Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Senior Research Paper...Start Here!

Step 1- Think About an Issue that Appeals to You

Look at these sites to see what topics interest you:

ACLU
Amnesty International
NAACP
Opposing Viewpoints


Step 2 - Narrow Your Topic and Create a Question

Take a look at these tips in narrowing your topic down. You'll need to start with a good question.

Step 3 - Research Your Topic

  • Create keywords associated with the topic
  • Resolve to find:
    1. 2 books - try Google Books or the School Catalog
    2. 3 articles - Use GALILEO
    3. 3 websites

Monday, October 24, 2016

Even More Study Hacks


Do you know how to study? It's a an art, a science and a craft. You can develop the skills if you try. Take a look at these hacks that will take you to the next level.


Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Washington vs. Dubois Resources


Here are a few starter primary resources for your essays.

Books
Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Dubois
The Negro in the South by Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois
Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil by W. E. B. Du Bois

Articles
The Case for Reparations


Supreme Court Opinions
Plessy v. Ferguson
Brown v. Board of Education

Speeches
Speech to the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition by Booker T Washington
The Principles of the Universal Negro Improvement Association by Marcus Garvey
Stokely Carmichael Speech at the University of California

Bibliography

Brown v. Board of Education. United States Supreme Court. 9 Dec. 1952. Legal Information Institute. Cornell University Law School, n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2016.
Carmichael, Stokely. "Speech at the University of California." Speech at the University of California. 29 Oct. 1966. Speech.
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. "The Case for Reparations." The Atlantic (2015): 1-50. The Atlantic. June 2014. Web. 5 Oct. 2016.
Donvan, John. "Sisters: We Were Modern-Day Slaves." ABC News. ABC News Network, 20 Dec. 1970. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.
Dubois, WEB. "Darkwater: Voices From Within the Veil." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.
Dubois, WEB. "The Souls of Black Folk Paperback – November 28, 2014." The Souls of Black Folk: W.E.B. Du Bois: 9781505223378: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.
Garvey, Marcus. "The Principles of The Universal Negro Improvement Association." New York City. 25 Nov. 1922. BlackPast. Web.
Plessy V. Ferguson. United States Supreme Court. 18 May 1956. Legal Information Institute. Cornell University Law School, n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2016.
Washington, Booker T., and WEB Dubois. "Booker T. Washington, 1856-1915. The Negro in the South; His Economic Progress in Relation to His Moral and Religious Development; Being the William Levi Bull Lectures for the Year 1907."Booker T. Washington, 1856-1915. The Negro in the South; His Economic Progress in Relation to His Moral and Religious Development; Being the William Levi Bull Lectures for the Year 1907. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.
Washington, Booker T. "Speech to the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition." Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition. Atlanta, Georgia. American Radio Works. Web. 5 Oct. 2016.
Washington, Booker T. Up from Slavery, an Autobiography. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1963. Print.

Monday, September 26, 2016

Drop Everything and Read (DEAR)



Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) will begin at South Atlanta this week and we're so excited. We want all students to find something that interests them and actually have the time to read in a quiet and encouraging environment. This time is for YOU! Are you interested in starting your own business? The Black Lives Matter movement? Movie monsters? Anythings is game.

Happy Reading!

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Best Apps for Students Who Win

Your phone can be a distraction if you let it, but it can also be the best study tool you have at your fingertips. Download these apps and see how they transform your study habits and your grades.


Forest App

You can plant a seed in Forest. In the next 30 minutes, this seed will gradually grow into a tree. However, if you cannot resist the temptation and leave this app to check Facebook or play a game, your tree will wither away.







Habitica App

Treat your life like a game to stay motivated and organized! Habitica makes it simple to have fun while accomplishing goals.

Input your Habits, your Daily goals, and your To-Do list, and then create a custom avatar. Check off tasks to level up your avatar and unlock features such as armor, pets, skills, and even quests!






Quizlet App

Master your classes with the leading education and flashcard app! Create your own flashcards or choose from millions created by other Quizlet students and teachers on thousands of subjects. If you're doing standardized test prep for big exams like the SAT or ACT, studying for an upcoming midterm or test in school, or just need homework help, you can feel confident with the powerful interactive learning tools in Quizlet’s learning app.



Wolfram Alpha

Need help with trigonometry? Wondering what the unemployment rate is in a given city? Wolfram Alpha has you covered.

The search engine's free app is an invaluable resource for all kinds of queries.



Monday, September 12, 2016

Workshop: Create a Website

On Monday, September 19th the media center will conduct a workshop that will show you how to create your own website or blog. Meet after school at 3:30 until 4:30 and learn how to start your own business online or just share your thoughts.

Are you Boss minded?

After you've attended the workshop, be sure to check-out some of the great titles that we've put on our business display. You'll get great tips on how to begin your career in leadership today.

Take a look at this video on ways you can become an entrepreneur today.


Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Study on the Next Level


We all want to get great grades, but if we're honest we know that there are some areas that we're just weak on. The teacher may only have so much time and we may not always have every day to spend after school for help, but there is a way to help yourself. You can study!

I know it's hard, but if you create good habits it will become easier. Here is a video with a few tips and I've included a slideshow below that will get you started with advanced note taking too. Look out for Lunch and Learns and after school prep sessions that will help you to become the best student YOU can be.


Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Thursday, April 28, 2016

ANTM: Matthew Brown's Beat Making Adventure

It's finally here! Our makers are finally done with their projects. Our first entry is from Michael Brown who competed in the music production category. He created over twenty original beats. You can listen to a sample of them here:


Stay tuned for our other contestants and follow us as we plan our makerspace for the 2016-2017 year.

Monday, April 18, 2016

Academy for Future Teachers

The Academy for Future Teachers is a three-week summer program for bright, talented, diverse high school students seriously considering a career teaching math or science in an urban environment or in a math or science field.


Thanks to Grady High for this heads up!


Tuesday, April 12, 2016

April Book Club Selection: Ten Cents a Dance

The April Book Club selection is Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher. All of my copies are currently out, but you can check back periodically to see if someone has finished early.



With her mother ill, it's up to fifteen-year-old Ruby Jacinski to support her family. But in the 1940s, the only opportunities open to a Polish-American girl from Chicago's poor Yards is a job in one of the meat packing plants. Through a chance meeting with a local tough, Ruby lands a job as a taxi dancer and soon becomes an expert in the art of "fishing": working her patrons for meals, cash, clothes, even jewelry. Drawn ever deeper into the world of dance halls, jazz, and the mob, Ruby gradually realizes that the only one who can save her is herself. A mesmerizing look into a little known world and era.
 The Book Club will meet on Thursday May 5th after school from 3:45-4:30PM.

It's Coming! America's Next Top Maker Returns


Monday, April 11, 2016

Free AP Practice Tests

FREE AP Practice Test from C2!

Most four-year colleges in the United States provide credit and/or advanced placement for qualifying scores on AP Exams, and over 70% of C2 students achieve a 4 or 5 on AP Exams. How do we help them accomplish this? Our amazing teachers who are experts in AP Exam subjects. C2 teachers must score above the 95th percentile in their fields and also excel at engaging students on an individual level helping them stay motivated toward achieving their goals.
C2 supports most AP subjects and has additionally developed proprietary curriculum and three practice tests each for these AP Subjects:
• Chemistry
• US History
• Language & Composition
• Calculus AB
• Biology
• World History
• US Government & Politics
• Physics 1
• Psychology

Monday, March 21, 2016

Kik for Research Help

The library isn't open 24 hours a day, but you can get after hours help using our handy-dandy Kik code. Scan the code here or come by the media center and scan the one on Ms. Miles' door. She'll take questions between 8AM and 8PM every day!


Thursday, March 17, 2016

Ford Driving Skills Hands-On Workshop

DSFL hands on clinics have been confirmed for April 26-27 at Stone Mountain.  There will be four sessions total, morning session from 7:30 – noon and afternoon from 1:00 – 5:30, and same times on the second day. The first half hour is built in for check-in so our team can review their waivers, permits/licenses, and take their photos, etc. Requirements to attend are a valid learners permit or license and a signed waiver form.
 
Students are encouraged to sign on to the following webpage and complete the online Academy so that they can take part in this in great drivers training opportunity.  https://www.drivingskillsforlife.com/academy   

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

New Resources at AFPLS

Do you have a public library card? Here are some great resources that you get with your free card. You can sign up for one tomorrow during lunch.

·      What’s coming? (April-May, 2016)
o   Zinio Digital Magazines  (download full issues of popular magazines to mobile devices)
 
·       Tools for Teachers
o   GALE Courses: PLU’s earned for many courses (list of relevant courses available and mailed to Meeting Coordinator)
o   Universal Classes: Special Education courses and free self-paced personal enrichment courses
 
·      Student Help
o   Bookflix  (Online Literacy database for Pre-K thru 3rd Grade, lesson plans)
o   Mango Languages (71 conversational languages to practice)
o   Free Prep practice online
§  Learning Express (ACT, SAT, AP, GRE, GMAT, Job search, etc., Resume help)
§  Testing & Education Reference Center (ACT, SAT, AP, etc., Resume help)
o   Homework Help
§  Tutor.com
§  Facts on File (search by grades and Georgia Standards, lesson plans included for many databases)
·      Fun Databases
o   Overdrive: Downloadable eBooks and eAudiobooks for children and adults
o   Hoopla: Streaming Movies, eAudiobooks, eBooks

This Side of Home - Book Club Selection


The Book Club will be reading This Side of Home by Renee Watson and discussing it on Thursday, March 31st after school. Anyone can get the book for free by downloading the Open eBooks app. Get your code from your ELA teacher or Mrs. Miles in the Media Center.


Monday, March 7, 2016

Strategies for the Paperless Classroom

    Paperless Wednesdays have returned, but there is hope. You can go paperless. Here are some strategies to help.

·         Teacher Websites- This is your best bet. Upload homework, projects, your syllabus and calendar to your website for students to view at their leisure. A good many students forget their school supplies or bookbags so worksheets and handouts get lost far too often. Create an online home for these using Classjump.com or Weebly.com. Tutorials for these are held periodically, but you can schedule a one on one with me if you like.
·         Edmodo- Get an account and you’ll be able to receive essays and projects anytime and annotate them, all without ever printing a single page. Here’s a handy tutorial on how to annotate. https://youtu.be/ZDmtpJmrp9c . If you’re feeling adventurous, ask Jan Dickerson about Google Classroom.
·         Google Docs- A simple way to collect assignments online is to create a shared folder using Google Docs. Share the link with your class and students can drop in assignments at will. TIP: Have students give all assignments the same name in the file (ie. StudentFirstInitial.StudentLastName.AssignmentName.ClassPeriod) You can also create a simple folder to pick up all assignments.
·         Evernote- Students can download this app to their phones and take notes, snap pictures of the powerpoint slides and record your lecture all with the same app. (Don’t be afraid of their phones, make them use them to their intellectual benefit)
·         Quizlet- Forget paper pop quizzes and move into the digital age with Quizlet. Students can easily take a quiz and send you the results without picking up a pen.

More Options:
o   Use Edmodo or Quizlet for weekly quizzes
o   Present PowerPoints via Slideshare.net
o   Have students Blog via Weebly.com instead of turning in Discussion Questions or short free response
o   Use a document camera instead of making copies. You can check these out from the library.
o   Scan book chapters or excerpts to your Flash Drive and then upload them to Google Drive or Edmodo
o   Record class discussions and small group discussion with the iPad or using a student’s cell phone
o   Have students create digital portfolios, record short bits of lecture and take snapshots of powerpoint slides with Evernote




Using QR Codes

How They Work
A student, teacher or anyone downloads a QR reader to their smartphone (Just go to your preferred app store and search QR reader. They are free). When you see a QR code you open your reader and hover the phone over the code as if you were taking a picture. Your reader will soon “find” the code and direct you to where it leads.

Creating Your Own Codes:
  • Make sure you have a public web address (url) to your document, site, etc. If you’re using student work you can have them upload the document to Google Docs (If you or the student has a gmail account, you already have a Docs account). If you make the document public, it will give you a web address.
  • Go to http://qrcode.kaywa.com/dashboard/ and enter your link into the space provided and it will create a unique qr code for you. It will look like this:
http://keremerkan.net/files/images/qrblog_large.png

  • You can then right click and copy the code. Paste it to a document and print it so you can post anywhere you like. This is great for digital work that students provide.

Suggestions:
  • Have students create an abstract to their digital project and then post them on your bulletin board along with the QR code
  • Post QR codes into your study guides that link to helpful lab demonstrations, Khan academy explanations, or further reading
  • Post QR codes to the audiobook version of the assigned reading for students with additional needs

Free Tax Prep for Low-Income Filers @ Kirkwood Library

    Address: 11 Kirkwood Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30317
    Hours: 
    Open today · 10AM–8PM

The checklist below includes items you need to bring when you visit an AARP Foundation Tax-Aide site for us to help you prepare your tax return(s)
  • Last year’s tax return(s)
  • Social Security cards or other official documentation for yourself and all your dependents
  • Photo I.D. required for all taxpayers.
  • Checkbook if you want to direct deposit any refund(s).
Income
  • W-2 from each employer
  • Unemployment compensation statements
  • SSA-1099 form showing the total Social Security benefits paid to you for the year, or Form RRB-1099, Tier 1 Railroad Retirement benefits
  • 1099 forms reporting interest (1099-INT), dividends (1099-DIV), proceeds from sales (1099-B), as well as documentation showing the original purchase price of your sold assets
  • 1099-R form if you received a pension, annuity, or IRA distribution
  • 1099-Misc forms
  • Information about other forms of Income
  • State or local income tax refund
 
Payments
 
All forms and canceled checks indicating federal and state income tax paid (including quarterly estimated tax payments)
Deductions
Most taxpayers have a choice of taking either a standard deduction or itemizing their deductions. If you have a substantial amount of deductions, you may want to itemize. You will need to bring the following information:
  • 1098 form showing any home mortgage interest
  • 1098-T and 1098-E forms (Tuition and Student Loan Interest payments)
  • A list of medical/dental expenses (including doctor and hospital bills and medical insurance premiums), prescription medicines, costs of assisted living services, and bills for home improvements such as ramps and railings for people with disabilities
  • Summary of contributions to charity
  • Receipts or canceled checks for all quarterly or other paid tax
  • Property Tax bills and proof of payment
Health Insurance
  • Form 1095A if you purchased through Marketplace (Exchange)
  • Any exemption correspondence from the Marketplace (if applicable)
Credits
  • Dependent care provider information (name, employer ID, or Social Security number)
  • 1098 forms related to continuing education and related receipts and cancelled checks

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Teen Tech Week and Best Buy's Geek Squad

Hey! It's almost Teen Tech Week at South Atlanta. As a special treat we'll have Best Buy's Geek Squad on hand on March 9th to conduct a web design workshop. Flex your techy muscles with this after school workshop. You can sign up online here:

remind.com/join/getwebby

Or you can just text "getwebby" to 81010


Friday, February 19, 2016

Vote for the Peach!

There is still time to vote for the 2015-2016 Georgia Peach Book Award Nominees. Pick one up on the display and vote for a chance to win a prize pack of free titles.



Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Segregation Forever? Black History Month Essay Contest

What: Segregation Forever? Black History Month Essay Contest

Details:  Use the resources below to answer the essay question. You must use the sources provided to support your opinion. You may use additional resources if you like, but you must reference at least two of the sources provided.



Essay Question: Is South Atlanta High School segregated and does it matter?

Resources: 

Resegregation
Marill, Michele Cohen. "Resegregation. (Cover Story)." Atlanta 47.12 (2008): 116-155. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.

Brown Fades: The End of Court-Ordered School Desegregation and the Resegregation of American Public Schools
Reardon, Sean F., et al. "Brown Fades: The End Of Court-Ordered School Desegregation And The Resegregation Of American Public Schools." Journal Of Policy Analysis & Management 31.4 (2012): 876-904. Business Source Complete. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.

Segregation Now
Hannah-Jones, Nikole. "Segregation Now.." Atlantic 313.4 (2014): 68-81. Literary Reference Center. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.
How the Legacy of Slavery and Racial Composition Shape Public School Enrollment in the American South
Reece, R. L., and H. A. Oconnell. "How the Legacy of Slavery and Racial Composition Shape Public School Enrollment in the American South." Sociology of Race and Ethnicity 2.1 (2015): 42-57. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.

General Guidelines:
  • MLA Format
  • 500 -750 words
  • Rubric - View and Download Here
  • Bibliography must be included

Prize: Kindle Fire HD6 with Cover

Deadline: February 29th

Submit Essays Online to samediacenter@gmail.com

Scholarship Essay Contests for Undocumented Students

We all know that it is scholarship essay season, but many of those scholarships exclude students who are undocumented, but there is hope! These other scholarship essay contests don't require the ssn. Take a look and apply as soon as possible. 


The DREAM US Scholarship Program - http://www.thedream.us/scholars/

Ayn Rand "Anthem" Essay Scholarship - https://www.aynrand.org/students/essay-contests

Momeni Foundation Scholarship - http://www.momenifoundation.org/FAS.html

Davis-Putter Scholarship - http://www.davisputter.org/


Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Editing Wikipedia Pages for Students

As you consider what pages you would like to contribute to, please consider the following:

  • Is the information given on the topic misleading?
  • Is the information given in the topic too broad? Should a new section be added for more depth?
  • Can I provide something valuable to the discussions already being made on the "Talk" pages?

Also, don't discount people and places as possible topics to review.

Research Resources:
Start with scholarly articles and books/ebooks


Project Resources:

Watch this handy, dandy tutorial on GALILEO if you've forgotten all that I've taught you.

Summer Programs for Atlanta Students

Now is the time to start applying to those summer programs. Take a look at these local opportunities.



The H.O.T. Days @ Georgia Tech camp is a one-week-long summer program designed to introduce students attending high schools in Georgia to electrical and computer engineering (ECE) concepts. The goal of the program is to instill an interest in ECE and increase the number of high school graduates majoring in this field. Financial Aid Available. Due April 8th.

Girls Who Code
Girls Who Code is a national non-profit organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology. Their programs educate, inspire, and equip girls to pursue opportunities in computing. The Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program is a FREE seven-week introduction to computer science for girls going into 11th and 12th grade.

CDC Disease Detective Camp
Are you interested in public health, epidemiology, medicine, and environmental issues? Then the CDC (Center for Disease Control)Disease Detective Camp is a good program for you to enroll. Visit their website for an application and to learn more about the program.
SIG offers unique programming for gifted and talented students ages 5-17 during the summer and school year.Three-week summer sessions for gifted students ages 5-12* wanting to participate in captivating courses built to enhance existing talents while remaining in the local community. Financial Aid available.

Summer Science Academy @ Emory
The Summer Science Academy Program is a two-week science enrichment program that offers a series of lectures, labs, and field experiences for high school students.

The CDC Disease Detective Camp teaches attendees the fundamentals of CDC’s work: the field of public health and the science of epidemiology. Public health is a vast field that covers many aspects of keeping populations of people healthy. It includes, but is not limited to, research, data collection, data analysis, and health education. Epidemiology, the systematic study of diseases in populations, is one of the sciences used at CDC to help improve the public’s health.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Blackout for Human Rights



On Monday, January 18th from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Blackout for Human Rights and the Campaign for Black Male Achievement will host “MLK Now,” a special MLK Day event to celebrate and honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and explore how his message and vision continue to resonate in today's racial, social and political landscape. Taking place at Harlem’s Riverside Church – where Dr. King performed his famous 1967 speech “Beyond Vietnam: A Time To Break Silence” -- the event will feature historic speeches performed by some of today’s leading actors -- including Chris Rock, Oscar-Winner Octavia Spencer, Michael B. Jordan, Tony Award-Winner Anika Noni Rose, Tessa Thompson, and more. VICE will serve as media partner on the event. “MLK Now” will also feature musical performances by Rose and Grammy-Nominated Artist Bilal and closes off with an interactive panel discussion addressing the most pressing human rights issues of today – including police violence, racial and social injustice, economic inequality, the prison industrial complex and grassroots and political mobilization. Panelists include Filmmaker and Blackout Member Ryan Coogler; Grammy-Nominated Hip Hop Artist J. Cole; Black Lives Matter Co-Founder and Black Alliance for Just Immigration Executive Director Opal Tometi; Arab American Association of New York Executive Director Linda Sarsour; Million Hoodies Movement for Justice Executive Director Dante Barry; and Activist Leon Ford, Jr. Blackout is a network of artists, entertainers, advocates, spiritual leaders, educators and everyday citizens who commit their collective resources towards addressing human rights violations in the U.S. Blackout is comprised of both high visibility and everyday citizens. Members include Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, Charles King, Nate Parker, Donald “Childish Gambino” Glover, Ava DuVernay, Jesse Williams, John Burris, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosa Clemente, Michael McBride, Shaka King, Scott Budnick, David Oyelowo, Pastor Michael McBride and others. DOORS WILL OPEN AT 1:30 p.m., program to begin at 3:00 p.m. Tickets for the event are free and can be found at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mlknow-tickets-20465812797. For real-time updates and announcements, follow @UnitedBlackOut and @BMAchievement using the hashtag #mlkNOW and #CBMA

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Senior Research Project


Try to start your research project with a question. Once you've got that you can explore where to go, but you'll need lots of sources to get a good idea of your issue and possible solutions. Shoot for:

  • 2 articles
  • 2 websites
  • 2 newspaper articles
  • 2 books/ebooks
  • 1 video/podcast
Begin with these resources:

Articles:
Opposing Viewpoints
GALILEO
Google Scholar

Books:
School Catalog
Google Books

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Join the 2016 Reading Challenge


2016 is your year to set goals achieve them and surpass them. We're hoping that one of those goals is to read more and to motivate you we're joining Goodreads in their 2016 reading challenge. You can set a goal of however many books you'd like, but if you reach the golden 25 you'll be entered into a raffle to win a Kindle FIRE HD with keyboard and cover.

The deadline to reach 25 will be right before the milestones so you'll have all of Spring Break to do nothing but hide out in your reading cave.

Register Here

Remember, I can only track your books if you're checking out from the library.

Stand with Malala

The YES! Student Writing Competition is an opportunity for middle school through university students to write for a real audience - not just you, the teacher - and the chance to be published by an award-winning magazine. This quarter's theme is Every Girl's Right.
YESMagazine
Each quarter, students are invited to read and write an essay on a selected YES! Magazine article. YES! Magazine divides contestants into four categories: middle school, high school, university, and Powerful Voice (for authors whose essays are powerful and passionate). Winning essays in each category are published on YES! Magazine website and in the online education newsletter. Register by January 14th!

This winter, students will read and respond to the YES! Magazine article,
"Stand With Malala: Meet the Teenagers Who Survived the Taliban and Kept Going to School." From 2009-2012 the Taliban forcefully banned girls in the Swat Valley of Pakistan from going to school. In an interview with Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz, the two friends of Malala who were also shot on the bus tell the story of the traumatic experience that emboldened them to stand up for the right of every girl to an education.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Girls Who Code

Girls Who Code

Girls Who Code is a national non-profit organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology. Their programs educate, inspire, and equip girls to pursue opportunities in computing. The Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program is a FREE seven-week introduction to computer science for girls going into 11th and 12th grade.