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Pareto Project: Process Update

By Mr. Eure All Classes (2016-2017), AP English Language & Composition (2016-2017), English 10 Regents (2016-2017), English 11 Regents (2016-2017)

The most obvious changes below are to the calendar for your Pareto Projects, but you will need the definition of a “process update,” too, to help you plan for those checkpoints.

Calendar Update

In the last version, the checkpoints occurred roughly every three weeks, but not on the same day of the week. That has been changed so that a process update happens every other Friday. In English 10, we will almost certainly set aside the period on those dates to work together; English 11 and AP students should not anticipate having that class period, however, since we will be using that time for exam prep.

You can load the updated Google Doc version of the calendar by clicking here. If you’d like to download and print a version, you can use this PDF copy of version 2.1:

[pdfjs-viewer url=”http%3A%2F%2Fsisypheanhigh.com%2Fmalachite%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F01%2FParetoProjectCalendar.pdf” viewer_width=100% viewer_height=600px fullscreen=true download=true print=true]

Process Update

For all students, these biweekly updates should follow a similar format:

PARETO PROJECTS | Click that link to load the home of our eventual/hopeful Pareto Project publication. Your assignment for every required update is to write an essay that could hypothetically be published there. That essay should be a short, insightful response that blends the answers to three questions:

What have you accomplished so far for your Pareto Project?

What have you learned so far?

What’s next?

Answer these in a way that makes sense for your project. Include whatever images, links, digressions, etc, you want. You will not automatically be published, and many of you haven’t yet set up a Medium account. That’s okay. The metacognitive stuff is more important, so it matters most that you monitor your progress and find something insightful to say about it.

When in doubt, use the instructional posts that are available online. Delving into those posts will hone your close reading ability, and you will get better at communicating your questions and concerns only if you’re fully informed.

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ETA Essay: SOAPSTONE

By Mr. Eure English 10 Regents (2016-2017)

Bishop Composition: SOAPSTONE

It’s time to return to your emulation-through-analysis essays. Skim the original post here, and then move into the updated SOAPSTONE assignment below.

Start by reading the following instructions, which are adapted from this blog post:

[pdfjs-viewer url=”http%3A%2F%2Fsisypheanhigh.com%2Fmalachite%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F12%2FSOAPStoneForAnalysis.pdf” viewer_width=100% viewer_height=600px fullscreen=true download=true print=true]

The original College Board explanation is here, if you want another look at this. Your assignment is to use the embedded handout above to complete two analyses:

Apply SOAPSTONE to the essay you have read in 100 Great Essays.
Begin to brainstorm about your essay, using SOAPSTONE to outline.

You will also be given a copy of the following handout, which has a list of tones (often the hardest element to identify) on the back with abbreviated definitions:

[pdfjs-viewer url=”http%3A%2F%2Fsisypheanhigh.com%2Fmalachite%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F12%2FSOAPSTONEwithToneWords.pdf” viewer_width=100% viewer_height=600px fullscreen=true download=true print=true]

A copy you can edit has been attached to the Google Classroom assignment. You will handwrite your responses before typing and submitting them.

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Pareto Project: Next Steps

By Mr. Eure English 10 Regents (2016-2017)

Revisited in 2017

After Monday, December 19, you should have a blueprint for your Pareto Project. If that’s not the case, you have the rest of this week to work with your teachers to finish this blueprint. You must have your work ready before the winter break. Use the complete guide to the project, focusing on Step #3:

[pdfjs-viewer url=”http%3A%2F%2Fsisypheanhigh.com%2Fmalachite%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F12%2FParetoProjectGuidev1.6.pdf” viewer_width=100% viewer_height=600px fullscreen=true download=true print=true]

We will return to Step #4 as a class in January. You will also have approximately one day a week dedicated to the Pareto Project — the necessary 20%.

If you have any questions about what to do over the next two weeks, refer to the guide or ask questions below.

Back to Essay Writing

We will spend the rest of this week reinvigorating your emulation-through-analysis essays. You’ll need your copy of 100 Great Essays, and you’ll need this new post:

ETA Essay: SOAPSTONE

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Pareto Project: Day 4

By Mr. Eure All Classes (2016-2017), AP English Language & Composition (2016-2017), English 10 Regents (2016-2017), English 11 Regents (2016-2017)

Kandinsky’s Composition VIII. Click to see more of his work.

Step #4: Digital Presence

With today’s iteration, the complete guide to this Pareto Project has been rolled out to you, and you can now move at your own pace through the prefatory assignments and into the project itself. Start with version 1.6 of the guide:

Step #4 asks you to set up Twitter and Medium accounts to use throughout this process. It also encourages you to think critically about the other sites you can use to develop and eventually share your work. Most of this will be done in class under our atelier model — i.e., under teacher or teacher-proxy supervision — but you can begin at any point.

For Medium, exploring the site is the key. You will eventually hope to have a curated set of writing like this:

View at Medium.com

That is Gina Arnold, a graduate of Brewster and the student who first suggested that our makerspace might be able to use Medium. She predicted its rise as a digital platform, and she continues to use it for academic and job purposes. Your planned updates, which are identified on the Pareto Project calendar, will be posted to your Medium account, which should emulate the professional tone Gina uses.

Otherwise, explore the site. You’ll find everything from national newspapers to online comics, and your voice will eventually join these ranks. (You can do the same sort of exploration on Twitter, but stick to Medium for now. The Twitterverse is a labyrinth that would panic Asterion.)

Step #5: The Work

Step #5 has you start the work of this project. So that you’ve seen it twice, here is the complete guide again:

Notice that Step #5 gives you access to your peers’ concise ideas. Their projects are part of your environment for the rest of the year, and the more aware of each other you become, the better your own work will be. This is your “network of possible wanderings,” as Teresa Amabile once wrote in a discussion of creativity:

Expertise encompasses everything that a person knows and can do in the broad domain of his or her work. Take, for example, a scientist at a pharmaceutical company who is charged with developing a blood-clotting drug for hemophiliacs. Her expertise includes her basic talent for thinking scientifically as well as all the knowledge and technical abilities that she has in the fields of medicine, chemistry, biology, and biochemistry. It doesn’t matter how she acquired this expertise, whether through formal education, practical experience, or interaction with other professionals. Regardless, her expertise constitutes what the Nobel laureate, economist, and psychologist Herb Simon calls her “network of possible wanderings,” the intellectual space that she uses to explore and solve problems. The larger this space, the better.

Creative thinking, as noted above, refers to how people approach problems and solutions—their capacity to put existing ideas together in new combinations. The skill itself depends quite a bit on personality as well as on how a person thinks and works. The pharmaceutical scientist, for example, will be more creative if her personality is such that she feels comfortable disagreeing with others—that is, if she naturally tries out solutions that depart from the status quo. Her creativity will be enhanced further if she habitually turns problems upside down and combines knowledge from seemingly disparate fields. For example, she might look to botany to help find solutions to the hemophilia problem, using lessons from the vascular systems of plants to spark insights about bleeding in humans.

Expand your expertise and experience, and this 20% really will contribute to the majority of your learning.

As always, ask questions below.

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Pareto Project: Day 3

By Mr. Eure All Classes (2016-2017), AP English Language & Composition (2016-2017), English 10 Regents (2016-2017), English 11 Regents (2016-2017)

Kandinsky’s On White II. Click for more.

Step #3: Proposals

First, you should note that our original plans have shifted in light of your needs. That’s a good thing. I want to give you time to get your mind around this project. You will receive the complete guide according to this schedule:

Thursday, December 8: Introduction, Overview, and Step #1
Friday, December 9: Step #2
Tuesday, December 13: Step #3
Thursday, December 15: Step #4

Step #5 is a little gimmicky, since it will simply tell you to get to work. You’ll get it with Thursday’s update, and you’ll see what I mean. Let’s start today with the Pareto Project guide, updated with Step #3:

[pdfjs-viewer url=”http%3A%2F%2Fsisypheanhigh.com%2Fmalachite%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F12%2FPareto-Project-Day-3.pdf” viewer_width=100% viewer_height=600px fullscreen=true download=true print=true]

The Blueprint

Step #2 is ongoing, remember, and you have updated directions for what to do by Wednesday. Step #3 is there for those of you ready to tackle it. For the sake of redundancy, a link to the blueprint is below. Remember to make your own copy.

There’s a metaphor here, I’m sure of it. (Click for the blueprint.)

Pay careful attention to the section of the guide for Step #3 that discusses how to share and refine these blueprint proposals. Make this as collaborative an effort as possible to cut down on delay.

As always, ask questions about this step here or in class. You’re closing in on winter break, and we’re likely to move on before then to talk about Santa Claus; before that, you need to be sure you know what to do for this project. More than perhaps any other skill or trait, this is a test of your organizational and autodidactic strength.

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Pareto Project: Days 1-2, Revisited

By Mr. Eure All Classes (2016-2017), AP English Language & Composition (2016-2017), English 10 Regents (2016-2017), English 11 Regents (2016-2017)

Kandinsky’s Improvisation 31 (Sea Battle). Click for more.

Assignment Specifics: Step #1 + Step #2

You have two current assignments on Google Classroom. Here are the particulars for Step #1, which is due by Monday at 5PM. Use class time to submit this work, since it requires only a small amount of writing:

Write a paragraph or two offering your insight into your upcoming schedule as it pertains to your Pareto Project ideas. Don’t overthink or overanalyze; focus on what you and I both need to know as you begin this Pareto Project.

Step #2 has a deadline of Wednesday afternoon, again at 5PM. Use the following directions for the already-posted assignment:

Write a reflective and insightful record of the “idea smithing” part of the project, including your thoughts on how the Google+ Community collaborated. Keep this to less than a page, unless you have pertinent analysis of that community to offer that requires more.

First, though, you must settle on an idea, share it with your classmates on Google+, and seek feedback there. Turn that digital space into an extension of and entrance into our physical classroom this week. The necessary links, which are posted alongside further instructions in our last post and the current iteration of the guide, are reprinted below:

Second, you must compress your idea into 120 characters or so and add it to the following Google Form, which must be completed by Wednesday afternoon at 5PM, when the rest of Step #2 will be checked in:

Loading…

Those are the four assignments that you must complete this week. In list form:

Write a short, explanatory response about your schedule and time as instructed in Step #1 of the Pareto Project guide.
Share your ideas, critique the ideas of others, and otherwise collaborate online and in class.
Write a reflective response about Step #2 of the Pareto Project guide.
Submit your final project idea through the provided Google Form.

Step #3 is explained next.

Step #3: Due Monday, December 19

The calendar for this Pareto Project, which is always up-to-date on Google Drive, shows that the official proposal for your Round 1 Pareto Project is now due on Monday, December 19. This date is unlikely to change, because we need to lock in your projects before the winter holidays. The first required checkpoint is the day you return.

You will be given the updated guide with Steps 3-5 on Tuesday, December 13. That will allow some of you to move directly into Step #3, the proposal, while others will need the next two days to finish Step #2. Everyone will use the end of the week to set up digital portfolios and accounts, and to meet with me and peers about the proposals themselves.

If you have any questions about this, ask them in class or below.

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Pareto Project: Day 2

By Mr. Eure All Classes (2016-2017), AP English Language & Composition (2016-2017), English 10 Regents (2016-2017), English 11 Regents (2016-2017)

Kandinsky’s Black and Violet. Click for more.

Idea Smithing

Each time I update the site with more Pareto Project information, I’ll repost the entire guide to that point. You should skim over the previous pages, because there will be edits that clarify or expand on ideas. Today’s guide ends with Step #2, for instance, but it also adds a single sentence in Step #1:

You must also choose a project that fits your schedule; if you must limit your focus during Round 1, you’ll have a chance to be more ambitious when we start Round 2 in mid-March.

That clarifies Step #1 a little, and it lets me add further clarification here: You need a project that can be accomplished in the time you have, and the time you have differs from person to person and month to month. Are you going to be in the musical? You should account for that upcoming responsibility. Are you busy with winter sports? That gives you less time for a larger project. Do you have a lot of idle time each day? You can plan something more ambitious.

Let’s start talking about ideas by reading Step #2:

[pdfjs-viewer url=”http%3A%2F%2Fsisypheanhigh.com%2Fmalachite%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F12%2FPareto-Project-Day-2.pdf” viewer_width=100% viewer_height=600px fullscreen=true download=true print=true]

Step #2 is called Idea Smithing, and that metaphor will help us: You need to craft an idea, and you probably need some heat and pressure to do it.

Measure Twice, Cut Once

We’ll open the discussion in class, using groups of whatever size you choose. That will be our chance to talk about the timing element of Step #1, too, including what you should hand in on Google Classroom for that assignment.

The written work of Step #2 begins when you visit Google+, using the links at the end of the current guide. You can also use these direct links:

This is where you should make your elevator pitch. Putting your idea in writing will do what writing always does, which is to render your thoughts so we can revisit them. Your peers will then offer critical feedback to help you refine, repurpose, or reject the idea. Then, on Monday, I’ll post a Google Form to collect everyone’s pitches, which will also give you a chance to see what students in the other courses are doing for these Pareto Projects.

Ask questions about Step #2 below, and remember: Don’t just think outside the box; break it down and build something new. Or, you know, this:

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Pareto Project: Day 1

By Mr. Eure All Classes (2016-2017), AP English Language & Composition (2016-2017), English 10 Regents (2016-2017), English 11 Regents (2016-2017)

Wassily Kandinsky’s Yellow, Red, Blue. Click for more of his art.

Paradigm Breaking

On Thursday, December 8, you start your Pareto Project. This is your chance to learn what you want to learn and create what you want to create. Under the aegis of grade abatement, and with my help and the help of your peers, you will design a twelve-week project that culminates in — well, in whatever you want it to culminate in. You aren’t just encouraged to think outside of the box; you should break down the box and turn it into something new.

You will receive the guide to this project in sections:

Thursday, December 8: Introduction, Overview, and Step #1
Friday, December 9: Step #2
Monday, December 12: Steps #3-#5

The staggered release of the guide means that you cannot jump ahead easily. You have time to explore each step of the process. You have time to read. You have time to ask questions.

You’ll see why this is so important when you load the three pages for Day 1:

[pdfjs-viewer url=”http%3A%2F%2Fsisypheanhigh.com%2Fmalachite%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F12%2FPareto-Project-Day-1.pdf” viewer_width=100% viewer_height=600px fullscreen=true download=true print=true]

Those three pages are stacked with links and further explanations of all kinds, and that’s before you get to the first step. You need to slow down and spend your time more judiciously than you normally do.

Remember that I write to you in a way that also teaches you how to read. Unpacking the guide is its own lesson, so you must read carefully. You must take notes. Only then should you start to talk to your peers and teacher.

A copy of the calendar for this project has been photocopied for you. Let me know if a copy of the guide itself should be printed —and before you rush to say, “Yes, it should,” note that most of what you need is linked to within the guide. Printing might not have the efficacy you think it does, but we’ll talk about it.

This first excerpt has also been shared through Google Classroom, where you will eventually submit your work for Step #1.

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Academic Update: RE10

By Mr. Eure English 10 Regents (2016-2017)

The following updates cover current and upcoming course work and are written to help you organize your time as you begin your Pareto Project on Thursday, December 8. Read this information carefully. Then ask any clarifying questions in the comment section below.

Ongoing: Emulation-Through-Analysis (ETA) Essay

These essays will continue to be our focus during the class period, even as you begin your Pareto Project. The next step will see you learn the SOAPSTONE tool, apply it to your chosen essay, and then begin to outline your essay. Refer back to the previous post for information on this second ETA step:

ETA Essay: Next Steps

Ongoing: Regular Metacognition

This is simply a reminder that you need to reflect and be metacognitive regularly. Spend 15-20 minutes at least once a week analyzing your choices, your progress, and your subsequent goals. This is the best way to develop the skills and traits you need for the future and to generate evidence for your grade abatement profile.

If you struggle to think of how to frame this regular reflection/metacognition, respond to these three basic questions:

What have I accomplished?
What have I learned?
What’s next?

Answer #2 by referring specifically to the skills and traits of grade abatement (e.g., organization, amenability, assiduousness).

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ETA Essay: Next Steps

By Mr. Eure English 10 Regents (2016-2017)

The coffee is a crucial step.

At this point, you should have chosen an essay from the collection, One Hundred Great Essays, and gotten approval from your teachers to study that particular text. You should also have shared your choice through this Google Form and as part of a conversation on our Google+ Community. Before you move on, read through the comments on Google+. If you see a text that looks more interesting or engaging, you can still switch. After Friday, however, you really shouldn’t switch, because it will mean redoing a lot of work.

Bishop Composition: Step #1

Now you begin the emulation-through-analysis process. Over the next few days, you need to analyze your chosen text and begin drafting your own essay. That starts with what the collection itself provides, which comes in two parts:

Before each essay is an overview of what the essay says and how it is written.
After each essay is a set of questions about what the essay says and how it is written.

Here is an example of #1, from an essay called “Shooting an Elephant,” by George Orwell:

Click to enlarge.

In this introduction, you are given much of what you would need to emulate Orwell’s writing:

“Orwell conveys his ambivalence…” | Your essay, too, could convey ambivalence. Click here for the definition.
“His language holds nothing back…” | You, too, could write that strongly about your subject.
“At the climactic moment of the essay, Orwell describes in harrowing detail…” | If you were writing a narrative like this, you could focus on “harrowing detail” at the climax. (Here is the definition of harrowing.)
“Orwell has so slowed the pace of the essay as to create a cinematic effect of slow motion…” | You, too, could slow down a single moment in your essay, attempting to emulate the way Orwell does it.

And so on. The introduction is essentially a rhetorical analysis of the essay, which means it is also a blueprint for emulation. Then you have the questions that come at the end:

Click to enlarge.

Depending on your chosen essay, these questions may or may not help. The last question is usually a prompt that you could use to emulate the author directly, so if you are feeling lost, use that question to get started. The other questions tend to ask you to look at particular choices the author makes, some of which you could emulate.

Your first assignment is to work your way through the introduction and concluding questions for your essay. We will review how to do this in class on Thursday, December 1; if you are absent, you will be able to sit with your teachers when you return to go over your essay and how these framing assignments help you analyze the text.

Bishop Composition: Step #2

The next part of the writing process requires you to work together and with your teachers to learn the analysis tool known as SOAPSTONE:

The Ultimate SOAPSTONE Analysis Guide for AP Exams

Ignore all the mentions of the AP exam. This is the best guide to SOAPSTONE analysis and planning that you will find. The original College Board explanation is here, and you should read it, as well. Then you can:

Apply SOAPSTONE to the essay you have read. Write a paragraph or so for each element.
Begin to brainstorm about your essay, using SOAPSTONE to outline. Again, you’ll write a paragraph or so for each element.

We will review how to do this in class on Friday, December 2, and again on Monday, December 5; if you are absent, you will be able to sit with your teachers when you return to go over SOAPSTONE and apply it to your own work.

Using Google+

We will take as much time as necessary for these two Bishop Composition steps. The initial plan is to use December 1, 2, and 5 to work in class. If your teacher is with another student, you should post questions either here, in the comment section of this post, or on Google+:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/117716758051277289443

Posting good questions creates evidence for grade abatement, as does answering questions effectively.