Early Days

10/3: HOMEWORK: Continue to work on the assessment (due Friday). You can see sample storyboards from class on the "sample storyboard" page (it's on the drop down menu under this page). CHECK ALL THE MODELS AND THE RESOURCES BELOW.

Finish chap 1 in All Quiet on the Western Front and make yourself a list of characters and attributes.

In class, we workshopped a student draft and we read chapter 1 in All Quiet on the Western Front.

10/2: HOMEWORK: Continue to work on the assessment (due Friday). You can see sample storyboards from class on the "sample storyboard" page (it's on the drop down menu under this page).

In class, work day for the projects/papers.

10/1: HOMEWORK: Continue to work on the assessment. You can see sample storyboards from class on the "sample storyboard" page (it's on the drop down menu under this page). In class, we worked with the poem "Facing It" and practiced storyboarding using an image.

Grammar notes: Active Voice rather than passive ("Buzz and Woody team up to defeat Sid" rather than "Sid was defeated when Buzz and Woody teamed up together." Strong, clear topic sentence ("In The Living, sustaining hope requires constant sacrifice simply to fuel the possibility of survival" instead of "Hope is an interesting idea in The Living, one that links to sacrifice."). Present tense when writing about the action in books, poems, movies. Movie and book titles are italicized.

9/27: HOMEWORK: Continue to work on the assessment. Here's the grading criteria for the projects.

In class, work on the close reading and the assessment.

Here's a sample text mark up. You'll notice that the mark up includes patterns and notes. On the side, I am working out what I think about what I discovered, including trying out a couple of possible thematic ideas. The one at the bottom (boxed) is the one that I think works best.

Here's a draft of a film paragraph. You'll see that it has a topic sentence that states the theme and then uses two scenes to make the argument.

9/26: HOMEWORK: Draft your assessment project and bring to class tomorrow.

In class, you should complete both close reading assignments ( the 2 sections from the book and the 2 scenes from film - see links below).

For those thinking about storyboarding, check this list of changes Cuaron made from novel to film.

Here's my sample list of close reading a scene from the film

Here's a video that gives you background for storyboarding.

Here's the graphic organizer for storyboarding, if you want it.

9/24: Children of Men clips:Opening scene, Julian's death, battle scene (long take), Theo and Kee's escape with baby (ceasefire), Compilation of every take longer than 45 seconds, (1:16 - tv screens on bus, 2:09 Julian and her explanation of the ringing in Theo's ear, 7:50 Julian's burial, 9:00 Fishes plot revealed, 9:57 Escape, 11:45 Faith and chance, 13:42 Janice's death, 17:06 arrival at Bexhill, 18:00 birth, 21:20 Sid's death. 24:22 - battle scene, including Luke shoots Theo).

In class: we worked in book groups, looking for close read sections that help to explore a central theme.

9/21: HOMEWORK: Continue reading and respond to end of film and connections to book. In class, we watched the rest of Children of Men.

9/20: HOMEWORK: Continue reading - finish for Friday/Monday. In class: we continued watching Children of Men.

9/18: HOMEWORK: Continue reading - finish for Friday/Monday. In class: we continued watching Children of Men.

9/17: HOMEWORK: Finish your book for Friday. In class: small group work on books. We also looked at a close reading section of Children of Men and we started the film, Children of Men.

9/14: HOMEWORK: Finish the close reading card. In class, finish up the Movie I Love + close reading work

9/13: HOMEWORK: Revise the Movie I Love paragraph (due Friday by the end of class), plus the front of the notecard.

In class: We close read sections from the choice books today and worked on the revision of the movie paragraph. There will be time tomorrow to work on it in class, but you need to meet in book groups during the period as well.

9/12: HOMEWORK: Revise the Movie I Love assignment (due Friday at the end of class), plus keep reading. Striving for 55 pages by Friday.

In class, we looked at student drafts to practice revision then received and gave response in order to begin final revision (see assignment for more).

9/11: HOMEWORK: There must be two sticky paragraphs by the end of the day today (checking at 3:00). Between now and Friday, read for 30 minutes 3x.

In class: On the top line of the notecard, write your name, the book title and the page #. Then, write about what you read. Don't give long summary but instead write about what you are thinking about, what you want to talk about, ask questions, focus on what you are noticing, etc. Think thematically about ideas the book is wrestling with: issues of power, of voice, of chance, of hope/hopelessness, of fear, of finding purpose, of othering. Fill the front of the card.

In discussion groups, use the notecards as a springboard for discussion. Find two close reading passages that will help you think about a thematic idea. After discussion, on the back of the notecard: write about your takeaways. What did you learn? What thematic ideas are you following/thinking about? Why? What are you thinking about them? What more do you need to know?

9/7: HOMEWORK: For Tuesday, if you do not have 2 sticky paragraphs, please write the second one for Tuesday. Everyone, read for at least 1/2 hour 2 times between now and Tuesday.

In class, we met in book groups and discussed. Then we practiced a close read together, and each group identified and close read two passages in order to discover more about character, relationship, etc.

Group notes (turned in for a grade) highlighted important points from the initial discussion and then discoveries made after close reads.

9/6: HOMEWORK: Do whichever you did not do in class: a minimum of one paragraph of sticky scene or read for 1/2 hour.

In class, we worked with "soundstage toys" to learn camera angles, use of lenses and camera movements and why they matter. We practiced with the opening scene from the 1989 Batman.

Work time in class: either read for 1/2 hour OR write about the film you love (do NOT reread the original paragraph. Instead, start right at the document and write about your sticky scenes: When you think about the film you love, what's sticky? When you close your eyes and think about the story, what stays with you? Character? Relationships? Belief? A particular scene? The way a character or scene makes you feel? Choose one scene that is sticky and describe in as many details as you remember, then ruse those details to help you explain why the film is worthy of love. Repeat the process for a second scene.

9/5: Homework: Read for 1/2 hour.

In class: On the notecard: What's sticky about the story? When you close your eyes and think about the story, what stays with you? Character? Relationships? Belief? A particular scene? The way a character or scene makes you feel? Choose one scene that is sticky and describe in as many details as you remember, then reflect on why it matters (fill at least one side of the notecard).

We looked again at the the opening of Blade Runner in order to talk about film techniques.

9/4: HOMEWORK: Read for 1/2 hour.

In class - book choices + preliminary look at film by studying the opening of Blade Runner.

8/31: HOMEWORK: Here's the list of book group books I've put together. First come, first served. Let me know if you have other suggestions.

In class: We worked on revision using two student drafts. The key is less plot summary, more specific detailed description of scenes.

8/30: HOMEWORK: Write the first draft of your "Why I love this movie" essay (it should be a solid paragraph with three specific examples to convince others it's a movie worthy of your love). You can check imdb.com for relevant details about cast and plot.

In class, we paired up to talk through our prewriting/first draft of the film we love essay and we watched a scene from a film in order to take our first steps toward practicing reading a film.

8/28: HOMEWORK: Please read the guiding quotes (HOME page) and the syllabus and other course materials on the Novel and Film page. Bring any questions and the syllabus sign off with you to class.

In class: Please freewrite in your journals for 8 minutes about what kind of a reader you are. What do you read? When? What do you love? What is difficult for you as a reader? What/who influences your reading choices? After you've written: on the front of the notecard, list the 5 most important things for me to know about you as a reader. On the back of the notecard, What is your relationship to film? How/how often do you watch movies? Do you watch in theater, in one sitting, in parts but in order, randomly? What kinds of films are you drawn to and why? What genres do you avoid and why? Please hand in the notecard at the end of class.