I collected your poems for the BCTELA contest. Good luck. I'll mail them in this week.
Thanks for entering all of the contests on line as well. If you've forgotten, there is still time!
We did a VENN diagram on love and hatred. Your topic for the essay and quote log is love and hatred in Romeo and Juliet. (play titles are italicized or underlined when writing)
We reviewed the Renaissance in England, the sonnet, love poetry, iambic pentametre, blank verse, prose, the characters in the play, and we read the prologue.
You own these books so be sure to highlight key lines as we read. More specifically, look for quotes on the love/hatred topic. You may use different coloured highlighters.
Be sure to update Shelfari for the book (s) you read between March 15 and April 15.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
AP LIT
Grad Write-ups are due today. Please email me your blurb. Thanks.
Camus Test was today. If you were absent, be sure to study your notes. Arrive with the Absurdist response if you feel you will need more time.
Mock Exam Monday: Section TWO
Periods 4 and 5 for most of you.
Lunch time and period 4 for Jack and Chrystine.
Other times by arrangement-Hannah, Jonty, Mitch, Peter?
This section is the three 40 minute compositions piece.
1. Read a prose passage and write a composition. These questions are testing your ability to annotate prose. There will be a specific question regarding the character or the setting or some change in the piece and they want you to discuss it in terms of style-diction, syntax, tone, symbol, etc
2. Read a poem and answer a question in an essay. (Similar to above but using poetic techniques). Be sure to review previous compositions that you have written this year.
The key to success on 1 and 2 is to play close attention to the passages and to use a number of key quotations in your answer. For each quotation, be sure to clearly explain it. No need to repeat what is already there. Inferences are needed. Explain how the example proves your thesis. Be sure to stick to the topic. ANSWER THE QUESTION.
3. Composition on works you have read. There will be one question (see the list of 23 questions from the last few years) on the handout I gave you. They list possible titles and authors. Don't worry if a novel or play you wish to discuss is not on the list. Their list is a recommendation.
Use works we studied this year or any piece of literature from grades 9 to 12 that you know well.
The key here is to use specific examples. Discuss the graveyard scene, the bedroom scene, the nunnery scene from Hamlet, for example. Discuss the restaurant scene, the garden scene, the character of Ben in Death of a Salesman. Discuss the vigil, the shooting of the Arab, the reading and re-reading of the newspaper article in The Outsider. Without specific examples (and ideally quotes) you will not get a high mark. Review the elements of formal, literary writing. Style is a key element for AP Lit. They want to see accurate diction, sentence variety, a facility with language and punctuation, engaging
prose. Underline the titles of novels, plays and epic poems. These are the only three genres you may use on this section.
When trying to choose a book to write about, immediately think of three key scenes. If you cannot, DO NOT USE THAT BOOK.
Please arrive on time and bring two pens and some water. You will have two hours to write.
Camus Test was today. If you were absent, be sure to study your notes. Arrive with the Absurdist response if you feel you will need more time.
Mock Exam Monday: Section TWO
Periods 4 and 5 for most of you.
Lunch time and period 4 for Jack and Chrystine.
Other times by arrangement-Hannah, Jonty, Mitch, Peter?
This section is the three 40 minute compositions piece.
1. Read a prose passage and write a composition. These questions are testing your ability to annotate prose. There will be a specific question regarding the character or the setting or some change in the piece and they want you to discuss it in terms of style-diction, syntax, tone, symbol, etc
2. Read a poem and answer a question in an essay. (Similar to above but using poetic techniques). Be sure to review previous compositions that you have written this year.
The key to success on 1 and 2 is to play close attention to the passages and to use a number of key quotations in your answer. For each quotation, be sure to clearly explain it. No need to repeat what is already there. Inferences are needed. Explain how the example proves your thesis. Be sure to stick to the topic. ANSWER THE QUESTION.
3. Composition on works you have read. There will be one question (see the list of 23 questions from the last few years) on the handout I gave you. They list possible titles and authors. Don't worry if a novel or play you wish to discuss is not on the list. Their list is a recommendation.
Use works we studied this year or any piece of literature from grades 9 to 12 that you know well.
The key here is to use specific examples. Discuss the graveyard scene, the bedroom scene, the nunnery scene from Hamlet, for example. Discuss the restaurant scene, the garden scene, the character of Ben in Death of a Salesman. Discuss the vigil, the shooting of the Arab, the reading and re-reading of the newspaper article in The Outsider. Without specific examples (and ideally quotes) you will not get a high mark. Review the elements of formal, literary writing. Style is a key element for AP Lit. They want to see accurate diction, sentence variety, a facility with language and punctuation, engaging
prose. Underline the titles of novels, plays and epic poems. These are the only three genres you may use on this section.
When trying to choose a book to write about, immediately think of three key scenes. If you cannot, DO NOT USE THAT BOOK.
Please arrive on time and bring two pens and some water. You will have two hours to write.
Writing 12
I have emailed you your first lines (mysterious laugh here). Take the character you created and the character you were handed and create the first 300 words for a story similar to the Dobyns' story we read in class where Floyd Beefus meets the gas man and one of the characters is definitely changed by the encounter but the reader does not know which one until the end of the story. Dobyns said that he wrote that story from a first line which is why I have emailed you all your first lines. If the line doesn't fit exactly the characters you have, feel free to change it to suit your needs.
Bring the typed 300 words to class Tuesday to read aloud and to discuss your process.
We worked with the idea of status today and ways to improve dialogue so using Dobyns as your model, the idea of status and dialogue ideas, let's see you experiment with your writing style.
I collected your first stories today. I'm looking forward to them.
Author presentations will start the week after next. We will do two per week. I'll give you your date on Tuesday. Your job now is to read, read, read your author's books and to decide what attributes you think the class would enjoy imitating. Looking forward to these presentations. Your poetry presentations were brilliant.
Bring the typed 300 words to class Tuesday to read aloud and to discuss your process.
We worked with the idea of status today and ways to improve dialogue so using Dobyns as your model, the idea of status and dialogue ideas, let's see you experiment with your writing style.
I collected your first stories today. I'm looking forward to them.
Author presentations will start the week after next. We will do two per week. I'll give you your date on Tuesday. Your job now is to read, read, read your author's books and to decide what attributes you think the class would enjoy imitating. Looking forward to these presentations. Your poetry presentations were brilliant.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Lit 12
I returned the essays, tests and notebooks today. Quote logs will be marked by the next class.
I thought you all did a terrific job. Today, we started the novels. You each know when you are presenting. On your presentation day, submit your notes to me to be marked. What / so what? chart or what's important and why charts are fine. Just be sure not to miss any good parts. Look for the items we had on the board today: motif, tone changes, symbols, themes, character changes, bring key passages to the group for analysis (the way we did with Lear). We are not looking at plot here. Your essay is on theme--what observation of the world is the author making through these characters at this time in this place? Your personal analysis is best. Spark notes and company are good for general summaries and for noting motifs but the depth is simply not there. Your ideas are needed. If you do visit sites, be sure to include a works cited page with your chart.
In-class essay will be June 5 in the south lab. You will also be able to use this novel on the Lit 12 final exam and next year on the AP Lit or Lang exams. Yay!!
Bring your novels to class every day 4 and 8 only. Bring the text to class for the other days.
Keep reviewing the Anglo-Saxon and Renaissance materials whenever you can as the final exam is not that far away.
You'll love units 3 and 4. Guaranteed!!
We'll make notes on the 18th century next class and soon we'll read a hilarious essay by Jonathan Swift called "A Modest Proposal". Only the Irish would suggest eating babies as a way to solve the poverty problem. He makes a persuasive argument. (ouch, this tongue is stuck in my cheek).
I thought you all did a terrific job. Today, we started the novels. You each know when you are presenting. On your presentation day, submit your notes to me to be marked. What / so what? chart or what's important and why charts are fine. Just be sure not to miss any good parts. Look for the items we had on the board today: motif, tone changes, symbols, themes, character changes, bring key passages to the group for analysis (the way we did with Lear). We are not looking at plot here. Your essay is on theme--what observation of the world is the author making through these characters at this time in this place? Your personal analysis is best. Spark notes and company are good for general summaries and for noting motifs but the depth is simply not there. Your ideas are needed. If you do visit sites, be sure to include a works cited page with your chart.
In-class essay will be June 5 in the south lab. You will also be able to use this novel on the Lit 12 final exam and next year on the AP Lit or Lang exams. Yay!!
Bring your novels to class every day 4 and 8 only. Bring the text to class for the other days.
Keep reviewing the Anglo-Saxon and Renaissance materials whenever you can as the final exam is not that far away.
You'll love units 3 and 4. Guaranteed!!
We'll make notes on the 18th century next class and soon we'll read a hilarious essay by Jonathan Swift called "A Modest Proposal". Only the Irish would suggest eating babies as a way to solve the poverty problem. He makes a persuasive argument. (ouch, this tongue is stuck in my cheek).
English 9
Welcome back. Great to see everyone and as a group, you read over 50 books during the break! Congratulations. Did you know that if you read just 21 minutes per day, you expose yourself to 1, 823,000 words? The world's words are a lot less lonely because of English 9 students like you.
BUT did you know that if you read just 65 minutes per day, you read 4, 358,000 words per year?
Go, readers, go!
Tonight: Finish reading Arthur Gordon's story, "The Sea Devil" on page 32 in your short story texts. Be sure to note all the instances of personification you can find. Arrive, next class, prepared to discuss the effects of personification for this particular story. How do we persuade effectively? One great way is empathy. Get your reader to step inside the body of your character. In this case, inside a FISH!! How does Gordon create empathy for the fish?
Next class, you will begin writing your short story. One of the key tasks in this story will be to create empathy for your character so you'll pick someone that doesn't always get the understanding that you think they deserve. It could be based on a family member--grandparent, uptight uncle, hyperactive cousin etc. It could be based on a stereotype that you wish to uncover--a murderer, a politician, a teenage boy, a monster under the bed, an insect. Stories are the "art of the glimpse". You will need to narrow the situation down to one key incident, ie, the loss of a penny, one event of fishing, a scout banquet, a day in the life of a family, etc. Re-read the stories in your text book for ideas regarding structure. "Penny in the Dust" is a flashback, for example. "The Veldt" uses a few key elements of science fiction--a technologically sound house. "The Father" uses a few flashbacks but the actual event is one evening. Amazing!!
Study for your test and keep reading. Words will thank you for it.
BUT did you know that if you read just 65 minutes per day, you read 4, 358,000 words per year?
Go, readers, go!
Tonight: Finish reading Arthur Gordon's story, "The Sea Devil" on page 32 in your short story texts. Be sure to note all the instances of personification you can find. Arrive, next class, prepared to discuss the effects of personification for this particular story. How do we persuade effectively? One great way is empathy. Get your reader to step inside the body of your character. In this case, inside a FISH!! How does Gordon create empathy for the fish?
Next class, you will begin writing your short story. One of the key tasks in this story will be to create empathy for your character so you'll pick someone that doesn't always get the understanding that you think they deserve. It could be based on a family member--grandparent, uptight uncle, hyperactive cousin etc. It could be based on a stereotype that you wish to uncover--a murderer, a politician, a teenage boy, a monster under the bed, an insect. Stories are the "art of the glimpse". You will need to narrow the situation down to one key incident, ie, the loss of a penny, one event of fishing, a scout banquet, a day in the life of a family, etc. Re-read the stories in your text book for ideas regarding structure. "Penny in the Dust" is a flashback, for example. "The Veldt" uses a few key elements of science fiction--a technologically sound house. "The Father" uses a few flashbacks but the actual event is one evening. Amazing!!
Study for your test and keep reading. Words will thank you for it.
Writing 12
Great to see you today. Welcome back. We read the Stephen Dobyns' story, "So I Guess You Know What I Told Him". Friday, we'll be using some of Dobyns' ideas to do a writing activity that will work into a new story.
We'll be looking at the concept of "status" between characters.
Your edited stories from term 2 are due Friday. I'm really looking forward to reading these.
Be sure to double space them, have a title, and follow the criteria for literary short stories. Look at the criteria sheet. The copy should be clean. Catch typos.
Friday: Bring a character to class. You will need a name, age, and occupation for this fictitious character. High school student or university student can be an occupation for this exercise.
We'll be looking at the concept of "status" between characters.
Your edited stories from term 2 are due Friday. I'm really looking forward to reading these.
Be sure to double space them, have a title, and follow the criteria for literary short stories. Look at the criteria sheet. The copy should be clean. Catch typos.
Friday: Bring a character to class. You will need a name, age, and occupation for this fictitious character. High school student or university student can be an occupation for this exercise.
AP Lit
Camus Test Friday.
Mock AP exam Monday, periods 4 and 5. If you are not free during period 5, arrive at lunch so you will have enough time. Thanks.
Please be sure that you have read and thought about the novel, The Great Gatsby. We'll spend time on it next week.
Mock AP exam Monday, periods 4 and 5. If you are not free during period 5, arrive at lunch so you will have enough time. Thanks.
Please be sure that you have read and thought about the novel, The Great Gatsby. We'll spend time on it next week.
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