Valediction: Forbidding Whining

New World Order

2011-09-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Occasional Readers or People Who Found This Accidentally:

Due to district rules, I'm not allowed to maintain this blog for academic purposes. So I created a Twitter account instead, and update assignments also through ProgressBook and e-mail.

Until they let me blog, that's my solution.

So follow me on Twitter@jenn_hilley.

Be well, all!

end of the road

2011-02-28T10:59:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed a lack of posting in this space. Due to recent countywide initiatives, this blog is no longer considered to be a legal means of communicating with my students, and therefore I have to shut it down.

I am currently signed up to take the district-mandated training to create one of their approved websites, hosted by ocps, and I will post the link here when that site is up and running.

I've enjoyed the time on blogger--it was a great tool to post videos, pictures, and assignments. But times change and our new management directives indicate that we need to keep everything consolidated under district control, and I like my job and would like to keep it.

Love to all.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

2011-02-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

Short Wednesday!!!

Gifted English II: More Othello-ness. Good times!!! And we need to review protocol for tomorrow and Friday, considering my absences (teacher planning conference 2/17 and personal medical stuff 2/18.)

AP Lit: Since the analysis of "West Wind" went SO WELL yesterday, we're breaking this puppy down today and analyzing it the way the AP exam would have us do it. Five stanzas=five opportunities for growth and learning. Yep. BRING YOUR LIT BOOK.

Ode to the West Wind

2011-02-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

610. Ode to the West Wind

I O WILD West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being
Thou from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
Are driven like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,

Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red,
Pestilence-stricken multitudes! O thou	5
Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed

The wingèd seeds, where they lie cold and low,
Each like a corpse within its grave, until
Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow

Her clarion o'er the dreaming earth, and fill	10
(Driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air)
With living hues and odours plain and hill;

Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere;
Destroyer and preserver; hear, O hear!

II Thou on whose stream, 'mid the steep sky's commotion,	15
Loose clouds like earth's decaying leaves are shed,
Shook from the tangled boughs of heaven and ocean,

Angels of rain and lightning! there are spread
On the blue surface of thine airy surge,
Like the bright hair uplifted from the head	20

Of some fierce Mænad, even from the dim verge
Of the horizon to the zenith's height,
The locks of the approaching storm. Thou dirge

Of the dying year, to which this closing night
Will be the dome of a vast sepulchre,	25
Vaulted with all thy congregated might

Of vapours, from whose solid atmosphere
Black rain, and fire, and hail, will burst: O hear!

III Thou who didst waken from his summer dreams
The blue Mediterranean, where he lay,	30
Lull'd by the coil of his crystàlline streams,

Beside a pumice isle in Baiæ's bay,
And saw in sleep old palaces and towers
Quivering within the wave's intenser day,

All overgrown with azure moss, and flowers	35
So sweet, the sense faints picturing them! Thou
For whose path the Atlantic's level powers

Cleave themselves into chasms, while far below
The sea-blooms and the oozy woods which wear
The sapless foliage of the ocean, know	40

Thy voice, and suddenly grow gray with fear,
And tremble and despoil themselves: O hear!

IV If I were a dead leaf thou mightest bear;
If I were a swift cloud to fly with thee;
A wave to pant beneath thy power, and share	45

The impulse of thy strength, only less free
Than thou, O uncontrollable! if even
I were as in my boyhood, and could be

The comrade of thy wanderings over heaven,
As then, when to outstrip thy skiey speed	50
Scarce seem'd a vision—I would ne'er have striven

As thus with thee in prayer in my sore need.
O! lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud!
I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!

A heavy weight of hours has chain'd and bow'd	55
One too like thee—tameless, and swift, and proud.

V Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is:
What if my leaves are falling like its own?
The tumult of thy mighty harmonies

Will take from both a deep autumnal tone,	60
Sweet though in sadness. Be thou, Spirit fierce,
My spirit! Be thou me, impetuous one!

Drive my dead thoughts over the universe,
Like wither'd leaves, to quicken a new birth;
And, by the incantation of this verse,	65

Scatter, as from an unextinguish'd hearth
Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind!
Be through my lips to unawaken'd earth

The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?	70

Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley

2011-02-14T18:25:00.000-08:00

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away".

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

2011-02-14T18:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Bill!

Today is February 15--halfway through this month. Can you believe it?

Gifted English II: Othello Act II discussion and content vocab words.

AP Lit and Comp: Frankenstein Quiz #1 and "Ode to the West Wind" by Shelley.

Monday, February 14, 2011

2011-02-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

Whether you call it Singles Awareness Day, Valentine's Day, or The Feast of Lupercal (technically the 15th), the middle of February holds this magical distinction:

Freshmen will roam through the halls clutching huge, zeppelin-sized clots of balloons, noisily declaring their love for the boy/girl who has captured his/her heart for the past few days. It will be loud. It will be chaotic. It might send your teeth on edge.

But then there are the niceties: the senior who gives his teacher pirate jokes for V-Day (Why did the soprano want to be a pirate? She loved the high C's) the sophomore who gave her teacher flowers, the other sophomore who gave her teacher awesome hand sanitizer and a hilarious card, the senior who brought a single rose. Nice details that make the day better.

Just remember that VDay is about love in ALL its forms. And if you can't be with the one you love, baby, love the one you're with. Doot doot doot doot doot doot doot doot!

Gifted English II: Vocab Quiz and Act II.

AP Lit and Comp: Frankendiscussion and "Ozymandias" for fifth, sixth, and seventh.

Funny Talking Animals - Walk On The Wild Side Preview - BBC One

2011-02-08T17:19:00.000-08:00

Funny Talking Animals - Walk On The Wild Side - Episode Three Preview - ...

2011-02-08T17:17:00.000-08:00

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

2011-02-07T18:01:00.000-08:00

The single-best commercial of the 2011 SuperBowl.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

2011-02-07T14:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was rough.

Some of you stayed home; some of you struggled through the day; some of you, while personally unaffected by the tragedy this weekend, still felt the ancillary sting of loss.

I hope that you continue to take care of yourselves and each other and that you let one of us know ASAP if you need support during this difficult time.

Academically, I plan to move forward. If you need additional time for anything just let me know.

Love to all.

Gifted English II: Othello, resumed. Also, I will be collecting your JC focus papers and if time permits, we will have a Title Parade.

AP Literature and Comp: Two-part lesson: A) Listen to Iron Maiden's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and compare/contrast the lyrics to the poem (after finishing the poem in 3rd and 5th periods) and B) notes/discussion questions on Frankenstein.

Monday, February 7, 2011

2011-02-06T17:28:00.000-08:00

As many of you no doubt already know, we had another loss to the Boone family on Sunday, February 7, 2011. Six young people heading to the beach this morning were in a terrible car accident and two--one, a senior, and one, a recent graduate--died. The others were injured in varying degrees.

Many of you know these kids, or their families and their friends. The ripple effect will be strong tomorrow at Boone and it will be a hard day for much of us.

Dr. McMillen has requested an emergency faculty meeting tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. to go over procedures so that each of you--our precious students--will have consistent support throughout the day should you need it. I am adjusting my lesson plans for tomorrow to allow for some breathing room--not a free period, certainly, but activities that you can do on cruise control if you need a distraction during a difficult time, or that you can do on full throttle if that serves you better.

Over the years, I have bid farewell to far too many students and fellow teachers, and each time we lose a young person I long to grab all of my students and shake them and say, "You are NOT invincible! Go live well, and for a long time, and be careful out there!" But I can't do that. All I can do is say that I love each and every one of you, and I am so sorry that these families have to suffer so untenably tonight. Much love to everyone, and know that there is support for you available should you need it tomorrow on The Reservation.

Adjusted lesson plans:

Gifted English II was going to proceed into Act II of Othello, but instead we're going to work with some content vocabulary terms relevant to both the play and the SAT.

AP Lit and Comp was going to listen to "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Iron Maiden and compare/contrast the lyrics to Coleridge, but instead we'll do that tomorrow. Today, a simplified chart to help you sort out the intricacies of Coleridge's figurative terms, to do or not-do.

Julius Caesar Paper

2011-02-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

Gifted English II

Style Sheet: Julius Caesar Focus Paper

This paper is due Tuesday, February 8, 2011 by 2:30 p.m. (hard copy) AND 11:59 p.m. that night on www.turnitin.com OR e-mailed to jennifer.hilley@ocps.net for uploading. If you are absent that day, your paper is STILL DUE. Send it with a friend or fax it to Boone at 407.897.2466, attention Ms. Hilley.

Format:

--Typed, double-spaced, in a professional font (Times New Roman, Arial)

--Optional cover page with clip art of your choice

--Stapled in this order:

Cover sheet (if included)

Revised, typed copy

Rough draft with two signatures signifying peer review

--Proofread carefully for errors in spelling and conventions

--No works cited page is necessary, but be SURE to cite quotes in this

format: (Act, scene, line number) with a capitalized Roman numeral for the Act, a lower-case Roman numeral for the scene, and Arabic numbers for the line or lines. Example: “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good” (IV, v, 36). The punctuation goes on the outside end of the parentheses.

Friday, February 4, 2011

2011-02-03T18:08:00.000-08:00

SOPHYS: Please talk to your parents about what kinds of classes you want to take next year. Registration will be the week of Valentine's Day and your teachers will be making recommendations for core courses. If you are vacillating about taking AP Language and Comp next year, please see me--in some cases, it might not be in your best interest to jump into AP English just yet. (Yes, you can take my class senior year, since that question keeps coming up.) In other cases, you might think it's too much work and you'd be WRONG. It is a challenging yet worthwhile class.

Gifted English II: Othello Content Vocabulary, and Othello, Act I.

AP Lit and Comp: Finish "Rime" if possible, and analyze the use of language in the ballad.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

2011-02-02T19:18:00.000-08:00

Gifted English II: Othello, Act I. Oh yeah!

AP Lit and Comp: "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge.

GROUNDHOG DAY TRAILER

2011-02-01T18:18:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

2011-02-01T18:13:00.000-08:00

GROUNDHOG DAY!!!!

Gifted English II: Peer Edit of the Julius Caesar essay.

AP Lit and Comp: "Kubla Khan" and introduction to "Rime."

February, February

2011-01-31T15:07:00.001-08:00

The shortest month! A month of tremendous historic significance--from Black History Month to Lupercalia to Single's Awareness Day (oops) Valentines Day to Presidents Day to (how could we forget) GROUNDHOG DAY!

Yep. It's February.

February, for the sophys, is also Registration Time. You will be selecting your courses for next year in the coming weeks and we have already begun some significant conversations in class about this matter. Please keep your parental units well-informed about this, and choose wisely. Dr. McMillen's Reservation Report will have more information for you and your parents, and check the Boone website regularly for updates.

(Also, and not insignificantly--it looks like I'm going to be out of town every weekend this month, or most every weekend. E-mail access might be limited, so scholarship-letter-seekers and advice-requesters be warned.)

That said, let's get on with the learnin'!

Gifted English II: Second period HAS to take that quiz. Goodness. We keep missing it. . .

Both classes will review the format for a thesis statement today, just for giggles, and then do some pre-reading activities for Othello, Moor of Venice. Also, we need to talk about FCAT Explorer, which has been freshly updated with review materials in reading, science, and math.

AP Lit and Comp: Finish the questions for "Tintern Abbey," then launch headlong into all things Coleridge. The man was a GENIUS. Probably a bit of a pathological liar, too, but haven't you noticed that none of the writers we have encountered are, well, normal? To wit:

Keats--tubercular, poor, and sad. Shelley--angsty, atheistic, ran away with a 15-year-old idealist. Wordsworth--terrible, terrible teeth, and abandoned his French lover and their CHILD. Coleridge--opium addict, insomniac, incurable Romantic. And these are our role models. Oy, vey. And don't forget Blake, who was most likely suffering from some paranoid delusions all his life.

Coleridge, though. . .I have a soft spot in my heart for the fellow, since he was so very smart and so very willing to share said smarts with the world. Here are some choice Coleridge quotes to contemplate on a brisk February day:

A man may devote himself to death and destruction to save a nation; but no nation will devote itself to death and destruction to save mankind.
A man's as old as he's feeling. A woman as old as she looks.
A man's desire is for the woman, but the woman's desire is rarely other than for the desire of the man.
A mother is a mother still, The holiest thing alive.
A poet ought not to pick nature's pocket. Let him borrow, and so borrow as to repay by the very act of borrowing. Examine nature accurately, but write from recollection, and trust more to the imagination than the memory.
Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper in sinks into the mind.
Alas! they had been friends in youth; but whispering tongues can poison truth.
All sympathy not consistent with acknowledged virtue is but disguised selfishness.
All thoughts, all passions, all delights Whatever stirs this mortal frame All are but ministers of Love And feed His sacred flame.
And though thou notest from thy safe recess old friends burn dim, like lamps in noisome air love them for what they are; nor love them less, because to thee they are not what they were.
As I live and am a man, this is an unexaggerated tale - my dreams become the substances of my life.

And now, from William Wordsworth

2011-01-30T17:12:00.000-08:00

"Tintern Abbey"

FIVE years have past; five summers, with the length
Of five long winters! and again I hear
These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs
With a soft inland murmur. -- Once again
Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,
That on a wild secluded scene impress
Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect
The landscape with the quiet of the sky.
The day is come when I again repose
Here, under this dark sycamore, and view
These plots of cottage-ground, these orchard-tufts,
Which at this season, with their unripe fruits,
Are clad in one green hue, and lose themselves
'Mid groves and copses. Once again I see
These hedge-rows, hardly hedge-rows, little lines
Of sportive wood run wild: these pastoral farms,
Green to the very door; and wreaths of smoke
Sent up, in silence, from among the trees!
With some uncertain notice, as might seem
Of vagrant dwellers in the houseless woods,
Or of some Hermit's cave, where by his fire
The Hermit sits alone.

These beauteous forms,

Through a long absence, have not been to me
As is a landscape to a blind man's eye:
But oft, in lonely rooms, and 'mid the din
Of towns and cities, I have owed to them
In hours of weariness, sensations sweet,
Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart;
And passing even into my purer mind,
With tranquil restoration: -- feelings too
Of unremembered pleasure: such, perhaps,
As have no slight or trivial influence
On that best portion of a good man's life,
His little, nameless, unremembered, acts
Of kindness and of love. Nor less, I trust,
To them I may have owed another gift,
Of aspect more sublime; that blessed mood,
In which the burthen of the mystery,
In which the heavy and the weary weight
Of all this unintelligible world,
Is lightened: -- that serene and blessed mood,
In which the affections gently lead us on, --
Until, the breath of this corporeal frame
And even the motion of our human blood
Almost suspended, we are laid asleep
In body, and become a living soul:
While with an eye made quiet by the power
Of harmony, and the deep power of joy,
We see into the life of things.

If this

Be but a vain belief, yet, oh! how oft --
In darkness and amid the many shapes
Of joyless daylight; when the fretful stir
Unprofitable, and the fever of the world,
Have hung upon the beatings of my heart --
How oft, in spirit, have I turned to thee,
O sylvan Wye! thou wanderer thro' the woods,
How often has my spirit turned to thee!
And now, with gleams of half-extinguished thought,
With many recognitions dim and faint,
And somewhat of a sad perplexity,
The picture of the mind revives again:
While here I stand, not only with the sense
Of present pleasure, but with pleasing thoughts
That in this moment there is life and food
For future years. And so I dare to hope,
Though changed, no doubt, from what I was when first
I came among these hills; when like a roe
I bounded o'er the mountains, by the sides
Of the deep rivers, and the lonely streams,
Wherever nature led: more like a man
Flying from something that he dreads, than one
Who sought the thing he loved. For nature then
(The coarser pleasures of my boyish days,
And their glad animal movements all gone by)
To me was all in all. -- I cannot paint
What then I was. The sounding cataract
Haunted me like a passion: the tall rock,
The mountain, and the deep and gloomy wood,
Their colours and their forms, were then to me
An appetite; a feeling and a love,
That had no need of a remoter charm,
By thought supplied, nor any interest
Unborrowed from the eye. -- That time is past,
And all its aching joys are now no more,
And all its dizzy raptures. Not for this
Faint I, nor mourn nor murmur, other gifts
Have followed; for such loss, I would believe,
Abundant recompence. For I have learned
To look on nature, not as in the hour
Of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes
The still, sad music of humanity,
Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power
To chasten and subdue. And I have felt
A presence that disturbs me with the joy
Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime
Of something far more deeply interfused,
Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,
And the round ocean and the living air,
And the blue sky, and in the mind of man;
A motion and a spirit, that impels
All thinking things, all objects of all thought,
And rolls through all things. Therefore am I still
A lover of the meadows and the woods,
And mountains; and of all that we behold
From this green earth; of all the mighty world
Of eye, and ear, -- both what they half create,
And what perceive; well pleased to recognise
In nature and the language of the sense,
The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse,
The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul
Of all my moral being.

Nor perchance,

If I were not thus taught, should I the more
Suffer my genial spirits to decay:
For thou art with me here upon the banks
Of this fair river; thou my dearest Friend,
My dear, dear Friend; and in thy voice I catch
The language of my former heart, and read
My former pleasures in the shooting lights
Of thy wild eyes. Oh! yet a little while
May I behold in thee what I was once,
My dear, dear Sister! and this prayer I make,
Knowing that Nature never did betray
The heart that loved her; 'tis her privilege,
Through all the years of this our life, to lead
From joy to joy: for she can so inform
The mind that is within us, so impress
With quietness and beauty, and so feed
With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues,
Rash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men,
Nor greetings where no kindness is, nor all
The dreary intercourse of daily life,
Shall e'er prevail against us, or disturb
Our cheerful faith, that all which we behold
Is full of blessings. Therefore let the moon
Shine on thee in thy solitary walk;
And let the misty mountain-winds be free
To blow against thee: and, in after years,
When these wild ecstasies shall be matured
Into a sober pleasure; when thy mind
Shall be a mansion for all lovely forms,
Thy memory be as a dwelling-place
For all sweet sounds and harmonies; oh! then,
If solitude, or fear, or pain, or grief,
Should be thy portion, with what healing thoughts
Of tender joy wilt thou remember me,
And these my exhortations! Nor, perchance --
If I should be where I no more can hear
Thy voice, nor catch from thy wild eyes these gleams
Of past existence -- wilt thou then forget
That on the banks of this delightful stream
We stood together; and that I, so long
A worshipper of Nature, hither came
Unwearied in that service: rather say
With warmer love -- oh! with far deeper zeal
Of holier love. Nor wilt thou then forget,
That after many wanderings, many years
Of absence, these steep woods and lofty cliffs,
And this green pastoral landscape, were to me
More dear, both for themselves and for thy sake!

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

[Composed A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey,

On Revisiting The Banks Of The Wye

During A Tour. July 13, 1798.]

Monday, January 31, 2011

2011-01-30T17:05:00.000-08:00

The last day of January. . .wow!!!

Gifted English II: Grammar self-assessment; second period needs to take the vocab quiz; both groups need to go over the JC focus paper (rough draft due on Wednesday) and we need to prepare ourselves for the rigor and relevance of Othello.

AP Lit and Comp: "Tintern Abbey" and questions; Wordsworth's visual imagery; AP exam stuff.

Here's a picture of Tintern Abbey itself:

Friday, January 28, 2011

2011-01-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

Another week, down!!! Wow!!!

Gifted English II: Vocabulary quiz related to JC, followed by a focus paper assignment and pre-writing. And then an amazing grammar self-assessment.

AP Lit and Comp: "Tintern Abbey" by Wordsworth after a pre-reading activity related to the content of the poem. 'Tis lovely.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

2011-01-26T20:53:00.000-08:00

Gifted English II: Act V, scene v of JC with visual stimuli AND the awesome, not-ready-for-prime-time JC Scavenger Hunt!!!

NOTE: Our next major literary event is Othello; we will be working primarily from a class set, but if you wish to acquire a copy of the No Fear: Shakespeare series, I just saw over 147 copies available on www.amazon.com for a little over a dollar each. New, they run around six bucks--a bargain at either price point. If you don't want the paraphrased assistance, at least download the play from a reputable source for homework. We will discuss this in class tomorrow.

AP Lit and Comp: "The Chimney Sweep" behind us, we will review Blake and practice two multiple choice sessions based on specific passages. BRING THE LIT BOOK TOMORROW.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

2011-01-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

Oh, Frabjous Day!!!

Gifted English II: Review Content Vocabulary for Friday's Amazing Quizlet, then finish Act V. Act V questions will be turned in TODAY unless you need extra time. Tomorrow--a weird little activity, and a class vote. And by "weird" I mean "academically weird," not "Weird Science" weird.

AP Lit and Comp: TP-CASTT of "The Chimney Sweep" and a brief introduction to Wordsworth. (Isn't that a cool name for a poet? WORDS and WORTH? I've been contemplating pseudonyms lately and I wish I could come up with something cool, like Natasha Myinkisrunningdry or Victoria M. Verisimilitude (M for Metaphor!) Never mind. I'll just be Anonymous.)

CELL PHONE ABUSERS: You are either staring into your lap with disproportionate wonder or leaving your handbag strategically on your desk. I know what you're doing. Your classmates know what you're doing. I plan to address this in class, AGAIN, but let's be clear: I know that in this day and age, one must surgically remove electronic devices from one's audience. Teachers are bad about this, too, in meetings and such,but I try diligently NOT to be so rude as to stare at a little glowy screen over the underpaid educator earnestly trying to tell me something. Thus, I expect the same from you. Surely you have a student assistant period or a lunch break or, oh, I don't know, an AFTERNOON in which you can text yourself stupid, but please don't do it in my class when I am trying to teach you. School policy lets me take your expensive toy from you, and then your parental unit has to come to school to retrieve it and then you will have some 'splaining to do. Let's not be enemies, but let's be clear: I HATE CELL PHONES IN CLASSROOMS. I bought a device to prevent their use, but turns out that violated a federal law or something, so I have to rely on adolescent integrity. Oh, man. KEEP THE PHONE OUT OF SIGHT AND SET TO STUN AND WE WILL BE FINE. And keep your handbags off the desks and your eyes off of your laps; everyone will feel better about that last bit. It's just creepy.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

2011-01-25T17:09:00.001-08:00

Oh, the weather outside is frightful. . .

Gifted English II: Collect HW; watch Act IV; begin Act V. Acting!

AP Lit and Comp: More Blake; "London," "The Chimney Sweep," "A Poison Tree." I'll post detailed notes about Romanticism here for you in the next few days.

Sorry so short; had to supervise the drama rehearsal yesterday and stayed late, and the storm this afternoon has knocked me off my kilter. Back to normal tomorrow, n'est-ce pas?

Monday, January 24, 2011

2011-01-20T16:39:00.001-08:00

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. APees: Please bring your textbook to class this week, starting Tuesday. Yes, that big, expensive white thing I haven't asked you to use yet. Now is the time, grasshoppers. Now is the time.

2. APees again: If you would like to purchase your own copy of Frankenstein for annotation purposes, bring 2.50 to class by Tuesday, 1/25. I am rush-ordering them to have next week.

3. Service hours: I have a new sign-in log for NHS service hours, to clarify and simplify the process. If you help out in 313 or for Project X--Classified this term, be sure to sign the log. Protects you, protects me.

4. Sophys! Registration begins week after next, and Guidance is coming to Guide you! More information pending, and soon.

AP Lit and Comp: After we discuss the prompt from the Semester Exam and share a few terrific examples, we are transitioning into the Romanticism Unit. I have a handout for you to facilitate your note-taking, but plan to take notes today, and possibly tomorrow as well.

Gifted English II: After we pass back ALL the work from last term (you might want to save some in a file for next year. . .) we are going head-first into Act IV of Julius Caesar. You have HW tonight: six or seven questions on the act, so the more we do in class, the less HW you might have.

Welcome to the Third Quarter!

2011-01-20T16:31:00.000-08:00

Some people have New Year resolutions; I have new semester resolutions. Hopefully you will experience the benefit of the Nicer, Kinder, Gentler Me in the upcoming weeks and months.

I do want to clarify one issue, however, and it isn't mine.

OCPS has formulated new Management Directives, which are rules ALL employees must follow with no exception. To paraphrase: No employee may contact any student about anything unrelated to an assignment or an extracurricular activity; no student may do the same; no texting between employees and students AT ALL unless they are related; no social networking. PLEASE be judicious when e-mailing me; I have tried to be completely accessible to you, especially during scholarship season, but the new rules say that you cannot contact me via gmail anymore. (I always liked using gmail because unlike our school's e-mail server, it had pretty much unlimited capacity for attachments and the like, and I wouldn't get shut down when a bunch of essays hit me at the same time. I'll have to come up with something, I guess.)

I have historically only added students to a limited view of my Facebook feed AFTER they graduate, and I will continue to do so, but I cannot even be ASKED by you before graduation to Twitter, Facebook, or the like. Also, in the past, I've been pretty open with my phone number, mainly for international travel and our service club, but now I will limit all contact to the school number. This is a sound policy, I think, but it is a reversal from a few years back when we were encouraged to be available to you. Unfortunately, some adults lack discretion and have made some illegal, unethical, and sad choices, so these are our new rules.

You can still reach me at jennifer.hilley@ocps.net, or at 407.893.7200, extension 4605. And, as always, I am around before school and during both lunch shifts in 313. But the days of e-mailing me a cool cartoon about Macbeth or asking if I saw Jeopardy! last night are over, at least for now.

(For the record, I have nothing scandalous on the net, nor ever will; in fact, I'm FB friends with some of your parents. But rules are rules and frankly I think this establishes some pretty clear boundaries in a world fraught with uncertainty and ever-changing technological access.)

To infinity and beyond!

January 10, 2011

2011-01-09T17:12:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I got a little distracted last week (ten zillion kids needing recommendations, scholarship essays, drama galore, and editing finals) and failed UTTERLY to update this blog of mine. A thousand apologies from the mother ship! Here goes!!!

First, the semester exam schedule is available on the BHS website and is pretty definitive. You have no school next Monday, January 17, so the exams will run Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with two exams on Tuesday and Wednesday and three on Thursday. Teachers will have school Friday to finish grades, but you have to make up any missing exams by January 24 OR THE GRADE CANNOT BE CHANGED. This is not a Boone thing but an OCPS thing due to our awesome new software. Plan ahead!!!!

Here is the tentative schedule for next week at Chez Hilley:

Monday, 1/10:

Gifted English II: Finish the compare/contrast for Julius Caesar; go over Acts I-III in visual form. Final Authors of the Day, too! Almost finished. . .

AP Lit and Comp: TS Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and its connection to Hamlet. This one's a doozy, guys, but a necessary evil for the AP exam. Not to mention for life-long cultural literacy. . .

Tuesday, 1/11:

Gifted English II: Distribute graded work and exam review packets; more Julius Caesar analysis; collect questions for Acts II and III.

AP Lit and Comp: Analysis of Eliot and literary criticism (seven short pieces and your final writing assignment for the semester) and distribution of semester exam review packet.

Wednesday, 1/12-Friday, 1/14:

BOTH CLASSES: Comprehensive examination reviews in class and make-up work opportunities before grades are due.

NOTE: There will be scheduled study periods integrated into the exam schedule, so you can submit make-up work up until Thursday, 1/20/2011.

Monday, January 3, 2011

2010-12-25T18:07:00.001-08:00

Welcome back!!! We need to get right down to business, since we have a limited window to prepare for first semester exams.

The exam schedule should be published on the BHS website ASAP. There were some minor glitches but the admin and the exam committee are working assiduously to make it work.

GIFTED ENGLISH II:

1. Go over the Author of the Day schedule and see who still needs to present, and align accordingly.

2. Review Acts I-III of Julius Caesar and do a Venn Diagram of the two major speeches.

3. Assign an Extra Credit Opportunity for memorizing a speech from JC.

4. Character analysis of Acts I-III.

AP LITERATURE AND COMP:

1. Act II of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and relevant analysis.

2. Content connections to Hamlet.

Thursday and Friday, December 16-17

2010-12-16T20:03:00.000-08:00

The last two days before break! We have so much to plan and execute--the party for the custodians on Thursday, final assignments and lessons on both days, cross-cultural communication exercises, yadda yadda yadda. . .

WINTER BREAK ASSIGNMENT FOR GIFTED ENGLISH II: Please read the first three acts of Julius Caesar per our conversation in class. If you forget your textbook or don't own a copy of No Fear Shakespeare: Julius Caesar you can access the play for free online since it is in the public domain.

AP Lit and Comp: Visual exercise related to Hamlet.

Gifted English II: Julius Caesar, Act I. And there was much rejoicing.

THE DIGITAL STORY OF NATIVITY - ( or Christmas 2.0 )

2010-12-16T14:37:00.000-08:00

I'm not posting this to proselytize a particular religious point of view, but to illustrate social networking's pervasiveness in our modern culture. Check this out--I lol'd when Joseph got a donkey on FarmVille.

Hakuna Matata(English)

2010-12-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

I find it fascinating that Disney can so sanitize things. Don't get me wrong: I LOVE this film. LOVE IT. But allowing the cheery "hakuna matata" ideal to creep into Hamlet is terrific cognitive dissonance. One could argue that Pumbaa and Timon's abiding philosophy is less than cheery and is an escape mechanism from personal responsibility like Hamlet's avoidance techniques, but I think that might be delving more deeply than the Disney execs expect. Anyway, enjoy a sneak preview of our pre-Winter Break Technology Festival. Yep.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

2010-12-14T19:32:00.000-08:00

The Ides of December! (Not really--Ides only come every so often, but since we're introducing the Julius Caesar Unit today. . .)

Gifted English II: After we festively re-bubble the Edusoft Answer Sheets: New and Not My Fault They Were Wrong The First Time, Seriously, we will watch the short video on reading your PSAT scores. And after that. . .Shakespeare! And how he was inspired to write JC!

AP Lit and Comp: Act I of R and G Are Dead, from page 33-on. To enchant you, here are some quotes from the playwright Tom Stoppard himself:

"The days of the digital watch are numbered."

"Every exit is an entrance someplace else."

"We're actors! We're the opposite of people!"

and. . .

"It is better to be quotable than to be honest."

Food for thought, but not necessarily food for imitative behaviors. . .

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

2010-12-13T16:52:00.000-08:00

We draw ever closer. . .whoo whoo. . .

Gifted English II: PSAT scores are here! And even though we're not supposed to distribute them until Wednesday (there will be a video explaining all things PSAT) I will give them to you tomorrow to take home. Unfortunately, there was an epic problem with the benchmark testing you did last week, and I have to ask you to rebubble your answers on a new sheet. (Trust me, this will make your scores come up.) And then. . .dun dun dun. . .Queen Elizabeth!!! And you thought the last two days were interesting. . .

AP Lit and Comp: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Act I. And I need to borrow a quarter from someone. Just for a little bit.

Monday, December 13, 2010

2010-12-12T15:23:00.000-08:00

ONE WEEK UNTIL WINTER BREAK!!!!! BOOYAH!

Gifted English II: Part II of the epic Lecture on Dead People, otherwise known as the Raging Tudor Dynasty. Prepare to take epic notes.

NOTE TO SOPHYS: As I said in class, we are beginning a unit on Shakespeare and will be reading two plays, Julius Caesar and Othello. If you are interested in getting the No Fear Shakespeare edition from Barnes and Noble, you need to order it online or at the store very soon. (Both, I think, are 5.95 plus tax, but my older students swear by them.) I also want to remind you that BOTH plays are available online and in your textbook for free. FREE! This is just if you want the additional help. ALSO--We will be working with a grammar text called The Elements of Style by Strunk and White beginning in late January, and you WILL need a copy. Awesome little book.

AP Lit and Comp: Make-up Hamlet tests for a handful of you (yes, the rest are graded) and an essay by T.S. Eliot (found elsewhere on this blog) on why Hamlet is an artistic failure. Yes, I had to pull my jaw up from the floor on that one, too, but let's see what Missouri's finest son has to say about the melancholy Dane.

Friday, December 10, 2010

2010-12-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

Gifted English II: Finish analysis of the two poems from yesterday; content vocabulary for the next unit; suggestion to take textbook home over the break to read Julius Caesar; beginning of awesome lecture about dead people. A good time should be had by most.

AP Lit and Comp: Hamlet Unit Test!!! And suggestions for the upcoming focus paper. :-)

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days (original from 1998)

2010-12-09T12:22:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the KMart commercial at the opening, but this is SO GOOD. Regardless of what you celebrate this season, I think you'll agree that these guys are so awesome.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

2010-12-08T16:59:00.000-08:00

Gifted English II: 2 Author of the Day presentation, 2 short articles from The Onion, 2 short poems. We are operating in 2's today!!!

AP Lit and Comp: Review for Hamlet Test. If you are out, this is the outline of what we're doing:

If you know all of this stuff, you should be fine on ye olde Hamlet test. (And you know how I feel about superfluous vowels, so that's really saying something. Don't even get me going on the illogical spelling of Seminole Towne Centre Shoppes. It's in SANFORD, not SANFOURDE.)

Know this! And you will rock the casbah!

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Characters to Know

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Hamlet the Elder (ghost), Fortinbras the Elder, Old Norway: The Trifecta of Old
Claudius
Gertrude

Polonius
Laertes
Ophelia
Players and Player King
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Horatio

Osric
Reynaldo

Gravedigger
Yorick

Themes to Know and Understand
Denmark as a garden
The play-within-the-play motif (know both titles--"The Murder of Gonzago" and "Mousetrap")
Rottenness
The role of the supernatural
The role of philosophy
The significance of three sons mourning three dead fathers
Graveyard imagery

Action v. intellect
Sexual imagery

Final Thoughts:

1. Remember how to spell "soliloquy" and what it means.

2. Review the insults Hamlet gives to Polonius.

3. Understand that this is NOT a typical Aristotilean tragedy, but is rather the first "modern" one in that sense of the word; Macbeth was a medieval play with Renaissance overtones, whereas Hamlet is Renaissance to the max. Hamlet, despite his myriad of character flaws, is an essentially good man fighting a corrupt universe.

4. Understand Horatio's complex role, perhaps even as significant as providing a narrative "voice" for us.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

2010-12-08T16:56:00.000-08:00

Gifted English II: Finish up any missing work, and multiple Authors of the Day.

AP Lit and Comp: Distribute the Hamlet obituary assignment, due tomorrow, and finish Act V of Hamlet. Hamlet test is Friday and the review will be in class tomorrow.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

2010-12-05T09:12:00.000-08:00

Gifted English II: Edusoft Benchmark Testing. Bring a pencil! You can have extra time tomorrow if needed.

AP Lit and Comp: Finish Hamlet; Hamlet Creative Assignment. (I'd tell you more now but it would be a massive plot spoiler. You want him to live happily ever after, right?)

Monday, December 6, 2010

2010-12-05T09:09:00.000-08:00

Reminder to Sophys: Tomorrow is Edusoft Benchmark Testing! Bring a pencil!

Gifted English II: Finish the Candide test and catch up on Author of the Day presentations; proofreading activity.

AP Lit and Comp: Act IV and V questions while reading Act V of Hamlet; work on the study guide/character chart from week one of this unit. Extra copies on the front table.

. . .and this is why you have to college.

2010-12-02T20:20:00.000-08:00

Enjoy!

Friday, December 3, 2010

2010-12-02T14:30:00.001-08:00

FRIDAY!!!

Gifted English II: Candide test. Open book, open notes, open your mind.

AP English Lit and Comp: Hamlet, Act IV.

Hamlet, Explained: TS Eliot Denigrates Art

2010-12-01T18:18:00.000-08:00

You can find this essay in its entirety at this website; Eliot's work is in the public domain, due to the elapsed copyright date: http://www.bartleby.com/200/sw9.html

T.S. Eliot (1888–1965). The Sacred Wood: Essays on Poetry and Criticism. 1922.

Hamlet and His Problems

FEW critics have even admitted that Hamlet the play is the primary problem, and Hamlet the character only secondary. And Hamlet the character has had an especial temptation for that most dangerous type of critic: the critic with a mind which is naturally of the creative order, but which through some weakness in creative power exercises itself in criticism instead. These minds often find in Hamlet a vicarious existence for their own artistic realization. Such a mind had Goethe, who made of Hamlet a Werther; and such had Coleridge, who made of Hamlet a Coleridge; and probably neither of these men in writing about Hamlet remembered that his first business was to study a work of art. The kind of criticism that Goethe and Coleridge produced, in writing of Hamlet, is the most misleading kind possible. For they both possessed unquestionable critical insight, and both make their critical aberrations the more plausible by the substitution—of their own Hamlet for Shakespeare's—which their creative gift effects. We should be thankful that Walter Pater did not fix his attention on this play.	1
Two recent writers, Mr. J. M. Robertson and Professor Stoll of theUniversity of Minnesota, have issued small books which can be praised for moving in the other direction. Mr. Stoll performs a service in recalling to our attention the labours of the critics of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, 1 observing that they knew less about psychology than more recent Hamlet critics, but they were nearer in spirit to Shakespeare's art; and as they insisted on the importance of the effect of the whole rather than on the importance of the leading character, they were nearer, in their old-fashioned way, to the secret of dramatic art in general.	2
Qua work of art, the work of art cannot be interpreted; there is nothing to interpret; we can only criticize it according to standards, in comparison to other works of art; and for "interpretation" the chief task is the presentation of relevant historical facts which the reader is not assumed to know. Mr. Robertson points out, very pertinently, how critics have failed in their "interpretation" of Hamlet by ignoring what ought to be very obvious: that Hamlet is a stratification, that it represents the efforts of a series of men, each making what he could out of the work of his predecessors. The Hamlet of Shakespeare will appear to us very differently if, instead of treating the whole action of the play as due to Shakespeare's design, we perceive his Hamlet to be superposed upon much cruder material which persists even in the final form.	3
We know that there was an older play by Thomas Kyd, that extraordinary dramatic (if not poetic) genius who was in all probability the author of two plays so dissimilar as the Spanish Tragedy and Arden of Feversham; and what this play was like we can guess from three clues: from the Spanish Tragedy itself, from the tale of Belleforest upon which Kyd's Hamlet must have been based, and from a version acted in Germany in Shakespeare's lifetime which bears strong evidence of having been adapted from the earlier, not from the later, play. From these three sources it is clear that in the earlier play the motive was a revenge-motive simply; that the action or delay is caused, as in theSpanish Tragedy, solely by the difficulty of assassinating a monarch surrounded by guards; and that the "madness" of Hamlet was feigned in order to escape suspicion, and successfully. In the final play of Shakespeare, on the other hand, there is a motive which is more important than that of revenge, and which explicitly "blunts" the latter; the delay in revenge is unexplained on grounds of necessity or expediency; and the effect of the "madness" is not to lull but to arouse the king's suspicion. The alteration is not complete enough, however, to be convincing. Furthermore, there are verbal parallels so close to theSpanish Tragedy as to leave no doubt that in places Shakespeare was merely revising the text of Kyd. And finally there are unexplained scenes—the Polonius-Laertes and the Polonius-Reynaldo scenes—for which there is little excuse; these scenes are not in the verse style of Kyd, and not beyond doubt in the style of Shakespeare. These Mr. Robertson believes to be scenes in the original play of Kyd reworked by a third hand, perhaps Chapman, before Shakespeare touched the play. And he concludes, with very strong show of reason, that the original play of Kyd was, like certain other revenge plays, in two parts of five acts each. The upshot of Mr. Robertson's examination is, we believe, irrefragable: that Shakespeare's Hamlet, so far as it is Shakespeare's, is a play dealing with the effect of a mother's guilt upon her son, and that Shakespeare was unable to impose this motive successfully upon the "intractable" material of the old play.	4
Of the intractability there can be no doubt. So far from being Shakespeare's masterpiece, the play is most certainly an artistic failure. In several ways the play is puzzling, and disquieting as is none of the others. Of all the plays it is the longest and is possibly the one on which Shakespeare spent most pains; and yet he has left in it superfluous and inconsistent scenes which even hasty revision should have noticed. The versification is variable. Lines like Look, the morn, in russet mantle clad, Walks o'er the dew of yon high eastern hill, are of the Shakespeare of Romeo and Juliet. The lines in Act v. sc. ii., Sir, in my heart there was a kind of fighting That would not let me sleep... Up from my cabin, My sea-gown scarf'd about me, in the dark Grop'd I to find out them: had my desire; Finger'd their packet; are of his quite mature. Both workmanship and thought are in an unstable condition. We are surely justified in attributing the play, with that other profoundly interesting play of "intractable" material and astonishing versification, Measure for Measure, to a period of crisis, after which follow the tragic successes which culminate in Coriolanus. Coriolanus may be not as "interesting" as Hamlet, but it is, withAntony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare's most assured artistic success. And probably more people have thought Hamlet a work of art because they found it interesting, than have found it interesting because it is a work of art. It is the "Mona Lisa" of literature.	5
The grounds of Hamlet's failure are not immediately obvious. Mr. Robertson is undoubtedly correct in concluding that the essential emotion of the play is the feeling of a son towards a guilty mother: [Hamlet's] tone is that of one who has suffered tortures on the score of his mother's degradation.... The guilt of a mother is an almost intolerable motive for drama, but it had to be maintained and emphasized to supply a psychological solution, or rather a hint of one. This, however, is by no means the whole story. It is not merely the "guilt of a mother" that cannot be handled as Shakespeare handled the suspicion of Othello, the infatuation of Antony, or the pride of Coriolanus. The subject might conceivably have expanded into a tragedy like these, intelligible, self-complete, in the sunlight. Hamlet,like the sonnets, is full of some stuff that the writer could not drag to light, contemplate, or manipulate into art. And when we search for this feeling, we find it, as in the sonnets, very difficult to localize. You cannot point to it in the speeches; indeed, if you examine the two famous soliloquies you see the versification of Shakespeare, but a content which might be claimed by another, perhaps by the author of the Revenge of Bussy d' Ambois, Act v. sc. i. We find Shakespeare'sHamlet not in the action, not in any quotations that we might select, so much as in an unmistakable tone which is unmistakably not in the earlier play.	6
The only way of expressing emotion in the form of art is by finding an "objective correlative"; in other words, a set of objects, a situation, a chain of events which shall be the formula of that particular emotion; such that when the external facts, which must terminate in sensory experience, are given, the emotion is immediately evoked. If you examine any of Shakespeare's more successful tragedies, you will find this exact equivalence; you will find that the state of mind of Lady Macbeth walking in her sleep has been communicated to you by a skilful accumulation of imagined sensory impressions; the words of Macbeth on hearing of his wife's death strike us as if, given the sequence of events, these words were automatically released by the last event in the series. The artistic "inevitability" lies in this complete adequacy of the external to the emotion; and this is precisely what is deficient in Hamlet. Hamlet (the man) is dominated by an emotion which is inexpressible, because it is in excess of the facts as they appear. And the supposed identity of Hamlet with his author is genuine to this point: that Hamlet's bafflement at the absence of objective equivalent to his feelings is a prolongation of the bafflement of his creator in the face of his artistic problem. Hamlet is up against the difficulty that his disgust is occasioned by his mother, but that his mother is not an adequate equivalent for it; his disgust envelops and exceeds her. It is thus a feeling which he cannot understand; he cannot objectify it, and it therefore remains to poison life and obstruct action. None of the possible actions can satisfy it; and nothing that Shakespeare can do with the plot can express Hamlet for him. And it must be noticed that the very nature of the données of the problem precludes objective equivalence. To have heightened the criminality of Gertrude would have been to provide the formula for a totally different emotion in Hamlet; it is just because her character is so negative and insignificant that she arouses in Hamlet the feeling which she is incapable of representing.	7
The "madness" of Hamlet lay to Shakespeare's hand; in the earlier play a simple ruse, and to the end, we may presume, understood as a ruse by the audience. For Shakespeare it is less than madness and more than feigned. The levity of Hamlet, his repetition of phrase, his puns, are not part of a deliberate plan of dissimulation, but a form of emotional relief. In the character Hamlet it is the buffoonery of an emotion which can find no outlet in action; in the dramatist it is the buffoonery of an emotion which he cannot express in art. The intense feeling, ecstatic or terrible, without an object or exceeding its object, is something which every person of sensibility has known; it is doubtless a study to pathologists. It often occurs in adolescence: the ordinary person puts these feelings to sleep, or trims down his feeling to fit the business world; the artist keeps it alive by his ability to intensify the world to his emotions. The Hamlet of Laforgue is an adolescent; the Hamlet of Shakespeare is not, he has not that explanation and excuse. We must simply admit that here Shakespeare tackled a problem which proved too much for him. Why he attempted it at all is an insoluble puzzle; under compulsion of what experience he attempted to express the inexpressibly horrible, we cannot ever know. We need a great many facts in his biography; and we should like to know whether, and when, and after or at the same time as what personal experience, he read Montaigne, II. xii., Apologie de Raimond Sebond. We should have, finally, to know something which is by hypothesis unknowable, for we assume it to be an experience which, in the manner indicated, exceeded the facts. We should have to understand things which Shakespeare did not understand himself.	8

Note 1

I have never, by the way, seen a cogent refutation of Thomas Rymer's objections to Othello. [back]

Thursday, December 2, 2010

2010-12-01T18:15:00.001-08:00

Gifted English II: Author of the Day presentation(s) followed by further review/analysis of Candide and a related activity. Reminder: Candide test is tomorrow! Open book AND notes! I am so nice to you!

AP Lit and Comp: Finish the timed outline from yesterday (some of you) and begin Act IV.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

2010-11-30T16:33:00.000-08:00

It's DECEMBER!!!!!! Can you believe it??????

Okay. Couple of announcements first, peeps:

1. The Honors Breakfast is during first period tomorrow; please check in with me if you are in that class so I don't erroneously mark you absent. You all know how talented I am with ProgressBook; let's not exacerbate the woe! The breakfast will start at 6:45 for those of you who don't want to miss a morning class, but I swear I won't hold it against you if you decide to go. We can review Candide more on Thursday. No worries. Benchmark Testing for English will be Tuesday or Thursday next, so don't panic.

2. Guidance will be visiting all the AP classes on Thursday at the beginning of the period to go over your Bright Futures login. This website will allow you to track your financial aid and determine if you qualify for the 75% (now more like 56%) or the 100% (now more like 84%) scholarships, but the cool thing is that you can also track other state-based funding here, too. Let me share with you from prior experience: DO NOT LOSE YOUR PASSWORD after you create it. Make it something memorable. DOE will take FOREVER to help you track it if lost, and no one at BHS can help you. Oy.

So. . .today! It's Wednesday! Whoo!

Periods 1 and 2: For those not attending the Honors Breakfast, a review of Candide and a chance to rewatch something funny if you are so inclined. Second period will probably have a whole-class lesson on the political symbolism of the novel.

Periods 3-7: Instead of doing a Timed Writing for this month, we're going to do a Timed Outline, which will take you the same amount of effort/ingenuity/timed performance. Here's the rationale: The AP Lit (and Lang) exams are READING TESTS more than they are writing tests. In other words, you need to be able to write clearly, coherently, and intelligently, but if you have nothing to say you cannot write your way out of it. Interpretation is everything. I will give you a passage (p. 140 in the CLIFF book) that is likely to appear in some iteration on the exam, and you will have the period to generate a thesis statement, find support, and outline your product. The emphasis is on READING. And I think you will enjoy the passage. I know I did.

Squee!

If you need hours, I can help today--I already have two lovely assistants coming in after school to tidy up and record some data, so more help is welcome. Let me know; I have a teacher coming in for some assistance with satire at the same time. Love to all!!!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

2010-11-29T17:05:00.001-08:00

Today is the SENIOR BREAKFAST. It will begin at 6:45 in the cafeteria for students who can't miss a morning class, and will go on through first period. Bon appetit! The Honors Breakfast will be tomorrow, same time, same place.

Gifted English II: Candide, backwards and forwards, and satire in action (handout).

AP Lit and Comp: Evaluation of Nash's critical essay of Hamlet and his delay, followed by the Act III quiz and possibly the introduction of Act IV.

Monday, November 29, 2010

2010-11-28T12:06:00.000-08:00

Was your Thanksgiving week awesome? I mean, really, really awesome? I don't think we have enough awesomeness in our world, or if we do, we fail to appreciate it. Cheers to awesomeness and no residual turkey-related gastrointestinal distress.

Welcome back!

GIFTED ENGLISH II: Be warned, guys--we have TWO tests this week. Thursday is Edusoft Benchmark Testing, Part II, and we HAVE to show improvement over the last score or. . .dun dun dun. . .we have to do Mini Benchmark Activities in class instead of the AP-prep stuff I'd rather do with you. I'll go over the expectations in class tomorrow. Friday is an open-book assessment of Candide. I'll go over that tomorrow, too! Hope you fulfilled your moral obligation and read that book over the break. . .if not, find a good hour during the week and READ. It goes fast. Most chapters are three, four pages, tops. And it's HILARIOUS.

Today, though: Author of the Day review of dates for presentations; journal entry related to Candide and then a discussion; reiteration of satirical elements of the short stories/novel we are generating; review of the Monty Python paper revision, which is due WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1. As in WEDNESDAY.

AP LIT AND COMP: Before the break, I gave each of you a critical essay and asked you to read SOME of it. (It's plot-spoiler-y, so at some juncture you have to set it aside and wait for Acts IV and V to elapse. But the central motif of the critique, Hamlet's delay, is so central to our discussions this week that the essay is a necessary evil now. Wait until you see what T.S. Eliot thinks of the Melancholy Dane.) Today, we are generating Hamlet's resume, part I (on the board and in your notes), reviewing Act III, and then taking the Act III quiz if time permits. We have a lot to do this week, guys. . .moving onward and upward.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: We need help in the Writing Center, particularly during the A lunch shift. And we need help coordinating the Winter Party for the custodians, too. If you need service hours for NHS or Bright Futures see me.

Also, I am writing a grant to get copies of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, the hilarious sequel to Hamlet written in 1967 by subversive playwright Tom Stoppard. We currently have 24 copies hanging out at Boone, so we could do it as a class set, but I'd rather have copies students can check out and take home. (Yes, the play is that good, and yes, I'm biased because I wrote my AP Lit FRQ on it in 1989 and got a 5, so I think it's a panacea.) Anyway, as mentioned in the course syllabus that none of you read, this is the ONLY expensive text of the year, but if you have to acquire your own copy for future purposes or if you need to write in the text, you can get a copy at this website for only 11.99. (Regular price ranges from 12.99-16.99 depending on the publisher.) www.prestwickhouse.com. Just FYI. I'm working on getting these outright for 313.

Three weeks until Winter Break!!! Can you believe it?

Cheer Pressure: Third Annual Edition

2010-11-24T08:53:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the Recession that is plaguing America, I am reposting my suggestion list from my now-defunct LiveJournal blog, with a couple of edits. So read on, if you feel the need. Pardon any irreverence in the tone; 'tis the season to be stressed out! Falalalalalalalalala.

This post is strictly meant to be helpful.

Did you know that the average American family will go into debt over holiday presents?

And that the average holiday expenditure per family of four is over one thousand dollars?

And that everyone seems to want something out of you on the holiday trainwreck--whether it be get-togethers, expanded tipping for the people who provide services throughout the year, or the incessantly tinntinnabulous bellringers outside of local constabulatories?

So, Hilley has solutions for you. Of course, I'd like to suggest gently that we just stop with all of the gift-giving, but that would be really hypocritical of me since I lurve giving presents to people. LOVE IT. I love all of it--selecting them, wrapping them lovingly a la Martha Stewart, and watching with glee as the recipient(s) opens my carefully-contemplated schwag. Love it.

What I don't love is the pre-holiday anxiety about how in the heck I plan to pay for all of this material joy.

So, short of standing on street corners with a sign statingWill Conjugate/Edit/Proselytize for Christmas Money, I have been casting about for financially sound holiday solutions for Loved Ones, and I want to share my new-found wisdom with you.

NEW SUGGESTIONS FOR 2010's CONTINUING ECONOMIC CRISIS:

1A. Just tell your friends and family that the recession is hitting you particularly hard, and you will be praying for them/thinking of them/writing poetry in honor of them in lieu of presents. How can anyone argue with that?

1B. Write up lovely cards stating that you donated to The Human Fund in their name to celebrate Festivus.

1C. Just promise to not discuss politics with them for the next twelve months in lieu of a tangible gift. Most of us would appreciate that, especially if your political views are Wrong and theirs are Correct. In their estimation, of course.

1D. Go to sleep on the 23rd and awaken on the 26th, holiday over. Then hit the 80% off sales, beg for forgiveness, and enjoy the savings. (My trig teacher at LMHS convinced his two kids that Christmas was 12/29 each year so he and his wife could deep-discount their gifts. Lasted until the kids could read calendars. . .)

Now on to the suggestion list from last year, reposted in lieu of a present to many, many of you, because I love you and because I apparently love handbags more than I love you. My apologies. And NONE of these places have given me anything to write about them, so please don't accuse me of being overly commercial.

1. Do not re-gift, unless you are ABSOLUTELY certain that the original gift-giver has moved to Saskatchewan and that the new recipient will not be posting pictures of the new bling on Facebook or whatever. In our newly savvy techno-age, there are a myriad of ways in which a regifter can be busted. I speak from vicarious experience, since my BFF has regifted virtually every gift I've ever given her. . .to me. In recent years I've gotten smart and only given her expendables, like face cream or a gift card. You'd be amazed at what that woman is willing to return, and in what condition, and without what receipts. She is so lucky I love her. (Note from 2010: For her birthday on 11/21, I gave her something I liked just in case it finds its way under my tree on the 25th.)

2. Homemade presents are always great, but be careful that you don't end up spending more money on the materials than you would have on some pre-made stuff of similar ilk. Six years ago, BFF and I went soap-crazy and made homemade soaps for all of our beloveds. While some of the soaps were well-received (and some were hilarious--like the one we filled with toenail clippings, and the one we filled with leftover Ramen Noodles) the average cost per bar of soap was over eight bucks. In other words, NOT COST-EFFICIENT.)

3. Hit the dollar spot at T____ (national discount chain with a bullseye logo). They have amazing stuff there, and, more importantly, they have really good-quality gift wrap and bows for A DOLLAR. Failing that, start saving unusual shopping bags, pieces of paper, and fabric for unique gift-wrap. Those card-stock, unrecycle-able community newsletters? Great giftwrap, guaranteed to raise eyebrows! And I'd also like to point out that P___ (local grocery store chain) has nice reusable grocery bags with festive prints--pop a gift in, close it, and you have two gifts in one!

4. For those of you who are girly: This website has Sephora-level quality cosmetics for a dollar apiece, and gift sets in the five/ten/fifteen dollar range:http://www.eyeslipsface.com. Their packaging is good and the shipping prices are decent. Lately, they've been offering FREE SHIPPING. Whoohaa.

5. For those of you are super-girly, try this website, where every piece of jewelry is "free" (actually, 6.99 for shipping, but when it arrives the stamp says 82 cents, but whatever):www.silverjewelryclub.com

6. For those of you with a slightly higher budget and a quirky sense of humor, try any of these websites:www.fredflare.com,www.blueq.com, andwww.perpetualkid.com.

7. There is absolutely nothing wrong with findingsomething vintage and amazing at Goodwill Boutique--especially the one near Park Avenue in Winter Park. Dechoes is good, too, if you are looking for something in particular--they closed the one on Curry Ford, but the ones on Edgewater and Colonial Drive are still there, and still awesome. Local churches also have thrift stores with a huge array of finds for relatives and friends.

8. If you have a slightly higher discretionary income and want your money to go to good use, you can't beat the fair-trade handmade bags at Amani Ya Juu, which I got for my mom, sister, and sister-in-law last season. All of the proceeds go to the women in the tribe. Special thanks to the Chitty family for their hands-on work with this organization. www.amaniafrica.org.

9. You cannot underestimate the power of a deed or an event. Offer to take a younger sibling out for an afternoon, or pack a picnic for your sig-o, or offer to help the disorganized adult in your life redo her filing system, or whatever. Write the offer in a nice card and revel in the money you're saving--and the real impact you might be creating.

10. Also, don't underestimate the power of your own talents. Burn a DVD of a film you've made, or a performance in which you participated, and include a detailed write-up; take your oddest/most innovative playlist and commemorate it on a CD; make a painting, or write a poem, or short story; if you have leftover art materials from previous craft projects, get creative and see what you can make. Grandparents will squee in glee; little kids will love it; your friends may tease you but secretly adore it.

Final note: You really do not have to get presents for teachers, although the greediest among us do love bling. Overweening giftage can be awkward, and the majority of us would really prefer a heartfelt note wishing us a nice holiday and saying how the class is going so far. Save your money; buy your girl/boyfriend something, go to the movies, go buy a book and READ IT. Then write me a note about how you used the money you almost blew on an apple paperweight or bookmark and how much you really love literature, and we're gravy. Of course, if you are a millionaire, I would like to mention how much I like Starbucks.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Friday, November 19, 2010

2010-11-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

Gifted English II: Peer Review for paper--final draft due 12/10/2010, followed by non-fiction information and satire.

AP Lit and Comp: Hamlet, Act III--both in film and play form. Please don't forget to pick up the critical essay by Kenneth Chan titled "Why Hamlet Delays His Revenge." A copy will be on ProgressBook for your convenience, but it's easier to read in hardcopy form. This essay will be due (meaning read and annotated) after the break.

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle: Hamlet, Explained Part II

2010-11-17T18:12:00.001-08:00

In which we look at individual scenes and particular details you should note.
Did you know that Hamlet has been translated into Klingon? Really! I had a copy once, but it took a walk right out of my classroom. Oh,Qu'vatlh guy'cha b'aka!

Act I, scene i

We open with a ghost scene; fascinating that the first words of the play are "Who's there?" Suspicion dominates from the very beginning of the play; several guards, some of whom have oddly Italian names, have seen a ghost walking and have asked the trusted Horatio to come take a look. While they wait, Horatio engages them with the protracted tale of how the Norwegian-Danish conflict thus far had been resolved prior to the play's beginning.

Elements to look for: external and internal conflict; supernatural imagery

Act I, scene ii

Claudius, the new King of Denmark, begins this scene with a marvelously nuanced speech about his ascension to the throne; he refers to his bride as "th' imperial jointress to this warlike state." in other words--power comes through Gertrude. Good to know. No one in Denmark seems particularly perturbed by the haste with which the two have married (with mirth in funeral and dirge in marriage) except for the emo boy in the corner, who promptly gets into it with his new stepfather. "Cast thy nighted color off," entreats his mom; after all, how much mourning can a new bride tolerate? He shrugs and promises to obey her, but gives little reply to Claudius's twin edicts that Hamlet A) stop mourning, as it's bringing everyone down, and B) stay here in Denmark, instead of popping back to Wittenberg for further graduate studies in melancholia.

This scene truly takes flight, though, in Hamlet's remarkable first soliloquy--our first gaze into his soul, and our first look at the honest, un-socialized Danish prince. He is profoundly depressed by his father's death and his mother's seemingly oblivious reaction to it. How could she marry so quickly, and to his father's brother? He ends the ruminations when he greets Horatio, an old friend whom he had apparently not seen in some time. When Horatio informs Hamlet of the ghost's appearances on the castle walls, Hamlet perks up and seems eager to investigate this happening for himself. Despite his trepidation (Renaissance thinkers were notoriously skittish about such things) his curiosity outweighs his fear, and he plans to join Horatio and the other guards at the top of the castle after eleven that very night.

Elements to look for: allusions to Greek mythology and the Bible; Claudius's silky diplomacy; Gertrude's maternal requests; Hamlet's use of language alone and with others; color imagery

Act I, scene iii

The scene switches to Polonius's chambers within the castle. Laertes is earnestly talking to his younger sister, and telling her that Hamlet is not a long-term option for her, as he is "subject to his birth." Ophelia, recognizing her brother's genuine concern and affection for her, responds with gentle humor, telling him not to be hypocritical and to watch his own sexual behavior. Since he is heading off to "study" in Paris, we can only assume that he is a bit of a party boy. Polonius himself bursts into the room, chastising Laertes for packing too slowly, then "helps" him by giving him tons of advice on living. Some of it is actually pretty solid--don't get in a fight, but if you do, win; don't lend out money; be careful whom you trust. The most interesting tidbit is when he ways "to thine own self be true," which may as well be engraved on Polonius's self-serving heart. Then, Polonius browbeats his daughter into discussing Hamlet with him, too, and he urges her to "tender yourself more dearly." If his daughter were to be publicly associated with Hamlet's desires, it could be detrimental to his own ambitions.

Elements to look for: metaphors, platitudes, the relationship between father/son and father/daughter, sexual mores of the Renaissance as expressed to both genders

Act I, scene iv:

This comparatively brief scene takes place atop the castle walls. Marcellus, Bernardo, Francisco, and Horatio accompany Hamlet in much conversation before the ghost appears. When the ghost does manifest itself, the brave soldiers lose their bravado and attempt to force Hamlet to stay with them, fearing his destruction if the ghost is a demon. Hamlet threatens his friends with his sword and runs after the ghost. Time loses all meaning as Horatio and the men "search" for Hamlet, presumably while the next scene unfolds. This scene hosts the famous "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" line, as intoned by Marcellus.

Elements to look for: visual imagery; Renaissance attitudes toward the supernatural

Act I, scene v:
Hamlet confronts the ghost of his father, who is fairly talkative for a armor-clad spectre. Hamlet the Elder reveals that even though the party line claimed he died after being bitten by a serpent, he's actually the victim of fratricide--the oldest Biblical crime. His brother Claudius had waited until he had fallen asleep in his orchard (as was my custom) and poured poison in his ear, killing him with wrenching agony and without an opportunity to make confession. Thus murdered, "with all my sins upon my head/No reckoning made," the ghost must spend each day in Purgatory, suffering, and each night walking the earth. He demands that his son avenge his murder, but leave his mother "to Heaven." Hamlet, spurred to revenge, seems eager to get to work, and once reunited with his peeps, forces them to swear on his sword to keep silent about his plan. He will pretend to be crazy so people will leave him alone--not the greatest plan in the world for someone a few credits shy of a PhD. His "antic disposition" will entertain the Danish for many weeks to come.

Elements to look for: religious symbolism, father/son separation anxiety, serpent imagery

mupwI' yI'uchtaH! (Good night!)

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle: Hamlet, Explained

2010-11-17T18:10:00.000-08:00

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle: Reprinted from 2008

Hamlet Review, Part I: For the Land of the Lost

Two years ago,, I wrote summaries/explanations for this puzzling play. Rather than reinvent the wheel, here they are again for your delectation. Trash or treasure, o peeps:

Hamlet, Explained (Part One of an Occasional Series)

Hamlet is more complicated than Macbeth, with higher diction levels--but most of the complications arise from the interweaving of several subplots.Macbeth, you will recall, contains one driving narrative thread--the collapse of one man's morality as he ascends in power. Although other motifs and symbols figure within that tragedy, all go back directly to that main plot. Hamlet is far more complicated, with political intrigues, conjectures, and elements of ambiguity there to enhance the text.

Some things to consider:

1. Hamlet may or may not be insane, which complicates your understanding of his role and his use of language immensely. Note how he pops back and forth effortlessly from prose (paragraph form) to unrhymed iambic pentameter (blank verse) to rhyming couplets, regardless of his audience. The only solidity we get from him is contained in his soliloquies, which are confusing enough due to his high level of education and insight.

2. Claudius is not a completely "bad" bad guy--he is greedy, narcissistic, venial, selfish, and did a very, very bad thing. His sin is Biblical (fratricide) and was motivated by the greatest of all human motivations--jealousy. He has moved into his older brother's life--wife, crown, title--and seems competent in governance if not in morality. On some level, he wants Hamlet's cooperation and approval, but he goes about trying to "parent" the errant prince in increasingly uneven and careless ways.

3. Gertrude, the DSQ, is probably more ignorant than dumb. There is a difference. She and Ophelia, while more complex than other female stock characters in Elizabethan theater, are still two-dimensional compared to the men who rule them. Try to see her as a baffled woman attempting to regain a sense of sexual independence and her role might make more sense.

4. Polonius and other courtiers are interfering and obtuse, to the point of obscuring some of the main narrative thread. Every time Polonius is featured in a scene, we are tempted to see him as the commedia dell'artestock character of the "pantaloon"--the foolish old man. (Hamlet himself refers to him as a "tedious old fool.") However, Polonius is critically important to understanding the overriding motifs of duplicity, spying, and dishonesty that govern everything that goes on in Elsinore Castle--and may well have been going on even before the death of Hamlet the Elder.

And, to further clarify what's been going on thus far, I am going to repost something that appeared in McSweeney's a while ago. I hope that I am not violating copyright; this has made the rounds on Facebook and on several blogs and I am only posting to bring clarity and understanding to my poor, confused students. Here are the first three acts of Hamlet, Facebook- style:

HAMLET
(FACEBOOK NEWS
FEED EDITION).

BY SARAH SCHMELLING

- - - -

Horatio thinks he saw a ghost.

Hamlet thinks it's annoying when your uncle marries your mother right after your dad dies.

The king thinks Hamlet's annoying.

Laertes thinks Ophelia can do better.

Hamlet's father is now a zombie.

- - - -

The king poked the queen.

The queen poked the king back.

Hamlet and the queen are no longer friends.

Marcellus is pretty sure something's rotten around here.

Hamlet became a fan of daggers.

- - - -

Polonius says Hamlet's crazy ... crazy in love!

Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Hamlet are now friends.

Hamlet wonders if he should continue to exist. Or not.

Hamlet thinks Ophelia might be happier in a convent.

Ophelia removed "moody princes" from her interests.

Hamlet posted an event: A Play That's Totally Fictional and In No Way About My Family

The king commented on Hamlet's play: "What is wrong with you?"

Polonius thinks this curtain looks like a good thing to hide behind.

Polonius is no longer online.

(I will post the next two acts after we have read further. No plot spoilers here, unless you've seen The Lion King!)

And here is Hamlet, South Park style:

Another element that might help you understand this play:

Three Reasons Why Shakespeare is Hard to Understand

1. Grammar. Particularly in Hamlet, Elizabethan grammar is different than Standard American English. One common element we see in conversations between characters is inversion, which is easy enough to follow in simple declarative sentences (Go you here today?) but is harder to parse in complex, lengthy expressions--the ones favored by our titular hero. This is where the modern English version can help you, if read WITH the Elizabethan text. (Guys, I'm sorry, but I'm never going to lose my fascination with asking you to identify quotes.)

2. Archaic words. What is a bodkin? Who or what are fardels? What is aquietus? Shakespeare frequently uses words that are no longer in our vernacular, and I'm not merely talking about thou, thee, and whilst. I will continue to define words as I can in class, but out of class in private reading you might need to consistently avail yourself of the footnotes available in every edition. Also, I will be publishing a glossary of Hamlet words, but I have to warn you--it's looooooooong.

(Note: A bodkin is a dagger, and fardels are burdens, and a quietus is the conclusion of one's life.)

3. Words with different meanings. The best example of this is when Hamlet confronts Ophelia in her closet, which at the time simply meant a private chamber or room. A very different visual image than Hamlet, in dirty stockings and no hat, grabbing her amid a sea of coat hangers, eh? If you are hit by the "confusement" train, be sure that the word you think you are reading in its context actually means what you, a 2009 reader, thinks it means. Again, make liberal use of footnotes.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

2010-11-17T18:04:00.000-08:00

ALMOST TIME FOR THANKSGIVING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!

Gifted English II: For the first part of the period, we're going to go over the rubric for the final copy of the essay (due Tuesday November 30 because I'm so awesomely nice) and peer-edit if we have time. For the second part of the period, we're going to do something truly odd that involves critical thinking, visual imagery, and possibly a chimpanzee. That's just how I roll.

AP Lit and Comp: Yesterday, I had you assess two elements of Act III--Hamlet's soliloquy and his subsequent treatment of Ophelia. I think some of you are getting lost in the diction, so I'm reposting the awesome Explanation Du Hamlet I wrote for 2009's group. Today, we're watching Act III and receiving the assignment you need over the break-- a critical essay on Hamlet's delay that DOES INVOLVE PLOT SPOILERS. But we're not concerned about little things such as plot, right? We, like the Elizabethans, are engaging in dramatic irony. Oh, yeah.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

2010-11-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

Today is Teach-In, during which guest speakers come across our campus to educate young people. Some of you will have a guest speaker in your second period class; I won't, due to an incident in 1994 that still rocks my memory banks in a negative way. As soon as George Clooney is available as a guest speaker (or JK Rowling) I will have one, but unfortunately second period has work to do tomorrow. I hope everyone is nice and respectful to their guest!!!

Gifted English II: Writing assignment from yesterday; you have all period to plan and execute your essay. Final copy will be due Tuesday, November 30.

AP Lit and Comp: Hamlet, Act III. And how.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

2010-11-15T17:21:00.000-08:00

Gifted English II: Further satire exploration with a Monty Python essay assignment (haHA!) and pre-teaching for Candide. HAVE YOUR SATIRE PACKET so we can discuss both last night's HW (selecting three or four episodes of MP for analysis) and go over the character list for Candide.

AP Lit and Comp: Finish going over Act II questions before I collect them, followed by a quiz that will take some of you the remainder of the period and will work quickly for others.

Monday, November 15, 2010

2010-11-14T14:26:00.000-08:00

One more week until Thanksgiving break!!!

Thank Goodness.

Gifted English II: Finish "Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail" and then discuss the various techniques of satire utilized in the film.

AP Lit and Comp: Act II Quiz on Hamlet will be tomorrow; today, Act II analysis and discussion of the questions I gave you on Friday. Seventh period Friday watched the single-greatest scene in the Zifferelli Hamlet film, and so third, fifth, and sixth should today. It's that awesome. Mel Gibson acting irrational? Well. . .

Love to all. Study study!

Veggie Tales - Shakespeare's Omlet

2010-11-09T13:26:00.000-08:00

This is cute. Don't hate the overposting of videos--it's out of love.

Sesame Street: Soliloquy On B

2010-11-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

The venerable Patrick Stewart as Hamlet in Act III, scene i. Or so it seems. . .

Hamlet Act I Scene II

2010-11-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

Smell the acting! This is Mel, channeling Hamlet in Act I, scene ii.

NewsRadio Minisodes - Super Karate Monkey Death Car

2010-11-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

This is the video I told you about in class regarding the dangers of translation, as seen in the 1990's sitcom "NewsRadio." Enjoy.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

2010-11-09T13:03:00.000-08:00

Gifted English II: Read "My Melancholy Face" by Heinrich Boll and answer the few discussion questions at the conclusion. This is the last short satire piece before we get knee-deep into a lengthy film version.

AP Lit and Comp: Hamlet Quiz for Act I; begin reading Act II. Tomorrow I will go over the subtleties of Act I AND we'll watch the Zifferelli edition for clarity and focus.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

2010-11-08T13:09:00.000-08:00

The weather is clear and cool, thank goodness, and the kids at BHS are sweet little angels. Or so it seems!

Gifted English II: After we collect the HW questions from "A Modest Proposal" and discuss the implications of the satire, we will read the "sequel" by T. Coraghessen Boyle. It's so, so funny. Much to do, peeps! The first Author of the Day presentations will be tomorrow, with Lindsey in first period and Ivy in second.

AP Lit and Comp: Hamlet, Act I, scene ii, with annotation of the famous first soliloquy. HW: Read Act I in its entirety for plot and characterization; quiz and in-depth analysis tomorrow.

Monday, November 8, 2010

2010-11-07T13:56:00.000-08:00

Gifted English II: "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift, and related analysis, and a review of expectations for the Author of the Day project.

AP Lit and Comp: Hamlet (bring your lit anthology or your copy of the play) Act I, scenes i and ii.

Friday, November 5, 2010

2010-11-04T14:12:00.001-07:00

Gifted English II: After we collect the HW from Monday, we will take a super-easy quiz on PSAT Vocabulary and then discuss the Author of the Day project, which will begin next week. After that, we will review the Mark Twain tale and make the transition into "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift. This is a challenging text but I know you will appreciate its humor and density. BTW: I've ordered the copies of Candide, and they should be delivered in just a few days! If you need a copy still, the Media Center does have a few for check-out.

AP Lit and Comp: Hamlet-related insults and pre-reading questions, followed by a brief look at the Green Sheets from the 2009 AP Lit exam.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

2010-11-04T14:10:00.001-07:00

Gifted English II: Today, I am in a workshop during first and second period; be nice to your substitute, Mr. Velazquez. This is the last day to view CMC--ever! Mwahahahahahaha.

AP Lit and Comp: Hamlet Language: We are learning new terms for analysis and discussing various elements of figurative language in preparation for this play. The handout is on ProgressBook if you lose it.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

2010-11-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

Gifted English II: Everyone gets a new satire packet, and we are going to discuss elements of satirical language. And Mark Twain.

AP Lit and Comp: Introductory notes to Hamlet, The Prince of Denmark. Find out how this play, ultimately about three sons mourning for three dead fathers, elevates Shakespeare into eternity.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

2010-11-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

Weird week!!!

Gifted English II: Please read "The Lowest Animal" by Mark Twain in the textbook, after which we'll watch more of CMC.

AP Lit and Comp: 3rd and 7th period will read the Dylan Thomas passage for analysis, and 5th and 6th will continue our discussion from yesterday with regards to multiple choice questions connected to Thomas's witty irony.

Monday, November 1, 2010

2010-10-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the second quarter!!!

Gifted English II: Introduction of Author of the Day project, which will commence next Monday with whatever brave volunteer chooses HP Lovecraft. (Yes, we've talked about him in the Horror Unit but we haven't had a chance to really explore his contributions to the canon.) Afterwards--we MUSTS finish "Pit" since we ran out of time last week. I want to also remind you that the take-home CMC test is due tomorrow BOTH in person and on www.turnitin.com. See me if you have any technical difficulties.

AP Lit and Comp: Return long-overdue ORex papers; you may resubmit them by next week if you scored below a 7. Assign Macbeth focus paper and look at relevant FRQs for this play. 3rd and 7th periods need to read "Man with a Hoe" on p. 46 of the beige lit book and go over multiple choice strategies; 5th and 6th do a practice proofreading exercise recommended by College Board.

Economics Lesson

2010-10-27T13:24:00.003-07:00

Many of you are going away next year for the first time. This brief video, while from a few seasons back, is incredibly relevant today. Enjoy!

Monday, November 1, 2010: Curriculum

2010-10-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Gifted English II: Remember please that the take-home CMC test is due tomorrow both on www.turnitin.com and in person, hard copy. Follow the directions carefully. Today in class: PSAT Vocabulary (quiz Friday) and finish viewing CMC.

AP Lit and Comp: Distribute graded work from last quarter; resubmit opportunity still available for ORex papers; distribute focus paper prompt for Macbeth. Discussion of themes and contexts of the play and application of FRQs to the play as a whole.

Monday, November 1, 2010

2010-10-27T13:03:00.002-07:00

Welcome to the second quarter!!! The first quarter was a bit of a struggle for some of us (me included) but I have great aspirations for the second quarter and beyond.

First Quarter=Worst Quarter. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but from a paperwork perspective, this has been the worst quarter ever. I have had low-grade narcolepsy and have not slept at night for more than an hour at a time since August, and boy has it affected my reality. That said, there were some victories this quarter:

1. Taught a LOT of material to some really nice kids.

2. Wrote over 40 rec letters and service letters.

3. Proofread over 60 college entrance essays.

4. Sponsored a hugely successful ice-cream social for the custodial staff with the terrific kids from Project X.

5. Gave the SAT and PSAT.

6. Re-opened The Writing Center to huge fanfare.

7. Gave speeches to six classes about Responsible Choices for Homecoming and Polyester Paradise. Not sure if they worked. . .

8. Wrote a book report for professional development.

9. Was nominated for Teacher of the Year.

10. Was selected as mentor for OCPS for AP Lit and Comp.

11. Counseled, hugged, consoled, and laughed with 150+ kids every day.

I'm trying to focus on the positive.

New Policies for Q2:

1. I will get graded work back to you within a week.

2. You may still resubmit essays scored under 40/50 (sophomores) or under 7 (AP.) Upper-tier essays probably won't improve much in diction and syntax and have more issues with style and voice, elements that won't change with revision without fundamentally changing the feel of the submission.

Anyway, I love you all dearly and hope you all do well this quarter.

Friday, October 29, 2010

2010-10-27T13:03:00.001-07:00

TEACHER WORK DAY

STUDENT HOLIDAY

GRADES ARE DUE BY 11:00. If you need to make any work up, I'll be in 313 from 7-11.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

2010-10-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

Since we won't be in school on Hallowe'en, we'll celebrate it today!!!

Gifted English II: Watch The Count of Monte Cristo--today includes the cool Chateau d'If sequence with the man you know as Dumbledore.

AP Lit and Comp: Analyze the poem "Man with a Hoe" and look at the related painting; if time, a brief visual example of satire.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010: Amended

2010-10-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

Gifted English II: Finish the CMC test in class. Remember that the take-home portion is due Tuesday, November 2, 2010 both in person and on www.turnitin.com.

AP Lit and Comp: Analysis of a prose passage, page 42, Edition V of the AP Comp Practice Questions series, and review of multiple choice strategies.

Cool Things for Your Brain

2010-10-24T15:16:00.001-07:00

Yes, this is just an Internet meme, but enjoy it for its curiosities.

Cool Mind Stuff
Pretty Cool

------------------------------------------------------

Read out loud the text inside the triangle below.

More than likely you said, 'A bird in the bush,' and...
If this IS what YOU said, then you failed to see
that the word THE is repeated twice!
Sorry, look again.

Next, let's play with some words.
What do you see?

In black you can read the word GOOD, in white the word EVIL (inside each black letter is a white letter). Now, what do you see?

You may not see it at first, but the white spaces read the word optical, the blue landscape reads the word illusion. Look again! Can you see why this painting is called an optical illusion?

What do you see here?

This one is quite tricky!
The word TEACH reflects as LEARN.

Last one.
What do you see?

You probably read the word ME in brown, but........
when you look through ME you will see YOU!
Do you need to look again?
Test Your Brain
This is really cool. The second one is amazing so please read all the way though.

EYE TEST

Count every 'F ' in the following text:

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE
SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTI
FIC STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS...

(SEE BELOW)

HOW MANY?
WRONG, THERE ARE 6 -- no joke.
READ IT AGAIN!
Really, go Back and Try to find the 6 F's before you scroll down.

The reasoning behind is further down.
The brain cannot process 'OF.'

Incredible or what? Go back and look again!!
Anyone who counts all 6 'F's' on the first go is a genius.
Three is normal, four is quite rare.

Look at the spinning woman and if she is turning right your right side of your brain is working. If she is turning left your left side of your brain is working ...

More Brain Stuff. . . From Cambridge University .

Olny srmat poelpe can raed this.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the first and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! If you can raed this psas it on !!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

2010-10-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

Payday!!! This doesn't mean much to you, but for those of us counting our minor ducats, it's a big deal.

Gifted English II: We're watching The Count of Monte Cristo! (For those of you with extended testing time, you can finish the test from yesterday at this time, too.)

AP Lit and Comp: Analysis of the poem "Out--Out--" by Robert Frost.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

2010-10-20T14:07:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it's almost the end of October? It's also almost the end of the first quarter. Grades aren't due until Friday at noon, so if you have make-up work, this is your window.

Gifted English II: Count of Monte-Cristo check-reading test, and assignment of the CMC take-home essay test. It's due next Tuesday (11-2.)

AP Lit and Comp: Mactest. You can MacDoIt.

Monday, October 25, 2010

2010-10-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great Homecoming game and dance! And I hope you all made good choices.

Gifted English II: Author of the Day: Alexandre Dumas pere. Word of the Day: vengeance. Our lesson plan today involves reviewing The Count of Monte Cristo (with board cartoons!) for tomorrow's test. If we have time, we'll watch the opening scene of the 2002 version of the film.

AP Lit and Comp: Review for the Mactest tomorrow; assign the Macpaper. The Macpaper will be the first grade for the second quarter.

Friday, October 22, 2010

2010-10-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I am out today due to an awesome overnight sleep study I have to do. Electrodes and sensors, oh my! Hopefully the results of this test will make me a nicer person. Fingers crossed. Anyway, we have the lovely Mrs. Corbin as your sub today, and if you are not nice to her, the not-nice-yet Hilley will come after you.

Gifted English II: FCAT Writes! timed writing experience. I know this is something some of you dread, but this is a process you have to complete to graduate from high school and move on to college. Select an expository or persuasive topic and do the best you can--you will be evaluated on both effort and product.

AP Lit and Comp: Macbeth the Movie--the Orson Welles bizarro classic. Love it for what it is. Some of you are visual learners and this might help. This movie was in no way shot in Southern California and does not at all resemble a high school theater set in any way, shape or form.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

2010-10-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

Today is Arch-Nemesis Day! I can't even begin to imagine how many Batman/Joker combos we will have trolling through the halls of the Resy today. BEHAVE!

Gifted English II: As we discussed in class yesterday, I have had to postpone the CMC check-reading test (to some of your eternal joy) due to the FCAT Writes! test I have to give you on Friday. Today's lesson hasn't changed, though--after our Author of the Day (Aldous Huxley) and Word of the Day (extemporaneous) we will collect the HW (vocabulary sentences generated from the pre-defined list I gave you earlier this week) and review for our vocabulary test (also related to the pre-defined list I gave you earlier this week.) THEN: dun dun dun. . .finish "The Pit and the Pendulum." HW tonight: a syntactical analysis of "Pit." Oh, and the Homecoming Speech.

AP Lit and Comp: Homecoming Speech and Skit! Periods three and seven need to do the Macbeth scavenger hunt; periods five and six will start reviewing for the Mactest next week and look at William Blake's criticism of the play as a whole.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

2010-10-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

Homecoming Week continues! Seniors, there is a special activity planned for seventh period, so be ready. . .

Today is TOGAS FOR SENIORS DAY and for everyone else COLOR DAY.

I have many, many safety pins. Remember, toga'd children: Dignity and modesty will never go out of style, so keep yourself covered!

Gifted English II: Word of the Day is "stentorian" and Author of the Day is Thomas Harris. After we go over a few things for the weekly schedule, we will finish Poe's classic tale of mayhem. Hopefully, this time with the right version.

AP Lit: Macbeth, Act V conclusion for periods three and five; for everyone--Macbeth Scavenger Hunt. SO MUCH FUN.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

2010-10-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was marvelous at Boone--nice, clear weather and ROCK STAR DAY. Props to everyone who dressed up so creatively, especially the gentlemen in the tight purple pants. Bravo. 16 of you in matching Betsey Johnson trousers--obla-di, obla-dah. Nicely played.

Today is DISNEY DAY. We don't live in Orlando for nothin'. I hope you outdo yourselves.

But, class must march on.

Gifted English II: Author of the Day is Clive Barker; word of the day is "heretic." We will be reading "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Poe in class today. Don't forget to read CMC by Friday, and don't forget to do the vocabulary assignment by Thursday!

AP Lit and Comp: Macbeth, Act V. I am sad to see the end of this tragedy, but we have cool activities to do with Shakespeare's text when we are finished with the explication de texte.

Monday, October 18, 2010

2010-10-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

HOMECOMING WEEK!!!!!!!!!!

Gifted English II: Finish horror unit introductory packet, then transition into "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Poe. Content vocabulary is on the board; anticipate a quiz on Thursday. CMC is due Friday, by the way. . .keep reading!!!

AP Lit: MacQuiz, Act IV, followed by the famous sleepwalking sequence in Act V. The writing assignment distributed last Thursday is due by the end of seventh period.

Friday, October 15, 2010

2010-10-11T16:05:00.000-07:00

Today is the first deadline for FSU. It's also a good time to re-evaluate where you are--you have two weeks to make up any missing assignments, and the rest of the month to finish those last-minute college essays that might be due by the next major deadline (for some of you, November 1, and for others, December 1.)

THERE IS NO SCHOOL TODAY.

I am using the weekend to catch up on make-up work and lesson plans, and I hope you do something analogous. Homecoming Week is next week and the pace is only going to become more frenetic. If you feel that you are drowning (I sympathize, trust me) send up a flare. We're here to help, if we can. Be well, peeps.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

2010-10-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

Gifted English II: After we process how the PSAT went and what you thought, I'm introducing a new mini-unit to finish out the month of October. Planning ahead: If you need to write in your own copy of a novel, the next novel to acquire is Candide by Voltaire. We have plenty in the Media Center for your use, but NOT to write in.

AP Lit and Comp: Timed Writing on two brilliant poems by, respectively, WH Auden and Sylvia Plath. This is a GREAT assignment that will blow your mind. I think.

Wednesday, October 13 2010

2010-10-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

Today is the PSAT at Boone High School and I will be administering it to ninth graders in room 313. Your room assignment is posted on Guidance's walls and the Media Center's walls. Please do not disturb my class while I am testing--if you are an upperclassperson who forgot something, please leave the testers alone.

In the event that you are a parent of a senior checking this, Dr. McMillen is encouraging the seniors to investigate colleges/finish their applications today. You will need to get a prearranged absence form OR bring a signed note upon your return, seniors, to make this an excused absence. To be clear--I am not encouraging, nor is my administration encouraging, skipping school. However, since on the adjusted bell schedule that was just published it seems that all non-testing students will be held in first period all morning, then go to fifth period for a half-hour, it would not be in your student's best interests to attend that day when s/he needs to finish the college apps. ESPECIALLY since half of my seniors do not even have a first period. You can find clarification of this in last week's Reservation Report.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

2010-10-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

Gifted English II: The Author of the Day is children's novelist Judy Blume and the Word of the Day is "subtle." Today, after I collect the HW you did last night (creating a paragraph out of monosyllabic words) we will share some with the class before reviewing the room list for tomorrow's PSAT. Afterwards, we will go over content vocabulary and prepare for our next unit.

AP Literature and Comp: If you missed the MacQuiz yesterday, you need to take it today during lunch or after school. It only takes about ten minutes. Today: Macbeth, Act IV scene ii and iii with corresponding analysis.

BBC Shakespeare Animated Tales - Macbeth - Part 1

2010-10-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

Let's see if the embedding works this time.

BBC Shakespeare Animated Tales : For the APees- Macbeth - Part 1

2010-10-10T14:10:00.000-07:00

Wildly entertaining, in a 1970's way. A good way to catch up for the quiz that might happen tomorrow. . .

Sesame Street: Smell Like A Monster

2010-10-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

This isn't the most academic thing ever, but remember those Old Spice commercials? Sesame Street has devised a way to learn the preposition "on." Enjoy!

Monday, October 11, 2010

2010-10-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was 10-10-10, which was pretty cool. And the weather has been glorious!

Gifted English II: Author of the Day: Charlotte Bronte. Word of the Day: etiquette. The PSAT will be given Wednesday of this week, and today we are going to look at two short practice pieces to correspond to this test. Also, Awesome Homework tonight. With clip art!

AP Literature and Composition: There might be a little quiz on Macbeth, Act III. Just maybe. And then. . .cartoon time, in which we collectively illustrate the weirdness that is Act IV, scene i.

Friday, October 8, 2010

2010-10-07T19:06:00.000-07:00

NOTE: We are going to experience a lovely tour of autumn weather during first period, when, along with the rest of the campus, we sojourn together to the practice field for our own safety while preparing to avoid future conflagrations. In other words, the distinct possibility of a FIRE DRILL during first period.

NOTE NOTE: I am hosting a guest, future teacher Stacy Z., all day. Be nice to her and do not hit on her, even if you are eighteen. Remember--dignity and modesty will never go out of style!!!

Gifted English II: Author of the Day: Mario Vargas Llosa, the newly selected Nobel Prize winner in Literature!!! Word of the Day: idyllic. Antigone quiz, followed by PSAT review. HW: Read Count of Monte Cristo.

AP Lit and Comp: Macbeth, Act III Analysis. I love this play, I love this play, I love this play.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

2010-10-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

Gifted English II: Author of the Day: Toni Morrison. Word of the Day: flagrant. Antigone quiz review; Icarus packet part II; classic rock day. Bring your air guitar.

AP Lit and Comp: MacStuff!!!! Content vocabulary review from the play and Thomas de Quincey/class discussion. HW: Read Act III preparatory to tomorrow's in-class analysis.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

2010-10-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who helped me get ready for Parent Night and to all of the wonderful families who attended.

Planning ahead: Underclass make-up picture day is October 12, 2010.

PSAT is October 13, 2010. Dr. McMillen posted in the Reservation Report that seniors might want to take that day as an excused absence if they are visiting colleges, since the testing will impede the schedule significantly. Sophomores will, of course, be testing.

Gifted English II: Author of the Day: Carl Hiaasen. Word of the Day: triage. Review concepts of Antigone for quiz tomorrow; PSAT Vocabulary Assignment; PSAT analogies. Many activities, lots of one-liners.

AP Lit and Comp: Review Act II; Lit Crit by Thomas de Quincey; Act II Quiz (if time; we might do it tomorrow.) HW: Read Act III and be prepared to discuss. Warning: It's a little disturbing, but y'all survived the Porter sequence so I anticipate that you'll survive.

Love to all. Writing Center is open both lunch shifts if you need help/service hours.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

2010-10-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

Gifted English II: Author of the Day is Vaclav Havel and the Word of the Day is "benign." Today, after we turn in the Antigone questions (which I will accept through 3 p.m.) we will continue with our Icarus studies, including a solid reading of W.H. Auden's "Musee des Beaux Arts". We will also review for the upcoming Antigone test on Thursday.

AP Lit and Comp: Act II moves on with its inexorable will and inevitable violence, after which we will look at a critical piece by Thomas de Quincey germane to Act II, scene iii. Be prepared to annotate like fiends.

Tonight is Parent Night! I have peppermints and Smarties for your folks! Classroom visits start at 7 p.m.!

Monday, October 4, 2010

2010-10-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

Ah, autumn--the best season of the year, IMHO. It's just now starting to feel cooler in the mornings and evenings (although it was plenty warm at the BHS rummage sale this morning) and the faintest hint of optimism is curling through the leaves. I love autumn, and think it is no small coincidence that the great poet Percy Bysshe Shelley immortalized it as "the dirge of the dying year" in his "Ode to the West Wind," in which he described the winds of autumn as capable of engendering creativity.

So let's get to it!

Gifted English II: Your HW this weekend was to create one sentence using at least five of the Word of the Day words; we will share them, then finish the last short bit of Antigone (period one) before moving on to Ovid (period two). You will not need your textbook this week. Our Author of the Day today is Nathaniel Hawthorne, and our new word is transmogrify.

Classwork: Transition from ancient Greek drama to Roman poetry with Ovid's Metamorphoses.

Homework: Enrichment opportunity with literary terms, due tomorrow for extra credit (see handout) and Antigone questions due tomorrow by 3 p.m.

APees: We finished Act I last week, so let's take a little quiz on Act I and see how much we recall from this introductory foray into MacStuff. Once we're done, we'll self-score and make the transition into Act II.

Classwork: Quiz, and explication de texte of Macb in class with discussion intertwined.

Homework: Content vocabulary for Act II.

PTSA Open House

2010-10-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

Dear All:

PTSA will host the annual Open House event this Tuesday, October 5, from 5:30-9:00ish here at Boone. Classroom visits will begin around 7 if you would like to merely follow your student's schedule and skip the group presentation.

Your student will bring home information tomorrow, but you can also access your child's schedule on ProgressBook and maps of the school site will be readily available during the evening of the event itself.

I will have peppermints or some such for your delectation, but bear in mind that I only have seven minutes to tell you a BUNCH of stuff, I talk too fast anyway, and I can't discuss your child individually beyond "S/he is very interesting" or "Wow, what a great acrobat s/he is!" And also, if you are the parent of a sophomore unfamiliar with my sense of the aesthetic--my classroom is a bit odd. My goal is to have the ceiling look like Tijuana Flats, and I have student-created art (and weird toys) everywhere. Call it a testament to my immaturity, but the kids seem to like it and we are never, ever bored. :-)

Reminders

2010-10-02T20:33:00.001-07:00

Dear Sophomores:

1. Antigone questions are due Tuesday, October 5 by 3 p.m. (typing is preferred.)

2. The PSAT will be given on Wednesday, October 13 during periods 1-3. You are already signed up and do not have to pay to take this test, but I have no further information at this point on testing locations. I will let you know as soon as I do.

3. The Count of Monte Cristo reading due date is October 22, 2010.

4. Five of you still have make-up work pending; I waited Friday during both lunch shifts and only two of you showed up. Please make this a priority.

Dear APees:

1. The SAT will be given this Saturday here at Boone; if you are desperate and forgot to sign up see Mrs. Pearson immediately about standby options OR future testing dates. I will be proctoring in room 313.

2. Congratulations to our National Merit Semi-Finalists!!!

3. If you need help with college admissions essays/scholarship essays, don't forget The Writing Center as a resource. We are open both lunch shifts and you are welcome to bring something to eat/drink with you.

4. If you need service hours for NHS, see me ASAP. Believe me, I need the help. New district policy requires active members to earn FIVE hours per quarter AT BOONE. Well, I'm at Boone, and I like to sign my name with a sophisticated flourish to service letters.

Lesson Schedule: September 27-October 1, 2010

2010-09-26T17:03:00.000-07:00

General Announcements for the Good of the Order:

1. Macbeth texts should be in Monday or Tuesday (at the latest.) If you signed up for a text, be sure to check your name off on the master list before picking one up. If you would still like to BORROW one for the duration see me--I found six errant copies floating about.

2. SOPHYS: The reading deadline for The Count of Monte Cristo is officially (and inarguably) Wednesday, October 27. That gives you another MONTH. Read, read, read. . .and read some more! For those of you who plan ahead: The next novel is Candide by Voltaire.

3. BHS will have an awesome and massive rummage sale next Saturday in the faculty parking lot. Be sure to come! One person's wretched refuse is another's teeming shore!

TENTATIVE ACADEMIC SCHEDULE FOR APees:

Monday, September 27, 2010: Lecture/discussion on the origins of Shakespearean tragedy, beginning with Henry VII and the English Renaissance and culminating in James I and the Gunpowder Plot. Bring a pen or pencil and a good sense of humor. Your Oedipus Rex focus paper is due Wednesday BOTH online and in hard copy format.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010: Macbeth content vocabulary; introduction to Macbeth; Act I, scenes i and ii. And there was much rejoicing!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010: Payday, thank God, further enhanced by study of Macbeth. I LOVE THIS PLAY SO MUCH. Supplementary reading on the role of the supernatural, and further movement into Act I and the development of Lady Mac, the original Fatal Attraction. FOCUS PAPERS DUE.

Thursday, September 30, 2010: Brief interruptus of play for multiple choice practice focused on Macb content-wise, followed by the horrors of Act II.

Friday, October 1, 2010: Act II and "On the Knocking at the Gate" by Thomas de Quincey.

SOPHYS

Monday, September 27, 2010: No author, no word--but a brief foray into the world of Edgar Bulwer-Lytton before we saunter into Antigone, Scene IV. We're behind and we need to catch up. HW: Last literary vocab list!!!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010: Author of the Day; word of the day; review vocab terms and return graded papers; Antigone; Scene V and Exodos. HW: Word of the Day activity.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010: Last state-sanctioned Reading Day for CMC, enhanced by chocolate.

Thursday, September 30, 2010: In-class Antigone quiz, followed by work on the question packet (due Monday at the latest.)

Friday, October 1, 2010: Author of the Day; word of the day; vocab quiz 101-120; art show.

Lesson Schedule: September 20-September 24

2010-09-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

My, how time flies.

Here is the tentative schedule for next week, for planning purposes. If my family situation nosedives, I might have to make some changes, but for now this looks like The Deal.

APees:

Monday, September 20: Review for Oedipus Rex test tomorrow; go over multiple choice passages from the practice session you did Friday.

Tuesday, September 21: Oedipus Rex test; work on rough draft for in-class review tomorrow.

Wednesday, September 22: In-class review of ORex focus paper. (NOTE: 3rd period: I had intended to make this due on Thursday, but I was informed after your class last week that Guidance wanted to see you Thursday after all. If you can have it ready today, great. If not, I can look at it during the Writing Center for you Thursday during either lunch shift.)

Thursday, September 23: Guidance visit for transcripts, corrections, and senior graduation check.

Friday, September 24: Introduction to Shakespearean tragedy!

Gifted English II

Monday, September 20: Author of the Day: JG Ballard; Word of the Day: alacrity

I had asked you to read and answer the questions for Scene II and Ode II of Antigone on Friday; today, we are starting with Scene III--now with more metaphors! HW tonight: Define vocabulary words 81-100 and read a chapter in The Count of Monte Cristo.

Tuesday, September 21: Author of the Day: David Foster Wallace. Word of the Day; myriad. Scene IV and Ode IV of Antigone; reminder about reading day tomorrow.

Wednesday, September 22: Second Reading Day for The Count of Monte Cristo! Ten points for reading--be sure to bring your book!

Thursday, September 23: Author of the Day: Emily Dickinson. Word of the Day: perambulate. Antigone, Scene V and Exodos.

Friday, September 24: Vocabulary Quiz #5; concluding thoughts on Antigone; due date assigned for Antigone questions; prep for Antigone test.

Blip

2010-09-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

I had such grand plans for yesterday, what with handing out eye patches all day, and planning an ice-cream social for the custodial staff, and grading papers and finishing off a pile of make-up work. As the proverb says, if you want to see God laugh, make plans.

I took off yesterday right before first period to come take care of my mom, who was being treated at a local hospital for a heart attack. She's doing much better now, and I hope she can go home this weekend, but it was so odd--quite literally, one moment, I'm helping sophomores tear into a box of eye patches and stickers, and the next moment I'm calming my sister down on the phone and getting a sub.

Many thanks to my cooperative students, for rolling with it; to Mrs. Speer, for getting me a sub in less than 14 minutes, and to Dr. McMillen, for being unilaterally supportive. I think we are out of the woods (for now) and I am posting this as a friendly reminder that life can change in an instant, so hug the people closest to you and tell your parents how much you love them. Please.

Valediction: Forbidding Whining

New World Order

end of the road

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Ode to the West Wind

Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Monday, February 14, 2011

Funny Talking Animals - Walk On The Wild Side Preview - BBC One

Funny Talking Animals - Walk On The Wild Side - Episode Three Preview - ...

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Monday, February 7, 2011

Julius Caesar Paper

Friday, February 4, 2011

Thursday, February 3, 2011

GROUNDHOG DAY TRAILER

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

February, February

And now, from William Wordsworth

Monday, January 31, 2011

Friday, January 28, 2011

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Monday, January 24, 2011

Welcome to the Third Quarter!

January 10, 2011

Monday, January 3, 2011

Thursday and Friday, December 16-17

THE DIGITAL STORY OF NATIVITY - ( or Christmas 2.0 )

Hakuna Matata(English)

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Monday, December 13, 2010

Friday, December 10, 2010

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days (original from 1998)

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Monday, December 6, 2010

. . .and this is why you have to college.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Hamlet, Explained: TS Eliot Denigrates Art

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Monday, November 29, 2010

Cheer Pressure: Third Annual Edition

Friday, November 19, 2010

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle: Hamlet, Explained Part II

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle: Hamlet, Explained

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle: Reprinted from 2008

Hamlet, Explained (Part One of an Occasional Series)

HAMLET(FACEBOOK NEWSFEED EDITION).

BY SARAH SCHMELLING

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Monday, November 15, 2010

Veggie Tales - Shakespeare's Omlet

Sesame Street: Soliloquy On B

Hamlet Act I Scene II

NewsRadio Minisodes - Super Karate Monkey Death Car

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Monday, November 8, 2010

Friday, November 5, 2010

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Monday, November 1, 2010

Economics Lesson

Monday, November 1, 2010: Curriculum

Monday, November 1, 2010

Friday, October 29, 2010

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Wednesday, October 27, 2010: Amended

Cool Things for Your Brain

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

HAMLET
(FACEBOOK NEWS
FEED EDITION).