Enjoy...

Thanks for a great first semester. Enjoy the winter break.  I look forward to seeing everyone again in 2014!

Another Contest!

Here's a link to information about the annual Creative Writing Contest hosted by the Anchorage Daily News and the University of Alaska Anchorage.
I encourage folks to enter!

Research Links

Here are some links to websites with information that may help with media research:
Links to Information about Advertising
Links to Information about Social Media

And here's a link to a helpful site for citing sources.

Beginning Unit Two...

Beginning this week, we'll be moving into the second Springboard unit of the year: "Real-Life Challenges."  This unit involves an examination of the impact of commercial media on our lives, it involves reading and writing about the effects of mass media, and it culminates with a persuasive essay.  The two essential questions of the unit are the following:
How does commercialism impact daily life?
and
How does research enhance the ability to persuade?
Here's a link to the learning focus of the first part of the unit.

During the first two weeks, we'll be reading a variety of articles about the media, including "Just the Facts About Advertising and Marketing to Children," "How Advertisers Persuade," and "Branded."

Also, a reminder that the end of the quarter (and the end of the first semester) falls on the last day before winter break: December 20th.