ENG1D Period 2 September 2014 to January 2015

Sept. 2

ENG1D Course Information Sheet Sept 2014.docx

Details Download 171 KB

A map of the school was distributed.During our class discussion, the following points were noted:

If you need a place to go to work on your homework during lunch, try the library, my classroom (161), or Room 201 (moved to 215!).

How can you best succeed in English class? Approach your work with a positive attitude. You're here to learn and to try new things. Write, speak, be brave.

Student Services (a.k.a. Guidance) is the place to go when you have a scheduling conflict. If you have an issue such as severe stress, anxiety, or a health issue that will affect school, you want your parent to inform your guidance counselor who can then alert all your teachers.

Writing Samples for Time Capsule:Prompt #1 The Absolutely True Diary of this Morning: "It was a fairly uneventful morning; although, it was the first day of high school...Prompt #2 Dear You: Imagine sitting across the table from you five years from now, about to graduate. What words of encouragement would you give you as you embark on your life after high school?

Sept. 3

Orientation workshop in Library: library resources, essay resources, academic integrity, citing sources.

Sept. 4

Assembly in auditorium: respect, safety, laws governing school grounds, getting started on volunteer hours (40 hours required for graduation).

Sept. 5

Two new routines:

1. Reading during first 15 minutes of class.2. Sign out/in sheet near door.

Article "How Teenagers Communicate": You're a teenager; did the article get this right? Students expressed opinions in whole-class discussion.

Interviews: Brainstorm 8 to 10 icebreaker questions and then interview a classmate you haven't met yet.

Sept. 8

We started our 15-minute reading session and established the Reading Journal: Date, Description, and Comment. These were handed in.

New Routine! "Much Ado About Everything" copy-editing exercise. HW: Look up the underlined words. Topics covered today: allusion, when to spell out numbers, B.C., A.D., B.C.E., C.E., what they mean, when not to

use them, and when to use them.

Sept. 9

15-min. reading session, I returned Reading Journals from yesterday, and students entered new comments for today's reading.

I read some student exemplars aloud, and students determined what type of comment was made based on a checklist of types of comments that were described and written on the blackboard; i.e., give your opinion on an issue raised in the piece, relate something in the piece to your own experience, predict what's going to happen, make a logical inference. The term logical inference was defined with example.

Students then copied down the list to use as a reference when they write comments in their Reading Journal. "Much Ado About Everything" exercise. HW: Look up underlined words; also look up oxymoron and see if you can find the oxymoron in today's "Much

Ado" citation. Topic covered today: homophones (e.g., there/their and piece/peace) Tomorrow: present tense, pluperfect (a.k.a. past perfect), and oxymoron.

Sept. 10

15-min. reading session and Reading Journal entry. "Much Ado About Everything": present tense and pluperfect. I decided to wait to take up the term oxymoron until

those who did not do their homework do the exercise of looking up the definition of the term and, at least, attempt to find an example in the text.

Whole-class brainstorming: How to make your classmate's bio more interesting. 15 minutes to connect with partner regarding a pic, and to start writing bio. HW: Complete the bio and bring in a draft for peer-editing tomorrow. Enrichment: Here's a feature article that

might give you some ideas for making your bio interesting; but don't worry, you don't have to make yours as elaborate as this one. Sample feature article

Sept. 11

15-min. reading session and Reading Journal entry. (I recorded collection of homework.) Third installment of "Much Ado About Everything" with a review of homophones we've seen so far and an

introduction of the term alliteration. Next we heard about a student production of Twelfth Night, and I explained how I will sweeten the pot as

encouragement to support this worthy cause. Finally, I redistributed the draft biographies (well, most of them) for peer editing, and I outlined some principles of

peer editing; i.e., giving encouragement, finding something positive, and making advice for improvement

constructive and diplomatic. We'll do more peer-editing tomorrow. The polished bio is due Monday. (This is a homework task for fun, practice, and feedback; it's not a formal evaluation for marks.)

Sept. 12

15-min. reading session and Reading Journal entry. Fourth installment of "Much Ado About Everything" with lessons on (1) comma rule for the word too, (2) What is a

compound sentence? (3) FANBOYS, and (4) comma rule for compound sentence. Also mentioned--when to use who instead of that.

More peer editing of bio. HW Polished bio with edited drafts due Monday.

Sept. 15

15-min. reading session and Reading Journal entry. Fifth installment of "Much Ado About Everything" with "I before e" spelling rule. I recounted an anecdote to honour the often-overlooked students who come to class prepared each day: I see

you, and I respect your work ethic, your independence, and your self-respect. You are a class act. As a class, we devised two checklists for getting organized: What to do before class; what to bring to class. I will

type them up and distribute them for your use. Added routine: agenda sits on your desk during the period so you can jot down homework assignments as they're

assigned. I collected homework assignments: They look GRRRRRRREAT! We began our anthology unit with "At the Bus Stop, One Autumn Morning"handout was distributed.

Sept. 16

15-min. reading session and Reading Journal entry. (HW--With agenda on desk, you recorded if you have to complete your journal entry for homework.)

Sixth installment of "Much Ado". (HW--With agenda on desk, you recorded your need to look up the underlined words.)

Handout--checklist of things to do before class and things to bring to class. I discussed these points to clarify them and confirm that I value your ability to prepare yourself for class. Present yourself as someone who can manage your own responsibilities--the day will come when you will have to manage your responsibilities and take care of, or manage other people, too.

The poem homework (see yesterday's handout) was described and assigned for completion in one week. Remember to start today and try to work on it a little bit every night until then. Please don't wait until Monday night!

Sept. 17

15-min. reading session and Reading Journal entry. (HW--With agenda on desk, you recorded if you have to complete your journal entry for homework.)

New Routine: orange Late Submissions folder on teacher's desk. You insert your late assignment with a note attached.

Seventh installment of "Much Ado" with lessons on parts and placement of parts of a traditional personal letter (because our narrative is set in 1603!). The conventions of modern formal business letters are a little different. I also taught different date formats: formal, full, and abbreviated with the logic behind the comma placement. I pointed out the misuse of "me" in the nominative case as well as the misuse of reflexive pronouns.

We discussed the "At the Bus Stop" poem briefly, and you worked in partners on a handout. The rest of the handout was assigned for homework.

Sept. 18

15-min. reading session and Reading Journal entry. (HW--With agenda on desk, you recorded if you have to complete your journal entry for homework.)

Eighth installment of "Much Ado" with lesson on A White Bus! This is a mnemonic device to learn the subordinating conjunctions for complex sentences. We're going to get them memorized by Thanksgiving! Compound and complex sentences were compared, and correct use of commas in various cases was noted.

We took up the comprehension questions on "At the Bus", but we ran out of time to complete the sheet. We'll continue tomorrow!

Sept. 19

15-min. reading session and Reading Journal entry. (HW--With agenda on desk, you recorded if you have to complete your journal entry for homework.)

I checked the progress on your poem which is due on Tuesday. I reviewed the principles behind my checking and reviewed (a) the need for you to start tasks when they're assigned, (b) the need to develop language skills in increments every day rather than in a pattern of storms and droughts, and (c) the need for you to print your progress and bring it to class. We had a whole-class discussion on this, and people expressed their ideas and questions in thoughtful and respectful ways.

Ninth installment of "Much Ado" with review of the "A" words in A White Bus, and a lesson of how to structure and punctuate dialogue in a narrative. I also explain the technique of using context clues and the grammatical principle of parallel structure.

Gosh, this took up the whole class, but we can confront "Gore" on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Sept. 22

15-min. reading session and Reading Journal entry. (HW--With agenda on desk, you recorded if you have to complete your journal entry for homework.)

I returned your "Much Ado" exercises #1-5 and you watched me crash and burn A White Bus. Tomorrow is another day.

I checked the progress on your poem. Wow! You read a bit of "Gore" and started answering some content questions. This is not for homework because you

want to focus on completing your... Poem due tomorrow! Good luck.

Sept. 23

15-min. reading session and Reading Journal entry. (HW--With agenda on desk, you recorded if you have to complete your journal entry for homework.)

A senior student came in and had you draw a picture of a house. We don't know why. You read each others' poems, and then we had a coffee house. I was incredibly impressed with your poems;

many of them gave me chills to hear such wonderful vocabulary and envision such clear imagery. Well done! Afterward, you wrote a reflection on your poem and your writing process, and then you handed them in. You copied out the tenth "Much Ado" exercise for homework, and you copied out the prepositions from the

blackboard. We'll discuss these tomorrow.

Sept. 24

15-min. reading session and Reading Journal entry. (HW--With agenda on desk, you recorded if you have to complete your journal entry for homework.)

I explained what prepositions were and then I collected the "Much Ado" exercises. We discussed "Gore" briefly. I handed out a letter by Jeff Wright as introduction to the assembly happening in the afternoon and tomorrow

morning. Fifteen vocabulary words were written down on the board (HW: 5 words to look up each night), and certain words were on the board as "effective diction". We'll discuss these.

Sept. 25

Storytelling assembly: Jeff Wright.

Sept 26

15-min. reading session and Reading Journal entry. (HW--With agenda on desk, you recorded if you have to complete your journal entry for homework.)

We had a few good news announcements by students! You can keep your binder organized by grouping the notes for different routines together; e.g., all your reading

journal entries in sequence, all your "Much Ado" exercises together, and all your anthology work together. Discussed some of the language in the Jeff Wright letter. Reminder to prepare for your evaluation classes on Wednesday and Thursday next week.

JeffWrightStoryteller letter.docx

Details Download 19 KB

Sept. 29

I shared my experience going to an afternoon performance of Twelfth Night yesterday. I was so impressed by the acting skills of the young performers who put on an authentic and truly comical show!

Review for evaluations coming up on Wednesday and Thursday.

Sept. 30

Review for evaluations coming up tomorrow and Thursday.

Oct. 1

Evaluation: Writing a short narrative containing dialogue.

Oct. 2

Evaluation: Short-answer test for Knowledge and Application of specific concepts relating to Reading and Writing skills.

Oct. 3

Make-up evaluation period for students absent Wednesday or yesterday. Anecdote illustrating the role of Activating Prior Knowledge as a reading skill that helps you appreciate the value

of a text, and helps you understand it. Homework due Monday: Research the Haida culture and mask (ref. Sightlines 9). Half a page of handwritten

notes or a printout with highlighted sentences and margin notes is plenty. Homework due Tuesday: View and take notes on this Elements of Fiction PPP. Please make sure you have a

clear list of the elements in your binder to use as a reference and to use for study purposes. Homework due Wednesday: Complete questions 1-4 at the end of "Lamb to the Slaughter" and find 5 of the most

difficult words.

Oct. 6

Following our silent reading... People contributed their findings about the Haida culture and masks. Vocabulary that came up today: anecdote, transformation, metamorphosis, stylized, social class, and hierarchy Introduction to Media Literacy: Media texts are the products of culture; e.g., masks, dances, ornate jewelry,

weaving, totem poles. These, like our novels, plays, poems, shows, paintings, architecture, etc., are cultural indicators that contain messages.

Oct. 7

Following our silent reading... We developed a list of the Elements of Fiction on the blackboard and, with contributions from students, we added

points about them that go beyond what was covered in the PPP. Today's activity involved note-taking. With 5 min. left, students chipped away at tonight's homework (as assigned on Oct. 3)

Oct. 8

Handout on "The Apostrophe", Exercises 4.1, 4.4, 4.5 The following Reading and Responding exercises from your Sightlines 9 anthology are to be done during class

and then completed for homework:o Read "The Open Window" and do Activity #2 at the end of the story.o Then read "The Interlopers" and do Activities #2, 3, and 4.

Oct. 9

Here is the handout for today's lesson--

Grade 9 The Blue Bead.docx

Details Download 16 KB

"The Lost Week"

In a nutshell, we continued silent reading with journaling, we conquered the apostrophe, and we commenced discussions on the topic of Effective Diction.

Oct. 20

In lieu of silent reading, I read aloud several of the stories that students wrote in their evaluation task at the start of the month before I returned them. What pleasant marking to do, especially with the well-formatted dialogue that allowed me to focus in on the stories instead of the punctuation! Some were charming, some were eerie, some were very ironic. Then students wrote a journal entry on what they heard.

Then we finished commentaries on all of the examples of effective diction in the Jeff Wright letter. (Notes on blackboard)

Oct. 21

Recap of the topic of Effective Diction (notes on blackboard) Mary Maloney from "Lamb to the Slaughter" went on trial today.

Oct. 22

More on Mary Pronouns and Point of View--Omniscient and First-Person (Notes on blackboard)

Oct. 23

More on POV: We tackled the "Limited Omniscient" narrative point of view today. I acknowledged the oxymoronic nature of the term. Examples of how bias is revealed in this type of narration through diction (choice of nouns, adjectives, and adverbs) were written on the blackboard.

The topic of narrative point of view sparked a lively discussion about the benefits and deficits of the various narrative points of view, with examples and spoilers from the books students have read!

Oct. 24

Final silent reading period for a little while. I collected Reading Journals to see if you're keeping up and if you're staying organized. On Monday, we start writing practices.

I gave a quick pop quiz on POV (as I mentioned I might yesterday) to see if you're keeping up with the lessons, taking notes, and reviewing them for homework. We took this up in class.

Finally, I read a few paragraphs of "Lamb to the Slaughter", and, together, we pointed out diction and insights that reveal to us that a limited omniscient narration was used in this story. You pointed out some reasons why that was an effective POV for Dahl to use in the story. Final point: this point of view contributes to the dramatic irony which gives punch to the ending. (Note: Thinking about how one element of fiction is contributing to another is quite abstract. Please review the elements of fiction regularly to absorb what they are so you can recognize them in a piece of literature, and think about how they relate to one another.)

HW: Read the handout on "Irony" and highlight the points you think are important.

Oct. 27

I am away today--sick.--Read "The Execution" (p. 19) and do Activity #1.--Read "Coup de Grace" (p. 32) and do Activities #1-3.

Oct. 28

I'm off sick again today.Sightlines 9, Page 68 “End of Unit Activities”: Scan the Instructions for Activities #2, #3, #4, #5, #8. Select two of them to complete by Thursday.

Oct. 29

Writing exercise: a couplet in trochaic tetrameter to throw into a witch's brew by Halloween. Irony: verbal, situational, dramatic, and tragic. Some key concepts:

o appearance versus realityo the difference between verbal irony (a witticism, tongue-in-cheek statement; akin to innuendo) and

sarcasm (a mean-spirited insult)o how to express a definition; i.e., verbal irony is a figure of speech; tragic irony is a type of dramatic

irony.

Oct. 30

I'm off sick again today.(1) Complete this week's assignments if you are behind. (2) Work on making corrections to the evaluation that was returned to you yesterday. (3) There will be a reading/writing evaluation Wed. and Thurs. next week; please start reviewing notes from class and your work from Sightlines 9.

Oct. 31

You got together into groups to combine your couplets and present your witches' spells as choral readings. That worked!

You let me know that Wednesday is problematic for your test next week, so we'll do it on Thursday and Friday. Today I took up Question #3 from your last test to demonstrate how to answer a question in sentence form...

The acronym FANBOYS stands for all of the coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. They are used to join independent clauses in compound sentences; for example, "I presented my witch's spell, and I looked great doing it."

Principles demonstrated in the above two-sentence answer to question #3:

o Composing sentences when you answer questions rather than offering lists, pictures, diagrams, point-form, symbols, codes, bits, pieces, or mime.

o Learning how to write in longer, flowing sentences (without forming run-on sentences) to capture more complete thoughts.

o Use of colon to expand on an independent clause.o Use of italics in typed text or underlining in handwritten text to refer to letters (e.g., a, b, or c) or words

(e.g., a, an, and the) in your sentences.o Use of semi-colon to transition into an example; for example,...o Making sure quotations or examples clearly demonstrate the topic of the paragraph and sentence at

hand. If your example demonstrates the use of coordinating conjunctions in a compound sentence, you'd italicize the conjunction in the sentence to call the reader's attention to it.

Handout on Integrating Quotations into Your Sentences. Two points were highlighted.

Nov. 3

Writing journal entry (prompt: snapshot of female character in a description, poem, bio with pic, or other form of your choosing).

Reminder of test on Thursday (PART !: Reading with multiple choice) and Friday (PART 2: Question/Answer demonstrating knowledge and skills in both reading and writing).

Review of use of colon and other principles of writing (See Oct. 31.) Took up proofreading questions from last test. Integrating quotations: Colon method HW--Composing Sentences: (1) In "Gore", Lucas uses an allusion to Shakespeare:... (complete the sentence

using a quotation from the story). (2) Give an example of dramatic irony from one of the pieces you read from Unit 1 in Sightlines 9. Dramatic irony is demonstrated in "Lamb to the Slaughter"...(Complete the answer with sentences that refer to a relevant episode from the story, evidence that you know what dramatic irony is, and evidence that you understand how your chosen episode demonstrates dramatic irony.) (3) Give another example of irony from the readings in Unit 1 of Sightlines 9.

Nov. 4

Writing journal (prompt: as above with a male character). We took up yesterday's homework with preparing for the upcoming test in mind. The following was covered:

o Integrating quotation using a colon.o Using single quotation marks when quoting dialogue.o Formatting parenthetical reference with page number only; principle of keeping content of parenthetical

reference to a minimum in order to reduce visual distraction.o Placing the period after the parenthetical reference except in cases where the quotation finishes with

emotive end punctuation.o Making sure the question is fully answered when composing sentences.o Making sure sentences are logical, coherent, and complete.o Using underline (or italics) to place emphasis on a word if necessary.o Using the proper formatting for titles of short works and complete works when writing about literature.

Reviewed allusion: literary, historical, biblical, classical.

Nov. 14

Creative writing, taking up a past test to look at sentence structure; lessons and discussion to understanding of aspects of written compositions.Terms and Concepts reviewed:

homophones mnemonic device... acronym parallel structure... faulty parallelism using a transitional phrase to show contrast short story--definition novel--definition composing sentences that actually and accurately answer questions nonfiction versus fiction "is when" error... writing definitions in which a thing belongs to a larger class of things, and then providing a set of characteristics

that distinguish it from other things in that class of things.

Nov. 17

Study Buddies established

Explanation of the literary term "conceit" and development of understanding of extended metaphor; how style of language contributes to characterization; i.e., Duke Orsino

Writing practice: was actually drawing because you explored concrete imagery--developing complex meanings through symbolic images and their implied narratives.

Act 1, Scene 2: an introduction of Viola HW: Google the topic of knights in Medieval and Renaissance times. What was expected of knights? Can you list

five expectations of them besides heroic bravery in battle? Here's a useful web site! History of Knights

Nov. 18

HW:

Here is the definition of conceit. Please copy it down into your English binder. Write up your scene summaries for Act 1, Scenes 2 and 3. If you did not get anything written for your writing prompts today, please ponder them further and see if you can

get anything down.

Nov. 24

Collection of homework on Integrating Quotations into your Sentences. A brief review of Acts 1, 2, and 3: separate distinct groups of characters that are obliquely connected; all the

broken hearts; commonalities between Olivia and Viola. The irony of character evident in the names of Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek.

Back to Duke Orsino's castle for the introduction of Cesario. Lesson regarding various aspects of gender in Tudor England in society and on stage. A love triangle emerges.

Introduction of Feste and the role of the Fool in Tudor England and in Shakespeare's plays. Notes on the use of pun, effective diction, tone, and a knowledge (Feste) in contrast with a lack of knowledge (Sir Andrew Aguecheek) of languages and facility with language for characterization. Some new language--liberty--worth adding to your vocabulary.

Homework: "Better a witty fool than a foolish wit!" What does the Fool mean by that?

Dec. 9

As of today, we have read Twelfth Night to the end of Act 4. We have discussed patterns in the plot such as the introduction of characters who are parallel in some way (e.g.,

Olivia and Viola) or ironic in some way (Sir Toby and Malvolio). The principle of decorum (Shakespeare's shifts between prose and verse) as been thoroughly covered so that it supports interpretations of character and themes. Language style, especially levels of language, the use of extended metaphors, effective diction, and verbal irony through puns (e.g., fool/Fool) have been taught and discussed to serve an understanding of characterization. Relevant aspects of Shakespeare's life and the context of the play have been brought to light to provide insights into the content of the play; e.g., gender roles, Queen Elizabeth, male friendships, the Great Chain of Being, Shakespeare's representation of Puritans, the language of courtship, and Shakespeare's poetic exploitation of the "slipperiness of language"; i.e., multiple meanings of words. Dramatic devices such as soliloquys, asides, and dramatic irony have been covered. The application of plot structure to the five-act convention has been covered as well as the difference between climax and crisis in Act 3. Writing: Students have written a series of creative pieces that explore character types that are parallel to characters in the play; an extended metaphor (or conceit) drawn from a complex pictorial image with Orsino's "fell and cruel hounds" as a model; and three separate paragraphs: irony of names, irony in characterization, and ironies in the language that serves characterization.

Today is an uncomplicated content evaluation for comprehension, listening, and competence in writing sentences.

Dec. 10

Yesterday, you received your exam schedule at the end of the day. This morning, I explained how it works: Your exam for your period 1 class happens on the first day of exams, your exam for your period 2 class happens on the second day of exams, your exam for your third period class happens on the third day of exams, and the exam for your fourth period class happens on the fourth day of exams. Although you don't have an "exam" per se, you do have a "summative task" which is an important evaluation that takes place over about 10 classes at the end of the semester. The presentation for your summative task occurs during the time slot allotted to your exam which is 9:30 on the second day of exams. In other words, while you don't have a written exam, you do show up on time, and you perform your presentation for your summative task when I call your name. I hope that clarified things. And on the topic of unravelling confusing things...

We finished reading the end of Twelfth Night! You did it! Yippee! Yahoo! It was fun, and you did great. Tomorrow you have a writing task, and when that's done you can see She's the Man.

HW: Reading Of Mice and Men, and starting your chapter questions if you haven't started that already.

Dec. 11

At the start of class, I handed out writing folders and instructions on how to write an in-class essay on Twelfth Night. I wrote an example of an introductory paragraph to illustrate a funnel technique that delivers introductory information, controls the reader's focus, and ends in a thesis statement. I also explained how the body paragraphs are organized to support the thesis statement. Then I explained different ways of transitioning between sentences and paragraphs, and pointed out the way these transitions are demonstrated in the handout.

Following a question period, everyone settled in to write! Bonne chance!

Dec. 12

We had a visit from the Link Crew who did some fun leadership and organization activities with you. Next you watched the start of She's the Man to observe the similarities and differences with Shakespeare's

Twelfth Night. HW--Before you left, you picked up a package of handouts on sentence structure. Your homework is to read the

explanation and do the first two exercises under Solving Sentence Fragments (6.1, 6.2). You can check your answers at the back of the package as you go along.

Dec. 15

She's the Man Notes on blackboard: Key Concepts of Media Literacy: 1) All media texts are constructions; 2) They contain

beliefs and value messages; 3) People interpret messages differently; 4) Media texts have a commercial, political, and/or ideological agenda; 5) Each medium has its own language, style, form, techniques, conventions, and aesthetics.

Media Analysis to do--Thinking Questions for She's the Man: (a) As a cultural indicator, what does the movie indicates about its target audience? What is the target audience's values; i.e., what does it value, and what does it devalue? (b) If Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is the source for this movie, how are the agendas the same or altered? Again, what do the similarities or differences in agendas indicate about the culture (historical and geographical context) in which, and for which it was produced?

HW: Solving Sentence Fragments (6.6, 6.7).

Dec. 16

Lesson on Media Literacy, clarifying the meaning of the Key Concepts (see above), messages in symbolic codes, technical codes, and the form (medium) with lovely student drawing on blackboard.

Discussion of some subtle racist and sexist messages in She's the Man through modes of representation, what one student cleverly identified as "categorization", that becomes evident in the plot structure. Conclusions: an understanding of genre, structure, elements of fiction, etc.(i.e., all those boring lessons in English class) reveal messages that are, not hidden, but easily missed while we are being amused by the story or the spectacle of the drama. That's what media literacy is.

HW: Synthesize what you learned today by answering the questions written on the blackboard. (See Dec. 15 journal entry above.)

Dec. 17

No buses! Yay! Work period: Newspaper Article for Of Mice and Men practice for the literacy test: How to Write a News Report

Take an event that occurs during the novel and retell it in the form of a newspaper report. Use as many details from the novel as you can.

HW: Solving Run-ons and Comma-Splices: Read the material in your grammar handouts and do at least a couple of exercises, checking your answers along the way.

Dec. 18

Today we had a discussion about Of Mice and Men. I handed out a hard copy of the "How to Write a News Report" link. (See above Dec. 17 entry.) I emphasized the following ideas: Inverted Pyramid Structure (W5H), writing in an objective mode, no opinion and

no references to yourself, and the shortness of paragraphs that contrast academic writing. I also pointed out the importance of details and the use of quotations.

Assigned: You write a news report about an event that occurs in the novel. You include plausible quotations by characters as though you have interviewed them.

I reviewed the "Evaluations Coming Up" (See below.) HW: 7.1 and 7.2 (Comma-splices and Run-ons) if you haven't done them already. HW: Tomorrow is your last opportunity to hand in the media analysis (2 questions) for She's the Man for

evaluation, if you have not done so already.

Evaluations Coming Up:

In-class literary essay on Twelfth Night--Ongoing until it's done.Media Literacy Analysis (She's the Man): Dec. 12-15Newspaper Article (for Literacy test prep. and Of Mice and Men): Dec. 17-18Novel Analysis: Chapter Questions after the holidays.Media Text Creation (News Report or Writing Portfolio) and Presentations: Jan. 7-9Summative Task (in lieu of exam): Last two weeks of the course with presentation occurring during the exam period.

FILING CABINET

You can ignore this section. It is my storage area for topics and resources.___Start-up Topics

Respect the reader; respect the writer; keep it positive. The Canterbury Credo Different needs for different students; effective communication with teacher. Emergency Procedures. Daily reading; reading journal. One speaker at a time. English binder organization. Sign out/in. Signing out books. Reflection Pieces: Self-Assessments and Next Steps for Your Improvement. What to do when you're away; study buddies. What to do when I'm away. Plagiarism.

ENG2D – Periods 3 and 4 – September 2014 to January 2015

Sept. 2

ENG2D Course Information Sheet Sept 2014.docx

Details

Download

171 KB

Article "How Teenagers Communicate"HW: Write a half-page opinion piece about this article. You're a teenager--did the article get it right?

Sept. 3

Several students read their opinion pieces aloud to the class; then all the opinion pieces were handed in.

I gave a brief sermon on "Rants and Writing Style". Are you using kvetch as a crutch? Beware the ranting rut.

Post-Rant Research or Writing Exercise due Friday. For this homework exercise, you can do one of two things: You can (a) do some research to find an article that interests you, or (b) write an article that will interest people your age. On Friday, I would like you to share the article you either found or wrote!

Article: "Tips for Students" Response Questions were completed during class and handed in. Researched article due in one week.

Sept. 4

Some people found articles already, and they read them aloud to the class.

Point-form analysis of "Tips for Students" was handed in.

Time in class to work on article.

Sept. 5

Everyone handed in the articles they found (or wrote).

Student survey.

Time in class to work on article.

Signed out Resourcelines textbook.

Sept. 8

We began some media, reading, and writing worksheets based on readings from our textbook which was distributed last class.

Pre-test on Media Literacy handed in.

Worksheet #1 handed in.

Those who finished before the end of the period could work on their article or read ahead in their textbook.

Sept. 9

Same deal...

Pre-test #2 on Media Literacy handed in.

Worksheet #2 handed in.

Those who finished before the end of the period could work on their article or read ahead in their textbook.

Good job remembering to bring your textbook to class!REMINDER: Your article's due tomorrow. If you must print your article at school, please do so during lunch and arrive to class ready to hand it in.

Sept. 10

Group work: Reading and critiquing articles. Congratulations on getting your article completed and handed in on time!! Way to go!!!We started a PPP on...

Ad Deconstruction Grade 10 Media Unit.ppt

Details

Download

2 MB

Sept. 11

Group work: Select one article from your stack to be read aloud. Please choose on merit and appeal of the article, not the popularity of the student.One article was read aloud, and then we discussed print ads as we viewed the above PPP.

Sept. 12

I read another student article to the class.Continued viewing PPP (started Sept. 10) with whole-group discussion to practise deconstructing print ads.HW: We didn't get through the PowerPoint today, and we do need to move on, so I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to finish the PPP at home and record the questions that guide one's process of deconstructing print ads.

Sept. 15

I read another student article to the class.On the topic of learning skills, we devised checklists of what to do before class, and what to bring to class.Students worked in pairs, working through the deconstruction questions from last week in order to analyze a print ad (Fender Machete amplifier).HW: 15 to 30 minutes working on your analysis to hand in at start of class tomorrow.

Sept. 16

Today, students who needed to revisit the Media Literacy worksheet #2 from Sept. 9, and those who were away that day. Since that took longer than expected, I postponed the collection of the ad deconstructions to tomorrow. Given the whole class and another 15-30 minutes tonight, you should be able to complete the deconstruction questions from the PPP.

Sept. 17

Following a lesson on various reading skills (reading, deep reading, skimming, scanning, using context cues, making logical inferences, activating prior knowledge, etc.) I used overheads of the pages in the textbook to identify the location of the content questions on the two Media Literacy worksheets that I assessed. Some areas of difficulty in terms of literacy that need some work are the need to take notice of important information in the text boxes in the margins, use of typographical effects (e.g. bold) to locate key words in question and list main ideas, working memory to locate the second part of a two-part question where there was a distance (elaboration) in between, and usable knowledge from

previous grades to answer grade-level questions, and need to use context cues to guess the meaning of new words. (Some areas of need in terms of written expression are completion of thought and avoiding oversimplification of point form. Spelling and grammar were not assessed.)

As we took up the worksheets, I explained why media literacy is taught in school, we fine-tuned comprehension through whole-class discussion, I explained what analysis is (and what it is not), and I described how deconstruction is an extension of analysis.

Sept. 18

Today, we took up the proofreading parts of Worksheet #1 and #2. You took notes from blackboard on the types of errors, rules, and vocabulary associated with these corrections.

On the topic of rhetorical devices mentioned, we looked at links available on this web site.

Then we explored Dictionary.com, finding 13 most useful literary terms. You will have a quiz on this on Tuesday. You may be asked for the definition of a term, you may be asked to identify the device when you're given a definition, you may be asked to identify the device in a quotation that contains the device, or you may be asked to give an example of a device. (Minor evaluation)

Sept. 19

Today I checked to see who started preparing for their quiz on Tuesday.

To help everyone understand the dictionary definitions of the literary terms, I explained a few things: what figurative language is and why it's an important detail in the definition of a simile; what a simile is, what a paradox is, and what irony is. I gave examples of these and I also reviewed the problem of oversimplification.

I answered questions about various devices and encouraged people to get started on their studying, if they hadn't started already, so they can find out if there is anything they need to ask before the quiz on Tuesday. (I also cautioned people against creating emergencies for themselves by procrastinating.)

FYI: Advertisements often contain these literary devices, so the topic is actually relevant to media studies, which, as you know, is what we've been working on for the last few weeks. yay.

Sept. 22

Reminder of quiz tomorrow. I gave five sample questions and we took them up.

Reading "Advertisements" (p. 223) in Resource Lines 9/10: Review of two reading strategies--Activating Prior Knowledge and Self-Questioning. Here are the questions I provided to guide you in your note-taking: 1. What does advertising and propaganda have in common? 2. What are two types of evaluations a critical viewer will make as he/she analyses an ad (or any other media text)? 3. Summarize the characteristics of advertisements. 4. Define doublespeak and demonization.

List some examples of each from the test or from your own knowledge. 5. List the terms and techniques of advertising with enough of the definition to provide you notes to study from. Vocabulary: 1) infamous 2) biasses (or biases) 3) impression 4) narrative 5) motive 6) campaign 7) endorsement 8) association 9) implication 10) exploitation 11) vague 12) credible 13) symbol 14) dialogue 15) voice-over.

Sept. 23

Quiz today!

Media Literacy unit culminating task (major evaluation) happening in one week's time: Next Tuesday and Wednesday. You have a week's notice so you can have a full week to study and review your notes a little bit each day (not six days to procrastinate). For major evaluations in English, you need to review everything we've done--in this subject, the knowledge base and skills are cumulative and developmental.

BTW Period 4, you can leave your books in your locker tomorrow; we're going to an assembly!

Sept. 24

Assembly: Jeff Wright storyteller

Sept. 25

See handout distributed in class: Today you have options for the way you use today's class time.

OPTION #1 In class, study for evaluations coming up on Tuesday and Wednesday and analyse commercials for homework--due Monday.

OPTION #2 In class, do write-up analysing voice, sound, and body language used by Jeff Wright and do your studying at home to prepare for your evaluations on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Sept. 26

Ancient Britain cue 10:30-14:20... Relevance to media literacy? Read on...

Anthropological Lens: Reminder of media literacy being an examination of culture through its "stuff", its artifacts, its artistic works, its products, its media texts. In the video, the media texts discussed by an archeologist were carvings of weapons, erected stones in line formations.

Freudian Lens: Lesson on Freudian phallic symbols (swords, guns, tall towers)

Took up "Cutting Tone" Fender Machete amplifier ad with description of levels of achievement that will be in place for your culminating tasks on Tuesday and Wednesday: Level 1 and 2--descriptive with some inferences, Level 3--Technical knowledge with sparks of insight into messages and implications; Level 4--Technical knowledge with solid (well-

explained and well-supported) interpretations into messages and implications. Lesson on messages achieved through POV; i.e., scale, and proximity to camera lens.

In analysis, unlike an opinion piece, you distance yourself and apply theory; e.g., "Through a Freudian lens, this machete symbolizes...", discussing the text with the appropriate technical language (e.g., ad copy, metaphor, pun, close-up, foreground, etc.) and identifying the intentional and unintentional messages that are apparent as a result of the text's composition. Today I clarified what "cultural implications" are.

Sept. 29

Review for culminating task tomorrow.

Sept. 30

Print Ad Deconstruction for evaluation.

Oct. 1

Comprehensive paper on Media for evaluation.

Oct. 2

"Killing Me Softly" song from 1971; listening exercise for comprehension.

Killing Us Softly 4 documentary on the representation of women in advertising--listening and viewing exercise to extract supporting details.

Oct. 3

Review of the relevant language used in or about the pieces heard and viewed yesterday:

"Killing Me Softly" song (source of the allusion in the documentary's title): narrative vs. lyrical, figurative, metaphorical, ironic, paradoxical, sensual and or tactile imagery, cliche

Killing Us Softly 4: dehumanization, objectification, subject-object dichotomy, infantilization, trivialization, normalization (i.e., to normalize; the results of an environment that creates an impression of normalcy), conditioning (or in the pejorative sense, brainwashing). Terms were explained and examples given.

Oct. 6

Oct. 7

Assigned Grammar Booklets and Romeo and Juliet; finished collecting the purple Resourcelines 9/10 books. After explaining the relevance of learning about sentence structure to both writing and reading of Shakespeare, we covered the first two exercises (5.1-2) in "Cracking the Sentence Code" and I assigned 5.3 and 5.4 for homework.

"Identity" (1) Visuals and Props, (2) Sounds and Musical Accompaniment, (3) Shots and Camera Angles, (4) Plot: Sequence and Elements, (5) Theme and Symbolism, (6) Monologues (7) Personal Anecdotes

Each person does a half-page point-form report on the topic that was assigned to them plus one of their choice. This is to be completed by Thursday.

Oct. 8

More about Verbs

Reading, Spotting the Key Points, and Establishing some Prior Knowledge about Shakespeare: Highlight or underline the key points in the reading material. There will be a quiz on this material in one week.

If you complete this before the end of the period, you can work on your "Identity" Viewing Exercise from yesterday. This is due for sharing tomorrow!

Oct. 9

Today some students made me aware that the reason they could not complete yesterday's reading assignment is that they were having trouble determining the key points in the reading material, even in the texts that were clear and legible. Not a problem! I gave the following lesson to help those who were having difficulty, and as review and reinforcement for those who were able to find key points in what they read:

Literacy Skill: Determining the key points in a piece of writing.1. Paragraph Structure

When a piece of writing is organized into paragraphs, you can use its paragraph form as a guide for comprehending the key points of the whole text because each paragraph has a main or key idea which is usually expressed in a topic sentence. Let's break all this down: We know that a sentence is a unit of expression that expresses a complete idea. Group some of these together and you have a larger unit: a paragraph. A paragraph, then, is a cluster of sentences. The sentences in a paragraph are not random, though; they're focussed on a central idea, a main idea. The main idea of a paragraph can often be found in a topic sentence. The topic sentence may be anywhere in the paragraph, so it's up to

you to use your ability to think and figure out which sentence captures the core--the main idea--and purpose of the paragraph.

(NOTES: Which, do you suppose, is the topic sentence of the paragraph you just read? Why might I have chosen to use anadiplosis to organize this paragraph?)

So when you're trying to determine the key points in a text you're reading, read one paragraph at a time and ask yourself, "What is the main point the author wants me to understand from this paragraph?" If your initial feeling is that the paragraph is unimportant or useless--"It has no point--I'm just going to skip it."--then, consider its source. Is the piece written by a professional writer in an authoritative source from a reputable publisher? If so, go ahead and give it another gander. Operate under the assumption (humour me) that the piece has probably been written by a writer who has gained some measure of competence. The text produced by a reputable publisher has probably been edited by people who were hired by this reputable publisher because they possess some skill in determining what's useful and what's pointless, and have the wit, will, and wherewithal to delete what's redundant. Maybe what appears to be a pointless paragraph has a key point in there somewhere that is just waiting to reveal itself given a second consideration. C'mon now, give that paragraph a second chance! Here's the key question again: "What is the main point the author wants me to understand from this paragraph?

2. Activating Prior Knowledge

At the risk of sounding like a broken record sound effect. . .you're not starting from scratch. Let's face it--this course has a prerequisite. I know and you know you already learned something about Shakespeare. Don't pretend you didn't. Use, utilize, activate, employ, apply, exploit, exercise, take advantage of, and profit by your past experience. Take what you've already been taught and use it, or lose it. Activate it. When you read a morsel of information that's been mentioned in previous English classes, you can go ahead and assume that the reason you keep coming across the same old sound bite is that your English teachers think you may benefit from learning it. Call it a key point.

Deconstruction in Motion: Following the brief review of some fairly elementary principles, students clustered into groups according to topics (assigned Oct. 7) to share their analytical observations regarding the film "Identity". Here you are taking what you've learned about deconstructing print ads (still pictures) and applying it to film (moving pictures). We started the process of informal group presentations to get back in the swing of presenting in front of the class.

Oct. 11

I am posting the following information as background for the topics introduced by the handouts distributed on Thursday.

Divine Order Elizabethan Worldview Elizabethan Worldview: Tillyard in a Nutshell

The Castle of Knowledge C of K visual What is this image? Who was Robert Recorde?

Castle of Knowledge Notes.docx

Details

Download

36 KB

Shakespeare's Sources for Romeo and Juliet You mean Shakespeare didn't write the story? Arthur Brooke's Version

Oct. 15

Quiz--Shakespeare, Elizabethan England, and Relevant Background for Romeo and Juliet (See handout distributed on Oct. 8)

Oct. 16

Tying up the Loose Ends: Students who needed to do make-up tests and quizzes did so while groups who had not presented their observations about the film "Identity" did that today.

Taught the word melancholy and the medieval symbolic colour black

Follow-up and review of sentence errors: fragments (frag), run-on sentences (r-o), and comma-splices (c-s).

Taught parallel structure. Let's follow up with exercises from your Grammar duotang.

Period 4 had a drumming session to introduce meter in poetry.

Ok ok ok ok o k o k, here's the answer to the riddle I gave you when we started our unit on Shakespeare: Diabolus in Musica. You may be wondering what that has to do with Shakespeare. Think about Divine Order. Now put that together with the word harmony. Here's the explanation of Robert Fludd's visual depicting Celestial Harmony. Ergo, harmony good; dissonance or discord not just bad, not just unfortunate, we're talking evil.

Oct. 17

Today, I revealed the answer to the riddle (See Oct. 16 journal entry above which I posted since we didn't get time to cover it in class yesterday.) to link the diabolus in musica to Robert Fludd's 16th century depiction of the universe, "Divine Monochord".

On that note (ahem, excuse the musical pun), I reviewed Divine Order, a.k.a. the Elizabethan worldview, a.k.a. The Great Chain of Being. I gave a complete lesson on this. The source of this material is Tillyard's The Elizabethan World Picture. If you missed class, you can read Tillyard's book if want to (It's a bit dry.), or, you can get the gist of it by reading the link "The Elizabethan Worldview: Tillyard in a Nutshell" posted in this ENG2D Journal, (see entry Oct. 11). This link lives on the home page of this web site under "Information and Resources".

Yesterday (Period 4), and today (Period 3), we banged on the desks in iambic, trochaic, anapestic, and dactylic pentameter.

Then I provided sound effects to illustrate how an anomaly in a regular rhythm can produce a message. (Sound of "A Man Walking") A spondee interrupting a regular pattern ("A Man Tripping") of iambic pentameter in a line of verse can operate this way in order to interrupt and surprise the reader, and cause a particular word to stand out.

Thus, we can draw meaning from not only the meanings of the words, as in flat, informational prose, but also the rhythmic pattern and anomalies a poet works into the language of poetry or lyrical prose.

Therefore, look for the musical elements in verse. They're there for the hearing, they're there on purpose, and they're there to add a layer of meaning.

Oct. 20

"We found love in a hopeless place." (What does the title have to do with the play?)

Four Goals of the R&J Unit (on blackboard) (To be continued.)

Quick Review of Divine Order with set of binaries listed on blackboard. I showed the Tillyard in a Nutshell web site that I had posted on Oct. 11th and pointed out the "Literary Ramifications" of the Great Chain of Being described in it.

Assigned roles for Act 1, Scene 1. Gave a brief description of the characters. (It's advisable to take notes on explanations.)

I gave a brief description of what goes on in the scene, then students read it aloud. I interrupted the reading with explanations. (It's wise to take notes when I do this.)

With a five minutes left to class, I played a song that captures Romeo's melancholy mood: "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"

Oct. 21

Opening scene of West Side Story This musical depicts the brawl we read yesterday, only adjusting the feud to gang warfare to make the plot more relevant to a modern audience.

(Listening and Learning Skills) On the topic of layers of language, in poetry, we read the meanings of words, but also feel a mood through the percussive beat of the meter. This can be likened to a piece of music. The lyrics tell us what the song

is about, but the musical accompaniment, the arrangement, the colour of the sound, the emotional qualities in the voice also tell us what the song is about. What observations did you register in your mind, yesterday, as you listened to "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" in terms of the way it might capture how Romeo feels in Act 1, Scene 1.

We read Act 1, Scene 2 (and started Scene 3 in the Period 4 class). I explained the gist of the scene prior to reading it, and then I stopped along the way to recap what was occurring.

Side (but important) Notes:

How to do parenthetical references for both essays and note-taking; e.g. (1.1.132). I gave an explanation of how that works.

How to gleen an understanding of a line in Shakespeare's dialogue by using your knowledge of grammar and by activating your prior knowledge. Therefore, the more you absorb as we review grammar, and the more you absorb of the material I teach regarding the background of the play, the more you can understand from the lines in the play.

Relevant terms today: classical allusion, personification, oxymora. Relevant classical figures: Cupid and Diana.

Oct. 22

I returned the Ad Deconstructions, handed out a sheet with correction codes, we took up the three ads, I read a student exemplar, I went around and addressed individual questions.

Reminder of Grammar Quiz tomorrow: identifying verbs and subjects in sentences and sentence faults: fragments, comma-splices, and run-ons.

Oct. 23

Quiz! We took it up in class.

Period 3 - We started Act. 1, Scene 3. Period 4 - We read the start of Act 1, Scene 4.

Pertinent vocabulary: bawdy humour, sexual innuendo

Homework: Read handout on "Extended Metaphors" and "Irony". Highlight key points as evidence that you did the reading. Also, don't forget your craft materials for our mask-making contest tomorrow!

BTW What is Lammas-eve? What is a masque?

Oct. 27

I'm off sick today.

Working on "The Apostrophe" and getting ready for a quiz on how to use apostrophes on Thursday.

HW: Please read How to Write a News Report

Oct. 28

I'm off sick again today.

Writing Assessment: In-class Creative Writing Exercise--This is to be done during class and finished by Thursday for homework:

Instructions for Grade 10.docx

Details

Download

20 KB

Note that while the dramatic scene of interviewing witnesses of the brawl in Verona would be 200-300 words, the song options would certainly not be as long. The rough and final copy of this creative writing exercise is due on Thursday.

A second, shorter writing exercise: a couplet to put into a witch's chant (described in the handout above) is due on Friday. If you're struggling with the meter for this exercise, here's a handout to walk you through it. It's long, so don't print it out. I can give you a hard copy when I get back to school.

Rhythm in Poetry.docx

Details

Download

499 KB

Oct. 29

Apostrophes: Quiz postponed to Monday. I gave a lesson on some tricky issues regarding apostrophes.

Couplet in trochaic tetrameter to toss in a witches' brew on Halloween. Gave a brief lesson on what these terms mean and how to write a couplet in this type of meter. (Ref. October 17 lesson on meter) I provided a handout that walks you through "Rhythm in Poetry" (See yesterday's posting.).

Creative Writing exercise--due date on this postponed, too!: Gave an explanation to clarify this assignment. The class decided to keep this task as a 'just for fun' type of thing. The fruits of your labour will be presented next week, but the writing part of it is due on Friday (instead of tomorrow:)

Period 4 - Took up test (but we ran out of time in Period 3)

Oct. 30

I'm off sick again today.

Complete the work assigned this week. Creative Writing exercise and Witch's Couplet due tomorrow. Study and review for "Apostrophe" quiz Monday. If you're up to date, plan and prepare your presentation for next week.

Oct. 31

In groups, you patched your couplets together to form witch's chants! Well done!!!!!

While you worked on that, I reviewed the creative pieces people did this week and gave individual feedback.

Brief lesson on writing titles: functional one and a creative, meaningful one.

UPDATE on DUE DATES:

Monday - Apostrophe quiz and distribute copies of scripts if you're presenting your creative piece with classmates.

Tuesday - Show Time!

Thursday - You've completed the activities in the "Rhythm in Poetry" handout distributed on Oct. 29 (or embedded in this journal under Oct. 28)

Nov. 3

15 minutes to prep for tomorrow's presentations

Quiz on apostrophes

Discussion on how to answer open-ended prompts in a test situation with exemplars.

HW - Prepare for tomorrow; continue to chip away at your "Rhythm in Poetry" handout (Posted Oct. 28, handed out Oct. 29)

Nov. 4

Today was an ENG2D Variety Show with each individual performing his/her creative composition on Romeo and Juliet (See assignment handed on Oct. 28). That was fun!

Afterward, each person wrote a Reflection on what they saw that was done well today--ideas on things to try the next time you do a performance presentation. The two points of focus were content (i.e., the writing) and delivery (e.g., vocal expression, facial expression, posture, gestures, staging and movement in the space)

Some Overall Observations:

Citizens' expressions that they are critical of the violence in Verona; while some people have a passionate loyalty to one side or the other, other citizens are detached observers whose lives are being negatively affected by the violence: the feud is affecting people's daily lives, people's freedom to conduct trade, people's ability to enjoy their social lives. Finally,

there are expressions of gratitude for the Prince's attempts to restore order, though the threat of execution to anyone who starts the next fight may be extreme.

Romeo's authentic feelings of desire for Rosaline, his depressed state, and his conflicted feelings of understanding and confusion, and both respect for and anger about her rejection of him.

Nov. 5

We had a guest performance at the start of class.

Then we read Romeo and Juliet up to the last scene in Act 1. Topics of note:

Introduction of Juliet as a paradox: innocent and wise.

Drawing meaning from Shakespeare's splitting lines of verse between two characters; in this case, Romeo and Mercutio.

The Queen Mab digression from Romeo's "dream".

On his way to the masque, whom does Romeo invoke as the master of his fate: Chance? God? Shakespeare? Himself? Does his worrisome recollection of his dream set him at a crossroads where he chooses Chance over Reason?

Shakespeare's Contrasts: Lady Cap. and Nurse as Juliet's mothers; Romeo's and Mercutio's dream; Romeo and Tybalt at the masque; Love, or something that is not Love?...

Nov. 6

Boom Clap

I collected the "Rhythm in Poetry" homework. (See Nov. 28 posting.)

Sonnet 116

Notes on blackboard: sonnet, rhyme scheme, end-rhyme, enjambment, caesura, polyptoton, imagery, personification, cacophony (and euphony), onomatopoeia, irony, couplet. I explained what these were as I pointed them out in Sonnet 116; however, if you missed the definitions in the explanations, please use the resources on literary terms and rhetorical devices available to you on the home page of this web site under "Information and Resources".

Handout with PROLOGUE to Act 1, Scene 1 to do scansion.

Nov. 7

What is love?

Took up PROLOGUE exercise to observe multiplicity of meaning of words (surface or denotative meaning of "dignity" and "fair" versus subtext or connotative meanings (dignity as social status but also euphemism for pride; fair meaning lovely but also ironic since Verona is a body politic divided by a feud that makes Verona simmer with aggression).

Also examined how the meter affects the way we interpret the lines because of its placement of emphasis onto certain words; inversions (iambic feet replaced by trochaic) offers insights into the play at two point in the PROLOGUE.

Finally, discussed diction; i.e., length of words (purposeful swelling of words in a line) to cast a connotation or linguistic effect such as tension onto the line (idea).

Act 1, Scene 5: Love at first sight. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" Is this true love?

The influence of Petrarch on the writing of the play: I described Petrarch and some qualities of Petrarchan sonnets to demonstrate how Shakespeare has both employed and modified form, tone, and imagery in his sonnets and Romeo and Juliet.

Unrequited Love and the unreachable star: Petrarch's Laura (Italy in the 1300s), Astrophel's Stella (England's Philip Sidney's Astrophel and Stella 1580s), and Romeo's Rosaline. Does Juliet fall into this paradigm?

This week's lessons on the relationship between Shakespeare's sonnets and the Petrarchan tradition contributes to the defense of Romeo and Juliet's love as true (not lust or empty infatuation). The troth--the truth and honour--is in the details: it's encoded in the diction and imagery Shakespeare uses in the dialogue throughout Act 1, it's in the allusions to the Petrarchan tradition, and it's in the conventions of tragedy (which we will address soon). The most obvious interpretation is supportable. Could it be that Shakespeare wants us to believe? Do You Believe in Magic?

Nov. 14

This week, we read as far as the balcony scene (Period 4 got to the introduction of the Friar) and then we did some viewing/listening analysis of a ballet version of the balcony scene: Macmillan Balcony Scene.

Relevant terms: lyrical versus narrative, symbolism, description versus expression

Connection: ballet to poetry in terms of ways of reading symbolism and expression in a lyrical text in contrast with literal plot in a narrative. Although lyrical and narrative are different qualities, you can have a piece (like the Prologue of the play and the ballet scene) that is both narrative and lyrical.

Connection: expressive quality of Petrarchan sonnet and Romeo's Petrarchan conceits at the start of the play in contrast with the cool argument of Shakespeare's Sonnet 116.

Next, we started viewing the Franco Zeffirelli 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet. You reviewed the content of the play by doing plot summary (knowledge and comprehension) or you're doing an enrichment task such as an application of theory (synthesis of various aspects of the Elizabethan worldview), or an analysis of the music and sound effects, or analysis of the body language and facial expressions of the actors, or analysis of the costumes. This task is an extension of your learning about deconstruction earlier in the semester.

As of today, Period 4 has done two viewings and have reached the end of Act 2: first viewing, a session taking up the analyses people did, a second viewing, and have handed in plot summaries or analyses.

As of today, Period 3 has done one viewing and we have not taken up the analyses that were done. Instead, we discussed marks and how assessment works in this class. On Monday, we will chart out your evaluations.

A handout that gives you an opportunity to do some advance reading on some principles of writing was distributed today:

Announcement of next evaluation happening in just over a week from today--Tuesday, November 25.

The More You Know, the More You See

In your evaluation, you will demonstrate an informed reading--like a deconstruction--of a sight passage from the play. I will provide open-ended prompts to get you started. In order to do an informed reading, you will need to activate your prior knowledge. Review your notes and the journal entries listed above. What prior knowledge can you now activate as you read an excerpt from Romeo and Juliet? You want your inferences and interpretations to be consistent with what is known about Shakespeare, his work, his audience, and the writing conventions of the time.

Below is what was taught through handouts, lessons, and class discussions as we read and watched scenes from the play. If you have been doing your homework of reviewing the day's reading and notes on lessons on a regular daily basis, you are already ready. You've shown me you're ready by answering questions in class and contributing to class discussions. If not, you may find the mass of information daunting. If you are in "catch-up" mode, you still have time, but use your time wisely by focussing your studying on areas that have been emphasized in class. If you forget what was emphasized in class, your notes are the clues to what was discussed. Review them.

Shakespeare's Life

Shakespeare as an Author: His Works

The Context of the Play

The Setting of the Play

The Writing Conventions of the Day

The questions below give you an idea of the type of thing you might ask yourself when you're generating material to write in response to open-ended questions on a sight passage. You need not memorize them! They are provided here for people to tend to say, "I don't know what to say." Try asking yourself questions. Below are the types of questions one may ask oneself as one reads when one is thinking critically while reading. These questions demonstrate the thinking process. Try this technique of self-questioning in order to activate knowledge and generate thoughts as you read the sight passage and come up with things to say.

Shakespeare's Life What do you know? What is knowable about Shakespeare's life? What has been emphasized in class discussions? What has been mentioned in class that adds to your knowledge of the handout you were given? What seems relevant to the sight passage? What interpretation makes sense in light of what you know about Shakespeare's life?

Shakespeare as an Author What do his other works show us about his tendencies and values? What other works have you studied in this and former classes? How do they inform our reading of the sight passage? What representations of people (characters), representations of values (themes), or techniques of genre or language style in them seem relevant to an interpretation of the sight passage?

The Context of the Play When and where was it written? Who was the target audience? How was it staged? What aspects of contemporary (of Shakespeare's time) staging might be relevant to how the scene was written? How are contemporary (of Shakespeare's time) beliefs represented in the writing of the scene? How would certain words and ideas push the emotional and psychological buttons of Shakespeare's audience and, therefore, affect the writing? What are the loaded words? What do they mean to Shakespeare's audience?

The Setting of the Play What do we know? What's ambiguous? What do our handouts tell us? To what degree does Shakespeare tend to authenticate the historical context of the setting? How do representations of people (characters) conform to the setting? Why is Shakespeare depicting them as conforming to their roles in that setting? Do they stray from conformity? Why does Shakespeare depict them that way?

Writing Conventions of Writing--Genre and Style How does the sight passage conform to conventions of genre and style? When and why does Shakespeare conform to, or manipulate different traditions in the sight passage? How does the form and style reflect the values of the time period?

Literary Terms and Techniques: If you had not already learned these in a previous grade, and if you didn't catch the explanation in class, you can find definitions in the resources available on the home page of this web site under "Information and Resources". Here they are: elements of fiction (plot, setting, characterization, symbolism, theme, style), components of the plot (complication, rising action, internal or external conflict, climax, crisis...), prose and verse, simile, oxymoron, juxtaposition, rhyme, alliteration, metaphor, extended metaphor, personification, imagery, recurring image, literary allusion, biblical allusion, historical allusion, classical allusion, verbal irony, sarcasm, dramatic irony, tragic irony, innuendo, low-brow or earthy humour, sophisticated witticism, comic relief, sonnet, Petrarchan imagery (conceit), tone, rhyme-scheme, end-rhyme, couplet, Shakespearean rhyme scheme, meter, iambic pentameter, caesura, enjambment, cacophony, euphony, onomatopoeia, anomaly (e.g., spondee) or inversion (trochee) and thematic relevance, complement, archaic language, lyrical, narrative, description, expression.

New Common English Vocabulary: sphere, realm, body politic, cosmos, concentric circles

Nov. 17

Period 3

Using Evaluation Chart on overhead, showed people who brought their tests to class fill in their Evaluation Chart to track their evaluations.

Explained the analyses written on the blackboard: plot, application of theory, music, costume

Synthesis of the various components: Virtue, Order, Hierarchy, Concentric circles (correspondences) in the various realms (cosmos)

Answered questions about the test coming up next week.

HW: Studying for evaluation next week.

Period 4

Explained novel options and we took a vote

Watched Romeo and Juliet up to Juliet's "Thou hast comforted me marvelous much" speech (third viewing session).

Class discussion pointing out anomalies with Shakespeare's lines and clarified ambiguities in the plot.

HW: Studying for evaluation next week.

Nov. 20

Period 3

Explanation of Shakespeare's technique of switching between prose and verse (This is called decorum.): the pattern of according with social status, and anomalies that reveal ironies; e.g., the ignoble thoughts of noble characters and vice versa. In other words he switches things up to reveal the truth behind appearances. He takes issue with characters who are "fake" instead of genuinely noble or honourable.

More instances when Shakespeare switches between prose and verse reveal messages or insights into how he may feel about characters or occurrence; for example, the scene when Romeo tells the Nurse to report to Juliet that he wants Juliet to come to church to marry him.

We continued to watch the movie up to the point when Tybalt accidentally kills Mercutio. Points were made about the clever choices in costume.

Complications in the plot were revealed through class discussion; e.g., Tybalt's dislikable choleric temperament together with the positive quality of his loyalty cause him to be both disobedient and loyal (paradoxical) as he argues with Capulet to let him eject Romeo from the Capulet masque. Also, Shakespeare toys with appearances and reality when it comes to perspective in the scene when Tybalt misinterprets Romeo's expressions of love as sarcastic and antagonistic.

Period 4

Full explanation of how one achieves Level 4 (abstract thinking, logic, and application of theory and technical knowledge supported by substantial specific and accurate points of information).

Practice for your test: Would an Elizabethan think Benvolio gives Romeo good advice when he encourages Romeo to go to the Capulet masque?

Nov. 24

(Period 4) Checked homework

I was very happy to hear how you have been studying for your big test tomorrow! Good job, guys! Your participation in class today shows me you're ready to go!

Practice Question for test tomorrow: In your opinion, would Shakespeare's audience think Benvolio's encouragement of Romeo's going to the Capulet masque is good advice?

A sample answer was projected on the in-focus screen. The good qualities (rhetoric, a sense of authority, recall, and comprehension of plot) and not-so-good qualities (answering the question with plot summary, lacking higher order thinking, lacking knowledge of theory, context, logical support of answer) were pointed out.

(Period 4) You generated informed ideas for answering this type of question; I recorded them on the blackboard under "No" and "Yes" columns. The "No's" seemed to have the quantity of informed points of support while the "yes's" had "God" on its side. Tough call.

(Period 3) I filled you in on the levels of thinking teachers are looking for; you identified where the sample question succeeded and where it fell short; I could see you wanted to offer ideas of how to answer, but running out of time, we viewed the answers that were already written on the blackboard.

Bottom line: It depends on which audience; Shakespeare had an audience comprised of groundlings, merchants, nobles, royalty, poets, and playwrights. Each would likely have its own preoccupations. You can offer informed ideas about how different audiences might have interpreted Benvolio's actions, or you can pick a side, use concession, then drive your argument through.

Dec. 1

By now, you've done your test and we've continued to watch and read the play. As was announced at the end of last week,

Make-up test for last Tuesday's test is tomorrow.

End-of-Unit Short-Answer test for everyone on Thursday.

I've drawn a plot diagram on the board to show the progression of events in terms of a structure. Terms of note: rising action, internal and external conflicts, climax, crisis, falling action, and denouement. These were defined through whole-class discussion, but if you missed the definitions, this Powerpoint will definitely help in understanding the Elements of Fiction. I pointed out how aspects in the second half of the play subvert aspects in the first half: specific images, types of speeches, and types of scenes. The shift from positive to negative shades of meaning is embodied in Juliet's speeches in Act 3, Scene 2, which are the speeches from your poetry exercise distributed on Friday.

I pointed out sections of Shakespeare's dialogue that were edited out of the movie. I believe were not only edited out to shorten and focus the movie, but also to make it more commercial by whitewashing his unattractive moral disintegration.

A take-home essay was assigned. Here they are in case you don't have them:

ENG2D Reflection Essay.docx

Details

Download

29 KB

ENG2D Essay Rubric for Reflection.docx

Details

Download

20 KB

Tomorrow, to keep a quiet classroom for those doing the make-up test, I will deliver information through power points.

terms associated with tragedy.pptx

Details

Download

269 KB

Dec. 4

End-of-Unit Wrap-up Test

Dec. 5

Period 3 - Watched ending of Zefferelli Romeo and Juliet and discussed Romanticization of the death scene; problematizing the messages in the beauty of the cinematography

Period 4 - Compared Zefferelli Romanticized death scene to Kenneth MacMillan'sDeath Scene (language of a genre, manipulating conventions

Handouts: summative task and exam questions. Please note that the summative task is done in class. Products done solely at home, without my observations of the writing process, will not be accepted for evaluation.

Dec. 8

Introduction to How Colors Affect You series followed by whole-class discussion. We will be learning about a different colour each day to help you encode your media text creation (See Poster Design / Media Creation handout below).

Period 4 - Introduction to Absolutely True Diary: Whole-class discussion to take stock of what you know about social and political issues surrounding First Nations in North America. Students read aloud -- amazing job! HW--finish reading second chapter.

Period 3 - Watched the ballet version of the death scene of Romeo and Juliet noticing how the choreography captures Shakespeare's themes and the genre of tragedy very well. It does not glorify or romanticize the deaths the same way Hollywood and pop culture does. HW--Read first two chapters of novel.

Distributed a reading schedule for the novel:

ATDOAPTI Reading Schedule.docx

Details

Download

36 KB

Poster Design Media Text Creation handout distributed: It is due Dec. 18.

ENG2D Media Creation Dec 2014.docx

Details

Download

25 KB

Dec. 9

Second installment of How Colors Affect You series (black and white)

Whole-class discussion regarding The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian: key moments, sad and funny statements; expressions of painful ideas through humour.

An irony was revealed through discussion: Arnold's expressed preference for drawing is incongruent with his highly rhetorical style, even as he is stating his preference for drawing... in writing; i.e., the form of a written diary, not a sketch book. Other poetic or "lyrical" moments were pointed out. Relevant terms: lyrical expressions, poetic prose, anaphora, epistrophe, metaphor, polysyndeton.

I gave a pointed speech to those who may not have begun their essay which is due on Dec. 15, and wagged my finger at those who have not yet made an appointment to see me if they were having trouble. Please take action on your questions sooner.

Dec. 10

Please take note that a couple of students came to me after class and pointed out an anomaly on your handout. Be advised that the three areas of reflection for your Reflection essay are as follows: speaking skills, listening skills, and reading skills. I had made an error on the WRITING PROCESS sheet, so please take that correction into consideration.

Today, since I'm off sick this afternoon, I am giving this class to make headway on your Reflection Essay, and reading your novel. We'll make up for the video session tomorrow.

HW--Draft of essay due tomorrow.

Dec. 11

Today, we made up for yesterday by watching two colours: red and yellow. What colour will we see tomorrow?

While you watched the video, I scanned your essay drafts, initialled and recorded them, and then returned them before the end of the class.

I AM SO VERY PLEASED to see, not only brainstorming and first drafts, but TWO and THREE edited drafts and TITLE PAGES. Well done!

However, unfortunately, note to those students who have not produced a draft yet, even though the task was assigned ten days ago, and even though you had a full 70-minute period to produce some work yesterday, and even though the first draft was directly specified in yesterday's handout as a homework task if you did not complete it during class: Sadly, the English Department does not accept products without meaningful process work. I am afraid I must inform you that given the fact that process work demonstrates observable process over time, the appearance of "process" that is done at the last minute with no allowance for me to observe the development of the piece over time will not be accepted as a sufficient demonstration of "process work". HW--BUT YOU STILL HAVE A CHANCE to turn this around--For homework, do the process work that you didn't do in class yesterday... or the day before or the day before or the day before... ... ... What was I saying again? ...or the day before or the day before or the day before or the day before or yeah...

HW--Think about the media text you'll be creating next week. How will you employ your knowledge of colours?

Dec. 12

Today, we watched the green video. Which colour is left?

While you watched the video, I scanned today's drafts, initialed them, and recorded them, and then returned them before the end of the class. YOU'RE DOING GRRRRRREAT!

Class discussion regarding novel. Is there a key moment so far that stood out for you and you would like to talk about? Students in BOTH CLASSES SAID THE VERY SAME THING: The chapter in which Mr. P "confesses" and "apologizes" to Arnold and then advises Arnold to leave the reservation.

HW--Besides the final version of your essay due Monday, as you read your novel, see if you can find a key quotation you can use or allude to in your poster. A few possibilities were thrown out there and claimed during the brief brainstorming session.

Dec. 15

Today we watched the last installment of the colour videos and had a post-viewing discussion about "blue" (Period 3) or the usefulness of the lecture series itself (Period 4)

Now you are thinking about how you will emphasize one key colour in your poster design.

Everyone handed in their essays and I gave a "limited time offer" deal following a brief lesson on a particular highly-valued thinking skill: creative problem-solving.

Post-reflection Concept 1: passive, learned helplessness or active creative problem-solving?

Post-reflection Concept 2: Are you a drop in a bucket of water?

or a chip in a rainbow chocolate-chip cookie?

I bet you noticed those are smarties!

Dec. 16

20-minute Collaborative Strategy Meeting: group work for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian media text creation.

Introduced Rita Joe and the poem, "I Lost My Talk".

"I lost my talk"

by Rita Joe

I lost my talk The talk you took away. When I was a little girl At Shubenacadie school.

You snatched it away: I speak like you I think like you I create like you The scrambled ballad, about my word.

Two ways I talk

Both ways I say, Your way is more powerful.So gently I offer my hand and ask, Let me find my talk So I can teach you about me.

(Period 3) And now on a less serious note, Sherman Alexie: "When Literature Meets Stand-up" (Big Think Video: 3:40 min.)

Read the short story "Borders" by Thomas King

Dec. 17

No buses! You lucky-ducks!

Today is a work period to produce sketches of your poster design. If you are working at home, please press print every once in a while to demonstrate PROCESS work and show me the process tomorrow, please.

Stand-up Comedy

Due Dates coming up

Reflection Take-home essay assigned Dec. 1 and due Dec. 15. DONE

Poster Design and Pitch assigned Dec. 8, three 30-minute production sessions (Dec. 15-17), presentations Dec. 18-19.

End-of-Unit Absolutely True Diary (Satire and Elements of Fiction) Evaluation on Thursday, January 8.

Summative Task: Media Creation and Presentation, Jan. 12-21. (Handouts were distributed on Dec. 5)Exam: Poem Sight Passage (Questions to practise for the exam were distributed on Dec. 5)

Enrichment Activities:

RITA JOE

For media clip extensions, go to https://englishfruit.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/i-lost-my-talk-by-rita-joe/

THOMAS KING

Thomas King "The Truth About Stories" (Lecture: 60 min.)

SHERMAN ALEXIE

Sherman Alexie: Living Outside Borders (Interview: 40 min.)

Sample News Report: First Nations denied access...Sample News Report: Saskatchewan First Nations...

FILING CABINET

You can ignore these; this is my storage cabinet for "another time".

Bedroom Scene

ENG2D What Language is R&J.ppt

Details

Download

44 KB

Paragraph Structure.pptx

Details

Download

166 KB

"Halo""Marry You""Vengeance""White Flag""Running From the Law""All Good Things"FinisRespect the reader; respect the writer; keep it positive.

The Canterbury Credo

Different needs for different students; effective communication with teacher.

Emergency Procedures.

OSSLT

One speaker at a time.

English binder organization.

Sign out/in.

Signing out books.

Reflection Pieces: Self-Assessments and Next Steps for Your Improvement.

What to do when you're away; study buddies.

What to do when I'm away.

Plagiarism