Week 3 Semester 2, Work Due January 24th

SNOW WEEK WORK

We will keep marching despite the snow.  Below is the work for the week which will keep you moving along.  My estimate is that this week's work will take about 4 hours, so budget accordingly.

Next week, we'll finish our discussion of Booker T. Washington's Up from Slavery and discuss both weeks of poetry.  Bring Up from Slavery to class along with all your work. I will be checking your annotations for the entire book.

We will finish last week's chapter presentations, discuss the second half of the book, and share some of his and our virtues.

Weekly Usuals

A. Week 2 SAT Grammar Concept: Postponed until next week.

B. Poetry wall of the week:  Narrative Poetry (Estimated time: 30-45 minutes)

The theme of this week's wall is "Narrative American Poetry." On the wall, you will find two very different narrative poems to read and create posts about.  Please view the videos recitations.  Consult the 20th Century Poetry Project Handout for more details.

Note: If you create an account with Padlet, it will automatically post your identity at the top of your posts, thus eliminating the need for adding your initials each time.  An account is free and only requires an email address, so if you don't mind doing this, it will help us all identify each other more easily.

I am in the process of evaluating last week's wall, and when I finish, I will update you on which class "won" the weekly wall competition.  I was pleased with last week's walls-nice work!  Please take time to read/view the excellent contributions from your classmates.

Also, notice that I added 20th Century Poetry Links category to the right side bar, so you can readily access current and past weeks' walls.

Here are the links to the Narrative Poetry walls:

Narrative Poetry Wall 10:00
Narrative Poetry Wall 12:15

C. Poetry Journal Entry (30-45 minutes)

Pick one of the options below and label this entry:

Week 2--American Narrative Poetry

Option 1: Choose one of the narrative poems and answer the following thoughtfully:

1. This poem is about…
2. Briefly outline the plot structure of the poem (remember the plot diagram).
3. One thing that puzzles me…
4. This poem reminds me of...
5. What are some of the themes of this poem?

Option 2: Write your own narrative poem about a dramatic incident.  It can be about any event but should follow the plot structure.

Here's an article that will give you some tips to start out.

D. Review Booker T. Washington's work by creating a list of the top TEN virtues he valued.  (60 minutes)

Support each virtue with a quote from Up from Slavery.  Each item should include a short descriptor with a brief explanation of that quality, followed by a supporting quote from the text, and page # citation in MLA format. 

Below is an example.  Note that with MLA in-text citations there is no punctuation between the author's last name and the page number.  Also notice that the end punctuation goes outside the quotation marks and parentheses.  This is one of the rare exceptions to the punctuation inside the quotation marks rule.

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Example:

1. Be Industrious:  Franklin believed that people should use even their free time in constructive ways:

"This library afforded me the means of improvement by constant study, for which I set apart an hour or two each day, and thus repaired in some degree the loss of the learned education my father once intended for me. Reading was the only amusement I allowed myself. I spent no time in taverns, games, or frolics of any kind; and my industry in my business continued as indefatigable as it was necessary" (Franklin 37).

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This is somewhat akin to Benjamin Franklin's list of thirteen virtues from last semester (see below). Washington's list of virtues will vary, but you can use this to give you an idea of some possible virtues.

1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness and drink not to elevation.

2. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation.

3. Order: Let all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time.

4. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.

5. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste nothing.

6. Industry: Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions.

7. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. Justice: Wrong none, by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

9. Moderation: Avoid extremes. Forebear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes or habitation.

11. Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; Never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.

12. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

-Ben Franklin's The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
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E.  Create a list of YOUR top ten virtues.   (30 minutes)  

Be thoughtful and sincere--don't just slap down virtues that you don't truly believe or try to follow. Do follow Franklin's format: descriptor followed by an explanation.

Willa Cather, 1873-1947

F. Read Willa Cather's short story "A Wagner Matinee," pp. 671-678.   Answer questions 1-11 on page 679. (60 minutes)


Here is a clip of the "Prize Song" the tenor sings in this story.  You can listen while you read.  ; )

Remember, I am just an email away if you have questions or need help with anything.  -Mrs. Price











Snow thought for the week:

Week 2 Semester 2, Work Due January 17th

Weekly Usuals

A. Week 1 SAT Grammar Concept: Fragments and Run-Ons

Review and master this  concept by completing these online exercises:

Sentence or Fragment? Game #1
Rags to Riches--Differentiating Sentences, Run-ons, Fragments  (Play until you win $1,000, 000)

Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872-1906

B. Our poet of the week: 

Paul Lawrence Dunbar
1872-1906 

Here are the links to the walls.  Be sure to add one or two things to your class wall this week.  Label your contributions with your initials! Example: (mp) for Mrs. Price.  This week, I put some ideas on there to get you started.  Read the poem. Watch anything by me that says "Watch Me."  To contribute, click the pink plus circle in the bottom right corner.  If you have any trouble, let me know, and I'll try to help.

Consult 20th Century Poetry Project handout from class for much more detailed instructions.  10:00 class, be sure to read this carefully, as we didn't have time to review it in class. Also I noticed many in 10:00 didn't pick up the handout, so you may wish to print this out.  If not, I'll have copies next week.

The password is dunbar. 

10:00 Dunbar Wall 
12:15 Dunbar Wall

C. Poetry Journal Response

Start your poetry journal responses mid-way into your current journal to keep them separate and all together chronologically.  Or you may use a new composition book.  If you don't have a composition book, please get one.  I will not accept loose-leaf responses this semester.

Label each entry this way:

Week 1--Paul Laurence Dunbar

This week's poetry journal entry asks you to further reflect in writing upon Dunbar's poem "We Wear the Mask."

Here are some questions to prompt your reflection.  Answer whichever ones you like---they are ideas to spur your personal reflection, not requirements.  If you have a different way you'd rather reflect on the poem, that's okay too.

• Why do you think that people/cultures are fascinated with the idea of masks?  Describe any books, plays, or movies that play upon the ideas of masks and explain how the mask is used to further the theme.
• What types of "masks" did African Americans have to wear while enduring slavery?  After they were freed?  What types of "masks" do you think Paul Laurence Dunbar had to wear as an African American Poet?
• What are some of the"masks"each of us wear and why?  What's the difference between a mask and a "role"  or duty a person must fulfill?  Are "masks" necessary?  Why or why not?

How long should your reflection be?  Focus on quality over quantity.   However, take pains to develop your ideas fully as well.

Remember to always bring your journal to class.  We will begin class by sharing some of our thoughts/entries. You will not be required to share any particular entry or poem, as I respect your privacy, but you should make an effort to share some of your entries/poems as you feel comfortable.

Other Work for the Week

Finish reading Up from Slavery and continue with your annotations.  I will check annotations this coming week as I didn't last week.

When you get to Washington's Atlanta Exposition Address (chapter 14), listen to the first part of it with this audio accompaniment. (4 minutes). Although the audio is somewhat fuzzy, it's interesting to hear a bit of Booker T. Washington's actual voice and get a sense of his speaking style. 

Watch this three-minute clip about Washington's visit to the White House.

Watch this four-minute reflection by Larry Washington, Booker Washington's great-grandson, on Booker's Atlanta Exposition Address and life.

Read this short Britannica entry on the speech.

Answer the following questions.

Finally....

Take time to straighten out your class notebook for the new semester.  Refresh paper, etc. You may remove any first semester work that's been returned but hold onto handouts that may be relevant for 2nd semester.  Going forward, be sure to keep all work returned to you in your notebook along with class notes, handouts, etc.

Week 1--Due Wed. Jan 10th

Over break, I'd like you to read Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington.   After looking through the text fully, I've decided we will read the entire work, but only chapters 1-12 will be due on the 10th.

Booker T Washington
1856-1915

As an introduction to Washington's life, watch this mini-biography (3:30)

For our first class back, please read:

Note, iii
Preface, v
Chapters 1-12, pp.1-95

Please annotate your book for the following:

*key people in his life--who shaped him?
*key events/stages--what shaped him and when?
*key dates/locations
*key insights into his worldview/philosophy toward life
*quotable quotes--things that he shares that inspire you
*note the challenges that African Americans faced during the Reconstruction/Post-Reconstruction Period
*note any unfamiliar vocabulary (look it up and define)

To grow your understanding of the whys and hows of annotating, please read and print this article, "How to Mark a Book," by Mortimer Adler.  Put this in your class notebook under handouts.

Your first grade of the semester will be an annotation check.  If you do not own your book, you can make notes on notebook paper, listing page numbers and transcribing details as needed.

Also, expect a brief quiz--Washington and Adler may both appear on it, so read carefully, as always.

Week 15--Work Due Wednesday, December 13th

This is prep for the final week of first semester.  Here are some reminders from class:

1. All makeup work due next class.

2. All extra-credit work due next class.

3. Timelines due next class--two new segments: Romanticism & Realism

4.  Read O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" for next class.   A few questions about it will appear on the semester exam.

5. Study diligently for the first semester exam.  It will be a mix of types of questions: some multiple choice, some matching, some short answer or paragraph length.   Here is the review sheet again.

6. Bring your class notebooks to class next week---there will be a short section on the exam which will require your notes.

That's it for this week.  Short and sweet! 

P.S.  Just for fun--if you feel inspired, test your knowledge of our 50 states here.    Another great site to learn your capitals, rivers, and lakes is here.

Week 14 Work--Due Wed., December 6th

Week 14 Vocabulary
mitigate
anodyne
vacillate
incendiary
depravity

Literary critic Joseph Claro interpreted Hemingway's remark this way: "He didn't mean that no Americans before Mark Twain had written anything worthy of being called literature.  What he meant is that Twain was responsible for defining what would make American literature different from everybody else's literature."

Work for this week:

NOTE: Yes, journals are also due next class (we do these at the beginning of each class, so this is just a matter of turning the journal in unless you missed class and need to make up that entry). Timeline segments are due next week.

1. Finish reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  Expect another brief quiz next class.

2.  Write your paper on a theme in Huck Finn.  Remember the five possible topics we discussed in class (freedom, religion, superstition, education, or nature).  For specifics on these topics or on the paper requirements, see the "First Semester Odds and Ends" handout I gave you last class.

I will add that you should follow this format for your intro paragraph:

1. Hook
2. Introduce the text and author
3. Provide context
4. End with thesis

Here's a quick example of an introductory paragraph about topic of  friendship in Huck Finn:

Harriet Beecher Stowe once noted that "friendships are discovered rather than made."  Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, tells the story of  a "discovered"  friendship that develops between Huck, a twelve-year-old uneducated boy, and Jim, a runaway slave.  As these two escape their confining circumstances and travel on a raft down the Mississippi River, they grow closer through the hardships they face together.  In the end, Huck and Jim realize that true friendship requires both trust and self-sacrifice.

Before you begin your paper, watch this video on theme.  You only need to watch the first 10 minutes. Although it's directed at English teachers, she does a great job of explaining theme and how to write a thesis on theme.  This will help you understand theme more deeply, create a more powerful thesis, and help you write a better essay.

One more thing---be sure not to use "I" or "you" in formal academic writing.  You can substitute "one" if necessary; however, more often, it's best to just state your point without either pronoun.

3. Here is the review sheet for your First Semester Exam.  Print this out and put it in your notebook.  Look over it and begin to study. Next class, let me know if any of the items need clarification or if you have any questions.

Further information/clarification on extra credit options:

Here is a short blog entry from Mr. Minick on the value and art of personal letter writing.

For those of you interested in the letter writing extra credit, please read this before writing your letter.  Notice he recommends you set aside sufficient time to write,that you write several pages, and that you be specific in your reflections. I would add this to his excellent advice---try to find a pocket of time when you are in the mood to write such a letter.  Timing is everything, and your letter will be more authentic if you are sensitive to your frame of mind instead of just pushing out a letter because it's convenient.

I had a student approach me between classes and ask if she could write two letters if she felt led.  This is fine if you truly have two people you sincerely wish to thank/be grateful to.  Please ask me about this individually and get my clearance if this is the case for you.  In general, I would rather have people do one letter AND one report if they are interested in doing two extra credit options.

Thought for the week:

Celia Thaxter, 1835-1894, American writer of short stories and poems

Week 13 Work--Due Wed., November 29th

Vocabulary Week 13
solace
insipid
pedestrian (adj.)
visceral
inept

Read AT LEAST the first half of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Chapters 1-23).  I added two chapters from earlier (as this is a better breaking off point), so be sure to read through Chapter 23.  Expect a short quiz on these chapters at the beginning of our next class.

Note: Although I always encourage annotating as you read, I will not require nor will I check annotations for this work.

Audio:  As Huck Finn is full of dialect, listening to good audio version can be very helpful.  I still recommend you have the book in front of you while you listen.  Here's a very good free audio version:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, audio

Background:  The setting of his novel is before the Civil War (circa 1830's- 1840's), but the novel was first published in the United States in 1885.  Twain is a central figure in the literary movement of American Realism and American Regionalism.

Written Work:

  

1. Please read the background for this period in your American Experience p.472-482
As you read, answer the following questions.

2. Watch this video biography  about Mark Twain and write a paragraph summarizing some of the highlights.

3. Print a copy of this map that tracks Huck & Jim's journey.  Keep it with your book and fill it out as you read.

4. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been a controversial work since its publication for a number of reasons. Initially some objected to the "coarse language" used in the book.  In our current culture, it's been accused of incorporating racial stereotypes and perpetuating racial slurs.

So that you understand the issue better, please watch this 60 Minutes segment and this The View segment.  Then write a paragraph summarizing your perspective on a "sanitized" version of Huck Finn.  Do you like or dislike the idea. Why.

5. I am still mulling either a project or a paper for this book.  Until next class, just make sure you read the text carefully to prepare for the quiz, do the work listed above, and we'll talk more then.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Mrs. Price

Thoughts for the week:

Week 12 Work--Due Wed., November 15th

Vocabulary Week 12
gauche
zenith
futile
ruminate
acrimony

You should finish reading Killer Angels this week.

Be sure to give yourself enough time to finish without rushing---the second half of the novel is a bit longer than the first chunk.  It's when the characters will be put to test when most of the battle unfolds.  Pay attention to their strengths, weaknesses, and their philosophy toward war and life.

First my apologies, I sent you some "bad" links last week---sorry about that.   Here are the links that I wanted you to view from the first half, so please do so:

General George Meade, served as the Commander of the Union
Army of the Potomac from 3 days before Gettysburg until 1865.

Joshua Chamberlain's speech to the 2nd Maine deserters (6 minutes)


The other link was Mel Gibson's monologue in Hamlet, "What a piece of work is a man..."  This is the speech that Chamberlain remembers reciting to his father as a boy.   Here it is again.

If you are still uncertain of the significance of this reference with regard to the title of this novel, you will wish to read this Shmoop recap.

Louis Armistead (Confederate)  fought in Pickett's Charge
against his close friend, Winfield Scott Hancock.
Armistead died July 5, 1863.

We talked some about the background of the Civil War in class and took some notes, but you should look through this Civil War Facts page as well.  It's a quick read and will give you good insight into many facets of this war. 


Also be sure to finish your character charts for next class.  I will collect them with your in-class essays.  Some characters will have more information than others, but all should have some. Make an effort to include some pg. #'s of important moments AND quotes.

Stronger essays will include quotes and concrete details from the novel.

Continue to annotate your novel as well. All of this will help you prepare for your in-class essay.

Armistead's friend on the other side,
Winfield Scott Hancock, Union

The second half of Killer Angels will emphasize two famous engagements :

Battle of Little Round Top
Battle of Little Round Top (led by the 20th Maine and Chamberlain) 5 minutes
(events of July 2, 1863, Chapters 3 & 4)

Pickett's Charge
(events of July 3rd, 1863, Chapters 5 & 6)
Gettysburg Tour Guide on Pickett's Charge (5 minutes)

Pickett's Charge (10:00) Documentary Segment

Pickett's Charge scene from the movie Getttysburg (Watch Part 3 and 4....3 should "roll into 4) about 8 minutes total.

George Pickett led one of three of Longstreet's divisions
in what came to be known as Pickett's Charge.

Next class we'll talk through the second half of the novel during the first part of the class.  You'll write your in-class essay during the second half.

Be sure to bring your character charts, the novel, some notebook paper and a blue or black pen.

 I will give specific directions for the essay during class.








Thoughts for the week: