Week 11 Work--Due Wed., November 8th

Vocabulary Week 11
kismet
exonerate
altruism
myopic
galvanize

Prepare for your vocabulary and grammar quiz (through Week 11 vocab).  

Here is a link to Mrs. Price's Vocabulary on Quizlet.  Be sure to thank Ethan Cain for this great resource.  I'll also post a link on the right sidebar under "Helpful Resources" for future reference. To review for the grammar part, go through your MUG notes and make sure you understand and, if applicable, can define all the terms/concepts I listed on the whiteboard.  If you were absent, get these terms from a classmate.

John Buford, Union

This week, we'll begin the historical novel, The Killer Angels. This historical novel is based on the diaries, accounts, and other records left by those who fought in The Battle of Gettysburg.  All of the characters (except one) are real people from the era.

Enjoy getting to know them and watch this very significant battle unfold.  The first part of this book will set the stage for the second, so be patient with the author as he established the groundwork and people that will unfold in the second half.

.By next class, you should have read and annotated through p.150 (through July 1st).  Your annotations should track key characters, significant quotations, unfamiliar words you need to define, questions you may have, along with relevant literary terms you recognize as they appear such as foreshadowing, setting, personification, simile, metaphor. etc.

Here is a character chart you should use to document important aspects of key characters.  You may use the document online then print a physical copy of your work, Or you may choose to print it and fill it out by hand.

Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain, Union

You should look for:
(1) background information/appearance--the Forward is a great place to start for this information, Shaara gives details upfront.
(2) Strengths--virtuous/admirable traits as you discern them, things they excel at
(3) Weaknesses--flaws or shortcomings
(4) Philosophy/Thoughts about War--How do they view war, what ideas do they have about warfare, how to fight, etc.

You will want to support your assertions with references to the text  (think actions, quotations, thoughts of other character's toward that character, etc.) Include page # references when appropriate.  All boxes may not apply to all characters--just work with what you see and think is significant.

As you read, I also want you to think about the different types of conflict in this novel  Please review this video which explains the different types of conflict in literature and take good notes.  We will talk more about conflict next class.

Robert E. Lee, Confederacy

After reading the first half of the novel:

Watch the first three sections of this Animated Civil War Map  (Prelude, July 1st, Respite).  We'll watch the rest next week.

Watch this clip of Chamberlain's speech from the movie Gettysburg (1993), which is based on Shaara's novel.

Watch this clip from Mel Gibson's Hamlet (through 1:50) which features the "What a piece of work is man" monologue which Chamberlain references.

Watch this segment which documents the History of the Origin of Taps.

Watch this clip about Stonewall Jackson which will help you understand his legacy better.  Jackson is a significant presence/character in the book even though he is deceased.  This video should help you add information about him to your character chart.

James Longstreet, Confederacy

Thoughts for the Week:

"This is a world of compensations; and he who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave."  Abraham Lincoln, --April 6, 1859 Letter to Henry Pierce

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” ― Frederick Douglass

Week 10 Work--Due Wed., November 1st

Week 10 Vocabulary
engender
nuance
covert
renown
tangent

General News

Be sure to check out our winners for the "Telling Our Tales"  Thomas Wolfe Student Essay contest here.  You can read their winning essays there too. We had three winners from our group!  Congratulations to ALL who stepped up to participate.  We will participate in another competition 2nd semester.

Progress reports will be out for both classes sometime in the next few days.  I will send them via email to both parents and students.  Please keep an eye out for this email and be sure to review your performance in the various areas (classwork, homework, assessments, participation) to see where you can strengthen your work.  I'm always happy to talk with parents or students about ways to be more successful in class, but honestly much of success in this class boils down to:

A) Consistency--are you completing your homework faithfully each week?
B) Quality--are you following the often explicit directions I've provided?
C) Involvement--are you participating, taking good notes, and engaged during class?

Many of you are doing these things already and are doing very well in my class. If you are not, then challenge yourself to step up and take responsibility for improving your work. These are qualities that will help you to succeed not only in my class but in life.  Your parents and I can encourage and help, but in the end, YOU must accept responsibility for your education.

This Weeks' Work---19th Century Poetry

This week you will be studying and memorizing a 19th Century poem from either Emily Dickinson or Walt Whitman.

This assignment will count twice--once as a classwork grade (since it will be the bulk of our class time next week) and once as a homework grade. If you have not signed up for a poem yet, here are the sign up sheets again. You can add your name to whichever poem you'd like, but only one student per poem. First come, first serve.

10:00 Sign Ups
12:15 Sign Ups

Illustration by Jedi Noordegraaf

First, please watch the following videos about Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. Take notes while you watch.

BrainPop Emily Dickinson (7 minutes)
Finding Emily Dickinson in the power of her poetry (6 minutes)
Emily Dickinson: The Poet in Her Bedroom (4 minutes)
Walt Whitman: Mini Biography  (3 minutes)

Then read the following poems from Whitman and Dickinson:

Read from "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman p. 442-445

Read Dickinson's poems pp. 426-434

Next, there are three components to your poem assignment:

1. Memorize your poem. 

You should be able to recite your poem fluidly without any notes or helps. Here are some videos you need to watch to help you:

How to Memorize a Poem (5 minutes)

5 Tips for Memorizing Poetry (7 minutes)

In the second video, she makes some excellent points about slowing down and using diction effectively.  Practice these skills.

2. Create a script or "reading map" for your poem.

On a blank piece of computer paper, write out your poem so that it is centered in the middle of the paper.  Then, go through and annotate the poem as we did for the example poem in class, "She Sweeps With Many Colored Brooms."

Again, here is my example from class which has many but not all of the things listed below.

Here are some things you should do on your reading map:

• Bracket each stanza and paraphrase the stanza next to the bracket. What is the core idea of each stanza? 

• Define any terms that may need clarity or definition.  In my poem, I looked up "duds", "aprons," and "ply" because she uses these words somewhat differently.  I defined these words by looking them up in the Emily Dickinson Lexicon which you can find here.  What is a lexicon? Use this Emily Dickinson dictionary of sorts to determine how she uses words.

• Read and re-read the poem carefully a number of times. Label anything else of significance.  This includes poetic terms, repetition, rhyme scheme, figurative language, etc. Look on pp. 422-423 to familiarize yourself with common poetic devices that may be applicable. You will not find all of them in any one poem--just use this as a guide.  Also, use this Guide to Reading Dickinson's Poetry for help.

• Optional but nice---can you add any creative element to your reading map?  Colored pencil, etc.

3. Write a paragraph about the theme of your poem.  Follow this very specific format.  The paragraph should be word processed and follow MLA format.  If you need a refresher on MLA format, look for the link on the right of this blog under "Helpful Documents."

Bring all of this work and your textbook to class.

Your class poem recitation/explanation will follow the following format:

1. Introduce yourself and the title of your poem (which is either the first line or the number of the poem).
2. Recite the poem---SLOWLY--no notes. ; )
3. Briefly tell in your own word what the poem means, what you noticed, etc. Your goal is to help the class understand the poem better (1-2 minutes, may have notes).

I've decided to have you only recite the poem ONCE in the interest of time. You may not have helps for the recitation but may have note cards for part #3.

Thought for the week from Emily Dickinson:

Congratulations....

Congratulations to ALL the students who stepped up to participate in the "Telling Our Tales" Thomas Wolfe Student Essay contest this September.  Winning students read their essays to a packed room this past Saturday, October 20th. Even if you didn't place, I am proud that you pushed yourself to try something new.  This in itself is a big accomplishment!

We had THREE students from our classes take the top three places for the high school level of the competition!  What a strong showing for our talented homeschooling community.  Here are the winners and their essays below.  Click the link if you'd like to read their winning essays.

1st Place---Nick Oursler  for his essay, "The View from Up Here" 

2nd Place--Mary Walton for her essay, "Broken Can Be Beautiful"

3rd Place--Tabi Shepson for her essay, "My Blindness"

If you missed out on this one, we will participate in another contest this spring.  I hope even more students will stretch themselves and share their writing in the next one.

Longer Range Forecast (NOT THE HOMEWORK FOR THIS WEEK)

Here is the information on the 19th Century Poem Recitation which will be due November 1st.

Each person should choose one slot for sign-ups.

NOTE: ONLY ONE PERSON PER SLOT/POEM.  First come, first choice. Click the document that corresponds to your class period and enter your name in the blank.  

Many of these poems are in your American Experience, but you will find the others in this document.

19th Century Poem Recitation 10:00 Sign Ups

19th Century Poem Recitation 12:15 Sign Ups


Here are some more upcoming assignments if you like to think/plan ahead:

November 8th--First half of Killer Angels due--should be read and annotated, pp.xii-150, (through Wed., July 1st)

November 15th--Finish reading and annotating  Killer Angels pp. 155-355 (Thur., July 2nd through Afterword)

November 22nd--Thanksgiving Break, No Class

November 29th--First half of Huck Finn due, Chapters 1-21 due, should be read and annotated

December 6th--Second half of Huck Finn due, Chapters 22-44, should be read and annotated

December 13th--Study for First Semester Final, Complete timeline segments

Week 9 Work--Due Wed., October 25th

Week 9 Vocabulary
curmudgeon
sojourn
gregarious
augment
insidious

Personal Narrative Essay corrections are due at the beginning of the next class.  Follow the format I reviewed in class.  Submit your corrections with your essay.

THIS WORK WILL TAKE TIME.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO IT ALL IN ONE SITTING.  DO NOT PROCRASTINATE.😉

In American Experience, read, annotate and take notes on 249-253.  Underline names and key events.  This will give you a good review/forecast of this period and its key figures.

Watch and take notes on this video on the Romantic Period  (10:00)  Be sure to write down the names of the main authors and characteristics.

This week we will learn about two Transcendentalists.  Warning---these essays are highly philosophical.  They will require significant brain power--do NOT hydroplane while reading. The work will force you to read these heady passages carefully which is good practice for any future standardized tests you will take.  It will force you to read more actively.

Bring your American Experience to the next class and be sure to actively annotate because I will be checking your annotations.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
1803-1882

Title your written work:  Ralph Waldo Emerson Notes

1. Read Emerson's biography, p. 388
Write down five interesting things about him.

2. Briefly list the cornerstones of Transcendentalism. (see p. 389)

3. Read and annotate the excerpt from Emerson's "Nature," pp. 390-392.   Here are some things to annotate.

A. As you read look up at least two words you don't know well and define them in the margins.

B. Watch this brief video review of similes and metaphors
in pop music (overlook the bad spelling).  Be sure you understand the difference and can define these terms.

In this passage, find, underline, and label least two metaphors (especially his most famous one) and one simile.

4. Write a paragraph describing Emerson's view of nature.   Use at two quotes from the essay to support your description.

5. Watch this video which summarizes some of the main points of his essay "Self Reliance"

List the ideas she comments upon.  Choose one quote from this video and explain what you like about it.

6. Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the most quoted American literary figures.  He's often misquoted (as many figures  are---always verify quotes, check for sources).  Browse through these quotations and choose 5 of your favorite.  Write them down.  Then pick your favorite and describe why it resonates with you.

Henry David Thoreau
1817-1862

Title this part of your written work:  Henry David Thoreau Notes.

1. Watch and take notes on this Henry David Thoreau biography (6:00)

2. Read and annotate from Walden pp. 404-415

A.  Explain the process by which Thoreau chose a site for his house.

B.  Describe the location of his home in some detail

C. On page 409, find and underline a passage that shows Thoreau's love of freedom.

D. On p. 410 bracket the passage where he explains why he went to the woods.

E. Circle and know the definition of sublime.  This word was important to the Romantics.

F.  Thoreau was a minimalist.  Define minimalist in your notes. You could argue he was one of the first American conservationists and "tiny house" enthusiasts.   Find support for this assertion (that he was a minimalist) on p. 410 while you read.

G.  Find, underline, and label evidence that he was suspicious of technology on pp. 410-411

H. Find and underline the two metaphors he uses on p. 411

I.  Why does Thoreau say he left the woods?

J. What does he say tradition and conformity are like? p. 412

K. What does he say he learned in the woods? p. 412

L. List five bits of advice Thoreau gives on p. 413

M.  What does he mean on p. 415 when he says "The light which puts out our eyes is darkness to us.  Only that day dawns to which we are awake."

N. Read and annotate from "Civil Disobedience," pp. 416-418  Describe Thoreau's view of government.

Romanticism and American Landscape Painting

Nature and American Vision: Hudson River School (3 minutes)
Watch this video of Thomas Cole's The Oxbow  (5 minutes)
Write a paragraph that summarizes some of what you learned about American landscape painting, Thomas Cole and The Oxbow.

Thought for the week:

Week 8 Work--Due Wed., October 18th

Week 8 Vocabulary
abstain
haughty
tenacious
acquiesce
lampoon

Final presentations:  10:00 Logan S., 12:15, Audrey A.

*From last class--hold off on finishing your "Five Elements of Fiction" chart from "The Devil and Tom Walker."  Keep this in your handouts though.

This week, we will move into the Romantic Period of American Literature.

In the next two weeks, we will learn about two branches of American Romanticism. The Romantic Movement started in Europe then spread to America.  It encompassed literature, art, and music. We'll talk more about Romanticism next class.





This week, we'll focus on the "Dark Romantics."  Copy the title, dates, and overview chart below into your class notes for reference.  Look for these qualities in the short stories you read this week.

Also, you will need to print TWO copies of this story diagram for this week's work.  

Note: If you would benefit from a review of the basic elements of plot, check out this resource.  It reviews the five stages of plot.

Portrait of Nathaniel Hawthorne,
Charles Osgood, 1840Our

Our first Dark Romantic author is:

Nathaniel Hawthorne 
(1804-1864)

Read Hawthorne's biography on p. 338

Jot down some key details about his life.

Read and annotate his short story,"The Minister's Black Veil,"pp. 340-352.

Fill out the story diagram for this work with solid details.

Our second Dark Romantic figure is:

Edgar Allan Poe  
(1809-1849)

Watch this mini-biography on Edgar Allan Poe, jot down some notes while you watch.

Read "The Cask of Amontillado" 
If possible, print these 5 pages and annotate
.
Fill out the story diagram for this work with solid details.

Timeline review projects are due next class --remember you should have a physical copy to turn in--three segments--joined in some fashion.  Here is the handout that describes the specifics.

Thoughts for the Week:

"Words — so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them." 

 -Nathaniel Hawthorne,  American Notebooks, 1848

"Moonlight is sculpture; sunlight is painting."
-Nathaniel Hawthorne, American Notebooks, 1838

Week 7 Work--Due Wed., October 11th

Week 7 Vocabulary
cantankerous
deride
debacle
temerity
ennui

Presentations for 10/11
10:00  Colm, Logan S., and Asher
12:15  Jacob, Niko, Audrey

Please bring your American Experience book to class.

This week we will enter the Early Romantic Period of American Literature and learn about:

Washington Irving: "Father of American Literature" 1783-1859

Portrait of Washington Irving, John Wesley Jarvis 18

*He reinterpreted European folk stories in an American setting.

*He is sometimes called "The Father of American Literature" for creating some of the first and most lasting American tales.

We will read one of his tales and become familiar with two more.

A.  "The Devil and Tom Walker"
Read and annotate p.256-268 in The American Experience

Note:  If you would like to look at an example of my annotating, here are the first few pages of my text. Sometimes it helps to see how others annotate.  You will develop your own style as you do more of it.  At first it might slow you down, but eventually it will become a natural part of your reading process.

Create text notes for this story.  If you cannot find your text notes handout, reprint it and put it in your notebook.  Here is the text notes handout.

Also, again here are some of the text notes examples from "Polyphemus" to give you an idea of what they might look like.

B.  "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"

1.Watch and take notes on:
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, National Geographic (3:00)

2. Watch this MOJO video (7:00) that summarizes the top ten highlights of the story.

3. After reading or viewing, answer the following:


A. What is the setting (time and place) of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"?
B. Describe the following characters:
Icabod Crane  (Read this excerpt )
Brom Bones  (Read this exerpt )
Katrina  (Read this excerpt )
The Headless Horseman  (Read this excerpt)
The Townspeople
C. What are some of the themes of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"?

4. Look at this famous painting from the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
 How does the artist use light/dark in the painting to emphasize certain things?

C. "Rip Van Winkle"

1. Watch the
3 Minute Summary of "Rip Van Winkle"
Summarize the plot.

2. Look at these paintings and read any descriptions:

The Return of Rip Van Winkle

John Quidor, 1849
National Gallery

Scene on the Hudson
James Hamilton
Smithsonian, 1845 oil




Also don't forget to begin work on your timeline review project.  One segment is due this week and two more the following.

Note: You can title that first segment "Native Americans & Early Explorers" to include the early explorers we studied in there too.

Thought of the week regarding procrastination: