World of Shakespeare:

Today in class:
We reviewed to language tricks from yesterday.
We cast the play.
We began Act 1 in 12th Night.

HW: Please examples in act 1 for 3 of the language trick terms.

Soph Lit:

Today in class:

I collected your symbolism assignments that you had for HW last night.

We again reviewed what a symbol is, using your HW as examples.

We completed Act 2.

We looked at A. Miller's own words in describing the process of writing this play. We also looked at some quotes in print about what some critics have said about his place in history.

HW: Please read Act 3. We will have a quiz on acts 2 & 3 Friday.

We will also be reviewing for the test Monday on the play. Friday we will be watching a stage/film version of the plat which should help you in reviewing as well.

Brit Lit:

Today:

We started class with a quiz on your notes/reading.

We finished Beowulf the movie.

HW: Your Video Game Manuals are due Friday.

World of Shakespeare:

Today in class:

I gave intro notes on 12th Night.
I passed out books.
We looked at Shakespearean insults
I detailed his special effects: Language tricks. I asked you to look for examples from act for HW

Soph Lit:

Today:
We began we journal prompt #4:
We can always take, but how often do we give? Jamiroquai

We looked at the use of light in the play.

We define Symbolism and worked on finding 10 solid examples from Act 1+2.

HW: Please draw/color a simple symbol and place the word it represents underneath it. We will be placing these around the room- so please make them look presentable.

Brit Lit:

Today:

We went over any questions around the Video game manual project.

We filled in the missing anthology gaps by watching the full story of Beowulf.

We decided as a class to finish the movie and extend the project until Friday to allow use of the real ending.

HW: Project/review notes and readings for a quiz.

World of Shakespeare:

We broke into groups of two and improved sonnet 18. Video is posted down below.

Tomorrow, we will begin our first play, The 12th Night. It is a comedy, so be ready to laugh.....

Soph Lit:

We decided to shelve the acting from class yesterday. We will try and work it into our assignment Friday.

We talked about the transition between Act 1 and II and looked further at some of the things that Miller does very successfully as a writer.

We cast and read 1/2 of Act 2.

Brit Lit:

Today:

We went to the computer lab and researched 14th c weaponry. Your Beowulf video game manuals are due Thursday. Please work on these for HW this week.

World of Shakespeare:

We continued to review and discuss your sonnets.

We each recited our memorized sonnet for the class.

We watched a part of Shakespeare in Love to give us a visual depiction of what life was like for a young struggling Shakespeare.

HW: Please pick a sonnet that another class member recited and write a response to it following:
End Rhyme pattern discussed.
14 lines.
Your best iambic pentameter.

These can be in "modern" English :-)

Due Tuesday.

Soph Lit:

Today:
We started with Journal #3: Success is never permanent and failure is never final Mike Ditka

We reviewed Act 1 and took a short quiz.

All My Sons: You Act the Scene

Directions: For this assignment, I will be breaking you into four groups. Please read the following assigned to your group. Please discuss how your group could show the scene in a short skit in front of the class. For the scene, write an abbreviated script to follow. These should not be the exact lines- rather without using the script, think of the scene and make a script that shows the most important parts.


Group #1: Keller, Jim, and Frank pgs 5-7.

Group #2: Sue, Jim, Keller, Lydia, Bert. Pgs. 9-11.

Group #3: Keller, Chris, Mother. Pgs. 13-16.

Group #4: Mother, Chris, Ann, Jim, Keller. Pgs. 19-23

Brit Lit:

Today:



We read Beowulf.

We did part 2 of the hero's quest with sounds to inspire your writing.



Video Game manuals are due wed. Please see me if you need any part explained further than the assignment sheet.

Word O' the Week:

Gride: (gryd) Verb inter. To scrape or graze against an object to make a grating sound.

Think:

The U.S. represents only 6% of the world population, but consumes 60% of resources.

Go to:

http://feelslikemonday.com/

or in itunes at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/feels-like-monday/id417522803

Our new episode, The Winter fest is now online to view. Check it out!

World of Shakespeare:

Today we reviewed your sonnet translation.

I shared 4 of my fav sonnets.

We ended the week with some acting games to help us bond a bit as a class.

Soph Lit

Today in class:
Journal Prompt #2:
Please describe a situation where you never said anything about a problem because that you knew that it would only make it worse (1 Pg)

I broke you into small groups and gave you 100 million dollars to cast All My Sons. For each list why you selected them to play the part. Please be specific.

We finished Act 1 and took quiz #2.

Feels Like Monday...

Feels Like Monday is now available as a free HD download in iTunes. Just search for the title.

Brit Lit:

Today:

We read the 1st 5 pages in Beowulf, complete with sound effects to help establish mood.

We made a failed attempt at using the computer lab to research 14th c weaponry. We will try and schedule a time early next week. Consequently, I moved your paper due date to Thursday.

We returned to class and worked on a fictional super-hero character that follows the notes that I gave you on the hero's quest. We wrote to sound effects for each part. If you were absent, please see me, as it is too difficult to describe in a sentence.

We shared these tales. Please hold onto these, as we will be returning to them next week for the next 2 parts.

Have a wonderful weekend. You may wish to start on your video game manual project.

World of Shakespeare:

The Hero's Journey: summary of the steps
This page summarizes the brief explanations from every step of the Hero's Journey.
Departure
The Call to AdventureThe call to adventure is the point in a person's life when they are first given notice that everything is going to change, whether they know it or not.
Refusal of the Call
Often when the call is given, the future hero refuses to heed it. This may be from a sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, a sense of inadequacy, or any of a range of reasons that work to hold the person in his or her current circumstances.
Supernatural Aid
Once the hero has committed to the quest, consciously or unconsciously, his or her guide and magical helper appears, or becomes known.
The Crossing of the First Threshold
This is the point where the person actually crosses into the field of adventure, leaving the known limits of his or her world and venturing into an unknown and dangerous realm where the rules and limits are not known.
The Belly of the WhaleThe belly of the whale represents the final separation from the hero's known world and self. It is sometimes described as the person's lowest point, but it is actually the point when the person is between or transitioning between worlds and selves. The separation has been made, or is being made, or being fully recognized between the old world and old self and the potential for a new world/self. The experiences that will shape the new world and self will begin shortly, or may be beginning with this experience which is often symbolized by something dark, unknown and frightening. By entering this stage, the person shows their willingness to undergo a metamorphosis, to die to him or herself.
Inititation
The Road of Trials
The road of trials is a series of tests, tasks, or ordeals that the person must undergo to begin the transformation. Often the person fails one or more of these tests, which often occur in threes.
The Meeting with the Goddess
The meeting with the goddess represents the point in the adventure when the person experiences a love that has the power and significance of the all-powerful, all encompassing, unconditional love that a fortunate infant may experience with his or her mother. It is also known as the "hieros gamos", or sacred marriage, the union of opposites, and may take place entirely within the person. In other words, the person begins to see him or herself in a non-dualistic way. This is a very important step in the process and is often represented by the person finding the other person that he or she loves most completely. Although Campbell symbolizes this step as a meeting with a goddess, unconditional love and /or self unification does not have to be represented by a woman.
Woman as the Temptress
At one level, this step is about those temptations that may lead the hero to abandon or stray from his or her quest, which as with the Meeting with the Goddess does not necessarily have to be represented by a woman. For Campbell, however, this step is about the revulsion that the usually male hero may feel about his own fleshy/earthy nature, and the subsequent attachment or projection of that revulsion to women. Woman is a metaphor for the physical or material temptations of life, since the hero-knight was often tempted by lust from his spiritual journey.
Atonement with the Father
In this step the person must confront and be initiated by whatever holds the ultimate power in his or her life. In many myths and stories this is the father, or a father figure who has life and death power. This is the center point of the journey. All the previous steps have been moving in to this place, all that follow will move out from it. Although this step is most frequently symbolized by an encounter with a male entity, it does not have to be a male; just someone or thing with incredible power. For the transformation to take place, the person as he or she has been must be "killed" so that the new self can come into being. Sometime this killing is literal, and the earthly journey for that character is either over or moves into a different realm.
Apotheosis
To apotheosize is to deify. When someone dies a physical death, or dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss. This is a god-like state; the person is in heaven and beyond all strife. A more mundane way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and fulfillment before the hero begins the return.
The Ultimate Boon
The ultimate boon is the achievement of the goal of the quest. It is what the person went on the journey to get. All the previous steps serve to prepare and purify the person for this step, since in many myths the boon is something transcendent like the elixir of life itself, or a plant that supplies immortality, or the holy grail.
Return
Refusal of the Return
So why, when all has been achieved, the ambrosia has been drunk, and we have conversed with the gods, why come back to normal life with all its cares and woes?
The Magic Flight
Sometimes the hero must escape with the boon, if it is something that the gods have been jealously guarding. It can be just as adventurous and dangerous returning from the journey as it was to go on it.
Rescue from Without
Just as the hero may need guides and assistants to set out on the quest, often times he or she must have powerful guides and rescuers to bring them back to everyday life, especially if the person has been wounded or weakened by the experience. Or perhaps the person doesn't realize that it is time to return, that they can return, or that others need their boon.
The Crossing of the Return Threshold
The trick in returning is to retain the wisdom gained on the quest, to integrate that wisdom into a human life, and then maybe figure out how to share the wisdom with the rest of the world. This is usually extremely difficult.
Master of the Two Worlds
In myth, this step is usually represented by a transcendental hero like Jesus or Buddha. For a human hero, it may mean achieving a balance between the material and spiritual. The person has become comfortable and competent in both the inner and outer worlds.
Freedom to Live
Mastery leads to freedom from the fear of death, which in turn is the freedom to live. This is sometimes referred to as living in the moment, neither anticipating the future nor regretting the past.

World of Shakespeare:

Today in class:

We looked hard at your sonnet selection. Each person read their sonnet to the class and we discussed the placement of your sonnet in relation to my notes.

I gave you notes on his sonnets and what they reveal about WS.

I asked you to convert your sonnet into modern day language.

We discussed the reaction to your placement of the power line somewhere in the school via sticky notes.

HW: Please continue to work on memorizing your 14 line sonnet for Friday.

Soph Lit:

Today we finished Act 1.

I broke you into groups of three and asked you to cast the play with modern actors, and explain why each was selected.

HW: Please review your notes and Act 1.

Brit Lit:

Today in class:

We defined The Hero's Quest according to Joesph Campbell. I gave you a hand-out on this- please hold onto.

I broke you into groups of 2 and asked you to find 3 movies or books that somewhat follow this. For each of these, I asked you to write down 3 examples that connect to the notes.

I assigned you video game manual project:

Brit Lit:
Beowulf:the Video Game Assignment

You work for a small indie video game company, and have just purchased the publishing right for a new video game based on the story. Please design a manual that will explain how the game is played.
You will be graded on the following rubrics:

1.) A cover that has the title and cover art. 10 points
2.) Weapons page. Detailing at least 5 weapons that you have researched from the 14th century. Please include a picture and detailed 3 sent description for each.20 Points
3.) Intro page, which summarizes the story.20 Points
4.) 10 Levels. For each, please title and give a 5-10 sentence description of the objective. 30 Points
5.) End boss picture or description, including the one weakness.20 Points.

These will be due next Wed.

Soph Lit

Today in class:

We looked at Arthur Miller's declassified FBI files.

We continued reading Act 1.

We had a quiz quiz on the play/notes thus far.

Word O' the Week:

Dun: noun/tr. verb (Dun)
1. An excellent former history teacher at Tantasqua.
2. One who makes insistent demands for payment.

Think:

Dogs sweat from the bottom of their feet.

Brit Lit:

Today in class:

We continued talking about the oral tradition. Today we defined two terms to know: Alliteration and Kenning.

We read The seafarer by the unknown poet. I then broke you into 6 groups and had you define three names that had alteration, and 3 kenning examples that they could discuss. We quickly performed these in front of the class.

HW: Please study terms from today and look over the poem for a quiz. Also, please continue to bring your big book to class for the duration of this week.

Soph Lit

Interesting article about Arthur Miller and what the government secretly reported on found here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/20/entertainment/main1736302.shtml

Miller with then wife...

Soph Lit:

Today in class:

We continued our notes on Arthur Miller. We began acting act one in All My Sons.

We continued to define the idea of the American Dream, and explored how it has radically changed over the last 50 years.

It has been a crazy and disruptive week. Recharge and set your focus for next week, when we will get much further into the content of the play.

Brit Lit:

Today in class:

We began our discution on the history of stories. We played a modified version of telephone pretending that you were all small villages. The story was passed around in two parts. This was to illustrate the change that happens in the oral tradition. It also led to our discusion on the written word.

I had you write a short one page story that had a unique setting, 2 characters, and the conflict of lying. Please finish these for Monday.

Meanwhile, here is the link for what Beowulf sounded like:
http://www.beowulftranslations.net/benslade.shtml

Welcome!

So you found it....welcome. This is my class blog set up to help pass information onto you about things that we are doing in class. It is a great resource should you miss school or need a reminder about what we covered in class.

I do my best to update it daily, so please check back if it is not yet updated.

Meanwhile, please feel free to poke around old posts to get a feeling for the things that we may do in this class.

I am looking forward to working with you.

Q6

In the News...

All Classes:

Please prepare for your final exam. All classes have been given review packs to study from. Good luck!

Soph Lit

Questions from the 5 pieces of Literature we read:
Night
George Orwell’s Animal Farm
J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye
William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies


POETRY/ Lit. Terms:

Allusion –
Iambic Pentameter –
Sonnet -
Rhyming Couplets –
Metaphor –
Simile –


READING COMPREHENSION:

Protagonist
Antagonist
Theme
Plot
Setting
Climax
Characterization
Point of View – (1st person, 3rd person, Omniscient)
Symbolism
Allegory
Satire

Shakespeare:

Reversed Word
Reversed Thought
Metaphor
Simile
Personification
Alliteration

Soph Lit:

Today in class:

We took a field trip to the aud.
We started with a quick warm up on stage creating a scene in which I give you the first and last word said.

We finished Act III and reviewed what we covered.

Brit Lit:

Today in class:

We wrote journal #5:

Explore the thoughts of revolution as Winston. 1pg min.

We ended class with a debate on the following three topics:

#1 People are not intelligent and need government to survive.
#2 Technology will destroy us.
#3 Cameras make us safe.

We had a fierce but intelligent debate.

World of Shakespeare:

The World of Shakespeare: Final Exam Review Sheet

Your final exam will ask you to answer (5 of 7 CP) 7 of 7 H) questions based on the plays and sonnets that we read in this course. To assist you in remembering, you may bring in one sheet of notes to remind you of specific plays and characters.

We read the following: Othello, Hamlet, The12th Night, Measure for Measure, The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet (selections) and selected sonnets.

The following prompts are possible questions to consider (hint, hint):

Examine the relationship in terms of a timeline between Desdemona and Othello. Please make sure to examine the end of their relationship, and how specifically Othello believes she has not been faithful.


Please read the first page of each play. How is the opening in each play important to the story? Does it bring you in and make you interested? How? Please have specific examples from at least 3 plays.

Talk about what makes a Shakespearean tragedy. Please examine one tragedy in your study group and discuss how it fits.

Please define the following literary devices that Shakespeare uses:
Alliteration, simile, metaphor, reversed word, reversed sentence construction, classical allusion, personification, inflection, stress, aside, using language to show class and status in the play. Sonnet

Character can be defined by how one handles power. Look at 3 characters and make a list how each handles power.

Discuss the use of comedy in his plays. What ideas and specific plays hold up well and still make us laugh. Please use specific scenes in your discussions.

Please review important information on Shakespeare. Please work to define what we know about him. If you had to write his obituary, what would you list about his life?

Define a Shakespearean Sonnet. What did his sonnets reveal about him that his plays may not have? Pick a sonnet and be familiar enough with it that you could reference it in an answer.

World of Shakespeare:

Today we:

Practiced and performed your Will Remix scenes. I asked you to take 5 characters and remix them into a unique scene/situation. Video to follow....

Soph Lit:

Today:

We continued Act 3 in Midsummer.

Brit Lit:

Today:

Journal #5: Today we explored Winson's feelings towards Julia. I had each student write a 1 pg love letter from Winston to Julia.

HW: Please read to Part II, section V.

World of Shakespeare:

Will Remix:

We broke into groups and remixed 3-5 characters in any Shakespeare play. Script= 3-4 pgs. We will finish these on Thursday...when we get back from our 1st snow day ;-)

Soph Lit:

Today:

We used today for day 2 of 3 MCAS review. Today the focus was on reading comprehension. Please see me if you did not get pack #2.

HW: Please finish MCAS review pack #2

Brit Lit:

Today:

We wrote journal #4: Explore Winston's job and working conditions. 1 pg.

We discussed love notes and the new character of Julia.

We reviewed the reading from last night.

We took Quiz #3

Word O' the Week:

Vamoose: (va-moos-vuh) Verb. To leave in a hurry.

World of Shakespeare:

Today:

Hamlet exam.

Soph Lit:

Today in class:

We took review notes on act I-II.
We took Quiz #2.
We began Act III.

Brit Lit:

Today in class:

1984 Journal #3: Explore the use of tech in 1984 from the perspective of Winston in your journal (1 Page)

We finished our film example of a dystopia.

HW: Read to part III in section Two. Pgs. 88-98 in my copy- your book might be a tad off.

World of Shakespeare:

We played the review game: Who Wants to Win a Pizza Party for the Hamlet test.

I gave out the essay questions for the test on Monday.

Soph Lit:

Today:

I broke you into groups of 5-6 and asked you to quickly cast and act the remainder of Act 2.

We finished Shakespeare in Love during the second 1/2

Brit Lit:

Journal #2:
We wrote poems from Wilson's perspective in 1984. I asked you to focus on the mood and tone of the novel.

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