Sunday, June 5, 2011
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.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
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.
Friday, June 3, 2011
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/
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/
Thursday, June 2, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
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#
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#
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