I know your syllabus says that the class blog is here, but it has actually moved. Please find our new, improved class blog here: https://sites.google.com/site/freemanosaurus/
September 17, 2010
As promised, I’m posting the critique question that was your homework this weekend. It will be due on Tuesday the 21st, but feel free to turn it in earlier if you want.
“Folly’s Antidote” Critique
Directions: After reading the article, write a critique of the article addressing the following questions. Your answer should be in paragraph form—several sentences long.
Is the author making the point that we must look to the stories of history so we will not repeat the mistakes of history? Support your opinion with specific references to the text. How strongly does he state his position? What in the text suggests this level of strength?
If you need the article, click here: Folly’s Antidote
May 25, 2010
Favorite – 24 May
Write about your favorite something.
Cell Phones – 25 May
What role do cell phones play in your life? Are they necessary in today’s society? Explain. What would happen if cell phones were to cease working today and never start working again? Why?
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Monday: Together, we reviewed Act 3 and then read Act 4.1 and 4.2.
Tuesday: We read Act 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, and 5.2. Homework: Write a summary of what we learn in 5.2.
May 21, 2010
Fights – 20 May
What things prompt people to fight? Are there any reasons that are particularly good or bad? Or, explain the reasons for a fight you’ve been part of. **Note: “Fight” doesn’t necessarily mean a physical fight.
Relatives – 21 May
Who is your favorite relative? Describe this person. Why is he/she your favorite?
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Today we read Act 3.2 together. Homework: Read 3.3, 3.4, and 3.5 and answer the questions. If you don’t have your questions, you can find them HERE.
PS: To those of you who participated in the assembly, you were AWESOME!!!!
May 19, 2010
Bell Work – 17 May
Write a summary of Act 2.1.
Fiction – 18 May
Imagine you could be an active participant in a work of fiction (book, movie). What work of fiction would you participate in? Why? Would you be an existing character or someone else? Would you adhere to existing story lines or change them? Be creative!
Free Write – 19 May
Write on the topic of your choice for about five minutes.
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On Tuesday, you were to read Act 2.3-2.6 (so, the rest of Act 2) and answer some questions (for homework if you didn’t finish them in class).
Today we watched those scenes in the movie.
Homework: (title: Romeo and Juliet Reflection) Based on what we have read so far (and/or seen so far in the movie), do you think Romeo and Juliet are in love? Explain. (1/2 page)
Also homework: Read Act 3.1 and make some mental notes about how it should be acted out. We will be acting the scene out tomorrow in class.
May 14, 2010
Love & Marriage – 11 May
What are you throughts and feelings about love and marriage?
Dreams – 12 May
Describe a dream of yours, either one you’ve had while sleeping or one you have for your life.
Love at First Sight – 13 May
Do you believe in love at first sight? Explain why or why not.
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Homework: Read Act 2.1 and 2.2. Fill out the chart about Romeo and Juliet’s speeches/conversation in 2.2.
May 10, 2010
R&J so far… – 10 May
What do you think of Romeo and Juliet so far? What do you think of the Shakespearean language?
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Today we finished Act I, Scene i together. Homework: Write an outline of the important happenings in Act I, Scene i from pages 17-25 (right after the Prince’s speech to the end of the scene).
April 30, 2010
Weekend – 26 April
Write about what you did over the weekend. Or write about what you wish you’d done over the weekend.
Genetic Modification – 27 April
More and more farmers and food manufacturers are genetically modifying their crops to reduce susceptibility to disease, improve flavor, and reduce costs. Do you think genetically modifying foods is a good idea? Why or why not? Give specific examples to support your answer.
Wednesday – 29 April
Describe, in detail, what you did on yesterday’s “day off.”
Hindsight – 30 April
Describe a time that you made a decision which seemed like a good idea at the time, but afterward you realized you should have made a different decision. Or free write.
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Monday: Poetry terms quiz; HW: Sonnet assignment
Tuesday: Discuss sonnets in groups and write a group summary; present
Thursday: Article about the teenage brain and discussion; HW: article about teens and alcohol and chart to fill out
Friday: Discussion of articles; choral reading of the prologue to Romeo and Juliet; HW: find defintions for your four terms/phrases and bring them in to class Monday for a day of delightful awesomeness
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Note: If you got a 68% or lower on your poetry terms quiz, arrange a retake for before or after school next week. You are strongly encouraged to do this.
April 23, 2010
Blessings in Disguise – 23 April
Sometimes something negative turns out to be positive–a “blessing in disguise.” Describe a time in your life when something bad turned out to be good. (Or free write.)
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Today we took a few notes on sonnets, then we read a “Sonnet 30″ by Edna St. Vincent Millay. The notes are below.
Sonnet
Shakespearean (English) Sonnet:
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14 lines
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3 4-line stanzas (quatrains)
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1 2-line couplet
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the couplet is indented
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meter=iambic pentameter
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rhyme: in each quatrain, the 1st and 3rd lines rhyme and the 2nd and 4th lines rhyme
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Don’t Forget: There is a quiz on your poetry terms on Monday!
April 23, 2010
Military – 22 April
In many countries, citizens are required to serve in the military for a year or more. Do you believe the U.S. should institute a similar practice? Why or why not? Use specific examples to support your answer.
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Today we discussed the ee cummings poems that we hadn’t gotten to yesterday. Then we took some background notes on Shakespeare, found below.
William Shakespeare—A Brief Overview
(Stolen from Wikipedia)
- baptized 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616
- surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems
- plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright
- Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon
- At the age of 18, he married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway on 27 November 1582
- Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later known as the King’s Men
- appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, where he died three years later
- Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1590 and 1613
- early plays were mainly comedies and histories
- wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth
- Shakespeare was a respected poet and playwright in his own day, but his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the nineteenth century.
- His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied, performed and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world.
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You have a quiz on the Poetry Terms notes we took last week. The quiz is on Monday. Prepare! There is a definition matching section, then there’s an identification section (multiple choice).
