Regents, Outlines, 13th Warrior Finale

10R
Short stories were checked for completeness. They are to be edited for homework. Look them over for theme, completeness of setting, conflict, climax, etc.

Also, unit test on this unit is probably tomorrow. Study!

11R

Began the listening portion of a Regents exam. Students are to finish the multiple choice questions and essay for homework.

12R

Finished The 13th Warrior. Discussed similarities to Beowulf. Students were told to consider this question carefully as they will have to explore it for the test on Wednesday.

Reminder...

10R classes: Your short stories are due on Monday! Once again, the directions are:

A dollar coin is the factor that determines whether someone lives or dies. Write a short story in which a color is a symbol and death is personified.

Think tone and theme, setting, conflict, characters, climax and resolution.

Also, you need to have the 'Analyzing Fiction' outline done for "The Open Window."

Review, a Little More Saki, Thirteenth Warrior Pt 3

10R
Discussed "The Open Window," especially the nature Vera. Went over the homework.



11R

Review for Monday's exam. Know all vocabulary and contents of your notes. If you're missing anything, this may help:

Iroquois Constitution: for the Five tribes to combine in order to defend themselves, leader should be peaceful, understanding, caring, welcoming, be reasonable, open to criticism, decisions should care for the coming generations (pre-colonial)

Sinners in the Hands…:
Written by Jonathan Edwards; man is flawed, God has already made up his mind what to do with you (predestination), God doesn’t like you very much, you can be saved if you follow the rules (The Great Awakening)

Declaration: Written by Thomas Jefferson;
People have rights, they can’t be taken away, purpose of government is to protect them, when government doesn’t do this, people have the right to change it (Enlightenment)

Self-Reliance: Written by Ralph W. Emerson

Be yourself, you have a purpose different from anyone else, find it and follow it, not the crowd (Romanticism)

Civil Disobedience: Henry D. Thoreau
Government is best which governs least, people should let their governments know how they feel (Romanticism)

You will find notes by scanning down all of September's posts. Look under 11R.

12R

Continued the movie. Will finish on Monday.

Listening, a Little Saki and The Thirteenth Warrior

Apologies for not posting yesterday! This will happen when time doesn't allow.

10R

Went over directions for short story project:

A dollar coin is the factor that determines whether someone lives or dies. Write a short story in which a color is a symbol and death is personified.

Any further questions, please let me know. Due Monday.

The story, "The Open Window" by Saki was distributed. We read the intro and questions were assigned:

Recalling: 1, 2 in complete sentences. 3 and 4 will be written and answered as multiple choice questions.

Interepreting: number 6

Analyzing Literature: numbers 1 and 3.

Whatever's not done will be finished for homework.

11R

Due to absences, a practice listening activity was done. Tomorrow we'll review for exam on Monday. Also, formal practice for Regents Exam, Part 1, will be next week.

12R

We started the movie, The Thirteenth Warrior yesterday. This will continue for the next class or so.

Finally...

10 R

Finished up Masque of the Red Death. Students answered questions Interpreting 6,7,8 but also turned them into multiple choice questions. Question 9 was answered in complete sentences. Understanding Allegory #1 was also done.

Finish for HW, multiple choice questions may be emailed to me.

11R

Students were given Civil Disobedience by Thoreau, and read it independently. Period 1 was assigned questions 1,2,3 in recalling. Period 7 was assigned 1, 3 and 5.

12R

Students recited their lines and this went very weel. Everyone obviosly worked at preparing thier parts. Well done!

We finished the poem, discussed the significance of the final battle and the aftermath. Question seven was assigned to be finished for Friday.

We watch The Thirteenth Warrior starting tomorrow!

Poe, Emerson, Research

Note: Due to a family emergency, I had to leave early and was not available for after school student conferences. I know a few were expecting to see me. Apologies.

10R

Vocab quiz. Students were reminded that quizzes could be retaken after school next week.

We continued with "Masque," focusing on the significance of the clock. Students were reminded that the purpose for reading is the location of phrases and sentences that are comprehensible, which are underlined.

11R

Vocab quiz. Students were reminded that quizzes could be retaken after school next week.

Continued with Emerson as with Poe. Students had to work the rest of the essay.

12R

Discussed the research project further. Directions from yesterday's post were read and explained.

Lines for Monday's readings from Bewoulf were assigned. I assigned myself a fair share, and hope to find the time to study them! At the end of the period, the student before me volunteered to take more lines.

Now where do mine start?!! :)

Class was given time to browse the anthology or work on their lines while I conferenced with students on the final draft of their essay.

Have a great weekend.

Poe, Emerson, Beowulf

10R

Began reading "The Masque of the Red Death" by Poe. Students were reminded that the story should be read with symbolism in mind. We read through page 175 column one, then discussed the possible symbolism associated with the structure of the palace and the lighting of the rooms.

As the rooms are at angles to one one another, and therefore not visible from any one room, the rooms represent stages of life ending in the black room awash with a "deep blood color." This last was decided to represent death and called the "Death Room."

HW:

Read through to the last full paragraph on page 176
Study for quiz

11R

Added some vocabulary:

Calvinism: emphasizing predestination, the sovereignty of God, the supreme authority of the Scriptures

Enlightenment: philosophical movement of the 18th century, characterized by belief in the power of human reason and by innovations in political, religious, and educational doctrine.

Romanticism: a movement in literature and art during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that celebrated nature rather than civilization; "Romanticism valued imagination and emotion over rationality"

(Note: These won't be on tomorrow's quiz.)

Began examining Emerson" "Self-reliance". Students were asked to highlight or underline those sentences and phrases in the first paragraph which were most comprehensible for the purpose of identifying the theme of the essay. They were told that doing this effectively will be of tremendous value on the Regents Exam.

The parts which surfaced the most are highlighted below:

There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried. Not for nothing one face, one character, one fact, makes much impression on him, and another none. This sculpture in the memory is not without preestablished harmony. The eye was placed where one ray should fall, that it might testify of that particular ray. We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents. It may be safely trusted as proportionate and of good issues, so it be faithfully imparted, but God will not have his work made manifest by cowards. A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done otherwise, shall give him no peace. It is a deliverance which does not deliver. In the attempt his genius deserts him; no muse befriends; no invention, no hope.

Other lines were brought up according to each student's comfort with Emerson's figurative language, but these were the basics and well illustrate his point. This activity went very well.

HW: Do the same, underline or highlight sentences and phrases most comprehensible, in the rest of the essay.

12R

The "Battle with Grendel's Mother" was concluded. Imagery was discussed along with Beowulf's larger than life character. We talked about the nature of glory, honor and self-awareness. Beowulf is a character who is totally self-aware yet not conceited. The glory he seeks is, in the long run, of benefit not just to himself, but to the others who are in his protection.

HW: Finish the short piece begun on Monday, writing parts of the story from Grendel's point of view.

Lines will be assigned tomorrow. Each student must prepare those lines for presentation to the class on Monday.

The upcoming research project was discussed A general idea was given in order to allow them to start working if they wish. Instructions and time line will be developed and distributed in the near future. Basically, students will survey the various periods of English Literature and select the one of greatest interest:

Periods
Anglo-Saxon
Medieval
English Renaissance
Seventeenth Century (1625-1660)
Restoration (1660-1798)
Romantic
Victorian
Modern
Contemporary

Students will be required to select the period and describe it in full, including what sets it apart from the previous period. (Special consideration will be given for anyone choosing the Anglo-Saxon period. Other requirements will be needed for this.) The students will choose a particular author from that period and write a biography which will include information regarding style, contributions and impact and a critical analysis of a selected work by that author. Finally, each student will attempt to demonstrate the particular style of the period, and perhaps of their chosen author, in an original work of their own.

Of benefit here is that just about everything before the Modern Period will be available on the Internet.

Jefferson, Beowulf, Goodbye Bradbury, Hello Poe

10R

Completed the outline for "...Soft Rains":

“There Will Come Soft Rains”

By Ray Bradbury

I. The Big Four

a. Characters: the house, dog
b. Theme: technology makes life easy, but it can also control and destroy us.
c. Plot: automated house provides for a missing family, continues operating until a fire starts and destroys it; family killed in nuclear blast
d. Aug. 4, 2026, Allendale, CA

II. Plot Breakdown

a. House is trying to survive after family is gone
b. House versus nature
c. Tree branch crashes through window, fire starts
d. Suspense: where is everybody?
e. Climax: house trying to fight the fire
f. Denouement: House dies, but it still is giving the time

III. Analytical Elements

a. Third person
b. Personification, imagery

Introduced two new vocabulary words:

Symbol: something used for or regarded as representing something else; ex. The grim reaper=death, huskie=football team, eagle=America

Allegory: a story meant to be read symbolically.

Distributed "Masque of the Red Death" and read the intro page on Edgar Allen Poe.

11R

Read the last three paragraphs of the Declaration and summarized Jefferson's purpose: present a reasoned argument to justify the colonies' rebellion.

Contrasted the beliefs in the source of a governments authority; feudal = the divine right of kings; Enlightenment = power originates with the people, for the purpose of protecting the unalienable rights endowed upon men by 'the Creator.'

Added the following to the vocabulary list;

Parallelism: the repeated use of phrases, clauses, or sentences in structure or meaning to strengthen an argument

Jefferson used this device effectively in the Declaration in his list of grievances.

HW:

Handout: "Self-reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Directions: Read the first paragraph. Underline all phrases and sentences for which the meaning is clear, and that point to what the theme may be. This is a challenging bit of writing!

12R

Continued with Beowulf through line 542. Discussed the use of symbolism, dream imagery, and elements of the 'Hero Quest'. For example, Beowulf's leap into the water brought him to an underground battle-hall where he fought Grendel's mother. This is an example of the hero's journey to the underworld.

HW: read through to line 622. Students are encouraged to note their thoughts in the margins.

Also discussed assigning students ten lines that they would present to the class. This will be done for the section titled, "The Last Battle."

Rewrites and Such...

All classes received Fridays vocab quiz, and were told that retakes and makeups were available after school until Friday. Students were also told that tests and quizzes may be retaken after school as needed and that essay rewrites will always be accepted for an improved grade.

In other words, you are in control of the grade you receive.

There was some confusion with the sub's directions yesterday. Some finished the essay rewrite, some didn't. All were told that the final was due tomorrow.

10R
Examined the construction of Regents exam multiple choice questions, including what makes a good 'distractor' (wrong answer). They then tried their own hands in constructing m/c questions for the Bradbury story, "There will Come Soft Rains."

11R

Pd. 1: We went over the first two paragraphs in the Declaration of Independence, noting the evidence of Enlightenment thinking. Jefferson layed out the foundation of an argument which supported the assertion that the colonies had a right to rebel.

Pd. 7: Lots of absences, so essays were handout and final copies begun.

12R

Discussed Beowulf's speech to Hrothgar and how he emerges as a larger than life character. We also talked over the battle with Grendel and read the introduction to the next section.

Students were told that they can continue the activity in which they write the story from Grendel's point of view. I'll take that on Friday.

Important Message for 12R

Due to a momentary brain fade on my part, I assigned a section of Beowulf instead of assigning the essay rewrite. If you read this before spending more of your weekend than necessary on homework, just get the reading done. I'll assign the rewrite on Monday.

If you get it all done, so much the better.

Apologies!

Cheers,
Mr. L

PS: Everyone else: I'll update the rest of the classes a bit later.

Reason, Beowulf and Some Nuclear Fallout

10R

Students wrote about the most disturbing image from the Bradbury story. The nature of nuclear weapons was discussed and the Cold War was touched upon as historical context for the story. Excellent discussion!

Students continued filling out fiction analysis outline.

HW: Study for the vocab quiz.

11R

Students wrote their reaction to the Jefferson quote:

Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.

Reactions were shared. The quote was also applied to the events of 9.11.

Read some historical context for the Enlightenment, and took some notes:

I. Colonists gained experience in self-government
A. Didn’t consider independence
B. King George imposed foolish regulations
C. Outrage erupted into war

II. The Age of Reason
A. 17th century thinkers changed the way people viewed the world
1. Galileo, Newton, etc.
B. Believed in the power of reason and science to further human progress
C. Faith takes a back seat
D. Man basically good, not evil
E. Influential Enlightenment thinkers:
1. Locke, Hume, Voltaire
F. Influenced American thinkers
1. Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, Washington, etc.
a) They were Deists
b) Deism is the theistic belief that a supreme God exists and created the physical universe, but does not intervene in its normal operation. It claims to derive the existence and nature of God from reason.

HW: Study for vocab quiz

12R

Wrote about the events of 9.11 to start, then moved into the opening of Beowulf through line 58. discussed. finished up to 103 and discused the theme.

HW: Read through 227

A Sermon, A Hero and a House

Important Note

As there are only class sets of anthologies available, so students may not take one home, any readings missed due to absence must be made up in school or at home from another source. See me if you have any questions. Absentees are responsible for getting the reading done on their own time.

10R

Read "There Will Be Soft Rains," started analysis outline in notebook when finished. I conferenced with remaining students during class.

11R

Reviewed yesterday's notes on Colonial Period. Introduced Jonathan Edwards, one of the leaders of the Great Awakening. Read excerpts from "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" , noted theme and tone.

12R

Split into groups to discuss last night's homework. Shared answers. Final discussion on "The Seafarer."

Introduced "Beowulf." Read Historical context.

HW: Read through line 58.

Some Notes, Some Reading

All classes:

Definition:

Allusion: a reference an author makes to people, places, and events from history or literature outside his or her own work.

Added "There are three types of irony: verbal, dramatic and situational" to the definition of irony.

There will be a vocabulary quiz by the end of the week. Students will have to define the words and provide examples.

Breakdown by Grade

10R

Handout:

"Suggestions for Analyzing Fiction:"

Title of work

Author name

I. The “Big Four”

a. Characters (both major and minor)
b. Theme (central message or insight into life)
c. Plot (general summary, subplots)
d. Setting (time, place, and circumstances of events)

II. Plot Breakdown

a. Motivating factor (an ambition or objective which leads to conflict)
b. Conflict (struggle between opposing forces – man vs. nature, youth vs. old age)
c. Complication (circumstances that make the major character’s struggle more difficult)
d. Suspense (feeling of curiosity or uncertainty about the outcome of events)
e. Climax (turning point of highest action at which the conflicting forces win or lose)
f. Dénouement (last event of resolution)

III. Analytical Elements

a. Point of view (author’s manner of telling the story – 1st or 3rd person)
b. Special techniques of author (imagery, symbolism, irony)


The outline was applied to the story, "The Last Unicorns:"


Title: “The Last Unicorns”

Author: Edward Hoch

I. The “Big Four”

A. Characters: Shem, bearded man, Noah
B. Theme: saving the unicorns
C. Plot: Shem tries to buy unicorns. Bearded Man says no. Shem tries to steal them. BM stops him. Shem tells Noah, can’t save unicorns.
D. Setting: Long ago, green fertile valley, farm, raining

II. Plot Breakdown

A. Motivation: Save the unicorns
B. Conflict: BM won’t give them up`````
C. Complication: SAA
D. Suspense: Why does Shem want the unicorns?
E. Climax: Shem trying to steal the unicorns
F. Dénouement: Shem talking to Noah

III. Analytical Elements

A. POV: Third Person
B. Techniques: allusion to the story of Noah in The Bible

The author of the next story, Ray Bradbury, was introduced.

11R

Read about Puritans, Pilgrims and the Great Awakening as historical context for passage by Jonathan Edwards. Discussed impact on American culture.

12R

Handed out historical context outline for the course. Reread and discussed "The Seafarer." Discussion centered around the impact of Christian thought on the Anglo-Saxon outlook, which had been primarily centered on fatalism. HW: Analyzing Literature number 1&2 of hand out.

Themes and Tones II

All classes were given directions for expanding Friday's activity and worked on it through the end of the period.

I pointed out that certain careless errors would not be tolerated, expecially the tendency of many to use the lower case 'i' where 'I' is correct, as in I, I'll, I'd and I'm. Email and cell phone texting habits are infecting some of their writing.

As students worked, I conferenced with them individually on their initial writing assignment the first day of school.

Today's work is to be finished and edited for homework. I will make corrections and comments, and return it to them as soon as I can for a final rewrite.

Tomorrow, classes will return activities in the grade level anthology books.

Oh the Irony...

Started classes with a journal activity inspired by the last update: If your life is a story, what is the title? A good title will lead you to the your theme.

Responses were excellent: "The Road to Somewhere," "The Circus," "The Roller Coaster," Between Two Worlds,"...

Students were told to consider this activity carefully as it would be officially assigned for a major grade on Monday. The options for the assignment, as outlined in the last post, were discussed.

Some handouts were returned signed. Many were not. Monday will be the last day to return for credit.

All classes were given the definition of irony:

Irony is a literary or rhetorical device, in which there is an clash or discordance between what a speaker / writer /actor says or does, and what he or she means or what is generally understood.

Breakdown by Grade:

Grade 10:

First short story of the year was read: "The Last Unicorn" by Howard Koch. Language which implied the story's tone was discussed. We'll do a little more with this on Monday.

Grade 11:

Read the excerpt of "The Iroquois Confederacy" in the anthology with particular attention to the last paragraph:

"We now do crown you with the sacred emblem of the deer's antlers, the emblem of your Lordship. You shall now become a mentor of the people of the Five Nations. The thickness of your skin shall be seven spans -- which is to say that you shall be proof against anger, offensive actions and criticism. Your heart shall be filled with peace and good will and your mind filled with a yearning for the welfare of the people of the Confederacy. With endless patience you shall carry out your duty and your firmness shall be tempered with tenderness for your people. Neither anger nor fury shall find lodgement in your mind and all your words and actions shall be marked with calm deliberation. In all of your deliberations in the Confederate Council, in your efforts at law making, in all your official acts, self interest shall be cast into oblivion. Cast not over your shoulder behind you the warnings of the nephews and nieces should they chide you for any error or wrong you may do, but return to the way of the Great Law which is just and right. Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations, even those whose faces are yet beneath the surface of the ground -- the unborn of the future Nation."

Tone and theme were discussed. (Anyone interested can find the full text of the Constitution HERE.)

We'll wrap this piece up on Monday.

Grade 12:

We continued reading "The Seafarer," an Old English, Anglo-Saxon poem, the existence of which goes back to the oral tradition of pre-Christian northern Europe. For those interested, you can view the work in the original HERE.

Themes and Tones

Today all classes received class policy handouts (see post below), which are to be signed and returned tomorrow.

The following words and their definitions were copied into notebooks and discussed:

Theme: a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in literary or artistic work
Ex: “Never give up.” “Accept what can’t be avoided.” “The need of the one outweighs the need of the many.”

Tone: a literary technique, that is a part of composition, that encompasses the attitudes toward the subject and toward the audience implied in a literary work. Tone may be formal, informal, intimate, solemn, sad, playful, serious, ironic, condescending, or many other possible attitudes.

Students tend to have a difficult time comprehending theme and tone. We talked about both in relation to music, paintings, TV shows, movies, etc. Also, the idea that human beings organize information in narrative terms: people tell stories, and those stories contain the attitude (tone) the storyteller wishes to communicate, as well as the lesson, or idea (theme).

They were then asked to consider their own lives as stories, and to determine what the theme and tone may be. They wrote in their journals for five to ten minutes. The majority of students were actively engaged in this task, leaving me very encouraged indeed.

I am aware that some, or more, may have had difficulty. They were told that we would return to this task in the next couple days for more work. Essentially, students will be required to expand this assignment into either a four paragraph essay:

*Introduction
*Discuss the "biographical" theme and supporting details. What is the theme of your life right now? Why? Themes may center around a conflict (you against _________.), desire (I want _________, but __________ is in the way.), good fortune, friendship, family, etc. If you have difficulty finding a them, please see me for guidance. One way to think about it is to ask yourself, "If my life is a story, what is the title?" The answer will lead you to the theme.
*Discuss your "biographical" tone. What is the primary feeling in your story? Why? Give examples.
*Conclusions: Did you learn anything from this exercise?

OR

Write an actual narrative... the story of this stage of your life. Use language that will imply the tone. Again, think of a title that will point you in the direction of a theme... but don't state the theme directly. Write this from either the first or third person.

Any question, hit the email link above, or see me. Again, this has not been officially assigned... but will be. Get a jump on it!