Brit Lit:

Today:

We looked at the poetry of Yeats and Keats.  I shared some of my favorites with you.

Journal Prompt:  Please describe a book/movie/play that has changed your life in some way.  1 pg.

We looked at John Keats, and specifically a few sonnets that he wrote that were influenced by other things that he read.

We discussed how art can influence life.

WOS:

Today:

I collected your take home quiz on act III.  I went over the questions that some of you struggled on.

Journal Prompt:  Please write a one page movie review on the version of Othello that you watched yesterday with the sub.  How well did it follow the play?  What did you like/dislike?  1 page.

We acted out act 4 sc1-3.

Comp. Lit. II

Today:

We looked at the similarities between Holden and Ferris B.
Journal Prompt:  Please compare/contrast Catcher in the Rye to Ferris Bueller's Day Off.  Please discuss 8 of the 10 points that I gave you.

HW:  Please read ch 15.

Brit Lit:

Today:

We looked at poetry by William Blake, the poet that saw God at age 4.
We defined symbolism and looked at how it is used in poetry.

We looked for examples of the terms that we defined yesterday in the poetry that we have read.

WOS:

Today:

We started off sharing the poems that you wrote yesterday.

We decorated the holiday shrub.

We exchanged names for Secret Shakespeare.

I broke you into small groups and asked you to give examples for the different stages of Othello's mind.

We looked at a brief video examining deception in the play:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1HoEfPN-i0

We reviewed act III.

We took a quiz on Act III.

Comp. Lit. II:

Today:
We typed our final draft of your Write Like Holden paper.

We reviewed your reading from last night.

I introduced the assignment for Wed:

Holden vs. Ferris Bueller

             We are going to watch the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in class- one of my personal favorites.   The movie deals with characters that all have a bit of Holden in them; in particular the characters of Ferris and Cameron.  You assignment at the end of the film is to compare Holden to these two characters.  Please consider the following during the movie.  This will help you compare the two when you write your essays.

 
1.)  Escapism:  Skipping school vs. getting kicked out of school.  How are these similar?

 2.)  Hidden character traits.  Are Holden and Ferris/Cameron the same deep down?

 3.)  Suicidal Tendencies:  Holden and Cameron both have them....

 4.)  Holden’s relationship with his sister vs. Ferris’ relationship with his girlfriend.  How do they hold the characters to reality?

 5.)  Humor:  How do Holden and Ferris share the same sense of humor?

 6.)  Making believe that they are someone else:  How do both Holden and Ferris use different identities to their benefit?

 7.)  Loneliness:  Holden and Cameron both feel like they are looking at the world from the outside.  Please explain how.

 8.)  Parental Relationships:  While Ferris has a healthy relationship with his parents, Cameron seems to suffer a cold Father who only cares about cars.  How is this similar to Holden’s situation?

 9.)  Generosity:  How are Holden and Ferris both generous, but in unusual ways?

 10.)  First person narration:  How are both stories similar in the way that they are told?

Brit Lit:

Yesterday (Monday):
We defined the following terms:

Alliteration
Consonance
Assonance
Internal Rhyme

We read The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
We looked at pop culture that has been influenced by the poem.

I gave you a hand-out of pop culture references.

WOS:

Yesterday (Monday) we:

Took notes on the definition of a Shakespearian sonnet.

We made small pocket sonnets to decorate or holiday shrub.

HW:  Please finish Act III in Othello.

Comp. Lit. II:

Today:

We started with journal prompt #22:  Please describe your thanksgiving from Holden's point of view, in 1st person.

We worked on your first draft/final draft.  You will have Tuesday to finish these.

We talked about the big news over the break in the lit. world- the leaked copies of three previously unpublished stories from Salinger.  You can read about it here:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/29/showbiz/salinger-unpublished-stories/index.html

HW:  Please read CH 12-14.