The Dickens and the Bronte

Between the loss of so many cultural figures in the past days, trying to rewatch all the Supernatural episodes from the very beginning,  and taking care of a recovering Ingram, I have finished up the multiple choice portion of your final exam. In case you were wondering, the first text was Bleak House by Charles Dickens and the third text was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

In exciting news, I did not set the curve for the multiple choice this time around. I guess my lucky desk is not lucky this season. Our high scorer is SU from second hour. Congratulations for your ability to not only comprehend the text but evaluate each author's themes and literary elements.

As a side note, we will be going over the MC portion the day we return from break. At that point, I will remind you of the following items: close read for comprehension and literary elements (you have to read these passages; skimming will not give you enough detail for the questions) and use process of elimination (it sure helps when checking your answers to see if you were close).

Since the MC portion will probably take all hour, your book card for The Cherry Orchard will be due on Friday, January 6. We will not have the opportunity to discuss the play until then.

Lastly, the last three days have seen a trio of stars ascend to the heavens, and even though these are just celebrities on a screen or on a stage, their cultural contributions frequented my childhood.

Listening to my mom rhapsodize about George Michael and incorporate the word "wow" at least fifteen times into a multi-dependent periodic sentence searching for an independent clause reminded me of how she was the Wham! fan that introduced me to "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" and "Careless Whisper."

Remembering the first movie that I saw in a movie theater three times at age 5 and wanting to be a braided fighting princess in a metal bikini taking on Jabba the Hutt and having the Ewoks as my allies. And at age 11, wanting to order everything "on the side" and having a witty, supportive friend like Marie.

Learning of the great, unsinkable Molly Brown - one of my mom's favorite movies and the first time I saw Debbie Reynolds tear up the floor - and dancing around the living room. And with that note, a little Debbie in her most famous role: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB2yiIoEtXw.

For Those of You Interested in an Advertising Career

As many of you may recall from last year, I visit classrooms in January to help pique interest in AP Lit and let students know all the options available to them junior and senior year. (Yes, I will be out of the room during that time, but you know you will have something to keep you busy.)

Another way to call attention to AP Lit is to create a poster that grabs the eye and provides key words that would attract a student to the course. And in the past years, our department chair has blown up this poster into a mega-poster that is on the English department bulletin board second semester.

With that in mind, I have a proposal, not a modest one, for my AP Lit students.

If you would like to make a poster for AP Lit, and perhaps earn 10-20 extra credit points (dependent on effort), create one advertisement and share/e-mail it to me by 7:00 a.m. on January 4. This will need to be in digital format.

You will find below some facts about the course that you may want to include; however, you can also bring in stuff you have learned or liked this semester to encourage a student to take the course. Remember, this is an advertisement and prospective students walking down the hall will not stop to read full sentence explanations. The winning poster will be selected by another teacher or staff member and will receive an additional 10 extra credit points.

AP Lit Facts:

·         Seniors only

·         Full year course with an objective to pass the AP Literature and Composition exam in May

·         College credit earned through test scores and/or dual credit enrollment

·         Curriculum focuses on components of the AP Literature and Composition Exam: multiple choice, poetry analysis, prose and analysis, and free response analysis

·         Close reading strategies and critical theory analyses of texts including feminist, historicist, psychoanalytic, Marxist, and structuralist

·         Fiction emphasis: poetry, short stories, plays, novels, etc.

·         AP prompt writing skills to foster mature writing style and analysis

·         Writings will consist of literary analyses with additional research and intense study required

·         Full length texts will include novels and plays throughout the course of the school year

No summer reading

·      

Happy Holidays!

Thank you to all my little elves that have delivered treats to me this week. I appreciate all the goodies -- especially while grading your poetry exam take two, which proved that you do know your stanzas, your meter, your poetry types. Now, please, do not forget all of these poetic elements over break. You will still need them during second semester.

When making my list for Santa this year, I realized that I did not have a long one. Of course, there are my new Rag and Bone boots, which are so beautiful and funky that this picture really does not do the color or the style justice. https://www.shopcade.com/product/rag-bone-sanne-bordeaux-patent-35-5/58077b8b030fb19e1e4d83ea.

However, I am fortunate to have 35 gifts each day in AP Lit, and I can't imagine a more creative, witty, declamatory, and articulate group delving into Edna's sea, Grendel's forest, Lear's storm, or Marvel's awkward pick-up lines.

Over break, you have a wee reading assignment: The Cherry Orchard. For most of you, this is your first opportunity to read a Russian playwright, so pay close attention to the characterization, themes, motifs, and milieus present. When we return to class, you will need to complete a book card on The Cherry Orchard; this will be your first grade of the semester and your fifth book card in total.

Our next semester will start off and then include the following items: a return to vocab experts for about 5 more units, allusion posters, drama (The Cherry Orchard, The Importance of Being Earnest), prose (Metamorphosis, Mary Wollstonecraft, Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights), poetry (The Canterbury Tales, Romantics - ah, Keatsy, I have missed you) and critical lens (Feminist & Marxist). And for those of you on the creative side of the mind, you will have a chance to write your own creative poetry.

Enjoy your holiday break! Perhaps you can speak to your family and friends in iambic pentameter ballads to create a more festive mood!

Keats Sums It Up

While looking for sonnets for the poetry take 2 exam tomorrow, I came across this one by my Keatsy. I hope you enjoy!

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/44482

Book Inventory

One occupation to keep me busy while my students feverishly write essays and complete multiple choice passages is dealing with novels and textbooks. While passing out books is a great deal of fun, checking the returned inventory falls more under the work category. We have had four texts this year: the big green AP Lit textbook, Kate Chopin compilation, Grendel, and King Lear.

For the AP Lit textbook, if you are graduating early or, alas, not continuing the course next semester, you will need to return the textbook a.s.a.p. Second semester AP Lit students (wait until you see all the creative work you will be doing in January), you may bring the book back to keep on the shelf or leave it at home and peruse its many excellent selections of literature over holiday break.

In happy news, all of the Kate Chopin texts are back at home and all together on the shelf :)

In unhappy news, there are still 8 copies of Grendel running amok in the wilderness outside of my room. Return our beloved monster back to Room 404 a.s.a.p.

And for our King and his daughters, you may keep the text for essay purposes over the next couple of days. When you turn in your essay, I would like you to turn in your text as well -- you can place it in the same box as the essay. If you are graduating at semester, you must turn in this text prior to break.

That's all from now in Room 404. See you tomorrow for the multiple choice portion of the final and the Take 2 of the poetry exam.

Final Part I

Today's class was the first part of the final, the poetry prompt. If absent, you will need to schedule a time to make-up this portion, ideally prior to semester break.

Cocoa & Cram on Monday! Plus More!

I will be participating in the Cocoa and Cram study sessions on Monday between 5-8 p.m. and all of my students are welcome to join me for review.

To give you a sense of what that would involve, I will be offering assistance for three classes at once.

For AP Lang, we will focus on rhetorical analysis prompts and multiple choice passages. I will have sample rhetorical analysis prompts, which we will close read, select strategies, and create mock outlines to review essay structure for this purpose. I will have multiple choice passages, which we will use to practice close reading skills and accuracy of answer. I will also have my rhetorical toolbox cards if you would like to play memory games. While you do not need to know every definition for the final (though, I would be happy if you did), it helps to have the main rhetorical strategies and modes of discourse ready for application on the exam.

For AP Lit, we will focus on multiple choice passages, which will allow us an opportunity to practice close reading skills and accuracy. The passages will be a hybrid of prose, poetry, and drama since your final will be a full AP Lit MC test. I will also have the poetry cards and the literary toolbox list to review the terms.

For Advanced Composition, we can review the styles of writing, grammar and punctuation rules, and tips for the final. We will be going over all of the above during class on Monday, so if you have any remaining questions about the final, we can work together during the cram session.

And, since I will be at school between seventh hour and the cram session, I will have my room open during that time for student use.

So, what exactly is student use? Since all of my students are working on some type of essay, you are welcome to use the computers starting at 2:30 p.m. until around 4:50 p.m. when I will need to close up the room for the Cocoa & Cram study sessions. I will be prepping and grading and dealing with textbooks (have you turned in all of your novels yet?) and possibly running errands here and there, but I will be available to answer any questions you have regarding the essay.

And, starting at 4 p.m., any AP Lang and AP Lit students are welcome to come and play with the AP Lang and Lit Cards to help prep for the final. I will even bring my AP flashcards to help you study. This will primarily be student-led review, but I will be in the background for any clarifications or questions that you may have.

Remember, all essays for all of my classes have a deadline of 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 22. The essay must be in hard copy and must be delivered by this time or the grade will be a zero -- no exceptions.

In all circumstances, I hope the aforementioned opportunities will help you with the finals and your last essays of the semester!

A Day of Poetry Review

After evaluating the poetry tests, there were several AP Lit students who did not perform up to their usual standards. (Overall, we did have test scores spread out through A to F.) Hence, today was about reviewing the feet, the lines, the stanzas, the meters, and the types of poetry -- using general terms on the board and the test itself to practice the skills needed.

Next week on your final day, you will have a secondary activity or mini test on poetry. It will be in the same format with maybe 5 or 6 of the poetry types. You will respond to questions regarding poems -- just like the packet and the test. For this mini-test, you will be required to answer a certain number of questions correctly for a grade. If you answer more than the required number, you will receive additional credit for those extra questions.

See you tomorrow to talk about the writing side -- the box and poetry prompts.

David's Favorite Prompt

Today was all about the timed poetry prompt, which I will not specify the topic, other than that David from last year felt a personal connection with the subject matter.

If absent today, you have 48 hours to either take the prompt or schedule a time to make up the prompt. If you do not do this in the given time frame, you will forfeit makeup privileges. 

Thursday's class is all about prepping for the final and wrapping up the semester. 

Poetry Test

The whole hour was dedicated to the poetry test, which examined the types of poetry, meter, feet, stanzas, and poetic devices. If absent for this exam, you will need to either make up the exam or schedule a specific time to complete the exam in the next 48 hours, which would equate to the end of the school day on Wednesday. If you do not do so, you will not have makeup privileges.

Students also turned in the Carpe Diem box prompt.

Tuesday will be a timed poetry prompt.

Thursday will be a review of the box prompt, the poetry test, and the timed writing prompt. We will do a few multiple choice passages to prep for the final, and you will receive the self-evaluation handout for your psychoanalysis essay.

As we do not have time to start The Metamorphosis, we will have the opportunity to use Friday's class time for peer evaluations or general writing time if you do not have any drafts complete.

The final will be one full MC test and one timed poetry prompt. Altogether, that would mean 1 hour and 45 minutes of testing time. Ergo, we will split the final into two halves with the writing prompt on Monday and the MC on Wednesday.

The final draft of the psychoanalysis essay has a deadline of December 22 at 11:00 a.m. This is a hard copy assignment as specified on the handout and must be delivered by this time.

Barring severe illness or emergency, make sure that you are in class every day for the next week. Missing any of these point opportunities will negatively impact your final semester grade.

Don't Be Coy About That Box Prompt

1. We completed the tech survey for the district.
2. We shared our book cards with each other, which are now featured on my back wall.
3. You received the box prompt for the Carpe Diem poems. I only have a hard copy of this box prompt -- the digital one is playing hide and seek with me at present. Box prompt is due on Monday and you may choose from the Marvell, the Herrick, the Marlowe, or the Raleigh poems for this assignment.

Next week will be a busy week for us. Your poetry test, the zenith of our unit, will occur on Monday. Make sure to know your meter, feet, stanzas, and poetry types. On Tuesday, will be a true poetry prompt to help prepare for the final. Then, we will either start The Metamorphosis or prep for the final or some combination thereof. Your final will be a timed poetry prompt and a full MC test. We most likely will divide this up into 2 days in order to give you the full time needed.

Survey Link

Do the district a favor and take this survey by the end of the day today:  http://survey.fzsd.us

Blog Reading Day

Our whole class time was dedicated to reading and evaluating the King Lear blogs! My personal favorite was AS from second hour. 

The blog was due for all students -- present and absent -- at the start of class time. Hence, if you have not already done so, you will need to invite your instructor to read your blog so that you may receive late credit for the assignment. 

Book Card 4 is tomorrow plus a box prompt. Your much anticipated poetry test will be Monday. I really enjoyed your blog work. I will be adding up the student evaluations and averaging those for your final score later today.

The Priest, The Spy, The Explorer

Our Carpe Diem poems were brought to you today by Robert Herrick https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/virgins-make-much-time, Christopher Marlowe https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/44675, and Sir Walter Raleigh https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/44939. As noted in class, we have a great deal of lyrics, ballads, and pastoral poems abounding in this poetic genre. Plus, each one offers a different persona, showing how Carpe Diem is not only about seducing young ladies with reminders that they will eventually lose their hotness, die, and commune with worms.

Lots of stuff to work on for AP Lit including the finishing of your character blogs for King Lear prior to the start of your class time on Thursday. Even if absent, that time is the marker for completion of the assignment. In addition, you have book card 4 due on Friday. Oh, there is a box prompt, a poetry test, a poetry prompt, and maybe The Metamorphosis all around the corner.

Another Reason to Love Rossetti

Today is the wonderful Christina Rossetti's birthday; she is the author of the stunning, challenging poem "Goblin Market," which stars a girl named Laura (not the only reason I revere her work). Here is the poem, one of symbolism, sisterhood, and sensuality: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/44996. I'm quite proud that I still have one of the stanzas memorized. I guess if I was less of a derelict, I would memorize the whole poem!

(On a side note, the majority of you know her writing in a different context: "A Birthday," which we read last year to analyze anaphora and diction.)

As you may surmise, I have been a fan of Rossetti since my college days, and since seeing the movie About Adam, which introduced me to "Goblin Market" in all its glory. A few moments ago, my esteem has grown even more and my realization that I need to make a power point about Rossetti for the Scholar Quiz Team Study Guide (join the team if you want to be a part of that opus).

Rossetti composed a poem entitled "On Keats," which I will share with you now!  http://hellopoetry.com/poem/16119/on-keats/ I know you can just imagine my literal jumping for joy, my shrieks of happiness, my sudden need to reread Keats this evening. 

And to make this relative to our class, count the lines and tap out that meter to review your structure and poetry types!

Book Card # 4

Announced in class today -

Book card #4 on King Lear or another text selection will be due Friday at the start of the class. We have a shortened hour due to the lip dub scheduling; hence, a presentation of your work would be a nice way to start our Friday.

And, just to remind all of you, the blog must be completed by the start of your class hour on Thursday. Any blog posts created after that time will not count towards your final evaluation.

We have a few "big" items coming up in the next week: a box prompt, your blog, a poetry test, a poetry prompt, and your psychoanalysis paper. All of these items carry substantial points, so if you are wanting to boost your grade or maintain its percentage, make sure to not forget any of these assignments.

The Worms Return

Since you are working on your blogs and your proposals (or at least mindful that the blog is due on Thursday and the proposal is due on Saturday), we will spend our class time reviewing poetry in advance of your eventual test and poetry prompt.

First, I threw our poetry terms cards on the floor and watched you match terms and definitions together. Then, we reviewed meter, feet, stanza, rhymes, and poetry types -- all of which are in your poetry packet. I highly recommend you read the suggested poems for each type to practice your identification of poetry. Last, Marvell and his seducing persona are back: "To His Coy Mistress," our Carpe Diem poem of the day. More than the argument of the woo, the poem has structure: rhyme scheme, iambic tetrameter, alliteration, and so forth.

Second hour, we need to discuss the meter of "To His Coy Mistress" and the last stanza, so make sure you have something to contribute tomorrow. Fourth hour, we will start with our next Carpe Diem poem.

Bring your lit books back - you will need them in class tomorrow.

Blog Invitation Day

In both classes, you invited all of your classmates and me to your blog so that we may read, enjoy, and evaluate your work. My fifth hour class thinks I am absolutely nuts at this point as I was reading your blogs while they were doing class work and laughing hysterically the whole time. Plus, I even took a poll for our king, the mighty Lear. Remember, you are required to invite your hour and me to the blog; it is optional if you would like to invite the other AP Lit class or friends and family to check out your work.

Blogs are to be completed by the start of your hour on Thursday. Since some of you have not written any blog posts yet, you have work to do in the next few days. This is a fun and creative assignment that will be worth significant performance points.

The last part of the hour were the highlights of Act 5, which ended with Edgar's voice and the thematic conclusion that Shakespeare laced throughout the play.

Fourth hour received the essay assignment today, so all hours can also work on their paper proposals, which are due by 1:00 p.m. on December 10. We will be completing other assignments, and you may just have more homework next week, so make sure you are not procrastinating all of your AP Lit assignments.

Reunion Time

In both hours, we discussed Act 4 with its stunning love triangle featuring Edmund at its center and the reunion of the angel-like Cordelia and the weed-crowned Lear. As Kent suggested at the end of the Act, the battle is about to come to fruition.

Afterwards, you completed the fifth MC passage, which any absentee will need to complete. This would be the end of fourth hour. However, second hour received the King Lear Psychoanalysis Essay Assignment. As noted, your proposal will be the first required step of the assignment, and you may do this at any time prior to December 10 at 1:00 p.m.

Tomorrow will be details about the finalization of your blog assignments and the completion of Act 5.

Another Sonnet

2: We finished our fourth MC passage, which from its title told us was a Sonnet! Then, you broke into five groups to analyze 4.1-4.5. We only made it through the first scene, so we will have to wait until Thursday to cover all the other important action, mayhem, murder, and Bachelor-style courting rituals. No new reading for class on Thursday; however, you will need Act 5 for Friday's class.

4: We overanalyzed Edgar's 3.6 almost sonnet, noting the structure of our newly developed character. After discussing 3.7, you completed the fourth MC passage, a Sonnet - I won't clarify which type for those still needing to make up the assignment. For Thursday, complete Act 4 and find out how Edmund became the hottest bachelor in town.

The Eyes, The Eyes

Since I am still in recovery from the forcing eyes from Gloucester's sockets, this will be the expedited blog update.

2: While we were down to half the class, we overanalyzed Edgar's final speech in 3.6, which turned out to be a strong example of an almost sonnet (13.5 lines), a steady rhyme scheme, and that familiar iambic pentameter meter! Furthermore, my ladies showed off their ability to notice Edgar's change of plural to singular pronouns, the focus of a general audience to the specificity of Edgar's own situation, and diction, repetition, and personification! There goes the expedited blog update!

We also spent quality time with Gloucester's eyes in 3.7. As pictures kidnapped enough people during the middle of the hour, we ended with Act 3 and did not do anything else during class. However, you do need to read and complete Act 4. Let's see if there are more blind characters -- literally and figuratively!

4: We divided up scenes 3.1-3.5 so that each group had a chance to overanalyze the characterization, alliteration (lovin' that F there, Edgar), and psychoanalytical significance. Tomorrow, we will finish up Act 3. By the way, we will be starting Act 4 a.s.a.p, so I highly recommend reading into the Act so you sound even more the Shakespearian savant in class.

Edgar in Disguise

To all classes, make sure you are working on your blog! We will be finishing up the play next week, which  means I (and your classmates) will be reading and evaluating your work.

2: We broke into groups to analyze 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, and 3.5. Shakespeare really loves alliteration with these characters, especially since each one gravitates toward a specific sound. Reading-wise, you will need to finish Act 3 for Monday's class.

4: We finished up our discussion of 2.3 and 2.4. Afterwards, we completed our third MC passage. For the next 5 days, you will need to read the entirety of Act 3.

MC & Lear

2: We completed the third MC passage and then followed up by looking at 3.1 and how Kent is attempting to find Lear, ally with random gentleman, and secret jewelry to Cordelia as a sign of his loyalty. For homework, read through 3.5. And, you should have your first 2 blog posts completed.

4: We completed the second MC passage and then followed up by letting you chat with your 2.2, 2.3, and 2.4 groups. The group of 2.2 shared their thoughts about Kent and tomorrow we will hear from the rest of you. Our discussion is ending. Hence, you  need to have two blog posts completed. 

Learing Act 2

2: You gathered in your Act 2 scene groups and discussed the scene, the characters, the psychology, the motifs that are forming, the bitter world that Lear's kingdom has become. After our discussion, it was the bell. If absent, you will need to show your notes for the scenes for participation credit. No new reading for the weekend, but we finished discussing Act 2, so you will need to have 2 blog posts finished to stay on task.

4: We started with a team close read and individual MC passage. If absent, you will need to complete this as it is your first MC content grade. Then, we read - in blogging character - 2.1, looking at Gloucester's familial strife. For homework, read the entirety of Act 2 and write analysis notes on your assigned section. Absentees, you will be in charge of 2.3 on Monday.

It's Your Turn to Blog

2:

We began the hour by setting up your King Lear blogs --- ideally you now have a title, an address, a template, and a profile -- or at least the start of a profile. Make sure that you have your first 2 blogs completed by Monday.

We continued the hour with our second team close read of a multiple choice passage and your completion of the questions. If absent, you will need to acquire a copy and complete this for a grade.

We finished reading 2.1, seeing the continual machinations of the bastard Edmund against his father at the sacrifice of his brother. And, we finally entered Regan's world, meeting her husband and seeing her familial connections to Gloucester.

For homework, read the remaining scenes of the act and prep analysis points for your assigned scene.

4:

We completed the partner/small group analysis of 1.3-1.5, looking at Lear, the Fool, and Goneril.

Afterwards, you were assigned your King Lear blog and began the process of setting it up. If you look at your assignment sheet and previous blogs, you will find links to how to do this if you are unsure.

Since we are not at second hour's pace yet, you did not have additional readings to do for this evening. However, I would suggest - strongly - to work on your blog.

Keats & Shakespeare

2: We finished up our participation of 1.3-1.5 as Lear made his move to daughter number two, Reagan. We shall see how he fares with his middle daughter and her husband. Then, we began our new round of multiple choice passages, which will be for a grade. Using "Bright Star" by Keats, we first had 3 of you go to the board and analyze it in five minutes. K, S, and A did a fantastic job as once you received the multiple choice questions, you noted several of them already delineated in the close read. If absent, you will need to complete this assignment for a grade.

Last, and definitely not least, you received the blogging assignment. (Absentees, I will be e-mailing you the assignment and a few details after I finish this blog.) For your character, you will create a blog that is not summary-based but character-oriented, fleshing out the character, the psychology, and related connections. (I still like my idea of hermit crab idolization by the Fool and Kent checking out different disguises.) We will work on the creation of the blog during class on Thursday, but you are more than welcome to start in advance.

4: We used the close reading of Edmund's "bastard" soliloquy to look at his characterization, societal perspective, and poetic devices. Then, we wrapped up 1.2 by looking at Gloucester and his exclamatory reflections of filial betrayal, Edmund's affection for his mark, or his brother Edgar, and a final rhyming couplet indicating Edmund's determined stance on destroying his family. At the end of class, you prepped two pages for analysis. We made it through four of these pages, so the remainder will occur during Thursday's class. Then, we will be back to multiple choice and the blogging assignment.

Sample Blogs

Ideally, we will start the blogging assignment for King Lear during Tuesday's class and spend some time in class setting this up on Thursday. I just finished typing up the official assignment, and there will be 12 characters available for this blogging assignment. We will have random sign-ups during class, so do not set your heart too strongly on one character yet. 

In the meanwhile, here will give you links to blog samples from Macbeth. I am hoping these will still work for you.

http://fznaplit.blogspot.com/2015/11/blogging.html 

http://canimakeyouasandwitch.blogspot.com/

For those of you interested in starting the blog process early and setting up a general blog, background, and whatnot, here is a link explaining how to do the basics:  http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Blog-on-Blogger

Daughter of the Year

Since Lear cannot be called father of the year, it is only fair that we unnominate Goneril for daughter of the year honors. As noted in both AP Lit hours, Shakespeare is not using rhyme as predictably as in his other plays. Characters often go in and out of meter and rhyme scheme to further the complication of their roles, conflicts, emotional turbulence, and social status. And, as I noted in second hour, Lear loves the alliteration when he becomes Hulk angry.

2: We almost finished 1.3-1.5 participation. Tomorrow, the last two groups will share their analysis. If absent, you will have a verbal opportunity to garner your participation points, so make sure you are ready with something to share. No additional readings.

4: We finished 1.1 partner close read, noting much about psychology, poetic elements, and conflicts. To end the hour, you close read Edmund's bastard soliloquy from 1.2, which you will share findings of tomorrow. If absent, you should prepare that soliloquy for participation. Finish reading Act I for Tuesday.

Lear & Gloucester Family Values

2: We started off by close reading Edmund's soliloquy at the start of 1.2, noting his alliteration, hypophora, personification, crescendo-like tone shifts, and younger child psychology. As this took most of the time, we brushed over the remaining of 1.2, looking at Gloucester and his familiar reaction to a child's betrayal (yep, he and Lear hang out) and Edmund's sudden rhyming couplet to organize his machinations.

If absent, you will need to show me your 1.2 notes for your participation points.

Finish Act I for Monday's class. You will be taking over the show, so be ready to share!

4: We continued forward with overanalyzing 1.1. We will finish on Monday -- no matter what! In the interim, read 1.2 and 1.3.

When the Id Attacks

2: We continued class on the floor with you taking over the analysis of 1.1. Throughout your work, you noted the powerful id overtaking Lear, the birth order impacts of three daughters and their roles, and the displacement of anger towards our sweetie pie Kent. Tomorrow will center on the black sheep, the base, the bastard Edmund (he has a think for "b" alliteration if you recall 1.2) and the upcoming Lear scenes. Readings for the weekend and multiple choice returns next week.

4: We started off with MC Passage 4, which was for participation. If you were absent, you will need to acquire a copy and complete. Afterwards, we started our psychoanalysis of Lear, Cordelia, and a few of the assorted characters in our play. Alas, we only made it through two pages, so we will finish the scene tomorrow. Readings for the weekend and multiple choice returns next week.

Daddy Issues

2: We started off talking about dreams and their symbolic meaning. Then, we completed MC Passage 4 (Shelley) and discussed the correct answers. Remember absent people, you will need to acquire and turn in this passage for participation points. Last, we gathered together and started an over-analysis of King Lear 1.1, already delving into character and the psychoanalysis of each. We will finish 1.1 tomorrow. Prep 1.2 as well.

4: We finished the psychoanalytic portion of today's show, and then moved into "Daddy" by Plath to put some of the terminology in use. Tomorrow will be MC Passage 4 and Lear!

Children, Dreams, and Lear

In both classes today, we talked psychoanalysis, looking at the theories and terminology of Freud and Lacan. For homework, read - really read - Act 1, scene 1 of King Lear. (F.Y.I. You can find the text online so no need to feel unprepared for class on Wednesday.)

2: We finished up the power point, talked birth order, and read "Daddy" by Sylvia Plath, noting the projection at the end of the text.

4: We almost finished the power point, talked birth order and dreams, and made it out with King Lear texts.

Plan for Wednesday: Finish up any psychoanalysis needs, multiple choice passage 4, King Lear 1.1.

Psycho Multiple Choice

As mentioned in yesterday's blog, we are taking participation grades for the MC passages. If absent, you will need to turn in the passages to show your completion of the activity.

For both classes, complete informal research on the following items for Monday's class:

1. Birth order
2. Dream Interpretation (use links below or others if you like)

          Here is one in alphabetical order: http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/

           Here is a list: http://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/30-common-dream-symbols.html

2: After going over the answers for MC Passage 3 (sonnet), we moved onto Psychoanalysis criticism, using a power point to summarize the main components we can analyze literature and samples from the criticism text.

4: After going over the answers for MC Passage 2 (exploration), you completed MC Passage 3 (sonnet) and explained the justification of each answer.

Yep, Multiple Choice

Ah, I know that some of you are groaning with the thought of multiple choice reentering our classroom with a flourish. However, from our first couple of practices, utilizing our close reading and breaking down the four types of multiple choice questions (factual, technical, analytical, and inferential), we have found success in using strategies and relying on your poetic and prose analysis skills.

Our first 4 multiple choice practices are not for a content grade. However, you are receiving participation points for volunteering explanations. Hence if you were absent, you will need to show me your completion of these multiple choice practices for your points.

Onto the specific hours...

2:

• In regards to MC Passage 1 for "Now Goes Under," prior to finding out the answers and your overall practice score, we looked at the four types of AP Lit multiple choice questions (as listed above) and determined which are "bing" and "time-eaters" for strategy. Then, we applied this knowledge to identifying each multiple choice question for type. Then, you heard the answers and volunteers explained why it was correct and why the other options were incorrect. 
• In regards to MC Passage 2 for the prose passage, we read and identified the questions prior to close reading. Then, you had 12 minutes to complete the reading and answer the questions. We handled the answers in the same manner as passage 1. 
• In regards to MC Passage 3 for that 14 line poem (note I did not identify the type - wink), you close read and answered questions with a partner. Tomorrow, the partnerships will explain 2 of the answers to the class. 
• Homework shall be Box Prompt for Sonnet 138. 

4:

• To start class, we played with Shakespeare's Sonnet 130, looking at its content, its structure, and its galloping potential!
• In regards to MC Passage 1 for "Now Goes Under," prior to finding out the answers and your overall practice score, we looked at the four types of AP Lit multiple choice questions (as listed above) and determined which are "bing" and "time-eaters" for strategy. Then, we applied this knowledge to identifying each multiple choice question for type. Then, you heard the answers and volunteers explained why it was correct and why the other options were incorrect. 
• In regards to MC Passage 2 for the prose passage, we read and identified the questions prior to close reading. Time yourself for the close reading and answering of questions - 12 minutes is your limit.
• And, make sure to complete the Sonnet 138 Box Prompt!

Galloping Workout

The galloping continues as fourth hour know is part of our daily workout routine!

2: We started class by analyzing the content, quatrains/couplets, rhyme scheme, and iambic pentameter of Sonnets 116 & 130. As noted, we saw an example of feminine rhyme, an added unstressed syllable, and forced rhyme. Sonnet 130, a personally favorite, does satirize Petrarchan symbolism and romantic vision, migrating the stereotypical beautiful markers to realistic flaws that represent love and affection. The last moments reviewed MC strategies (remember POE, bing, close read the passage, read the questions first - if you are so inclined). For homework, complete the MC questions. Do alone and be honest -- this is not for a grade.

4: Fourth hour went wild with galloping today -- jumping, balletic movements, and the semblance of a Shakespearian mosh pit. After learning to gallop, we worked on Sonnet 116, breaking down the content, rhyme scheme, and iambic pentameter. (Did we see some feminine rhyme, added unstressed syllables, and forced rhyme?) For homework, break down Sonnet 130 in the same fashion. We will analyze it on Thursday and do some galloping!

Keats, the Birthday Boy!

In honor of that mighty man of purplue, we began AP Lit today with an analysis of "This Living Hand," a poem considered to be representative of Halloween flair although it is more about the connective need of the speaker to his addressee.

2: Sadly putting Keats aside until second semester, we began with the Shakespearian translations handout, which was for participation points. Then, we analyzed Sonnet 18, "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day" and how its rhyme structure reflects the standard scheme of Shakespearian sonnets. Did I mention we listened to Tom Hiddleston read this poem? How could I forgot that voice? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6Q_Ioj6AhQ Following all that, we learned how to gallop to help us understand the rhythm of iambic pentameter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qv-sjQHgZ8.

For homework, analyze, identify rhyme structure, and check out the iambic pentameter to see if Shakespeare is staying on trend or trying something new.

4: We finished the poetry packet by looking at three types of sonnets: Petrarchan (remember ABBA?), Shakespearian (ABAB), and Spenserian (ABABBCBC - sneaky). We also looked at the villanelle by analyzing Dylan Thomas's "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night."

Shakespeare time! We shared translations from your handout, which was for a participation grade. Then, we listened to Tom Hiddleston read Sonnet 18 to us (the link is above you would like to hear it again and again). Using sonnet 18, we looked at content for analysis and the traditional rhyme scheme of Shakespeare's sonnets. For homework, identify the iambic pentameter of each line. We gallop tomorrow.

"While I debated what to do"

I still have the image of Alex and Noah in a chair reenacting "Porphyria's Lover," so figuring out a title for this post has become challenging.

2:
We completed vocab quiz 5. If absent, you will need to make up the quiz before or after school next week.

We finished up the questions for "Porphyria's Lover," looked at 3 sonnet forms (Petrarchan, Shakespearian, and Spenserian). That pesky Spenser starts off with the Shakespearian abab, but then he throws us a change with the next quatrain of bcbc followed by quatrain cdcd and couplet ee. Last, we looked at the villanelle via Dylan Thomas's "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night." If you have been absent and not able to participate in our poetry packet analysis (which covers Tuesday-Thursday), you will need to show my your packet with all the questions answered. Make sure you real all the information -- caesura and all.

For homework, you are to complete the Shakespeare Crossword puzzle, the three pages dealing with Shakespeare's language (the translations, reordering of sentences, analyzing sentences, and writing famous movie quotes into Shakespearian syntax), and break down Sonnet 18 for iambic pentameter and rhyme scheme.

Shakespeare sonnets, multiple choice, and, just maybe, psychoanalytical criticism next week. We are closer to King Lear!

4:
We also completed vocab quiz 5. If absent, you will need to make up the quiz before or after school next week. We then read "O Captain My Captain" and analyzed the elegy for its content and caesura! Unfortunately for absentees, you missed the Alex and Noah reenactment of "Porphyria's Lover." I don't think any of us will forget the theatrical stylings of our actors today! Meanwhile, we spent the rest of the time discussing the poem and its features.

For homework, you are to complete the Shakespeare Crossword puzzle and the three pages dealing with Shakespeare's language (translations, reordering of sentences, analyzing sentences, and writing famous movie quotes into Shakespearian syntax).

We will delve into the three sonnet structures next week, villanelles, Shakespeare, and multiple choice next week!

Ah, My Adonais

After reviewing vocabulary for our next quiz (and we will take a moratorium on vocabulary next week to focus on Shakespeare and multiple choice passages), we resumed the poetry packet by focusing on the ode and the elegy. Since the ode, usually an apostrophe to an object or animal in accordance with the Romantic realm, elevates the given subject and is evident in Grecian Urns, Nightingales, and other poems of note, the blog will and should move onto the elegy. Ah, the elegy, a poem of mourning emphasizing the loss of superior soul exemplified by Shelley's "Adonais" and Whitman's "O Captain My Captain." On the 200th anniversary of my Keatsy's "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer," we spent time breaking apart the meter, imagery, and significance of his loss in poetry. (Hey, it doesn't hurt that he is compared to Adonis. See previously posted link for evidence.)

Second hour made it through the majority of Porphyria's hair-tingling death scene. Sorry, I had to phrase it that way. We will finish up talking the poem and breaking down all its components tomorrow.

Fourth hour, we have another elegy example tomorrow before dramatic monologues and sonnets.

COMPLETE THE PACKET QUESTIONS! The awkward silence occurring after I ask for responses to a question in the packet should not be happening.

Shakespeare A Co-Author?

Whenever I teach Shakespeare, the controversy of authorship always plays a part in our background information. Was Shakespeare, the man born in Stratford-upon-Avon, the author of his magnificent plays, or was this a pen name for an author or a group of authors wanting anonymity? Well, no matter what side of the debate you would like to believe, Oxford University Press has officially credited Christopher Marlowe as co-author of three plays! Holy Elizabethan England!

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/10/24/499144368/christopher-marlowe-officially-credited-as-co-author-of-3-shakespeare-plays?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=2050

Lyrical Roses & Beaches

After vocab today, we spent our hour on lyrical poetry, commencing with the packet's sample and related questions and transitioning into team close reads on "Dover Beach." (Fourth hour, you still have the last stanza to do!). In both circumstances, we are merging structure (rhyme scheme, meter, stanza) with content. For instance, looking at why Burns changes his rhyme pattern between quatrains 2 and 3 and what this suggests about poem's content and theme.

For tonight, read and answer questions relating to elegy and dramatic monologue.

And, if you want to look at free journals (at least through Sunday), here is a link for you: http://liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/collections/journals.

The Ballad, better known as Lord Durango's Saga

Friday was about feet, and our growing identification of stressed and unstressed syllables in writing. Poetry, at least those featuring a recognizable meter, uses emphasis of sounds to further the meaning and the expression of ideas. Even if you meter is not a strong suit, you can still look for patterns of sounds and whether lines follow a pattern. I always count syllables first -- if three lines have the same syllable number, you probably have a metrical pattern in there. If the last syllable/word is emphasized, or stressed, you might have an iamb, a spondee, or an anapest. If you notice the heartbeat pattern, the up and down of unstressed and stressed, you have an iamb.

To add to our structural emphasis, we looked at meter and its form: monometer, dimeter, trimeter, tetrameter, pentameter, hexameter, heptameter, ooctameter, nonometer (nanometer).

We moved from beyond the steady, simple end rhyme to masculine, feminine, and internal rhyme.

We studied the ballad by reading, and sometimes falling into Scottish accents, "Bonny Barbara Allan," "Lord Randall," and " Get Up and Bar the Door." Bonny Barbara referencing the "universal theme" of dying for love, which seems quite cliched and ridiculous according to some readers. Lord Durango, the best name of the possible options given, dealing with a parent who will not let him go to bed without third degree interrogation. Goodman and Goodwife modeling poor relationship communication from their stubborn determination to win the silent game. As mentioned in the packet, the ballad exhibits characters, a narrative structure, dialogue, repetitive phrasing, and often a refrain to tie together the text.

For tonight's homework, read and complete the lyric and the ode sections of the poetry packet. We will chat about the given poems, and we will read more examples to help you see these poetry types in action.

Tomorrow should also be some Keats loving time with Shelley's elegy to the late, stunningly beautiful man. (Don't believe me -- here is an article dedicated to Keats: https://wordsworth.org.uk/blog/2016/08/18/picturing-john-keats/)

Feet

After vocab today, we began our focus on meter, the beats of syllables in poetry. The types of meter today were the iamb, trochee, anapest, dactyl, and spondee. In class, we practiced identifying meter by completing a handout (The Foot & Meter), which required us to identify words for their foot type and creating phrases/sentences that mixed and matched various forms of meter.

Next week, make sure you bring your textbook back to class and your new poetry packet. We will be talking stanzas, lines, and types of poetry.

Rangefinding

After starting vocab for unit 15, we spent the rest of the hour working with the poetry diagnostic prompt and its rangefinders. First, we completed a semi-close read analysis on the sonnet, noting that it contained alliteration, repetition (anaphora too), personification, and paradox. While that may satisfy some analysts, we were only halfway through - the prompt wanted us to consider the complexity of desire and its antagonistic role in the text and the vituperative tone throughout the speaker's exemplification of desire. And, I almost forgot, we also talked structure - the volta, the rhyme scheme. Just think if we went more in-depth with analysis!

After hearing the expectations for scoring a poetry prompt (and realizing that if you draw a picture in place of writing that you will score a 0), you found out the rangefinder scores, worked with a partner to analyze why it achieved this score, and shared your thoughts with the class. We learned many a tip through these rangefinders that will hopefully aid your future writing prompts.

At the end of class, you received your New Historicist essay and added it to your portfolio for safekeeping.

Tomorrow, be ready to talk about feet.

Poetry, Poetry, Poetry

We have been easing our way into poetry, its structure, its devices, its motifs, its conceits, its forced rhyme scheme.

Now, the time has come for serious, thorough, over-analysis of poetry, which will begin on Thursday and progress into Shakespeare next week.

In order to prep for Thursday, you will need your new vocab expert word ready to go, the Donne Songs & Sonnets box prompt completed, and the Rangefinders for the poetry diagnostic prompt scored. After we attend the items listed above, we will move onto feet. Yes, feet. And if you are not sure what feet have to do with poetry, you will very shortly.

And, I suppose I should highlight what we did in class today -- other than use our vocabulary words to critique essay writing. We discussed Donne's sonnets, shared Petrarch/Donne box prompts, and copied down unit 5 vocabulary. And, I wore my Abbey Road Dress by Leifsdottir, which has the same black, red, and white color symbolism as a Donne sonnet. As per my life, this was a completely random occurrence.

12:30 a.m.

I think Mickey says it all. New Historicist essay range 4-9. Second hour average 7.6; fourth hour average 6.59; overall average 7.06. Will return on Thursday -- with stickers but not of the Mouse variety.

The Songs

We were all singing Donne today -- and every persona that he introduces through "The Flea" to "The Paradox." As noted, Donne loves the conceit, the motif, the repetition of phrasing, the obvious forced rhyming. The partner/group analysis today was for participation.

Meanwhile, your third book card was due today, and for homework you have a box prompt on Petrarch and Donne's literary devices. As this requires only 1 literary device, you may have only 2 body boxes completed for this assignment.

Tomorrow is the sonnet side of the equation, and I need to find the poetry packet so we can study all the stanzas, meters, and types.

Donne Time

All classes commenced with the vocab 4 quiz, which any absentees will need to make up next week. 

The remainder of our time concentrated on getting to know John Donne, the Metaphysical poet of conceits, songs, and sonnets. After identifying the persona of "The Indifferent," we spent quality time with the biographical pages in your packet. Donne, a man of passion and many children, vacillated from songs of relationship to sonnets of faith and death. 

For homework, you have been assigned one song and one sonnet to close read and prep for next class.

Absentees, I did not forget you...

Pam = A Lecture Upon the Shadow; III

Shai = The Paradox;  IV

Emma = The Good-Morrow; V

Sarah = Woman's Constancy, VI

Hanna = Woman's Constancy: VI

Noah = The Anniversary, X

Courtney = A Valediction Forbidding Mourning; XVII

And, it's been on the board all week...Book Card # 3 is due Monday.

Indifference

After spending time staring at the MLA 8th edition alterations, I know that my feelings towards it are from from "indifferent," the adjective Donne uses as the title of his poem.

To begin class, we looked at a sample Works Cited page and its format. I then met with each of you to answer questions regarding citations, Works Cited entries, introductions, unity, and anything else that would aid your final draft.

Your final draft deadline is 3:30 p.m. on Friday. This will be turned in as a hard copy. If you are at school for any part of the day, you still have this deadline. If you are absent for the entire day, then you will e-mail/share your final draft with me and bring in a hard copy on Monday.

Next, we reviewed vocabulary for your quiz tomorrow. As a preview for those of you checking out the blog, it will be a class & individual verbal quiz.

Then, we returned to the Petrarch packet, looking at two translations of the first poem and how the change of diction creates adjustments in tone, meaning, and mood.

As we transition into Donne, we will be adding persona to our literary terms emphasis. Persona is the character adopted by the speaker in a poem. For instance, our "Fama" poem by Petrarch features a "conservative reverend" persona, or at least that is how the second hour girls feel.

In the last moments, we started "The Indifferent," making it only through one stanza. We will resume there tomorrow, learn more about Donne, and interpret his Songs.

Works Cited Sample

We will be talking about the Works Cited page tomorrow, but I thought you would like a sample now to start the process.

https://style.mla.org/files/2016/03/mla-sample-paper-fourth-year.pdf

The Petrarch Sonnet Analysis

After vocab, we spent the rest of the hour listening to classmates analyze the octave, sestet, theme, tone. literary elements, and sonnet connections. As both classes finished at the bell, you will not have additional homework beyond...

The New Historicist essay is due by 3: 30 p.m. on Friday, October 14. During class on Thursday, you will have the opportunity to ask any last minute questions, and we will talk about the Works Cited Page.

Book Card #3 is due on Monday, October 17.

Time, Eyes, and Cupid

After vocabulary, we returned to the world of Petrarch by reviewing Italian sonnet structure and how iambic pentameter creates a rhythm - the heartbeat Johnny shows Baby to feel during their Mambo - to add to the structure and flow.  An iamb is a combination of 2 syllables, the first unstressed and the second unstressed. Pentameter reflects the number of feet in a line, in this case five. Hence, a standard line of iambic pentameter features 10 syllables, starting unstressed and ending stressed. (I emphasize standard as Shakespeare likes to throw in an extra syllable or make a trochee here and there to emphasize various points in a text.)

Back to Petrarch, we looked at two more of his poems and the building motifs that occur. As a small group, you were then assigned one of the Petrarch's poems to analyze in the following manner:

1. Identify the theme/problem/question/argument proposed in the octave and analyze its significance.
2. Identify the conclusion/solution/answer/response given in the sestet and analyze its significance.
3. Identify and analyze the theme of the poem.
4. Identify the tone changes and analyze the purpose(s).
5. Select 3 literary elements and analyze each for its purpose/significance/etc.
6. Compare and contrast this poem with the other Petrarchan poems.

In class tomorrow, you will teach the above information to your classmates.

It's on the board -- Book Card 3 is due on October 17, first grade of second quarter. 

Organizing the Cards

Quite enjoyable - at least from my perspective - to throw flashcards on the floor and watch  my AP Lit community organize together to match poetry terms with definitions. While there may have been a few false answers, the overall picture reflected an understanding of literary terms, prefixes, and deductive reasoning.

After all the cards were presented in rows, we read one of Petrarch's poems -- or the affectionately regarded "Love is a Battlefield" poem. In the reading, we concentrated on motifs, personification, diction choices, and theme. Then, utilizing the original Italian, we focused on the structure of the poem, a representation of the Italian, or Petrarchan, sonnet structure. Hence, rhyme scheme (look it's ABBA), octave, sestet, and volta played a part.

For homework, close read the remaining 2 poems on pgs. 1-2 of your packet. We will talk about iambic pentameter next week and look closely at Petrarch's poetry and motifs. 

Auditory Peer Evaluations

After starting our unit 4 vocab experts, we spent the rest of the hour peer-evaluating the New Historicist essays. One by one, you read your essay out loud to help you and your peer group recognize strengths and weaknesses in your writing, whether this be in content, structure, evidence, or mechanics. My second hour group rocked -- we delineated specific means to help each group member excel and improve her writing.

If you were absent, you should share your essay with fellow classmates and receive peer feedback over the course of the next week. On Thursday next, we will have brief meetings regarding any further questions you have and to proof your Works Cited Page.

Speaking of MLA, how awesome is that handout with all the updates on the WC page and how to complete citations. Make sure to utilize this resource as you work on your citations.

Poetry starts tomorrow! Finally!

Diagnostic Poetry Prompt

The whole hour composed of your diagnostic poetry prompt. We will resume vocabulary on Thursday, have our peer evaluations of your first draft, and start poetry with Petrarch!

Absence Reminder

Those of AP Lit, the majority of you are checking the blog when you are absent. Be aware that if we have a discussion in class and you miss it due to absence, you are required to show your notes for the text the day you return. Many of you are following through with this expectation, so make sure to stay on top of your reading assignments and notes.

*If you don't want to wait for the next class, you can also take a picture of your notes and send it to me for your participation points.

A Little Inspiration from the Pen of Anne Rice

Tomorrow, October 4, is author Anne Rice's 75th birthday. Rice has been part of my library for over 20 years now with her Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches. While I was reading some of her quotes tonight, I came upon the following, which details how much authors do consider purpose in using words and sentences and the impact of their writing choices. Hence, I posted this for AP Lang and for you.

"The right word, the right rhythm, the right length of the sentences, the right paragraph, all that is important. It’s very important. You’re inviting someone to come into a drama. You’re asking them to let themselves be spellbound. All those ingredients matter as you create that spell. The white space on the page matters. The exclamation point, the question mark, all of it matters. I’ve had to mute exclamation points. I hear them, I see them, I feel them when I write. And then I have to take them out because they are too loud for the reader. They leap off the page. I wish there was some little sign we had that was half an exclamation point."

While Rice may not have created her own language like Dahl's gobblefunk, she did create a world of supernatural angst, fervency, and catharsis that has produced incredible imagery, motifs, and characterization (the child vampire, Claudia, who would never grow up).

Here are a few quotes from Rice and her novels to give you a sense of the author. I found the majority of these on goodreads.com

• “None of us really changes over time. We only become more fully what we are.” - The Vampire Lestat
• “You do have a story inside you; it lies articulate and waiting to be written — behind your silence and your suffering.” 
• “Give me a man or woman who has read a thousand books and you give me an interesting companion. Give me a man or woman who has read perhaps three and you give me a very dangerous enemy indeed.” - The Witching Hour
• “To write something you have to risk making a fool of yourself.”
• “There is one purpose to life and one only: to bear witness to and understand as much as possible of the complexity of the world- its beauty, its mysteries, its riddles.” - Servant of the Bones

Prepping the New Historicist Essay

After writing down unit 4 vocabulary and finding out your assigned expert word, we spent the rest of the hour in conferences discussing your organizational chart for the New Historicist essay and reviewing your Grendel box prompt.

Tomorrow will be the first step of our poetry unit - a diagnostic box prompt, which will be evaluated on half completion and half content. Then, we will be spending some quality time, not the 365 days of poems that he composed, with Petrarch, the man who epitomizes sonnet structure, motifs of time and battles, and adores the ever untouchable Laura.

For Thursday's peer edit, make sure to have a Google document ready to go. We will be working on auditory and visual peer editing during class.

The Wife

2: After our little drill, in which Anna became the designated teacher for me, we returned to class and finished our analysis of "The Wife's Lament," noting repeating symbols, characterization, and themes. In addition, we clarified the Anglo-Saxon ideologies of community, warrior culture, and pagan societies. To end the hour, you received your New Historicist essay assignment. For your essay, you will select one of the Anglo-Saxon ideologies (community, warrior, storytellers, monster, epic hero, etc.) and analyze its initial meaning and its reinterpretation via at least two texts. The first draft will be needed for Thursday's block class; the final draft will be needed on October 14. Fill out the chart this weekend as a means of organizing your thoughts for the essay.

4: Check out second hour's synopsis. The only difference is that you had a vocabulary quiz to start the hour instead of a lockdown drill.

The Performances of Grendel

While second hour had a partner vocab quiz, fourth hour had a review of unit 3, which means their quiz will be tomorrow.

To liven up a humdrum analysis of Grendel, you performed dramatic interpretations of a scene from the text - these scenes involving the dragon (metaphorical or real), Unferth's brand of heroism, Wealtheow and her assault, the differentiation of legitimate violence and violence, the priests' and their brand of religious fervor, and the arrival of that muscular man, The Stranger. While it would be fun to act out novels and do nothing else in class, we actually used each scene as a starting point for analysis of the text and the chapter's main ideas, motifs, and whatnot.

The bell stopped our final thoughts in fourth hour, so if you have something else to add regarding the cessation of Grendel's life, prepare your observations now. Meanwhile, second hour ladies, we may have a delay during tomorrow's class, but that does not mean we can't analyze "The Wife's Lament" and the two interpretations that are present.

Your First Box Prompt

While AP Lang concentrates on full 40-minute prompts, AP Lit mixes up the action by using box prompts throughout the year to practice analytical skills on a smaller scale. 

What is a box prompt? It is a series of boxes organizing an essay in which you compose a thesis in box one; select three literary elements, jot down related evidence, and thoroughly analyze the element in regards to the prompt in boxes 2-4; and write down 1-2 sentences for a conclusion in box 5. In essence, you are organizing an essay without writing an entire essay. 

Today, you completed a box prompt for a passage in Grendel. Since this is your first box prompt, I gave your 35-40 minutes (the rest of the hour) to work on your analysis. Normally, you will only have 25 minutes to do so. Any absentees, you will have to wait for a hard copy as I do not have a digital one for you. 

On Thursday, we will discuss the rest of chapters 5-7, and I will share my epiphany regarding your box prompt passage. Then, we will analyze the remainder of Grendel -- just wait until you see how Gardner organizes later chapters! (Personally, I think Grendel is trying out different narrative styles to tell his story.) In addition, we have one more text, a poem, to read prior to your first big essay assignment. 

2: Vocab Quiz on Thursday

4: Vocab Review on Thursday

Grendel Angst

After vocabulary -- which is in need of review for some of you -- we spent the hour discussing chapters 1-4 of the Grendel, the text where stream-of-consciousness, mommy issues, and epic similes abound on each page. Other than learning a whole new form of vernacular from humanity, Grendel has picked up on man's hypocrisy, want of immortality through legendary deeds, and overall violence towards each other, animals, and nature. That's a lot to take in for a teenage monster! Today's discussion was for participation points, so you will need to show me your notes upon returning to class. 

See you tomorrow for chapters 5-7. We will be doing something a little different. 

And for those of you just itching to know what will be coming up in the next few days, your first outside of class essay assignment and a poetry writing prompt will occur very shortly. After our epic heroes, it will be all poetry, all the time. Yes, that would also mean multiple choice is on the horizon too!

Hounds and Fawns

With only 40 minutes, we were much more focused with our discussions today.

1. Vocab Experts
2. Discuss the Iliad, breaking up into groups of 3-4 to analyze the epic similar of the hound and fawn and how this impacts the remaining conflict of Hector & Achilles, the role of gods and goddesses, the differing perspectives of war victory from our two protagonists, and the tones of our narrator to the the ever lithe and handsome Hector and the brilliant and taunting Achilles. (Using polysyndeton today -- teaching it next week in AP Lang, so I guess it is on my mind.)
3. Grendel - you received the book. Here is an online link if you were absent: http://pkhedar.uiwap.com/Ebooks.txt/Gardner-Grendel.txt
4. Presented your second book card.

Make sure you read Chapters 1-4 of Grendel.

And, I forgot to remind fourth hour, you are more than welcome to store your big green AP Lit books in my room when you do not need them.

Gilgameshing

After vocabulary today, we finished overanalyzing the first 8 sections of Beowulf, focusing on the building motifs of light and dark, the juxtaposition of Grendel and Beowulf, and all that blood, bones, and gore left behind. Then, we underanalyzed the ending, looking more at the continuing motifs and ideologies and feeling the love for Grendel's mother.

Next, we used post it note questions to focus small group discussion on Gilgamesh and its three characters, epic similes, and motifs.

For homework, you still have your second book card due tomorrow. You also need to read The Iliad pgs. 65-76 (I think -- I am without a book at this current moment).

GRENDEL IS COMING TOMORROW!

Scapegoats & Brad Pitt

2: Today's class began with the drama of screaming goats, thanks to our vocabulary word "scapegoat" and Geico's obvious ode to the much blamed animal. After our vocabulary, we analyzed Beowulf - although, I suppose we spend as much time gathering pathos for the much maligned Grendel as we do the titled protagonist. As a class, we noted the juxtaposition of darkness (Grendel, hell, violence, pagan dealings with the devil) and light (men, earth, nature, signing, a throne of God's making) and how these two opposites seem to merge into one "gray morning" resplendent of man and monster morphing into one complex reflection of humanity.  We began our partner overanalysis and will finish said discussion on Thursday.

Reading-wise, finish Beowulf by reading pages 36-38, live like it's 999 by reading pages 40-41, and meet Gilgamesh by reading 56-63.

4: We started class discussing the dissolution of Angelina & Brad's marriage while copying down our next unit's vocab words, which will begin Wednesday. Then, we did all the same stuff as mentioned for second hour, so make sure you read through their synopsis and complete the same reading assignment.

Anglo-Saxons

Second hour copied down the latest unit of vocabulary while fourth hour completed the vocab quiz for unit 2. Any missing students will need to take the quiz by Wednesday.

Next up, we finished learning about New Historicist criticism, which will be the focus of your eventual paper. As cultural ideologies are at the center of this form of criticism, we created a class list of Anglo-Saxon ideologies, which we will use during our reading selections this week.

For homework, read Beowulf pages 21-36 and be prepared to over-analyze everything involved.

Into the New Historicist Lens

All classes: You now have a big green textbook, which will you use to read pages 4-20 this weekend. As you learn about the Anglo Saxons, write a list of their ideologies and behaviors to share in class on Monday. The last part of the reading sets up Beowulf, which will be on our agenda next week. And, do not forget that your second book card is due on Friday, September 23. And, make sure to turn in your Kate Chopin text by September 23. Write your name on the inside front cover for me.

2: We completed the vocab quiz for unit 2, which means any absent students will need to make up the quiz by Tuesday. Then, we peer evaluated your free response essays, which were then collected by me. To end the hour, we started to look at New Historicist Criticism, which deals with ideologies of the past and how they are represented to a modern culture. We will continue the background of this critical lens on Monday, and hopefully meet Beowulf and that pesky descendant of Cain.

4: We reviewed vocab, which means you will be taking the quiz on Monday. Then, we did everything listed under second hour.

The Random World of Free Response Essays

In the realm of vernacular improvement, second hour reviewed for their vocab quiz and fourth hour completed experts for unit 2.

For the remainder of our shortened hour, you worked on composing a practice free response essay on society and character reaction. (You may want to do your second book card on your free response text selection - unless it is The Awakening, which would cause a redundancy issue.)

Remember, always include small details that show your comprehension of the book. This may include an appositive clarifying a character's role, indicating the era of the time, or throwing in a related motif that reflects the prompt.

For tomorrow's class, bring in the finished essay. It is just a DRAFT!

And fourth hour, since you cannot have a carousel on your class t-shirts, several of us would like TABLE LEADER with someone raising a hand on the shirt this year.

Pure Imagination

While we did not completely abandon AP Lit today, we did spend the first part of our class stuffing ourselves with candy, reading quotes, and learning gobblefunk diction of Roald Dahl, the birthday boy who would have been 100 today. Hopefully, you will keep his optimistic outlook of magic, imagination, and reading as you continue into more AP Lit texts and assignments. If not, you now have gobblefunk as a type of diction category.

For the remainder of our time, you heard more about the free response prompt. You received a sample prompt, brainstormed possible texts, selected your favored text, and completed a thesis statement. You will be using this thesis statement for Thursday's class -- so be ready to write!

It's Over!

The presentations finished today! Phew! The best of the bunch was KP's from second hour, a mix of pyschoanalysis, feminist, historicist, and literary analysis with a dash of multiple Chopin texts and outside texts as well. She brought in the "Yellow Wallpaper" as a coup de gras!

To wrap up class, we made it back to vocabulary, and you received the 101 Texts handout. For homework, make sure to highlight all the texts you have read. You may be using these in the near future -- yes, tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, we will have our Roald Dahl celebration for his 100th birthday! And, we will start work on free response essay writing with a step by step essay.

Still Going

Day 3 of presentations. We will finish on Monday -- no matter what!

To give you something to do this weekend, complete your book card on The Awakening, which is due on Monday.

The Motifs Keep Coming

Yes, the presentations are taking longer than anticipated. However, the presentations are full of so much -- themes, characterization, literary devices, connections to other Chopin texts -- that it has been a pleasure to listen to students support their short stories with strong, passionate analysis. Who knew Chopin could bring such zealous attention to all of her motifs?

We will (maybe? hopefully?) finish presentations tomorrow. I would like to remind all of you to have a focused presentation for class.

And, if I have time to finish typing something, you will have something to do this weekend. It will involve highlighting and possible arts and crafts.

Lastly, since I was talking about cakes in second hour. Here are the three cakes I made this year for my babies:

Ingram's CHEESE Cake, made of 10 cheeses for her 10th birthday.. In case you are wondering, Ingram has very expensive tastes. Her favorites are Mobay and Chihuahua cheeses.

Monty's first birthday cake had to be special-so I made Gesine Bullock Prado's The Lovers, The Dreamers, and Me Cake. Yes, her recipe is an ode to Kermit the Frog. When I think of Kermit, I think of joy and happiness: the same qualities I see in my little Monty every day. 

For Tango's third birthday, I made a cake that looked like a pumpkin. Tango was completely afraid of it, so I don't have a picture of him enjoying it. Seed is more his thing!

Sorry I can't make you deserts like this anymore. But, we will have store-bought goodies for our Roald Dahl celebration on Tuesday!

The Very Thorough Presentations of Chopin, Her Birds, and Her Nineteenth Century Patriarchy

And I thought last year's presentations were dynamic and full of original analysis! While we only made it through nine of the thirty-four presentations today, all of them sang with enthusiasm for the short story, the milieu of Chopin's literary canon, and the literary elements apparent in the writer's craftsmanship of characterization.

We will continue presentations tomorrow...and Friday the way it is going. I would like to expedite the presentations a tad, so do be aware that you do not need a lot of "filler" or summation. As you analyze the text for theme, characterization, milieu, and connections to other texts, you will inevitably share the story's main plot points with the reader.

She's Still Swimming

Poor Edna. While the majority of us were firmly in her corner, supporting her awakening against patriarchy and its ill effects on men and women, her childish behavior began to wear thin on us, driving us to question her true awakening overall. Whether you liked the ending or not, we have finished The Awakening and are ready for presentations tomorrow. Be ready with your notes, texts, and evidence (with citations) to share your vision of Chopin's writing with the class. I'll be reading (and rereading) all the short stories tonight!

P.S. Second hour did fit in vocabulary today; fourth hour will have to wait until after the presentations.

SIS Woes

When I logged into SIS today, I noticed that three grades were missing from the AP Lit classes: the Helen group discussion, the Lucetta/EJ thesis work, and the Hawthorne prompt. Never fear -- I have a hard copy version that I will transfer to SIS later today. Urgh.

Finishing the Individual Close Reads

Alex Babel gave me approval to do these close reads again, so I am glad that you are gaining a great deal from this surprise analysis of a given passage. For all hours, finish The Awakening this weekend. We will finish previous chapters and the finale during Tuesday's class. Your short story/Chopin presentation will be Wednesday!

Close Reading Edna's Awakening

Well, it looks like my AP Lit classes are starting to think like English majors and break down the multiple meanings of diction, imagery, and symbolism existing in The Awakening!

To start class, you copied down unit 2 vocabulary words and received your expert assignment, which will begin tomorrow. Metamorphosis should prove a popular vocabulary word as our protagonist Edna continues to forgo sleep and awaken to life's possibilities.

Next, we finished our partner/group discussion of chapter 11 (second hour) and chapters 8-11 (fourth hour).

And last, and most entertaining, the individual close read of a passage from the text. On the board, each of you close read a passage and provided an analysis on the spot of the characterization, motifs, and literary elements used by Chopin. We will finish our individual close reads tomorrow before diving into the next chapters.

Reading assignment for tomorrow=

Second hour = Chapters 26-30
Fourth hour = Chapters 23-28

Make Vocab Quiz 1

If you were not in class during our first vocab quiz today, you will need to make arrangements to make up the quiz by Friday. You may schedule before school, after school, or during a study hall (preferred) or during class (if only option).

The sea, the birds, the light

Kate Chopin is the perfect author to start AP Lit: she focuses on character development, she critiques gender, class, and racial inequalities, and she loves the same motifs throughout her writing. (Jeez -- that was sure a hint for your short story presentation.)

Reminder for all classes: If you are absent during participation, you will need to show me your notes for the assigned readings. You are expected to shows me these notes the day you return.

2: The ladies completed the first vocabulary quiz and then spent the remainder of the hour discussing chapters 1-5 (whole class) and chapters 6-10 (partners/groups). We ran out of time, alas, for the chapter 11 group to share, so that will wait until Thursday. To prep for our block day, read through Chapter 25. We will be doing individual sharing with this section -- so pay attention to the literary devices.

4: After our vocabulary quiz, we completed a full class discussion of chapters 1-5. (Great job focusing on class differences in this milieu.) Alas, time betrayed us and we did not finish our small group discussion of chapters 6-11. We will resume on chapter 8 on Thursday. In addition, read through chapter 22.

Claiming Chopin

After reviewing for tomorrow's vocabulary quiz, you were officially assigned the Chopin presentation, which will feature a short story and its connection to other Chopin writings. As a result of this assignment, you each claimed a short story for this assignment. Remember, that you have a copy of all the short stories in your school e-mail. Check there for links and summaries to help you decide whether you will read more stories to further your presentation.

*Presentations will occur after we finish reading and analyzing The Awakening. Most likely, these will begin Monday.

Second hour, we will finish our full class discussion on chapters 1-5 tomorrow. Then, you will have small group responsibilities for chapters 6-11.

Fourth hour, we will begin your full class discussion with Alex's "Woah" and "Wow" thoughts and then have small group work for chapters 6-11.

Meeting Chopin

After finishing up vocabulary today, we spent time with paper meetings and working out ideas for improvement next time. (Fourth hour, we will finish meetings on Monday.) At some point of the hour, we recapped the life of Kate Chopin, a controversial figure breaking gender roles in her writings. For homework, read the first 5 chapters and prepare discussion starters and points for next class. (If you were absent, guess what? The Awakening is online so you will be expected to contribute.) I also passed out the overall assignment for the reading. We will go over this in-depth on Monday, but you are more than welcome to get a head start on it.

And, since Haley and I were talking about my dresses fourth hour, here is the link to my friend Kristen's website : http://iheartfink.com/ Yep, there are pictures of me in her lookbook.

Lucetta & EJ

As I have had little sleep the last two nights, I will make this a bullet list:

• We added 4 new words to vocabulary, which means we will add the last 3 words of the unit tomorrow.
• We close read, discusses, and created thesis statements regarding the characterization of Lucetta and Elizabeth Jane and their relationship. If you want to learn more about these ladies - or at least the context that leads to this conversation - read The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy. I love this novel -- it makes up for Jude the Obscure. Seriously, nicknaming your child Father Time is asking for trouble. Well, that was a small tangent.
• We discussed the AP grading evaluation of 1-9 and how your essays will be evaluated. During tomorrow's class, we will have one-on-one conferences to discuss anything involving writing, "The Birthmark," and AP Literature-related. 

For class tomorrow, read up on Kate Chopin's biography and have a working knowledge of her background. I had a clever awakening pun for this moment in the blog and, sadly, it just escaped my brain. Alas...

Characterization of Tom (not that one or that one -- the Buchanan one)

After our second day or vocabulary, we spent the day working on characterization, a popular prose prompt topic. With AP Literature, you do not have a straightforward characterization. You must tie this in with relationships to other characters, recognize subtle shifts, compare and contrast multiple characters, or connect the character's journey to the overall theme of the passage. Phew! To emphasize this complexity of characterization (really into alliteration with this post), we focused on Mr. Tom Buchanan and his slow recognition of rival romancer Gatsby. From his body language, words, and descriptions, we noted his character traits and how this created an uncomfortable, condescending, and competitive world with his fellow characters.

Second hour, you have homework -- highlight the character traits of Lucetta and Elizabeth in your text. We will work in partners or groups of 3, depending on the size of class that day, to discuss and present your analysis. Then, it will be time for "The Birthmark" and its discussion and essay review.

Fourth hour, don't fret -- you'll know what the above means during class on Thursday.

P.S. Scholar Quiz is our school's academic trivia team. Some of you have attended our practices, which occur every Friday after school in room 404. You are all welcome to attend our practices -- whether you look to be a full time player and earn a letter for competing or a part time player wanting to have fun and learn in a supportive team atmosphere. By the way, it is never too late to join the Scholar Quiz team. We are a splub competing with schools across St. Charles and St. Louis counties, we have finished second in district competition five times, and our goal this year is to win districts and make it to sectionals for the first time in our school's history. If you like trivia and have scheduling conflicts, we have trivia lunches every block Thursday in the library conference room. Bring your lunch, play trivia with us, and spend some quality time with the Scholar Quiz team in a relaxed environment.