Bill de Blasio's Platform

Political figures usually run their campaigns following a philosophy or vision that they think will serve the greater good of the citizens the intend to govern. This is called a platform.

Today you will research Mayor Elect, de Blasio's website to find out more about how he intends to change city policy. Follow the link below, and answer the questions below based on your research of one issue from de Blasio's website.

Once you get to his site, click on the option, issues. Read the list of issues and select one that you are most interested in researching de Blasio's plan.

www.billdeblasio.com

Questions:
1. What is the issue?
2. What is de Blasio's solution?
3. What can we infer about de Blasio's philosophy (platform) based on the solution he offers for the issue you selected?

Be prepared to share with the class.

Brooklyn History Lesson- 10.10.13

Aim: How and why did Brooklyn develop from 1750-1850 and what role did your neighborhood play in it.?

Do Now: We are adding data to our BK Map by including the dates buildings were built in your neighborhood! Once you have copied your Aim and HW come up to the map and follow Krucoff’s directions.

HW: Read over our class timelines. Add information about your specific neighborhood in the first 2 eras. Pick any era and look for patterns between Larger historical events, Brooklyn events and your neighborhood’s events.

•How was Brooklyn developing in the 18th and 19th Centuries?

•Why was it developing as it was during these time periods?

•How did your neighborhood play a role in all of this?

And….
How is history depicted?

•Historic overview (Big Picture)

»VS.

•Details (the color)

BUILDING INVENTORY PHOTOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT - Due Tuesday 10.15.13

Please note that only the photo portion of this assignment are due Tuesday. Writing your block description will be due at a later date!

YOUR TASK:

I.  Choose a block in your neighborhood that you feel depicts the character of your neighborhood.  This could be because:

1. The buildings on the block are very typical of the types of buildings in your neighborhood
2. The buildings on the block are varied, and thus show the changes over time
3. The buildings on the block are historic for one reason or another
4. The buildings on the block best show your neighborhood’s character

II.  Once you have chosen the block to photograph, you will be taking “building portraits.”  This means you will be photographing one building at a time, framing the entire building in the frame. 

1. If your block has smaller buildings on it, you must take between 6 – 8 photos (one each of 6 – 8 buildings),  on  BOTH SIDES OF THE BLOCK.
2. If your block has large buildings, you must make at least 3 building portraits.  If you can’t fit the entire building in the frame, be creative!  Take photos on both sides of the block.
3. You might have to figure how to best frame your buildings, which means you might need to take more than one photo of a building.  Try not to take more than 2 – this will save printing later on. 

BE SURE TO STAY ONLY ON ONE BLOCK, AND TO PHOTOGRAPH BOTH SIDES

OF THE STREET!

REMEMBER: WRITE DOWN THE ADDRESSES OF THE BUILDINGS YOU HAVE PHOTOGRAPHED! You will need this information later.

III.  Consider the time of day you will go and how your buildings will line up once printed and cut.  Be careful of cars, and of owners of homes.

1. Building portraits need to be taken at the same time of day
2. Buildings should line up fairly well (but they don’t have to be perfect)
3. You will likely have to stand in the street to take your photos.  Please be careful and be aware of cars.
4. You might encounter some people who will ask you why you are taking a photo of their home.  You can politely answer that you have been given an assignment to document the character of your neighborhood for school.  Don’t forget to smile when you answer. J

IV. AFTER YOUR PHOTOS ARE TAKEN:

If you have a computer and color printer:

1. Down load your photos to the computer.
2. Print your photos out at 4” x 6”. 
3. Cut your photos, leaving the white borders at the top and bottom.
4. Tape your photos together using transparent tape.
5. Label the neighborhood and street at the top.
6. Label the addresses and ages of the buildings at the bottom.

If you have a computer but no color printer:

1. Down load your photos to your computer.
2. Save them to a flash drive or CD
3. Bring the drive or CD in to Mr. Salak

Once your photos are printed:

1. Cut your photos, leaving the white borders at the top and bottom.
2. Tape your photos together using transparent tape.
3. Label the neighborhood and street at the top.
4. Label the addresses and ages of the buildings at the bottom.

If you do not have a computer at home:

1. Bring in your camera, or camera card to school.
2. Down load your photos to a school computer.
3. Save them to a flash drive or CD that Mr. Salak will give to you.

Once your photos are printed:

1.  Cut your photos, leaving the white borders at the top and bottom.
2. Tape your photos together using transparent tape.
3. Label the neighborhood and street at the top.
4. Label the addresses and ages of the buildings at the bottom.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

V.  Write your block description (see model) 

1. Describe where the block is in your neighborhood.
2. Describe what how this block depicts the character of your neighborhood.
3. Give some background history to the block and the neighborhood.
4. Describe some of the buildings in the photographs.

BKH Lesson 10/2/13

Brooklyn History – 10/2/13

Unit 2: History of NYC/Brooklyn

AIM: How has your neighborhood changed over time, and how have those changes influenced your neighborhood?

Do Now: Copy the definition of a turning point. Think of and jot down examples of turning points on the International, National, City-wide levels.

Turning Point: Events that change the character of the world, a nation, city or neighborhood in a significant way.

AGENDA:

1. View Flickr images as a shout out.

2. Introduction to History Unit

3. Review the Do Now

4. Hand-out readings to students.

6. Intro timeline where students will add their turning points and Did you know fact as well.

7.  Independent work time + add turning points to the timeline.

8. Exit slip: Write one turning point that influenced your neighborhood. Why is this a significant turning point in your neighborhood?

 

HW: Finish coding and annotating your neighborhood text. (See Salak if you don't have a neighborhood article yet.)

Photo Practical (Summative)

PHOTO SUMMATIVE PART I

DIRECTIONS:

Take a photo to answer each one of the questions below.  Remember to TAKE YOUR TIME in setting up your shot. 

1.      What is in the frame and what is not in the frame?
2.     Where is the light coming from?
3.     How far away or how close up do I have to be to take this photo?
4.     Where is the horizon line?
5.     What would happen if I took one step to the right?
6.     Where is there repetition in line or shape?
7.     How can I capture texture?
8.     What can I do in this picture to create layers (things in the foreground, middle-ground, and background)?

PHOTO SUMMATIVE PART II

DIRECTIONS:

Choose one of your photographs and upload it to Flickr.  Save it to the set called “Photo Practical.”  Next, click on “You” then “Organize.” At the bottom of the screen drag your photo into the gray area in the middle of the screen.  Your photo should pop up in the upper left-hand corner of the screen.  Click on “edit photos” in the upper left hand corner of the tool bar and click on “Title, tags, and descriptions.”

Once there, write the following:

1.     Write a title for your photo in the “Title” space.
2.     Describe the composition choices you made when taking this photo (which question did you answer, and how did you answer it in this photo?) in the “Description” space.  Use the class’ photo composition terms where applicable.
3.     Add your first and last name, no spaces, in the “Tags” space.

Brooklyn History Lesson 9.24.2013

Welcome documentary photographer Erica Macdonald!

Aim: How do photographers use composition to capture their ideas about a subject?

Do Now: Now that you have taken some photographs yourself, write down one or two questions that you can ask a professional photographer. 

AGENDA:

1.Introduce the day and our guest speaker: Erica Macdonald

2.In conversation: A look through the photographs of Erica Macdonald

3.A discussion of some of your own photographs

4.http://www.flickr.com/photos/bkhistory413/

5.http://www.flickr.com/photos/bkhistory413/sets

6.Summary and Q & A

HW:  

1. Write an answer to the Aim question based on the visit by Erica Macdonald and your notes.  

2.  Go to the BK History Flickr page.  Choose someone's set of photos to look through and choose ONE photo you feel has strong composition.  We will be sharing student photographs in class tomorrow.

Questions that might help you get started on your Personal Narrative! 9.23.2013

1.Do I want to follow David Gonzalez’ model and write/reflect on a specific neighborhood that is important to me? If so, what neighborhood?

Brainstorm a list of reasons this neighborhood is important to me.

2. Do I want to follow Colson Whitehead’s example and talk about NYC in a more general way? Trying to define what it means to be a New Yorker and what my “private NYC” is…

Brainstorm a list of places/experience that I want t write about

3. Where can I use imagery and sensory language in my piece?

4. What personal anecdotes can I use in my piece?

5. Where can I include reflection in my piece?

6. Who is my audience?

Photo Assignment: Unit 1 - How can photographs capture our perceptions of NYC? Due Tuesday, October 24th

After examining the work of several NYC photographers for style and subject matter, take 5 photographs of your New York City that demonstrate your own relationship to the city.  For each photograph try to use one of the following techniques/terms when planning the photo.

PHOTO COMOPOSITION TERMS:

(Or – how to sound smart when looking at art)

Composition – how the image is set up (for example, what is in the foreground, middle-ground, background), what you choose to put in the frame

Foreground – What is in the front of the photograph

Background – What is in the back of the photograph

Frame – The borders of the shot.  The frame dictates what you include or exclude in your shot.

Juxtaposition – Setting one item in your frame next to another to highlight their differences (example: old and new, tall and short, light and dark)

Contrast – The lights and darks in your shot (example: shadow and light, light building next to a dark one)

Angle – Taking the photo from above, below, to the side, a long shot, close-up or straight on to highlight what is in the image (example, a long, lonely road from its center, or a tall building looking up from below)

Personal Narrative (Summative Assignment) Due Friday, September 27th

Unit 1:  Growing Up in New York, Then and Now

In this unit, students will read and examine stories and essays written or presented by several New Yorkers.  They will consider how each writer defines what is like to live in New York and what it means to be a New Yorker, as well as the intended audience for each piece and the writer’s craft.  The students will consider their relationship to the place in which they live and compare it to the writers’ experiences.  They will take initial photographs of their neighborhoods, documenting the character and places of interest. Then students will craft a personal narrative piece that answers the question “What is my relationship to NYC?  How is my identity shaped by where I am from and where I live?” How does my NYC experience shape my priorities for the city?

Summative Assessment:  My New York writing piece and photo illustration

How do writers communicate their experiences of being a New Yorker?  After reading and analyzing personal essays by several New Yorkers describing their perceptions and relationships to where they live, write a narrative from your own perspective of living in New York that addresses your relationship to the city, and how living here shapes your identity.   Use imagery and sensory language to develop a narrative effect in your work.   Include personal anecdotes, reflection and details to support your ideas about what it means to live in the city.

How can photographs capture our perceptions of NYC?  After examining the work of several NYC photographers for style and subject matter, take 5 photographs of your New York City that demonstrate your own relationship to the city.  

Anchor Texts:  Colossus of New York, Colson Whitehead; The Bronx Remembered slideshow, David Gonzalez; + 1 from the immigrant experience

Guidelines:

• The assignment should be 2 pages minimum and 4 pages maximum.
• Typed and double spaced
• Make sure to give your piece a title.
• Students must print out a hard copy.

BK History Lesson - 9.19.2013

Lesson Four:

AIM: How do photographers communicate their experiences

Do Now: 

Think about your neighborhood and David Gonzalez’ slide show.  What are 2 – 3 photographs you could take that would capture your neighborhood?

HW: Choose one of these photographs and use detailed imagery to describe it in order that your classmates can picture it.

AGENDA:

1. Do Now
2. Do Now Share
3. Hand out photo assignment and discuss (Due on Tuesday)
4. Explain:  Just like we look at different writes writing styles, we have to look at different photography styles
5. In groups look at pictures. Use the books and the LES Slideshow
6. Students come up and present their chosen image in their group
7. Mike introduces photo terms

BK History Lesson - 9.18.2013

Lesson Three




AIM: How do writers use reflection to communicate the meaning of their experiences?



DO NOW: Share your commute description with the person next to you. Be prepared to discuss your partner’s anecdote with the whole class. We will collect your HW!



AGENDA:

1. Do Now: Share HW with the person next to you

2. Whole class share of HW (share your partner’s)

3. Introduce David Gonzalez piece

4. Listen and watch

5. Getting to the gist

6. Read, code and annotate looking for reflection and significant moments

7. Listen and read

8. Interpreting the Ideas of the text

9. Open Forum discussion



HW: Brainstorm a list (at least 4) moments you have had in New York where you felt changed afterward (think about David Gonzalez’ example of coming back to the Bronx and having his experience there). Choose one of your ideas and 1) describe the experience, and 2) explain how it changed you.

BK History Unit 1, Lesson 2 - 9.17.2013

Lesson Two:

Aim:  How do you distinguish between what a writer is saying and what a writer is doing?

Do Now:

Jot answers to the following questions in prep for the Open Forum discussion. 

• What is Colson Whitehead saying about what it means to live in NYC?
• What is he saying about what it means to be a New Yorker?
• Where did you like his writing style?  What techniques did he use?

AGENDA:

1. Do Now: 
2. Open Forum Discussion
3. Introduce the note-sheet:  Model the sheet
4. Author says, Author does, Author means – in class

HW:  Describe an aspect of your commute to school using sensory images (example:  your walk to the subway or from the subway, your ride on the subway etc.)

BK History Unit 1, Lesson 1 - 9.16.2013

BK History

Unit One: Personal Narrative

Lesson One:

AIM:  How do writers communicate their experiences?

DO NOW: 

Vocabulary: 

Anecdote:  A short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

Write down one anecdote that you have experienced that could only have happened in New York City.

AGENDA:

1. Do Now
2. Do Now Share – highlighting imagery (creating a picture for the reader by using descriptive language), sensory images (include details that bring to life the smells, sounds, touch, sights, and tastes for the reader), reflection (describing the impact something had on you and your idenity)
3. Review the unit overview – expectations, assignments, summative assessment
4. Hand out Whitehead reading and begin to read, discuss and code and annotate
5. Choose a line that  resonates with you and share

HW:  Finish reading, coding and annotating.  Choose a line that most resonates with you.  Open Forum discussion tomorrow

BK History Lesson 4 - 9.12

Aim: What are the questions we can ask that will help us explain how Brooklyn got to be the way it is?

DO NOW: In your notes, make a T-Chart: 

Observations:

Inferences:

                               

Questions:

Write your observations and inferences of this image, and a level 1, 2, and 3 question.

Come up with a title for the image.

http://maggieblanck.com/Brooklyn/Nov0512a.jpg

VOCABULARY:

CORRELATION:   To establish the mutual relationships of different data

DATA:  Factual information used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, and calculation

AGENDA:

1. Do now
2. Do Now share
3. Introduce next lens: historical
4. Explain the task:  viewing two historical maps and observing and generating Qs (use Gowanus Canal)
5. Review Costa’s House and model Level 1, 2, 3 Questions with the map
6. Students get laptops, handouts, and task to begin
7. Independent/pair research and question-creation
8. Stop and share observations as students go along
9. Write Qs on post-its and stick on Costa’s house

Map 1 Link:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/This_Interactive_Map_Compares_the_New_York_City_of_1836_to_Today.html
Map 2 Link:

http://bklynr.com/block-by-block-brooklyns-past-and-present/

BK History 2013 Lesson 3 – 9.11.2013

 Aim:  How has NYC changed under Michael Bloomberg’s tenure as mayor?

DO NOW:   Which of these topics seems the most interesting to you:

1.        Building affordable housing for NYC

2.       New building development in NYC

3.       Who is moving in and out of NYC neighborhoods

AGENDA:

1. Share HW in a discussion reviewing the coding

2. Hand out different readings – by interest (ELL students get shortest reading)

3. Students independently read, code and annotate

4. Hand out Qs and students jot answers

5. Review Open Forum protocol – we will use for any informal whole class discussion from here on out

6. Start Open Forum discussion with readings

Questions for readings (Complete on worksheet)

1.        According to your text, which issues are New Yorkers facing today?

2.       According to your text, how did Mayor Bloomberg attempt to address these issues?

3.       Based on what you have read so far, and any prior knowledge, how important is this issue for the city?

   HW:  Answer AIM Question

BK History Lesson 2 - 9.10.2013

Aim:  How has NYC changed under Michael Bloomberg’s tenure as mayor?

DO NOW:

Answer the following questions in your notebook or on a separate sheet of paper:

1.      How long have you lived in NYC?

2.     What is one thing about the city that has changed since you have lived here?

3.     Would you say that this change has been for the better or for the worse?  Why?

AGENDA:

Do Now

Share HW:  Turn-and-Talk with Questions; and Whole Class

Discuss Do Now answers

Introduce Lens Two:  Current NYC issues

-        Reshaping New York: NY Times interactive  

 http://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2013/08/18/reshaping-new-york/

-        Introduce coding and annotating text with “New York Remade” article from WNYC

-        Independent Work:  Coding and annotating article

HW2:  Finish coding and annotating “New York Remade”.

TURN-and-TALK DIRECTIONS:

1.      To the person or persons next to you, explain who you interviewed, and the questions that you asked.

2.     Which of the answers was most interesting or surprising to you?

3.     How do your interviewee’s answers compare to your own?