Oct 14 (27)

MCQ

We tried our hand at multiple choice questions based on a poem. Students were given the poem and then given time to answer the questions. We marked them as a class. I also spoke of how to take a multiple choice test. Students then had time to work on their annotation or on their poetry presentation. 

Next Class: Not an essay write. A look at poetry some more. 

Oct 10 (26)

Exploring poetry on our own

After we finished our discussion of sonnets, I gave a choice of two poems - "Atmospheric River" by Evelyn Lau, and "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes. Students had the following task;

Pick one of the two poems. Annotate to understand. Be thorough.

Be sure to indicate – setting and situation, character (if applicable), choice and levels of diction, (your annotation will indicate syntax notables, connotative or denotative differences so no need to do extra on that), and tone, mood and theme. 

Students had time to do this and then hand it in.

Next Class: Multiple Choice questions on a poem.

Oct 9, (25)

Sonnets

Today's lesson turned into a crash course on sonnets so we could use them as a vehicle to continue to explore diction in poetry. Check out the prezi I used. https://prezi.com/view/JcJJUKt3cz2yGSTUWydI/

We then took a look at 4 sonnets and in groups dug through them for deeper meaning and greater understanding that was then shared out with the class. 

Next Class: Doing it all on your own.

Oct 8 (24)

Continued Power of Words

We finished up the information on the power of words adn touched back in on denotation and connotation. From there we jumped into "Aubade with Burning City" and gave it a listen.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/56769/aubade-with-burning-city

After a strong analysis of the poem where we got right into juxtaposition and flower symbolism we jumped over to looking at why "The Road not Taken" is often misinterpreted. 

This brought us to the end of class. 

Next Class: Sonnets as a form and for study.

Special Entry

AP Class Room

The Password is: PNPVL6

The Link is: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/access-your-ap-resources/join-your-class-online

Follow instructions. If it is confusing then come ask me, or to be honest, Ms Reily as that is who I am asking. 

Oct 6, (22)

In Class Write #2

Students once more took up essay writing. This time they were to shave off some time from their writing. This was a prose or FRQ2 prompt again. 

Next Class: Slight intterupt for grad photo, and a focus on diction in poetry and close read of another poem.

Oct 3, (21)

Still exploring the country churchyard

Students, in their groups, had a chance to tell the rest of us about their section of Grey's Elegy. Hopefully insight and understanding was had. The poem is a brilliant meshing of classical poetry and of romantic era sentiments and shift at the end. It is a poem worth becoming familiar with. 

We lost a little focus at the end as students headed out to clubs day. 

At the beginning of class I handed out the poetry presentation assignment (attached below). I also spoke of essays briefly.

We did not get to it, but another great poem to examine setting in is found at the following link; https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45527/lines-composed-a-few-miles-above-tintern-abbey-on-revisiting-the-banks-of-the-wye-during-a-tour-july-13-1798 for a poem about setting. Great poem, we may circle back to it. 

Next Class: In Class Write.

Oct 2, (20)

Exploring a Country Churchyard

Students jumped into analyzing "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard".  I gave them the poem and then I split students into groups and they dug into the poem and we made sense of it. Hopefully sense was made. 

Next Class: Explaining the Poem, and maybe looking at others.

Sept 26 (17)

Winning the Lottery

We jumped in to Shirley Jackson's wonderful "The Lottery" by me reading it aloud. 

To analyze this one we did a whole class discussion. We circled up and used some questions as a guide and let loose talking about the story. So many great points raised. Great coverage and great work.

Next Class: We start thinking about poetry, or we take a side trip into poetry for NT&R Day.

Sept 25 (16)

Contentment

Students had read "The Veldt" and worked in small groups to arrive at a defensible interpretation of the piece. They then had to share that interpretation with the room. We had some pretty good coverage of the technology and abandonment ideas, as well as talk of irony, symbolism, and allusion. We missed a few ideas though, so maybe we will take a quick revisit tomorrow.

Next Class: Looking at the winner of "The Lottery"

Sept 24 (15)

Rebellion

Students re-read "A&P" and worked on making sense of it. I also showed them Updike's poem "Ex-Basketball Player". We then dug into the short story and spoke of rebellion and hardship, and touching on ideas of conformity we were able to address some ideas of theme. 

But wait, why did Culbert show us the poem? What might be some connections on threads, besides the same author, be between these two pieces? If you are reading this, then you will know that I will judge you on your answer that you tell me.

Next Class: A look at "The Veldt"

Sept 23 (14)

Moving

Students practiced their deep dives on analyzing stories as the read Gabrielle Roy's "The Move". I had them focus on imagery and relate it to character and then tone to arrive at theme. 

I believe some insights were made. 

Next class: Making sense of "A&P".

By the way - here is the missing excerpt - sorry about that.

Then everybody's luck begins to run out. Lengel comes in from haggling with a truck full of cabbages on the lot and is about to scuttle into that door marked MANAGER behind which he hides all day when the girls touch his eye. Lengel's pretty dreary, teaches Sunday school and the rest, but he doesn't miss that much. He comes over and says, ''Girls, this isn't the beach.'' 

Queenie blushes, though maybe it's just a brush of sunburn I was noticing for the first time, now that she was so close. ''My mother asked me to pick up a jar of herring snacks.'' Her voice kind of startled me, the way voices do when you see the people first, coming out so flat and dumb yet kind of tony too, the way it ticked over ''pick up'' and ''snacks.'' All of a sudden I slid right down her voice into her living room. Her father and the other men were standing around in ice-cream coats and bow ties and the women were in sandals picking up herring snacks on toothpicks off a big glass plate and they were all holding drinks the color of water with olives and sprigs of mint in them. When my parents have somebody over they get lemonade and if it's a real racy affair Schlitz in tall glasses with ''They'll Do It Every Time'' cartoons stenciled on.

Sept 22 (13)

FRQ2 Practice Write

Students had the block to practice one of the FRQ2 style response writes. They had 60 minutes to write a response based on the 2015 AP Exam FRQ2. Handout is available in class.

They were very focused. I will look at the responses and we will see what we need to work on.

Next Class: We look at "The Move" and a focus on imagery

Sept 17, (11)

Discussions of the hour

Students started with Kate Chopin's "The Story of an hour" and after reading they were given some multiple choice questions on the short story. We treated this like a test. In discussing the questions it lead to a quick lesson on irony, and then some small discussion on the short story. Some understandings were had so students were asked to write down tone and theme.

Next Class: more elements of fiction and writing prep.

Sept 16, (10)

Discussions on Wall Paper

Today, we shuffled the groups and spoke on four big ideas about "The Yellow Wallpaper". The ideas were; 

What does “The Yellow Wallpaper” say about each of the following topics: 

• The Gender Hierarchy of Marriage

• The Dangers of the Private Sphere 

• The Need for Creative Self-Expression 

• Desire to Control One’s Own Life 

Finally, we spoke about what tomorrow will be, as I will give a short story and then give time to answer multiple choice questions. We will also look at more elements of fiction if we have time. 

Next Class: Students try their hand at multiple choice questions and we look at more elements of fiction.

Sept 15 (9)

Discussion for Emily

Students split into groups and dug into "A Rose for Emily" we then started discussing it as a class. Structure, Language, Character, Symbols and Setting  were all discussed and a theme was arrived at with a level of confidence. 

Next Class: We look at "The Yellow Wallpaper"

Sept 12 (8)

"The Hills Like White Elephants" and we talked about the elephant

We moved on to the Ernest Hemingway's "Hills like White Elephants". Students had a good sense of what this story was about. We spent time discussing it, looking at character, and a lot at setting and what it reveals, including the characters movements and position in that setting. We ended with trying to think of thematic ideas for this one too. 

Next Class: We dig into Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily."

Sept 11 (7)

"Girl" an examination

We started out with the Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" and made sense of the story. We structured our discussion today with some assistance. Students had the opportunity to self select groups for comfort today, and I gave a focus of the literary element to focus on. It was structure. From there we deepened it and focused on even more specific aspects like punctuation, and the significance of the instructions. Students would discuss and then I would interrupt with some focus and then back they would go. Overall we covered topics like structure, tone, technique and character. We attempted to come up with some thematic ideas. 

Next Class: "The Hills Like White Elephants" discussed

Sept 5 (3)

Annotation to Explanation - Part I

I asked students if they are not lambs right now? We then looked at William Blake's "The Lamb" and made some observations about it.  Then, we continued with our exploration of "First Sight". Students were asked to summarize in one sentence. We then looked at imagery, and briefly spoke of mood, and word choice, and then worked up to tone. This was practice to how we analyze.

Today was part one of the lesson of annotation to explanation/ interpretation. We will continue next class. I will post the power point on next class's entry. 

Next Class: Tone Shared, Theme explored, Topic Sentences written.