11.21.08

Brit Lit:

Happy Friday! I started to correct your Macbeth tests- so far they look very good. If any of you want your grades early, shoot me a email to cusicks@tantasqua.org. Starting Monday, we will be taking a few days before the break to look at and write a killer college essay. I will explain this in detail on Monday. Have a safe weekend!

Soph Lit:

Today in class I showed about 5 minutes of my version of A Midsummer Night's Dream that I did with Ms. St. Jean at ol' Shepherd Hill. I hope that it helped you visualize some of the things that we were talking about this week.
Every Friday, I try and do some fun assignments- today you did some writing on the history of the Slinky. After lunch, I taught you the very basics of what handwriting can tell us about the person. Remember- it was just for fun- I don't want any of you to read too much into it :-)

11.19.08

Brit Lit: We finished Macbeth today- the lightsabers were fun. I wish that I could have made the room darker, but it was still cool. I told you learning could and CAN be FUN! Macbeth is a difficult play, and I can't tell you how proud that all of you understand it. I also hope that I was able to show you that Shakespeare can be fun.

We will be playing a review game based on Wheel of Fortune Thursday, and catch up on any missing notes. Remember, you can use all notes on the test- so make sure that you have the complete set. If you are missing any- get them from me, or a person that you think takes good notes. On Friday- we TEST.

11.17.08

Brit Lit:
Block A: Today we continued to write the missing narration for Macbeth. Friday we completed Act 1, and 2. Today we did Act 3. We also had a quiz on Act 4, and a wee bit o' 5.

Block B: We acted out Act 5 in class and caught up on our notes.

Both Blocks- We will be finishing Macbeth this week. I am aiming on a review game Thursday, with our test this Friday. I am after school Tuesday for anyone who needs to make up work, or needs to catch up on their notes.

Word O' the Week

Zedonk [zee-donk]  The rare offspring of a male zebra and a female donkey. 

11.12.08

Soph:
Today we talked about contrasts in imagery. Hot/cold, love/hate, sweet/sour.... Shakespeare had a great way of mixing comedy with tragedy- we explored that today. In class we made skits that were funny, and sad at the same time. Look for this contrast as we continue the play....

11.12.08

Brit Lit:  Today we broke into groups and had to work out a scene that told the story of Macbeth in 32 sec.  This forced you to decide what things are important to keep the story "intact."  On Friday we will be working on making the missing narrative in Macbeth- what you did today in class should help you decide what is important to stress....

Word O' the Week

Gongoozler {gahn-gooz-ler} 
A person who stares at activity on a canal.

11.11.08

Soph Lit:  Reminder- your 16 lines from AMND are due this Thursday- so use the day off today to stomp around your house and learn the lines :-)

Brit Lit:  Last call on videos- If you elected to do the alternative paper, you need to write a 3-5 page paper explaining a Shakespearean Tragedy, and how the play Macbeth follows this model.  These are due Wed.

Have a great day off, and take a moment to remember the sacrifices that those in the military have made for all of us.