Hamlet V / practice Analysis Essay / Computer Lab

Grade 12

• Review Hamlet so far.
• Period 4 and 8: finished reading Act 1. Began video, watched to scene 2, line 132
• Continue video tomorrow.

Grade 10

• Continue writing practice poetry analysis essay. Due tomorrow.

Grade 9

Hamlet IV / practice Analysis Essay / Computer Lab

Grade 12

• Pd 4: Finished scene 5, line 98
• Pd. 8: Finished up to scene 5, line 48

Grade 10

• Assignment: Choose on poem from the packet (except for "Danny Deever" and "Two Tramps...") and write another practice analysis essay. Will continue and finish in class tomorrow.
• Wednesday: Unit exam. (Essay project will be given after Christmas break.)

Grade 9

• Continue in computer lab on short story projects.

Hamlet II / Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 / Computer Lab for Projects

Grade 12

• yesterday; began the play and read through Act 1, scene 2, line 132
• Today: reviewed yesterday's reading.
• Continued Act 1, scene 2 into scene 3 to line 118.
• Wrote summary plus character notes for Hamlet.

Grade 10

• read and annotated Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 ("Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day")
• Identify and label figurative language
• discuss
• HW: Select poem from packet to write one more practice summary, which will be written in class Monday into Tuesday. Tuesday: Poetry exam.

Grade 9

• In computer lab working on short story projects.

Hamlet Intro / "Metaphor" / Regents Practice - project Directions

Grade 12

• Introduction to Hamlet:
• Routine: Students are to get a book upon entering the class and spend the first five minutes studying the footnotes for that day's reading. The last 5 minutes will be spent writing a log of the day's reading which will include a summary and personal reactions, inferences, questions.
• Students are encouraged to "front load" each days reading by studying the translation at home HERE.
• Students who are absent are also encouraged to keep up with the reading at the same website, which also offers a printable version and pdf file for download.
• We discussed the plot and subplots for the play and read parts of the introduction in the book. Students shoule have an idea of the psychological breadth of this work.
• Creation Myth unit projects due on Friday.

Grade 10

• Journal: What is the theme of the poem "Metaphor?" Also answer question number 5.
• Identify and label the figurative language in the poem (metaphor, simile, personification, etc.)
• Discuss.
• HW: Read and annotate "The Wind Tapped Like a Tired Man" by Emily Dickinson.

Grade 9

• Directions for Short Story project:
• Short Story Project:
  
  Choose 1
  
  • Write your own short story. Must include all the elements of a story: setting, tone, plot, characterization, rising action, climax, dénouement. You may use elements of the stories read for inspiration.
  
  • Illustration of scene or scenes from one of the stories
  
  • Write the story of Montessor’s trial.
  
  • Write a sequel to one of the stories
  
  • Write a story review for a magazine.
  
  • Write a dialogue between one of the characters and his/her psycho-therapist.

• Begin Regents Practice. Finish tomorrow

Myth Project / "Miss Rosie" / A Part of the Sky

Grade 12

• Continued working on projects in computer lab.
• Starting Hamlet tomorrow.
• Period 8 journals due today.

Grade 10

• Journal: What is the tone of "Miss Rosie?" Thesis - proof constructed response using details from the poem to support the answer.
• Checked annotations of the poem
• Returned vocab exams and critical lens rewrites
• Discussed "Miss Rosie" in detail: Where is the figurative language in the poem?
• HW: Read and annotate "Metaphor."

Grade 9

• Too many absences today. Read more of A Part of the Sky to the class.
• Tomorrow: Regents practice, listening activity

Myth Project / "One Perfect Rose" / Short Story Quiz

Grade 12

• Computer lab working on projects. Tomorrow will be the last day dedicating class time.
• Projects due Friday. Extensions possible for good reasons,
• Start Hamlet Wednesday.

Grade 10

• While checking practice analysis essays that were due today the following was worked on:
• Journal: What is the theme of "One Perfect Rose?" Write as a thesis proof paragraph.
• Notes section: Analyze the prosody of "One Perfect Rose." (Structure, rhyme scheme, meter, figurative language used.)
• Read and annotate "Miss Rosie." Finish for HW.

Grade 9

• Quiz on "The Cask of Amantillado" and "The Lady or the Tiger."
• Tomorrow: Regents practice (listening part).

Project / "Two Tramps in Mud Time" / "The Lady and the Tiger"

Grade 12

• Distributed and discussed project directions. As of now, the due date is next Wednesday. Extensions will be granted for good cause. Project options are:
• Creation Myth Unit
  Project Options
  Due date: 12/15
  Maximum: Min 600 – Max 1000 words
  1. Write your own myth. This option should include expected elements; the creation of the world, cosmological structure, introduction of duality, etc. Consider the environment of the culture that would generate such a story. Sociological, psychological and cosmological implications should be implicit in the story.
  
  
  2. Compare/contrast three or more of the stories studied in class. Analyze the symbolic significance of the imagery and how the imagery differs or parallels the imagery in other stories. Discuss the sociological, psychological and cosmological functions of myth explicit
  
  
  3. Treat any one of these stories as a personal dream. Relate the story, modifying it as necessary, and analyze it in terms of its application to your own life. Be specific. Be descriptive.
  
  4. Be the Devil’s Advocate: The serpent in the Garden of Eden demands a trial. Be the serpent’s lawyer and argue his case before a court. You may introduce elements from some of the other stories in his defense.
  
  5. Design a creative project of your own. May be done in a group, but must be signed off by me.
• Tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday we'll be in the computer lab in Mr. G's room.

Grade 10

• Distributed analysis essay for "Danny Deever" as model. Read and discussed.
• Checked HW.
• In notebooks, made prosody notes for "Two Tramps in Mud Time." Discuss, complete notes
• Practice analysis essay on this poem due in notebooks on Monday

Grade 9

• Checked HW
• Began outline (The Big 4) for "The Lady and the Tiger," in groups:
• A. Characters: Princess, king, princess’ lover, the girl behind the door
  
  B. Theme: if you love someone you have to be able to let them go. You may not be able to trust the one you love.
  
  C. Plot: A semi-barbaric king has created an arena to try accused criminals. Chance is the judge. The outcome is either marriage or a hungry tiger. The king puts his daughter’s lover in the arena. The princess knows where the lady and the tiger are. However, she hates the lady and has to decide her lover’s fate. The reader isn’t told.
  
  D. Setting: Ancient times, like Rome, in the arena
• Will continue tomorrow and possibly take quiz if time.
  
  

Hindu Creation Story/ "Two Tramps in Mud Time" / "The Lady and the Tiger"

Grade 12

• Distributed Hundu creation story, briefly intoduced the story
• Peer group discussion
• HW: Analysis

Grade 10

• Journal: Find an example of figurative language in the poem ("Two Tramps in Mud Time") and explain what it means and how it enhances the meaning of the poem.
• Read the poem aloud. Address figurative language, annotate text.
• HW: Quest # 8

Grade 9

• Finish reading "The Lady or the Tiger."
• Discuss, annotate text as needed.
• HW: Decide the man’s fate. Why did it happen this way? Use details from the story to support your answer. This should be a fully developed paragraph using specific examples from the story to support the thesis.

Gen 4, Cain and Abel / Vocab Exam / "The Lady and the Tiger"

Grade 12

• Discussed the content of Gen 4 (Cain and Abel), specifically why Cain's sacrifice was refused (pride).
• Peer group discussion.
• Analysis due tomorrow

Grade 10

• Vocab exam
• Check HW
• When done with test, do number 1 under Analyzing Litereature on page 598 of the handout. Finish for HW.

Grade 9

• Continue "The Lady and the Tiger" to page 24 column 1.
• HW: Predict how the story will end.

Gen 3 / "Danny Deever" / "The Lady and the Tiger"

Grade 12

• Collected Gen 1&2 analysis
• Discuss Gen 3 in peer review groups
• Brief general discussion
• Gen 3 analysis due tomorrow
• Tomorrow, peer group discussion on Cain and Abel

Grade 10

• Journal: Write the next four lines of "Danny Deever" giving a clue as to why he killed a man.
• In groups: discuss the prosody of the poem.
• Discuss in large group
• HW: read and annotate "Two Tramps in Mud Time"
• HW: Study for vocabulary test tomorrow.

Grade 9

• Continue reading "The Lady and the Tiger" together
• Add to annotations.
• No HW.

Greek Creation Myth / "Hesperus" Wrap Up / "Amontillado Wrap Up"

Grade 12

• Discussed Greek Cration Myth, collected analysis papers
• Read and annotate Genesis 1 and 2. Finish for HW.

Grade 10

• Journal: Constructed response practice: "The theme of "The Wreck of the Hesperus" is that arrogance and pride can hurt those you love." Finish the paragraph using at least two specific details from the poem. Make sure the details are connected to the theme using discussion and development.
• Read Rudyard Kipling bio 
• Discussed historical perspective of "Danny Deever"
• HW: read and annotate the poem. Write reactions, thoughts at the end.

Grade 9

• Read A Part of the Sky (5 minutes)
• Go over short story quiz 1
• HW: finish vocabulary for "The Lady and the Tiger."

Quick notes....

Grade 12

• Analysis of Chinese creation myth due tomorrow.
• Students read and annotated Greek creation myth today.
• Team work on Greek myth tomorrow

Grade 10

• Journal: Describe a moment you spent with someone important to you. Be descriptive.
• Checked HW: character analysis of the father in "The Wreck of the Hesperus." (Absentees from last tuesday have to do it for tomorrow.
• Analyzed the poem through line 28.
• HW# 8 on page 604

Grade 9

• Journal: Same as Grade 10
• Check HW (quest. 4 and 5 on pg. 33 of story packet.)
• Answer quest. 7 in notebook with attention to a strong thesis statement and specific details from the story.
• HW: Quest. 10.

Chinese Creation Story / "The Wreck of the Hesperus" / "The Cask of Amontillado"

Grade 12

• Read another version of the Haudenosaunee creation story to the classes. (This is a version told by a personal friend, Kay Olan, Deer Clan, Mohawk.) We compared versions.
• Collected story analyses.
• Reread Chinese creation story: seperate the story into discreet parts, identify individual elements and consider symbolic/metaphoric meaning. Share in groups if time.

Grade 10

• Journal: Recall a memory from when you were young. Write it down as if it were a story.
• Read the intro to Longfellow's, "The Wreck of the Hesperus."
• Discuss the title.
• Read through the poem individually, annotate with particular attention to suspense and foreshadowing.
• Discuss the first two stanzas; identify irony between "wintery sea"of line two and the description of the daughter in the 2nd stanza.

Grade 9

• A Part of the Sky, 5 minutes.
• Journal: same as Grade 10
• Continue Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," middle of first column page 32.

Haudenosaunee Creation Story / "La Belle" Final Discussion/ "Cask of Amontillado"

Grade 12

• Reviewed Haudenosaunee Creation Story elements from yesterdays group work. Put some of it together on the board.
• HW: Write a short analysis of the major elements of the story, tying them in with their possible symbolic/metaphorical meaning.
• Note; Chinese creation Myth should have been read and annotated
• Pd 4: Graded journals were returned. Next due date: 12/7. Should be a total of one hour of writing (twelve, five minute entries.)
• Pd. 8 journals are due 11/30. Same amount as pd. 4.

Grade 10

• Journal: Lines 3 and 4 and the last two lines describe a "wasteland." What may this be a metaphor for?
• Discuss.
• Finished discussing Keat's "La Belle Dame Sans Merci." Last night's homework was: What is Keats

Grade 9

• Journal: Summarize "The Cask of Amontillado"
• Continued reading and discussing the story to the middle of the second column on page 31 of the short story packet.

Wordworth, Haudenosaunee Creation Story / How to work a Metaphor / Quiz

Grade 12

• Review the Yeats poem from yesterday.
• Read and annotate Wordsworth's "The World Is Too Much With Us"
• Compare to the Yeats piece, connect to Jewkes "quest for our lost heritage."
• Distribute Creation Myth packet. Read, annotate and write a brief analysis of the Haudenosaunee Creation Story

Grade 10

• Review definition of metaphor.
• Discuss various types of metaphor. Example:
• Encapsulation: The enclosure of a "location".
  
  A blanket of snow fell through the night.
  
  The detective had wrapped up the mystery.
  
  He had become a shell of a man.
• How to work a metaphor: identify the metaphor--> associate literal qualities to the context --> choose figurative meaning.
• Read "Sadie." Try to determine what it is about:

There is a little hole in the house;

Here on the bed,
There on the chair.

There is a little hole in the house;
On the floor’s windowlight;
Before the winter fire.

There is a little hole in the house;
On the stair,
Soft foot thumping.

There is a little hole in the house;
Warm and rumbling,
Near my ear.

There is a little hole in the house;
Where the dogs worry,
And the children sigh.


Grade 9

• Read A Part of the Sky for five minutes.
• Finish quiz
• HW: Do vocabulary for "The Cask of Amontillado."

Yeats / Vocab / Short Story Quiz

Grade 12

• Reviewed class averages for the 1st marking period. Averages for the second five weeks are significantly lower than for the first five. Now is not the time to run out of steam!
• Read and discussed W.B. Yeats' "The Lake Isle of Innisfree." Connected the theme to the essay by Jewkes in Man the Mythmaker. (Note: The poetry done now is in prearation for the myth unit.)

Grade 10

• Returned and reviewed The Silver Kiss exam.
• Added the following vocab in preparation for the poetry unit:
• 16. Poetry: the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts.
  
  17. Prosody: study of poetic meters and writing verse; the particular system of verse in a poem.
  
  18. Prose: the ordinary form of spoken or written language
  
  19. Metaphor: A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily means one thing is used to mean another, thus making a comparison, as in "a sea of troubles" or "All the world's a stage" (Shakespeare).
  
  20. Simile: a figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared using ‘like’ or ‘as’, as in “she is like a rose.”
  

Grade 9

• Read A Part of the Sky for five minutes. (If students come in and get ready promptly, I will read the book to them for 5 minutes each day.)
• Finished the outline for "The Interlopers."
• Started the quiz on the two stories.

Quick Catch Up...

The end of the marking period is upon us and busy just isn't strong enough a word....

Grade 12

College app essay season is ending. No more rewrites after tomorrow. I still have period 8 Samurai essays , and a pile of sophomore papers to grade before I can get to the rewrites. Students have been told that if I don't get to them until after the deadline, I will still be able to modify the 1st quarter grade and send a note home if the grade changes.

We're starting the myth unit in earnest. Today and tomorrow will be discussions on essays by Prof. Jewkes in the book, Man the Mythmaker.

Grade 10

Silver Kiss is done. We are working on practice critical lens essays. First three paragraphs will be done by tomorrow, and we will write the conclusion at that time. Essays will be rewritten and handed in for a grade on Monday.

Grade 9

Finishing up "The Interlopers." Students have to complete roman numeral 1 of the story outline for tomorrow.

The King Must Die, Chapter 3 / The Silver Kiss Exam/ The Interlopers

Grade 12

• Continued chapter 3, up to Theseus trying to lift the stone
• I'm getting App essays back by priority. More tomorrow.
• Get rewrites to me as soon as possible. Marking period is running on fumes! 

Grade 10

• Silver Kiss Exam. Continued tomorrow

Grade 9

• Distributed the vocab for "The Interlopers" by Saki, went over the words.
• Gave students a focus for annotating the story: setting, tone and characterization early, then developing theme, conflict, etc.
• Started reading the story.
• Finish reading and annotating for HW

The King Horse VI / The Silver Kiss XIII / The Most Dangerous Game VIII

Grade 12

• Collected essays and journals (pd. 4)
• Went back over the story and connected each scene to the appropriate function(s) of myth being addressed.
• Lively discussion on the nature of our own rituals and how the functions relate to them.

Grade 10

• Journal: Starting on page 194, analyze the author's language to note shifts in tone through the last few pages of the story.
• Continue checking reading logs.
• Discuss journal entry, the story's conclusion and the over all construction of the tale.

Grade 9

• Question 10 on page 14:  How does Whitney’s conversation with Rainsford on the first two pages reveal the theme?
• Begin story outline.

The King Horse V / The Silver Kiss XII / The Most Dangerous Game VII

Grade 12

• Review Functions of myth: pedagogical/psychological, metaphysical, sociological, cosmological
• Review "The Horse God" relative to these functions. Begin identofying parts of the story with the functions. Go over the question answered on Friday.
• Pd. 4: Hand back essay #5.
• Tomorrow: Pd. 4 journals due. Essay #6 due. Finish up "The Horse God" and distribute chapter 3.

Grade 10

• Journal: Discuss the resolution of the story's primary conflicts and the primary theme. (10 minutes)
• In teams: Compare literary elements for Chapters 14 and 15.
• Check reading logs 13-15.
• Tomorrow: Final discussion before the exam.

Grade 9

• In teams: Generate a summary for the last two pages of the story. If done, work on questions 1 and 2 together
• Check annotations for pages 8 through 13.
• Tomorrow, final discussion on story.

The King Horse III / The Silver Kiss XI / The Most Dangerous Game V

Grade 12

• Discussed in more detail the image of the "Stillpoint," or the Axis Mundi. Introduced the idea of the present moment being the balance point between the present and the future, something accessible to everybody, and emphasizing the importance of experiencing the present moment in its entirety, as an athlete, musician, artist or writer does. Share the following whcih was copied as notes:

SACRED: worthy of or regarded with reverence, awe, or respect
Mircea Eliade on the Axis Mundi: “To create sacred space is to create an ordered universe emanating around a central point of reference… The experience of the sacred, by disclosing being, meaning, and truth in an unknown, chaotic, and fearful world, prepared the way for systematic thought."

• Continued reading "The Horse God" through the bottom of page 112.
• Note: I'm still missing a lot of journals from period 8. They were due in yesterday. Points will be taken off for lateness!

Grade 10

• Quiz 3
• Finish chapter 13 plus reading log for tomorrow.

Grade 9

• Journal: General Zaroff reveals his true character on page 7. What line or lines do you find the most revealing? Why? What does it say about him? How would you now describe him.
• Discuss. (Great discussion!)
• read and annotate pages 9 and 10

The King Horse (Definitely) / The Silver Kiss X / The Most Dangerous Game IV

Grade 12

• Collected dialogue essays.
• Continued reading and discussing "The King Horse" up to page 110.
• Discussed, in particular the image of "The Navel Stone," representative of the spiritual center. Analogous to the World Navel, and the Axis Mundi.
• Common App essay due for peer review on Thursday.

Grade 10

• Checked reading logs 9-12 for a major grade.
• Students worked in groups comparing literary elements for chapter 12.
• Discuss chapter 12.
• HW: Read chapter 13 to page 161, end with the word 'visit.'

Grade 9

• Students worked on summarizing pages 5 through 7 while homework was checked.
• discuss annotations for pages 6 and seven.
• HW: write the rest of the vocabulary words for the story in notebooks.

The King Horse (Maybe)/The Silver Kiss IX / The Most Dangerous Game III

Grade 12 :

• Handed back essay #4
• Emphasized necessity for careful editing. Many of these were not done to college application essay qualification.
• Collected Samurai essay
• Due to absences, "The Horse God" was not continued. Students edited essay #4. We also discussed the trials and tribulations of the Common Application website. Students should definitely be working on that now! It is a bear of a process!
• Tomorrow: Dialogue essays are due. Period 8 journals are due.

Grade 10 :

• Journal: What is the "center" of chapter 11? How do you know?
• Check chapt. 11 reading log
• Discuss journal question
• Groups: discuss and share literary elements for chapter 11
• HW: Chapter 12 plus log. Reading logs 9 through 12 will be checked for a major grade.

Grade 9:

• Read and annotate page 5 while I check vocab hw.
• Discuss page 5 annotations
• HW: read and annotate pages 6 and 7

The King Horse/The Silver Kiss VIII / The Most Dangerous Game II

Grade 12

• Handed out "The King Horse," the first chapter in Mary Renault's The King Must Die. Read and discussed in terms of historical context, imagery and as a platform for identifying the functions of myth.
• Students were told that the Samurai essay can be handed in on Monday.
• Question #88 is due on Tuesday.
• Period 8 reading logs are due on Tuesday.

Grade 10:

•  Period 1: Journal: under what circumstances was Simon turned into a vampire. Be specific.
• Discussed the significance of the 'silver kiss,' the relationships between Simon, Christopher and von Grab.
• Worked in groups comparing literary elements for chapters 9 and 10.
• Period 5: To many students were behind in the reading and reading logs to fulfill the above plan. Students who are on target were free to work on chapter 11. Everyone else was to work on catching up.
• Both periods: logs will now be checked for a minor grade on a daily basis. Anyone who doesn't have it will be staying after school, and parents called. Referrals will be sent to the office.
• Everyone: Read and log chapter 11. 

Grade 9

• Journal: Summarize pages 3 and 4.
• Checked hw.
• Pages 3 and 4 were reviewed for annotations.
• HW: Complete vocabulary definitions (words bolded and underlined) through page 8.

Peer Review /The Silver Kiss VII / The Most Dangerous Game

Grade 12

• Peer review question 88, final copy due Tuesday
• Distributed Essay questions from the Common Application. Students are to choose one, or complete an essay from another college application they are working on. These essays are the real deal.
• Common app questions are:

_ _ Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.


_ _ Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.

_ _ Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

_ _ Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

_ _ A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an

experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

_ _ Topic of your choice.

Grade 10

• Journal: Fully describe Wulfram von Grab from chapter 10.
• Discuss
• Finish discussing chapter 9, begin discussing chapter 10.
• HW: Finish chapter 10 plus reading log.

 
Grade 9

• In notes: summarize the story so far.
• Check homework.
• Review page 2 of the story, annotations.
• HW: read and annotate pages 3 and 4.

Samurai Essay / The Silver Kiss VII / The Most Dangerous Game

Note: Keeping up with these blog updates has been a challenge. Comes with having 140 students!

Grade 12

• Continued writing the Samurai essay in class. This is the last period devoted to this. Essay due on Friday.
• Tomorrow is peer review for question #88.

Grade 10

• Copied vocabulary while hw was checked:

12. Anecdote: short account of an incident (especially a biographical one)
13. Profound: showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth; great, important meaning
14. Thesis: A statement that is maintained by argument
15. Annotate: to supply with critical or explanatory notes; comment upon in notes

• Discussed most of chapter 9, especially the conversation between Zoe and Simon at the door to her house.
• HW: read chapter 10 through page 116 and write a log. (This chapter is long so I cut it in half.)

Grade 9

• Yesterday's vocab:

3. Plot: the sequence of events in a story
4. Setting: Where and when a story takes place
5. Motivation: what inspires or provokes the main character in a story to action.
6. conflict: the persons or forces that keep the protagonist from achieving his goal
7. complication: events or obstacles that keep the protagonist from achieving his goal
8. suspense: a state or condition of mental uncertainty or excitement
9. dénouement: conclusion of a story
10. Annotate: to supply with critical or explanatory notes; comment upon in notes

• Checked HW (define first 12 vocab words bolded and underlined in the story "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
• Explained the importance of annotating text. Read the first page of the story together and modeled annotating clues to literary elements (tone, theme, characterization, etc.), important ideas, confusions.
• HW: read page 2, annotate to the best of your ability.

Very briefly...

Grade 12

• Worked on Samurai essay. Will again tomorrow. Final copy of question 27 due tomorrow. Handed out 3rd Deadly Sin of Writing and Rules for Writing Dialogue.

Grade 10

• Did journal work on chapter 8. Discussed the chapter in terms of tone and character development. Chapter 9 and log due tomorrow. Quiz on chapters 5 through 8 tomorrow and log check.

Grade 9

• Went over Pigs exam. No hw.

Peer review / The Silver Kiss V / Pigs Exam, continued

Grade 12

• Class will have Monday and maybe Tuesday to work on Samurai essays.
• Reminded students that reading logs are to be a minimum of 5 minutes of writing, not 'half a page.' I will start grading them accordingly. Half a page in a standard composition notebook would take half that at best.
• Peer review
• Next essay question: #88. Due for Peer review next Thursday. The essay after that will be either the current Common Application essay question, or a question from an application being completed. This will be the real deal.

Grade 10

• Journal: What moment in chapter seven is the most significant? Why?
• Check completed reading logs for a minor grade.
• Discuss chapters six and seven in terms of literary elements.
• HW: Chapter 8 plus reading log.
• Quiz and log check for major grade on Tuesday.

Grade 9

• Continue Pigs essay. Any not done will be completed for homework.
• Next week: start short story unit.

Class Status:

Grade 12 

• Tomorrow is peer review day. As I was out today, students worked their essays for The Last Samurai.
• Next essay will be assigned tomorrow.

Grade 10

• The Silver Kiss: Classes should have read through chapter 7 today and reading logs complete.
• Tomorrow we will discuss chapters 6 and 7.

Grade 9

• Class took multiple choice part of the exam for A Day No Pigs Would Die on Tuesday. Some began planning their essays.
• Yesterday, class began writing the essay and continued doing so today.
• Tomorrow they will put finishing touches on the essay (edit and proofread). More time will be granted if necessary.

Please Stand By!

Apologies for missed updates! I'll have a summary up a little later today.

Mr. L.

For Seniors Only: Essay Question for The Last Samurai

“The journey the hero gets is the one he’s ready for.”  ~Joseph Campbell

“The hero quest does not involve simply the hero’s discovery of some boon or Holy Grail, however; it also involves finding him or herself, which ultimately means finding a home in the universe.” ~ Susan Mackey-Kallis

“They say Japan was made by a sword. They say the old gods dipped a coral blade into the ocean, and when they pulled it out four perfect drops fell back into the sea, and those drops became the islands of Japan. I say, Japan was made by a handful of brave men. Warriors, willing to give their lives for what seems to have become a forgotten word: honor.” ~Simon Graham (from the movie).

Joseph Campbell says there are two types of hero: the psycho-spiritual and the physical. The Last Samurai is an archetypal story of the hero in both aspects. Indeed, Nathan Algren cannot complete the physical hero journey until he completes the other. Nathan’s psycho-spiritual transformation required a journey into the unknown, where he was subject to the functions of myth of traditional Japanese culture.

In a well written essay containing specific details from the story, explain Nathan’s hero journey in terms of the stages of the hero journey and the four functions of myth.

Characters:

Katsumoto

Nathan Algren

Sergeant Gant

Colonel Bagley

Omura

Simon Graham: translator, photographer

General Hasegawa: committed suicide with Katsumoto’s assistance

Ujio: Nathan’s adversary

Taka

Taka’s sons

Nobutada: Katsumoto’s son

Emperor Meiji


Question is also posts on Mr. L's English Classes on Facebook

The Last Samurai V/ The Silver Kiss IV / Pigs Finale

Grade 12

• Continued video
• Discussion

Grade 10

• New vocabulary:
• 8. Elfin: Relating to or suggestive of an elf. Having a magical quality or charm
• 9. Empathy: understanding and entering into another's feelings. Different than sympathy which is to feel sorry for; empathy is to feel the same as.
• 10. Hedonism: Pursuit of or devotion to pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the senses
• 11. Anguish: excruciating or acute distress, suffering, or pain
• In groups: Discuss the literary elements of chapters 3 and 4. Add or modify reading logs.
• Checked reading logs 1-4 for a major grade.
• Chapter 5 for Tuesday.

Grade 9

• Journal: Stories often have 'atonement with the father' as a theme. In what ways has Robert demonstrated that he has taken the place of his father in chapter 15?
• Discuss
• Go over quiz 3
• Exam on Monday! Make sure yesterday's journal activity is done well:
  Using specific details from the story, choose the most important scenes that illustrate the growth and change in Robert. Start from where he is in the beginning. (Should have at least 5 events in sequence.)

The Last Samurai IV/ The Silver Kiss III / Pigs Chapter 13

Grade 12

• Continue video: Nathan has achieved spiritual peace and reconciled with his enemy.
• The boy gives him a 'gift' as he is about to 'return.'
• Continue tomorrow. Rewrites should come in as soon as may be.

Grade 10

• Review literary elements
• Seperate into groups: list important events of chapter 2. Share, construct a pragraph together
• (Period 1 finished literary elements for reading log 2. Period 5 did not.
• HW: Chapter 3 plus reading log (Period 5 does not have to do literary elements.)

Grade 9

• Journal: What may the msymboloic meanings of the seasons be? Give specific details from the chapter to demonstrate Robert's growth.
• Discuss chapter 13.
• HW: Read chapter 15 plus reading log.

The Last Samurai III / The Silver Kiss II / Pigs Quiz 3

Grade 12 

• Continued video. 
• Collected period 4 journals
• There is no definite due date for rewrites, but it is highly recommended to get them in as soon as you can.

Grade 10 

• Discussed the conclusion of chapter 1.
• Students copied model reading log for the chapter
• Started reading chapter 2 together
• HW: Finish chapter 2. Tomorrow we will generate the reading log together

Grade 9

• Took quiz on chapter 3
• Read chapter 14 for homework, plus reading log.

The Last Samurai II / The Silver Kiss I / Quiz 2 review

Grade 12

• Handed back "hero" essays
• Discussed editing strategy: proofread for sentence construction more efficiently by reading essays end to beginning.
• Continued The Last Samurai
• Period 4 journals due tomorrow
• No essay due this week. Everyone should be working on rewrites.

Grade 10

• Intro first novel of the year, The Silver Kiss
• Begin reading chapter 1. Model critical reading skills.
• Explain reading log format.
• HW: Finish reading chapter 1.

Grade 9

• Hand back quiz two, review.
• Go over constructed response. Review the meaning of "specific details from the story." Put mode;l answer on the board
• Tomorrow: Quiz 3 on chapters 9-12

The Last Samurai / Critical Lens - Intro / Pigs - Chapter 11

Grade 12

• Yesterday: finished notes on the hero journey
• Today: collected essays
• Started The Last Samurai
• Students need to take notes and prepare to write an essay applying the hero journey and the four functions of myth to the story.

Grade 10

• Critical Lens interpretation, continued (We did this yesterday also.)

"It is not what an author states, but what he or she whispers,that is important." (borrowed from Logan Pearsall Smith)

This means that authors don’t directly state what they are trying to tell you. They make you read between the lines to find the theme.

• Went over the formula for completing the introduction to the critical lens essay, then applied the formula to the quotes already interpreted. Example:
• According to Logan Pearsall Smith, "It is not what an author states, but what he or she whispers, that is important." In other words, authors don’t directly state what they are trying to tell you. They make you read between the lines to find the theme. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, and Speak by Laurie Anderson, illustrate the truth of this theme.
• Note: Students who are confident writers are encouraged to write the paragraphs in their own words, without the formula, as long as all the important information is included.
• Short stories due tomorrow.

Grade 9

• Journal: What was your personal reaction to this chapter? Why did you react this way?
• Read and discuss portions of chapter 11.
• HW: Chapter 12 and reading log. Reading logs may be checked tomorrow.

Peer Review / Lens Interpretations / Quiz 1 Review, Chapter 9 Discussion

Grade 12

• Peer review
• Final copy due Thursday
• Reflection journals due next tuesday (10 entries)

Grade 10

• Finish book list in notebook
• Lens quote interpretation:
• identify important vocabulary
• define, find synonyms
• use context clues as needed.
• Put in your own words
• Stress that an accurate interpretation of the quote is critical for the construction of a successful essay.
• We worked this quote together: "All literature shows us the power of emotion. It is emotion,
  not reason, that motivates characters in literature." (Duff Brenna)
• Interpretation: "In literature, a character makes his decisions from what he feels is right, not what he thinks is right." (Nate)
• HW: Identify the important vocabulary and interpret the following quote: "The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience." (J.F. Clarke)

Grade 9

• Return and go over quiz 1.
• Discuss chapter 9 with special attention to the character development of Mama, Aunt Mattie and the minor characters,
• HW: Chapter 10

The Four Functions of Myth / Book Review / Pigs Quiz Ch. 5-8

Grade 12

• Reminder: You are not writing these practice application essays for a high school English teacher. Your audience is a college admissions officer. Now, did you edit that essay carefully enough?    ............I thought not.
• Application essays need to be positive. You need to show personal growth.
• Viewed and took notes on Mythology slideshow. The four functions of myth were explained and discussed: Cosmological, Sociological, Pedagogical, and Metaphysical
• Started the steps of the Hero Journey
• Peer review tomorrow on question #62

Grade 10

• Distributed formula for writing critical lens essays.
• Discussed critical lens rubric.
• Began book review list; titles, authors, summaries of freshmen reading.

Grade 9

• Quiz on chapters 5-8
• HW: Chapter 9, reading log.

Power of Myth, Finally / Short Story Exam / Chapter 8

Grade 12

• Finished Power of Myth Video
• Discussion

Grade 10

• Short Story unit Exam
• Directions for short story distributed, due Friday

Grade 9

• Journal; what is the theme and tone of chapter 8? How do you know?
• Discussed chapter 8.
• Quiz on chapters 4-8 on Monday.

Plagiarism and Power of Myth, cont. / Mr. Nuttel Flips Out / Foreshadowing: the Outlook is Bleak

Grade 12

• Read and responded to plagiarism article: Cutting and Pasting: A Senior Thesis by (Insert Name)
• A very good discussion followed.
• Continued video.
• Collected essays.
• Next Essay: # 62: Imagine you are a "hero" for one day during any time period and under any circumstances. Write a creative essay descreibing your experience. (Addendum: no comic book super heroes!)

Grade 10

• Journal: What are Vera's positive qualities?
• Discuss.
• Discuss the end of the story.
• Add vocab word:
• romance: a baseless, made-up story, usually full of exaggeration or fanciful invention.
• Story video
• HW: Write story outline, study for unit test

Grade 9

• Journal: Identify and explain an example of foreshadowing in chapter 7
• Discuss.
• Go over chapter 7.
• HW read and log chapter 8.

Verlyn's Essay / "Open Window" Part 2 / Pigs Chapter 6

Grade 12

• Read and respond to Verlyn Klinkeborg's essay, "Root Hold"
• Discuss
• Continue POM

Grade 10

• Journal: What are ver's and Nuttle's characters like? How do you know.
• Discuss the beginning of the story. Identify character clues.
• HW: Finish the story. Write in in-class journals an in depth character analysis of Framton and Vera.

Grade 9

• Finish quiz
• Journal: Describe Aunt Maddy
• Discuss chapter 6.
• HW: Chapter 7, read and log

Peer Review / Personal Journal - Masque outline / Pigs Quiz

Grade 12

• Peer review on question 29
• Handout: Second Deadly Sin of Writng
• Tomorrow: "Root Hold" by Verlyn Klinkenborg / continue Power of Myth video
• Final copy due Thursday.

Grade 10

• Journal: What is important to you? Explain. use an anecdote.
• Check homework, hand back essays.
• Proofread journal entry.
• Complete "Masque" outline.
• HW: Read the first page of "The Open Window", annotate clues to character development

Grade 9

• Journal: What is important to you? Explain. use an anecdote.
• Quiz on chapters 1-4.
• Check reading logs 3-5
• HW: Read and log chapter 6.

Essay Review: Editing Notes / Masque Finale / Pigs Ch. 5: Themes

Grade 12

• College hint: Sign in during visits, create on line accounts to prove interest
• Note essay requirements for individual schools
• Personal anecdote: Picture book gone flat and dull
• Hand back Essay 1
• Importance of the anecdote
• Editing notes: Does and Don'ts (especially don'ts)
• If time, next part in POM
• Tomorrow: Peer review, journal check #2 for period 4

Grade 10

• Journal: What is the tone of the story? How do you know? What is the theme of the story? How do you know?
• Discuss the final page of "Masque," share theme and tone thoughts.
• Start outline, finish for homework.

Grade 9

• Journal: What is the author trying to tell you in this chapter?
• Share, discuss. Note foreshadowing in the chapter.
• Theme: nature’s laws, the unexpected happens, things aren’t always what they appear to be
•  HW: review chapters 1-4 for quiz

Journal Review, POM / "Masque" cont. / Pigs, Ch. 4

Grade 12

• Reminder: Journals are for practicing proper writing. I want to see paragraphs and competent mechanics.
• Discussed running themes I found in the journals. (anxiety, fear of failure)
• Wrote a timed reflection journal on the topic, "What do I need to let go of that is holding me back?" The purpose is to find out how long it takes for everyone to write one journal. The issue is that eaveryone writes differently; some write small, others large. The half page per entry criteria has some doing more work than others. The result of this exercise is to modify the criteria from page length to time on task. One entry should equal five minutes of writing.
• Continued The Power of Myth video.

Grade 10

• Journal: What is the significance of the clock in the story?
• Continued wrestling with "Masque of the Red Death." Read last nights passage, expalined and discussed.
• HW: Finish the story.

Grade 9

• Journal: What came up in the story that impressed or confused you?
• Read over the parts of chapter 4 that caused difficulty. Discussed the continued development of Papa's and Robert's character.

Hit and Run

Have to post quickly:

Grade 12: Continued POM video, took notes. Collected essays and journals. Assigned question #29 in essay packet for next Tuesday's peer review.

Grade 10: Went over last night's reading. Modeled how to think about this story. Read through to the end of page 176. Highlight, annotate.

Grade 9: Went over chapter 3. Chapter 4 and reading log for homework.

The Hero Journey, Part 1 / "The Masque of the Red Death" / Robert Gets Tucked In

Grade 12

• Debriefed peer reveiw experience from yesterday.
• Dist. handouts: college search info, Bloom's Taxonomy, Maslow's Hierarchy, Jungian Archetypes
• Watched part 1 of Joseph Campbell's "The Hero Adventure." (Episode 1 of The Power of Myth) Took notes: definition of a hero, 2 types of hero (physical, psycho/spiritual), different ways to enter a hero journey (lure, thrown, self decision), and more.

Grade 10

• Checked last night's HW (Outline for "Soft Rains).
• Went over the outline. made changes and discussed as necessary.
• Introduced Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death." Read the first paragraph together.
• This is a challenging story. I advised students, if they have a particularly difficult time, to highlight what they do understand.
• HW: Read and annotate up to the last paragraph on page 175.

Grade 9

• Checked last night's reading log. Grades were given for effort.
• Discussed chapter 2 with particular emphasis on the character development of Robert's parents. The tone of the chapter was discussed and the contrast with the imagery at the end of the chapter: the smell of death on Papa as possible foreshadowing.
• HW: Chapter 3 plus reading log.
  

Peer Review / "There Will Come Soft Rains" / Robert Gets Bitten by a Cow

Grade 12

• Go over peer review routine.
• Split into groups.
• Reflection journal? How did the peer review go?

Grade 10

• Journal: What was the most disturbing imag in the story and why? Discuss.
• Discuss story. What is the tone? (whimsical, light hearted) How does the tone relate to the content? (Irony) What is the theme? (Nature vs. technology, the hazard of technology)
• HW: In pencil, skipping lines, in notes section of notebook, complete outline as was done with "Last of the Unicorns.

Grade 9

• What qualities has Robert shown so far? What evidence supports this?
• Finish reading chapter 1.
• Generate a reading log together. Use as model.
• HW: Read and log chapter 2.

College App Essay Samples/ Unicorns Miss the Boat / Robert's Cow Problem

Grade 12

• Handed backponse letters. (Don't lose them! They will go into your portfolio!)
• Assigned peer review groups. Discussed peer review process.
• Shared the following valuable links:
• College Board
• College Confidential
• U.S.News & World Report
• A+ Options for B Students
• 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.)
• Distribute sample app essays. Discuss the love letter to the University of Chicago.
• For Wednesday, read all the sample essays, identify examples of personal voice.
• Tomorrow: First peer review session.

Grade 10:

• Journal: Select a moment from this past weekend and describe it in as much detail as possible. (Note: a moment is no more than a few seconds.)
• Check in hw.
• Discuss journal assignment and the importance of being able to use 'specific details from the passage' when writing essays.
• Finish reading and annotating "The Last Unicorns."
• Copy model outline:
• 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/ Tone: Gloomy
  
  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. Also strong language identifying tone: dark, gloomy, dismal.
• Homework: Read and annotate "There Will Come Soft Rains."

Grade 9:

• (See first three bullets under grade 10)
• Review definition of "Shaker."
• Start reading chapter 1 of The Day No Pigs Would Die.
• No HW.

My Facebook Group

All my students (and only my current students) are encouraged to send a request to join my Facebook group. LINK

Fertile Ground / Themes, Tones, Unicorns and Pigs

Grade 12

• Read a personal essay on a visit to Ground Zero
• Students responded in notebooks.
• Share and discuss.
• Connect writing style to assignment due on Tuesday.

Grade 10

• Discuss themes found in books, movies TV shows.
• Journal: write about a book, movie or TV show and identify its theme.
• Share.
• Start "The Last of the Unicorns" by Edward Koch. Read the first two paragraphs together. identify words and images that reveal the tone. Annotate.
• Review homework assignment.

Grade 9

• Same as first three bullets grade 10.
• Fill out book cards, distibute A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck.
• Copy defintion of Shaker in reading log section of notebook.
• review homework assignment.

Lost Innocence / Themes and Tones

Grade 12

• Shared personal responses from the letter activity.
• Define 'voice.' Identify examples of voice in my letter.
• Read the essay in Man the Myth-maker on the loss of innocence.
• Discuss.
• Give essay assignment: When were you no longer a child? 250 - 400 words. (Due Tuesday 9/14)
• Reflection Journals: At least 5 per week. One entry should be half page minimum. One full page can be considered two entires, but the purpose of journal writing is practice. Develop a routine. Don't do it all at once. 5 entries will be due by next Thursday.
• Mention: Do not believe that private colleges are unaffordable. Each private has it's own financial aid formula. Find the schools that meet your needs! Then research the financial aid opportunities.

Grades 9 and 10

• Discuss editing: read work out loud, find and correct errors. Spend at least a minute editing all of your work for any class.
• If you don't like writing, make sure you won't have to write an assignment again because you waited until the last minute and rushed.
• Edit yesterdays journal activity.
• Journal: If your life is a story, what is the title? Why. Share some.
• HW: 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. (Note: Grade 9 is to write the narrative only.)
• Due Monday.
• Grade 10 were given short story packets. Don't lose them!
  
  

Opening Day

College Prep 12

• Discussed expectations.
• Read opening letter.
• HW: respond to opening letter

Grades 9 and 10

• Handouts
• Vocabulary:
• 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.
• HW: What are the theme and tone of your life right now?
• Handouts signed and returned.
  
  
  
  

Reality Check II

All Classes:

• Books need to be finished, all reading logs done. NO WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER MONDAY.
• Final exams will be given in class Tuesday through Friday. If class is missed for any reason, you must see me to make arrangements to make up the time. If not, make-ups will be given Monday the sixth at 1:00 p.m.
• SENIORS: Your portfolio must be handed in on Monday. This is one-third of your final exam grade.

Reality Check!!!

IN-CLASS FINALS START ONE WEEK FROM TODAY (6/8).

Everyone needs to be here all four days.

Seniors and sophomores: Books need to be finished by Friday and handed in by the following Tuesday. The last class grades taken will be two more sets of reading logs. Set one will be checked tomorrow. (Seniors: chapters 11-15. Sophomores: 16 -20.)

Senior classes should have read through chapter 18 by tomorrow.

Sophomore classes should have read through chapter 22 by tomorrow.

I've been telling you it's almost June since September.

It's June. We've run out of extensions.

Sophomore classes can prepare for the final by reading over all reading logs for novels and Julius Caesar, notes and outlines for short stories and poetry. You should still have Short story and poetry packets. Review them!

Senior Classes final will be two essays: one personal essay which will require a central theme (such as the Hero Journey), and a critical analysis of the Sword and the Stone.

The Sword in the Stone XIV / Catcher in the Rye XVI

College Prep 12:

• Discuss chapter 14 focus question.
• Read and log chapter 15 for tomorrow.
• Looking ahead: Chapter 16 and 17 should be read and logged by Tuesday.\

Grade 10:

• Discuss chapter 17 focus question.
• Read and log chapter 18 for tomorrow.
• Looking ahead: Chapter 19 through 21 should be read and logged by Tuesday.

The Sword in the Stone XIII / Catcher in the Rye XV

College Prep 12:


• What kind of society does the ant’s represent? What is it lacking? How is it a reflection of our own? What does Merlyn want Wart to learn?

• Chapter 14 is a transition passage.

• What, specifically, does White want you to know in this chapter?

Grade 10:
 
• Answer chapter 16 focus question in notebook.


• Discuss chapter 16, with particular mention of his interaction with the children in the park, the hat and his comments about the museum exhibits.

• HW: read and log chapter 17

• Focus question: What is Holden’s real reason for asking Sally to run away with him?

FYI: Go to Bed!

This stuff is so simple it's scary:

Chronic Teen Sleep Deprivation and the Biology of Adolescence

A growing body of research shows that most teens suffer from chronic sleep

deprivation, due to a biological change that occurs during adolescence. It is well documented that such sleep deprivation impairs the ability to be alert, pay attention, solve problems, cope with stress and retain information. In consequence it:

.       Reduces academic results

.       Reduces athletic performance

.       Increases physical and mental health problems.

“Research shows the typical adolescent’s natural time to fall asleep may be 11 pm or later; because of this change in their internal clocks, teens may feel wide awake at bedtime, even when they are exhausted (Wolfson & Carskadon, 1998). This leads to sleep deprivation in many teens who must wake up early for school.”

School districts around the country have implemented later school start times to impressive outcomes:

.       23.4% Net decrease in teen crash rates

“Average crash rates for teen drivers in the study county in the two years after the change in school start time dropped 16.5 percent compared to the two years prior to the change, while teen crash rates for the rest of the state increased 7.8 percent over the same time period. “

       212 Point increase in SAT scores

“The best known of these is in Edina, Minnesota, an affluent suburb of Minneapolis, where the high school start time was changed from 7:25 a.m. to 8:30. The results were startling. In the year preceding the time change, math and verbal SAT scores for the top 10 percent of Edina’s students averaged 1288. A year later, the top 10 percent averaged 1500, an increase that couldn’t be attributed to any other variable.”

       15 minutes of sleep is worth a grade point

“Dr. Kyla Wahlstrom of the University of Minnesota surveyed more than 7,000 high schoolers in Minnesota about their sleep habits and grades. Teens who received A’s averaged about fifteen more minutes sleep than the B students, who in turn averaged eleven more minutes than the C’s, and the C’s had ten more minutes than the D’s. Wahlstrom’s data was an almost perfect replication of results from an earlier study of more than 3,000 Rhode Island high schoolers by Brown’s Mary Carskadon. Certainly, these are averages, but the consistency of the two studies stands out. Every fifteen minutes counts.”

The Sword in the Stone XII / Catcher in the Rye XIV

College Prep 12:

• Chapter 11: Why are wart and Key needed? What quality allows them into the castle? How does Kay demonstrate growth? What important experience does Wart have?
• Tomorrow: Chapter 12.
• Note to students: Get the reading done.

Grade 10:

• Group work!
• Holden Caulfield is a young man, in severe crisis, of extremes. One side of his hair is gray, the other side not. He is wise and ignorant. Innocent and experienced. Genuine and phony.
  Generate a list of character traits and/or experiences which define both sides.
• Classes went so well, quiz was postponed to tomorrow and all present will have 10 points added to the last quiz grade!
  
  

The Sword in the Stone XI / Catcher in the Rye XIII

College Prep 12:

• Discuss chapter 10.
• Go over quiz 1.
• HW: Chapter 11
• Focus questions: Why are Wart and Key needed? What quality allows them into the castle? How, again, does Kay demonstrate growth? What important experience does Wart have?

 Grade 10:

• Write answer to chapter 14 focus question. (See yesterday.)
• Discuss
• Review quiz 2.
• HW: Chapter 15
• Focus question: What is the importance of Holden’s conversation with the nuns?
• Quiz and log check on Thursday.

 

 

The Sword in the Stone X / Catcher in the Rye XII

College Prep 12:

• Read and log chapter 10. Focus question: Identify moments that indicate Key’s personal growth. What function does the forest serve in the story?
• Finish for HW.
• Portfolios due next week!

 Grade 10:

• Chapter 13: What do you learn about Holden’s morality?
• Discuss.
• Chapter 14, read and log. Focus question: Was Holden wise in refusing to give up the 5 dollars? If not, what does this reveal about him? Compare this with his comments about the theft of the gloves in chapter 13.
• Finish for HW.

 

The Sword in the Stone IX / Catcher in the Rye XI

College Prep 12:

• What qualities do the Wart demonstrate while a merlin? What significant events occur?
• Discuss.
• HW: Chapter 9: What is the purpose of the story of the Rabbi?

Grade 10:

• Discuss Holden’s relationship with Jane as revealed in chapter 11, especially the significance of the tear.
• What is the significance of the duck question? Write in journals individually and discuss in small groups.
• HW: Chapter 13: What is revealed about Holden’s morality?

 

 

 

The Sword in the Stone VIII / Catcher in the Rye X

College Prep 12
 

Yesterday:

• Ch. 6: How does Merlyn feel about the warrior class? How do you know? 
• Read and log chapter 7. (Note: What lesson does Merlyn wish wart to learn by watching the joust? Does he learn it?

Today:

• Quiz on chapters 1– 5
• Log check.
• Read and log chapter 8. What qualities does the Wart demonstrate? What is the significance of this chapter?

Grade 10:

Yesterday:

• Ch. 10: Holden puts down everything except, Allie, Phoebe and Jane. Why?
• Read and log chapter 11.

Today:

• Quiz on chapters 6-10
• Log check
• What did you learn from chapter 11?
• Read and log chapter 12.

The Sword in the Stone VI / Catcher in the Rye VIII

College Prep 12:

•  Ch. 5: What did Merlyn mean for the Wart to learn by turning him into a fish?
• Discuss
• Read and log chapter 6. (Note: Pay special attention to Kay and wart’s reaction to the crow.)

Grade 10:

• Chapter 9: Around what time is it by the end of the chapter? How do you know?
• Pd. 8: discuss imagery in the chapter, especially in the hotel room.
• Read and log chapter 10.

 

 

 

The Sword in the Stone V / Catcher in the Rye VII

College Prep 12:

• Chapter 4 discussion question: Was Merlyn's reaction to Kay appropriate? Why or why not? What is reveal;ed about Merlyn's nature?
• Read and log chapter 5, with special attention to the point of the Wart's "lesson."

Grade 10:

• Chapter 8 discussion question: Describe Holden's conversation with Mrs. Morrow. What was he trying to do?
• Read and log chapter 9.
• Warning! Overdue research papers MUST be handed in!

The Sword in the Stone IV / Catcher in the Rye VI

College prep 12

• Pd. 2:  What is Ironic about wart's meeting with pellinore?
• Pd. 7: Compre the adults in the story so far (Ector, Pellinore, Merlyn). What may the author be saying?
• Both: Read and log chapter 4. Should be at least halfway through 5 for Monday.
• Reminder: Research project due Monday.

Grade 10:

• "Almost every time someone gives me a present, it ends up making me sad." What does this say about Holden?
• HW: read and log chapter 8.

The Sword in the Stone III / Catcher in the Rye V

College Prep 12

• Period 2: Read chapter 3.
• Period 7: Discuss the irony of Wart's meeting with King Pellinore. Why may T.H. White be presenting him in this manner? Read chapter 3.
• reading logs for chapter 3.

Grade 10:

• Read chapter 7, write reading log.

The Sword in the Stone II / Catcher in the Rye IV

College Prep 12

• Stressed the importance of not getting lost in White's description. It is important for an concise concept of the setting, but not as important as the actions of the characters. chapter 1 can be broken down to the following: the governess is fired, Sir Ector discusses the need for a new tutor with Sir Grummore, the haying sequnce reveals important differences between Wart and Kay, as does the hawking sequnce that ends the chapter.
• Discussed the revealing details in chapter 1 about the characters so far; Sir Ector, kay and the Wart.
• Chapter 2 plus reading log for tonight. pay special attention to the irony in the scene where wart meets King Pellinore.

Grade 10

• Took quiz on chapters 1 through 5
• Discussed the importance of the death of Holden's brother.
• Reading logs: summaries must be brief. The majority of the log should be on character analysis and development. What is revealed? What lines revela it? What does this say about the character? What predictions can be made?
• HW: Chapter 6 + reading log.

Note: I will be proctoring the English Regents for the next 5 mornings and will miss periods 2,3 and 4. I deeply regret this. However, the time is to be dedicated to reading the books and writing the reading logs. Any questions or confusions should be noted in notebooks. I will address them.

The Sword in the Stone I / Catcher in the Rye III

College prep 12

• Intro the Legend of King Arthur
• Dist. Books.
• read + reading log chapter 1
• Note: This text may be challenging at first. Stick with it.

Grade 10

• Journal: Compare Holden's relationship with Ackley and Stradlater.
• Discuss, with special attention to Holden's reaction to Stradlater's mention of Jane Gallagher.
• HW: Chapter 5.

Hamlet Exam Review / Catcher in the Rye Chapters 1-3

College Prep 12

• Went over the hamlet exam. Addressed concerns.
• Handed back Hamlet essays. Discussed some grammatical issues and the need for act, scene, line text references to support an argument.
• Tomorrow:  Start The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White

Grade 10

• Pop quiz on chapters 2 and 3.
• Discussed the characteriztion of Holden Caulfield as revealed so far. There are a lot of contradictions in his narrative: "I am illiterate but I read books." He says he hates phonies but claims he is a terrific liar. What does this say about him? What is his self-image?
• HW: Chapter 4 and reading log.

Research - Last Day / Catcher in the Rye I

College Prep 12

• Last day in the library. Research papers due next Friday.

Grade 10

• Pop quiz on chapter 1
• Added the following vocab word:
• alienation: Emotional isolation or dissociation
• Discussed the title of the story.
• Gave directions for reading logs: Each chapter gets a brief summary plus a strong focus on Holden Caulfield's character development. Why does he act the way he does? Are his thoughts defensive? Accurate? Wrong? What do you learn about him?
• Logs for chapters one through three due on Monday.

Research / LOTF Video

College Prep 12

• We're in the library this week working on research.
• Don't forget that Hamlet essays are due on Wednesday. The play must be referenced in the paper, act, scene and line number.
• Hamlet with line numbers. Hamlet with translation. (For those who need the reference.)

Grade 10

• Watch The Lord of the Flies today and tomorrow.
• Extra credit opportunity: Write a short critical analysis of the movie compared to the book.
• Research project due on Friday.

Hamlet Epilogue / Research

College Prep 12

• Finish exam
• Work on essays which must reference the play. (Act/scene/line #'s)
• Essay choices are:

1. Write an essay on the function of the soliloquies in Hamlet.


2. Examine how Shakespeare makes use of classical allusions.

3. Discuss Hamlet's "antic disposition." Is his madness feigned or real?

4. Conflict is essential to drama. Show that Hamlet presents both an outward and inward conflict.

5. Why does Hamlet delay taking revenge on Claudius?

6. The character Claudius has been compared to Macbeth. How similar are these two characters? In what ways are they similar?

7. Compare Laertes with Hamlet: both react to their fathers' killing/murder. Is the reaction of either right or wrong?

8. Although Hamlet ultimately rejects it at the end of the play, suicide is an ever-present solution to the problems in the drama. Discuss the play's suggestion of suicide and imagery of death, with particular attention to Hamlet's two important statements about suicide: the "O that this too, too solid flesh would melt" soliloquy and the "To be, or not to be" soliloquy.

9. Select one of Hamlet soliloquies and by a detailed attention to the poetry discuss the nature of Hamlet's feelings as they reveal themselves in this speech. What insights might this speech provide into the prince's elusive character?

10. Select a particular scene in and discuss its importance in the play. How does this particular part of the action contribute significantly to our response to what is going on? What might be missing if a director decided to cut this scene (e.g., Claudius at prayer, the scene between Polonius and Reynaldo, the gravedigger scene)

11. Discuss Hamlet's treatment of and ideas about women. How might these help to clarify some of the interpretative issues of the play? You might want to consider carefully the way he talks about sexuality.

12. Hamlet's flaw is that he fails to act on instinct - he thinks too much.

13. Discuss the importance of appearance and reality in Hamlet.

14. What is the role of symbolic image of the Yorik's skull in the play?

15. Is something rotten in the state of Denmark? If so, what precisely is it? Is anyone in particular responsible or is the rottenness simply a condition of life?

16. Think about Hamlet's relationship with Ophelia. Does he love her? Does he stop loving her? Did he ever love her? What evidence can you find in the play to support your opinion?

17. Analyze the use of comedy in Hamlet, paying particular attention to the gravediggers, Osric, and Polonius. Does comedy serve merely to relieve the tension of the tragedy, or do the comic scenes serve a more serious thematic purpose as well? 

• Essays are due Wednesday.
• We will be in the Library all next week for the research paper.

Grade 10

• Last day in the library. Research paper is due Next Friday.
• Monday we'll go over the  Lord of the Flies exam and start the movie.

Hamlet, Finally / Research

Apologies for being behind!

College Prep 12

• Finished reading Hamlet yesterday.
• Today and tomorrow: view Act 5
• Multiple choice exam after video.
• Hamlet essay due next Wednesday (4/28).
• Next week: library research!

Grade 10

• In library all week doing research. (Directions in THIS post.)
• Due Friday (4/30)

Hamlet XX / Lord of the Flies XVIII

College Prep 12:

• Finished viewing Act 4, started quiz.

Grade 10:

• Began exam. Will finish tomorrow.

Hamlet XIX / Lord of the Flies XVII

College Prep 12:

Note: The translation link has been wrong! Thanks A.V. for bringing that to my attention. Apologies for any confusion.

• Hamlet with line numbers. Hamlet with translation.
• Finished Act 4, started video.

Grade 10:

• Discussed "Notes on The Lord of the Flies" by E.L. Epstein in the back of the book. Reading this is highly recommended in preperation for writing the exam essay.
• Discussed the final two chapters.
• Exam tomorrow and Friday!!!
• Distributed directions for the research project which will start on Monday in the library. Directions are below. Topic must be decided by Friday. There will be no changes allowed!

The Day the Universe Changed


There are moments throughout human history that define a sharp border between what used to be and something new. These moments are all founded on a specific idea or event that changed how humans thought and behaved. Your goal is to choose one and explain, in detail, how it changed history. Tell the story. You need to not only describe what the idea or event is, but how it influenced history to the present moment.
Requirements:

• 3 sources, only 1 Internet source (except for images). Not Wikipedia.

• Font size 12, Times New Roman, 1 inch margins.

• Pages numbered, name in header

• Citations must be in MLA format

• Length: minimum three pages plus bibliography (without images)

• At least 2 images with citations.

• No more than 1 image per page
Some ideas:
1. Copernicus’s Heliocentric Theory of the Solar System.

2. Newtonian Physics

3. Adam Smith’s Theory of Capitalism

4. Einstein’s Theory of Relativity

5. The Personal Computer

6. The Development of Agriculture

7. The Discovery of Germs and Bacteria

8. The Vaccine

9. The Discovery of Gunpowder

10. The Telegraph

11. The Internal Combustion Engine

12. The Television

13. The Printing Press

14. The Automobile

15. The Council of Nicea

16. The Black Death

17. Gregor Mendel’s Work with Peas

18. Charles Darwin and Evolution

19. Kitty Hawk: 12 seconds in the Air

20. Trinity: The First Atomic Detonation

21. The Magna Carta

22. Mary Wollstonecraft's "Vindication of the Rights of Women"

23. Karl Marx's "Das Kapital"

24. The Declaration of Independence

25. Pearl Harbor

26. Ancient Greek Philosophy

27. The Rediscovery of Greek Knowledge: Toledo Spain, 1105

Hamlet XVII-XVIII / Lord of the Flies XV-XVI

College Prep 12

• Hamlet with line numbers. Hamlet with translation.
• Monday: read Act 4 through scene 4
• Tuesday: Act 4 through scene 7 line 39
• Note: Scene notes will be checked! Make sure they are done!
• Reflection journals: four through next Monday

Grade 10

• Monday: Journal: what is the symbolic meaning of Simon's death? Discuss chapter 10 with particular attention to the difference between Ralph's and Jack's groups handlingof Simon's death.
• Tuesday: Quiz on chapters 9-10
• Tomorrow: Final discussion. Book needs to be finished.
• Exam: Thursday and Friday

Hamlet XVI / Lord of the Flies XIV

College Prep 12

Completed viewing Act 3. Just enough time for a brief discussion before the end of the period. Quiz will be tomorrow.

Hamlet with line numbers. Hamlet with translation.

Grade 10

• Periods 3 and 8: Finished quiz. Started reading chapter 9.
• Period 4: finish discussing chapter 8, start quiz.
• Tomorrow: Discuss chapter 9. (Finish reading for homework.)

Hamlet XV / Lord of the Flies XIII

College Prep 12

Viewed Act 3 up to the end of the play within a play.

Will finish and take quiz tomorrow.

Note: If anyone misses the video, I'm sure you can find individual scenes on Youtube.

Hamlet with line numbers. Hamlet with translation.

Grade 10

• Periods 3 and 8: Discussed the significance of the 'baptism of blood',  fire theft and Simon's 'conversation' with the 'Lord of the Flies.' They took chapters 7 and 8 quiz.
• Period 4 was a reading period due to absences.
• Reading logs for chapters 7 and 8 were checked.
• Those not done will complete quiz tomorrow
• Chapter 9 should be done by tomorrow.

Hamlet XIV / Lord of the Flies XII

College Prep 12

Hamlet with line numbers. Hamlet with translation.

Finished Act 3. Scene 4 is pivotal to the story. If you missed class, make sure you read it. This link will help: Analysis of Act 3 Scene 4 of Hamlet.

Will watch video on Monday. Quiz on Tuesday.

Grade 10

• Began discussing Chapter 8, "Gift for the Darkness" with an analysis of the title. (Gift = tribute, offering; Darkness = beast, fear)
• Made special note of a) Jack's attempt at usurping Ralph's authority by using the conch to call an assembly, b) the indication that Simon is on a vision-quest, c) the killing of the sow as the completion of the transition of the hunters from civilized to savages.
• On Monday we will complete the discussion of the chapter and start quiz 4.

Hamlet XIII / Lord of the Flies XI

College Prep 12

Hamlet with line numbers. Hamlet with translation.

Finished Act 2 scenes 2 and 3. Discussed the allusion to Nero (scene 2, line 427). Reference HERE and Hamlets motivation for not acting in scene 3.

Tomorrow I will be attending a conference. Students may work in their reflection journals.

Grade 10

• Began reading chapter 8 in class. Finish for homework and complete reading logs.
• Quiz on chapters 7 and 8 tomorrow with subsitute. Note: On Monday we will discuss chapter 8 and students will have an opportunity to revise answers on quiz. No homework.

Hamlet XII / Lord of the Flies X

College Prep 12

Hamlet with line numbers. Hamlet with translation.

Read through Act 3, scene 2, line 404.

Grade 10

• Discussed the three major events of chapter 7:
• Simon's prediction that Ralph will make it home, reinforcing Simon's character as prophet/mystic.
• Encounter with the boar and subsequent reenactment of the event in which Robert was mistreated in an emotional frenzy. Ralph got caught up in it. Foreshadowing.
• Ralph's argument with Jack. he asked Jack why he hated him.
• HW: Catch up if you are behind!

Hamlet XI / Lord of the Flies IX

College Prep 12

Hamlet with line numbers. Hamlet with translation.

Read Act 3, scene 1. Discussed Hamlet's 'to be, or not to be' soliloquy and the reasons behind his treatment of Ophelia.

Grade 10

• Quiz on chapters 5 and 6.
• Finished checking reading logs.
• Returned poetry projects, placed in portfolios.
• Chapter 7 due tomorrow.

Hamlet X / Lord of the Flies VIII

College Prep 12

Hamlet with line numbers. Hamlet with translation.

Finished viewing video for Act 2, took quiz.

Start Act 3 tomorrow.

Grade 10

• Discussed chapter 6 with particular attention to the changes in Ralph, Jack and the idea of "The Beast." Also, the flaw in Simon's character was mentioned (fear of public speaking).
• Reading logs for chapters 5 and 6 were checked in periods 3 and 4. rest will be checked tomorrow during quiz.
• Chapter 7 must be finished by Wednesday.

Hamlet IX / Lord of the Flies VII

College Prep 12

• Hamlet with line numbers. Hamlet with translation.
• As the importance of the classical allusions in the story are of growing importance, some time was spent discussing this. See this page: Classical Allusions in Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (1603). Not all of it was read, but this is an excellent source to understand the depth this factor brings to the play.
• We finished Act 2. Video tomorrow, quiz Monday.

Grade 10

• Went over quiz 1.
• Quiz on chapters 3 and 4
• No reading assignment for tonight, but all students should be done with chapter five and the reading logs for those chapters.
• We'll discuss chapter 5 tomorrow. Chapter 6 will be due Monday. Quiz on Tuesday.

Hamlet VIII / Lord of the Flies VI

College Prep 12

• Hamlet with line numbers. Hamlet with translation.
• Read through line scene 2, line 391.

Grade 12

• Begin reading chapter 5 whiel logs for chapters 3 and 4 are checked.
• Quiz tomorrow on chapters 3 and 4.
• Finish reading chapter 5, do reading log.

Hamlet VII / Lord of the Flies V

College Prep 12

• Hamlet with line numbers. Hamlet with translation.
• Started Act 2. Read through Scene 2 line 139

Grade 10

• Discussed chapter two with attention to the importance of the glasses, the "beastie" and the the consequences of the fire.
• Finish chapter 4 for HW. Reading logs wil be checked tomorrow.

Hamlet VI / Lord of the Flies IV

College Prep 12

• Took quiz on Act 1
• Checked reflection journals. Four more through next Monday.
• Start Act 2 tomorrow

Grade 10

• Took quiz on chapters 1 and 2.
• Checked reading logs for chapters 1 and 2
• Went over benchmark exams. Students were told that the paragraph may be rewritten after school to improve the grade.
• HW: Read through page 68 in the middle of chapter 4. Reading log.

Hamlet V / Lord of the Flies III

College Prep 12

• Finished watching Act I. Quiz on Monday.

Grade 10

• Reviewed directions for reading logs.
• Discussed chapter 2
• Chapter 3 for Monday. Reading logs will be checked for a grade.

Hamlet IV / Lord of the Flies

College Prep 12

• Hamlet with line numbers. Hamlet with translation.
• Finished reading Act I, started video.
• Tomorrow we'll finish video and take Act I quiz.

Grade 10

• Finished model reading log for chapter 1
• Read chapter 2 for tomorrow.
• Poetry project due tomorrow. (Reminder: You were supposed to have chosen a poem or lyric from a song and written a critical analysis in the same manner as was done for "Danny Deever" and "Wreck of the Hesperus.")

Hamlet III / Poetry Exam - Lord of the Flies

College Prep 12

• Hamlet with line numbers. Hamlet with translation.
• Reviewed scene 3 so far, continued:
• Read through scene 5, line 97.
• Students were encouraged to work on their portfolios at home while Hamlet is being read in class.

Grade 10

• Periods 3 and 4 took the poetry exam again due to the poor report from the substitute. Let's just say test security would seem to have been compromised.
• Period 8: Discussed chapter 1 of Lord of the Flies; began notes on characters, symbols. Will finish tomorrow. Read chapter 2 for homework.

Hamlet II / Benchmark Exam Continued - Lord of the Flies

College Prep 12

• Discussed quality of unit exams. Due to the careless nature of too many of them, essay rewrites will require a conference with me first.
• Read Hamlet through line 94, Act 1, Scene 3. (Text with translation can be found HERE. The first link is used because it provides line numbers.)
• I will be out tomorrow. Students are to write in their reflection journals. 4 more need to be completed by next Monday for a total of 10 since the last grade assigned.

Grade 10

• Students edited Friday's benchmark.
• The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, was distributed. Chapter 1 should be read by Wednesday.
• Tomorrow they will take the poetry exam with the subsitute.
• Poetry essay due on Friday.

Mr L's Response to President Obama

 For context, read this article from the NY Times:

School’s Shake-Up Is Embraced by the President

Dear Mr. President,

If the best of us aren't safe, why should any of us become teachers? I was at work until six o'clock on Friday. Yesterday, Saturday, I graded essays for three hours. I'll do the same today. I worked a six day week this week. I do that often. I research and plan for much of the summer. I am not compensated for that. I also work in a district with significant social problems. Too many of our students don't do well. Your endorsement of the Central Falls, RI nuclear option is not only profoundly wrong for public schools in general... it threatens my family. Right now, smart people should avoid the profession. The Democratic Party has lost my membership and you have lost my vote.

While I agree teachers should be held accountable, to do so without holding anyone else accountable is nothing more than political scapegoating. All the electorate hears right now is that teachers are the problem.

How politically expedient.

Sincerely,
Michael Lambert

Hamlet I / Benchmark

College Prep 12

• Read Hamlet through line 89, Act 1, Scene 2. (Text with translation can be found HERE. The first link is used because it provides line numbers.)
• Class routine for Hamlet is as follows: Come in, grab a book. Preview annotations/footnotes for first few minutes to prep for the day's reading. After each scene, write summary/notes in notebook. Ask questions.
• If anyone is absent, the link to the text and the class' progress will be posted here.

Grade 10

• Benchmark exam

Hamlet Intro / Shakepseare's Sonnet

Haven't updated this site in a while due to a stacked inbox of papers and essays. Will try to post assignments, at least, in the coming days. All classes are reminded that interim reports go out next week.

College Prep 12

• Finished watching Paolini's Oedipus Rex yesterday. Discussed the psycho-social (Freud/Jung) implications of the story.
• Introduced Hamlet today. This link provides access to the text with numbered lines. Daily progress will be posted here so that absent students can keep up.
• Read a brief introduction and wrote down focus questions: What is the purpose of King Hamlet's ghost? Did Hamlet really go mad? Was he acting? Was Gertrude faithful to Hamlet's father? Was she complicit in his murder? Why did Hamlet wait so long to prove his uncle's guilt? Why didn't he act when he was convinced?
• Will begin reading tomorrow. Four more journal entries are due by Monday, for a total of six so far in the curent block.

Grade 10

• Read and discussed Shakespeare's SONNET 18
• Tomorrow: Benchmark #2
• Monday: Poetry exam.

Oedipus / "Wreck of the Hesperus" - Benchmark Prep

College Prep 12

• Yesterday Oedipus was brielfy discussed. Students took most of the period to reread and annotate. Annotations will be collected as part of the essay grade for this unit. (For link to oedipus, see link in 2/19 post.)
• Today we began watching Pasolini's Oedipus Rex, with particular attention to the filmaker's symbolism.
• Yesterday, the essay question: In a discussion including at least two of the five stories, analyze similarities and differences in event sequence, characterization, symbolism and theme. Be sure to tie these elements together in such a manner that supports each story’s purpose or message. (Think in terms of the hero journey and ‘atonement with the father’ in particular.)
• Also told period 7 that anyone who wishes can write on their own topic within the context of the five stories (and movie) in this unit. Due date will be extended to next Wednesday.

Grade 10

• Checked homework: annotation of Lonfellow's "Wreck of the Hesperus." Annotations should include literary elements such as foreshadowing, irony, personification, metaphor, simile, characterization and identification of words and phrases that indicate mood and tone.
• Today began work prepping for next week's benchmark. Passage and graph need to be annotated and multiple choice questions answered.