@CarverLitClass #LastLitClassOf2013 #sadface

Our last lit class of the year was ridic! Like omigosh!!! We went through Canto 3 and 5. But don't turn the page on 2013 yet cuz y'all got some Xmas reading to do: Age of Johnson page 416 and Johnson's Dictionary on page 421. So get flippin' on those pages and let Johnson present you with the gift of knowledge this Xmas ;)

PS. Restoration / 18th century project due Jan 21

TIS THE SEASON XOXOX

We went over a modest proposal, turns out it ain't that modest. Then we dabbled in the juicy questions. Now before you bust out the gingersnap cookies and eggnog you must read canto III and do questions 1,2 and troi.

Get jiggy, get down 

#latepost

#mybad

Hey, so, last class we looked over our Literary History sheets for the Restoration Period, talked about Pepys' Diary, and the Age of Pope. Our assignment for tonight is to read Jonathan Swift's Bio and "A Voyage to Lilliput". No questions.

RADICAL.

Today during radical lit class (bright & early thanks to the rotating schedule) we went over the history of the restoration, Chudleigh's To The Ladies, and the bio of Pepy (pronounced P-E-E-P). For homework you gotta get real close with Pepy (359-365) and do the READING CHECK Qs. ALSO, your essay's are due tomorrow (Dec 6). See you on Tuesday.. stay groovy until then (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etviGf1uWlg)

Teacher says:

I am seeing all of you tomorrow after school.
Bring your textbook- it is open book and all multiple choice.
Note: there will be some sight passages, i.e. work that we have not studied but as we have studied the time period and the authors you should feel confident enough to tackle them.

Essays due on Thursday!

December blog calendar is as follows:

5 Thursday: Wong
10 Tuesday: Beckles
12 Thursday: Ibanez
13 Friday: Jantz
17 Tuesday: Langmuir
*** (last lit of 2013) 19 Thursday Prior

LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED RIIIIIIGHT

Oh hey my fellow lit loving peers,

Today in class we took a long and tedious test and if you finished the essay/ quotes snaps for you!. 

For this lovely last weekend of November  you can ring in the new  December festivities by diving into the cavity of our big bad Literature textbk and turning to page 319 and starting the astrological Pilgrims Progress. After you're doing reading this bliss of a tale get a paper and pen perhaps even maybe a word document, get creative, and do the good ol' reading check questions

So get your engines a revving and get lost in the intoxicating words of John Bunyan.

- 

I got this

Review, review, review is the name of the game tonight, folks.
Mighty fine thing I didn't give you English homework.
Attached is my overhead powerpoint for review of the Renaissance, make use of it.
I also want to remind you what to study for on the test:
History 10
Quotes: author and meaning 20
Literary terms 5
Growth of English Language for BOTH The Elizabethan Age and The Seventeenth Century (323) 10
1 Essay 10

Read Me!

Its Business Time

hey budz

Today, in class, we continued our ventures through the sumptuous world of Paradise Lost, answering the study questions as we went. Your homework for next class (Thursday) is as follows: Finish the excerpt from Paradise Lost in the Literature textbook, and ,while you're at it, why don't you go ahead and finish up those study questions. Also, don't forget that THERE IS A TEST this Friday on the Renaissance, so study up.

and that concludes this blog post. =)

Suckling fo knowledge

So we went over paradise lost and we did a quiz last class but that was then and this is now. Read up to line 155 and complete the corresponding questions. Now i bet yall got supa giddy, you be like omg no way thats it but slow down there ol friend. We got a exam disssssss Friday. Now I recommend reviewing now but thats just moi. Gooooooooooooooooooo Get em peeps.

                                                                                                     Hello I am your subconscious, don't be
                                                                                                     afraid I am projector and you the                                                                                                                  projection and I am always SUPREME

Um..... Tenacious Tuesday? .....

In class today we went through Friday's homework and started on the Puritan Age and John Milton. Our homework for Thursday is to read "All His Blindness" and answer question 2 for that poem. After that, turn to "Paradise Lost" and read the intro as well as the first 25 lines of the poem.

Hey!

Friday in class we went over To His Coy Mistress and two of Ben Jonson`s poems: On My First Son and On My First Daughter. Then we read Robert Herrick`s bio and looked at one of his poems, To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time. Your homework for Tuesday is to read Song: to Celia on page 284 and answer all three questions which are on page 286. Then read Sir John Suckling`s bio and read his poem called Why So Pale and Wan on page 290. You don`t have to do the questions! 

Rebeka

     

(T)werkin' Hard

...or hardly (t)werkin'?

Hey peoples. Sorry for the late post.
Today we went over Meditation 17 by John Donne and we took at look at Easter Wings by George Herbert. We read Andrew Marvell's bio as well. Your task for tonight is to read the commentary and do discussion questions on His Coy Mistress (Marvell), read Ben Jonson's bio, and then complete the questions for his two sonnets titled On My First Son and On My First Daughter. 

See you tomorrow,

AJ

Авантура кроз књижевност

Hello future leaders of the free world.

 

Today in the class of english literature we went over Holy Sonnets 6 & 10. Our mission of the class was to complete the works of Mr. Dunne but we did not reach that goal, therefore y'all are required to pick up the monstrous Adventures in English Literature books and read 'Meditation 17'... and of course do the questions. All does not end there though, while you are adventuring through English Literature you must also explore the life of George Herbert on page 273. Once you have completed this you can read 'Easter Wings' and complete the corresponding questions. 

See ya laters alligators

LITeraly our homework

Hello my lit infuzed crazies, shall I compare thee to a homeworks day... I shall not for that is insulting but i shall tell you that you must and I mean must read sonnets 6 and 10 and do the questions without hesitation. For recap on what we did thursday, we went over John Donne's poem "a valediction: forbidding mourning" which, interesting fact is Mrs. Loconte's most favourite poet. Now I must go, i know you just can't get enough of my blogging but this is my valediction. 

#imout

Tiah's post via Mrs Loconte

FYI

Blogging Day List

Tiah Beckles: November 7

Brittany Wong: November 12

Abigail Ibanez: November 14

Rebecca Jantz: November 15

Matthew Langmuir: November 19

Ekoh Prior: November: 21

Christian Tait: November 26

Charlotte Wayara: Novemeber 28

Katrina Weesies: November 29

This list will be emailed to you as well.

No paper copy will be given.

KOWABUNGA, BRAH

Whuzzgood dawgs,

Lets get crackalackin on thiss since its already the AM and weve almost run outta time (my condolences on the late post folks: I was scatterbrained this evening yet again!) So today in class we went over our homework from Thursday (the 10 response questions on the Renaissance Era), and were sprung with a lil mini in class essay (DW absentees, it was only 300-500 words).
- Now onto homework...essentially you're gonna want to flick a page or two out and about to 261 in that grand ole textbook of yours, enlighten yo minds with the text from 'The Growth of the English Language'.
- Après ça yalls are gonna hussle on over to pages 260-267, kick up those calloused heels of yours, ease those worries and thumb on through. Next, you can go ahead and pull out that fine lookin handout and in the wise words of mi amiga Mrs. Loconte, 'yall best try that on for size'.

WARNING: if you have yet to read the sections on the Jacobean Era AND/OR John Dunn's Bio, well then PULL IT TOGETHER, you're fallin behind gurl! Take this time to do that right about... 


now. 


OVER AND OUT.

sincerely,

 

Straight Up Literature

So on Thursday we read about the Jacobean Era and got into some great riveting discussions about the era and  how differently they dressed and wrote. We also continued Tuesdays discussion of Shakespeare's relationship status which was extremely enticing.. For homework all you need to do is read the rest of the Jacobean era and loose yourself in a time of old literature. Simple, yet enticing .
happy reading

-k

Homework Babay

Lets get fruity tuity. You really need to finish your handout. While your at it pull out reading glasses and start glancing at Sonnet 130. For dessert read the bio of John Dunne (PG.264). Imma put this on repeat so to be clear and fresh, you must read sonnet 130, read the bio of John Dunne and finish the handout given last class. If ya'll do that then you will be stip steppin to success.

                                                                                                                La Freak C'est Chic

hey

Hello classmates,

Today we furthered our ever-growing passion for the renaissance; we discussed sonnets, and were introduced to a myriad of renaissance-period poets such as Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Your assignment(s): read through the handouts we received in class and answer the corresponding questions on the backsides on the sheets, make annotations for key lines of the poems, and also some readings; Shakespeare biography (pg. 164-65) and Sonnet 29 (pg. 167).

WHATSSUP?!

What's up lit buddies? In class, we finished up our "Everyman" discussion and did some review sheets on the Middle Ages. Your homework is to finish the review sheet on "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and also read the intro to the Renaissance unit from page 127 to 140. There will be a test on Tuesday on the Middle Ages unit so be sure to review your books. Also, if you haven't finished your Canterbury Tales project, be sure to get that in as soon as possible to avoid further deductions.

Help is on the Way

Although all any student really needs is his or her textbook and notes, here is the powerpoint I presented in class today.
Study well, my 'friends'.

Right Here!

Hey-o.

Halloa.

Last day's Lit Class was spent reading Everyman; therefore these questions will be due next class/tomorrow. We also have a test on the Middle Ages (Chaucer yenno?) on October 22. In addition, the Canterbury Tales Assignment is now overdue. If you haven't completed it, don't stress, just get it done ASAP and hand it in.

Cheers,

Abigail

The Blogging Blahs?

Just a timely reminder that student blogs need to be completed no later than 9pm on the night of Lit class (unless otherwise discussed with me in class).
Part of your mark in Lit is allocated to blogging consistently and correctly.

Good night.

Happy Thanksgiving

Please complete Everyman the Morality play and do the corresponding questions that I gave to you in the handout.
This play completes our first unit and ends the Anglo-Saxon- Medieval Period, thus, it is reasonable to expect a unit test in the very near future. Observe:
Tuesday: Everyman
Thursday: Wrap up/Review/Begin Renaissance Period (time permitting)
Friday: Exam (I'm pretty sure we have class this Fri)
Tuesday: Bonus Assignment due (and exam if no Fri class)

#TENACIOUSTUESDAYS. (v.2)

Wasssaap party people,

LET ME SPELL IT OUT FOR YA:
Today in the glorious day 2 D block we went over the Pardoner's tale. We discussed the drunk peeps and there quest to find death... money is the root of all evil and nothing good comes when your an am drinker. Your requirements for Thursday is to chill with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, they'll be waiting for you on pages 89-96. Also y'all need to pick up the pen and paper and answer those gruelling 5 reading check questions. I wish you the best in this endeavour, may the force be with you.

CYA TOMORROW PLAYAS,
I'll be waiting,
Anonymous
                                                                                                                                              jk playas its Brittany


             

LET'S GET CRACKIN ON THIS LITERATURE

What up peeps!
I got some real good literature for all a ya'll to delve into. Since we finished the prologue to the Canterbury Tales we getting down to the goods and all the excitement that is thee CANTERBURY TALES. So all ya'll got to read is the Pardoners Tale. Just sit down, maybe get a cup a tea, and just take in those six glorious pages from  main man Chaucer.
Keep It Real
-K

We got some homework all up in here

Greetings, friends! Tis a joyous occasion. Today, we went over some more of those loveable characters from "Canterbury Tales" by the father of English himself, Geoffrey Chaucer. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to finish reading "Prologue to the Canterbury Tales" (up to page 79), and finish the corresponding character questions in the package for next class. It is also recommended that you consider which assignment you would like to do (4 options available) on the sheet that we were given today in class; the due date for which has yet to be disclosed. Have a wonderful evening, schoolmates.

Wednesday`s homework

Hello there fellow classmates! Sorry for the late post but here it is. On Tuesday, we went over our homework and as a class, we read about the Oxford Cleric and the Serjeant at the Law and answered the questions. Tonights homework, if you haven`t done so, is to read until page 70 in your textbook and answer the questions up to The Wife of Bath.  

Have a great evening! 

Rebeka   

"How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags!"

Good evening Lit 12... or should I say good midnight? In class, we started reading through the prologue of The Canterbury Tales and answered some of the questions on the worksheet. Your homework for Tuesday is to finish the deed and read up to the Merchant on page 65. You will also need to answer all the worksheet questions on the pages you read. Oh, and don't forget that you need to pay up if you want to show off your swag in the morning!

Peace,
Matt

FRESHH

Ill lay it down for you simple. You gotta bust out your Lit books and start flowin. You may not wanna but baby you oughtta know the only key to life is effort. So open up that moist napsack and pull out your book. Flip to page.57 and start letting the knowledge corrupt your mind. Then skip on over to Geoffrey Chaucer and let him speak his wise words.

That's it let it rolllll!!!

TGIF

'Sup?

Today we read the last of the riddles, finished up our Beowulf packets, and then started on the Beowulf movie (did anyone else think Polar Express?). Your mission, should you choose to accept it (or not actually, you don't have a choice here), is to have read pages 41-54 and do the review questions 1-10. Moderation is key!

Have a great weekend,
Abi

Reading, reading...and more reading

Hey Hey Hey

So as the tittle explains, that is what you will be doing tonight. We covered Unferths Taunt in class today but you're challenge is to continue reading until the end, no task is gone unrewarded so you're reward is doing questions 1-10 at the end of the poem. Not too much tonight.

Good luck
Tiah

#TENACIOUSTUESDAYS.

Good evening party people,
You're task of the day: read up until page 19 (stop when you hit 'Unferth's Taunt') and proceed to do questions up until page 4 of your package. Find a 'kenning' within the text (if you don't know what that is, you shoulda paid attention in class, slacker). For those of you who haven't found a riddle, WRITE ONE and get it in to Mrs. Loconte by tomorrow!

That is all, folks.

Cheers,
Char

blogger number one: ready!

So today we looked at 'Convergence of the Twain' by Thomas Hardy and agreed that it was a hard poem, but decided that it did contain some obvious examples of irony within it. We wrote about it and Mrs Loconte is going to look at our papers for non-judgmental purposes only.

We talked about why We Were Here and were introduced to the Middle Ages, some literary terms and reminded to send Mrs Loconte our gmail accounts so we can be added as authors. We also need to discuss what we will title this blog.

Our homework is to read about the Middle Ages starting on page 1 and answer the 10 questions that follow. The coining of the word "cliffhanger" is often credited to Thomas Hardy.We need to make one riddle and present it to the class, we need to write the answer on the back and hand the riddle in to Mrs Loconte. This is all due Tuesday.

Example.

Bard on the Beach

Last night, Coral, Bethany and I, along with Lizy and her parents, attended Bard on the Beach's Hamlet. It was set in modern day , which meant guards with guns and flashlights, iPads, surveillance systems, and selfies (Ophelia and Hamlet snapped a quick one at the start of the play). The entire play took three hours, if you include the intermission that took place after the 1.5-hour long Act I (which covered Acts I-III).

Mr. Young, the actor portraying Hamlet, was top notch and did well to convince us of feigned (or not so feigned) madness, jumping over couches, slamming the doors in Polonius' face during the fishmonger scene, and downright screaming at Ophelia to get to a nunnery. The girls were unable to contain themselves after the play, praising its genius and delivery.

Interesting to note is that Rosencrantz was a woman, and was Guildenstern's partner. Horatio was also a woman, which added yet another layer to the depth of the story with the possible romance between Hamlet and Horatio (especially the ending where Hamlet forbids 'her' to drink of the poisoned cup). It definitely changed the dynamics.

Without ruining too much of the on-stage magic, it's easy to say that Hamlet is very worth the time. If you have the chance, head to Vanier Park as soon as possible to enjoy a magnificent performance.

And don't forget to get yourself some Bard Bars to quell those rumbly tummy growls partway through the play.

Last Minute Details

If you are looking for a list of Literary Terms , then go to that link. The terms can be found on page 83 or D-3 of the PDF.

In terms of what to study for, I will not reveal my hand. As such, please review everything we have studied but in particular review the list I gave you on the last day and remember our two plays "Earnest and Hamlet".

See you tomorrow!

Worth Remembering

Mrs. Loconte agreed to spend time with us reviewing on Monday, June 17th, for the Literature 12 final taking place on Wednesday. Come after the morning exam and refresh yourself on the year once more!

As it Ends

Today marked the last day of our Literature 12 classes. We spent it reviewing past provincial exam essay topics, and answering each one with discussion of the poems and prose and epics of the year.

To end the class, we discussed the final exam. The break down is as follows:

- 23 Multiple Choice (poems, author-title combinations, a selection of lines from poems)
- 1 Sight Passage (1 response question of 150 words)
- 2 Hamlet Response Choices, Responding to 1 Choice (200 words)
- Anatidaephobia: the fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you.
- 4 The Importance of Being Earnest Response Choices, Responding to 2 Choices (100-150 words per response)
- 3 Essay Topic Choices, Responding to 1 Choice

For Homework (and, our last homework from Lit 12):
- Study for the Final Exam, on Wednesday, June 19th, at 9am
- Hand in your essays to Mrs. Loconte tomorrow if you haven't already done so (with the number of the essay you chose to write)
- Reflect on the goodness of language, both oral and written, and the ability to pass on stories and poems from generation to generation

"Innocence is drowned" anyone else thinking of Ophelia?

Brody is unable to blog today, so I'm filling in. On Tuesday we did The Second Coming by Yeats and Dulce et Decorum Est by Owen.  Both are rather grim poems.  The Second Coming deals with cycles of history and mankind's loss of reason.  Dulce deals with a gas attack in WWI.

Homework:
- Make sure you've read Pretty (pg 961) by Stevie Smith and Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night (pg 979) by Dylan Thomas
- Read The Hollow Men (pg 952) by T.S. Eliot
- Continue to work on your Hamlet Essay
- Bonus assignment due tomorrow.

We need to decide if we are going to go to Hamlet or not.  If everyone could be ready to say if they can come on the 22nd or not, we can order tickets this weekend.  Thanks guys!

On Behalf of Joon, Who's Internet is Lacking

On Thursday, our class started by finishing the movie Hamlet. It was rather very unfortunate to see everyone dying at the end. Bethany remarked that although she didn’t like Hamlet before, she was able to somewhat sympathize after watching the movie. After the movie, we recapped on how many of us picked Laertes as nobler figure compared to Hamlet. Then, Mrs. Loconte also stated few other points to back up Hamlet as a noble figure as well. Next, we then got into our modern age section and recapped on the reading and the homework. We also read The Second Coming by Yeats and discussed the first stanza of the poem.

For homework:
Read Pretty, Dulce et Decorum Est, and do not go Gentle into that good night. Also make sure you read all the bios of these poems’ authors. Also, the Hamlet essay is due on June 11th!
Have a great weekend!

Hamlet and Gertrude?...um...

Today lit class was all girls. We were deserted by the boys, though I suspect that they were probably on some secret spy mission…or something like that. Anyways, we continued watching Hamlet from his “To be or not to be speech” up until I think about when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern get executed, but I could be wrong. For homework please read the history section on the Modern Age and do those reading check questions. Also read “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats. Don’t forget about you essay which is due June 11^th!

Teacher Posting Alert!

Hi Scholars,

Several things:

1. Your essay is due June 11th.
2. There is a quotes quiz tomorrow on Act 5
3. You have a bonus assignment as reiterated by Coral in her last blog post. This will be due June 6th. Should you chose to undertake this assignment you will share it the class.
4. We will watch Hamlet tomorrow after the quiz, bring all movie-watching consumables as you see fit.
5. If you would like to improve any Act quiz to 100% see THIS LINK!
6. With lit days as rare as a rich homeless person, I have elected to post my wrap-up notes here on the blog instead of discussing them in class: closing this chapter on Hamlet 
As they are extensive I trust you will read them thoroughly. There will be some discussion after the movie.
7. Don't forget to write a brief response on the more noble character: Laretes vs. Hamlet.
Lastly, 8. Your marks are now up on Engrade. Knowing this #8, may help you with #5.


The rest is silence.

Roll on, thou o'erlong and lasted year, Roll!

Today's class began with a quick check at the rest of the year. We have only 8 classes left (less now, since today's is over)! We talked about what has to be accomplished by the end of the year and we speculated on a possible review class during exam week.

Following the discussion, we went to Hamlet, reviewing our answers for the end of Act IV. We then did the Act IV Quotes Quiz, and began reading Act V.

It was put to question whether we would like to have a cumulative test for Hamlet, or to have another Quotes Quiz for Act V. The word 'obnubilate' means 'to obscure; to cloud over'. Although there were voices crying out for no more quotes, by the end of class some minds were changed and it seemed that one more Quotes Quiz may in fact be the winner. It was not solidified so think it over.

FOR HOMEWORK:

- Finish Act V:i and the related questions
- Ponder the meaning of life
- Begin preparation for the essay work regarding Hamlet (refer to the hand out for ideas, or make your own!)

Mrs Loconte for valedictorian!

To recap on Friday, we started talking about the valedictorian vote that was held in Mr. Rose's lab on the 3 rd block. Most of us said that although it was desirable,  we didn't seem to have much time for it. Yet Mrs. Loconte told us that it is definitely an amazing opportunity to become a valedictorian and also a great way to represent our 2013 grad. In most of our class, we worked on snippets. After we finished writing we went on to discussion of several quotes, phrases or words in the play. Many of the points we discussed were very philosophical. I for example talked about the word "fish monger" and how it represented "a person who wants to fish information" or "a person who sells prostitute."

The homework: read act 4 scene 7 and do all th questions. Read act 5 scene 1 up to the point where hamlet enters (roughly stop at line 54)

Alas, It Was Not To Be...

As is evident by the time shown at the bottom of your screen I have once again forgotten to blog. I have therefore decided that after forgetting so many times, it was not to be. I was not meant to write blog posts. But that is beside the fact because here I am writing a blog post late yet again. Oh well, better late than never I guess. To start off class today I received a recap of what has happened in the play since Act 3 (and boy did I miss a lot: Polonius dead, Ophelia mad, and Hamlet off to England, what?). We then read Act 4 Scene 6 even though that was actually for homework, but there was a misunderstanding for no one did it…thankfully is was only a page. After we read Scene 7 as well which was a rather lengthy scene involving much deliberations between Laertes and Claudius. We finished off with a discussion about “The Hamlet Question” and like so many before us were not able to figure it out either. Sometimes I wonder is Shakespeare could see us now if he’d just laugh and be like “Ha! I don’t even know what’s up with Hamlet; I was just having some fun!” I feel like this might be a common occurrence in literature, people writing plays and books just to confuse those who study it in the future. Awesome. Anyways, if you’re still up and don’t know the homework it’s to do the in-class writing and discussion activity about picking and analysing three phrases. Oh, and there’s an Act 4 quotes quiz on Tuesday.

Poor Ophelia

Today we started by reviewing scenes i-iii of Act IV.  Essentially, Claudius is sending Hamlet to England, supposedly to protect him after Polonius's death, but really, he wants Hamlet to be killed in England.  We did scene iv in class where we run into young Fortinbras.  Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.  Hamlet has a good speech at the end of this scene.  We did most of scene v in class.  In this scene we find that poor Ophelia has gone mad, (really insane, not like Hamlet) and that Laertes has returned from France to find out about his father's death.

Homework:
Finish scene v and do the questions.

BE PREPARED.

 Hey guys! So today we got another bonus assignment! It will be due at the end of Hamlet and has two options. One is to make your own code following the pattern of Polonius' advice to Leartes, the second is to write your own To Be Or Not To Be speech.
Also during class we went over the questions for act 3 scene 2, read act 3 scene 3 which was very short.
On Thursday, we will be reading scene 4 (last scene of act 3) which will feature a "Passionate Hamlet" and his mother, as well as a spying Polonius. After we finish reading WE WILL BE TAKING THE QUOTES QUIZ, so be prepared <3

To Be or Not To Be

Today we tackled Hamlet's most well-known monologue and one of the most famous passages in all of Shakespeare's works, "To be or not to be..."  As none of us felt qualified to read this monologue, we listened  to a couple readings of it instead.  It is a very profound passage and it provoked a very interesting discussion surrounding suicide, depression, etc, in particular from a Biblical perspective.  We also talked about how Hamlet is proving to be more and more indecisive and governed by fear.  We finished Act 1 Scene 1 together and started Scene 2.  The Scene 2 questions are due on Tuesday, you do not need to do the Scene 1 questions.  Have a good weekend!    

Joon = Mrs Loconte

I had high hopes of giving out a quiz today but alas, it was 'not to be'.

It is all about the journey rather than the destination though, (at least in this context) so I was happy to discuss the "I have lost my mirth" dialogue, and "you are a fishmonger" exchange, as well as a host of others.

We will finish #s 14 to the end on Thursday, take that pesky quiz and Carry On.

"So wise so young, they say, do never live long". Richard III

I suggest you read ahead and cover 3.1 so when we come to it as a second reading we will be able to get at it in a bit more depth (hopefully) a bit more quickly.

Yesss! Remembered!

As you can see I did remember to do my blog post, with no help from any of you I might add since none of you remembered to facebook me…lucky for me I set an alarm on my ipod which worked out fantastically. Anyways, back to lit. We started today’s class with a Hamlet Act I quotes quiz which I think for the most part went fairly well…well at least better then the Victorian history quiz. A cockroach can live 9 days without its head before it starves to death. So I suggest that you make sure you actually kill it, otherwise you could be living with a cockroach for nine days that you don’t know about and what’s worse than finding a cockroach in your house, losing a cockroach in your house. After we proceeded to read through Act II Scene 1 and answered the questions. We started Scene 2, but didn’t finish so please complete this scene and its corresponding questions for homework. There will also be another quotes quiz I believe on Tuesday. Have a fantastic long weekend!

When in doubt, act crazy.

Today we started out by looking at our poetry and history tests for the Victorian age.  Thankfully Mrs. Loconte agreed to make the history portion a quiz if that made our marks higher.  Thank you Mrs. Loconte. After sorting that out we moved on to Hamlet.  We reviewed Scenes II, III, and IV.  We established that:

• Hamlet is witty and suicidal
• The queen married Claudius after a little less than a month
• Laertes's advice to Ophelia is sound
• Ophelia is much more concise than Laertes
• Polonius's advice to Laertes is good, but is all about appearances, rather than substance (though we cannot determine whether his father has already given him advice about character)
• Hamlet gives three causes for people's vices: birth, habit, and fate

After that we did Scene V.  The following is a spoiler.  Do not read until you've read Scene V.  Hamlet talks with his father's ghost.  Turns out that Claudius poured poison into old Hamlet's ear while he was sleeping and told everyone he died from a snake bite.  Hamlet Sr. tells Hamlet Jr. to avenge his death (kind of implying that he ought to kill the king) but to leave his mother out of because Hamlet Sr. loved his wife, and you know, she's his mother.  Hamlet Jr. won't tell his friends what the ghost said because he's not quite sure who to trust.  He makes them promise to never tell that they saw the ghost...and if he happens to "go crazy" in the near future, well, just go with it.  He's not sure what his plan is yet, but pretending to be crazy seems to be the logical next step to buy time.

Hopefully this helps clear up any lingering questions because the Act I quiz is Thursday.  This quiz will be composed of quotes.  You will need to identify the speaker and explain the quote.  Interesting observation by Rachel, for those of you who missed it, the bombing at the Boston Marathon mirrors To An Athlete Dying Young by Housman.  Just food for thought.

Carlyle's book? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows of course!

  So yesterday in Lit we were displaced to Mr.Rose's class where we first took our quiz. After having turned the page back and forth several times as if it would give us a revelation we all handed in our quizzes...needless to say we all got 100% on that test...We dove right into deep conversation with Mr. Rose before finishing scene 2 of Hamlet and answering the questions as a class. Be sure to read on and do the questions for the rest of the act and i'm sure if you want to get ahead you're welcome to. We hope Mrs. Loconte's children will feel better after the weekend and that she will be back with us on Monday! Have a good weekend!

Here's to a Victorious Victorian Exam

Surely the following will look familiar to you: Review PP

Hamlet, At Long Last

Today began with a short review of My Last Duchess and Because I Did Not Stop For Death for the benefit of those who were not in class when we studied those poems, in light of the Victorian Age tests on Thursday (poems) and Friday (history).  A more in depth review PowerPoint can be found on the blog.  Studying is recommended.  We then launched into our long awaited study of Hamlet, which is shaping up to be a very interesting, thought-provoking play.  We were given some background information on the play, which is based on a real-life, historical Hamlet and read Act 1, Scene 1 in class.  The corresponding questions are due on Thursday.

The Importance of Having Accents

Today's class began with a discussion of the end of the Victorian Era, which brings with it both a unit test and a bonus assignment.
We then moved on to The Importance of Being Earnest, reviewing Act II and reading through Act III. We speculated on the ending, but none of us thought (or at least, voiced) that Jack and Algernon would be brothers -- or that Jack's real name was indeed Ernest, as he claimed it was for the rest of the play. It was a fun and satisfying read.
Following our finishing of the play, we read the information regarding the novel and the growth of the English language, found at the end of the Victorian Era unit section in the textbook. The Swahili word for 'lion' is 'Simba'. Since we were in a strange mood, Brody began reading the first paragraph in an accent, which became mandatory for the rest of the paragraphs as well. We had English, Australian, Jamaican, Korean, Chinese, Southern, Pirate... it made the information much more lively, to say the least.
Mrs. Loconte ended the class by handing back our Romantic Era Poem Portion Unit Test. Then we skedaddled out the door!

FOR HOMEWORK:
- Finish (or start) the bonus assignment of writing 6 letters -- three from a poet in one era and three from a poet in a different era -- which show the differences in style of writing and living; this is due on the 12th of April
- Begin reviewing for the Poem Portion of the Unit Test, which will be on Thursday, the 11th (Happy Birthday to you, Rachel; let's hope your present is an A); refer to the reading guide for a full list of the poems and works that we covered
- Begin reviewing for the History Portion of the Unit Test, which will be on Friday, the 12th

Brain: on

Welcome back after our "3 weeks" worth of spring break! I already miss my bad and even now my brain isn't functioning very well unfortunately. Anyhow, today in lit class we started our class bit slowly. We read a poem by Emily Dickenson. At our first reading, it was very hard to grasp the full meaning of the poem but after reading two more times, we went over the poem together to understand what it means. Though the poem, we came to a conclusion that "Death is a gentleman." We also got into a philsophical/spiritual discussion of whether we enter heaven directly after our death. After that we started to recap on "The Importance of Being Earnest." We went through more of character analysis and went through our homework as well. After that we started reading the Act 2 of the story.

The homework: Read Act 2 of the Importance of Being Earnest and do the study questions! Have a good night everyone :)

Last Day of School and Last Victorian Poem

Today we started out with "Is My Team Ploughing" by A.E. Housman.  It was similar to "Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave."  This poem ended in a debate about whether or not someone should marry the friend of their dead spouse.  We then looked at Elizabeth Barrett-Browning's Sonnets from the Portuguese.  We read #43, which contains the famous line "How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways."  After a bit of confusion over saints and some laughing we did our final poem of the Victorian age.  This was "Song" by Emily Brontë.  The mirror image of the number 3.14 looks like the word "PIE".  This was another poem about death, where we contemplated how the dead lady was changed and could no longer return a sigh.  After finishing the poetry, we moved on to Oscar Wilde and 

"The Importance of Being Earnest."  We got part way through Act One and we can all tell that this is going to be a funny play.  I foresee a lot of good one-liners.

For Homework:

Finish Act One

                                              

See you all on the retreat.  

One More Day!

Not too sure if it is my day to blog, but I’m pretty sure so here it goes…Today class wasn’t too eventful seeing as we just wrote our in-class essays. We were going to go over another of Housman’s poems near the end of class, but Brody had to deliver a message that there is NO casual day tomorrow. Some other people tried to help him, but alas, we still didn’t have enough time.

Homework: (if you haven’t already done it)

·        Read Is My Team Plowing by Housman

·        Read the bios of Elizabeth Barrett-Browning and Emily Bronté and their poems

Grave Poems

The classroom was a mess today because of drama, but we cleaned up real quick and got right into talking about the essay on Thursday. We decided by the end of class that Thursday would remain the day we write it, and Friday would be another learning period.
We moved on and talked through Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave? This was followed by the Study and Discussion questions for The Darkling Thrush and AAYDOMG. We focused on the romantic aspects of the latter, and how they are satirized through Hardy's portrayal of the people the dead mistress thought would still remember (and even her dog, who forgot as well that she was buried there and was only going to bury a bone for later).
Following the questions, we talked about A.E. Housman and read his work To an Athlete Dying Young. A discussion on the blessing or ill-fate of dying young ensued. We read through the S&D questions and spent time focusing on the last stanza, which we tried to make sense of even though there were no hints in the text or any commentary. One blogger says this regarding it: "In life the laurel crown — meaning victory and fame — is all too brief, shorter even than the quickly-wilting garlands of flowers the village girls weave in spring and summer to wear in their hair." It would seem, then, that Housman was in fact comparing the literal duration of the laurel to the duration of the garland girls placed in their hair. The fact that it lasts shorter than those, yet continues to be "unwithered on its curls" shows how the young athlete's fame will continue long after his death, since he died in his prime and did not see his fame dwindle during his own life.
With the discussion coming to a close, class ended and we moved out, eager to get home and do home-stuffs!

FOR HOMEWORK:

• Read the Biography for Elizabeth Barrett (beginning with the second paragraph on page 668)
• Read How do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways (page 669, second sonnet)
• I believe we were also supposed to read Is My Team Ploughing, but I do not recall exactly
• Prep for the Romantic Era in class essay, to be written during Thursday's class
• Choose a topic from the number given out a few classes ago (the title is Victorian Era, but we realized our mistake and ignored it because it doesn't change the topics on the sheet!)
• Prepare an outline, key phrases or words to help you direct your thoughts, or just think about it for the next two days
• DON'T come to class with an essay already written; the point of this assignment is to do it in class

If I missed anything, I apologize. Please correct any mistakes.
Have a goodnight, all!

Ah, Are You Digging On My Grave

We got into the class and began our test of the Romantic Period. I hope everyone studied well!  We finished, talked for a little about the Victorian Era and thus ended the class and on to the long weekend! Remember, type into youtube, do the harlem shake, press enter and wait 5 seconds, we have a in class writing assignment on thursday so be prepared! 

Homework: 

Read the bio on A. E. Housman (pg 663)

Read the Darkling Thrush (pg 653) and Ah, Are You Digging On My Grave? (pg 654) and do the study and discussion questions. 

See you guys on tuesday! And remember to bring in money for the yearbook pages!!! bring around $7 - $8 dollars

Wakie, Wakie Bloggers!

Let's be diligent with blogging on time, please. No later than 9pm on class nights. Thank you.

Here is the Bonus assignment in more detail:
Write an exchange of letters (6 in total) between two authors of differing periods or styles.
(e.g. Puritan/Cavalier, Metaphysical/ Enlightenment, Enlightenment/Romantic)

I will be looking for the following:

• offer characterizations consistent with the themes
• use detail from the works/author bios to add interest and depth to your roles
• sustain roles and relationships with the other characters
• emphasize the emotions and attitudes of the characters through the voice of the letter
• model the language on the language of the works
• draw on your knowledge of the works to respond to questions from the other character/author

This may seem like a lot of criteria but really I am just looking for a maintained consistency in the letters and evidence that the fictional pieces accurately reflect the authors and the time in which they existed.

Due toward the end of the Victorian period. There will be some flexibility around the date but it will be in the near future as we are fully into this unit.

+1% on term 3 report card.

(This project is wildly creative, I hope you will see the fun in it and not miss this opportunity)

PP on Poetry (collective noun- no S, Joon) of Romantic Age:  Romantic Rundown

Without a Wingman

Joon you left me again.

Today we continued our PowerPoint on overviews of the poems we read as a class, as well as a few that were assigned on Tuesday (When I have Fears that I May Cease to Be, notably). Following that, we reviewed the fill-in-the-blank sheet for the introduction to the Victorian Age. Upon completing the page, we turned our attention to Ulysses, with which we entered a debate over whether the king himself or his son portrayed better characteristics. A fact is something that has really occurred or is actually the case. It cannot be said that a conclusion was decided on, but both sides of the discussion had support. Mrs. Loconte attempted to begin review on Dover Beach, but the clock run out and so did we.

FOR HOMEWORK:
- Read the Biography for Thomas Hardy (p. 652)
- Read The Darkling Thrush (p. 653)
- Study for the History portion of the test on Tuesday! See Joon's blog entry for details
- Enjoy the weekend and feel the sun shining

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLLEEEN

  I'm sorry guys for the really late posting! It's because my computer had a problem with this http cookie thing and wouldn't let me in! But it's working now so I'm posting this blog! So today is Colleen's Birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLLEEN! We were going to sing her a song, but in the end we got carried away and we weren't able to sing one for colleen :( Anyhow, we learned to appreciate the teachers more throughout our brief teaching assignment: teaching isn't easy. Then we talked about the essay and test that will happen in our near future.  We decided to make the test into two parts: history and poetries. So the first test is on Tuesday next week about history and the second test will be on thursday about poetries. We also recapped everything we did on the victorian age poems. We went through the authors over again and briefly disccused the themes of each poem as quickly and efficently as we can.
So this is the break down of the test:
Tuesday: History
- 20 fill in the blank (Historical development)
- 10 M.C.
- No growth of the language portion
Thursday: Poetries
- Who the author is (more of the bio)
- Short answer on poems
- Line of poetry, define which poetry it is from
Homework:
- Read historical intro to victorian
- Fill in the blank!
That is all! Have a great night! P.S Enjoy your last few hours of your birthday Colleen ;)

The Sea

Today was our final presentation and thus the end of the joyous time of no homework. Kimberley did a marvelous job teaching us Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold. It was a poem about the loss of religion and the void that ensues. Kim accurately compared it to today and how so many people try to fill their life with human love, material possessions, and experiences, instead of with God. Mrs. Loconte finished off the poem with us as we read the commentary together. Women blink nearly twice as much as men. We were made aware that there will be a test on Tuesday on the Romantic Era and an essay soon to follow. We talked a bit more about getting shirts, but it seems that that probably will not happen anymore…maybe unicorn buttons…or a yearbook page, possibly with quotes or with pictures of the Lit class just looking really cool. Happy homeworking!

Homework

-        Please read: Ozymandias (544), When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be (pg. 559), Crossing the Bar (637), and Prospice (645) for Thursday’s class (which might be someone’s birthday, hint hint!)

Coral?

Family Day

So to end off another week, we were led by Bethany to "Ode to a Nightingale". We were given a background of his life, his suffering and his loss. Then we jumped to finish "Ode to the West Wind" presented by Joon. We all agreed that "Ode to the West Wind" is so much more appreciated when you see the rhyme scheme in  it. After we read "Ode to a Nightingale" and I think I can speak for most people when I say that it was extremely well written and the strong imagery given was spectacular. In this poem, Donald Ducks middle name is Fauntleroy, Keats goes from the bird and the birds happy life to death and even suicide. I believe by the end of this poem we get a small sense of his suffering and pain. And finally to end the class we were all serenaded by the voice of a British actor with a very peaceful reading voice. No homework this week! Go home and spend time with your family because this Monday is family day!  

The Day I Didn't Forget to Blog!!!

We picked up today's class where we left off on Tuesday, with "Apostrophe to the Ocean", led by Brody.  We discussed literary terms present in the poem, the power of the ocean, and generally brought closure to the poem.  We then jumped into "Ode to the West Wind" with Joon, first reading Shelley's bio and following up with the magnificent poem itself.  While I do not condone many of Shelley's personal life decisions, I absolutely cannot deny his poetic genius.  If you uncoiled the DNA contained in the nucleus of one human cell, it would stretch to the Sun and back four times!!!  In this brilliant poem, Shelley explores the power of the wind to affect the earth and falling leaves, the clouds, and the ocean.  He then appeals to the wind to lift him from the pains of life as if he were a leaf, a cloud, a wave, and spread his words and thoughts over all the earth.  Needless to say, after studying "Ode to the West Wind", I think we all came away with a much greater appreciation for the wind.  No homework tonight, we'll reconvene on Tuesday with Bethany teaching Keats' "Ode to A Nightingale".

Creation and Creators

Today's class was led by Brody. We studied Apostrophe to the Ocean by Lord Byron. After learning about Byron's life, we read the poem itself, and then listened to a recording of the poem as we jotted down our understanding of the poem and thoughts we had. Your body has enough iron in it to make a nail 3 inches long. Brody then led a discussion on the poem, stanza by stanza, in which we were able to give our thoughts and feedback. It wasn't quite as long as Tintern Abbey, but it took us right to the end of class. Brody will be finishing up with a few concluding questions on Thursday, so be prepared!

FOR HOMEWORK:
- Continue working on your poem analysis and preparations for teaching
- Reflect on Apostrophe to the Ocean and come ready to answer difficult and super challenging in- depth post-analysis inquiries
- Joon, be ready to teach the class about Shelley!

Albatross

Today we were again displaced into the library yet we were quite a bit more productive than our first library incident seeing as Mrs. Loconte wisely decided that we should sit in chairs as opposed to lounge on couches in our PJs no less. We went over the first three parts of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner for the benefit of Joon and I who were not in class yesterday. We continued our review of parts four and five which had been assigned for homework the previous evening. We became terribly confused about whether a sail is an example of metonymy or a synecdoche until Kimberley pulled out her handy-dandy literary terms package and enlightened us all. An average American will spend an average of 6 months during his lifetime waiting at red lights. Sail is indeed an example of a synecdoche. After this was resolved, we read the last three parts of the ballad. We discussed symbolism and themes within the poem and were unsatisfied with the reasoning behind the Ancient Mariners crime of killing the albatross. There is no homework due for next class in which Brody will be leading us. Unfortunately, the next time that we shall see each other will be as we cower in fear before we start our English Provincial…but try not to think too much about that…instead think about being HALF-WAY DONE GRADE 12!!! Best wishes studying!

The Beauty of Nature and its Destructive Elements

Today I was surrounded by women.

Our class this afternoon was quite small (if that can be said about an already small class). With our number nearly halved, we finished up Tintern Abbey with Rachel, and then moved on to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The volume of the Earth's moon is the same as the volume of the Pacific Ocean. We read the first three parts, and discussed the meanings of the albatross, the ghost ship, and the supernatural elements. Following along with the reading check questions at the end helped direct our thoughts a little. We then closed our books, chatted a bit about tomorrow (we'll be going to the library), and scurried out the door to go home!

WHAT TO DO IF YOU MISSED CLASS
- Read Parts I-III of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
- Look over the Reading Check questions (1-6)

WHAT TO DO FOR HOMEWORK
- Read Parts IV and V of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
- Continue to work on your individual teaching pieces
- Think about your participation in class, your completion of homework, and your blogging. Mrs. Loconte will be asking us to give ourselves a mark for each of these topics.

Voice of an Angel

So today we started out by going over our collages.  We went around the circle and explained our work.  Then Rachel took over the class and taught Tintern Abbey.  After reading the poem we listened to a recording.  It is believed that Shakespeare was 46 around the time that the King James Version of the Bible was written.  In Psalms 46, the 46th word from the first word is shake and 46th word from the last word is spear.  For the rest of the class we went over the poem, but ran out of time to finish it due to the fact that it's a Tuesday.  We will be finishing Tintern Abbey next class.
There's no lit homework, so use this time to study for tomorrow's math test.  Good luck!

Taking Silence to Consideration

Today was a "quiet" day of lit class, since many of us took part in becoming the voices of the children in need for desperate help. Only Bethany, Colleen and I were able to talk during the actual discussion. We read throuh the bio of Wordsworth and his natural poetries. We discussed questions about them and the silent people had to write the responses/answers down and show them to Mrs.Loconte.  Lastly, we were assigned a creative assignment and with a short essay of the poems we read today.
For homework, we have to finish the assignment/ worksheet given today in exchange for delay of our projects being due at Jan.22 nd. OTHER THAN THAG HAVE A GREAT NIGHT

Lockdown

So today we had our second, as well as last research block for our personal lessons. On thursday Mrs. Loconte will be starting it off with her to poems followed by Rachel. There's no homework so take the night to get over that all nighter you pulled to finish your portfolio!
Heart you guys, have a good night!

You're the Teachers Now!!! (Mwhahahah) (evil laughter)

Sorry for the super late blog, but I assume most people were preoccupied with things such as their, Charlie Brown Christmas was sponsored by Coca-Cola originally so all the ornaments were originally coke cans,  portfolios, but since class hasn't started yet I'm not late haha. So, last week, on Friday, we went to the upstairs computer lab to have our class because we needed the computers to start on our teaching assignment. We started with a discussion on how the criteria should be like and what we should include in our teaching report. Then we went straight into our research. Everyone read diligently, and was on tasks the entire time. Then we ended our class, we got our tests back, and in record time as well, a day after we finished writing our test! And thus ended the week and came our long awaited for weekend.

Learning is Fun!

 Last class, we were in the library, where Joon wrote his test while we researched our works of literature. Every person has a unique tongue print. At the end of class, we received our tests back (save for Joon who was still writing at this point), and Coral power-napped on the couch.

WHAT TO DO FOR HOMEWORK:

Do your research task for your individual work of literature. We have two more classes to work on these. Presentations begin on the 22nd. If you need, ask Mrs. Loconte for her resources (but do your own research and work first before coming to her).

We should also reestablish the order for blogging. Again.

Would somebody blog already

(*cough-- marks!)