March 25 - 29, 2019:
- Wednesday/Thursday:
- Much Ado About Nothing - Class Planning
- Rather than forge ahead in the same manner, I've heard several complaints about workload, assignment categorization, and general frustration with class dynamics - dating back to 1st semester. To alleviate these concerns, we're going to take time (today / tomorrow) to plan out how we want to approach our next Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing. We will spend today and tomorrow planning (calendar) and presenting our proposals to the entire class. After every table group has a chance to share, we will vote on a final list of assignments / activities on Friday. Ultimately I will have the final say, but I want you to have much more input into what we do and how you are assessed.
- Non-negotiable assignments: these assignments are part of your district common assessment, the synthesis essay. When they are due, and how much class time we spend on them will be decided democratically.
- Synthesis Essay (DUE Sunday, May 19)
- Read Much Ado About Nothing
- Synthesis Source Notecards - #6-8
- Acts 1-5 MAAN EQ Notecards
- Up for Consideration: these are potential assignments or activities that will be up for class debate, along with any other suggestions. I'm also willing to consider moving certain assignment types / categories based on majority vote.
- Guided Questions and Analysis?
- Reading Quizzes?
- Pre-reading activity (context research)?
- Final project / paper?
- Timed Writes?
- MUG practice?
- Vocabulary Quizzes?
- Play / Scene performances?
- Class discussion?
- Tuesday:
- Timed Write (Macbeth - summative)
- you have the class period to hand-write your analysis, choosing 1 of 4 prompts (specific to class period). Students were given a rubric in class to view during the write, and were allowed to use Macbeth notebook / assignments as resources.
- Monday:
- Take Act IV-V Reading Quiz (summative)
- Prepare a timed-write "cheat sheet" --> select 2-3 topics (found on the bottom of the Timed Write Rubric) and prepare outlines of thesis statements, collect relevant quoted evidence from Acts I-V, using your assignments / notebooks for assistance.
- Think to yourself: how many paragraphs have you been able to write in a timed-environment this year?
- Appropriately focus your thesis statement to match the time limit (~50 minutes) and your previous writing ability
- It's better to FULLY answer a detailed thesis statement than to try to address broad, complex, or sweeping statements about the play or Shakespeare's intent
March 18 - 22, 2019:
- Wednesday:
- Table Groups: theme statement synthesis and class review. Collaborate on your group EQ response, until you have formulated a developed, detailed, and specific thesis statement.
- Review the criteria for developed theme statements, effective writing, and thesis statement grading criteria (rubric)
- HW: Find your GROUP FOLDER by class period. 1 representative will upload your group's thesis statement. Individually, you will visit the 3 consecutive group folders and leave critical feedback on each group's statement. For example, if you belong to 1st period, Group #1, you will upload YOUR statement to GROUP #1 folder, and will comment on the statements of Groups #2-4.
- Statements MUST be uploaded by 4:00 p.m. today!
- Leave critical feedback before class tomorrow (3/21)
- Tuesday:
- MUG #4 (3/19 slideshow)
- We reviewed the Act IV annotation passage, as well as discussed Shakespeare's audience and their likely understanding of fate as it pertains to mortals. I will upload my annotation example shortly...
- HW: choose 1 of the 4 EQ's and write a developed written thesis statement (<-- read that again, STATEMENT. Not paragraph. Not essay. Not manuscript. Just 1 statement)
- Monday:
- Act IV - Annotation Passage & Guided Questions and Analysis
- Mr. Greb will grade / review notebooks (Check #2) and return during class. Students should work on reading Act IV, and work on annotating Act IV passage.
- Tentatively, these Act IV assignments, including your Act IV EQ Notecards, are due on Thursday, March 21.
- *** I am not going to collect your notebooks for Check #3 until after your Macbeth timed-write (Next Tuesday - March 26) but to prepare for this written summative assessment you should keep up with your work. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!!***
March 11 - 15, 2019:
- Friday:
- Quiz #3 - (15 minutes)
- DUE: Notebook Check #2 (Act III - EQ Notecards, Synth #2 Notecards, Act III Passage Annotation)
- Update: Synth Source #2 MLA Citation:
- BRIM, GILBERT. AMBITION: How We Manage Success and Failure throughout Our Lives. IUniverse COM, 2018.
- HW:
- Thursday:
- M.U.G. #3, Word Wise Wednesday (vocab) #3
- Read / Review Macbeth - TIMED WRITE RUBRIC. The timed write is scheduled for 3/26 (Tuesday), so as you are reading Macbeth and completing your assignments keep this in mind.
- Upon class survey, students opted for additional work time rather than review Passage Annotation #3 or discuss Act III as a class.
- HW:
- Study for Act III Quiz (3/15)
- Complete Act III - Guided Questions and Analysis (3/15)
- Complete Act III - Passage Annotation (3/15)
- Complete Act I-III Essential Question Notecards (3/15)
- Wednesday:
- Mr. Greb ill :(
- Continue working on Friday's due assignments (Act III passage annotation and study guide NOW POSTED)
- Finish reading Act III, begin reading Act IV
- Tuesday:
- Work Time:
- EQ Notecards - Acts I-III
- Act III - Guided Questions and Analysis
- Passage Annotation - (3.2.4-55)
- Monday:
- Synthesis Source #2 Notecards (3) DUE. Mr. Greb checked for completion at the beginning of the class
- EQ Notecards (4) - Act I & II
- Similarly to the Synthesis Source Notecards, you are going to respond to at least 2 separate Essential Questions for each act of Macbeth.
- 1 notecard MUST address the SAME EQ for Acts 1-5. (i.e. answer EQ #1 on 5 notecards covering Acts 1-5)
- 2nd notecard can vary (i.e. answer EQ #2 for Act II, EQ #4 for Act III, etc)
- I will be checking for EQ notecard completion for Acts 1-3 this FRIDAY, 3/15
March 4 - 8, 2019:
- Wednesday:
- Word Wise Wednesday (vocab list #2) - found in today's slideshow (3/6)
- M.U.G. #2 - found in today's slideshow
- Act II Guided Questions and Analysis - DUE Friday 3/8; work time provided in class
- Tuesday:
- Using Synthesis Source #1, we practiced locating 2 specific quotes from the article that address at least 2 different Essential Questions.
- Sythesis Source Page & Notecard Set-up: Review format (front and backside - view slideshow). At least 3 notecards (Source #1) need to be complete and ready to turn in for review on Friday 3/8.
*If you prefer to TYPE your synthesis source page analysis & MLA citation, use the provided electronic template and paste / tape into your notebook w/ your 3 notecards.
- Monday:
- Quiz - Act 1 (30 minutes, in class). If ABSENT, need to make up quiz during NEST or before/after school by March 8)
- Due - Act 1 Analysis Questions
- HW: Read Act II; Read the article (handout) "The Power Struggle of Relationships); Read/Paste "Act II Comical Summary" into your spiral notebook. Tomorrow we will discuss synthesis notecards, and begin attempting to answer some of the 4 Essential Questions for our unit.
February 25 - March 1, 2019:
- Friday: Review Vocab list #1, review 1.5.1-50, HW: Act 1 Interpretation and Analysis Qs (due 3/4), study for Act 1 Quiz (3/4)
- Thursday: Review annotations (1.3-4 - Macbeth asides); HW: review questions
- Wednesday: (substitute) - Read, interpret, and annotate Lady Macbeth soliloquy (1.5.1-50)
- Tuesday: Passage #1 (Act 1, Sc. 3-4 - Macbeth's asides) - annotation
- Monday: Review MUG (mechanics, usage, and grammar);
January 30-31, 2019:
- LIBRARY TIME: we have the library (LAB A) reserved to conduct research and take notes on the 5 Shakespearean topics (*see "Assignments" handout #1).
- Please start researching by visiting the links for each of your topics (below). Read these documents, and take notes on the most relevant details. *If you wish to take additional notes, you may. Document which sources you use (works cited).
- Begin planning: After note-taking (Wednesday - Thursday), begin to look for relationships and connections between these topics. Also, how might you begin to transform your written notes into sketch notes?
- January 29, 2019:
- Today we learned the concepts "Anchor Chart" and "Sketch Notes", taking notes on the organization system and note-taking style.
- We will use these tools to complete a review of Shakespearean drama, including the relevant context, to better prepare our study of Macbeth.
- HW: Finish taking notes on "Anchor Chart" and "Sketch Notes". Plan for group / individual work. Begin brainstorming possible themes to help visually organize your research / sketch notes.