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.

Day Nine / 3.1.10

Today we turned in Vocabulary Packet #9 and took the correlating vocabulary quiz.

We also went over Vocabulary Packet #10 words. VP#10 is due next Monday, March 8th.

Shakespeare Rap

Many of the Shakespeare/Hip-Hop poems/raps turned out excellent. And hopefully we've learned that Shakespeare isn't all that intimidating, or different, from language used today. At the very least, we've seen that the 16th and 21st centuries both use similar literary devices: alliteration, analogies, and rhyme. Here's an excellent rap constructed by a few of your classmates (note the 14 line format; very sonnet-esk):

You make my heart skip the beat that I drum to,
you're all I ever wanted, but I'm terrified of you.
I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest;
love is merely a madness.

O, how I love thee! How I dote on thee!
See, I used to be a player, and all of this is new to me.
Sweet music will start, I want you to be the music of my art;
send your soul through your lips to my heart.

For such as I am all true lovers are,
if music be the food of love, play on.
You're everything, sometimes I get nervous when I'm in front of you,
the course of true love never did run smooth.

Walk this earth for her glory, I'm grateful;
to be in her presence, I try to stay faithful.

Day Eight / 2.26.10

Today we're going over the sonnet, iambic pentameter, Elizabethan England, Shakespeare's biography, and the Prologue to Romeo & Juliet.

Here's information on the Sonnet and The Globe Theatre, information on the literary devices used in R&J, Shakespeare biography questions, and the Prologue to R&J.

Day Seven / 2.24.10

Today we edited our rough draft "Ibis" papers, went over the WIBR presentation, watched a clip from Romeo & Juliet, took a survey/quiz, and made some Shakespeare raps.

Here's the What I've Been Reading assignment and the R&J Survey.

Day Six / 2.22.10

Today we went to the library to pick up Romeo & Juliet and we went over Vocabulary 9. The packet is due next Monday, 2.29. There will be a vocab quiz on 2.29 as well, if you have any questions, come see me before class or during tutorial, I'd be happy to help. And please bring R&J to class everyday.

Day Five / 2.19.10

Today we finished the Scarlet Ibis and did a Writer's Workshop. Here's the handout for the workshop. Rough drafts are due Wednesday 2.24.

Day Four / 2.17.10

Today we're starting our unit on What is Love? We'll read the following poem:

Women with Flower
Naomi Long Madgett

I wouldn’t coax the plant if I were you,
Such watchful nurturing may do it harm.
Let the soil rest from so much digging
And wait until it’s dry before you water it.
The leaf’s inclined to find its own direction;
Give it a chance to seek the sunlight for itself.

Much growth is stunted by too careful
prodding,
Too eager tenderness.
The things we love we have to learn to
leave alone.

And we're starting the "Scarlet Ibis." Here's the prompt for the paper response and vocabulary from the story.

Day Three / 2.10.10

We're going to be deconstructing Keat's "Ode," finishing our story, looking at a slide-show of beautiful/truthful pictures, and working on some grammar.

Here's a few pictures from the slide-show:
For more from this artist, go here.

For more from this artist, go here.

For more from this artist, go here.


For more from this artist, go here.

And here's Keat's "Ode" and a Grammar Quickguide.

Day Two / 2.9.10

Here's the selection from Keat's "Ode to a Grecian Urn":

When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty," - that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

And here's the Response document and the Beauty is Truth Assignment.

Year One, Day One / 2.8.10

First day of class activities:
-Hope by Langston Hughes
-Syllabus
-My Name

Here's the poem, if you missed it:

Hope
He rose up on his dying bed
and asked for fish.
His wife looked it up in her dream book
and played it.

If you'd like more information about dream books and policy playing, click here.

And here's the Syllabus, My Name Assignment, and My Name Rubric.