Just a reminder for those who missed the announcement today:
All make-up work (missed projects, essay re-writes, etc.) is due by Friday. I will not be accepting anything after the 2nd. If you would like to know what your grade is right now, come see me tomorrow. I will be happy to show you any outstanding assignments you may have.
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I know you guys are busy with finals coming and all, but I think you might enjoy this
fiction series by Slate.com.
Make some cocoa. Have a seat. Do some reading. Relax.
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You guys have been doing a great job reading and managing your time with this project. I was met with skepticism when I asked around about going forward with a student-run project, but you all have exceeded even my expectations. Keep up the good work.
For those who missed today, contact your group members about planning for the final project. I went around to each group today and brainstormed ideas and possibilities, so you may have some catching up to do.
If you are going to miss tomorrow (because of the Spanish field trip or because it is Friday), please stay in contact with your group over the weekend, or plan to begin work on the final project before Monday. Also, you must bring two completed discussion worksheets on Monday. This is one to make up for Friday, and one for the discussion on Monday. I will not accept late work on this project.
As I said, you guys are doing amazing work. Keep it up. I can't wait to see the final projects!
Also, there is a Town Hall Meeting tonight (check our school's website for time and location). I will be attending, if you or your parents would like to meet up with me in person. As always, you or your parents can schedule a meeting with me any time via email.
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In case you lose your copy of one of the worksheets, here are the Word documents. If you want to download them and fill them in on the computer, you are welcome to do so.
Let me know if you have any questions.
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Literary Presentations of Brit Lit Students for Make Benefit Glorious Brit Lit Class
Because I want each of you to play to your strengths, I am not going to give you many guidelines as a class. On Thursday 25th, I will speak to each of your groups about how you would like to present your work. Here are some things to consider before Thursday:
How will you, as a group, present the novel?
If you want to work together on a single presentation:
Decide which genre you wish to work within:
- Theatre
- Visual art
- Cinema
Music
Divide work appropriately. Ensure that each member of your group knows exactly what is expected of him or her. For example:
- If you have an artist and two essayists, create a graphic interpretation of the novel
- If you are actors, present a fast-forward version of the novel, with costumes and minimalist sets
- If you are musicians or musically inclined, create a compilation CD (complete with original cover art) for the novel
- Make a video highlighting important themes/scenes in the novel
| If you want to work individually on parts of the novel:
Decide who will work on which part. Things to take into consideration:
- Will you divide it into parts (1st 1/3, 2nd 1/3, 3rd 1/3)?
Will you each choose a character or theme to work with?
Once you have divided the novel, choose how you will present your individual section. Here are some ideas, but you are free to come up with your own:
- Painting/collage of character, including aspects of his or her personality and symbols of his or her life
- Graphic work of your portion of the work
- Essay exploring themes, characterization, or historical importance of your part of the novel
- Written interpretation of your part (new ending, new beginning, part from a different point of view)
|
Remember, this project is worth 120 points—enough to make or break your grade—begin work on your presentation as soon as you make your plan.
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Here we go, the final leg of this semester. Our next project will be worth a total of 300 points, with 180 of them going to your Discussion grade (quizzes, etc), and 120 going to the Paper section of your grade (essays, etc). This means that the rest of the year should look something like this in your calendars:
So, for Monday, each member of your group should fill out the worksheet for his or her position in the discussion. We'll talk about the final presentations on Monday.
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Here is the plan for the rest of the week:
Tonight (Wednesday)—If you have not completed your journal for this book, please do so. Consider the three possible essay topics and choose one tonight. Make a note of pages from the book that might support an argument. You do not need a thesis statement yet—just research your chosen question. We will compile this into an outline in class tomorrow.
Thursday in class
—We will workshop ideas and each person will come up with a thesis statement based on his or her chosen prompt. We will write topic sentences and begin finding support for each paragraph point.
Thursday night
—With your outline nearly completed (I will grade based on progress in class Thursday), refine the outline, making sure every point is filled out (with evidence from the text) and supportive of your thesis.
Friday in class—We will write the essay, turn in the journals and outlines. Writing should be easy by this time as the thesis is clear, the points are organized, and everything is supported from the text.
If you have any questions, let me know.
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will continue tomorrow. We will be writing over his impact on the novel and how his death helps illustrate a negative view of mankind's innate motivations.
Keep reading; we will finish the novel before Wednesday (for the quiz).
If you are confused by the grade on your essay, come talk to me. If you are upset by the grade, come talk to me and re-write it for more points. If you are happy with your grade, keep up the good work!
I only received ONE entry for the extra credit assignment. I will accept no more for this one, but I may assign more in the distant future. (Awk, but you know what I mean.)
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Remember to read chapters 9 and 10 over the weekend and journal what you read.
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Reminder: Essay on Friday. We will discuss the prompt in class tomorrow, and an outline for the essay will be due/graded on Friday along with your journals.
While going over your quizzes I have noticed that some of you are confused by what exactly constitutes the "tone" of a passage. I have described tone as how a piece "feels" or what "mood" the author seems to be in when he or she writes a piece. To help you discover the tone of future pieces, here is a list of tonal words (in no particular order):
boring
poignant
sympathetic
afraid
detached
contemptuous
happy
confused
apologetic
hollow
childish
| angry
sad
sentimental
sharp
cold
fanciful
upset
urgent
complimentary
silly
joking
| joyful
peaceful
horrific
allusive
mocking
sarcastic
sweet
objective
nostalgic
vexed
vibrant
| tired
frivolous
irreverent
bitter
audacious
benevolent
dreamy
shocking
seductive
restrained
somber
| giddy
pitiful
dramatic
provocative
didactic
proud
candid
zealous
condescending
humorous |
How many do you already recognize from Lord of the Flies? Tone can be an important aspect of an analysis, and you can write an entire essay defending a thesis statement such as: "Although the island in Lord of the Flies seems to be a paradise at first, the author foreshadows later events through the oppressive tone used when he describes the boys' surroundings."
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The Monday quiz has been moved to Tuesday 2nd.
We will be reading chapters 3-5 for Wednesday, so don't be thrown by the change in dates.
If you are having trouble with your reading journals, look over your symbolism notes from today. The conch, Piggy's glasses, the scar, the fire, the main characters, and (later) the pigs are all very symbolic. Imagine what they could represent, then look for proof in the book. Copy these passages and write a comment for each. For example:
"[Jack's] mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness" (Golding 63).
Jack is slowly becoming more savage. The island (mud) is slowly covering any sense of civility he has. By becoming "liberated," he removes what he feels to be the shackles of civilization and reverts to a more primitive state, free of morality ("shame") and responsibility ("self-consciousness").
[Edit: Just in case you want to read ahead, the essay on Friday will be over chapters 1-8. Reading journals will also be due at that time.]
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but a Newton is fruit and cake.
We have extra credit here, folks.
Take a look at this satirical essay from The Onion, everyone's most trusted news source. In a 500 word essay, comment on a current commercial or ad campaign. Feel free to be as ironic as you like, but you must use the rhetorical language we discussed in the previous advertising unit. Include a copy of the ad in your essay and post your questions below.
This will be worth 20 points. That is two quizzes, two-thirds of an essay. Write well and your grade will thank you.
This will be due a week from today, no exceptions (even if you're absent).
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