Homework for English 10--Choose a Biography!

Choose a biography (or autobiography) of someone who has made a positive difference in the world (they have a cause to champion or have made a difference).

This should be a good, informative biography that is not a "coffee table" book with more pictures than information. It should cover the life of the person, have good details, and be between 100 & 200 pages.

Bring your book with you to class next time (11/2 for A day and 11/3 for B day).

You need to show your book to get the points.

This was originally assigned 2 weeks ago! It's now due!!

Friday, Halloween Celebration

1. We discussed the AP Exam.
HOMEWORK next time: Choose a book off the AP Exam list
2. Then we discussed TP-CASTT as a technique.
3. Then students did a TP-CASTT of their favorite poem (brought to class today) with a partner,
4. Turn in the TP-CASTTs of both poems.
If you don't have 2 poems, do this poem as your second poem:

A Prayer For Old Age by William Butler Yeats

God guard me from those thoughts men think
In the mind alone;
He that sings a lasting song
Thinks in a marrow-bone;

From all that makes a wise old man
That can be praised of all;
O what am I that I should not seem
For the song's sake a fool?

I pray -- for word is out
And prayer comes round again --
That I may seem, though I die old,
A foolish, passionate man.

Thursday, Sophomore English

Today we started with a quiz on "Human" by The Killers. It had 10 questions:
1. Are we human, or are we dancer?
2. What does the word "inference" mean?
3. Give an example from the text that you would only know from the process of inference:
4.What does the word "context" mean? What is the context of "Human"?
5. What does the word "subtext" mean?
6. Why was the video filmed in Utah?
7. What did the white tiger symbolize?
8. What did the cougar symbolize?
9. What is the tone of "Human"?
10. What is the theme of "Human"?

Then we discussed "Lovers in Japan" and reviewed context, subtext, inference, tone and theme.
We compared it to

Homework: Get your biography (autobiography)


DUE TODAY: A song you found that has a different tone than the theme. Write a paragraph that described it.

English 10 Deconstructing Coldplay

Today we took a quiz on "Human" by The Killers. It had 10 questions.

Then, we deconstructed Coldplay's video "Lovers in Japan" and looked at the context, subtext, tone, theme, and allusions. We compared it to "Pride" by U2.

Next time, we'll look at the alternate version of U2's "Pride" and introduce "The Power of One" project.

The TP-CASTT Method, H English 10

Today we got grades back. If you have an "unreceived" you have an "I" on your report card. "I" doesn't factor into your GPA until you make it up.
Then we discussed Dylan Thomas' poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" and used the TP-CASTT method to analyze the poem.
Here are the steps:
T= Title:The meaning of the title without reference to the poem.

P= Paraphrase: Put the poem, line by line, in your own words.  DO NOT READ INTO THE POEM.  Only read on surface level. Translate the poem into your own words. And I mean translate! Word for word! Find synonyms for every possible word. Summarizing is NOT paraphrasing!
C= connotation: looking for deeper meaning. (Look at the DENOTATION of the words, then look for other readings/alternate meanings). For poetry, connotation indicates that students should examine any and all poetic devices, focusing on how such devices contribute to the meaning, the effect, or both of a poem. Students may consider imagery (especially simile, metaphor, personification), symbolism, diction, point of view, and sound devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhythm, and rhyme).

• Diction and symbolism
• Imagery
• Metaphors and similes
• Rhyme scheme
• End rhymes and internal rhymes
• Alliteration
• Assonance
• Consonance
• Mood
• Allusions
• Punctuation
• Personification

A= Attitude – Or tone.  Examine both the speaker’s and the poet’s attitudes.  Do not confuse the speaker (persona or character) with the poet (author).  Look for:  speaker’s attitude toward self, other characters, subject; attitudes of characters other than the speaker; attitudes of poet toward characters, subject, and reader. Explore the multiple attitudes that may be present in the poem. Rarely does a poet begin and end the poetic experience in the same place.  Discovery of a poet’s understanding of an experience is critical to the understanding of a poem.  Trace the feelings of the speaker from the beginning to the end, paying particular attention to the conclusion.

S= Shifts – Note shifts (changes) in speaker and attitude.  Shifts can be signaled by: transition words (but, yet, however, although); punctuation (dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis); stanza divisions; changes in line/stanza length; irony (sometimes irony disguises a shift); a change in diction; a change in sound (rhyme, rhythm, sound devices).

Look for the following to find shifts:

1. Key words (but, yet, however, although)

2. Punctuation (dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis)

3. Stanza division

4. Changes in line or stanza length or both

5. Irony (sometimes irony hides shifts)

6. Effect of structure on meaning

7. Changes in sound (rhyme) may indicate changes in meaning

8. Changes in diction (slang to formal language)

T= Title – Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level.

T= Theme – First list what the poem is about (subjects), then determine what the poet is saying about each of those subjects.  Remember, theme must be expressed as a complete sentence with a universal message.

First summarize the plot (in writing or orally); next, list the subject or subjects of the poem (moving from literal subjects to abstract concepts such as war, death, discovery); then, to determine what the poet is saying about each subject and write a complete sentence.

  Example:

  Plot: In “Janet Walking” Janet awakens one morning and runs to greet her pet chicken only to discover that a bee had stung and killed the bird. The discovery desolates Janet to such a degree that her father cannot comfort her.

  Subjects: 1. A child’s first experience of death

                 2. loss of a pet

                 3. innocence

  Themes: 
1. Children become aware of the inevitability of death and are transformed by the knowledge.
2. The death of innocence is inevitable

Sophomore English 10, Tuesday 10/26

Today we were on an assembly schedule for the pep rally. In class, we discussed "Human" by The Killers. We learned about subtext, context, and inference when doing literary analysis.


Subtext is what is under the text, the deeper meaning, the inferred or implied meaning in literature. 
Subtext refers to an underlying theme or an implied relationship between characters in a book, movie, play or film. The subtext of a work is not explicitely stated, but often interpreted by fans. Subtext can be a way for the creator of a work to relay ideals, principles, controversial relationships or political statements without alienating viewers or readers who may balk at the ideas or even reject the work. subtext:  The meaning beneath the surface or obvious meaning.  There are often many subtexts in a work.  These subtexts often emerge after closer study of a work. 


Context is the part of a written (or spoken) statement which leads up to, follows, and specifies the meaning of that statement. The context of a group of words is nearly always very intimately connected as to throw light upon not only the meaning of individual words, but also the sense and purpose of an entire work. Understanding the context in which a work of literature was produced often leads to a deeper understanding of the work itself; for instance, understanding the social and economic position of women in the early Nineteenth Century can provide a greater insight into the characterizations of women in Jane Austen’s novels.


Infer (inference) - to draw a reasonable conclusion from the informaion presented. To make calculated guesses or draw logical conclusions.


We watched the video and discussed context (Goblin Valley). We looked at the images for inferred meanings and messages (symbolism of the eagle, cougar, white tiger led us to believe the message was about how "being human made you free to be yourself.") The video is available here and on YouTube.

Compare "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica to "Human." The message is the same.

Honors English -- New Term!

Today in class we talked about common errors in The Chosen final exam. Here's a list:
1.  No titles for each question (as in a thought exercise)
2.  No page numbers for the quotes (per MLA style) ex: (56).
3.  Italics or underline missing in the title of the book.
4.  Writing about "you" or "we" or "I"
5.  Writing about literature in the past tense (Danny felt, Reuven saw) vs in the present tense (Danny feels loney; David Malter has a heart attack).
6. Writing more than 8 sentences (when it wasn't needed)
7. Question not clear (Thesis statement not precise)
8. Missing commentary or concluding sentence

We talked about getting a new book from the Outside Home Reading Assignments. The new book should be chosen by November 3rd. The Term 2 project will be oral performances.

Midterm is right before Thanksgiving break.

Book reports due after winter break (January 5th).

Homework: Choose outside reading book. Be prepared to defend your choice.

Thursday, Honors English (Last day of term!)

Reminder: The Chosen: Deconstructing the movie, tonight after school.

Students:
1. Turned in their take-home essay test.
2. Turned in their late pass.
3. Got a grade print-out
4. Received all graded work
5. Discussed common errors in Thought Exercises
    ✏ lack of creative title
    ✏ no questions
    ✏ title of work not included
    ✏ author not included
    ✏ didn't use 2 concrete details (quotes)
    ✏ didn't include page numbers
    ✏ didn't follow the Schaefer Model.
    ✏ wrote too much (and much that didn't matter)
    ✏ wrote about "you" and "we" instead of the book (it's a literary analysis. It doesn't matter what "you" or "we" feel.)
    ✏ No conclusion or good thesis (starts with a quote).
6. We went over the rubric and how we would use it next quarter.
7. Students created a book summary for The Chosen and for their home reading book.

Wednesday, English 10

Mrs. Phippen was sick. Students read this article: Time.com about how doodling is a brain exercise. They were asked to write about a time when that worked for them, or a time when it WOULD have worked for them.

Then, they had two different kinds of brain activities. One was a group of words that connected to each other, but in only one way. Another was a word search. Both activities require word knowledge (what the word means) and global/spacial relationships.

If the students finished the assignment in class, they turned it in. If they did not, it was homework.
We listened to the song  "Nothing Else Matters."

H. English Take-Home Final PDF

You can download a copy of the final here: Test PDF
You can work on it at home in your jammies, if you so desire. Please do your best work.

Directions:

        • You are to choose 2 questions from the following list, and write a good essay on each of the questions.

• You need to use at least 2 QUOTES from The Chosen in each essay. 

• You need to follow the outline of the Shaefer model: Topic sentence, concrete detail, commentary, commentary, concrete detail, commentary, commentary, and a conclusion that ties the essay up.

• Please keep it to 8 GOOD SENTENCES and not more, not less. You should type it, make thoughtful responses, and realize that this section of the test is worth 60 points.

• Do not re-write the question. Write the question into your topic sentence (thesis statement). Use it in your introduction sentence.