Tuesday, April 30, 2013

English 11: Read chapter 3 . . . .

I collected and sent off the poems to BCTELA today. Thank you. Today was the deadline. Good luck.

I returned the poetry anthologies and the poetry tests today.
I see real change--better inferencing, better synthesis, better syntax, better organization.

I really enjoyed reading your poems. If you enjoyed this unit, sign up for Writing 12 next year. Make writing a relaxing part of every day. It's offered in first semester only.

We worked with partners to improve our compare / contrast writing.

If you were absent today, find a student who did well on the compare/contrast section of the poetry test. Have him or her teach you ways to improve.

Look for

  • How to integrate quotations
  • How to set up the introduction 
  • How to use sentence variety and strong verbs
  • How to add insight (key for a high B or A papers)
  • How to read the poems thoroughly
  • How to ensure the question is answered 
  • How to write the conclusion 
  • How to compare and to contrast 
  • How to use a TICK chart effectively 
Photocopy your friend's composition so you have a good sample to learn from.

Great work today. The pair work went really well.
I collected the USSR forms and sent your poems to the BCTELA contest.


English 11: Read chapter 3 . . . .

I collected and sent off the poems to BCTELA today. Thank you. Today was the deadline. Good luck.

I returned the poetry anthologies and the poetry tests today.
I see real change--better inferencing, better synthesis, better syntax, better organization.

I really enjoyed reading your poems. If you enjoyed this unit, sign up for Writing 12 next year. Make writing a relaxing part of every day. It's offered in first semester only.

We worked with partners to improve our compare / contrast writing.

If you were absent today, find a student who did well on the compare/contrast section of the poetry test. Have him or her teach you ways to improve.

Look for

  • How to integrate quotations
  • How to set up the introduction 
  • How to use sentence variety and strong verbs
  • How to add insight (key for a high B or A papers)
  • How to read the poems thoroughly
  • How to ensure the question is answered 
  • How to write the conclusion 
  • How to compare and to contrast 
  • How to use a TICK chart effectively 
Photocopy your friend's composition so you have a good sample to learn from.

Great work today. The pair work went really well.
I collected the USSR forms and sent your poems to the BCTELA contest.


Lit 12: Wordsworth and Byron Poem due on creation tomorrow . . .

Take notes on Wordsworth and Byron
We read the two Wordsworth poems from the core list. Be sure to read and make notes on the poems' themes, styles, images and allusions. What do the two poems add to your understanding of Romantic poetry.

Write your poem tonight based on a creation or a creator of something similar to Blake. See Olivia or Emma for more details on this topic.


Camus:The Outsider Wed. after school--essay

Translated from The French.

Absurdist Philosophy: We are all condemned to die. We await our executions.

  • We live in an indifferent universe--unexplainable
  • There is no meaning, no certainty, except death
  • The individual is free to decide
  • Deciding to live (with all five senses) in this "absurd" condition is heroic--happiness
  • Searching for meaning or imposing meaning creates false hope and leads to despair
  • Each human is responsible for his/her own actions
  • Facing the meaninglessness and choosing the live solitary, sensuous lives = freedom 
Meursault (death-jumper)

Myth of Sisyphus: Camus reitnerprets the myth as heroic. Sees Sisyphus as happy.

Sisyphus made the gods angry and was condemned to push a boulder up a dill daily and watch if all once he reached the top


The first section of the novel introduces Meursault, a rational, self-centered, emotionally distant protagonist. He observes the world sensuously. Feeling the sun and salt water on his skin, noticing the smell of petrol, the taste of cafe au lait. The syntax reflects the character--short, simple sentences. Action oriented.

Read chapters 1 and 2 with the absurdist philosophy in mind. Watch Meursault. Step into his shoes. Is he responding to life in the same way you are? Why or why not?

Find examples of imposing meaning on events in these first two chapters.
Ex. His boss will say his condolences. Meursault will wear an armband to signify he is in mourning. He will sit vigil because that action is what is expected of him.

Monday, April 29, 2013

English 11: Poetry manuscripts collected . . . USSR forms due

If you did not ask for an extension and did not submit the project today, you will receive a 0.

Tonight, print copies of your poems for the BCTELA contest and get your parents to sign to forms.

Due tomorrow. It's the last day to enter the contest.

Good luck.

If you were absent today and do not have a form, bring a note from home saying that your parents give you permission to enter the contest.

April 30 is the last day of the month so your USSR form is due.
Check that you have talked about the book in a personal and informative manner. Make sure to record the number of pages, too. 

HOMEWORK:

Read chapter 2. Find at least two symbols or events that seem symbolic. Post it note them and be ready to share.

Look for

--attitudes toward the boys
--bestial behaviour
--comments on civilization
--what happens to the boy with the mark on his face
--descriptions of setting
--foreshadowing
--changes in the boys

AP Lit: Finish making notes on Death of a Salesman

We finished watching the film and we made notes on Act 2, particularly aspects of the tragedy and the play's themes.

Tomorrow, we start Camus. Bring your novels to class.

Wed. after school: Free response question. You may choose any play or novel studied over the last two years as long as it is considered literary.

If you get a question that you  have already done, let me know and I'll replace it with an alternate question.

Study!

Lit 12: Blake

We took notes on William Blake and read and discussed the poems on the core list by Blake: "The Lamb" and "The Tiger". If you were away, read the bio on Blake and make notes. Read the poems and make notes. Speak to Olivia and to Emma who did a marvelous presentation today on the two poems.

Homework: Submit to Olivia and Emma by Wednesday:

Write a poem questioning the creation of something. It can be satirical or serious.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

English 11: Poetry Test part 1 Part 2 Monday

Due today: poem number 4 for editing.

Tomorrow: Bring all four copies of your poems, re-edited and typed for peer editing. You must get all four poems edited by a partner. You will be using a rubric to help guide your suggestions and comments. Plus, use your criteria sheet and your own knowledge of modern poetry.

Monday's test: Open notebook. Make sure that you bring copies of the poems in the package. Re-read all of the poems to be prepared to answer questions.

Today's test: compare and contrast composition, two poems by Richard Lemm

Due Monday: All four typed good copies. A cover page. The cover page needs to have a name for the collection: Painting the Yellow House Blue or Alabama or Poems to Read with Your Cat.

Also, include, all of the copies of the poems edited by me, plus edits you made, plus the peer editing sheet. Staple it all together. Make sure that I know which poems are your good copies. Keep copies at home as you will need to print copies for the BCTELA contest. The deadline for that contest is Tuesday, April 30.  You will have a cover sheet to attach as well which I will give you during tomorrow's class.

Lit 12: Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Read and make notes on Coleridge. Get the notes from Alex's group's glog on the Romantic era. Read sections 1-3 of Mariner.

Tonight: Put the finishing touches on your modest proposal. It's due Monday.

Tomorrow: We'll finish reading Coleridge aloud and the rest will be for homework.

Monday: Emma and Olivia present Blake---ooooo Songs of Innocence and Experience




If you have been absent, you have a lot to catch up. Swift, Pope, Gray, and Burns. Plus all the new literary terms. Borrow notes from a friend and read each piece carefully. If you have questions, see me.

AP Lit: Preparing for the AP exam

If you were absent today, you must see Mr. Redlin ASAP to make a time to fill in AP Lit exam papers. This process takes 45 minutes. You cannot write the exam unless these steps are completed. Thanks.

We finished reading ACT 2 today. Tomorrow, we'll discuss the play and watch the film version. Pay careful attention to the final scene in Act 2. What motivates Willy to commit suicide? What is Ben's role? How does Biff change? How do Linda and Happy remain the same?


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

English 11: Lord of the Flies and Poetry Writing

Test Outline:

Read and annotate two poems about the Israeli / Palestinian conflict. Write a formal compare and contrast composition which answers the question asked.

Know the poems we studied well:
"The Macaroni Song"
"The Child Who Walks Backwards"
"Social Studies Report"
"Urinals"
"Newsflash in the Fashion Magazines"
"Public School No. 18, Patterson, New Jersey"

Know the themes and the techniques. Be able to discuss the poems.
Know about writing poetry and what makes a good poem.

We will do a terms' test later. 


I am impressed by the poems I have edited so far and also by your responses to last week's poetry presentation by Jay Ruzesky, Carla Funk and Wendy Morton. You articulated the experience well and added concrete examples to support your opinions.

We continue to focus on making inferences as you read. Since Golding's novel is an allegory, you have ample opportunity to read between the lines.

Yesterday, we spoke of "civilization". What is it? Should we admire it? Does civilization include war? What rules need to be changed in schools? At work?
At home? How do we change?


Today we wrote poem 4 and I collected poem 3.
Last day to submit poems for editing is tomorrow. You may submit a poem more than once if you want more feedback.

Friday: I will return all of the poems. You will have a chance to peer edit and to re-write and to type up your manuscript which is due Monday.


If you need an extension, let me know today. Otherwise, I expect all students to submit the work on time.

Keep referring to the criteria for the poems so that your mark reflects that knowledge.

Lit 12: Review elements of Romantic poetry

Today we read and discussed "To a Mouse". Be sure to get the notes.

Read "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard". Look for images of the common man, pastoral imagery, sound devices such as onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, dissonance, consonance, cacophony,

We learned the term "inversion" . . . when the verb appears before its subject in a sentence

eg Now fades the glimmering stream . . . .

Its order is inverted.
The correct order would be The stream fades ...

We have six weeks to go. Ensure that you are keeping up to date with all classes and assignments. Review the terms nightly. Re-read the poems from unit 1 so that they are fresh. Use quizlet as a study tool.

AP Lit: Read Act 2

IMPORTANT: ALL STUDENTS MUST BE IN CLASS THURSDAY FOR MR. REDLIN'S PRESENTATION. IT STARTS AT 9:15.


Today, we took notes and discussed Act 1. Be sure to get the notes from a partner and re-read that section so that it is clear.

Read Act 2: Keep looking for what causes Willy's demise. Notice what Charley represents. How can you explain Willy's actions?

We'll discuss Act 2 tomorrow so please read the entire play tonight.

We'll begin the film when we finish our discussion.

Look closely at the role of Ben and at the changes in Biff.

When you read the section called The Requiem, look at Linda and Happy's responses. What do these responses suggest about the American dream. 


After school today was the multiple choice test section.

AP Lit: Thanks to PEP and all the volunteers . . .

You celebrated the bard with style. Thank you. You inspired all Spartans.

Today: Mr. Redlin will be in to explain the intricasies of writing the AP exam. When he finishes we'll discuss Act 1 and start reading Act 2. Be finished Act 2 for Thursday.

Today after school: Open Response Question. Use any novel or play that you feel will answer the question successfully. 40 to 60 minute time limit.

English 11: Read chapter 1 of Lord of the Flies, write poems

I collected poem number 2 for editing today.

Wed: Poem 3
Thurs: Poem 4

Be sure to use your response journal as a source of inspiration. Follow the criteria. All poems must be typed. You must hand in all drafts with the good copies on Monday.

As you read the novel, look for examples where Golding questions the guise of civilization. There are subtle examples throughout the text. We are reading chapter 1 slowly in order to point out the numerous examples of foreshadowing.

What is Golding's attitude toward civilization so far? How do you know?

Find examples. Be prepared to explain them.

Lit 12: The Rape of the Lock

Read this mock-epic poem and find examples of satire. Define neo-classissm. Look for examples of allusion to Greek literature. Find examples of hyperbole and understatement. Know the plot. Find examples of mock-epic style.

We also took notes on Romantic Poetry. Be sure to get the notes from a partner.

Today, we start Robbie Burns!

Tomorrow the Romantic group will present their glog.

If you missed the quiz on Swift and the definitions, come in at lunch today!

Monday, April 22, 2013

English 11: poetry writing, manuscripts due next Monday . . . .

Poetry Test Thursday

Be sure to re-read the poems discussed during class. Be able to answer questions on their themes. You will be reading two poems and writing a compare / contrast paragraph.

The poems discuss the Palestinian / Israeli conflict so read this short piece in order to have the background knowledge needed:

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Also, make sure you know the terms Jew, Jewish, Muslim, Arab.

Today: I collected the first typed poem for your manuscript.

Each day this week, submit a typed poem. You may choose any subject matter but the criteria must be met so follow the sheet. Imitate the poems we have been studying and the ones in your response journal. Imitate the poems that were read to you last Thurs. for national poetry month.

If you were absent today, sign out a copy of Lord of the Flies and read the first 10 pages. Copy the notes from a friend.

Manuscript due Monday.
Tonight type up poem number two.

Lit 12: Swift quiz today, creative writing project assigned

If you were absent today, you'll need to write the quiz during USSR tomorrow. Remind me! We discussed ideas for your modest proposal projects which are due next Monday, April 29.

Today, we finished reading A Modest Proposal.

Next is Alexander Pope's mock-epic poem, The Rape of the Lock.


AP Lit: finish reading Act 1, prepare for the presentations tomorrow

Shakespeare's Birthday! Thanks for reading  / reciting to our younger classes tomorrow. As the AP Lit class, you represent our best and brightest English students this year so your enthusiasm for and understanding of the literary arts is worth sharing. Thank you!!

Tonight (for Wed.'s class) Make notes on the main characters: Charley, Bernard, Linda, Willy, Biff and Happy.

Answer: What attitude toward the American dream is revealed in Act 1? Be sure to provide quotations to support your opinion. Post-it notes are fine.

How does Miller reveal this attitude?

Look for examples of

  • set design
  • character development
  • motifs / symbols: hand, star, names Loman, Willy, Happy etc
  • stream of consciousness
  • syntax
  • tone
  • character foil 
Make sure you send Terra your bios!! 

If you forgot to submit your edited Hamlet essay draft, bring it to class. Also, quotation logs.


Friday, April 19, 2013

Response to the Library presentation plus writing poems this weekend . . .

In a paragraph of 200 to 300 words discuss at least three of the following:

  • how to live an artful life
  • what is modern poetry
  • what can you write about / inspirations for poems you'll write
  • how is our society reflected in the themes they read about
  • the poets / their poems: Wendy Morton, Jay Ruzesky, Carla Funk
  • writing programs
  • corporate poetry sponsors
  • The Elder Project 

Your poetry manuscript is due Monday, April 29. Each poem must be edited and meet the criteria. If you were absent today, ask for a criteria sheet. We are writing poems similar to the ones we've been studying and the poems in your poetry journals and in The Claremont Review.

We brainstormed five key criteria for modern poems and we all agreed that poems need
  • imagery
  • surprise (catch you off guard)
  • structure
  • form (title, ending, line breaks, diction, stanzas etc)
  • theme (feeling, observations of the world, what drives you crazy?)
  •  
  •  

  • Next, I introduced a form called a pantoum. We wrote ten lines about a photograph. I have a selection of fabulous black and white photos which tell great stories. 
Ask me for the pantoum handout.

If your poem on the secret is working, type it up and let me edit it.
You need to have all four poems edited before next Friday. 

Homework: Interview a family member this weekend and write a poem about him or her. Use the criteria above and the sheet I gave you.

Type it up and bring to class for editing.

Lit 12: poetry para. due / Read Swift's essay, A Modest Proposal page 382

In a paragraph of 200 to 300 words, discuss at least 3 of the points below. You may also add other points based on your experience of the presenters in the library yesterday.

  • how to live an artful life
  • what is modern poetry
  • what can you write about
  • how do the subjects they presented reflect current social views
  • writing programs
  • the poets and / or their works Wendy Morton, Jay Ruzesky, Carla Funk
  • corporate poetry sponsporships, 6 Impossible Things Before Breakfast
  • The Elder Project
  • how to present and read poetry to a large audience
Today, we took notes on the writer, Jonathan Swift. Read and make notes.

We read his satirical essay looking for elements of satire: understatement, hyperbole, wit, irony and sarcasm.

Notice the point of view and tone as well.

How was his proposal received in Ireland? 

Today's terms:
epigraph
tone
didactic
denotation
connotation
satire
elements of satire: irony, wit, sarcasm, hyperbole, understatement

Expect a quiz on Monday on Swift, Ireland/England problems, 18th century notes from Emma and Olivia's presentation and the above terms. 


AP Lit: Hamlet essay due Monday, Started Death of a Salesman

Set Design and Stage Directions are key elements of this play





Notice that the house is cut in half so we can see inside but we are aware that we can see inside. We are entering another dimension, here, breaking through the illusion of the American Dream but also through the illusion of the theatre--breaking away from Naturalism into expressionism. We are aware that we are watching a play, similar to the abrupt narrator in Wilder's Our Town, who keeps reminding the audience they are watching a play and Wilder's narrator comments on the action as well. A character commenting on the action? What??? Oye vay.

Wikipedia:

The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth.[1]
The idea of the American Dream is rooted in the United States Declaration of Independence which proclaims that "all men are created equal" and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." [2]

If you were absent today, be sure to pick up the books we signed out today, Death of a Salesman and The Outsider. Read the first three pages, including all stage directions and get the notes from a friend. Also, ask your friends about the feedback I gave regarding the free response essay on Hamlet. 

 



Thursday, April 18, 2013

English 11: Creative Writing, Poetry

Yesterday, we discussed the literary must-haves and how important it is to proofread your work. The bar rises in term 2 as we prepare you for English 12. You will be disappointed with your marks if you continue to make the same errors.


Today: Bring your USSR book only to class as we have a special poetry presentation to celebrate National Poetry Month. Three poets will read to us: Jay Ruzesky, Wendy Morton, and Carla Funk. Be inspired.

You will be requested to write a response to the event so listen for favourite lines, how they introduce their poems, etc. You will need to have specific examples in your response. 

If you missed Tuesday's poetry test, stay after school today to write it.


Lit 12: USSR and National Poetry Month Celebrations . . . .

Period 2 Shakespeare Visitors, we need to add Ms. Sampson's grade 9 class (room 323) so you can divide your group in half or let her know that you will pop by when you finish with Ms. G-C's class.

Thanks.


Today: Poets Jay Ruzesky, Carla Funk and Wendy Morton!

If you ask a compelling question, you will not have to write a literary response.
Be brave. Ask. Listen. Ask again.

AP Lit: Hamlet Test--That was easy! Two essays in one period. You did it.

Hamlet Essay and Quote Log and Edited Draft due Monday.
If you need an extension, let me know today.

Friday: We'll sign out Camus' novel, The Outsider, and Miller's play, Death of a Salesman. We'll start the play tomorrow.

If you are going to be absent Friday, be sure to pick up the texts in the learning commons today.


Tonight: Complete your quotation log annotations and write a thesis. Hand in tomorrow at the beginning of class so I can give you feedback.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Lit 12: National Poetry Month, a new unit, new marks . . . yay

Tomorrow we will be participating in a special event. All you need to bring to class is your USSR book as we will have guest speakers.

Shakespeare's Birthday Bash: Claremont's tradition is to have our Lit 12 students visit classes for a Shakespeare trivia game. Thanks for keeping this tradition strong. Go with enthusiasm. Sing the birthday song to the bard. Share your love love love of this man and his imagination.
On Tues. April 23, arrive 15 minutes after class has started. I will contact the teachers again to remind them you are coming. You can pick up the cupcakes from me. 

Ms. G-C room 320 period 1: Motria, Steph, Alex, Rachael
Mr. Quested room 300 period 2: Gina, Amanda, Emma, Eira,
Ms. G-C room 300 period 3: Emi, Isaias, Jessie, Steve, Olivia
Ms. Andiel room 301 period 4: Cheyenne, Evann, Ali, Kayla

Connor, where are you? You can make a sign attached to a stick which says: RANDOM ACTS OF SHAKSPEARE AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BILL!


AP Lit: Hamlet Essay Due Monday

Hamlet Essay: follow the pink criteria sheet I handed out at the beginning of the unit

Also

Length 1200 to 1500 words

1. Focus on your analysis of a few key scens or a particular motif so that your essay is unique ni detail and insight.
2. Edit the first draft stylistically: punctuation, diction, clarity, transitions, sentence type variety, sentence beginning and length variety, strong concluding sentences.
3. Always take time in each paragraph to refer to the overall thesis of the essay to help you and the reader stay on track.

Hamlet Test tomorrow. See yesterday's blog for the outline.

Next Tuesday is Shakespeare's birthday: Thanks to the PEP folks for organizing a rip-roaring event. The new issue of The Claremont Review is out! Yay.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

English 11E: I collected the poetry journals and we wrote a paragraph . . .

If you were absent today, plan to stay after school tomorrow as you missed a paragraph which takes an hour to write as you need to read and analyze the poem and create a chart before you begin.

You must bring a note that explains your absence in order to hand in your project late.


Today's assignment: In a formal paragraph of 300 to 500 words, discuss how Patrick Lane uses precise imagery to demonstrate the way the family copes with poverty in the poem, "The Macaroni Song".

You may also chose to discuss point of view, symbols, repetition, enjambement or line break and narrative elements (setting, tone, dialogue) to prove your interpretation.

Marks awarded for insight and evidence, written expression (diction and sentence variety), proper paragraph setup, and proofreading. 48 marks

You may use your handouts and a thesaurus to assist you: literary must-haves, transition lists, how to incorporate quotes.

If you use the phrase .... This shows or This proves you will get a 0. In Cole Ollis' words . . . . because that is NOT what we do.

Take time to elaborate each point so that your arguments are convincing. A passionate, persuasive tone is best.

Use our set up for the literary paragraph:
Thesis
Opinion
Example
Elaboration(1-3 sentences)
Transition
X 3
Conclude (Repeat the thesis in an emotional manner. Re-read the question to ensure that you have answered it). 

Parent-teacher interviews are next Thurs, April 25 but I am unable to attend. If you know your parents would like to meet, please have them email me to set up an alternate time. I am so sorry for the inconvenience. 

Lit 12: Unit 2 test today. USSR for homework

We start Unit 3 tomorrow. Emma and Olivia will present the key points with a lovely glog.

Parent-teacher interviews are next Thurs, April 25 but I am unable to attend. If you know your parents would like to meet, please have them email me to set up an alternate time. I am so sorry for the inconvenience.  

AP Lit: Assembly today so class was cancelled . . . however . . . lots to do tonight

that means more homework tonight.

Please create responses to the passages which you have chosen for your Hamlet essay on identity. Tomorrow during class you will have time to colour code the points and create a scintillating thesis which must be approved before you begin the essay.
Essays and quotation logs are due Monday. Be sure to cite properly. Ask me how if you are unsure.

Writing 12 students: We need readers, periods 1 and 2, April 23 to celebrate Shakespeare's birthday.

AP Lit students: We also would love to hear your Hamlet recitations at this event. You must audition in order to recite. See Erika, Spencer, Christina or Adam for details. We'd love to have you all perform or read your works next Tuesday as the grade 10s and 11s look to you for inspiration (and it's always good to demonstrate how wonderful AP Lit and Writing 12 can be). Thanks for supporting the English department.

Thursday's Hamlet Test:
Two sections / Two 40 minute essays

Section 1: You'll be asked to annotate a passage from Hamlet and respond to a question. (This section imitates the prose section on the AP exam).
Section 2: Free response essay (albeit not so free this time) I will give you a question and you must use the play, Hamlet, as the text to answer the question. It may be one of the questions from the list you have so look there.

We have three weeks to prepare for the exam so we'll do multiple choice questions during our next three Wednesdays and we'll begin our study of Death of a Salesman Friday. I'll get you to sign out Camus' The Outsider at the same time so you'll have both.

You may keep the Hamlet texts until you submit your essay.

Parent-teacher interviews are next Thurs, April 25 but I am unable to attend. If you know your parents would like to meet, please have them email me to set up an alternate time. I am so sorry for the inconvenience.  

Friday, April 12, 2013

English 11: Poetry Response Journals Due Tuesday--no exceptions.

No one has asked me for an extension so I am expecting all of the projects on Tuesday.

See previous posts for ideas and hints regarding getting the kind of mark you deserve.

Enjoy.

USSR: Finish your second book this weekend.

Lit 12: Test is on Tuesday.

See Wednesday and Thursday's blog for test outline and study suggestions.

If you missed the two review days, phone a friend and get together to study.
Quizlet is also helpful.

The best way to prepare is to re-read each poem and think about how its structure adds to the themes and how the themes reflect the author and the time in which he was writing.
la la la

BING0!

AP Lit: We did it! Finished Act 5

If you were absent today, be sure to finish reading the two scenes in Act 5.

We had notes on the board regarding the transition from Act 4 to 5 so get them from a friend.

Essay due: Monday, April 22.

This weekend, find at least 10 passages you feel will help you write the essay on identity. You have a lot to think about.

Re-read the notes to prepare for the test and be sure to make notes on the sections that were assigned for homework as some nasty teachers put those passages on the test.

Hamlet Test: Thursday.

Wed. After School Session: Multiple Choice.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

English 11: Although the cats were away, the mice refused to play . . .

We had a number of students away at UBC today but we ventured forth alone.

We read our lovely books for 15 minutes so make sure you make up the time this weekend. You will have three delicious days to read and easily make your goal of three books read by the end of April--maybe 4 or 5 or beyond!!

I returned the vocabulary tests and the draft compare/contrast compositions. Have a good look at where you need to review. You will be writing another composition next Thursday.

I checked the first poem assignment from your anthology so if you were absent today, do show me tomorrow. Don't forget to include the bibliographic information. The poems I have seen so far will serve as excellent models for creating your own poems next week. Great job.




At Claremont, we know reading is . . .







Thank you, Spartans, for your amazing participation!

Lit 12: Review Unit 2: Test Tuesday (See yesterday's blog for the test outline)

We re-read all of the poems from Unit 2 except Paradise Lost and Pepys' diary today so as you can imagine, it was a thorough and extensive review. We reviewed the themes, the point of view, the style, the form, the key terms for each piece. View yesterday's blog for the test outline and for key terms. Get the notes. Re-read each piece.

Remember also: Know each piece by name. Know each author name. Know the form. Know the era. Know the theme. Memorize a quote or two from each poem.

Tomorrow: Review Bingo and various review questions. You will be put on a team so make sure you have studied or your team will not be happy.
PRIZES!

Study. Study. Study.

AP Lit: Great things ahead: Shakespeare's birthday . . . .

Visit this link to prepare your Hamlet recitation: Recitation Guidelines

April 23rd we will be celebrating Shakespeare's birthday in the library.
Our PEP members, Erika, Spenser, Adam and Christina will be organizing readings and recitations and we'll sing Happy Birthday to Shakespeare and then have cake or cupcakes.

If you would like to perform your recitation in the Learning Commons, you will need to audition and if you are chosen, you will be given bonus marks for APLit/Eng12! Good luck.

Time for auditions TBA.

We read and made notes on most of Act 4 today so if you were away, be sure to borrow the notes.

Tonight: Read and make notes on the final scenes in Act 4. Start on page 68 with scene 4. 

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

English 11: Complete all 9 questions for a poem you have chosen

If you were away today, we studied three poems in detail. Be sure to get the notes. We reviewed the following terms:
simile, imagery, personification, metaphor, hyperbole, enjambement, juxtaposition 

and sound devices: 
rhythm, repetition, alliteration, onomatopoeia, assonance and dissonance

Be sure to complete the detailed chart on Crozier's poem, "The
Child Who Walks Backwards". The focus today was on creating theme statements and being able to explain how you arrived at that theme. Most poems, and good writing in other genres, show through detail and writing style, their attitude toward the topic. They do not overtly state a theme. A poem may have many themes but generally one key theme will include most of the poem's details.

We looked carefully today at why an author would choose certain details:
Why does Crozier place the burns on the back of the knees?
Why does she describe the sparks as burn[ing] stars in his skin?
Why does the child rise in sleep?
Why does she begin the poem in the kitchen? Why not the yard or the basement?

Good readers pick up on these details and use them to contemplate meaning.
You did this task really well on your short story test. You made inferences about the father/daughter relationship based on the description of the climbing experience the pair shared.

Good readers constantly infer.

You are doing well. Keep practicing.

You have chosen 5 poems from pertinent sources: the books and official websites from your anthology criteria list. Do an excellent job of comprehending them. 


Lit 12: Hand in the Paradise Lost paragraphs and Pepys' wife's diary if you were absent today

I collected the short paragraphs on Satan's character based on the last 20 lines of the excerpt we read.

Read and make notes on the writer, Samuel Pepys, page 358. Next, read his diary and make notes on his observations of the coronation, the Fire, the Plague and an execution. You may also take notes on key sections which interest you.

When you finish, write a diary entry from his wife's point of view. How might she see things differently?

Tomorrow and Friday: Review of Unit 2. Study the core list. Make notes on quizlet. Know all the forms, the historical information, the titles and authors of the works for your test on Tuesday.

Test Outline: / 78
Section 1: 30 multiple choice questions (a variety of questions that test your comprehension, your knowledge of author and title and genre, and literary terms). 30 marks
Section 2: paragraph on 1 work studied during the unit. I will give you three or four topics. Choose one and explain how the work you choose proves that thesis. Literary paragraph style. 24 marks
Section 3: Read a short poem and answer the question in literary paragraph format. (It will be by one of the writers studied during the unit so you will be able to recognize and apply your knowledge of the form to the question. That knowledge will help you explicate the poem). 24 marks


The key forms in this unit are
The Petrarchan Sonnet
The Elizabethan Sonnet
The pastoral
The antipastoral
The Cavalier / carpe diem themed poems
The metaphysical style
The epic poem

Be sure that you know the attributes of each era and how the political, cultural and religious views may have shaped the literature written at that time.
The Renaissance era
The Reformation / Restoration eras
The Puritan Age

Literary Terms from this Unit (Plus, you are expected to know the terms from Unit 1)

sonnet: rhyme scheme, iamb, iambic pentametre, Italian and Elizabethan structures, the volta, the quatrain, the sestet, the octave, the love conventions of a sonnet and traditional imagery (the hunter, the chase, the unattainable woman, beautiful woman etc)
pastoral: idealization of country life, shepherds, endless time, ideal life, iambic tetrametre,
antipastoral: Raleigh's reply is more pragmatic yet wistful, wanting the pastoral values but realizing they are unattainable
metaphysical: use of scientific imagery, humanism, metaphysical conceits,
(Donne's A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning)
Cavalier: country squires who believed in the monarchy (less prepared army than the Roundheads of Cromwell) carpe diem, witty, colloquial, less lofty themes, lustful,
epic poem, Paradise Lost, elevated diction, epic similes, periodic sentences, battle between good and evil, larger than life, invokes a Muse at the beginning of the poem to help the writer be truthful to the tale, asserting eternal providence, show the ways of God to man,

metonymy
synecdoche
apostrophe
personification
paradox
imagery
theme
aphorism, aphoristic
blank verse
caesura
colloquial language
couplet
heroic couplet
stanza
quatrain
sestet
volta
octave
didactic
extended metaphor
in medias res
invocation
juxtaposition
character foil
lyric poetry (sonnet, ode, elegy)
ballad
motif
parallelism
oxymoron
pun
syntax
understatement
wit



AP Lit: Appearance Vs Reality: The death of poor Polonius

Read the final scene (the climax) in Act 3. Be prepared to discuss Hamlet's state of mind at the end of the act, his mother's contrition, the symbol of the ghost, and the effect of Polonius' death will have. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been chosen to escort Hamlet to England. Hamlet says he will trust them as "adders fanged".  Why?


Tuesday, April 9, 2013

English 11: Study the vocabulary. Prepare for a re-test.

 HAVE ALL FIVE POEMS CHOSEN AND TYPED OUT SO THAT YOU CAN GET A GOOD START ON YOUR ANTHOLOGY DURING TOMORROW'S CLASS.

Any student below 45/50 on the recent test needs to stay after school tomorrow to study. I will also return the compositions to be used for study purposes. The next one that you do will be for marks.

Today we will have time to work on our anthologies. See yesterday's post if you were absent. Due Tuesday.

Reason #5: Poetry builds resilience in kids and adults; it fosters Social and Emotional Learning. A well-crafted phrase or two in a poem can help us see an experience in an entirely new way. We can gain insight that had evaded us many times, that gives us new understanding and strength. William Butler Yeats said this about poetry: "It is blood, imagination, intellect running together...It bids us to touch and taste and hear and see the world, and shrink from all that is of the brain only." Our schools are places of too much "brain only;" we must find ways to surface other ways of being, other modes of learning. And we must find ways to talk about the difficult and unexplainable things in life -- death and suffering and even profound joy and transformation.

On this topic, Jeanette Winterson , a poet and writer, says this:

"...When people say that poetry is a luxury, or an option, or for the educated middle classes, or that it shouldn't be read in school because it is irrelevant, or any of the strange and stupid things that are said about poetry and its place in our lives, I suspect that the people doing the saying have had things pretty easy. A tough life needs a tough language - and that is what poetry is. That is what literature offers -- a language powerful enough to say how it is. It isn't a hiding place. It is a finding place." 

Lit 12: Paradise Lost

We finished reading the excerpt and we took line by line notes.

Be sure to get the notes and read the poem before next Tuesday's test.

We ended the class with a paragraph. If you were absent today, be sure to finish the paragraph.

Based on lines 242 - 263, write an analysis of Satan's character. Be sure to create an evocative thesis and include that accurate vocabulary: prone, Leviathan, apostate, ignominy, vengeful, etc.

We have one more piece of literature to cover, Samuel Pepy's diary from 1660.

Thursday and Friday will be review periods. Tuesday is the unit 2 test. The 18th century glog group present on Wednesday.
la la la

AP Lit: Read Acts 3 Scenes 2 and 3 if you were absent

Congratulations to Erika Ruiter (2nd prize) and to Marc Charlebois and Shannon Riz (honourable mentions) in the national poetry competition. This competition is judged by poets so to be in the top 6 poems of the country is an incredible feat! Keep writing as clearly the world needs your poems!

Be sure to get the notes if you were absent.

I liked the discussions today as you continue to push yourself beyond the obvious.

So-- what is the purpose for the play within the play? Why does Hamlet wish to "drink hot blood" and why interject with that short scene of Claudius praying before Hamlet confronts his mother?

Think of the purpose of Act 3. What is happening here? Continue to look for good quotations for your literary essay on identity. How is it addressed in this act?

Is Horatio the ideal man? Does Hamlet's idealization of man seem attainable? Are there any conditions in which we need/want emotion?



The ideal man?

Monday, April 8, 2013

English 11: Vocabulary test, compare and contrast compositions

Please return your short story texts to the library asap.

We wrote the vocab. test on words 1-40 and I collected the poetry compare/contrast compositions.

We started our Poetry Response Journals. See below.

Due Tuesday, April 16th. No lates are accepted so build in time to create a terrific anthology this week.


Poetry Response Journals:

Find five poems that you absolutely love or that you wish you had written from the Canadian poetry books on display in the library. You will need to read a lot more than five poems to find the five you absolutely love. You may also use the following sites: www.poetryfoundation.org, www.library.utoronto.ca/canpoetry, www.poets.org and www.poets.ca. Please do not use unauthorized sites as you may encounter some really unedited poems that will not add to your understanding of poetry. For this assignment, choose modern, published authors who use concrete imagery, structure and literary devices to explore their topics.

Due Date: __Tuesday, April 16th_________________________

Purpose:
to train your ear, to get to know Canadian poetry, to find out what they write about and how they write, to improve your understanding of poetry, and improve your ability to write about poetry

For each poem answer the following questions in paragraph form (where appropriate)

  1. Type or photocopy the poem for your report.
  2. Include the poem’s title, author and bibliographical information: “Carnations”. Patricia Young. Ruin and Beauty. 1999. Anansi Press.
  3. Highlight or underline your favourite passages in the poem.
  4. Explain in a brief paragraph what attracted you to the poem. Provide examples to support your opinions.
  5. Provide an alternative title for the poem.
  6. Write a statement of the poem’s theme. Write your theme statement like a thesis statement. Example: Engaging in war is a part of human nature: instinctual, animal, common; there is no need to be shocked by it. In the poem, “Cherries”, Janice Kulyk Keefer compares children picking cherries to sniper’s killing children. In the poem, electricity is needed to boil a kettle and also to “keep a baby’s punctured heart from fluttering away.” This juxtaposition reinforces the poem’s theme: war is an everyday occurrence, like eating and drinking. A poem’s theme is not love. What the poem says about love is the poem’s theme (or observation of the world). Next, in a paragraph, explain how you arrived at this theme. Be sure to quote from the poem to support your analysis.
  7. Discuss the poem’s structure. Possible discussion questions are: Is the poem one long sentence? Why? Do you notice a lot of long lines or a mixture of short and long? What do the line breaks indicate? If you re-wrote the poem in a different form, what would happen to the poem’s meaning? Are stanzas used? What does the title add to the poem? Does the poem’s rhythm or rhyme scheme add meaning? How is the poem punctuated? What effect does the punctuation have on the poem?
  8. Comment on the ending of the poem. A poem’s ending is the most difficult to write. Does the ending summarize the poem? Surprise? Does it end with an image or an idea? Does it refer back to something mentioned earlier in the poem? Is the ending effective? Would you have ended it somewhere else? Does it feel complete or does the poem need something added to it? Rate the poem’s ending on a scale of 1 to 10 and explain your reasons.
  9. Research the poem’s author. Find out where he/she lives, what education he/she has, what other books have been published, any awards won etc. A good site is www.poets.ca or try a search in Google. Summarize your findings in a paragraph.

Lit 12: You did it!

Please carefully remove the sticky notes from the book-club novels and return them asap to the library.

The test will be postponed until next Tuesday due to all of the events, assemblies and rugby games this week. That means you will be expected to KNOW your stuff. Study. Don't wait. We need to finish the excerpt from Paradise Lost and read Pepys' diary and then review.

We can have the 18th century glog presentation next Wed.

AP Lit: Sol. 5 and 6 groups present tomorrow

Make sure you have terrific notes on the nunnery scene. Start to think about the metaphorical / thematic implications of a play within a play. A play designed to recreate reality in order to determine Claudius' guilt.

Also, begin to think about the purpose and implications of the climax.

If you were absent today, be sure to borrow the notes.

PEP students: Remind me to speak to you. You need to plan a literary event and we'd like Writing 12 students to read to this semester's English classes so an event in the library needs to be planned and implemented in order for you to meet the PEP criteria. I can help you. Yay. Brush off those poems and find others to read. Non-Writing 12 students may want to be the MCs for the events. 

Friday, April 5, 2013

AP Lit: Hamlet Paragraph, Soliloquy 4 To be or . . . VIU lecture link

Here is an essay from a professor at Vancouver Island University regarding Hamlet that you could find helpful in addressing your own essay on the theme of identity in Hamlet: Hamlet Lecture 
Be sure to cite it properly.

Today we worked on our Act 1 and 2 paragraphs for a half an hour and discussed soliloquy 4.

We spoke about Act 2 as an accumulation of complications:

Look at them all:

  • Hamlet's madness, 
  • his distraught and silent encounter with Ophelia
  • Polonius' meddling into his daughter's affairs, reading her love letters aloud, plotting to use Ophelia as a pawn to ascertain Hamlet's reasons for his madness
  • Setting Ophelia up to take the blame 
  • Polonius sends a spy to Paris to tempt/seduce his son Laertes to test his mortality
  • Fortinbras is off to Poland to retrieve lands lost by his father
  • Hamlet is morose--his so-called friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are hired thugs, pawns of Claudius
  • The ghost--real or imagined? Fair or foul? 
  • Gertrude's lack of action via her son. Announces that it's her marriage and the death of Hamlet Sr. causing Hamlet's madness but hopes to pin the blame onto sweet and innocent Ophelia
  • Claudius continuing to enjoy the fruits of murder-kingdom and queen
  • Hamlet inspired by the visit of the players to prove Claudius' guilt 
  • references to Hecuba and the Pyrrhic victory
  • actors as character foils--Hamlet still veiled in silence, those "veiled lids" returning, alone, alienated, yet aware of the "rotten" state of Denmark
  • Hamlet taking on the sins of the fathers--"too much in the sun", his loss of innocence arising from having to face and contemplate the duality of man, including his parents and himself, 
  • Hamlet questioning his own identity. First he questions those around him--mother and uncle and then the ghost forces him to bring his father down from the pedestal ---- Ach, it's a mess, Laddies and Lassies 

I'm looking forward to reading your interpretations of Hamlet's character.
I returned the novel essays today.

What will ACT 3 set upon us? Tune in Monday to find out.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

English 11: Compare and Contrast Compositions

If you were absent today, plan to come in during a spare tomorrow or stay after school in order to write the composition during class. You must write it in class as I want to assess what you can do on your own.

Also, Vocabulary Test is Monday on all 40 words. You are allowed 5 errors. More than 5 means extra study time during lunch in 321. Pay now or pay later. Up to you. You need to learn the words, and be able to use them in a sentence and know the part of speech. Keep using the words in your paragraphs and stories so that they become a part of your personal vocabulary usage.


English 11: Wednesday: Compare and Contrast Compositions

We are writing a compare and contrast composition during class today based on the two poems we have studied. I put notes on the two styles of composition on the board yesterday. If you were absent, be sure to get the notes. Read the poem by Maria Gillan in order to be prepared for today's class. It is on the handout and is called: "Public School No. 18, Patterson, New Jersey".

I  returned the stories and the tests yesterday. Today during my prep, I have to go to the dentist so I will have your marks prepared by Friday. Be sure to check the list of assignments and marks in order to ensure there are no errors.

Lit 12: Bring in your thesis statements today: Thursday

AP Lit: Make notes on pages 40 to 46

 USSR: We started our April play. Be sure to bring in your own copy or pick up a copy from the library.

Today, the group presented soliloquy 3 so if you were absent, be sure to read it and borrow notes. Also, pick up the handout on Hecuba and Pyrrhus.

Tonight read and make careful notes on pages 40 to 46.

Tomorrow during class you will be writing a paragraph to answer the question below:

Describe the character of Hamlet based on your interpretations of ACTS 1 and 2 but pay particular attention to his speeches on pages 40 to 46.

Marks awarded for insight. Make connections to actions, imagery, and tone. Create a strong thesis to reflect your understanding of Hamlet so far.

We spoke about the need to go beyond the obvious when discussing passages. In Shakespeare, you sometimes feel so excited about "understanding" the passage that you neglect to interpret it.

Refer back to your soliloquy presentation criteria in order to earn a strong mark for your group. Look at syntax, tone, imagery, and literary devices.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

English 11: stories are due. We started poetry!

If you were absent, ask me for the handouts and get the poetry outline from a friend. We read the poem, "Social Studies Report" by Patricia Young and we created a chart:
What does the poem say about education?
What proof do you have?
What techniques add to her persuasive argument?


Technique Review
1. repetition
2. juxtaposition
3. caesura
4. sound devices: alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, rhythm, rhyme,
5. similes, metaphors
6. personification
7. puns
8. symbols
9. concrete imagery
10. narrative techniques: dialogue, plot, character (only applies to narrative poems)
11. line break
12. enjambment 

Lit 12: Novel essays . . . .

If you were absent today, be sure to uphold your responsibility to your group members.
Due Thursday: your individual or group thesis statement regarding the theme of the novel

Be sure to take into account the era within which the novel was written and the genre (dystopian, gothic, romantic etc) so that your thematic thesis statements take into account the context within which the novel exists. These novels are considered literary works of art. Your job is to explain the impact the novel's ideas have or had on an audience.

You will write the essay during class on Monday. You may bring your introduction with you but the rest of the essay is written from your memory. Memorize key quotations (short is best for this type of essay). Memorize key events, author's name, characters, and settings.

Hand in on Monday:

1. TICK chart. Be sure that the analysis is thorough. TICK is an acronym for Title, Introduction, Conclusion and Key points. Re-read the introduction, and annotate it so that you can point out, diction, tone, motifs or symbols arising, syntax, literary devices, etc. You may submit one TICK chart for the entire group or an individual TICK chart if you prefer to work alone.

2. A quotation log consisting of 9 key passages annotated while keeping in mind the novel's theme which you will be discussing in your essay. Each quotation must have a 75 to 150 word response. You may submit one log per group or an individual log. IF YOU WERE ABSENT TODAY, FIND OUT WHICH QUOTATIONS YOUR GROUP MEMBERS HAVE COMPLETED SO THAT YOU CAN CHOOSE TO ANNOTATE DIFFERENT PASSAGES.

We spent the entire class preparing for the essay, researching and writing / creating the TICK chart and the quotation log.

Tomorrow, you will have time to work on the log and the chart and create a thesis statement which is due Thursday.

Remember a thematic statement is a close analysis of one possible theme. Choose one which your group feels is most important.




AP Lit: Thesis needed for Wednesday's essay . . .

I will give you the first thirty minutes to prepare your essay. Please show me your thesis during this time.

We'll continue the soliloquy presentation and discuss the thematic implications of Act 1. Be prepared to present soliloquies 3 and 4 asap.

If you did not achieve a 7, 8, or 9 on last week's essay-write, be sure to read peer essays or ask me for samples so that you know what is expected: examples, insight, discussion of techniques such as syntax, tone, diction, motif, setting, character development and always keep the focus on answering the question. To do so means preparing the question before you begin to write so that you are clear.