Unit 67: The New Gizmo

Describe the features of a techno-gizmo using 5 adjectives, three of which should be compound adjectives.

Info-mercials

Many new inventions are marketed on paid-for television shows called "info-mericals".

The king of info-mercials is the inventor, Ron Popeil, inventor of Super Glue, Veg-O-Matic, Rotissiere Barbecue and bald-spot hiding hair-spray.

Another is Dyson, an engineer who re-invented vacuum cleaners and other machines.

Search for these guys on http://www.youtube.com/ and see what comes up. Then report back.

• What did you see?


• What were you impressed by?


• What looked like a useless piece of junk? (One gadget can scramble an egg inside the shell.)


• Would you or did you buy any of their products?

Unit 67: Creating a product prototype

Google the phrase "creating a product prototype" and follow a link that interests you.

Look for this information:

• What is the process for marketing a new product?
• Who gives the clearest, step-by-step guidelines?
• What are the obstacles and pitfalls of new product development?
• How does one generate interest in a new product?
• What is a "must-have" and what is just a gadget? (Who needs to watch tv on their phone?)

Please report back which websites you looked at, which were the most helpful and which were the least. This information will be useful for your project on Monday.

Dream Interpretation

There are many websites for dream interpretation including:
Dreamota,
The Dream Dictionary,
dreams according to Freud and Jung,
and dream interpretation for different religions.

So your assignment is to google "dream interpretation", pick a web site, look up the meaning of an image, then come back to the blog and relate what you have learned.

DO NOT CUT AND PASTE YOUR ANSWER!

If you do, I will not give you credit for the assignment. Rather, you should read the material, and relate what you have learned in your own words. Let us know where you got your answer.

Kid Fears

The following is a music video for the song "Kid Fears" by the Indigo Girls.

1. What's going on in this video?


2. What are the dangers? What are they frightened of?


3. Where do they find safety and comfort from the dangers?


4. What images did you find the most compelling?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwSiAOWCdB0&feature=related

Unit 66: Fears

Respond to the following questions:

1. What are you afraid of?

2. How do you react when you are confronted by the things that scare you. (eg. Whenever I see spiders, I curl up into a ball and scream.)

3. Have you ever avoided doing something because of your fears? (eg. Because of my fear of flying, I always take the train or I just don't go on the trip.)

4. Do you ever do anything that's a little risky because you enjoy the thrill, like sky-diving or bungee jumping? (eg. To overcome my fear of clowns, I joined the circus.)

5. What do you think of daredevils (people who do dangerous things)?

6. Do you have any remedies for your fears, or can you suggest remedies for other people's fears?

Writing your review

I found a good website that talks about how to write a film review well.
Check it out.http://essay-paper.net/film_review.html

Here are some guidelines for writing your film review:

You can write about Ed Wood, a movie that you see this weekend or your favorite film of all time. It can be an American film or one from your own country. It doesn't matter to me.

Include 3 participle clauses (eg. "Starring Johnny Depp in the title role, Ed Wood....)

Hit as many different aspects of the film as you can: story, dialogue, acting, directing, music, cinematography, choreography, set, costumes, special effects... etc.

Use 6 different vocabulary words from p. 12.

Now you don't have to say it was thrilling if it wasn't. You might even say, "it was less than thrilling" or better yet, "It could have been more thrilling if...."


Structure:
1. Facts

2. Summary of the plot (but don't give away the ending)

3. Impression

4. Recommend for whom?

If you would like to watch some of the real Ed Wood's movies, you can go to YouTube and search for Glen or Glenda, Plan 9 from Outer Space, Pull the String! or The Haunted World of Ed D Wood Jr.

Good luck.

Unit 65, summary of a movie

Write a short summary (1 paragraph) of a movie that you know well. You can google it first for information.

1. What is the title?
2. What is the rating? Why does it have this rating? (nudity, violence, drugs ...etc.)
3. Who stars in this film?
4. What is the plot? What happens in this movie?
(DO NOT CUT AND PASTE! THIS MUST BE IN YOUR OWN WORDS)
5. How many stars would you give it? Why would you give them?

Start the first sentence with a participle clause. (eg. Based on a true story,... Starring Charlie Chaplin as the Tramp,... etc.)

If you have never used this blog before, you will need to create an account. Follow the steps to do so. When it asks you to create a blog, sign out and sign back in with your username and password.

Unit 75: Mysterious Phenomena

Unit 75: Mysterious Phenomena
Hello, Class. Here is what I would like you to do: Research a mysterious phenomenon. It can be anything. Write your opinion about this mystery. Do you think it's a hoax or a delusion? Why? If so, give a more rational explanation.
Do you think it could be for real? Why? What gives you faith in this phenomenon?

Here is a partial list of mysterious phenomena to choose from.
aliens
Area 51
ghosts
haunted houses
haunted ships
The Flying Dutchman
past life regression
possession
Bigfoot/ Sasquatch
Yeti/Abominable Snowman
The Loch Ness Monster
Angels
Sightings of the Virgin Mary
Speaking in Tongues
Being Slain in the Spirit
Faith Healing
Near Death Experiences
Out of Body Experiences
Mediums
Seances
Astrology (Greek or Chinese)
Reading Tea Leaves and Coffee Grounds
Palm Reading
...and so on.

Character Profile

Write a character profile, about 1 paragraph. This character can be a person, animal or even an alien or a fantasy creature. Your character should be one of the following.

HERO. This should be the main character of the story. The hero can save the day, or try and fail. He doesn't have to be completely good or noble. He can make some very bad choices, but he should never give up trying.
eg. Peter Pan, Luke Skywalker, Don Quixote

HEROINE. She is usually the hero's love interest. She can be the lady in distress who needs to be rescued, or a strong woman who takes matters into her own hands. She can also be smarter than the hero and the one who saves the day in the end.
eg. Wendy, Princess Leia

SIDEKICK. This is the hero's best friend and confidant. The sidekick admires the hero and stays by his side.
eg. Tinkerbell, Robin, Sancho Panza

VILLAIN. The villain is greedy, selfish and hungry for personal gain. It can be the villain's motive to defeat the hero or to have his own goal that the hero feels he must stop. He must let nothing stand between him and his goal.
eg. Captain Hook, the Joker

VILLAINESS. She may be the love interest to the villain or a competitor to the heroine, vying for the affections of the hero. Like the villain, she must let nothing stand in her way.
eg. Harley Quinn, Cat Woman, Tinkerbell

LACKEY. This is the villain's sidekick. He may admire the villain or simply fear him. But he stays by his side. Unlike the sidekick, he might leave or betray the villain if he thinks it's in his best interests.
eg. Smee to Capt. Hook, Renfield to Dracula

GURU. This is someone older and wiser who teaches and advises the hero. Maybe he was a hero in his own day. But now he can only look on and drop pearls of wisdom.
eg. Yoda, Batman's butler Alfred

Once you have chosen what kind of character you have, you must decide several things.
1. What does he/she want?
2.What obstacles stand in his/her way?
3.What is he/she willing to do to get it?
4. What is this person's defining characteristic? (think adjectives: brave, honest, selfish, afraid...etc.)

relative clauses

Put what you just learned about relative clauses into practice. Write 1 paragraph describing someone or something using 2 defining and 2 non-defining relative clauses.

Example:
Our dog, Cubby, which is a yellow labrador, is a rambunctious wild beast. When I take him for a walk in the evenings, he wants to chase all of the little wild rabbits which come out at night. I thought that this dog, who weighs almost 40 kilos of pure muscle, was going to yank my arm out of its socket. Yet Cubby is my dear friend who always greets me with happy barks and wet kisses and I love him dearly.

which is a yellow labrador: non-defining
which come out at night: defining
who weighs almost 40 kilos of pure muscle: non-defining
who always greets me with happy barks and wet kisses : defining