The Final & The Holiday Break

Seventh hour is currently in the midst of taking their final prompt and full MC test for this last class of AP Lit's first semester. Unlike the other two AP Lit hours, they have the pleasure of taking both parts together. For those remaining two classes, you have taken your poetry prompt portion and will now have the MC section for your next one. Since the MC is 60 minutes, that would mean we will have the last 15 to discuss what you will be up to during the holiday break.

*And before I forget, the Lear Psychoanalysis Essay is due by 12:30 p.m. on Friday as a a hard copy. Neglecting to turn this in this assignment will not help your overall grade, so make sure you leave me this present before heading off for any holiday plans.

The holiday break assignment is to read The Cherry Orchard and complete a book card for the second day we return from break.

Second semester will go something like this: review of the final, allusion posters, more MC, The Metamorphosis, The Canterbury Tales, Romanticism & Feminism, Wollstonecraft, Frankenstein, Romantic Poets & tones, Wuthering Heights, 2 full practice exams. (Plus shoe voting - I'll sneak that in somehow - even if I'm not here for the process!) As per usual, we will be over-analyzing all of the aforementioned texts to prep you for the exam in May. If you keep up with all of your terms and analytical skills from first semester, you should be ready for any piece of literature that comes across your path.

I hope you enjoy The Cherry Orchard, which has been classified as a drama and a comedy. I'm sure we will have an excellent debate on how this is a comedy and the Russian culture's role pervading the play.

Have an excellent break, rejuvenate yourself, be merry, and prepare yourself for 2019, the year of graduation!

Educational Review

Today's class was a review of poetry prompts - especially when you have 2 poems to analyze, MC strategies, and the literary term cards. The final, as noted many a time, will be 2 parts: a poetry prompt and a full MC test (close read, close read, close read, close read, interact with the passage, interact with the passage, interact with the passage, interact with the passage - if this hypnotizes you into marking up your passages, then I have found a new strategy of teaching).

For those of you in seventh hour, you have the pleasure of taking the final all at one time! I guess the benefit to this scheduling is that you may choose which part of the final to complete first and which to reserve for second.

For second and fourth hour, you will take the writing prompt first and then the MC on the actual final period.

And, for all of you procrastinators out there, the Lear psychoanalysis essay is due by 12:30 p.m. on Friday in hard copy only. This is the last grade for the quarter, so if you are on that bubble between 2 grades for the semester, this may determine if you end up on the plus or minus side of your wanted grade.

The Poetry Test

We wrapped up our poetry unit today with the poetry test of feet, lines, poetic devices, poetry types, and everything else that we studied for the past 2 months. For those few not here, you will need to make up this as soon as possible - ideally, during a study hall in the upcoming days.

Tuesday will be our review of poetry prompts for the final and then you shall be ready for the exam, whether it be Wednesday (7th hour), Thursday (2nd hour), or Friday (4th hour).

Diary/Journal Evaluation Day

From recipes to class schedules to eyeballs to 80s time travel to jokes (apropos or not) to letters to burn books, the evaluation day for your Lear diaries/journals has been quite an experience. At this point, you have had students evaluate your work - so that means I'm next!

Make sure to review all of your poetry terms for the poetry test on Monday. Yes, it's just like the review. Yes, it's just like the poetry packet. Yes, it adds an aubade in there to test your recognition of poetry styles. Yes, it is a tad longer as a result. Yes, this is everything we have covered for the past 2 months in one package. Yes, I am feeling the anaphora right now. 

Don't forget Cocoa & Cram on Monday if you want to hang out with me, work with a practice prompt, try out some MC questions, and play with the cards. 

The Great Poetry Review

Today's class was dedicated to finishing the Act V discussion - and look how all of you are breaking down Shakespeare and his speeches for sound elements, poetry elements, and motifs that filter from beginning to end of the text! For the rest of the time, most importantly, we looked over the poetry review, a semblance of your poetry test on Monday, for all the information you will need to know and apply. As someone mentioned, you are essentially having a seek-and-find of poetry devices!

Tomorrow will be the ever-amusing diary/journal evaluation, which will allow you to read a plethora of creative, humorous, inspiring, (sometimes) ridiculous looks at our Lear characters! If absent, you are expected to share/send/have delivered your work for the student evaluation portion.

Team Goneril vs. Team Regan

Today was a potpourri of King Lear:

1. We finished up our Act IV speech analysis with some galloping.
2. We completed team MC #2, which means absentees would need to schedule a time to make this up.
3. We had a very entertaining, in all hours, battle between Team Goneril and Team Regan for the hand of Edmund.
4. We commenced our individual topic look at Act V, which we will finish very quickly next time around.

Thursday will be the poetry review - make sure that you complete this for your participation in class. The review is modeled off of your initial poetry packet, so it should look and feel quite familiar.

Friday will be our diary/journal evaluation day - remember that is you are not in class, you will need to share/send it to me or have a hard copy delivered prior to your hour so that it may be evaluated by the class.

Act IV, the Gallop Returns

With not a lot of time left in the semester, we have a lot to do! Starting with Act IV today, you had a chance to review poetry elements and meter with 4.1 and 4.2 scenes (i.e. your homework) and then do the same with an individual speech from the remainder of Act IV. And even more importantly, you had the chance to gallop the lines to prove true iambic pentameter in the text. If absent, you will be thrown into one of the remaining groups that will be finished next time.

If you don't want to wait until next class for the Poetry Review Packet, I just finished making the copies, and these will be available after school on Monday and every day after. The review packet should not be daunting - it looks like your original poetry packet, the basis of all our poetry work. And, the poetry test will be in the same format!

Meanwhile, our schedule is fairly set for the remainder of the semester:

11/12 - Finish any Act IV gallops, Team Regan vs. Team Goneril (you'll see), Act V
13 - Poetry Review Packet - you will be expected to have answers for everything
14 - Diary/Journal Evaluation Day *Part of your grade is the peer evaluation. If you will not be in class for the evaluation, you will need to share/send it to me or bring the hard copy before your class begins. Otherwise, you won't be able to earn those points.
17 - Poetry Test
18 - Review for Final
19 - Second & Fourth Hour Part I of Final; Seventh Hour Whole Final
20/21 - Second & Fourth Hour Part II of Final (just realized that would be the part that I have to take as well - better find my lucky pencils)
21 by 12:30 p.m. - Last chance to turn in hard copy of King Lear Psychoanalysis Essay

*We will continue with Team MC and MC practices to prep for the final over the next week. These will occur when we have the time during class; hence, I did not specify the days above.

The First Team MC

We crammed a great deal into today's class! We finished Act III discussion, we completed the first team MC (F.Y.I. Absentees will need to schedule a 12 minute period to make this up), and you now have the King Lear Psychoanalysis Essay with your presents :) Since you have Act IV read, you have 2 passages to close read for poetic devices and iambic pentameter!

Act III

We are in the midst of Act III - the storm and the eye act - the motifs that have been metaphorical this whole time are not literal - with several characters living outside of reality. Thus far, we have found some impressive structural techniques - especially with the caesura (is that why I'm so dash-happy today?), enjambment, finishing of iambs, random spondees here and there, alliteration, and consonance. For Friday, read through Act IV and see what will happen to our cast of characters.

Act II

Act II is complete for all of the classes - and we sure did have thorough discussions on the inversion of Edmund's and Edgar's soliloquies, all of that caesura and enjambment and alliteration, and all of those pushy Lear daughters asserting themselves and stealing iambs from daddy. Next, we might have completed our fourth practice MC (second hour), taken home our fourth practice MC for homework (fourth hour), or taken the fourth practice MC for grading next class (seventh hour). Next class will cover the major moments of Act III and anything else regarding MC passages.

Educator/Employee of the Year

If you have taken AP Lang, you know that the first argument of the course is Educator or Employee of the Year. While AP Lit will not be making this an assignment (hello, it's not poetry, alas), if you have someone in mind, you still can nominate him or her before December 14. This is your opportunity to show appreciation for a teacher or employee that has made a difference here at school.

Structure-wise, I recommend a 3-4 paragraph essay for this task so that it does not go on forever, but you still have space to express the evidence for your argument. I would also make one of your body paragraphs about how this person helps in the big picture for everyone, and then one that clarifies specific anecdote(s) how this person has helped you personally.

If you need further information, you can find a packet in Mr. Sutton's office or you can check out one of the copies that I have. You can then send your nominating essay to Julie Leacox, who would prefer a digital copy for formatting purposes.

The Sonnet & the Second Act

This is a reminder that you now have the King Lear Diary/Journal assignment and should be working on that activity as we continue forward with our analysis. King Lear, surprisingly, reads fairly quickly - especially since you have noted so much about character speech patterns and behavior. If you were not here and not picking up makeup work, you still need to have a character selection, and you must see me to do so. You cannot just pick the one you want because it may already be taken!

2 & 4: I think the majority of us quite enjoyed our third MC passage, which was quite straightforward in structure, literary elements, and meaning. As long as you keep interacting with the poem via close reading, you should have better opportunities to score well on the questions. In King Lear Act II, you were divided up into groups per scene to super over-analyze the speeches and the text. Remember, you want to take page by page and break down the structure, the psychoanalysis, and the literary elements populating the work. Second hour made it through the first 2 scenes (which we will recap next time) and will continue with the remaining 2 scenes next time. Fourth hour made it through the first scene and will finish the remainder on Wednesday. In both classes, read Act III for next time as well - I'll be in charge of that discussion and focusing on the major speeches and conflicts.

7: We started off class looking at sample diaries/journals from previous years and then selecting your character for the diary. If absent, you will need to see me to select the character - as noted above. Then, we looked over your MC passage 3 and started our look at Act II. Read Act III for Tuesday - we have a block day and should have plenty of time to delve into that act as well.

Your Role in King Lear

In all hours, we are through with Act I and will have Act II on Monday. Additionally, you were assigned the King Lear Diary/Journal, which will involve you becoming one of the Lear characters and crafting the background, activities, and randomness that reflects a round character. If absent, you will need to pick up this assignment and find out what character you will be. Beyond having Act II ready to go, complete the third MC passage, timing yourself 12 minutes.

Father-Daughter Bonding

As we looked at the remainder of Act I, we saw the new empowered role that Goneril has assumed and how her specialty of gaslighting her father has completely flopped their relationship. Tomorrow we will finish anything remaining in Act I, talk about the journal/diary project, and try out another MC passage. And, don't forget to have Act II ready to go for Monday.

Other Daddies

If you haven't noticed, we spent a great deal of time overanalyzing the opening speeches of our King Lear characters today and seeking out the characters that rhyme, the enjambment, the caesura, the fluctuating iambic pentameter, the birth order behaviors, the id and its ugly effusiveness, the displacement, the opening sight/blindness motif (probably important later), and Edmund's soliloquy. With that in mind, you know exactly what you need to look for to finish Act I for next class.

2: We finished up our "Daddy" psychoanalysis with the last conceit and the psychological impact of realizing that your paramour happens to have the same "black heart" as your father. Oops. We then moved into our opening scene, the set up of status, parent and children relationships, and the background of the plot all via Gloucester, Kent, and that guy hanging out in the corner, Edmund. Ever think he was practicing his later soliloquy during this time? Then, we broke down all our major character's speeches for structure, psychology, and literary elements. Our last moments looked at Edmund's actual soliloquy and all the techniques inherently involved in creating the doubts of the bastard, the ills of society's judgment, and the eventual switch to a displaced vengeance.

4: We have done all of the above for second hour and finished 1.2 as well - looking at poor Edgar's role in his brother Edmund's plot. How fun that Edmund actually joined the rhyming club for one couplet - although, I think we agree he is trying to be the "good guy" in his verbal gymnastics. That's probably why he can't stick to iambic pentameter for very long.

7: We started off with MC Passage 2 to practice previewing the questions prior to the close reading. Ultimately, it is up to your personal preference whether your question or close read first. Afterwards, we worked our way through 1.1 (as noted in previous hours) and will be overanalyzing Edmund's soliloquy to start off next class.

Daddy

To return to our two-sided focus of poetry and psychoanalysis, all hours looked at a close reading of "Daddy," which highlighted that regressive tendency and the Electra complex of the speaker, the "oo" sound impact and how its sporadic usage impact the childlike persona of the speaker's memories, the big 3 conceits with those feet (synecdoche), those Nazis, and those supernatural vampires, the meandering enjambment, and the trauma of the real occurring from all of this! s hour still needs to finish up this one, but I think you may have noticed all the content pulled from this poem that you may not have been able to do three months ago. We will be working with King Lear 1.1 in detail (fourth hour started the process with everyone's "father of the year" Gloucester and his retelling of his "*****son's" conception). After looking at this opening, it will be about Lear, his daughters, Kent (anyone else see him as the son that Lear never had?), the very sparse rhyming and who has that honor, caesura, enjambment, broken iambic pentameter, forced rhyme, and all those other literary elements hiding within the prose and poetic lines. Make sure you have read 1.2 as well - did you figure out Edmund's favorite letter/sound yet?

Siblings

As I have exactly zero ethos on siblings, it was refreshing to hear the common characteristics of birth order and how that influences behavior, relationships, and careers. Why were we talking about birth order? To prep for the psychoanalysis of 3 sisters and 2 brothers in King Lear, of course! In all classes, we looked at the terminology of psychoanalysis - primarily defense mechanisms, anxieties, id, ego, superego, and a few Lacan theories on objet petit a and the trauma of the real.

To have something to do over break, you have the close read of "Daddy" by Sylvia Plath (I recommend looking at poetry elements and the psychoanalysis of the speaker, who is so related to Plath herself that you may want to check out a biography of her to help with your understanding.) It's online - just Google to find and have your notes ready.

In addition, you are to read and take notes analyzing literary elements and psychoanalysis of characters in King Lear 1.1. If you don't have a copy, I recommend googling the text - you will find it many a place.

When we return, we have Daddy, Lear (hold on - another Daddy - wait, was this purposeful?), more MC, your journal/diary/blog assignment, and everything else to wrap up the semester of poetry, Shakespeare, and psychoanalysis!

The Prose & The Psychoanalysis

2 & 4: Taking a slight break from poetry, we completed another MC passage, the second one, that was in prose style with several questions ranging from tone to paradox. Afterwards, we started our look at psychoanalysis and its ideas regarding the unconscious and repression. We will be back to familial issues tomorrow and then it is time for Lear!

7: We analyzed and galloped to sonnets 116 and 130. Both sonnets gave several opportunities to participate in poetry and rhythmic knowledge. Kudos to Danny for reading your latest box prompt for Sonnet 138 in fluent iambic pentameter: In regards to Sonnet 138, how does Shakespeare use poetic elements to reflect the overall theme of the poem?And, if you don't have the handout, you can create boxes of your own on notebook paper because this is due tomorrow! Also for tomorrow, do research on birth order and dream symbolism for our foray into psychoanalysis. As noted in class, we will be focusing solely on psychoanalysis tomorrow, which means we will return back to MC passages after break. 

Contemporary Galloping

2 & 4: After over-analyzing sonnets 116 &130, we spent the rest of the time galloping, and in creative fashions, forward and backward, horse stance and forward kicks, famous dance moves, just about anything imaginable! For Monday's class, you have a new box prompt for Sonnet 138 (the last poem in your packet and can be found online in multiple places):  In regards to Sonnet 138, how does Shakespeare use poetic elements to reflect the overall theme of the poem?And, if you don't have the handout, you can create boxes of your own on notebook paper! Also for Monday, do research on birth order and dream symbolism for our foray into psychoanalysis.

7: We are a tad behind the other classes, but we are galloping, so we've have nothing to complain about! After finishing our Sonnet 18 gallop, we tried our hand at our first MC passage, starting with close reading and moving into identifying question types and answering the questions. For next class - whatever day that might be - you will need sonnets 116 & 130 close read and over-analyzed. And yes, more galloping will occur! And, congrats for your perfect score on the first MC passage - the only AP Lit class to do so!

The Choices Begin

We are all in the midst of multiple choice and Shakespeare in class while I am still fired up over the absolutely ridiculous Dancing with the Stars results last evening. I usually save my ire for verbal criticism directed at the television, but since I am supposed to be more "calm," I can at least write down how the great, the marvelous Cheryl Burke and her partner, the smoldering Juan Pablo di Pace, deserve a lot better. Seriously, how can you have a better tango with all the leg wraps: Argentine Tango! Or, to have an actual celebrity partner do Samba rolls - in 2 directions: Samba! I think I shall rant about this for several days or future seasons of the show, which I also did when Gilles Marini did not win! Focusing back on AP Lit, our hours continued forward with our plans of merging multiple choice and Shakespeare.

2 & 4: We completed a MC passage as a class - with this version beginning with the close read, then categorizing the questions, then answering the questions. Both classes scored 9/10 - missing that "except" question. For homework, you have the close reading, the over-analysis of Sonnets 116 & 130. You will be in charge of class tomorrow, so make sure you have the structure, iambic pentameter, and poetic elements ready to go. Plus, we'll have some galloping (stretch before class if needed)!

7: In the Shakespeare world, we Shakespearized versions of famous movie quotes, we looked at Sonnet 18 for its structure and its meaning, its iambic pentameter, and its galloping potential!

To Gallop Or Not To Gallop

Today began our galloping cardio work or the physical representation of iambic pentameter. While you can't literally jump and gallop during the AP exam, you can at least use the skills to identify rhythm in the future. We will gallop more later in the week or, in the case of seventh hour, tomorrow!

2 & 4: Sonnet 18 was on center stage today as we identified iambic pentameter and then galloped across the room for each of its 14 lines (3 times each = a minimum of 420 steps). If you would like to see the video is non-purple specific color, here is the link: Teaching Shakespeare Iambic Pentameter. At the end of class, we overviewed the MC portion and will have our first passage tomorrow.

7: While I can't wait to see the galloping antics of this hour, it will have to wait until we make it through our opening Shakespearean diction and translation portion. First, we reviewed all of our poetry terms, then we looked at common phrasing and verb tricks, then we insulted one another, then we worked on a crossword to practice all of the phrasing. I'm typing this during 6th hour, so you may have some translating work to do in the packet for tomorrow.

A Start to Shakespeare

Due to shortened classes, our intro to Shakespeare was quite low-key!

2 & 4: We looked at our crossword, translated expressions, and listened to Tom Hiddleston read Sonnet 18 to us. Alas, he could not be here in person! Sonnets, MC, Psychoanalysis, and King Lear are all on the horizon!

7: We finished up the poetry packet with all those sonnets! Next class will review all those poetry terms!

Monologues, Sonnets, Villanelles, & Insults

The poetry packet is coming to its conclusion, which means its time to put all of these poetical feet, stanzas, sound devices, and terms into action with Shakespeare. I probably have mentioned another poetry style, the aubade, in passing, as it is not the most noted poem for the AP test. Here is a little sample and background of aubades: https://literarydevices.net/aubade/.

2: We began the hour looking at 4 types of poems - each of which we can identify by looking at its structure and not its content - Italian/Petrarchan Sonnet, Shakespearian Sonnet, Spenserian Sonnet, and the Villanelle. I mentioned in fourth hour that whenever I take a poetry test and have to identify the types of poems, I always look for the aforementioned four as the rhyme scheme or the stanza length will lead you in the proper direction. With the packet out of the way. we moved into Shakespeare by insulting one another! Hopefully, you will use your new knowledge of insults in the appropriate times! For homework, you need to finish the crossword puzzle in the Shakespeare packet.

4: We started with dramatic monologue and its performance and then moved into all of the the same stuff as second hour. For homework, you are crafting the perfect insult and then finishing the crossword puzzle.

7: We most likely will not be fully finished with the poetry packet, so that shall occur tomorrow. Today's class revolved on the less-controversial interpretations of elegies, dramatic monologues, and sonnets. We are setting up for Shakespeare work, so I hope you will be ready to find that iambic pentameter and gallop!

Odes, Elegies, & Monologues

We continue our way through the poetry packet - with not too many types of poetry left to cover! That means you need to have ethos on every type of poem and all of the poetic terms - new or old - for our future analysis.

2: We spent our time finishing up "Adonais" and looking at "O Captain" to finish up our look at elegies and all those caesuras! To make class even more "interesting," Carsyn and Ashlyn volunteered to perform the ever-dramatic "Porphyria's Lover." We will finish up the packet tomorrow by looking at all of those sonnets and the villanelle! Then, our life will be Shakespeare and MC and psychoanalysis!

4: Our class finished up the "Ode," looking at the varying interpretations of the French Revolution and the dirge of Romantic thought in poetry. Then, we spent quality time with the elegy and all the examples of caesura filtering through the poems. Tomorrow, we will be with Porphyria, or at least with her for a little time.

7: I have never seen such passion on the debate whether "Ode to the West Wind" represents the French Revolution or the philosophical Romantic Revolution! I hope we won't have anyone going to the guillotine! We spent quality time on this ode, which was well worth it to break down all of the various poetic elements. Tomorrow will be elegies and the rest of the packet (or at least an attempt at it)!

Eleventh

If you are not aware, the centennial of the end of WWI will be this Sunday with many memorials and commemorations of the event that occurred at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Originally, we were going to have an AP Lit celebration to mark this historical event and close read poetry of the war. Alas, we are a bit behind in schedule and have much to do to finish the semester with all of our skills and readings, so we will have to shelve the actual party. (It looks like our big party will have to be for our Canterbury Tales next semester.) Instead, here are links to the poets of WWI, which you may find occasion to read this November 11 in memorial of those who lost their lives, fought for their country, and became part of history. (Or, you can use it as an excuse to practice finding all of the poetic elements.)

"The Soldier" by Rupert Brooke, who died on his way to Gallipoli, age 27, once considered the "handsomest young man in England" by Yeats. He is probably the most famed WWI poet, or at least the one that pops up in Scholar Quiz competitions from time to time.

"For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon, which was composed to honor the British Expeditionary Force casualties at the Western Front and read annually for ANZAC Day and other remembrance days.

"The Man He Killed" by Thomas Hardy, which was written prior to WWI, but I often include this into the poems of WWI as its sentiment was a precursor to what occurred to many soldiers.

"The German Ward" by Emma Brittain, who was a VAD nurse during the war and would eventually write a memoir in the 1930s detailing how her experience led her to a pacifist philosophy.

And even if I'm not a fan, Hemingway's works detailing soldiers and their experiences still do create a realistic view of the war and its after effects (A Farewell to Arms is the best novel, in my eyes, by him). A short story of his to ponder: "Soldier's Home".

And lastly, I was not aware of this poet until about a month ago, but she has quite the biography surrounding her writing. Introducing Mary Borden "Forgotten" Female Poet; the article has many links and samples of her writing, but here is a link to one of her poems: "At the Somme: The Song of the Mud".

If we ever do end up with extra time later on, we may brings these poems in. In the meanwhile, you have an excellent opportunity to revere the past and its poets.

Shelley & Keats

As we continue through our poetry work, you may have noted that class began with a review of all the feet, meter, stanzas, and rhymes. For those of you "passing" at this point, this is non-negotiable material that you have to know. As we continued through the poetry packet, more poetry terms popped up: apostrophe (hello, old friend from our previous Donne poems), enjambment, and caesura. All three of these elements are of consequence to poetry and necessary to know the definition, be able to pick out in a poem, and analyze the significance of this addressee. The poetry packet sets up all of this knowledge in a helpful manner by giving definitions and pointing out passages (quite obviously at times) where to find these elements. With such an aid in your hands, you have the companion to teach you the poetic terms and styles and keep utilizing these devices throughout all of our poetry work - including Shakespare and MC, both to begin this week at some point! Jeez, I have a lot of copies to make!

2: We made it through the Odes and are partially through our Elegies, which will continue with "Adonais" next time. I know you are all just biding your time until the dramatic monologue, but we have to do the lugubrious poems first! Make sure you are completing your poetry packet and actively engaging with the poems and the given questions and suggestions for interpretations.

4: We are currently finished with the Lyrics and are almost so with our Ode, which we will finish up next time before going into the Elegies and the Dramatic Monologue. We had a great class today, so keep up with the packet and be prepared to answer all questions relating to the poems. I was actually on fairly good behavior regarding Shelley in your class, so we shall see if that continues into "Adonais."

7: Hmm...I'm going to try for a little clairvoyancy prior to class starting or ending, so I will use my earlier experiences today to predict our class agenda and our plans for next time around. I have a strong feeling that we will work with Lyrics today - from the poetry packet and the textbook samples - and will start working with Odes (even if it is Shelley and not Keats in this circumstance). For next class, continue with the Elegy and Dramatic Monologue in the packet.

It's Benjamin Banneker Week!

In exciting news, it is Benjamin Banneker week, which celebrates the revered writer, scientist, and all-around savant. I must say that one of the highlights of teaching AP Lang for all of these years is my introduction to Banneker, his historical significance, his brilliance as a savant, and his letter-writing abilities to our old buddy Tommy J.

 Here is a little more information from a fun website of daily, weekly, and monthly celebrations: https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/benjamin-banneker-week/. 

And, to make this a little more relevant and applicable, you will notice that there are 2 activities for celebrating Banneker's role in our lives. 

The first is to make a clock face (non-working) using mathematics to represent the numbers 1-12 (so don't literally write 1, 2, and so forth but construct formulas or mathematical expressions to represent each number). Here is a picture I found online (which may be blocked since it originally came from facebook) of such a clock, which looks to be made out of cardboard: https://www.facebook.com/events/1601106116857922. 

The second is to compose a poem that actually features mathematical puzzles for the reader to solve. Here are some examples: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/resources/mathematical-puzzles-benjamin-banneker. As you can see the word problems are divided up into verse form, which means you can play with rhyme and diction and poetic elements to express math. 

So to make this interesting and decorate my room, you have the challenge of constructing a 3 dimensional clock (so not on typing paper but with a more solid material - creative materials add to the presentation) and/or a mathematical poem on decorated construction paper/cardboard/posterboard for extra credit. The poem can have combined mathematical puzzles to boost the level of difficulty and content. All the math must be accurate - and, yes, I am a polymath (at least that is what Joe Cassidy calls me) and have right and left brain talents. The clock will be worth a maximum of 35 points, and the mathematical poem will be worth a maximum of 20 points. Points will be awarded for originality, mathematical connection, presentation, and effort, which means those utilizing the most clever materials, math, and presentation will amass the most points. 

You can do one of each by the way. The due date for this extra credit, which must be in person, is Monday, November 12, so you have one week on this extra credit opportunity. This must be turned in via hard copy (obviously) by 2:40 p.m. on that day. If you have any questions, e-mail me for clarifications. Otherwise, I am looking forward to the final products! Especially since I had about 8 clocks last year and no poems! Photo below - you can tell which had a little more effort than others. 

The Ballad & A Bit of Lyric

2: We started off with the ballad and ended with the lyric, looking at all the characteristics of each poem type, practicing the identification of meter, stanza, sound devices, repetition, rhyme scheme, and other dynamics of poetry. For Monday, you will need to work on the ode, elegy, and dramatic monologue sections for participation and clarification of poetic elements.

4: We looked at different types of rhyme and then spent quality time with the ballads and an introduction to lyric poetry. We will have one more sample of lyrical poetry before moving forward into ode and elegy, which you  need to have completed in your poetry packet.

7: It looks like the update did not save, but seventh hour's agenda involved all those frisky ballads with elegies and odes to come next week.

The Foot Becomes a Line

In all AP Lit hours, we are in the midst of improving our poetic vernacular, breaking words into syllables, and determining unstressed and stressed sound combinations. At this point, all of you have broken down the "g" words on the foot & meter handouts, finding all the iamb, trochee, spondee, dactyl, and anapest feet. For second hour and fourth hour, you also shared your creative lines from the second half of the handout; seventh hour will share their phrases tomorrow. In addition, second hour made it through the next few pages of the poetry packet with line, stanza, and rhyme terminology and the introduction of our first poetic genre, the ballad. Second hour's homework is to read the ballad example and respond/close read for the attached questions/statements afterwards.

P.S. We will be using your lit books in class for sample poems. Make sure to have yours with you!

'Twas the Day of Keats Birth

Happy birthday to the brilliant Keats, the poet fascinated by the imagination, Grecian urns, nightingales, the life that he would never, alas, have the chance to live with Fanny. One of his most cited poems during this time of year would be "This Living Hand" - from the quick read focusing on diction, it could be deemed a spooky representation of the holiday. However, knowing Keats frustration with a shortened life, this probably means more than a scare.

Meanwhile, as the words "guitar" and "Gorgonzola" haunt the memory, we are continuing forward with our foray into poetry and your growing ethos regarding the genre, how to interpret its meaning, and break down its structure. All classes, no matter where we are in the cycle, have your new best friend, the poetry packet, which will come in handy in the upcoming weeks and months. If you have procrastinated a bit, you have your 2 box prompts to do this evening.

2: After finishing the rangefinders for Sidney's prompt, you received your essays back, which revealed that you once did not have as strong of grasp on poetry analysis as you do now. Some big tickets items for this prompt included the paradox, the apostrophe, the alliteration, the rhyme scheme and its shift, and the complex tone of the speaker. Remember, the speaker is at the center of each poem - and that is a way to tie in persona too. To end class, we looked at different types of feet (as in meter). Tomorrow will be more with meter, structure, and poetry styles. We will be attempting to do as much of the poetry packet as we can each day.

4: Upon a second close reading, many poetic elements appeared in Sidney's sonnet - alliteration, paradox, apostrophe, rhyme shifts, complex tones. With that in mind, we scored the rangefinders to find out what makes the prompt successful (and the main reason = speaker). At the end of the hour, we looked at the 5 type of feet, which means we will be practicing identifying feet tomorrow.

7: Same as second hour - except we still need to go over the meter activity together to see how you did with breaking words into syllables, figuring out the stressed components, and identifying each foot type. More to come with that poetry packet tomorrow!

Almost Donne

In all classes today, we wrapped up Donne's sonnets and all the forced rhymes, the motifs, the color symbolism, the alliteration, the progressing acceptance of his feelings regarding the death of his wife and his eventual end. Afterwards, we looked back at your Dragon box prompts, which were not as high quality as they could be. Ergo, we discussed what are the components of successful thesis statements, body paragraphs, and concluding statements to make your next box prompts much more successful. Very appropriate timing because you have 2 box prompts (Petrarch/Donne and Songs/Sonnets) that will be due Thursday. I have all those box prompt copies, so these are available if you happened to be out of class today.

2: In addition to Petrarch and Donne, we close read "Thou Blind Man's Mark," which revealed a plethora of literary elements to analyze for an essay: structure, anaphora, repetition, sonnet structure, apostrophe, paradox, and the pervasive accusatory, cacophonous (and a lot of other adjectives) alliteration. To conclude the hour, we began the analysis of the rangefinders, which will be completed next time around. So far, we have realized that a poet who rhymes in the sixteenth century did so to be popular, which I hope none of you try to replicate in your future analyses.

We're Still Not Donne! (Sorry)

Each class is currently a variation on the theme of Donne!

2: After analyzing the Songs and the Sonnets (minus the last one, which we will get to on Monday), you received the rangefinders for "The Blind Man" prompt, which you will need to assign a score. We will talk about the poem (which should be an easier read for you now) and the scoring before the great, big poetry packet will arrive!

4: We made it through all of those Songs, which means we started the close reading of the Sonnets! We will do our partner/group share of the sonnets and their structure, of course, on Monday. In addition, you have "The Blind Man" poetry prompt in your possession in order to help you remember the poem in order to score all of the rangefinders this weekend!

7: I'm typing this early today, so my prediction is that you will be in the same case as second hour with a few Sonnets left to analyze. For additional reading this weekend, you have the rangefinders for "The Blind Man" prompt, which you will need to score for Monday's class. 

Either Donne If You Do and Donne If You Don't

Just a quick recap of Wednesday's class for second and fourth hours: we had a lot of fun ending the Petrarch sonnets, looking at multiple translations of the same poem and how it informs the tone, imagery, motifs, and thematic presentation, concentrating on persona via Petrarch and Donne's VERY DIFFERENT speakers, reviewing Donne's biographical high and low points, and enjoying Donne's "The Flea" for all of its innuendos and direct salaciousness! At the end of class, you had group time to analyze a song in preparation for Thursday's class.

2 & 4: After our vocab quiz, we returned back to the Songs and looked at all of the literary elements, sound devices, and personas available (thankfully, forced rhyme made an appearance in both classes!). We will finish the songs tomorrow and then move into the sonnets portion.

7: After our vocab quiz, you worked in groups to analyze the Songs and then share with the class. Sonnets will most likely begin tomorrow.

7th Hour Donne

I don't think I have laughed so hard regarding Donne, his personas, his conceits, and his way of writing about "pests" than I have today during seventh hour. I look forward to hearing what you next to have say with his remaining songs!

In regards to seventh hour only, we started with a vocab review, which means the last vocab quiz of the semester will be next time around. And don't worry if you need to add more words to your daily vernacular - after Donne and a few "little things," we have a whole poetry packet of terms to memorize! In the analysis portion of the show, we finished our sonnet analysis of Petrarch and looked at how 2 translations of the same poem can adjust the tone, imagery, and perspective, Lady! Next, we looked at persona, the speaker's character via Petrarch's "Fame" selection and Donne's "Indifferent" example. Obviously, there is quite a juxtaposition here. After going over all of Donne's biographical fun facts, we read "The Flea" and looked at this persona as well. For homework, you have one of the songs to analyze. If you were absent, you have "The Paradox" as your selection. Make sure that beyond the close reading of the song that you also describe the persona.

A Little Team Promotion

As you may know, I am the coach of the Scholar Quiz team, our competitive trivia team that travels to schools across St. Charles County. We have been fortunate to win the Holt Invitational, win Districts for the past two years, and have competitive Sectional matches. Since the Scholar Quiz team is an extracurricular, I do not want to hijack the class or try to “sell” it to any of you or make it seem that being part of the team will influence your AP class standing whatsoever. However, some of you may not know about our team and would like a little background information.

So, if you are looking to add something to your college resume, improve your knowledge for a multitude of AP classes, work with a supportive team, compete with other schools, meet many other students from our area, and earn a letter, stick around for a bit more details regarding the team.

On the other hand, if you have a packed schedule and do not have interest in joining our extracurricular, thank you for taking the time to read the introductory paragraphs and considering any involvement.

The Scholar Quiz team is currently looking for team members to join Varsity, JV, and Novice levels. Those who join the team can have strengths in academia (literature, science, math, history), current events, pop culture, sports, or fun facts. Even if you are not an “expert,” you can become one by working with the Scholar Quiz team. Plus, you have a lot of literature knowledge that our Varsity teams need!

The time commitment is quite manageable for whatever your commitment would be to the team. So if you want to be a full time member or part time member, there are opportunities to be part of our competitive team. During a regular week, we have Trivia Lunches on C/D days (1/2 hour) and practice on Fridays (approx. 1 hour). We also have additional chances to prep and practice for competition in what I call “Random Acts of Trivia” that occur after school in ½ hour increments from time to time. For those thoroughly committed to the team, we do have bonus practices prior to big competitions.

Competitions run from late November until April. There are 6 competitions on Tuesdays (2 hours for 2 matches for players of all ability) and a minimum of 5 Saturday matches (full day and for the strongest players). If you sign up, you will communicate with the team your full availability – as in all – or if you will have a partial schedule.

If you are interested, stop by any of our trivia lunches or practices to check out the Scholar Quiz team. And if you would like to be an official teammate, pick up an availability form (it is a grandiose RSVP form) to clarify your availability for our upcoming competitions.

If you have any questions, please do ask me, our Captain Emily Sigmund, our Captain of Representative Leadership Lorraine Linson, or any team members. And, thank you for reading about our Scholar Quiz team. This is my tenth year coaching, and it has been the most rewarding experience for me to be part of such a close team (we still have our alumni showing up during the year) and to learn so much random facts like the Defenestration of Prague, the Great Emu War, or the Great Molasses Flood.

Petrarch Part III (almost Donne)!

Since you are already inundating me with puns, I thought I would start the pun party with this blog title! As noted in all classes today, the expectation of poetry analysis is to revolve your discussions and writings around structure, literary devices, and poetic devices. Paraphrasing the poem is not acceptable - especially as we further set up how to write essays for this genre.

2: After vocab experts, we made it through the analysis of the remaining sonnets and their motifs, tone shifts, voltas, alliteration, and other literary elements that create the octave, sestet, and theme. For homework, you are to compare the first sonnet on page 1 to the left sonnet on page 5. Yes, it is the same poem with 2 different translations! You are to highlight/circle/whatever form the differing words and jot down how these alterations adjust the poem's tone, meaning, whatever you want to bring up that does not involve paraphrasing! In addition, read the bios of Donne - I believe it's pages 11-13 and be ready to show off your newfound ethos next class.

4 & 7: We did not finish all of the sonnets of Petrarch. However, all the above listed for second hour is true for your class, so make sure you are prepared to finish our Petrarch work and transition to the world of Donne.

Petrarch Part II

What a benefit to having Chiara in AP Lit class this year as she studied Petrarch, Dante, and Boccaccio (the big 3 of Italian writing) in her native language - and spent a more considerable time studying each author's intricacies. As Chiara mentioned to fourth hour today, Petrarch's sonnets can be subdivided into 3 phases: the lovey-dovey infatuation of Laura's presence in his life, the bitter agony of his feelings after her premature passing, and the eventual acceptance and religious connectivity post-death. If you look back at our first 3 sonnets, you can probably figure out at what point of his infatuation that each was composed.

All classes (how refreshing) continued with vocab to begin the hour. Then, we broke into 3 groups (sonnet 2, sonnet 3, and overall Petrarch) to analyze the sonnets and their octaves, voltas, sestets, motifs, and the like. If absent, as always, you will need to show my your close reading/notes on these sonnets.

Homework-wise, there is a little differentiation on the hours:

2: All present have been assigned one of the remaining Petrarch poems for close reading. If you were absent, you are in charge of "Ne per sereno ciel ir vaghe stelle" for close reading (that would include structural concerns, lit elements, and anything else of importance to the sonnet). On Monday, all of you will be expected to elaborate upon your given sonnet.

4 & 7: All present have been assigned two remaining Petrarch poems for close reading. If you were absent, you will need to close read these two: "L'altro et novo miracol ch'a' di'nostri" and "Ne per sereno ciel ir vaghe stelle." As your Petrarch packet is quite portable, it should not be an issue to have all the structural and literary term analysis ready for Monday's class.

The Petrarchan Sonnet

Well, if you missed today's class, you missed out on all the technical components of Petrarchan Sonnets, how to break down a sonnet for structure and probable analysis opportunities, and how iambic pentameter works in a poem. In all of the classes, we read the first Petrarchan poem on pg. 1 for its literary elements, diction, tone, and theme. Then, we looked at the structure of his sonnets via "The Cross of Snow" (yes, it is an American poem, but we are at the mercy of translations for Petrarch!). Last, we returned back to the original poem to identify the Italian rhyme scheme (Grazie to Chiara for reading the poem for us in the way it is meant to be heard!) and determine how the octave and sestet operate.

For tomorrow, you are to close read the second and third poems - you can break down the structure, the diction, the tone, the shifts, the literary elements, the overlapping habits of Petrarch in his sonnets!

All Those Free Responses

We had a bit of a transition day leading into poetry, which all of you seemed fine to do. We started off with your portfolios and your free response and New Historicist essays now held within its covers. Then, we started our Vocab Unit 4 and played a spirited round of Last Person Standing. To end, you have the Petrarch/Donne packet in your possession with the assignment to bring it back tomorrow and not lose it over the course of this introduction to poetry.

Let the Poetry Begin!

We're starting the next part of the AP Literature exam, and it is the poetry prompt! For some reason or another, many a student dreads poetry and querulously declares lack of understanding, its complicated syntax, or impatience to focus on language and not those big ticket items of character, conflict, setting, and plot. Poetry is a completely different beast from prose - and the way to mastering it all starts with patience. Yes, a "p" word that you know I don't have ready at will, but one that comes in handy with poetry.

Why does poetry "freak out" readers? Most likely, the cause stems from poetry's use of inversion to create meter and sound effects. At times, the subject is buried several words into a clause with all the descriptors, verbs, or objects mucking up standard sentence order. Solution? When diving into the poetic phrase, reorder the sentences into standard subject-verb-direct object form to understand meaning. Once you have meaning, you have theme and then all the other connective elements that make poetry beautiful.

How to approach the device issue? As with prose, poetry is still full of motifs, figurative language, paradoxes (a favorite of the AP Lit prompts for sure), and other common literary elements that were featured in our previous readings. (And, of course, there are always diction and tone shift to help with analysis.) However, if you want to boost up your poetic interpretation, you might want to go to poetic type, structure of stanzas, meter usage, sound patterns, and those quirky enjambments and caesuras. Look at all the poetry "stuff" that will be littering your brain for the next month (I guess, months) to come!

This has become an utter babble today! Overall, the main message is some of you will be strong at certain aspects of poetry and some of you will stick with the old standbys because it is not your favorite genre to pursue. In any circumstance, the plaintive "I don't know" or "I don't understand" are not phrases acceptable because on the AP exam, you have to connect to something and build an essay around it.

If you were absent today, you have the diagnostic poetry prompt to do. This is a 45 minute spectacle that can be made up in study hall (best choice), after school (second choice), or during class (if only option).

Tomorrow will start up Vocab Unit 4. I hate to disappoint my vernacular-lovers, but this is our last vocab unit for this semester. Gasp! We'll do 4 more in the spring. With all of the poetry terms about to infiltrate your lives, you will need your brain power on that memorization!

End of Quarter!

When you wake up in the morning and flip on the television to watch Princess Eugenie's wedding and you see that see is wearing the extraordinary Peter Pilotto and the best shoe designer ever (I do have opinions on some things), Charlotte Olympia, the hope for an engaging Friday become that much greater!

In all classes today, we copied down the next vocab unit and played class card games. Unsurprisingly, the struggle with poetry terms was greater than prose, which makes sense since we will be starting our poetry work next week!

New Historicist essays should be in my possession by 3:45 p.m. as this will be the last major grade of the quarter and the final assessment for our Anglo-Saxon, epic poetry, and prose work, or everything we worked on first quarter.

Peer Eval Day

In groups of 3 (or maybe 2 if we have awkward division), you audibly and visually peer evaluated the New Historicist essays for the entire hour. If you were absent, you missed out on the opportunity to have feedback from your class. While that may or may not be a determent, you still have the final draft in hard copy form due by 3:45 p.m. on Friday.

Our Friday's class is going to be a little low maintenance with a hodgepodge of activities going on, which seems like something appropriate for the last day of the quarter. Poetry will dominate our next few weeks of class with Petrarch, Donne, and Shakespeare leading the way. In addition, we will start MC work soon to practice close reading skills (as always) and MC strategies for that portion of the exam.

"I'm a boulder! I'm a tree!"

Kudos to our winning interpretations of Grendel from seventh and second hours. In seventh hour, we witnessed an unconventional therapy session between Grendel and his "patient" Unwerth, who had a bit of a chip on his shoulder regarding apples. In second hour, we had Grace becoming a boulder and a tree to take down that poor, determined goat. Hopefully, these will be memorable showcases of the novel and inspiration to write your first draft of the New Historicist essay for Thursday's class.

Beyond live-action staging, we also talked about MLA format, the Works Cited Page, and citations in the essay - all in preparations for the aforementioned first draft.

Fourth Hour Acting Awards

Well, fourth hour definitely started off the dramatic interpretations of Grendel with creativity, props, and inadvertently bringing a principal into the concluding scene. Awards-wise, we have to celebrate the best usage of props by Morgan & Bailey. Who knew a sweet-looking goat had so much paper confetti bursting from its confines? And, how heartbreaking to see it torn in half as Grendel finishes his rock-throwing contest. For most dramatic acting in a scene, we have Alaina and Rachel's Beowulf and Grendel showdown involving a lot of sword play and screaming in utter sadness and abandonment. And, the winner for most creative skit, the one with props, acting ability, and flinging of doors into unsuspecting hallway dwellers, would be Sierra and Caleb. Taking a creative approach, they strayed from the given text and, instead, brought the ideas of miscommunication, hero-worship, and apple-throwing in creative dialogue and diction (Dude) and physical action. Kudos to you all!

Grendel in Acts 6-12

Since we are now acting out Grendel's final chapters, it makes sense to consider this text in acts like a play. All classes are in the midst of prepping for performance or performing scenes from Gardner's interpretation of Grendel as his kismet leads closer to Beowulf (ever notice how Grendel is just as much in awe of the B-man as the majority of humanity?).

Since I have checked outlines for the New Historicist essay, that means the first draft is next on the docket, due for Thursday's class as a Google doc for peer review. On the block day, we will go over the Works Cited page and recap MLA format so that you may put the final touches on your first draft - and do so correctly! The due date for the final draft of the essay is Friday at 3:45 p.m. Hard copy only unless absent for the entire day (with expectation of digital sharing by the given time). This is the last major grade & assignment for first quarter, so the completion of this essay - whatever its state - is mandatory if you want to maintain or raise your overall grade.

2: Groups have a chapter and the hour focused on clarifying 5 observations (with evidence and analysis, of course) from the given chapter and deciding on the most important scene in the chapter and prepping a performance of it for next class. For the absent students, you have chapter 12, which means you need to have observations and ideas for a performance ready to go for next class. While groups were deeply concentrating on Grendel and his cohorts, I checked your essay outlines to make sure you were on the proper track for the essay. 

4: I'm typing this up prior to class today, so this should, for the most part, be accurate of all the dramatic happenings. First, I checked your essay outlines while you finished your last minute performance preparations. There happens to be a prop already in my room for your class, so I'm assuming that will involve a dramatic reenactment of Grendel's "conflict" with Unferth or another mere human. The class completed the performance portion first and then jumped into the observations from each chapter. Whatever was not completed today will be on Wednesday.

7: We started off class talking about the Dragon and his role in Chapter 5, which was our last old-fashioned discussion of the novel's proceedings. Then, for the remainder of the hour, you worked with your group to prepare 5 observations on a chapter and the plans for a performance of the most significant scene of the chapter. Depending on how much time the aforementioned items occurred in class, we may or may not have prep time on the block day. If absent, you will be added to a group next class, so if you are up-to-date on your reading and notes, you should be fine. However, you will be jumping into the fray very quickly! While prep timed was going on, I checked your essay outlines, which should be the guiding force in your essay.

Outlining

For all classes, you have the outline for your New Historicist critical essay due on Monday.

Meanwhile...

2: You heard all about the essay assignment, the sample essay, and the outline. Then, we had a discussion of brevity regarding Chapter 5 and the dragon (imaginary? father figure? mentor? unhinged elder?).

4: You had all of the class to prep for your partner chapters and the observations and performances that will occur on Monday.

7: We continued talking about the essay assignment by looking at a sample and the outline procedure. Due to seventh hour assembly schedule, we shelved any Grendel discussion for Monday, which means we will have a lot to do that day.

Box Grendel

If for some reason you have missed the box prompt from any hour, you will have 48 hours to take this assessment or schedule a time to do so.

2: The box prompt began the class and, with its 40 minute timing, filled the majority of the class. At the end of the hour, you had in your possession the New Historicist essay assignment, a sample essay, and an outline for the essay. Bring all of that back tomorrow - we will be looking at these elements and then returning back to Grendel analysis, which means you need to finish the novel for tomorrow's class. It's the last reading assignment of the quarter, so you might as well finish it up now and not have that worry over the weekend. 

4: After perusing a sample essay and how to outline the New Historicist essay, you are to complete your essay's outline for Monday's class. Meanwhile in the land of the dragon (if he's there or not), we discussed the role of this patriarchal/father figure/mentor/multiple personality/elder dragon that influences Grendel and his mentality towards life, human interaction, and time. To wrap up the hour, partners chose what chapter they will be creating 5 observational points for and a scene performance.

7: The box prompt was the majority of the class, and the end of the hour gave you a sample New Historicist essay and an outline form -- to bring back tomorrow for chatting purposes. You will also need to finish Grendel, finding out his outcome, which should not be a surprise from your previous Anglo-Saxon readings. 

Baby Grendel Meets the World

2 &7: We added to our Anglo-Saxon ideologies list for The Iliad and the Wife's Lament and then spent a nice time analyzing the first 4 chapters of Grendel. At the end of class, we talked about New Historicism Criticism and how that will tie in with our Anglo-Saxon studies. More to come regarding the lens and future essay! For next class, read Grendel 5-7.

4: A surprise to start today's class, a box prompt to complete to practice our analysis and how to convey it is a pseudo-essay form. Afterwards, we discussed New Historicism and the overview of the essay you will be writing in this lens for the Anglo-Saxons. For next class, read Grendel 8-12, the end.

The Wife

2: After finishing up our Gilgamesh groups, we identified what Anglo-Saxon qualities are found in the text. Then, we had our Vocab Quiz 3, which will then commence our moratorium from vocab to wrap up our Anglo-Saxon texts. Following the quiz, we had Iliad groups to analyze those epic similes, character decisions, heroic actions, and tones. For reading, you have The Wife's Lament and Grendel Chapters 1-4 for next class.

4: We covered the analysis of The Wife's Lament and Grendel chapters 1-4 today. That means Grendel 5-7 for next time.

7: We wrapped up that egotistical Gilgamesh's quest with our group discussion, which focused on Enkidu, Humbaba, epic similes, and overall motifs and Anglo-Saxon ideologies. Continuing through Anglo-Saxon literature (or at least popular tales that would find their way to the British shores), we looked at The Iliad and its similes, character choices, gods and goddesses, and tones. We will work with The Wife's Lament tomorrow. In the meanwhile, you now have Grendel in your possession, and you have chapters 1-4 to prep for class.

Those Anglo-Saxon "Heroes"

I think we can agree that the epic hero is not always the moral, sacrificial person that he is supposed to be! All classes are at different stages of the epic hero quest, which will speed up next week to move into the cerebral craziness that is Grendel's mind.

If you have yet to take the toolbox quiz, you have until Monday to do so.

2: We finished up our discussion of Beowulf, identified the Anglo-Saxon ideologies in the text, reviewed vocab for the quiz on Monday, and almost completed our in-class discussion of Gilgamesh. For Monday, you have the Iliad to read and note its epic hero qualities.

4: We completed vocab quiz 3, which will be our last foray into vocab for the next couple of weeks as we finish up epic literature, Anglo-Saxon ideologies, and your first  multi-draft essay. In the meanwhile, you have "The Wife's Lament" to close read - I would recommend using the English translation for this activity instead of trying out the Old English version - and the first 4 chapters of Grendel. I think you will see quite the change of narration when Grendel takes over this version of the epic.

7: Once again, this is the hopeful conclusion to seventh hour's class today: we finished our Beowulf group discussion, identified Anglo-Saxon ideologies within its 13 sections, completed vocab quiz 3, lamented the life of 999, and started our Gilgamesh discussion, which will most likely finish up on Monday. Reading-wise, you will need to add The Iliad to your reading list and notes.

Beowulf & Gilgamesh, Long Lost Epic Buddies

While we may be at different parts of our epic journey, the free response essay final draft remains due by 2:35 p.m. for all classes.

2: After vocab experts concluded today, you worked in groups to analyze sections 4-13 of Beowulf. Alas, we did not make it through all of these sections, so we will wrap up the last four sections next time around. To further prepare for tomorrow's foray into epic literature, you will need to read Gilgamesh from your textbook.

4: After vocab review, groups led the discussion on Gilgamesh by looking at the man, the sidekick, and that poor monster's fate! For tomorrow, read The Iliad selection from your textbook and be ready for all those epic similes!

7: After reviewing vocab, groups shared their over-analysis of Beowulf for sections 4-13, or the end of Grendel and his mom. Hopefully, we also looked at how Anglo-Saxon ideologies permeated this text. Lastly, we looked at the horrifying situation that was living in 999. For next class, it's time for our next epic hero: read Gilgamesh in your textbook.

The Monster vs. The Epic Hero

I just wrote a very long, detailed blog covering all the syntax and punctuation rules we did today (40 presentation slides worth), so this blog may have brevity at its core. Don't forget about the second/final/whatever draft it is for you regarding the free response essay, which is due no later than 2:35 p.m. on Thursday.

7: We finished up our 15 vocab words, which means review is coming next time around. Then, we over-analyzed the first 3 sections of Beowulf, noting the juxtaposition, the motifs, the religious allusions, the characterization of our human/animal "it" monster, the advent of our "gorgeous stud" epic hero, and the mournful king. Following this over-analysis, which is ideal at the beginning of any text, we added to our Anglo-Saxon ideologies by listing the qualities of their "monster" and their "epic hero." Then, in groups, you had 2 sections of Beowulf to over-analyze, which you will share with the class on Thursday. Prior to that class, make sure to read "Life in 999," which is somewhere in the vicinity of pg. 40.

2: We added to our vernacular, and then we jumped into the world of the Anglo-Saxons, their ideologies (our list), the introduction of Grendel's part in the Beowulf saga, and what life was like in the ever exciting 999. For next class, finish reading the Grendel part of Beowulf, prepping to over-analyze and build upon the motifs, characterization, Biblical allusions, and more!

4: We finished up our 15 vocab words, which means review will be Thursday. Then, groups over-analyzed sections 4-13 in Beowulf as we looked at the eventual outcome of our monster from the dark versus the epic hero reflecting the sun's rays. To end the hour, we traveled back to 999, learning about all those pesky diseases, threats, and odd adjectives. For next class, read the section on Gilgamesh and see how this epic creates the hero and the monster.

Free Response Peer Review Day

All classes were dedicated to peer evaluation of the free response essays. If you were absent or did not have your assigned draft today, you will not be able to participate in the peer evaluation. The final draft (whether it is your first or second) may be handwritten or typed and is due no later than Thursday at 2:35 p.m. in hard copy only. If absent for the entirety of the day, you will either send a photograph or a copy of the document as proof of completing the assignment and then turn in a hard copy the next day.

Individual plans for the block day will include the following per hour:

2: Read the Anglo-Saxon background pgs. 4-17 and take notes regarding the culture and beliefs of this unique historical period. In exciting news, the extra copies of the lit book are supposed to be sent out today, so we most likely will have them for the block day and our commencement of Beowulf.

4: Read the remainder of Beowulf and be prepared to over-analyze each section as we did in class on Friday. Except in this case, student groups will lead the over-analysis; although, you have to assume that I will be commenting on anything left out.

7: Read Beowulf and be prepared to over-analyze all of the sections. In class, I will be taking the lead with the beginning parts so that you have an idea of all the over-analysis expected of the remaining discussions.

Free Responsing Weekend

For Monday's class, you are to answer the free response prompt (Choose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character) in a handwritten essay. You are not allowed to use any of the texts in the rangefinders packet, and you should limit yourself to approximately one hour for the writing. We will peer review/evaluate during Monday's class. Since you don't need a text with you, everyone can write this essay!

Meanwhile...

2: We evaluated the rangefinders with the stunning example of free responsing (just made up the verb for this blog) with Crime & Punishment.

4: We started the first 3 sections of Beowulf and have already picked up on our sympathy for our that fiendish descendant of Cain, the juxtaposition of light/dark, God/devil, man/monster, and hero's imminent arrival. The rest of the Beowulf/Grendel section needs to be read for the block day.

7: After vocab experts, we broke into groups to read about the Anglo-Saxons culture, and then groups shared their notes in order to make a class list of cultural characteristics, which we will be returning to several times during our upcoming readings. To prep for our block day, read through Beowulf in the textbook, taking notes, of course, in how the scop is conveying the story, characterization, allusions, diction choice, and the like.

Free Response Land

As noted in our previous classes, free response is a whole new world of literary analysis and prompt writing: there are no given passages to close read, there are no quotes to be incorporated into your writing, there are no citations! As a result, we are looking at the remembrance of plot, milieu, characterization, specific details, and literary elements that pervade a text and can be utilized for this prompt.

2: We commenced vocab experts for unit 3, finished our Chopin presentations, shared our book cards in a show & tell style, and turned in The Awakening. Tomorrow will be the analysis of the free response rangefinders.

4: We continued with vocab, rhapsodized over a 9 essay, & discussed and created a list of Anglo-Saxon cultural beliefs, which we will be returning to as we read our upcoming texts. For Monday's class, you are to answer the free response prompt (Choose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character) in a handwritten essay. You are not allowed to use any of the texts in the rangefinders packet, and you should limit yourself to approximately one hour for the writing. We will peer review/evaluate during Monday's class.

7: I just found out that our class will be a tad shorter today, so that may curtail the following plot. After vocab experts, we looked at the 1-9 (which are accurately marked for once) of the free response essays.  For Monday's class, you are to answer the free response prompt (Choose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character) in a handwritten essay. You are not allowed to use any of the texts in the rangefinders packet, and you should limit yourself to approximately one hour for the writing. We will peer review/evaluate during Monday's class. In you have a textbook at the end of the hour, you are to read pages 4-17 and take notes regarding all the cultural beliefs of those frisky Anglo-Saxons. If we don't make it to assigning books, then guess what we will be reading about tomorrow!

Goodbye to Chopin

Seventh hour finished presentations today, which means we leave the world of Chopin and move into the AP Lit world of free response essays! Today's class began with a return to vocab experts - we missed adding to our vernacular for the last week! Then, you had a surprise lit toolbox quiz, which means if you missed it, you will need to make that up either before or after school. After the presentations were over, we shared our book cards (yes, The Awakening was a favored selection, but we also had Oedipus Rex, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Things Fall Apart, The Great Gatsby, geez I may have forgotten another one so apologies). Last on the docket was looking at a free response prompt and talking about its differences from normal passages. The main difference is you do not have direct evidence - which means no citations! For homework, read through the rangefinders and score 1-9. While a lot of these rangefinders are quite giving with scores, the 9 for this prompt is well-deserved, and you will most likely notice its differences from the initial reading.

On Thursday, second hour almost finished presentations today, so we are almost completed with The Awakening, the Chopin short stories, and all the overlapping motifs therein. Today, you copied down the next unit of vocab, which will begin tomorrow. In addition, you had your first literary toolbox quiz, which means if you missed it, you have something to make up before or after school. Lastly, we talked about the free response essay prompts, and you have a rangefinder to score for those essays for the next class. See you tomorrow with those book cards!

More on Thursday, fourth hour started up with vocab unit 3, had a literary toolbox quiz (which should be made up if absent and wanting those points), shared our show & tell of our book cards with facts, motifs, and interesting tidbits regarding novels and plays, looked at a free response prompt, scored the rangefinders for the prompt, and began analysis of those essays. Wow, that 9! For homework, read pgs. 4-17 in the textbook and jot down notes regarding the culture, beliefs, and significant goings-on of Anglo-Saxon milieu. We will be sharing those tomorrow after everything else on our docket!

Survey - To be Completed by 9/19

Our school needs a little information from you in a (approximately) 5 minute survey. Please take this at some point by the end of the day Wednesday so that the information can be tabulated to help our school.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzxMXd13V3XhDi23roVgQ6n7HSoi9hkDM4psulBpBns2b3-A/viewform

The Number

Congratulations to Jayson for knowing me a little too well and coming closest to the correct number of shoes that are currently inhabiting my shoe room and other rooms on the second floor: 428.

The Awakening Is Almost Complete

2: Presentations all hour - surprise! Those shall finish on the block day and then there are many an activity awaiting you to end Chopin and transition into the Anglo-Saxon era. One of those items, as reminded today, was the first book card on The Awakening or a 101 text. While this is your study guide, there are several items that need to be included on the book card, so procrastinating this out may not be the best plan of attack.

4: We finished presentations! And, we all survived! The next class will begin our new unit of vocab, which we copied down today, and share our first book card. Plus, you can turn in your Chopin texts and not worry about having a text for this class (well, at least for a couple of days at any rate).

7: We finished our presentation schedule today, which means your book card will be presented during class tomorrow. As you have had this assignment for the past week, all students, whether absent or not today, will be expected to have this assignment completed. We will resume our vocabulary tomorrow with Unit 3, which was assigned today. If there are any absentee presentations remaining, those will be given at some point during the block day. 

Still Presenting

The presentations continue forward and with some infusions of originality and upper-level critical theories (violets, deus ex machina, Marxist criticism) abounding through Lilacs and 'Cadian Ball. There were a plethora of strong presentations today, but the two aforementioned ones sure set a standard!

Presentations will continue through Monday and probably Tuesday, dependent on size of class and timing. The free response card is due the day following presentations, so if you are part of a smaller class, you should probably be prepared in the very near future to have that completed.

Next week will be a little transition week as we say au revoir to Chopin and move into the free response prompts. Perhaps that's why you are making a book card to help you out with one of those prompts? Plus, vocab will return for all of you interlocutors who want to continue the expansion of your vernacular.

The Chopin Realm

Don't forget that you were assigned - on the block day - a free response book card covering The Awakening or another 101 text, which will be due the day AFTER we finish the presentations. Hence, keep an eye on the presentation order so this does not become an oops moment. Ideally, we will have all presentations finished by our next block day. 

Meanwhile, all hours are in the midst of presentations with 4-5 completed today. Friday will be the continuance of such. As a reminder, make sure that you are incorporating ALL items required by the assignment. Neglecting one, two, three, or more will impact your final score - and not in the way you would like. 

Presentation Time

At this point, all classes have finished up Edna's eternal swim and played backward detective in tracing Edna's pathway to the sea.

Presentations resume or begin tomorrow - if you were absent for the last class, you still may be presenting the first day, so all are expected to have their notes ready! Notes can be flashcards, notebook paper, annotations on your text, or something near to those things. Do not rely on technology - remember what room you are in :)

She's Still Swimming

Seriously, I don't know why she can't just be swimming for eternity. Maybe you'll be hanging off the Gulf Coast one day, on a paddle boat from New Orleans, and you will see, in a trick of the light, a bird-like woman swimming!

2: We finally finished all those individual close reads, which should have encouraged you to look for the minor details (body language, dialogue, adjectives and adverbs, comparisons, motifs, and the like) that convey each character, their milieu, and everything else involved in the text. Details matter - especially since the AP reader wants you to move beyond the surface and obvious qualities. As you are aware, you need to have the novella completed for next class. We will have a 2 part discussion: chapters 23-28 to transition from the doctor to Edna's newfound will. Then, and this worked very well in fourth hour, we will have a backwards design analysis of Edna's ending. Presentations are just around the corner.

4: Fun stuff today as you became the first class to finish The Awakening! Looking at the ending and going backwards to show the events made it a fascinating discussion of all the reasons coalescing into Edna's final determination. And with that, presentations will start on Wednesday and, since you don't know the order in which you will be presenting, that means you all should be ready to go in case.

7:  I should really type this at the end of the day, but here we go: I predict that we will finish the last 4 individual close reads, leading us closer to Edna's awakening and her newfound surrogate, Arobin. Then, we will have an individual discussion over Chapters 23-28, in which you control the topics introduced. And for tomorrow, you will have finished The Awakening and worked on your presentation because it looks like we are wrapping up the novella and are ready to share your short story analyses in the Chopin verbal presentations.

Arobin

I always find the last name "Arobin" very telling. First, it's a bird - and we all know how Chopin likes her symbolism. Second, what is he a rob in in society?

At this point in time, all the classes are in different phases of Edna's last awakening stages. Second hour is still in the midst of the individual close reads, which, if we are really focused, should be finished on Monday. Fourth hour is finishing up the topic discussion of Chapters 23-28, which we will finish on Monday. Seventh hour, in theory, will just have a handful of close reads remaining for Monday.

In the reading world, second and seventh hours have chapters 23-38 for Monday and will the text for Tuesday. Fourth hour will finish The Awakening for Monday.

And with Edna's conclusion comes the Chopin unit conclusion, which will involve the verbal presentations of the short story, its connection to Chopin's works as a whole, and its place in the world of literature. We will be starting presentations, most likely, on Tuesday/Wednesday, so it would behoove you to have all of your readings and notes completed in order to attain a deserved AP score. Remember, there is a 10 minutes maximum time for these presentations, and while that sounds like a long time, you would be surprised how fast time flies when you have several required categories to explore in your analysis!

Lastly, not to sound too teacherly, but barring an emergency situation, you should be in class for verbalizing your presentation and listening to other presentations over the course of this activity. As part of a college-level class, the expectation is that you are there every day and prepared every day to contribute.

Change of Milieu

Vocab review began class, which means the vocab quiz will be tomorrow. Then, we will take a moratorium on vocab for about a week as we finish The Awakening and move into short story presentations. We're almost there, so if you have not begun the process of analyzing your short story and connecting it to Chopin texts, you will have a lot on your plate next week.

With the individual close reads, we are moving back to New Orleans and finding out how Mr. Pontellier finds the "new and improved" Edna.

As fourth hour is only 3 close reads away from finishing this activity, you will need to read Chapters 23-28 for Friday, so that we will have something to talk about with our remaining time tomorrow.

Individual Close Reads

In impressive fashion, the majority of AP Lit began the individual close reads for Chapters 12-22 of The Awakening. Although we did not move too far in the order, we still managed to convey the importance of close reading for every minute detail, explaining motifs and literary elements in conjunction with characterization, and volunteering extra information to understand each passage fully. Don't worry seventh hour, you will have your chance tomorrow!

Tomorrow will be our vocab review day and a plethora of individual close reads as we continue forward through Edna's awakening. 

The Awakening on So Many Levels

As indicated in our discussions for chapters 6-11, Edna does through an emotional, physical, and intellectual awakening as the chapters continue forward. We have motifs of light, lovers, a woman in black, the sea, birds; we have outlier characters bonding with Edna like her "sun" Robert and the "homely" Mademoiselle Reisz; we have Edna without an instructive mother figure and Robert lacking a father figure, causing further issues with their roles in society. I'm sure there's a lot more to our discussions today, but those are the main ideas that are still floating in the atmosphere.

This is one last reminder that is you miss any form of discussion, it is up to you to show me notes regarding the topic/chapters as soon as you return. As you have the blog to keep you up to date with readings, you have the opportunity to not fall behind with readings, analysis, or anything else with AP Lit.

For Wednesday, you need to be through Chapter 22 - we have a great deal of over-analysis to do and it involves very thorough individual close readings.

Still Awakening

All classes have received their prompts with varying results depending on essay structure, the incorporation of literary devices and character types, the selection of multiple pieces of evidence that are non-distracting to your own syntax, and hooks that relate to the given passage/author.

Meanwhile, on the Grand Isle, we finished our participation for chapters 2-5 and, in theory, started preparations for your group-led discussions on Tuesday, with each group having one chapter in the 6-11 range, prepping an over-analysis, and sharing the information with your classmates. Any absentees will be assigned a group on Tuesday, so make sure you have your notes ready for that section so that you will have something to contribute. Reading-wise, continue forward with chapters 12-17.

And, don't forget, looming in the near future, will be your verbal presentation on your short story and its connections to the Chopin oeuvre. You may want to make a dent his weekend in your readings.

Parrots, Hands, Cigars, Oh My!

Well, thus far into the first five chapters we have color symbolism, motifs, nonchalant characterization for everyone but Adele and Madame LeBrun, foils of motherhood and hands, nameless servants and children, and a milieu not allowing communication to prosper. With such instantaneous literary devices, you know they will be coming back to haunt the ever handsome Edna as she looks more and more to that freedom-inspiring sea. In all classes, we still have a smattering of chapters 1-5 to discuss, so that will be wrapped up tomorrow and then we will go into chapters 6-11 with a little small group discussion to mix it up a bit. 

F.Y.I. I don't have another Awakening-inspired shoe choice for tomorrow, so I hoped you enjoyed today's pair, the ones AP Lit voted for last year in honor of our darling Edna, the first of the misfit toys that we will be reading about in our future texts. 

The World of Chopin

*This is a reminder that if you are absent for any cause, you are to arrive the next class with any reading notes to indicate your participation for the missing class. This is up to you to share.

The first half of class revolved our author, our St. Louis native, our trailblazer of "vulgar" reading material, Kate Chopin. Using your notes on her biography, you participated in sharing facts of her life, painting a picture of Chopin's history that will play a part in the cultural references, characters, and settings of her novella and short stories. Following your part in the show, you received your Awakening text, the verbal essay presentation assignment, and the plans for the next 2 days of reading (Thursday Chapters 1-5; Friday Chapter 6-11) with your notes ready for discussion. To end the Chopin component, you have your own short story to read, analyze, and prep for the presentation.

The remainder of the class centered on our diagnostic prompt passage "The Birthmark" and your participation in sharing the foils, the motifs, the color symbolism, the characterization, and so forth. Afterwards, we discussed essay structure - with a few specific notes on hooks that work for AP Lit. Overall, stay with the author and text given to you, and don't bring in personal anecdotes, other authors, or comparisons that don't have any foundation to the text. For instance, we discussed using Dark Romanticism characteristics, 19th century science, Hawthorne and his penchant for red symbols that chastise women's sexuality, Pygmalion or taking an allusion in the text.

At some point in the next 48 hours, you will have your prompts back. See you tomorrow for Chopin - I'll be wearing what last year's AP Lit considers the epitome of The Awakening.

Transition Day

We are moving from introductory materials (like our Casterbridge cast of characters) to actual novellas (The Awakening) and the expectation of over-analyzing, well, everything will be across the board. To prepare for our block day, you have three items to prepare: your new vocab expert word, a rereading of "The Birthmark" with specific attention on devices and evidence from both readings, and reading/noting the biographical world of Kate Chopin.

During class today, we completed vocab quiz 1, which means if you were absent, you have 48 hours to either make up the quiz or schedule an appropriate time to do so. We read sample paragraphs for our Casterbridge characters, and we talked about college credit opportunities. 

L & EJ

After our vocab review, which means quiz on Monday, we had a lengthy discussion on the characteristics of Lucetta & Elizabeth Jane in preparation for a writing assignment. In groups, you created a thesis statement for the prompt, and then each of you selected one facet (L, EJ, or their relationship) to write a paragraph. If absent, you should select L, EJ, or the relationship and write one paragraph for Monday's class.

Not One but Two

We finished up our 15 vocab words today, which means the review will be tomorrow. If you happen to be passing a great deal in our circle, you may want to spend some quality time reviewing this latest addition to your vernacular.

In the characterization realm, we finished up our look at Tom, his socialization issues, and the literary elements that convey all the former components. So far, my favorite thesis is "Fitzgerald characterizes Tom as an insecure and inflammatory man who projects his egotistical characteristics onto his relationships, creating distrust through uncomfortable imagery, curt telegraphic sentences, and juxtaposing diction. Thanks K & H!

After that passage, one character analysis seems way too simplistic. So, why not two? Hence, we have met Lucetta and Elizabeth Jane (fourth hour figured out another connection between them, so we shall see how seventh hour fares). For homework, finish close reading - with your 2 highlighters - the saga of these two women in a very small town.

The World of Tom

I'm trying to type this in between Scholar Quiz lunches, so hopefully this will end up making some sense.

To begin our first block day, we worked with 5 rounds of the cards, which resulted in varying levels of success for the hours. Then, you had a bit of time to work on your toolbox, which may come into use very shortly when we begin our first unit on Chopin and eventually have some pop literary toolbox quizzes. While the poetry terms may not be mandatory at this point, the prose and basic literary terms are givens at this point in the semester as we break down characterization and other qualities in prose works, such as our "darling" Tom and his fellow Jazz Age denizens. While each hour is in a different spot with Tom's characterization, we will be finishing up the thesis statements and discussing the categorization of his character tomorrow.

The First Writing Prompt!

The excitement in the air when it is writing prompt day. This is probably the only time all year where Lang & Lit are both experiencing a prompt day, so it ends up busy and hand cramping for you and on the boring side for me. Don't worry - I have your essays to provide me with some mental stimulation all this week.

No matter what background you have in literary analysis, this diagnostic prompt really does help set the expectations for the class. You have to be able to close read, pick out literary elements, and then write about them in a timely fashion. For some of you, this is a natural step in the literary analysis progression; for some of you, you need a refresher on how to hunt down characterization, literary elements, and not rely on purpose and syntax anymore; for some of you, you need to hunker down and learn the way literature can be analyzed. Whatever the case, novice or veteran, there is room for growth and improvement - if you choose to accept feedback, work and learn from your classmates, and have the initiative to reach for upper-level analysis. It's not really Mission Impossible!

While I was reading this weekend, I came across a quote from actress Ellen Barkin, which she mentions is from Native American ideology: "It's not the climb up the ladder that defines who you are, but the climb down." I see a lot of kids the opening classes decide not to invest the energy in a class because they do not have expert status in it. That is unfortunate because a class (in any subject) is supposed to help you become experts or at least have a strong enough ethos to succeed. There will be times - multiple, sorry, it's life - where you will not be perfect, where you will say the wrong thing, where you will not write the best prompt, where you will have flaws. It is up to you take what you learn from the harrowing nature of imperfection and climb back up the ladder with greater balance, insight, and determination.

And on something no related whatsoever to AP Lit, during my readings I also came across someone who could fulfill a modern day hero for me: Sasha Dorothy Lowuekuduk, who is head keeper of the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Kenya. She comes from a culture that is just starting to understand the role of education for women and using her voice and her heart to save baby elephants that are orphaned whether by natural or man-made (boo) actions.

For our block day - weird already not seeing you for a couple days - we will have some time with literary toolbox terms (bring your index card holder if that applies) and characterization - namely a little character analysis of a certain brusque, rude, and entitled character from The Great Gatsby.

The Other Side of Helen

After more fun with vocabulary words, we returned back to that statue-like siren Helen and her impact on Greeks, which was emphasized by a collective speaker in H.D.'s poem. Looking at the differentiation of speaker person, diction, stanzas, motifs, rhyming patterns, and tone, we created thesis statements to answer the prompt and selected evidence from both poems to support the main idea. As noted, the thesis statement is significant to the organization of the essay, and its phrasing is significant to the level of maturity that an AP audience would expect.

Monday will be our diagnostic prompt day, a chance for you to close read "The Birthmark" and prepare for some type of literary analysis prompt. As mentioned in class, this is a bell to bell prompt, so you will not need me to tell you to begin.

Helen, Oh Helen

Vocab experts return with four new words today! Then, we played a little card games with some poetry, prose, and overall literary terms. At this point, you should know a few more terms to impress literary fans! You also received "The Birthmark," a text you are to close read for Monday's literary diagnostic prompt. To end the hour, we worked with our Helen prompt in some shape or form. Second and fourth hour dissecting "To Helen" by our dear wondering friend Poe, and seventh hour looked at the prompt and will have devices ready to go tomorrow. We're two days in, which means there's a lot more left to read.

AP Lit Land

Welcome to AP Lit Land! AP Lit Land could be considered a book club, albeit a book club that has terminology, close reads, multiple choice, and prompts. For today's class, we did not start any readings - unless you count the discipline review and the syllabus. Hence, the agenda was more on what we will be doing and how to prepare for the expectations of the class. At this point, you have the syllabus, the AP Lit terms for a toolbox (highly recommended by the way), and the 101 Texts that the College Board recommends for reading and what can be subject for your free response essay on the exam. While you will have plenty of formidable novels and plays over the course of the class, you have more recommendations here if you want something to read.

For tomorrow's class, we will be starting Unit 1's vocab experts, so make sure you have your definition, at least 2 synonyms, preferable not from the vocab book, and a memory trick to entertain and help your fellow classmates.

We will have our first class close read tomorrow, which will bring an opportunity to dissect 2 poems for all those structural, sound, and literary elements.

And, this is the blog I wrote prior to school starting last year, which gives you an idea and reminders about terminology, motifs, and random thoughts.

http://fznaplit.blogspot.com/2017/08/ap-lit-for-beginners.html