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!