Thursday

Tomorrow, Friday, both classes meet with Mr. Belk. On Monday, A-day finishes Macbeth and works on commentary prep. On Wednesday, A-day performs commentaries for a major grade. Be certain of partnerships. B-day does all on Tuesday and Thursday.

Thursday

Monday, all students meet with Mr. Belk. Tuesday is Career Day, so please find a great career. Friday, you will all take a test with Mr. Belk. I will see all of you on Wednesday and Thursday. We will finish the movie Macbeth and work on oral commentaries from the play. Be ready to perform the commentary on the first day that you return the following week. See calendar.

Donuts!

Saturday

This is a dark day. Carolina beat number one Alabama, and Clemson lost. I have lived too long.

Thursday

I have yielded to pleading and moved the group performance back one day. The individual performance due date remains unchanged.

Tuesday

See the rubrics and the calendar dates to the right.

Monday/Tuesday

Prepare your group adaptation for October 11-12; prepare your individual recitation for October 15 and 18. See calendar for affirmation.

Thursday/Friday

In addition to finishing the play, shuffle through the pages to find suitable passages of from 20-30 lines in length that express a complete idea that you will memorize and present in a dramatic monologue. Small passages by servants and others can be done by classmates. Choose three passages: one from the first third of the play, one from the second third, and one from the third third. Prioritize them. WE will lock down the passages during next class.

 

Also, with a group of two-four people, choose a crucial portion of the play (again, choose more than one so we don't all do the same portion) and thoroughly modernize the play. Consciously choose setting and thematic highlights.

 

For both performances, prepare a statement of intent with clear context and defined features that govern your dramatic choices.

Wednesday

Everybody: finish the play by Monday/Tuesday.

Monday

Tuesday's class will not be quizzed or tested in any way, but please read through Act III before the next class period.

Wednesday

Read Act II for Friday/Monday.

Thursday

For Wednesday/Thursday, read Act I of Macbeth. If possible, watch Scarface. Think of a good movie date.

Note slight changes to "Project"

See post "Project" of September 8 below. It has been fleshed out a little, and a time limit has been imposed.

Wednesday

Both A and B day, bring STUFF to work on for your projects!

Project

The date for performance or presentation of your projects is Monday/Tuesday, September 20/21.
1. Identify work and author
2. Contextualize the passage and read aloud, or read select portions that will make sense.
3. Show what literary element, device, style choices, or other artistic methodology you notice in the extract.
4. Tell your intentions as specifically as possible, like a "statement of intent."
5. Perform or display your work.
6. Stand for questions.
7. Assessment: Columns A and B of the oral commentary rubric adjusted to 100-point scale. Detailed evidence and analysis must show.
8. Time limits: minimum five minutes; maximum ten minutes (-10 if outside limits)

For Friday/Monday

Reset: Find a passage you think is crucial in Heart of Darkness. Find something important about the methods, the ways by which Conrad communicates ideas and creates effects. Plan an alternative way to highlight these methods creatively. Have your passage and idea on Friday/Monday. Plan also to set the due date for the final work.

Wednesday

Remember to bring in your findings on the assigned passages: you are looking for images, image patterns (imagery), and making hypotheses about symbols.

Donuts are holey

Please remember to bring a buck if you want some dough.

 

Nuts, that is.

Monday

For Wednesday/Thursday, finish Heart of Darkness. Study the literary terms that are in the right hand column. You will need to use these terms next class.

Friday

OK, yall, look at the blog. You will find two versions of Heart of Darkness that are searchable. You can copy text from them too, so you do not have to write out anything as long as you have access to a printer. Commentary passages should be between 25-40 lines, so it will almost always print on a single page. Look on the right for a downloadable .pdf. Further down, under "Handy Dandy Links," you will find an internet link to an online version of the same novella. (Look up "novella" and use that word when referring to this little book).