March 10

1. Finish the four paragraphs. I've delayed the due date to today at 4pm.
2. Continue with Response to Literature slide shows or movies. Due date is March 24.

3rd, you were supposed to read pages 652-655 last night. As a kind of WARM UP today I'd like you to explain these lines to me. Put your answers on Google docs. Save it as LastNameCALYPSO. (You need not write the questions. Just number your answers)

a. No words were lost on Hermes the Wayfinder
who bent to tie his beautiful sandals on,
WHO IS HERMES AND WHY IS HE PUTTING HIS/HER SANDALS ON?
b. Though he fought shy of her and her desire for him,
he lay with her each night, for she compelled him.
HOW DID SHE COMPEL HIM?
c. To this the strategist Odysseus answered:
"My lady goddess, there is no cause for anger.
My lady Penelope {Odysseus' wife}--how well I know--
Would seem a shade before your Majesty."
WHY DOES HOMER CALL ODYSSEUS A STRATEGIST?

4th period I want to show you a bit of a movie before you begin your other labors.

March 9

We'll begin with 20 minutes SSR.

3rd period: We will begin talking about The Odyssey. If time we'll go briefly to the lab to look at the geography of the Mediterranean Sea, the location of Troy, Sparta, Ithaca & other places in the story.
4th period: Then we'll go over quotes from chapter 3 of Jekyll and Hyde.
If time I'm going to show you a bit of a movie of J&H.

HOMEWORK: 3rd read pages 652-655 in the Blue Book. I will orally call on random students to discuss the reading tomorrow.
4th: read pages 14-17. I will orally call on random students to discuss the reading tomorrow.

March 8

We'll be in the lab to work on Response to Literature slide shows, but we begin with:

3rd a quiz on the last chapter of White Fang.
4th a discussion of key quotes from pages 6-11 in Jekyll.

HOMEWORK:
3rd read first page of The Odyssey in blue book
4th read next chapter of Jekyll

March 7

We'll begin with SSR for 20 minutes, then adjourn to the lab to investigate aspects of The Response to Literature.

If you have decided who is in your group then do this as a group. If you are still uncertain or prefer to work alone then do your own paper.

Submit this on Google docs. Save as LastNameFirstInitialRESPONSE1
For groups please be sure everyone's name is prominently on the document. Maximum of three people in a group.

I'd like four paragraphs from you:
1. significant ideas in literature
2. support key ideas in an essay
3. stylistic devices in literature
4. ambiguities and nuances in literature

Within each paragraph I'd like your understanding of what each phrase means. For each paragaraph I'd like at least one URL pointing to a website that helped you understand the phrase.

Suggestions-advice:
a. put key word sequences in quotes when searching "stylistic devices"
b. understand that there are other ways to say these things so your search may lead you to different combinations of words ('significant ideas' might become 'themes' or 'main ideas')
c. We will continue this tomorrow. Deadline for submission is Wednesday at 4pm. Worth 50 p0ints.
d. talk to each other and to me. Ask questions. Don't sit there confused about what to do.

4th period HOMEWORK: read pages 6-11 tonight.

March 4

It finally occurred to me last night that you can't do the Response to Literature until you read the books, so a three week deadline is ridiculous. Let's reset this deadline today.

We'll begin with SSR.
Then you can get together and try to organize yourselves into groups to decide what books to read for "Response to Literature".
And finally I thought I'd give you a couple practice problems from past STAR tests.

March 3

I was sick last night and I received many new papers, so please understand that I will not be caught up with the grades till Monday.

Today in 3rd we'll continue to design the "Response to Literature" unit. Then we'll do something unusual: we will read a chapter of White Fang aloud and discuss it.

HOMEWORK: Read "The Gods Domain" and "The Call of Kind". (We'll finish some of the Gods Domain in class). Very likely there will be a quiz tomorrow. I may include chapters 22, 23 & 24 on the quiz.

Today in 4th we'll go to the library to pick up copies of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; then continue to design the "Response to Literature" unit. We'll read some of Jekyll aloud to get a feel for Robert Louis Stevenson's writing style.

HOMEWORK: Read the next ten pages of Jekyll. I'll quiz you on them tomorrow.

March 2

We'll begin with SSR. Then return to the issue of "Response to Literature". The idea is for us to design an activity that will fulfill the state's requirements while preserving some of your ability to control your own learning.
There are several tools at our disposal:
-Marcus has been pushing for oral examinations. Maybe you could all use the Smart Boards to make some kind of presentations?
-Some people don't like the computers but they are a good tool. Should internet research be part of this activity? Prezi? PowerPoint? Some other software?
-The state website recommends documents of 1,500 words or more. But we could change this if necessary.
-Deadline? I've been bad about this in the past. Perhaps we need a firm deadline right now--say three weeks? March 21?

HOMEWORK: 3rd period read "The Southland". It's probably too soon for another quiz but you never know.
4th period you are getting copies of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde today. Please read the first ten pages tonight.