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.

An Interesting Day in the Neighborhood

TODAY IN CLASS--
It depended . . . .
1st period--Took the main written part (newspaper article) as well as the written questions on 1984
3rd period--Thanks to no I-vision and a full 60 minutes of time, took the WHOLE test.
5th period--We could have come close--many people would have been fine--but others would have need to come in to finish in order to have their allotted allowable time.  So I split it up.

Thus tomorrow--
1st--Pure objective section  (15 minutes average!)
5th--The newspaper article (about 30 minutes)

BUT ABOUT THE HOMEWORK DUE ONLINE BY SUNDAY NIGHT
Many--most in some classes--got this done and on turnitin.com in a timely fashion.  Others, for a variety of reasons, did not.  I have opened a "Post-Deadline" folder, and all further submissions, for whatever reason, need to go in there.  Do this ASAP if you haven't already.

No other homework for anyone

1984 Assignment and Test

TODAY IN CLASS
We went over the assignment posted Thursday that is due into turnitin.com no later than Sunday night. It is  described in Thursday's blog, and www.turnitin.com is already open.

We discussed the test--about half the time will be for a standard objective test with a few short written responses; the other half will be on a writing assignment based on a newspaper editorial from the Seattle Times.  You will need to answer a few short questions about the article and then write a multi-paragraph response that states and supports your own position on the subject discussed.

Song Lyrics:  in 1st/3rd, you were simply advised to take these seriously, but in 5th there was some time to work on these with a partner.  Consider the lyrics that are woven into various places in Orwell's text:

• the thrush (Golden Country/then mentioned in conjunction with the prole woman)--okay, no words, but Winston definitely hears a "message"--what is it?
• the Bells song--pay attention to ALL the verses (several references)
• the prole woman singing as she hangs laundry (more than once)
• Chestnut Tree--yes, it's a place, but it's also a song; look closely at the words and the timing

SO the idea here is to make connections between the words and actions, themes, ideas in the novel.

The Ending--In 1st/3rd, we looked at this closely, from the last few paragraphs of  Winston's time in Room 101 to the end of the book, with special emphasis on the last page. In 5th, we did not look so closely at the interaction between Winston and Julia when they accidentally met on the park bench, nor did we look at the ambiguity of the ending  (the very last page).  You need to re-read the last chapter and think about these ideas.  (And to everyone--why do you think Orwell decided to have Winston and Julia even meet at all?  What does that add?)

FOR MONDAY

Do the written assignment.

Pay attention to whichever part of the material above (either the song lyrics or the ending) was given short shrift in your class.

If you've kept up with the reading and done the prior work, you should be in good shape for the test.

TODAY IN CLASS

• All classes turned in the Chapter Three study guide.
• 1st/3rd wrote the short responses to the 1984 Apple ad based on 1984 (5th had done that on Wednesday)
• Students then worked on responding to the claims in the Anticipation Guide according to the world of 1984; statements 1-5, 7, and 9 were included in this assignment.  Working individually, in pairs, or threes, the task was to provide evidence from Orwell's book to show the "truth value" of each claim.  In some cases, several short examples would be best; in others, the example might be complicated enough that one significant incident would be sufficient.  The point of view should be "the party"--but where there are distinctions (Winston's doubts; the proles' lack of concern) they should be mentioned as qualifications. If you were in class, then you've done this.  IF YOU WERE ABSENT today, you will need to complete this assignment on your own. Write neatly in ink or type. You should still have the hand-out from a couple of weeks ago; you were asked to keep it because we would use it later. 

FOR TOMORROW

Current events, just FYI: check out these articles on the man with local ties recently sentenced to 15 years in a North Korean labor camp:

http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-sentences-american-15-hard-labor-022806263.html

http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-sentences-american-15-years-labor-035931247.html

For a writing assignment:  It will be enough to read the article and work on the summary portion for tomorrow; the complete assignment is not due until Sunday night (via www.turnitin.com).

1) Look briefly at both of these:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-north-korea-the-news-agency-is-the-weapon-of-choice/2013/04/28/88f3003e-aff2-11e2-bbf2-a6f9e9d79e19_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
(longer but more interesting)

http://news.yahoo.com/pyongyang-glitters-rest-nkorea-still-dark-014946168.html
(shorter but the implications are harder to dig out)

2) Choose ONE to read carefully.  You would be wise to print it out, because the writing assignment will be much easier to do if you have something to look at.

3) The following assignment needs to be done the computer because you will submit it to www.turnitin.com only--no hard copies at all.  You should get going on it tonight, but it is not "due" until Sunday night.  Yes, Sunday night.  I am not telling you to work on Sunday.  Finish it tonight.  Or on Friday.  Or on Saturday.

A) SUMMARIZE the article you have selected.  Do a word count.  You have a 150-word limit on the first article, and only 100 words for the second article.  You must give balanced coverage to the entire article.

B) This section is divided into two parts, and you need to respond to both, no matter which article you selected.

Question 1--Explain what aspects of the situation described in the article are the result of a totalitarian government. Do not just bullet this information.  Organize it in such a way that we see what aspects of government are involved.

Question 2--Explain how the material in the story reflects an oligarchy.

TODAY IN CLASS
Consideration of May 1--community identity and "coming together"--across the globe and the centuries.
Celebrating 20 years of the World Wide Web
Apple's revolutionary 1984 ad that utilized "1984"
 (1st/3rd:  there will be a quick follow-up to this)

FOR TOMORROW
Finish reading 1984; finish the Chapter Three worksheet.

There will be no separate Ch. 3 quiz; however, there WILL be a test over the whole work on Monday, May 6.  (I think I told 1st period that it would be Friday, but I've decided to make it Monday instead.)

TODAY IN CLASS
1.  "Winston's Bedtime Reading" Questions handed in
2.  If you've been gone, make sure Ch. 2 Study Q's (due last week) are in
3.  Quiz over Chapter Two

There was some reading time if your work was caught up.

FOR TOMORROW
Chapters I and II of the last big section,  Chapter Three.

TUESDAY, April 23

**** This was written Tuesday afternoon, and I hit SAVE rather than PUBLISH.  So sorry  . . . .

TODAY IN CLASS

• We took some time out to watch two installments of a documentary on North Korea, with a small fragment from another source. 
• In 1st and 3rd, we looked at several significant aspects of Chapter Two, Ch.II. In 5th, we need to spend a few minutes on II before proceeding
• In 1st and 5th, we looked at photos of Trafalgar Square that students had turned up; 3rd, we will do this tomorrow.  See if you can find out two things for sure:  who is represented by the statue at the top of the fluted column, and is there really a statue of Oliver Cromwell on a horse in Trafalgar Square?

FOR TOMORROW

If you look at the reading schedule (yesterday and Friday) you will see that we are way behind in terms of talking, but that's perfectly okay at this point.  This book does not have to be talked to death in all parts.

Tomorrow I'll give you another of the very short/direct study guides, but you should have read Chapter Two through part of IX by the time you come to class.

TODAY IN CLASS
Sort of a slow Monday start, but there are several specifics to catch up on if you were absent:
1) Think through the range of "risk" for Julia in passing the I love you note to Winston
2) List out the details of the Victory Square description (bottom of 113 and 114)
3) List out the language at the beginning of Ch. II (first paragraph) that makes the place sound idyllic
4) Review the definition of pastoral (p. 299 in the big lit book); read Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" (p.314) and "The Nymph's Reply to the the Shepherd" (p. 317) by Sir Walter Raleigh.

Everyone, FOR TOMORROW
1) Do the reading, obviously--see schedule below
2) But also- a superquick web check for the actual place in London that Orwell calls "Victory Square":

• Search  for Trafalgar Square
• Save at least two images of what can be found in or very near Trafalgar Square  mentioned in the paragraph.  Have them on your smart phone or know how to access them quickly on my LCC computer.
• Know what the "real" Trafalgar Square elements are vs. the changes Orwell makes.

READING SCHEDULE FOR THE REST OF 1984

In class on Friday, 4/19--pp. 105-126 (Chapter Two, ch. I-II)
BY Monday, 4/22--pp. 127-147 (Chapter Two, ch. III-IV)

By Tuesday, 4/23--pp. 147-167 (Chapter Two, ch. V-VII)
By Wednesday, 4/24--pp. 167-199 (Two, ch. VIII and part of IX)
IN CLASS on Wednesday, 4/24--pp. 199-216 (rest of IX)
By Thursday 4/25- Read Ch. X (pp. 217-224) and complete short Study Guide Q's
IN CLASS on Friday--"Winston's Bedtime Questions" (will carry over as homework if you don't finish)

On Monday, 4/29--Chapter Two quiz (includes people back from field trips): then reading time for pp. 225-239 (Chapter Three, ch. I)
By Tuesday, 4/30--pp. 239-260 (Three, ch.II)
By Wednesday, 5/1--pp. 260-282 (Three, ch. III-IV)
In Class on Wednesday, 5/1--pp. 282-287 (Three, ch. V-VI)

Reading Schedule for the Rest of 1984

READING SCHEDULE FOR THE REST OF 1984


In class on Friday, 4/19--pp. 105-126 (Chapter Two, ch. I-II)
BY Monday, 4/22--pp. 127-147 (Chapter Two, ch. III-IV)

By Tuesday, 4/23--pp. 147-167 (Chapter Two, ch. V-VII)
By Wednesday, 4/24--pp. 167-199 (Two, ch. VIII and part of IX)
IN CLASS on Wednesday, 4/24--pp. 199-216 (rest of IX)
By Thursday 4/25- Read Ch. X (pp. 217-224) and complete short Study Guide Q's
IN CLASS on Friday--"Winston's Bedtime Questions" (will carry over as homework if you don't finish)

On Monday, 4/29--Chapter Two quiz (includes people back from field trips): then reading time for pp. 225-239 (Chapter Three, ch. I)
By Tuesday, 4/30--pp. 239-260 (Three, ch.II)
By Wednesday, 5/1--pp. 260-282 (Three, ch. III-IV)
In Class on Wednesday, 5/1--pp. 282-287 (Three, ch. V-VI)

TODAY IN CLASS
1. "Old Prole" conversation chart/conclusion collected for points; returned for group discussion.  The target:  understanding how the wide-ranging details in the prole's responses actually do reveal much about the pre-Revolution society.  We discussed some of those features.

2.  Quiz:  Chapter One

FOR TOMORROW
Be sure to have your book with you.  You will have some significant in-class reading time.

Quiz on Thursday!

TODAY IN CLASS

• I collected the 15 short study questions over Part I.  
• We finished discussing the ideas that connect across chapters using the hand-out from yesterday (1st period just got the hand-out today, but we'd done most of the same thing yesterday anyway). 
• You should have read through 7-8 for today (Wednesday); it was obvious that many of you had done so, but a few (just as clearly) had not. :(

FOR TOMORROW
1.  The quiz covers the full Chapter One, which includes smaller chapters I-VIII (pp. 1-104).
You will need to answer straightforward questions (a single phrase to a sentence or two will be needed).  No word bank, no multiple choice . . . just respond to what's asked.

2.  There is homework to help you with a significant part of Chapter VIII.  Study the conversation between the Old Prole and Winston (pp. 88-92) and follow the instructions on the hand-out you received in class.
*** If you were absent, just study the conversation and make a chart in three columns to keep track of what the Old Prole reveals about life before the Revolution.  Make a column for CULTURAL (political, educational, religious), a second column for CULTURAL (general "quality of life" issues), and a third column  for ECONOMICS.  Write down a key phrase or two that will identify the aspect or feature of life "back in the day."  (Don't stress if something could overlap--just pick the column you think works best.)
So yes, these are due tomorrow.

3.  The quiz will not by any means take the full period, and it will not be the very first thing that we do.

TODAY IN CLASS
Some early discussion; time to work on a study guide for the complete Chapter One.
Assigned before break:  you should have been through (sub)-chapter 4 today (IV as given in your book).

FOR TOMORROW
Read through small Chapter 6 (VI, ending on p. 69).  Answer the questions so far as this portion allows.

Remember that you need to answer these fully, and somewhat beyond that is "asked"; I expect you to provide some sort of brief commentary, a quick "so what" that makes a connection between the answer to the question and WHY it should matter.  What do we learn about the society, the government, the character, or whatever "other" there might be from answering the question??

Hamlet Essays Handed In Today!

If yours is NOT in, or if you turned in the hard copy but have not yet submitted it to www.turnitin.com , well, you know what to do.  Papers handed in tomorrow (for ANY reason) need to be handed directly to me.

Everyone in 1st and 3rd should have finished reading Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" (starts on p. 1250) as well as answering the questions.  The papers should have been turned in to the basket.

In 5th, a few people might not have gotten finished (we didn't even start this until today).  You can either finish tonight so you can start the novel on time tomorrow, or finish in class and catch up on first reading assignment for the novel at home.  Your choice.

The Memory Work
We got a start today; thanks to those who volunteered!  Tonight is a good night to work because there is no other homework, so I hope for many more tomorrow.  The last day is THURSDAY!  Remember that you need to have a clean copy for me to follow as you recite; I record notes on that paper as you recite.

If you still haven't selected your material, look at yesterday's blog post for the details.

Orwell's novel 1984
3rd/5th--we will get 1984 from the book room tomorrow; please have your ID with you.

Hamlet Essay Due Tomorrow

Final Draft of Hamlet Essay
1. Print out the final draft; be sure to include a Works Cited.  See instructions below.
2.  Submit the complete final draft to www.turnitin.com; the folder is already set up.  The deadline is tomorrow night (11:59 p.m.) but there is no reason to wait.
3.  You will turn in three things on Tuesday:
a) the final draft; stapled these pages
b) the first draft from Friday, March 28
c) the peer response from Friday, March 28

If you haven't done/received a peer response, TELL ME at the start of class on Tuesday.  Parents, older siblings, college friends, etc., are not candidates for the "peer" response process. You must receive feed back from and give feedback to someone in one of my three classes (ideally  your own section, but at this point we sometimes have to compromise on that).

The Works Cited page
1st and 3rd--You must cite the Folger edition.  Follow the format given on the Purdue OWL.  Start here
Works Cited--Books .
Study the"Basic Format" for books--every single part--and then scroll down to "An Edition of a Book" and look at "A book prepared by an editor."  In your case, there are TWO editors, so you will use Eds

5th period--Your book is actually a "collection" with several works in it. But because we are only interested in one of them, you'll use the link above and then scroll down to "A work in an anthology, reference, or collection.  Use the FIRST example.  Then, instead of author and "essay," you will plug in the author and full title of the first work in the collection.  Look on page 1 (unnumbered, but two pages before 3!) for the correct complete title.
Shakespeare, William.  The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.

Now, I'm not giving you the rest in order, but note the following:
The title of the book is Hamlet and Related Readings.  
The publisher is McDougal Littell.  Go with Evanston, IL as the place of publication(it is listed first, and it's a tad bit closer).
There is no editor listed.
You DO need the page range for the entire play:  1-291.  (You WON'T use page numbers in your citations though--just the act, scene, line number as you've been told.  This page range is ONLY for the Works Cited)
You should be able to dig out the date and anything esle you might need.

The Shakespearean Memory Work

You can choose 12-16 consecutive lines by the same speaker in Hamlet--and you must start at the beginning of a sentence and stop at the end of a clause (preferably at the end of a sentence).
OR you can choose one of the following sonnet:
Sonnets 12, 18, 29, 30, 116, or 130.

Four of these (18, 29, 116, 130) are in your textbook online, but you can access all of them by number on the following site:
http://poetry.eserver.org/sonnets/

Whichever choice you make (lines from Hamlet or one of these sonnets), you must have a clean-copy print-out for me on the day that you recite: Tuesday if you wish, and tomorrow you'll know whether Wednesday or Thursday is your DAY.

Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant," starts on p. 1250 of the book
1st and 3rd got going on this today; a couple of people finished the questions. More time tomorrow if needed--NOT homework since the essay is due!

5th was behind because of the fire drill and different pacing . . . so don't worry about this at all tonight.  You'll get the assignment and the questions in class tomorrow.

Bring your complete typed draft to class tomorrow!

TODAY IN CLASS

• The hand-written body paragraphs were handed in.
• You received the hard copy of the "Last Hand-out" that had been linked to yesterday's post.
• We went through the hand-out, and I showed students how to mark their current printed copies of the three body paragraphs in order to improve them for tomorrow's draft.

In 1st and 3rd we also looked at a couple of Shakespearean sonnets, since you can choose one of six sonnets for the memory work (see Monday's post), but we didn't get to that in 5th because of the fire drill.   Everyone should be busy with their essay tonight; I'll say more about the memory work on the blog tomorrow.

FOR TOMORROW

Follow the instructions on the hand-out (again, already posted online if you were absent--linked yesterday).

Print your correctly formatted double-spaced complete draft of the essay and bring it with you to class tomorrow. 

If for any reason you did not get the hand-written body paragraphs on turnitin.com last night, a post-deadline folder has been opened.  Submit it (even if you e-mailed it as an attachment; it MUST be on www.turnitin.com)

11:59 P.M. Tonight!!

TODAY ON CLASS
Day 2 of in-class writing of the three body paragraphs.  I stamped today's progress; people very close to done could finish up at home, but people with "miles to go" needed to continue writing after school.

There was a hand-out providing the steps necessary for today in class and for tonight, but if you were absent today all the info you need is either right here or on the hand-out for tomorrow.

WHAT'S ESSENTIAL TONIGHT and TOMORROW
1. Type up the three body paragraphs
2. Save and print.
3.  Submit it to www.turnitin.com no later than 11:59 p.m.
4. Put your hand-written draft in your backpack.  The stamped hand-written copy of the three body paragraphs must be turned in during class on Thursday. Also turn in the stamped supporting material that you'd prepared and brought into class (not everyone did).

WHAT'S OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED TONIGHT
Get started on the intro and conclusion.  There were tips on today's hand-out, but there's more here:
Last Hamlet Hand-out 2013

FOR FRIDAY
The entire first draft (intro, body, conclusion--all in MLA formatting) must be completed and printed out.
The hard copy must be with you in class because the activity for the day will be a peer response.

FINAL DRAFT is due Tuesday, April 2; also on turnitin.com.  All details on the hand-out linked above, but you will receive a hard copy in class on Thursday.

THE MEMORY WORK
No, I haven't forgotten, and yes, you're still required to do it. We'll talk more about this tomorrow.

Read to the end, please!

TODAY IN CLASS
An overview of what's coming up this week.

First, the Shakespeare memory work:
Not "due" until Monday or Tuesday next week, but you need to be memorizing as you go.

You can choose 12-16 consecutive lines by the same speaker in Hamlet--and you must start at the beginning of a sentence and stop at the end of a clause (preferably at the end of a sentence).
OR you can choose one of the following sonnet:
Sonnets 12, 18, 29, 30, 116, or 130.

Four of these (18, 29, 116, 130) are in your textbook online, but you can access all of them by number on the following site:
http://poetry.eserver.org/sonnets/

Whichever choice you make (lines from Hamlet or one of these sonnets), you must have a clean-copy print-out for me on the day that you recite.

The Hamlet Essay Overview
You'll be getting a more detailed hand-out tomorrow.

WORKING OVERVIEW ONLY—EXPECT MORE SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

How the essay will work:

Tomorrow in class, I’ll give you paper.  You’ll start writing BODY PARAGRAPHS ONLY.  You’ll continue on Wednesday.  At the end of Wednesday, you should have three body paragraphs.

At home on Wednesday: 

1) You will type the hand-written pages, and submit the body only to www.turnitin.com

2) Then—AFTER the body paragraphs only have been submitted to turnitin.com—you will proceed with the rest.  You can certainly get started on step 4 on Wednesday night.

ON Thursday:

3) You will bring the hand-written body paragraphs to class with you on Thursday. I’ll collect them.  You won’t have them anymore.  But you’ll have your typed copy that’s been already submitted to turnitin.com

Wednesday night/Thursday night

4) You will write the introduction and conclusion. (Of course, you can and should get started with this on Wednesday—just be sure you’ve submitted the body paragraphs first.)

5) Copy-and-paste so that you have one cohesive document containing the new parts as well as the three body paragraphs.  PRINT IT OUT.  SAVE IT as a complete first draft.

6) You will bring the typed complete draft to class on Friday. No excuses, no exceptions; any printing at school needs to happen BEFORE school starts.

7) Friday is a peer-response day. You will leave class with important feedback, but you are still fully responsible for the quality of your essay.

Your FINAL draft is due on Tuesday, April 2; also on turnitin.com as a complete final draft.

The memory work—you will sign up for either MONDAY or TUESDAY to present in front of the class (bonus) or to me. Yes, Monday is earlier, but it’s not the same day as the final draft is due.

FOR TOMORROW

Make your choices from the topics discussed today--copied and pasted here only if you did not get home with your hand-out.

SELECTING AN ESSAY TOPIC

Note that you have choices to make as you “shape” the topics. Know which question (1-3) and which characters you will focus on.  You should not bring a pre-written draft to class tomorrow--all writing must be done in class or in a supervised setting after school or with your guided studies, etc., teacher--but you CAN bring some jotted down ideas, act/scene/lines for key interaction, etc.  I'll be taking a quick look at such material if it is out on your desk as you are writing.

1. Discuss the importance in Hamlet of either Laertes or Fortinbras as a foil character.  A foil character highlights characteristics of the main character by being similar in some ways but significantly different in some other important aspects.  Focus on one or the other as a foil for Hamlet; don’t try to compare Laertes and Fortinbras.

2) Examine the ways in which the secondary characters Polonius OR Rosencrantz/Guildenstern are used by Shakespeare to reflect the concerns of themes and motifs of the play, as well as Hamlet’s own development.  Choose either Polonius or the pair of friends and show how they are significant in these ways. Do not just write about what these people do.  Discuss how special attention to them illuminated issues of central importance to the play as a whole (i.e., deal with matters of importance to the major themes, motifs, or character development in the play, not with matters of the plot).

3. Hamlet is about family relationships, especially the relationships of fathers and sons—Hamlet father and son, Polonius and Laertes, and Fortinbras father and son—but also father and daughter—Polonius and Ophelia—and mother and son—Gertrude and Hamlet.  The play raises all kinds of questions about loyalty and duty and trust.  Find the most interesting relationship and illuminate it for the reader. 

Hamlet test--You've either had it or you will!

TODAY IN CLASS
1st--going over the Act 3-5 self-assessment quiz and using it as a springboard for further review of the play. TEST IN 1st PERIOD IS ON FRIDAY/

3rd/5th--Test was today.  Make up as quickly as possible.  Bring your Hamlet texts with you tomorrow.  (I certainly hope everyone is clear about "what happens," but we aren't done with the ideas and artistry of the play.)

Hamlet Test tomorrow--3rd and 5th

Yes, the dates for this test are different depending on which section you are in.

What:  A fairly long multiple-choice test that will mix some very straightforward and hopefully "easy" questions with others that are more challenging in terms of understanding the meaning/implications of material within the questions--sometimes quotations--as well as thinking critically about the options to find the "best" answer.  

It is not the "end" of our Hamlet study, though--so do not expect to turn in your books just yet. But by having an important objective test now, I am hopeful that everyone will have invested their best energy in reading and understanding the play. 

 

When:  3rd and 5th period will take the test tomorrow, March 21.

             1st period will take the test on Friday, March 22.

For Tuesday--you should have finished reading Act III.

Different Timelines--Please read carefully

ALL classes:  homework (two Act V questions) was collected.  See Friday's post if you did not do this.  Late credit if you were in school on Friday; full credit if you were not.

ALL classes:  Hamlet test on Thursday

1st period only--you did not receive the worksheet (all machines down); you'll have some time to work in class tomorrow.

3rd/5th--you received the Act V study guide in class.  It is due tomorrow, Tuesday.

TODAY IN CLASS
1.  Act IV Study Guide collected from 1st and 3rd (had been collected on Thursday from 5th).
2.  In 1st and 3rd--correction of frequently-missed questions from Act III study guide (had been done on Thursday in 5th).

3.  Picking up--at slightly different spots in each class--to finish Act IV discussion.

One topic new to every class today:  what's odd or problematical about Gertrude's account of Ophelia's death?

It was discovered that very few people had read Act V.

SO FOR HOMEWORK
1.  Yes.  Read Act V.
2.  Type the following assignment concerning Act V.

• Question 1: discuss whether we should take the "math" in the gravediggers' scene at face value.  First, explain exactly what the play's dialogue indicates that Hamlet's age should be: summarize how we know, and give the line numbers for your edition for each part of your answer.  THEN write 2-3 sentences that support your claim whether we should agree with the age that is indicated stated or what approximate age you would argue for instead--and why!!
• 
  
• Question 2:  Briefly explain exactly what Hamlet did to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as well as how it was accomplished.  Then evaluate the ethics or morality of his actions. Decide whether or not he had the right to take the action that he did, or whether this constitutes a major flaw in Hamlet's character. (Some of you may know the show "Justified"--was this "justified"?)

5th period today
1. Turned in the Act IV questions--should have been complete.
2.  For Friday, READ Act V.  Just know what happens.

1st and 3rd, for tomorrow
1.  You will turn in the Act IV questions--all seven scenes' worth. That was your homework for the rest of Wednesday or earlier today.
2. For Friday, READ Act V.  Know what happens.

HSPE Schedule Week

1st and 3rd
TUESDAY
We looked back at Hamlet's impetuosity, and we examined the Scene 4 soliloquy and part of scene 5.  One of the on-going challenges of Hamlet is to get "inside" the characters to understand their motivations and anticipate behavior/reactions, and we worked on that.

You should finish reading Act IV as well as finishing the questions by Wednesday (by Wednesday night is okay; I'm not collecting IV in class on Wed.)

By FRIDAY (when I see you again after our 10 or 15 minutes today), you should have read through all of Act V.

5th
You should definitely have read through Scene 6 of Act IV by today, but I know we won't have much time to talk.  FINISH Act IV by Thursday; have answers written down through scene 6 by the time you come to class.  We'll either do Scene 7 in class and then I'll collect them, or I'll let you turn them in on Friday.

FRIDAY IN CLASS
1.  The Act III study guide was collected.  FINISH IT if you've been absent and get it handed in
2. We've spent quite a few days on Act III, and most have you have seen some significant chunks of this act on film.
3. We will be finishing the play next week, regardless of the unusual schedule.

FOR MONDAY
No specific homework unless you are behind.  Some students really profit from reading ahead though, so that you're reading for the second time as sections are specifically assigned.

TODAY IN CLASS
Act III study guide stamped through question 19 (end of Scene 3).
We discussed selected questions.
We started Scene 4 together in class.

FOR FRIDAY
Finish reading Scene 4.
Answer the Scene 4 questions on the study guide.
The study guide will be collected at the start of class.

TODAY IN CLASS
Turned in:  Character perspective on the play-within-the-play scene; four questions on the back.
You need to turn this in TOMORROW--both parts--if you were absent on Tuesday.  See yesterday's post   for instructions on the first part, and for the other questions if you didn't pick up the half-sheet today.

We watched Act 3, Scenes 1-3, of the BBC production of Hamlet, even though we had not yet read scene 3.

HOMEWORK
On the printed questions sheet, you've already done questions 1-8.  For tomorrow,

• Answer 9-15 on Scene 2
• read Scene 3
• answer the Scene 3 questions

TODAY IN CLASS
Students were assigned a specific character (Gertrude, Ophelia, Claudius, or Horatio) and wrote a blog post or diary entry describing the events of the evening entertainment at the palace from that character's point of view.  Then there were four other questions about the rest of Act 3, Scene 2 to write on as homework

HOMEWORK
So for people who were in class:  read the rest of Scene 2 and answer the questions on the half-sheet I have you in class.

If you were gone today for band or choir, here are the instructions for both parts of the assignment; you should do them and be ready to turn them in tomorrow.  If you were sick today, you have the normal one day for each day's absence.

Absent people--go by birthday:  Jan-March = Gertrude; April-June = Ophelia; July-Sept. = Claudius;
Oct-Dec = Horatio.

Hamlet:  Act 3, Scene 2

You now have a number (1-4); write that number beside your name.  Now write down which character you are doing for this portion of the assignment (will vary by class).

                                                               

Assignment

After leaving the theatrical performance, each character retreats to write in his diary or post in his blog. 

·    Even if you have read to the end of Act 3, this assignment refers to what characters are thinking right after everyone leaves the play.

·      Report on what you saw in the play, report your interactions with Hamlet, and report your thoughts on how the pleasant evening was so abruptly interrupted. 

·       Include two quotations in your blog. 

·       You can quote directly or paraphrase extremely closely; either way, include line numbers.

Now answer the following questions on the back of your paper:

1. What does Horatio seem to agree with Hamlet about?  (He never says so directly).

2. What do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come to tell Hamlet--that is, what's the actual message/request they bring?

3. Explain what Hamlet tries to get Guildenstern to do near the end of Scene 2.

4. When Guildenstern protests that he can not do what Hamlet is requesting, what larger point does Hamlet make?  Explain the analogy.

TODAY IN CLASS
Finishing Act III, Scene 1: We discussed Hamlet's mood/tone of the "To be or not to be . . ." soliloquy.  Bottom line:  more thoughtful and contemplative than distraught and desperate. Though it had been assigned over the week-end, students read the exchange between Ophelia and Hamlet aloud in pairs from Ophelia's attempt to return items Hamlet had given her through Hamlet's exit. We pondered Ophelia's response, double-checked the course of action Claudius intends to take--his overt reason and his public excuse as well as the unstated one--and noted the suggestion Polonius makes. Students were given an Act III study guide and either had some time to work on the Scene 1 portion in class (1st/3rd) or as homework (5th).

FOR TOMORROW
Yes, finish questions 1-8 on the study guide for Tuesday if not completed in class.
Also, read part of Act III, Scene 2:  Read from the beginning of the scene to the point that the King (echoed by Polonius) call for lights. This is near the bottom of P. 153 in the Folger edition (line 296) amd p.151 in the other book (line 272).

Reading instructions:  Read everything, but I know that the "play within the play" lines are hard because they are deliberately formal and wordy in the style of almost "over-dramatized" drama.  Use the summary and the notes to follow it as best you can.

FOCUS on the actual dialogue/conversation between and among people we know:  Hamlet, Ophelia, Getrude, Claudius, Polonius, Horation . . .try to think about their own moods/feelings behind the overt speech.

There will be some accountability on this tomorrow BEFORE we discuss anything together.

TODAY IN CLASS
We reviewed the details of the Act I advice Polonius gives to his son Laertes, and we looked closely at Hamlet's soliloquy at the end of Act II ("O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!").

Then, as advertised, the Act I-II quiz.  This need to be made up promptly.  After school tomorrow would be perfect.

FOR TOMORROW
No homework.  Expect daily reading and often written homework from tomorrow through the end of the play.

Quiz Reminder

Act I-Act II Quiz on Thursday

Before the quiz:

• We will look at the advice Polonius gives to Laertes.  Most of you were "good to go" on that, but others had significant omissions/confusion.  Review that.
• We will also look closely at Question 11 on the Act II study guide--Hamlet's soliloquy that ends Act II.

Remember that there will be quotes--"plot quotes" that should make sense if you know what happens/who the characters are, or a few very significant, well-known quotations that we've discussed or that have been on on the study guides.

HOMEWORK
All classes.
Complete questions 8-11 from the study guide.  I DO plan to check these tomorrow at the start of class.  Though I hope you've been keeping up with the earlier questions, I will make note only of these last four questions.

Yes, It's 3:23 on Monday . . .

ALL CLASSES
1.  There will be a quiz on Thursday, Feb. 28 over Acts I-II.  It will be fairly detailed, including some quotations.  Some matching/MC, but a fair number of direct "answer the question" kinds of responses (very brief to several sentences in length; no full paragraph or essays on this quiz).

2.  In class today, we did a brief rehash of Act 2, Scene 1.  It does NOT take the place of reading it thoroughly on your own if you were absent when we did both "episodes" of 2.1 in class.

1st and 3rd
 In 1st and 3rd, students had some individual reading time to get started on Scene 2, as well as time to write their own responses to questions 1-4 (covering lines 1-181 of Act 2, Scene 2). Then four students from line 182 to the point that R & G explain that the Players are coming to the castle.  FOR HOMEWORK--read the rest of Scene 2.  You do NOT need to work on questions for tomorrow.  Go back and read the synopsis for scene 2 to help you follow the rest of the scene.  Know what questions you have.

5th Period
We were very late in getting to the reading time; there was no time left to work on questions 1-4 (which covers up to line 170 in your text).  So for tomorrow, you need to do two things:
a. Do questions 1-4 from the hand-out.
b. Continue reading Act 2, Scene2--get up to line 475.

TODAY IN CLASS
I stamped your written progress on the Act 1 questions.  The expectation for today:  completion through question 9 (1-3 from the end of Scene 2, plus 4-9 from Scene 3).  Some of you got to 9 by skipping 7--that's not a full credit option . . . You can "buy back" partial credit for items not done by having them completed for tomorrow (in addition to the new work for tomorrow--see below).

Then--we talked briefly about Scene 3; we might have overlapped a couple of the questions, but we didn't answer them all.  We especially didn't talk about the complicated word play on the word "tender" (and "fool"), and we did not list out the specific advice Polonius gives.

Next--I switched to the Kenneth Branagh version of Hamlet for the ghost scene, and we watched Scenes 4 and 5.

FOR TOMORROW
Write out answers to questions 10-22 on these two scenes.  I will collect the papers (your answers--YOU keep the questions, so don't staple in advance) at the BEGINNING of class tomorrow.  We might say a couple of general things about the act, but mostly, in class, we are going to move on with Act II.  And tomorrow will feature little or no film and lots of student involvement.

You don't need to read ahead in Act II for Friday, though--as stated above, the homework is to finish the questions.

TODAY IN CLASS
There was a hand-out for the rest of Act I (picking up partway through Scene 2, at Horatio's entrance).
1.  We did questions 1-3 in class; that is, students responded in writing, and we went over them quickly.
2. We watched Scene 3 (BBC play version) between Laertes and Ophelia, then joined by Polonius, then just Polonius and Ophelia.  If you were absent today, try to read that scene carefully before tomorrow.

HOMEWORK
Read Scene 3 (you can't rely just on what you watched), and answer questions 4-9 carefully and thoroughly.  Remember to write in ink, to provide the act, scene, and line numbers for the portion your answer is based on, and use complete, well-developed sentences unless you are specifically told to provide a bulleted list.

I'll check for completion of 4-9 at the start of class.

(

Note to anyone still needing to make up last Friday's Renaissance intro quiz:  yesterday was Day 1.  Today was Day 2.  Tomorrow BEFORE school--no later than 9:30 a.m.--is Day 3.  After school tomorrow is not an option, because there is a faculty meeting.  If you did not take this on Friday, and you haven't already made it up, I'll be expecting you.

TODAY IN CLASS
We used a back-and-forth strategy between the BBC Hamlet production and some direct work on language and characterization.  We viewed--in steps and stages--from the beginning to the end of Hamlet's "O that this too, too sullied flesh would melt . . ." soliloquy. 

We annotated some of the language and rhetorical strategies of the speech Claudius gives to the court at the beginning of Scene 2, and we tracked the major thought points of his "lecture" to Hamlet.  We also looked at the director's choice to have Claudius double-check Hamlet's university with Gertrude (HOW well does he know the young man he claims to want to keep nearby for his cheer and comfort?), and we played around with ways in which a director could also use emphasis to show Hamlet's willingness to do what his mother begs, but pointedly making it clear that he's not complying because Claudius says so.

Finally, after listening to the Hamlet's soliloquy, we looked at the three basic "complaints' he raises in that speech.  If you were absent, try to figure them out on your own.  Since it was the last thing, and sometimes focus is (ahem . . ) lost by then, we'll review that quickly at the start on Wednesday.

FOR TOMORROW
Read to the end of Scene 2.  Look over at the notes on the left-hand side to help you understand  things that might be difficult.

TODAY IN CLASS
Pairs work/some presentations of brief interchange between Claudius and Laertes, then the beginning of Claudius and Hamlet (Act 1, Scene 2)
In 1st, we got started on the "agenda speech" hand-out.

FOR TOMOROW
Everyone finish the bullet points for the second long speech by Claudius:  this starts at line 90 (morning classes) or line 87 (afternoon classes). Don't try to paraphrase the whole speech, but write down the 6-7 most important points he makes.

Then it varies--
1st--we started the first speech; we'll continue in class
3rd-did not even give you the hand-out
5th--yes, I told you (and it still stands) to annotate it as best you can. Look for specifics of diction, word order, special "surprises," things that you don't understand, even after checking the notes on the left-hand side of the book. (Don't worry, on other days other classes will have assignments different from yours.

Week-end Update

FRIDAY IN CLASS
1. Renaissance Intro Quiz
If you missed it, you know it. Make it up ASAP.

2.  Something from the newspaper . . . I frequently regret that I generally don't read a given day's paper until AFTER school. From Friday's Newsline column in the Seattle Times (A2 News), "Today in History" section:
1587:  Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England after she was implicated in a plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.
See, the Seattle Times is on top of our subject matter!

3.  We reviewed a smattering of somethings ("morn in russet clad," the Julius Caesar disturbances in nature--> disturbances in humankind) left over from the end of scene 1)

4. Several students performed a round-robin reading of the speech given by King Claudius to all the people assembled at the formal court scene.  W just "read" it today; on Monday you/we will "deconstruct" it pretty carefully.

FOR MONDAY
Much of your success in reading Hamlet relies on your being willing to do what is asked of you, even on days that there is no direct accountability (that means written homework or a test!).  A teacher can tell you "What" to learn, or help explain how a process works, but reading Shakespeare is a skill that you must develop.  The teacher's job is to provide some smaller steps (scaffolding), and to provide a context for practice, but YOU and only you can do the work.  As I explained in class, some of the assessments will give you nothing but a passage with perhaps some reasonable notes on unexpected meanings, but you will have to figure it out.  Just approaching this with "I can't" does no good, and it will not help you learn and grow.

SO.  This week-end, your only obligation is to gain some familiarity with the court scene that we began in class.  It is NOT all of Act 1, Scene 2--you need to read the section where everyone is gathered in court.  You can stop at the point where Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus gather (as promised in scene 1) to watch and see if the Ghost will reappear. Your job is just to read this and try to have a handle on what happens.

In class I told you and showed you the exact line number and page number where this happens, but I did not bring home your various versions of the play this week-end. (Line numbers are the same for everyone who has the Folgers, whether tan or blue, but the 5th period edition has line numbers that vary somewhat.  And the later in the scene we go, the farther off they are from Folgers.)

Renaissance Intro Quiz on Friday

TODAY IN CLASS
We briefly talked about the staging and content of the types of medieval drama that led directly into the sudden outpouring of more complex, artistically diverse drama during the Renaissance.  Those definitions on the worksheet for mystery/miracle plays and for morality plays are part of your expected knowledge, even though they were not directly in the book.  But sure to CHECK the book if you left the answers blank concerning interludes as well what Elizabethan playwrights learned from the revival of Latin and Greek dramas. (I am mentioning this only because so many people left these blank.)

But MOSTLY in class--we went over the worksheet from yesterday.  These were not handed in; I considered it practice, and the importance was in you yourself understanding how much you "got" out of the text compared to what we discussed in class.  You will be handing in similar sheets though, and I will occasionally give you short passages to do something with during class.  There are brief elements in each class that we didn't get to (they differ)--I'll even out all inequities after tomorrow's quiz, and then we'll move on.

FOR TOMORROW
Study for the quiz; your guided notes should help, but if you don't have them, review pp. 292-305 directly.  Also, be sure that you've looked at a couple of the Richard III links from the post earlier in the week.

Be sure to have your Hamlet text with you in class, tomorrow and every day until we are done.

TODAY IN CLASS
Everyone got the Hamlet texts from the bookroom today.  If you were absent, get it before class time tomorrow, please.  1st and 3rd:  get the Folger edition (tan ones are gone; yours will be bluish). 5th:  there's a different edition, which is taller and thinner than the Folgers.  All will be at the main library desk, not the bookroom window.

We made varied progress with going over the study guide today.  I believe we'll just cross-check for problems on Thursday.  There will be a quiz on Friday, so you should definitely start reviewing.  There will also be a couple of Richard III questions; be sure that you've read a couple of the articles from yesterday's post.

FOR TOMORROW
No particular homework, but be sure you have your Hamlet text with you in class.

TODAY IN CLASS
1. We set up a set of hypothetical questions that paved the way for our study of Hamlet, which is to begin shortly.  The essential situation was to take a young man away at college who is suddenly called home to face an unimaginable series of family events and personal setbacks and to imagine how we might feel.  More importantly, it was to set up our expectations for the sometimes erratic way in which Hamlet himself behaves.  Of course, we'll be doing more . . . but it was a start.
Bring your ID with you tomorrow--I hope we will be checking out the books.

2.  We spent some time reviewing why 1485 is the end of the medieval period and the start of the Renaissance.  If you missed class (or missed what we said), look at p. 29.  (Yes, 29.) See the 2nd paragraph under "War and Plague," which explains the reasons for and the outcome of the Wars of the Roses.

That's the backdrop for today's announcement concerning the discovery of the body of Richard III, whose death at the Battle of Bosworth Field over 500 years ago marks the last time an English king was killed in battle.  Read any TWO of the following articles about this discovery:

http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/04/16832540-verdict-issued-on-skeleton-found-under-parking-lot-its-king-richard-iii?lite

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/king-richard-iii-skeleton-found_n_2614269.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-21063882

Common Core requirements call for increasing the amount of non-fiction writing that students read, including in traditional English classes.  Thus reading these articles (2 of the 3) that so closely relate to our current subject matter--beginning the Renaissance, about to work with Shakespeare--that this reading is not "extra" but rather closely tied to our standard curriculum.

2.  I returned the homework that was due on Friday, and we barely began going over it.  5th period DID have a few moments to put these in better cause-and-effect order than what your book utilizes.  The following categories look a little different from what I had on the board (a new and improved version here), but you don't have to do this again.  But 1st and 3rd, use the space at the bottom on the last page of the Guided Study Worksheet to list out the questions (just by number, no "content") that belong under each of the following categories:

The Early Renaissance --where it originated, when, early consequences

The Rise of Humanism

The Reformation--how/where/why it began; its political consequences in England (esp. the effect on the monarchy through Queen Elizabeth)

Continued Turmoil--the rise of the Stuarts and the Defeat of the Monarchy

(We'll work with the Literature section without rearranging the order.)

3.  If you did not turn in the homework for 1-day late credit, tomorrow is the last day to turn it in for greatly reduced credit (but better than a zero).  Look back at the information regarding late work in the syllabus.  If you have lost the syllabus, you can access it here .
(As always, "late work" is not the same thing as "make-up work"; moreover, individual learning plans and accomodations are always respected.)

TODAY IN CLASS
1. finished watching "Becket"
2. short quiz on days 3-4
3. some class time to work on study guide

FOR TOMORROW
Complete the study guide.
In class tomorrow--a "Becket"-based writing assignment; alternate work for those who missed MORE THAN one day of the film (of the four). One additional activity.

TODAY IN CLASS
Day 3 of Becket; we finish tomorrow.  There will be a short quiz covering both today's and tomorrow's portions at the conclusion of the film tomorrow.  A different out of class assignment will follow.

1st period got the first part of the Renaissance study guide in class today (had been available online yesterday).All classes received the second sheet, and everyone was advised to staple them together.  

FOR TOMORROW
You should at least get through Part I, the historical and cultural section. 

THEN--
In class tomorrow, there should be at least some time following the film; you should get partway done with Part II, on the literature.

That should leave a very reasonable amount to do as Thursday night homework.

HOWEVER YOU PACE YOURSELF, this completed study guide is due on Friday, Feb. 1, and will be collected at the beginning of class.

TODAY IN CLASS
More of Becket--short exit quizzes in 3rd/5th.  First period did not have an "exit" quiz, but can expect a short accountability before we resume the film tomorrow.

3rd/5th also received the first part of the Renaissance study guide that's due on Friday.  It covers the historical/cultural section, and just the beginning of the Literary History section; tomorrow you will get the rest.

1st period--sorry, did not have it in class, but you and ANYONE WHO WAS ABSENT TODAY can access it here and print it out for yourself:
Renaissance Guided Worksheet Part I

FOR TOMORROW
You should get started on the Renaissance introduction.

TODAY IN CLASS
We started watching the film "Becket," which operates both as a culmination of the previous units and a transition to the Renaissance in terms of the church and state/political power struggles are concerned.

There will be super-quick "exit quizzes" each day (points compiled), and a writing assessment over the bigger ideas.  Pay special attention to Becket's own statements about "honor" (there were several in today's installment).

TO START NOW--DUE BY FRIDAY
The last literary/historical introduction that we will do in full is for the Renaissance.  You'll need to read it all outside of class time, respond to questions to make your own study guide, turn that in on Friday, and insure its correctness in class on Monday.  And yes, later on, there will be a quiz.

Page numbers:  292-305.  Start looking it over.  Study guide available tomorrow.

5th Period, This is for YOU

Yes, it applies to everyone else as well, but I'll be able to talk directly with 1st and 3rd even in our super-short class tomorrow.

But I want you to know where/how to apply your energy.  You should already know that your highest priority is to come into the final with two solid preparation sheets for two of your four potential essay topics.  (Remember, only THREE will actually be on the test; you don't know which one I will leave out.  You will choose from among the three.)

However, you also have a long study sheet that organizes all the potential material for the scantron section or the short paragraph response.   Here's what I want you to know about that:  I have decided NOT to ask General Prologue questions for Chaucer (so no pilgrim descriptions!), and I've even decided not to put the "Pardoner's Tale" on the test.  And I am asking fewer (hopefully easier)questions about "The Wife of Bath's Tale," "Le Morte d'Arthur," and the ballads. 

Le Morte . . .Reading Check Answers

1. Sir Gawain convinces Arthur that it is too late and if they retreat they will become laughingstocks/be humiliated

2. Every day Sir Gawain rides up to the city walls and challenges any one of Sir Launcelot's knights who will accept his offer, and he defeats them all.

3. Because of an enchantment known only to Arthur and himself, Sir Gawain's strength increases from 9 a.m. to noon and then diminishes until it returns to normal.

4. He had false letters written and sent to himself claiming that King Arthur had died in battle, and then read them to the assembled nobles and persuaded them to elect him king.

5a. He was seated on a chair on a platform (or scaffold) but falls down into a pit of water filled with frightening beasts that tear him apart.
5b. NOT to fight Modred the next day because he and his knights would surely die; instead, he was to wait for Launcelot and his reinforcements to come .

6. he was bitten by a poisonous snake (an adder)

7. As Arthur stabbed Modred with his spear, Modred uses his last strength to draw up and land a blow with his sword into the side of Arthur's head.

8. Nothing but the wind upon the waves (rippling waves)
9. A hand appears from beneath the surface, takes hold of the sword and waves it thrice (3 times),  then disappears with the sword

10. the Archbishop of Canterbury (the priest who had been banished by Modred)

(11 answers; 22 points)

Saturday Update

First, I put a composite list of virtues associated with chivalry on a quick post yesterday.  Please check it out--your book DOES cover most of these somewhere or other, but they are scattered through several different places.

Second, in case by any chance you have lost your review sheet, here it is again:
Jan2013 Semester Final Review Sheet

Third, I intended to also link the specific preparation instructions for the on-the-test essay to Google Drive.  Unfortunately, I apparently saved that only to the school desktop rather than to the server, so I'm reconstructing from the out-of class instructions for last year, and I hope I covered most of it right!!  If you DO have your own sheet from class, please just use that . . .

The Concept of Knighthood—A Comparison/Contrast Essay

          Knights were featured in four of our texts, though not every question requires all four:

§  from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales—both the knight in General Prologue and the knight in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale

§  the Pearl Poet, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight  (questions will involve Gawain)

§  Sir Thomas Malory, excerpt from Le Morte d’Arthur

SAMPLE PROMPT--the one we worked with in class (reviewing general traits, practicing how to change the general "Discuss . . ." into a working thesis.  You couldn't refine and strengthen the thesis, probably, until actually gathering all the hard-core "data" from the texts and shaping the deeper ideas for an essy.)

 Discuss the view of knighthood by comparing and contrasting Sir Gawain, the knight from the General Prologue, and the knight from The Wife of Bath’s Tale

CHOICES FOR YOU TO PREPARE--REMEMBER, YOU WILL NEED TO PREPARE TWO, BECAUSE i WILL PUT ONLY THREE OPTIONS ON YOUR ACTUAL TEST.  YOU WILL NEED TO HAVE TWO PREPARED IN CASE I LEAVE OUT THE ONLY ONE YOU WORKED WITH.

1) Discuss the role of a challenge/proposition/deal/game (you pick which term you like) by comparing and contrasting what happens in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (remember there are 2 games) and in The Wife of Bath’s Tale.

2) Discuss learning a lesson by comparing and contrasting Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Wife of Bath’s Tale.

3) Discuss deception (and appearances) by comparing and contrasting Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Wife of Bath’s Tale.

4) Discuss violations of the code of chivalry by comparing and contrasting Le Morte d’Arthur and EITHER Sir Gawain and the Green Knight or The Wife of Bath’s Tale.

Ground Rules:

§  Although each prompt begins with the general word “discuss,” you must create an appropriate THESIS for your essay. 

§  As a comparison/contrast paper, your essay must utilize a point by point or subject by subject organizational style and NOT an overview of similarities and differences.  [This is the part we addressed in class on Friday using the cat/dog comparison-contrast.]

§  Your actual on-the-test essay will have a shortened intro paragraph--just a get us started sentence that probably includes the works and some sense of focussing reader attention, and then your actual thesis (already written on the prep sheet, though you will be free to "tweak" it on your exam paper).

§  You must have at least eight (8) quotations from the texts, fairly evenly distributed among your body paragraphs.  What people say is fine, of course, but so are passages of description or author commentary.These should be fluently integrated into your writing, and it is fine--often even preferably--to cite only partial sentences from the text.

§  In-text citations:  Use line numbers for the poetry and page numbers for Le Morte d’Arthur.  For the sake of simplicity I am allowing you NOT to include a Works Cited page for this paper.

§  Use standard academic style 

Fourth, because 5th period will have their test on Wednesday, I went ahead and gave them the two 

sheets for writing down their basic structure and quotes for the two essay preps.  Everyone else will get 

those on Tuesday.  I didn't actually WANT you to have them, because I want to reinforce the idea that

planning, thinking, being thoughtful and reflective about what you are claiming and how to support it are all the key things now.  Do that on scratch paper.  You can list out quotes in shortened form, or where to find them.  BUT ABSOLUTELY KEEP TRACK OF THE LINE NUMBERS (pages for LeMorte) because you MUST have them in the essay your write in class.

.  Though we've talked about chivalry fairly extensively and there are several points in the textbook (overall medieval introduction; specific intro material for works that focus on knights), I decided to give you a fairly comprehensive list, in no particular order.  But you should be aware of the following virtues of chivalry:

            humility

            loyalty to God, king, and country

            courage

            honor

            being true to one’s word,

            protection of the weak

            respect for women

            generosity

            fairness to enemies

            courtesy

            developing one’s skills

            determination to fight evil

            

TODAY IN CLASS
1.  I collected the few remaining "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" "Finishing up. . ." worksheets from people who apparently did not realize I'd collected them yesterday.

2. I stamped yesterday's homework, the steps Robin Hood takes to keep the prisoners from being executed.  I did NOT collect those because . . .

3. In 1st and 3rd we did two more ballads, and I added questions on "Barbara Allen."  In 5th we spent time on the finals prep hand-out, and barely read one ballad.

In class tomorrow--
We'll spend a little more time on ballads, including a few more questions, and I'll collect your responses.

You will receive the prompts for the on-the-final essay.

1st and 3rd will have a chance to ask questions about the hand-out; be sure you've read it carefully. 

There will be a  bit of in-class prep time for the main essay portion of the final tomorrow; practically all of Friday and Tuesday will be further preparation time.

FOR TOMORROW
It's never to early to start studying; there's plenty to review now even though you won't get the essay prompt choices until tomorrow.

FOR WEDNESDAY:
• Read pp. 216 -217 on Ballads
• Read "Robin Hood and the Three Squires" pp. 220-223
• List all the specific steps Robin Hood takes to rescue the three squires

 from execution.

List them on a clean sheet of paper, marking it as “Robin Hood” #1.

We will do more with this IN CLASS tomorrow as we discuss the poem

and look at the other two short ballads

Gawain

TODAY IN CLASS
First, a correction to Hand-out #2, my summary for stanza 66;  on the second day, after the Lord presents the boar's head and flanks to Gawain, he bestows TWO kisses (not one).

I am going to combine the "what we did part" with "what you need to do if you missed class today--regardless of which section you are in.  There had been slightly different responsibilities on Thursday night.

1.  We read the very broad summary in italics at the top of p. 237 in the textbook, and discussed what aspects of the work as a whole are really undercut by such a sweeping and superficial account.

2. For classes which had not done so, we looked closely at the content of stanzas 71-72 (the start of Gawain hand-out #3 for most of you; 1st period had gotten that on Wednesday, but those stanzas were also the start of the longer 71-74 plus 75/77 hand-out I asked people to label Hand-out #3.)  Focus here was plot (what happened) as well as continued emphasis on Gawain's politeness and willingness to tell the truth, even if might have made things easier to lie.  (Be sure to know what that key issue was).

3.  Stanzas 73-74 on the hand-out; pp. 237 and p. 239 in the text.  Objects:  know what happens; trace the thinking/reasoning of both Gawain and the lady; understand when there is an unstated or more important reason.  Also, though most people feel that the translation that appears in the textbook is more clear overall, there are selected spots where students felt that the hand-out version was preferable (better/more effective).

People were supposed to have read farther than this--either finished the hand-out, or have read what was in the book, but in class we did not go beyond Stanza 74. Week-end:

1.  Everyone needs to have finished all the hand-out material:

• the rest of Packet #3 (stanzas 75 and 77) 
• Packet #4, which is John Gardner's translation of much (not all) of the poem's conclusion 

2. Our work on Monday will involve the textbook plus your hand-outs.  Be sure to have them all with you.  

I

Read with Care--Different for Each Class!!

TODAY IN CLASS
Part of what we did in each class was the same. We continued work on Packet #2 of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," focusing on the ways in which Gawain responds to the the aggressiveness of the lovely lady who comes to his bedside each morning.  The role of chivalry overall, the role of "courtly love," and the degree to which Gawain is tested to preserve his own honor and loyalties without offending the woman were discussed both in general terms and by looking at the precise strategies, language, and style of what Gawain does and says.  And this section also contains summaries of the first hunt (the deer) and some of the second hunt (the boar).

But then . . read carefully for YOUR class--paired with what you need to do for tomorrow:
1st period
I gave you one more page (stanzas 71-72) and had you staple that to the rest of Packet 2.  For tomorrow, you are to read the rest of the story in the actual textbook, starting on p. 237.

3rd period
You received two pages as a new hand-out to be called the 3rd packet, covering 71-74 on one page (front and back) and then 75 and 77. You had to staple this together yourselves.  Read it for tomorrow.  I am pretty sure you also received the final hand-out, which is a John Gardner translation (larger print; stanzas not numbered).Bring it with you, but you don't need to have it read for Friday. We WILL be working with this together as part of Friday though, with the remainder to be read on your own.  So if you are gone for DECA   tomorrow (or for any other reason), you DO need to have read it for Monday.

5th period
You received two pages as a new hand-out to be called the 3rd packet, covering 71-74 on one page (front and back) and then 75 and 77. You had to staple this together yourselves.  Read it for tomorrow.  You definitely received the final hand-out, which is a John Gardner translation (larger print; stanzas not numbered).Bring it with you, but you don't need to have it read for Friday.  We WILL be working with this together as part of Friday though, with the remainder to be read on your own.  So if you are gone for DECA   tomorrow (or for any other reason), you DO need to have read it for Monday.

TODAY IN CLASS
1.  Reading check quiz over the "Le Morte d'Arthur" selection.
2.  Logistical difficulties, but in a different group configuration.  People were to have covered 1-5 in their groups.  Some follow-up discussion first thing tomorrow.

FOR TOMORROW
Prepare two of the remaining questions by taking some notes and doing some reflection that will be useful in your group session. Choose ONE from 6-8 and  ONE MORE from 9-11.

Tomorrow's group time will be fairly short, because I'd like to finish discussion on these.

There will be further individual accountability. . . more details to follow.

An Extra Post: Week-end Reminder

Are you reading? Yes, there's a fairly important football game today . . . but maybe you finished reading on Saturday?  If not, win or lose today, don't forget to read.  I just finished re-reading and reviewing this selection myself; it's not easy to follow the plot, especially with the complicated relationships and the shifting loyalties.  Take it slowly and thoughtfully, trying to visualize each step of the action.

As stated in Thursday and Friday posts:  the selection from Le Morte d'Arthur on pp. 248-261.  There will be a reading check quiz to start the class, followed by some intensive group work and then by a whole class discussion.

TODAY IN CLASS
Introduction to Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur.  We looked at the Preface written by printer William Caxton for the First Edition of Malory's work, printed in 1485 (p. 262 in the text). After noting some archaic features of Early Modern English, we looked closely at the reasons that Caxton states for choosing to publish this work.  We also looked at question 8 on p. 263 as a preview of something to evaluate as you read; we also reviewed the definition and major characteristics of a medieval romance in order to provide a further set of features to watch for.

There was also some in-class time to get started on the reading of the excerpt from Malory's work.

FOR MONDAY
Read the entire selection on pp. 248-261.  There will be a reading check quiz first thing on Monday; there will be 10-12 recall/comprehension questions, 2 points each (assessment).  Afterwards you will have time to work in groups to discuss several other higher-level kinds of questions and literary evaluation of this work.  After the group time, we will finish with a whole-class discussion.

TODAY IN CLASS
I checked your plot summary notations for stanzas 29-34 of the Gawain hand-out, and we talked about his physical journey as part of the "hero's journey" concept.  (Medieval romances borrowed heavily from some of the conventions typically found in epics.)

Though today there were no additional hand-outs, I provided a quick summary of some key events from the point that your version left off:
1.  Gawain's arrival at the castle, brief meeting with the host ("lord"), his lavishly decorated bedroom, warm robes, and the Christmas eve supper of  several soup choices, a wide variety of fish, and ample wine.  Gawain called it a "feast," but he was told that this was penance--on the NEXT day he would feast.
2. Christmas Day was appropriately festive, and the next three days were spent in more eating, celebrating, and sociability.
3.  Gawain then said he had to leave because of his obligation at the Green Chapel (though he does not fully describe it). The Host tells him that it's nearby--a mere two hours' ride--so he can wait until New Year's morning to leave.
4.  The next three days will feature hunting, but Gawain declines to go (he's had enough of the great outdoors to last him awhile).  So the Host proposes a contest in which each one will deliver to the other whatever he has "won" during that day.

We went somewhat farther than this in first period, but I'm not summarizing further here; you'll have more hand-outs tomorrow.

FOR TOMORROW
Get started on the reading that is due on Monday: pp. 248-261, which is an excerpt from "Le Morte d'Arthur."
You will have to access the online textbook, since there will be no class time provided for reading this selection.  And there WILL be a reading check quiz on Monday.