Congrats to You

I want to congratulate you all for completing the exam! No matter what score you receive, you are a winner! Studies show that simply sitting for the exam increases your chance of success in college--so TAKE THAT COLLEGE. You are all on your way and I hope you will remember me when...

Lauren

Homework for the week of April 27, 2009

Monday, April 27, 2009: In class, multiple choice practice
homework: work on scenes

Tuesday, April 28, 2009: In class, discuss multiple choice and analyze poem
homework: finish essay and bring in your typed scenes for Candido.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009:
In class: the actors will read your scripts
homework: finish your essay if you did not do so and bring in a poem to read aloud for Poem in Your Pocket Day...be ready to discuss the poem in literary terms using the steps we've learned to help us analyze a poem.

Thursday, April 30, 2009:
In class: Reading poems in class to honor the love of poetry.
Homework: Bring in your index cards about the works of literature you know

Friday, May 1, 2009:
In class: Review--open question practice
homework: Another essay practice! I know, I know.

Tips for Scene Writing

1) Try not to have too many characters. No more than four.
2) Write about something that is familiar to you.
3) Keep it simple.
4) It doesn't have to be chronological. Plays can jump forward or backward in time.
5) Dialogue! Remember there isn't a whole lot of descriptive writing. It's all stage directions and dialogue unless your character is singing or giving a vivid image of something he or she sees/has seen/ would like to see one day.
6) Turning point. Remember to focus on a play in which the character changes by the end of the piece.

HAVE FUN!

Homework for the Week of April 20, 2009

Tuesday: In class, we reviewed the AP sample multiple choice questions as well as the techniques to use when analyzing a poem. We discussed "La Belle Dame Sans Merci."
Homework: Prepare your scenes for Candido. You should write at least two scenes.

Wednesday: Candido comes to school.
Homework: You should work on your scenes

Thursday: Boys vs. Girls review for the AP examathon.
Homework: Please study your terms

Friday: In class timed essay practice and check-in to evaluate how to play it next week. Homework: TBD

Ruined Comparison Papers

For all those looking for a place to post their papers (like myself), I created a post to organize them so that Lauren wouldn't have to go hunting for them. Additionally, the whole blog stays organized, and there's no confusion. (Thank you sweet Admin privileges!)

Reflection: What kind of writer am I?

It is time to look at yourself in the mirror...well, sort of. Look at your writing, and the rubric we use in class to evaluate your writing. What are your strengths? Do you have a strong voice when you write? Does your personality come through on the paper? Or, in your quest to sound professional, are you sounding dry and formal? Do your sentences have strong verbs or do you find yourself using the passive voice too often? Do you structure your essay so that your argument grows ever more forceful, like a piece of music, reaching a crescendo and then resolving sweetly at the end? Or does it all sound the same? How are your conclusions? Your introductions? Are your sentences varied or are they all the identical length? Do you pause for effect? Make use of rhetorical questions? How often do you include descriptive adjectives and other modifiers---to make the words come alive on the page? What are your weaknesses? How is your grammar? Where would you like to see yourself go next (as a writer)? What do you have to do to get there?

Homework for the week of March 23, 2009

Monday, March 23, 2009
In class: you will take the SRI test and discover your lexile score.
Homework: Please bring ALL of your essays to class so that we can compile them.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009:
In class: Revision work and 1:1 conferences.
Homework: Reflective piece on your own writing.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009:
In class: MTC & trip!
Homework: Comparative reflective piece on reading vs. seeing the play

Thursday, March 26, 2009:
In class: Their Eyes Were Watching God Intro/discussion
Homework: Read to chapter 13. Revisions for Ruined are due--typed, MLA format

Friday, March 27, 2009:
In class: Discussion
Homework: Finish the novel

Discussion Questions for Ruined

1) Is there anyone in the play who escapes from some form of damage--either psychological, physical or both? Defend your answer with passages from the text.
2) How are birds used as symbols in the play? Defend your answer with passages from the text.
3) What is the climax of the play? Defend your answer.
4) Discuss the role of power in the play. Who has it, how does it shift, and why is it important?
5) how are women symbols of Africa? Defend your answer.
6) Which male character do you most sympathize with and why?
7) How are songs and poems used in the play? How do they help the play?
8) How would you relate the play to the expression, "the political is personal, the personal is political"?
9) Which female character do you sympathize the most with and why?
10) What is your favorite moment in the play? Why?