Kansas - "Carry On Wayward Son" 1976 Video

In honor of Megan Ellis's request, here is awesomeness from the 1970's. Enjoy!

Friday, January 29, 2010

Today's weird holiday is Free Thinkers Day and Fun at Work Day. Since I try to think freely and have fun at work every day, I'm not sure what to do differently, per se, today, but I might wear a funky hat.

Today's word is fungible, which means easily broken.

We'll leave Ireland alone for today. I can't pronounce anything anyway and will depend on the kindness of strangers, as I usually do when I travel.

Gifted English II: JC vocabulary quiz; plan for Lupercalia; review for JC unit test early next week.

APees: "Rime" journal entry/reaction paper; Iron Maiden Air Guitar Day with their version of "Rime." AWESOME.

NOTE: I will be out of town this weekend with limited internet access. I will try to check messages, but I am a busy girl. If you need a letter of recommendation or have an existential crisis, try to hold on until Monday. Have a great weekend, and have fun at BRAVE AID!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Today is not a particularly designated holiday that I am aware of, but I would like to point out that we are coming to the close of World Leprosy Week and Cowboy Poetry Appreciation Week.

Word of the Day: logophile (a lover of words)

Irish Phrase of the Day: What is your name? Cad is ainm duit? (COD iss ANNim ditch?)

Gifted English II: Collect HW (Act V questions); return graded work; reminder of memorization assignments due next week; go over Act V specifically; review JC vocab words; if time, JC scavenger hunt. HW: Study for JC vocabulary quiz tomorrow.

APees: "Rime" quiz on Part I of the poem; "Rime" parts III-VII.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

'Allo, guvner!

Here are our lessons for today:

Word of the Day: abstemious

Irish Word of the Day: cuidiú (help)

Today’s Holiday: Thomas Crapper Day

Gifted English II: Julius Caesar Act IV questions; reminder of memorizations pending; transition to Act V

AP Lit and Comp: Begin “Rime”—notes on board; analysis chart.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Word of the Day: vitiate

Irish Word of the Day: seomra folchta (bathroom)

Today’s Holiday: National Peanut Brittle Day

Gifted English II: Timed Writing on Julius Caesar’s speeches; turn in definitions

AP Lit and Comp: Frankenstein quiz; “Kubla Khan” analysis

Monday, January 25, 2010

Today is my Mom's birthday! What do you get for the woman who has everything--well, all she wants is time with me, so I'm taking her shopping and for a manicure. Girls day out. After school hours, of course--I'm a role model for today's youth and would hate to be absent on such an illustrious day as today, because. . .

Dun dun dun. . .

We have fascinating things to do and learn today! I am so excited!

NOTE ABOUT THIRD QUARTER: For many students, third quarter is the worst quarter. For seniors, graduation is just far enough away as to seem unattainable, yet close enough to terrify with the Real World Oh My Goodness Really thing. For sophys, it is an amalgam of FCAT-osity, scheduling joy, and the sudden sinking realization that your junior year is creeping up on you. Historically, many of my talented learners have removed themselves from school on their own recognizance more than usual during the famed and feared third quarter, but this need not be you. Think about this: Third quarter is actually a magical time, suspended between a three-day weekend and Spring Break, in which you can re-evaluate, re-assess, and re-vitalize your educational path. Did your grades suck worse than a vacuum cleaner first semester? Time to bring them up! Colleges will only see final grades! Get moving! Did you fail to invest in your relationships with others or did you falter in taking advantage of the rich social resources BHS has to give you? Did you make poor life choices and NOT listen to your English teacher's puppet shows? Now is the time. . .now is the time. . .to seize the brass ring of determination and wrap it exuberantly around your head. LET'S GET BUSY!!!!!!!!!!

Focal points for this quarter:

Gifted English II: Shakespearean studies, grammar, and the resurrection of the Author of the Day project, FCAT skills, Lupercal festival

APees: Romanticism unit; thesis statement development for AP FRQ prompts; writing conventions

Word of the Day: bilious

Irish Word of the Day: Dia duit (hello)

Today’s Holiday: Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day (seriously)

Gifted English II: Resurrection of Author of the Day project, beginning next week/Julius Caesar recap of Venn diagram and new content vocab from Act IV; reminder about Elements of Style by next week as well. HOMEWORK: Finish definitions and acquire Elements of Style.

AP Lit and Comp: Review of Wordsworth concepts; samples from semester exam FRQs; transition into Coleridge (with pop-up goodness). Frankenstein reading quiz tomorrow for Part I (different format from first quiz.) Distribution of graded work. HOMEWORK: At least one journal entry for Frankenstein; bring lit book tomorrow.

Ireland 2010

My final trip with students, like, ever will be this Spring Break. Three spots are still open.

Would you like to go to Ireland? Are you independently wealthy? (Kidding, but not really--it isn't an inexpensive trip.) Would you like to hang out with me for almost ten days and see what I'm like in a foreign country? (Ask anyone who went to Paris--we had a great time.) Come see me for the paperwork and have your parental units contact me OR my tour guide.

And then, next year. . .I might take a group to Wadeview Park! Tehee.

Blurg!

ProgressBook has proven to be a challenge, again. I ended up with one student showing an average of 271 percent in AP Lit, and another one showing as not even registered for my class. Fantastique!

Grades can be re-entered until next week, so if you detect a mistake (NOT because you are unhappy with something) e-mail me and we can talk about it on Monday. I am officially switching to a low-tech grade recording system starting Monday, and I will hire a colleague to enter my data for me weekly so y'all can have happiness and joy for the second semester.

(I really thought I was a halfway intelligent person until I met the unforgiving glare of the ProgressBook screen. Non-intuitive, non-forgiving, and God help me if I exit a screen too quickly before data is properly saved. So much angst, so little time.)

Optimism now for the future! Love to all.

Semester Examinations

This schedule may have changed by a few minutes here and there, but this is what I have:

SEMESTER EXAM PROPOSED SCHEDULE JANUARY 2010

Tuesday, January 19
7:20 – 9:15 1st Period Exam (115 min)
9:21 – 11:16 3rd Period Exam (115 min—Tech students go to Media Center)
Lunch
A lunch 11:16 – 11:46 (30 min)
4th A 11:52 – 12:13 (21 min)
4th B 11:22 – 11:43 (21 min)
B lunch 11:43 – 12:13 (30 min)
12:19 – 2:14 7th Period Exam (115 min)

Wednesday, January 20
7:20 – 9:30 2nd Period Exam (130 min)
Lunch
A lunch 9:30 – 10:00 (30 min)
4th A 10:06 – 10:55 (49 min)
4th B 9:36 – 10:25 (49 min)
B lunch 10:25 – 10:55 (30 min)
11:01 – 1:14 6th Period Exam (133 min)

Thursday, January 21
7:20 – 8:20 3rd Period District Video (mandated for all students--details pending)
8:26 – 10:36 5th Period Exam (130 minutes)
Lunch
A lunch 10:36 -11:06 (30 min)
4th A 11:12-12:01 (49 min)
4th B 10:42- 11:31 (49 min)
B lunch 11:31-12:01 (30 min)
12:07 – 2:14 4th Period Exam (127 min)

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Gifted English II: Begin semester examination review for next week. We have a lot to go over, but it's pretty memorable stuff, so don't worry. Or so I think, anyway!

APees: Frankenstein journal suggestions and AP MC practice passages.

Frankenquiz is tomorrow, people--pages 1-45. :-)

Note: Go see Margaret Hunsicker's play on Saturday night at the BHS auditorium. Doors open at 6:45, and it's free! And she wrote and directed it!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Gifted English II: Julius Caesar, continued, and PSAT distribution.

APees: "Tintern Abbey" again, and Frankenstuff. :-)

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Today should, hopefully, be the last day of my medical woe. I will be on campus until the conclusion of B lunch, so if students in the afternoon classes have any questions come find me.

Word of the Day: ameliorate

Today's holiday: Unidentified, but I can tell you that January is apparently California Dried Plum Digestive Month. Yay for prunes!

(And many, many thanks to JM Bell for the AWESOME bubble wrap calendar. There was much rejoicing all day long.)

Gifted English II: A continuation of our compare/contrast analysis of The Speeches, followed by a brief screening of Acts II and III of the play.

APees: After a journal entry that is thematically related to Wordsworth's poem, we will begin analysis of "Lines Composed A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey," his landmark lyric poem--written entirely in blank verse, and entirely as a draft--about a return visit to a special place. I love this poem and hope you love it, too; one line in particular has always resonated with me: "The best parts of a good man's life/The little, nameless, unnumbered acts of kindness/And of love." Wow.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Word of the Day: prestidigitation

Holiday Today: National Clean Off Your Desk Day (yes, I sense the irony. You've seen my desk in all its unadulteratedly messy glory.)

Gifted English II: I need you to submit the Act II questions ASAP as well as the vocabulary assignment, if Mrs. Corbin didn't collect it on Friday. Today, we will begin analysis of the two major speeches in Act III with a Venn diagram to help us organize our thoughts. Good times!

APees: BRING YOUR LIT BOOKS TOMORROW. BRING YOUR LIT BOOKS TOMORROW.

Today: After I search and destroy one class for Friday's antics. . .

Review format for Frankenstein reading journals, and analyze the terrific Wordsworth sonnet "The World is Too Much With Us." It's on page 49 in the little Perrine anthology.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Mrs. Corbin will be with you today; be nice to her, as she is one of my favorite people. I have to do Medical Testing Part II today but will be back Monday, by hook or by crook. The final chapter is Tuesday afternoon, so Mrs. Corbin will be back with periods 5-7, but then I should be good (God willing and the creek don't rise) for a while. And thank you to all of the sweet children with good thoughts. It's been a rough few weeks.

Gifted English II: Turn in your HW to Mrs. Corbin, and then work for the first part of the period on JC questions related to Act III. (I'll be picking up the Act II questions, which are lengthier, by the end of the period Monday.) At the halfway mark of the period, she is going to turn on the DVD player and let you watch Acts I and II of the play. The version you will be watching is from the early 1970's, featuring Charlton Heston as Mark Antony and Sir John Geilgud as the doomed dictator. Enjoy!

APees: Today you will work on your reading journal with respect to Frankenstein. There are a few extra copies of the novel on the shelf up front if you need one, and there are extra copies of the journal assignment on the podium. Your first entry MUST be from one of the epistolary chapters (or can comment on all of them en masse) so today is NOT a day to be checking Facebook surreptitiously (I know what you are doing back there, you) nor frantically finishing calc homework for Dr. Tachon. Read! Read!

*hope it snows*

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Gifted English II: Your HW last night was to define ten words from Act III of Julius Caesar; your HW tonight is to craft ten sentences utilizing these words. Here are the guidelines: A) The sentence MUST reveal your understanding of the word's meaning and B) the sentence must somehow relate to Julius Caesar. Easy, yes? A tad tricky, eh? You can do it!

Today in class: The assassination of Julius. And he looked like such a nice old man. . .

APees: Introductory notes on the Gothic novel and Frankenstein, with a read-aloud from the first letter Robert Walton writes to his sister, Margaret Walton Saville. We will discuss the nature of exploration and the challenge of discerning the gender of an author from the text--and if that is even relevant to our analysis. Also, I will be distributing the reading journal assignment for the novel.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Gifted English II: Your HW tonight is to define ten vocabulary terms from Act III of Julius Caesar, beginning with "puissant" and ending with "mutiny." Today in class--Act II, dramatically enacted. Good times!

APees: Romanticism Lecture and AP Booklets for spring testing. Today we are going to discuss everything from mutability to the role of the Gothic novel. Good times for y'all, too!

Sophys: Julius Caesar Memorization Assignment

This is due by the end of our Julius Caesar unit. There is a half-sheet with this information on it available on the front desk if you have already lost yours, but here is the relevant information for interested parties/parental units.

(The page numbers are aligned with the 2005 version of the textbook; if you need specific line numbers for a paperback copy of the play, just ask me and I'll find the relevant speech for you. The vast majority of students have historically opted for the "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" speech, which is in Act III, scene ii.)

Gifted English II

Julius Caesar Unit: Memorization Assignment

One of the key components of learning is memorization. While Bloom’s Taxonomy labels memorization as one of the lower levels of learning, it is a necessary exercise to keep your skills and recall sharp. To heighten your mental acuity, therefore, we have a wonderful opportunity to memorize speeches from the history play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.

This is a contract assignment; you choose your own grade. Select one of the following speeches and be prepared to perform for the class OR outside for Ms. Hilley on _________.

A+ with extra credit: 67 lines p. 782 90-131/135-161

A 34 lines p. 834 74-108

B+ 28 lines p. 831 12-40

B 21 lines p. 829 254-275

B- 18 lines p. 805 237-256

C 15 lines p. 850 92-106

D 9 lines p. 876 68-75

Frankenstein: Notes/Outline (APees)

Dear APees:

You'll get a hard copy of this as well, but here are the notes I will be sharing with you regarding the novel you are reading in the event that you ever lose them.

Notes on Frankenstein : Themes and Contexts

Gothic novel

Ø Elements of the supernatural

o The “monster”

o The defining moment where the monster comes to life. . .immortalized and parodied in everything from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein to The Simpsons

Ø Use of weather to establish mood

Ø Nature imagery

o The bucolic elements near Geneva

o The glacier, foreshadowing the denouement in the Arctic wasteland

o Nature personified as a force with power

Ø Odd coincidences and leaps of faith

o Death of everyone in Victor’s circle, and NO ONE CONNECTS THE DOTS! AND HE DOESN’T CONFESS! BECAUSE HE IS A DORK!

o A swift journey of three hundred miles. . .

Ø Byronic hero (although, admittedly, V.F. takes the cake for emotional disturbances and indications of a tortured conscience)

o Victor’s inanition and emotional torpor after seeing his creation

o Hallucinatory imagery

o The direct mind-body connection between V.F.’s guilt and his physical health

Ø Exploration of intellectual constructs

o Ethics, science, family relations, roles of women. . .see below

Science and technology

Ø References to alchemy/pseudoscience

o References to “sciences” obsolete during the time of publication

o Victor’s misappropriation of “standard” science with horrific results

Ø Ethics and creation

o Playing God

o No longer wanting to play God, but, dude, it’s too late. . .

Ø Abortion/reproductive issues

o The female creature is aborted by V.F. himself

o The original “monster” is technically aborted as well—rejected, shunted off to live in the periphery, maligned only because of aesthetics

o Novel’s implications may force readers to analyze their own criteria for the acceptance of others

o Relation to the science of eugenics practiced in America and Europe in the 1920’s and 30’s—mentally handicapped, physically disabled, and depressed people were often forcibly sterilized to prevent replicating their “weaknesses” to their progeny. While this practice is often attributed to Nazi Germany, where it flowered both ways (sterilization AND rich rewards for frequent impregnation of healthy “ideal” Aryan couples), America was just as culpable. Thousands of mental patients were given contraceptive procedures, often without their knowledge. Even today, people with genetic diseases like MS, certain liver or lung diseases, or even chronic forms of depression are sometimes discouraged from reproducing.

Ø Roles of women

o The submissive female

§ Justine, portrayed as an innocent (read: naïve) and slightly stupid

§ Caroline, self-sacrificing and long-suffering

§ Elizabeth, ditto. . .

§ (Begs the question—how much is Shelley extrapolating from her own worldview/life experiences? For all of his supposed equanimity, did her spouse wear the trousers, or did she? Or were there trousers available in a household known for free thinking? Why are we even thinking about this?)

o The female monster

§ Symbolic of the creature’s only hope for a “normal” life

§ Destroyed by V.F. in a fit of panic/pique

§ One could argue that it is interesting that the largely asexual V.F. should not be in the business of creating life—particularly of a gender he really doesn’t “get”. One could argue. Not necessarily successfully. Neat to think about, though, eh? Who else sublimates himself completely in his work and forgets the “love of his life” for entire periods of time? Not to mine the stereotype of the mad scientist, but they don’t typically have fulfilling personal lives. . .

Ø The Monster as “more human than human”

o NOTE: The above quote was pulled from a story by sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick called “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” that was later turned into the Ridley Scott classic film Blade Runner which in turn led to the White Zombie song. Nothing is entirely original—all three cultural texts owe thanks to Frankenstein for their own creations.

o The monster as a sympathetic creation

o Acts of violence as a means of communication in a world that consistently rejects him

§ He saves a woman from drowning; he attempts to relate normally with the cottagers, but is spurned at every turn

§ His acts of violence are shocking, but not unforeseen—he will do anything to reach out, even in socially unacceptable ways

o Father/child separation anxiety

§ Points of discussion for relevance in a culture of divorce? The child first seeks to please and flatter the missing father figure, which eventually turns to rage—love/hate dichotomy

o A lesson in compassion for reader/character/critic

§ Judge not on appearances! Love your friends, warts and all. Or dead body parts and all.

Ø Literary Allusions

o Milton—“Paradise Lost” epic poem about the fall of man written by the Father of English Epic Poetry (in fairness, there isn’t a LOT of English Epic Poetry, so it’s a dubious title at best)

o Coleridge—“Rime”

o Wordsworth

o Percy Shelley himself

Tuesday, January 5, 2009

Gifted English II: Your HW last night was an open-play quiz on Act I; today, we transition to Act II. I have some questions you will need to answer for this part of the play, which is largely expository and not as action-oriented as the other acts. We are going to work through part of this today in class--your HW is to finish the questions.

AP Lit and Comp: We need to finish the analysis of "Preludes" and transition into Romanticism. Reminder: Please go by the Media Center to pick up a copy of Frankenstein. We will be working through the epistolary part of the novel (the first four chapters) together this week, while preparing for the semester exam/essay portion.

I will be giving you each an outline for note-taking purposes, but here is the essence of what you can expect for those of you super-organized types:

Romanticism Notes: APeees

People to Know

William Wordsworth

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Percy Shelley

John Keats

William Blake

George Gordon, Lord Byron

John Constable

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Mary Shelley

Concepts to Know

mutability

the quest for immortality

nature imagery

the paradox

spirituality

connections: landscape to sky; art to immortality

lyric poetry

the Gothic novel

romanticism and revolution

Specific Works for Reference

“The World is Too Much With Us”

“Tintern Abbey”

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

“Kubla Khan”

“Ode to a Nightingale”

“When I Have Fears”

“Ode on a Grecian Urn”

“On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer”

“Ozymandias”

“Ode to the West Wind”

The Gothic Novel

Frankenstein

Jane Eyre

Wuthering Heights

The Byronic Hero

Monday, January 4, 2010

Welcome to the new year, if not the new semester--we still have until January 25 or so to finish this quarter. I've been reading online about the debate between pronouncing this year "two thousand ten" vs. "twenty-ten" and I have to say that I am partial to the brevity and power of the latter. Regardless of what you call it, though, we have entered a new decade, and I truly hope that each of you finds great fortune, knowledge, and understanding in your future endeavors.

Announcements:

1. For those of you who still need service hours for NHS, I have an opportunity for you--I could really use some help this week cleaning 313 in preparation for district and state level visitors from the Advanced Studies Department. The first item on the rubric they are using states "A clutter-free classroom is evident," and man am I in trouble. Right-brained over here; need some help.

2. If you are on the Project X-Mas committee, thank-you note season is upon us! Many, many people helped us reach our goal this fall, and we need to thank them appropriately. I've already sent e-mails to the entire faculty indicating our gratitude, but see Mary Claire for individualized thank-you note plans. Service hours, as always, are given for your work on this committee.

3. Sophys: You will need to acquire a personal copy of The Elements of Style by Strunk and White before the end of January. It will be our primary grammar guide for the spring term.

4. Seniors: You will need to acquire a personal copy of Jane Eyre IF you wish to annotate as you read. Our first reading in the Romantic unit will be Frankenstein, available in the BHS library, but JE lends itself more to marginalia. If you are so inclined, it's a worthwhile investment--and you can take it with you to college next year for literary magic 8-ball purposes!

Today's Lessons:

Gifted English II: Julius Caesar--review key concepts from December, review Act I main points, and distribute thought questions for Act II. We will also be going over the memorization assignment, which is due by the end of this month as well. Two of you are already finished. Bravo! I will have a finished calendar for you by the end of the week with all of the registration dates for next year's classes, as well, and can start meeting with you one-on-one to help make decisions about your schedule.

AP Lit and Comp: I asked each of you to annotate "Preludes" by T.S. Eliot; today in class, we are going to analyze the heck out of this lyric poem. Come prepared to TP-CASTT and beyond, and to massage a lot of diction. Mere months to go until the national exam, my peeps. Months to go.