Attention to dates

See your explication dates and note consequences of missed deadlines! No second drafts without the full process of the first draft. Understand this!

Grade Three (40%): complete a thorough, researched explication of one of the poems that is at least twenty lines in length. For poems longer than thirty lines, you may work stanza by stanza rather than line by line. Draw conclusions about the poem based on this close reading.
• Draft one with research sources and at least five lines attempted: March 26, both classes.


• Draft two with complete attempt, typed and formatted, my comments addressed: April 16


• Draft three with my comments addressed: April 23

• Proofread and finalize: April 30



• Graded on deadlines and response to comments. Twenty points deducted for missed deadlines; lost credit for work over a week late.

B-day situation

See Wednesday's post

If you passively waited until today to send in an explication without arranging which poem to work on with me, I will not proceed with you. The same will hold true for the memory piece if you do not arrange it with me to avoid countless repetitions of “The Mower’s Song.”

Situation at 9:27 pm

Wednesday

Good luck on your exams. Be sure to sign up for your partner, your poets, and your poems this week! A-day especially needs to secure assignments.

Final nine weeks

Final nine weeks


Grade One, due on April 16 (40%)

50% neat, organized, well-formatted, easily followed study guide submitted to me with the following information:

• your two focus poets

• three focus poems from each (one will be the flagship poem)

• five key philosophical points relevant to each poet and his age (metaphysical, romantic, Victorian)

• clear illustrations of each point with a few lines of his poetry and brief, relevant commentary

• five key biographical points about each of your focus poets that are related to their times and poetry

• three concise, pithy comments from world-class critics about each of your two poets and brief application of your understanding of these comments with reference to poetry

• adequate evidence that you have read all required poems by both poets



50% oral commentary in which you will be required (in buddy groups) to do the following during the week of April 16. Unreadiness when called on constitutes late work:

• Ten minutes for this part:

o identify, contextualize, and explain an extract from each of your poets

o apply knowledge from above (avoiding the biographical approach)

o identify key literary features (metaphor, simile, hyperbole, line length, meter, conceits, structure of entire poem or of extract, and more) and explain their contribution to meaning

o use world-class critics in a useful, pointed, appropriate way

o compare and/or contrast the work represented by each extract to another poem by the same author

o compare and/or contrast the work represented by each extract to the other extract

• Ten minutes for this part: Respond to a question in a fully developed way with reference to the Paper 2 rubric adapted for oral response



Grade Two (20%): due week of April 30 or before.

Memorize, introduce, and perform one poem from the poet you have not researched. You may pair for longer poems and interpret as we did “Prufrock.”



Grade Three (40%): complete a thorough, researched explication of one of the poems that is at least twenty lines in length. For poems longer than thirty lines, you may work stanza by stanza rather than line by line. Draw conclusions about the poem based on this close reading.

• Draft one with research sources and at least five lines attempted: March 26, both classes.

• Draft two with complete attempt, typed and formatted, my comments addressed: April 16

• Draft three with my comments addressed: April 23

• Proofread and finalize: April 30

• Graded on deadlines and response to comments. Twenty points deducted for missed deadlines; lost credit for work over a week late.

More WLA!

See format sample to the right. (Thanks, Augusta!) The works cited page comes from another source, but it shows the right indentation. Send your papers to me by email AND print them.

The cover sheet, the body contents, and the works cited page should be one document with continuing page numbers. Send both the revised WLA 1 and WLA 2 as separate documents.

File naming protocols: Last.First.WLA1.doc or Last.First.WLA2.doc

Your deadline grade will be YES or NO, and it is absolute. Any questions?

Last night at Zaxby's I asked for a side salad. The little girl did not ask for any clarification of any kind. She sent up a house salad, which is huge. I thought to myself, as many of you would, How hard is it to take an order at Zaxby's?

WLA! WLA! WLA!

WLA 2s due as finals, ready to package, on March 5. That represents a difference from what I had told A-day because Mrs. Cox says they have to be sent more than a week ahead of the IB due date in the place of assessment.

Wednesday

A-day: finish up the Conrad outline and compose a Shakespeare  one. Bring materials and resources for the WLA 2 to work on during class as I confer with individuals.

for Wednesday/Thursday

Bring in your files to work on WLA 2. I will confer with each of you about your work so far. We’ll prep a Shakespeare passage the class after. Be rereading the longer works such as Heart of Darkness and Macbeth.

Wednesday

Come to class ready to work on WLA 2. It will be a work block for that. Deadliners for the first, I'll see you at our next class meeting.

Wednesday

Read "Down the Mine" and choose a 30-40 line section to use as a basis for an oral commentary. Be prepared to defend your choice. Why this section? What do you see in it that makes it a good selection for such a task?

Monday

Read "The Spike" and prepare for a practice oral on the assigned passage.

Monday, January 30, B-day performs a self-assessed oral commentary on a new passage chosen by chance that day. Tuesday, January 31, A-day performs a self-assessed oral commentary.

Friday

Tuesday

Friday

Sign up on the sheet taped to my door for a writing conference about your WLA 2. See note below about what you need to bring.

Thursday

Finish up the writing piece after the walkabout. Read "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell. What statement does this piece make about empire? In what way, or how, does it make this statement? Do you recognize any symbols? (The symbol must have some consistency -- an elephant can't mean one thing here and another there).

Also, define these three terms in order to understand the differences among them: simile, metaphor, and analogy. Use the most appropriate terms as you discuss "Shooting an Elephant."

Plan on signing up for a time on January 19 to discuss your WLA 2. Have a tentative thesis (or hypothesis) and at least five quoted selections from which you intend to develop your hypothesis.

Wednesday

On Thursday and Friday, we're taking a walk on the wild side. So wear good shoes and bring a coat. (It will be colder Friday than it is today, Thursday!)

Tuesday

Since Mr. Galeota is out tomorrow, the whole IB English class will meet in A221 for some prep time for each group before Friday. Bring whatever materials and ideas you think you might need!

Thursday

Don't forget your question on "Preludes" under the Tuesday post. Also, note the "enduring product" portion of the assignment for January 6. That means a video, a whiteboard lesson, a powerpoint, a piece of student-created art, a set of screenshots -- something that will contribute to how we study for the Eliot chance on the oral commentary AND that will contribute to next year's students.

Wednesday

Prepare a lesson with your small group for January 6 that will teach us something new about Eliot's "Preludes."

Required:
Typed plan with
1. objective
2. plans to meet the objective: activities, handouts, shows, demonstrations
3. an enduring product to contribute to a legacy on this subject
4. a rational, thoughtful, specific, and fair rubric for me to assess you with
5. a way to assess the learning of the class

You have between 10 and 15 minutes. Otherwise, you are pretty free.