Thursday and Friday

Presentations continued for A-day, and then class finished the movie version of The Piano Lesson. B-day has not yet seen any of the movie, so we will return to that in January.

Wednesday

A-day students started the movie version of The Piano Lesson. B-day should expect to continue presentations before starting the movie.

Tuesday

More presentations completed today. Continued Thursday.

Monday

A-day completed analyses of  The Piano Lesson by August Wilson. Prepare for a commentary on a selection from the text.

Friday

Students presented themes, characters, and concepts from The Piano Lesson. We will continue Tuesday.

Thursday

Students presented themes, characters, and concepts from The Piano Lesson. We will continue Monday.

Wednesday

Students spent today's class in the lab working on a teaching presentation on August Wilson's The Piano Lesson. The lesson is due Friday. See posts below for rubric and general requirements.

Tuesday

Today we reviewed the requirements for Thursday's presentation. (The other class presents on Friday).

Monday

Sorry for my absence today -- 

Please see the topics below for Friday's lesson -- which YOU will teach! Today, select a topic (one person per numbered topic). Present information about the topic as if you were the perfect teacher providing students with exactly what you would need to know. Note the rubric below: I have emphasized good management of technology and delivery. No lengthy fiddling about with a computer while the class waits, and no talking to yourself. Present!

Rubric

Due on December 11, 12

	Strong  2	Adequate 1	Weak 0
Five or more slides
Use of graphics, correctness
Professional handling of technology: no delay
Serious, appropriate demeanor while presenting
Content: Developed, connected, clear
Eye contact, personal communication
Note handouts provided ahead of time	12	6	0
Square root curve:

Close research into the play:

1. male/female relationships (select at least three)

Doaker/Coreen

Wining Boy/Cleotha/Lymon's mother

Berniece /Crawley/Avery/Lymon

Lymon/Grace

Boy Willie

Berniece's mother and father

2. Songs and music -- function in the play

3. Motif: Parts or halves: (belief/Bible/piano)

4. Charles family tree: get fluent and clear about relationships

Sutter family tree

Characters (philosophies, motives, loci of power, primary function in moving the play forward)

5. Doaker

6. Avery

7. Wining Boy

8. Boy Willie

9. Berniece

image/symbol

10. piano

11. Sutter's ghost

12. Ghosts of the Yellow Dog

13. Maretha (small bit character: her impact is largely symbolic, n'est-ce pas?

Theme and comment

14. Final scene

Friday

Close research into the play -- and here is the rubric.

Presentations due on Thursday, December 11.

1. male/female relationships (select at least three)

Doaker/Coreen

Wining Boy/Cleotha/Lymon's mother

Berniece /Crawley/Avery/Lymon

Lymon/Grace

Boy Willie

Berniece's mother and father

Songs

2. Motif: Parts or halves: (belief/Bible/piano)

3. Charles family tree: get fluent and clear about relationships

Sutter family tree

Characters (philosophies, motives, loci of power, primary function in moving the play forward)

4. Doaker

5. Avery

6. Wining Boy

7. Boy Willie

8. Berniece

image/symbol

9. piano

10. Sutter's ghost

11. Ghosts of the Yellow Dog

Theme and comment

12. Final scene

Begin work on this project OR organize yourselves into reading a crucial part of the play. If you have questions, email me or post comments to this post.

Teacher, next class is Pointe Time. Please encourage them to bring products for Back the Pack and to remember others at holidays.

Thursday

Students took a quiz on The Piano Lesson and finished creative presentations. Now they are to look at the following topics and prepare to teach a lesson on the ideas and their ramifications. Consider a partner or go it alone. Here are the areas to focus your rereading:

Close research into the play:

male/female relationships

Doaker/Coreen

Wining Boy/Cleotha/Lymon's mother 

Berniece /Crawley/Avery/Lymon

Lymon/Grace

Boy Willie

Berniece's mother and father

Songs

Halves (belief/Bible/piano)

Charles family tree

Sutter family tree

Characters, philosophies, motives, loci of power

Doaker

Avery

Wining Boy

Boy Willie

Berniece

Wednesday

Students took a quiz on The Piano Lesson and finished creative presentations. Now they are to look at the following topics and prepare to teach a lesson on the ideas and their ramifications. Consider a partner or go it alone. Here are the areas to focus your rereading:

Close research into the play:

male/female relationships

Doaker/Coreen

Wining Boy/Cleotha/Lymon's mother

Berniece /Crawley/Avery/Lymon

Lymon/Grace

Boy Willie

Berniece's mother and father

Songs

Halves (belief/Bible/piano)

Charles family tree

Sutter family tree

Characters, philosophies, motives, loci of power

Doaker

Avery

Wining Boy

Boy Willie

Berniece

Tuesday

Students presented creative projects. Read the remainder of The Piano Lesson by Thursday, and expect a reading check-type quiz.

Monday

Students presented creative projects. Read the remainder of The Piano Lesson by Wednesday, and expect a reading check-type quiz.

Tuesday

It's Thanksgiving, so thanks, Squanto!

Please be ready to present your creative work on the day of your return to class. Also, read all of Act I of The Piano Lesson.

Monday

We spent today hearing and seeing heartbreaking works of staggering genius. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for all of you.

Friday

TOK met and I kept the remainder of the class. Students read Act 1 to its completion and selected a section to extract for a commentary and provided justification for their choices.

Berta Berta

Thursday

Nobody showed up! Work on those creative projects!

Wednesday

Students discussed and questioned the text about Doaker's railroads today and then read the remainder of I.i aloud. They then received a new text for Friday's discussion. Here is the selection.

For one thing, look at it for signs of authenticity. Contrast Avery's speech with Doaker's.

Destino

Tuesday

Today was a repetition of yesterday's material. This class also circulated a sign-up sheet for things to bring for the coffee house on Monday.

Monday

Students read more of the play in class and received a passage to mark up for Wednesday. What world review is revealed in this passage? (Several world views are placed into competition. This one is Doaker's). Here is the extract.

Friday

Students today did the same as B-day yesterday -- posted below.

Thursday

Students wrote a commentary on the setting and stage directions of The Piano Lesson by August Wilson.

Wednesday

Like yesterday, but with these additional topics

1. Black Muslim
2. Origin myth of Elijah Muhammed
3. Malcolm X and his differences with Elijah Muhamme
4. Bessie Smith, her music, and her influence on Wilson (can you insert "Jelly Roll"?)
5. Race and religion to Wilson and in his work

Tuesday

The show

Students created slides for a class slide show on the life and times of August Wilson. Those who missed class should band together into two small groups to complete the assignment on

5. quotes from August Wilson
7. quotes about Wilson's work

Do this on August Wilson:

Go to lab.

Fire up Powerpoint and Explorer.

Check into Discus and a couple of other reputable sites.

Research one of the following about Wilson:

1. August Wilson: the Early Years (through high school)
2. Education after high school
3. Primary influences on Wilson's work -- include patrons and support groups
4. Major themes running throughout Wilson's work (view on history/identity/religion?)
5. A selection of quotes by (and maybe one about) Wilson
6. The man's legacy
7. Critical quotes ABOUT Wilson's work

Each slide should have

• a clear, proportional, RELATED image

• CONCISE text

• a tiny citation in MLA style at the bottom of the slide (like, 10 pt.)

• drop it to me as Names.Wilson1 or Names.Wilson2

Monday

Brie	1
Blake	2
Victoria	3
Ryan	4
Daniel	5
Zephania	6
Kayla	7
Holden	8
Le	9
Kailyn	10
Andy	11
Taylor	12

I think all these students have their books, but if not, they should get the appropriately numbered book. The copies of The Piano Lesson are on the long table.

BUT FIRST,
Look at "Woman's Constancy." Here is a paraphrase. After reading and comprehending the poem on a literal level, look closely at the highlighted part. Write EXACTLY ONE PAGE of clear, precise analysis of the sound, structure, and rhythm of these lines. But first, we have to determine a purpose for these enjambments, caesuras, and de-emphasized rhymes. Could it be something like, "The sound, rhythm, and structure of these lines reflect the emotional insecurity (aggressiveness, anger, instability?) of the speaker." Then show what is unstable, insecure, or aggressive about it. Determine whether you think the speaker really believes that women are so untrue or whether the speaker is actually driving her away and trying to blame her for it.

THEN,
Really check the world premier assignment posted Friday. Make Thanksgiving week special.

AND FINALLY,
Read Act 1, Scene 1 in The Piano Lesson for Wednesday. Pay special attention to stage directions.

Friday

Students reviewed "Woman's Constancy" and received The Piano Lesson by August Wilson. The assignment is to read Act I, Scene 1 for Tuesday. Students should pay special attention to stage directions and all they reveal.

They also received the premier announcement of the next big thing, a three-part creative assignment: "Variations on a Theme."

CONSIDER a theme or recurring obsession of your own.
DECIDE how to comment on that theme.
CREATE a poem as either a spoken word performance or as a written piece that you will read to the class.
CREATE an audio-visual show that presents the same theme and a similar comment but in a new medium of video or slide show. Avoid lyrics in music that will interfere with or carry the theme: go for instrumentals. No spoken language allowed. The language must be visual and accompaniment must be aural.
CREATE a prose piece that works the same theme. Make it between one and three pages in length. Double space and type. Present it as well.

Have this art show ready for Thanksgiving week performances: that will be Monday and Tuesday, November 24 and 25. If you are skipping off to St. Thomas on the Friday before, then your due date is the Friday before, and you will miss the party (with pie).

This project is an INDIVIDUAL expression. You may certainly recruit help in producing its constituents, but YOU, individual guy, are solely responsible for its final form. I recommend you ask for and give help to classmates in the video portion.

Thursday

Students reviewed "Hymn to God, My God, in My Sickness." They also viewed two quality commentaries on separate poems. Of Donne, one remains: "Woman's Constancy."

Students also received The Piano Lesson by August Wilson.

Wednesday

Many students were in TOK. Remaining students shared their takes on sound in "The Prohibition" and did preliminary work on "The Indifferent." For next class, we'll look at "The Indifferent" in-depth as a class.

Monday

A-day students, being somewhat confusing or confused, studied "The Indifferent" in class today.

Friday

Students studied "Hymn to God, My God, in My Sickness."

For Wednesday, B-day should perfect the responses on sound in "The Prohibition."

Thursday

Students studied "The Prohibition," discussed a video adaptation of the poem, and closely looked at aspects of sound.

Wednesday

Students studied "The Prohibition." We spent part of the class outside.

Tuesday

Students studied "Love's Usury."

Monday

Students reviewed and discussed "Love's Usury" in class today.

Thursday

Students finished presentations and took the Lit Terms 4 quiz.

Here is "A Finger, Two Dots Then Me" by Derrick Brown. (Explore the rest of the site -- Andrew Allen is a curator of the site).

Students studied, among themselves, "Love's Usury."

Wednesday

Students wrote their timed commentaries in class.

All missing Lit Term quizzes from B-day should be made up in ICU Wednesday or Thursday.

Mr. Galeota has graciously allowed us to perform imaginaterpretive thingies Thursday at the very start of second block.

Tuesday

A-day wrote timed commentaries in class today. We will finish all presentations on Thursday. A-day only will take the Lit Terms quiz.

Monday

Please place all preliminary drafts to your commentaries, stapled together, on the roll table by the door as you enter. Or after you have been seated and have seen this note, place them there...

Note that you will have a timed commentary in class on Wednesday. Prepare by reviewing all poems we have discussed in class -- including today's poem, "Love's Usury." This assignment will be the last grade in the quarter.

Be seated in a nice, cozy circle. Take the poem, "Love's Usury." Read it aloud at least twice. Come on, readers! Step up. Justin, how about you? On the second reading, try ACTING! (By the way, I'm really sorry I'm not there for the imaginaterpretive thingies today. Can you please have them Wednesday or Thursday (if Mr. Galeota allows)?

First, choose a facilitator among yourselves -- someone who can help guide the conversation through these steps. Of course, everybody should help with this, but it helps to have one who is thinking about it. (Facilitator: don't rush it, and fear not when silence descends like a pall. Which isn't likely knowing this crowd).

Then, after the readings, discuss the unfamiliar terms and phrases. Look them up, if necessary. And answer -- why is this guy "praying" to the god of love now? Does he feel himself falling? No? Wut?

Next, discuss in depth all figures of speech. Line by line, identify any figures of speech you see. You can use your "Lit Terms" handout if you need to. Note them on the poem and discuss with the group to have consensus on what figure it is (metonymy? metaphor?) Be sure you realize what comparisons reside in those figures, and discuss how the figures affect meaning. Put little stars by the two or three standout figures of speech that you find most important to the poem. You might identify other aspects of the poem that can be identified with your "literary terms" under "meaning."

Then discuss in depth all aspects of structure and form that contribute to the poem's overall effect. Note the stanza form and the meter. Any reasons for these choices that you can see? Does it fit within Alicia's hypothesis about Twoo Wove, Devotional, and Cynical poems? Explain that to each other.

Finally, take on sound. Discuss and choose two limited, key spots in the poem where sound stands out the most -- where has the poet interfered most flagrantly with the established meter? Where does he use other aspects of sound as defined in your lit terms? What effect do his disruption of pattern and his re-establishment of pattern have on the poem? (It won't always be directly about meaning...)

Apply this thinking to other poems to prepare for the commentary.

TEACHER: The Pointe Time plans are as follows -- Explain that we are trying to gather some data on student understanding of PBIS. Here is a link to a quiz students are to take in Pointe Time to help collect that data. Allow them to use their phones for this (I guess -- how else?) After the quiz, link to this video. Ms. Dreher next door may be helpful in explaining the assignments for this time, but the video is related to Ms. Fields's "Celebrate My Drive" initiative. Now go to the third block web site.

Thursday

Commentaries from A-day should be submitted to Dropbox, named as instructed and formatted according to MLA style. All previous drafts and comments should be turned in during class tomorrow. Papers NOT in the Dropbox, not named correctly, or not formatted according to MLA style will not be timely but late. Attempt to improve all areas I commented on. Please pay attention to detail on your last draft.

A number of students seem to be willing to fail utterly. I am surprised and taken aback. Please don't be that guy!

A-day will also have a lit terms quiz on Sound and all preceding terms.

Wednesday

Students presented their imaginaterpretive thingies and studied "Love's Growth." See below and calendar for upcoming assignments.

Tuesday

Several students made up the Lit Terms Quiz. We reviewed "Love's Growth" and the class had some very interesting takes on it.

Tomorrow, we begin presentations of the imaginaterpretive thingy. Thursday and Friday classes will take the fourth lit terms quiz.

Friday (A) and Monday (B) are due dates for the written commentaries dropped into Dropbox. Old drafts should be resubmitted on the same dates.

On October 21 and 22, students will write in-class timed commentaries, which will complete the nine weeks' work. The last day of the quarter is October 23.

Friday

Students took a Lit Terms quiz. I acquainted them with important deadlines listed on the calendar in in Thursday's post. Class reviewed "Twickenham Garden."

Thursday

A class diminished by the SAT prep course took Lit Terms Quiz 3 and reviewed "Twickenham Garden."

See the calendar for upcoming deadlines to the end of the quarter. The "timed commentary," having only one item in it at quarter's end, will weigh ten percent of the quarter grade.

Oct. 15-16: Imaginaterpretive Thingy
Oct. 16-17: Lit terms quiz 4
Oct. 17-20: Final drafted commentary (graded with rubric)
Oct. 21-22: Timed written commentary

Wednesday

Oh. So. I see how it is.

Remember the lit terms quiz tomorrow. See the October 2 post below for a larger description of expectations for that quiz.

Bring fresh minds to "Twickenham Garden" and "Love's Growth."

Presentations are due on October 15/16.

Tuesday

Remember the lit terms quiz from "Structure and Form" on Thursday/Friday. Also, the imaginaterpretive thingy is due on October 15/16. Theater students who will perform live go upon their return; those theater students who mean to produce a video, submit it BEFORE you go.

Today, go look at "Twickenham Garden" and do the responses attached. Write neatly on your own paper. Submit to the teacher at end of class. Then you may work as teams on your presentations for next week.

Teacher: Please display the linked file and scroll up or down according to student need. The poem should be read aloud at least twice in class.

Monday

Remember the lit terms quiz from "Structure and Form" on Thursday/Friday. Also, the imaginaterpretive thingy is due on October 15/16. Theater students who will perform live go upon their return; those theater students who mean to produce a video, submit it BEFORE you go.

Today, go look at "Twickenham Garden" and do the responses attached. Write neatly on your own paper. Submit to the teacher at end of class. Then you may work as teams on your presentations for next week.

Teacher: Please display the linked file and scroll up or down according to student need. The poem should be read aloud at least twice in class.

Friday

Classes met with Mr. Galeota for a history assessment today. The imaginaterpretive thingy is due on October 15/16. Expect a lit terms quiz on "Structure and Form" terms on October 9-10.

Thursday

Class met all together in English. Students took a literary terms quiz and examined "The Relic." Imaginaterpretive Thingies are due on Oct. 15 and 16. Meet all together in history tomorrow.

Next lit terms quiz will be Thursday and Friday, October 9 and 10. It will focus on the "Structure and Form" words but will be recursive. Five items will require you to apply "meaning" terms. You will have to call them up from your memory, not from a list, and you will need to be able to apply the best term to a sentence. For example:

21.______ The White House is angry with the suits down at the Secret Service. And I don't think the Crown is much happier with her British security.

You write metonymy.

Wednesday

Today's poem was "The Sun Rising." Students received a new assignment, the imaginaterpretive thingy, which is due on October 15/16. The rubric is linked in yesterday's post.

Tuesday

First, if you have not done so, read the post below called "Monday 2."

Students received word of a new interpretive project, one I have named, in the scholarly tradition, Imaginaterpretive Thingy. It is due on October 15/16. The rubric is here.

Remember your quiz Thursday on the "Meaning" items on your Literary Terms list.

Monday 2

1. Drafts of "drafted writing" should be fully formatted according to MLA style before you submit them to me.
2. Deadlines refer to the time a paper should be submitted. Henceforth, that time is 8:00 A.M. By 8:00 A.M. of the due date papers must be labeled "Lastname.firstname.tag," in MLA format, and dropped in the Dropbox. Email me by 8:00 if you need the paper printed. Papers not submitted by that time, formatted as instructed, or submitted without following that naming protocol will not be accepted as timely and will receive no more than 80% credit. See the published grading policy. At the end of one week, the grade drops to zero.
3. Drafts should represent your full effort. I do not wish to waste my time making suggestions that you would come up with on your own if you only tried. That practice would simply represent your success at shifting work you can do onto me, a practice I do not want to enable. Further, I do not wish to compose another rubric for drafts, and I do not think that is required of me. I am going to judge your work at this stage on the basis of my own experience -- experience that cannot be so easily codified. I will decide whether your paper is a good-faith effort (100), a partial effort or a searching one that is somewhat developed (80), or an undeveloped paragraph or two tossed in my general direction (50). 
4. If you see and understand, respond to me in an email before you come to your next class with the following text: "This is ___your name___, and I understand."

Monday

Students provided peer assessment of each others' drafts today. A student capably taught aspects of "The Triple Fool."

Friday

Here is a pdf of the literary terms list from which I will take all of your quizzes. A-day, for Tuesday of next week, prepare for the words under the "Meaning" heading. For B-day, make that Wednesday.

Let's make that Thursday for everyone. We will all meet together on Thursday because you will have a history test on Friday.

Today's poem was "The Triple Fool."

Thursday

Today's poem was "The Undertaking." Students annotated the poem and helped make reasonable meaning of it. B-day's first TYPED, fully developed draft is due Monday.

Interesting comments on meter in "The Triple Fool."

on "The Sun Rising"

Wednesday

Today's poem was "The Undertaking." After that reading, students worked on individual written commentaries. Those commentaries are due on Friday, typed, formatted, and fully developed.

Tuesday

Today was much like A-day Monday, but students had less time to work on their own commentaries. Bring necessary things to work on those commentaries with you to class on Thursday.

Monday

Today was A-day, and students received "Song" and worked out personal responses to it. They had about 30 minutes to work on their own chosen poems for the written commentary due on Friday/Monday. They also took a literary terms quiz.

Friday

Today students in B-day class chose their poems for written commentary. They also finished discussing main ideas and comprehension of "Love's Alchemy" and started such work on "The Good Morrow."

There will be a quiz on Tuesday for B-day on the literary terms listed below under Thursday's post.

B-day's first due date for a solid, well-constructed draft of the commentary is Monday, September 29.

Those students who were not in TOK received progress reports.

Thursday

The new poem was "The Good Morrow." Students chose their poems for written commentary. The first draft is due for A-day Friday, September 26 and for B-day Monday, September 29. There will be a quiz on literary terms Monday/Tuesday, September 22/23.  Here is the list of terms you should know by then:

speaker

tone

rhetorical stance

meter

rhythm

structure

sound

imagery

diction

metaphor

simile

analogy

irony

conceit

paradox

hyperbole

personification

allegory

apostrophe

wit

These are not "terms" but still could help with your commentaries:

intellectual emotion; emotional intellect

earthly things for intellectual or spiritual ideas

argument