The Gods Eat Their Children / The Silver Kiss Part I

College Prep 12

• Made a few comments about essay writing. make sure these college app essays are narrative. Tell short but highly detailed anecdotes to create memorable impact. Too many of these, even though they are technically essays, read too much like essays and not enough like a story, especially on this last assignment. The one due tomorrow (Imagine you are a hero for one day during any time period and under any circumstances. Describe your experiences.) especially requires a narrative style. Tell me a story!
• Finished reading "The Beginning of Things," the Greek creation myth. Students were told to read in terms of Campbell's four functions of myth, look for theme and possible metaphors. Discussion ensued.
• Peer review tomorrow.

Grade 10

• Introduced The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause. Read the first chapter to them. Tomorrow studetns will copy a model of a book log for the chapter.
• No homework.

Greek Creation Story / Unit Test

College Prep 12

• Collect Essay 2
• Review Prof. Jewkes intro in Man the Myth-Maker; what is the theme? What are Jewkes' assumptions? What does he say about the purpose of literature and imagination?
• Start reading "The Beginning of Things."
• "Where the wild Things Were" by Stefan Block; Tease out the theme and metaphor in class journals. Be ready to discuss on Friday.
• Essay 3: #62 in question packet. Draft ready for peer review on Thursday

Grade 10

• Short Story unit test

How to Work a Metaphor (12 and 10) /Jewkes Again (12) / "The Open Window" Video

College Prep - 12

• "Hubris can kill you." ~ Richard Burton
• In groups, students examined the above quote in terms of metaphor. How does one work a metaphor? What is the mental process involved if the understanding isn't intuitive? Discussion ensued.
• Read the Introduction to "Many the Myth-Maker," quotes were pulled from the text, written in quotes section of notebook.
• Essay # 1 handed back. General feedback given. Students told they could sign up for conferences.

Grade 10

• Same task (but not in groups) as in the 2nd bullet above, except the quote worked is "That will be a difficult mountain to climb." Responses were written in journals.
• Viewed the video for "The Open Window." Elements were discussed afterward in comparison to the text.
• Short stories were collected.
• Unit test is tomorrow so the homwork is STUDY.

Facebook - Hero Journey / "The Open Window" Part III

College Prep - 12

• Discussed with the studetns that it has been brought to the attention of the faculty that Facebook, and probably MySpace, is being used for the purposes of cheating on school assignments and tests. I emphasized the danger in this, as such can result in expulsion from college. Most importantly, such behavior compromises one's honor, integrity and, thus, reputation. I acknowledged that students today are under a great deal of pressure to succeed, and that the temptation to cheat can be seductive. Also, such behavior seems endemic in our culture where so many popular figures are caught doing the wrong thing, sending a message that the only time such actions are wrong is when one is caught. A primary theme for this course is that of the Hero Journey, which we all are invited to take in many different ways. However, honor, integrity and sacrifice are critical in such an endeavor. There is no evidence that any of my students have engaged in this behavior. However, it is an important topic that needs to be addressed.
• Class activity: students applied the stages of the Hero Journey to last night's reading, "Just Drawn That Way" (see yesterday's post). Discussion ensued.
• HW: In class journal, process this Hero Journey idea. define it, discuss it, associate the idea to your life and those around you so it is no longer Joseph Campbell's idea, or Mr. Lambert's. make it your own.

Grade 10

• Students answered questions in their notebooks:
• Why is Framton Nuttle living in the country? Why is he visiting the Sappletons?
  How does Vera explain the open window?
  Explain what causes Framton to rush from the house so suddenly.
  How does Vera explain Framton’s departure?
  At what point do you realize Vera is telling a story? Cite evidence from the story that shows her intent.
  What is Vera’s tone when speaking to Framton? What evidence proves this?
  Find two examples of verbal irony in the story.
• Answers were discussed.
• Checked the outline for the story:
  
  "The Open Window" by Saki
  The Big Four
  Characters: Vera, Framton Nuttel, Mrs. Sappleton, Mr. Sappleton, two brothers, dog
  Theme: Don’t always believe what you’re told. Be a bit skeptical.
  Plot: Nuttel arrives at Sappleton’s; Vera spins her tale; Mrs. Sappleton comes downstairs; husband comes home; Nuttel panics and rushes out; Vera spins her tale about Nuttel
  Setting: Sappleton’s home, October at dusk, living room, early 1900’s
  Plot Breakdown
  Motivator: Nuttel’s nervous condition
  Conflict: Vera’s deviousness and Nuttel’s nervous condition
  Complication: husband comes home, Vera’s deviousness
  Suspense: what will come in through the window
  Climax: when Mr. Sappleton comes home, Nuttel freaks
  Denouement: Vera’s lie about Mr. Nuttel
  Analytical Elements
  POV: 3rd person
  Spec. Techniques: irony, imagery, romance, character development
• Short stories due Monday.
  

Peer Review / "The Open Window" Part II

College Prep - 12

• Peer review of essay number 2.
• Checked reflection journals for period 2.
  

Grade 10

Pd. 3 & 4:

• Journal: Write a paragraph on each of the two main characters in "The Open Window." Cite evidence from the story to support your conclusions.
• Discussed the language in the story which develops each character.
• HW: Lit. Rev. Outline in notebook
  

Pd 8 (Substitute):

• Journal: Write a paragraph on each of the two main characters in "The Open Window." Cite evidence from the story to support your conclusions.
• Start story questions, finish for HW.
  

Mythology Slideshow/ Poe Part IV - "The Open Window" Intro

College Prep - 12

• Viewed Slideshow: myth defines, myth's four functions, stages of the Hero Journey.
• Discussion
• HW handout: "Just Drawn that Way", by Michael Arthur
• Read in terms of Campbell's work and the slideshow.
• Essay drafts due tomorrow for peer review.

Grade 10

• Students were told that work missed due to absence have 5 school days to be handed in before grade becomes a zero. It is the student's responsibility to ask for missed work.
• Collected HW.
• Went over Lit. Rev. Outline for Masque:
• 
  "Masque of the Red Death"
  By Edgar Allen Poe
  The Big Four
  Characters: Prince Prospero, Death, all guests
  Theme: Death is unavoidable
  Plot Summary: Prospero locks his friends and himself in a palace to avoid a plague; he throws a masque; people freak when the clock chimes, mysterious figure arrives at midnight, everyone follows him into the black room, and dies
  Setting: night, in a palace,
  Plot Breakdown:
  Motivating factor: avoiding the Red Death
  Conflict: Man vs. Death
  Complication: the Clock, which reminds people of time passing, Death arrives to party
  Suspense: is built by description of setting, reads like a nightmare
  Climax: Starts at the stroke of midnight
  Denouement: everybody dies
  Analytical Elements:
  POV: 3rd person
  Techniques: intense, symbolic imagery, irony, allegory
• Intro "The Open Window" by Saki.
• Reading for character development. Read story and highlight or underline clues to each character's nature. Finish for HW.
  

POM Part IV / Poe Part IV

College Prep - 12

• Collected essay finals
• Essay 2 first draft due Thursday.
• Reviewed yesterday's POM segment.
• Viewed final part of Episode 1.
• Discussion

Grade 10

• Checked HW: Entire story should be annotated, Literature Review Outline completed.
• Finished discussion of story.
• Questions handed out to be finished for homework. Emphasis on COMPLETE SENTENCES!:
• What mood or effect is created by the colors and the lighting in the rooms of the ball?
• Why does the clock have such a dramatic effect on the dancers?
• Why does the masked visitor frighten the guests so?
• Explain how Poe develops the story to build a feeling of terror.
• What might each symbol from the story represent?
  Prince Prospero
  The masquerade
  The masked figure
  The number 7
  The clock
• What is the allegorical lesson Poe is presenting in the story?
  

POM Part III / Poe Part III

College Prep - 12

• Reviewed Friday's installment.
• Viewed part III.
• Took notes.
• Final copy of essay #1 due tomorrow.
• Essay # 2, question 27 in CollegeApplication Essay Questions handout: You have just completed your 300-page autobiography. Please submit page 217. (University of Pennsylvania)
• First draft due Thursday.
• Note: I will check response journals on Thursday during peer review.

Grade 10

• Journal: on page 176 column 1, Poe writes that a multitude of "dreams" stalked to and fro. "Dreams" refers to what? How do you know? Read that section over for a moment before answering.
• Discussed the imagery in the weekends reading. Emphasis on how his language is building momentum toward the introduction of the new character at the stroke of midnight.
• Period 3: handed back essay final copies, placed in portfolios, collected.
• Period 4: Collected essay final copies.
• HW: Finish reading the story (underline or highlight, anotate), fill out a literature review outline in notebooks (same as was done for "The Last Unicorns" and "There Will Come Soft Rains.") in pencil or erasable pen.

POM Part II / Masque Part II

College Prep - 12

• Discussed yesterday's peer review process. Was it beneficial? Were comments of value?
• Continued with The Power of Myth, took notes.
• Essay finals due Tuesday.

Grade 10

• Journal: Describe the palace. What words may poe be using symbolically?
• Discussed last night's reading in depth, emphasizing the symbolism as the 'east room' and the 'west room' as birth and death. Also discussed the impact of the clock on the reverlers.
• HW: Read to the bottom of 177, highlight and annotate.

Essay Peer Review / Starting Poe's "Masque"

College Prep - 12

• Directions were given for peer review:
• Read as many essays as you have time for.
• After the first reading, set a reasonable time limit for each round.
• Make no mark on the essay. On a separate sheet of paper for each essay, note line numbers and comments.
• Comments may question mechanics (punctuation, etc) but should concentrate on voice and imagery. Is the image clear enough, would an adjective be needed, etc.
• Ask questions!
• Be positive! Make a point of identifying what is fluid, clear and interesting.
  Examples:
  13: great image!
  17: interesting, more detail?
  19-23: Powerful but
  21: sp?
  28: word rep, syn?
  Author: Don’t assume a particular criticism is valid. Some may be matters of opinion that can go either way. However, if there is a common comment, consider it carefully.
• The activity went very smoothly. Final copies are due Tuesday morning.

Grade 10

• Students were given a question on TWCSR. They were to find a correct answer and three 'distractors' as in a multiple choice question.
• Vocabulary 5 and 6:
• 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.
• Introduced "Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allen Poe. This story is an allegory and may be a challenging read for many students. If this is the case, students were advised to focus on, highlight or underline, elements of the story that they can understand.
• Read, explained and discussed the first two paragraphs.
• HW: read through to the end of the last full paragraph on page 175. Credit will be given for those whose texts are highlighted and annotated.
  
• Pd. 2 vocab quizzes were returned. Final essay copies due tomorrow.
• Pd. 3, first drafts returned. Final copies due Monday.
• Monday is the last day to retake vocab quiz.
  

The Power of Myth / There Will Come Soft rains

College Prep - 12

• Checked and discussed last night's HW.
• Introduced and viewed first 15 minutes of Power of Myth (POM)
• Discussion
• Students were reminded about the essay due tomorrow and advised that anything deemed too personal for a peer to read should be constructed in a manner that will ensure the desired level of privacy. The final copy can be as personal as the student's comfort level allows.

Grade 10

• Journal: what was the most disturbing image in the story and why?
• Homework was checked.
• Journal entry was discussed
• Story's theme was discussed.
• Went over HW. Outline should look as follows:

"There Will Come Soft Rains"By Ray Bradbury

I. The Big Four

a. Characters: the house, dog, fire

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

• Pd. 3: Essays were returned. Final copy due Friday.
• Pds 4&8: Vocab quizzes returned. Can be retaken. Friday is the deadline.

The Fall of Innocence / Vocab Quiz and a New Story

College Prep - 12

• Read an essay by Prof. W.T. Jewkes in his book Man the Myth Maker, pg. 142. Students wrote quotes from the passage in the 'Quotes and Words' section of their notebooks. A fine discussion ensued. The theme of the essay is 'The Fall from Innocence;' the movement from the magical world of childhood to the hard world as adults know it can be, and that this experience is archetypal across cultures. It was noted that this interesects with the theme for the essay assignment due Thursday.
• An article on student honesty was distributed for homework. Students are to read, annotate and respond to the article in their classroom journals. Some class time was given for this as Mr. Lambert tangled his technology, canceling the first installment of Joseph Campbell's Power of Myth until tomorrow.
  
• Reflection journals will be checked early next week when six or seven entries should have been completed.

Grade 10

• Took short quiz on first three vocab words. Results were rather poor. Students were told that they can come after school to retake the quiz. A deadline for this will be considered.
• Added word number 4 to the vocab list:
• Allusion: a reference an author makes to people, places, and events from history or literature outside his or her own work.

• Started "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury. Students are to finish the story for homework, and apply the Analyzing Literature outline presented yesterday and applied to "The Last Unicorns." This should be done in pencil with lines skipped to allow for corrections.
  

Note Taking, Essay Samples, Info / Themes and Tones and Unicorns

College Prep - 12

• No matter what I'm talking about, students are encouraged to begin a routine of note taking practice in class. College classes can be large and note taking skills are critical. Each student should develop a technique that is effective and efficient.
• Shared more info regarding the application process including changes in the financial aid formulas for private institutions. Discussed the common application, in which one app can be sent to numerous institutions.
• Discussed SAT 'super scores:'
  

Many colleges will take your best critical reading score, your best math score and your best writing score on the SAT and combine them into one super score even if they come from different test dates. For example, let’s say you take the SAT the first time and get a 650 critical reading, a 720 math, and a 700 writing score. You then take the SAT a second time and get a 750 critical reading, a 700 math and a 650 writing score. Many colleges will combine the best of these sub scores to view your test score as a 750 critical reading, a 720 math and a 700 writing for a combined total of 2170. LINK

• Went over essay samples with special attention on language and content. While the essay should contain a sense of personal voice and specific anecdotes, it should also convey that the writer has experienced some transformation and specific reasons why the particular institution is the right one for the candidate.
• Valuable links:
• College Board
• College Confidential
• Questbridge ("QuestBridge is a non-profit program that links bright, motivated low-income students with educational and scholarship opportunities at some of the nation's best colleges. QuestBridge is the provider of the National College Match Program and the College Prep Scholarship.")

Grade 10

• Journal entry: Recall a movie or book, describe and explain the theme and tone. Share and discuss.
• Started "The Last Unicorn" by Howard Koch. Discusses the language that reveals the tone of the story. Also discussed how the author's word choice creates deep meaning when considered carefully.
• Reviewed directions for Monday's assignment. (See yesterday's post.)
  

College Info, College Apps / Themes and tones

College Prep 12

Materials for Class:

• Three subject notebook
• Reflection journal, preferrably hardcover comp book

Handouts:

• College Search packet
• College Application Essay Questions
• Sample application essays
• Bloom's taxonomy

• Reflection Journal: five entries per week are required. entries should be about one half side of a page and dated. Each page must be numbered. Content can be anything but should be meaningful. the goal is to develop an expressive, conversational writing tone or 'voice' which is critical for writing acceptable college application essays. Ideas can be taken from the list of college application essay questions from today's handout.

Good website for college search:

U.S.News & World Report

A+ Options for B Students

HW: read all sample essays; underline examples where the writer's 'voice' is apparent.

Grade 10:

Journal: If your life is a story, what is the title?

• Review theme and tone:
• Theme: a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in literary or artistic workEx: “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.
• Add irony to vocab list, discuss the different kinds: situational, verbal, dramatic
• 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.
• talked about 'mindfulness' as paying attention; what is done mindfully can't be done any better in the moment it is done.
• HW: Theme/Tone assignment:
• *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.
• First draft due Monday