Schedule for 3/17-3/21

Monday:
Grade printouts, parent signature must be turned back in by the end of the week

Turnitin model, all AF essays must be uploaded to turnitin by Friday, March 21st

"Zounds Sir" document introduced, finished by Tuesday's class

Introduce journal assignments

Reading of Act 1, finish scene 2 by end of the period

HW: Zounds document due Tuesday


Tuesday:

SAT practice and preparation...grammar packet introduction

Othello finish of Act 1, questions for Act 1 at the end of the period

Journal 1 work time, due end of the period on Wednesday

Wednesday:

Begin Act 2, finish scenes 1-2 and work on journal # 1

Begin working in groups on Shakespeare reading practice

Quiz over Act 1

Introduce motifs/symbols document

HW: study for quiz, work on motif doc

Thursday:

Finish Act 2

Work on Shakespeare reading practice

Introduce journal 2

Friday:

Quiz over act 2

Finish Sh. reading practice

Work on journal 2, homework over spring break if not finished

Othello Impressions

Post your responses to each question on your blog over the weekend:


What impressions do you get as a reader of Desdemona and Othello in Act 1, scene 1? How do they come across as characters?





What is the big controversy emerging in the play so far? Why does this seem to be a big deal for the people involved?





Relate one of the anticipation guide/Reaction Guide statements and apply how you see it emerging in scene 1 so far.

sample commentary!

Here's a sample commentary to look at as a resource as you're finishing your final:

One Voice to Rebel

The passage is from Major’s speech in which he discusses his prophetic dream and unifies the animals in George Orwell’s Animal Farm.   The passage comes at the start of Major’s speech when he establishes the human’s oppressive treatment of the animals, creating a common cause and the motivation for the animal rebellion against human control.  Orwell’s organization of the argument establishes Major’s authority on the subject.  Along with creating Major’s credibility, Orwell creates images of communal misery, which provides the animals with an emotional connection.  

Orwell persuades the animals to believe in the credibility of Major’s argument by opening the speech with a complex question and then providing a direct answer.  The opening question: “What is the nature of this life of ours?” revolves around a complex idea: one’s “nature” or internal features that make an animal who she is.   By using the word nature, the question suggests a complex answer discussing multiple components that make up a life of an animals.  Where one would expect Major to expound on the “nature of life,” Major offers only three short phrases “miserable”, “laborious” and “short”  (2).  The concise response suggests clear ideas and precise thoughts.  Offering definitive answers to the complex question leaves little room for the animals to argue against his claims, establishing Major as the expert on the animals’ lives. 

Along with establishing Major’s credibility, Orwell uses images of misery to persuade the animals that they are all victims.  Major’s first image discuses the limited amount of food available to the animals: “[...] we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies [...]” (3-4).  In the statement, Orwell takes the power away from the animals by using the word “given” (3).  Orwell furthers the powerlessness of the animals face by suggesting that the amount of food barely sustains their lives.   Along with creating a connection between the limited food the animals receive and death, Orwell also links their death to hard labor: “ [...] forced to work to the last atom of our strength” (6).  By linking another aspect of a daily routine to death, Orwell suggest that most aspect of the animal’s lives lead to death.  The final image of death solidifies the miserable situation the animals face, as death does not offer means to escape the cruel aspects of their master.  Once the animals’ “usefulness” ends, they “are slaughtered with hideous cruelty”(8).  By finalizing the depiction of the animals’ lives with a violent death, Major suggests the unavoidability of the misery the animals face.  Without offering a means of hope during the lifespan of the animals, Orwell unifies the animals as the victims of a miserable life.

Although the animals must face a miserable existence the credible source of Major explains how they are not in the horrible situation alone.  In this opening passage, Orwell establishes how the motivation for a rebellion occurs: one credible voice clearly expressing the misery common man faces.  If that one voice can project itself over the tumult of other voices, then rebellion is inevitable.

Good luck with your writing!

Week of events 2/25-2/28

Tuesday:

Finish group response poster and symbol
Discuss the rest of chapter 7
Begin chapter 8
Pass out key passages for commentary paper

HW: Finish reading chapter 8, look over journal 3

Wednesday:
Introduce elements of journal 3/work time

Mark up key passages for commentary

Introduce commentary paper
 Read chapter 9

HW: Finish journal 3, finish chapter nine

Thursday:
Finish AF
Turn in journal 3
Work more on commentary paper

Friday:

Rough draft due at the end of the period for AF commentary paper

Homework for 2/21-2/24

Over the weekend, you will need to finish reading chapter 6 on your own and look over the list of themes and big ideas below. Select one from the list and do the following:

1) define what the idea means in your own terms

2) apply the idea to chapter six in particular describing how you see it occurring, shaping, developing or transitioning

3) apply the idea to the outside world. Where do you see it being applied? To who? Fairly or unfairly?

Please post your response on your blog by Monday's class!

Big Ideas:

Power: Leadership and Corruption

Power: Control Over the Intellectually Inferior

Lies and Deceit

Rules and Order

Foolishness and Folly

Dreams, Hopes, and Plans

Guilt and Blame

Cunning and Cleverness

Perseverance

Violence

Defeat

Victory

Pride

Religion

Competition

Friendship

Sample: Power: Control over the intellectually inferior

Having power often times means having control and dominance over others. This particular idea means having power over the intellectually inferior or those who cannot think for themselves.

There is a particular example that jumps off the first page of chapter six when Napoleon declares that there will be work on Sunday afternoons on the farm in addition to the other days of the week. He prefaces it by saying it's on a volunteer basis, "but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half" (59). By using the word "voluntary", he's allowing the animals to think they have choice and control in their decisions. They do have choice, but along with their choice, they also have consequences. He's playing off their dutiful mindset to work for each other, but abusing his power by selfishly depriving the animals of leisure in place of work he finds valuable for only himself. 

 I see this happening in communities across the United States. We manipulate advertisements and media to make people think the products they are buying or the shows they are watching will either help them or make them believe that they too can change their life through a magical pill or surgery.  It's only when people actually do research on advertisements, particularly food labels do they really understand what they are eating. But our fast food companies would make you think otherwise. They would make you believe that the products they are selling are good for you because they manipulate the commercials to only show the healthy options, or lure people under false advertising. One man's testimonial states that he ate McDonald's for one month straight for every meal. He didn't gain a single pound. Okay, that's fine on paper. But upon closer study, the damage to his heart, cholesterol, sodium levels, caloric intake, you name it went through the roof. So yes, sir you didn't gain any weight eating crappy food for a month. Good for you. But don't distort the information for the masses and pretend as though McDonald's is fine dining, and it just depends on what you order. McDonald's is good every now and then and serves a purpose in our society, but to pitch it as anything other than a run of the mill fast food chain is both asinine and simply untrue.

Creating a blog!

Creating a blog!

You will need to create your own blog to complete assignments for this class. In order to do that, you need to follow these steps. You're blog does not have to be created until the end of the week, so you have the next few class periods to create one.

1. Go to blogspot.com
2. Login using your TTSD account. Your username is your synergy login@ttsdstudents.org (example 12mcoulson@ttsdstudents.org). Your password is your student ID number.
3. Click "continue"
4. Click "new blog"
5. Assign a title and domain name for your blog. Save your information.
6. Find my blog and follow it.
7. Email me your blog address...mcoulson@ttsd.k12.or.us

You need to have a blog by Friday!