AP Lit 2B/3B: Workshopping Synthesis & Lot Jotting Mrs. Dalloway

As we continue our work together, I continue to learn more about our various classroom dynamics and strive to find methods that gets everyone what he or she needs to feel confident with our work.  It's a challenging work in progress.  Thank you for bearing with it and engaging with the work heretofore present.

We accomplished two key goals today: workshopped synthesis thinking & discussed Mrs. Dalloway.

To be honest, the latter was mostly determining great questions for later discussion of Mrs. Dalloway, though I would argue in formulating those questions, ideas were considered.  We will have much closer textual examinations on Wednesday and Friday and next week as well.  (I had something of an a-ha! moment today.)

Here's pics and description of our modified Lot Jot work.

We also got everyone started on Google+ and nestled into his or her correct Google+ AP Lit class community.

The in-class synthesis workshops are accessible in your Google Drive.  Just look for AP Lit Synthesis Workshop inside the AP Lit 2013 OUT/Synthesis Thinking folder.  I'm making all of them visible to all  AP Lit 2013 students.  (None of us is smarter than all of us.) You can see what other folks have been doing for thesis statements and introductions.

Homework

Blog: 3+ entries for Friday, 9/27

Assigned Creative Blog Post:  Mrs. Dalloway employs color in meaningful, powerful ways.  Perhaps you have noticed this, perhaps  you have not.  (Pay particular attention to flowers, foods, skies, clothing and faces.) 

Use Colourlovers.com  to create a custom palette of at least three colors relating to meaning in Mrs. Dalloway.  You will need to name the palette and each color within it.  Be certain to choose purposeful names and push your self to go beyond the concrete.  (Concrete:  "blue sky" because the sky was blue.)

Share your palette on your blog w/ explanations of your choices.

Added Challenge: Create a piece of digital art employing the color palette in a way congruent to Virginia Woolf.

Read

Dallowinian Reading Chunks (pg. #s are Mt. Blue copies, Harcourt ed.)
1: a t an O an F (1 - 29)2: he never saw her again (29 - 64)3: Dr. Holmes, looking not quite so kind. (64-94)4. Elizabeth Dalloway mounted the Westminster Omnibus (94 - 139)5. For there she was (139 - End)
One reading per night.
Blue Day classes finish the book for Tuesday, the 1st.   Gold Day classes  finish for Monday the 30th.

Write
Next working draft of synthesis for workshopping on Wednesday.  

1st Submission draft of synthesis #1 due on Friday.

AP Lit: Modified Lot Jot

On Monday we used a method of uncovering a text that I learned about via @franmcveigh on Twitter and a blog post from Melanie Holtsman. I made a couple of mods to suit our needs.

Note that we posted questions Mrs. Dalloway raises, then added two follow up questions to the questions that intrigued us. We then went around and slid the questions we deemed most pressing or interesting into the corner of the number lot.

The corner questions were posted on Google+ in our class communities.

The other Qs will become quizlet slides that we can revisit and use later for other discussions and idea generating.

All Classes: Make Space is Coming

We gathered some tools and furniture.  This is going to be something special.

PACE: Building a Vision for Our Class

We completed a Paper Passing Tool experience the other day.  We shared our personal visions then underlined common ideas as we bounced around the room.

The common threads that emerged.

Activities

fun

Laptop activities

group work

Movies or clips

Not having homework and doing it all in class

Work out of the classroom

Being productive

Think before acting/talking

Be productive

Patience

Make learning fun

Choices on projects

Music during downtime

Be able to do things how I want

Easy, but still mentally challenging

Creative work

Independence

Work together

Express ourselves

Quiet environment

Make connections with our interests

Use freedom to our advantage

Respectful of others