Vacation Reading Goals

As a group, set a challenging but realistic vacation reading goal for yourselves over the next three weeks. You still have to take notes while you read, keep in mind. I must approve your reading goal in class.




We will assess your reading (summative) our first day back in class in 2016.

For Friday

You should be making progress now and be at least 100 pages into your author study book. You should read around another 50 pages for Friday.

Weekend Reading

Same as last class, if you continue to keep reading the same book, complete another 50 pages by Wednesday. Be sure to annotate, as that is how I will be assessing your reading.

Diction Exercises

Try them here. 

Donations from Hamlet-a-thon

Please bring in your donations to class Friday. I'll collect them then.

Homework This Week

For next class read the first fifty pages of your chosen author study book.. Be sure to keep post-its to help you order your thinking.

Diction Term List

In addition to the four terms we used today (familiar, informal, formal, ceremonial), we'll be referring back to this list for the rest of the year.

Hamlet Scenes

The following are links to all the Hamlet scenes so far:

IV.v
V.ii
III.ii
I.iii
I.iv
II.ii

Vote for Hamlet Oscar Awards

Click on this link to add your opinion. 

Regarding Your Hamlet Scenes

Sorry, I didn't specify, but I'd like you all to post the video on your blogs. This way, it's easier to find. Thanks! 

Class Code for Noredink.com

hwwd4v8k is our class code.

Some Writing Practice

Being that we haven't had Writers Workshop in so long, we'll be having two sessions this week to work on specific issues that came up in your Noredink.com diagnostic.

Please log in at Noredink and complete the exercises and lessons there for you.

Task 4 Due Tuesday

Please do not forget to bring in your costumes for Task 4 next Tuesday. You do not need to put it only, only to show it and explain it to me. 

Hamlet Scenes

Your Hamlet scenes should be posted on your blogs by next Friday.

Here is the corresponding rubric. It's open for you to edit, so make any changes you think should be there. I'm particularly concerned about what things might be missing.

Re-take Hamlet Timed Writing

For those that will miss the Hamlet Timed Writing in class tomorrow, all make-up exams will be next Thursday after-school M4, November 19th.

Help with citing text?

Take a look and try some of these strategies on your own.

Questions for Theme Groups (In Class)

From the Women's Point of View:
A. Identify the key scenes for female characters.
B. Perform a close reading on two moments (various words within).
C. What is the question relating to craft that you're able to come up with?
D. What is Shakespeare saying about women? About women under society's pressures?

From Hero Studies
A. Define "hamartia".
B. What is Hamlet's character flaw?
C. How does this flaw keep him from completing his task?
D. Why does Hamlet look up to Fortinbras?
E. In the end, is Hamlet a hero? Why? Why not?

From Words and Actions:
A. Identify lines in which the word "word" is used.
B. Perform a close reading of the text.
C. How doe this relate to the action?
D. In the end who is the victor, actions or words?

From Hamlet and His Foils:
A. Who is most similar to Hamlet in this play?
B. Identify scenes in which Hamlet interacts with them.
C. Perform a close reading of these lines.
D. What characteristics do these foils bring out about Hamlet? What do we realize about Hamlet when we compare the two?

From Hamlet v. MacBeth
A. Describe these two protagonists.
B. Structurally how are these two characters designed differently?
C. How do these two characters die?
D. What do their deaths mean?

Task 4

Reminder: How to Use the Green Screen Workshop Today

Zamira will be showing us how to use the green screen today after school in her class, right near the Music Room and next to the elementary field.

If possible, bring iPad.

Hamlet-a-thon Tentative Schedule

9-11  Hamlet 1990

11-3  Hamlet 1996

3-5  Hamlet 2000

5-7  Hamlet 2009 

7-9  Hamlet 2015

Monday Afterschool

Monday at 2:15 in Zamira´s classroom (next to Jaime´s music room) there will be a workshop on how to use a green screen when editing with iMovie.

I highly recommend you attend, as I´ll be grading you on your overall production, including things like special effects (when applicable).

Deadline Reprieve

After meeting with some actors, I think it's best I assess Task 3 next Tuesday.

Homework

For next class, have your scene printed on paper. This will allow you to modify the lines with more ease.

Please take some time to fill out a survey about our course so far.

Task 3

Homework for CNG Halloween

Complete Task 3.

Questions about "The Bard"

Also, many of you had questions for me about Shakespeare and while I try to answer them I'm far from a Shakespeare expert.

I invite you to contact David Crystal. He (and his son) wrote the Shakespeare dictionary we have in class. He's a brilliant scholar, but very into getting in touch with people and being a public figure. You might mention again that you're writing from Bogotá, Colombia. As I said, he´s visited so he might make a connection with you based on that visit.

Questions about "Barnes" by Edmundo Paz Soldán

I was thinking about what many of you said about the character´s name in this short story. Why not email the author? He´s a professor at Cornell. I invite you to send questions to him there. I would be sure to mention that you´re a student living in Colombia. He might be more apt to respond. Here´s his  profile page at Cornell. 

Tonight's Assignment

Continue to work on Task 3, as assigned by the Earl of Leicester. I will be pulling you aside and asking you to interpret one line, and explain your delivery of that line.



Complete your logs for Act III.i.

Shakespeare Is Catholic (or Not)

Some of us were talking about Shakespeare´s religious views. I found this Wikipedia article that cleared up a lot of mixed-up notions I had.

O, What a Rogue! Homework

This weekend watch these three performances of II.ii.576-634 of Hamlet. In an entry in your log play close attention to how some of the words are pronounced and how that changes the meaning. Try drawing conclusions about how each of these actors interpreted Hamlet.

Hamlet Task 2

Tonight´s Homework

Tonight read II.i.1-134 and watch this performance of it. When done write one LOG entry for the scene. We´ll start tomorrow´s class by reading them.

Shakespeare Points Anyone?

Someone asked me in class about when Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. It just so happens a book was recently written that describes that year in his life.

If you read it, I will grant you Shakespeare Points. These would be averaged in with the rest of your grades.

Instructions for Hamlet Log

See them here.

If you haven´t already, make sure you understand and can paraphrase every line of your scene. Understanding the bigger picture and figurative language would be outstanding (4-level). I will be checking your understanding. This might be a good time to research your scene and annotate it. I recommend printing out a copy to use in class. This way you will be able to make notes on it.

Hamlet-a-thon

Task 1 Hamlet

Watch the following video. Follow the Earl of Leicester's instructions carefully.

Our performance will most likely be afterschool November 5th. Your groups and scenes are as follows:

PERIOD 2
Daniela C., Alejandro B.
III.i.99-175

Kelly, Lorenzo
I.v.1-98.

The rest of the class
V.ii.239-444

PERIOD 8

The entire class
III.ii.96-317

PERIOD 6
IV.ii
Mateo G, Santiago A. Nicolas Arc.

II.i
Elena N., Nicolas Alv.

I.iv
Catalina, Carlos A., Mateo C., Mackenzie

II.ii.240-338
Alejandro L., Felipe S., Alejandro R.

IV.v.1-58
Camila M., Sofia C., Mateo O., Nicolas Alv., Laura A.

You have the entire period to read your scenes as many times as necessary in order to understand the scene.

Grammar Diagnostic

As to orient even further some of our understanding of the grammar and usage of Standard English, please go to NoRedInk and sign in as a student.

Our class code is: hwwd4v8k.

Brief Blog

In a brief blog entry, after watching the trailer below, describe what most excites you about this trailer. What are the elements you find most appealing?

Hamlet (1996) Trailer

Model Essay for Lost City Radio

For those that didn´t see it, have a glance. 

Life Skills Cliche Sonnet

This weekend you must write a sonnet about your ability to meet the CNG life skills requirements. Given that this is one dimensional (¨I am a good person¨) my expectation is that poems be wonderfully horrible and cliched.

Many of you will need to research what a sonnet is to do this assignment. That´s part of the fun.

Have these printed, in class Monday.

See the CNG Life Skills Rubric here.

Our Topic for the Past Few Weeks Alluded To This

Exam on Thursday

We'll have an exam this Thursday on a text by Kate Chopin. You will have to perform a close reading, cite text correctly and as usual be conscious of the norms of Standard English.

Rhythm and Rhyme Exam

Don´t forget next class we´ll have a twelve question exam on rhythm and rhyme in poetry. It will be multiple guess  choice.

For Tuesday

Finish the novel and write a blog entry, in which you address specifically the ending. Try examining Edna as a character. Address Edna's moral position in your opinion.

For Tuesday

Read until Chapter XXVII or 27 for our next class. Be sure to take notes while reading.

Need help recording?

If you don't know how to record sound try this or Garage Band on Mac.

Comma Splice Workout

Try some exercises here.

Lyrics Video?

Poetry Karaoke Rubric

Chime in on our rubric here.

Poetry Karoake

By next Friday you should have recorded your Poetry Karoake piece on Soundcloud and hyperlinked it to a blog entry or have create a youtube lyrics video.

You might describe the poem briefly and the song, definitely in terms of meter and rhyme.

The Loony Bin?

I'd like you to read this very brief article about women and insane asylums in the 19th century. When finished, I'd like you to write a short blog entry making connections between this article and The Awakening. Be sure to cite text. Do so by next class.

Prefer to Listen?

If you prefer listening to audio along with the book, this link will bring you to the iTunes store; however, it is free.

This Weekend

This weekend I'd like you to read and annotate until Chapter XXI.

What is Creole culture?

While neither of these documentaries entirely explains Creole culture in Louisiana, I think you can surmise a great deal about it from these two documentaries.

Intro to Rhymes

This is the video we watched in class:

Rhythm in Poetry Presentation

This presents you with the basics.

Blog Entry for Thursday

By Thursday read until page 103 and write one blog entry.

For This Weekend

Read until page 73 of The Awakening. While reading annotate as we´ve practiced in class.

These will be graded next week.

In-text Citation Video

For Friday

Tonight I'd like to try writing your first reading blog entry based on the first 35 pages of The Awakening you read. We'll evaluate these together in class tomorrow.

What is a reading blog?

Reading to Blog

What's more important the book or our interpretations of the book? Can there be a book without there being interpretation? We'll be able to answer some of those questions after we've recorded our relationships with the books we read.

In order to preserve paper, as well as to promote our communication with the academic world outside of CNG, we'll be keeping blogs about the books we read.

You will write your own blogs, and respond to your blogs as prescribed by your weekly homework blog entry. You should not approach each blog the same way. With variety comes varied thought; therefore, I hope you focus on different topics and take different approaches in each entry.Imagine you have been assigned "The Three Little Pigs" for homework. To write a reading blog based on this reading here are some possibilities:

-Respond to the text personally: 

I never had my house blown down by a wolf, but I have felt loss. For example, I once abandoned my favorite apartment. I left most of my furniture there, some clothes, even a television!

-Connect text to another book, a film, work of art, a comic or any other creation: 

The Three Little Pigs reminds me of The Matrix. When the Wolf "huffed and puffed and blew his house down" he acted just as Morpheus did for Reeve's character. Suddenly, Reeves was without the security he once felt.

-Ask questions to later answer:

What might the grandmother represent? Why would the Wolf want to blow down the houses? How might I write a better ending? I would then maybe answer these questions in later blogs. 

-Visual Vocabulary 

Select the words you think it was important to define in the text. Match a picture to it on your blog post. 

-Hyperlink 

You might want to use the 21^st century's answer to footnotes when you're talking about something that is not common knowledge. We'll do a demo of how to insert a hyperlink in class.

You may use any combination of these, or you can write your own type of entries. Let your reading guide your entries. We'll take a look at them next week in class and in conferences.

Take a look at this example from a student a few years ago. Here's a more satirical style and here's another more effusive style. 

Crash Course in Women´s Role in 19th Century America

This might help you to better understand our protagonist.

Wake Up!

Read and annotate The Awakening until page 35 for our class on Thursday.

You will be graded on your notes.

Open a Blog

Go to Blogger and begin a blog for this course. Make sure to put your first name and last name in your account.

Think of what a title should be: creative, clever, original and accurate.

When finished click "Comment" on this very blog post. This way we will have an entire directory of on another's blogs. Copy and paste your url into the comment box.

Have this complete by our class on Thursday.

Exam Time (Already)

On Friday August 21st we'll have an in class timed writing assignment about Lost City Radio. You can bring in your annotated copy for the exam.

Rhyming Timing

This is the video we watched a bit of in class today:

Key terms:

end rhyme
internal rhyme
perfect rhyme
half rhyme

Sing We Now of Music

Please bring in your lyrics either on computer or printed for analysis next class.

Email Updates

Be sure to enter your email into the widget on this page to get updates from my blog. All class announcements will be posted here.

Welcome to Litaculous!

Don´t be scared away by the exclamation mark. This is Literature! - with a capital L and and exclamation mark because we are going to be excited by literature this semester, with everything from song-writing to acting to watching TV, oh, and in the meantime analyzing and writing about our analysis. 

This class will teach you how to read and interpret anything from TV shows to interpretive dance although mainly, you will learn to understand and enjoy literature.