The last English class you'll take at CCA............................hopefully.
Welcome to English 12!
This class is designed to give you skills that you can take with you to the next chapter of your life......college and beyond. I hope the literature we read will resonate with you as it mirrors, in many ways, the personal journey upon which you're about to embark. Furthermore, the Senior Project that I KNOW you've heard so much about (and are so intensely excited for) will help you in your pursuit of doing something you have passion for when Canyon Crest Academy is eventually in your rear view mirror. Use this site to keep up to speed with everything we're doing in class, as well as find resources to make your senior year the best it can be. Relish this time and the people you're connected to, because your life will never be like this again, People.
This class is designed to give you skills that you can take with you to the next chapter of your life......college and beyond. I hope the literature we read will resonate with you as it mirrors, in many ways, the personal journey upon which you're about to embark. Furthermore, the Senior Project that I KNOW you've heard so much about (and are so intensely excited for) will help you in your pursuit of doing something you have passion for when Canyon Crest Academy is eventually in your rear view mirror. Use this site to keep up to speed with everything we're doing in class, as well as find resources to make your senior year the best it can be. Relish this time and the people you're connected to, because your life will never be like this again, People.
Senior Boards Presentations
Please take a look at the information below so you can see where and when you need to report for your Senior Boards Presentations. Please report at least 10 minutes before your scheduled time and dress professionally. This is the LAST academic responsibility for most of you in your CCA career. Make the most of it! Good luck. : )
Lee/Mirsaidi
F-201 3:15 Krinsky 3:30 Kaszuba 3:45 Ziegel 4:00 Razuki 4:15 Chae-Banks 4:30 Wade 4:45 Mirsaidi 5:00 Lee Baron/Gotta E-201 3:15 Brems 3:30 Chait 3:45 Polterock 4:00 DeMaria 4:15 Lewis 4:30 Gavreau 4:45 Schorr 5:00 Baron |
Little/Ziegel
E-205 3:15 Dufour 3:30 Echeverri 3:45 Haller 4:00 Floeter 4:15 Sutton 4:30 Weiland 4:45 Comstock 5:00 Little Deremer/Farrar E-203 3:15 Abed 3:30 Chung 3:45 Cline 4:00 Du 4:15 Swayze 4:30 Zheng 4:45 Barnes 5:00 Deremer |
Glover/Miller
F-205 3:15 Denny 3:30 Raj 3:45 Glover 4:00 Novick 4:15 Nielsen 4:30 Trombley 4:45 Miller 5:00 Majeski Frederico/Kinnare E-204 3:15 Frederico 3:30 Heinemann 3:45 Kinebuchi 4:00 Hajj 4:15 Lu 4:30 Marxer 4:45 Rideout 5:00 Rosoff |
Adams/Driker
F-206 3:15 Duvinage 3:30 Elmokadem 3:45 Mohager 4:00 Shapiro 4:15 Shenkiryk 4:30 Driker, A. 4:45 Driker, N. Fox/Katz E-208 3:15 Brazerol 3:30 Vargas-DeWitt 3:45 Emerson 4:00 Maher 4:15 Jain 4:30 Razniak 4:45 Nelson 5:00 Katz |
Black/Cecil
G-203 3:00 Marshall 3:15 Weinreb 3:30 Chen 3:45 Carangelo 4:00 Young 4:15 Burklund |
Submit your Research Paper to Turnitin.com by Tuesday night.
Your assignment ID # and passwords are as follows:
2nd period--ID #15505643 Password: ravens
3rd period--ID #15505669 Password: ravens
Your assignment ID # and passwords are as follows:
2nd period--ID #15505643 Password: ravens
3rd period--ID #15505669 Password: ravens
Google Classroom
In addition to this website, you may access your homework assignments through our Google Classroom. Most things you submit for this class will be turned in through your Google Classroom. Please take note of your access code depending on what period you have English 12.
NOTE: Codes are case sensitive.
NOTE: Codes are case sensitive.
Period 2:
kh6vy0 |
Period 3:
q57qi2 |
Video of the Week
This week’s speech is a Top Ten list of sorts, compiled by Admiral William H. McRaven over a nearly 40-year distinguished career in the Navy. His words of wisdom cover everything from the simplicity—and importance—of making one’s bed every morning to the grit one must have in dealing with and progressing from failure. Admiral McRaven charges his audience of graduates from the University of Texas at Austin with the task of changing the world ten people at a time, and articulates how this lofty goal is well within reach for all of us if we simply adhere to this thoughtful list of things learned after a life served in the military. |
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Archived Videos of the Week
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Assignments due this week...
Study Siddhartha vocabulary from Part One (ch. 1-4)--Vocab test on Wednesday, March 1st
Click on this Quizlet to help you study for next week's quiz.
Read Part One (ch. 1-4) from Siddhartha--Quiz on Friday, February 24th
Senior Project--Mentorship/Research Paper Proposal Letter--due Friday, February 10th

english12--seniorproject--mentorship_researchpaperproposalletter.docx | |
File Size: | 16 kb |
File Type: | docx |

english12--researchpaper--proposallettertemplate.docx | |
File Size: | 34 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Personality Test research

english12--seniorproject--myersbriggstest.docx | |
File Size: | 14 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Student Information Survey

english12--pre-class_survey.doc | |
File Size: | 27 kb |
File Type: | doc |
What's going on in class...
Mentorship
Now that you've secured a mentorship and are about to launch into your 15-hour experience, make sure you've set four Learning Objectives that you hope to execute under the guidance of your mentor. You will find a copy of a Learning Objective Log below. Fill out four of these forms (one for each Learning Objective) and show them to your mentor so he/she can help you fulfill them.
For example, if you want to coach youth soccer someday, you may have Learning Objectives like: 1) learn how to come up with a game plan (x's and o's); 2) learn how to inspire my team and help them reach their full potential; 3) learn how to employ a strength/conditioning program to help my players perform at their best; 4) learn how to communicate well with parents/players.
The Mentorship Verification Form is something you will give to your mentor upon completion of your 15-hour mentorship experience. Take a look at the questions they'll need to answer to give you an idea of what you should be trying to accomplish during this experience.
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Research Paper
The Research Paper will draw on a variety of primary and/or secondary sources to prove a thesis about an issue or topic that is, at the very least, tangentially related to your mentorship. For example, if we use the mentorship example presented above about becoming a youth soccer coach, perhaps your research paper may tackle the controversial issue of CTE and brain-related trauma that comes from womens' soccer and has doctors and parents alike asking tough questions about whether or not we should be allowing our daughters to play the sport at a certain age based on new concussion findings. If you choose to do your mentorship with a photographer, your research paper may question the ethics or illuminate the practices of manipulating photography (Photoshop and other editing tools) in order to entice consumers to purchase cosmetics, fashion or other products. Perhaps you want to research the implications of this practice on a growing number of young women who are aspiring to a beauty ideal that does not really exist on the pages of the magazines they're viewing?
Your research paper must be 7-10 typed pages and follow standard MLA format.
Consider the following questions when crafting the thesis for your research paper:
Make sure your answer to each of these questions is "Yes" before embarking on your thesis and subsequent paper. Below are some additional resources to help you organize your thoughts (and your paper), including a couple of examples from former students.
Your research paper must be 7-10 typed pages and follow standard MLA format.
Consider the following questions when crafting the thesis for your research paper:
- Does my thesis take a stance using clear and concise language?
- Is my thesis self-evident? In other words, could someone disagree with it?
- Does my thesis have a "so what" or does it make an original contribution to a debatable issue?
- Can my thesis be researched? Can I find at least 10 resources that cover my outline?
- Does my basic outline have specific, coherent, and non-repetitive sections that develop my thesis?
Make sure your answer to each of these questions is "Yes" before embarking on your thesis and subsequent paper. Below are some additional resources to help you organize your thoughts (and your paper), including a couple of examples from former students.
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english12--researchpaper--workscitedpage.pdf | |
File Size: | 89 kb |
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Some student examples of Research Papers and Works Cited Pages
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Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
One-page Time Magazine article reflection

english12--intothewild--whytheteenbrainisdrawntorisk.docx | |
File Size: | 20 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Personal Mission/Vision Statement--due Tuesday, March 8th
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Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Complete novel by Monday, February 29th

english12--siddhartha--pre-reading_reflection_questions.docx | |
File Size: | 16 kb |
File Type: | docx |
The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path
Check out these two videos, as well as the accompanied notes I've provided for you. This will give you some foundational understanding of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, which are at the core of Buddhism, as well as young Siddhartha's quest for Enlightenment in Hesse's novel.
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Senior Project Forms--return these completed forms to Mr. Black by Tuesday, March 15th
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Beeper Study (Ping project)--due Tuesday, February 16th
In the spirit of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's "Beeper Study," conduct your own experiment with the assistance of your peers in class. Send 25 text messages with only the word "ping" to your partner. Make sure your pings are sent at random times throughout the day, not on the hour every hour, nor at the same time in subsequent days. When you RECEIVE a ping from someone else, take note of what you're doing at that precise moment and write it down (for convenience, there are plenty of note taking apps on your phone). Consider whom you are with, whether or not you're outside or indoors, and most importantly how you were feeling the moment before you got "ping"ed. While you will be asked to elaborate more later, for the purpose of your notes, you can say things like:
- washing the dishes......feeling tired
- reading poetry......feeling melancholy
- painting on canvas......feeling inspired
- stuck in traffic......feeling frustrated
- reading a bedtime story to my little brother......feeling connected

english12--pingproject.docx | |
File Size: | 19 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Mentorship Selection
What is Flow?
Have you ever been so focused in a creative, athletic or other endeavor that you've lost track of time and space? Some athletes call this "the zone." Runners call it the "runner's high." Writers experience it. Musicians. Painters. Creatives of all kinds. Hungarian scientist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced Me-high Cheek-sent-me-high) has come up with what he terms the concept of Flow.....the time when your skills and your passion intersect to produce a state of being where you are completely focused, connected and enveloped in what you're doing, and as it turns out, as happy as one can be. We will look at this theory a bit further before launching into the selection of our mentorship/internship opportunities for the Senior Project. Check out this TED talk by Csikszentmihalyi to learn more.
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Pleasure vs Meaning
Think about the times when you are feeling happiest. What are you doing? Are you alone or with friends? Family? Are you being challenged in some way or just passing the time? Now think about the times when you feel that what you're doing has the most meaning. Mark Twain once said, "The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why." We will explore the things that make us happy, as well as the things that give us a sense of purpose, before launching into selecting our internship/mentorship opportunity for the Senior Project.

english12--seniorproject--pleasure_v_meaning.docx | |
File Size: | 17 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Final Draft of Research Paper--due (to turnitin.com and hard copy to me) by Friday, June 2nd
Portfolio--due by Wednesday, June 7th
- Research Paper hard copy
- Mentor Verification Form
- Physical Project Self-Evaluation
- Learning Objective Logs (four of them)

english12--seniorproject--mentorship--verification_form.docm | |
File Size: | 95 kb |
File Type: | docm |

english12--seniorproject--internship_physical_project_self_evaluation.doc | |
File Size: | 104 kb |
File Type: | doc |

english12--seniorproject--mentorship--learningobjectivelog.docx | |
File Size: | 14 kb |
File Type: | docx |