Late Sunday Afternoon . . .

It's 5:15 p.m. and there are already eleven papers turned in; two in 1st, five in 3rd, and four in 6th.  Hooray for getting these in already.  A couple of them set a really high bar; thanks for your thoughtful engagement.

Week-End Update

I just opened folders on www.turnitin.com for all classes.  You must heed the due dates/times on the original assignment.  The only exception is for the 6th period Camp Orkila people; after I check for submissions by the 3 p.m. Monday deadline, I will re-open that folder until 11:59 p.m.  That gives you a little extra time, but any more than that will just continue to rob from Tuesday and Wednesday commitments.

6-3-1 AND DONE!

TODAY IN CLASS
We completed all Song of Solomon presentations.  In 6th, we did all the wrap-up we will do--given the fact that your test is on Monday.  In 1st and 3rd, we did some tying together of loose ends, but we've got a second chance at that on Monday. 

If you have been at Camp Orkila, be SURE to read the long post from earlier this week, and touch base with friends on what we've done. 

There have been two essay-related hand-outs; if you missed one or the other due to an absence, or have lost them, here they are:

Full assignment
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L4J0deaiHtj2H-N7UTX9XHlX4dXWToLI0PZN7VdZr2w/edit?authkey=CNbky_IL&hl=en_US#

Short check-list
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SKAaK48A5bOn3MrWj9REFefBu0wQ4u3A65hw9r2BGp0/edit?hl=en_US&authkey=CKSe4_cJ

(And Orkila folks, note that some of you might have received the version that accidentally left out the Works Cited.  It was mentioned on the original assignment, though, and you should know that full-bore MLA style needs a Works Cited.). 

Everyone, be sure to do the Works Cited on a separate page, since you are not killing trees anyway (remember, this is http://www.turnitin.com/ only.)

If you need a last-minute MLA refresher, check the Purdue Owl:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

EOC Test Day--Shortened Schedule

TODAY IN CLASS
All Chapter 14-15 groups did the best they could in the shortened time, but as expected, no one finished.  There should be enough time tomorrow to finish, AND to allow for questions for your group.

FOR TOMORROW
So I don't want to leave any "leading questions" for Friday, because I don't know what else the final presentations will contain.  I would hate to steal their thunder. However, I DO expect that such gaps that might exist or connections just begging to be made will be handled by the class in follow-up questions or comments.  My favorite thing for this book is NOT to be the one making the final connections or comments.

IN CLASS TODAY
First, there was a question today about the Metamorposis books checked out from school.  Yes, I had collected them ages ago and took them back to the library myself; however, not everyone had the book in class that day.  If you did not, you need to take it back to the bookroom ASAP. 

We pretty much covered the material on yesterday's blog, "answering" some of the rhetorical questions as we went along.  Not every class did absolutely everything, though: check the blog, see what might have been missed in your section, and we will try to pick it up if it isn't resolved in the final presentation.

People actually doing the final presentation--be SURE that you have given thought to yesterday's blog!!

FOR TOMORROW
You must be finished with the book.  Period.  I have to admit, that in cruising through a variety of questions today, there was quite a bit of disparity in what people were able to recall and utilize in a useful critical fashion.  To a certain extent, this is probably no different from variations in what people can do in calculus, physics, or AP Gov--nevertheless, with AP Lit, it all starts with the reading.  Do it.

As mentioned in all classes, our EOC schedule tomorrow leaves us with only 30 minutes.  The presentations will need to carry over until Friday--just expect to do that.  Do not try to cram your info into a mere 30 minutes, or shorten your planned presentation to fit that time.  We will use whatever part of Friday we need.

Song of Solomon Wrap-up

No, we are not done, but we are getting very close.  Chapters 14-15 are very short, but obviously critical.  All groups, no matter how solid their report, have "missed a bet" here or there in terms of connecting with prior elements, and this becomes a special challenge with these last two chapters.  I will be expecting excellent "filling in" from the class on anything that gets left out by the final presenters.  But final presenters, a sign of your own excellence will be that there is not a lot for the rest of us to fill in!

FOR TOMORROW
There are two things I want you to consider from today. This is thinking (and perhaps note-taking), but NOT to turn in.  However, I will be culling your collective brains in class on Wednesday.

The first element is GINGER: one group was fairly complete with this today, but two were not.  Recall  that ginger has been mentioned in three earlier contexts:  the sweetish smell that sometimes drifted across Lake Superior in Detroit, the smell that helped reduced the gag response from the dogs' odor which permeated Circe's mansion, and the Hansel and Gretel reference (ending in gingerbread) at the beginning of Chapter 10.
But for today's chapters (12-13) there is at least one additional reference.  A) Find it.  B) What, overall, do you think the odor/fragrance of "ginger" means in this text?

The second element is a spin-off from something that two groups mentioned today.  Notice the language at the end of Chapter 13 (319):
Suddenly, like an elephant who has just found his anger and lifts his trunk over the heads of the little men who want his teeth or his hide or his flesh or his amazing strength, Pilate trumpeted for the sky itself to hear, "And she was loved!"
It startled one of the sympathetic winos in the vestibule and he dropped his bottle, spurting emerald glass and jungle-red wine everywhere.

[Do not use my blog format as a guide to correct MLA formatting.]

OK, so for one thing, pay attention to "elephants" / "jungle" imagery wherever else you may see it.

But part of this is looking back at something everybody skipped over. 
Part 1: Remember when Milkman first noticed his legs were different lengths?  Yes, he was in the bathtub.  Some groups got all wound up in the FDR comparison and kind of overlooked the water.  But pay attention to water--what does the rain do/for Hagar?  Well, besides ruining all her new stuff??  Now Milkman--what kind of encounters with water has he had on his trip?  List them . . .What does each one signify?  How is his experience the same as or different than Hagar's?

Part 2:  Back to the shorter leg.  When, exactly, does he no longer have this impediment?
Re-read sections of the bobcat hunt in Ch. 11 starting shortly after Milkman has become pretty separated from Calvin's lamp.  He sits down to rest:  start reading carefully at nearly the middle of p. 275 (blue book--if you're in something else, find the paragraph beginning "At last he surrendered to his fatigue and made the mistake of sitting down instead of slowing down . . .."  Then read CAREFULLY for the next five or so pages, noticing how Milkman's physical senses are starting to take over from his rational mind.  Notice how he had felt "cradled" by the rootes of the sweet gum tree shortly before Guitar attacked him--something the "earth" had told him just before it happened. . . (but lots of other references along these 5 pages). 

NOW, the culminating point of this is the last few sentences before the break on p. 281 (blue book again, but all should have the extra spacing at the end of this section).  Finally accepted by the locals, Milkman was laughing with them on the way back to the car, willing to be the friendly butt of their jokes (butt of their friendly jokes?):
Really laughing, and he found himself exhilarated by simply walking the earh.  Walking it like he belonged on it; like his legs were stalks, tree trunks, a part of his body that extended down down down into the rock and soil, and were comfortable there--on the earh and on the place where he walked.  and he did not limp.

Why do you think I think this is important enough to put in a blog?  Be prepared to explain the significance--but don't attempt to do so without re-reading the full five or so pages before this.

Essay Assignment and More

TODAY IN CLASS
We finished Part I of Song of Solomon with presentations over Chapters 8 and 9.  The much shorter Part II gets underway tomorrow with Chapters 10-11.  Be sure that you have read these!


In fact, at this point, you should plan to finish the book as fast as possible.  You need to be ready for 12-13 by Tuesday anyway, and you might as well finish it. . . it gets pretty exciting, and I'd think you'd want to find out what happens. The final presentation (14-15) is scheduled for Thursday, June 2, but we're making some adjustments because of the shortened period on Thursday.

If your curiosity doesn't compel you forward to finishing the book over the long week-end, perhaps the looming paper will.  I've attached the formal assignment, but before you click on it (assuming you don't really plan to "start" this particular Thursday night anyway), I'd like you to consider connections so far.  Sadly, the best ones are yet to come--which is why I'm urging you to FINISH it-- but there are certainly a variety of ways in which elements of these two works can be compared/contrasted even on the basis of what's been set up in Part I.

I will be giving you a hard copy on Friday in class, but here is:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L4J0deaiHtj2H-N7UTX9XHlX4dXWToLI0PZN7VdZr2w/edit?hl=en_US&authkey=CNbky_IL#

TODAY IN CLASS
Presentations: Chapter4-5

TOMORROW
Some wrap-up thoughts on 4-5; reading time.

FOR MONDAY
You must be finished with 6-7 for Monday's presentations.

TODAY IN CLASS
Congratulations to all those honored at this morning's Senior Recognition program and breakfast.

Class:  reading time for Song of Solomon.

TOMORROW
Presentation: the first of the "double chapter" events--Chapters 4 and 5.

On Monday--Chapters 6-7

TODAY  IN CLASS
Reading time.  Chapters 4 and 5 must be completed by Thursday; more if you want to stay ahead and avoid some pile-up chapters next week.

TOMORROW IN CLASS
About 15 minutes from me . . . then reading time.  IF you are already caught up, I'll allow other work tomorrow.  But Song of Solomon comes first.

Thursday groups will be excused again.

Week-End Post

FRIDAY IN CLASS
The first presentation--for Chapter 2.  If you missed it, you should get information from anyone in your group who was present.  We are always assuming that successive groups know exactly what has gone before.  

FOR MONDAY
Everyone needs to have read through Chapter 3; it is NOT the responsibility of the presenters to provide a detailed plot summary.  Moreover, you cannot make contributions if you haven't read.  I've decided that Monday's response task will be the same as Friday's, because right now I'm more interested in encouraging the class to participate and offer insights/questions of your own than I am in asking for "evaluation" of the presenters.

Presenters--I trust you know who you are!

Mock Crash on Thursday

Dress accordingly--you'll be outside for awhile.  Historically this event goes on regardless of weather conditions.

IN CLASS TODAY
Reading time for most; work time elsewhere for Ch. 2 presenters.  Annotations collected from 1st and 6th; forgot to pick up from 3rd--have yours with you tomorrow!

FOR TOMORROW
Ch. 3 presenters should be sure to read Chapter 3 tonight to have tomorrow as a work day. 

Everyone else--be sure to consult and follow the reading schedule on the May 10 blog.  "Ahead" is better than "barely" for several reasons.

HAVE BOOKS AND CH. 1 ANNOTATIONS IN CLASS ON WEDNESDAY!

TODAY IN CLASS

• Sign-ups for presentations:  if you do not yet have a group, you will get one on Wednesday .
• Discussion of major categories, using "data" from Chapter 1.  No, it wasn't complete, but you should have gotten the idea of what you need to do.
• Hand-out for the project:  read thoroughly before tomorrow so that you will know if you have questions

FOR TOMORROW

Groups presenting either Friday (Ch. 2) or Monday (Ch. 3):  You need to read Chapter 2 as homework tonight--carefully (maybe twice, in the case of the Ch. 2 folks).  Chapter 2 people:  you'll be sent elsewhere to work together both Wednesday and Thursday.  Ch. 3 people, you aren't excused during Wednesday's class (I suspect at least some of you will be still reading Chapter 3, but you WILL be excused on Thursday.  (Of course you must come to class first!)

For everyone else:  both Wednesday and Thursday will be in-class reading days, so you can suit yourself as to whether or not you have "homework" tonight. 

To everyone else:  Mostly, there will be just one out-of-class day  for each group, but on some days I'll allow some "talking time" for everyone in class.  Everyone is expected to be caught up in their reading to the point of whatever presentations are being given.  You are NOT supposed to be hearing the chapter for the first time as people present.  And you need to be ahead of the schedule as needed in order to prepare your presentations and take advantage of any time excused from class.

The reality is that it's the sort of book that some of you will read very fast and be hard-pressed not to give away plot-spoilers.  And others may work ahead so that you can get the final paper out of the way before the last minute.

Here is the schedule I strongly recommend:
By the end of this week (or at least by the end of the week-end):  be finished with Chapter 4
During next week, May 16-20:  Read Chapters 5-9
Week of May 23-May 27:  Read Chapters 10-15

Given the amount of reading days you will have, this schedule should be relatively easy to follow.

But for those of you who do just what you need to do and and not one moment before, here is the bare-minimum reading schedule:

Chapter 2 finished by this Friday; Chapter 3 by Monday, May 16

Chapters 4 and 5 by Thursday, May 19

Chapter 6 and 7 by Monday, May 23

And now note that there's a not a gap day between 8/9 and 10/11; this means be reading ahead . . .
Chapters 8 and 9 by Thursday, May 26
Chapters 10-11 by Friday, May 27

But the last set of chapters--12 through 15--really needs to be finished by the end of Memorial Day week-end so that you will have a few days to write your SoS/Tess paper. 

GOOD LUCK to all those taking tomorrow's exam!

(And remember, if you are not taking the AP lit test, you need to report to class as usual for a final timed write on poetry.)
I thought about revising the following list to make it straightforward, without the thou's and thy's.  Buit I decided to retain the author's original language; consider it last-minute review for 16th and 17th century English!  These were written several years ago by Martin Beller, a revered AP teacher who has co-written a book on poetry that I would love to be able to afford to use in our class.  Please take  these
 "10 Commandments" in the spirit in which they were intended, not meant in any way to be sacrilegious.  Definitely consider the CONTENT here; you may, for further practice, want to specify the tone and note how it was achieved.

Items not covered by Mr. Beller's list:  sharpened pencils with good erasers; AT LEAST two black or dark blue pens; a watch if you wish to keep track of time more easily no matter where you are seated.

Martin Beller's 10 Commandments for AP Literature Test-Takers
1. I am the Prompt, thy Prompt; thou shalt have no other Prompt before me. Thou shalt read the Prompt with rapt attention; the Prompt is thy friend. Thou shalt address the Prompt. Thou shalt not just get the general idea of the Prompt, nor shalt thou fight the Prompt or substitute thine own ideas for the Prompt.

2. Thou shalt not postpone, omit or bury thy Thesis Statement.

3. Thou shalt not commit plot-summary, nor shalt thou cohabit with Reading Comprehension, for it is an abomination in my sight.

4. Thou shalt not commit free-floating generalization, but shall support and develop thy every assertion.

5. Thou shalt not confuse complexity with confusion, or subtlety with
indecisiveness; thou shalt not attribute thine own insensitivity or ignorance to authorial ineptitude. The fact that thou gettest not the point doesn't mean that the passage hath no point: thou hast missed the point. Deal with it.

6. Thou shalt read every Multiple Choice question with the same exquisite care that thou devotest to the essay Prompt: thou shalt not 'get the drift.' By the same token, thou shalt strive to read what the writer actually wrote, not what thou expectest him or her to have written.

7. Thou shalt not finish early. Thou shalt spend plenty of thy time planning thine essay responses and reading them over.

8. Thou shalt guess when thou knowest not the answers.

9. Thou shalt not merely identify literary, rhetorical and stylistic devices, but shall show how they function.

10. Thou shalt never permit thyself to become discouraged: I am the prompt, thy Prompt. Thou shalt maintain thy focus, attention and confidence. Yea, though thou hast totally screwed up thy last essay, this next essay maketh a fresh start.

TODAY IN CLASS
Main work:  Dylan Thomas's "Fern Hill" 
Time to establish TONE (dominant, then the differently-tinged ending tone) by looking at the following features: 
Color, music, allusions, imagery, "odd" similes, verse form, repetition, sound devices.
Do this on your own if you missed class today.
However, it's hard to replicate the direction discussion took without in-put from the class.

1st period--also discussed main features for the Tess timed-write from last week and got those back. 3rd/6th--be sure that you've gone through the process outlined in yesterday's blog if you have any feeling that you might not have given this passage the coverage it deserves.  You will get these tomorrow (and people in 3rd who will be taking a calculus test, be sure to drop by to pick yours up if you are also taking the English test on Thursday.

I intended to put the rubric on Google docs temporarily, but only as "May essay rubric." Turns out it is encrypted in such a way that that cannot be done.  So you will need to look at it tomorrow.

TODAY IN CLASS
Short Quiz on 5-7 of Tess; morphed into the basis (together with some additional questions) for the "what happens" wrap-up.  Close look at the ending which (together with a poem tomorrow) forms the "Hardy's view of the universe" plus how he ultimately sees Tess.  Supplement this with the important hand-out of "random topics."  We've talked much about some; none about others.  There was a second hand-out, this one containing four Question 3 topics for which Tess was listed as a prospective choice.

FOR TOMORROW
Go back to the passage on Thursday's timed write:  this was in the first chapter of Phase the Third, about the last two pages.  Do the following on your own paper:
1) List all of the literary devices you see at work in the passage (whether you wrote about them last week or not) and the actual examples. (this is one aspect of "how")
2) Go back to the question of how the narrator actually sees her--"how" does he characterize the relationship between Tess and her new environment.

We will talk about both and consider varied ways of organizing this essay.

The prompts for Question 3--obviously none of these will be YOUR exact prompts, though sometimes they're recycled in pretty close ways. If you are taking the test, you should think through at least one of these, perhaps two.

BRING THE LIT BOOK AND TESS ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.

Written Assignment for Wednesday

First--apologies for recent erratic posting.  We are on somewhat different class schedules for a variety of reasons, and the blog hasn't been a priority. But I am keeping track, and will do my best to make sure that different-day activities are equalized.  Continue to bring both Tess and the lit book to class, please.  If you have not taken a make-up quiz for last Friday (Phase the Fourth), come in before school on Wednesday--no later than 9:15 or 9:20, please.

IN CLASS ON TUESDAY
Students assessed their own Wordsworth/Dunbar timed writes; yes, 3rd period work took longer because we had not yet assessed the sample essays.
Then we looked at a "practice passage" from Tess--from chapter 20, near the end, when Tess and Angel go out at dawn to bring in the cows for milking. 
First, I asked everyone  (to be continued--I want to post this so people can see it at lunch if necessary) to look at the short paragraph about the light, and then we studied the passage about Tess and Clare going to the pasture at dawn to bring in the cows for the morning milking.  (to be continued)
ASSIGNMENT FOR TOMORROW

Write a short analysis on the following passage, responding to the question posed at the end:
The passage--
Chapter 19 from
"It was a typical summer evening in June . . . .
to
Tess . . . moved . . . as if hardly moving at all."
[5 paragraphs in all]

Analyze--

• Selection of detail
• Figurative language
• Imagery

[note:  "imagery" traditionally refers to sensory language, i.e. related to the five senses--however, you will often see it simply packaged as part of literary devices or even figurative language]

Purpose--
How does the language of this passage help to characterize Tess at this point in the book?

TODAY IN CLASS
If you were not there, consider the expections (for key nouns; for phrase as a whole) for a poem entitled "The Emperor of Ice Cream" BEFORE continuing with the rest of the homework listed below. This is a perfect model poem for applying the strategies of the TP-CASTT series of steps for analyzing poetry. I asked people to dig out of their notebooks the two-sided detailed accounting of what is involved in TP-CASTT; do not rely on the short summary on the back of the "How to Read a Poem" hand-out.

We also looked at Hardy's "The Ruined Maid"--think through the questions in the book following this poem (pp. 459-460).

FOR TOMORROW
Poetry: 
Yes, the short series of questions after Hardy's poem (just study/think)
"The Emperor of Ice Cream" (p. 789)--go through the steps, noting especially all the elements and devices listed under "Connotation."  You don't need to prepare a formal paper or product to hand in, but you DO need to annotate and to write sufficient notes to show study and engagement with this poem and to respond quickly in class discussion.  Do NOT research this poem to find out what others have said about it.  You can look words up in the dictionary, but that's it.

Also for poetry--if you haven't read Ch. 16 (Imagery), catch up on that; I forgot to tell one class yesterday.  (Sorry) It's crucial.  The list of terms to review is the heart of what you need to know about poetry; most of them were on your list, but this is the chapter that makes them real.  And read Frost's comments on METAPHOR.  Metaphor is at the heart of much of our thinking--ways of thinking--about the world.  A good summer read might be Metaphors We Live By, by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson.

Assuming you HAVE read it, and if you possibly can, add Ch. 17 (Song), but 17 truly is just a back-drop chapter for the next one (18) on Sound.

Tess
1) Study the last three paragraphs of Phase the First.  How is Hardy as narrator sympathetic to Tess? 
2) Study the "walking in the woods at night" passage in Phase the Second, Chapter 13, the last three paragraphs of that chapter.  How id Hardy as narrator sympathetic to Tess?  How is Tess's condition/situation paralleled by the environment she is walking through?  What is the underlying irony in this passage?

And keep on a-truckin':  Phase the Fourth by Friday.

TODAY IN CLASS
Second half of the poetry terms.  Make up this quiz ASAP if you missed it.

Then there was an in-class poetry reading/study assignment. I'm describing it here for the convenience of those who were absent.  There is no written product to be turned in, but it will behoove you to do this before Monday. 
1) Read Chapter 15.  Pause to study Keats' "Bright Star" on p. 491.
2) Read/study two additional poems from the text:  Wordworth's ""The World's Too Much .. ." (619), and
    Gerard Manley Hopkins' "God's Grandeur" (546).

FOR MONDAY

• If you did the poetry work in class, there is no further poetry homework for the week-end.  The in-class timed write (40 minutes, not an informal "quick-write") is skills-based.  All of the other poems are preparation, but they're not what you'll write on--so there shouldn't be any special study required if you're caught up on Ch.11-15 and the new poems from today.
• Tess benchmark for Monday:  be finished with Phase the Third.  There will be a short reading check quiz after the timed write.

Note the essential homework correction!

TODAY IN CLASS
Poetry Terms quiz, terms 1-36--Make up before or after school on Wednesday if at all possible!

Two new hand-outs:

• one on Crime and Punishment--use as additional prep material for an in-class essay someday next week (not Monday)
• one on an acronym for the elements that produce TONE

FOR TOMORROW--Be sure to bring your lit book!!

Chapter 13 of the lit book--read for meaning; understand concepts and terms.  Read "through" the poetry for surface familiarity only.  Pause to STUDY "Batter my heart . . . " (453).  Then read one more sonnet--unfortunately NOT the one, that I had on the board.

My brain is still in vacation mode, I'm afraid.  I have been marking up all those "That time of year . . . " assignments and I did not shift gears to "When I do count the clock that tells the time. . ." (which, alas, is not even in your book).  So I have linked it here; please print it out and bring it with you to class:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17bT6XEIJgbhOBWM43zxxEhv2RGrn8UZEKx-srYcGU4M/edit?hl=en&authkey=CJmtx_kF

Use the "How to Read a Poem questions as a guide for these, though for "Batter my heart . . ." you should also think of the study questions posed in the text.  You do not need to prepare work to hand in, but you should definitely have something visible on your desk to show effort and engagement. 

Chapter 14 is short but useful.  Just read it.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles
The reading for Tess is broken into three parts, based on the the sections of the book that Hardy terms "phases" (these are broader than chapters).

by MONDAY, April 18:  Phase the First through Phase the Third
by FRIDAY, April 22:  Phase the Fourth
by WEDNESDAY, April 27:  be finished (Phase the Fifth through Phase the Seventh)

Poetry Terms Part I on Tuesday

Terms 1-36--Matching--Ridiculously straightforward.

And 3rd period, I totally spaced at the end and forgot to collect the stamped Epilogue papers.  If you were one of the first people out the door, KEEP it and turn it in first thing tomorrow.

You should be finished with Part VI by tomorrow; realistically, I will be satisfied with Parts IV and V.  I cannot stress how useful the "Reading Guides" should be to you for those two parts.  If you are still reading those sections, do not wait to check them later: USE them as you read. 

Be sure that you've read Part VI, however, for Friday. And, of course, the original advice still stands:  Be done, period.

P.S.  Do not forget, if you are reading this shortly before actually leaving town, that the poetry terms quizzes will be April 12 and 15.  Use the book to help you learn these if there are some that seem unclear.

Crime and Punishment Reading Expectation

Yes, we're behind on discussion--but keep up with the reading.  The farther you've read, the more infused with meaning each part becomes.

SO--
4-5 by tomorrow
6 for Thursday
Epilogues for Friday

I'm concerned especially about the early spring breakers . . . who might think themselves exempt from reading . . . . please do not.

TODAY IN CLASS
1. Short paraphrase assignment on a sonnet. Most people turned it in during class (meant to be about a 20-minute proposition).  A few people did not (varied reasons):  turn in first thing tomorrow.

2. Poetry hand-outs:
Terms--Basic terms quizzes during the week after break (April 12--first half; April 15--second half)
TP-CASTT--Full explanation plus analysis template on the back
TP-CASTT--A Sound and Sense-based description with some tone words on the back

3.  Crime and Punishment hand-outs:
Detailed reading guides (notice/pay attention to plus some actual questions) for both Parts IV and V
Shorter sets of questions for Parts III through the Epilogue

FOR TOMORROW
Review Part IV, using the reading guide.  You do not need to prepare questions to hand in, but you DO need to re-read as needed, mark passages, jot down notes/page refs. on your study guide, think through what's being asked, etc.  This prep work should lead to better discussion.

You should be finished reading Crime and Punishment BEFORE break.  You will be OK with Part VI by Thursday and the Epilogues (two, but they are short) for Friday.

If you are leaving early, know that the break time is to give you more time for Tess, not to make up Crime and Punishment.

TODAY IN CLASS
Close examination of Donne's "If poisonous mineral . . ." as a template for studying poetry.  Two new hand-outs (sonnets and "How to Read a Poem"/TP-CASTT overview"). Close to finished but not quite in 3rd and 6th.
Homework papers stamped but not yet collected--will do that first thing tomorrow.

FOR TOMORROW
Part III work for Crime and Punishment.  See yesterday's post for details. Note especially that this is to be either typed or written neatly in dark blue or black ink.

[If you are out tomorrow for field trips/college visits/etc., remember that technically work is due in advance of scheduled absences(something I usually don't enforce).  However, I DO expect that you will have this work when you return.]

1.  New hand-outs today

• Map/names for Crime and Punishment. 
• Donne's "If poisonous minerals. . . ." poem plus questions

2.  Some forward progress on yesterday's questions for I-II of Cr and P (varies by class)

3.  HOMEWORK

• For Thursday:  Read the text part (skim but don't "study" the poems) of Chapter 11 in the lit book, and do the Donne poem work
• For Friday:   Prepare for significant Part III discussion by bringing to class (typed or NEATLY written in ink) the following:
• Five significant quotations from the chapter TOGETHER with a 3 to 5 sentence defense/explanation of how/why each one is important
• Five AP-worthy discussion questions (no written answer required, but obviously you should be able to offer a sensible starting point on anything you've written down).  These are the sorts of questions that should require thoughtful, text-based responses.

Bring Both Books on Wednesday

 . . . that is, Crime and Punishment and The Big Lit Book
TODAY IN CLASS
Make-ups from yesterday, with review/focused passage/reading time for others--then discussion that pretty much ran out of time at the point that Raskolnikov enters (or leaves) the Marmeledov apartment.  First period got a bit farther.

In class tomorrow--
We will cover the bullet points we didn't finish today:

• Marmeladov family as a foil for events in Raskolnokov's life and family (nearly finished this)
• the mother's letter from the point that she introduces Luzhin--tone, style, devices (one class did this)
• chance/destiny in Part I and up to the point in Part II that quiz question 4 takes over

And we will discuss the quiz questions and "best practice" responses.

FOR TOMORROW
Keep up with the reading.  That means that on-track readers should be done with Part III by tomorrow.

TODAY IN CLASS
Short quiz on Crime and Punishment, Parts I and II.  Interesting results.  You probably know which group you're in . . . People who missed this will be required to take it during the first of class tomorrow while other people pursue a further line of thinking.  (I'm not normally into make-ups during class, but this one's essential; I won't excuse it, and we can't move on if you're sitting in class and haven't done it.)

So we will still be on Parts I and II on Tuesday, and probably on Wednesday as well.  HOWEVER, Part III is due to be completed by Wednesday, March 23.  (Sorry about the typo on the original version.)  See the March 17 post for remaining reading dates.

It's OK not to have your big lit book with you on Tuesday, but starting Wednesday, bring that too, please.

FOR TOMORROW
Either catch up to where you should have been today, or be reading Part III for Wednesday.

Scene Analysis Due on Friday

1.Make up Hamlet test ASAP; however, I will not be able to stay after school on Friday. If you cannot make it up after school on Monday, talk with me personally on Friday.  Otherwise I will expect to see you Monday afternoon (takes 45-50 minutes).

2. Have hard copies of the Hamlet scene analysis with you in class on Friday, and hopefully already on turnitin.com; deadline for online submission is 3:00 p.m. on Friday.  During class tomorrow, there will be a "speed-dating" exercise with Hamlet.

3.  Crime and Punishment:   Parts I and II expected for Monday.  However, most people should have had time to get farther than that by now, and the idea is not to "rest on your laurels."  Most reading should be accomplished ahead of the deadlines set below. The essential fact is that we need to be FINISHED with Cr and P by the time spring break starts (April 1 is the last day of class). 

• Part III by Wednesday, March 23
• Part IV and V by Monday, March 28
• Part VI and both Epilogues by Wednesday, March 30

4.  . . . .which leaves the month of April for Tess of the D'urbervilles.  The goal will be to get a good start on Tess over spring break, so that reading plus discussion is accomplished by Friday, April 28.  It's long, but an "easy" read--not nearly so philosophical nor so convoluted as Cr and P. 

5.  Starting on TUESDAY, you will need to have both your lit book and the book of the month (Dostoevsky or Hardy) with you every day.  Monday will be fully devoted to Crime and Punishment.

AP REGISTRATION ENDS AT 11:00 p.m MONDAY NIGHT!

1st and 3rd: 
Class discussion for the first third of Tuesday's class; objective but very text-based test the last two-thirds.  I have a clear agenda for finishing up key points, but you need to be very prepared with explicit questions, if you have any.

6th:  No class on Tuesday for you, of course.  But if you were absent, stop by for the essay assignment for Friday!  (Not before 1st period--I'll be with the test-takers--but between classes or right after school.)

IN CLASS TODAY
Practice scene analysis for character, theme, language--we'll go over more of this content tomorrow.  Some people did well, I think, but others were way too vague.

FOR TOMORROW
You should be finished re-reading Hamlet.  There will be a test next week that will focus on how well you read/understand the language, and a for-real, polished scene analysis.  So take seriously the process of making sure you  located and "analyzed" significant apects of character development, language/imagery/diction, and theme. We were not quite done with the first group, so you might wish to add to your material, and I certainly expect that people in the "second half" of the room should add more if you realize that your in-class efforts were a bit thin.

AP Registration:  Deadline is next Monday (March 14).  Time to get serious about this!!
https://user.totalregistration.net/AP/480500

TODAY IN CLASS
We spent some time (verbally) filling in the template "[Title] is about a young man who [ fill in plot/thematic key]."  We did this for Metamorphosis, Frankenstein, Hamlet, and (anticipatory set) Crime and Punishment, with gradual refining of the initial (usually limited) "about" claims.  We also developed the word "Crime" ==> to involve "trans-gressesion" and the Russian source word "over-stepping"--which in turn led to a consideration of the ways in which characters in the various works we have done recently over-stepped boundaries.  With Frankenstein, we extended consideration to "Rime . . ." and PL.

In 1st, I returned the PL "Hymn to Light" summa-phrases, and then students worked on/we went over Hamlet's Act II soliloquy (end of act).  In 3rd and 6th, we jumped directly to the soliloquy (and even treated it more briefly in 6th).  Tomorrow we'll pick up with the Hymn to Light "best practice" samples.

FOR TOMORROW
Actually, beyond tomorrow: 

• Re-read/review study questions of Act IV for Thursday; Act V for Friday.  Obviously you can start now. 
• And why start now?  Because additionally, you need to start reading Crime and Punishment immediately. Get the first third read as soon as you can.  Formal schedule tomorrow.  Know that testing time (released time for seniors) next week is NOT slack time; it's extra late-night reading time!!

I am trying to re-invent this week's wheel.  It's about to fall off the wagon . . . Anything in Acts I-III of Hamlet should be fair game for tomorrow, but in class, please bring Frankenstein as well.

I may post more detail later after some quiet contemplation. 

1st Period -- Be Sure to Read!

I changed plans . . . you will have some time in class to complete the Frankenstein/PL writing.  If you'd like to finish it tonight, and just work on Hamlet tomorrow, that's fine.  But you are not compelled to do so.  The part that IS essential is that you've read Rime of the Ancient Mariner.  If you printed it out in the first place, bring it.  If you DIDN'T, then read the question tonight (Part II, question 1), and write down just a few pieces of evidence from the poem that you will incorporate into the paragraph.

TODAY IN CLASS
Really varied depending on the questions/directions of each class.  But these are good "take-aways" for everyone:
1) you should remember and recognize the two very famous passages late in your Book I excerpt (252-255 and 259-263)
2) you should know/understand the term epic simile, be able to follow the details of the examples from PL, and be prepared to recognize and "unpack" epic similes you might encounter in the future.
3) you should be well aware of Satan's feelings as he spied on Adam and Eve
4) make sure that you've not forgotten to read the short bits of material you have from books 4, 9, and 10.

The parting of the Red Sea (the last epic simile on your hand-out):
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20017313-1.html
Notice that this is from this past September; I'm sure that I first read about this theory several years earlier.  However, this seems to provide a cogent explanation.

FOR TOMORROW
Except for period 1 (which did this in class), do Part I (appropriate circles, plus bulleted argument, on the back) BEFORE class tomorrow.

Do whatever prep work you need to for the Rime question (Part II, question 1).
Bring Frank. with you for Part II, question 2.

TODAY IN CLASS
First period, I failed to collect your homework.  My apologies.  No excuses, obviously, for not having 100 percent of the "para-phrases" in by tomorrow.  To the other classes, I will be gentle (but not completely oblivious) concerning late work turned in tomorrow, since 1st period received an unearned day of grace.  Anyone who was absent either Tuesday or Wednesday should have this done for tomorrow, as well.  (See yesterday's post for instructions.)

Quick Hamlet segment:  what kinds of motifs (patterns of diction, repeated imagery, recurring ideas) did you notice in the first two acts of the play?

In all classes, we went over the epic simile graphics for the "in bulk as huge as . . ." comparisons.  Many people seeemed to struggle with this . . .  We got to various points with the other two samples--if we didn't work with both of them in your own section, we will first thing on Thursday.  It is important to be able to "lay out" the details of complicated language, whether we are concerned with epic similes or with any other aspect of style or content.

To anyone absent--we also looked at the reflexive, transitive nature of the "Forthwith he rears . . . " structure.  We'll pull this all together very soon, but what we are leading toward is an understading of how Milton depicts the character of Satan--and obviously (finally!) possible ramifications for PL.

Hand-out:  some "Small Questions" on the five acts of Hamlet.

FOR TOMORROW
Get as far as you can in going over the questions on the hand out for the two acts you have re-read.  Jot down notes or line references on the questions, use annotations in the book, or whatever works, but do NOT do nothing at all with these.  THINK, and do what is necessary to foster solid, text-based, FAST-PACED discussion.

"Summa-phrase" assignment:

Lines 1-55 of Book 3.  (NOT the part in italics!)

• As with a paraphrase, you need to keep the same point of view (the "I"-- DON'T say "Milton" or "the speaker")
• But 55 lines are too much to paraphrase idea for idea; you should summarize the content.  Don't be too skimpy; account for the twists and turns of thought.  However, you are not responsible for restating every idea and image.  About a half-page of accurate, concise text should be about right; if you tend to the wordy side, it will probably take you more space.  (P.S.  Do not count headings, etc., as any part of a "half-page"!) 

This really shouldn't take more than a half-hour.  Make sure you've read all the rest of the PL material, and are on-track with Hamlet.

Back to School

TODAY IN CLASS
Iambs, iambic pentameter, foot, blank verse, free verse, one starter sonnet fact (14 lines!)--but most importantly, the constant need to evaluate sound and sense when studying poetry.  Memorizing terms is a necessary step, but not an end in itself. 

Paradise Lost:  blank verse; range,sources, and density of allusions; Milton's cosmography, and his reliance on Dante's Inferno; Milton's blindness . . . (your class may have done more/may have done less).  We will even things out and move on tomorrow.

FOR TOMORROW
"Make-up" (i.e., should have been done over break):  Be sure that you have read (CAREFULLY, not just skimmed) all the PL hanRime of the And-outs you received during the week before break. You should also have read the entirety of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, but if you have not, you've got a couple more days before that becomes problematical.


For Wednesday:  Be sure to have re-read Acts I and II of Hamlet. 

Almost to Break . . .!

DO NOT FORGET to get the tracking paper submitted to turnitin.com tonight before midnight!  Also, some folks so far have forgotten the word count.  Make sure to have the word count on the text.

TODAY IN CLASS
Some "starter work" on Paradise Lost. Yesterday I said to read Part I for Friday, but frankly, I'd rather have you focus on doing a really good job with Coleridge's poem for tomorrow.  So--

HOMEWORK for Friday:  Samuel Taylor Coleridge--"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (7 sections; you have the hand-out only for the first two)

Preferred text for READING  "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."  Note that there is a Printable Version option if you'd like to have a hard copy (recommended, but not absolutely required so long as you're willing to cycle back to the text as needed after break):

http://www.enotes.com/rime-ancient-mariner-text/the-rime-of-the-ancient-mariner

But I also urge you to spend a few minutes with the text from the University of Virginia collection, which features the original illustrations. 
http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/Col2Mar.html

DUE on Thursday:
Tracking assignment (hard copy--typed or hand-written)
500-word essay showing the inclusive, comprehensive use in Frankenstein (hard copy PLUS turnitin.com)
Don't forget the word count!

And remember, PACK your paper with detail and insight.  Maximize the substantive content by streamlining your prose.  Be concise:  tight, economical language with precise word choice.   

More details on the other material later--none of that is required for tomorrow.  However, BE SURE to have the hand-outs with you in class.

1) If you missed the Frankenstein test, obviously you need to make it up (30-40 minutes)
2) Though there was a hand-out today with the first section of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," you don't need to continue that tonight because . . .
3) The first priority is to be working on the comprehensive, inclusive 500-word paper on how your theme topic is woven into the text of Frankenstein (and, if necessary, finishing the quote-tracking part of the assignnment.

DUE THURSDAY:  people who will leave on Thursday need to get the paper on turnitin.com on time or ahead of time (open later tonight or Wednesday a.m.) 

Frankenstein Test on Tuesday

TODAY IN CLASS
Dicussion of tracking assignment for Thursday, involving both the print-out or hand-written list of quotations plus a 500-word summary assessment of the importance/significance of that particluar thematic element to the whole of the novel. Look at as many characters/situations as it may apply to, from the opening letters to the very end.  Do NOT restrict your comments to things involving the character of Victor Frankenstein alone.  Utilize the concepts from the Six Strategies and CRISP to tighten your style to make the maximum room for substantive content.  The 500-word paper must be on turnitin.com (to be opened on Wednesday) and must have a word count.  However, turn in a hard copy as well. (The list of quotes does NOT need to be on turnitin.com!)

Also annotation practice and class discussion of John Donne's poem "The Flea" (circa 1600)

FOR TOMORROW
Review for test--if you have read carefully and worked faithfully on tracing your particular thematic element, you should be in pretty good shape.  But also take advantage of the questions posted to GoogleDocs several days ago; the links are provided on an earlier blog. 

This test will be scantron.

Applies to only a few of you . . .

but if you are one of the people who, for any reason whatsoever, have not submitted one or more of your drafts to www.turnitin.com, please be aware that I have re-opened all three folders.  Check them out ASAP to insure that you will meet the new (and final) deadlines (they differ for each one).

ESSAYS were due in class; turnitin.com closes at 11:59 p.m.

Essays
Most people are in good standing (done with all components). As in-class people heard today, the following message applies to a small minority:
Although the credit window has closed for drafts one and two, the necessity of getting these drafts IN to turnitin.com does not go away.  No credit for the final essay (100 assessment points) without having submitted all three drafts to turnitin.com. Therefore, I am re-opening the windows for the first two drafts today (but again, not for points); on Monday I will re-open the final draft folder after having a short one-on-one with all affected parties.)

Frankenstein, OR THE MODERN PROMETHEUS

1) Do a quick Google check for Prometheus (or use Edith Hamilton Mythology, Bulfinch's Mythology, etc.)

2) Objective Test over Frankenstein on Tuesay. It will not take the full period.  It will be fairly detailed.

Apology to 1st period-- At the very end of class (when we actually talked briefly about Prometheus, but not in enough detail),  I forgot to say this.  There had been some vague reference earlier in the week, but I hadn't definitively said which day.  Sorry--friends can tell friends, etc.

3) At this point, everyone SHOULD have finished the novel, and be working on the last section only of your topic-tracking (writing out, neatly by hand or on the computer, quotations--including elements from descriptiove passages, not merely "somebody talking").  Note, however, that there was no reading check today.  I know full well that some of you haven't finished the book, and I expect that many of you haven't finished the tracking assignment.  That is your week-end homework.  I do NOT need to see the print-out on Monday (though it will be handed in later in the week), but not having it done by Monday will unnecessarily complicate the rest of the week.

Essays due on Friday

Essay
Due in class:  all three hard copies (with peer response for the first draft; "Six Strategies" revision spots highlighted on the second draft, and a clean, completely MLA-formatted copy of the final draft).
Submission to http://www.turnitin.com/:  Deadline for final draft is late Friday night (11:59).

Frankenstein
You should be finished with the reading by tomorrow.  We will quite possibly have some plot spoilers in our discussion tomorrow.  You should be caught up with "tracking" through yesterday's section (end of Creature speaking).  However, given where many of you are with the essay, it's unrealistic to expect all tracking to be finished by tomorrow.  You will have until Monday for that.

However, I'm posting some questions to guide reading/review of what you've read.  We will use short sections of this (as 6th period did today) as the focus for looking more closely at particular passages.  For now, I just want to get them out there and available.  Again, these are for help/guidance/focus--NOT for you to write out.  And remember that these were originally prepared for a regular class--they aren't meant to challenge you but to provide a bit of a safety net, especially for people who are still catching up. (And I realize that the page numbers won't match most of your editions; we muddle through as best we can.)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/12ai-PSv2xKmWGnUNHBTWkzgW0ETPSa7Rhf1wBlUqWwM/edit?hl=en&authkey=CPO8hf8N

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ug2z96lHg6Vpqo1c2ds0ooEakeWVDddgzxC-B0dObAc/edit?hl=en&authkey=CNL8hPkC

Post-Faculty Meeting (4:30)

And I need to leave--so here are the essentials:
The Essay
1) We've now covered the style revision elements (plus some basic grammar/mechanics issues).  If you don't have much to revise, you might well want to get your essay revised and in tonight.  You will be DONE.
2) But you have until Friday.  Yes, that's adjusted from the original schedule. 
3) I will set up the Final Draft folder on turnitin.com momentarily; it will close at 11:59 p.m. Friday night. 
4) All three hard copies plus the original peer-response sheet are due in class; accepted either Thursday OR Friday.

Be sure to make use of the resources listed on today's teaching blog as well as in the writing sections at the end of the textbook re: MLA formatting, the handling of quotations in a drama (short snippets = same as always, but see the info if you cite an exchange), etc.

Frankenstein
Have the book and your theme-tracking material in class with you on Thursday.  You should have read (by today, actually) up to the point that the Creature finishes telling his story and making his request to Frankenstein (the end of Chapter 16).

AP Exam Registration . . .
will be online this year.  More details forthcoming. 

Wednesday Teaching Post

Link to Google.Docs version of today's hand-out, with further links to helpful grammar/style resources:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uGS0WOKk06eIEEjycdFY3wiD-qeBLBm7okyaaNJ5duM/edit?hl=en&authkey=CMGHv9QG

Sample  of a complicated answer to the question of  how colleges and universities evaluate AP scores:
http://www2.ku.edu/~distinction/cgi-bin/overview69

1st period--I forgot to give you the AP bulletins.  You will get them tomorrow!

TODAY IN CLASS
Frankenstein short assessment over Ch. 4-10; you should be well on your way now through the Creature's story (Chapters 11-17) which is listed on the schedule for tomorrow.  Complete your reading of the entire text by Friday.

We got to various points on the revision hand-out. See the next section.

FOR TOMORROW
Yes, continue reading Frankenstein.  Continue tracking your topics.

Essay: 

• Both your first and second drafts should be on turnitin.com by now, in the appropriate folders.  Some people, however, have not done this yet--some with valid reason, others not so much.  Either way, the bottom line is that they MUST GET INTO THE FOLDERS.  Both have been re-opened to accomodate late-comers.
• The third and final draft is "due" on Thursday, because I wanted you DONE with this.  However, Friday papers will not suffer any penalty points.  Suit yourself.  At this point, you should absolutely be able to work on the second draft in terms of the "Six Strategies" portion of the revision, and the C of CRISP (Cut Words) is really an extension of #5.  So you should be able to work on that too.
• Reduce Clauses--we started this in 1st, not at all in 3rd/6th
• In all classes, we'll still look at the ISP parts . . .
• So the process of revision will continue tomorrow night.  Some of you, however, will not have very much that really needs to be done, so Thursday remains a perfectly viable deadline for you.  For others, as noted above, Friday is OK. 

WHAT TO TURN IN: 
As hard copies: All three drafts plus the peer-response sheet
And the third draft submitted to the Final Draft folder on http://www.turnitin.com/

P.S.  Are you remembering that this is a full bore MLA paper?  What does that entail?  Where can you find it?  (Review earlier posts.  Consult the Purdue OWL.  Look at the samples in the new book. Ask.  Ignorance is no excuse.)

MONDAY POST, on the correct blog

What to do/know if you were absent today:
1. Make sure that the content revision of the essay is posted to turnitin.com (2nd Draft folder) by 11:59 p.m. tonight.
2.  Print out a copy of the 2nd draft--you will need to mark it as required in upcoming instructions.  More specifics on style revision in class on Tuesday.
3.  Be prepared on what as due today for Frankenstein (through Ch. 10) and also be current on tracking themes through that point. (see note below)
4.  But as homework, get going on the chunk of Fr. to be completed by Wednesday.  Remember that the whole book needs to be finished by Friday.

During class today we worked on something called "The THIS File"--you can catch up later.

I was reminded today that the 1818 edition doesn't have the same chapter headings as the 1831 edition.  For you original folks, just know that Chapter 10 ends just before the Creature begins to talk; Chapter 17 begins just AFTER the Creature ceases telling his story.

MISSING POSTS--copied and pasted here

OK.  I am seeing why some of you have been confused lately.  Since late last week, I have been blogging to my old (REALLY old) blog, and of course nothing has shown up on the correct one.  I have cut-and-pasted Thursday's and Sunday night's below.  I'll cut-and paste the one I just wrote to correct spot for a new entry momentarily.  I am so sorry.  Last week was simply techno-FAIL on all counts.

THIS WAS THURSDAY'S POST (Feb. 3)
First, my apologies to 1st period, who had to struggle with my epic fail at every stage of technology.  I eventually found a way to post the scan from Picasa straight to the blog, and after fourteen or so tries, I managed to print that segment vs. the whole blog page (sidebars and all).  So 3rd and 6th had a hand-out (albeit imperfectly formatted). You will get that copy tomorrow in class just to make it official.
Meanwhile, you will receive a hand-out in class tomorrow with new scheduling information and other details for both Frankenstein and the essay.   I'll probably link it to GoogleDocs tomorrow (or very late tonight), but it shouldn't be your concern tonight. 

THIS WAS SUNDAY EVENING'S POST (Feb. 6)
Hi, everyone--

So I'm just catching up with fact Tyler's service is tomorrow, and of course I realize that many of you won't be in class.  Go ahead and get your paper into turnitin.com (2nd draft folder), but that's going to be open until 11:59 p.m. Monday night, not the shortly-after-class times mentioned on the assignment sheet.

The 2nd draft next step is individual--not peer response.  There will be a short list of things to focus on, but they're going to take some explaining/illustration . . . and I'm not sure that tomorrow is going to work out for doing that. We'll probably get started, but also bring the Frankenstein text for sure.


TONIGHT:  You should either read, or start making adjustments to your essay based on today's work. It's up to you, but there should be progress one direction or the other.

For those who were unable to have a completed draft today, please do your best for tomorrow.  Have someone work with it in class, hopefully as an exchange vs an extra (people who've done one already deserve the time to read/work on the Fr. material).  I've extended turnitin.com for the First Draft until tomorrow night.

As indicated last night and in class today:

The peer-response work that had been planned for Wednesday will take place on Thursday; turnitin.com folders have been extended to Thursday as well (12:15 for 1st and 3rd; 2:45 for 6th).  

Students who were absent today will be given their tracking topic (thematic idea) tomorrow.

IMPORTANT UPDATE (5:30 PM)

I know that many of you are coping with the loss of a young man whom many of you know, though he is not attending classes at IHS this year. In light of this sad news, let's not deal with the essay tomorrow.  If you are not affected in any way, I encourage you to continue your work; in any case, we will probably need to proceed with our work by Thursday.

Be supportive of each other at this difficult time.  See you tomorrow.

Essay Draft Due on Wednesday!

TODAY
Frankenstein:  More work on thematic ideas from the opening letters/chapters of the text.  Though there are various ideas we probably didn't address in one class or another, you should realize by now the thorough way in which certain core ideas are interlaced throughout Shelley's work.  We still need to look closely at the subjects of study he undertakes at the university and at the characteristics and personality of his two professors.

FOR TOMORROW
Yes, the essay draft.  Pay close heed to the following caveats:

Introductory Paragraph

• NO use of the following words:  similar, different, similarities, differences

Body thesis claims

• As with any essay, be sure that each body thesis links back to a specific part of the main thesis.
• EVERY “body section” (not necessarily every paragraph) needs to start with a concrete comparative/contrast claim that incorporates both works

turnitin.com (note that the times have been adjusted slightly for the Wednesday schedule)

• Open now—First Draft folder.
• Closes at 1:05 p.m. for 1^st and 3^rd; at 3:00 p.m. for 6^th 
• 10 points (DLWK) for hard copy in class plus on-time turnitin.com
• NO HARD COPY IN CLASS will result in no opportunity to receive feedback nor to earn points for providing tomorrow’s feedback.  Unless there is an excused absence for the day, you will not be allowed to do this on your own. 
• Students who will be out for school activities must get their materials to turnitin.com before heading out to the day’s activities.

                                                                                   

Frankenstein Today

TODAY IN CLASS
1.  Make sure to read the "Author's Introduction" and "Preface" ; if your book lacks one or both of these, check online or borrow someone else's book to copy these pages.
2.  If you were absent, skim the biography of Mary Shelley in your text up to the summer of 1816.
3.  We established a starter set of core thematic ideas:  Nature, Education, Parents/Children, Destiny, Justice, Knowledge, Friendship/Companionship.  Then with abitrary (numbered) designations, students pored over specific sections for all of these topics (Letters 1-2; Letters 3-4; and (separately) Chapters 1, 2, and 3.  This was for class discussion--nothing collected--but hopefully your notes will still be clear tomorrow. . .

FOR TOMORROW
. . . because we will continue talking about this.  (We stopped at various points in the three classes.)

But as HOMEWORK for Tuesday, be working on the essay.  Remember, a typed draft is due in class on Wednesday. And it will also be due on turnitin.com by class time that day.  I'll open it sometime Tuesday morning.

TODAY IN CLASS
AP Multiple Choice practice:  two passages for students to study/answer individually, then time for small group discussion and consensus on one of them. 

FOR MONDAY
You should be in on-going work mode for the comparative/contrast essay.  But specifically for/on Monday, bring the Frankenstein text with you, and be knowledgeable and well-prepared on the opening letters and Chapters 1-3.

TODAY IN CLASS
Third period finally caught up by finishing the sound features of "The Eagle" and spending some time debating the metaphorical possibilities for "The Sick Rose."

The beginning point for everyone else was a new poem (hand-out this time, though it's also in your book): Robert Frost's "Nothing Gold Can Stay."  After 10-12 minutes for detailed annotation, notes on both the literal and more figurative interpretations, a statement of theme, and other assorted preparation for an analytical paper, we didn't write one--or even discuss.  I turned you over to Chapter 37 of the lit book. The in-class instructions were to read carefully the material strewn through that chapter on this poem and to skim everything else; however, the OUT of class instructions are simply to read that chapter.  The two goals were to get a measure of what's "expected" in thinking/writing about a poem, and to have a review of the steps and growth expected as drafts grow from jotting down ideas, to "rough" drafts no one sees but you, to the polished draft such as the one you will bring to class next Wednesday.

I also called your attention to a paragraph on the importance of narrowing a paper topic (p.1427, near the bottom).  This is your challenge now--I've briefly given a Go/No go message re: your paper topics.  For many of you, however, it's a Go for getting started, but with the caveat that you still may find that you need to narrow/restrict your scope as you write.

FOR TOMORROW
Nothing is due tomorrow; there will be in-class AP Multiple Choice practice.  But you have "homework" as you prepare for next week:

• Frankenstein: Letters and Chapters 1-3 due on Monday.  Be sure to have the text with you in class. As you read, be thinking about important thematic ideas (the "topics" in this case, not complete statements of themes--there are many--at this early stage).
• The first draft of the essay is due on Wednesday.
• And then, of course, more of Frankenstein.

Second Semester

Second Day- - -
No blog for Day 1.  Sorry. 

TODAY IN CLASS
We got three strands underway (well, 3rd period, two strands and a fire drill).

Poetry--Start keeping a list of poems we cover (whether lightly in class or via at-home study)
Tennyson's "The Eagle" (501).  I presented it as I always have--just asking kids questions--and I didn't read the blurb in the book because kids have never had the big book with them at the time we started the poetry mini-unit during first semester.  But later today, I actually did read it--and it turns out that this new edition of the book pretty much covers the main points.  So now I wish I'd given you a hand-out as usual, to make sure you weren't able to read what anyone else said about it. I wanted students to act on their own to develop a sense of contrast between the regal majesty of the eagle in stanza 1 and the powerful predator of stanza 2 by looking at all of the features that set up contrast (stanza break, perspective, static/dynamic, different rhyme scheme) as well as to examine the imagery, other devices, and sound features that appear in the poem. That is STUDENTS, using your own powers of observation and reflection, not merely reading what someone else wrote--whether in the textbook or online.

Frankenstein--As noted on the back of the Ibsen/Chopin assignment sheet, you get to start this at a fairly leisurely pace:  The Letters and Chapters 1-3 must be read by Monday, Jan. 31.
And if you've been absent, just know that I pointed out the basic starter information that we are looking at a FRAME STORY (similar to HoD), with an outer narrative structure provided by Robert Walton's letters to his sister, a primary narrative by Frankenstein, and the innermost chapters by the Creature himself.

Topic generation--Ibsen and Chopin

Today's version was the "shorthand" process of what I would like to have done to give you a chance to be more independent in deciding on an element of your choice to compare and contrast from the play and from the novel. You have to do something usefully "deep"--something that ultimately heightens our understanding (illuminates beyond what any reader would be expected to "get" right away). I wanted you to have a chance to generate some topics of your own before handing you the hand-out, but it barely worked in 1st and not at all in 3rd and 6th.  But I didn't want to delay the process, so we're moving ahead.
I am hopeful, however, that you will give some serious contemplation to what might interest YOU first.  I'm especially eager for some topics that do not primarily focus on characters, but certainly there are excellent paper topics to be crafted from the people who inhabit Ibsen's and Chopin's dramatic and fictional space.

One caveat: you cannot simply "compare/contrast Nora and Edna"--you must examine some restricted aspect of their attitudes, relationships toward  XXX, or something specific that you identify as part of some evaluative and illuminating claim. A second caveat: people invariably start research projects or essays with topics that are too broad.  Your goal is a solid four-page paper; select something that with judicious, well-selected quotes (no long block quotations, please!) will be adequately covered in such a span.  That means whatever topic you start with will probably be narrowed before you are done.

FOR TOMORROW

Some choice here.  By the end of class on Wednesday, you must submit a short prospectus of your paper topic and approach.  This is a short form of the proposal grad students must write (and get approved) before undertaking a masters thesis or a doctoral dissertation.  In your case, it's VERY short--three to five sentences--and it's absolutely OK to use the first person.  It is NOT the same thing as a "thesis statement"; in fact, if you're thinking of a worthy topic that will actually illuminate something to people who have already read these with reasonable care, then you don't actually KNOW the complexities of your thesis until you do some significant data-mining and evaluative contemplation.  But it's a start.

Here's where the choice comes in:

• You can decide tonight, write up the short prospectus, turn it in at the beginning of class, and get started with either collecting data from the texts/early planning OR simply reading Frankenstein during class
• OR you can spend class time deciding what you will do, and have a neatly hand-written prospectus to hand in before class time is over. 

Either way, the deadlines for successive steps are on the hand-out you received today.  I'm linking it here for future reference:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J1l4j85Qk2PyzoGsWCsgM8uzjWVUHrYz5nwKkyUKMQY/edit?hl=en&authkey=CPWskZYM#

P.S.  Also note that the back of this hand-out provides the basic dates by which you will need the remaining texts for this course!  No more lost time/lost learning, please!

Tuesday Night

To recap the final:  covers everything except the short stories and Hamlet
So fair game:  Metamorphosis, Heart of Darkness, A Doll's House, and The Awakening

Part I was today--the "Metamorphosis" AP Question 3

Parts II-IV will be on your designated finals day -- Wednesday for 6th, Thursday for 3rd, and Friday for 1st

• Part II (15 min.): objective questions over A Doll's House and The Awakening
• Part III (35-40 min.):  passage analysis, obviously over a specified text you will have in front of you
• Part IV ((35-40 min.):  closed-book essay for which you select the work from at least three that will  be listed

What counts-

• Knowledge of texts
• Ability to identify and explain literary devices at work 
• Insight into what's going on in the specific passage, including both a close eye for details as well as for seeing patterns and significant generalizations that help illuminate understanding
• For the broader question, the best advice is to make sure you understand the prompt and respond exactly to what is being asked. 
• For both essays, write a strong thesis, organize in a way that best conveys your ideas on the text, and support with ample textual evidence

Updated: Wyatt assignment, plus additional info

http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng384/suicide.htm

Obviously the ending of The Awakening has troubled readers, and various critics have sought to interpret exactly what happens (does she commit suicide?; could the drowning perhaps be accidental?) as well as to justify it as a satisfying artistic and thematic choice.

Read Neal Wyatt's short piece all the way through, and select ONE of the critics he mentions.  Write one paragraph (two if you're really on a roll) that asserts which critical view most closely matches your own thoughts on the ending of this novel, and why.  If at all possible, try to add further justification/rationale for the critical stance you've selected.  (That is, don't just continue to state that you agree, but ADD to the support for that critic's position by providing further evidence from the novel.)

Submit to http://www.turnitin.com/ only.  No hard copy.

Due by class-time tomorrow.

AFTER-SCHOOL UPDATE
Though I am sorry we have not yet gotten to the reason for bringing both texts to class (Chopin plus the big lit book), please bring them both tomorrow.  There will be some in-class activities related to material in both books.

NEXT WEEK
The final exam, given over two days, covers the following works:  Metamorphosis, Heart of Darkness, A Doll's House, and The Awakening.  (No short stories; no Hamlet)

Tuesday:  In-Class Closed-Book Essay on "The Metamorphosis"
The question will be an AP or AP-style "Question 3" that requires you to use Kafka's "Metamorphosis" as the focus to responding to a broad critical question.  (That is, on the actual AP exam, a student would have had the choice of what work to use, either selecting from a list provided or choosing another work that fits the parameters of the question.)

During the 90-minute Finals Period:

• A short series of objective questions over A Doll's House and The Awakening  (30-40; 15 min.)
• A passage analysis from one of the works using a hand-out, not your own text
• A closed-book "Question 3" for which you may choose one of the works OTHER THAN "Metamorphosis"

There will be 75 minutes to split between these two questions, which is barely less than the 80 minutes assumed on the AP exam.  (Even then it is "recommended"--that is, you have two hours for three essays, and whereas 40 minutes each is an even split, people routinely spend, for example, 35 minutes on one and 45 on another.)

You will be expected to be on-time, and to have a pencil for the Scantron section and pens and paper out and ready for the written sections.  When the bell rings, we will begin.

So it's nearly six . . .

And the blot is late.  The faculty meeting lasted until nearly 4:20, and I arrived back at my room--geared up to do the blogs before leaving--only to encounter about six guys armed with power tools who were taking apart the computer tables and building new ones.  I left.  No blog.

So now I'm 35 miles north, where we still have some snow around the edges, and here is what you need to know/do for sure:

1) The Awakening should be completely finished.  There will be a short closed-book quick-write tomorrow that will focus on the ending:  everything, essentially, that happens once Edna arrives at Grand Isle (people, activities, conversations, the beach, the water). 

2) In all classes, the childbirth scene.  Why is it important?  What about Madame Ratignolle is significant?  What is there about Edna/Edna's reactions that should be noted?  Anything else??

3) In 1st and 3rd, some direct squaring off of Alcee Arobin and Robert Lebrun (and maybe some finishing up in 6th).

Be thinking, also, about the sorts of things that are most intriguing, potentially illuminating, etc., to compare/contrast between these last two works.

Start of the Blog

I'll try to get back to this with the review of the final, etc.

But for now, it is very simple.  READ.  Without fail, be caught up to where you should have been for today (end of Ch. 32).  But also without fail, plan to be DONE with The Awakening for Wednesday.

Survey Link

Please go to this site, click on the Start Survey arrow, and answer their questions. 

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22BHA5TVUM9

TODAY IN CLASS
Discussion of "The Storm" (briefly, really--focussing on the metaphorical and thematic implications of the literal storm) and public responses to both Chopin and Ibsen's work.  Tomorrow we move fully into The Awakening.

FOR TOMORROW
You should have read at least half the book.  (It is really a very short book; the B & N classics edition is 155 pages.) But since I can't deal in page numbers that will apply to everyone, we will say through the end of Chapter 19 (XIX).  By Monday, read through Chapter 32 (XXXII).  By Wednesday, you need to be finished with the book (XXXIII through the end).

Be sure that you are keeping the details of this story straight, but you should be very aware of Ibsen's play resonating in the back of your mind as you read Edna's story.  Don't stop with the obvious--press as far as possible in thinking of similarities, differences (but more importantly, the SUBTLE distinctions within the seeming similarities) between the two works.  Don't stop with plot and character, either . . .

Cajuns and Creoles . . .
Please bring both "The Storm" (big book) and The Awakening to class tomorrow.

If you've finished Chopin, you have no homework.  If you haven't, READ (at least 30-some pages from wherever you are now!). 

TODAY IN CLASS
Collected homework questions after students marked their strongest/best response.
Discussed Anne Marie and the concluding few lines of Act II, and a variety of topics from Act III

FOR TOMORROW
Continue to be reading The Awakening, but for Wednesday, also take a little time to read a short story by Kate Chopin entitled "The Storm" (p. 108 in your textbook).

Happy New Year to the Class of 2011

TODAY IN CLASS
Discussion of Act II and bits of Act III of A Doll's House, based loosely on specific Acts questions on p. 1084.  We didn't do too much with the Act III ones, though, because we will focus on a couple of scenes in detail tomorrow.

FOR TOMORROW
Prepare the "General Questions" on p. 1084 (the seven questions in the last section).  Although several of these are interpretive, your response should include strong and convincing textual evidence.  For question #4, double back to the beginning of the Drama section (806 ff.)  It is tied in with the one-act play Trifles, which I haven't assigned and don't expect you to read tonight.  However, look over the definitions of key dramatic terms on pp. 820-824--particularly for the discussion of crisis/turning point/climax on p. 822.  And for question #6, be sure that you have read the introductory material to Chapter 35 (1027-1031).