READ This! Follow the advice.

Final Essay Advice

What You Missed on Monday

TODAY IN CLASS
Two hand-outs:
1. Final Discussion Questions
Students had about 25 minutes to work individually on 1-6, with particular emphasis on 1-4.  Then there was 15-20 minutes' worth of discussion time on  1-3 only.  The idea was to take personal notes, be thorough with content (read questions carefully; do what each one says!), but not to worry about form.
Anyone who did not finish #4 is expected to prepare that at home:  a minimum of 3 theme statements.  One statement should directly concern the concept of an outsider, no matter which novel you're doing.  For the other two, focus on other theme statements that are significant; these may or may not overlap with the idea of the outsider.
Make sure these are in the form of a complete sentence that makes a universal claim!

2. Choice Novel Final Essay
Read carefully.  Tomorrow is the day to ask questions.

IN CLASS ON TUESDAY
Some further discussion time--focus on 4, with brief time for 5-7.
Teacher-directed scaffolding of theme and thesis-building.

WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY
Work days, pure and simple.

Letter to Character Due Tuesday!

And the Profile Page(s) will be due on Wednesday.

I evidently did not save the letter assignment to the server, and I don't have a copy.  It's on the back of the Profile page in case you didn't see it.

But the key elements are as follows:

• Give ADVICE to a main or key character at a plot appropriate point  for how far you should have read by now.
• The advice should be in the form of a personal letter.
• You can be a character in the book, or you can invent (and manage to explain) an identity and role for you in the life of the character.
• You must include at least three text-based references, one of which must be a direct quotation
• About 250 words in length

In class tomorrow:

These letters will be collected.

An administrator will visit to discuss graduation procedures in more detail.

You will have some time to work on your character profile page(s).

TODAY IN CLASS
Students got their lit circle books.  If you were absent, get one!  You will need to go to the bookroom on your own before or after school or at lunch.  See yesterday's post for the list of options.

Be sure you've read "Araby"--see prior posts.


TOMORROW
Tomorrow's plan--a shortened period, but full-time reading.

Fiction Terms (all in lit book):
Ambiguity, Antagonist, Character (note sub-terms), Characterization, Flashback, Foreshadowing, Mood/Atmosphere, Plot (note sub-terms), Point of View, Protagonist, Setting, Static/Dynamic

Choice Novel Unit--
We get the books tomorrow, except that we don't have all the titles, so . ..

ABSOLUTELY, positively .  . .

If you are interested in Brave New World (the futuristic dystopian novel) or in Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen's popular social comedy/love story/smart women rule except when they don't story) you need to be locating one.  Few people will get our few BNW's, and the school library has only a few Pr and Prej. copies.  

Reading starts on Thursday.  You can access Pride and Prejudice online for a few days, but you probably want the whole book.

FOR TOMORROW
Be sure that you have read Joyce's story "Araby" (starts on p. 1198)

Late, but PresentAn

SHORT STORIES

"The Demon Lover" (1230) -- Essentially done in 1st; needs a final wrap-up in 3rd/5th

"The Rocking-Horse Winner" (1154)--Turned in:  both the questions on the hand-out from Friday, and the 3 tracking categories from Thursday's reading.  If you did NOT turn them in in class, tomorrow at the start is the last full-credit chance.  (Unless you were absent--usual rules apply!)

New story assigned:  "Araby" (1200)  Read.  No written work yet.

CHOICE NOVELS

Books we have on-hand--no need to purchase on your own:
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

John Gardner's Grendel

Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Dreams

Books you can choose, but will have to provide (purchase, borrow, etc.):

Aldous Huxley's Brave New World

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice 

WHERE WE'VE BEEN
All sections have now completed all parts of the 1984 assessment:

• A short "pure objective" test
• Several written questions on aspects of the novel
• A non-fiction reading/writing section:  newspaper article and argumentative response

If you have not finished any one of these, please try to come in tomorrow morning (after 9--there's a faculty event earlier).  You can't come tomorrow afternoon; there's a faculty meeting.  No make-ups Thursday or Friday; I will be gone.

Also--there are a few people who have not yet submitted last Thursday's assignment (due no later than this past Sunday night, online only!).  I have created a "post-deadline" folder--at this point, I think all submissions are "late" vs. absence-related, but a late paper will still carry some credit through this week.  So GET THAT IN.  Instructions and links are in the post for Thursday, May 2.

TODAY IN CLASS

We set up and then read Elizabeth Bowen's "The Demon Lover" (p. 1228).  We discussed the ambiguity of the title, and I asked you to stay alert for further ambiguity within the story itself.

There will probably be some quick accountability at the start of class.

FOR TOMORROW

If you finished the story in class, that's great--no other homework.

If you did not, access it online and finish reading it.