AP Lit: Hamlet & Power & Character

PROJECT SHARES.
Right out the gate.  That's where we'll start on Monday and Tuesday.

HAMLET.  POWER & CHARACTER.

Then we will carry out an experience to help us wrap our heads around both the  power structures and character development in Hamlet.

Using six-index cards, how might we create a model for the power structure within the six central characters of Hamlet? That's your challenge for the day.

Hamlet, Ophelia, Claudius, Polonious, Gertrude, Laertes

In addition to that design, you must also also identify whether each of the six characters is flat or round, static or dynamic and identify text evidence to prove your case.

All of this is in the service of developing your "To Be or Not to Be."  This is a means of exploring congruency -- determining how your soliloquy lines up with the rest of your interpretation of the work.

HOMEWORK.
Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Post:  Color Palette for Hamlet. Using Colourlovers.com, create a color palette for Hamlet. Each color should be given a unique name and a rationale for each. Consider how this can help you with your concept for To Be or Not to Be
Due. Fri, Feb 13.

Design.  To Be or Not to Be Design Challenge
Due.  Th/Fr Feb 26/27.

Complete.  Today's work if not done during class.

Humanities: Theme Song Essays: Intros & Thesis Statements

We'll start as we do every Monday: LNG.

Though I might be feeling some improv-ness or creative thinking quick hits to start us off . . . hrmmm . . .

We will also talk about Extended Day Program and how everyone in this class could be benefitting from getting some extra help after school.

Then LNG with Brackett so we can really start nailing those.  Boom.  Hardcore.  No quarter.

From there, we will share out our pre-writing.  I want to get a look at what ideas you already have going.  To hear which songs people are finding work best for their brains.

And then we'll run a thesis and introduction workshop, ideate a pile of ideas to help us.

HOMEWORK.

Blog. 3+ Posts
Req'd Post. Look at the LNG choices for this week and find a theme song for one of the people featured in the article.  Post a video or the song itself and explain your thinking in 3 to 5 sentences.

Feel like doing others?  Go for it!

Write.  Introduction & thesis statement.
Due. Tomorrow.  Workshopping in class.

1st Draft of Entire Essay.  Due Thursday.

Brit Lit CPI: Beowulf & Boasting Continues

Today . . . 

We'll start with some more boasting and smack talk -- this time via ERB.  

NO RED INK.

We're going to start our first work with commonly mistaken words.  We'll be looking at:

• their/there/they're
• to/too/two
• then/than

Their: possessive
There: location
They're: contraction of they are

To: preposition -- used with a verb -- to go, to swim; handed to, given to, run to
Too: also or quantity
Two: the number 2

Then: order, time  -- I took my snowmachine out for a run, then I ate forty-seven Ring Dings.
Than: comparison  -- I'd rather throw dead batteries at cows than listen to another Pitbull song.

You'll take a quick quiz for me to get a baseline of your skills in this particular area.

BRAGGING & BEOWULF.

We'll share out the work you folks did the other day.  It's here I'll show you how to access the folders on Google Drive and turn in work on Google Classroom.

Most every group finished the work so we should be in good shape to look at what happens when Beowulf arrives and how he battles Grendel.

Those chapters you'll work on individually.  The idea here is that if you were able to work with partners before  -- as most of you did -- you should be okay tackling a chunk on your own.

And this is also where Beowulf starts talking serious smack and Grendel shows up and claws and gnashing and all the good stuff.

You'll complete a second organizer, but this one focused on Beowulf's boasts.

Here's a graphic organizer to keep you rolling.

Then today there will be time to start this, which we intended to do last week . . 

Req'd Blog Post for the Week:  Letting Fly the Taunts and Volleys of a Thousand Suns Upon the Ears of the Meek Before Us a.k.a. Running Our Mouths

Boast, brag, run yer mouth about anything you like -- just keep it relatively school friendly.  It could be aggressive and calling someone or something out or it could be talking about how great you are at knitting.  I trust you to use your best judgement there.  Remember: swearing is lazy.  It can be fun.  And it's lazy.   Your boast

Write or audio/video record two versions:
One. Your style.  Your words.
Two.  Beowulf style.  His words.

Your goal?  To show me you understand how the language used in Beowulf, the style and format, isn't all that different from today by using it yourself.

Option.  Not feeling like bragging about anything particular about yourself?  Do what the bards & the scops did back in the day: make up a character.  Just let me know whether it is invented or real.

Due.  Friday, Feb 13.

Humanities: Theme Song Essays: Discovery Phase: Brainstorming

Today we dig into: HMW we design our theme song essays? (hardcore.)

We are in DISCOVERY phase today, brainstorming & ideating.

We'll start with an improv game of sorts involving . . . well . . . you'll see.

Then we'll create "Who Am I?" charts for ourselves so that we are more in tune with the ideas that might show up in our essays.

This will lead to printing off the lyrics of 2 to 4 possible theme song choices and a color coding mark up activity.   You will be using your design kits.  I will be putting up pictures of this process so you can reference it.

What it comes down to is the we are throwing three different activities at you today intended to help you get your heads wrapped around this assignment.

HOMEWORK.

Blog. 3+ Posts.
Req'd Post.  Drum Kit prompt.  See Tuesday's blog post.
Due. Today, 2/6.

Design.  Theme Song Essay.  Create at least three pieces of pre-writing.
Maps. Sketchnotes. Outlines.  Webs.  Freewrites.
You don't have to write the essay.
You have to plan & design the essay.
Due. Monday, 2/9.

Complete: Theme Song Essay
Due. Friday, 2/13.

Brit Lit CPI: Blogging, Bragging & Beowulf

We start with this today.

Get More: Comedy Central,Funny Videos,Funny TV Shows

We'll make some predictions about why we opened with this and how it might relate to what's coming next.

Today we start building our routines and diving into the first of the texts we're going to read this semester: Beowulf.

NO RED INK.

We'll be using NoRedInk.com this semester to help with our MUGS: Mechanics, Usage, Grammar, Spelling.  You'll be taking a pre-test today for me to get a baseline of your strengths and weaknesses in those areas.  We'll also be doing some goal setting.

I know I have a goal for you folks: complete sentences, proper capitalization, and commonly mistaken words. If you can wrangle these three things, you can navigate most any writing and communication situation: job applications, official letters, e-mails to people that aren't your friends, etc.

So, we'll get started with the Semester PreTest.

GUIDELINES & EXPECTATIONS.

After No Red Ink & MUGS, we'll review our sketchnotes from the Guidelines & Expectations quickly.  I want to make sure people understand what is being asked of everyone in the room the semester including me.

BRAGGING & BEOWULF.

Then we'll talk about bragging, about smack talk, about running our mouths, about rumors, about getting in people's faces, about how we handle them, and then taking a look at how long this has been a problem by looking at ancient and modern poetry.

We'll be breaking up the reading into group chunks with a few key questions for each.  We'll use this time to get a sense of what the heck is going on in Beowulf, the central characters, and then we'll look at the language more specifically.

We'll be using a graphic organizer to keep track of our thinking.

All of this leads to . . .

Req'd Blog Post for the Week:  Letting Fly the Taunts and Volleys of a Thousand Suns Upon the Ears of the Meek Before Us a.k.a. Running Our Mouths

Boast, brag, run yer mouth about anything you like -- just keep it relatively school friendly.  It could be aggressive and calling someone or something out or it could be talking about how great you are at knitting.  I trust you to use your best judgement there.  Remember: swearing is lazy.  It can be fun.  And it's lazy.   Your boast

Write or audio/video record two versions:
One. Your style.  Your words.
Two.  Beowulf style.  His words.

Your goal?  To show me you understand how the language used in Beowulf, the style and format, isn't all that different from today by using it yourself.

Option.  Not feeling like bragging about anything particular about yourself?  Do what the bards & the scops did back in the day: make up a character.  Just let me know whether it is invented or real.

AP Lit: Projects & On Demands & Projects

INDIE BOOK PROJECTS.

We'll start with two project shares.

ON DEMAND.
From there, we complete the On Demand: Discuss Shakespeare's use of a literary device such as allusion, symbolism and characterization to develop a theme of power and control.  15 min.  One powerful paragraph.

We'll use these On Demands as well as our last rounds for an On Demand workshop, focusing on the design of an analytical paragraph.  It will also give us an opportunity to discuss Hamlet.

HAMLET.

Finally, I'd like us to do some rapid prototyping of the character card idea so we can build some congruency.  We'll take a look at considerations we should be giving when staging our "To Be or Not To Be's" and develop a deeper list of criteria i.e. costumes, portrayal, color palette, physical setting, music (I think I'm getting a lot of it here already . . .)

HOMEWORK.

Blog. 3+ Posts.
Req'd Post. How to Read Lit Like a Professor. "When In Doubt . . . Shakespeare . . ."
How might Foster's position on Shakespeare inform our reading of Hamlet and/or our design of "To Be or Not to Be?"

Due. Friday, 2/6

Complete.  Hamlet.

Read/Watch.  (Clips on Google Drive.)

Due. Monday, 2/9

Start Designing.  "To Be or Not to Be"
Dramatic Presentation & One Page Analysis/Justification
Due.  Thursday/Friday after Feb break. 

Humanities: Roots Quiz, Culture & Theme Songs

VOCAB.

We kick off with our Roots Quiz 7.  You are all over this.  Worry not.  Do your best.  And if you are struggling with quizzes, remember that FrankenWord and other vocab work can demonstrate your understanding just as well.

5 MIN PLAYLIST.
You've got five minutes to make the playlist you will carry with you for the rest of your life.  What goes on it?  Make it now.

Here's mine.  This was stressful.


CULTURE.

We've got a way to pull all the culture work you've been doing these past couple of weeks together.

Check Google Classroom for this assignment.


THEME SONG ESSAY.

HMW express the reasons why particular songs serve as our theme songs?

We're going to tackle this essay as we have any of our design work because really, writing an essay is a piece of design.

DEEP.
Discovery. (What song might serve as my theme song? Why? Might it connect to an experience?  Might the sounds relate to me?  What might I focus on?  How might I hook the reader?)
Empathize.  (Consider your reader.  Consider your audience. What do they need to know?)
Experiment.  (Drafts.  Play around with order.  Play around with details.  Make maps.  Make sketchnotes.)
Produce.  (Complete a 1st Submission Draft.  Get Feedback.  Revise.  Reiterate.)

Today we will use a couple of brainstorming & ideating techniques including our 5 Min. Playlist  to help get us started.  Friday, we kick into introductions and thesis statements.


HOMEWORK.

Blog. 3+ Posts
Req'd Post. Drum Kit Post.  (See this week.)


Complete. Culture Graphic Organizer (Google Classroom.)  The new one.

Brainstorm. Theme song essay.