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Thursday, January 21, 2010

The Sound of Silence & Comfortably Numb / Julius Caesar Exam (Essay)

College Prep 12
  • Students were told that an extra credit major grade will be possible for an original poem. Any submission has to demonstrate effort at crafting language and communicating something that is obviosly of great importance to the author.
  • We continued studying Paul simon's piece, "The Sound of Silence." Historical context was mentioned along with a theme of messianic failure.
  • "Comfortably Numb" was distributed. Lyrics were read individually, discussed in groups. Song was played. To be continued tomorrow.
  • Critical analysis of self-chosen piece due Monday.
Grade 10
  • Day 2 of Julius Caesar essay. Any not finished must be done for homework.
  • ATTENDANCE IS CRITICAL TOMORROW AND MONDAY. WE WILL BE TAKING THE BENCHMARK EXAM. ANY NOT COMPLETED DUE TO ABSENCE MUST BE FINISHED ON FRIDAY 1/29 AT 8 A.M.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Poetry VIII / Julius Caesar Act V Exam Part 1

College Prep 12
  • Thursday and Friday: Classes wrote a critical analysis of "The Sick Rose" based on the outline done for homework.
  • Today: Final discussion of "The Sick Rose." Essay due tomorrow.
  • Read "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning.
  • Look over "My Last Duchess" for further discussion.
  • Bring in lyrics or poem titles (3) for project.
Grade 10
  • Begin Julius Caesar exam. Multiple choice today, essay tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Poetry VII / Julius Caesar Act V , continued

College Prep 12
  • Check HW (finish outline for "The Chimney Sweeper" from Blake's Songs of Innocence. )
  • Discuss
  • Examine "The Chimney Sweeper" from Blake's Songs of Experience.
  • Discuss: will complete tomorrow.
  • Homework: Examine and annotate "The Sick Rose."
  • Note: Submission policy for the second semester is going to be modified. Students will no longer be able to email me work. If there are printing issues at home, students can email the work to themselves, access it at work and either print it out in school or paste it to a class folder in the Student Directory. Work will be graded electronically.
  • All work must be submitted by Friday!
Grade 10
  • Give back Act IV quizzes.
  • Continue Act V,
  • Finish tomorrow and view video.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Poetry VI / Julius Caesar Act V

College Prep 12
  • Discuss "The Chimney Sweeper" from Blake's Songs of Innocence.
  • Worked on outlining a critical analysis through the fourth stanza:
I. Intro


a. Literal

i. Young chimney sweeper comforts friend whose hair is cut off.

ii. Friend has a dream of being brought to a wonderful place by an angel. He’s encouraged.

b. Figurative

i. The dream is a metaphor that turns life and death upside down. They are living a kind of death, salvation (life) comes from death (heaven).

II. Stanza 1

a. Begins with a death, related with childlike matter-of-factness

b. Key words:

i. “my father sold me”

1. consequence of extreme poverty

ii. “’weep, ‘weep”

1. Play on words: child too young to say “sweep.” “Weep” elicits the grief/tragedy of the situation.

III. Stanza II

a. Key words:

i. Lamb, white hair (innocence)

ii. “soot cannot spoil your white hair?” Innocence can’t be tarnished?

IV. Stanza III

a. Tom’s dream

i. Sweepers locked in black (death) coffins

1. metaphor for their lives; death in life

ii. The Angel

1. freedom, life, messenger, guardian, from God

2. bright key: moment of death, unlocking the coffin

iii. Imagery

1. green plain: contrast to black coffin; green = life
  • Finish last two stanzas plus conclusion for homwork.
  • Must have list of three poems (one favorite and two options) for critical analysis by Friday.
Grade 10
  • Review story, start Act V.
  • Will finish reading tomorrow.
  • Video on Thursday
  • Multiple choice exam on Friday.
  • Essay on Tuesday.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Poetry V / Julius Caesar Act IV Quiz

College Prep 12
  • Review projects, hand back
  • Add to poetry notes:
How to Write a Critical Analysis

1. Intro
a. Title, author
b. Comment on literal context and figurative/abstract meaning. (thesis statement)
2. Select and discuss meaning of imagery/metaphors/symbols to support your thesis.
a. Stanza by stanza
i. Refer back and forward for support
3. Conclusion
a. Author’s purpose (thesis statement)
i. What larger statement is being made?
  • Wrap up the Byron piece: What larger statement is Byron making with "So We'll Go No More A Roving?" (Life passes, we must let go, etc.)
  • Intro William Blake; historical context.
  • "The Lamb," From Songs of Innocence. Read, discuss.
Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life & bid thee feed,
By the stream & o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, wooly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?
Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?

Little Lamb, I'll tell thee,
Little Lamb, I'll tell thee:
He is called by thy name,
For he calls himself a Lamb.
He is meek & he is mild;
He became a little child.
I a child & thou a lamb.
We are called by his name.
Little Lamb, God bless thee!
Little Lamb, God bless thee!
  • Read "The Chimney Sweeper" for homework.
  • Highlight, underline, make notes.
  • Poetry Project: Students will write a critical essay on a self chosen poem or song lyric. Names will be called at random for their choices as no one may do the same as another. First choice by Thursday.  Essay must include the poem or lyric.
Grade 10
  • Act IV quiz
  • Pg. 419 questions 1&2 (Must be finished for homework.)

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Poetry IV / Julius Caesar Act IV

College Prep 12
  • Notes on how to analyze a poem:
How to Interpret Poetry



1. Read it through. (out loud?)
a. Get initial impression/image/literal meaning/context
2. Second read
a. Examine vocabulary
b. Look for symbols and metaphors
i. free associate meanings/brainstorm
ii. group discussion if possible
iii. select meanings to match context
3. Third read
a. Make connections
b. Determine poem’s intent; what is being said at a figurative/abstract level.
c. Personal reaction
  • Distribute Bryon's "So We'll Go No More A Roving"
  • Read and analyze for discussion tomorrow:
So we’ll go no more a roving
So late into the night,
Though the heart be still as loving,
And the moon be still as bright.

For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul wears out the breast,
And the heart must pause to breathe,
And love itself have rest.

Though the night was made for loving,
And the day returns too soon,
Yet we’ll go no more a roving
By the light of the moon.
Grade 10
  • Finish Act IV
  • Discuss
  • Hand back Oration assignment
  • Review and discuss

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Poetry III? / Julius Caesar Act IV Scene iii, continued

College Prep 12
  • The honors breakfast annhilated my second period class and the remaining five students were given a study hall.
  • Period 7:  Journal: How are we supposed to feel about the subject of the poem? What is the author’s purpose? 
  • Discuss.
  • Note: Deadline for essay rewrites is Friday, January 15th.
Grade 10
  • PSA: Timeline for rest of marking period is as follows: finish Act IV this week. Quiz next Monday. Finish Act V next week. This will leave about 5 school days for JC Exam and practice for Benchmark Exam before Regents week break.
  • Journal: summary of Act IV so far.
  • Continue reading. (Period 3,4 finish to line 228. Pd 8 finished the act.)

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Poetry II / Julius Caesar Act IV Scene i,ii,iii

College Prep 12
  • Review Ghosts/Platoon essay structure. The essay should illustrate the transformation of both characters by describing who they are at the beginning of their stories and describing specific events from those stories that show how they changed. Those events should be connected to the quote and to the various stages of the hero journey.
  • Poetry: Journal- why did Simon use the word "underground" rather than "subway" in the title of the song?
  • Check reflection journals.
  • Discuss: brainstorm associations with the word "underground."
  • Listen to the song.
  • Discuss the poem one stanza at a time, identify key words, brainstorm associations, develop a character sketch of the "man."
  • HW: Another reflection journal on the poem based on todays class discussion.
Grade 10
  • Start reading Act IV aloud through scene iii. (pd 3 finished through line 106, pd 4 through line 64, pd 8 kine 152)

Monday, January 04, 2010

Poetry I / Julius Caesar Act IV Intro

College Prep 12
  • Usual post-holiday prep talk (It is really almost June now.)
  • Copied the defintion of and discussed:
  • Context: the parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific word or passage, usually influencing its meaning or effect; the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc. (This is a weakness in many of the Platoon/Ghosts of War essays
  • In class journal: How to you read/process poetry. Share some answers and discuss.
  • Distribute "Poem on an Underground Wall" by Paul Simon:
The last train is nearly due,
The underground is closing soon,
And in the dark deserted station,
Restless in anticipation,
A man waits in the shadows.

His restless eyes leap and scratch,
At all that they can touch or catch,
And hidden deep within his pocket,
Safe within it's silent socket,
He holds a colored crayon.

Now from the tunnel's stony womb,
The carriage rides to meet the groom,
And opens wide and welcome doors,
But he hesitates, then withdraws
Deeper in the shadows.

And the train is gone suddenly
On wheels clicking silently
Like a gently tapping litany
And he holds his crayon rosary
Tighter in his hand.

Now from his pocket quick he flashes,
The crayon on the wall he slashes,
Deep upon the advertising,
A single worded poem comprised
Of four letters.

And his heart is laughing, screaming, pounding
The poem across the tracks rebounding
Shadowed by the exit light
His legs take their ascending flight
To seek the breast of darkness and be suckled by the night.

  • Read the poem, identify key/high content words.
  • Assign one stanza to each of six groups- discuss words chosen.
  • Last five minutes: hand back graded essays. Encourage conferencing for rewrites. These essays are worth three major grades. Rewrite can change two of them
  • HW: Reflection journal on the poem.
  • Reminder: 5 reflection journals each week! (Two should have been done over the break. 
Grade 10
  •  Usual post-holiday prep talk (It is really almost June now.)
  • New vocab:
  • 25. Context: the parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific word or passage, usually influencing its meaning or effect; the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc.
  • 26. Cynical: Believing or showing the belief that people are motivated chiefly by selfish concerns; skeptical of the motives of others; Negative or pessimistic, as from world-weariness
  • 27. Altruistic (adj): unselfishly generous; concerned for others. (noun = altruism)
  • Journal: summarize story so far then discuss.
  • Read and discuss Act IV summary.
  • Will check crossword puzzles tomorrow and start reading the act.