Happy Holidays!

Today we wrapped up Poetry Out Loud (amazing!) and decided on books for the next unit. You have no homework over break but to check your email for updates on the POL finals and the next unit.

Poetry Out Loud

Today we spent the period revelling in poetry. It was amazing!

Poetry Out Loud: Round 1

Today we spent the entire period reading and reciting poetry. It was amazing! Recitations will continue Thursday with the end of Round 1 and the start of Round 2.

We will take a break from poetry tomorrow to wrap up Frankenstein.

POL, LC Books, & Frank

After some last-minute Poetry Out Loud practice, we talked about the three possible books—Beloved, by Toni Morrison; Ceremony, by Lesli Marmon Silko; and As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner—for the literature circle project we will start after break, and then spent the rest of the period on Frankenstein.

Some Frank Talk

Wednesday & Thursday

Wednesday, students spent the period revising essay drafts while working through the Essay Revision Checklist at Google Classroom.

Thursday, after selecting their poem order, students spent the day in response groups.

POL, Ashland, & Frank

After a bit more POL practice, I finally announced this year's Ashland trip (handout here) and then we worked a bit more on Frankenstein in discussion groups. 

A Hodge Podge

After a quick Frankenstein quiz, students practiced the POL poems, we talked about the essay (and I changed the draft due date by a day to 12/9), and we wrapped up the period writing about Frankenstein.

Essay Structure & Frankenstein

After a bit more poem time, we talked about general essay structure a bit, and then talked about Frankenstein, focusing on the Uncanny Valley and the book's subtitle, "The Modern Prometheus."

Topics and Tone

After spending some quality time together in the parking lot thanks to our unplanned fire drill, students took a few moments to focus their essay topics, sharing them with me.

For the rest of the period, students spent some time considering how to infuse their poem recitations with emotion and energy, by studying Maya Daniels' recitation of "Apollo" and marking her emotional and tone choices on this handout. The tone list here may be helpful.

POL, Essay Topics and Creepiness

Students began the day by sharing their POL poems aloud with their partners. We then spent some time working on narrowing essay topics.

Finally we wrapped up by watching this video about why things are creepy

and doing a bit of writing about how it applies to Frankenstein.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today we had a brief introduction to the Romantic Period and Frankenstein.

Poetry Out Loud

Today students had the period to work on their POL poems, finishing their annotations and SOAPSTones, drafting and posting CRAs (now due 11/22), etc. We also watched this short video with tips on memorizing poems.

The Candide Timed Essay

We began by discussing the first formal, revised essay assignment of the year (available at Google Classroom), and then students spent the remainder of the period on the Candide timed essay.
New Due Dates:

• Essay Topics, 12/1
• Drafts @ Classroom, 12/8
• Printed Drafts in class, 12/10
• Final Drafts at TurnItIn, 12/17

POL SOAPSTone Time

After talking a bit more about Candide, students spent the rest of the period working on their poetry analyses. By Thursday, they should have their initial annotations and SOAPSTones done and be ready to start CRAs if they have not already done so.

The Candide Wrap Up

After our final presentation from Friday, we spent the period writing about and discussing some major themes of the text.

PCs and Poetry

We began the day with the final piece in our look at the Antigone timed essays, using the rubric (available under the "About" tab at Google Classroom) to score the essays. Students had the rest of the period to work on their Poetry Out Loud annotations and SOAPSTones.

PCs & POL

We started the day with a self-analysis of the last timed writing (below). We will continue this Thursday.

The second half of the period was spent annotating and doing draft SOAPSTones on students chosen POL poems.

CRA Prep

We began with some discussion of Voltaire's overall point, and then groups had some more time to annotate and discuss passages for the CRA assignment. Students should complete draft CRAs for HW in their writer's notebooks.

The Garden

We began by discussing the end of the book, which moved into a discussion of El Dorado, and then we started on a more focused looked at student-chosen sections (basically, #1 on the handout below).

Candide: Day 1

What, with the quiz, some discussion of the play (Taming of the Shrew, go see it) and the resurrection of the Redwood Bark in print form, we didn't have much time to talk about Candide, but we did. A bit.

Q2 and Poetry Out Loud

We began the day with a quick discussion self-assessment and then introduced the Poetry Out Loud Unit. Handouts will be available at Google Classroom tomorrow.

The Raven with Half the Class

Today we read Poe's "The Raven." It was excellent.

A Bit More Sound & Sense

Today we wrapped up the sound and sense activity from yesterday and also revisited the Reading Self Evaluation from the beginning of the year.

More Fun w/ Meter

Today we continued our meter practice, with a short quiz, a few more examples, and a poem by Coleridge. We wrapped up the period talking a bit about how sound should echo sense in poetry.

Fun with Meter

Today we began our introduction to meter and scansion with a look at syllables, stress and some common metrical feet. Absent students should get the notes from a peer (make them teach you the mnemonic devices for the metrical feet as well).

A Reprieve

Groups worked for a bit on their posters and then presented them today. Tomorrow we will wrap up our discussion of Antigone and prepare for the timed writing on Thursday.

Term Hunt, Part 2

After a quickwrite and discussion of who had the better claim to "rightness" in the play, students worked for the rest of the period in groups to make term posters which they will share tomorrow in class.

Richard Cory and Tragic Heroes

We began the day with a short paragraph about "Richard Cory," wrote about and discussed the tragic hero status of Antigone and Creon, and wrapped up with a short homework assignment (below).

Circle Time

We started with a review of sonic devices, using "Richard Cory" of course. We then had some discussion in circles.

Rhyme and Antigone

Today we started with a quick review of rhyme in poetry and then had a quiz on Antigone.

More "Richard Cory" and Antigone

After doing a bit more work with "Richard Cory" (below), we enjoyed a few moments of teh EHS Players' 2012 production of Antigone.

"Richard Cory" and a bit of Antigone

The Greeks

Today we had a brief introduction to Greek philosophy, drama, and the play Antigone. The notes are here. Students should read the entire play by Tuesday, 10/13.

Timed Writing #1

Today we eased our way into the first timed writing, reviewing strategies and the prompt together and then writing for the rest of the period.

Focus on Theme

Today we spent the period crafting and sharing thematic statements, and then coming up with supporting symbols, motifs, and quotations. The first study guide is due before class tomorrow at Turnitin, and we'll have the first timed writing in class.

The Study Guide: Part 2

We worked on study guides today in class, continuing with "Character" and getting through "Figurative Language."

Starting the Study Guide

The Awakening CRA

Today we took the entire period to compose CRAs in the lab. The assignment is at Classroom. Revised CRAs are due to TurnItIn.com on Monday 10/5. We will address any questions or technical problems in class on Monday.

The Awakening CRA

We began the day annotating chapter 6 and the final pages of The Awakening and then shared those annotations with partners and the whole class. Tomorrow we will write in the NAVI lab. The whole assignment is posted at Google Classroom.

More Circle Time

Today we circled up and wrote about and discussed the topics below.

The Whip Around

After a short warm-up practicing summary, we circled up and had a lively discussion for the rest of class.

Quiz #2

We began the day with a quiz and wrapped up the period with a rather lively discussion of The Awakening.

Figurative Language Fun

Today we practiced identifying figurative language in a few quotations from The Awakening. After that, we played a figurative language review game.

Isn't it Ironic

Today we reviewed the concept of irony and finished up our figurative language review.

Ironic Devices

We began with a short S/M/M quotation in the warm-up (I'll post that slide tomorrow) and then spent the rest of the period on ironic devices.

More Figurative Language

Today we started with a short Says/Means/Matters warm-up (below) and then finished our discussion of metaphorical devices. More ironic devices tomorrow.

The First Quiz

Today we had our first quiz and spent the rest of the period talking about the first half of The Awakening.

Defining Literature & Reviewing Figurative Language

We started by wrapping up our discussion of the term "literature" by formalizing our definition.

After reviewing our unit objective, we moved on to a review of figurative language.

What is Literature?

We began the period with a quick discussion of chapter one of The Awakening and spent the rest of the period working on a definition of literature.

The Awakening Introduction

After wrapping up our quick look at various schools of criticism, we read Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" as an introduction to The Awakening.
Homework:

• Read Chapter 1 for 9/17
• Read Chapters 2 through 16 and post at least twice to the Google Group by 9/21.
• Finish the book and post at least twice more to the Google Group by 9/28.

CRAs & Critical Lenses

Today we reviewed Perrine's tips for writing about literature and used them to revise the CRA paragraphs students began yesterday. These were then collected. Students then spent the rest of the period looking at some different critical theories. Bring The Awakening to class tomorrow.

Phoenix CRA

Today we talked about Alexie's story, "This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona," and students started their first solo CRA paragraph in class. Completed drafts of these, typed or handwritten should be available in class tomorrow.

CRA Sharing

Today we spent the period revising and sharing CRAs from Thursday. Students should read and annotate "This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona" for Monday.