Monday, February 10, 2014
AP Lit 3G: Diving Deeper Into Joyce (and some test prep, too)
We opened our day with some much needed test prep in the form of a multiple choice item.
From there, Mr. Ryder ranted a little bit. It was a thing. It had nothing to do with you folks, but of course, we already knew this. We missed out on Hamlet time as a result and that's too bad. He feels rather unpleasant about that as he writes this.
Then we did some amazing deep diving into Joyce and uncovered epiphanies, manipulation of language & aesthetics and free indirect discourse. We used your design kits and marked up copies of the stories -- big strokes, lots of messy thinking, doodles and highlights and brackets abounded! Also, super glad you captured your thinking with your phones -- so important to document your processes.
And wow. You folks did an exceptional job on this. I was impressed by what we found, including such observations as:
* Free indirect discourse can be as short as a word
* Little epiphanies tend to surface early in a story and build to a larger understanding
* Joyce loved the sound of words and the sounds often reflected his themes and ideas
From there, Mr. Ryder ranted a little bit. It was a thing. It had nothing to do with you folks, but of course, we already knew this. We missed out on Hamlet time as a result and that's too bad. He feels rather unpleasant about that as he writes this.
Then we did some amazing deep diving into Joyce and uncovered epiphanies, manipulation of language & aesthetics and free indirect discourse. We used your design kits and marked up copies of the stories -- big strokes, lots of messy thinking, doodles and highlights and brackets abounded! Also, super glad you captured your thinking with your phones -- so important to document your processes.
And wow. You folks did an exceptional job on this. I was impressed by what we found, including such observations as:
* Free indirect discourse can be as short as a word
* Little epiphanies tend to surface early in a story and build to a larger understanding
* Joyce loved the sound of words and the sounds often reflected his themes and ideas
We had a few minutes at the end of class to start a short brainstorm for "Frankliners."
Important to note! The major due dates calendar is WAY OFF right now. I'm adjusting it on Monday evening.
HOMEWORK
Blog: 3+ Posts (next week, you get to take off for vacation! woot!)
Req'd Post: Analytical work. By this week you will have read three chapters from "How to Read Lit" -- "Blind," "Geography," and "Season." Foster delivers a great deal of thinking across these three chapters and I believe strongly they apply to Joyce's stories.
Find three powerful ideas from Foster -- one from each chapter -- and then apply those thoughts as lenses for looking at Dubliners. Explain how each applies and can illuminate understanding from Joyce's work. (You might focus on multiple stories or only one or two -- that is up to you. Having a strong sense of Foster's thinking is more important than having a strong sense of each of these stories.)
You may write, record, film or otherwise capture your thinking, so long as it is clear and can stand on its own without tremendous interpretation on the part of your audience. Lots of digital tools you can use for this AND it could just be a series of paragraphs as well. Work to your strengths/interests.
Due: Fri, Feb 14
Read: How to Read Lit Like a Professor "And so Does Season"
Due: Fri, Feb 14
Write: Working Draft of "Frankliners" story/poem
Due: Wednesday Workshop, Feb 13
Upcoming: Read Frankenstein
Due: Thursday/Friday following Feb break.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
PACE: Macbeth & Quack & Work & Due Dates & Working Smarter Not Harder
I'll be spending class saving the world from itself at a meeting in the The Chef's Table.
While I'm gone, you folks will be doing all sorts of awesome.
For one, we start vocabulary this week, using the QUACK words that are part of the sophomore year. There will be a quiz every Thursday as well as a QUACK product due. (The first will be on the Thursday following break, Feb 27.) That QUACK product could be the word map (found in the PACE OUT folder on Google Drive) OR may be any product you wish to make that demonstrates your understanding of the QUACK words.
Unit 1 Part 1 can be found here.
You might want to take a few minutes to complete the Commonly Confused Words #2 assignment on www.NoRedInk.com. It's optional AND there's a quiz on Friday.
By 8 a.m., I recommend watching a large chunk of the Macbeth documentary in your Google Drive - perhaps 30 minutes? If someone would like to hook up to the dongle and audio plug at the front of the room, that's totally fine with me.
Here are some time coded notes to help you out. These are in your Google Drive.
If you pay attention, you will see that this documentary tells the entire story of Macbeth, shows it performed in different ways, and let's you know about the major ideas and themes in the play.
It's pretty darn well done.
As you watch, you may want to take notes using your first graphic organizer. Of course, you need to base MOST of this graphic organizer on one of the ten scenes I identified last class. I recommend using one of the scenes from Act I or II, because we've been talking a great deal about the action early on in the play.
Link to All of the Scenes and Summary is here
Next class will be all about the project. It's a short class because of early release and we will focus entirely on story bibles and pitches and brainstorming ideas.
HOMEWORK
Blogs: 3+
Req'd Post: Pre-Thinking Your Pitch. Take some time to brainstorm, to mess around with ideas, to talk out loud, to sketch and design, to use whatever tools you like -- digital or not -- to come up with some ideas for your project. Questions you could answer that might help:
Would you make a movie, TV show, video game or book series?
Where might you set your story? Think about settings that feature a lot of people, a lot of relationships, and a lot of power dynamics.
Who might be an interesting main character? What does this character want? What is keeping this character from getting it?
Due: Friday, Feb 14
MUGS: Commonly Confused Words #2
Quiz: Friday, Feb 14
QUACK: Unit 1 Part 1
Quiz & Product Due: Thursday Feb 27
While I'm gone, you folks will be doing all sorts of awesome.
For one, we start vocabulary this week, using the QUACK words that are part of the sophomore year. There will be a quiz every Thursday as well as a QUACK product due. (The first will be on the Thursday following break, Feb 27.) That QUACK product could be the word map (found in the PACE OUT folder on Google Drive) OR may be any product you wish to make that demonstrates your understanding of the QUACK words.
- Poems
- Songs
- Comics
- Stories
Unit 1 Part 1 can be found here.
You might want to take a few minutes to complete the Commonly Confused Words #2 assignment on www.NoRedInk.com. It's optional AND there's a quiz on Friday.
By 8 a.m., I recommend watching a large chunk of the Macbeth documentary in your Google Drive - perhaps 30 minutes? If someone would like to hook up to the dongle and audio plug at the front of the room, that's totally fine with me.
Here are some time coded notes to help you out. These are in your Google Drive.
If you pay attention, you will see that this documentary tells the entire story of Macbeth, shows it performed in different ways, and let's you know about the major ideas and themes in the play.
It's pretty darn well done.
As you watch, you may want to take notes using your first graphic organizer. Of course, you need to base MOST of this graphic organizer on one of the ten scenes I identified last class. I recommend using one of the scenes from Act I or II, because we've been talking a great deal about the action early on in the play.
Link to All of the Scenes and Summary is here
Finally, open up the Due Dates form. If you don't believe you can keep up with Teacher PACE, establish your own PACE.
1.3 1.5 1.7 2.1 3.4 4.1 4.3 5.1 (out damn spot) 5.5 (out out brief candle) 5.8 (death and new king)
Next class will be all about the project. It's a short class because of early release and we will focus entirely on story bibles and pitches and brainstorming ideas.
HOMEWORK
Blogs: 3+
Req'd Post: Pre-Thinking Your Pitch. Take some time to brainstorm, to mess around with ideas, to talk out loud, to sketch and design, to use whatever tools you like -- digital or not -- to come up with some ideas for your project. Questions you could answer that might help:
Would you make a movie, TV show, video game or book series?
Where might you set your story? Think about settings that feature a lot of people, a lot of relationships, and a lot of power dynamics.
Who might be an interesting main character? What does this character want? What is keeping this character from getting it?
Due: Friday, Feb 14
Macbeth Graphic Organizers: Must Complete 3
Teacher Pace Due Dates:
Wed: Feb 12
Tue: Feb 25
Wed: Mar 5
MUGS: Commonly Confused Words #2
Quiz: Friday, Feb 14
QUACK: Unit 1 Part 1
Quiz & Product Due: Thursday Feb 27
Start Thinking & Planning: Movie/Video Game/TV Show Pitches & Bibles
Due: Early March
Due: Early March
Friday, February 7, 2014
Humanities: Continuing to RAFT Merryweather High
We'll start the day with Roots 9 because that didn't happen yesterday.
From there, we'll split into work areas, both Ryder's and Dunbar's rooms, to work on the Merryweather High Orientation RAFT. Remember, this is an orientation design for Melinda's high school; not Mt. Blue. We are doing this as a prototype in our design process for designing the Mt. Blue Transition.
At 1:25, we will get back to Speak. One room will be for independent reading and the other will be a read-aloud-get-questions-answered with Mr. Ryder
HOMEWORK
Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Posts:
2 Req'd Post for the Week
1) Give yourself grades for the first semester, similar to how Melinda grades herself. Notice that she grades herself in things that aren't just academic classes. After grading yourself, include the reasons behind your grades. Be specific and clear.
From there, we'll split into work areas, both Ryder's and Dunbar's rooms, to work on the Merryweather High Orientation RAFT. Remember, this is an orientation design for Melinda's high school; not Mt. Blue. We are doing this as a prototype in our design process for designing the Mt. Blue Transition.
At 1:25, we will get back to Speak. One room will be for independent reading and the other will be a read-aloud-get-questions-answered with Mr. Ryder
HOMEWORK
Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Posts:
2 Req'd Post for the Week
1) Give yourself grades for the first semester, similar to how Melinda grades herself. Notice that she grades herself in things that aren't just academic classes. After grading yourself, include the reasons behind your grades. Be specific and clear.
2) Brainstorm the video/transition experience for the incoming ninth graders in April. List every idea of what that video could be, what the activities could look like, or what else could happen next fall.
Need ideas for more blog posts? Check out the tag "Blogger Fodder" and the videos/links that have been posted.
Read: Complete the "First Ranking Period" (pg 46)
Due: Thursday, Feb 6
Roots: Roots 9 Product & Quiz
Roots Quiz 9 (6, 7, 8, 9) & Product Due: Thursday, Feb 6
AP Lit: Literary 3x3s: James Joyce & Dubliners
Here's the work we've been doing with Literary 3x3s & Joyce's Dubliners.
We only read four of the stories:
We only read four of the stories:
- "Araby"
- "Eveline"
- "The Boarding House"
- "The Dead"
The selection was chosen because of common threads running across those particular texts, relative ease of reading and lack of background knowledge required to understand even the nuances, and because they represent something of a life arc, beginning with childhood in "Araby," late adolescence in "Eveline," early adulthood in "The Boarding House," and mature adulthood and old age in "The Dead."
After creating literary 3x3s for each of the stories, we put them on index cards to build Joyce decks. (We used letters in the corners of each to indicate which cards belong to which story.)
We did a variety of activities with them including:
- Finding common threads across the four stories by "tapping" (a la Magic: The Gathering) related cards.
- Shuffling the deck, laying out nine cards, and trying to determine which story emerges from the deal.
- Swapping decks and trying to determine the original creators' intended 3x3s layouts.
- Partners dealing out nine cards each and finding common threads across two different decks.
We will be keeping these decks and coming back to them using other author's works as we try to identify common threads across the other literature we read this year.
Here are some pics of the work we've done.
AP Lit 2B/3B: Joycean 3x3s & Frankliners
We start with MUGS Apostrophes 3 Quiz.
And from there . . .
We pull out our 3x3 decks from Joyce's Dubliners stories. (If you weren't here the other day, you need to finish building yours.)
We will experiment a bit with those decks as we try to uncover common threads and big thinking across the four stories.
Then we deep dive in Joyce's actual language, uncovering evidence of his style in across these four stories.
HOMEWORK
Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Post: Create a visual 3x3 of the town (or county) where you live. What does that place mean to you? How can you capture your relationship with your town through pictures? Consider taking or drawing/painting your own. Give considerable thought to how you arrange them.
MUGS: Apostrophes 3 on NoRedInk.com
Quiz: Thursday/Friday Feb 6 & 7
Read & Annotate: How to Read Lit Like a Professor "Geography Matters . . ."
Post: Annotations on the blog
Heads Up: Frankenstein is next! Will need to be read by Thursday AFTER Feb break. Let me know if you need a hard copy. Many, many, many places to get it free online including here.
And from there . . .
We pull out our 3x3 decks from Joyce's Dubliners stories. (If you weren't here the other day, you need to finish building yours.)
We will experiment a bit with those decks as we try to uncover common threads and big thinking across the four stories.
Then we deep dive in Joyce's actual language, uncovering evidence of his style in across these four stories.
- Fusion of Fiction w Reality
- Real places, real buildings, even real people appear amongst the fiction
- Epiphany
- awakening/understanding
- appeals to all 5 senses
- Free Indirect Discourse
- a particular style of stream of consciousness
- fluid movement between narrator and character
- Manipulation of Language and Aesthetics
- experiments with word play, structure, linguistics, genre
All of this in the service of writing brilliant "Frankliners" short stories and narrative poetry.
What am I talking about? THIS!
HOMEWORK
Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Post: Create a visual 3x3 of the town (or county) where you live. What does that place mean to you? How can you capture your relationship with your town through pictures? Consider taking or drawing/painting your own. Give considerable thought to how you arrange them.
MUGS: Apostrophes 3 on NoRedInk.com
Quiz: Thursday/Friday Feb 6 & 7
Read & Annotate: How to Read Lit Like a Professor "Geography Matters . . ."
Post: Annotations on the blog
Heads Up: Frankenstein is next! Will need to be read by Thursday AFTER Feb break. Let me know if you need a hard copy. Many, many, many places to get it free online including here.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Humanities: RAFT: Redesigning Orientation at Merryweather High
You teach at Melinda Sordino's Merryweather High.
The administration has said, "We need to do a better job with orientation and creating a welcoming culture for our students" and has asked you to be part of that task force.
Design an orientation experience that would help all students, including introverts and "outsiders," feel safe and welcome at Merryweather High and be prepared to explain to the administration the reasoning behind your design.
These resources are here to help. Make sure you credit your sources of inspiration.
HOMEWORK
Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Posts:
2 Req'd Post for the Week
1) Give yourself grades for the first semester, similar to how Melinda grades herself. Notice that she grades herself in things that aren't just academic classes. After grading yourself, include the reasons behind your grades. Be specific and clear.
The administration has said, "We need to do a better job with orientation and creating a welcoming culture for our students" and has asked you to be part of that task force.
Design an orientation experience that would help all students, including introverts and "outsiders," feel safe and welcome at Merryweather High and be prepared to explain to the administration the reasoning behind your design.
These resources are here to help. Make sure you credit your sources of inspiration.
School Climate
Supportive School Environment
Creating an Inclusive School
Transition Ideas and Programs
Orientation Activities
Positive School Environment
Tips for Incoming Freshmen
Freshmen Orientation Video Sample
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xgoHrPb5ct8HOMEWORK
Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Posts:
2 Req'd Post for the Week
1) Give yourself grades for the first semester, similar to how Melinda grades herself. Notice that she grades herself in things that aren't just academic classes. After grading yourself, include the reasons behind your grades. Be specific and clear.
2) Brainstorm the video/transition experience for the incoming ninth graders in April. List every idea of what that video could be, what the activities could look like, or what else could happen next fall.
Need ideas for more blog posts? Check out the tag "Blogger Fodder" and the videos/links that have been posted.
Read: Complete the "First Ranking Period" (pg 46)
Due: Thursday, Feb 6
Roots: Roots 9 Product & Quiz
Roots Quiz 9 (6, 7, 8, 9) & Product Due: Thursday, Feb 6
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