Lit 12

Pizza cram Monday morn at 10 until noon. Make sure you are signed up. If not, email Ms. Egan.

Exam: Tues. Dec. 13th 1 p.m. in the double gym.

English 10 A

Bring two pens and two pencils to the gym for your exam, Tues. Dec. 13th at 1 p.m. Be sure to get a good night's sleep and eat a hearty breakfast and a light lunch. Dress in layers so you are prepared for gymnasium temperatures. Be sure to keep your feet warm. Bring a watch so that you keep to the suggested times on the exam.

This exam tests your reading and writing skills. It particularly tests your ability to read directions. The directions explain exactly how you will be marked. The criteria are listed there for you so it is key that you match all of the criteria in your answers.

To study: Go on line and do the practice exams. Take home your blue folders and see if there are one or two typical errors that you seem to keep making. Correct them. I'll be in my office Monday before 10 and all Monday afternoon and Tues. morning if you'd like some help.

Key literary terms for this test are the ones you know well
personification, irony, metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia.

You may not use a dictionary or a thesaurus on the exam so study your vocabulary list and our verb lists so that you are prepared to elevate your diction. Memorize the literary must-haves list and memorize your favourite transitions from our list. The best way to prepare is to read as much as you can, especially your USSR books and To Kill a Mockingbird as a book trains your eye and your ear.
You are ready for this exam and I expect you to do well. Be confident. Be prepared. Write neatly. If I can't read your handwriting, you do not get the marks. You may not re-write this exam as it is a summative mark which should reflect what you can do after a term of advanced English 10.

If you plan to write a short story, study the sheet on how to punctuate speech. You will lose marks if you punctate it incorrectly.

Homework: Finish reading and post-it noting To Kill a Mockingbird as we will begin our quotation logs in January and use them to write the essay.

Update Shelfari by Dec. 14. Put your response under the November heading. Read as many books as you can over the holidays. We are starting a reading challenge (grade 9s against the grade 10s) and all of the books you've read since Sept. will count. Each book counts for one ticket for monthly book gift certificate draws and for our grand prize (to be drawn in June) of an e-reader. Lucky you!

I'm really proud of the work you have accomplished and I look forward to your literacy project presentations in May. Be sure to work on it as needed.

Writing 12

Thanks to Isabella and to Sophia for such a compelling look at Leonard Cohen's work. The exercises were wonderful.

Manuscript will be due the third week in January. I don't have the specific date yet. You have the manuscript guidelines which we will review in Jan.

Holidays are wonderful times to observe the world, read poetry, reflect on your life, maybe do some writing or editing. Email poems to each other. Ask for feedback. Be honest with which lines work and which ones don't.

Jan. 15th is the deadline for the national poetry contest. You may send them two poems (pick two you think you'd like to have published on their national website). Previous winners may be viewed at www.youngpoets.ca

We'll also be sending poems to three other contests and to three magazines so you really will want to polish them off. If you have time over the holidays, wonderful. If not, there will be time during classes in Jan. I've booked various computer labs for your convenience. Make sure you have all 11 poems in a safe and secure file as I will need both hard and electronic copies.

AP Lit

I forgot to give you the novel, Portrait of the Artist, our next novel study. I will charge the novel to your account and give it to you during the exam tomorrow.

I suggest you do a first read of it over the break so that you know the characters, settings, conflicts, key themes, and post-it note the passages that you think would be important for us to discuss.

Ms. Fraser is a Joyce scholar so I'm hoping she will be a guest lecturer for us. What luck!

It is also a coming of age novel so you will see a lot of similarities to Hamlet. If you have not yet read, J.D. Salinger's novel, Catcher in the Rye, I suggest you read that one as well. You want to have as many novels and plays under your belts, so to speak, as possible, in order to be really well prepared for the final essay question.

You'll notice in Joyce's novel that he uses stream of consciousness style so we will need to pay particularly close attention to style as well as theme this time.

Death of a Salesman: Thank you for your rapt attention during this quick unit. The wonderful thing about reading and studying plays is that you can get a lot of mileage out of them. This play will be very useful on the AP exam. We'll finish up the presentations in Jan. spend one period on discussing the set and the use of past and present, decide on the tragic character question, and then you'll write a test. I've put it in SDS for Jan. 11.

Next term, we need to study poetry and practice the mutltiple choice sections and continue to write fabulous essays. It will be amazing. If there is a particular poem that you would love to study, please let me know.

English 10 A

If you were away today, be sure to hand in your Alyson Rowe response. Define and write sentences for the next two words on our list, disapprobation and dispensation. Read your USSR book for at least 15 minutes and pick up the study package from me or copy it from a friend. Be sure to read through the sample C section compositions.

Homework: Write a complete composition on any of the prompts on the handout. Be sure to follow the criteria and re-read the samples several times in order to fnd a writing style and scenario that you can rely on. Think--examples, good style, engaging topic. Keep the topic in mind but you do not have to connect directly to the topic, nor must you agree with the topic. This section is testing your ability to write a multi-paragraph sample in any combination of descriptive, narrative, expository or persuasive style. If you neglect to do a minimum of 3 paragraphs, you are docked on letter grade.

Bring in a double-spaced copy for peer comments.
We'll also review the literary terms and section B, the synthesis essay next class. Read through the samples and be sure to visit the website. Google BC provincial exams. Try the e-exams listed there, too.

AP Lit

We meet Thursday, first period, yay. We will watch the end of the film and discuss the play. I can also answer any questions you may have regarding the provincial exam.

Writing 12

Wasn't Carla Funk wonderful? I loved how she taught us to embrace anecdote (the things that happen to us in our daily lives) and then add tension to it in order to find the poem. What were your favourites? I really appreciated the questions and comments you made. By doing so you make the guest feel really welcomed and listened to.

I'm really looking forward to reading your poems. It seems like it's been a long time since your last submission. I suspect Carla's reading will inspire you.

Please give me your response to Carla's reading on Thursday.
Isabella and Sophia are presenting to us on Thursday. Yay.

Lit 12

We managed to make our way through Paradise Lost. Well done!! Approach it as a piece of fiction, i.e. an epic poem and then put it into its Puritan perspective, your knowledge of Milton, the historical context and it's a majesterial piece, no?

Vocabulary test tomorrow. Study the words. They are listed in a previous blog.

Review days: Wed. and Thurs. Bring the review sheets from unit one, bring in your sets of cards on literary terms. We'll be playing literary term bingo on Friday. Amazing prizes!!

Pizza exam cram with Ms. Egan's class Monday at 10:00 in our room. Sign up tomorrow in class.

AP Lit

We watched the 1985 film version of Death of a Salesman today, directed by Volker Schlondorff, a member of the New German cinema. Here's a link to find out more about him here: Find out more about the director

The acting is extraordinary but what do you think of the set? We'll finish watching it next class and then we'll discuss Act 2. I hope you have read it thoroughly and have taken good notes or used post-its.

How is the studying for the English 12 exam going? Dec. 9th is Friday. 1 p.m. 

Lit 12

We reviewed terms and author/titles today. Looks like the class needs to review the authors and titles. Wednesday, we'll have a quiz on the Paradise Lost vocabulary. You can get the list from the previous blog or it is on the board in our room. We'll finish off Paradise Lost tomorrow, which means we have just two more works and we'll be finished the Renaissance so prepare for a test on unit 2 in January. We'll use Wednesday and Friday classes to review for your Dec. 13th exam.

Study daily as there is simply too much content to leave it all the the day before.
Excellent work on Paradise Lost today. Read over the section we did today and I bet it will seem so much easier to read now. Look for the sympathetic way that Milton treats Eve. Why is that? How is Satan and hell portrayed? What question about God is he attempting to answer? Why? Why does he invoke the muse, Urania?
Don't get overwhelmed by the periodic sentences. Figure out what is the subject of each one and then you'll see how the extra details are their to add to the epic tone and create this amazingly visual masterpiece.
It's like a film on paper, isn't it?

Now, what is the difference between blank verse and free verse? Found any epic similes yet?

English 10A Alyson Rowe's talk

Thank you for your rapt attention, the feedback, and the respect you showed our guest today. What an amazing experience. I'd like you to think about how this talk has impacted you and write a response. Bring your response to class Wednesday.

You can visit warchild on facebook. You can read Alyson's tweets @alysonrowe
You can vist warchild's site: www.warchild.ca and you can sign up for their monthly newsletter.

In your response you can discuss any of the topics that Alyson raised:

• social media
• social media and new ways you now know to promote your literacy project
• You can talk about your literacy project
• You can talk about the mockumentary films she showed us
• You can talk about warchild
• You can talk about service and student leadership
• You can talk about fundraising (what you've done, plan to do, re-thinking it etc)
• You can talk about Alyson's approach, her talk, her life,
• You can talk about what you enjoyed about the presentation, what questions you have
• You can talk about other sites you visited
• You can talk about whether you would like to learn to tweet in this class
• You can discuss Dr. Nutt's plans, approach, her book
• You can go hear her speak tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in the lecture theatre--you must register. See your email

Marks award for an enthusiastic, informed response, which offers concrete examples from the talk, your life, your readings, sites you've visited etc.
Length: 300 to 500 words. Double space. Focus on your writing style as well. This type of writing is good practice for section C of the provincial exam which I will be explaining to you on Wednesday.

English 10A Special Presentation on social media: Monday morning

Please arrive on time as we have a special presentation, which I feel will be beneficial to promoting your literacy projects. How to reach people with your message is a big part of your literacy campaigns so we're fortunate to have Samantha Nutt's publicist Alyson Rowe, visit us Monday. Please ensure that you are on time. 
For an article on Samantha Nutt, author of 

'Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid visit: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/11/23/f-vp-stewart.html This book would be a great one for us to read as a class since, like To Kill a Mockingbird, it deals with topical issues key to our lives today. 

To learn about War Child before Alyson's visit, click on this link: War Child, a world where no child knows war . . .

Alyson's presentation to our class, Monday morning, period 1, will address the following: 

Social Media Presentations

Using Social Media for Social Change

Overview

As part of War Child’s “Blogging Challenge” held in 2010, War Child would like to host an information session at St. Michael’s University School on Monday, December 5^th.

This presentation will use the “Blogging Challenge” as an example of how charities and not for profit organizations can raise awareness about social justice using social media.

Presentation Outline

This presentation will use the “Blogging Project” as an outline to show how you can use social media and will outline what the different social media tools are.

The presentation will focus on the following three questions:

1 – What is social media and why is it important for youth?

2 – How is social media shaping how we learn about world issues?

3 – How can you use social media to share information about world issues?

Alyson Rowe, War Child Canada’s Senior Manager of Community Development will be facilitating these presentations. Alyson is responsible for building a loyal supporter base for War Child that is both engaged and responsive. This is achieved through strategic outreach, both online and in real life. Alyson is more than an ambassador for War Child, she is the organizations voice, particularly online. As such, she is responsible for articulating War Child's often complex message in a compelling way that draws supporters into the discussion as participants, rather than mere listeners. Alyson plays a key role in developing War Child's overall marketing and communications strategy and the platforms that she is responsible for are increasingly the focus of War Child's advertising and advocacy.

Event Details

This presentation will run for approximately one hour. This presentation has been generously funded by the Canadian International Development Agency.

AP Lit

Thanks for your articulate and observant presentations today. I was transfixed. Please read Act 2 carefully, post-noting or taking notes. Pay particular attention to the motifs and characters that we focused on today.

We'll watch the film on Monday. Have a good weekend.

Writing 12 - Friday, Dec. 2

Two fabulous poems are due Tuesday. You have all weekend to revise and tweek. Follow the editing rules and your heart and you'll be fine.

REMEMBER: Poet Carla Funk will be reading to us on Tuesday. Please be on time. Bring questions you have about your writing and Carla will attempt to answer them. Take notes. The response to Carla will be due Thurs. Dec. 8th. Follow the criteria on the Larissa Horlor sample.

Here is a link to some of Carla's work:

Discover Carla Funk

English 10A: Homework extended until Wed. Dec. 8

Be sure to take your novel home for the weekend as you need to read and post-it note to the end of chapter 17 (page 178). If you think you'll be busy next week, please read ahead.

Next week we will go through the grade 10 provincial exam so that you will be able to get all your questions asked. If you would like to practice, there are several exams on line. Visit: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/exams/search/searchResults.php and search through the samples.

One great idea is to copy down any words from the mulitiple choice section that you do not understand. Words that describe tone can sometimes be confusing. For example: nostalgic, wistful, genial, etc. These words are often repeated. Make sure that your vocabulary is up to date.

Here are the examinable terms:
Examinable Terms and Devices in Literature
A
Alliteration
Allusion
Antagonist
Aside
Atmosphere
Audience
B
Ballad
Bias
Blank verse
C
Character
Chronological order
Cliché
Climax
Colloquial
Comedy
Compare
Conflict (internal, external)
Connotation
Contrast
D
Denotation
Description
Dialogue
Direct presentation
Drama
Dynamic character
E
Exposition; expository
F
Falling action
Figurative language
First person point of view
Flashback
Flat character
Foil
Foreshadowing
Free verse
G
Genre
H
Hyperbole
I
Image
Imagery
Indirect presentation
Irony
J
Jargon
L
Limited omniscient
point of view
Lyric
M
Metaphor
Mood
N
Narration
Narrative
Narrator
O
Objective point of view
Omniscient point of view
Onomatopoeia
Oxymoron
P
Paradox
Personification
Persuasion; persuasive
Plot
Point of view
Propaganda
Protagonist
R
Refrain
Resolution
Rhyme
Rhyme scheme
Rhythm
Rising action
Round character
S
Sarcasm
Satire
Setting
Simile
Slang
Sonnet
Speaker
Stanza
Static character
Stereotyped character
Style
Suspense
Symbol; symbolism
T
Theme
Tone
Tragedy
U
Understatement

Lit 12

Today we created Fact / React charts to get us more involved in the readings and to ensure that more people get an opportunity to talk during class. I'll mark the charts and return them to you, Monday.

Review today's terms:
Puritan
blank verse
periodic sentence
in medias res
epic poem
epic similes
invocation
heavenly muse
classical influences of Homer's The Ilyiad and The Odyssey and Virgil's Aeneid.
justify the ways of God to man
divine right of kings
A Poet of God
John Milton's life
individual relationship with God

Make sure that you read Paradise Lost. Use Spark notes or a similar site to assist you. It will be a challenge but it will be worth your while because if you know what is happening, you are much more able to infer, to make connections, and to analyse the text when you arrive for class on Monday. There could be a surprise quiz on Monday, right? There could be cookies for those who made notes, right? There could be any number of wonderful things happening in the universe knowing that the Lit 12 students have integrity and do their homework in a timely fashion, right?

Vocabulary is needed to help you. Copy the following words into your Paradise Lost notes. There will be a vocabulary quiz on Monday and you may use your notes. You have to actually copy out the words into your notes. As you copy, make sure you are able to use the word in a sentence. If you are not sure, bring sentences with you to class. We'll be creating sentences on Monday.

guile (noun) cunningness, slyness
Leviathan (noun) a giant sea creature found in the Bible
perdition (noun) hell or eternal damnation
to vanquish (verb) to defeat in battle
oracle (noun) source of wisdom or prophecy (foretelling the future)
impetuous (adjective) impulsive
to transgress (verb) to sin, to break the law
transgression (noun) the act of making a mistake, sinning, going off track
ethereal (adjective) not of the earth, spiritual
deluge (noun) a great flood, a lot of water
to deify (verb) to make god-like
deity (noun) a god
to extort (verb) to steal or to obtain money via intimidation, extortion is the noun
dubious (adjective) doubtful
wrath (noun) anger, usually associated with violence, the wrath of God is a common phrase
ignominy (noun) ignominous is the adjective, the state of feeling ashamed or disgraced, shameful,
apostate (noun or adjective) Satan is an apostate or hell is an apostate setting, it means a person who renounces one's faith, a renegade or defector, or it can mean abandonment of a previous loyalty--the act of committing apostasy, can be religious or political in meaning
providence (noun) God's grace or protection
sufferance (noun) putting up with something, suffering through but not enough to do anything about it ie God's sufferance of Satan, another definition is patient endurance

This list of words can be found in Paradise Lost; however, these words will be applicable to several poems we study this year so memorize away!!

AP Lit

Finish reading and making notes on Act 1. Be prepared to present your response to the question you chose for Friday's class.
If you have not yet written the section D prov. exam composition, you must submit by 3:20 today. 

Hint: never just read for AP Lit. Always read with a pen. It's not enough to simply write down quotes. Make connections. Know what you are looking for. Make inferences. Notice patterns, motifs, changes in diction.  You become better readers in this manner, of course, and it ends up taking less time. You don't have to keep re-reading and dozing off. It's called active reading. If you need help to be a better reader, let me know. I have tips.

English 10A

Today, we re-wrote the paragraphs from last week's story, "Saturday Climbing". We focused on ensuring that we are learning literary paragraph structure. As you re-write each sentence, make sure you know why you are doing so. What does it mean to prove the thesis? How will you refer to climbing examples and explain how they represent the changes in the relationship? Why is it effective for an author to do so?

Hand in the worksheet next class.

Next, you had twenty minutes to get a good start on the paragraph. The question is listed on last day's blog as well. Make sure you follow the same steps. Describe what she learns and explain what each lesson could be foreshadowing.

You will need a strong thesis to start that includes all the lessons. For example,

In "Part One" of the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Scout learns several key lessons which foreshadow that in a prejudiced town such as Maycomb, to combat prejudice, ignorance and injustice, one must be willing to step away from the crowd and question society.

First opinion: The first lesson Scout learns occurs in her kitchen when Calprnia scolds the young, hotheaded girl for mistreating their guest, Walter Cunningham. Scout believes that Walter should not be considered a guest in their home because he is a Cunningham; however, she must learn that all people are equal despite race or social status. this lesson foreshadows that Scout will begin to question society because many of the town's beliefs do not match her family's beliefs. Since Atticus is an educated lawyer, he teaches his daughter respect so the second lesson Scout encounters revolves around her father's choice to defend Tom Robinson. Scout is teased because her father is a "nigger-lover" (25) and consequently, because she loves her father, she responds to the taunts with her fists.

(Notice the diction, sentence variety, and transitions here). Since this question is fairly simple, it is a good opportunity for you to focus on your written expression.

Good luck. Hand in the paragraph on Thursday.

Lit 12

Today, I handed out the outline for the Xmas exam.
Part 1: 30 multiple choice (sometimes more) Focus on title, author, themes, characters, conflicts, recognition of lines, tone, diction, literary terms.
Part 2: Sight poem: It will be medieval or Renaissance so study the forms: epic, elegy, lyric, sonnet, ballad, frame tale, metaphysical, cavalier. By knowing the form, you will have an immediate advantage as you can add in pertienent details. Also, knowing the era will help you explain the themes, and structures. You will write a paragraph on the poem and answer 7 multiple choice questions.
Part 3: Discuss a passage from The Canterbury Tales in a literary paragraph. Look for its satirical elements and explain how the passage fits into the story as a whole.
Part 4: Literary Essay: As you study, organize the poems into themes. What do the poems say about death? Heroism? Loyalty? Love? Time? etc. Make sure to memorize quotes and use quotes from the multiple choices sections in your essay. You'll need to know the authors and the titles, which must be cited properly.

Tonight: Read John Milton's  Paradise Lost, an excerpt from this epic poem. Arrive to class being able to explain what is happening. With that knowledge, we can then understand the themes, the images, the use of terms and their effects, etc. There will be a number of vocabulary words that we'll need to learn as well. I'll give you the list in class. Post-it note the words you would like to learn.

Writing 12

I introduced the glosa form today. If you were away, pick up the handouts from me so that you can get your poem written. It's 40 lines long and really fun.

Next Tuesday, Carla Funk will be reading to the class during period 5. You will all need to write a response to her reading. Remember that if you miss one of our classroom readings, you must make it up outside of class.

Tonight, Gabe and Karen are heading downtown to see the fiction writer, Chuck Palahniuk. Great job.
Grade 11s rock! Grade 12s were once grade 11s.

AP Lit

We started reading Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. It's found in your textbook, page 1236. We discussed the changes in theatre and changes in the definition of the tragic hero. Read the notes pages 1232-1236.

We read and made notes on pages 1236-1243.

Lit 12

We re-wrote the paragraph from the test sonnet or if we did well on that sonnet, we read sonnet 73 and wrote a paragraph on that. Next class, we'll go over the multiple choice so that you can feel more confident preparing for this type of question.

We'll finish John Donne's poem next class.

Re-writes for the paragraph need to be completed by Wed.
I can be here Tues. at lunch for a mass re-write. How does that sound?

For those wishing to re-write the multiple choice, I'll need to make a new exam so probably Wed. would at lunch for that one.

Keep studying terms, lines, themes, and authors to prepare for the December exam.

English 10 A

I'll return your tests and your short stories and your term marks on Tuesday.

Make sure that you have read and thoroughly understood Part 1 (to page112) of To Kill a Mockingbird and that you have sufficient post-it notes to respond to the question below in a paragraph on Tuesday.

You'll be able to use this paragraph in your essay about the novel later in the month.
Please keep reading your USSR books as you lost today's 15 minutes due to the test.

In a literary paragraph of approximately 300 words, explain three lessons that Scout has learned and include in your discussion what the author might be foreshadowing. You may use your novels to answer the question but having thought about this question before hand and choosing your favourite three events will be ideal.

Also, list your top ten events from the novel so far. If you have a busy week next week, plan to get the novel finished. We'll be finished it by early December and then we'll create quote logs which allow you to do a close analysis of the text and turn it into a formal, literary essay of 1200 to 1500 words.

Have a good weekend.

Writing 12

My husband and I really loved the play last night and I was also really proud to see so many Writing 12 students either in the play or in the audience. You rock! Congrats.

Hail to thee, Great Moodlers! To moodle, verb, created by the wonderful writing teacher, Brenda Ueland, from New York City. She taught there in the 30s and her ideas are in the book, If You Want To Write.

Ueland reminds us that we have to replenish the well. We can't expect our imaginations to feed us if we don't feed our imaginations.

One of the best ways to do so is to moodle.

Moodling means creating a sensory experience where you won't be interrupted. Hence, our class today. Candles, logs burning in the fire, chocolate caramels, the smell of juicy Mandarin oranges, silence in the room and time to read poetry. We read, sipped, slurped, sucked, sighed and read some more and I think we all left feeling a lot lighter and more able to receive the poems when they wish to arrive.

Go forth and moodle, my friends. Write because it's fun and you can. Luckily, so far in Canada, you can say what you want without reprisal. Not so in a lot of countries in the world. Poets are imprisoned for having imaginations and putting their tongues onto the page.

See if you can incorporate one of the ideas from the elegy samples we read yesterday into a new poem that you create this weekend. Bring your new poem to class on Monday to share with the group.

Jack and Kaylaa present Margaret Atwood's poetry to us on Monday.

English 10 A

TEST FRIDAY. SEE BELOW FOR WAYS TO STUDY!

We read for 15 minutes. It looks like you have all chosen excellent books to read.

We added the next two words to our list, unsullied and subsequent.

We reviewed the paragraph writing expectations for Friday's test.
Introductory sentence must answer the question with a provocative opinion (which you are determined you can prove) and mention the author and the title (in quotation marks).
First opinion (from your so what? chart)
First piece of evidence (paraphrase or a quotation) from your What? chart
First explanation/elaboration (Here you explain how this example really proves your thesis)

Ex: Ellen locks the caregivers in the cupboard because she is frustrated by their lack of respect. She has been imprisoned on several occasions for the petty crime of being a child. She can not be late to breakfast, have a hair out of place, or make any noise in the house. Sadly, the distressed girl naively assumes she can lock away her troubles. The fact that she abandons the man and woman in their cage and returns to bed exemplifies her childish solution to her difficulties but does not justify her actions.

Transition

Second opinion
Second piece of evidence
Second elaboration

Transition

Third opinion
Third piece of evidence
Third explanation/elaboration

Concluding sentence (Repeat the thesis (make sure you are summarizing the arguments made in the paragraph. There should be nothing new here). Use emotional language.
Ellen's plight and naive resolution demonstrate her frustration--she is a lonesome child with no recourse for change. The final image of Ellen under the frail covers emphasizes her enormous vulnerability.

Ta Da! Done.

Now, following the structure means you are 1/3 of the way there, right?
You are marked on
STRUCTURE (FORMAT, TRANSITIONS, CLARITY, LOGICAL DEVELOPMENT)
CONTENT (INSIGHTFUL OPINIONS SUPPORTED WTH EVIDENCE. DO NOT RE-TELL THE STORY AS YOU CANNOT GAIN MARKS IN THAT MANNER)
STYLE: FORMAL DICTION, SENTENCE VARIETY (LENGTH AND TYPE), VERB USAGE, ENGAGEMENT, ENTHUSIASM,

WE CREATED A LIST OF STRONG VERBS TODAY:

exemplify
elucidates
emphasized
depicts
reveals
demonstrates
illustrates
portrays
authenticates
testify
communicate
unveil
demystify
enforce
disclose
exclaim
proclaim
state
manifest

ARRIVE PREPARED.
You have studied the must-haves list, how to cite, your transitions page, your verbs, your previous paragraphs, your corrections' sheet, and you are predicting and finding key passages as you read. You are comfortable looking for inferences and supporting your theories with evidence.

Yay!!
Failing to plan is planning to fail.
PLAN TO BRING:
A FAVOURITE PEN
WATER
YOUR HANDOUTS(MUST-HAVES, HOW TO CITE, TRANSITIONS, VERBS, THESAURUS)

Lit 12

We did a number of poems today. Well done. Review the notes on cavalier poetry conventions and ethos.
Make sure you can match the following poets to the poems
Andrew Marvell "To His Coy Mistress"  (Supplemental)
Richard Lovelace "To Lucasta, On Going to Wars" "To Lucasta, From Prison" (Supplemental)
Sir John Suckling "The Constant Lover" (Supplemental)
Robert Herrick "To The Virgins, To Make Much of Time" (Core List)

Next, we introduced John Donne and his Holy Sonnet 6 (Death, be not proud) and began
his poem " A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning"

Review:

Define
apostrophe
conceit (an unusual or unexpected comparison)
metaphysical conceit (The juxtaposition of two seemingly incompatible ideas)
constancy / inconstancy
metaphysical poetry


Match the following lines to their author and title

But, at my back I always hear
Time's winged chariot hurrying near

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a -flying

Out upon it! I have loved
Three whole days together!

I could not love thee, dear, so much,
Loved I not honor more.

Stone walls do not a prison make,
Nor iron bars a cage

So let us melt, and make no noise,
No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests
move.

Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men
And dost with poison, war and sickness dwell

Next, state why each passage is essential to the poem's theme.

No homework tonight other than review so that we can support SMUS Student Theatre Society.
This group has worked hard for two months to create this show, written by SMUS English teacher, Jenn Fraser. Show your support and come out to watch the play. Doors open at 6:30.

AP Lit

Read through the exam so that you have a strong sense of each section and what you are expected to do and how you will be marked.

Start thinking of a character, setting, conflict and epiphany that you can use for a section D practice-write, which I will assign once we have practiced how to do the section.

Google Grade 12 provincial exams for more sample exams.

We'll be starting Death of a Salesman next week.

I have a number of handouts to give you Friday so that you can prepare well for the mock provincial, which is held Dec. 9, 1 p.m. in the double gym.

Writing 12

Tonight at Open Space Gallery, (on Fort St. near Wharf), the great Patrick Lane is launching his new book!! Come on down if you can. 7:30.
Free. Free food, too.
If you HAVE not yet been to a literary event, use today's poetry slam for your event and write up a response (follow the Larissa Horlor sample response). I need these by the end of the week.
No response for a literary event outside of classtime by Friday means your Dec. report card will not look good so please get it done.

The best response to today's slam event will be published in the SMUS Review.
Go team Go!

Anyone interested in being on SMUS slam team? The big slam event is in April but it's never too soon to get started. We will start meeting on Fridays in room 233 soon.

Your two poems were due today. If you forgot (you will need to be publically flogged since you know that two poems are due every day 1. I will be shopping for a new whip this evening on my way to the poetry reading. Any suggestions for whip style appreciated.

Lit 12 Tuesday, Nov. 22

Good job on today's test. I'll get them back to you early next week as I will wait until everyone has written it.

Tonight: Read Robert Herrick's short poem on page 288: "To The Virgins, to Make Much of Time".
First, take notes on Robert Herrick's life (287).
The poem is an example of Cavalier style and carpe diem theme. It is written in four quatrains with a specific rhyme scheme and iambic tetrametre.
Take notes on the following:
How does it fit the Cavalier conventions?
What is the tone of the piece and does it change at all? If so, why?
Who is the persona addressing?
What key images seem to stand out? How do they fit the historical time period? Witty? Serious? Exotic? Artifical? Biblical? Hyperbolic? etc
How might a woman respond to such a poem?

This poem is on the core list but feel free to read other examples of Cavalier poetry. Many examples are in our text book.
Next day I'll check your notes and answer any questions you may have.
We will be moving on to John Donne and a famous example of metaphysical poetry. Plus, we'll do Donne's sonnet-"Death Be Not Proud". You'll love it!

AP Lit

Today, I collected the quotation logs and we wrote the essays.

Next two days--English 12 exam prep. Check the date and time for your English 12 Dec. exam.

Lit 12

We completed the quiz on the Jacobean era, Civil War, and the Protectorate and late 17th century changes in literature. Make sure you take good notes as it is an open-book quiz.

Get the notes on cavalier poetry, and the carpe diem theme.
Read Andrew Marvell's poem, "To My Coy Mistress" page 277.

Next, in preparation for tomorrow's test, we worked on individual analysis of the poem and each group presented 8 lines. I found the presentations thorough, provocative and surprising--three qualities we look for in literary analysis.

Tonight: Review the notes on Medieval and Elizabethan eras, review the terms, review the authors and titles and key quotes. Note the themes and styles of each piece.

Next, study your paragraph writing. Where do you need to focus? Memorize the literary must-haves list and bring a pen and a pencil to class tomorrow. Be on time as you'll need every minute to perform well. Be sure you get a good sleep.

You are doing well. Good luck tomorrow.

English 10 A

We added the next two words to our list and had a quiz on all four words. Create pictures in your heads for each word so that they are easier to remember. Read to page 74 and be sure to post-it key quotes. Study for your comprehension test which is this Friday. Bring all the handouts you'll need for the test: literary must-haves, transitions, how to cite, writing a strong thesis, etc. Take home your blue folders and study your previous paragraphs.

Re-writes of short stories are now due. Be sure to submit your draft with the new version.

Come to the lecture theatre at lunch to hear slam poetry team: The Fugitives and if you have permission from your period 4 teacher, stay for the writing workshop. Bring pen and paper.

We practiced the what/so-what chart for  chapters 1-3.

AP Lit

Arrive Monday with your thesis ready to go and have the quotations that you'll use in your essay ready to go. Hand in the quotation logs at the beginning of class.

Schedule for the next month or so . . .

Mond: in-class essay
Wed. Thurs--English 12 Prep Mock 12 exam is Dec. 9 at 1 p.m.
Nov. 28 to Dec. 8--play by Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman (in your text--start reading it Monday night.)

Writing 12

Great class this morning. The poems you are writing are sharp, witty, and profound. Well done.

Two poems are due Tuesday. Please ensure that you've used our editing sheets as a guide so that you don't lose marks for careless editing.

Also, I've received Sept. / Oct. re-writes from Sophia, Harrison and Jackie. I need to see revisions by the end of next week. Thanks. Keep them coming.

You are always welcome to submit more than two poems on a day 1 as well.

REMEMBER: Tues. Nov. 22!! Special Guests

Tues. we meet in the theatre at lunch for The Fugitives' presentation and then Brendan Macleod will give us a poetry workshop in period four so bring paper and pens. Make sure you have permission to attend period 4. If you attend lunch and period 4, then you do not have to attend Writing in period 5, unless you want help editing or feel the need to get some more writing done.
Period 4 location TBA. It's either in our room or in the theatre.

English 10 A

Thanks to all the students who check the blog regularly. Get it to sync with your phone! If you were absent, pop by to pick up our new vocabulary list. 
Today we did


1. assuage
2. malevolent (Review the vocabulary daily)


Please finish reading chapters 1, 2, 3. Post-it note at least two key passages/phrases/sentences per chapter. 


What should I look for? 

• Shifts in tone.
• Key scenes where injustice or prejudice is revealed. 
• Scenes where the kids learn something or prejudice is questioned. 
• Examples of stereotypes, gossip, a lack of questioning. 
• Examples of injustice, poverty, misunderstanding. 
• Any key symbols or motifs (symbols that are repeated, i.e. look for the mockingbird)
• Great quotes you think you will use in a paragraph or in an essay i.e. "It's a sin to kill a mockingbird" or "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand.  It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.  You rarely win, but sometimes you do." 

Write a word or phrase on the post-it so you'll remember why you thought it was important. 

CHECK SDS: YOU HAVE A TEST NOV 24. IT WILL BE  A READING COMPREHENSION TEST. YOU'LL READ A STORY AND ANSWER A QUESTION IN A LITERARY PARAGRAPH.

ALSO CHECK THE BLOG: WHEN IS YOUR DECEMBER EXAM?
HAVE YOU VISITED THE GRADE 10 EXAM SITE YET?
VISIT: English 10 Provincial Exam Samples

irony
shift in tone
prejudice
stereotype
injustice
loss of innocence etc

Lit 12

Excellent Work! I love your passion for literature.

We re-read "The Passionate Shepherd To His Love" and took careful notes. If you were absent, be sure to borrow notes from a peer and make a copy. Next, we took notes on Sir Walter Raleigh and read his response to Marlowe: "The Nymph's Reply".

We returned to the historical note section of the text--The Jacobean Era, The Civil War, and The Protectorate and took notes.

Homework: Finish the notes on the Literature Section (4 pages) pages 145-148. Open note-book quiz, Monday.
TEST: TUESDAY, NOV. 22. BE PREPARED. You have made cards or notes for all the literary terms. Now, create notecards for the literature, author, title, themes, quotations and literary techniques such as form, tone, diction, as it is important to be prepared for future tests or exams.

We will have a sight poem on Tuesday's test. To prepare for the sight poem, study the literary must-haves. Read some of the ballads and sonnets in the text which are not on the core list and see if you can pick uout key images, shifts in tone, volta, or refrains etc. Create a TICK chart and a theme statement.In terms of improving your written expression, study the paragraphs you have written so far in the course (take home your portolios) and focus on one or two stylistic or organizational or insightful changes that you wish to make. By focussing on turning weaknesses into strengths, you are more able to actually monitor your progress.

Arrive with a goal for Tuesday's paragraph:

I.e: I want to ensure my thesis answers the question in an insightful way or I want to ensure that I use the best three pieces of evidence I can find and that I continually link the evidence to my thesis. I want to use stronger verbs so I'm replacing "is, seems, appears" with elucidates, exemplifies, emphasizes, depicts, portrays, reveals, elicits, demonstrates,  etc . . .

ENGLISH 10 A DECEMBER EXAM SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Dec. 13th (Afternoon - 1:00 start)
English 10A 
Single Gym


BRING TWO PENS, TWO PENCILS, A WATCH, KLEENEX AND WATER. DRESS WARMLY. PANTS. WOOL SOCKS. SWEATERS. 

Literature 12: DEC. EXAM SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Dec. 13th (Afternoon - 1:00 start) 
IN THE DOUBLE GYM.

Writing 12

Another stellar presentation!! Thank you for choosing the work of Patricia Young as she is an incredible poet and her work is appropriate for us all to read and emulate.

I handed out two poems at the end of today's class. Please write one following that model (a long title and a list of interesting items). What do you notice about the poems? What will you try to do to imitate that style?

No need to type them up as you can do so in the lab on Friday. Please arrive on time.

Also, it's time to start revising those Sept. and Oct. poems or to write new ones to replace them. I need to have seen at least two versions of each poem before you can include them in your portfolio in Jan. so set yourself some time lines and stick to them. 


Some ideas for today's assignment: 


Reasons We Won't Talk Before Dinner On a Monday
Reasons Mother Cannot Sleep
Reasons The Wicked Witch is really not so bad
Reasons the Number 6 Bus Driver Sings in His Sleep
Reasons the Number One Killer is Sleep
Reasons God Has No Mercy For You
Reasons Shakespeare is Really Mrs. Fraser
Reasons _____________ House is really  . . .
Reasons You Live in a Tree
Reasons The Wicked Witch Should Have Killed Dorothy
Reasons My Math Teacher Hates Me
Reasons Little Girls Really Do Want a Pony
Reasons Big Girls Don't
Reasons For The Next Best Thing
Reasons For That Circus in your Brain
Reasons For Leaving
Reasons For Staying
Reasons I Really Shouldn't Have Eaten ____________

AP Lit

DECEMBER EXAM DATE, TIME AND LOCATION 

ALL AP LIT STUDENTS WRITE THE PROV. ENGLISH 12 EXAM IN JAN.

DECEMBER 9 YOU WILL WRITE A MOCK ENGLISH 12 PROVINCIAL. IT IS FOR MARKS.

FRIDAY, DEC. 9: 1PM IN THE DOUBLE GYM.
YOU'LL NEED TWO PENCILS, AN ERASER, A WATCH AND TWO PENS.


Could to see you able to write Hamlet essays in 80 minutes or less and then today synthesize thesis statements so quickly. Well done. Friday: Arrive with 3 good passages/quotes and analyses for your novel essay. You'll have time to complete them in class on Friday.

Monday we write the novel essay in class on the laptops from the library. Feel free to bring your laptop if you prefer. You must submit the quotation log before the essay begins. This time you need a minimum of 6 key passages annotated.

You may use your quotations (cited correctly) and bring in your thesis for the exam.

If you were away today, ask me for your Hamlet essay, and the list of free-response essay questions that I handed out today.

Your Hamlet essays were good. You are getting there and it's only November. You should feel proud!

English 10A

It was great to see your enthusiasm for the novel today. You were post-it noting and taking notes while I was reading aloud. See if you covered the information below. Let me know if I missed something that you wrote down.

See if you can answer these review questions:

1. How do we cite novel titles? Underline or in quotation marks? When do you use italics?
2. When and where is the book set? What does this choice of setting imply?
3. Find three examples of indirect presentation in chapter one. (Showing and not telling).
4. Define the phrase tongue-in-cheek.
5. Who are the Ewells, the Radleys, Mrs. Dubose, Miss Rachel, Dill, Simon and Atticus Finch, Calpurnia, Jem and Scout.
6. Define assuage, piety (pious), taciturn, entity, and any other new words.
7. Who is Boo Radley and why do the kids want to make him come out?  
8. What do we learn about Southerners in this chapter?
9. What do we learn about Maycomb? Why would she choose this setting?
10. How do the children pass their time? What is revealed about these three children?

HOMEWORK: MAKE SURE YOU UPDATE YOUR SHELFARI PAGE BY MIDNIGHT TOMORROW, NOV. 16TH. POST IN THE OCTOBER DISCUSSION GROUP.

THURSDAY IS A BIG DAY IN ENGLISH 10A. WHY?

• SHORT STORY REVISIONS ARE DUE (STAPLE TO THE LAST REVISED COPY).
• INTRO TO THE NOVEL POWERPOINTS AND FILMS ARE DUE. PLEASE EMAIL ME THESE LINKS SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO KEEP LOGGING ON AND OFF.

Lit 12

Great to see that romance exists in room 233!! I'm impressed and we will work with Orla's heart!!

We read two sonnets parodying the ideal notions of Renaissance love poetry and then we had a quick look at Marlowe's famous pastoral. Next day, we'll look at the nymph's reply, who is, sadly, very much like Orla, and hoping for a more practical approach to love.

We'll also introduce the notion of carpe diem and have a look at some of the Cavalier poets. We'll need to do some work with the historical period in order to understand the depth to this seemingly light-hearted poetry.

Next Tuesday, prepare for a review test--Unit 1 and as far as we get in unit 2.
Multiple choice and a sight poem.

Lit 12

We need to be finished the core works under the Renaissance heading in time for our Xmas exam so feel free to read ahead, especially, if you find the language difficult.

Since we chose to cheer on the soccer team, we did not discuss the next sonnet together which means that you will need to make your own notes for each quatrain and couplet, please. Besides simply translating it into modern English, be sure to take note of any interesting literary techniques in "Sonnet 130". Discuss how this sonnet parodies sonnet conventions. This sonnet is anti-Petrarchan.

English 10

Thanks for doing such an extensive job of your literacy project outlines. I look forward to reading them. I will give you time to work with your partners during Tuesday's class. We'll start To Kill a Mockingbird as well. Thurs. the intro to Mockingbird presentations are due.

NOV. 16th Please make sure that your Shelfari review is posted under the October group title.
Thanks. Look forward to reading your responses. If you have ideas for good reads for Xmas break, add them there.

Writing 12

I love having our class after vocal jazz. Please serenade us more!!

I look forward to hearing the poems you created today loosely based on something autobiographical.
Remember to change any details in order to make the poem work (once you get to the editing stage). Focus on sound and line break and accurate details. See if you can find the MUSIC of the poem.

We won't see each other for a week. Next class we have a student presentation on the work of poet, Patricia Young! That will be another exciting expedition into the craft of poetry.

You have the 50 WAYS TO WRITE A POEM sheet to inspire new creations. I suggest you write daily in order to stay in shape. Remember to write with things around you: write on a bus, in a cafe, at the dinner table (don't tell your parents it's homework!), with poetry books and art books and your journals beside you so that you, sit near a window, on a train works well, a plane, on a roof, in an elevator (glass elevators are best). Why? Because poetry comes from things. NOT IDEAS.
Enjoy.

Also: January will be here before we know it! Start editing/revising the poems for your manuscript now. You are welcome to submit them for editing at any time. Start early.
Two new poems due next DAY 1.

Writing 12

Great work this week with the poems. They still have a long way to go, but that is natural. I love the imagery this week and you are adding more context so we can follow along. It's good to see so much surprise and clarity, too. Keep using the editing sheets to edit your work.

Once you have revised copies, you may hand them to me for additional editing at any time. Write, PLEASE EDIT, at the top.

Tomorrow, bring an idea for a poem about a family incident, similar to the Jessica Senecal poem, Family Breakfast, which I read aloud today. We'll write a family poem during class tomorrow.

AP Lit Tues. Nov. 8

I'm looking forward to reading your Hamlet essays. I'll have them ready to return to you by next week.
Class is cancelled Thursday so that you can use the time to finish reading your novel or play. Read it quickly so that you can ascertain the plot and a few key scenes. Next week, you'll have time to write the quote log and narrow your topic for the in-class essay.

English 10, Mon. Nov. 7

Please finish your intro. to Mockingbird videos/presentations for Nov. 17.
Wed: I'll be asking you to fill in a report on your literacy projects.
USSR: book two response on Shelfari due Nov. 16
Wed. Night: Nov. 9: 7 p.m Copeland Theatre: The Claremont Review celebration.
Wed. Night Nov. 16th: Recitations. Come out to cheer for Paloma.

Good copy of your short story is due Nov. 17th as well.
Let the stories sit for a few days so that you can see how to improve them in order to meet the goal of publishing. Re-read the stories in The Claremont Review. What attributes are needed for a story to be published in a reputable magazine?

Lit 12 Mon. Nov. 7

I handed back all of the paragraphs and the creative assignments. You did so well. Great job.

Thanks to Natrine, Jeffrey and Josef for reading their sonnets aloud today.

We took notes on Sonnet 116 "Let me not to the marriage of true minds" page 168.
We discussed ejambement, metonymy, in medias res, the rational tone of the first quatrain, the use of imagery and the powerful couplet to end the argument.

Next, as an in-class assignment, we created a what? / so what? chart and a thesis to answer the question below:

Explain how Shakespeare uses key images to defend his belief that true love is not be affected by obstacles.

Homework: Complete the cards on the literary terms. Bring them to class for Wednesday's test. If you have created a powerpoint slide, you must bring a computer to class so that you can use your notes for the test. Remember, the key here is to be able to define the terms, yes, but throughout the course, I want you to be able to explain why or how the term is used. Memorization is simply the first step.

AP Lit Mon. Nov. 7

Excellent work in the computer lab today. If you feel uneasy about your thesis, please email it to me. My day is extremely busy but I'll make sure to get a response back to you. I have Meet-the-Teacher night from 7 to 9 p.m. Make sure that the thesis answers the question and that it is clear (having three parts to it helps for the five paragraph structure).

Hand in the quote log at the beginning of the class.

You may use your quotes and the thesis during the test but not your analyses.

Good luck tomorrow. I'll be in the language lab by 7:45. Please enter quietly so that you do not disturb any students who have started early. Thanks.

Thursday's class is cancelled in order for you to read your novels. Make sure you have finished the novel by the time you return from the break. We'll start working on the quote log and essay next week.

I will be in the classroom Thursday if you need to re-write any assignments or to get assistance.

Writing 12, Friday, Nov 4

I collected two new poems from each of you and reminded you of The Claremont Review night next Wed. Nov. 9th at 7 p.m. You may use this night for your literary event or to replace the Patrick Lane reading.

Each day 1, we'll use it as a re-fuelling class where we write, write, write. You will always feel empty after getting two poems edited for submission. Editing is a critical process and sometimes we are too hard on ourselves and we imagine WE'LL NEVER WRITE AGAIN. WHY SHOULD I BOTHER? THESE POEMS ARE AWFUL OR I'M GOING TO GET A TERRIBLE MARK.

That's natural. It means you are true artists. Just acknowledge the fear and let it go.

Homework: Turn the 3 quick-writes into poems. Type them up this weekend and let them sit for a week before you begin editing. We'll do some workshopping after the break.

Today's quick write prompts ARE BELOW for Sena and Ariel or if you want to try them again, be my guest:

We started with a prompt and I called out words to fit in every 30 seconds. To do this one at home, cut out the words and turn them upside down on your desk, start writing and every minute or so, turn one over and incorporate it into your piece. I find writing in prose for these exercises is more conducive for generating material as you can simply fill up the page.

This morning two crows on the roof and the car won't start so . . .
collarbone, canoe, fingerprints, bride, bucket, scar, lip

When you leave, I pick up your shirt (or fill in the blank with another article of clothing) and think of . . .

bookcase, orion, stumble, baseball cards, Bingo, preach, mug

The third one is more complicated to explain.

Choose one of the following titles:

Longing, Loss, Greed,Childhood, Anger etc Some great abstraction . . .

Describe the following in a few short lines (be specific and concrete rather than abstract)

Loss eats _______________ fill in what it eats for dinner
describe an object in detail
choose a letter from the alphabet and give us its history
define it from the dictionary but then say but I believe LOSS is like and describe an archetype (clown, snowman, hero, constellation, etc)
make LOSS afraid of an insect and explain how it happened and then describe the weather on that day
create an uncle and say Uncle Abe always said . . . . or Uncle Abe believes (and create a little story)
describe a brand of clothing Loss likes to wear
pick a church, cathedral or sacred place and describe the silence there
pick a colour and describe its sound

Now, mix and match these descriptions to create a poem. Cut any direct references to LOSS or whatever your abstract title is
For example

Loss

Uncle Harry tells the story best.
Ladybugs bring luck and silence
at Chartres can't sleep, counts
sheep until dawn, the morning
rising through the sound of blue glass.
Uncle Harry is dead, but you know that.
No one is blowing out the candles on his cake.
It's sunny in the graveyard despite our weak knees.

GET THE IDEA? Describe loss indirectly through the imagery and metaphors you create in your quick-write. These journal entries are like streams. Miners come from miles away looking for gold.

Enjoy the sunshine. Keep writing. You'll be glad you did.

Lit 12, Friday, Nov. 4

Thanks to Natasha, Sydney, and Keenan for volunteering to read their sonnets aloud. We'll have three more students read aloud on Monday so please be prepared.

We created a what / so what chart to prepare for answering the following question:

Describe how Shakespeare uses imagery and allusion to reveal the persona's character.

The what / so what chart will be marked so please be thorough in your comments.

A thesis which answers the question could like something like the example below:

In Shakespeare's "Sonnet 29," the persona admits that the only relief from suffering is thinking about his friend; effective use of imagery and allusion reveal the depth of his despair and the ecstasy of friendship.

We completed the paragraph during class.
Marks awarded for

• following the literary must-haves list
• written expression (diction, sentence variety, transitions)
• logical organization (points, evidence, explanations which relate back to the thesis)

If you were absent today, please prepare the chart and paragraph at home and bring it to class on Wednesday. Remember to use ink or type the paragraph and double space. You need a title, your name and date at the top of all assignments.

Homework: Review all the literary terms that we have covered so far. Put the terms onto cards or onto powerpoint slides (if you bring a computer to class) with examples from works we have studied.

The terms are defined in the glossary at the back of your text book or on-line.
These are the terms for Monday:
alliteration
allusion
aphorism
assonance
ballad
caesura
colloquial language
couplet
diction
dramatic irony
elegy
English sonnet (Shakespearean)
figurative language
foreshadowing
genre
hero
heroic couplet
hyperbole
iambic
image / imagery
irony (verbal, dramatic, situational)
Italian sonnet (Petrarchan)
juxtapostion
kenning
lyric
metaphor
meter
mood
motif
octave
paradox
parallelism
petnameter
persona
quatrain
bob
wheel
rhyme scheme
satire
sestet
simile
sonnet
speaker
Spenserian stanza
style
symbol
syntax
tercet
theme
tone
understatement
voice
volta
wit

English Lit

I collected the creative projects. Thanks!

Thanks to Josef for his presentation on the swordsmiths.

Next, we had the quiz on the sonnet. (open book)

Finally, we read Shakespeare's Sonnet # 29 page 167 "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes" and we took notes on each quatrain, the couplet, plus tone words for each section. We reviewed the definitions for
iamb (noun)
iambic (adjective)
iambic pentametre
foot


Here is a site to help your understanding of the sonnets:
For further discussion, visit this site Sonnets

Tomorrow, we'll read the sonnets that you created with the bags of goodies. We'll also write a literary paragraph response to sonnet 29.

I am looking forward to marking the projects. Ander's facebook page for the Parson is hilarious. Have a look: Holy Parson by Anders

Homework: Review all the notes on the sonnet. Finish up the sonnet you created (a draft is all you need). Review the literary paragraph must-haves.

AP Lit Thurs. Nov. 3

You have today's class and Monday's class to prepare for Tuesday morning's in-class essay.

You must submit your essay prep (thesis, 9 quotes/passages, and responses (charts or paragraphs) at the beginning of the period. The essay prep may be an individual or collaborative effort. Make sure you have a cover page with name (s), title, date.


Meet Tuesday morning in the language lab (the room on the 3rd floor, directly above us).  Do not be late. I'll be there by 7:45 if you wish to get a good start. You will need to be finished by 9:10.

Have your thesis and your cited quotations on your email so you can copy and paste, including any citations you wish to use from the two essays I gave you.

I'm looking for your ability to synthesize the analyses, the notes, and class discussions to create your theory regarding identity and coming of age in Hamlet.

English 10 A Thurs. Nov. 3

Excellent Work Today. You are amazing!

Reminder:
1. USSR: DUE Nov. 16 Post on shelfari

2. Re-writes: Monday (Staple the new one to the previous one)

3. Corrections in the blue folder for all paragraphs: Monday, Nov. 7

4. Wed. Nov. 9:
Be prepared to write a report on your literacy project
I'll be asking you to explain your goals, how you are promoting the project, how many hours you've spent on it, stumbling blocks, journal response regarding your enjoyment/engagement with the project/ why you think it is important etc. If you have any pictures, blog sites, highlights that you wish to bring in with you to submit as part of your response, be my guest!

Today's project on To Kill A Mockingbird is due: Nov. 17.

EXTRA CREDIT:

Nov. 9: The Claremont Review (Canada's only literary journal of student writing) celebrates 20 years. 7 p.m. Copeland Theatre. Come hear student readers, have some refreshments, win a door prize, support student writing!! Smooze with the stars because you may get published in it this year!! Listen to an interview with Susan Stenson, and SMUS student Kaylaa Dornan, about creative writing, supporting teens and learn about the history of the review,  this Sunday at 1:30 on CFAX radio. 1070 on the AM dial.

Nov. 16: Recitation Evening in the Copeland Theatre 7 p.m.
Come and support your English department. If you do come, you may use the event as bonus marks for English. Paloma, from our class, will be reciting a piece from Jane Eyre.

Today's project on To Kill A Mockingbird is due: Nov. 17.
Monday's class will be in the lab again. Be prepared to get started. If you need the class to film, bring all of your materials.

Purpose: To provide background to the novel and to generate excitement before we begin reading it . . .  

PS
You may use this novel as one of your silent reading choices.

Novel Study: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee 
Wiki: Mockingbird
Mockingbird Video Intro

Visit: Think Quest: Mockingbird and then decide how to turn the information you find there into a more entertaining electronic format:

In other words, which facts are important to you (interesting, shocking, delightful, etc) and what do you feel we as a class need to emphasize? You may work individually or with a partner. 

Ideas:
Create an Animoto slide show with pictures, text and music: Visit www.animoto.com, create an account and then write in our class code a4estenbec48 (ask me for the final missing number)

Create your own video using technology you are familiar with.

Visit prezi.com to create an interesting presentation.

Create a power point.

Turn the information into a ballad which you sing and then film and post on youtube.

Other ideas?

We have two days booked into the computer lab. Your creation will be presented to the class after the Remembrance Day Holiday. Sign up for a time.

Writing 12

Two poems due Friday, (day 1) period 5. This week I'm looking for how well you edit--how closely are you following Guppy's rules? If there are particular parts of the poem you are struggling with, you may highlight them and put a question beside the passage.

Also, for Monday's class, please email me a poem that you would like the class to edit.
If you have already emailed me a "quitting" poem, we can use that one or you may email me a new poem. We'll be putting the poem on the screen and discussing it / editing as a class.

Have a good weekend.

Dates to remember:
Wed. Nov. 9th--Claremont Review Celebration and Readings in the Copeland Theatre 7 p.m. You will need to take notes if you plan to use this event for your literary response. (If you missed the Patrick Lane presentation, you need to make that event up by attending an extra event). Bring in your response to class the next day.

Nov. 22nd Lunch and Period 4: Brendan MacLeod Workshop and Performance. You MUST attend both events in order to miss Writing 12 in period 5. Please get permission from your period 4 teachers this week. You can use period 5 to catch up on work missed during period 4 or it would be a good time to make an appt. to work with me to help you edit.

AP Lit

AP Lit

Choose a key passage that you think exemplifies your answer to the in-class essay topic. Annotate it by looking at imagery, syntax, and devices and make connections to other scenes in the play. Finally, demonstrate how it ELUCIDATES :) the question and is beginning to create a theory for your answer to identity. EVIL LAUGH HERE!!

Tomorrow, I'll give you two scholarly essays to read on the topic which will add insight to your analysis.

We have two class periods set aside to prepare for the essay.

English 10

Please check your email today and check your marks. If you have questions or you wish to re-do work, there is a process to follow so ensure that you know the steps and you'll be improving your grades in no time.

I collected the short stories today. When I return them, you will have a chance for a second or third revision stage before we send them out to attempt publication.

Today's class focused on writing clearer thesis statements, improving literary paragraph writing and adding corrections to your ICS sheets. The handouts outline how to proceed. Focus on one or two writing goals in your next draft; otherwise, too many goals may overwhelm you.

We also read at least 15 pages from our USSR books. Are you meeting your reading goals?

How is the literacy project going? Re-read the outline. Make sure that you are following the criteria. If you need to refocus, do so this week and apply yourself diligently over the next six weeks.

Literature 12

Creative Projects due Nov. 3. Looking forward to them. No late work is accepted so please be prepared. 


We'll review the sonnet form next class. It will be an open notebook test so make sure you didn't miss any key points. Have a look at pages 152-153. Also, make sure you understand why this form was so beloved by the Elizabethans. Why is the sonnet an "expressive resource"? Why would one need such a resource? What did they do for fun?

Your sonnets are due not tomorrow but for the following class. Have some fun. See how hard it is?

Please remember to return the bags and containers to room 233. Thanks.

Great class today.

Writing 12

You have definitely turned a corner if today's readings and the splendid presentation reflect your true abilities.

Sorry about any confusion regarding the two short poems. I promised the art class we'd have them ready by Nov. 1, which is tomorrow, yes, BUT, I want to make sure there is time for editing if you need it so please get me the poems today as soon as you can. I worked with Jackie and Gabe at recess and they have four spectacular entries. Very exciting. You can easily see amazing paintings unfolding from these works. Well done.
Harrison and Jackie, your lovely presentation on Crozier's work was inspiring and the exercise worked so well. You've inspired us all.

Welcome to Kaylaa!! We're delighted to have you join us. You might want to read previous blogs to see what we have been up to.

For Wed: type up and revise the poems / quick-writes that you created in class today. Use the Guppy editing sheet so that you are getting a lot of practice on the key ways to revise. Remember--revise houses another meaning: to re-vision!! While you edit, you find the heart of the poem (ITS VISION/VOICE/PURPOSE) and then you find the best SOUND for the poem (RHYTHM, RHYME, REPETITION, ASSONANCE, CONSONANCE, ALLITERATION ETC). 


Wonderful class. Wish you could dress up every day. Vunder-full! Loving the bowler, Sena!

AP Lit

Absolutely stunning presentations today. Thanks. They will help with our final project for Hamlet. I'll let the cat out of the bag on Wednesday. If you were away today, please make copious notes on the remaining sections and hand all your notes to me Wednesday. You will also need to create a thesis statement on Hamlet's character as a way of synthesizing your notes. We did that in class today. You should have made notes on all of Act 4 by now, yes? We won't be going over any passages but Hamlet's 7th soliloquy is in there and deserves a look as well as Claudius' seduction of Laertes. We watched Act 5, sc. 1. today and part of scene 2.
Read all of Act 5 for Wed. We'll discuss it in detail and I'll introduce the Hamlet in-class essay topic. We'll spend two days in class preparing for it and then one day writing it. Should be fun.

Next up is a dramatic poetry unit that will (excuse the cliche) knock your socks off.
I also have a list of former essay topics that you need to look at regarding the novel you are reading and annotating on your own.
Toodles.

English 10

Today, we edited the first drafts of the short stories. We focussed on the criteria.
Revise your story this weekend. Revision is not editing. Revision is re-visioning--finding the best way
to describe your characters, choose suitable dialogue, to add reliable action and motivation.
Make sure your story has an evocative title.
Stories due Tuesday.

Lit 12

Today we watched a short video introduction to the Renaissance era. Read pages 128-140 and complete the sheet for Monday.  If you would like to get ahead, read the notes on the sonnet form, pages 152-153 as you'll be able to help your group compete on Monday morning.

Also, keep reviewing the notes and literary terms from unit 1 as the Xmas exam and June exam is based on all material studied. I suggest you make flash cards or a power point presentation. One for literary  terms, one for characters, quotes and themes so that whenever you have a few minutes, you can study.

Creative Projects: DUE NOV. 3 (THURSDAY). No lates accepted so make sure you speak to me well in advance if you need an extension.

Writing 12

Today, we read Steve Guppy's tips for editing poetry, edited our own poems and practiced the workshop method. We'll use day 4 (period one) classes for our future workshop.

That means next day four we'll workshop sooooooooooooo you'll need to have three copies of your poem ready for your group a few days before. I'll remind you. We'll get used to the routine.

Two poems due next day 1.
Make sure that you edit them using Guppy's sheet before you hand it in for marks.
If you are having trouble editing your own poems, find some poetry buddies, people in our class willing to tell it like it is, " I'm so sorry, M'am, but that baby of yours is UGLY."
Don't let politeness interfere with getting to the good writing. Cliches? Cut. Dull adjectives? Cut. No context? Add some. Dull title? Change it. No sense of sound? Add some. No so what? Surprise yourself. If you are writing about something you already know and you learn nothing from the writing, chances are . . . your reader will agree and no one will want to read your poems, including you!!

One of the best ways to improve is to read, read, read modern poetry that appeals to you. Try to imitate it. Ask what is happening? How are they working with sound? Shape? Theme? Titles? Imagination? Metaphors? Line break?

Lit 12

Here is a quick introduction to the Renaissance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mgSPiAiBjU

The creative projects are based on an imaginative response to the literature we've studied. Have fun with it. Use what you've learned and expand on that knowledge to create something new. The best projects will offer a new understanding of the literature we studied.

English 10

I'll mark today's paragraphs and hand them back to you on Friday. Please make sure that your blue folders are up to date and returned to me as I will be meeting with your parents starting Monday night.

Typed, double spaced, wonderful draft of your short story is due Friday. Do not show up empty handed as we are planning peer editing and without a story, you will not be eligible for editing marks.
Good luck. Follow the criteria and you'll be fine.

Writing 12

What did you think of the pantoum? What happens when we repeat lines?

Tomorrow, bring four copies of a poem to be edited. We're going to learn how to revise!!

Writing 12

Be sure to keep copies of the poems that I mark and edit for you. If you did not have all three here today, could you email me the total mark out of 30? Thanks.

Check that you know the date of your day 5 presentation as well.

Have you been to a literary event yet? Be sure to submit your response. The lunch time Dave Morris presentation can count.
Please mark Nov. 9 on the calendar. It's The Claremont Review's 20 year (40th issue) celebration. There will be readings, refreshments and door prizes, plus congratulatory speeches by Elizabeth May, Green Party Leader and other VIPs such as Bob Snowden. We count on the local writing classes to support the magazine. You may wish to purchase a copy for yourself or for a friend.

 A lot of current and former SMUS students will be reading as well. Kaylaa Dornan, Oliver Brooks etc
The band Leisure Suits will entertain us as well. It will be great!

Your writing is really changing. Congrats. Read as much modern poetry as you can. Find favourites to imitate. When you read, ask yourself, what in the world are they doing? How might I accomplish that?

WED: IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY SUBMITTED YOUR TWO SHORT POEMS FOR THE ART CLASS, I MUST SEE THEM TOMORROW. TYPE THEM UP TONIGHT.

Create a poem tonight based on today's handout.

AP Lit

If you want me to re-mark last Saturday's soliloquy 3 essays, hand in the new version, Thursday, or ask me for an extension asap. Please staple the new version to the previous version.

Also, if you have not yet signed up for the student-teacher conferences, you need to do so by Thursday.

Excellent work today!! We reviewed Act 3, Sc 1 with the quiz, practiced the vicious multiple choice (which we are finding easier, yay!),  and we predicted what needed to happen in the bedroom scene in order to initiate Hamlet's restoration to order.

We watched the film version of the bedroom scene and each of you has taken a passage to present to the class on Thursday.
Look for

• connections to previous scenes,
•  unravelling of the conflict,
• indirect references to the Great Chain of Being,
• changes in diction,
• Hamlet's rash murder of Polonius,
• the influence of the ghost
• Literary techniques which add depth to the passage
• Syntax

         We're now looking simulatenously at attitudes toward action and attitudes toward thought as Hamlet grapples with his father's murder and his commitment to vengeance.

Read Act 4 and notice all the changes in plot. What is unravelling as a result of the climax--what is happening?

What are the ramifications of Polonius' death and Hamlet's trip to England?

Soliloquy 7, the final soliloquy is in Act 4, why? We'll look at it closely for homework, Thursday night.

English 10

Yesterday, we managed to fill the hour with a number of activities. If you were absent, be sure to get the notes from a friend and read at least 15 pages of your USSR book.

We reviewed the notes from last week's blog regarding how to be successful in English class and we prepared for Wednesday's test. The test will consist of reading a short short story and answering a question in a well-organized, literary paragraph which follows the literary must-haves list, offers insight to the story (and does not re-tell what happens) and uses transistions appropriately. Marks awarded for a strong thesis which answers the question, three strong examples, integration of quotations and sentence variety. Study the paragraphs we have marked and revised and memorize the must-haves list. You may have your transition sheet, and the literary must-haves list on your desk as you write the paragraph. You may also bring a thesaurus as using synonyms is key to good writing.

Friday: The first draft of your short story is due for peer editing. Today, we worked in groups on the 6 criteria and presented examples from the stories, "Hot Chocolate" and "Abduction" from Naming the Baby. There are several stories in that collection that can inspire you and offer new ways to express your material. You may wish to try a style similar to Leon Rooke's story, |"Want to Play House," as well. Don't hand in the first draft you print as you DO NOT want your editors fixing paragraph structure and typos, right? You want the editors to help you with the 6 criteria.

See you Wednesday.

AP Lit

Study your notes from today so that you feel prepared for a short quiz. Keep reading and post-it noting your novel. Focus on key scenes.

Tonight--Read Act 3, sc. 2, but mostly focus on Hamlet's 5th soliloquy, page 58. It's very short but notice the diction. What does it reveal about his current state of mind. Compare it to previous soliloquies especially the To be or not to be speech.

Read sce. 3 closely as this scene is pivotal to plot. Hamlet has a chance to kill Claudius but doesn't. Be prepared to discuss why he doesn't do it. Try to go beyond a Sparks notes analysis by making connections to previous scenes, looking for motifs, noticing syntax, diction and punctuation. Look for imagery.

The scene we will read and watch in class is called The Bedroom Scene, which is the climax of the play where Hamlet confronts his mother and the ghost returns!! (Scary sounds here).

Also, if you wish to have a better mark on the sol. 3 essay, please submit to me by Thurs.

One-to-one essay conferences. Please meet at the beginning of the period in the Eng. office.
Wed. Oct 26 Jen perioid 2 and PEter per. 4
Thurs period 1 and 5 are free
Friday Oct. 28 period 1 Hannah,
Monday period 4 is free
Tues. Nov. 1  period 1 Jonty and period 4 Zach

AP Lit Friday Oct. 20

I emailed you today's question based on your analysis of Hamlet's third soliloquy. Please email me your response by Sat. 3 p.m. Write with a specific purpose this time. I.E: I am writing to improve my sentence variety or to integrate and explain quotes more thoroughly or to finish in 65 minutes etc.

The previous Hamlet essay that I marked needs some attention as well. Read it over, compare it to the rubric, mark it and justify the mark. Hand those to me Monday, Oct. 24th.

We'll read Act 3, sc 1 and watch it on Monday. If you get a chance, read it before you arrive. If not, we'll be reading it together. It's brilliant.

Writing 12

Class is cancelled Friday but you have the assignment. Read the Shane Rhodes' pieces. In the first one, I edited out all the imagery. Look familiar? Most new writers do not write enough. They write the word love (and inside their heads an enormous scene is painted but unless they write it down, the reader has no idea what you mean when you write that word). This week's assignment is asking you to be specific. Use language in unique ways.

Have you all posted a prose poem on Edmodo? Please go in and read your peers' work and comment on the ones that use language in unique and imaginative ways. Be specific in your compliments.

TWO POEMS DUE TUESDAY. ANY STYLE. FOLLOW THE CRITERIA. IF YOU ARE HANDING IN YOUR SHORT POEMS, TWO SHORT POEMS EQUALS 1.

Short poems: Nov. 1 will be here soon. I'd like to see your drafts by WEd. Oct. 26th. Hand them in. Make sure they have titles.

HOMEWORK: Read modern poetry. Read the work of the poet you plan to present. The more you read, the more you train your eye, ear, heart. If you are in good imaginative shape, the poems will come. If not they hover and make you suffer!! AH it's a curse to be a writer but a blessing, too.

Lit 12

Today we wrote the Unit 1 test. Tomorrow's class is cancelled but you need to use the time for your Recitations. Good luck. Can't wait to hear them on Tues. period 4.

English 10 A

As I mark your paragraphs I realize that we need to establish our expectations for learning. Here are  a few tenets I believe create success in English. We'll discuss these next class. Please read them and tell me what you think.

         HOW TO BECOME A STRONGER ENGLISH STUDENT

• Give yourself a reason for what you are doing. For example, today, we were reading the two student stories in order to ensure that we understand the criteria for the stories we will write (due Oct. 28) Silent reading: My goal is two books a month, which is 30 pages a day. I need to arrive on time and get reading. I need to choose books that I can't wait to read.
• Don't ask your teacher for an answer. Ask your teacher to give you the steps you need to find the answer. Of course, the teacher knows the answer. Who cares about that? The important thing is to know how to learn. For example, today, how do we find theme? You need to make connections between the title, the opening, the conclusion,  or key passages. I call it the TICK steps: title, intro, conclusion, key passages. Focus on a few essential parts of the story so you can create a statement of theme. One thematic statement for "Hot Chocolate" could be: A simple cup of hot chocolate becomes the catalyst for a mother and a son to realize they love each other-- when they stop treating each other like mother and son and start treating one another like human beings, communication and connection occur.
• Take time to review. Before you hand in an assignment, check and re-check the criteria. To not do so is like showing up to play golf with a baseball bat and glove. You will not succeed at golf without the proper equipment, training and practice, right? To write a literary paragraph, you need to memorize and use the literary must-haves, and what you have learned so far about the strengths and weaknesses of your writing. You cannot expect different results if you keep making the same mistakes.
• Know that change takes time. Assessments are feedback, essential coaching. Studies show that students need a lot of feedback and they need it often. We have to be reminded of what is possible and we have to believe in ourselves. Revising our writing is what professional writers do.
• We don't do any stupid assignments in English 10 A. Remember?

HOW ARE YOUR LITERACY PROJECTS GOING? BE SURE TO CHECK IN WITH YOUR PARTNERS AND REPORT BACK.

Homework: Finish making notes on the two stories. The point here is to teach yourself about the components of modern fiction written by teens. What are they doing well? What can you imitate? What can you do better? Read The Claremont Review, Canada's only literay magazine for teen writers. What is getting published? Why?  

Start your short story. You can use the pieces you have started in your journal or you can start over. You can use the ideas on the short story assignment sheet. Lots of ideas. Best not to stare at a blank page. Look out the window or listen to music or describe an object, anything to start the imagination.

Enjoy.
See you Monday. Be prepared to articulate what you have learned from the stories in Naming the Baby.

English 10 A

Today we presented recitations. Everyone has now posted their book response on Shelfari and responded to at least two posts.

Post new books under the October group discussion. Keep reading. See if you can read more this month than last month. Bonus!!

Lit 12

Wonderful review work today. You certainly are prepared for our unit test, Thursday. I sent you the practice test via email and included the answer key. Try to predict what the paragraph topics will be so that you can memorize a few key quotes in order to support your opinions in the most insightful manner possible. However, you will not be penalized for not using quotes as long as you provide suffiencent examples (paraphrases) to support your insights.

If you are absent for the test, I need an email from your parents or house parents. Without a legitimate reason, you may not be able to have a second opportunity.

Memorize the literary must-haves. Double space and write in ink.

You may bring a laptop to write the paragraph.

RECITATION PRESENTATIONS MONDAY. IF YOU NEED AN EXTENSION LET ME KNOW TODAY. IF YOU ARE ABSENT YOU WILL NEED A DOCTOR'S NOTE. FAILING TO PLAN IS PLANNING TO FAIL. HOW DO YOU LIKE MY APHORISM?

I'm very proud of what you have accomplished during unit one. Well done. If you wish to rewrite your Beowulf or Chaucer paragraphs, please hand those new drafts stapled to the originals by Monday.

Friday, Oct. 21: Class is cancelled due to Ms. Stenson's absence. Practice with a friend. Be ready to delight and entertain the class with your superb rendering of your chosen piece.

Writing 12

We had an opportunity to read a number of prose poems and to write three of our own. Please post the best of your own prose poems on Edmodo by Wed. We're in the language lab Wed. I'll meet you there.

You need to create 2 short poems for the art class by Nov 1. These poems must be filled with imagery so that the artist can get inspired to create a painting. Your poem and the art will be on display at Eclectic Gallery in Oak Bay in Jan.

To ensure you are prepared for this deadline, write, write, write. Re-read the short poems on the handout I gave you and on Edmodo. I'd like to see what you have written early next week so I can give you feedback. Let me see two short poems by Tues. Oct. 25

If you are planning to submit the short ones for marks on day 1 (2 short poems = 1 for marks)

I'm in Van. Friday so  class is cancelled. I will give you your assignment on Wed.

However, since Friday is day 1, I'll collect your two poems on Tuesday. (Since you've had extra time, I suspect you'll make time to edit them and to check their attributes against the criteria for the course, right? What criteria, you may ask?

For now, concentrate on clarity and fresh language. Push your poems to show people in action. Add specific references to modern places, things, concepts, brand names, etc. and /or use research in your poems. Never sit and stare at a blank page. Have magazines, poetry books, picture books, music, and your writing journals around you to inspire your imagination. Play. Play. Play. Use the techniques we have been practicing during class.