Resources: High School Start Times and Adolescent Sleep

National Sleep Foundation

• Backgrounder: Later School Start Times and Sleep
• School Start Time and Sleep
• Eight Major Obstacles to Delaying School Start Times

American Academy of Pediatrics

• Let Them Sleep: AAP Recommends Delaying Start Times of Middle and High Schools to Combat Teen Sleep Deprivation

Washington Post:

• U.S. Doctors Urge Later School Start Times for Teens

CNN

• Doctors: Early School Start Times Unhealthy for Students

The Atlantic

• Students Aren’t Getting Enough Sleep--School Starts Too Early

St. Paul Public Schools: Rethinking Start Times for 2015-16

The Impact of School Start Times on Adolescent Health

Research Reports:

Examining the Impact of Later High School Start Times on the Health and Academic Performance of High School Students: A Multi-Site Study (2014)

Impact of School Start Times on Student Learning

When Worlds Collide: Adolescent Need for Sleep Versus Societal Demands

Changing Times: Findings from the First Longitudinal Study of Later High School Start Times

Resources for States of Consciousness Exploration

As we will discuss in class, your exploration of content from the States of Consciousness unit will happen largely over break. This is good in some ways, because it involves sleeping, and who wouldn't want to do that? However, it does mean you'll be responsible for keeping track of your own progress through some of the material, in preparation for a quiz on January 3rd.

To help you out, I've created a checklist for you AND I've attempted to give you options for reducing your workload in fun and interesting ways (You should have receieved a paper copy of this in class, but I'll give you the online version here). In order to be ready for our end-of-break quiz, you should:

1. Read Ch. 7 in your text.
2. Complete Ch. 7 Reading Questions (due January 3)
3. Get notes on Stages of Sleep & Sleep Disorders either
•  in class on 12/21/12 
• OR by viewing video lecture for this topic
4. Complete either Dream Monitoring OR Sleep Habits Monitoring for 4 consecutive nights, your choice.
5. Get notes on Dream Theories either
• by attending Psych Club at 4:00 PM on Friday, December 28 (rm 136); extra credit is available for this
• OR by the viewing video lecture for this topic  
6. Optional: watch Inception! Psych Club will be watching this at 5:00 on Dec. 28^th (after lecture/discussion)
7. Optional: view Discovering Psychology video on Hypnosis. For those interested in hypnosis and its uses, this is a great supplement to the text reading.
8. Finish video notes from “NOVA: What Are Dreams?” show (if needed). Note: you should have completed the majority of this with the sub on December 13.
9. Prepare for quiz on Ch. 7 on January 3^rd
• Quizlet flashcards can help with vocab review
• Review the Unit Objectives. Do you feel comfortable with all of these listed tasks?
• You may use your notes, your Ch. 7 Reading Guide, and your video notes sheet from “What Are Dreams?” on the quiz.

Good luck! Hopefully I'll also see you on the 28th for a mind-bending viewing of Inception!

NOVA: What Are Dreams?

Because I'll have to be gone tomorrow for a meeting, you get the privilege of enjoying a break from my incessant talking and demo repertoire. Instead, you'll be viewing a video that's a little ahead of the content we're now discussing. The NOVA production, "What Are Dreams?" will introduce you to research and theory on dreams, a topic we will be learning more about next unit.

Yes....I'm having you complete a viewing guide, too. But when you finish groaning, cheer up, because this will actually help you on the quiz for Chapter 7, which you'll take when we get back from Christmas break (more groans...I know). It's only because I love you guys so much! :)

Bring your caffeine, since this video shows lots of footage of people sleeping. And, given what you know about mirror neurons from last unit, you should be able to guess what effect that tends to have on people.

Thank You

To the anonymous friend who left a SIGNED COPY of Mike Birbiglia's "Sleepwalk with Me" on my desk this morning, a deeply felt thank you. It made me cry.

Those who know me know that these past weeks have been extremely difficult for me, personally and professionally, and this act of generosity in the midst of a series of rather grim days moves me to tears.

I'm lost for words.

Book I Want to Read: Sleepwalk With Me

Sadly, despite its prominent place on my Christmas lists this year, this item was ignored by my gift-purchasing relatives in favor of other trinkets. Don't get me wrong, Santa (& his associates) were good to me this year, but I was disappointed not to receive Sleepwalk with Me (and Other Painfully True Stories) by Mike Birbiglia.

Why? Two reasons (one of which relates to psychology):

1. Mike Birbiglia is hilarious.
2. In the book he shares his experience of REM Sleep Disorder, which I have discuss in my classes during our "States of Consciousness" unit.

Ok, both could relate to psychology, but the second reason is clearly an easier fit if you are trying to justify including this book in your curriculum.

For those of you not familiar with Mike Birbiglia, he is a stand-up comedian whose work has been featured on NPR's This American Life on several occasions. I have purchased his previous albums and am envious of those who were able to catch his live tour show of the same title in 2008-09.

For those interested in his (very funny) account of discovering his REM sleep disorder, you can probably still listen to it on NPR's This American Life online archives. It aired during a show entitled "Fear of Sleep," which is appropriate given the situations he describes.

Or you could buy the book. Unfortunately for me, student loan-enduced poverty now forces me to choose between waiting for it at the library or enduring the 9 months until my birthday in the hopes someone will buy it then.

P.S. Mike, if you read this, perhaps you would consider "donating" a copy to a needy AP Psychology teacher (me). :)

P.S.S. Students, with final exams right around the corner, there is no time like the present to ingratiate yourself with your teacher. Nothing says 'A' like a great gift...

P.S.S.S. Okay, just kidding about that last part. I do not accept bribes. That would be unethical.

NOVA: What are Dreams? Link

For those of you who missed all or part of the NOVA film we watched in class, here you go!



If the embeded video above does not play correctly, try this link.