A Block -- Advanced Policy Debate

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument August 2017

A Block -- Advanced Policy Debate

Students in In-Person Cohort A -- Allen, Anna, Brian, Darren, Jeffrey, Laura
Students in In-Person Cohort B -- Angelique, Armaan, Caroline, Grace, Joel, Michelle
Students in RLA -- Alan, Alex P, Anika, Atul, Chris, Crystal, Ishan, Jack, Kevin, Kunal K,
Mahima, Matthew, Mimansa, Sarena, Shreyas, Tanisha, Vihan, Vinit,
Yifan, Zahra
Students Serving as TAs in Novice Policy Class -- Amanda, Larry, Pia, Will

<-- Cohort A Seating Chart

There is no desk in bottom left corner because teacher's desk is located there. Please sit in assigned seats every day. Thanks!

Cohort B Seating Chart (Above)

Current Schedule -- Hybrid -- Week 17 -- Hybrid Sched Remotely

Class Plans By Week -- The Newest Activities are at the Top

Week 17 -- Choose Your Own Projects/Big Lex Prep/Practice
Remote Class for Everyone -- Monday 8:30 - 9:20 a.m. -- Debrief Newark/Needs for Big
Lex, Durham and Emory/Work Time on Choose Your Own Projects
Remote Class for Everyone -- Tuesday 8:30 - 9:40 a.m. -- Peer Editing of Choose Your
Own Projects (with a Form, in Small Groups)
Remote Class for Everyone -- Wednesday 8:30 - 9:45 a.m. -- Big Lex Instructions for
Room Checkers and Judges/Prep Time for People Debating/Work Time to Fix Older
Projects or to Start New Ones, If Any
Remote Class for Everyone -- Thursday 8:30 - 9:40 a.m. -- Quick Chat About Big
Lex/Work on Emory Projects/Plan for Practice Debates (on Tuesday)

Week 16 -- Project Updates/Stream/Politics/Next Year Topics
Remote Class for Everyone -- Monday 2:10 - 3:10 p.m. -- Remind Folks of Notes on the
Stream/Discuss Political Situation and Related Arguments/Review the Topic Selection
Process and Potential Topics/Update Group on Projects/Discuss Artificial Competition

Week 15 -- Debrief Blake/Jan Planning/Make File Decisions
Remote Class for Everyone -- Monday 2:10 - 3:10 p.m. -- Debrief Blake/Review January
Tournaments and Preview February/Figure Out How to Approach January Files

Week 14 -- Speaking and Flowing/Answering New Arguments
Kaz and Cohort A In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Monday 8:30 - 9:20 a.m.
-- Speaking and Flowing Drill -- Day #2
Kaz and Cohort A In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Tuesday 8:30 - 9:40 a.m.
-- Finish Answering 1ACs/Debrief Ridge and Dowling/Planning for Future Events
Kaz and Cohort A In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Wednesday 8:30 - 9:45
a.m. -- Work on Arguments We Need for Blake in Groups
Kaz and Cohort A In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Thursday 8:30 - 9:40 a.m.
-- Review Blake Prefs/Reminders About Big Lex and January/Planning Future Files

Week 13 -- Planning/File Work/Flowing and Speaking Practice
Kaz and Cohort B In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Monday 8:30 - 9:20 a.m.
  -- Debrief Mamaroneck/Review Rest of December/Discuss January Events/Check-in
  For Glenbrooks File & Eval Completion/Discuss Politics in a Limited Way
Kaz and Cohort B In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Tuesday 8:30 - 9:40 a.m.
-- Discussion of What We Expect from Files/Review of File Standards and
Grading (Indirectly)/Discuss Potential New Files (Limitedly)
Kaz and Cohort B In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Wednesday 8:30 - 9:45
  a.m. -- Discuss Files We Use a Lot from Stratus (Apparently Not Many)/Break Into
  Small Groups and Write T Violations
Kaz and Cohort B In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Thursday 8:30 - 9:40 a.m.
-- Few Thoughts on Flowing/Answering 1ACs -- Speaking and Flowing Drill -- Day #1

Week 12 -- This Class Does Not Meet During Week 12

Week 11 -- Debrief Previous Weekend/Dec Planning/File Verif
Remote Class for Everyone -- Monday 2:10 - 3:10 p.m. -- Discuss Logistics of Little Lex/ Discuss Glenbrooks and Villiger/Review December/Verify Completion of GB Files

Week 10 -- Topicality/Little Lex/Finish Glenbrooks Files
Kaz and Cohort A In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Monday 8:30 - 9:20 a.m.
-- Debrief Urban Dragon/Discuss Any New Arguments/Let's Talk Topicality (with an
Instant Google Form/File Work if Time Permits
Kaz and Cohort A In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Tuesday 8:30 - 9:40 a.m.
-- Work on Current Files with File Buddies/Little Lex Work Group Meetings at 9:15
Kaz and Cohort A In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Wednesday 8:30 - 9:45
a.m. -- Share Progress on Files in Eight Person Groups/Implement Suggestions
Kaz and Cohort A In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Thursday 8:30 - 9:40 a.m.
-- Finish Files/Follow Up on Topicality Form in Small Groups

Week 9 -- Debriefing/Improving Prep/Planning
Kaz and Cohort B In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Monday 8:30 - 9:20 a.m.
-- Debriefing Michigan/Planning for Urban Dragon and Glenbrooks/Start New File
Assignment Process
Kaz and Cohort B In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Tuesday 8:30 - 9:40 a.m.
-- Finish New File Assignment Process/Work With File Buddies/Look at Pref Sheet for
Urban Dragon and More Generally
Kaz and Cohort B In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Thursday 8:30 - 9:40 a.m.
-- Work in Small Groups on Pre-Tournament Prep/2AC or 2NC Block Discussion

Week 8 -- Checking In and Looking Forward
Remote Class for Everyone -- Monday 2:10 - 3:10 p.m. -- Checking in About Future
Tournaments/Discuss the Teams at Michigan/Discuss Approaches to Prefs at
Michigan/Plan for After School Practice Debates/Review Our Affs

Week 7 -- Checking In and Looking Forward
Remote Class for Everyone -- Monday 2:10 - 2:29 p.m. -- Checking in on Future
Tournaments/Argument Review/Scheduling After School Practices

Week 6 -- Discussing Args/T Drills/Evaluating Files/Mentoring
Kaz and Cohort A In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Monday 8:30 - 9:20 a.m.
-- Checking in on Tournaments/Argument Review/More Discussion of Affs
Kaz and Cohort A In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Tuesday 8:30 - 9:40 a.m.
-- Second Half of T Drills/Evaluating New Trier & Bronx Files
Kaz and Cohort A In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Wednesday 8:30 - 9:45
a.m. -- Assign New Neg Files (Michigan and Beyond)/Mentored Learning
Kaz and Cohort A In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Thursday 8:30 - 9:40 a.m.
-- Argument Discussions/Speaking Drills -- Discussed and Practiced

Week 5 -- Files We Have & Need/Discussing Arguments/Prefs
Kaz and Cohort B In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Tuesday 8:30 - 9:40 a.m.
-- Review of Counterplans (Mahima et al)/Discussion of New Trier Files We Had and
Needed/Make Assignments to Fill Gaps for Michigan/Review of Bronx Files We Have
and Need/Discuss Cap and Other Arguments/Preliminary Schedule Discussion
Kaz and Cohort B In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Wednesday 8:30 - 9:45
a.m. -- Review Upcoming Tournaments/Do Mentor Group Form/Assign Mini-Debates
on Topicality/Prep for Mini-Debates on T or Complete Files
Kaz and Cohort B In School/Remote Class for Everyone Else -- Thursday 8:30 - 9:40 a.m.
-- Do Mini-Debates on T -- Day #1 (Day #2 Next Week)/Dissect a 1AC -- Strategic
Planning Activity in "Mentor" Groups

Week 4 -- Evidence Sharing Norms/Debrief/Assign Arguments
Remote Class for Everyone -- Monday 2:10 - 3:10 p.m. -- Review File Deadlines/Plan for
New Trier/Discuss Assigned Files/Work with Partners on Files/Start Evaluations

Week 3 -- Planning/Instructional Sessions/File Production
Remote Class for All -- Tuesday 8:30-9:40 a.m. -- Checking In/Housekeeping Matters/ Discuss and Assign Needed Files/Check on Stratus Issues/Debrief Valley
In Person Class for Some Sophomores/Remote Class for Rest of Folks -- Wednesday
  8:30-9:45 p.m. -- Break Out Group Meetings on New File Assignments/Q & A Session
on Kritiks and Frameworks
In Person Class for Some Juniors/Remote Class for Rest of Folks -- Thursday 8:30-9:40
   p.m. -- Full Group Discussion of Team Aff/Breakout Groups to Discuss Other
   Affs/Review of Online Procedures/Speech Doc Creation Exercise/Practice Sharing
   Those Docs/Check In on File Production Work/Formal Evaluation of Summer Work

Week 2 -- Planning/Instructional Sessions/More Planning
Remote Class for All -- Monday 1:25-2:15 p.m. -- Checking In/Housekeeping Matters/ Break Out Group Instructional Sessions/Solving Stratus Issues/Planning for Tuesday's
Asynchronous Work
Asynchronous Work for All -- Tuesday 8:30-10 a.m. -- Work on Old File Assignments/
Finish Asynchronous Work from Last Week

Week 1 -- Norms/Expectations/Partner and Team Building
Remote Class for All -- Monday 1:25-2:15 p.m. -- Checking In/Housekeeping Matters Regarding Upcoming Tournaments/Debriefing Grapevine and Kentucky/Digital Norms
and Class Schedules/Planning for Tuesday's Asynchronous Work
Asynchronous Work for All -- Tuesday 8:30-10 a.m. -- Feedback Form for Folks Who
Debated Last Weekend/Future Planning Form for Everyone/Review of Summer Work
on Stratus and Filing of Overall Impressions Report
Remote Class for All -- Friday 8:30-9:20 a.m. -- Small Group Discussions of
Arguments/Full Group Discussion of Future Needs/Scheduling of Evaluation Time for
Summer Work

Homework By Week -- The Most Recent Assignments are on Top

Week 17 -- Finish Projects by Tuesday (START of Class)/Prep For Big Lex Plus
Week 16 -- Finish Choose Your Own Projects/Complete Any Required Forms
Week 15 -- Individual Prep/Work on Team File Revisions/Do Big Lex Jobs Form
Week 14 -- Prepare for Blake/After Break
Week 13 -- Do January Tournament Form/Finish Glenbrooks Evals
Week 12 -- Class Does Not Meet -- Complete Glenbrooks File Evaluation On Your Own
Week 11 -- Glenbrooks File Evaluation Form
Week 10 -- Finish the Glenbrooks Assignments
Week 9 -- Work on New File Assignments/Make Sure All Old Work is Finished
Week 8 -- Prepare for Michigan and Urban Dragon/Support Folks Debating There
Week 7 -- Work on Prep Needed For Michigan and the Urban Dragon
Week 6 -- Working on Aff Blocks/Starting New Neg Files
Week 5 -- Finalize New Trier Assignments/Finish Bronx Assignments
Week 4 -- Evaluate Summer Projects/Work on New Files (Some Due Thursday)
Week 3 -- Finish Summer Projects/Do Beginning of the Year Forms/Work on New Files
Week 2 -- Finish Summer Projects/Do Beginning of the Year Forms/Finish Old Forms
Week 1 -- Finish Summer Projects (If Not Completed Already)

Important Notes on Norms and Expectations

1. ALL students are expected to be good Digital Citizens while engaging one another online. Please review the Lexington Public Schools expectations if you have questions. Phones should be put away unless your phone is your access tool for the Zoom Zone (not recommended, but if it is the only thing that works, use it).
2. Students should remain muted unless speaking to the entire group, or unless participating in a discussion (when multiple microphones may be active -- often, but not always, in Break Out Rooms).
3. As a GENERAL practice, ALL students are expected to Zoom into class by the official start time (see schedule above) and should plan on remaining engaged in class activities, unless specifically dismissed, for the entire block. This applies to students in the RLA and those students whose cohort is not meeting in person during a particular day/week. In-person students will very likely be Zooming in from the classroom as well, to make full group participation possible.
4. Because eye contact and facial expressions are important parts of communication, students are very strongly encouraged to leave their cameras on during online learning. Actual names should be visible and the listing of pronouns is encouraged, but not required.
5. Students should make every effort to resolve long-term technical challenges and seek help if required. Individual reasons for keeping cameras off beyond tech challenges should be discussed privately with the teacher.
6. Students are encouraged to use headsets, especially while physically at school, to improve their ability to hear their Zooming-In colleagues, and to be better understood while speaking with a mask on. The school may eventually provide them, but if you have your own in the meantime, you should bring them in.
7. Slack is the REQUIRED communication method during all tournaments and is strongly recommended for more urgent messages, and more immediate responses, from Kaz, although emailing is also acceptable.