AP Lit: Review of the poetry and terms of Lit 12 . ..

Tomorrow: Submit your Gatsby notes before you write the essay. You may use your vocabulary lists and a thesaurus during the essay but no other notes or texts. This essay will be based on your preparations and memorization of quotations.

Today: We picked out 19th century novels and reviewed the terms, genres and authors of the Renaissance/17th century, Romantic, Victorian and Modern eras.

Terms test: March 7th
Notes due: March 7th

Those students who have not taken Lit 12 yet may have an extension until after spring break.

We will be studying poetry for the next two weeks and you will be choosing three poems to analyze formally in a longer essay using MLA style citations and works cited page.

This weekend you will be doing a short essay on a poem (section 2 practice for the exam).

It is similar to the prose passage excerpt essay analyses you have been doing except now the genre has changed.

English 9: Read and post-it note the novel . . .

Today, we added two new words, wrote in our journals, read our USSR books and read to the end of chapter 6 in block 3 and to the end of chapter 7 in block 4.

Tomorrow: Be prepared to discuss the first six chapters. We will compare and contrast John to Lorraine.

Start thinking about your Loneliness Project which we will start next week.

Friday: Verbal-Visual Paragraphs. Bring the pictures you have on your phones.  These are due on Monday. If you know you will be away on Friday, be sure to pick up a copy of the template.

Monday: Hand in your February USSR response forms. If you finish The Pigman by Sunday, you may include it.

I returned the paragraphs to block 3 students today and we made corrections.

I will return the paragraphs to block 4 the next time I am in.

I returned the vocabulary quizzes.

If you are having trouble finding quotations to mark with a post-it note, discuss it with your homework buddies and other students in class. Share your quotations. 

AP LIT: Preparing for your first free-response essay . . .

 Bring the LIT text to class for the next two weeks. Thanks.

Section 3: Read the sample questions and student essays in the package I handed out today. How would you rate each essay out of 9? Why?

To prepare for Wednesday's essay (which we will write during class) since I will be absent, focus on a few key scenes. Memorize quotes. Decide why the scenes are key; i.e. how does setting reveal theme or character or affect tone. Settings are key methods an author uses to add depth and "character" to the novel. Setting can be cultural, physical or geographical.

Create a giant what / so what chart on key settings which reveal character (hint hint)  This is to be handed in before you write the essay on Wednesday.

Tomorrow night, you will be busy with poetry, so complete this task tonight. Choose three passages, photocopy them, and annotate them and you will be really prepared for the essay.


The next two Wednesday-after-school classes will be completed at home as you have a lot of work to do for poetry: notes and an essay. I'll hand out the poetry outline tomorrow.  

Tomorrow's class we will be making notes on the Renaissance, Romantic, Victorian and Modern ages. Bring your text. Bring notes from last year. You will need a quizlet account. If you don't have one, you can make one during class tomorrow. 

English 9: The Pigman Novel begins today . . .

 Today: I collected the good copy, draft, and notes for "Penny in the Dust". We took pictures of several excellent VERBAL-VISUAL PARAGRAPHS that I had taped to the board. We signed out copies of The Pigman and returned our short story texts. If you were absent, please return the short story text and pick up a copy of The Pigman. Please do so at lunch before class starts and read pages 1-18. Call your homework buddy tonight.

Look closely at The Loneliness Project below. What will you do? What can you do? How will you do it? Who will join your team? When will you start? 

TONIGHT: SEARCH THE INTERNET. FIND AN EXAMPLE OF SOMEONE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE. BRING THE ARTICLE, URL OR A SUMMARY TO CLASS TOMORROW TO SHARE.

BRING A PACKAGE OF POST-IT NOTES TO CLASS. 
The Pigman


We will be working with the theme of loneliness and friendship as we read Paul Zindel's novel.

You will be reading the novel with a careful eye on the three main characters, John, Lorraine, and Mr. Pignati (The Pigman). You will write a literary essay discussing why each character is lonely, how they respond to these feelings, what causes the feelings and how they help each other to overcome loneliness.

You will also design a project to make a difference in your community.

THE LONELINESS PROJECT: WHO IS LONELY IN MY HOME, SCHOOL, NEIGHBOURHOOD OR CITY AND WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT? 


You will also write a journal about your own experiences: Friendships, family, sports, hobbies, time alone, books, movies, vacations, dreams, volunteer efforts are all possible places to explore what you think about your day.


Post-it Note: Three things to look for as I read. Post-it note:

1. Examples of when  John, Lorraine and Mr. Pignati are lonely (disconnected from others).
2. What causes the loneliness?
3. What helps to mollify their loneliness? 

HOMEWORK: READ TO PAGE 18, THE END OF CHAPTER 3. BE SURE TO POST-IT NOTE, ACTIONS, THOUGHTS, DIALOGUE BASED ON THE ABOVE THREE POINTS.

MININMUM NUMBER OF POST-ITS IS 6 PER CHAPTER.

BRING MORE POST-IT NOTES FROM HOME.

Also, if you were absent today, email your homework buddy and ask them to send you pictures of our Verbal-visual paragraphs.

We will start these on Friday and they are due Monday. 
Bring pencil crayons to class. 
You may choose to do John, Lorraine, or Mr. Pignati. 

Feel free to read ahead. If you finish the novel, you can add it to your USSR list for Feb. 

All lists are due Monday, March 2. 

Great work today.  

Pigman excerpt 

If you would like to check that you are comprehending the action. Try answering the questions below: 

The Pigman Study Guide

Name: __________________________________ Per. _______

Directions – Answer these questions on a separate sheet of paper in complete sentences.

Chapter 1

1. Why did they get involved with the Pigman?
2. Who is writing Chapter One on “The Cricket’s” typewriter in the library?
3. What kind of things does the narrator do at school?
4. What did John write on the table?
5. Why are John and Lorraine writing a memorial epic?
6. What denotes profanity (or obscene words) in the memorial epic?
7. Describe Miss Reillen.

Chapter 2

8. Who is typing chapter two?
9. What does Lorraine say about John’s eyes? How does she feel about him smoking and drinking?
10. How is Dr. Freud a hypocrite?
11. What does John call the cafeteria’s Swiss steak?
12. Discuss Lorraine’s relationship with her mother.
13. Why did they get involved with the Pigman?
14. What do John’s eyes remind Lorraine of?
15. How did Lorraine and John end up finally being friends?

Chapter 3

16. Who is typing chapter three?
17. Why are they telling this memorial epic?
18. Describe the gags that Norton and Dennis liked to play on people.
19. What nickname does John give to his father?
20. Why does Bore put a lock on the phone and how does John deal with the lock?
21. What record did Denis hold?
22. What confession is made at the end of the chapter and who is being blamed?

Chapter 4

23. Describe Norton
24. How does Lorraine cheat?
25. Where is Mr. Pignati’s wife?
26. What impression do we get of Mr. Pignati?
27. Discuss John and the lies he tells. What lies does he tell? Why does he tell them?
28. What does Mr. Pignati agree to do?
29. Who complicates things?

Chapter 5

30. Who does John blame for Mr. Pignati’s murder?
31. What is ironic about John’s living room?
32. Why did John say his mom put her finger in an electrical socket? Did she really?
33. Who/ what does John blame every time he gets accused of doing something wrong?
34. How does John still manage to use the phone even though the dial is locked?
35. What does John “decided” and try to convince Lorraine to do?
36. How DOES John convince Lorraine?
37. What would John do if Mr. Pignati was not as nice as he seemed?
38. What 10 objects does Mr. Pignati memorize? How did he do it?
39. Where does Mr. Pignati ask the children to go with him:?
40. What does Mr. Pignati show John and Lorraine?

Chapter 6

41. Why does John go to Tony’s Market?
42. Describe Lorraine’s mother and their relationship.
43. Why do John and Lorraine skip school? How do they get away with it?
44. Why doesn’t Lorraine like the Baron Park Zoo?
45. What bad omens does Lorraine mention?
46. Describe Mr. Pignati’s best friend.
47. How does Lorraine feel about the alligators? Why? Do you agree with her opinion? Why?

Chapter 7

48. How did Mr. Pignati show his affection for John and Lorraine?
49. Where do all the kids go to drink?
50. How does John feel about cemeteries, death, life, himself?
51. Why does Bore tell John “try eating your imagination when you’re hungry sometime”?
52. What does John call his mother? Why?
53. How does John feel about going to visit Mr. Pignati?
54. What service did Silver Lake provide? How much did it cost?

Chapter 8

55. According to Lorraine, why doesn’t she have good conversations with her mother?
56. How does John feel about waiting at the Staten Island ferryhouse?
57. Why did Lorraine go with John and Mr. Pignati to Beekman’s Department Store?
58. What omen(s) does Lorraine see?
59. What food items are purchased?
60. What does Lorraine get for her mother? Why?
61. How does Lorraine feel in the Toy Department?
62. What kind of logic aggravates John? How did John retaliate?
63. In your opinion, are John and Lorraine taking advantage of Mr. Pignati? Explain.
64. Why does Lorraine wear her new roller skates through the department store?

Chapter 9

65. John and Lorraine have previously mention Norton. Describe this character. Mentioning Norton now is an example of foreshadowing. What might happen later in the book?
66. What threat does Norton make?
67. Why does John drink so much?
68. How does John feel about his parents? How does he feel about the Pigman?

Chapter 10

69. Why does Lorraine’s mom hate men?
70. Why does Mr. Pignati look tired and depressed?
71. What do John and Lorraine tell Mr. Pignati?
72. What does Mr. Pignati tell John and Lorraine?
73. What happens to change the mood?
74. What does John do to entertain the other two?
75. What is each person in the “murder story” symbolic of?
76. What example of onomatopoeia occurs at the end of this chapter?
77. What happens to Mr. Pignati as a result of being “It” during the tag game?

Chapter 11

78. What lie does John tell to the police officers? Why?
79. Why do John and Lorraine skip school?
80. What does Mr. Pignati offer John and Lorraine? In your opinion, is it a good idea to accept his offer? Why?
81. What request does Mr. Pignati make?
82. How does John feel about hospitals?
83. How are chapter 10 and 11 turning points in The Pigman?
84. Why does John go upstairs?
85. How does John and Lorraine’s relationship change?

Chapter 12

86. Describe John in the beginning of this chapter.
87. How does Lorraine talk to her mother
88. How does Lorraine feel about John in this chapter?
89. What does John’s dad threaten to do? Why?
90. How does Lorraine feel about the pig room?
91. What is John’s idea?

Chapter 13

92. How did Lorraine feel about having a party at Mr. Pignati’s house?
93. Who was not invited to the party? Why?
94. What does John say about most of the people he invited (provide an example as proof)?
95. Why did Lorraine and John keep inviting people? How many came in all?
96. Why did the house start to “jump” after eight?
97. CHART: The progression of the party. How does it start? How does it evolve? How does it end up? (This is a lengthy/ detailed answer).
98. Who arrives at the part in a taxi?

Chapter 14

99. Why does the policeman look sorry?
100. Why does Lorraine feel that her mom will never understand her?
101. Why does Lorraine think about a kitten playing?
102. When John calls Mr. Pignati (with Jane) what does he offer?
103. Describe Mr. Pignati.
104. What happens at Bobo’s cage?

Chapter 15

105. Where does Lorraine go? Why?
106. Does John care about Mr. Pignati?
107. Where is John (in reality and in his head)?
108. How does Lorraine react?

English 9: Create a good copy for Monday . . .

Monday: Please hand in the good copy of your "Penny in the Dust" paragraph stapled to the template (the draft) and the notes you copied off the board (the opinion/evidence chart). Thank you.

Silent reading tallies for Feb. will be collected, Monday, March 2.

Re-read your course outline and/or contact your homework buddy to plan for this important deadline. If you do not yet have a USSR response sheet, ask for one.

For those students on the field trip, your work is due Tuesday. If you were absent today for other reasons, your work is still due on Monday.

Re-read your course outline if you do not recall our assignment deadline rules and expectations.

AP Lit: Prepping the prose section essay

You may have already visited these sites to prepare for the Walker essay, but have a look at this site:

Sample high essay response to Walker's "The Flowers"


If you are not yet feeling confident on this section, create a study group.
There are several practice sections on line which also include student samples of low, medium, and high essays.

The best advice: pay close attention to the text. Use a lot of short quotations and say something compelling about each one. You can do this section in your sleep if you prepare well.
la la la

See yesterday's blog to prepare for next week's test and Gatsby essay. 

AP LIT: Annotate the Marquez story . . .

Monday: Fiction Unit Test:

I will be giving you a passage from one of the stories studied during the unit. Your job is to annotate it and create a strong essay which answers the question. It is an open book test so you may use your notes and vocabulary lists.

Tomorrow: After the presentation, we will be reviewing today's essay. I have a student sample to share with you that has an introduction worth imitating. I think it will help you to shift your style with ease.

Tuesday: We begin our poetry unit. YAY.

Next Wed after school: Essay on Gatsby. Be sure to finish reading the novel. You need to have post-it notes all the way through in order to write the test.