"The weight of this sad time we must obey,/ Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say."

OK, maybe Edgar's words don't exactly capture your feelings about the end of the year. But, it's just about over.

If you haven't already done so, please see Edline for all of the vocabulary lists, study sheets, and practice sheets for the first essay.

Advanced Literary Terms (the original sheets are now also in the Vocabulary folder on Edline):

Anaphora: is emphasizing words by repeating them at the beginnings of neighboring clauses
eg. “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing-grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills” (Winston Churchill).

Asyndeton: is a stylistic scheme in which conjunctions are deliberately omitted from a series of related clauses
e.g., “I came, I saw, I conquered” (Caesar).

Chiasmus: is the figure of speech in which two or more clauses are related to each other through a reversal of structures in order to make a larger point; that is, the clauses display inverted parallelism
e.g., “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” (JFK).

Polysyndeton: is the use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted
e.g., “And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark” (Genesis 7:22-24).

Zeugma: is a figure of speech describing the joining of two or more parts of a sentence with a single common verb or noun. A zeugma employs both ellipsis, the omission of words which are easily understood, and parallelism, the balance of several words or phrases.
e.g., “He stole both her car and her heart that fateful night.”

Hyperbole: a deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration
eg. “The shot heard ‘round the world.”

Understatement: the opposite of hyperbole. It is a kind of irony that deliberately represents something as being much less than it really is
e.g., “I could probably manage to survive on a salary of two million dollars per year.”

Sarcasm: the use of verbal irony in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting it
e.g., “As I fell down the stairs headfirst, I heard her say, ‘Look at that coordination.’”

Antithesis: a direct juxtaposition of structurally parallel words, phrases, or clauses for the purpose of contrast
e.g., “Sink or swim.”

Conceit – 1. a figure of speech in which two completely unlike things are compared; these comparisons are usually very intellectual in nature
2. extended metaphor with a complex logic that governs an entire poem or poetic passage
e.g., “An example from popular culture is the way many cartoons feature animals that can speak to each other, and in many cases can understand human speech, but humans cannot understand the speech of animals”

Foil – a character who is used as a contrast to another character in order to emphasize the differences between the two characters.
e.g. Edgar is a foil for Edmund and vice versa.

Rabbit Proof Fence

First thing today, I collected choice book essays. Then we watched the first half of Rabbit Proof Fence, our final text of the year.

You may use your HANDWRITTEN study sheets on the final exam if you print them from Edline and complete them on your own.

Homework: The graphic project is due tomorrow, at the beginning of the hour, NO EXCEPTIONS!!

DON'T FORGET THAT AN INDIVIDUAL 1-PAGE REFLECTION ON THE PROJECT MUST ACCOMPANY IT--see assignment sheet for information about topics to be addressed in the reflection.

**IF YOU STILL HAVE NOT DONE SO, PLEASE REVIEW THE FINAL EXAM INFORMATION AND STUDY SHEETS ON EDLINE!!

The Return of the Choice Books

We began today with peer evaluation of the choice book essay. After peer evaluation, students worked on graphic projects.

The deadline for the final choice essay has been extended to Monday. Here's what you need:

PERFECT MLA heading
PERFECT Page number headers
PERFECTLY FORMATTED Creative title

Submit final draft with:
Rough Draft w/ peer comments (required)
Prewrite/thesis sheet (required)
Any other prewriting/outlines/drafts

**No technology excuses—figure it out. NO LATE COUPONS!!

The Final Graphic Project is due on Tuesday, June 2nd.

**IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY DONE SO, PLEASE REVIEW THE FINAL EXAM INFORMATION ON EDLINE!!

Persepolis is a GREAT Read!

That's what we decided in class today. After discussing Persepolis, students worked on reading choice graphic novels and/or creating the graphic project.

Homework: Rough draft of choice book essay due tomorrow for peer evaluation.

Persepolis, choice graphic, project...

...so much to do and SO LITTLE TIME!!!!

Today we began with the vocab. quiz. If you were absent, make arrangements to make up the quiz soon! Then, we used the hour to work on finishing Persepolis, reading choice graphic novels, and planning the graphic project.

Tomorrow we will discuss Persepolis and continue working on the choice graphic and final project.

Please see Edline for information about the final exam.

Persepolis II

Today students tried to finish reading Persepolis. Some were unsuccessful--we'll finish next week.

Homework: Work on choice book essay; acquire a choice graphic novel (the library has a great selection); study for vocab quiz on Tuesday.

**Also--see Edline for a review of the 2nd semester final exam. The review will refer you to other documents, also found on Edline. All vocab from the semester can be found in the Vocabulary folder.

Persepolis

We used class time today to read Persepolis. If you were absent, you'll have to get started on the book tomorrow and finish it over the weekend.

Homework: Work on choice book essay. I recommend that you complete an outline of your paper by tomorrow.

Graphic Novels!

Today we began talking about the genre of graphic novels. Then, groups spent time sharing thesis statements.

If you were absent, please get the Comic Book Primer(white packet) and a copy of the final graphic assessment (green sheet) from the side table in the classroom. See a classmate for information about graphic novels and the requirements of the unit.

Homework: Work on acquiring a choice graphic novel (don't forget about the public library--it is not necessary to purchase one!); Work on thesis statement--move to outlining.

Tomorrow you will begin reading Persepolis in class.

Recommended and Required due dates for the choice essay:

¨Recommended Outline – Friday, May 22
¨Recommended Rough Draft – Tuesday, May 26
¨REQUIRED PEER REVIEW – Thursday, May 28
*The peer review is worth 10 points
*NO EXCEPTIONS
¨Required Final Draft – Friday, May 29

Choice Unit--Day 8: Choice Essay

Choice Essay - Due Friday, May 29
Requirements
-4-6 pages
-Double-spaced and typed
-Follow MLA Guidelines (heading, header, citations)
-You do NOT need to do outside research

Post-it Notes
-Arrange your Post-it Notes on printer paper
-The Post-its should come out of the book in chronological order
-You should make sure you have the page number (from whence it came) written down before you take the Post-it out of the bookReflection
-Read over your Post-its once they are in chronological order
-Look for patterns in your thinking
-Did you often look at symbols?
-Were you interested in characters?
-Did structure catch your fancy?Reflection Worksheet
-List the patterns of thought you most often see in your Post-it Notes
-Explore your favorite topic in a free write

Thesis Worksheet
-If you can go straight from the reflection to the thesis worksheet – great!
-If not, take a look at your list again and see if something else interests you…
-If all else fails
– think of your group’s discussion from yesterday (think tree maps) and try to come up with a topic you could live with

Group Work
-Go around in your group and share thesis statements
-Person 1 shares his/her thesis statement-Each group member says something positive and then offers a thought for considersation
-REMEMBER: A GOOD THESIS STATEMENT SHOULD BE SOMETHING TWO, REASONABLY INTELLIGENT PEOPLE COULD ARGUE ABOUT
-Each person has to sign off on the thesis statement before I see it

Recommended Deadlines/ Required Deadlines
-Recommended Outline – Friday, May 22
-Recommended Rough Draft – Tuesday, May 26
-REQUIRED PEER REVIEW – Thursday, May 28-The peer review is worth 10 points-NO EXCEPTIONS
-Required Final Draft – Friday, May 29

Homework: Complete both sides of freewrite/thesis worksheet

If you were absent, print the post-it reflection and thesis sheets from Edline (both dated 5/19) and complete both completely.

Choice Unit--Day 7

Today we prepared for group discussion before spending the hour in groups, discussing choice reading books.

If you were absent, please complete the following:

1. Create a notebook page entitled, “Novel Commentary”
2. Create a tree map with 4 branches, labeled: character, style, theme, and an appropriate 4th label of your choice.
3. Review your post-its—don’t remove them, just peruse them.
4. Add details from your post-its to your tree map.

Tomorrow we will begin to organize the post-it notes to create a thesis statement for your literary analysis paper.

Choice Unit--Day 6

Today I shared the examples of literary elements that groups submitted from their choice book. You will be responsible for the literary terms from the blue and yellow sheets on the final exam. Then, groups discussed the books using the questions and quote discussions that were due.

Homework: Read assigned pages; vocabulary cards due Tuesday.

Choice Unit--Day 6

We used today as a reading day.

Homework: Read assigned pages. Also, to prepare for tomorrow's discussion, complete the following:

TYPE
3 discussion questions (open-ended, thought-provoking questions)
1 significant passage (with page number) and discussion (100+ words) of the quote's significance.

Choice Unit--Day 5

The BIG Discussion

Today in class you had BIG discussions about your books.

Toward the end of the discussion you talked about the literary terms from Sherlock Sheets 1 and 2. Each group was told that it is responsible for finding 2 terms from the book.

You then designated one person to do the following tonight:Create a PowerPoint slide for each term (2 total) that includes the following:
1. the term and its definition
2. a typed out example from the text
3. explanation of how your example fits the literary term

PLEASE PICK SOMEONE FROM THE GROUP THAT CAN MAKE IT LOOK PRETTY ON THE SLIDE. DON'T WORRY ABOUT BACKGROUND DESIGN SINCE I HAVE TO MERGE ALL SLIDES TOGETHER.

When you are done, please e-mail me the document for use in class tomorrow.

Choice Unit--Day 4

Today we took the Nectar vocab quiz. Then, we worked on reading choice books.

Homework: Read/Post-It assigned pages. Tomorrow you will have a group discussion of your book so far, so be where you are supposed to be in it! New vocabulary (due next Tues.) is on Edline.

If you were absent today, be sure to make arrangements with me to make up the vocabulary quiz.

Choice Unit--Day 3

Today we worked on researching our authors and special topics in our books. If you were absent, please complete the assignment (on your own) that is described in the previous blog post. Turn your handout in to me tomorrow.

Homework: Read/post-it the assigned pages in your choice book.

Team Research--Monday, May 11

Your assignment for today:
Create a 1 page handout that is pretty and accessible. The handout should include information on the author of your book and information on an important historical event. It should look like something you would appreciate receiving from a teacher.

In groups of 4-5 (big book groups MUST break up into EVENLY balanced smaller groups) select
1 leader and 3-4 researchers: 1-2 working on author info, 1-2 working on setting/event info.

Leader’s responsibility:
Organize information into concise, well-organized word document
Cite sources--URLs is enough
Review finished document; print copy for each group member and one for teacher; include student names on handout for teacher

Each researcher:
Research your specific topic
Send information to leader including citation (URL)

Suggested Topics:Each group will research the author and an historical topic. You are not limited to the topics below.

The Namesake
Jhumpa Lahiri
Indian immigration to U.S.

The Weight of All Things
Sandra Benitez
Civil War in El Salvador

What is the What
Dave Eggers
War in Sudan/the Lost Boys

Suite Francaise
Irene Nemirovsky
French Occupation during WWII

Animal Dreams
Barbara Kingsolver
Native American Myth
Water Pollution in Arizona
Alzheimer’s

Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight
Alex Fuller
Conflict in Rhodesia

Slaughterhouse-Five
Kurt Vonnegut
Dresden bombings
Post-traumatic stress disorder

Choice Unit--Day 2

With so many out taking an AP exam, we used today as a reading day.

Homework: Read and post-it assigned portion.

Choice Unit--Day 1

We began the hour today by reading reviews of the choice books. Then, we briefly discussed some advanced syntax techniques that you should be looking for as you read your book.

Homework: Complete your assigned reading and post-it noting (2 questions and 3 comments).

If you were absent today, you will need to pick up a review of your book from me tomorrow. Also pick up the handout with the syntax technique vocabulary and definitions/examples.

You Better Bring Your Book

Your copy of your choice book must be in class with you tomorrow, or I'll place you in a new group, with a book that I have on hand. The reading doesn't officially begin until tomorrow night. In class tomorrow, we'll look at some reviews of your books.

If you were absent today, please TWIST--on a new page in your notebook--the introductory paragraph of your choice book. The following is a breakdown of the acronym:
•Tone: the writer or speaker’s attitude toward a subject, character, or audience. The emotional effect of the writing
•Word Choice: consider denotative (dictionary, literal) and connotative (emotional, figurative) meanings
•Imagery: language that creates sensory impressions and evokes specific responses to characters, objects, or events
•Style: a particular way of employing language. Could be specific to a genre or a specific writer.
•Theme/thematic idea: a central message of a literary work. All of the above elements should support the theme.

Beginning tomorrow night, you will have reading homework each night from your choice book. Additionally, you are required, for each night's reading, to complete 2 question and 3 comment post-its.

Responding to Nectar

Today we completed the final response to Nectar. If you were absent, you may make it up on Thursday during 1st lunch or after school.

Homework: work on getting a copy of your choice novel. You will need to have a copy of the choice novel in class on Thursday. If you have no book, I will give you a copy of whatever I have on hand.

Here's how the books/groups work out:

4th hour

SH5: John, Charlie, Lars, Julie, Colin Austin , Scott, Andy, Kshitij, Anna, Sam, Olivia, Greer

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs: Leah, Emma

Suite Francaise: Alexa, Ali, Linnea, Hannah

The Weight of All Things: Rebecca, Marcella, Rohini, Elizabeth

5th hour

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: Hailey, Katie G., Hannah, Molly, Margaret, Maggie (already claimed my copy), K-Cool

SH5: Michaela, Connor, Nick, Andre, Linnea

Animal Dreams: Jimmer, Max

Namesake: Emily, Makeena, Greta, Ellen, Reed

Suite Francaise: Aimee, Sarah, Katherine P.

Let me know--you can comment right on this post, if you'd like. If you're interested in either The Weight of All Things or Animal Dreams, both of those books were first choices without enough people, so go ahead and request either of them and I'll create a new group.

Choice Book Unit--IMPROVED

The Road is no longer an option for the choice book unit. Instead, please consider the following titles (the $ symbol=you will need to purchase/check-out your own copy of the book).

$ What is the What by Dave Eggers
In a heartrending and astonishing novel, Eggers illuminates the history of the civil war in Sudan through the eyes of Valentino Achak Deng, a refugee now living in the United States. We follow his life as he's driven from his home as a boy and walks, with thousands of orphans, to Ethiopia, where he finds safety — for a time. Valentino's travels, truly Biblical in scope, bring him in contact with government soldiers, janjaweed-like militias, liberation rebels, hyenas and lions, disease and starvation — and a string of unexpected romances. Ultimately, Valentino finds safety in Kenya and, just after the millennium, is finally resettled in the United States, from where this novel is narrated. In this book, written with expansive humanity and surprising humor, we come to understand the nature of the conflicts in Sudan, the refugee experience in America, the dreams of the Dinka people, and the challenge one indomitable man faces in a world collapsing around him.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com

$ Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs by Alex Fuller,
When the ship veered into the Cape of Good Hope, Mum caught the spicy, heady scent of Africa on the changing wind. She smelled the people: raw onions and salt, the smell of people who are not afraid to eat meat, and who smoke fish over open fires on the beach and who pound maize into meal and who work out-of-doors.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

$ Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
Beginning in Paris on the eve of the Nazi occupation in 1940. Suite Française tells the remarkable story of men and women thrown together in circumstances beyond their control. As Parisians flee the city, human folly surfaces in every imaginable way: a wealthy mother searches for sweets in a town without food; a couple is terrified at the thought of losing their jobs, even as their world begins to fall apart. Moving on to a provincial village now occupied by German soldiers, the locals must learn to coexist with the enemy—in their town, their homes, even in their hearts.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

$ Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

Again, here are the options previously presented and still available:

$ The Weight of All Things by Sandra Benitez The last time Nicolas saw his mother, she was slumped over him, mortally wounded by gunfire that erupted in a crowded plaza during a funeral for a martyred archbishop. Watching while her body is dragged away with other victims, Nicolas believes that his mother is still alive. He vows to find her again, no matter what. Thus begins the young boy's harrowing journey through his war-ravaged country--a journey that brings him face-to-face with the danger, cruelty, and violence inflicted today on so many parts of the world by terrorism and repression. Inspired by real events, this gripping yet poignant novel will solidify Benitez's place in the pantheon of contemporary authors writing brilliantly about the realities of Latin American life.http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

$ Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt VonnegutUnstuck in time, Billy Pilgrim, Vonnegut's shattered survivor of the Dresden bombing, relives his life over and over again under the gaze of aliens; he comes at last to some understanding of the human comedy. The basis of George Roy's great 1972 film and perhaps the signature student's novel in the 1960's embracing protest and the absurdity of war.http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

The Namesake by Jhumpa LahiriAn engineer by training, Ashoke adapts far less warily than his wife, who resists all things American and pines for her family. When their son is born, the task of naming him betrays the vexed results of bringing old ways to the new world. Named for a Russian writer by his Indian parents in memory of a catastrophe years before, Gogol Ganguli knows only that he suffers the burden of his heritage as well as his odd, antic name. Lahiri brings great empathy to Gogol as he stumbles along a first-generation path strewn with conflicting loyalties, comic detours, and wrenching love affairs. With penetrating insight, she reveals not only the defining power of the names and expectations bestowed upon us by our parents, but also the means by which we slowly, sometimes painfully, come to define ourselves. The New York Times has praised Lahiri as "a writer of uncommon elegance and poise." The Namesake is a fine-tuned, intimate, and deeply felt novel of identity.http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

Black Boy by Richard WrightBlack Boy is Richard Wright’s unforgettable story of growing up in the Jim Crow South. Published in 1945, it is often considered a fictionalized autobiography or an autobiographical novel because of Wright’s use of fiction techniques (and possibly fictional events) to tell his story. Nevertheless, the book is a lyrical and skillfully wrought description of Wright’s hungry youth in rural Mississippi and Memphis, told from the perspective of the adult Wright, who was still trying to come to grips with the cruel deprivations and humiliations of his childhood. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

Animal Dreams by Barbara KingsolverDreamless and at the end of her rope, Codi comes back to Grace, Arizona to confront her past and face her ailing, distant father. What the finds is a town threatened by a silent environmental catastrophe, some startling clues to her own identity, and a man whose view of the world could change the course of her life. Blending flashbacks, dreams, and Native American legends, Animal Dreams is a suspenseful love story and a moving exploration of life's largest commitments. With this work, the acclaimed author of The Bean Trees and Homeland and Other Stories sustains her familiar voice while giving readers her most remarkable book yet. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/



Given these new and improved options, please consider the following before class tomorrow:

1) The people in your group (4-5 members )
2) Your group's book preferences.

Tomorrow in class you will complete a final response to Nectar in a Sieve. The response will require you to review a new text (a poem) and apply the new text to the novel.

Researching the Novel

Today's Research Assignment

If you were absent today, Monday, May 4th, complete the following assignment and turn in a typed copy by Wednesday, May 6th.

Directions:

Read the following two articles about Nectar in a Sieve.

Article #1

Article #2

Construct three paragraphs.
Paragraph 1 – Respond to the first article. Do you agree or disagree with the author’s assessment? Explain.
Paragraph 2 - Respond to the second article. Do you agree or disagree with the author’s assessment? Explain.
Paragraph 3 – Provide your honest assessment of the book.

Create a Works Cited page that includes the following:
Article 1
Article 2
Nectar in a Sieve


Formatting
Proper Heading
Proper Header
Double-spaced
1 inch margins
Times New Roman, 12 pt font
Works Cited should be the last page of the document



Resources:
Use the following document to assist you in your citations.

Hacker Site

Friday

Friday students worked in groups to discuss Nectar.

If you were absent, please respond to the following in your notebook:

Describe a scene from the novel that lingers in your mind and explain why it is a scene that lingers in your mind.

2. What secret involving Kunthi does Nathan reveal to Rukmani? What secret does Rukmani reveal in turn? What does their willingness to confess suggest about their relationship? Do you think they are right to confess? Why or why not?

3. How does Raja meet his death? Why do the men from the tannery visit Rukmani a few days later? In your opinion, what is the purpose of this scene in the novel?

4. Ira is very unhappy after she tries to answer her son’s difficult questions about his birth. What does Nathan say to Rukmani about comforting Ira? What do you think he means by this advice?

5. Rukmani switches to the present tense when describing Raja’s funeral. Reread this passage in chapter 15 (p. 89). What effect does the change in tense produce? Why might the author have chosen to tell this episode in the present tense?

6. At the end of chapter 19 (pp. 110-112), Kennington and Rukmani discuss their approaches to suffering and injustice. Sum up each person’s opinions. With which person do you agree? Why?

7. In chapter 23 (pp. 131-132), Rukmani describes the influence of the tannery on the lives of the villagers in such a way that the tannery becomes a symbol. In a paragraph, explain what the tannery symbolizes. What aspects of the tannery lead you to this conclusion?

8. Family values is a popular topic among politicians, religious leaders, educators, journalists, and others. Although opinions differ on just what values are appropriate for families, most people agree that families are the best vehicles for teaching important moral lessons. Discuss the values that Nathan and Rukmani pass on to their family. Provide specific examples from the text for support.

Homework: Finish reading Nectar.

Read, Read, Read

Today in class I introduced the titles for our upcoming choice unit. Your job is to think about two things:
1) The people in your group (4-5 members--I know I said 4 in class, but let's go with 4-5)
2) Your group's book preferences.
We will take care of sorting out groups and preferences on Monday. So for now, think about the books over the weekend!

The Weight of All Things by Sandra Benitez
The last time Nicolas saw his mother, she was slumped over him, mortally wounded by gunfire that erupted in a crowded plaza during a funeral for a martyred archbishop. Watching while her body is dragged away with other victims, Nicolas believes that his mother is still alive. He vows to find her again, no matter what. Thus begins the young boy's harrowing journey through his war-ravaged country--a journey that brings him face-to-face with the danger, cruelty, and violence inflicted today on so many parts of the world by terrorism and repression. Inspired by real events, this gripping yet poignant novel will solidify Benitez's place in the pantheon of contemporary authors writing brilliantly about the realities of Latin American life.http://www.barnesandnoble.com
**YOU WOULD NEED TO PURCHASE YOUR OWN COPY OF THE WEIGHT OF ALL THINGS

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Unstuck in time, Billy Pilgrim, Vonnegut's shattered survivor of the Dresden bombing, relives his life over and over again under the gaze of aliens; he comes at last to some understanding of the human comedy. The basis of George Roy's great 1972 film and perhaps the signature student's novel in the 1960's embracing protest and the absurdity of war.http://www.barnesandnoble.com
**YOU WOULD NEED TO PURCHASE YOUR OWN COPY OF SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, "each the other's world entire," are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.**Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fictionhttp://www.barnesandnoble.com

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
An engineer by training, Ashoke adapts far less warily than his wife, who resists all things American and pines for her family. When their son is born, the task of naming him betrays the vexed results of bringing old ways to the new world. Named for a Russian writer by his Indian parents in memory of a catastrophe years before, Gogol Ganguli knows only that he suffers the burden of his heritage as well as his odd, antic name. Lahiri brings great empathy to Gogol as he stumbles along a first-generation path strewn with conflicting loyalties, comic detours, and wrenching love affairs. With penetrating insight, she reveals not only the defining power of the names and expectations bestowed upon us by our parents, but also the means by which we slowly, sometimes painfully, come to define ourselves. The New York Times has praised Lahiri as "a writer of uncommon elegance and poise." The Namesake is a fine-tuned, intimate, and deeply felt novel of identity.http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Black Boy by Richard Wright
Black Boy is Richard Wright’s unforgettable story of growing up in the Jim Crow South. Published in 1945, it is often considered a fictionalized autobiography or an autobiographical novel because of Wright’s use of fiction techniques (and possibly fictional events) to tell his story. Nevertheless, the book is a lyrical and skillfully wrought description of Wright’s hungry youth in rural Mississippi and Memphis, told from the perspective of the adult Wright, who was still trying to come to grips with the cruel deprivations and humiliations of his childhood. http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver
Dreamless and at the end of her rope, Codi comes back to Grace, Arizona to confront her past and face her ailing, distant father. What the finds is a town threatened by a silent environmental catastrophe, some startling clues to her own identity, and a man whose view of the world could change the course of her life. Blending flashbacks, dreams, and Native American legends, Animal Dreams is a suspenseful love story and a moving exploration of life's largest commitments. With this work, the acclaimed author of The Bean Trees and Homeland and Other Stories sustains her familiar voice while giving readers her most remarkable book yet. http://www.barnesandnoble.com

After I introduced the books today, we used class time to work on reading.
Homework: Read pp. 109-149

She's got Style

After talking about the reading today, we took a closer look at Markandaya's writing. If you were absent, you should get the notes on the syntax technique that we discussed in class.

Homework: Read pp. 71-108.

It's a Boy!

After the vocab quiz today, we discussed the reading.

If you were absent, you'll need to come in outside of class to make up the quiz. The following discussion work should be completed in your notebook:

For each of the following quotes, discuss:
a. the speaker and context
b. the underlying philosophy present in the statement.
c. whether or not you agree with the underlying philosophy
d. Write 2 statements—1) a description, and 2) a prediction—about the character based on the quote and its underlying philosophy. WRITE THE STATEMENTS IN YOUR NOTEBOOK ON A PAGE ENTITLED, “NECTAR EXPOSITION.”

1. “While the sun shines on you and the fields are green and beautiful to the eye, and your husband sees beauty in you which no one has seen before, and you have a good store of grain laid away for hard times, a roof over you and a sweet stirring in your body, what more can a woman ask for? (8).

2. “I have not lied to him, there has just been this silence” (22).

3. “It was business and nothing else with him, never a word of chaff or a smile—or perhaps it was the flattery I missed—and I would much rather have had it the other way; but there you are, you cannot choose” (23).

4. “Bend like the grass, that you do not break” (28).

5. “Yet I thought you would know better, who live by the land yet think of taking from it without giving” (32).

HW: Read pp. 35-70; Nectar Vocab on Edline--due next Tuesday

Dawn

We began class by completing a final response to Night. In our ensuing discussion, students shared that the book was thoroughly engaging and is one of the best pieces we've read this year. We ended the hour with a quick intro to Nectar in a Sieve. The reading homework for tomorrow (per the Nectar bookmark) is pages. 3-34.

Also, the Night vocab quiz is tomorrow. Study your vocab. cards as well as the cultural words that are defined for you on the second page of the vocabulary assignment.

Below is the full Nectar in a Sieve reading schedule:

The date indicates the night you should read the assigned pages as homework:

Apr. 27: pp. 3-34
Apr. 28: pp. 35-70
Apr. 29: pp. 71-108
Apr. 30: pp. 109-149
May 1: pp. 150-186

Night Falls

We began class today with a quiz on chapters 6-9. Then we had our final Night panel discussion. Homework: read something!!

Night, continued

Today we discussed chapters 6-7 and watched Oprah and Elie.

Homework: Finish book

Night, continued

We began class today with a quiz on chapters 4-5. Then we had the chapter 5 panel discussion. Oprah and Elie took us to the end.

Homework: read chap. 6-7; 6-7 panel people, complete your response.

Night, continued

Today we completed an anticipation guide and talked about various elements of the Holocaust. I also collected vocab cards. Then we had the chapter 4 panel discussion. After the panel discussion, we watched some of Oprah and Elie.

Homework: Read chapter 5

**If you were absent, turn in vocab cards first thing tomorrow!!

Night Falls

Today we took a reading quiz and had the panel discussion for chap. 1-3. If you were absent, you should have emailed your Dalai Lama response to me.

Homework: Read Chap. 4; chap. 4 panel discussion--complete response; vocab cards due tomorrow.

Friday Fun

We shared poems today--they were awesome! The we continued discussion of the Bystanders article. Finally, I distributed Night books and we began reading.

Homework: Read pp. 3-46, chapters 1-3; prepare for panel discussion (those assigned to chapter 1 or 2-3); complete the Dalai Lama response; Work on vocab--due Tuesday.

If you were absent, please try to procure a copy of Night (I know they sell it at Target for $8) and complete the reading. You may print a copy of the Night discussion guide on Edline.

Bystanders of Genocide

Today we shared quotes and talked about the Power article.

If you were absent, respond to the following in your notebook:

1. What is the most important piece of learning you can take away from the article?
2. Identify the most well-crafted sentence among your group’s chosen quotes. Justify your choice.
3. Identify 3 factors, from the article, that contributed to the lack of involvement--in Rwanda--by the rest of the world.

Homework: Read the rest of "Bystanders of Genocide"--use google notebook to collect 5 quotes and comment on them; poem assignment due tomorrow (see below); Dalai Lama response due Monday; vocab (see Edline) due Tuesday.

Regarding the Poem Assignment
Make sure that you have your poem, reflection, and Works Cited for tomorrow.
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions/Comments:
1) Should I define the foreign words somewhere?
Yes, define them at the bottom of the poem in the form a mini glossary. See "The Second Coming" for a model.
2) Should my Works Cited be its own page?
Yes, it should be a separate page. HOWEVER, it should come at the end of the reflection so it should be numbered as the last page.
3) Do we need to print out and bring in our research?
No.
4) How much is this worth?
50 points.
5) This is a lot of work!
That's why it was assigned over a week ago. (Last Wednesday, to be precise.)
6) Can I use a late coupon?
No, we have no late coupons this quarter. You will lose 10% of the score for each day it is late. (Weekend days count as well.)

The Bystander Effect & Rwanda's Genocide

Class began today with discussion of a poem written by a witness to acts of genocide. Then, we discussed the Bystander Effect. During the discussion of the Bystander Effect, we began working on an assignment due Monday. It is the following:

Review the following quote from the Dalai Lama:

“The greatest threat to our world is we’re raising a generation of passive bystanders.”

•How would you respond the Dalai Lama’s statement?
•Do you agree or disagree?
•Can you point to any examples to support your assertions (besides the ones we spoke about)?
•1 -1 ½ pages double-spaced and typed
•Due Monday – 20 points

For Thursday your homework is to do some reading on the Rwandan Genocide. The following is a detailed explanation of the homework:

Please go the following link: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200109/power-genocide
The article is titled "Bystanders to Genocide" and was written by Samantha Power.
It was published in The Atlantic in September 2001.

Tonight, you will read the first five online pages of the article - see the links at the bottom of the article's first page. As you are reading, please use Google Notebook to record your thoughts. You should copy and paste 5 quotes into Google Notebook and then comment on each quote. We will use your comments as the basis for tomorrow's discussion, so please print out your work in the notebook. You do NOT need to print out the article unless you want to. We will read the second half of the article Thursday night and do the same activity.

Friday--Poetry assignment due.

Also, the Night vocab will be due next Tuesday--it is on Edline.

Monday the 13th

We began class today by discussing a William Carlos Williams poem. Then we shared explication outlines and completed individual reflections on them. If you are turning in the hard copy of your outline tomorrow, complete the following reflection:

On the back of your own outline, describe:
1. One disclaimer for your outline—one thing you only now realize that you did incorrectly.
2. One brilliant aspect of your outline.

Finally, we took an MCA practice test.

Homework: Get some rest! You've got MCA exams tomorrow. I won't see you tomorrow:( On Wednesday, we'll begin talking about why--and what happens when--people fail to act in situations.

This week you should be working on your poem activity--due FRIDAY!!
NOTE: EHS DATABASE PASSWORDS ARE ON EDLINE!

Friday

On Friday I collected summer reading proposals and we discussed (argued about) them.

Homework: Complete the explication outline for Monday.

The MCA, Part II

We began class by analyzing a poem by Martha Collins. Then, we discussed basic tips/rules for the MCA and finished the MCA practice test we began yesterday.

The summer reading proposals are due tomorrow!!

The MCA

We began class today by analyzing a poem on the projector. Then, we discussed the creative poem assignment (due 4/17). I distributed a handout about the poem assignment--see Edline or pick one up in class if you were absent. Then, we took a practice MCA passage test and reviewed the answers.

Homework: Summer reading proposal due Friday; explication outline due Monday; Poem assignment due next Friday.

HERE'S THE LINK WE USED 1ST SEMESTER FOR INFORMATION ON POETRY EXPLICATION

The Second Coming

Today we began to analyze the epigraph of Things Fall Apart, "The Second Coming," by Yeats. If you were absent, please head to Edline to print and complete the work.

Homework: Work on the summer reading proposal--due Friday. The explication outline (assigned today) is due on Monday.

Our Mission

Today in class we discussed The Mission and Things Fall Apart, first in small groups, then as a large class. If you were absent, please respond to these questions on a notebook page entitled, "Mission/TFA":

The Mission
1. What is the historical setting of this film? From whose point of view is the film made?
2. What is the role of the Spaniards in this film? the Portuguese? the Church? the Jesuits? the Guaraní? How does this film portray each of these groups of people? Who are the heroes, the villains, the victims? With which group do you sympathize? How accurate do you think the film's portrayal of these groups is?
3. How is life portrayed in the mission? Outside of it? Which is better? safer? What is the role of the mission? How has the mission changed the lives, actions, dress, and thoughts of the Guaraní? Why don't the Guaraní want to go back to the forest?
4. Does this film portray the Guaraní as having an active role in the development of their historical identity?
5. Examine power relations as depicted in this movie. How do the church, state, and Indigenous peoples interact?
6. Compare the actions of religious workers, governmental officials, and others with those in Things Fall Apart.

Comparisons
7. Compare/contrast the final acts of Father Gabriel, Rodrigo, and Okonkwo. Could you call one or all heroic? Were the final acts of the mission priests comparable to Okonkwo’s suicide?
8. Create one meaning field for Things Fall Apart and The Mission. A meaning field is a collection of thematic statements the can be made about a work of literature. In this case, create a meaning field the combines both texts. Therefore, each thematic statement you make should be applicable to both works.

Homework: Lear Extra Credit due tomorrow; summer reading proposal (Edline) due Friday.

Gimme a Break!

Today we finished The Mission (or darn close in 4th hour!). During the film, I checked notebooks.

Homework: Complete your final blog post. Also, you may work on the Lear viewing extra credit (due April 7th) and/or the Summer Reading Proposal (due April 10th).

Have a lovely break!

Things Fall Apart

They did. And he took his own life as a result.

Tonight, respond to the following on a notebook page entitled, "TFA Final Response":

1. Identify 3 important words from the final paragraph. For each, provide a 1-2 sentence explanation of why it is important.

2. Complete a close analysis of the DC's book title. What is the significance of its language?

3. Compare the opening and closing of the novel. How does the contrast contribute to Achebe’s message? What is the overall message of the book?

4. Okonkwo can be considered a tragic hero. Identify his flaw/ hamartia and explain your answer. Why does he ultimately take his own life?

Things are Truly Falling Apart

Today we took a vocabulary quiz. Then, we discussed the book and watched some of The Mission.

The homework for tomorrow is to finish the novel. Things will have completely fallen apart by the end.

****Don't forget to watch the presentation of King Lear tonight on PBS!! (see previous post)

They're Here and I'm Afraid that Things Are Beginning to Fall Apart

Today we took a fourfold analysis quiz on pp. 110-142. Then, we talked about Okonkwo's banishment and the village culture.

Tomorrow you will have a vocab quiz (see words/definitions below). Also, please read pp. 143-167.

Things will fall very apart, very soon.

KING LEAR EXTRA CREDIT - MARCH 25 on PBS

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/king-lear/introduction/475/

This Document is also on Edline!!!

Due: April 7, 2009

Ms. Jarrett and Ms. Burgess
Enriched English 10

King Lear Extra Credit
Great Performances on PBS – March 25, 2009
Due: Tuesday, April 7th

Directions: Please answer the following questions in complete sentences. Your answers must be typed and double-spaced. Each answer should be numbered and should consist of at least a paragraph. In order to earn extra credit, you must complete the entire assignment. There is NO partial credit for this. The assignment is worth 10 points in total. We will be looking at these assignments side by side in order to determine that plagiarism has not occurred.

1. As in any performance of the plays, everything you see is a decision on the director's part. But this is heightened in a film, due to editing. There are fewer incidental mistakes or improvisations present, in that the director undoubtedly knows of these when they happen, but she or he can choose to edit them out. In a live performance, everyone lives with the inevitable mishaps that will occur on-stage. All this means that in a film when you notice anything that strikes you or stands out, you are probably noticing it because you are meant to. Keep a list of the things that particularly impressed you about the film. Do not overlook techniques unique to film--presentation of credits and title, for example, or sustained musical effects. Why did the director do these things? Are they united in some sense, pointing towards a larger effect overall?

2. Films can achieve many things that a performed play cannot: special camera angles, special effects, orchestral experimentation on a grand scale, more sets, realistic settings, etc. Look for the striking elements of this film that are unique to a film. What are they? How do they manipulate your feelings about the production? About individual characters?

3. Where did the director find her or his cast? Are they popular actors? Do they specialize in one form of acting or performance (i.e. music, as opposed to theater) or another? If you know that the guy playing Hamlet is a rap musician, for example, how does this affect the way you see this character? Are the majority of cast members known for their theatrical or Shakespearean performances? Is the presence of any one actor jarring to you as audience in some way? Are these actors well-known? Is the director relying on star appeal? Shock appeal? What are the ages of the cast? Do they seem appropriate to you? Can you explain any of the director's casting decisions?

4. How has the costuming been handled? Is it era specific or does it just imply the general feeling of an era without total accuracy? In other words, is it being used to convey a general impression or to set forth a historical era or both?

5. How is the music being used in this film? Are there specific themes for specific characters? How does the score affect your perceptions of the dialogue? Is the music overdone or intrusive?

6. What did this film teach you about this play that you had not gotten from reading it or seeing it staged? What would you change?

Vocab--Quiz Wednesday

Here they are:

careen (v) to sway or tip to one side while in motion
appease (v) to pacify; to soothe
compliant (adj) obeying; yielding (in a submissive way)
euphemism (n) the substitution of a mild phrase for one that is considered harsher
frivolity (n) the state of being not serious
languishing (adj) being weak or feeble
mortification (n) 1) the feeling of humiliation 2) practicing self-denial to overcome sin
savvy (adj) well-informed
stupor (n) decrease of sensibility
solace (n) something that gives comfort or relief
tenuous (adj) unsubstantiated; weak
vulgar (adj) crude; unrefined
harmattan (n) dry, parched land in W. Africa
malevolent (adj) wishing evil on others
incipient (adj) beginning to exist
harbinger (n) anything that foreshadows a future event
effeminate (adj) having traits considered feminine
rhetorical (adj) concerned with style or effect
akimbo (adj) with hand on hip and elbow bent outward
panache (n) grand or flamboyant manner
proselytizing (v) attempting to convert someone
quixotic (adj) extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; a dreamer (like Cervantes’ Don Quixote
repatriate (v) to send back to one’s own country
discomfit (v) to disconcert; to be made uncomfortable
donnybrook (n) a wild brawl

Seriously--Things Will Fall Apart

Today in class we looked more closely at the character of Okonkwo. We responded to the following about Okonkwo in the notebook:

Bubble map—6 adjectives. Evidence in frame
How does the story of Ezinma affect understanding of Okonkwo’s character?
Text-to-text connection
Text-to-world connection
Who would you hire to play Okonkwo in a Hollywood version of the text? Justify your answer.
What do you love about Okonkwo?
What do you hate about Okonkwo?
Can you empathize with Okonkwo?

Homework: Read pp. 110-142; Vocab quiz Wednesday.

Things Will Fall Apart

Today in class, we read outside reading books. Then, students discussed the murder of Ikemefuna in small groups.

Homework: blog on outside reading book blog. Also, read through page 109 for Monday.

Things Have Not Yet Fallen Apart

Today in class we took an open-book, partner quiz on chap. 1-4 (see Edline if you were absent). I distributed book marks for our reading of Things Fall Apart. If you were absent today, you can find a bookmark on the shelf behind my desk.

Homework: Read pp. 36-62; bring your outside reading book to class tomorrow.

Things Began Well

Today we completed an anticipation guide for Things Fall Apart. In the notebook, students indicated agreement or disagreement with five statements, and then provided a brief explanation of why. The five statements are:

•Polygamy is acceptable in 2009
•In order for societies to be successful they need to be patriarchal
•The norms and mores of other cultures (not your own) should be respected.
•Africa is mostly primitive and therefore we should help them become more modern.
•The United States should work to end tribal rituals like female genital mutilation.

Then, I distributed books and we began reading.

Homework: Read pp. 3-35

**Also, I collected vocab cards today. If you were absent, please turn in your Butterflies and/or Lear books tomorrow.

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY!!

An extra credit opportunity will be offered at the end of this quarter. This opportunity involves watching the new Lear version on PBS and completing a written activity.

Check out the site:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/king-lear/introduction/475/

And make sure to keep March 25th at 7pm open!!!

If you can't watch it that night, you can DVR/TIVO it or watch it online!!!T

he extra credit assignment will be revealed next week and will be due after break!!

Improve your Vocabulary

Vocab cards are due tomorrow.

Today we completed the blue book exam on ITB.

Blue Book Tomorrow!

Tomorrow's blue book essay requires you to view Butterflies through one of the lenses that we covered in class. In class today, students worked on the thesis planning sheet (the only resource you may use during the blue book tomorrow).

If you did not get my approval for your thesis (including those who were absent today), craft a thesis, assuming that I will approve. Then, gather your evidence on the back of the sheet (or on the 2nd sheet if you're printing from Edline). In this case you probably want many more than 4 quotes. Hopefully any issues with your thesis will involve wording of the sentence, itself, and will be resolved quickly as we look at your evidence and ideas together at the beginning of the period tomorrow.

**If you were absent today, please print the 3/17 Blue Book Thesis Worksheet from Edline. Fill it out as much as you can before you come to class tomorrow. Ideally, you want to be able to start writing immediately.

¡Vivan Las Mariposas!

Today in class we broke into groups and discussed the book as a whole. We also took a little time to read outside reading books. Your homework is to take notes--and create statements, when indicated--on the following:

Feminist Criticism
There exist cultural and economic disabilities in a “patriarchal” society that prevent women from realizing their potential
Women’s cultural identification is as a negative object, or “other”
The concept of gender is a cultural construct
Examine the patterns of thought, behavior, values, enfranchisement, and power in relation between the sexes
Lear Example: All of the problems in the play exist because women couldn’t have power to begin with!

Using this theory, please write down 3 statements about Little Red Riding Hood.

Marxist Criticism
Based on economic/cultural theories of Marx and Engels
The evolving history of humanity is dependent on its changing mode of economic organization
Explain literature by revealing economic, class, and ideological determinants of the way an author writes
Examines the relation of the text to the social reality of the time and place
This theory focuses on power and money in works of literature: who has the power? Who has the money?
Lear Example: Kent and the fool are not friends with Lear because Lear has the power to banish them.

Using this theory, please write down 3 statements about Little Red Riding Hood.


**DON'T FORGET VOCAB(SEE PREVIOUS POST) DUE NEXT WEDNESDAY. ALSO, DON'T FORGET TO BLOG ON YOUR OUTSIDE READING BOOK BLOG.

We knew they had to die...

...but, already?

Today we took a quiz on chap. 7-11. Then, we discussed chapter 11 briefly, leaving time to do some reading in class.

Your homework for tonight is to read chapter 12 and the epilogue. Also, here's the vocab assignment, due next Wednesday:

Enriched English 10
In the Time of the Butterflies, Things Fall Apart Vocabulary

Homework Assignments
For the words assigned, do the following:
Find and write a dictionary definition of the word. Include part of speech.
Write your own definition - paraphrase the definition from the dictionary.
Create a mnemonic device.
Create and write your own sentence using the word, demonstrating your understanding of the word.


This assignment is due 03/18/09 - WEDNESDAY

Vocabulary Words
1.careen
2. appease
3. compliant
4. euphemism
5. frivolity
6. languishing
7. mortification
8. savvy
9. stupor
10. solace
11. tenuous
12. vulgar
13. harmattan
14. malevolent
15. incipient
16. harbingers
17. effeminate
18. rhetorical
19. akimbo
20. panache
21. proselytizing
22. quixotic
23. repatriated
24. discomfit
25. donnybrook

**DON'T FORGET TO BRING YOUR OUTSIDE READING BOOK TO CLASS TOMORROW!!!!

Nelson is Free!

Today we took a vocab quiz, discussed chapter ten, and introduced more literary theory.

**Overall, vocab quiz scores were improved--Colin, Linnea N. Kshitij, Hannah W., Greta, Sarah E., Nick, and Margaret all earned perfect scores!

For tomorrow, read chapter 11.

A New Pair of Glasses

Today we took a quiz on chapter nueve. Then, we began to discuss, and use, literary lenses. For tomorrow, read chapter 10 and study vocab for tomorrow's quiz.

Las Palabras de Las Mariposas

Today we took a fourfold analysis quiz from chapter seven. I checked vocabulary cards and we read from outside reading books. Here are the vocab definitions:


Posthumous (3): occurring after death
Volition (45): the act of choosing
Obligatory (3): mandatory
Beatific (48): experiencing of bestowing joy
Titter (71): a nervous giggle
Veritable (4): being true or very much true
Subversive (75): in opposition to a group/government
Ermine (134): a weasel with a white winter coat
Shies (5): to draw back, as if from fear or caution
Prickly (5): causing trouble or vexation
Monolithic (7): characterized by uniformity
Admonitions (195): cautionary advice or warning
Circumscribed (7): limited
Parceling (199): to distribute into portions
Transcending (7): to pass beyond the limits of
Contraband (198): anything prohibited by law
Invariably (200): not changing; constant
Agitating (9): to arouse support
Jowls (202): the jaw, lower jaw
Gabardine (202): a tightly woven fabric with a twill weave
Immaculate (17): virginal
Coax (17): to attempt to influence with gentle persuasion
Hubbub (28): uproar
Pastoral (207): a letter from a pastor to her/his congregation
Contingent (207): a group
Contrition (31): penitence or remorse
Bemoan (36): to express distress or grief over
Desecrating (207): violating the sacredness of
Extol (51): to praise highly
Pittance (214): a small amount

We will have our vocab. quiz on Wednesday of next week instead of Tuesday since Monday night we hope to unplug. With that in mind, it may be a good idea to read beyond chapter 8 this weekend, although I will promise that a good portion of the period Monday will be reserved for reading time.

Dante Reads Alvarez

Today, we discussed Dante's Fourfold Level of Analysis.

According to Dante Alighiere, allegories may be interpreted on four levels:

Literal or historical: the things that are actually happening in the story on a surface level.
Political: the level on which human beings relate to others in a community and in the world.
Moral or psychological: the way in which the self relates to the realm of ethics.
Spiritual: the universal level on which a person relates to the cosmos.

We talked about the following examples from Lear:

Literal: The fool mocks Lear
Political: The fool is jester and can make the King and other laugh, but at the same time, he is able to deliver the truth.
Moral: The fool’s job is to be funny, but he cares about Lear and wants him to know the truth.
Spiritual: The fool represents a person’s figurative recognition of the truth.

Literal: A father banishes his daughter because she fails to live up to his expectations.
Political: Lear is the King. He has the power to disinherit and disavow his daughter.
Moral: Cordelia was his favorite. His decision to banish her causes him internal conflict.
Spiritual: Lear feels that he failed his daughter and dies. Lear’s banishment of Cordelia, and his eventual death, represent a violation of the natural order.

In groups, you evaluated each sister. For the literal level you were instructed to pick the event that you felt was most symbolically significant.
If you were not in class today, you should definitely get this information in your notebook.

Homework:
1. Naviance Reflection - will be collected tomorrow and submitted to counselors
2. Read Ch. 7 in ITOB
3. Bring Outside Reading Book to class (Discussion #2 is due by Sunday)
4. Vocab cards due tomorrow--quiz Tuesday

Adios, Lear!

Today I collected final Lear papers. Then, we discussed chapters 1-5 from In the Time of the Butterflies.

Tonight's homework is to read chapter 6. Also, don't forget that both the vocab cards and the counselor assignment (see previous posts) are due on Friday.

FINAL LEAR PAPER!!

Due tomorrow. Here's what you need:

Rubric
Final Draft
Rough Draft
Peer-Eval Chart.
**No technology excuses—problem solve. NO LATE COUPONS!!

Your final draft should include:

MLA heading
Page number headers
Creative title
Works Cited page


REVISION REQUIREMENTS:

Complete the following in at least one of your paragraphs:
Combine 2 of the paragraph’s sentences.
Rework any sentence beginning with there.
Replace two words with more sophisticated, descriptive words.
Replace repetitive/bland verbs with more specific, vivid verbs.

Somewhere in your paper, try to…
Add a sentence using a comparison (simile or metaphor)
Use a rhetorical fragment.

Looking ahead:
Read chapter 6 for Thursday
Counselor work (see previous post) for Friday
Vocab. cards for Friday--Tuesday quiz

Counseling and English

You've got work to do from both departments. Complete your counseling assignment for Friday by completing these steps:

1. Log onto Family Connections in Naviance. If you have forgotten your password, type in your email address, hit forgot password, and then check your email to retrieve your password.
2. Complete the personal inventory, "Do What You Are," which can be found under the About Me heading on the left tool bar.
3. Analyze your results by answering the questions on the yellow sheets you received today.
4. Submit your responses to ME by Friday (this assignment is worth points in English).

For English class:

Complete your Lear paper rough draft for tomorrow.
See Edline for the vocab. assignment--cards due Friday, quiz next Tuesday
Read Chapter 5 in ITB
Make sure you have left 5 comments on your outside reading blog

Hmmmm...

Outlines revealed some thought-provoking thesis statements. Here's a sampler:

In King Lear, good-natured disguises must be assumed in order to counter-balance the deceitful ones.
-Emma R.

Those no longer distracted by visual sight discover that the most useful sight is beyond that seen through the eyes they once prized.
-Anna C.

In his madness Lear makes his wisest and most reasonable decisions because he is unburdened by his kingly decisions.
-Lars

Shakespeare uses the fool as a device to provide Lear with insight that ultimately leads him to his recognition of the truth.
-Molly G.

In order to be successful, one's self worth must be in sync with one's personality; the characters in King Lear appear to be lacking a common trait: self worth.
-Maggie A.

Shakespeare reverses the roles of parents and children in King Lear to give a deeper understanding of the relationship between the two.
-Sarah E.

While sane, Lear glosses over the truth in favor of decorated falsehoods, leading to his downfall and insanity, which allows him to see the truths he once ignorantly missed.
-Greta

Recognition and missed recognition in King Lear exemplify finding personal identity and seeing beyond the surface.
-Margaret L.

El Jefe says...

Tonight, read chapter three in ITOB. Also, complete the Lear research paper outline for tomorrow.

In class we took the vocab quiz. Then we discussed the first two chapters of the novel.

From Lear's Kingdom...

...to the Trujillo dictatorship. Finish reading chapters one and two in Butterflies for tomorrow. Also, study vocab for tomorrow and work on the outline that is due Friday.

Lear Paper, continued

Next Step: Outline

On Friday your outline is due. You should create a full sentence, alpha-numeric outline. (You should be very familiar with this since we last did an alpha-numeric outline in Decemeber.) A guide for this kind of outline can be found at the Purdue Online Writing Lab site.

Your outline should:
1. Have an MLA heading
2. Have a title--the same title as your paper (NOT a description of the assignment)
3. Be single spaced within major sections of the outline; double spaced between major sections.
4. Include textual evidence whenever possible. Cite this evidence by including the author's last name (or whatever comes first in the MLA citation) in a parenthetical note following the evidence.
5. Have an updated Works Cited attached at the back (you started one for class today).
6. Be typed and printed.
7. A hard copy of the outline is due in class on Friday, February 27th.

I'll be around Thursday before and after school to discuss these...

King Lear Vocab #2

Definitions:

baseness: the condition of lacking of human decency and higher values.
credulous: gullible
diffidence: distrust of one’s self, one’s abilities
diffuse: to disseminate
enmity: mutual hatred
forbearance: patience
kindle: to arouse an emotion; to spark a fire
lament: to express sorrow or regret; to mourn over
propinquity: nearness in place, relationship, or time
quench: to suppress; squelch
surfeit: excess
trifling: of little importance
knave: a servant
moiety: a portion or share
saucily: impertinent; insolent; disrespectful
abate: to reduce in amount, degree, or intensity
auspicious: marked by success; prosperous
miscreant: an evildoer; a villain
pawn: a pledge for the fulfillment of a promise
auricular: of or relating to the sense of hearing
scourged: afflicted with widespread suffering or devastation; chastised severely
motley: having much variety, color; attire of a jester
foppish: foolish
censure: expression of strong disapproval
fraught: filled with an element (like danger, fear)
couch (verb): to word in a certain manner
privy: made a participant in knowledge
pendulous: wavering; undecided
array: to set out for display
yeoman: an attendant or servant

Steps 3-5

Steps 3-5 of the research process are due tomorrow. This includes the following:

Examine, reject, and select individual resources. Select 3 articles of literary criticism and print or photocopy them: These might relate directly or indirectly to your topic. For instance, you might find valuable information in an article that is written about your topic, or in one that discusses the play in general. After you’ve determined that an article contains information that you would like to use in your paper, photocopy or print the article. The articles must be from library books or databases. Please see the library staff or me with questions about source material.

NOTE: YOU MUST BE SURE TO RECORD ALL CITATION INFORMATION FOR YOUR WORKS CITED LIST (See library website for guidelines and examples).

Find at least five, relevant quotes from the play: These should be quotes that present your topic in a significant way. Type and save these in a document and be sure to include the page number(s). In addition, write an explanation of how each quote is significant and helps you support your argument.

Select quotes from the articles: Select at least one quote from each critical article. Type the quotes and save them along with the author’s name and the number(s) of the page(s) on which they occur in the article. In addition, write a short explanation of how the quotes you have chosen help you to support your thesis.


According to the directions, this work should be typed--be sure to save it on your computer.

The Research

Today we read outside reading books and watched the end of the play. This weekend you should receive an email from blogger.com inviting you to be an author for your outside reading book blog. Please accept the invitation; then, you will be all set to complete the blog portion of the outside reading assignment.

Your main goal this weekend should be to sift through relevant critical articles, looking for information which will help support your tentative thesis (and in the process you will probably get information to help you craft and revise your final thesis statement).

**The previous post contains a link to the HennCo Library database page.

Looking Forward to Friday...

Bring your completed vocabulary cards and outside reading book to class tomorrow.

Today we shared tentative thesis statements, discussed the HennCo database, and watched a portion of Act 5. Although there is no specific article due tomorrow (the 3 articles are due next Tuesday), it would be an excellent idea to begin sifting through the information on JSTOR. Click here to visit the HennCo Library database page.

Hopefully, you copied this information down in class, but here are the due dates for the research paper:

2/24 Steps 3-5 (Research)
2/27 Paper Outline
3/3 Rough Draft
3/4 Final Draft

Analyzing Lear

Today we jigsawed the various articles about King Lear. Your job for tonight is to come up with a topic and tentative thesis statement. In other words, complete the cream sheet attached to the paper prompt and rubric.

Below are the possible ideas we came up with in class today (but there are certainly many, many more possibilities...):

Ideas to Explore
Truth in Lear
Recognition
Religion
Deceit vs. ending of play
Morality
Sight--insight and/or physical sight
Kent
Edgar's return
Lear's truth in madness
Lear's avoidance of love
the Fool
Lear's relationship with his daughters
Death
Lear vs. Gloucester
the role of women in Lear
deceit with love
changing one's destiny
Gloucester's relationship with sons
old-young
parents-children
government corruption
human nature
manipulation of fear

So Much to Do...

Today we took a quiz on Act 5. I briefly discussed the outside reading blogging requirement--please see the handout on Edline. We are taking the initial steps toward writing a literary analysis paper with critical support. Overall here is what you should be working on:

1. Review the outside reading blogging assignment. Step one: have a copy of your outside reading book in class on Friday.

2. Complete the vocabulary cards for Friday (assignment on Edline).

3. IF YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE ONE, GET A HENNEPIN COUNTY LIBRARY CARD!!

4. Read & annotate the critical article that you received in class today.

If you were absent today, please complete the following before tomorrow:

Go to:
The Hennepin County Library database page

Scroll down until you get to JSTOR.

Type in your library card barcode.

Search for the following article: Time, Place, and Politics in “King Lear” by W.W. Greg.

Read and annotate the article.


Will will jigsaw and discuss the articles tomorrow in class.

The Actors Studio

We witnessed some amazing acting in class today...Lars and Austin, Kshitij and Linnea, Hailey and Reed, Connor and Sarah. The performances were outstanding, especially considering that groups had just 10 minutes to prepare. In 5th hour we definitely saw a variety of staging/performance choices. I found two clips of this scene made by students on Youtube:



and



The questions that we didn't get to in 4th hour, and that you need to respond to on your notebook page entitled, "Staging Lear," are:

•Some critics argue that this scene shouldn’t be a part of any staging, because it can make a serious scene almost absurd (theater of the absurd). Do you agree or disagree?
•Can the audience appreciate the play without seeing this scene? Why or why not?

Homework: Read/annotate Act 5 for Tuesday.

I Am Woman!

Today we talked about strong women (and listened to a little Helen Reddy). The Lear sisters are feuding like never before. Cordelia is leading the French Army, while her sisters are both vying for Edmund.

Read (and annotate) the rest of Act 4 to see what develops...

My Eyes! My Eyes!

Poor Gloucester. First, he's deceived by his unnatural son, and now he loses his eyes...

Today we took the vocab quiz and then worked on discussing the end of Act 3 in small groups.

Homework: Read/Annotate Act 4, Scenes 1-4

The Battle Rages On...

The Lear raps were excellent today. You did great things with language to create clever and insightful poems/raps. Unfortunately, no clear winner was determined in hour 4. In fact, Anna (with bongo back-up) and John (with accompanying beat) each received 10 votes for top rapper. So, there will certainly have to be some kind of face-off (fishbowl style, no doubt) tomorrow. Also, we will need to hear from absent rappers Colin and Rohini. In 5th hour, Jimmer came prepared (as usual) with a piece that reminded us of one Kanye West. Connor also proved himself to be a worthy wordsmith. Tomorrow we need to hear from the following rappers: Molly, Michaela, Margaret, Greta, and Ellen.

Homework: Finish reading (and annotating) Act 3; vocab quiz tomorrow.

Act 3

Friday in class: took quiz, completed questions from acts 1-2.

Homework: finish rap; prep for RAP BATTLE; read act 3, scenes 1-4; study vocab.

King Lear, Act 2 continued...again

Today I checked annotations. Then we discussed the reading and finished the theme analysis activity from yesterday. Groups broke up and formed new groups to share the theme statements and evidence that the original groups found. We also discussed the rap assignment that is due Monday. We ran out of time to discuss vocab. Here are definitions for your words:


felicitate: to make happy or delightful
opulent: wealthy, affluent, abundant
preeminence: superiority to all others
derides: scoffs at; mocks; ridicules
amities: friendships
maledictions: curses
entreaty: a plea; an earnest request
upbraids: scolds harshly; reproaches
gall: a bitter, irritated feeling
debauched: morally corrupted
dotage: senility
clamorous: loudly; noisily
ruffian: rowdy individual
peruse: to read or examine
obscured: made difficult to see
penury: extreme poverty
vouchsafe: to grant in a condescending manner
superfluous: beyond what is needed or required
impetuous: violent, hasty, rash, impulsive
engendered: to cause, to produce, to create
contentious: quarrelsome; stirring controversy
vexes: discomforts, distresses
defile: to make dirty, to desecrate, to pollute
bedlam: a place or scene of wild and mad uproar; an extremely confusing scene
wanton: immoral, lewd
presages: foreshadows of a future event
impertinency: rudeness
disdain: intense dislike; to treat with scorn or contempt or reject as unworthy
hamartia: error of judgment
dramatic irony: audience knows something characters do not

Homework: Read and annotate Act 2, Scene 4; Rap due Monday.

King Lear, Act 2 continued

Today we took a quiz on Act 2, Scene 1. Then we worked on textual evidence of major themes in Lear. For tomorrow, your homework is to read AND ANNOTATE scenes 2 and 3 from act 2. If you need to print a copy of the scenes to annotate, here is the link.

King Lear, Act 2

Today in class we discussed descriptions of the fool. The fool bubble maps and vocabulary cards were collected. We read--and if you were absent, you should read--How to Mark a Book by Mortimer Adler.

The homework for tonight is to read Act 2, Scene 1, and annotate as you are reading. If you have a copy of your own book, you may complete the annotations in your own book. If you do not have your own copy, please print out this version and annotate it.

**You must have an annotated text in class tomorrow in order to take the quiz--even if your absence was the result of choir.

The Fool

1. Please create a bubble map for the Fool.
Include at least 5 adjectives
Must include textual support
Quotes should be written out
Include proper citation
Do on a separate, clean sheet of paper (not your notebook)

2. Vocabulary cards are due tomorrow.

We are going to work on annotating Shakespeare's text tomorrow.

This Weekend...

...your homework is the following:

1. Work on vocab cards--vocab list on Edline in Vocabulary folder.
2. Choose an outside reading book; go the appropriate blog and comment according to the directions.
3. Read scenes 4-5 from act 1 of Lear.
4. Go outside--apparently there's going to be a heat wave. ;)

Outside Reading--3rd Quarter

Today we discussed the 15 options for outside reading. This quarter, you are going to pick one of those books and be a part of an online discussion. We'll get to that later. For now, you just need to tell me what book you are going to choose to read. In order to do this, please click on the link to that blog (blogs are on the right) and comment on the post that is titled "ARE YOU GOING TO READ THIS BOOK?" The directions are there as well. You can read WHATEVER book you CHOOSE on that list.

DUE DATES
Pick your book and comment on that blog by Monday, February 2nd.
You must bring your book to class on Friday, February 20th.
Online Discussion will begin on Monday, February 23rd.
My hope is that you will have started your book by then!

Banished!

Lear has already dismissed two people: Cordelia and the Earl of Kent. Despite Lear's anger, however, we see many references to love in act 1, scene 1. Your homework for tomorrow is the following:

Finish reading act 1, scene 1
Find all references to love
Translate references to plain English
Reflect on the references; identify a common statement about love.
Write a theme statement about love for act 1, scene 1. What is Shakespeare saying about love in this opening scene to King Lear?

**Also, don't forget to peruse the outside reading book list on Edline. You must choose a book by Friday.

The Tragedy

We will begin 2nd semester with more Shakespeare: King Lear. Since we will be doing a close study of this text, you may want your own copy. We will be using the Folger Library version of the text (see cover above). So, think about picking up a copy this weekend--the list price is only $5.99!

The Final Act

Study Guide Questions (also on Edline).

I realize that there are a lot. You do NOT need to answer these in complete sentences.

1. What advice does Antonio give to Leonato?
2. How does Leonato react to this advice?
3. When Leonato won’t calm down, Antonio gives new advice. What is it?
4. What does Leonato want Claudio to do? Does he?
5. What does Antonio offer to do?
6. How does Don Pedro react to the challenge?
7. When Benedick enters, what does Claudio ask from him?
8. What metaphor does Benedick use for his cleverness?
9. Who realizes the Benedick is in a serious mood?
10. What does Benedick want from Claudio?
11. How does Don Pedro attempt to distract Benedick?
12. How does Benedick plan to alter his relationship with Don Pedro?
13. What news from Benedick surprises Don Pedro?
14. Of what does Dogberry accuse Borachio and Conrade?
15. What is ironic about Dogberry’s response to Borachio and Conrade?
16. How does Claudio feel when he hears Borachio’s confession?
17. What offer does Claudio make to Leonato?
18. What penance does Leonato give Don Pedro and Claudio?
19. How does Borachio demonstrate that he is not all bad?
20. What further accusation does Dogberry make against Borachio and Conrade?
21. Why does Benedick thank Margaret?
22. What does Margaret want in return for this favor?
23. What is ironic about Benedick signing a song about Cupid?
24. What problem does Benedick have with writing poetry?
25. What does Benedick want from Beatrice? Why won’t she comply?
26. Why does Beatrice say she is in love with Benedick?
27. Why does Benedick say he loves Beatrice?
28. To what conclusion do they come?
29. Who brings the couple news of Hero’s exoneration?
30. Why must Don Pedro and Claudio change clothes in 5.3?
31. Who is Leonato’s niece?
32. What favor does Benedick want from Friar Francis?
33. How does Leonato hint at his part in the romance of Beatrice and Benedick?
34. In 5.4 Hero removes her physical mask and reveals that she is still alive? What emotional masks are removed in this scene?
35. What advice does Benedick give to Don Pedro?
36. What job will Benedick perform for Don Pedro?

Quotes
Pick two quotes from Act 5 to analyze. In picking these quotes, you are suggesting that these are truly significant to the play as a whole.
Please analyze them in the same manner we've been doing all along.

Tonight...

Your homework is to finish reading Act 4 (we ended in class on page 137). Then, respond to the Act 4 questions. The questions are on Edline, but I'll paste them below as well. The creative presentations were interesting today--people were talking about Jim's performance throughout the hallway!

Act 4 Questions
1. What does Claudio do at his wedding?
2. At first, what does Leonato assume has happened when Claudio asserts that Hero is not a virgin?
3. Who sides with Claudio?
4. How does Hero try to defend herself?
5. What happens to Hero next?
6. Who consistently believes in Hero’s innocence?
7. Who does Leonato believe?
8. Who is willing to give Hero the benefit of the doubt?
9. Who sees Don John as the probable cause of this problem? What does it show about him?
10.What plan does Friar Francis concoct?
11.How are Beatrice and Benedick different in 4.1?
12.When Benedick tells Beatrice that he will do anything for her, what request does she make and how does he react?
13.What does the sexton discover during his interrogation of Conrade and Borachio?
14.What has Don John done?
15.How does Conrade upset Dogberry?How does Dogberry defend himself?

BE CREATIVE!

The outside reading creative assessment is due tomorrow. You WILL SHARE what you create. It should be interesting...

The Answers

May we only use the review sheets on the exam?
Yes, only the review sheets on Edline, with your handwritten notes. I can't think of anything else you would need.

Are the sections timed?
Yes.

What kinds of vocabulary questions will appear on the exam?
The exam may have either definition matching or sentence completion, or both.

Will there be time in class for review?
Don't count on it.

Will we need to supply quotes for the MAAN short answer questions?
No.

Will we need to include direct quotes in the final essay?
No.


For tomorrow (1/13): Identify three significant quotes from Act 2, 1 quote per scene. Then, analyze each quote according to the format (A,B,C,D,E) provided last week.

Other considerations...
Your outside reading creative project is due Thursday--you will share it.
The Act 3 study guide questions will be due Wednesday. They are on Edline if you'd like to get started.

El Fin

FINAL EXAM

Please read the message below, review the comments on Edline in the folder entitled, "Final Exam Documents, and then COMMENT ON THIS POST (5 Points) indicating that you have read and understand what is on the final.

If you have a question, you should add that. I will compile a list of frequently asked questions for Monday.

For example:
Hi Ms. Jarrett! I understand what will be on the final.
What can I do to best prepare for the Much Ado section of the exam?
Sam Hr. 5-Enriched 10
(or check out Marcella's comment--she commented only 30 minutes after receiving the assignment!!)

Final Exam: All necessary documents are on Edline.

PART A:
Vocabulary (25-50 points)As previously mentioned, there will be a vocabulary section on the final. It will consist of 25-50 multiple choice questions (matching, fill-ins).In order to prepare, you should review your flash cards.All vocabulary lists are available on Edline.

PART B:
Much Ado About Nothing (25-50 points)There will be 2-3 short answer questions on the play that will require 2 or 3 paragraphs each. There will also be some quote analysis.

PART C:
Cumulative Essay (100 points)You will write a cumulative essay (with introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion) that encompasses the works of literature we’ve studied this semester based on a prompt that will be given to you the day of the final..
Literature
The Iliad– Homer
The Odyssey – Homer
All the Pretty Horses – Cormac McCarthy
All My Sons - Arthur MillerFilm
O Brother, Where Art Thou? - The Coen Brothers
On the Waterfront – Elia Kazan

You are allowed to use your original, handwritten review sheets (Edline) on the day of the final.
**Typed or photocopied review sheets may not be used during the final exam.

The Art of the Insult

Today we modeled analysis of a quote. For tomorrow, analyze the following quotes according to the format given in class:

I.i.129-130
I.i.313-322
I.ii.20-24
I.iii.25-30

Also, go to Edline and print out the Insult Worksheet. The worksheet must also be completed before class.

The Whole Kit and Kaboodle

The entire research paper is due tomorrow. Before you can submit the paper, you must go to Edline, print the document entitled, "RESEARCH PAPER REFLECTION AND RUBRIC," and complete the reflection. Then, gather your documents in the proper order and prepare to submit.

Since there are clear consequences for not doing so, please follow the directions.