Monday

Please please please don't let us mess it up this time!

Wednesday Thursday Friday

A-day finished the Know-It-Alls and received an outline to help prep for Paper 2 on Tuesday. Here are some helpful documents for those who would rather succeed than complain:

Pretty Good Paper 1 Sample
Pretty Good Paper 1 Mnemonics -- study Sunday night to remember what to focus on during Paper 1
Pretty Good Paper 2 Sample (Of course, this student wrote about novels. YOU must write about your Part 3 poets: Marvell, Keats, Yeats, Plath)
Pretty Good Paper 2 Organizer -- study Monday night to better organize your thoughts. Also study your study guides thoroughly and ABOVE ALL!!! reread the poetry.

Let me suggest that David Constantine's "Watching for Dolphins" shares a great deal with Sylvia Plath's "Channel Crossing." We did not even discuss rhyme, but Constantine does use it -- slant rhyme, hard rhyme, feminine rhyme, and sometimes just plain consonance -- but there are sound correspondences that are clearly purposeful though not fixed in position.

Tuesday

Students continued their Know-It-Alls and received a small measure of guidance for preparing for their Paper 2, to be conducted on Tuesday, May 5.

Monday

A-day completed their Know-It-All projects -- except for one particular student who scampered off to more important things in Columbia. Next time we will practice approaches to paper 2 questions.

Friday

Today was another pretty good presentation day.

Announcement: If you botched your Know-It-All, you may reverse the roles and redo it for a better grade if you do so BEFORE the end of the week.

Thursday

Wow. Great start, A-day. That was terrific.

Wednesday

Students worked on Know-It-All projects. Deliveries of those babies begins Friday for B-day.

You should have, upon entering class --

1 copy of your study guide for me
Clean copies of your three (x2) poems
Clean copies of your critical quotes (x2)
A timer
A clean copy of your rubric
A world o' knowledge

Tuesday

Students worked on their Know-It-All projects. Thursday is the day! Those who are not ready when called upon will be counted late. I will randomize the names and go in the order the spreadsheet tells me to -- unless people volunteer.

Monday

Students worked on final Know-It-All projects, which are due on Thursday/Friday. Be sure to have a printed copy of your study guide with you on presentation day. Use the template provided. Be more detailed in your study guide than you are likely to have time for in your presentation.

You may have on your desk:

• a blank rubric
• a clean, unmarked copy of your three main poems
• a clean, unmarked copy of your quotes from critics

Friday

Know-It-All projects and the study guides are due in class on April 23.

Wednesday

Students completed presentations and studied "Cut" in class. All remaining time was spent working on the Know-It-All project.

No new deadlines will be in effect for any writing until I have returned your extended commentary drafts. That includes the timed commentary. I will not have another paper waiting while I have not finished the last one.

Tuesday

Students worked on the "Know-it-all project." A Word document that you should use as a template for your study guide is linked right here and in the links list to the right of the page.

Monday

Students worked on the "Know-it-all project." A Word document that you should use as a template for your study guide is linked right here and in the links list to the right of the page.

Tuesday

IB Dawgs, rejoice! I am out for one more day (I hope, only) to rest my aching back.Work on your final or on improving your extended commentary -- or, if you need to, on your fistfighting.

Thursday

Students turned in commentaries and worked to read all poems by their individual poets and classify them according to several criteria.

Tuesday

Most students were in exams, but those who were in class worked on their commentaries.

IMPORTANT: Do not remove the critical books from the classroom! Others need them too! I'm calling for the Bloom's Plath that walked out today!

Monday

This class will have some students taking IB mock exams. Some students may arrive a little late. Students attending should work on their researched commentary drafts. Papers on Friday must be double spaced and properly cited even if it is a draft. Use MLA style. The paper should look polished whether it needs content revision or not. You can lose up to 20 points on this assignment for continuing to refuse to format your paper.

Today would be well spent reading an essay in its entirety on your poem. Start with the books in the room, then try DISCUS, then Google Scholar. Do not resort to the open web. These sources will not be counted. You may use JSTOR or other college library databases. You should have at least two critics involved in the commentary.

Ms. Stinson -- I must assign a grade for students' engagement. Please not any student who accomplishes nothing or who talks incessantly off topic.

Friday

Students took their history exams today.

Thursday

Students were taking their history exams today.

Wednesday

This class will be decimated by IB exams; simply allow work time on long-term projects, especially the extended, researched commentary.