Day Twenty-One / 3.29.10

Today we had the Vocabulary 12 Quiz. Then we shared our thesis statements, and peer reviewed another student's work. We also read two articles, one from the OC Register and one from the LA Times. These articles helped us see what good writing can look like, and prepared us for writing our rough drafts.

Day Twenty / 3.26.10

Today we finished Act 5, and then we brainstormed the themes of the play, evaluated how a few poems could enlighten us about these themes, and then we did a Quickwrite on how we thought one song/poem related Romeo & Juliet's themes. We also made a quick diagram, brainstorming for essays #2 and #3.

Here are the poems that we evaluated in class.

And here is a quick gallery walk, of famous artwork related to Romeo & Juliet. Quiz yourself to see if you can recognize the different parts of the play the paintings reference (the titles help). And, if you're feeling really adventurous, explore how the artist interprets these scenes, and whether or not they reveal something new or interesting about the scene through the painting.

Ford Madox Brown. Romeo and Juliet, 1867.
Frank Dicksee. Romeo and Juliet, 1884.
Richard Dadd. Sketch for the Passions. Love, 1853.
Henry William Bunbury. Romeo and Juliet with Friar Laurence, 1792-96.
John R. S. Stanhope. Juliet and Her Nurse, 1863.
Philip H. Calderon. Juliet, exhibited in 1888.
William Hatherell. "Where's Romeo?", c. 1912.
Frederic Lord Leighton. The Reconciliation of the Montagues and Capulets over the Dead Bodies of Romeo and Juliet, 1853-55.
Frederic Lord Leighton. The Reconciliation of the Montagues and Capulets, 1854.

Day Nineteen / 3.25.10

Today we took Quiz #2, then watched Act 4 of Romeo & Juliet. After that, we did a group activity on allusions to Romeo & Juliet in contemporary pop-culture. We analyzed different song lyrics, comparing their use of the play with our knowledge of the play.

For the handout and a list of all the song lyrics, click here.

Day Eighteen / 3.23.10

Today we did a quick Romeo & Juliet check-up, to see what we've understood and what we haven't. And then we had a guest speaker, Mr. Jones, talk to us about the benefits of reading, writing, and paying attention in your freshman English class.

Here's the check-up, and a list of potential quotes for the quiz on Wednesday.

Day Seventeen / 3.19.10

Today we watched/read the rest of Act 3, and did a Quickwrite reflecting on the Friar's plan for Romeo and Juliet (and predicting what may happen next). Mr. Ankeny note: The Quickwrites were very thoughtful, and you all showed a good understanding of the story and made informed (based on the text) decisions on whether or not you think the Friar's plan will work. Nice work.

Day Sixteen / 3.17.10

Today we went over the essays, the Great Chain of Being and 4 Humors, and started Act 3. Remember, you can change your essay topic at anytime. The Thesis is due 3.29.10, and the Rough Draft is due 4.2.10.

Here are the 3 different essay choices: 1. The Creative Type; 2. The Reflective Type; 3. The Observant Type.

And here is a document explaining the Chain of Being / 4 Humors.

Day Fifteen / 3.15.10

Today we turned in Vocabulary 11 Packet, took Vocabulary 11 Quiz, and started Vocabulary 12 Packet.

For Wednesday, bring (or e-mail me: ankenym@uci.edu) your R&J E-mail conversation from Act 2. Be sure to have 3 paragraphs (1. Summary, 2. Quote/Importance, 3. Predictions).

Day Fourteen / 3.12.10

Today we took our first R&J Quiz (see below below). Then we constructed some love poems (see below). We finished Act 2, wrote a Quickwrite, and selected our Essay Topic

Here is the Quiz #1 helper-sheet and some student love poetry samples.

Day Thirteen / 3.10.10

Today we went over love poetry in R&J and how it compares to contemporary poets. We followed Juliet's development during the balcony scene, as she progressed from a playful, flirtatious, "puppy love," to a mature, rational, patient love. Here is the document we went over today: R&J Love Poetry.

And here's the video: Shihan's "Love Like" (unedited, contains some profanity).

Day Twelve / 3.8.10

Today we're doing Vocabulary Quiz #10, after we turn in the packet for Vocabulary #10. After that, we'll go over the words for Vocabulary #11.

Finally, we'll start watching the end of Act 1 and the start of Act 2. We'll be reading along in our own book, stopping to discuss, and evaluating the BBC's interpretation of the play. If you'd like more information about the movie version we'll be seeing in class today, go here.

Day Eleven / 3.5.10

Today we discussed why Shakespeare doesn't tell his readers why the Capulets and Montagues are fighting. Then we read the majority of Act 1, stopping to do a Quickwrite about "Was Juliet too young to get married?" We ended with some showing off of the calves, and the men trying some 17th Century Pick-up Lines.

Here's some leg from the Renaissance (Michelangelo): The Creation, showing some calf muscle.
And an Elizabethan man, showing some virility via a calf flex:

And here are the pick up lines:

Day Ten / 3.3.10

Today we went over the meaning of "mutiny," we drew family trees for the Montagues and Capulets, we went over the assignments for R&J and we started Act 1.

Here's the assignment sheet for R&J.