English 10: Characters

Today, you should add to your character notes. So far, you have these notes:
Dynamic
These characters are ROUND. They change and are well formed by your author.

Static
These characters are FLAT. They do not change. They are reliable. These are usually not your main character.

Multi-faceted
Diamonds/"Diamonds in the rough" Diamonds come in chunks. They are graded by flaws and colors. Once they are cut, their true beauty can be seen in their color and cut. Their beauty "shines" out and is seen. They are "multi-faceted" or many-sided. Characters are also many-sided or they are shallow. Other ways of saying this would be to have many hues, rainbows, or similar ideas.

Shallow
No depth, no features, loosely drawn. Boring. Basic. You don't know anything about a character. They have no back story. Some authors only know how to write one character (over and over and over again). They are "cartoon-ish" or like "coloring book" characters.


Casting the Character Assignment
You are the "director" of your book and it is being made into a movie. You must choose 5 actors to play the 5 main characters of your book. However, they can NOT be the same actors that have played in any movies made of your book before. 


You may make a poster, a presentation/powerpoint, a movie trailer, or a storyboard but your pictures of your actors/actresses MUST be accompanied with QUOTES from your book that defend your choices. You may not change your actor in any fundamental way (you must keep their height, etc). 


You will present this to the class on October 5th (A day) and 6th (B day).

English 10, B4

We read The Paper Bag Princess and discussed characterization. We also had a pop quiz. I hope you have turned in all your work thus far!!

Friday in Honors

Today we got a new seating chart, checked out The Chosen and watched A Life Apart a documentary about Hasidism in America narrated by Sarah Jessica Parker and Leonary Nemoy. Reviewed here. We didn't watch the whole thing. We discussed part of the movie.

Your homework is to read chapter 1 for class next time. We'll be taking a "field trip" to the baseball field. Yours is to figure out why and what happens there.

Notes on Notes...

This morning we had a POP quiz about romance, fantasy, and science fiction.

Then we did a note-taking activity and discussed what goes into notes. You determined that you normally take notes on the "important stuff" -- whatever you have determined the important stuff is by

• asking questions
• Writing down the "main points"
• If a teacher says it more than once
• Facts
• Numbers
• Bolded, underlined, or items in all caps

What should you write in your notes?
1. Whatever your teachers write on the board
    They have done so to give you "Think time."
        Hearing it, seeing it and reading it will give you better retention than simply hearing it, reading it or seeing it alone.
2. Make your notes WORK for you. Organize them, don't DIS-organize them.


(Here is the brain study: http://www.psychotactics.com/blog/art-retain-learning/)

Romance, Fantasy & Sci-Fi

Romance Novels

1. A romance must, bu definition, must end happily.

2. Most romance novels have a girl as the main character.

3. Romance books are often formulaic which means they follow a pattern and are predictable.

4. There must be an ordeal or a problem and the right couple must end up together.

5. The book often ends with a wedding and the ultimate connection:  a baby/child.

Fantasy Novels

1. There must be a quest (adventure) with a grand purpose.

2. There's a hero who's usually young and untrained in the beginning.

3. The purpose of the quest is to right a wrong or save the world.

4. There must be a battle of good vs. evil and good must win (If evil wins it's an anti-hero).

5. There's always a side-kick and his/her job is to help the hero.

6. There's usually a wise old man or guide (often a female oracle)

7. The hero must save the world but he or she may die in the process.

Science Fiction: http://www.underdown.org/sffantasy.htm

Science fiction must stick to natural laws. (Gravity, sound in space, etc. Time travel and faster-than-light are often ignored entirely, however.)

Laws must be clear and defined.

Most writers of science fiction are male.

Characters voyage in space. They must save the universe.

Science fiction is more action than science.

It always takes place in the future.

However, the problems are always current.

The target audience for science fiction is male, ages 15+

Science fiction sometimes combines with fantasy.

2 kinds of this are utopian and dystopian. Utopian means a perfect world. Dystopian means a messed-up world.

A movie with a utopia in it: Star Trek

A movie with a dystopia in it: City of Ember, The Matrix, Corraline

What are the characteristics of a good reader? What do good readers do?

How do you keep yourself focused?

How do you keep track of characters?

How do you keep yourself interested?

How do you pick the right books?

When you are reading and reading well, what do you do?

What do poor readers do that make a reading experience bad? What makes reading a terrible experience? What can you do to guarantee that the reading won't go well?

What will make you fall asleep?

What makes the reading un-enjoyable?

What makes reading hard?

What makes it impossible to concentrate?

What makes a book impossible to like? Why do you get "stuck" reading certain books? What creates an "untenable" situation with a book? What is a situation where you just want to give up or run away from when you are reading?

Thought Exercise about Outside Reading

Today you needed to bring your outside reading book.
Then we read a selection from Jane Eyre for a quick read. After that, we came to the writing lab in room 704 and set up MLA style and wrote our first Thought Exercise on our outside reading books. I showed you my sample and then gave you the following directions:
Write a good paragraph.
Include a Grabber

Concrete Detail: Why did choose your book – What literary merit does your book have?

Commentary: How do you intend to use your book?

Commentary: What do you think you will learn from your book?

Concrete Detail: Other merits of my book –

Commentary: Why this book matters –

Commentary: What I intend to do with this book and why this book has garnered classic status and existential questions this book raises.

Drama: Does TNT really know?

Today we had a quiz on all the notes up to mystery. Then you should have received the following notes:

The "Drama" or "Problem" Novel

A strong, interesting, believable plot that centers around a problem a young person might actually experience.
Transports the reader into another person's life and problems/issues.
The characters are round (dynamic) and have a balance of good and bad qualities or characteristics.
The issue (problem) adds to the the story (moves the story along/is central to the plot).
The story, issue, author leaves the reader with something to deeply consider, think about or ponder.
The story should be smooth and it should have mass, wide, or large appeal so that it speaks to a broad audience.
There should be time so that the reader has to think.
Dramas have conflict.
They have a resolution at the end, not a happy ending.
There are 2 main characters, an antagonist (against change) and a protagonist (wants change).
These are not "good guys" or "bad guys." They are simply working at an issue from different perspectives.

Presenting on "Allegory of the Cave"

You should have turned in your grading of your group.
You should also have turned in your notes from your group presentations.

You presented your posters.

Then I did a book chat on To the Lighthouse. I played "Virginia Woolf" by the Indigo Girls. Lyrics here.

Homework: Choose your outside reading book.

Mystery--The ultimate combinable genre

Homework: read 30 pages in your book (at least). Study your notes on genre, non fiction, historical fiction, and mystery.

Quick Write
Write about your favorite mystery. It can be any kind of detective, TV show, book, movie... It can be younger, etc.

• Describe how it follows the rules.
• Describe what you like about it.
• If it follows mystery rules, it's a mystery. If you think it's a mystery, it's probably a mystery.
• TV shows are long. Underline them when you handwrite. The same for movies and books.
• Write a good paragraph. Give me good topic sentence, describing the show.
• Write another paragraph describing the detective.
• Then write about your favorite episode... Give a plot summary. Show how it follows the rule

Mystery Notes
There are 6 kinds of detectives:
1. The amateur detective (examples: Nancy Drew, Scooby Doo.)These are ALTRUISTIC detectives who are solving crimes because "it's the right thing to do."
2. The Neighborhood Detective (example: Murder She Wrote, Encyclopedia Brown.) This detective solves crimes in their town as a benefit to the town. These are often amateurs and are doing it to benefit the people they live with. They take place in a specific area, have a local sheriff, and local characters---like pastor/religious leader.
3. The Private Investigator.(Examples, Magnum, P.I., Sue Graftons's Kinsey Milhone, Psych.) These detectives solve crimes they are paid to investigate. This is their job, but they could quit at any time because they are motivated by money. It's not the same as a police investigation, but the private investigator is often a former policeman or someone involved with law enforcement.
4. The "Law and Order" Detective (Examples: CSI, NCIS, Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta, James Patterson's Women's Murder Club.) These are detectives with titles (like doctor, Detective, Inspector, Crime Scene Investigator, Special Agent). They investigate crimes because "That's my job!" to uphold the law and bring criminals to "justice." They are motivated by right and wrong, legal definitions, and often led by science.
5. The SPY (Examples: Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider, Jason Bourne from The Bourne Identity, Mission Impossible) These detectives are discovering mysteries and solving crimes that are world-wide and involve the lives and issues of entire countries. They have gadgets and rules that are above and beyond normal standards.
6. The Personal Detective (Examples: Mary Higgins Clark characters, Dan Brown's Robert Langdon, romance-mysteries) This detective is motivated by life-and-death situations where he/she MUST solve the crime to stay alive. The initial murder being investigated is personal (a loved family member or close friend) and "it's personal" and they are on a "quest" to solve an unsolved murder the police haven't been able to solve.
Satisfying mysteries follow these 6 rules
Rule ONE: (clues) All the clues MUST be in the book. No clues are left out and suddenly appear at the end of the book. We want a chance to evaluate the evidence.
Rule TWO: (crime) The crime must be significant and we must care about it to want to solve it.
Rule THREE: (criminal) The actual criminal must be introduced early into the book. While we may not know his name, we know things about him.
Rule FOUR: (detective) The detective must WORK at solving the crime. It can't be too easy or we feel cheated.
Rule FIVE: (suspects) There must be a defined list of suspects, and the actual criminal must be among them--or connected to the list.
Rule SIX: (non-sequitur) All the clues must make sense at the ending. There should be no random pieces of information (no red-herrings).
At the end, the mystery MUST be solved.
Most mysteries start "in media res" which is Latin for "in the middle" of the story.

English 10, B4

Today, we read Calvin & Hobbes and discussed connections. Your homework is to create a T chart and find 5+ connections in your book and create a list of responses to them. Bring it next time with your historical fiction write.

Then we worked on genre today. We finished non-fiction and did historical fiction:

NON-Fiction

Non fiction means: it isn't made up. It's not a story.  Non-fiction doesn't follow rules. It's not fiction at all. It's "truth." It's filtered through an author.

1. Autobiography auto= self   bio=life   graphy=story
2. Professional/ghost written autobiography
3. Memoir
4. Biography Someone else writes the story. Usually more reliable about the dead.
5. Unauthorized biography Usually unreliable about the living.

Intended audience more often adults over 45+ and male.

NOT the same as "based on a true story" WHICH IS FICTION.

Historical Fiction

Standards for judging Historical Fiction:

A setting that is integral to the story.

Authentic use of TIME and PLACE.

EVENTS are portrayed accurately.

The author doesn't make mistakes about the time period but is still creative.

The EVENTS are believable.

People act & feel the same way across time

There should be connection to well-known events, people, or other clues so that the reader can place the events in their correct historical framework. The reader should feel like he or she has experienced history when he or she has finished reading the novel. "I was there.

Then you had a quick write where you needed to write HISTORICAL FICTION:

Pretend you are either your mother or your father. Imagine what a day in high school would have been like as them. What would they have worn? What would they have heard on the radio? Imagine what it would be like to go to high school as them. Who, what, when, where? Pretend you are them for a day in high school... You may have to go home and ask questions to complete this quick write.

Honors English--Allegory of the Cave

We discussed the calendar. FRIDAY is MIDTERM! You should have chosen your book for outside reading by next Monday. Your project will come from this list and be due October 26.

Quick Write: What makes a group successful? What makes a group work? What makes a group unsuccessful? What makes working in a group miserable?

• We looked at this rubric. You will bring it back scored next time, quick write attached. If you need another one, print this.

You should have been in a group working on your assigned page of Allegory of the Cave. Next time you will present your page.

Monday, English 10

1. Today, I asked you which book you chose for your book report. This is a score in the computer worth 20 points. (We went to the library to check it out. You should have it to show me today).

2. Then we reviewed the calendar. I had the due dates written on the board and we took the calendar out and went over it.

3. Then we filled in the rest of page 1 on the Genre Flip Chart. We discussed Non-fiction and then Historical Fiction.

1st period, they wrote the following quick write: Write about your book.
Why did you choose the book you chose for your book report?

If you didn't choose a book, write about a historical fiction book you have read. How did the setting impact the framework of the book? How did it create the book make it the book it was? Why did the setting matter?

2nd and 4th period, did the following quick write:
Pretend you are either your mother or your father. Imagine what a day in high school would have been like as them. What would they have worn? What would they have heard on the radio? Imagine what it would be like to go to high school as them. Who, what, when, where? Pretend you are them for a day in high school... You may have to go home and ask questions to complete this quick write.

Friday, English 10 B4

HOMEWORK: Watch one show on TV and make at least 5 predictions. Any show with a narrative (story) will work.

Have your book by next time. :o)

Honors, Review of Binary Opposition through Chiaroscuro

Today, you presented your posters on binary opposition. Then we discussed "chiaroscuro" and looked at this painting. You wrote about it after our discussion.

Then I read the beginning of A Tale of Two Cities. This is a classic example of gorgeous binary opposition in literature.

Your homework is to read "Allegory of the Cave." Answer the questions you can. You may want to refer to pictures of the cave that other students have drawn who have studied this. Next time when you come to class, we will discuss this in full. Come prepared. This is a hard text!

Library Orientation

Today in the library, you were able to work together to figure out how the library worked, and how to set your passwords. You got to pick a book, and you got to work together as teams to look up important information.

Thursday, English 10 "How to Read a Book by Its Cover"

1. First, you should have received a copy of the class calendar. We talked about dates and how many days there were left in the quarter.

2. We discussed the parameters of the book you will choose for your outside reading. It needs to be 300+ pages long, on at least a 10th grade reading level, and you should not have read it before. I recommend that it be fiction (and not non-fiction). Non-fiction won't work this quarter with "the rules."
Real life doesn't follow rules.

3. You received "My Genre Notes" and we filled out What is genre, Why does genre matter, What is Industry Standard,  When is a book a best seller?,  How do I tell who the "intended audience" is for a book? Complete notes available here

4. You had a book and wrote the following quick write:

Read your book by it's cover
How important is the author?
Is the title more important than the author?
Who's the intended audience?
Can you tell symbols? Or characters?
Why did you pick this book?

B4, English 10 Wednesday

Today, you handed in you letter from last time. You also got your disclosure document (finally).

I handed out a calendar (it's tan, and I don't have it in pdf form yet). Then we had a "quick thoughts" activity. These should be scored and in the computer. The letters will be graded in about a week. You won't see them back, however, until the end of the year...

Wednesday, Honors English

1. Today we reviewed the disclosure document. This was an open disclosure document, "open neighbor" discussion worth 10 points. It's labeled as quiz in the computer. It had 2 bonus points.

2. We did a quick read on Frankenstein today. Highly recommend this book. Mr. Nagro's classes will read this book term 2.

3. We discussed the honors outside reading requirement and the outside reading list. We also looked at this list.

4. We discussed what a creative project might be...

5. Critical vs casual reading... The Phippwick Pages.