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Word + Quiz: falsetto

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Word + Quiz: falsetto

noun: a male singing voice with artificially high tones in an upper register

adjective: artificially high; above the normal voice range

_________

The word falsetto has appeared in 38 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Aug. 28 in the theater review “‘Kids in the Hall,’ Rehashed for Adults in a Theater” by Alexis Soloski:

There are tough houses, there are friendly houses and there are houses so freakishly primed for laughter that they actively guffaw at the turn-off-your-cellphone message. This was the house that greeted Kevin McDonald at the second performance of “Kevin McDonald: Alive on 42nd Street,” a solo show with what we’ll generously call music.

…. Backed by the unflappable guitarist John Wlaysewski (“I’m not the coolest guy in the world,” Mr. McDonald admits, “I’m not even the coolest guy onstage”), Mr. McDonald brays songs, with occasional reliance on a lyrics sheet, and spins stories, most of which relate to the early years of “Kids.” Then, Mr. McDonald was wild-eyed and wild-haired, ready to hurl himself into a role at maximum velocity. These days, the hair has beat a retreat and he mostly keeps to the speed limit. The eyes are still wild, though, and that voice — a high-pitched rasp that rises to a smoke-alarm falsetto — has endured. His maniacal, goofball energy sometimes flashes through.

_________

Word + Quiz: pillory

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Word + Quiz: pillory

noun: a wooden instrument of punishment on a post with holes for the wrists and neck; offenders were locked in and so exposed to public scorn

verb: expose to ridicule or public scorn

verb: punish by putting in a pillory

verb: criticize harshly or violently

_________

The word pillory has appeared in eight articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on April 17 in “Let He Who Is Without Yeezys Cast the First Stone” by Rick Rojas:

The pastors were among those included on an Instagram account that recently popped up called “PreachersNSneakers,” where men and women of God are shown wearing footwear that could cost more than a month’s rent for many of their followers. Before long, each post was clogged with hundreds of comments.

“Pass the collection plate,” one person wrote, “daddy needs a new pair of shoes.”

…. The pastors have contributed little to the conversation. They have talked about it privately and reached out to the person behind the account, who said he was told by the pastors that shoes and clothes are often given to them. Others on Instagram defended them, arguing that the account aimed to sow discord and pillory the pastors.

_________

How Would You Design Your Ideal Museum?

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How Would You Design Your Ideal Museum?

Find all our Student Opinion questions here.

What has been your most memorable visit to a museum, good or bad? What type of museum was it and where was it located? What makes this experience stand out in your mind? A particular exhibit, activity or performance? How did you feel being there? What, if anything, would have made it better?

In “Grown-Up Art at a Children’s Museum, but It’s Still Playtime,” Laurel Graeber writes about her visit to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan:

On a recent visit to an exhibition, I broke what is usually a museum’s most immutable rule. I touched the art.

No shocked guards stopped me or shooed away the many smaller patrons who were doing the same. Granted, this was the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. But unlike many displays for the young, this one, “Inside Art,” features work by 11 adults whose résumés include the Jewish Museum, El Museo del Barrio and the Whitney.

The show lets visitors encounter art “not as a child sort of pretending to be an adult,” said Leslie Bushara, the museum’s deputy director of education and exhibitions, but “running around like a child.”

Run around they do. Joiri Minaya’s “Spandex Installation #6 (Labyrinth)” invites the curious into a vibrantly printed fabric maze. “Up & Around,” a cluster of large cylinders suspended vertically by the duo Yeju & Chat, beckons museumgoers to stand inside each tube and experience bursts of color and pattern. Adrienne Elise Tarver’s “Fera Septa” is a beguiling mesh canopy resembling tropical leaves.

Ms. Graeber describes how visitors are invited to interact with the artwork and the artists:

The work gets “well loved,” Ms. Bushara said, which means that its creators have to live near enough to repair damage. But the museum also chose local artists so they could lead public programs. A multicultural group, they have been charged with forming a neighborhood within the museum, not just as demographers would define it, but as Mister Rogers would have, too.

That means “not just artwork you can crawl through,” Mr. Rios said, “but you’re making art in the same space, we’re having dialogue in the same space, and eventually we’ll start to have performances.” Borinquen Gallo’s “Be(e) Sanctuary,” an artificial hive built of plastic debris, is itself a neighborhood project, made with fellow Bronx residents.

Visitors to “Inside Art” have stations to make their own work and can collaborate with three other artists who have studios within the space. Dionis Ortiz, who describes his work as centered on “light and how we create it,” will enlist families in an installation that includes light bulbs they paint to express their identities. Nancy Saleme and Patricia Cazorla, an aunt-and-niece team, will work with children on “The Shape of My Food,” a sculptural installation connected not only to the joy of eating but also, Ms. Cazorla said, to subjects like land use and migrants’ rights.

Mr. Rios wanted children to be exposed to the participating artists’ philosophies and activism. For the exhibition labels, the artists “were challenged to write about their work as if they were explaining it to a 5-year-old,” he said. The museum added questions: “When have you felt left out?” “What do you find beautiful?”

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • What is your reaction to reading about the “Inside Art” exhibit? Would you be interested in visiting the museum? Why or why not? What parts would you be most interested in experiencing?

  • What do you think makes a good museum? What kinds of experiences do you seek when you go to one? What allows you to connect with the exhibits?

  • What do you think should be the purpose of museums? To entertain, inform or persuade? How do you think museums should relate to the neighborhood or community they’re in? What about the artists, historians or scientists whose work they feature?

  • In “Is This the World’s Most Accessible Museum?”, Alex Marshall visits a museum exhibit in England that was designed to be accessible to able-bodied and disabled people alike, with features like video screens at the perfect height for wheelchair users, visible exits for people with anxiety, a range of audio and visual guides, and exhibits people can touch.

    What kinds of design elements have you seen that benefit all visitors? Are there things that you think museums could do to be more accessible to people with disabilities, children and people who speak other languages?

  • With all this in mind, how would you design your ideal museum if you had unlimited time and money? Where would it be located? What kind of museum would it be and what would make it unique? Who would you want to visit? How would you have visitors interact with the exhibits and what could you do to make them accessible to everyone? What rules would be in place, if any? Over all, what kind of experience would you want people to have there?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Lesson of the Day: ‘Young Somalis Step In Where Government Fails’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘Young Somalis Step In Where Government Fails’

Find all our Lessons of the Day here.

Featured Article: “Young Somalis Step In Where Government Fails” by Abdi Latif Dahir

In a country that has endured three decades of chaos — from extremist attacks to environmental crises — the emergency responders, medics, road builders and educators are often not government workers, but young volunteers.

In this lesson, you will learn about ways that young Somalis have become active during moments of national crisis. Then you will use media literacy skills to compare and contrast news coverage of Somalia and young Somalis’ representations of themselves and their country.

What do you know about the East African country Somalia? Are you able to locate it on a map? Have you heard anything about Somalia in the news?

Search “Somalia” on the New York Times website and scan the headlines that come up. What do you notice about The Times’s coverage of the country? Are there any articles or headlines that stand out? What seems to be going on in Somalia, according to The Times?

Now take another look at these headlines through a media literacy lens. Use these questions to guide your reflection:

  • Who created these messages? How many people did it take to create each message? What are their jobs? What choices did they make about the type of stories they tell about Somalia?

  • What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in these headlines? Which are left out? Why do you think that is?

  • How do you experience reading these headlines? Can you relate to them? How might your experience of reading them be different from or similar to someone from Somalia, or who has family from Somalia?

Now you will read about activism in Somalia led by young people to see how they are taking the lead in creating change in their country.

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. What are some of the crises that Dr. Amina Abdulkadir Isack has responded to? What kinds of support have she and her team of volunteers offered to victims and their families?

2. How does the Somali government view its ability to respond to emergencies? How do youth activists view the government’s response?

3. What happened in Somalia in 2011 and how have young Somalis responded? What did Dr. Isack mean when she said that “2017 was a turning point for us”?

4. Why do you think Saida Hassan, a Somali-American, founded the Gurmad Ex-control rescue initiative?

5. What is Mohamed Sheik Ali’s legacy? What does his story exemplify about the activism of young people in Somalia?

6. The article ends with the following quotation: “‘I myself could face harm tomorrow,’ Dr. Isack said. ‘So I am providing support to my people while I can.’” What is your reaction to that statement and why?

You began this lesson by looking at how Somalia has been depicted in the news. Now use those same media literacy skills to see how some young Somalis are representing their country on social media.

Choose one of the following sites mentioned in the article to do your analysis:

Then ask yourself the same questions from the warm-up and compare the messages from the New York Times headlines and those from these young Somalis. In what ways are the messages about Somalia similar or different? How can you explain these similarities and differences?

What’s Going On in This Picture? | Feb. 24, 2020

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What’s Going On in This Picture? | Feb. 24, 2020

Students

1. After looking closely at the image above (or at the full-size image), think about these three questions:

2. Next, join the conversation by clicking on the comment button and posting in the box that opens on the right. (Students 13 and older are invited to comment, although teachers of younger students are welcome to post what their students have to say.)

3. After you have posted, try reading back to see what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting another comment. Use the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address that student directly.

Each Monday, our collaborator, Visual Thinking Strategies, will facilitate a discussion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time by paraphrasing comments and linking to responses to help students’ understanding go deeper. You might use their responses as models for your own.

4. On Thursday afternoons, we will reveal at the bottom of this post more information about the photo. How does reading the caption and learning its back story help you see the image differently?

Lesson of the Day: ‘The Original Renegade’

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onlinefreecourse
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Lesson of the Day: ‘The Original Renegade’

Find all our Lessons of the Day here.

Featured Article: “The Original Renegade” by Taylor Lorenz

How many times in the last week have you, or someone around you, done the Renegade dance? Can you remember where you first saw the dance? Do you know who created the Renegade?

If you are not familiar with the dance, here is the creator, Jalaiah Harmon, demonstrating it:

In the featured Times article, you will learn about this 14-year-old who, in September 2019, created the dance and posted it to Funimate. Then you will use media literacy skills to think about the intersections of cultural appropriation and crediting online creations.

Take five minutes to scroll through your TikTok, Instagram, Dubsmash or other social media feeds and note what you observe about the top posts. Record your observations on a piece of paper:

  • Who created the post you are viewing? How many followers do they have? If they borrowed or shared the content, how many followers does the original creator have?

  • To your knowledge, is this person who posted the original the creator of the content? How do you know? If they are not, do they give credit to someone else?

  • Is the post a cross-platform share? For example, is it a post originally from TikTok that was shared on Instagram?

Compare your findings with those of your classmates. What do you notice about how content and ideas are shared across platforms and between content creators? What do you observe about the norms on each app around crediting creators?

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. How does Jalaiah Harmon’s experience show what it means to be “coming up in a dance world completely reshaped by the internet”?

2. Why, according to those quoted here, is TikTok “like a mainstream Dubsmash”?

3. How was the Renegade dance created, and what moments led to its popularity? What happened when Jalaiah first tried to receive credit for creating the dance?

4. According to this article, “To be robbed of credit on TikTok is to be robbed of real opportunities.” Why?

5. Why has there been a clash about crediting between TikTok users and Dubsmash users?

6. What is your understanding of the role race has played in conversations about who gets credit for dance creation?

7. What questions does this article raise for you — whether about the Renegade, the role of race, how things are shared and credited on social media, or anything else? Do you think that sharing something online is automatic consent to its being copied, regardless of who is copying it? Why or why not?

Many commenters on this article posted a version of this reaction: “Nothing new. Black culture is always appropriated and the culture vultures always overlook the originators.”

What other examples of this can you think of — whether now or in history?

The Times frequently covers questions of credit and appropriation in the arts. For instance, as part of the 1619 Project, The Magazine looked at how black music has been appropriated for centuries. A recent article on an exhibition in Miami called “Who Owns Black Art?” explains:

At a time when black creators are being celebrated as much as ever — from Hollywood to the fine arts — some are raising the question of whether black people are truly the main beneficiaries of the culture they produce.

What black creators do you admire, whether they are alive today or from the past? To what extent are or were those creators beneficiaries of the culture they produced?

United States of Love

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United States of Love

The headline of the article that goes with this illustration is “50 States, 50 Love Stories.” What love stories could these images tell?

Choose one of the states above and use your imagination to write the opening of a short story, poem or personal essay inspired by what you see. You can write about “love” however you interpret it — be it a family drama, a romance, a tribute to a pet, a breakup, a celebration of friendship or anything else.

Post it in the comments, then read the related article to see the unforgettable fiction books from each state that explore matters of the heart.

Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan. You can find all our Picture Prompts in this column.

What Role Have Coaches Played in Your Life?

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onlinefreecourse
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What Role Have Coaches Played in Your Life?

Have you ever had a great coach, whether in or out of school? One who not only helped you to master a skill or a sport, but who also helped shape you as a person?

LOS ANGELES — For the past three years, Henrique “Hicu” Motta, a rowing coach, has created unlikely success stories in a sport long associated with the privileged. He has taken his team of high school girls from working-class families to the national championships and sent several of them to Division I colleges on athletic scholarships.

“I’m Latina, little and had never been on a sports team,” said Isabella Soto, 17, the daughter of a nanny and a machinist who hopes to row at an elite college next fall.

Isabella, who was accepted onto the RowLA team despite being only 5 feet 2 inches tall “on a good day,” is a first-generation American whose parents are undocumented Mexicans. Kassie Kim is the child of Korean immigrants, a cashier and a fire-alarm installer. Samadhi Dissanayake, a Sri Lankan-American raised by a single mother in subsidized housing, rides two buses to practice.

“I hated sports before coming here,” said Samadhi, who is also considering rowing in college. “Now I love rowing and the sense of community.”

But Mr. Motta, 39, a Brazilian who is in the country on a work visa, has been notified that his petition to remain in the United States has been denied. In order to stay, U.S. immigration authorities said, he must prove that he has “extraordinary ability” to do a job that might otherwise go to an American.

In a sport dominated by athletes who are white and wealthy, RowLA under Mr. Motta’s leadership has long made a point of enlisting those who normally would not have access to rowing. Neither build nor athletic acumen determine who gets to compete and succeed. “He can take a girl, regardless of size and ability, and turn her into a serious rower. That’s rare among coaches,” said Liz Greenberger, a retired international security analyst who founded the team a decade ago and brought Mr. Motta in as their second coach in 2017. “It’s Hicu’s philosophy that is perfect for our program,” she said.

Mr. Motta’s philosophy is simple: “I try to make something special out of any girl who wants to give rowing a shot,” he said.

The question is, does that amount to extraordinary ability?

In the three years since receiving a work visa, Mr. Motta has crafted a program of dedicated rowers who have competed in the U.S. Rowing Youth Nationals, the highest level for high school rowers, and won college scholarships. But Mr. Motta does not just coach.

A nutritionist by training, he instructs his athletes to maintain a balanced diet. (No processed food before races. Stick to fruit for energy and coconut water for hydration.) Mr. Motta urges his rowers to spend time on their studies and think about futures that can be full of possibilities.

“We don’t just focus on rowing performance; we’re developing student athletes,” said Mr. Motta, standing in Parking Lot 77 at Marina del Rey in West Los Angeles, where the team assembles six days a week to train, rain or shine.

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Lesson of the Day: ‘To Tame Coronavirus, Mao-Style Social Control Blankets China’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘To Tame Coronavirus, Mao-Style Social Control Blankets China’

How contagious is the coronavirus? How deadly is it?

Scientists have been working hard to determine the infection and fatality rates of the coronavirus. This information will draw a clearer picture of how the pathogen behaves and how and whether it can be contained.

The graph above shows how the new coronavirus compares with other infectious diseases. It uses a log scale, the same type of scale used for measuring earthquakes, where an increase of 1 on the log scale represents a 10-fold increase in the original scale. Data near the top is compressed into a smaller space to make the variation between less-deadly diseases easier to see. Diseases near the top of the chart are much deadlier than those in the middle.

After looking closely at the graph (here it is at full size), consider these three questions:

  • What do you notice? If you make a claim, tell us what you noticed that supports your claim.

  • What do you wonder? What are you curious about that comes from what you notice in the graph?

If you’re interested in exploring this graph further, join this week’s What’s Going On in This Graph? conversation and the moderated discussion with our collaborator, the American Statistical Association, on Wednesday, Feb. 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time.

2) Make an argument about China’s efforts to battle the coronavirus outbreak.

Do you think the quarantines imposed on Wuhan and other towns and cities in China are effective or ethical?

In an Opinion essay, “Will the Largest Quarantine in History Just Make Things Worse?,” Howard Markel, a professor of the history of medicine, writes:

Zhong Nanshan, of China’s National Health Commission, is reported to have said that the most effective way to stop the virus, which appears to be spread by droplets, was a quarantine.

Is it, though?

In Wuhan, a city of 11 million, both patients who believe they have been infected by the coronavirus and people with other medical problems are having difficulty seeing doctors: Shortages are common at such times, and quarantines only compound them. Residents are complaining on social media about inadequate care. Distrust of the health authorities is mounting.

And then, of course, overcrowding at hospitals, which mixes some presumably sick people with the healthy, increases the risks of transmission.

Some people may have tried to escape the stricken cities for less-infected areas. Others may be hiding from public health workers. A woman from Wuhan, apparently eager to stick to her travel plans for Lunar New Year, reportedly cheated a health check by taking fever-reducing drugs to bring her temperature down — and then admitted doing so on social media after she had arrived in France.

An integral failing of most quarantines is that some people, seeing the restrictions as overly strict and an imposition on their rights, will invariably try to bypass them. Their evasion, in turn, can endanger public health.

So, do quarantines contain a disease or might they actually contribute to spreading it?

What do you think? Are the quarantines and other aggressive measures to combat the spread of the virus ethical and effective? If you were a resident of Wuhan do you think you would accept the aggressive measures as necessary or would you see them as an oppressive infringement on your liberty? Do you think a campaign of Mao-style social control would work in the United States if an outbreak were to occur?

Do You Turn to Your Parents for Advice?

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Do You Turn to Your Parents for Advice?

If you’re overwhelmed with school work or extracurricular obligations, whom do you go to for support? What about if you have a conflict with a friend or classmate?

Are there specific circumstances when you seek support from your parents and other adults? Are there things you don’t like your parents to say or do when you share your problems with them?

Adolescents, just like adults, may find the best relief from simply articulating their worries and concerns. Indeed, it’s an aphorism among psychologists that most problems feel better when they’re on the outside rather than on the inside, and this holds true whether the difficulties are big or small.

When teenagers bring problems our way, it’s best to start by assuming that they aren’t inviting suggestions, or at least are not inviting them yet. So let them vent.

“I’ll talk to my parents as a sounding board,” says 18-year-old Kathleen Deedy of Mission Hills, Kan., “especially if it’s not enough of an issue for me to want to do something about it. I just want to get it off my chest.”

Adolescents may also share what’s on their minds as a way to spill their jumbled thoughts on the table, where they can survey and perhaps organize them. According to 15-year-old Isla Steven-Schneider of Emerald Hills, Calif., “to list the problem, to put it into words, that helps a lot.” Adults can help create the space teenagers need to do this, so long as we remember to listen without interrupting and hold back from adding our own thoughts to the pile.

… Much of what bothers teenagers cannot be solved. We can’t fix their broken hearts, prevent their social dramas, or do anything about the fact that they have three huge tests scheduled for the same day. But having a problem is not nearly so bad as feeling utterly alone with it.

Teenagers often have difficulties they feel like sharing, but not with their friends. At these times, they may come to us, but looking only for empathy, not solutions. Offering a sincere, “Oh man, that stinks,” or “You have every right to be upset,” lets them know that we are willing to keep them company in their distress.

  • What is your reaction to the advice given to parents in the article? In your experience, is it easy and productive, or hard and uncomfortable, when you share your problems with your parents? How much of what Ms. Damour advises do your parents practice?

  • Are there other adults in your life, like teachers or coaches, who you can turn to for support? Why do you think parents and teenagers often struggle to have these conversations with one another?

  • Describe a time when you received helpful or meaningful advice from an adult. How did you approach them with your problem? How did they respond as you were speaking? What did they say afterward and why was it helpful? What do you think parents can learn from your example?

  • Ms. Damour begins the featured article by describing “a puzzling sequence of events,” saying: “First, teenagers bring us their problems; second, we earnestly offer suggestions and solutions; and third, teenagers dismiss our ideas as irritating, irrelevant or both.” Have you ever experienced this dynamic when you have shared your problems with adults? What insight do you have as to why this happens? How do you think it can be avoided or what do you think can allow for a more open conversation?

  • This article suggests that much of the time teenagers simply want to be listened to; they’re not looking for a list of suggestions and solutions. But sometimes, Ms. Damour writes, advice can help. In general, when would you say you had simply wanted to be listened to, and when did you want advice? Why?

  • Ms. Damour’s article focuses on how parents can support their teenage children, but have there been times when you would rather turn to a friend for advice? Do you find that your friends give better or worse support when you talk to them about your problems? How do you choose what you share with your friends? Do you feel better understood by your friends or your parents? Why or why not? How do you think your friends can better support you?

    • Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

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