The Soloist

Steve Lopez, a Los Angeles journalist, befriends a homeless Juilliard-trained musician, Nathaniel Ayers, while looking for a new article for the paper.

The movie focuses on mental illness, homelessness, and the healing power of music.


Below is a link to the 2009 movie trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_Spu2nO0jw

Mr. Nathaniel Ayers and Mr. Steve Lopez:

http://www.musicmentalillness.com/nathaniel-ayers-page.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjr82pzrVSY

Famous people who were once homeless:

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/slideshow/jim-cramer-celebrities-homeless-16581069

http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/12/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/celebs-homeless-gallery/

http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/07/11/stars-who-were-once-homeless/slide/jennifer-lopez/

Famous people who suffer from mental illness:

http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/mental-disorders/15-celebrities-with-mental-health-disorders.htm

http://www.wcupa.edu/_admin/social.equity/documents/Mental%20Illness%20Facts.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Xw1LCKACE&list=PL2ghkvBezmWg1BuGXLFcyo8uubZUrUwC0

Links to information about music therapy:

http://www.slideshare.net/adlittlefield/7-celebrities-who-get-music-therapy

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/medical/health/medical/treatments/story/2011-11-28/Music-therapy-can-help-retrain-an-injured-brain/51446362/1

Common Core

Not sure what the Common Core is all about?  The following link provides an explanation of the new Common Core standards and also provides links to the standards students and parents can expect to see being covered in class.

www.corestandards.org

26 Reasons to Read!

"I hate reading!"  "Reading is so boring!"  "Ugh, why do we have to read so much?" "There are too many other things I would rather do besides read a book!"

Sound familiar?  Then read on to find out why reading is such an important life-long skill and to learn about some startling statistics and facts about reading!

I've also included several links to popular books for teens/young adults!

http://www.brevardcounty.us/docs/Files/26reasontoread.pdf

http://schools.natlib.govt.nz/creating-readers/creating-reading-culture/engaging-teens-reading

http://www.scholastic.com/readeveryday/facts.htm

http://raisingbookworms.com/resources/reading-and-literacy-statistics/

http://www.rif.org/us/literacy-resources/articles/teenagers-and-reading.htm

http://www.npr.org/2012/08/07/157795366/your-favorites-100-best-ever-teen-novels

http://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/teen

Vocabulary

The vocabulary text for the class is Vocabulary for Success (Sadlier).  There are 7 units of study in the book, and each unit contains 3 lessons.  Students are encouraged to take advantage of the online resources at www.vocabularyforsuccess.com.  In order to access the site, students should enter the following Student Access Code:  VFS13SGDVXTF.

www.vocabularyforsuccess.com

Helpful Resources

Writing

I will often reference the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL).  This is a fantastic resource that offers 200+ free resources.  You can find help for research, writing, grammar, style guides, and professional writing.  Excellent examples are also provided.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu


Oral Presentations

There will be several instances throughout the school year in which students will be expected to give presentations, both informal and formal.  I often hear students say, "I don't 'do' presentations!"  Here's my response:  Do you walk into math class and say, "I don't 'do' fractions!"  Do you walk into science class and say, "I don't 'do' lab experiments!"  Do you walk into foreign language class and say, "I don't 'do' verb conjugations!"?  Of course, you don't!  Instead of thinking and saying, "I don't 'do' presentations!" how about saying, "I CAN do this presentation!"?

I can empathize with students and their fear of public speaking.  I, too, used to become anxious when knowing I had to speak in front of an audience, but by making the effort to at least try, you are already taking your first step in decreasing your fear of public speaking.  It does get better each time you do it.

Practicing in front of family and friends is one way to feel better prepared for your presentation.  I am always available to work with students one-on-one before or after school or during my lunch time in order to help a student overcome their anxiety.

Knowing how to speak effectively is not just an "English class" thing; it is a life-long skill you will need in order to be successful in your college and career goals!

I have included some links that students may find helpful when preparing for a presentation and/or wanting to reduce their anxiety of public speaking:

http://www.lehigh.edu/~incso/PDFs/publicspeakinganxietypamphlet.pdf

http://www.extension.harvard.edu/hub/blog/extension-blog/3-tips-overcoming-fear-public-speaking

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/CTL/Oralcomm/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20OvercomingSpeechAnxiety.pdf

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fear-of-public-speaking/AN01979


Literature

The following link will take you to a glossary of literary elements and their definitions.

http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/general/glossary.htm

Lesson Plans

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bMKODxE0ydxyeFqvconVWAzbukjQYQXifX271HL5OVI/edit?usp=sharing