Period 1 Novel Survey

Please click on the link below and complete the survey by February 12th so that I can tell you by the 16th what novel you need to obtain --
Novel survey

Henrietta Lacks: Chapter 31-32 Questions

Chapter 31:

1. How did Skloot finance the research for her book?  What did she promise to do if and when the book was published?

2.  Describe the relationship between Deborah and her grandson Davon.

3. Who is Franklin Salisbury Jr. and why did he contact Deborah?

Chapter 32:

4. How does Christoph Lengauer interact with members of the Lacks family?  How is this different from other employees from Johns Hopkins?

5.  What important misunderstanding about HeLa does Lengauer clarify for Deborah?

6.  Why do you think Deborah tells Skloot that she "just witnessed a miracle"?

Due Friday, January 29th

AP class: Henrietta Lacks Chapters 23 -26 Questions

Questions are due Tuesday, January 26th

Chapter 23:

1. How long had Henrietta been dead before her family found out her cells were still alive?

2.  Why did researchers want DNA samples from Henrietta's family?  Did they get informed consent?

3.  From a legal standpoint, is there a difference between what the doctors did when taking the families blood in 1973 without consent as compared to taking cells from Henrietta in 1951?

4.  What were some of Deborah's concerns and fears after she found out her mom's cells were still alive?

5.  The title of this chapter "It's Alive" is an allusion to the classic film of Frankenstein.  What does this allusion suggest about the tension between scientific discovery and public perception (fear of these discoveries)?

Chapter 24:

6. What motivated Michael Rogers to find the Lacks family?

7.  What facts support the idea the George Gey did not profit from HeLa cells?

8.  In what ways do scientists, corporations, and individuals profit from HeLa cells?

9.  What effect did Deborah's research of her mom's cells have on her?

10. What information did McKusick and Hsu publish about the Lacks family?  Are there any ethical or legal problems with what they published?

Chapter 25:

11. Summarize John Moore's story.

12. Why did Ted Slavin start Essential Biologicals?

13.  Give at least one pro and one con of giving patients legal ownership of their cells.

14.  What was the decision of the Supreme Court of California regarding Moore's lawsuit?

15.  Do you agree or disagree with the courts decision?  Explain.

Chapter 26:

16.  Why did Zakariyya decide to participate in research studies at Johns Hopkins?

17.  How did Deborah react after reading about her mother's death?

18.  Explain how Gold's journalism could be considered unethical or irresponsible?

19.  What do Gold's comments about his decision to publish private information without consulting the Lacks family reveal about his attitude towards them?

20.  How have laws regarding medical privacy changed since the early 1980s?

Pursuit of Excellence Project (Periods 2, 4, 6)

You will create a poster with the title "Pursuit of Excellence."
With your partner you will select a person that you believe embodies what it means to pursue excellence.  This includes qualities like not giving up and giving 100% effort to reach your goals.

On the poster include your person's name, a short summary of how they represent excellence along with pictures of them.
Include 3 facts about them.
2 things that demonstrate their excellence.
1 quote from them.

Your posters are due on Friday, January 22nd!
You will present your posters on Tuesday, January 26th.

This grade will count for the 3rd nine weeks.

Period 1 Black History Door Display

Here are the required elements you will need to make sure are included on your door display:

1. Name of your person (should be large enough to see from a distance)
2. Picture of the person (should be large enough to see from a distance)
3. Reason for their fame
4. An inspirational quote by them
5. Include images or summaries of their 3 most famous or popular writings

**Creativity is key!  Make your door pop.
Do people want to stop and read the information about your person?
or
Does it look like you just copied and pasted a bunch of information?  (not good)
or
Does it look like you invested time and effort into putting your door together? (very good)

Is the teacher happy with what you did?  (I will get feedback from them.)

You must have your door completed by January 29th.

Here is an example:

Happy Martin Luther King Day

Martin Luther King Jr. embodied change.  Try to make a difference by taking the steps to influence change in your own life.

AP Class: Henrietta Lacks Reading Questions

Chapter 13 Questions

1.    Explain the inherent irony of the fact that the Tuskegee HeLa production lab was operating at the same time that the infamous syphilis study was being conducted. What does the juxtaposition of these two projects reveal about race relations in the early 1950s?

2.    Explain the contribution that HeLa made to the emerging field of genetics.

3.    Who profited monetarily from the sale of HeLa cells and other human biological materials?

4.    Do you agree with Pomerant’s suggestion that Gey should have “finished his own research” before releasing HeLa to the general public?

Chapter 17

1.    Who were the test subjects in Southam’s first study? Were they informed about the research and its risks?

2.    Where did Southam find test subjects for his second research study?

3.    How did Southam justify his decision to inject HeLa cells into patients without their knowledge or consent?

4.    What is the purpose of the Nuremberg Code? What events led to it being developed?

5.    Explain how the action against Southam and Mandel led to the development of informed consent forms as a standard medical practice.

Creative Writing Assignment (Period 1)

As I mentioned in class, this weeks creative writing assignments are with the hope to enter the best pieces into the Youth Fair on January 26th.

Monday assignment:  Where does the path lead?  You were supposed to create a poem or story using the picture I put on the board.  Poems needed to be at least 12 lines long and stories at least a page long.

Tuesday assignment:  Snapshot Poem-- You are to take a picture and using descriptive language create a poem or story about that picture.  Poem must have at least 12 lines.

Wednesday assignment:  Sonnet Poem -- Create your own sonnet following the appropriate pattern.  Must have 16 lines.

Thursday assignment:  Select one of your pieces that you like the most or that you feel you did the best job with and share it with a partner.  Get feedback from your partner and decide whether that is the piece you want to read to the class on Friday.

Friday:  You will submit all your pieces.  The piece you are reading to the class must be typed.  The class will vote for their favorite pieces anonymously on their own piece of paper.

I will speak with the students who were voted as the top pieces the week of January 19th.  If you feel strongly about your piece and would like me to submit it to the competition you can tell me as well.

AP Language Cervical Cancer Group assignment

Groups will present their virtual boards on Monday.
Make sure to share your board with me by clicking on the "Share" tab.
Your virtual board should include the information I was asking for as well as a connection to the novel.

Don't forget to finish reading Part I this weekend (page 86).

**P.S. Don't forget to also continue working on your major project.

First week back 2016 (English II classes)

This week we talked about New Year's Resolutions and you wrote an essay on whether they were good or bad.

We finished the week honoring First Responders by writing a creative writing piece.

Don't forget to complete vocabulary.com for the week by Sunday if you have not done so already.

I will be closing my gradebook on January 18th.  I will not add any new grades after that date except for make-up grades.  You will only be allowed to make-up assignments if you were absent and brought in an excused admit.

Important Dates

The end of the second nine weeks is January 22nd!

No school on January 18th -- Martin Luther King Day

No school on January 25th -- Teacher work day

Extra Credit

Black History Month Essay Contest

Governor Rick Scott is holding an essay contest that is open to all 9-12 grade students.  The topic of the essay is the following:
Write about an African American hero, past or present, who has helped make Florida a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.  Write your essay in a way that demonstrates a deep understanding of the topic and historical context.  Must include several sources with varying points of view.

If you want your essay to be submitted into the state contest you must submit your essay by January 19th to allow time for editing and completing the entry forms.  The winners will receive a Florida Prepaid Scholarship.

If you just want extra credit for my class you must submit the essay by January 22nd.

Essay must be typed.  Essay must not exceed 500 words.

First Responder Appreciation week