English 10: USSR forms are due

I'll collect the forms tomorrow. Have a safe evening. Read to page 112 for Friday.

English 10: Read to page 80, bring materials . . .

We read to page 80 today during class. If you are not quite there, find at least a half an hour to read this evening. Read with post-it notes by your side. We reviewed what to post-it note during class today. If you are still having trouble, bring me some examples from the text which you feel are important and we can discuss them.

Injustice projects. How does an artist show us the truth? How did Harper Lee affect a nation's prejudiced views? Artists show. They don't tell. Artists make us laugh, cry, get mad, feel outraged. They motivate us to change. They affect us emotionally.

We worked individually and in small groups or pairs today to define the project. Everyone now has a topic, a group, and a goal. Due: Nov. 6th. Two weeks from today.

The most important aspect of this assignment is to become an artist. You are standing in Harper Lee's shoes. You have a truth that needs to be told. You will know you have been successful if people get angry with you. Show don't tell. Appeal to your viewers' / readers' emotions.

You cannot simply say prejudice is bad. Bullying should not happen. Obesity is a problem in kindergarten. You need to find a way that we see ourselves in your work. Only true awareness can bring change.

Good luck.

Tomorrow you will have half the class to work on your project but only if you arrive with all of your materials. If you are writing poems, use the computers. If you are making a film, bring your laptop or video camera. If you are creating a film, write the script. If you are taking photos, bring the camera, know where you are heading. Show me clearly what you can accomplish in 45 minutes.

Wr 12: Manuscript due Nov. 6

We spent the entire period editing/revising our manuscripts. If you were absent, find an extra 80 minutes to make up for missing today's class. I also collected two poems and the Yvonne Blomer response.


Tomorrow: The poet, author, teacher, critic, academic, former Dean of Okanangan College, John Lent will be here to read poetry. He is currently promoting his latest novel, The Path to Ardroe, which I read and when I finished it, I immediately began to read it again. See previous blog posts to read about his work. Be sure to ask pertinent questions regarding preparing your manuscript. How does one end a poem? How do you revise? How do you add sound? Rhythm? Surprise? Etc.

Eng 11 E: Read Act 5, scenes 1 and 2

If you were absent today, be sure to get all the notes from a friend as we filled the boards at least four times. Choose a strong note taker.

We read Act 4, Scene 3 aloud and took notes on that as well as discussing the work you did the previous evening on Scene 2. Tomorrow, we will watch Act 5 but it will not make sense if you haven't read the scenes.

We spent quite a bit of time on Act 5, Scene 2's first speech, as well, Othello's soliloquy. Read the side notes first as they help to set the mood. You have to understand why Othello is again returned to a position of honour.

Next week will be busy so get prepared now.
Your notebooks will be do. You will be creating a quote log, writing an essay and a test. If you have been absent during this unit or not keeping up to date, create a study group with whom to discuss key scenes.

Grade 11E essays are different from anything you have written before.
You will like it. Stay tuned.

Eng 111E: Read Act 4, Sc. 3, carefully

Today, we each chose a passage from either Act 3, Scene 4, or Act 4, Scene 1.

Once you have chosen your passage, be sure to brainstorm. Make connections to other scenes, make predictions, make inferences. Go beyond and between the lines. Ask questions etc.

Once you have a gigantic list of ideas, turn the ideas into a paragraph. The paragraph may be a series of tangents. The idea here is to push your thinking beyond obvious "Spark-notes" type interpretations. There is artistry needed in your musings.

In the paragraph response, reach toward a final sentence which offers an epiphany of sorts (your ah-ha) moment where your understanding of the characters and themes becomes clear. This statement is one you have just figured out based on your brilliant brainstorm. Hurricane Othello!

Tonight, have post-it notes handy as you read or re-read Act 4, Scene 2.
Find and post-it note passages which you can use to discuss the following:

• how Othello treats Emilia and Desdemona
• how Desdemona and Emilia respond
• examples of dramatic irony
• explain why Desdemona cannot even say the word "whore" and what that reveals about her character. How might it be construed as a fault? 
• how does Iago engage Roderigo's services to kill Cassio? What does hiring Roderigo reveal about Iago? He promised to kill Cassio himself, did he not?

Manuscript due: Tues. Nov 6

The Yvonne Blomer Response is due tomorrow. Tues. Oct. 30.
John Lent presents Wed. Oct. 31. John Lent response due Friday, Nov. 1.
Literary Event Response Outside of class: Last day: Tues. Nov. 6.

MANUSCRIPT IS DUE TUES. NOV. 6. NO LATES ACCEPTED.

Manuscript Criteria List: Poetry, Writing 12

Due: _________________________________

Ensure that you have completed each item. Check each one off as you finish it.

1. _____ You have included your 10 to 12 best poems or more.
2. _____ You have edited out cliché, lack of surprise, any dull language.
3. _____ Each poem is titled. The title adds resonance to the poem.
4. _____ Each poem has your first and last name on it under the title.
5. _____ You are pleased with these final copies and want to publish them.
6. _____ Any poems not for publication are marked: NOT FOR PUBLICATION
7. _____ Your title page includes a manuscript title like Soft Green Rain.
8. _____ Title page: name, address, postal code, phone number, date, email.
9. _____ The last page of your manuscript is a bio. 1-2 sentences about you.
10. _____ You have another copy at home, at Uncle Fred’s and in a bank safe.

MANUSCRIPTS WILL NOT BE RETURNED. I DO NOT EDIT THEM. THESE ARE NO LONGER UGLY BABIES. THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL AND READY TO LEAVE THE NEST. Fly Fleance, Fly!! (That’s from Macbeth).

YOU MUST ALSO EMAIL ME A COPY OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT BY the due date: aurora@shaw.ca. First put your name, address, etc and bio followed by all poems in the body of the email. That is easiest. Also, keep electronic copies at home. If you get published in The Claremont Review, we will need electronic copies.

Assessment: I must have seen all the poems prior to submission in a manuscript or they do not count. You must use your own work only. Any phrases or lines from other poets put in italics and at the end of the poem say who the poet you are quoting is and name the poem. Add the names of the authors at the end of the manuscript.

NO LATES ACCEPTED. If you are sick, send it by cab. No kidding! The manuscript is worth 50% of your first term mark.

What I am looking for in your manuscript

1. Surprise—I don’t want to be able to predict the next line.
2. Form—are you using stanzas, line breaks, pauses, epigraphs for effect?
3. Sound—rhythm, repetitions, verb choices, assonance, dissonance, alliteration
4. Truth—the subject matters to you. There is some form of epiphany or leap.
5. Diction—your use of language is precise and clear, not fat when you mean chubby, etc. Your attention to language is obvious. No clichés or tired phrases.
6. Proofreading—absolutely error free. You have edited and edited and so have your friends. Attention to detail—you obviously care about the material. No first drafts here. Its/it's, there, their, they're, Left justified. No ALL CAPS.
7. Titles—each poem is titled. The title adds context, resonance, a pun, an invitation. Generally a title has more than one meaning.
8. Context—it is clear who is speaking and why. Clear and easy to follow.
9. Endings—you do not “wrap up” the poem with a moral. End on an image.
10. Revelatory—you have asked yourself and the world hard questions even if it was scary or even if you haven’t yet found the answers you are looking for.

English 10: Reading Section 1: pages 1-112

To Kill A Mockingbird  

Reading Guide

Part 1: 112 pages long which at one minute per page = 112 minutes. 2 minutes per page = 224 minutes

You will have some time during class to read but you must be willing to find an extra half hour per night to keep up with the reading. If you read slowly, aim for an hour per night.

The first section of the novel introduces the children and their innocent version of the world which is slowly corrupted by the actions of the adults they encounter. Look for examples of prejudice and injustice as you read.

You will also be assigned one character to follow throughout the novel so that you become the class expert on that character. Please post-it note these character's interactions. Use a different coloured post-it note if possible.