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.