English 12th Grade Syllabus
xtra Credit Opportunities: Write a review for any of the following: (5 points) Classic films, books you read outside of class
Thur June 11
Final writing project sharing and leave-taking.
You are wonderful and talented and I‘ll see you at graduation!
Tue June 9
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Don DeLillo writes, “The world is full of abandoned meanings. In the commonplace I find unexpected themes and intensities.” • This intensity, or postmodern sublime, is possible to see and feel almost anywhere — it could be a sense of wonder, or curiosity, or fear. White Noise represents this through sunsets — Close your eyes and remember or imagine a gorgeous sunset. Where were you?
— Sunset and the sublime art project (if you miss class today, please do a RR on the last chapter and the idea of the postmodern sublime)
— Literary scattergories or time to work on final writing project (due Thurs)
Homework: Finish final writing project and print out a hard copy for Thursday!
Mon June 8
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Walt Whitman writes, “Some people are so much sunshine to the square inch.” • What behaviors or qualities does this statement conjure up for you?
— Pocket full of sunshine activity (if you missed class today, please write a RR for ch 36–37)
Homework: Read through chapter 39, work on final writing project (due June 11)
Thur June 4
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Dutch Renaissance scholar Erasmus writes, “When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes.” • When you have a little money, what do you buy? If you have any money left, what do you buy then?
— Webquest and literary spotlights
— Catch-up and relish, writers’ conferences with Ms. C, using final writing project rubric
If you miss class today, please write a RR for ch 33–35.
Homework: Read through chapter 37, work on final writing project (due June 11)
Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!
Tue June 2
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Don DeLillo writes, “Make no mistake. I take these children seriously. It is not possible to see too much in them, to overindulge your causal gift for the study of character. It is all there, in full force, charged waves of identity and being. There are no amateurs in the world of children.” (White Noise) • Describe yourself as a child, using psychiatrists’ terms: extroversion/introversion, cooperative nature, confidence, nonconforming, exuberance, skepticism, etc.
— Maltby article and skits on the children in White Noise (if you miss class today, write a RR on ch 28–32)
Homework: Read through ch 35 and work on final writing project
Mon June 1
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Zadie Smith writes, “Sometimes, one wants to have the illusion that one is making one’s own life, out of one’s own resources.” (from NW) • Think of consuming as necessary to creating. We consume in order to create. For instance, we read — we consume words, we consume style, effect, patterns of language — in order to write. • List several things you consume, and then list beside them things you could create as a result of consuming. Ex: strawberry smoothie → dance/mow the lawn/hike
— Writing lab
Homework: Read through ch 32 and work on final writing project
Thur May 28
— Warm-up writing and discussion: DeLillo writes, “Fear is self-awareness raised to a higher level.” • While Jack intensely fears his own death, Denise fears the drug her mother is secretly taking. What is something you really fear? How would you connect it to DeLillo’s statement?
— Anthropologists in the field! (If you missed class today, choose one of these anthropologist roles and create a written response.)
Homework: 1. Read through ch 28 by Monday
2. Work on your final writing project (due June 11)
Tue May 26
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke writes, “May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back.” • This river begins with honesty — write about how you’re feeling today and why. Then choose one word or phrase for a total honesty check in, write it on a post-it and put it in the basket.
— I‘m Alive poem (if you missed class today, please do this.)
Homework: read through ch 25 by Thurs, attend AP Lit Tea Room Poetry Night on Wednesday 6:30 p.m. in the Commons
Thurs 5/21
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Maira Kalman exclaims, “Hallelujah for knowledge and for the honor of language and ideas. And books.” • 1. Finish your own exclamation: Hallelujah for … 2. What specific piece could you contribute to the tea room AP Lit Nepal fundraiser next Wednesday?
— Lit circles present their product adverts (if you miss class, please create your own product advert and turn in)
Homework: Read through end of ch 21 by May 26, work on your final writing project (due June 11th)
Have a safe and fun-filled 3-day weekend! Poem for Memorial Day: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176831
Tue 5/19
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Zadie Smith writes, “To my mind, a true ‘creative’ should not simply seek to satisfy a pre-existing demand but instead transform our notion of what we want.” • What tangible, purchasable thing do you want? What role has advertising played in your desire for this thing? • Second, what do you want that isn’t purchasable? What role has literature, music, or art played in your desire for this?
— Advert project (if you missed class today, please do this and turn it in for credit)
Homework: Read 1/2 of chapter 21 by Thursday.
Mon 5/18
— Warm-up writing and discussion: David Foster Wallace writes, “To be, in a word, unborable…is the key to modern life. If you are immune to boredom, there is literally nothing you cannot accomplish.” (from The Pale King) • When are you most likely to feel bored? Describe the circumstances in terms of the 5 senses, plus the sense of time passing. Any ideas for how to overcome the sense of boredom?
— Read This is Water and discuss the questions at the end (if you missed class today, please read, answer the questions, and turn in for credit!)
Homework: Read through ch 20 by Thursday (no RR)
Thur 5/14
— Warm-up writing and discussion: David Foster Wallace counsels, “Try to learn to let what is unfair teach you.” (from Infinite Jest) • What do you find really unfair? In what way could it possibly teach you?
— Inquiry Jigsaw (if you missed class today, please write a reading response on ch 6–11 of White Noise to make up)
Homework: Read through ch 16 of White Noise by Mon. (no RR)
Tue 5/12
— Warm-up writing and discussion: British novelist Zadie Smith writes, “The past is always tense, the future perfect.” • In what way is the first phrase true of you? In what way is the second true?
— BHS art show: write response to a piece of art in WU book
— literature circles (if you missed this activity, write a reading response on ch 1–5 of White Noise to make up)
— discussion of possible final writing projects
Homework: Read through ch 11 of White Noise by Thurs. (no RR)
Mon 5/11
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Anton Chekhov declares, “The role of the artist is to ask questions, not answer them.” • What question(s) does your writing project ask?
— Turn in projects
— bookroom to check out White Noise (if you missed class today, please stop by the library and check out a copy!)
— family tree created
Homework: Read first 5 chapters by Tues.
Thur 5/7
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Camus writes, “No man can live on the stretch all the time, with his energy and will-power strained to the breaking point, and it is a joy to be able to relax at last and loosen nerves and muscles that were braced for the struggle.” (from The Plague) • 1. How do you feel about the AP Lit Exam? 2. What is your personal goal for learning during the rest of the year in AP Lit?
— Films
Homework: Finish your writing project for the book group unit (due Mon 4/11). You know how proud of you I am!
Tues 5/5
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Auden writes, "About suffering they were never wrong, / The Old Masters: how well they understood / Its human position; how it takes place / While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along” (from “Musee des Beaux Arts”) Compare line 4 with this: While someone else is not suffering. Why is Auden’s use of detail more effective?
— Collaborative timed write activity
— kahoot AP Lit terms
Homework: Get plenty of sleep tonight and bring your literary work study guides to the AP Lit breakfast tomorrow morning at 6:45 a.m., Ms. C’s room!
Mon 5/4
— Warm-up writing and discussion: W. H. Auden writes, “Poetry might be defined as the clear expression of mixed feelings.” •Remember to look for ambiguity in literature — that’s where it’s most interesting! Pick an image to describe — it’s both ________ and _________.
— Timed Write review and reflection
— Kahoot vocabulary touch-up game
Homework: Review whatever you need to: Guided notes, literary work study guides, literary and poetic terms, etc.
Fri 5/1
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Sandra Cisneros writes, “Abuelito under a bald light bulb, under a ceiling dusty with flies, puffs his cigar and counts money soft and wrinkled as old Kleenex.” (from “Tepeyac”) • How can a ceiling be dusty with flies? Are the flies plentiful or sparse? Active or still? What does Cisneros’ descriptive diction reveal about Abuelito’s room?
— Book groups complete literary study guide for their book group choice; tableaux
Homework: Collect all 9 of your literary work study guides for the year and study them! (if you want to, fill out guides for your favorite books from the first 3 years of high school.) Include: Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, King Lear, choice read: The Awakening, etc., Jane Eyre, The God of Small Things, Heart of Darkness, The Stranger, book group choice read: The Plague, To the Lighthouse, C & P
Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!
Tue 4/28
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Mary Shelley writes, “In the midst of poverty and want, Felix carried with pleasure to his sister the first little white flower that peeped out from beneath the snowy ground.” (from Frankenstein) • What do you understand about Felix from the imagery of this sentence?
— MC overview
— Postmodernism powerpoint with guided notes
— Work time/writing lab
Homework: Read, review, write — do what you need to do! I‘ll see you on Friday. :)
Mon 4/27
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Virginia Woolf writes, “The impact of poetry is so hard and direct that for the moment there is no other sensation except that of the poem itself. What profound depths we visit then — how sudden and complete is our immersion! There is nothing here to catch hold of; nothing to stay us in our flight...The poet is always our contemporary. Our being for the moment is centered and constricted, as in any violent shock of personal emotion. (from “How Should One Read a Book?”) • If we analyze syntax, Woolf employs an exclamatory sentence — what is the effect of this sentence? If we analyze tone, Woolf creates a tone of enthusiastic fascination — which words, metaphors, and similes contribute to this tone? What else could you call the tone of this passage?
— Full AP Exam debrief
Homework: Read last section of book group book, work on writing project (due Mon 5/4)
Thurs 4/23
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Virginia Woolf writes, “Friendships, even the best of them, are frail things. One drifts apart.” (from To the Lighthouse) • Woolf’s melancholy tone here lends weight to her speaker’s claim about friendships drifting, like small boats on a turbulent sea… What can one do to keep friendships from drifting apart?After answering, re-write Woolf’s sentence: Friendships, especially the best of them, are ________________ things.
— Philosophical fruit bowl with poems
— Review literary analysis terms with bingo
Homework: read next section of your book group book (be finished reading by April 28th) and work on your unit writing project (due Mon, May 4th)
Tues 4/21
— Warm-up writing and discussion: “All I maintain is that on this earth there are pestilences and there are victims, and it’s up to us, so far as possible, not to join forces with the pestilences.” (from The Plague by Camus.) • What in your mind, are current pestilences?
— Finish poetry forms review
— work time
Homework: 1. Read the next section of your book group book
2. If needed, finish complete AP lit exam asap!
3. Work on unit writing project
Mon 4/20
— Warm-up writing and discussion: “Am well. Thinking of you always. Love.” (from The Plague by Camus.) • This telegram, sent by someone in the newly quarantined city of Oran, tries to capture the whole of a relationship in seven words. Think of someone you love deeply and imagining that you are suddenly cut off from them for an unknown span of time, write a seven-word telegram that will be the only communication for months.
— Poetry Form Review
Homework: Read next section of book group book and work on writing project
Thur 4/16
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Dostoyevsky writes, “Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth.” (from Crime and Punishment) • Do you agree? Why or why not?
— Book groups make posters of the single most important word so far in their books
— Create bingo card for poetry terms bingo
Homework:
1. Read 5th section of book group book and do RR #1 (no summary)
2. Work on or think about writing project for the unit
3. Complete AP exam (due Monday!) — remember to read the poems out loud and put a star on the 2 essays you‘d like Ms. C to score.
Tue 4/14
— Warm-up writing and discussion: (explain why the meme is funny)
— Jigsaw groups present theories of humor (if you were gone, read and summarize Group 1 in the linked packet)
— Supercool video: http://digg.com/video/a-bach-prelude-played-on-boomwhackers — why is it funny?
— Using humor dictionary, create jokes and explain the type of humor they are based on.
Homework: 1. If needed, complete the full AP Lit exam
2. Read the next section of your book group book
Mon 4/13
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Virginia Woolf writes, “What is the meaning of life? That was all — a simple question; one that tended to close in on one with years, the great revelation had never come. The great revelation perhaps never did come. Instead, there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark; here was one.” (from To the Lighthouse) • What is the meaning of life in very fine grain?
— Stranger TV activity (panel discussions)
Homework:
If needed, upload your essay to turnitin.com!
If needed, complete the full AP Lit exam
Read the next section of your book group book
Thurs 4/9
— Warm-up writing and discussion: J. D. Salinger writes, “She wasn’t doing a thing that I could see, except standing there leaning on the balcony railing, holding the universe together.” (from “A Girl I Knew”) • For existentialists, individuals often seem to espouse whole world-views and larger meanings are tied up in relationships. What holds the universe together for you?
— Choose which timed write Ms. C should grade
— Short class play (no need to make this up if you missed class)
— Discuss Existentialism Writing Project and book groups meet
— Bright Star
Homework: Read 2nd section of choice book
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Tues 4/7
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Simone de Beauvoir writes, “Each of us is responsible for everything and to every human being.” • Do you agree fully? Is this statement useful or overwhelming? Both?
— Check out book group choices from the book room and meet with book group members to work out a reading schedule. (If you missed class today, find a time to stop by the library to do this asap!)
— Timed Write on The Stranger (if you missed class, please do this asap!)
— Watch a bit more of Bright Star.
Homework: Read 1st section of book group book (no RR)
Mon 4/6
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Aldous Huxley confesses, “It is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one’s life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than ‘Try to be a little kinder.’” • What does this have to do with Celeste’s testimony at Meursault’s trial?
— Overview of book group options (The Plague, To the Lighthouse, and Crime and Punishment) — if you missed class today, please decide which one you‘d like to read over the next 3 weeks.
— Catch up and relish time
Homework: Do a literary work study guide for The God of Small Things and for The Stranger.
Thurs 3/26
No warm-up today; field trip to BPA’s Snow Falling on Cedars and Bright Star.
Homework over spring break: re-read a book you really liked and think you might use on the AP Lit exam in May (consider works from this year as well as works you read in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades).
Have a safe and happy spring break everyone! Come back rested and ready to give your all to the last stretch of high school! (H.G, last stretch of Jr year is something to celebrate as well. :)
Tues 3/24
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Virginia Woolf writes, “You must be capable not only of great fineness of perception, but of great boldness of imagination if you are going to make use of all that the artist gives you.” • What does this have to do with AP timed writes?
— Turn in hard copy of GoST essay
— Timed Write: compare/contrast Dickinson and Frost poems (if you missed class, do this asap!)
— Snow Falling on Cedars jigsaw
Homework:
1. Upload GoST essay to turnitin.com by midnight tonight!
2. IMPORTANT — FIELD TRIP GATHERING PLACE and TIME: Meet by the flagpole at 8:35 a.m. on Thursday (If it’s raining, we’ll convene just inside the 200 building.)
3. Read through to the end of The Stranger and write a RR (due Thursday)
Mon 3/23
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Dr. Seuss writes, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” • Do you believe this? Would Meursault believe this? Explain.
— Time to consider “Blackberry Picking” comments and whole-class feedback on timed writes
— Turn in RR #1 for The Stranger
— Packet of timed write prompt 2 questions and sample essays (if you missed class, ask me for this packet!)
Homework: 1. Read The Stranger through pg 93 (no RR)
2. Revise essay and upload to turnitin and bring hard copy to class on Tues or share it with me (ahead of time, please) and I’ll print it out.
Thur 3/19
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Novelist Margaret Atwood writes, “The answers you get from literature depend on the questions you pose.” • What questions do you have about The Stranger at this point?
— Existentialism and the absurd powerpoint with guided notes, philosophical fruit bowl
— Class play Sure Thing (no need to make this up if you missed today)
— Read graphic novel packet on Camus
— Start literary study guide for GoST (3rd period)
Homework: 1. Read through p 59 of The Stranger, do RR on 1st half of the book (no summary) (due Mon)
2. Revise GoST essay and upload to turnitin.com (hard copy due Tuesday)
Tues 3/17
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Viriginia Woolf writes, “Do not dictate to your author; try to become him. Be his fellow-worker and accomplice.” (from her 1925 essay on How to Read a Book) • Do you think writing reading responses help or hinder this process? Why?
— check out The Stranger (if you missed class, please stop by the library and do this asap)
— begin looking through graphic novel re: Camus
— allusion presentations and poetry creatures
— turn in “Blackberry Picking” timed write with comments and self-scoring
— William Blake PP and discussion on the packet (don’t turn in)
Homework: 1. Read through chapter 4 of The Stranger (see http://http://www.cheltenham.org/webpages/rwilman/index.cfm?subpage=557696 ) for an online pdf of Ward’s translation) — no RR
2. Revise GoST essay (hard copy of final draft due in class and uploaded to turnitin.com on Tuesday 3/24)
3. Fill out field trip form!
Mon 3/16
— Warm-up writing and discussion: In a letter to his brothers, John Keats writes about “Negative Capability, that is when man is capable of being in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts.” • Why are poems especially inclined to bring out this “Negative Capability” in readers— the willingness to make peace with ambiguity?
— Allusion presentations
Homework: Complete William Blake packet (due Tues)
2. Field trip form!
Thur 3/12
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Novelist Margaret Atwood writes, “Books and characters in books, pictures and elements in pictures—they all have families and ancestors, just like people.” • Who is your most interesting relative? What does Atwood’s statement have to do with recognizing or missing allusions in literature?
— allusions presentations
— read sample essay on “Blackberry Picking” and begin commenting/scoring own essay
Homework: 1. Review/study entire poetry packet from 1st semester, making sure you know the types (12) that comprised the poetry calendar.
2. Pay Ms. Spray the $95 AP English Literature test fee by this Friday 3/13 If you will be taking the AP Language test, please pay for that at the same time! :)
3. Finish your allusion work if needed.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Tues 3/10
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Joseph Conrad writes, “The earth for us is a place to live in, where we must put up with sights, with sounds, with smells, too, by Jove! - breathe dead hippo, so as to speak, and not be contaminated.” (Heart of Darkness) When you encounter strange, off-putting smells, art, ideas, etc. is it useful to think of them contaminating you? If not, what would be a better word?
— Heart of Darkness quiz
— Writing lab to finish and print out polished draft of GoST essay; time to work on allusions project.
Homework: 1. Do the 40-minute Timed Write on "Blackberry Picking" (Due Thurs 3/12)
2. Pay Ms. Spray the $95 AP English Literature test fee by this Friday 3/13 If you will be taking the AP Language test, please pay for that at the same time! :)
Mon 3/9
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Salman Rushdie writes, “Meaning is a shaky edifice we build out of scraps, dogmas, childhood injuries, newspaper articles, chance remarks, old films, small victories, people hated, people loved; perhaps it is because our sense of what is the case is constructed from such inadequate materials that we defend it so fiercely, even to death.” (Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981–1991) • Are you a pack rat? Who is the biggest pack rat you know? Why do they keep the things they do?
— Peer-edit and workshop complete drafts
Homework: Work on essay draft (you will have some time in the computer lab tomorrow as well); the polished draft is due during the 2nd hour of class tomorrow.
Thurs 3/5
— Warm-up writing and discussion: German writer Goethe said, “True art can only spring from the intimate linking of the serious and the playful.” • How does this statement connect with your creative project?
— Discuss sample AP essay on Heart of Darkness
— Share creative projects!
— Thesis writing time
Homework:
1. Finish Heart of Darkness
2. Write a complete draft of your essay and bring hard copy to class on Monday.
Have a fun-filled weekend, everyone!
Tues 3/3
— Warm-up writing and discussion: In an interview with Salon magazine, Arundhati Roy says, “You know, I think that a story is like the surface of water. And you can take what you want from it. Its volubility is its strength. But I feel irritated by this idea, this search. What do we mean when we ask, “What is Indian? What is India? Who is Indian?” Do we ask, “What does it mean to be American? What does it mean to be British?” as often? I don’t think that it’s a question that needs to be asked, necessarily. I don’t think along those lines, anyway. I think perhaps that the question we should ask is, “What does it mean to be human?” • First, what are the first things that come to your mind when answering this question? Next, can you turn your answers into a working thesis statement about the novel? How do your thoughts connect with what is Roy saying about what it means to be human?
— Play the Professor! (If you missed class today, write a reading response about the last section of the novel to make up for this activity.)
Homework: 1. Read HoD through p. 147 "The horror! The horror!"
2. Finish creative project! Due Thurs
Mon 3/2
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Joseph Conrad writes, “Fiction is history, human history, or it is nothing . . . a novelist is a historian, the preserver, the keeper, the expounder of human experience” (1921). • How do you record your human experience? (Do you keep a journal, do you maintain a blog, do you share photos via facebook or instagram, do you write poetry, etc.?)
— Timed Writes handed back, whole-class feedback
— Unit Essay prompt and rubric handed out; time to think about thesis.
Homework: 1. Read through to the end of GoST
2. read HoD through p 124 “affirmed in a supreme moment”
Thur 2/26
— Warm-up writing: Italo Calvino writes, “The ultimate meaning to which all stories refer has two faces: the continuity of life, the inevitability of death.” • How does this apply to your life? How does this apply to the novels we’re reading right now?
— Turn in RR#6 (last one for GoST!)
— Timed Write for GoST (if you missed class today, do this asap)
— Computer lab for allusion project (if you missed class today, email me for your group members so you can get caught up!)
Homework:
1. Read GoST through chapter 17 (no RR)
2. Work on your allusion project for 20 minutes (I have reserved the computer lab for an additional half hour next week for this project)
3. Work on your creative project (due Mar 5)
Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!
Tue 2/24
— Warm-up writing and discussion: “As Estha stirred the thick jam he thought Two Thoughts and the Two Thoughts he thought were these: a) Anything can happen to anyone. and b) It is best to be prepared.” What are you very well prepared for? Or, what are you not?
— Discussion of last night’s reading assignment
— Watch first 16 min of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAEC1LdSYrM on Kathakali dancers
— Group discussions of postcolonialism and intersectionality
Homework: 1. Read GoST ch 12–13 through p 251 and do RR (due 2/26)
2. Work on creative project (due Mar 5)
Mon 2/23
— Warm-up writing and discussion: “‘Those who are conquered,’ wrote the philosopher Ibn Khaldun in the 14th century, ‘always want to imitate the conqueror in his main characteristics—in his clothing, his crafts, and in all his distinctive traits and customs.’” — from Adam Hochschild’s King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror & Heroism in Colonial Africa • Do you want to push back on this statement? If you agree, why do you think this is true? Consider the way we speak of falling in love with someone (being intensely interested in someone) as a kind of being conquered.
— Discuss and turn in RR #5
— Postcolonial criticism packet handed out; SSR for either postcolonialism or Heart of Darkness.
Homework: 1. Read and annotate postcolonial criticism packet and read HoD through 25 pages in (through p 85 in some editions) until “He began to speak as soon as he saw me”
2. Read GoST through ch 11, no RR
Be thinking about creative project! (due Mar 5)
Thurs 2/12
— Warm-up writing and discussion: When asked about the stylistic devices she uses in GoST, Roy has said, “All I can say about that is language is the skin on my thought.” • Do you think of language in this way? Or do you feel that words actually shape your thoughts, performing more of a structural role? Do words come easily to you?
— Discuss GoST ch 5–6
— SSR for Heart of Darkness (if you missed class today, make sure you read at least the first 10 pages)
— Indian miniature art project (see powerpoint for directions — if you missed class today, please create one that is around 5" by 7".)
Homework:
1. Read ch 7–8 in GoST (and do RR 5 — due Mon 2/23)
2. Work on creative project (due Mar 5)
Have a wonderful Mid-winter break everyone! Stay safe and enjoy the time off. :)
Tues 2/10
— Warm-up writing and discussion: British writer Doris Lessing asserts, “There are no laws for the novel. There never have been, nor can there ever be.” • Arundhati Roy’s style includes running together words to distort our usual understanding of language and ideas in order to create new meanings and connections. • Try runningtogether words in your response — first, do you agree with Lessing? Second, what is the effect of Roy’s style?
— Timed Write 9 (if you missed class today, find a quiet 40 minutes and do this asap)
— Discuss and turn in RR 4
— Anagram project (no need to make this up if you missed class)
Homework: read ch 5 and 6 of GoST (No RR) due Thursday
Mon 2/9
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Philosopher William James said, “A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.” • What do you really think about college? What are your biggest concerns/fears? Is it important to attend college?
— Peer commenting on synthesis papers and turn in — make sure you do this if you were absent on Thursday of last week!
— Intro to Heart of Darkness and begin reading
Homework: First, a reminder to bring both books every day (Heart of Darkness and The God of Small Things)
1. Read GoST chapter 4 and do RR #4 (due Tues)
2. If you wish, bring a laptop or tablet tomorrow (for an anagram project) :)
Thurs 2/5
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Abigail Adams wrote: “I am more and more convinced that...power, whether vested in many or a few, is ever grasping, and like the grave, cries, “Give, give!” (letter to John Adams, 1775) • Do you agree? •Does Adams’ troubling remark reflect your understanding of what happened in the Congo during the reign of King Leopold II? Explain.
— Discuss Aristotelian rhetoric in King Leopold’s Ghost excerpts
— Discuss and turn in RR 3 for GoST
— Using the free-response questions for the 2014 AP Language test, jigsaw mini lessons
— Homework: using the essay 1 prompt, write a synthesis paper (spend as much time as you need to; don’t keep to the 40 minute deadline since you‘re learning how to construct a synthesis paper). (Due Mon 2/9) The prompt and sources are p 2–8: http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap14_frq_english_language.pdf
If you’re looking for a little help, try this article:http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/courses/teachers_corner/51307.html
Have a great weekend, everyone! Go see the Winter One-Acts!
Tues 2/3
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Joseph Conrad writes, “He who wants to persuade should put his trust not in the right argument, but in the right word. The power of sound has always been greater than the power of sense.” • Do you agree with Conrad? Did you search more for the right argument or the right words when composing your essay last night?
— Time for sharing essays and rhetorical strengths
— Read “Satire Lives” (2nd pages of guided notes on rhetoric, handed out on Mon) and create an outline for the editorial.
— AP Language multiple choice practice in groups (if you were gone today, ask me for a copy).
Homework: 1. Read packet from King Leopold’s Ghost and annotate for Aristotelian rhetoric (logos, ethos, and pathos) — if you missed class today, ask me for a copy.
2. Read GoST p 66 through end of ch 3; do RR. (both due Thurs)
Mon 2/2
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: French mathematician, scientist, and writer Blaise Pascal writes, “People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.” (from De l’art de persuader) • What makes an argument persuasive?
— Guided notes on rhetoric with powerpoint
Homework: Write a 1–2 page persuasive essay, either pro or con! (due Tues)
Prompt for period 3: 8:00 at night is the best time of day.
Prompt for period 5: Waffles are better than pancakes.
Thurs 1/29
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Arundhati Roy, who studied at the Delhi School of Architecture, says of writing her novel,“Constructing my book was actually an architectural thing... It was like designing an intricate balanced structure.” •What is your favorite building/space you’ve ever been inside? Why?
— If you choose the creative writing option for this unit’s creative project, consider using the building you wrote about today as a structure for your written work. What would that look like?
— Look at further info on women in Kerala (thanks to A.S’s question!)
— Review point of view
— Tone analysis practice
— Timed Write 8 (If you missed class today, you can use your tone words list to help you; find a quiet place to write for 40 minutes.)
Homework: Read Chapter 2 of GoST until page 66; do RR 2 (due Mon.)
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
Tues 1/27
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Poet Adrienne Rich explains, “Every journey into the past is complicated by delusions, false memories, false namings of real events.” • Have you ever remembered an event differently than someone else who was there?
— Semester final exam debrief
— Small groups discuss new historicism/cultural criticism packet and make bumper stickers that express the most important point in the packet
— Finish introductory video: http://www.learner.org/courses/worldlit/the-god-of-small-things/watch/
— Read first 3 pages and notice how Roy uses language
— Tone analysis practice
— Homework: Read ch 1 of GoST and do RR1 — create a family tree/relationship map of the characters so far rather than a summary in your RR; questions and your extended thinking as usual. (due Thursday)
Mon 1/26
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Nobel-Prize winning poet Odysseas Elytis writes, “You’ll come to learn a great deal if you study the Insignificant in depth.” • What random, may we say Insignificant things are you interested in? Why? (I’m interested in olives, pens, and accents.)
— Check out both The God of Small Things and Heart of Darkness; return Jane Eyre
— Small things, big things intro activity
— Begin introductory video: http://www.learner.org/courses/worldlit/the-god-of-small-things/watch/
Homework: Read two packets: 1) New Historicism and Cultural Criticism 2) Background on India and Kerala — read both, annotate, and be ready to discuss on Tuesday.
Congratulations on completing fall semester, everyone! Have a great weekend, and we‘ll start fresh on Monday.
Tues 1/20
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Annie Dillard writes, “A schedule defends from chaos and whim. A net for catching days.” • Dillard’s metaphor delights me — but I can think of several other metaphors for my schedule, depending on the week. This is a strange week, and whenever that happens, it’s an opportunity to reflect on your usual schedule. What metaphor describes your schedule? Explain.
— Test prep time
— Homework: study for final exam: (all guided notes, poetry tips and terms, literary terms, literary work study guides, reader response theory, feminist criticism, formalist criticism) Note to 3rd period: the test will only be 50 points, rather than 100. :)
Thur 1/15
In class:
— Warm-up writing: In his acceptance of the Nobel Prize for Literature (1995), poet Seamus Heaney spoke of poetry providing “an order where we can at last grow up to what we stored up as we grew.” Heaney’s poetry is full of the things he stored up in Ireland as a boy: blackberry picking, spades, potatoes, milk in a bottle corked sloppily with paper, an otter’s wet head and smashing crawl…• What have you stored up?
— Finish index card outlining
— Mix and mingle with significant quotations from our four major works so far
— Beowulf powerpoint with guided notes and excerpts for groups to analyze and present (if you missed class today, please read through these materials.
— Homework: 1. revise Jane Eyre essay (due on Tues 1/20 — hard copy in class and electronic copy to turnitin.com)
2. study for final exam (all guided notes, poetry tips and terms, literary terms, literary work study guides, reader response theory, feminist criticism, formalist criticism)
Have a wonderful 3-day weekend, everyone! I’ll see you on Tuesday.
Tue 1/13
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Italo Calvino writes, “A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.” • By this definition, what book have you read that still has the most to say to you? Explain.
— Writing instruction using "They Say / I Say" templates
— Index card outline for Timed Write prompt (we‘ll continue this on Thursday)
— Homework: revise Jane Eyre essay (due on Tues 1/20 — hard copy in class and turnitin.com)
Mon 1/12
In class:
— Warm-up writing:
Victor Hugo wrote, “The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.” • Certainly Jane loved Rochester for and in spite of himself. Why?
— Wide Sargasso Sea quiz (4 points)
— posters for rhetoric terms
— Homework: study for semester final (literary works study guides, guided notes, poetry terms and tips, literary terms)
Thur 1/8
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: French writer Emile Zola said, “The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” • Many writers feel called to be writers; it is their purpose — and yet at times, this calling can be frustrating. • Describe what you find a lot of purpose or joy in, and yet also sometimes feel frustration with.
— Continuation of metaphysical poetry
— Large groups work on literary study guides to review and fill gaps in knowledge
— Homework: Read the pages on this link: (Intro and first 10 pages of Wide Sargasso Sea)http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail-inside.aspx?ID=12758&CTYPE=G to get an idea of a re-writing of Jane Eyre from the perspective of Bertha Mason, Rochester’s deranged wife in the attic. (You‘ll need to click on “Inside the Book” once you’ve gotten to the page.)
Notice: style differences between this text and Jane Eyre, narrative voice, syntax...what else do you notice? Be prepared for a short quiz on Mon. (We will have a substitute on Monday.)
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone — I‘ll see you Tuesday!
Tue 1/6
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood says that “power is being able to play with your identity.” • Think of your wardrobe — what two outfits are very dissimilar, yet reflect your identity? • Alternatively, what does Westwood’s statement mean?
— Turn in polished drafts of Jane Eyre essay.
— Metaphysical poetry powerpoint with metaphysical poetry packet; group work and sharing.
— Homework: Do literary work study guide for Jane Eyre and bring all literary work study guides from fall semester to class onThursday.
Mon 1/5
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Joyce Carol Oates writes, “Jane Eyre is a story of hunger...of hunger satisfied.” • First, what are you hungry for (besides nom noms)? Second, can you think of an example from Jane Eyre that would support Oates’ point?
— Analyzing Lucille Clifton’s "There is a Girl Inside" and poem rewriting.
— Homework: Complete polished draft of Jane Eyre essay (worth 20 points) (due Tues 1/6)
Thurs 12/19
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Lao Tzu said, “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” • Do you agree? Why?
— Quiz 3
— Poetry Calendars!
— Peer editing of Jane Eyre essay complete drafts
— Texts from Jane Eyre: if you missed class today, create a one-page text-speak conversation between Jane and another character, reflecting your understanding of character, plot, and theme in the last part of the book (create at least 6 text messages).
— Homework over the break: Work on your Jane Eyre essay, polishing and refining your thoughts. Look over the rubric again and make sure you‘re ready to turn in a polished draft to me on Tuesday, Jan 6.
Be well and have a jolly winter break, everyone!
Tues 12/16
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: George Eliot writes, “I like not only to be loved, but also to be told I am loved.” Consider “love languages” — which one do you prefer to receive? gifts • acts of service • quality time • physical touch • words of affirmation. In what ways does Jane tell those around her that she loves them?
— Reading and writing lab; goal: show Ms. C a working thesis by end of class
— Vocabulary conversations
— Homework:
1. Create complete draft for Thursday (hard copy due at beginning of class)
2. Study remaining vocab words for quiz on Thursday.
Mon 12/15
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Charlotte Bronte writes, “I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself” (Jane Eyre). • What qualities make you respect yourself?
— Reading and writing lab
— Homework: Read more (goal: end of novel) if not yet finished; if finished, outline essay.
Thur 12/11
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Michel de Montaigne wrote, “The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.” • When you are alone, where are you most at peace?
— Skits (if you missed class today, write a RR on ch 18–24)
— Timed Write 6 handed back with feedback to the whole class
— SSR for ch 25 and 26
— Homework: You have choices! Goal: read through end of book (179 pages) 2nd option: read through ch 32 (90 pages) 3rd option: read as much as time allows, knowing you will be making a trade-off with in-class writing time.
Have a wonderful weekend and stay well!
Tue 12/9
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: William Butler Yeats said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” •What has kindled your interest in learning something? Recognizing how frequently fire symbolism occurs in Jane Eyre, consider that it represents, among other things, Jane’s keen desire to learn.
— Guided notes on the architecture of Romantic and Gothic literature with powerpoint
— Whereby I put almost all my students into a catatonic stupor by reading the 18th chapter of Jane Eyre out loud to them
— and then had the temerity to ask them to read the 19th chapter to themselves
— when I had planned skits for today (which will be tomorrow — so bring props and costumes on Thurs!)
— Homework: Read through ch 24 (NO RR) for Thurs.
Mon 12/8
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Filmmaker Werner Herzog says, “I’m fascinated by the notion of civilization as a thin layer of ice resting upon a deep ocean of darkness and chaos.” • Describe a time when life became chaotic for you. What was the source of the chaos?
— Turn in RR
— Vocab quiz 2
— Time to look over directions for character analysis essay
— Homework: 1. Read through ch 17 (NO RR!) and bring a prop or costume item for a skit tomorrow. Suggestions: a shawl, a large piece of cloth, a broad-brimmed hat, a cloak, etc. Also, make sure you have your book in class tomorrow!
Thurs 12/4
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Poet May Sarton writes, “The garden is growth and change and that means loss as well as constant new treasures to make up for a few disasters.” • Describe a recent disaster in your life: cooking, driving, conversation, time-management...Or a new treasure in your life: idea, interest, friend... Connection to Jane’s experiences thus far?
— Discuss and then turn in RR 3
— Around the world with vocabulary (list 2)
— Read Formalist literary criticism packet, conversation. (If you missed class, please read)
— Timed Write 6 prompt: page 4 http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap07_eng_lit_form_b_frq.pdf (If you missed class, find a quiet 40-minute period and do this write, then turn in along with the timed write you scored yourself a couple of weeks ago.)
— Homework: 1. Read through ch 13 and do RR (due Mon)
2. Study vocab list 2 (conjecture-industrious) for quiz on Mon
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Tues 12/2
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Alain de Botton writes, “The largest part of what we call ’personality‘ is determined by how we’ve opted to defend ourselves against anxiety and sadness.” • Think of how you’ve dealt with anxiety, stress, and sadness in a particular time — how has it shaped your personality?
— Using Shakespeare’s Seven Stages of Mankind, create a Venn diagram that compares and contrasts Erickson’s Psychosocial Stages.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtEUySDDg-I (Benedict Cumberbatch delivering a lovely version for the BBC)
— Begin work on mapping plot points in Jane Eyre (see first link above)
— Guided notes on Charlotte Brontë with powerpoint
— Homework: Read J.E. through ch 9 and do a RR (due Thurs 12/4)
Mon 12/1
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Oscar Wilde writes, “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” • Does this strike you as true? To what extent is it perfectly natural to have picked things up from others?
— Turn in RR
— Quiz 1; Lear essays back
— Homework: Read packet on Erickson’s psychosocial stages and be ready to discuss on Tues.
Tues 11/26
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Henry James writes, “I don’t want everyone to like me; I should think less of myself if some people did.” • What do you want people to like about you? Are these the same qualities you prize in literary characters?
— Check out Jane Eyre from the book room.
— Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dweiGyjxhHs — a clip from Tarkovsky’s Mirror: pay attention to how the filmmaker establishes character. Notice setting, symbols, juxtaposition, lighting→ narrative perspective. How do these elements translate to literature?
— Read "Perhaps the World Ends Here" and "Home" ; choose one to analyze with the mnemonic PPSSSTTT.
— Read the prologue and 1st chapter of Jane Eyre in class (5th period) — 3rd, you have the 1st chapter to read on your own.
Homework:
1. Choose someone in your life who would appreciate one of these poems and share it with them over the Thanksgiving break.
2. Read through chapter 5 and do a RR (due Mon 12/1)
Have a lovely weekend, eat delicious food, and be safe, everyone!
Mon 11/24
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Jane Eyre says, “I would always rather be happy than dignified.” • First, would you say this about yourself? Explain. Second, what else can you surmise about Jane’s character from this one statement?
— Turn in RR 2 for choice book and casting proposal.
— Play “Would You Rather” with Jane Eyre topics
Homework:
1. Look over Jane Eyre vocabulary list (first list only) and study any unfamiliar words for a vocab quiz on Mon 12/1.
2. Fill out literary work study guide for choice book (The Awakening, A Thousand Acres, or choose a longer Katherine Mansfield story).
Thurs 11/20
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Katherine Anne Porter writes, “Love must be learned, and learned again; there is no end to it.” • Do you think romantic relationships or parent-child relationships would benefit more from incorporating this bit of wisdom? Explain.
— Turn in Lear papers.
— Casting proposal project
— Read Chekhov’s short story "Misery"; respond in warm-up books and discuss connections to Lear.
Homework:
1. Finish choice book and write a RR — remember, in the final and most important section, we want depth rather than breadth. Pick one scene or one symbol, etc and really explore the significance of the scene, symbol, etc to the work as a whole. (Due Mon)
2. Finish and type up casting proposal, print out. (Due Mon)
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Tues 11/18
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: (First watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS_1bzaj2fw Monty Python’s "Help! I’m Being Repressed!”, and then respond to the prompt) bell hooks writes, “Being oppressed means the absence of choices” (Feminist Theory). • Does this mean that you are oppressed? Think about the characters in King Lear or your choice book — who is oppressed? What are their commonalities?
— Hodge-podge (finish literary term poster, fill out literary work study guide for Lear, read, finish RR, etc.)
— Sonnet multiple choice practice (if you missed class today, see pages 30 and 31. http://mrslivaudais.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/AP-Lit-2004-Released-Optimized.pdf — Read the sonnet and answer the practice questions, but you don’t have to turn it in.)
— Practice scoring own timed write (choice of Timed Write 4 or 5), using the open essay rubric.
Homework:
1. Continue reading choice book (you should be done by this coming Monday!)
2. Complete revisions on Lear paper and upload to turnitin.com. If you missed class, email me for the password. Print out a hard copy of the paper to turn in. (Due Thurs 11/20)
Mon 11/17
In class:
— Warm-up writing: T.S. Eliot writes, “Home is where one starts from.” — The Four Quartets • What does your home smell like? What does home smell like in your choice read?
— Turn in RR
— Examine Literary Terms packet; make posters for the classroom
Homework:
1. Read another section of your choice read.
2. Revise Lear essay (if you haven’t stopped in for a one-on-one conference, come in tomorrow before school, during lunch, or after school tomorrow.) (Due Thursday)
Thurs 11/13
In class:
— Warm-up writing: The painter Edgar Degas said, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” • What do you hope your creative project makes others see?
— A couple of notes about Lear papers: secondary sources must be from peer-reviewed journals. Use the Atterbury essay or BHS’s EBSCO link on the library website. Also, make sure you are using MLA format. See the Purdue OWL for specifics: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
— Time to share creative projects!
— Read “Facing It” and talk through MC questions (see pages 10 and 11 https://ela20ap.wikispaces.com/file/view/AP+Lit+Multiple+Choice+1999.pdf )
— Watch TED talk on Love: You‘re Doing it Wrong, taking notes on intersections between what Yann Dall’Aglio posits andKing Lear.
http://www.ted.com/talks/yann_dall_aglio_love_you_re_doing_it_wrong?language=en
Homework:
Read another section in your choice read, and do a RR. (Due Mon)
Mon 11/10
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Lord Acton writes, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” (Opposing the doctrine of Papal infallibility in a letter dated 1887). • Lord Acton was talking about institutional (coercive and formal) power, but there are many kinds of power that we recognize in others and ourselves. What are some of these?
— Turn in polished drafts of Lear essays
— Scored discussion — if you missed class, answer the linked questions on EITHER the first page OR the second page. You will be graded on accuracy and thoroughness.
Homework:
1. Finish creative projects (Due Thurs 11/13)
2. Create a reading schedule for your choice book where you will be done on Mon, Nov 24th. Read one section.
Thurs 11/6
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish writes, “Exile is more than a geographical concept. You can be an exile in your homeland, in your own house, in a room.” • Considering that exile isn’t always a formal punishment, what makes people feel exiled?
— Powerpoint on Shakespeare’s sonnets with guided notes (if you missed class today, please do this but no need to turn it in.)
— Timed Write 5: Palestinian American literary theorist and cultural critic Edward Said has written that “Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted.” Yet Said has also said that exile can become “a potent, even enriching” experience.
Think about the characters in King Lear who experience such a rift and become cut off from “home,” whether that home is the character’s family, homeland, or sense of self. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the character’s experience with exile is both alienating and enriching, and how this experience illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole.
— Philosophical Fruit Bowl
Homework:
1. Polish Lear essay (Due Mon 11/10)
2. Read 5 more pages in your choice read
3. Work on creative project (Due 11/13)
Tues 11/4
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: bell hooks asserts, “Love is an action, never simply a feeling.” • Consider that Kent stays with Lear; Cordelia loves Lear (expressing this love especially in 4.4) but does not take particular action. Think about your own experience with love. Do you agree or disagree with hooks?
— Shakespeare powerpoint with guided notes (if you missed class today, please do this but you don’t have to turn it in).
— Peer editing Lear essays with rubric.
— Homework:
1. Revise and polish Lear paper (polished draft due 11/10)
2. Choose from The Awakening, K. Mansfield’s short stories, or 1000 Acres (available at the BHS library) and read first couple of pages.
3. Work on your creative project (Due 11/13)
Link for The Awakening: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/160/160-h/160-h.htm
Here are the links for Katherine Mansfield’s short stories:
http://www.katherinemansfieldsociety.org/assets/KM-Stories/A-DILL-PICKLE1917.pdf ("A Dill Pickle" 6 pages)
http://www.katherinemansfieldsociety.org/assets/KM-Stories/PRELUDE1917.pdf ("Prelude" 38 pages)
http://www.katherinemansfieldsociety.org/assets/KM-Stories/BLISS1918.pdf ("Bliss" 12 pages)
http://www.katherinemansfieldsociety.org/assets/KM-Stories/MISS-BRILL1920.pdf ("Miss Brill" 4 pages)
http://www.katherinemansfieldsociety.org/assets/KM-Stories/THE-VOYAGE1921.pdf ("The Voyage" 8 pages)
http://www.katherinemansfieldsociety.org/assets/KM-Stories/HER-FIRST-BALL1921.pdf “Her First Ball” 6 pages)
http://www.katherinemansfieldsociety.org/assets/KM-Stories/THE-DAUGHTERS-OF-THE-LATE-COLONEL1920.pdf (17 pages)
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/mansfield/garden/bay.html ("At the Bay" 25 pages)
http://lynleystace.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/a-cup-of-tea-text1.pdf ("A Cup of Tea" 10 pages)
http://literature2.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/the-fly.pdf ("The Fly" 4 pages)
http://lynleystace.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/the-dolls-house-full-text.pdf ("The Doll’s House" 7 pages)
http://www.katherinemansfieldsociety.org/assets/KM-Stories/THE-GARDEN-PARTY1921.pdf ("The Garden Party" 12 pages)
Mon 11/3
In class:
— No warm-up writing and discussion today; in-class writing lab for the duration of the period.
Homework:
Finish complete draft of Lear paper (hard copy due in class Tues 11/4)
Thurs 10/30
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: The Fool sadly says to Lear, “Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise” (1.5.37).• What is wisdom anyway? Is it humility/knowing what we don’t know (Socrates)? Is it knowing how to live well (Plato)? Is it knowledge (Aristotle)? Is it living rationally, with very few unjustified beliefs (Sharon Ryan)?
— Turn in RR for 5.1 and 5.2
— Watch last act of King Lear at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPdYIFyY43g (2:06 to 2:32) and capture your personal response to the ending of the play in warm-up journal.
— In-class writing lab for King Lear essay.
*Important* I’ve extended the due date for the first complete draft of your paper to Tuesday at the beginning of class, so plan on Monday’s class time being another writing lab. You can bring your own device if you wish.
Homework:
1. Work on Lear paper — get as much written as you can! (Due Tues Nov 3)
2. Be thinking about the creative project (Due Nov 13)
Tue 10/28
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Ray Bradbury writes, “Insanity is relative. It depends on who has who locked in what cage.” • Possible rivers of thought to explore: • What is your experience with mental illness? • The unsaid comparison here is to animals — in what ways do we lock individuals in cages? • Ideas for society to deal better with insanity?
— Turn in thesis proposals
— Animal metaphor in King Lear art project (if you missed class today, please do the worksheet, but no need to create a piece of art)
— Class theatre company for 4.3 and 4.4
— Follow along with books and film from 1:42 to 2:06 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPdYIFyY43g
Homework: Read 5.1 and 5.2; do RR — Last one for King Lear! (Due Thurs 10/30)
NB: 5th period, we didn’t quite get through the end of 4.7 so please watch/read this section.
Mon 10/27
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Elie Wiesel writes, “Music does not replace words, it gives tone to the words.” • Listen to the two versions of “Happy.” What is the difference in tone?
“Happy” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM
Woodkid’s sad remix https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go_p6oD7AIE
Also consider: To find tone, find the right music. If you were going to set a piece of writing to music, ask yourself: what tone would I choose? — “When we play an unaccompanied Bach suite we may compare ourselves to an actor in Shakespeare’s day, creating scenery which did not exist at all, through the power of declamation and suggestion. So in Bach. There is but one voice — and many voices have to be suggested.” ― Pablo Casals
— Hand in RR for 4.1 and 4.2
— Consider tone words, then read Ursula K. Le Guin’s “I am a man” piece and analyze the nuanced and shifting tones.
Homework:
1. Write your thesis proposal (Due Tues 10/28) — this can be a paragraph or less —
2. Read the secondary source essay from the Paris Review.
Thurs 10/23
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: E.M. Forster writes, “The advance of regret can be so gradual that it is impossible to say ‘yesterday I was happy, today I am not.’” • While Lear realizes all at once and with great pain that he regrets banishing Cordelia, not all realizations are this sudden. Have you ever come to regret something, and how did you realize it?
— Turn in RR for 2.1 and 2.2
— Combination of Class Theatre Companies and watching the film while following along in the books (if you missed class today, read from 2.3 to 3.7 and/or watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPdYIFyY43g from 1:07 to 1:34.
Homework:
Read 4.1 and 4.2 and do a RR. (Directions for RR here; due Mon Oct 27)
This blustery weekend is perfect to curl up with Lear — make a cup of tea and look for what Shakespeare’s saying about sight and truly seeing.
Tue 10/21
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Susan B. Anthony said, “I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand.” • Protection from what? What things do all human beings need protection from?
— Discussion about timed writes 2 and 3
— Timed Write 4 (found on page 2 ofhttp://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap04_frq_english_lit__36152.pdf ); if you missed class today, find a quiet place and write for 40 minutes.
— Small group discussions on National Book Award shortlist nominees.
— Watch from 23:00 to 30:00, paying close attention to the Fool and Lear. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPdYIFyY43g
Homework:
Read 2.1 and 2.2 and do a RR (Due Thurs)
Mon 10/20
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Oscar Wilde writes, “Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them.” • Does this resonate with you? In what ways?
— Small group discussions of RR 1 (about Act 1 of King Lear — if you missed class today, please turn this in)
— Watch a few minutes more of Act 1 on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPdYIFyY43g, paying special attention to Edmund.
Homework:
1. Read through the rest of the reading guide (with the character map on the front).
2. Consider the creative project and the essay for this unit.
Thur 10/16
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: In 1.4.218, King Lear asks, “Who is it who can tell me who I am?” • In many ways, this is the story of identity loss. As you’ve grown and changed from a child to nearly an adult, have you felt like Lear at times? Explain.
— Go over Unit 1 Exams
— Class Acting Companies for 1.1
— Taking a Stand activity and discussion on feminist literary theory (if you were absent today, you don’t have to make this up)
— Guided notes on tragedy and King Lear with powerpoint on tragedy. (If you were absent today, make sure to do this, but you don’t have to turn it in.)
— Reading Response Directions (RR) handed out and explained.
— National Book Awards Shortlist handed out.
Homework:
1. Read rest of Act 1 and do RR. Due Mon 10/20
2. Do a bit of poking around and then make a prediction for the National Book Awards in each category. DUE: Mon 10/20
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Tue 10/14
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Moliere writes, “One should eat to live, not live to eat.” • That said, write down two foods you really love and why.
— Book room to check out King Lear (if you missed class, please stop by the library and check a copy out!)
— Poetry presentations (thanks, everyone!)
— Take notes on Lear character map and reading guide with King Lear Background powerpoint.
— Short discussion of speaking with inflection and blocking.
— Watch first 8 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPdYIFyY43g of 2008 production.
— Class theatre companies for 1.1
Homework:
Read Feminist Literary Theory packet and be ready to discuss on Thursday!
Thurs 10/9
* Special Note: If you‘re interested in going to a free film series at the BI Art Museum, follow this link: http://biartmuseum.org/education/smartfilms-series-2/ to get your free tickets. Looks really fun!
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion:
“Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.” T.S. Eliot • Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892 - 1950) was the first woman to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry (in 1923) • Listen to her poem “Inland” and without intentionally analyzing it, jot down several lines in response. Free-associate, don’t worry about grammar, etc.
Inland
People that build their houses inland,
People that buy a plot of ground
Shaped like a house, and build a house there,
Far from the sea-board, far from the sound
Of water sucking the hollow ledges,
Tons of water striking the shore,—
What do they long for, as I long for
One salt smell of the sea once more?
People the waves have not awakened,
Spanking the boats at the harbour’s head,
What do they long for, as I long for,—
Starting up in my inland bed,
Beating the narrow walls, and finding
Neither a window nor a door,
Screaming to God for death by drowning,—
One salt taste of the sea once more?
— Indicate whether Ms. C should grade Timed Write 2 or 3.
— Poetry Presentations
— Unit 1 Exam
— Exquisite Corpse poetry
Homework: (Optional) Obtain your own copy of Shakespeare’s King Lear and your own copy of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening. Both of these texts are available in full online (and BHS has copies of Lear for you to check out), but you may want to mark up your own books.
Have a fantastic weekend! I’ll see you Tuesday.
Tues 10/7
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Ink runs from the corners of my mouth. / There is no happiness like mine. / I have been eating poetry. — Mark Strand • Without reading the rest of the poem, take a guess: who is the speaker? What can you say about Strand’s use of figurative language?
— watch TED talk on metaphor http://www.ted.com/talks/james_geary_metaphorically_speaking#t-482359 (9 min.)
— Direct instruction on TP-CAST prewriting with Marianne Moore’s "What Are Years" .
— Timed Write 3 with "Black Walnut Tree" prompt
— Poetry Presentations!
Homework:
study for unit exam on Thursday
• poetry terms
• reader-response theory
• guided notes on Modernist and Romantic poetry
• literary study guides on Pride and Prejudice and Frankenstein
Mon 10/6
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Poet Matthew Zapruder reminds us that “the word ‘stanza’ comes from the Greek word for room.” • When you first enter an unfamiliar building, how do you approach different rooms? How could thinking about poetry as architecture help you to experience a poem differently?
— Hand in homework from Thursday.
— Poetry presentations
Homework: study for unit exam on Thursday
• poetry terms
• reader-response theory
• guided notes on Modernist and Romantic poetry
• literary study guides on Pride and Prejudice and Frankenstein
Thur 10/2
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Robert Frost said, “To be a poet is a condition, not a profession.” • Where/how do you see literature and writing fitting into your future?
— College essays returned. Reminder: the goal is for everyone to be as close to 100% as possible, so continue to revise and re-submit!
— Discussion re: sample essays for timed write 2; time to consider my comments on timed write 2.
— Poetry presentations!
Homework:
Craft an introductory paragraph for an essay (just the first paragraph!) about either “Daffodils” or “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird”, making sure you have the following elements:
— Introductory sentence or sentences identifying author, name of poem, and explaining the dramatic situation (you don’t have to use this phrase; just briefly state what is happening in the poem. Here you might move from using ‘author’ to the ‘speaker’ of the poem).
— Clear thesis that identifies how the author uses a particular literary device to express an underlying message. Make a strong, specific claim about what that message is. Also — try to create a complex sentence by using “although”, “however”, or “nevertheless”.
Make your writing elegant and show your insightfulness!
Remember all the devices you are familiar with:
• meter
• form
• personification, rhyme, diction, syntax, imagery, figurative language
• sound families
• point of view
• juxtaposition
etc.
This paragraph can be handwritten or typed. Due Mon 10/6
Have a great weekend!
Tue 9/30
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Chilean poet Pablo Neruda has said, “Poetry is an act of peace.” • How can this be so? What other “acts of peace” can you think of?
— small groups discuss “To a Poor Old Woman” and reader response criticism; turn in poem analysis for "Old Woman".
— Powerpoint on Romantic poetry; powerpoint on Modernist poetry with guided notes.
— time to read and consider "The Daffodils" and "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird". Discussion re: potential analysis approaches.
Homework:
1. Work on your poetry calendar pages: the verso page and the month page (if needed, look back at the directions) and lesson! Due 10/2
2. Read http://http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/sample_b_english_lit__18255.pdf (three sample essays) and decide what scores they should have received (on the 1–9 scale). We’ll talk about them on Thur 10/2.
Mon 9/29
In class: No warm-up today; class today was a visit from our counselor re: college application process.
Homework:
Work on your poetry calendar page and lesson! Due 10/2
Thur 9/25
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Ernest Hemingway noted, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” • Did writing your college essay make you feel like this? Or was it easy, pouring out of you like a story that needed to be told? Explain.
— Poetry quizzes reviewed.
— Poetry meter explained and time to practice scanning lines. (Please complete and turn in if you were absent today.)
— Sound families (Mary Oliver) explained (If you were gone, please see the last two pages in poetry terms and tips packet.)
— Timed Write 2 (If you were gone, find a quiet place to sit and write for 40 minutes. Prompt: page 3 ofhttp://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/english/b_eng_lit_02.pdf
*Note: If you need more time to do a really good job on the final draft of your college essay, turn it in on Monday!
Homework:
1. Read and analyze "To a Poor Old Woman"
2. Read and annotate reader response theory packet — both due Mon 9/29
Have a fantastic weekend!
Tue 9/23
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Emily Dickinson says, “My business is circumference.” • Knowing that her business was writing poetry, what might she have meant by this?
— Work time on poetry calendar project and individual conferences.
Homework:
1. Write final draft of college essay. Due: Thur 9/25
2. Work on poetry project Due 10/2
Mon 9/22
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Plato writes, “Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.” • Do you agree with this? Why? Would you personally rather read 3 pages of a history book or 3 pages of a poetry collection?
— Review poetry terms
— Work time for poetry calendar project / studying
— Quiz (3rd period will return to this on Tues)
Homework:
Work on poetry project! (Be ready to present on Oct 2)
Thur 9/18
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: T.S. Eliot writes, “We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started... and know the place for the first time.” • Is this encouraging or discouraging?
— Turn in polished draft of college essay and villanelle homework from Tuesday.
— Pride and Prejudice powerpoint with literary work study guide.
— Poetry calendar project overview with model from last year (see list below for specific assignments).
— Read "Echo Sonnet"with poetry annotation chart, class conversation.
— Philosophical fruit bowl with college essay!
— Read 3 sample essays on “Echo Sonnet” from 2011 AP test and try to determine what scores they earned. (If you missed class, do this without looking at the scoring comments at the end of the pdf!) http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap11_english_lit_form_b_q1.pdf
Homework:
Fill in the blanks in your Poetry tips and terms packet; study the meters and poetry terms for a quiz on Monday. A few of you also need to write your polished essay and share it with me via email. Have a fantastic weekend!
Poetry Calendar Project for 3rd period:
Jan: Villanelle (Ms. Crandell)
Feb: Free verse (DD and Riley)
Mar: Sestina (Shaun and Alex)
Apr: Elegy (Hannah M. and Ian)
May: Sonnet (Leslie and Jordan)
June: Ode (Aaron)
July: Blank verse (Soren)
Aug: Visual poetry (Sienna and Kaitlyn)
Sept: Pantoum (Chloe and Angel)
Oct: Pastoral (Arthur)
Nov: Ballad (Tally and Maxsena)
Dec: Heroic Couplet (Natalie and Ellie)
Poetry Calendar Project for 5th period:
Jan: Villanelle (Ms. Crandell)
Feb: Free verse (Allison, Isabel, Kayla)
Mar: Sestina (Hallie, Anna C)
Apr: Elegy (Morgan B, Teddy)
May: Sonnet (Sam, Nick, Chris)
June: Ode (Devin, Kate, Hayley)
July: Blank verse (Dashiell, Sophie)
Aug: Visual poetry (Morgan D, Sarah, Hannah)
Sept: Pantoum (Anna T, Carly)
Oct: Pastoral (Taylor, Kyra)
Nov: Ballad (Cedar, Maddy)
Dec: Heroic Couplet (Emma, Jackson)
Tue 9/16
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Anita Desai declares, “Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” • Where have you gone that has become part of you? Consider emotional or figurative journeys as well as literal ones.
— Look at your favorite poem in light of Poetry Terms and Tips and Poetry Observations Chart.
— Take another look at "The Waking" and your analysis of paradox in this poem.
— Villanelle powerpoint with guided notes (time for beginning analysis of two more villanelles on this same document).
— Timed Write 1 handed back; Frankenstein powerpoint with literary work study guide.
— Introduction to Poetry Calendar Project (3rd period).
Homework:
1. Read two villanelles (linked above in the guided notes for the villanelle) and respond. Due: Th 9/18
2. Write polished draft of college essay and print out hard copy. Due: Th 9/18
Mon 9/15
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Walt Whitman writes, “Nothing endures but personal qualities” (Leaves of Grass, Song of the Broad-Axe). • Is this true, false, or both? Explain.
— Review rubric for college essay and time to comment on/peer-edit classmates‘ first draft essays.
Homework:
1. Write polished draft of college essay. DUE: Thurs 9/18
2. Bring a copy of your favorite poem tomorrow! DUE: Tues 9/16
Thurs 9/11
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: “Know thyself” was a maxim inscribed at the temple of Apollo at Delphi. In Plato’s dialogues, his character Socrates says it repeatedly. • In what ways can one know oneself?
— Hand in poem homework on “The Waking”
— First timed write with pared-down goals: craft a thesis statement and one body paragraph (choice of two prompts).
— Groups finish presenting their articles on college essay writing.
— Interview each other with provided questions (thinking about college essays) — > time to begin essays in class.
Homework:
Write complete draft of college essay, print out hard copy. DUE: Mon 9/15
Have a great weekend and get lots of sunshine!
Tues 9/9
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Oscar Wilde writes, “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” • How does this apply to writing your college essay?
— Share the things we brought; revisit "Initiation Song", especially last line.
— Power point on AP Lit Writing Instruction with guided notes.
— summer reading discussion groups
— jigsaw on college essay writing tips
Homework:
1. Memorize one of the quotes you chose for your summer reading HW and be able to explain the three Ss: speaker, situation, significance of the passage as it pertains to the meaning of the work as a whole.
2. Read "The Waking" ; identify one or more central paradoxes and comment on the function of paradoxes in the poem.
3. Bring laptop tomorrow if you wish (we also have the laptop carts reserved).
Mon 9/8
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Poet Rainer Maria Rilke muses, “The only journey is the one within.” • Do you agree with this or would you push back? Explain.
— Discuss pros and cons for sample college essays in small groups and then as a whole class; time to examine college essay assignment.
— Time to read "Initiation Song" and begin responding to it.
Homework:
1. Bring something to class tomorrow that represents you in some way.
2. Look through summer reading logs and be prepared to lead a discussion on each book. DUE Tue 9/9
Thur 9/4
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Plato wrote, “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” • Do you agree with this? Why or why not? Consider specific contexts such as recipes, songs, books, school, sports, etc.
— getting acquainted (sharing survey responses)
— guided notes on What is AP English Lit?
— read JFK’s college application essay for Harvard — why wouldn’t this fly today?
— read Atlantic article on college essays and respond to my questions at the end.
Homework:
Go to Johns Hopkins‘ website. Read the essays for 2018 (main page) and 2017 (see links for previous years on the right sidebar). Choose any three essays to focus on, and then write a list of pros and cons. You’ll find that you have more insightful compliments than criticisms! (Due Mon 9/8)
Wed 9/3
In class:
— Warm-up writing and discussion: Joyce Carol Oates writes, “The ideal art, the noblest of art: working with the complexities of life.” • The works of literature we will read this year will be filled with ambiguity. What does it mean to you to embrace ambiguity?
— Taylor Mali video; time for discussion re: speaking with authority AND embracing ambiguity.
— syllabus overview
Homework:
1. Finish survey (DUE Thurs 9/4)
2. Get supplies:
• A composition book that is dedicated to English and will stay in our classroom.
• A binder or section of a larger binder that is dedicated to English and has at least two section dividers, with lined paper.
• Pens with black or blue ink.
Additional supplies for the first unit:
• Your copies of the summer reading texts, Pride and Prejudice and Frankenstein.
• Post-it notes for annotating.