World of Shakespeare:

Today:

We finished Hamlet by watching the end of the Mel Gibson version. Mel Gibson acting crazy, well before he acted crazy in his real life. There is a fine line between acting crazy and being crazy.

Check out the Beatles clip if you have time that I posted for my Soph Lit class below.

HW: Please study/review for the Hamlet exam.

Beatles do Shakespeare...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOpEZM6OEvI&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

Soph Lit:

Today:

We finished Act 1 in Midsummer.
We had a last call for your Puck lines. Please see me after class if you did not go.

Brit Lit:

Today:

We talked about the recent word change in the classic Huck Finn. We discussed how changing and eliminating words from books is very 1984. We talked about the implications of a society that does not pay attention to deleting information.

We began your Wilson Journals. Three rules to follow:
No caps. Run-ons. Improper English.

We defined News-speak in the novel. I broke you into small groups and asked you to list 15 examples of News-speak and define what they are used to describe.

HW: Please read to pg 88 in 1984. Please have your aged paper if you forgot last night.

Soph Lit

Today in class we started our 1st of 3 MCAS Wed. Today we covered Poetry. Please finish these for HW if more time was needed. Remember, on MCAS, you may request additional time- so remember the old adage: Slow and steady wins the race. Take your time and do your best work....

Brit Lit:

Today:

We looked at Orwell, his life and times.

I assigned Winston's Journal:
For HW tonight, please age and discolor 20 pages of "antique paper."
We will be writing our own version of his journal detailing the events that happen to him in 1984.

These will be done at the start of each class and due next Friday.

World of Shakespeare:

Today:

We discussed Act 3, and covered a big chunk of Act 4.

After lunch we wrote a letter to England that is to be sent with Hamlet. I asked you to write this in the same style.

Finish Act 4 for HW- We will finish the play for a test this Friday.

Soph Lit

Today:

We recited our 14 Puck lines.

I introduced the costumes, and we started acting Sc1. Don't look now, but I had you laughing at Shakespeare in the first 5 minutes.....

HW: For those that did not go, please learn your 14 Puck lines at the end of the play. You loose 10 points for each day that you are not ready to go.

1984 Apple Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

Brit Lit:

Warm wishes to Ken- we miss you in class and all hope for a fast recovery.

Today in class:

We looked at pgs 1-43 in 1984.
We continued to talk about the abuse of power, especially by a dictatorship.
We continued to discuss "the truth."

We took a quiz on pgs 1-43.

We looked at a New York Times article on:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/22/weekinreview/simpler-terms-if-it-s-orwellian-it-s-probably-not.html?pagewanted=print&src=pm

HW- Please read pgs. 44-60. Expect a quiz on your reading

World of Shakespeare:

Today:

We worked on Act 3. Please finish Act 3 tonight for HW

Please have your Hamlet grief paper for Tuesday.

Soph Lit:

Today:

We looked at MCAS and talked about MCAS Wed for the next three weeks. Basically, we will be working towards reviewing the test and how you can destroy it with your academic knowledge.

We started Midsummer Nights Dream.

Brit Lit:

Today:

We started 1984.

We started with a short writing assignment:
Adolf Hitler boasted: "if you tell a lie enough time, people will accept it as being truth."

We defined:
Utopian Fiction
Themes in the novel

We read 1-43.

Word O' the Week:

Admix: (ad-MIKS)
Verb: To add or mix something.

Think:

Dogs can sense fear.

Brit Lit:

Today:

We welcomed the last day of school before break by opening presents by the holiday shrub.

We finished our look at George Orwell, and I passed out our last novel, the iconic 1984.

Soph Lit:

Today in class:

We reviewed our notes from yesterday.
We learned some Shakespearean insults. I paired you each up with a partner and we practiced the insults on each other. Don't look now, but I saw a bunch of you laughing while doing Shakespeare...just saying.....

We took a quiz on the intro notes, and Tom showed off his memory.


HW: Please begin to learn the Puck lines on pg 66. of the script (last page). These are due Jan 4th and will count as a test grade!

Don't forget your secret Santa gifts!

Brit Lit:

Today in class we:

Lecture on George Orwell, with an insight into his political mind.

We read and discussed his short story To Kill an Elephant.

Please remember your secret "Santa" gifts for Thursday.

Feels Like Monday...

Episode 4 or our school web series is now live and available to watch on http://feelslikemonday.com.

Happy holidays from the cast and crew!

Soph Lit:

Yesterday:
We finished the Boy in the Striped Pajamas. We continued to look at hope in the midst of the darkness of the Holocaust.

Today:
I passed out A Midsummer Nights Dream

We began our discussion on Shakespeare and took intro notes for the play.

We learned about insults that Will used in his plays, and had a round of Shakespearean Insults.

Brit Lit:

Today:

We finally were able to get to the computer lab to type your papers. Please make sure that I have both a rough and final draft before we break for glorious vacation.

Word O' the Week:

Twerp: A pregnant goldfish

World of Shakespeare:

Today:

We held the world premiere for you Shakespeare movie projects on the big screen.

They took a bit longer than I was hoping- but I hope that it presented you with a fun and unique way to study his plays and to see their relevance in 2010. I will post them as soon as I can here....

Soph Lit:

Today:

We took the exam for Night and I collected your books. Please see me if you were absent for the make-up.

Brit Lit:

Today:

We took another look at Frankenstein via THE Bobbie D ver. We focused on the real story, vs. the BW one from earlier in the week.

World of Shakespeare:

Today in class:

We started off class looking at parody. We watched a 5 minute clip of The Simpson's making fun of the story of Hamlet.

Next, we looked again at the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet. We discussed his crazy scene. Is Hamlet crazy, or playing crazy? How would you play acting crazy, clearly showing that you are not crazy?

Friday we will be sharing your 3 week projects in the aud. on the BIG screen. Please see me if you will not be ready for any reason

Soph Lit:

Via a special episode of Oprah, we went with Elie back to Auschwitz to hear his account of the camp. I hope that this helps you visualize the story; but also, allows you to connect with the cold reality of truth in the story.

We took a quiz on pgs 65-98ish.

HW: Please finish the novel and study for the test Friday.

Brit Lit:

Today:

We discussed Joesph Conrad in class. We read the short story, The Lagoon.

We defined alliteration, and point of view. Specifically, we looked at how the story jumps from 1st to 2nd. What did this do to your understanding? Do you think that this was deliberate, or a result of Conrad speaking 3 languages? Can mistake become style in art?

Soph Lit:

Today in class we started off talking about human cruelty.

Wiesel wrote of those things that he will never forget (pg. 32.)-
Pick an event in your life where you witnessed human cruelty. Try to pick a moment that you have never forgotten.

I will grade these on the following rubric:

Have detailed description of the event
Questions that you still have over the situation
How did it make you feel inside?

Brit Lit:

Today we talked about sequels. What makes a good one?

I asked you to brainstorm on what Frankenstein II might be like.

We wrote bullet points (10) of a plot outline, with the focuss on unreolved issues and new conflicts.

We wrote a 2 page sequel to the story.

Today:

We looked closer at the character conflicts in Hamlet. We used the costumes again and acted out Act2, sc2.

After lunch, we made an offering to the Snow God, and decorated the holiday shrub with our favorite books and plays. Video bellow....

Please remember your secret Santa gift this week.

Soph Lit:

Today in class:
Journal #21 "In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
George Orwell

We discussed your reading.

We took a quiz.

HW: Please read pgs 65-85 in Night.

Brit Lit:

Today in class:

Frankenstein.

Soph Lit:

Today in class:

We reviewed ch 1 and took a quiz. Too many of you are not reading. Please use this weekend to catch up.

We discussed use of the word night and foreshadowing.

We acted out your All My Sons skits.

Brit Lit:

We watched part 2 (who knew there was a 2nd part) of Wuthering Heights.

I am sorry we did not have time to get to the writing lab- we will be type your final drafts next week.

World of Shakespeare:

Today:

We reviewed act 1 sc 1-3 in Hamlet.

We talked about how the play allows the actor to portray the emotions and motives of the characters in differing ways.

To illustrate this, we looked at Claudius and how his dialogue to young Hamlet might be said. I broke you into groups of 4 and asked you to show the lines in a differing way.

We defined all of the main parts.

We acted sc 3-4 in class after lunch.

HW: Please finish act 1.
We will work on editing your movies all class Friday. At this point, each group should be done with all filming.

Soph Lit:

We began working again on our journals.

#18 " Truth is stranger than fiction."

We discussed pgs 3-12 in Night. HW: Please finish CH 1.

We looked at hope, and the significance of the title Night.

We finished our 10 years after skit for All My Son's. What if Larry was alive and came back?

Brit Lit:

Today:

We watched the film version of Wuthering Heights.

Feels Like Monday...

Episode 2 is now online. Unlike the first, it is quite good. Please check it out and support the cast in taking the poll to help decide our next episode.

http://feelslikemonday.com

Soph Lit:

Today:
I collected All My Sons.
I passed out our next book, Night.

We discussed the situations that led to the holocaust. We continued our themed discussion of the power of fear and hate. During the next two weeks, we will be reading one of the darkest moments in human existence, the organized extermination of a group of people based on their religious beliefs.

We watched the documentary, One Survivor Remembers.

HW: Please read pgs 3-12. Please be prepared to discuss in class.

I passed back your A Picture is Worth 1,000 words stories. Please get these from me if you were absent.

Brit Lit:

Today in class:

We introduced the other Bronte, Emily. I broke you into reading groups and we read an excerpt from Wuthering Heights.

We focused on 1st person narration and discussed the pro and con of this form of writing.

World of Shakespeare:

Today:
We worked on editing your project movies. All films are due at the end of class Tuesday.

Soph Lit:

Today:
We reviewed All My Son's
We finished the movie
HW: Study for the test Tuesday. Review essay questions are below if you lost the sheet.

Brit Lit:

Today:
We finished our ghost stories (3 pages)
We made visual storyboards of your tale (12 slides.)

Word O' the Week:

Dotty: (DOT-ee) adj. Eccentric, mentally unbalanced, unconventional.

Think:

A normal house cat has 32 muscles per ear.

Soph Lit Review

Questions:

1. Compromise is a theme in the play. Describe the compromise that three of the characters have had to make. What is your opinion of their compromise?

2. Do you think Chris and Ann will be happy together? Give reasons for your
answer based on the play.

3. Larry does not appear in the play but is mentioned. What is his role in the play?

4. What picture do we get of the American society?

5. Why is the play called “All My Sons”? How does the title reflect the human and moral issues of the play?

6. There are two different concepts in the play; on the one hand – idealism, and on the other – practicality. Classify each of the following characters – Chris, Ann, Joe, and Kate according to the above concepts. Do they undergo any change during the course of the play?

7. How do family loyalties conflict with other kinds of responsibilities (to one’s
principles, conscience, society) in this play? Give at least TWO examples.

8. Choose ONE of the following characters:
Joe Keller / Ann Deever / Chris Keller / Kate Keller / Jim Bayliss
a. Give a description of this character. b. Choose a decision made by this character and state your opinion of it, giving reasons for your opinion.

Soph Lit:

Today:

I passed out review sheets for the play. Test on Tuesday.

We acted out act 3 on stage.

I broke you into groups of 4 and asked you to show the entire play in 45 seconds. Nice job on those!

Brit Lit:

Today:

We wrote the first draft of our gohst stories modeled afer Dickens.

We will be giving them the movie treatment and storyboarding these on Monday. If you did not have time to finish, please do so over the weekend.

Brit Lit:

Today in class:

We looked at horror. We discussed what makes a good ghost story. I broke you into rows and asked you to show the ghost story that you read for HW in 32 sec. or less.

The second half, we wrote original ghost stories designed to scare a modern audience, with a nod to the classics discussed in class.

We will be storyboarding these tales in class Friday, so please finish for HW.

WOS:

Today in class:

Day 3 of filming.

Soph Lit:

Today in class:

I passed back your Lord of the Flies Exams.

We finished Act 2.

We watched a rare, out of print film version of the play.

Brit Lit:

Today in class:

We started class with the iconic scene from the Shinning: Red Rum! We then shared a few of your red room continuation stories fro Jane Eyre.

We went to the computer lab and typed your final drafts.

We learned about who Charles Dickens was and discussed the events in his life that influenced his writing. Reminder- Field trip money by Friday.

HW: Please read the ghost story, The Signalman in your Anthology.

World of Shakespeare:

Today in class;

Filming. Each group filmed their scripts. I will give each group 2 full days to finish filming, with Friday used for pick up shots/sequences.

Soph Lit:

We finished up your modern casting sheets for All My Sons. Best pick: Jessica Alba playing Annie. Well cast.

I broke you into groups of 4 and asked you to read/act out Act 2.

I will try and get you on the stage for Wed.

I also finished your Lord of the Flies Exams. I will be passing these back tomorrow, so if you did not take it, you will need to take the make-up exam after school this week.

Brit Lit:

Today in class:

I so needed and enjoyed having a good class with you today. I love talking about deep and honest topics.

We read the 1st chapter in Jane Eyre. It ended with Jane being sent to "the red room."

HW: Please write in 1st person narration a continuation (Ch2) in one page. Please select at least 10 vocab words that were unknown to you and use them in your writing. Try to imitate great art. Remember, you are not eating a Big Mac on the Mass Pike; chew and write slowly and deliberately.

Feels Like Monday...

Feels Like Monday has gone live.

Please check out: www.feelslikemonday.com

Word O' the Week:

Rebus: (REE-buhs)
Noun. Representation of words by using objects or symbols, often in the form of a puzzle.

Think:

Of all of the English words, "set" has the most definitions.

Soph Lit:

Today:

We completed acting Act 1.

I asked you to cast each character with a "modern" actor, and list 5 adjectives for each.

Brit Lit:

This morning:

We wrote Thanksgiving themed poems reflecting on the break to warm up.

We looked at the poetry used in The Dead Poets Society.

I passed out our next novel: Jane Eyre.

Soph Lit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_blacklist

Brit Lit:

We read and discussed some of your love poetry.

We continued watching Dead Poets Society.

Tomorrow, we will read and look at some of the poetry used in the movie.

A good read..

Interested in how the Internet will ultimately change the way the world works? A well written essay from Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google:

http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/66781/eric-schmidt-and-jared-cohen/the-digital-disruption

Is this disruption headed for academia?

WOS:

Today in class:

Each group began rehearsal of their play. We will be rehearsing these this week and filming them after the Thanksgiving break.

Soph Lit:

Today in class:

We went to the computer lab to type our 1,000 word picture stories.

Brit Lit:

Today in class:

We read and discussed poems that dealt with love.

HW: Please write an original poem dealing with the theme of love. Please be ready to share these in class Tuesday.

T.ED Brunch