Redemption: October 31, 2017

Focus: What is redeemed by the end of Act 5? What is left unredeemed?

1. Warming up: Preparing for Act 5 and mental jousting:

• Quickly read through the scene summaries for Act 5, and for each one, jot down how the scene supports or challenges one or more of the statements above.

• Henry IV is an honorable king.
• Honor pertains only to the dead, not to the living.
• Henry IV is essentially an anti-war play.

• As you view The Hollow Crown's version of Act 5, scenes 1 and 2, consider what symbolic/directorial choices the film makes in responding to the statements above. Jot these down in your composition notebook.

(Note to self: Act 5 is 24 minutes long and begins at 1:36:05

A heads-up: We will have a "Tuesday writing" on Wednesday, but it will not be Question 3; instead, it will be a poetry prompt that (as you could probably guess), focuses on a Shakespearean speech. Also, it won't be a full writing; it will be a focused activity on close reading.

2. Viewing the film version of Act 5

3. Mentally jousting on the play's bigger topics, circle-the-wagon style

4. Starting to compose your Henry IV big question blogs if time allows

HW:
1. Finish composing your Henry IV blog by Friday, November 3.

2. Continue working on editing your sonnet draft (PRINTED FINAL DRAFT due Wednesday, November 8).

3. All make-up work, revisions, etc from the past 6 weeks is due Friday, November 10.

4. If you own your own copy of Beloved, please start bringing it to class on Thursday.

What Is in That Word, "Honour"?: October 30, 2017

Focus: What does Act 5 of King Henry IV suggest about honor?

1. Warming up with three good things

2. Performing a close reading of Falstaff's speech about honor

• Use the Concordance to find patterns among the use of "honour" across the Henry plays.

• Who gets to use the word "honour" at the beginning of Henry IV, Part I? Who gets the final say? What about in Henry IV, Part 2? What about Henry V?

• How do these characters define "honour"?

• Use the OED to look up words we don't know and how they were used in the 16th century.

• View the Orson Welles performance of it and his thoughts on Falstaff as a nostalgic representation of an earlier, more innocent England.

3. Enjoying a highly symbolic activity involving hands and viewing the rest of Act 4

4. Preparing for Act 5 and mental jousting:

• Quickly read through the scene summaries for Act 5, and for each one, jot down how the scene supports or challenges one or more of the statements above.

• Henry IV is an honorable king.
• Honor pertains only to the dead, not to the living.
• Henry IV is essentially an anti-war play.

• As you view The Hollow Crown's version of Act 5, scenes 1 and 2, consider what symbolic/directorial choices the film makes in responding to the statements above. Jot these down in your composition notebook.

• After viewing, you will be assigned "agree" and "disagreer" roles, and you will be verbally jousting each other regarding the three statements above.

(Note to self: Act 5 is 24 minutes long and begins at 1:36:05

A heads-up: We will have a "Tuesday writing" on Wednesday, but it will not be Question 3; instead, it will be a poetry prompt that (as you could probably guess), focuses on a Shakespearean speech. Also, it won't be a full writing; it will be a focused activity on close reading.

HW:
1. Please make sure your sonnet essay draft is complete and in www.turnitin.com.

2. We will finish the play tomorrow in class and (hopefully) begin your big question blogs. Please finish your big question blogs on Henry IV by next Monday.

3. If you own your own copy of Beloved or wish to purchase one, you will need it starting Thursday night.

You've Been Drafted: October 27, 2017

Focus: How do we build a strong first (or second) draft of our sonnet essays?

1. Warming up with a little game: "Speaker, or Author"?

2. Drafting, editing, and conferencing

3. Wrapping up with some soul-strengthening inspiration from my favorite ninja, Jessi Graff

HW:
Complete your rough draft by 3:00 pm on Monday, October 30 and submit it to www.turnitin.com

Shift Happens: October 26, 2017

Focus: How does viewing a performance of Henry IV help us understand the shifts of Acts 3 and 4?

1. Warming up with a partner: Establishing the underlying purpose of each scene in Acts 3 and 4; consider what's shifting and why

2. Finishing our Act 3 performances, each with a focus and a follow-up question

3. Viewing The Hollow Crown's version of Act 4 with the following focus:

Try to find three directorial (symbolic) choices in The Hollow Crown that emphasize or challenge the underlying purposes you have established for Acts 3 and 4; consider use of colors, physical movements, facial expressions, setting, etc.

(Note to self: Good symbolic choice at 29:16; Act 4 starts around 1:24. Also, 4.1 and 4.2 are reversed.)

HW:
If wish to EDIT on Friday, complete the rough draft of your sonnet essay before class on Friday, October 27.

If you wish to WRITE on Friday, complete at least half of your draft before class on Friday, October 27.

Either way, put your draft in www.turnitin.com  by Monday, October 30 (see website or handout for overview and sample). Your draft grade will be worth 20 points in "Other Writings and Activities." It will simply be a completion grade (points will only be deducted for missing portions or late work). 

Focusing Through Performance: October 25, 2017

Focus: What can we learn about the rising action in Act 3 through performance?

1. Warming up with a good question from Henry (Henry K, not King Henry)

2.  Regrouping and rehearsing with Acting Companies before curtain call (20 min):

a. Please follow the same steps for preparing your Act 3 performance as you did for your Act 1 performance (see handout for details), including a symbolic choice.

b. A new challenge: Give us something specific to focus on as we watch your scene (a guiding question, repetition of a specific word, use of symbolic prop, etc).  When you finish your performance, give us one follow-up question that you relates to what you asked us to focus on.  In other words, you're providing us an analytical frame for your performance.

Example:
  
Focus: As you watch Hal's speech from Act 1, note his physical movements as he delivers his soliloquy.

Follow-up: How did his movements parallel the significant shifts in his speech?

3. Enjoying your Act 3 performances with a pre-viewing focus and post-viewing question

HW:
If wish to EDIT on Friday, complete the rough draft of your sonnet essay before class on Friday, October 27.

If you wish to WRITE on Friday, complete at least half of your draft before class on Friday, October 27.

Either way, put your draft in www.turnitin.com  by Monday, October 30 (see website or handout for overview and sample). Your draft grade will be worth 20 points in "Other Writings and Activities." It will simply be a completion grade (points will only be deducted for missing portions or late work). 

Heightening Tensions: October 24, 2017

Focus: What tensions are heightening in Act 3 of Henry IV, and for what purpose?

1. Warming up by reviewing your East of Eden timed writings with a focus on evidence

2. Discussing your observations on characterization, foils, and directorial choices in Act 2; finishing the film version of Act 2

3.  Working with your Acting Company to accomplish the following:

• Remember Rule #1 of group work: EVERYBODY WORKS.

• Read the scene summaries for all of Act 3 with a focus on heightening tensions and shifts.

• Read through your company's scene and cast your characters.

• Please follow the same steps for preparing your Act 3 performance as you did for your Act 1 performance (see handout for details).

• A new challenge: Give us something specific to focus on as we watch your scene (a guiding question, repetition of a specific word, use of symbolic prop, etc).  When you finish your performance, give us one follow-up question that you relates to what you asked us to focus on.  In other words, you're providing us an analytical frame for your performance.

Example:
  
Focus: As you watch Hal's speech from Act 1, note his physical movements as he delivers his soliloquy.

Follow-up: How did his movements parallel the significant shifts in his speech?

• Decide which props you may wish to bring in tomorrow (we will start performing tomorrow).

HW:

1. For today: If you have not yet done so, please e-mail me your sonnet thesis and any outlining/ drafting you've done.

2. For Wednesday: Rehearse your part for tomorrow's performance; bring in your props.

3. For this week: Complete the rough draft of your sonnet essay before class on Friday, October 27; put it in www.turnitin.com  (see website or handout for overview and sample). Your draft grade will be worth 20 points in "Other Writings and Activities." It will simply be a completion grade (points will only be deducted for missing portions or late work).

Glittering Foils: October 23, 2017

Focus: What techniques does Shakespeare use to establish foils in Acts 1 and 2?

1. Warming up with three good things and small-group sonnet "recitals"; please turn in your self-evaluation rubrics when you finish

2. Enjoying a quick mini lesson: Foils

• A quick quiz on foils...

Harry Potter's foil is....because....  What does Harry's foil reveal about Harry?

Batman's foil is...because...  What does Batman's foil reveal about Batman?

On Game of Thrones, Lord Renly Baratheon's foil is... because... What does his foil reveal about him?

In East of Eden, Samuel Hamilton's foil is...because... What does Samuel's foil reveal about Samuel?

In Henry IV, Prince Hal's foil is...because... What does Hal's foil reveal about Hal?

In Henry IV, King Henry IV's foil is... because... What does Henry IV's foil reveal about Henry IV?

3. Watching the film version with some guided questions

HW:

1. For Tuesday: If you have not yet done so, please e-mail me your sonnet thesis and any outlining / drafting you've done.

2. For Wednesday: Read the summaries of all scenes in Act 3.

3. For this week: Complete the rough draft of your sonnet essay before class on Friday, October 27; put it in www.turnitin.com  (see website or handout for overview and sample)  Your draft grade will be worth 20 points in "Other Writings and Activities." It will simply be a completion grade (points will only be deducted for missing portions or late work).

Like a Bright Metal on a Sullen Ground: October 18, 2017

Focus: What larger ideas do Shakespeare's little scenes represent?

1. Warming up with our rebel scene

2. Viewing The Hollow Crown's version of Hal's speech and a close reading

(Note to self: Prince Hal's soliloquy starts around 11:02)

Directorial Choice: How do Prince Hal's physical movements reflect shifts in his soliloquy?

Close Reading: The MMM Approach

Round 1: Moments

• What images, diction, sound devices, and possible symbols/metaphors grab your attention (aka make you take a moment)?

Round 2: Movement

• What larger patterns are you noticing among sound devices and images? Categories?
• Is there an extended metaphor lurking in there? What represents what and why?
• Any shifts happening?  From what to what?
• Anything evolving, devolving, or otherwise changing?

Round 3: Multiple meanings

• What larger understanding of characters, foils, conflicts, situations, and/or themes does this speech offer?

3. Viewing Act 2 with a focus on directorial choices; click here for the guiding questions

(Note to self: Act 2 starts at 21:19, and 2.1 is skipped)

4. Wrapping up with ideas on how to structure your sonnet rough drafts (overview and sample essay on website)

HW:
1. For Monday: 

• Read the scene summaries for Act 3.

• Finish memorizing your sonnet and prepare to present it. Make sure you know what every word means and how to pronounce it. Think about your tone, as well as which words to emphasize and where to take pauses.

2. By Tuesday: E-mail me a rough draft of your thesis statement, along with any outline/drafting you've completed.

3. For Friday: Complete the rough draft of your sonnet essay, using the overview and sample sonnet for guidance.

The Edge of War: October 17, 2017

Focus: Who/what is on the edge of war in Henry IV, Act 1?

1. Warming up one big reminder about what I expect of group work and how you're being evaluated

2. Enjoying a dramatic warm-up with your group and taking ten more minutes to prepare

3. Performing Henry IV, Part 1: Act 1 with interpretations of your symbolic choice

HW:

1. For tomorrow: Read the actual scene of 2.1 (it's short).

2. For next week:

• Continue working on memorizing your sonnet. You have one week left. 

• Start outlining and drafting your essay, using your metacognitive, my feedback on your metacognitive, and the overview and sample sonnet essay (given out in class a couple of weeks ago and linked to the website). Rough draft is due before class on Friday, October 27.

The Hollow Crown: October 16, 2017

Focus: What makes King Henry IV's crown "hollow"?

1. Warming up with three good things and reactions to Mr. Jovan Mays

***A quick intermission for a 9-week clean-up of Work Habits***

2. Enjoying a 3-minute freewrite on the metaphor of the "hollow crown," then watching The Hollow Crown trailer

• As you watch, try to add to your understanding of the term "hollow crown."
• Find other objects/colors with symbolic significance, and consider what they might symbolize.

3. Understanding the genealogy of Henry IV and returning to the concept of the hollow crown

4. Reading the overview of your acting company performances and taking the time to prepare scenes from Act 1

5. Wrapping up with goal-setting for tomorrow's performances

HW:
1. For tomorrow: Please rehearse your scene and bring in any props, costumes, music, etc. you will need; reread the summaries of Acts 1 and 2

2. For Wednesday: Read the actual scene of 2.1 (it's short).

3. For next week:

• Continue working on memorizing your sonnet. You have one week left. 

• Start outlining and drafting your essay, using your metacognitive, my feedback on your metacognitive, and the overview and sample sonnet essay (given out in class a couple of weeks ago and linked to the website). Rough draft is due before class on Friday, October 27.

Performance Poetry: October 13, 2017

Focus: What can we learn about performance from Mr. Jovan Mays?

1. Please go right to the theater for class today.

2. Sit together.

3. Bring this sheet with you.

4. Enjoy!

HW:
1. For Monday: Please read the summaries for all scenes in Acts 1 and 2 in Henry IV, Part 1.

2. Continue working on memorizing your sonnet. You have a little over a week left.

The 15 Minute Henry: October 14, 2017

Focus: What background information do we need before entering the world of Henry IV?

Please help yourself to a copy of Henry IV as you walk in!

ž1. Warming up with the illustrated character chart: Making inferences

What can you infer about the characters based on their caricatures and descriptions?  Feel free to ask questions, too.

What is the central political conflict of the play?

What might be some of the play’s social conflicts?

What psychological conflicts might the play entail?

2. žDividing the class into the Courtiers, the Rebels, and the Pub Crawlers; performing “The 15 Minute Henry”

a. žRead over the entire script together at least once.

žb. Paraphrase your lines to ensure that every person in your group understands them.

c. Decide how you will deliver these lines; consider tone, dramatic pauses, volume, body posture, gestures, etc.

žd. Select costumes that fit your character group, literally or symbolically.

že. Practice a few times.

3. žDesignating King Henry’s court, the Boar’s Head Tavern, and the rebel camp and performing "The 15 Minute Henry"

4. Returning to the illustrated character chart and drawing larger conclusions

HW:
1. Tomorrow, please meet in THE THEATER. If we're about to go into performance mode, then we should watch the master of performance poetry: Jovan Mays.

2. For Monday: Please read the summaries for all scenes in Act 1 and 2 in Henry IV, Part 1.

3. Continue working on memorizing your sonnet. You have a little over a week left. 

4. Figure out the structure and thesis of your sonnet essay by next Wednesday (see the overview and example given out in class and linked to class website under "Sonnet Essay").

Evidently: October 11, 2017

Focus: How do we use evidence in our responses to Question #3?

PSAT: Crazy short class

1. Warming up with the sample essay from Monday:

Highlight the thesis. 

• What does the thesis accomplish?

Highlight the topic sentences.

• How is this essay structured?

Highlight the specific evidence.

• How did this essay bring in specific evidence without looking at the actual text?

2. Trading essays; rinse and repeat the steps above with kudos and constructive criticism:

Highlight the thesis. 

• Is it clear, specific, debatable, and provable?
• Does it respond to the prompt but go beyond simply restating the prompt?

Highlight the topic sentences.

• How is this essay structured? Is it logical?

Highlight the specific evidence.

• How did this essay bring in specific evidence without looking at the actual text?
• Is the evidence specific enough?
• Does the writer analyze symbols, motifs, etc. from the evidence?
• Are there 2-4 pieces of evidence in each body paragraph?

HW:
1. Continue reading your sonnet aloud and writing it aloud; you have a little less than two weeks left to memorize it.

2. We will begin Henry IV, Part 1 tomorrow; if you'd like to purchase your own copy, please do so this week.

East of Eden Timed Writing: October 10, 2017

Focus: How can we write our way to a better understanding of East of Eden?

1. Warming up with each other's Big Question Blogs with questions, epiphanies, and kudos

2. Mastering the art of structure with your fourth timed writing: East of Eden

3. Turning in your East of Eden books

HW:
Continue reading your sonnet aloud and writing it aloud; you have a little less than two weeks left to memorize it.

Question 3 Prep: October 9, 2017

Focus: How do we prepare for Question 3 on the A.P. Literature exam?

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1. Warming up with three good things

2. Diving and conquering with the A.P. Lit Open Response Novel Review (30 min)

• With your group, please discuss your assigned task thoroughly.

• Select someone with neat handwriting to record your responses carefully on the sheet.
• Jigsaw!

• I will collect these and make packets for the entire class.

3. Offering you a glimpse of what the essay section of the AP Lit test really looks like

4. Trying out a prompt together and looking at sample responses

Highlight the thesis. 

• What does the thesis accomplish?

Highlight the topic sentences.

• How is this essay structured?

Highlight the specific evidence.

• How did this essay bring in specific evidence without looking at the actual text?

HW:
1. Finish your Big Question Blog post on East of Eden before class tomorrow. THIS TIMELINE IS NOT FLEXIBLE; OUR WARM-UP TOMORROW DEPENDS ON YOUR BLOGS BEING COMPLETE AND PUBLISHED.

2. Spend ten minutes a night reading your sonnet aloud and/or writing it out; memorize it by Monday, October 23.

Big Question Blogging: October 6, 2017

Focus: What does Steinbeck want us to understand better or differently?

Period 5: 11:23-12:10

1. Warming up with the Big Question Blog checklist

• Remember that there are two great sample blogs on our website.

2. Composing your Big Question Blog on East of Eden

HW:
1. By Tuesday, finish your Big Question Blog (Tuesday is our timed writing on East of Eden).

2. Have a safe Homecoming weekend!

Sound and Sense: October 5, 2017

Focus: How can sound devices help us unlock poetry?

1. Warming up: Describing three different oceans using only your sense of sound

Relaxing ocean waves
Somewhat stormy ocean waves
Violent ocean waves


2. Offering you some of my favorite poetic sound devices

Euphony: Pleasing to the ear, harmonious

Cacophony: Harsh, discordant, unpleasant sounds

Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words (the snake slithered silently)

Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds (or, as Eminem refers to it, "Word Bending")


3. Enjoying several poems together using only our ears

• What sounds are you noticing?

• How do the sounds contribute to/create the larger meanings of the poems?

4. Getting into groups with your fellow sonnet-fans and listening to the sound devices in your poems

HW:
1. Bring your laptop, your East of Eden book, your Socratic tickets, and your earbuds to class tomorrow.

2. Start reading your sonnet aloud and/or writing out it; memorize it by Monday, Oct 23.

Descending into Fire and Rising up from the Ashes: October 4, 2017

Focus: What does Steinbeck reveal to us in his final chapters?

As you walk in, please write your East of Eden motif on the front whiteboards.

1. Warming up with Steinbeck's fires (pun intended!):

Take a look at Lee's commentary on fire (598).  Put it into your own words and consider whether or not you agree with him.

Revisit the three scenes in recent reading in which a character sets something on fire:

• Sheriff Quinn's burning of explicit photos (558)
• Cal's burning of the money (565-6)
• Abra's burning of Aron's letters (578, 583)

In each scene, what does the fire release?  What does it destroy?


What do these objects have in common?

Why is destruction by fire (vs. a different method of destruction) appropriate to these particular objects?

How/what do these fiery scenes contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole?

3. Enjoying our final Socratic seminar on East of Eden

4. Wrapping up: Lingering questions, big epiphanies, generous kudos

HW:
1. Enjoy a few days without a reading assignment. You've earned it. 

2. Bring your laptops an East of Eden to class on Friday; you will compose your big question blogs in class. A heads-up: Your Tuesday writing will be about East of Eden.

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3. Start reading your sonnet out loud a few times a day; aim to memorize it by October 23.

Listening to Your Sonnet with a Stethoscope: October 3, 2017

Focus: How can a poem's rhythm contribute to its meaning?

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1. Warming up with a five-minute terms (Weeks 1-6) review on www.quizlet.com

2. Listening to the heartbeats of three songs:

In each song, how does the rhythm reflect meaning?

Song #1: "Stressed Out" (twenty one pilots)
Song #2: "Critical Mistakes" (888)
Song #3: "Modern Man" (Arcade Fire)

3. Introducing you to scansion with Shakespeare's "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day" and "My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun"

• What different types of poetic rhythm should we be listening for when there's no music?
• How does the rhythm in each poem reflect the poem's larger meaning?

4. Listening for the rhythm in your sonnets (small groups)

HW:
1. Finish East of Eden; our goal tomorrow is 100% participation! Complete your final reading ticket by doing the following:

• Select one motif (water, apples, the color gray, Cain & Abel, etc.).

• Describe where the motif has shown up previously, and address where/how it comes into play in the final chapters (include quotations/page numbers).

• What has this motif contributed to the meaning of the work as a whole. In other words, why do you think Steinbeck developed this particular motif?

2. Bring your charged laptop to class on Friday to compose your Big Question Blog on East of Eden.

3. Memorize (yes, memorize) your sonnet by Monday, October 23.

Cathy in Wonderland: October 2, 2017

Focus: What do Steinbeck's allusions contribute to our understanding of his characters?

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1. Warming up with three good things

2. Watching two short film clips from Alice in Wonderland to consider Steinbeck's allusion:

• Why does Steinbeck associate Cathy with Alice from Alice in Wonderland? 
• In other words, what does this allusion help us understand about Cathy?

Down the Rabbit Hole
Very Big and Very Small

3. Enjoying our penultimate Socratic on East of Eden

4. Wrapping up with lingering questions, big epiphanies, and generous kudos

HW:
1. Finish East of Eden! Complete your final reading ticket by doing the following:

• Select one motif (water, apples, the color gray, Cain & Abel, etc.).

• Describe where the motif has shown up previously, and address where/how it comes into play in the final chapters (include quotations/page numbers).

• What has this motif contributed to the meaning of the work as a whole. In other words, why do you think Steinbeck developed this particular motif?

2. Bring your charged laptop to class on Friday to compose your Big Question Blog on East of Eden.