Halloween Festivities

To go with the spirit of the day, we celebrated your independent reading projects. You reflected on your own project and recognized your peers by voting for them in various categories. The winners are listed below.

4th Period Winners

Most Comprehensive Synopsis: Natalie Abel



Most Profound Extension: Laura Piacentini


Most Intricate Project: Hannah Mavestrand


Most Entertaining Project: Vera Marquardt


Most Creative Project: Nishok Chetty


5th Period Winners



Most Comprehensive Synopsis: Rebecca Asoulin


Most Profound Extension: Kai Watanabe


Most Intricate Project: Spencer Goodman


Most Entertaining Project: Christian Salem


Most Creative Project: Amber Woods


6th Period Winners



Most Comprehensive Synopsis: Christina Lamell


Most Profound Extension: Lillian Hwang


Most Intricate Project: Angela Chang


Most Entertaining Project: Sydney Howard


Most Creative Project: Zoe Maestu

10/30 English 9HP

After meeting briefly in your peer groups, you shared your "Top Ten Lists" for your Totalitarian governments with all of us. We discussed Totalitarian societies, and we connected your ideas with 1984.

Homework:
Finish your Independent Reading Projects (due tomorrow!).
Polish your Kindred essay (due 11/4).
Read Ch. 1-5 of 1984 (due 11/5).

10/30 English 10HP

I presented a basic structure for composing a body paragraph and showed you a color-coded example (Did I mention how much I love the ELMO?). You finished up your topic sentences and began composing the body paragraphs for your Oedipus essay.

Homework:
Finish your Independent Reading Project (the synopsis and the extension)! It's due tomorrow!
Complete your body paragraphs (due 11/3).

10/29 English 9HP

You checked out George Orwell's 1984 from the textbook office. Afterward, you worked with a small group of your peers to determine how you would maintain control of your hypothetical totalitarian societies.

Homework:
Finish your independent reading project (due 10/31).
Polish your Kindred essay (due 11/4).

10/29 English 10HP

Today we reviewed a strategy for determining your topic sentences, your claims. I presented a few tips, and we helped Erin create topic sentences for her thesis. Then I set you free to create your own topic sentences for your revised thesis statement.

Homework: Finish up your independent reading project! (Due 10/31)

10/28 English 9HP

Today I presented a short lesson on comma splices, run-on sentences, and fragments. Afterward, you edited your peers' essays.

Homework: Finish your independent reading project (due 10/31). Make the editing changes on your Kindred essay (due 11/4).

10/28 English 10HP

Today we evaluated and revised your thesis statements on theme of Oedipus, first as a whole class and then in small groups. At the end of the period, you submitted a revised version of your thesis for my approval.

Homework: Finish up your independent reading project (due 10/31).

10/27 English 9HP

I presented a short lesson on writing conclusions, and we read a handout that explains how to incorporate quotations in an essay. We spent the remainder of the period writing!

(Due 10/28)
Homework: Bring a complete draft of your essay for editing.

(Due 10/31)
Homework: Continue to work on your independent reading project.

10/27 English 10HP

We used The BIDLACK/THOMPSON/ANDERSON Three Simple Steps of Literary Analysis to find themes for Oedipus. And you wrote a draft for a thesis on the play, using the following prompt:

Write a well-organized, well-developed essay in which you answer the following question: What is the theme of Oedipus? In other words, what is Sophocles saying about life and the human experience?

(Due 10/31)
Homework: Continue to work on your independent reading project.

10/24 English 9HP

I introduced The Bidlack/Thompson/Anderson Three Simple Steps of Literary Analysis, a framework for finding the theme of a work. It may be helpful to use with your independent book, as your extension should demonstrate your understanding of big ideas and themes. We practiced using the steps with a simple children's book, The Sneetches, by Dr. Seuss.

Homework: Work on your independent reading project (it's due one week from today!).

10/24 English 10HP

Another group presented a psychological landscape for Oedipus. Then you CAP'ed an article entitled "How Oedipus Is Losing His Complex (But He's Not Out of the Woods Yet)." We discussed various interpretations of the play included in the article.

Homework: Work on your independent reading project (it's due one week from today!).

10/23 English 9HP

We discussed transitions, words and phrases that help your writing flow. We identified standard devices and paragraph hooks in a sample essay. Finally, you reviewed your essay, identifying and improving your transitions between sentences and paragraphs.

Homework: Work on your independent project!

10/23 English 10HP

I gave you a few minutes to meet in your groups before you presented your psychological landscapes.

(Due 10/31)

Homework: Work on your independent reading project!

10/22 English 9HP

You conferred with two of your peers.

(Due 10/23)

Homework: Using the feedback you received, revise your body paragraphs.

(Due 10/31)

Homework: Work on your independent reading project.

10/22 English 10HP

You worked on your group projects. You present tomorrow!

Homework: Work on your independent reading project (due 10/31).

10/21 English 9HP

You worked on your body paragraphs, and I modeled a peer conference.

(Due 10/22)

Homework: Finish writing your body paragraphs.

10/21 English 10HP

We read a short article, stating Aristotle's take on Oedipus. Then you began working on your small group project, a psychological landscape of Oedipus.

(Due 10/31)

Homework: Work on your independent reading project.

10/20 English 9HP

I presented the structure of a body paragraph, and together, we created a body paragraph for one topic sentence.

Homework: Work on your body paragraphs (due 10/22) and your independent reading project.

10/20 English 10HP

We finished the play! Afterward, we discussed whether or not Oedipus is responsible for what happens to him.

Homework: Work on your independent reading project!

10/17

You created three different leads for your revised thesis.

Homework: If you haven't finished your independent book, please do so! And start your project! It's due two weeks from today!

10/17 English 10HP

Today the ladies came to screen your vision and hearing.

Homework: If you haven't already done so, you should be wrapping up your independent book and getting started on your project. It's due two weeks from today!

10/16 English 9HP

We read the thesis statements you generated yesterday, and you selected statements that peaked your interest. We reviewed how to create topic sentences, and together, we created several for a thesis on Kindred.

(Due 10/17)

Homework: Create at least three topic sentences for one of the thesis statements you recorded in your Reader's-Writer's Notebook.

Read your independent book and work on your project.

10/16 English 10HP

We read scene iv of Oedipus. He persuades the shepherd to tell him the truth, and Oedipus has an epiphany. He finally sees the light! After reading, we discussed the following statement (from scene v): "The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves."

Homework: Read your independent book and work on your project. Be sure to bring your book and / project material to class with you tomorrow.

10/15 English 9HP

I critiqued your group thesis statements aloud, using the ELMO. You went back to the drawing board and revised one of your group's thesis statements.

Homework: Read your independent book and work on your project!

10/15 English 10HP

We finished our agree/disagree discussion from yesterday, responding to two new statements:
1.) There is no justice in life.
2.) Knowledge only brings suffering and destruction.

In subsequent discussions, we'll relate these big ideas to Oedipus and discuss Sophocles' take on them.

Homework: Read your independent book and work on your project!

10/14 English 9HP

After summarizing the epilogue, I introduced the Kindred essay prompts. You worked in topic-alike groups and used the prompts to generate 3-5 potential "high interest" thesis statements.

Homework: Read your independent book and work on your project!

10/14 English 10HP

We read and discussed scene III of Oedipus, focusing on Jocasta's knowledge of the truth. Despite the messenger's "good news," Oedipus still asks for the truth to be "made plain" and considers himself "a child of luck." Upon our completion of scene III, we had an agree/disagree discussion on the following statement: "You make your own luck."

Homework: Read your independent book and work on your project.

10/13 English 9HP

You updated your grade sheets and compared your tally to mine. Afterward, we discussed the list you created on Friday. We noted the biblical allusion in Kindred; both of the names Alice chooses for her children symbolize freedom and hope. After summarizing "The Rope," we analyzed the book's ending, noting the symbolism of Dana losing her arm.

Homework: Read your independent book and work on your two-part project (due 10/31).

10/13 English 10HP

You updated your grade sheets and compared your tally to mine. Afterward, I showed you a student example of an independent reading project (a synopsis and extension). Finally, you looked at your classmates' internal self-external self charts and we discussed general themes. I noted one of the major issues in the play; there is a big discrepancy between how Oedipus sees himself and who he really is.

Homework: Read your independent book and begin thinking about your project (due 10/31).

10/10 English 9HP

I showed you a student example of an independent reading project (a synopsis and extension).

We discussed "The Storm," and you created a list of ways in which Dana and Alice are "two halves of the same woman" in Rufus' mind.

Homework: Review "The Rope" and "The Epilogue." Read your independent book. And start thinking about your project!

10/10 English 10HP

We finished scene II of Oedipus and discussed the double irony of Jocasta's denunciation of oracles. Despite Jocasta's account of her lost child, Oedipus still doesn't quite "see." He needs further evidence and has summoned the shepherd.

After our discussion, you read Ode II silently.

Homework: Read your independent book!

10/8 English 9HP

We discussed the second half of "The Fight," debating whether Rufus truly loves Alice, as he claims, and further analyzing the effects of slavery. By the end of class, we were all sufficiently depressed!

(Due 10/10)

Homework: Review "The Storm" for Friday's class.

And don't forget to read your independent book. Your project is due 10/31!

10/8 English 10HP

We spent the day reading and analyzing scene ii of Oedipus, focusing on the contrast between Creon's rational approach and Oedipus' rash behavior.

(Due 10/10)

Homework: Create a t-chart that includes your external self (how you think you are perceived by others) and your internal self (who you really are).

And don't forget to read your independent book. Your independent reading project is due 10/31.

10/7 English 9HP

Today I attended a norming session with the English Department. Meanwhile, you discussed "The Fight" and submitted a record of your small group's conversation. We'll debrief tomorrow.

Homework: Read your independent book.

10/7 English 10HP

Today I attended a norming session with the English Department. Meanwhile you completed two assignments:
1.) You completed a chart in which you contrasted how Oedipus sees himself with the truth about him.
2.) You read and CAP'ed an article entitled, "Roots of Drama: Rites of Dionysus." We'll discuss the article in class tomorrow.

Oops! I misattributed the quotation: "The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates, not Aristotle, said this. Please correct this in your notes.

Homework: Read your independent book.

10/6 English 9HP

We had a Quote-Fest! That's right. I asked you important questions from "The Fall," and you found key quotations from Kindred to support your answers. This format also allowed us to practice analyzing quotations.

Homework: Review "The Fight" for tomorrow's class. And, of course, read your independent book!

10/6 English 10HP

We applied Aristiotle's characteristics of the tragic hero to Oedipus. We discussed two potential tragic flaws: Oedipus' hubris and his impulsiveness/rashness. These flaws lead Oedipus to make a mistake in ignorance (his "error in judgment"). That is, Oedipus' hubris (arrogance) makes him think he can escape his fate; his rashness may have played a role in King Laois' murder. While fate plays a role in the play, characters ultimately make choices. The gods predict the future, but they don't make it happen. They simply know his nature - his character.

Homework: Read your independent book!

10/3 English 9HP

Today we had an agree/disagree discussion on the following statement: Racism is a learned behavior. I defined a few terms that relate to our study of Kindred, including three types of racism (overt, covert, and institutionalized), internalized oppression, and double ceiling oppression. We began applying these terms to Kindred.

Homework: Review pages 77-107 of "The Fall" for Monday's class. Read your independent book!

10/3 English 10HP

Scene I of Oedipus is riddled with irony, so I introduced the three types of irony. We noted Oedipus' failure to see himself clearly, despite Teiresias telling him the truth five times! Denial is a powerful defense mechanism! We saw more evidence of Oedipus' hubris (his tragic flaw???).

Homework: Read your independent book!

English Common Assessment

Today you took the English Department's Common Assessment, a relatively painless multiple choice test. Hopefully, we will get the results back soon so that I can use them to develop lessons on common errors.

10/1 English 9HP

We finally discussed the nuanced meaning of the title Kindred. Like To Kill a Mockingbird, the title has deeper significance and alludes to the book's theme: blacks and whites are kin; they are connected and dependent on each other for survival. Butler deconstructs the myth of separate races, as Dana discovers her ancestors are both white slave owners and black slaves. Dana represents this kinship between blacks and whites.

Homework: Read your independent book!

10/1 English 10HP

Before we read the Prologue of Oedipus, I introduced the sight/blindness motif and the two warnings inscribed on Apollo's temple at Delphi: Know thyself and nothing in excess. I lectured on what happened 20 years before the opening of the play, including the oracle's prophesy and the sphinx's riddle. As we read the play aloud, we noted the sometimes disturbing irony, Oedipus' failure to heed the warnings, and the allusions to sight. Already we see Oedipus' tragic flaw - his hubris - and his inability to see himself clearly. He is determined to find the former king's killer. Does he know he is the killer? We noted a potential Freudian slip (highway man).

Homework: Read your independent book!