Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Period 1:
Literature circles
Review vocabulary
Finish archetype notes & find archetypes and symbols in literature

Period 2:
Review vocabulary
Oedipus Rex
Work on projects

Period 3:
Filming - camera angles
Rehearse Our Town

Period 5:
Work on portfolio

Thought for the day...
Let a joy keep you. Reach out your hands and take it when it runs by.
— Carl Sandburg

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Period 1:
Literature Circles
Discussing literature archetypes

Period 2:
Greek tragedy
Introducing Oedipus

Period 3:
Our Town

Period 5:
Work on portolio

Thought for the day...
Think wrongly, if you please, but in all cases think for yourself.
- Doris Lessing

Wednesday, May 14, 2009

Period 1:
Review vocabulary
Finish Hamlet
Independent reading project time/study time

Period 2:
Review vocabulary
Literature circles
Hamlet Act IV - Hamlet sentenced to death in England, Ophelia has lost her mind, Laertes wants revenge, and now Hamlet's returned to England via pirates.... This is falling action?

Period 3:
Our Town

Period 5:
Peer feedback on anthology pieces
Titling the anthology

Thought for the day...
The hand that holds the quills controls history.
- Charles L. Blockson

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Period 1:
Finish Hamlet Act IV, and Read Act V, Scene 1
Tomorrow - the tragic finale!!!
Independent reading project work

Period 2:
Hamlet Act II & Act III, Scene 2 quiz
Finish Act III, begin Act IV
Literature Circles

Period 3:
Our Town

Period 5:
Work on portfolio & anthology piece
Dr. Jekyll conferences

Thought for the day...
William Feather - "No man is a failure who is enjoying life."

Monday, May 11, 2009

Period 1:
Hamlet Act III quiz
Read Hamlet Act IV - review dramatic structure
Independent reading project time

Period 2:
Film version comparison finishes
Finish Hamlet Act III
Literature Circles

Period 3:
Our Town

Period 5:
Writing warm-up:Describe a scene
Portfolio work
Mr. Hyde conferences

Thought for the day...
Do what you can with what you have where you are.
- Theodore Roosevelt

Monday, May 4, 2009

Period 1:
Hamlet Act I quiz
Charting the emotions of Hamlet & other characters
Reading Scene 2

Period 2 (shortened due to advisories):
Finish Act I of Hamlet and begin Act II
Understanding Hamlet's emotional state
Literature circles

Period 3:
Work on Our Town - Thank you, to Alice & family for hosting us!

Period 5:
Writing prompt: "Your plane crashes..."
Share/Respond
Workshop

Thought for the day...
Each man is a hero and an oracle to somebody.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Friday, May 1, 2009

Period 1:
Vocabulary quiz
Finish Hamlet Act I, begin Act II
Independent reading
Journal check - Next Journal check Tuesday

Period 2:
Vocabulary quiz
Introduce Literature Circles
Select books

Period 3:
Our Town work

Period 5:
Publish or Perish
Conferences in Jekyll & Hyde

Thought for the day...
I am not a quitter. I will fight until I drop. It is just a matter of having some faith in the fact that as long as you are able to draw breath in the universe, you have a chance.
— Cicely Tyson

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Period 1:
Graduation Marching Practice
Present Current Events
Read Hamlet Act 5, Scene 2

Period 3:
Begin work on dramatic readings - getting comfortable in a role

Period 5:
Work on this week's essay

Period 6:
Present Current Events
Literature Circles
Hamlet: Act 3, Scene 1
"To be or not to be...get thee to a nunnery."

Quote of the day...
"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely."
Auguste Rodin

What does Rodin mean by this?

Monday, April 28, 2008

Period 1:
Review Hamlet Act I
Read Hamlet Act II
Mapping Hamlet's "Madness"

Period 3:
Debate Presentations continue...

Period 5:
Revisit a portfolio piece

Period 6:
Literature Circles
Beginning Hamlet scenes
Work on Shakespeare presentations

Today's thought to ponder...

"It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad."
C. S. Lewis

Friday, April 25, 2008

Period 1:
Vocabulary Quiz #11
Finish Hamlet Act I
Begin viewing Gibson/Zefferelli Hamlet

Period 3:
Debates continue

Period 5:
Moving on to themed essays

Period 6:
Vocabulary Quiz #11
Literature Circle Roles
All Quiet on the Western Front essay
(And Assembly)

Quote of the day...
Bernard Baruch said: "Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why."
Why is it that the "why" is so important? Do you ask yourself "why"? When & why?

Tuesday, March 11th

Period 1:
Literature circles met and students completed their inside/outside representations of their novel's main character.

Period 3:
Students presented and received awards.

Period 5:
Students responded to several writing prompts and a writing conference took place.

Period 6:
We talked about the importance of citation and the proper ways to cite. Students worked on their Kindness Projects and attended teacher-student conferences.

Monday, March 10th

There are only three seats left on the trip.

Period 1:
Literature Circles met and we explored the insides & outsides of our main characters.
We discussed the importance of reputations and whether it is easier to protect a good reputation or harder to lose a bad one.

Period 3:
Impromptu speeches. Students will be assigned various topics and asked to speak about them. Tomorrow: AWARDS!

Period 5:
Students will work on several writing activities and complete some editing.

Period 6:
Students will present their Three Cups of Tea presentation and will be completing research on their Kindness Project.
I will be conferencing with Ian & Kyle.

A point to ponder:
Do you think it is important to pay attention to what the writer does not say about a character? Why or why not? (5 bonus points on your next quiz for a thoughtful response)

Mrs. Tyler

Tuesday, March 4

There are only 7 spots (as of this moment) left on the Theater trip - Reserve your spot now!

Period 1:
Literature circles met. Several groups did an excellent job. Remember it is important to fully complete your role and be an active participant in your group.
Students discussed whether their narrator can and should be trusted.

Period 3:
We discussed nominating speeches in relation to the up-coming Presidential election, as well as looking at nominating speeches that others have made.

Period 5:
Students read a sample essay and looked at the introduction & conclusion. We also continued our work with being specific.

Period 6:
Students will be finishing their Three Cups of Tea presentations.
We will discuss the reading and do a Kindness Project update.

Monday, March 3

We're into March! Spring is almost here.

Period 1:
Literature Circles begin!
Students set reading schedules & assigned new roles. They also discussed the weekend's reading.
We discussed the final project and did some in class reading.

Period 3:
A Person Worth Knowing - students completed student interviews.
We will be establishing class awards.

Period 5:
Students continued to explore the importance of using specifics by doing a horoscope writing activity.

Period 6:
Students will check in on their Kindness Project.
We will discuss the reading and then students will research related reading topics.


Thought for the day:
Aristotle Onassis - "It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light."
Do you agree? What are your thoughts on this?