Friday and Monday

Friday we began with a short quiz on act five of Othello and spent the rest of the period introducing and working on the Shakespeare project.
Monday after a bit of introductory blather, groups chose monologues, began annotations, and started working together on the overall presentation.

What? Work day!

Using the same technique we practiced with essay X yesterday, do a reverse outline for your timed writing from the S1 final.
To begin with, each student did the Reverse Outline activity below with his/her essay from the final exam.
I. Copy Your Thesis
II. What is the purpose of the paragraph? (This should be in the topic sentence).
 a. What evidence supports this?
 b. More evidence (if present)
Repeat II as needed.

Once they finished,  students had several options:

•  Using the outline you just created and our discussions of the sample essays to guide you, revise your timed writing from the final (extra credit).
•  Review the comments on your topic and begin planning your essay.
•  Catch up with your Othello posts at Moodle.
•  Read act 5 of the play (which you will be quizzed on tomorrow).

The Reverse Outline: Essay X

Today we began the period by creating an outline for essay X in the packet of final exam essays we have been working with (this will be collected later). After that, we talked a bit about act 3 and spent the rest of the period catching up with online work and reading act 4.

Tuesday

Today we spent the first half of the period talking about act 2, mostly regarding Iago's development. After that we continued the paper norming activity we began yesterday.
Remember that paper topic posts are due.

Monday

Today we began with a warm-up analyzing a quotation from act 1 of Othello. After talking about that and some quotations from the first act, we moved on to some work with sample essays responding to the pc prompt from the final exam.
Othello Dates:

• Act 1, 1/31 w/ post
• Act 2, 2/1 w/ post
• Act 3, 2/2 w/ post
• Act 4, 2/3 w/ post
• Act 5, 2/4 w/ post

Candide PC

Today I tortured class by making them review a few more multiple choice questions before spending the rest of period on the timed essay on Candide. Students turned in study guides as well.
Bring Othello to class tomorrow.

Wrapping up Candide.

Today we finished our discussion of Candide with a look at theme and symbol. We wrapped up the day looking multiple choice questions from "The Albuquerque Graveyard."

Candide PC and SG tomorrow.

A Return to the Garden

Today we spent the first part of the period looking at Candide again and spent the last part scoring the multiple choice section of the final.

And So It Begins...Again

Today I assigned the second major thematic essay of the year, and then we spent the rest of the period examining the more difficult passages from the MC portion of the final. More of that tomorrow.

Essay #2 Due Dates:

•     * Topics Posted to MH 2/1
•     * Topics Commented Upon at MH 2/2
•     * Drafts in Class with Cover Sheets 2/8
•     * Final Drafts Due 2/18

Candide Three Ways

We started with the final quiz on Candide.
We worked a bit on the Candide CRA (which I collected).
Finally, we worked on a quick Candide warm-up (which I did not collect, but will).

The whole lesson is below.

WU (1/14) Read the passage below (it’s several paragraphs into chapter 19).

• Identify one of Voltaire’s satirical targets here.
• Name one technique Voltaire employs to further his satire.
• Finally, what is Voltaire’s message about his target?

"Yes, sir," said the negro, "it is the custom. They give us a pair of linen drawers for our whole garment twice a year. When we work at the sugar-canes, and the mill snatches hold of a finger, they cut off the hand; and when we attempt to run away, they cut off the leg; both cases have happened to me. This is the price at which you eat sugar in Europe. Yet when my mother sold me for ten patagons on the coast of Guinea, she said to me: 'My dear child, bless our fetiches, adore them for ever; they will make thee live happily; thou hast the honour of being the slave of our lords, the whites, which is making the fortune of thy father and mother.' Alas! I know not whether I have made their fortunes; this I know, that they have not made mine. Dogs, monkeys, and parrots are a thousand times less wretched than I. The Dutch fetiches, who have converted me, declare every Sunday that we are all of us children of Adam—blacks as well as whites. I am not a genealogist, but if these preachers tell truth, we are all second cousins. Now, you must agree, that it is impossible to treat one's relations in a more barbarous manner“(40 [or chapter 19]).

Write a paragraph in which you explain how one or more of the devices you noted contribute to the satirical point you pinpointed.
Your paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence (or sentences) like:

• Through [some technique], Voltaire attacks [his target], saying that [his specific point].
• In this passage, Voltaire mocks [his target]. By [some technique], he demonstrates [his specific point].
• By [some technique], Voltaire emphasizes [his specific point about his target].

Bonus: Avoid the verb “uses” and all of its synonyms (e.g. utilizes, employs, etc.)

Fun with Art 2: The Presentations

After another three-question quiz warm-up, students had the opportunity to finish their posters and we presented them (there are still a few presentations remaining in 6th). I collected the scavenger hunt from Tuesday and the posters at the end of the period.

Fun with Art

We began the day with another short Candide quiz/warm-up, followed that with a bit more time on yesterday's scavenger hunt, and wrapped up the day working on a short term poster assignment in pairs.

Another Scavenger Hunt

Today we spent the period looking more closely at the first 7 chapters of Candide with a little scavenger hunt. The questions are at moodle. We will go over them tomorrow.

Candide

Today we reviewed the definition of satire and then looked a good example of satire from The Onion. After that, I introduced Candide and assigned the homework.

For Tomorrow: Read through chapter 7

PC Friday

We talked a bit about the drama trip to Ashland, reviewed a few of the excellent sentences culled from the CRA paragraphs yesterday, and then students spent the rest of the period on the Frankenstein pressure comp.

Theme & a Treasure Hunt

We began the day with an in depth discussion of themes in Frankenstein and spent the second half of the period in small groups looking for outstanding features within the Frankenstein CRA paragraphs.

Timed writing and study guide tomorrow.

Romance Anyone?

Today we began by discussing the place of Frankenstein in the Romantic Period, followed by an examination of the draft CRAs students wrote yesterday.

Of Eagles and Livers...

We began the day writing a bit about the connection between the Prometheus myth and Frankenstein and then moved on to the CRA assignment below.Students should have a completed first draft of the paragraph in class tomorrow.

1. Choose a Passage from the Novel: the passage should be in the neighborhood of 16 to 20 lines.
2. Annotate the Passage.
3. You may do this in your book or you may print a copy of the passage (while looking at the online text, use the “find” command to locate your passage, copy and paste it into Word, and print). Note figurative and stylistic devices, theme, tone, etc.
4. Choose one aspect of your passage and write a CRA paragraph explaining how that aspect affects theme and/or tone. Be sure to quote the passage liberally. Consider using the literary analysis frames handout you were given.

Quiz Time

We spent most of the day taking and talking about a quiz on the second half of Frankenstein.