English II Honors/English II—April 21, 2016 Daily Warm-up: What is the relationship between technology, market demand, and changes in higher education? Are traditional avenues of higher education meeting the needs of the workforce while providing attainable access to those pursuing the American Dream? Your answers may be based on information from the article we’ve discussed or your own thoughts. Homework: – 1 st hour: Study for Lesson 23 and 25 Vocabulary Quiz – 2 nd hour: Study for Lesson 11 Vocabulary Quiz – Reading Plus due Sunday at 11:59 – Antigone Essays will be counted late at this point. – Reminder: Reading Boot Camp this Saturday. You should be there!

English II Honors—Lesson 23 Vocabulary midcontinent- adj.- in or near the middle of a continent. submerge- v.- to cover or bury; to sink below a surface. circumlocution- n.-An indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea. intervention- n.-the act of inserting one thing between others, like a person trying to help. substandard- adj.- below standard; less than adequate. circumstance- n.- a condition or fact that affects a situation. intersperse- v.- to scatter here and there in intervals interact- v.- to act in such a way to have an effect on one another. subconscious-adj.- concerning the mind that is not fully aware but influences ones feeling’s and actions midlife- n.-the central period of a person’s life.

English II Honors—Lesson 25 Vocabulary whet – v.- To make keen or eager. wan – adj.- Lacking color; an unnatural or sickly pallor. unrequited- adj.- not returned or reciprocated. stalwart-adj.- strongly and stoutly built; hardworking and sturdy. suave- adj.- behaving in a polite, confident, and pleasant way in social situations. solitude- n.- The state of being alone; seclusion revel- v.- To indulge in boisterous festivities; to make merry. reverie- n.- To be lost in one’s thoughts; to daydream. unify- v.- to become united; to make stronger as one. rift- n.- to crack, split, or separate.

English II—Lesson 11 Vocabulary interrogation—n. the action of interrogating or the process of being interrogated. cognition—n. the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. elaborate—adj. involving many carefully arranged parts or details; detailed and complicated in design and planning. sentiment—n. a view of or attitude toward a situation or event; an opinion. innovate—v. make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products. sonorous—adj. capable of producing a deep or ringing sound. transcribe—v. put (thoughts, speech, or data) into written or printed form. corpulent—adj. (of a person) fat. insoluble—adj. impossible to solve. dormant—adj.(of an animal) having normal physical functions suspended or slowed down for a period of time; in or as if in a deep sleep.

NanoDegree? The New School of Thought in Education? Many companies today are working to infiltrate the traditional educational system in order to help promote a workforce of skilled applicants who possess the training and background needed to fill high-demand positions. In doing so, some companies are seeing a need for and even paving ground for a new structure of advanced education that bypasses the traditional college framework altogether.

Objective Summary Because of a lack of skilled workers coming from traditional college settings, Udacity and AT&T have teamed together to develop a NanoDegree that provides an alternative and follows a MOOC to help potential workers acquire basic programming skills to access entry-level jobs at AT&T.

WordBreak It UpPart of SpeechPredicted Meaning/Impact on Text Example: incredible in- (prefix) – means not -ible (suffix) – makes word an adjective cred (root) – means believe adjective – it’s describing Not believable. The author seems to imply it’s hard to believe that for so long tech companies have waited for workers to come to them to be trained on the job rather than reach out to schools to offer training to build a workforce with job-related skills. vocational, para. 4 voc (prefix)—to call/a calling Adjective—describing what kind of training Training directed at a particular occupation. The author is presenting the NanoDegree as something more than an attempt to take traditional vocational training and add an interactive component to it through the use of the internet. He seems to promote this as something more specific and significant. intriguingly, para. 5 -ly—makes this an adverb Adverb—it’s describing this concept of trainingTo appeal to one’s curiosity. Seems to be in this context a synonym for “interestingly.” The author is saying this approach is not what one would expect.

democratizing, para. 5 From the root democracy -ize—verb forming suffix that means to turn into or cause to be Verb Making it equal. It is suggesting that higher education isn’t equal for all people. The article at this point is discussing how to make college accessible for all Americans. attainment, para. 8 -ment (suffix) added to base attain changes the word to a noun and refers to the act of/product of Noun—references that which is attained Achievement. Referring to the US as having once been a leader in the number of citizens able to attain or get higher levels of education. As the article indicates, the US no longer outranks other countries. The NanoDegree could be a proposed solution. underscores, para. 10 From under + score, as in, to underline or show significance VerbTo stress; emphasize. The author uses the statistic about the earnings of college graduates while drawing attention to the fact that although more Americans enter college, there isn’t a huge increase in those who make it to graduation.

deficit, para. 10 def·i·cit as in deficient noun Shortage or lack. The author is suggesting it is a commonly held perception that American education is deficient or lacking, especially in comparison to other countries. affluent, para. 13 af·flu·ent from ad- (to) + fluere (to flow, as in fluent) adjective – describes those graduating from high income families Rich; as in, having abundant or flowing wealth. The author contrasts the statistics of those graduating from the “bottom quarter of the income distribution” with those of the “affluent families”, so they must be their wealthier counterparts. unscrupulous, para. 14 un·scru·pu·lous un- (prefix) – means without -ous (suffix) makes an adjective out of a noun, means full of or having adjective Without conscience or morals (scruples). The author describes those behind “degree mills” (like puppy mills?) as having no morals in their actions of taking students’ money for a degree that won’t afford them a salary to even pay off education loans.

prospects, para. 14 pros·pects pro- (prefix) – means forward spect (root) – to see plural noun Opportunities; things to look forward to. The author seems to be criticizing these degree mills for leaving their students with few career opportunities (although one would think they promise the opposite) while helping students rack up a large amount of student loan debt. plausible, para. 27 plau·si·ble from plaus-, as in applause adjective Possible; agreeable. The author here is promoting the idea that the NanoDegree offers a different, but possibly agreeable and rewarding, avenue for job-related skills training than a traditional college degree. credential, para. 28 cre·den·tial cred (root) – means believe; as in credence noun Evidence for ability. The author notes many companies are considering an earned NanoDegree as something they believe qualifies degree holders to be capable of performing the demands of their open positions.

Text-Dependent Questions Refer back to the text and use relevant and specific evidence to answer the following questions: – 1. What level of education is recommended in order for one to be successful in this program? – 2. What is the percentage difference between low and high- income high school students entering college? – 3. What is one reason that disadvantaged students are not going to college? – 4. What is a MOOC, and what is the likelihood that someone who starts one will finish it? – 5. What is one reason given that a typical community college student is not successful in a MOOC? – 6. What is the ultimate goal of this NanoDegree?

Writing Prompt The New York Times article, “A Smart Way to Skip College in Pursuit of a Job” poses the question, “Could an online degree earned in six to 12 months bring a revolution to higher education?” Based on the information in the article, analyze the effectiveness of the NanoDegree’s ability to revolutionize higher education. Is this format just a fad or an educational game changer?