over social media, many people are expressing anger about the delicacy with which Paddock is being portrayed because they believe that had he been black or brown, the worst depictions of him would have been plastered all over social and traditional media within minutes of the massacre. They believe news stories would have ended with, "We'll update this story as more information becomes available," not waiting to report what's factual versus the character they want to present.

Something is seriously wrong in this country. And lately, with peaceful protests being defined as disrespectful, mothers being called SOBs by the free-world's leader, and racial injustice at its peak, America's makeup is starting to run and no one seems to know what to do about it. Do you?

Comment on the following prompt: How does the media's portrayal of cultural representations and practices influence society's behavior?

INCLUDE: First initial AND last name AND class period.

Respond in no more than 10 sentences and no less than five. You must also reply to TWO classmate's posts. You cannot post identical comments on different classmates' posts. Posting shallow comments such as "I agree" or "I disagree" will not earn you a passing grade. Make sure your posts address the reply that you are responding to.

Be sure to--

Be clear about your position
Provide specific support for your argument
Use rhetorical devices and other grammar elements
Write EPIC Content-Engaging, Powerful, Informative, Creative

Mixed Ink

Mixed Ink is our class blog, the window into our souls. It was designed to improve students' writing, critical thinking and communication skills by giving them a platform to provide meaningful content based on their interpretation of what they see.

Although the students receive a grade based on a rubric for completing this assignment, they are not graded on complexity of thought. This is a place where students of all levels can freely, confidently and creatively express themselves and their opinions in a nonjudgmental platform. They are required to respond to and critique each other, but degradation, slander, lewdness, etc., will not be tolerated.

Bridge Builders

All subjects are vital to learning, but English is the bridge of communication. So let's build the arch, one word at a time...

Grading Rubric

Learning Objectives

Communicate effectively
Be aware of current events
Write concisely
Boost critical thinking skills
Be accountable
Follow directions
Have a voice about what goes on in the world around you