Thursday

After talking through "The Story of an Hour," we had a brief introduction to The Awakening (with reading dates) and spent the last few moments reading aloud.
New Due Dates

• Read through chapter 16 and post at least once to Moodle by 9/18.
• Finish and post at least once more to Moodle by 9/24.

Revision Time

After a few announcements, we spent much of the period revising the "Three Lilies" CRA paragraphs (these are due, revised and typed, on Friday). We wrapped up the period looking at Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour."

CRA #2

Today we wrapped up our discussion of Neruda's short story, and students started on their first solo CRA. Rough drafts are due at the start of class tomorrow.

Thursday and Friday

Over these final two days of the week, we revised and shared CRA paragraphs from earlier in the week. On Friday we also had a quiz on the "Reading and Responding to Literature" essay and discussed some key points in class.

Tuesday & Wednesday

Tuesday, 4th period was at the introductory assembley, but 3rd period got started on our first CRA paragraph of the year. Students looked at an example and then, using the frames given out in class, wrote a draft of a paragraph with their partner.

Wednesday, 4th period started the assignment above, and 3rd period moved on to the revision assignment below.

HW: Read and take notes on "Reading and Responding to Literature," available at Moodle. Due 9/7.

Picture Day!

We began the day with a short course description quiz (which we grouped scored and saved for future origami projects). After having our pictures taken and taking care of a bit of business, we were pretty much done for the day (though fourth period did have 10 minutes to wrap up our discussion of "This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona").
HW: Literature and Literary Merit Assignment @ Moodle, Due 9/5

Poetry Books, Theme, & Alexie

We began the day with a review of theme, went to the library to get Sound and Sense, and spent a few minutes talking about Alexie's short story.

Tomorrow is picture day!

Planners & Gothic Grandmas

After distributing new EHS planners and collecting early honor statements, we spent the remainder of the period writing and talking about "The Children's Grandmother."
HW: (re)Read Alexie's "This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona."

Housekeeping & Day 1, Cont.

We began the day by creating name tags, then briefly discussed the course description. The rest of the period was spent discussing the painting from yesterday and starting our look at "The Children's Grandmother."
HW Find, Print, and Sign the AP Honor Statement at Moodle. Due 8/31.

The First Day

Today we spent our short period talking about grading and the summer work. We also wrote about and began a discussion of a painting that will be continued tomorrow.
HW: (re)Read "The Children's Grandmother," available here. I forgot to mention this in 3rd, so we'll read it together in class.

Forum Thoughts, Part 4, & Late Work

Dear AP Lit Students,

A quick look online shows how industriously you have been posting to the Foster forums. I have read and graded all of the first forum, and I am impressed at the range and level of insight. "Meeting" you this way is one of my favorite parts of the class.

The second forum (due the 20^th) is also off to a good start; however, I wanted to clarify that for the second Foster forum, you should post a specific example (e.g. In the book Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens, which I am currently reading, the character Florence certainly seems to fit Foster's definition of a Christ figure [chapter 14, "Yes, She's a Christ Figure, Too"]) and then explain how your example works in some detail.

 

As of today, the final piece of the summer assignment (due the 24th at 3:15 p.m.) is open. Have a look and let me know if you have any questions. I hope you enjoy the stories I have chosen.

 

Finally, it seems time to make a note on late work. Some of you have not yet posted to the first Foster forum; it is not too late. Late work is better than no work both intellectually and as it regards your grade. Also, the counselors have informed me in no uncertain terms that they are not allowing students to drop AP classes this year, so do the summer work now and avoid digging yourself a hole for the start of the new semester.

 

May this find you enjoying the last weeks of your summer and looking forward to the start of your senior year.

 

See you in person very soon.

 

Mr. Staiano 

Summer HW Due 8/13 and 8/20

We are well into August already and it's time to, slowly, start thinking about school. By now you should have started Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor in anticipation of finishing sometime in the next couple of weeks. Your next two assignments are posted at the Moodle site (which most of you have successfully joined) and simply require you to post to two different discussion boards in response to Foster's text. Many of you have begun posting already, and I have certainly enjoyed reading what you have to say. Remember that with this forum (and all forums), the more you read and post, the more useful it will be. Please have a look at the grading rubric which is posted immediately below the forum for more details.

And that's all there is to it. Have a look around and get to work on the Foster assignments. The final Foster assignment will be posted shortly, and I'll send an email reminder about a week before it's due.

As ever, let me know if you have any problems with the website or otherwise need to consult with me. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Enjoy August.

PS Those of you who have already posted should be able to see your grades on individual posts. These grades, combined with the number of times you post, will determine your grade for the forum assignment as a whole.

Summer Assignment, Part 2

I imagine you all taking advantage of our "beautiful" summer weather, lounging in hammocks and perusing Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor. 

I know, wishful thinking.

I post not to interrupt your idyll, but to let you know that, should you be interested, the online course is now up and ready for enrollment. The directions on your handout seem to be accurate as a couple of you already managed to join the class successfully. I did, however, reset the course, so those of you who were ahead of the game will have to re-enroll. Let me know if you have any questions or problems.

Once enrolled, you will find several things of some potential interest:

• Part 3 of the Summer Assignment—This consists of two separate discussion boards due on 8/13 and 8/20 respectively; however, I encourage you to post early and check back regularly. If you do so, the experience should be helpful and intellectually rewarding, not just busy work. At the very least, log in and read through the assignments.
• The 2012-13 Syllabus—The tentative version of the syllabus, including expectations and a rough course outline, is now posted.
• The Interactive 2012-2013 Reading List—This includes links to all the texts available in free, online versions (everything but Foster's text, Ceremony, As I Lay Dying, and Invisible Man). Remember, you still need print (or e-book versions) in class.

Finally, for whatever reason (some sent email to the wrong email, some forgot, perhaps I missed some, etc.) I am missing email from a few of your peers. If you know any of these students, please remind them to email me ASAP.

I look forward to your thoughts on How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Enjoy the rest of your summer. I will try to stay out of your lives until August.

Portfolios and Workday #1

Today groups started working on their final projects in class, and I handed back English portfolios.

Lit Circle One and Essay #3

New Due Dates:
Topics

• Posted 5/22 (before class)
• Comments 5/23

Drafts

• Posted 5/29
• Comments 6/1

Finals 6/8

Lit Circles Begin

Today we went over the final project, groups set reading schedules, and we read silently for the last 15 minutes of class.

Study Guide Presentations

Today we worked for part of the period and then had four of the study guide presentations. We'll finish tomorrow with those of you who are here.

Study Guide Review Begins

Today we started the study guide review project and worked on it for the whole period.

Practice & the Book Project

Today we did a bit more MC practice and then spend a big chunk of the period talking about the final book project and signing up for books. We wrapped up the period with a final look at "Blackberry-Picking."

More Practice

Today we began with a multiple choice practice section and then started our long-promised look at the "Blackberry-Picking" timed writing.

MC Practice

Today we did a bit of prose multiple choice practice. Bring study guides to the next class.

The Lower Frequencies

Today I collected discussion questions and study guides. Then we had the IM timed writing.

Discussion

Today groups presented about half of the IM discussion questions. More tomorrow.

Work Day

Today we looked at the calendar for the next few weeks and had some time to finish up the IM questions. 4-7 are below. Presentations begin tomorrow.

• 4) Consider the many scenes of "death" and resurrection in the novel. How is death paradoxically a condition for growth in this novel? Why?
• 5) What is the symbolic importance of Tod Clifton's doll? Why is he the only main character to die in the novel?
• 6) What is Ellison's message about the location and source of power? Consider the narrator's own power and motifs like electricity.
• 7) In the epilogue, IM says, "Now I know men are different and that all life is divided and that only in that division is there true health [...] so I denounce and I defend and I hate and I love" (576 & 580). Explain how these apparent contradictions help unlock the ultimate meaning of the novel.

Welcome Back

Today we had our last reading quiz of the year and then divided into groups to work on some IM discussion questions. Most groups got through about the first two. Here are the first three:

1. Reconsider the grandfather's deathbed advice from chapter 1. How does it resonate through the whole novel? In the end, what conclusion has IM come to regarding this advice?
2. What are some symbols and motifs associated with the burdens of the past in the novel? Explore some of these in depth.
3. IM says, "I'm invisible, not blind" (576). What does he mean? How are blindness and defective sight related to the failure of perception in this novel?

Presentations Continue

Today we began with an IM quiz on chapters 13 through 17 and then had a poetry presentation or two followed by some work time. More presentations tomorrow. Do your poetry HW.

Work Day (Mostly)

Today we had a poetry presentation in 3rd period and then work time. Check my earlier posts for the Monday poems.

Drawing Days

Today we had the period to work, but we also decided the order of poetry presentations and I assigned the poetry HW. See the posts below for specifics.

Period 4 Poems

Poetry Project Audience Homework
Each night you should study the poem(s) that will be presented the following day in class by answering the questions below. Poems should be in Sound and Sense or will be given out in class, but are usually available online at the HW blog as well. Do all the assignments on the same paper, heading each assignment with the date and the poem’s title.

1. Summarize the plot of this poem. Briefly, what is it about?
2. Note a few literary techniques which stand out in this poem and their effects.

 Monday

• "Dog's Death" by John Updike
• "Insomnia" by Elizabeth Bishop

Tuesday

• "The Greedy the People" by e.e. cummings
• "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath
• "I Knew a Woman" by Theodore Roethke

Wednesday

• "At a Certain Age" by Cseslaw Milosz
• "Silence" by Marianne Moore
• "The Rose Family" by Robert Frost

Period 3 Poems

Poetry Project Audience Homework
Each night you should study the poem(s) that will be presented the following day in class by answering the questions below. Poems should be in Sound and Sense or will be given out in class, but are usually available online at the HW blog as well. Do all the assignments on the same paper, heading each assignment with the date and the poem’s title.

1. Summarize the plot of this poem. Briefly, what is it about?
2. Note a few literary techniques which stand out in this poem and their effects. 

Friday

• "Digging" by Seamus Heaney

Monday

• "in Just" by e.e. cummings
• "Pretty" by Stevie Smith
• "Christopher Robin" by Czeslaw Milosz

Tuesday

• "Piano" by D.H. Lawrence
• "The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats
• "Wait" by Galway Kinnell

Wednesday

• "Caterpillar" by Robert Graves
• "a song in the front yard" by Gwendolyn Brooks
• "Choices" by Nikki Giovanni

Like Lazarus...

Today we talked a bit about Every 15 Minutes, spent some time talking about Invisible Man, and then poetry groups had a few moments to get together.

Poetry: Round 3

Today groups finished up the "Evolution" project and we just scratched the surface of the next poetry project.

More "Evolution"

Today we continued our work with "Evolution," writing some multiple choice questions and starting the CRA paragraph partner assignment below.

Tuesday

Today we wrapped up up the chapter one through six discussion, and then spent the rest of the period working on the "Evolution" questions from Friday.

IM: Prologue through Chapter 6

Today we had our first Invisble Man quiz and then spent the rest of the period discussing the reading.

Maggot CRA & Evolution

Today we wrapped up our look at "Ode to the Maggot" with a bit of CRA analysis. In the second half of the period, we began our analysis of Alexie's "Evolution." Most students got through number 3.

 

Maggots and Multiple Choice

Today we looked at the three main types of AP multiple choice questions and practiced writing sample questions for the poem "Ode to the Maggot." Absent students should try to write one question of each level for the poem.

"Ode to the Maggot"

Monday & Tuesday

Monday we spent the period on an introduction to Invisible Man, taking some notes on Ellison and the novel, and reading the prologue aloud. HW: Read Chapter 1.

Tuesday we started the day watching a short clip from Ken Burns' Jazz about Louis Armstrong and the song "What Did I Do to be So Black and Blue?" For the rest of the period we worked on some questions about chapter 1.
New Due Dates:

• Ch. 2-6 w/ 2 forum posts 3/19
• Ch. 7-12 w/ 2 forum posts 3/26
• Ch. 13-17 4/2
• Ch. 18 & 19 w/ 2 forum posts 4/6
• Finish w/ 2 forum posts 4/16

Friday

Friday we deconstructed the Godot prompt and then looked at sample essay plan with some thesis and topic sentence frames.
Bring Invisible Man Monday.

Goodbye Godot

Today we finished presentations and wrapped up our discusion of Godot.

Presentations

Today we presented almost the whole play. A few more tomorrow...

Work Time

Today students had the period to work on their Waiting for Godot presentations which will begin tomorrow.

Godot... In Groups!

Today we wrapped up the Godot group questions from Friday and then got started on the next phase: Godot Presentations. See the slides attached.

New Due Dates:

• Godot CRA 3/8
• Godot PC and SG 3/9
• Bring Invisible Man 3/12

Friday

After a brief act 2 quiz, we spent the rest of the day examining Godot in groups. "Hollow Men" questions are due Monday.

"The Hollow Men"

Today we spent the day working on and talking over Eliot's poem. Questions and annotations are due Monday.

T.S. Eliot on Tuesday

Today, after collecting the papers, we started our look at T.S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men." The assignment is at moodle.

Godot Arrives

We spend our short period today with a brief introduction to Existentialism, the Theater of the Absurd, and Waiting for Godot.
New Due Dates:

• Godot, Act 1 2/29
• Godot, Act 2 3/2
• Godot Moodle Posts (x2) by 3/2

Essay Response

Today we spent the period responding to each other's essays. Completing the essay is the only homework over break. Enjoy the vacation and be safe!

Essay Planning

We spent the day refining thesis statements and solidifying essay plans.

So Ends Macbeth

Today we had the timed writing for Macbeth and I collected study guides. Bring your essay tomorrow (in whatever form it currently exists).

Shakespeare Presentations Conclude

Today we wrapped up the Shakespeare presentations and spent the rest of the day considering Macbeth as the model of the tragic hero.

One More Day

We didn't finish the presentations, so everything gets pushed back one day. PC and study guide are Wednesday.

Changing Times

• AP Test deposit money is due by 3/1.
• Your essay topics shouhld be posted and responses are due by midnight tonight.
• The PC and SG look like they will be on 2/14. Happy Valentine's Day!

1.1

Today I assigned the next formal essay and we had the first Macbeth presentation.
New Due Dates:

• Topics Posted to Moodle, 2/9
• Topic Responses Posted to Moodle, 2/10
• Drafts in class (w/ cover sheet), 2/17
• Final Drafts (w/ cover sheet), 2/28

Final Work Day

Macbeth pesentations begin tomorrow. Typed, written work is due Friday.

Work Time

Students spent the period in groups working on the Macbeth project.

Macbeth Presentations

Today we started with a quick review of our work from yesterday and then divided into groups and got started on the presentations. Work time tomorrow.

Tuesday

Today we began with a look at the pressure comp prompt from the S1 final exam. After examining a good sample essay, students were asked to do the activity below with their own essays for homework. At the end of class, we briefly looked at the upcoming Macbeth project. More tomorrow.

More Multiple Choice

Today we discussed the final act of Macbeth and wrapped up our look at the multiple choice section of the final.

We reviewed act 3 today and had a look at some of the more-challnging questions from the final.

Act 2

We reviewed act 2 of Macbeth today and groups finished their look at the multiple choice questions from the final. We will look at these as a whole group tomorrow.

Act 1 & MC

We began the day by quickly running through our notes on act one of Macbeth, sharing scene synopses and quotations. We ended the day looking at the multiple choice section from the final exam.

The Scottish Play

Today we talked a bit about the new semester and then I assigned the Macbeth reading, one act per night, starting tonight with act one.

Wrapping Up the Romantics

After handing in the thematic essays, and the customary reading of the titles, students spent the rest of the period finishing the poem work from Friday.

Romantic Poetry Mini-Project

Today students spent the period on the first part of the Romantic Poetry Project, analyzing the two poems listed on the sheet (and posted below).

"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" ~William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth

(The Rap Version by MC Nuts)

"The Chimney Sweeper" ~William Blake

When my mother died I was very young,
And my father sold me while yet my tongue
Could scarcely cry " 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!' "
So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.

There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head
That curled like a lamb's back, was shaved: so I said,
"Hush, Tom! never mind it, for when your head's bare
You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair."

And so he was quiet, & that very night,
As Tom was a-sleeping he had such a sight!
That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned & Jack,
Were all of them locked up in coffins of black.

And by came an Angel who had a bright key,
And he opened the coffins & set them all free;
Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing, they run,
And wash in a river and shine in the Sun.

Then naked & white, all their bags left behind,
They rise upon clouds and sport in the wind.
And the Angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,
He'd have God for his father & never want joy.

And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the dark,
And got with our bags & our brushes to work.
Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy & warm;
So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.

William Blake

CRAs, SGs, & a PC

Today I collected the Frankenstein CRAs, we looked over the "treasure" (mostly topic sentences and quotations) from yesterday's treasure hunt activity, and I collected the study guides. The rest of the period was spent on the Frankenstein timed writing.
Bring Sound and Sense tomorrow!

Frank Highlighting

Today brainstormed and discussed symbols, motifs, and techniques Shelley uses in Frankenstein, and then did a bit of work with the CRA paragraphs from yesterday.

Paragraphs & CRAs

Today we began with an announcement about AP fees and due dates, and then moved on to a review of paragraph structure (the slides are below). Students then had the rest of the period to work on the Frankenstein CRAs they began yesterday. Complete first drafts should be ready for class tomorrow.



Romance & the CRA

Today we did a quick warm-up on Frankentein and the romantic period and chose passages for the Frankenstein CRA.

A Bit of Frank Discussion

We split the day between Frankenstein and finishing response groups today. Remember that the optional essay drop box opens tomorrow morning.

Response Groups

We spent the entire period in response groups for the first major paper today. Some groups didn't quite finish and we'll have 10 minutes or so tomorrow to wrap up. Absent students will need to do this activity on their own if they want credit.

Fish Bowl Time

Today, after a short Frankenstein warm-up, we spend the day practicing the response group format that we will use tomorrow in class. Bring a draft of your paper.

Welcome Back

Today we started with a short quiz on Frankenstein and then spent some time talking about essay expectations. We wrapped up the period with a ratehr far-ranging discussion of Frankenstein.

Work to Do

I hope you are all enjoying your break--I know that I am (only two small piles of homework yet to grade and 100 pages of Frankenstein to reread!)--however, I did want to remind you of some homework obligations you have for AP Lit. (This follows a blissfully homework free Thanksgiving break you will recall).

1) Drafts of your essay are due Wednesday (the day after we get back). These should be complete drafts with a concluding paragraph, supporting quotations, and a cover sheet. These are not FIRST drafts. They are drafts you have read and revised. Do not make the class do work you could do on your own. I worry about this because only 29 of you (of 49) have posted to the paper topic poll at Moodle. This seems a very simple first step.

2) You should be reading Frankenstein and posting at Moodle; both are due the day we return. Currently, there are a total of 12 posts at Moodle. This means we are 86 posts short of my minimum expectations and that the vast majority of you have not posted at all. I am afraid this means that the vast majority of you have not started reading either. Frankenstein is a great story, but it could be painful if you try to read it all over the weekend, a holiday weekend at that.

Sorry to remind you that school begins in just a few days, but we have things to do when we get back.

See you in the new year!

Mr. Staiano

The Romantics

Today we spent the day on an introduction to the Romantic Movement. The notes are at Moodle.
Remember, you have a bit of homework over the break:

• Read Frankenstein and post at least twice to the Moodle forum by 1/3/12.
• A preliminary draft of your first essay is due (with a cover sheet) on 1/4/12.

Enjoy the Holidays!

Essay Norming

In preparation for the essays students will be writing over the break, we read and scored three sample essays today.

Candide PC

We began the day clarifying expectations for tomorrow's topic read-around and then spent the rest of the day on the Candide PC (after I collected study guides of course).

Tending the Garden

After a short discussion about theme and symbol in Candide, we wrapped up the satire presentations and Candide. PC and SG tomorrow.

The AP Essay & Candide

Today we started with a quick Candide warm-up, and then I introduced the first formal essay of the year. Handouts are available at Moodle. We wrapped up the day with Candide presentations.
New Due dates:

• Candide PC and SG 12/13
• Essay #1 Topics 12/14

PC Evaluation and More Candide

Today we continued our PC self-evaluation with the steps below. Afterwards, students were given the option of revising their PCs for extra credit (due 12/16).

Students spent the rest of the day on their Candide presentations which are due tomorrow.

Work Time

Today we reviewed the prompt from the last timed writing and then spent the rest of the period on the Candide projects.

Annotation Time

Today we did a bit of annotation modelling on a passage from Candide, and students had the rest of the period to work on their own annotations for the project.

I'm Back

Today we began with a short Candide quiz and then groups had their final literature circles.

The Day Before...

Pressure Comp today.

Have a great break!

Discussion Time

Today we spent the period discussing The Woman Warrior and wrapped up with a brief intro to the literature circle project that will begin when we return from break.

Wrapping Up the Poetry

Today we had the last poetry presentation, and then students spent the rest of the period working on the Woman Warrior questions from yesterday. You should be through at least question 4 for class tomorrow.

Tuesday

After a two more poetry presentations, we spent the last part of the period starting some discussion questions for The Woman Warrior.

A Short But Busy Monday

Today we began with a quiz on The Woman Warrior and then squeezed in two more poetry presentations.

Poetry Presentations

Today we managed to spend the whole period on poetry presentations, again...

Poetry Presentations

Today we had our first poetry presentations and then talked a bit about the Ashland field trip. There are only 14 spots and money is due tomorrow: first come, first served.

Period 3 Poems
Wednesday, 11/9

• "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost
• "A Poison Tree" by William Blake
• "Apparently with No Surprise" by Emily Dickinson

Thursday, 11/10

• "The Debt" by Paul Dunbar
•  "A Noiseless Patient Spider" by Walt Whitman
• "Caged Skylark" by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Monday, 11/14

• "Loveliest of Trees" by A.E. Housman
• "Garden of Love" by William Blake

Tuesday, 11/15

• "Stopping by Woods..." by Robert Frost
• "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" by Walt Whitman

Wednesday, 11/16

• "There is a Garden in Her Face" by Thomas Campion

Period 4 Poems
Wednesday, 11/9

• "Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes
• "There's a Certain Slant of Light" by Emily Dickinson

Thursday, 11/10

• "Cross" by Langston Hughes
• "Ending" by Gavin Ewart

Monday, 11/14

• "Sonnet 130" by Shakespeare
• "When I Heard the Learned Astronomer" by Walt Whitman

Tuesday, 11/15

• "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
• "Death Be Not Proud" by John Donne

Poetry Projects Presentations Begin Tomorrow

Today we had a quick quiz on the first half of The Woman Warrior, followed by an explanation of the poetry HW below. Students had the remainder of the period to work, during which time we drew group order.

Poetry Project Audience Homework 
Each night you should study the poems that will be presented the following day in class by answering the questions below. Poems should be in Sound and Sense, but are usually available online if you do a quick search for the title. Do all the assignments on the same paper, heading each assignment with the date and the poem’s title.

1. Paraphrase the plot of this poem. Briefly, what is it about?
2. What is the overall tone of the poem?
3. Note a few literary techniques which stand out in this poem.

 

Stuff and CRAs

After briefly discussing missing AP contracts, the AP Ashland trip, and tomorrow's final work day, we talked about the basic outline for the poetry presentations and looked at a sample CRA. Students had the rest of the period to work.

More Poetry Analysis

Groups spent the day working on their poetry analyses. A few groups started their presentations on the computers.

The Woman Warrior & Poetry Annotation

After a warm-up focused on "No Name Woman" and a brief introduction to the novel as a whole, we looked a quick annotation example and students had the rest of the period to annotate their chosen poems.
New Due Dates:

• Read "White Tigers" through "Shaman" and post at least once by 11/7.
• Finish The Woman Warrior and post at least one more time by 11/14.

The Poetry Project

Today we began the first poetry project. I went over the assignment handout and assigned groups. Most groups managed to choose poems before the end of the period.