Friday 12/17

• There will be no essay on the exam. Everything else mentioned though -- new material and review material from old tests will be represented on the exam -- good luck.
  

Wednesday 12/15

• Exam review
  

Tuesday 12/14

• We finished our reading of Raisin
• We continued with the exam review

HW: analytical paper due tomorrow

Monday 12/13

• Continued with Notes on Raisin
• Began exam review

HW: Analytical paper due Wed.

Friday 12/10

• Notes on the Psychological reading of Raisin

HW: The dead line for analytical papers has been moved to Wednesday

Thursday 12/9

• small gropus presented on psychological topics in Raisin
• paper plans collected
  

Tuesday 12/7

• We finished notes on the psychological perspective
• We began the small group work applying this perspective to Raisin

HW: The due date for the analytical writing piece has been moved back to the 15th

Monday 12/6

• We continued with our notes on the psychological perspective -- which we will be applying to modern theatre and Raisin in particular

HW: The paper plan (graphic organizer) is due on Thursday

Friday 12/3

• We began discussion of the psychological perspective we are taking from Classica theatre and applying to Modern theatre -- viz. Raisin

HW: RC on Raisin Act III Monday

Thursday 12/2

• We finished the Oedipus lesson -- clips from movie & study guide
• We corrected the Aristotle homework
• Notes on transition from Classical to Modern theatre

Wednesday 12/1

• Students turned in Aristotle homework
• Students submitted theses for their analytical writing
• Lesson on "Oedipus Rex" -- movie & study guide

Tuesday 11/30

• We finished the video and study guide on the origin of Greek tragedy
• There was some time for writer's workshop.

HW: Thesis for analytical paper due tomorrow; watch video "Ancient Greek Tragedy" (follow the "Drama" link to the "Greek Drama" page) & fill in study guide.

Monday 11/29

• Raisin Act II Read Check
• Begin analysis of Greek Theater -- video with study guide

HW: Thesis for analytical paper due 12/1; Raisin Act III RC 12/6

Tuesday 11/23

• Students continued analyzing Critical essays and began to formulate their own theses.
  

Monday11/22

• Raisin Act I RC
• We began pre-writing activities for the literary analysis writing project: students identified thesis & support from a critical essay they found on the school database.
  

Friday 11/19

• Midsummer Test

HW: Raisin Act Read Check Monday

Thursday 11/18

• We continued with the Midsummer test review
  

Wednesday 11/17

• We began reviewing for the Midsummer test -- we did not finish so the test will be Friday.
• Students submitted titles and theses for critical article's on Midsummer.

HW: Raisin Act I read by Monday

Tuesday 11/16

• We finished our notes on the closing speeches of MSND
• We will review for the MSND Test which will be on Thursday

HW: Bring copy of critical article to class tomorrow; Act I of Raisin by Monday -- read check

Monday 11/15

• We discussed and took notes on the two closing speeches to end our study of MSND -- Bottom & Puck

HW: Have your critical essay article (From the Discovering Collection) by Wed.; Raisin Act I by Mon.

Midsummer Night’s Dream Act III Vocabulary

1. Abide
2. Odious
3. Knavery
4. Translate
5. Carcass
6. Nativity
7. Congealed
8. Sojourn
9. Partition
10. Shrew
11. Harbinger

Thursday 11/11

• We reviewed for the grammar test on diagramming which will be tomorrow.
  

Wednesday 11/10

• We finished our dramatization of Midsummer

HW:
1. I will re-link the Vocab III
2. Journal entry:
Family Conflict Over Marrying for Love

• How does this issue stand today?
• Is it outdated? If so, why?
• Do young people and their parents usually agree about who is Mr. Right?
• If so, why do people still gravitate to stories in which there is conflict?

Tuesday 11/9

• Read Check on Act IV Scene 1
• Discussion of Quarter writing assignment
• Class reading of Act V

HW: Select a critical essay (print out) by Wednesday the 17th -- as instructed in class; define words from Act III Vocab on website

Monday 11/8

• We annotated the Midsummer text with "topics"

HW: Read IV:1

Friday 11/5

• Students passed in their 4 sets of diagramming exercises
• We used a study guide to analyze some of the directorial decisions in the Midsummer movie -- especially as pertains to the Bottom character.
• We watched some more scenes

Thursday 11/4

• Today we continued with sentence diagramming -- compound subjects and predicates
• We watched some scenes from the Midsummer movie
  

Wednesday 11/3

• We continued our notes n Gender & Comedy
• We began discussing the Greek myth homework
• We continued with our in class reading of Misdummer

HW: the two sections are not at hte same spot -- Section 1 should read to that point at the end of Act III where the lovers exit; section 2 should read to the end of Act III

Tuesday 11/2

• We continued with our in-class dramatization -- III:1
• You should be finished with Act I Vocab (on website) -- be looking for Act II soon.
  

Wednesday 10/27

• Read check on the homework
  
• We took some notes on Comedy & some text notes on the Theseus/Hippolyta background
• We discussed some points of plot summary from the homework
• We continued with the in class dramatization

HW: finish reading Act II

Tuesday 10/26

• Notes on Shakespeare and theatre
• Continue with in-class dramatization of Midsummer

HW: read Act II Scene I to the entrance of Demetrius

Monday 10/25

• We began the 2nd Q Shakespeare unit -- some review of basic concepts; in class reading of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" -- bring your copy to class from now on.
  

Friday 10/22

• Power of Myth: The Troubadours & the mythology of romanitc love
  

Thursday 10/21

• Shadow Day
• Greek mythology jeopardy
  

Wednesday 10/20

• Test
• bring D'aulaire's tomorrow
  

Tuesday 10/19

• We finished reviewing for the test (tomorrow)
• Jounral entry -- personal response to "Critical Theory"
  

Monday 10/18

• We reviewed for the To Kill A Mockingbird test -- Wednesday
  

HW: last journal entry of the quarter (due Wed) -- reflect on the critical theory we discussed. the idea that the text might be sending sexist and/or racist messages -- did it occur to you when you read it? why or why not? reflect on how stories either conceal or reveal a reader's perception of how stereotypes are constructed or manipulated.

Friday 10/15

• We finished with our critical reading of TKM; we will spend one more day on this, review on Monday and have a test on Tuesday.

Thursday 10/14

• No class on Wed.
  
• We continued with our critical reading of To Kill A Mockingbird; we will spend one more day on this, review on Monday and have a test on Tuesday.

Tuesday 10/12

• We continued our critical reading of To Kill A Mockingbird; we will spend one more day on this, have review on Monday and a test on Tuesday
  

Monday 10/11

• We continued with notes on a Critical Reading of TKM

HW; Journal entry: Scout has two big experiences of someone who is an outcast from society -- Tom & Boo. Do you think the lessons she learns in the two cases are supposed to have anything to do with one another? For example, does the connection she makes with Boo at the end of the novel tell us anything about her relationship to Tom? Explain.

Thursay 10/7

• Test on Odyssey
• Continue with notes on To Kill A Mockingbird
  

Wednesday 10/6

• We began discussing a "critical" reading of TKM

Tuesday 10/5

• We continued with the test review -- Test Thursday
  

Monday 10/4

• Today we began reviewing for the test on the Odyssey -- TEST ON THURSDAY
  

Friday 10/1

• Power of Myth episode: Sacrifice & Bliss

HW: Mockingbird -- Chapter 14 to end RC Monday

Thursday 9/30

• Diagramming modifers exercise
• Analysis of scenes from Odyssey movie

HW: Pers Narr due tomorrow & Mockingbird half read check Monday

Wednesday 9/29

• Continued with notes on the Lesson from the Goddess
• Analyzed some more scenes from the movie version of the Odyssey

HW: read "Odysseus's Revenge" -- Personal Narrative due Friday -- TKM Second half check on Monday

Tuesday 9/28

• We finished reading and annotating the underworld scene
• We began looking at some scenes from an Odyssey movie for comparable lessons.

HW: Read "Penelope" & "The Challenge"

Monday 9/28

• We read the episode in the Odyssey where the hero meets his mother in the underworld -- annotated the text
  

HW: Read the "Argus" & "Suitors" episode (Finish Part Two by Friday)

Friday 9/28

• We continued with the "Power of Myth" program -- the Goddess

HW: Read 895-900 of The Odyssey in the textbook

Thursday 9/23

• Peer assessment of personal narrative -- round 2

Wednesday 9/22

• Students finished taking notes on "The Big Picture" the Odyssey

HW: Journal entry -- identify a time when you had to make a sacrifice, then identify a time when you were victorious (a "winner" at something, etc.). Respond: do these two events have anything in common?

Tuesday 9/21

• Students took notes on the "Big Picture" of the Odyssey.
  

Monday 9/20

• Students practiced some reading comprehension strategies on The Odyssey
• We began some notes on reading the structure of the adventure

HW: Read the Sirens episode

Friday 9/17

• We finished assessing the sample personal narrative
• Grammar lesson: basic diagramming (in one section only)

HW: Read the "Land of the Dead" episode in The Odyssey; journal entry for the week: Reflect on a new responsibility or freedom you have (or maybe one you wish you had) now that you are of highschool age.

Thursday 9/16

• Students peer assessed personal narratives using the rubric that will be used to assess their own writing.

HW: Read the Cyclops episode in your textbook by Friday

Wednesday 9/15

• Test day!

HW: For Friday -- read the Cyclops episode from your textbook

Tuesday 9/14

• We finsihed our test review -- test tomorrow
• We used a graphic organizer to identify the structure of the Odyssey as a work
  

Monday 9/13

• We reviewed for the first unit test; we did not finish, so we will continue tomorrow and the test will be Wednesday.
  

Friday 9/10

• Read check on Mockingbird, first half
• Power of Myth Continued -- The Goddess

HW -- Journal entry -- what is your personal response to the Matriarchy thesis -- whatever -- what is your response to the idea of valuation or de-valuation of the feminine role of mothering and the analogy of that to the natural world?

Thrusday 9/9

• We finished up our reading and annotation of the D'aulaire theogony
• We briefly discussed the main points of the Death-Burial-Rebirth thesis
• The first writing assignment -- Personal Narrative -- was discussed
  

HW: Mockingbird checktest (through Ch 13) tomorrow

Wednesday 9/8

• We continued with our critical reading of the Daulaire's Theogony

HW: Check test on Mockingbird through Chapter 13 on Friday

Tuesday 9/7

• We began a process of readig critically the D'aulaires theogony

HW: Read the "Death-Burial-Rebirth" pdf on the Primitive Ritual page on the website. Be ready of the read check through Chapter 13 of Mockingbird by Friday.

Friday 9/3

• Power of Myth Friday: Watch segments of the Joseph Campbell interview, discuss, respond in study guide

HW: The half-way read check on Mockingbird will be this Friday

Thursday 9/2

• Grammar Exercises -- evaluate the diagnostic test & adverb lessons and exercises
• Journal share

HW: finish adverb exercises

Wednesday 9/1

• Students worked in groups and presented on the topic of matriarch in the Greek myths.

HW: Journal Entry -- Do you think there are essential differences between the genders? Explain in terms of your own experience and opinion and belief.

Tuesday 8/31

• Today we discusse the Harrison thesis that Poseidon was a transformation of a Minoan bull god.

HW; Read the article on the "Primitive Ritual" page "The Meaning of Minoan Bull Jumping"

Monday 8/30

• We took some notes on the definition of ritual
• We read the Osiris myth

HW: Go to the "Primitive Ritual" page on the site -- click on "mythology" under the "books by Jane Ellen Harrison" When you are at the googlebooks page follow the table of content to the Poseidon Chapter -- scroll down to page 26 read the two paragraphs for this information: what is the puzzle about Poseidon? It is resolved by identigying him with what god?

Friday 8/27

• Today was "Power of Myth" Friday -- we watched segments of the Joseph Campbell interview and answered study questions.
  

Thursday 8/26

• Today we discussed the "Interpretation Pyramid" and how it structures our method.
• We also did a parts of speech diagnostic exercise.

HW" please find some time to read the Interpretation Pyramid on the "Method" page of the website

Wednesday 8/25

• Discussion of "2 Anthropological Paradigms"
• Sharing of journals
  

Tuesday 8/24

• Students shared their reflections from the "armchair anthropology" journal entry

HW: Journal entry -- "Rite of passage" -- Reflect on a time when your life seemed to change -- sort of “all at once” -- as if you were a new kind of person in a new kind of place. It might be something big and traumatic or it might be something smaller and simpler. Try to identify things that “marked” this change -- objects, behaviors, language….etc.

Monday 8/23

• Students presented and shared their pictures on Greek mythology & we hung them up on the walls.

HW: "Armchair Anthropology" journal entry -- write in your composition book. Use your imagination and your sense of what it is to be human. What do you think was the first feeling or thought or action, experienced by pre-human primates, that could be called "human" -- explain & develop your answer. It is an exercise in testing what you think is the real dividing line between the animal world & the human world.

Friday 8/20

• We took the summer reading check test today

HW: Be ready to present your myth picture on Monday. Make sure you have a composition book by Wed.

Thursday 8/19

• The summer reading test will be a closed-notes test: I can find nothing on the website or the study guide that says otherwise.
• Today we continued with the "Why This Class is Different" slide show.
• Students discussed responses to the reflection questions from yesterday with their peers -- looking for consensus.
  

Wednesday 8/18

Great first day! Some reminders:

• Summer reading test friday (myth Qs only from the "Zeus & His Family" section)
• Present project on Monday
  
• Read the syllabus on the website
  

First Visit

Welcome Freshmen. I am so happy you found the blog! On it you will find a summary of the days activities as well as your homework assignments. I am looking forward to an excellent year with you.