Monday, October 3, 2005

Can you believe it's October already?

Welcome to Homecoming Week, '05! Expect a stirring puppet show from me by week's end detailing All The Things You Shouldn't Do at Homecoming This Year. A moral message, punctuated by the Witch of Despair and the Puppets of Dumb Decisions.

Advanced Placement Literature: Return Mactests, and engage in a lively close reading of Le Play. We are slowly going to make the transition from this tragedy into our next, deeply involved Shakespearean adventure--The Prince of Denmark!

Gifted English IV: Continue working with the Gawain essay, and begin the comprehensive review for the Middle Ages Unit Test. I have a handout for each of you to facilitate the review.

Gifted English II: Return parables, and begin working on the Count of Monte Cristo paper. Today in class, we are going to look at Dantes as a moral figure--is he morally justified in seeking the revenge he desires? What Biblical literature supports his endeavor? We're reading a brilliant piece by William Blake that touches on the theme of revenge, and learning how to do a TP-CASTT analysis. Author of the Day is Ben Franklin.

Friday, September 30

If you are ushering tonight for Twelfth Night, call time is 7 p.m.

Advanced Placement Literature and Composition: Mactest. Bring a pencil and your brain.

Gifted English IV: Review for Middle Ages Unit test next week, and wrap up All Things Medieval.

Gifted English II: After we share our parables, we are going to do Author of the Day--John Donne. Then, we are going to go over the CMC Focus Paper.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Advanced Placement Literature: Discussion and review for the Mactest.

Gifted English IV: "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and a scary supplemental essay by Professor Shoaf of UF.

Gifted English II: What is a parable? Zen Buddhism proverbs and a creative writing assignment. Our author of the day today is Anonymous.

Note: I attended an online workshop through the College Board last night about poetry. Although I found the workshop itself deeply unmotivating, it did create in me a desire to read poetry even more than I already do. In keeping with my current poetic vibe, then, here is a poem I really, really like. Read it and comment if you'd like.


The world is too much with us


THE World is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:

Little we see in Nature that is ours;

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon,

The winds that will be howling at all hours

And are up-gather'd now like sleeping flowers,

For this, for everything, we are out of tune;

It moves us not.—Great God! I'd rather be

A pagan suckled in a creed outworn,—

So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,

Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;

Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;

Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Good morning! If I seem a tad distracted today, it's just that I'm sandwiched between an online AP workshop last night and my National Board Certification Application today. Whew.

AP Lit: Writing Workshop. I'll bring the coffee; you bring the good ideas. You have the period to draft your focus paper; treat is as a timed writing.

Gifted IV: Share exempla and make the transition OUT of Chaucer and INTO "Gawain."

Gifted II: For the first ten minutes of the period, finish up the CMC test, since so many needed more time yesterday. THEN: Further adventures in literature! Author of the Day is Sandra Cisneros.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

AP Literature: Your thesis statements for Macbeth are due today. We will continue to Macdiscuss the Macplay and generally abuse the Mac- prefix as much as humanly possible. Good times. Good times. (Well, not for the Scots who were so bloodily dispatched in the play. . .)

Gifted English IV: Didn't have enough frivolity with the Pardoner? Let's check out the Wife of Bath! Wow! And if we have time, we'll go over some supplemental critical essays on Chaucer. Theme for the Day: CHAUCER IS YOUR FRIEND.

Gifted English II: COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO TEST. Yes, you can use your book. No, you had better not have used that wretched SparkNotes. Wheeee.

Monday, September 26, 2005

Many thanks to all who ushered for Twelfth Night this weekend. Great job!

NOTE: My classroom is closed today during B lunch. Normally, it's open as the Writing Center Annex, but I have to complete a complicated online application tomorrow for National Teaching Boards and I need some clarity. Lunch will resume Tuesday.

AP Lit: Macbeth, Act V.

Gifted English IV: The Pardoner's Tale and the Exemplum.

Gifted English II: The Literature of the Bible discussion and PSAT vocab list #3. Due to a copying conflict, your CMC test will not be until Tuesday. Author of the Day: Margery Kempe.

Friday, September 23, 2005

If you are ushering for me tonight, call time is 7 at the indoor theater of Loch Haven Park.

Advanced Placement Literature: Deconstruct John Donne poem, then finish Act IV and go over Macpaper assignment. Ideally, I'd like to get into Act V today, too.

Gifted English IV: Return work from yesterday and review, then finish "The Pardoner's Tale" and get the related creative writing assignment.

Gifted English II: Collect Antigone essay tests, then continue with the literature of the Bible. Today--"Abraham and Isaac" and related poem, and other discussions of parables. Warning--creative writing assignment ahead!

Have a good weekend. Sophomores--read Count of Monte Cristo like little fiends, and seniors, read something edifying. The quarter is coming to a close, and we get to "fall back" this weekend so you all have an extra hour to play with. :-)