Intro
- general - subject area
thesis - actual thesis statement
directional - the AoD you will use to prove thesis (in brief)
Body
AoD 1
Define point
Explain point
Reference to novel (quotation, paraphrase to show that point in the novel)
Connection/Reasoning/Explanation of how/why important and how/why fits thesis
HOW DO THIS PROVE YOUR THESIS FROM ABOVE
AoD 2
Define point
Explain point
Reference to novel (quotation, paraphrase to show that point in the novel)
Connection/Reasoning/Explanation of how/why important and how/why fits thesis
HOW DOES THIS PROVE YOUR THESIS FROM ABOVE?
Conclusion
restate as proven
give some kind of capper or observation that takes us out
YOU CANNOT SIMPLY SAY X is in the novel
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
You think something:
You have an idea
How did I get this idea?
You observed THESE things
These combine with what you already know to make some conclusions
These conclusions are based on combining the new info from the observation with your existing knowledge
And then I KNEW WHY
What is the point?
Why is this the point I’m using?
How is this important?
What meaning does it have to my overall idea?
You have an idea
How did I get this idea?
You observed THESE things
These combine with what you already know to make some conclusions
These conclusions are based on combining the new info from the observation with your existing knowledge
And then I KNEW WHY
What is the point?
Why is this the point I’m using?
How is this important?
What meaning does it have to my overall idea?
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Thursday, June 12, 2013
Three Mark Question
Definition - scope - (give the importance of, context)
Five Mark Question
Def, scope, example, explain
Longer Answer Question (6-10 marks)
Def, scope, example, explain AND maybe a list (series of things to explain - steps)
Site Passage
Short Story
evidence of understanding
reference or example
making a connection
logic and reasoning
core principles (thematic)
Obviously, Plot, Setting, Character
Poem
Meaning
translation (sort of)
response (personal - what you think when you read)
connection to some bigger idea outside the poem
time and place - context
Structure
poetic devices
use of language
imagery and description
“power words” - God, love, mother, blood, pain, sacrifice, etc (associations)
musicality or appeal to the ear
the way it is presented (Haiku, Tanka, sonnet, etc)
Definition - scope - (give the importance of, context)
Five Mark Question
Def, scope, example, explain
Longer Answer Question (6-10 marks)
Def, scope, example, explain AND maybe a list (series of things to explain - steps)
Site Passage
Short Story
evidence of understanding
reference or example
making a connection
logic and reasoning
core principles (thematic)
Obviously, Plot, Setting, Character
Poem
Meaning
translation (sort of)
response (personal - what you think when you read)
connection to some bigger idea outside the poem
time and place - context
Structure
poetic devices
use of language
imagery and description
“power words” - God, love, mother, blood, pain, sacrifice, etc (associations)
musicality or appeal to the ear
the way it is presented (Haiku, Tanka, sonnet, etc)
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Exam Has Three Parts
Essay - application and communication (50 marks)
Site Passage - poem or short story - thinking/inquiry, application (25 marks)
Short Answers - Exodus, Midsummer’s Night and/or getting you to do some thinking and writing - knowledge (paragraph writing, backing up your opinion) (25 marks)
You want to create questions that look like:
Define, give the importance of, brief why did - 3 markers
Who is Robin and what is his importance in Midsummer?
Define and explain and give an example - 5 markers
Why might Hippolyta side with the young lovers?
How do I mark your questions?
Uses material from the book or play.
Does NOT just ask simple memory
EXAM BLOG
USERNAME- exambloggdci@gmail.com
PASSWORD- mrlobbblog
go sign in to be sure you can get on.
Essay - application and communication (50 marks)
Site Passage - poem or short story - thinking/inquiry, application (25 marks)
Short Answers - Exodus, Midsummer’s Night and/or getting you to do some thinking and writing - knowledge (paragraph writing, backing up your opinion) (25 marks)
You want to create questions that look like:
Define, give the importance of, brief why did - 3 markers
Who is Robin and what is his importance in Midsummer?
Define and explain and give an example - 5 markers
Why might Hippolyta side with the young lovers?
How do I mark your questions?
Uses material from the book or play.
Does NOT just ask simple memory
EXAM BLOG
USERNAME- exambloggdci@gmail.com
PASSWORD- mrlobbblog
go sign in to be sure you can get on.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Thesis - Perseverance is the key to survival in a turbulent world.
Building Your Exam - ENG1D
Your exam will contain approximately FIVE parts.
The 5th Part will be the most important part - ESSAY
Marked for the checklist
Intro - general to specific, thesis, directional statement
Body - define, reference, explain, reasoning, connection (X3?)
Conclusion - restatement in new terms, redirectional statement, end on capper (spin out)
Also marked for:
use of source material (Exodus)
use of own thinking (Making Connections)
use of stylistic and structural skill
rough outline done first and included
thesis - good? argument? point of view? DON’T JUST OBSERVE, EVALUATE and ASSERT
Level 3, 3+, 4-, 4, 4+
How do we find the right thesis?
PART 2
Passage (short story or poem)
Usually 20-25 marks. More standard kind of marking.
(there is HIGH chance that we will want PRISON-BASED stories, thanks to today)
Looking for questions on MEANING with some on STRUCTURE
Of course, Plot, Setting, Character, Theme.
Of course, “what do YOU think?” questions are always good.
Proof with references always good.
Find ways to consider possibilities that need to be proven. (This COULD be that - Here’s Why!)
Your task - find a good short story or a good poem that allows students to dig in without being too wacky - ie can’t be too vague or personal -
Questions usually are 3-8 marks.
Classic answers might include some use of terms that we have used - forcing some KNOWLEDGE answers - ie knowing what a particular poetic device is, as an example
Five Mark Question Strategy
Define
Explain
Refer
Show reasoning
Connect
Some Short Answer Questions about the novel and the play. (25-30 marks)
Hey, see above.
Now, apply that thinking to the novel and the play.
Why did...
How did...
What was the purpose of...
Teacher trick: ask a question where remembering something is only the first part of the answer
Concept or Idea A combined with Book to give a new Idea (point of view/value)
Selflessness + Exodus = how valuable?
Friendship + Exodus = how does it help characters survive terrible situations
AoD 1 -
point - characters that don’t give up find solutions that other people would never get to
explanation
references - p. 235 - Mara does blah blah blah
how and why important
connection
AoD 2 -
point -
explanation
references
how and why important
connection
Conclusion
What about the First Half of the exam?
You come up with 10 questions in your group.
You answer all 10 in your group.
You submit all questions and answers.
THEN - I choose exam questions from your pile.
Selflessness
Define briefly in Intro
1. Discuss selflessness
2. Show how it is difficult
3. Show how it is worth it.
Building Your Exam - ENG1D
Your exam will contain approximately FIVE parts.
The 5th Part will be the most important part - ESSAY
Marked for the checklist
Intro - general to specific, thesis, directional statement
Body - define, reference, explain, reasoning, connection (X3?)
Conclusion - restatement in new terms, redirectional statement, end on capper (spin out)
Also marked for:
use of source material (Exodus)
use of own thinking (Making Connections)
use of stylistic and structural skill
rough outline done first and included
thesis - good? argument? point of view? DON’T JUST OBSERVE, EVALUATE and ASSERT
Level 3, 3+, 4-, 4, 4+
How do we find the right thesis?
PART 2
Passage (short story or poem)
Usually 20-25 marks. More standard kind of marking.
(there is HIGH chance that we will want PRISON-BASED stories, thanks to today)
Looking for questions on MEANING with some on STRUCTURE
Of course, Plot, Setting, Character, Theme.
Of course, “what do YOU think?” questions are always good.
Proof with references always good.
Find ways to consider possibilities that need to be proven. (This COULD be that - Here’s Why!)
Your task - find a good short story or a good poem that allows students to dig in without being too wacky - ie can’t be too vague or personal -
Questions usually are 3-8 marks.
Classic answers might include some use of terms that we have used - forcing some KNOWLEDGE answers - ie knowing what a particular poetic device is, as an example
Five Mark Question Strategy
Define
Explain
Refer
Show reasoning
Connect
Some Short Answer Questions about the novel and the play. (25-30 marks)
Hey, see above.
Now, apply that thinking to the novel and the play.
Why did...
How did...
What was the purpose of...
Teacher trick: ask a question where remembering something is only the first part of the answer
Concept or Idea A combined with Book to give a new Idea (point of view/value)
Selflessness + Exodus = how valuable?
Friendship + Exodus = how does it help characters survive terrible situations
AoD 1 -
point - characters that don’t give up find solutions that other people would never get to
explanation
references - p. 235 - Mara does blah blah blah
how and why important
connection
AoD 2 -
point -
explanation
references
how and why important
connection
Conclusion
What about the First Half of the exam?
You come up with 10 questions in your group.
You answer all 10 in your group.
You submit all questions and answers.
THEN - I choose exam questions from your pile.
Selflessness
Define briefly in Intro
1. Discuss selflessness
2. Show how it is difficult
3. Show how it is worth it.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
ENG1D
Having problems with your essay?
Start with these steps for success:
Brainstorming ideas - about your topic area - ie cruelty, perseverance, selflessness, desperation, rebelliousness, etc
A thesis is an argument or point of view ABOUT YOUR TOPIC AREA - it is a specific slant or approach to some aspect of that topic area - you need to have some kind of answer to “so what?” in advance - you can’t just present information about your topic area
eg - Cruelty is in the book and in the real world. What about it?
eg Lauren - Cruelty is in the book and in the real world - Thesis Point to Prove - it hurts EVERYONE, not just the victim - it hurts the cruel person!
What you’re doing is taking the information, taking the obvious points and ADDING YOUR OWN THINKING AND IDEA - there’s a spin you’re putting on the info from the book, from the real world (or from the Bible)
Write down our main ways of proving that spin, that thesis, that approach.
eg Laine -
Essay Skeleton - once you make this you can also
Collect references from the source material (Exodus, news, a case study, etc)
How do I write an Intro?
You can’t write an intro until you know exactly what you’re going to prove.
THIS ABOVE IS WHY PEOPLE STRUGGLE UP FRONT
General Comment about the topic area, OR the novel, OR something to do with your specific point
It doesn’t have to be about your thesis specifically, it should LEAD to it.
THEN give your thesis. You can discuss it a bit.
THEN briefly state your two or three Areas of Discussion.
6. What is an area of discussion? It’s one of the ways you can prove your thesis.
eg - Mr. Lobb is a bad teacher and he has a negative effect on young people. - (thesis)
Possible AoD - He is physically and mentally aggressive.
That AoD will have: explanation, examples, reasoning. AND CONNECTION back to thesis.
Selflessness
AoD - Being selfless is difficult -
Explanation - how it was difficult and why
Example - from the story - briefly discuss When her family was dead but she carried on and tried to help others.
Reasoning - the why
Connection how it shows that she struggled with it.
Having problems with your essay?
Start with these steps for success:
Brainstorming ideas - about your topic area - ie cruelty, perseverance, selflessness, desperation, rebelliousness, etc
A thesis is an argument or point of view ABOUT YOUR TOPIC AREA - it is a specific slant or approach to some aspect of that topic area - you need to have some kind of answer to “so what?” in advance - you can’t just present information about your topic area
eg - Cruelty is in the book and in the real world. What about it?
eg Lauren - Cruelty is in the book and in the real world - Thesis Point to Prove - it hurts EVERYONE, not just the victim - it hurts the cruel person!
What you’re doing is taking the information, taking the obvious points and ADDING YOUR OWN THINKING AND IDEA - there’s a spin you’re putting on the info from the book, from the real world (or from the Bible)
Write down our main ways of proving that spin, that thesis, that approach.
eg Laine -
Essay Skeleton - once you make this you can also
Collect references from the source material (Exodus, news, a case study, etc)
How do I write an Intro?
You can’t write an intro until you know exactly what you’re going to prove.
THIS ABOVE IS WHY PEOPLE STRUGGLE UP FRONT
General Comment about the topic area, OR the novel, OR something to do with your specific point
It doesn’t have to be about your thesis specifically, it should LEAD to it.
THEN give your thesis. You can discuss it a bit.
THEN briefly state your two or three Areas of Discussion.
6. What is an area of discussion? It’s one of the ways you can prove your thesis.
eg - Mr. Lobb is a bad teacher and he has a negative effect on young people. - (thesis)
Possible AoD - He is physically and mentally aggressive.
That AoD will have: explanation, examples, reasoning. AND CONNECTION back to thesis.
Selflessness
AoD - Being selfless is difficult -
Explanation - how it was difficult and why
Example - from the story - briefly discuss When her family was dead but she carried on and tried to help others.
Reasoning - the why
Connection how it shows that she struggled with it.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
Intro
Body
My point - define and explain
Reference from the book.
How it fits and is important.
How this proves that thesis above.
My point - define and explain
Reference from the book.
How it fits and is important.
How this proves that thesis above.
How do these fit together? 3rd paragraph - SYNTHESIS
Conclusion
Body
My point - define and explain
Reference from the book.
How it fits and is important.
How this proves that thesis above.
My point - define and explain
Reference from the book.
How it fits and is important.
How this proves that thesis above.
How do these fit together? 3rd paragraph - SYNTHESIS
Conclusion
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Today’s Menu
Brainstorming - on the subject/topic (NOT THESIS) - what can be said? what are the big ideas here? what are the elements that we can learn?
Find references from the book that fit the subject/topic
Start refining into your thesis - general to specific - the thesis is an argument that you need to prove - your ideas and references need to be combined to do that
Plan an essay skeleton
(bolded is done in groups - COLLABORATE)
A rough draft - which you show Mr. The Lobb! This is for marks! (CONFERENCE)
ONLY THEN will you start writing a final.
Get it checked by a nice peer. (could be group, or just one peer)
Submit the final KNOWING the entire process was part of your mark - IN FACT, it was the BIGGEST part of your mark.
Reminder of Theses:
Humankind will only succeed through perseverance.
Exodus shows us the cost of cruelty. Prove that this is true comparing the story with our own world. (cruelty means behaviour that is evil and doesn’t take another person’s feelings and health and life into consideration)
Selflessness can be difficult, but it is almost always worth it.
Desperation can be said to be the root of all evil.
Rebellion can sometimes be an important, and necessary response to a terrible situation.
Article is spelled “article” NOT artical!
Brainstorming - on the subject/topic (NOT THESIS) - what can be said? what are the big ideas here? what are the elements that we can learn?
Find references from the book that fit the subject/topic
Start refining into your thesis - general to specific - the thesis is an argument that you need to prove - your ideas and references need to be combined to do that
Plan an essay skeleton
(bolded is done in groups - COLLABORATE)
A rough draft - which you show Mr. The Lobb! This is for marks! (CONFERENCE)
ONLY THEN will you start writing a final.
Get it checked by a nice peer. (could be group, or just one peer)
Submit the final KNOWING the entire process was part of your mark - IN FACT, it was the BIGGEST part of your mark.
Reminder of Theses:
Humankind will only succeed through perseverance.
Exodus shows us the cost of cruelty. Prove that this is true comparing the story with our own world. (cruelty means behaviour that is evil and doesn’t take another person’s feelings and health and life into consideration)
Selflessness can be difficult, but it is almost always worth it.
Desperation can be said to be the root of all evil.
Rebellion can sometimes be an important, and necessary response to a terrible situation.
Article is spelled “article” NOT artical!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Cole - short story questions? news article?
Erin - Poetry Assignment wouldn’t load
Mitch - Poetry Assignment, News article
Abby - Poetry Assignment
Caitlyn - Short Story questions, Social Media
Lauren - Poetry Assignment
Laine - ALL CAUGHT UP
Courtney - Poetry Ass Prob, send blog addy again,
Julia - Poetry Ass, News
Jachelle - Poetry Ass, News Art
Sean - Poetry Ass, News Art, Soc Media short
Cameron - is absent
Rachel - Poetry Ass, Social Media, News
Rosaleigh - Poetry Ass, News Art
Caitlan - send blog addy again! Still can’t load it! (THEN you get the list...)
Lee - Poetry Ass
Neil - Short Story Qs!, Redo Social Media, News
Meghan - Short Story Qs, News
Robyn - Poetry Ass (same prob - mine), news?
Abigail - I Am Poem?, News
Ashley - News
Devon - lose the computer, which is distracting you every period, Poetry Ass, News
Kyle - Poetry Ass, News
Laura - I Am Poem, Poetry Ass, News
Nick - Poetry Ass, News
Find a poet
Pick a poem and read it
Analyse it by STRUCTURE and MEANING
Find any links between poet and poem (bio on poet)
Write your own poem in a similar vein (similar theme or idea)
Erin - Poetry Assignment wouldn’t load
Mitch - Poetry Assignment, News article
Abby - Poetry Assignment
Caitlyn - Short Story questions, Social Media
Lauren - Poetry Assignment
Laine - ALL CAUGHT UP
Courtney - Poetry Ass Prob, send blog addy again,
Julia - Poetry Ass, News
Jachelle - Poetry Ass, News Art
Sean - Poetry Ass, News Art, Soc Media short
Cameron - is absent
Rachel - Poetry Ass, Social Media, News
Rosaleigh - Poetry Ass, News Art
Caitlan - send blog addy again! Still can’t load it! (THEN you get the list...)
Lee - Poetry Ass
Neil - Short Story Qs!, Redo Social Media, News
Meghan - Short Story Qs, News
Robyn - Poetry Ass (same prob - mine), news?
Abigail - I Am Poem?, News
Ashley - News
Devon - lose the computer, which is distracting you every period, Poetry Ass, News
Kyle - Poetry Ass, News
Laura - I Am Poem, Poetry Ass, News
Nick - Poetry Ass, News
Find a poet
Pick a poem and read it
Analyse it by STRUCTURE and MEANING
Find any links between poet and poem (bio on poet)
Write your own poem in a similar vein (similar theme or idea)
Monday, May 27, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
ENG1D Essay
Your thesis statement will be one of the following:
Humankind will only succeed through perseverance.
Exodus shows us the cost of cruelty. Prove that this is true comparing the story with our own world. (cruelty means behaviour that is evil and doesn’t take another person’s feelings and health and life into consideration)
Selflessness can be difficult, but it is almost always worth it.
Desperation can be said to be the root of all evil.
Rebellion can sometimes be an important, and necessary response to a terrible situation.
Each person will choose ONE of these thesis statements.
You will write a 3 page essay with a 10-12 point font every line or so that looks at the novel Exodus and compares what you see in it with what you see in our own world.
We will be looking at one of the concepts above and comparing how that concept is shown, treated and dealt with in the novel and the real world. KEY to this is looking at what the effects of that concept might be.
What would this essay look like?
There will be an INTRODUCTION that has those specific elements we discussed.
There will be TWO areas of discussion
Intro - Rebellion can sometimes be an important, and necessary response to a terrible situation.
Area 1 - EXODUS
Paragraph 1 - (point 1) - Mara in Wing telling people they have to leave - rebelling against her culture and her leaders and even her family
Explain how this rebellion she does is beneficial.
Paragraph 2 - (point 2) - Mara goes into the university library even though the Treenesters say she should not
Area 2 - real life
Paragraph 1 - (point 1) - Syria - the FSA is a civilian group fighting against a ruthless dictator to be free
Paragraph 2 - (point 2) - people protesting against religions that don’t allow same sex marriage - Civil Rights
Conclusion
You will try to find TWO proofs for each of the above areas.
SO, you will need TWO proofs showing (for example) rebellion being positive in the novel and explaining how it is.
And then TWO proofs showing (for example) rebellion being positive in the real world and explaining how it is.
NOTE - this is NOT a three paragraph essay. It is a TWO paragraph essay, with TWO parts of each.
SO, it is a SIX PARAGRAPH ESSAY
Your thesis statement will be one of the following:
Humankind will only succeed through perseverance.
Exodus shows us the cost of cruelty. Prove that this is true comparing the story with our own world. (cruelty means behaviour that is evil and doesn’t take another person’s feelings and health and life into consideration)
Selflessness can be difficult, but it is almost always worth it.
Desperation can be said to be the root of all evil.
Rebellion can sometimes be an important, and necessary response to a terrible situation.
Each person will choose ONE of these thesis statements.
You will write a 3 page essay with a 10-12 point font every line or so that looks at the novel Exodus and compares what you see in it with what you see in our own world.
We will be looking at one of the concepts above and comparing how that concept is shown, treated and dealt with in the novel and the real world. KEY to this is looking at what the effects of that concept might be.
What would this essay look like?
There will be an INTRODUCTION that has those specific elements we discussed.
There will be TWO areas of discussion
Intro - Rebellion can sometimes be an important, and necessary response to a terrible situation.
Area 1 - EXODUS
Paragraph 1 - (point 1) - Mara in Wing telling people they have to leave - rebelling against her culture and her leaders and even her family
Explain how this rebellion she does is beneficial.
Paragraph 2 - (point 2) - Mara goes into the university library even though the Treenesters say she should not
Area 2 - real life
Paragraph 1 - (point 1) - Syria - the FSA is a civilian group fighting against a ruthless dictator to be free
Paragraph 2 - (point 2) - people protesting against religions that don’t allow same sex marriage - Civil Rights
Conclusion
You will try to find TWO proofs for each of the above areas.
SO, you will need TWO proofs showing (for example) rebellion being positive in the novel and explaining how it is.
And then TWO proofs showing (for example) rebellion being positive in the real world and explaining how it is.
NOTE - this is NOT a three paragraph essay. It is a TWO paragraph essay, with TWO parts of each.
SO, it is a SIX PARAGRAPH ESSAY
Friday, May 24, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Read book.
Work on group work.
More essay talk.
Doners -
Find two scenes in the book that you can use to do TWO things
Make a poster in any way you can - draw, cut out, collage, design on computer, etc, and show me the drama of THAT scene
Make a little play script of that scene WITH action, dialogue and character description. WRITE it. (GOOGLE how to format a play script - NOTE you can use a movie script format too) (a couple pages is lots)
We need to write a class essay:
Mara uses her perseverance to save her people.
Mara makes multiple rebellious decisions in the book that people do not agree with.
Mara uses her intelligence to try and save herself and the people of her city.
Mara deals with hardships that change her as a person.
Intelligent people weren’t always looked at as positive.
Mara is a selfless hero throughout the book because she tries to save other people before herself.
Possibilities:
Can we focus on something besides Mara, but talk about Mara in the topic?
Can we combine what we know about our own world and experiences?
Topic Ideas:
Rebellion
Perseverance
Intelligence
Selflessness (giving of oneself - making sacrifices for others)
Status
Cruelty
Global warming
Realistic elements
Try to combine THREE of the topic areas above with a value statement that causes you to look at HOW the subject is treated in the book and allows you to look at stuff in the real world.
eg - rebellion can be a good thing and have a positive outcome.
Work on group work.
More essay talk.
Doners -
Find two scenes in the book that you can use to do TWO things
Make a poster in any way you can - draw, cut out, collage, design on computer, etc, and show me the drama of THAT scene
Make a little play script of that scene WITH action, dialogue and character description. WRITE it. (GOOGLE how to format a play script - NOTE you can use a movie script format too) (a couple pages is lots)
We need to write a class essay:
Mara uses her perseverance to save her people.
Mara makes multiple rebellious decisions in the book that people do not agree with.
Mara uses her intelligence to try and save herself and the people of her city.
Mara deals with hardships that change her as a person.
Intelligent people weren’t always looked at as positive.
Mara is a selfless hero throughout the book because she tries to save other people before herself.
Possibilities:
Can we focus on something besides Mara, but talk about Mara in the topic?
Can we combine what we know about our own world and experiences?
Topic Ideas:
Rebellion
Perseverance
Intelligence
Selflessness (giving of oneself - making sacrifices for others)
Status
Cruelty
Global warming
Realistic elements
Try to combine THREE of the topic areas above with a value statement that causes you to look at HOW the subject is treated in the book and allows you to look at stuff in the real world.
eg - rebellion can be a good thing and have a positive outcome.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
1) The Hook
GENERAL - you need to introduce the general AREA that you are talking about
In the case of the one we worked on, the general area is -
What do we say about ducks to start this essay?
2) The thesis would be - Mara, in Exodus, is a reluctant saviour, and is not allowed to be a normal girl because of the expectations put on her by a dangerous world.
(Notice how the thesis is an argument statement, where the hook is a topic area)
All that’s left in the intro is to briefly state our THREE areas of discussion (or, ways to prove that argument)
Body Paragraphs
The next skill we need is to make Areas of Discussion from our thesis statement.
Three is pretty common in a starting essay.
One thing you would maybe have to prove is that she’s a saviour!
Another thing is to prove that she is reluctant to be a saviour!
A third thing you could prove is that there are expectations on her!
Working on that third possible area:
She is considered to be the face of the character in the stone telling that the Treenesters use as one of their core beliefs.
She feels like she HAS to save the Treenesters and, specifically Gorbals, by going up to the upper world.
Etc. SO, this is just one step in trying to prove this area of discussion.
We’ll pick one reference and then what?
We EXPAND on what that reference means, how it fits this idea of expectations being put on her, and THEN we have to show how these expectations stop her from being a normal girl.
THAT is what level 4 is all about - explaining the connection to the thesis.
Step 1 - What is the argument being made? (thesis)
Step 2 - What are three ways we could prove that argument? Look at the thesis statement to figure out what needs to be proven.
Step 3 - Find references from your source material that SHOW your area of discussion is true. EXAMPLES from your book. (or RESEARCH from some other source)
Step 4 - EXPLAIN your reference. Be sure the reader knows how it fits what you think it fits. Be sure that your thinking is on the page. Not too much, but enough to show that you get it.
Step 5 - MAKE THE CONNECTION TO THE THESIS.
How does the reference that you just explained prove that thesis that you noted up in the intro? You need to make this logical link.
Example - giving a reference of Mr. Lobb kicking Laine’s chair IS NOT explaining how he is a bad teacher. IT ISN’T!
You need to SHOW HOW that makes him a bad teacher. SPECIFICALLY!
What the heck would be a good thesis on this novel? (Exodus)
A thesis is a statement that has an attitude - it has a YEAH or a NO - VALUE STATEMENT
Your thesis should be able to have a point of view that is the opposite of yours.
Example - listing attributes of Mara has no opposing point of view -
Don’t let the teacher say SO WHAT?
Example - Mara has X, Y, Z attributes - teacher says So What?
So, we add - Mara has these attributes and they make her a great hero.
This answers the so what?
GENERAL - you need to introduce the general AREA that you are talking about
In the case of the one we worked on, the general area is -
What do we say about ducks to start this essay?
2) The thesis would be - Mara, in Exodus, is a reluctant saviour, and is not allowed to be a normal girl because of the expectations put on her by a dangerous world.
(Notice how the thesis is an argument statement, where the hook is a topic area)
All that’s left in the intro is to briefly state our THREE areas of discussion (or, ways to prove that argument)
Body Paragraphs
The next skill we need is to make Areas of Discussion from our thesis statement.
Three is pretty common in a starting essay.
One thing you would maybe have to prove is that she’s a saviour!
Another thing is to prove that she is reluctant to be a saviour!
A third thing you could prove is that there are expectations on her!
Working on that third possible area:
She is considered to be the face of the character in the stone telling that the Treenesters use as one of their core beliefs.
She feels like she HAS to save the Treenesters and, specifically Gorbals, by going up to the upper world.
Etc. SO, this is just one step in trying to prove this area of discussion.
We’ll pick one reference and then what?
We EXPAND on what that reference means, how it fits this idea of expectations being put on her, and THEN we have to show how these expectations stop her from being a normal girl.
THAT is what level 4 is all about - explaining the connection to the thesis.
Step 1 - What is the argument being made? (thesis)
Step 2 - What are three ways we could prove that argument? Look at the thesis statement to figure out what needs to be proven.
Step 3 - Find references from your source material that SHOW your area of discussion is true. EXAMPLES from your book. (or RESEARCH from some other source)
Step 4 - EXPLAIN your reference. Be sure the reader knows how it fits what you think it fits. Be sure that your thinking is on the page. Not too much, but enough to show that you get it.
Step 5 - MAKE THE CONNECTION TO THE THESIS.
How does the reference that you just explained prove that thesis that you noted up in the intro? You need to make this logical link.
Example - giving a reference of Mr. Lobb kicking Laine’s chair IS NOT explaining how he is a bad teacher. IT ISN’T!
You need to SHOW HOW that makes him a bad teacher. SPECIFICALLY!
What the heck would be a good thesis on this novel? (Exodus)
A thesis is a statement that has an attitude - it has a YEAH or a NO - VALUE STATEMENT
Your thesis should be able to have a point of view that is the opposite of yours.
Example - listing attributes of Mara has no opposing point of view -
Don’t let the teacher say SO WHAT?
Example - Mara has X, Y, Z attributes - teacher says So What?
So, we add - Mara has these attributes and they make her a great hero.
This answers the so what?
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Writing An Essay!
Five Paragraph Essays
INTRO -
BODY PARAGRAPHS (3) -
CONCLUSION -
Some people were taught about the hamburger paragraph style. We’re going to change that.
We will learn a way of thinking and forming body paragraphs that will last us all the years of high school, as well as make the OSSLT a LOT easier.
HERE IS THE PATTERN!
What goes in an intro? (THREE PARTS)
The hook. The lead. The general introduction to the subject NOT the thesis.
Hey! What’s the difference between subject and thesis?
Subject is a topic area - teaching and education
Thesis is a specific argument point within that subject - marks culture is worse than learning culture
A thesis is an argument that has TWO sides at a minimum!
A thesis has to be PROVEN.
A thesis shouldn’t be so obvious that everyone would agree.
A thesis is specific and requires some support through references and explanation.
HEY! Maybe a body paragraph is all about REFERENCES and EXPLANATION!
Back to the general introduction - you start an essay by telling your reader about the general subject about which you will be writing and for which you will have a specific argument
Thesis Example - Mr. Lobb is a terrible teacher and should NOT be allowed near the fragile young minds of tomorrow’s adults. (this is a specific argument)
The opening of an intro about the above should focus on the general topic, which could be teaching, good teaching, good teachers, bad teachers, Mr. Lobb in general, etc.
If we’re going to spend several paragraphs discussing and PROVING the thesis, we should use the intro to establish who this terrible teacher IS, so that we can talk about him!
That opening sentence is GENERAL and introduces the topic and THEN you go specific INTO THE THESIS, in the next sentence! (or, you could explain a bit more about how you are getting to that thesis) ie Mr. Lobb is this guy in this school and he’s been there for this long, and it hasn’t been good. That part in italics would be the piece IN BETWEEN the intro and the thesis.
The Specific - we state the thesis and briefly outline HOW it will be proven
eg - Mr. Lobb is a terrible teacher and should NOT be allowed near the fragile young minds of tomorrow’s adults. By looking at Area of Discussion 1, Area of Discussion 2, and Area of Discussion 3, it becomes obvious that this man is a danger to those unfortunate enough to be placed into his class.
Five Paragraph Essays
INTRO -
BODY PARAGRAPHS (3) -
CONCLUSION -
Some people were taught about the hamburger paragraph style. We’re going to change that.
We will learn a way of thinking and forming body paragraphs that will last us all the years of high school, as well as make the OSSLT a LOT easier.
HERE IS THE PATTERN!
What goes in an intro? (THREE PARTS)
The hook. The lead. The general introduction to the subject NOT the thesis.
Hey! What’s the difference between subject and thesis?
Subject is a topic area - teaching and education
Thesis is a specific argument point within that subject - marks culture is worse than learning culture
A thesis is an argument that has TWO sides at a minimum!
A thesis has to be PROVEN.
A thesis shouldn’t be so obvious that everyone would agree.
A thesis is specific and requires some support through references and explanation.
HEY! Maybe a body paragraph is all about REFERENCES and EXPLANATION!
Back to the general introduction - you start an essay by telling your reader about the general subject about which you will be writing and for which you will have a specific argument
Thesis Example - Mr. Lobb is a terrible teacher and should NOT be allowed near the fragile young minds of tomorrow’s adults. (this is a specific argument)
The opening of an intro about the above should focus on the general topic, which could be teaching, good teaching, good teachers, bad teachers, Mr. Lobb in general, etc.
If we’re going to spend several paragraphs discussing and PROVING the thesis, we should use the intro to establish who this terrible teacher IS, so that we can talk about him!
That opening sentence is GENERAL and introduces the topic and THEN you go specific INTO THE THESIS, in the next sentence! (or, you could explain a bit more about how you are getting to that thesis) ie Mr. Lobb is this guy in this school and he’s been there for this long, and it hasn’t been good. That part in italics would be the piece IN BETWEEN the intro and the thesis.
The Specific - we state the thesis and briefly outline HOW it will be proven
eg - Mr. Lobb is a terrible teacher and should NOT be allowed near the fragile young minds of tomorrow’s adults. By looking at Area of Discussion 1, Area of Discussion 2, and Area of Discussion 3, it becomes obvious that this man is a danger to those unfortunate enough to be placed into his class.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Issues that we will be discussing (these involve our essay topics) that come from Exodus
refugees
slavery
human rights
Global Warming
the danger of learning (and progress)
In random groups you will be choosing THREE sources of information for each of the above topics and just coming up with some general ideas, facts, opinions, resources and background data that you could use to explain a point of view.
Definition of:
Historical Background:
Key Attributes:
Current Events/Refugees in the News Today:
Photos/Imagery/Videos:
A Classic Case Study (one person’s story that is typical):
AND THEN - How does this intersect with the story Exodus?
Sims and Diffs with Mara’s people
Compare and Contrast
refugees
slavery
human rights
Global Warming
the danger of learning (and progress)
In random groups you will be choosing THREE sources of information for each of the above topics and just coming up with some general ideas, facts, opinions, resources and background data that you could use to explain a point of view.
Definition of:
Historical Background:
Key Attributes:
Current Events/Refugees in the News Today:
Photos/Imagery/Videos:
A Classic Case Study (one person’s story that is typical):
AND THEN - How does this intersect with the story Exodus?
Sims and Diffs with Mara’s people
Compare and Contrast
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Exodus
Wing -
it’s an island that has no trees left on it
the islanders burn peat to make fire - this is something common to SCOTLAND!
however, it could also be something common to Iceland, which also has very few trees
it looks like Wing MIGHT be Iceland - they also burned peat there
stone houses
sinking into the sea (or, more correctly, the sea is rising)
not many people left there
the people have to leave it after there was a killer storm and a tsunami
they use small fishing boats to leave
the tragic thing that happens in Wing when they leave is that Tain and the old people stay behind to die on their home island - He says, I was born here, I will die here.
cyberwizz
this is kind of complex for some people who read the book
there is a big section where Mara goes into a strange kind of imagination space or something
she has a device that uses solar power - she charges it on her window
it is a small device that she has hacked to show on a laptop screen
she kind of “goes into” some space or something
she sees a strange kind of landscape with “infostacks” and towers and then, one day, a “cyberfox”
all of this comes from a kind of fiction that started with a book called Neuromancer (William Gibson) and there is a similar kind of book called The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
these books predicted that computer technology would create imaginary worlds using data and graphics and the Internet and tech that allowed people to see a representation of that data and the network
she’s in a virtual world - she is literally in a big, dead Internet that is like a game, that projects straight into her brain, instead of her eyes
when she sees things, they are all SET - they were designed, and they are left and she figures out that the whole place is like a graveyard - it’s dead - it’s a machine left running somewhere
HOWEVER, when she meets the cyberfox, it’s REAL - it seems to be someone else wandering through that “world”
you know what an Avatar is? That is probably what the fox is
The Weave - the Internet IS the weave
the thing that she goes into is just a graphical representation of the Web
a future Web where you “see” instead of read
Why is the Weave only available to Mara? Why is it gone?
Wing -
it’s an island that has no trees left on it
the islanders burn peat to make fire - this is something common to SCOTLAND!
however, it could also be something common to Iceland, which also has very few trees
it looks like Wing MIGHT be Iceland - they also burned peat there
stone houses
sinking into the sea (or, more correctly, the sea is rising)
not many people left there
the people have to leave it after there was a killer storm and a tsunami
they use small fishing boats to leave
the tragic thing that happens in Wing when they leave is that Tain and the old people stay behind to die on their home island - He says, I was born here, I will die here.
cyberwizz
this is kind of complex for some people who read the book
there is a big section where Mara goes into a strange kind of imagination space or something
she has a device that uses solar power - she charges it on her window
it is a small device that she has hacked to show on a laptop screen
she kind of “goes into” some space or something
she sees a strange kind of landscape with “infostacks” and towers and then, one day, a “cyberfox”
all of this comes from a kind of fiction that started with a book called Neuromancer (William Gibson) and there is a similar kind of book called The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
these books predicted that computer technology would create imaginary worlds using data and graphics and the Internet and tech that allowed people to see a representation of that data and the network
she’s in a virtual world - she is literally in a big, dead Internet that is like a game, that projects straight into her brain, instead of her eyes
when she sees things, they are all SET - they were designed, and they are left and she figures out that the whole place is like a graveyard - it’s dead - it’s a machine left running somewhere
HOWEVER, when she meets the cyberfox, it’s REAL - it seems to be someone else wandering through that “world”
you know what an Avatar is? That is probably what the fox is
The Weave - the Internet IS the weave
the thing that she goes into is just a graphical representation of the Web
a future Web where you “see” instead of read
Why is the Weave only available to Mara? Why is it gone?
Monday, May 6, 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
Exodus
Character
Setting (mood, place and time)
Plot (events and action)
Theme - (The Big Picture, the main idea, a book could have different themes, the GIST, THE MEANING)
The way that a novel is studied can kind of break down into:
Explicit information - easy - who, what, where, when
Implicit information - more complex - you need to think some
Making connections to our lives and the real world - most complex - it requires that you know stuff and this is where things can get ugly
ie remember our Bible conversation?
ie remember our Global Warming conversation?
This is where WE need to bring our thinking into the story.
Working on Explicit Info - Reading Circle -
Pick 5 characters and briefly get them into a graphic organizer of relationship.
For each, have ONE sentence to EPITOMIZE each. Put it into the character map.
Jot down FIVE facts about Wing.
Write down THREE plot events that you think are crucial (up to the point where you are)
What are the concerns, worries and ideas that they characters are thinking about, talking about or dealing with? List THREE. THESE might have something to do with theme.
Find any ONE thing that you don’t understand (individual) and try to help each other figure out what those things are. NOTE: some people don’t have one.
Character
Setting (mood, place and time)
Plot (events and action)
Theme - (The Big Picture, the main idea, a book could have different themes, the GIST, THE MEANING)
The way that a novel is studied can kind of break down into:
Explicit information - easy - who, what, where, when
Implicit information - more complex - you need to think some
Making connections to our lives and the real world - most complex - it requires that you know stuff and this is where things can get ugly
ie remember our Bible conversation?
ie remember our Global Warming conversation?
This is where WE need to bring our thinking into the story.
Working on Explicit Info - Reading Circle -
Pick 5 characters and briefly get them into a graphic organizer of relationship.
For each, have ONE sentence to EPITOMIZE each. Put it into the character map.
Jot down FIVE facts about Wing.
Write down THREE plot events that you think are crucial (up to the point where you are)
What are the concerns, worries and ideas that they characters are thinking about, talking about or dealing with? List THREE. THESE might have something to do with theme.
Find any ONE thing that you don’t understand (individual) and try to help each other figure out what those things are. NOTE: some people don’t have one.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Friday, May 3, 2013
Exodus
We already have a PRE-READING STRATEGY
we discussed some content that we can keep in mind before we get to the meat of the book
we have some ideas about the THEMES that might come up (Biblical allusion)
we have an idea about the CONTEXT for the story (post-Apocalyptic world)
we might also look at the problem that came up yesterday
Here is the Problem - Reading is not fun
We already have a pre-reading strategy, so we should probably come up with some possible READING STRATEGIES.
What is the difference between someone who reads quickly and someone who reads slowly?
sometimes a quick reader might miss things
a slow reader might understand more of the content as a result
a fast reader will be through in a hurry
slower reading can improve remembering
what makes one person a faster reader?
some faster readers literally skip sections and get the main idea - GIST
some faster readers don’t even really notice the words, they’re watching a movie in their heads - some slower readers do the same
these faster readers will do MUCH better with a novel that has characters and an interesting storyline - THIS is where you get the movie in your brain
The reading strategies can come from the observations above
Try reading sections ALOUD, or get an audiobook and read along with it.
What if there’s no audiobook? Get a reading buddy and read aloud in groups. OR do the Lauren Doherty - read it aloud in the basement. If you don’t have a finished basement, don’t be such a baby, get down there!
Keep and maintain a character web. A character web will help you to keep the characters in your mind as distinct and interesting story line generators.
Maintain a Lobb Plot Line (you can and it can help)
this is a very special thing invented by a very brilliant and wonderful man
this is a way of keeping track of story events that are IMPORTANT
How do we know if something is important? IF IT IMPACTS ON THE PROTAGONIST and CHANGES HER IN SOME WAY - keep track of things that have a major impact on Mara. (in any form)
Form a small group, like a READING CIRCLE - get together to read and compare what we learned and we can have COMMON NOTES. We can also read aloud to each other, at times. We can also have common Qs and As as we’ve done.
Teacher reading aloud
Repeat reading (which can be disheartening)
Think about characters in movies and APPLY those faces to the characters
Make a MAP of the area where the story takes place (or some of the places)
9. Make a movie poster of this book (or a trailer, if you like)
We already have a PRE-READING STRATEGY
we discussed some content that we can keep in mind before we get to the meat of the book
we have some ideas about the THEMES that might come up (Biblical allusion)
we have an idea about the CONTEXT for the story (post-Apocalyptic world)
we might also look at the problem that came up yesterday
Here is the Problem - Reading is not fun
We already have a pre-reading strategy, so we should probably come up with some possible READING STRATEGIES.
What is the difference between someone who reads quickly and someone who reads slowly?
sometimes a quick reader might miss things
a slow reader might understand more of the content as a result
a fast reader will be through in a hurry
slower reading can improve remembering
what makes one person a faster reader?
some faster readers literally skip sections and get the main idea - GIST
some faster readers don’t even really notice the words, they’re watching a movie in their heads - some slower readers do the same
these faster readers will do MUCH better with a novel that has characters and an interesting storyline - THIS is where you get the movie in your brain
The reading strategies can come from the observations above
Try reading sections ALOUD, or get an audiobook and read along with it.
What if there’s no audiobook? Get a reading buddy and read aloud in groups. OR do the Lauren Doherty - read it aloud in the basement. If you don’t have a finished basement, don’t be such a baby, get down there!
Keep and maintain a character web. A character web will help you to keep the characters in your mind as distinct and interesting story line generators.
Maintain a Lobb Plot Line (you can and it can help)
this is a very special thing invented by a very brilliant and wonderful man
this is a way of keeping track of story events that are IMPORTANT
How do we know if something is important? IF IT IMPACTS ON THE PROTAGONIST and CHANGES HER IN SOME WAY - keep track of things that have a major impact on Mara. (in any form)
Form a small group, like a READING CIRCLE - get together to read and compare what we learned and we can have COMMON NOTES. We can also read aloud to each other, at times. We can also have common Qs and As as we’ve done.
Teacher reading aloud
Repeat reading (which can be disheartening)
Think about characters in movies and APPLY those faces to the characters
Make a MAP of the area where the story takes place (or some of the places)
9. Make a movie poster of this book (or a trailer, if you like)
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Friday, May 2, 2013
Exodus
this is the title of the book, but it is also a word that has a very specific meaning - this word means “a mass departure of people from one place”
it is usually a result of something terrible happening
the most famous use of the word exodus is linked to Biblical history
there is a book of the Bible that is called Exodus and it is about the Israelites being cast out of Egypt
the idea is that an author who calls his/her book Exodus is CLEARLY trying to make you think about that very well known (by some) old story
this title is LOADED with meaning - it’s very significant
the ideas in the book MUST be linked with some concept from that Bible story
when something in a book, story, poem or movie refers to some other form of art it is a kind of text to text connection that is called an ALLUSION
the title of this novel is a Biblical allusion
Why would an author WANT to use a Biblical allusion?
maybe the author has some religious idea to get across OR a comment about a religious idea
it might give the readers extra meaning and information that HELP THEM CONNECT
it might make for some layers of meaning - a little more, a little deeper - this gives us something to chew on and think about - it might give us some questions and this is always good in a book
We should be reading this book and thinking about what exactly would the link be to the Bible story? - ASSIGNMENT
How could you do this?
By stopping after each chunk of book (chapter, a few pages) and THINKING about possibilities
Find out about that Bible story - you could read that chunk, or you could listen to it, or you could read something on the internet about it -
You could ask someone else about it - churchgoers could ask a pastor or priest or minister or whatever
Read a comic book version of the Bible and you can read that
PICK ANY ONE WAY TO FIND A FEW THINGS OUT ABOUT THE BOOK OF EXODUS
Laine Fincher asks What about the Bible?
It is open to interpretation by many and there is a LOT of controversy as to who is right about what.
It is about what each person believes.
Post-Apocalyptic (after the apocalypse)
Exodus takes place in a future where the people live in a post-global warming world
this story is about people in the future grappling with the problems that WE are literally creating now
it’s a warning in a way, it’s a scary future, it’s a world where people are dealing with enormous problems with the sea level
this is not unrealistic
this is the title of the book, but it is also a word that has a very specific meaning - this word means “a mass departure of people from one place”
it is usually a result of something terrible happening
the most famous use of the word exodus is linked to Biblical history
there is a book of the Bible that is called Exodus and it is about the Israelites being cast out of Egypt
the idea is that an author who calls his/her book Exodus is CLEARLY trying to make you think about that very well known (by some) old story
this title is LOADED with meaning - it’s very significant
the ideas in the book MUST be linked with some concept from that Bible story
when something in a book, story, poem or movie refers to some other form of art it is a kind of text to text connection that is called an ALLUSION
the title of this novel is a Biblical allusion
Why would an author WANT to use a Biblical allusion?
maybe the author has some religious idea to get across OR a comment about a religious idea
it might give the readers extra meaning and information that HELP THEM CONNECT
it might make for some layers of meaning - a little more, a little deeper - this gives us something to chew on and think about - it might give us some questions and this is always good in a book
We should be reading this book and thinking about what exactly would the link be to the Bible story? - ASSIGNMENT
How could you do this?
By stopping after each chunk of book (chapter, a few pages) and THINKING about possibilities
Find out about that Bible story - you could read that chunk, or you could listen to it, or you could read something on the internet about it -
You could ask someone else about it - churchgoers could ask a pastor or priest or minister or whatever
Read a comic book version of the Bible and you can read that
PICK ANY ONE WAY TO FIND A FEW THINGS OUT ABOUT THE BOOK OF EXODUS
Laine Fincher asks What about the Bible?
It is open to interpretation by many and there is a LOT of controversy as to who is right about what.
It is about what each person believes.
Post-Apocalyptic (after the apocalypse)
Exodus takes place in a future where the people live in a post-global warming world
this story is about people in the future grappling with the problems that WE are literally creating now
it’s a warning in a way, it’s a scary future, it’s a world where people are dealing with enormous problems with the sea level
this is not unrealistic
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Reading the last bit of Midsummer - silent AND aloud with people
Working on news article or social media page - GET IT IN
And then, get an Exodus book from the other room on the brown shelves and start in.
Read a bit, then:
Make some predictions about the book.
Research the term exodus.
And you can start reading it if you like.
Working on news article or social media page - GET IT IN
And then, get an Exodus book from the other room on the brown shelves and start in.
Read a bit, then:
Make some predictions about the book.
Research the term exodus.
And you can start reading it if you like.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Act 4, Sc 1 - events
Titania is back to normal. Oberon returns her senses. (because he has the changeling)
Puck returns Bottom to normal.
Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia and Helena wake up with Theseus and Hippolyta there and Egeus is with them.
There appears to be more switchery!
Theseus AGREES that Demetrius should have Helena!
The young lovers all seem confused and Theseus says they will all 6 get married together in the temple.
Bottom stumbles out and looks around for his play to begin
we see once again the chaos that is caused by magic
we also see our theme of love being fickle (changeable)
we also see our theme of manipulating the one you love (Oberon)
we also get a little good comedy from the arrogant Bottom in “ass mode”
- pompous means self-important, over the top and puffed up
- we also get to see some of the sense of the title - the lovers wake up feeling like they’ve been dreaming, Bottom feels like he’s been dreaming, Oberon tells Puck that they will feel this way - comparing LOVE and DREAMS?
Titania is back to normal. Oberon returns her senses. (because he has the changeling)
Puck returns Bottom to normal.
Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia and Helena wake up with Theseus and Hippolyta there and Egeus is with them.
There appears to be more switchery!
Theseus AGREES that Demetrius should have Helena!
The young lovers all seem confused and Theseus says they will all 6 get married together in the temple.
Bottom stumbles out and looks around for his play to begin
we see once again the chaos that is caused by magic
we also see our theme of love being fickle (changeable)
we also see our theme of manipulating the one you love (Oberon)
we also get a little good comedy from the arrogant Bottom in “ass mode”
- pompous means self-important, over the top and puffed up
- we also get to see some of the sense of the title - the lovers wake up feeling like they’ve been dreaming, Bottom feels like he’s been dreaming, Oberon tells Puck that they will feel this way - comparing LOVE and DREAMS?
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Cause and Effect - when one person does X, that creates a response, which could be completely unintended
In the play, the situation is this:
Oberon is angry at his wife (Titania)
Somehow, that makes Hermia sad.
Cause and effect can create comedy and often does so in sitcoms, movies, books, etc
HOWEVER, cause and effect can also create terrible situations.
We want to be able to think about what Cause and Effect means and be able to consider how powerful it is. Wouldn’t it be a GREAT essay topic from which to build a thesis?
Cause - something to DONE or SAID or SET UP
Effect - that something results in an effect or consequence
OFTEN that effect is not planned OR it is completely surprising or TERRIBLE
In stories, we see COMPLICATIONS that arise from Cause and Effect.
In life we see the same things.
It is a common concept in literature and you could apply it as a way of thinking about anything.
Exercise in Cause and Effect
I will write down a scenario and you will jot down THREE possible unintended effects.
Example - Courtney gets a bloody nose in class. (cause)
What COULD happen because of that?
A clever way of coming up with an effect is trying to find something that could happen that is not obvious - the effect might be complex or tricky or take some real ASSOCIATING (you might have to really think about why that effect came from that cause)
Effect - Mr. Lobb was arrested.
Obvious? Lobb punched her.
More unusual? Lobb used Black Lobb Magic
More complex?
A chain reaction - a series of cause and effect relationships that take us into unexpected story areas.
In our lives we OFTEN forget about cause and effect and we behave in ways that indicate we are ONLY thinking about RIGHT NOW.
IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION (now pleasure)
Here is the difference between a former addict whose life fell apart and Mr. Lobb:
Former addict wanted things NOW. He wanted fun NOW. He wanted a good time NOW.
He didn’t really think about long term or later. He was immersed in the moment.
Mr. Lobb was more focused on “what will happen later?”
This Mr. Lobb approach has its own problems too. DELAYED GRATIFICATION
Looking at the idea of Cause and Effect can allow us to think about things in a really smart way. We can analyse ourselves.
Why do we analyse characters in stories in English in school?
Maybe the things are happening in the characters’ minds are realistic.
We want students to MAKE CONNECTIONS between the stories and the characters they read about and their own lives.
In the play, the situation is this:
Oberon is angry at his wife (Titania)
Somehow, that makes Hermia sad.
Cause and effect can create comedy and often does so in sitcoms, movies, books, etc
HOWEVER, cause and effect can also create terrible situations.
We want to be able to think about what Cause and Effect means and be able to consider how powerful it is. Wouldn’t it be a GREAT essay topic from which to build a thesis?
Cause - something to DONE or SAID or SET UP
Effect - that something results in an effect or consequence
OFTEN that effect is not planned OR it is completely surprising or TERRIBLE
In stories, we see COMPLICATIONS that arise from Cause and Effect.
In life we see the same things.
It is a common concept in literature and you could apply it as a way of thinking about anything.
Exercise in Cause and Effect
I will write down a scenario and you will jot down THREE possible unintended effects.
Example - Courtney gets a bloody nose in class. (cause)
What COULD happen because of that?
A clever way of coming up with an effect is trying to find something that could happen that is not obvious - the effect might be complex or tricky or take some real ASSOCIATING (you might have to really think about why that effect came from that cause)
Effect - Mr. Lobb was arrested.
Obvious? Lobb punched her.
More unusual? Lobb used Black Lobb Magic
More complex?
A chain reaction - a series of cause and effect relationships that take us into unexpected story areas.
In our lives we OFTEN forget about cause and effect and we behave in ways that indicate we are ONLY thinking about RIGHT NOW.
IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION (now pleasure)
Here is the difference between a former addict whose life fell apart and Mr. Lobb:
Former addict wanted things NOW. He wanted fun NOW. He wanted a good time NOW.
He didn’t really think about long term or later. He was immersed in the moment.
Mr. Lobb was more focused on “what will happen later?”
This Mr. Lobb approach has its own problems too. DELAYED GRATIFICATION
Looking at the idea of Cause and Effect can allow us to think about things in a really smart way. We can analyse ourselves.
Why do we analyse characters in stories in English in school?
Maybe the things are happening in the characters’ minds are realistic.
We want students to MAKE CONNECTIONS between the stories and the characters they read about and their own lives.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
On the Social Media Page, you would expect to see:
bio info
photos the depict something about the character’s life, ideas, friends...
tweets/statuses/hashtags/memes (Internet phenomena/trends/etc)(how would that character respond to, or use, memes?)
what do people tweet about?
things that they think are funny, things that they do, things that interest them, make them angry, etc
turn things from the play into tweets
interactions with OTHER CHARACTERS
News Article
MAN FOUND IN WOODS WITH HEAD OF ASS!
LOCAL COUPLE FLEES ANGRY FATHER
GIRL MISSING
WEATHER PATTERNS UNUSUAL FOR SPRING
FAIRY QUEEN’S LATEST FIND
FAIRY KING INDICTED IN STRANGE LOVE MATCH
CHECKLIST:
The Lede - who, what, where, when
how and why in body
quotations from witnesses or parties involved
expert testimony or opinion
summary or spin off at the end - new area or new comment from the end
description is good
refers to things in play
uses characters from the play
gets specific - details are included
style and structure
bio info
photos the depict something about the character’s life, ideas, friends...
tweets/statuses/hashtags/memes (Internet phenomena/trends/etc)(how would that character respond to, or use, memes?)
what do people tweet about?
things that they think are funny, things that they do, things that interest them, make them angry, etc
turn things from the play into tweets
interactions with OTHER CHARACTERS
News Article
MAN FOUND IN WOODS WITH HEAD OF ASS!
LOCAL COUPLE FLEES ANGRY FATHER
GIRL MISSING
WEATHER PATTERNS UNUSUAL FOR SPRING
FAIRY QUEEN’S LATEST FIND
FAIRY KING INDICTED IN STRANGE LOVE MATCH
CHECKLIST:
The Lede - who, what, where, when
how and why in body
quotations from witnesses or parties involved
expert testimony or opinion
summary or spin off at the end - new area or new comment from the end
description is good
refers to things in play
uses characters from the play
gets specific - details are included
style and structure
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Key Events in Act 3, Sc 2
What makes an event KEY?
Something that changes the flow of events is KEY.
Something that changes the characters (specifically the MAIN characters) is KEY.
The bigger the PROBLEM, the more “things” it affects, the more we know it’s KEY.
Something that changes relationships.
The addition of a new character.
What key things happened in the rest of Act 3, Sc 2?
Puck mimics the voices of Lysander and Demetrius and sets them up to follow him around, thinking they’re going to fight each other - he is just having a laugh
they are angry at each other because they were both dosed and they now love Helena - they are fighting over loving her - this is ironic, because she thinks they’re lying to hurt her
Hermia can’t believe what Lysander is saying - he seems to hate her now
Helena assumes that Hermia is in on the mean joke that she thinks the two guys are playing
Lysander makes really unpleasant (and racist) comments about Hermia’s looks
Puck tries to fix all this drama because Oberon isn’t impressed with the results
Puck is going to re-apply the love potion and get people back with the right lover
WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT LOVE? - wouldn’t this make a great question for an essay?
love can be manipulated - see THIS example
love is confusing - see THIS example
love is a privilege
love can be seen to be fake
love is blind
love is very specific to each person
Mr. Lobb - I think that this is showing us a little bit about how love is in our minds more than we think.
A question arises - what is the difference between LOVE and LUST.
Lust is wanting something?
Love is you actually like someone.
Lust is a sexual attraction to someone.
Love is a longer term “thing” - a relationship
There’s a HUGE different between love and lust.
Lust is physical AND mental.
Love is deeper and more about feelings in our minds. (and physical)
Lust might be more about YOU and love might be more about THEM.
Key Events in Act 3, Sc 2
What makes an event KEY?
Something that changes the flow of events is KEY.
Something that changes the characters (specifically the MAIN characters) is KEY.
The bigger the PROBLEM, the more “things” it affects, the more we know it’s KEY.
Something that changes relationships.
The addition of a new character.
What key things happened in the rest of Act 3, Sc 2?
Puck mimics the voices of Lysander and Demetrius and sets them up to follow him around, thinking they’re going to fight each other - he is just having a laugh
they are angry at each other because they were both dosed and they now love Helena - they are fighting over loving her - this is ironic, because she thinks they’re lying to hurt her
Hermia can’t believe what Lysander is saying - he seems to hate her now
Helena assumes that Hermia is in on the mean joke that she thinks the two guys are playing
Lysander makes really unpleasant (and racist) comments about Hermia’s looks
Puck tries to fix all this drama because Oberon isn’t impressed with the results
Puck is going to re-apply the love potion and get people back with the right lover
WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT LOVE? - wouldn’t this make a great question for an essay?
love can be manipulated - see THIS example
love is confusing - see THIS example
love is a privilege
love can be seen to be fake
love is blind
love is very specific to each person
Mr. Lobb - I think that this is showing us a little bit about how love is in our minds more than we think.
A question arises - what is the difference between LOVE and LUST.
Lust is wanting something?
Love is you actually like someone.
Lust is a sexual attraction to someone.
Love is a longer term “thing” - a relationship
There’s a HUGE different between love and lust.
Lust is physical AND mental.
Love is deeper and more about feelings in our minds. (and physical)
Lust might be more about YOU and love might be more about THEM.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
ENG1D
Reading from A Midsummer Night’s Dream aloud in groups from where we left off in Act 3, Sc 2
Begin collecting notes for your social media project and your news article.
I will be checking for your rough work (rough notes) around these two assignments.
Think about what you will need in order to do them:
For the social media project you will need to know what your character does in the play, what he/she thinks, why he/she is doing whatever he/she is doing (motivations), how he/she relates to other characters, what he/she wants (dramatic need), etc. You might also want to collect images that can be used to help illustrate elements of your character’s life and personality.
For the news article, you need to follow the pattern that we examined yesterday, and then consider how to describe the events of the plot, and the characters, in a way that will allow your article to be exciting reading and get to the front page. Attaching a really good photo to this article as an anchor for your information would be a great idea.
PUCK
ACTIONS: he turns Bottom’s head into the head of an ass (a plot point or two)
THINKING: (the stuff based around what he says)
MOTIVATIONS: create chaos - do pranks - serve Oberon
RELATIONSHIPS:
DRAMATIC NEED: attention
You want to Tweet and FB things that are about the subject without being too “on the nose”
News Article
rough notes:
WHO
WHAT
WHERE
WHEN
DETAILS - WHY AND HOW
INTERVIEWS
EXPERTS
WHAT NEXT?
All news articles start off with THE LEDE -
Act 3, Sc 2
Who’s been dosed with LOVE POTION?
Lysander -> now loves Helena
Titania -> now loves Bottom (ass head version)
Demetrius -> now loves Helena
What is a duel?
A duel is a fight to the death over HONOUR
There is a situation brewing where we could see some true suffering out of this problem with the love potion - a duel is threatened between Lysander and Demetrius
Read on into Act 4, Sc 1
Reading from A Midsummer Night’s Dream aloud in groups from where we left off in Act 3, Sc 2
Begin collecting notes for your social media project and your news article.
I will be checking for your rough work (rough notes) around these two assignments.
Think about what you will need in order to do them:
For the social media project you will need to know what your character does in the play, what he/she thinks, why he/she is doing whatever he/she is doing (motivations), how he/she relates to other characters, what he/she wants (dramatic need), etc. You might also want to collect images that can be used to help illustrate elements of your character’s life and personality.
For the news article, you need to follow the pattern that we examined yesterday, and then consider how to describe the events of the plot, and the characters, in a way that will allow your article to be exciting reading and get to the front page. Attaching a really good photo to this article as an anchor for your information would be a great idea.
PUCK
ACTIONS: he turns Bottom’s head into the head of an ass (a plot point or two)
THINKING: (the stuff based around what he says)
MOTIVATIONS: create chaos - do pranks - serve Oberon
RELATIONSHIPS:
DRAMATIC NEED: attention
You want to Tweet and FB things that are about the subject without being too “on the nose”
News Article
rough notes:
WHO
WHAT
WHERE
WHEN
DETAILS - WHY AND HOW
INTERVIEWS
EXPERTS
WHAT NEXT?
All news articles start off with THE LEDE -
Act 3, Sc 2
Who’s been dosed with LOVE POTION?
Lysander -> now loves Helena
Titania -> now loves Bottom (ass head version)
Demetrius -> now loves Helena
What is a duel?
A duel is a fight to the death over HONOUR
There is a situation brewing where we could see some true suffering out of this problem with the love potion - a duel is threatened between Lysander and Demetrius
Read on into Act 4, Sc 1
Monday, April 15, 2013
Monday, April 15, 2013
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - ENG1D
Assignments Thus Far:
Choose FIVE characters to describe in brief - (thumbnail sketches)
Social Media Profile for ONE character
OSSLT Skill - Write a news article about ONE of the major events of the play.
News Article Format
A news article follows a VERY specific pattern.
This is often referred to as the INVERTED PYRAMID.
(however, it isn’t 3D, so it’s just a triangle)
This pattern is a way of organizing information to fit the typical news form
On the OSSLT, you are given TWO things - a HEADLINE and a PHOTO
The challenge of this assignment - HOW DO I FILL ALL THOSE BLANKS?
Basically, we need to know how to implement the information from the HEADLINE and the PHOTO into an article that we make up ourselves.
The Inverted Pyramid
First few paragraphs answer WHO, WHEN, WHERE and WHAT IS HAPPENING - this is called THE LEDE
The BODY of the piece is made up of all the paragraphs that come after that (and there could be many)
This is the hard part
This is where we include DETAILS - what are the details? What would you actually write in here?
Learning these pieces of the BODY gives you something to structure your article.
QUOTATIONS from the characters that you invented who are in the story (from the photo and/or the headlines) - EYEWITNESSES or PARTICIPANTS - you actually need to give them names to get marks
EXPERT INPUT from people commenting on the event/story/whatever - ie a psychologist or teacher from the “guest speaker” article - another perspective is given and this can flesh out your article and give it a more important feel
HOW and WHY - you explain the event and maybe something about the reasoning
BACKGROUND - how did it get this way? What happened before?
Where is this going? CONSEQUENCES or RESULTS or RAMIFICATIONS
In general, you can also fill in the Who, What happened, When and Where with more specific details in the body
The LAST PARAGRAPH is the conclusion or summary and in this last piece we need to somehow find a CAPPER that spins us out into another thought or gives us a little idea to take away.
The trick is, what the heck does this mean? It often means introducing some added element of the entire subject
eg in the guest speaker story, you might end by saying, students in GDCI will be having many more interesting assemblies over the next weeks where they will blah blah blah
WHAT MAKES A NEWS ARTICLE GOOD OR NOT? (newsworthiness)
Something is newsworthy if it is interesting to a large number of people (might not include YOU)
Something is newsworthy if it is scandalous or scary or crazy or disturbing or unusual and doesn’t fit into the regular day to day
Something is newsworthy if it involves celebrity or politicians
Some topics are automatically newsworthy - WAR, SCIENCE, sports (reaally?), fashion, NATURAL DISASTER, ECONOMY, cars, CRIME, religion, etc (small caps are human interest stories)
A very dramatic and life or death, very emotional and impactful event is more likely to be in the news.
PLUS - A reading
You will need to choose a piece to read aloud.
I care not which piece you read aloud, so long as it has a MINIMUM of 10 lines.
NOW, Demetrius is chasing Hermia EXACTLY like Helena was chasing HIM!
He is a complete HYPOCRITE! (and a dirtbag!)
SO, now Lysander has been potion-struck and he loves Helena.
Helena is still in love with Demetrius.
Demetrius loves Hermia.
Hermia still loves Lysander.
There is no logic at work in the minds of these teenagers!
We are seeing something that is true, thanks to the crazy potion -
The FICKLENESS OF LOVE - (fickle means ever-changing)
Assignments Thus Far:
Choose FIVE characters to describe in brief - (thumbnail sketches)
Social Media Profile for ONE character
OSSLT Skill - Write a news article about ONE of the major events of the play.
News Article Format
A news article follows a VERY specific pattern.
This is often referred to as the INVERTED PYRAMID.
(however, it isn’t 3D, so it’s just a triangle)
This pattern is a way of organizing information to fit the typical news form
On the OSSLT, you are given TWO things - a HEADLINE and a PHOTO
The challenge of this assignment - HOW DO I FILL ALL THOSE BLANKS?
Basically, we need to know how to implement the information from the HEADLINE and the PHOTO into an article that we make up ourselves.
The Inverted Pyramid
First few paragraphs answer WHO, WHEN, WHERE and WHAT IS HAPPENING - this is called THE LEDE
The BODY of the piece is made up of all the paragraphs that come after that (and there could be many)
This is the hard part
This is where we include DETAILS - what are the details? What would you actually write in here?
Learning these pieces of the BODY gives you something to structure your article.
QUOTATIONS from the characters that you invented who are in the story (from the photo and/or the headlines) - EYEWITNESSES or PARTICIPANTS - you actually need to give them names to get marks
EXPERT INPUT from people commenting on the event/story/whatever - ie a psychologist or teacher from the “guest speaker” article - another perspective is given and this can flesh out your article and give it a more important feel
HOW and WHY - you explain the event and maybe something about the reasoning
BACKGROUND - how did it get this way? What happened before?
Where is this going? CONSEQUENCES or RESULTS or RAMIFICATIONS
In general, you can also fill in the Who, What happened, When and Where with more specific details in the body
The LAST PARAGRAPH is the conclusion or summary and in this last piece we need to somehow find a CAPPER that spins us out into another thought or gives us a little idea to take away.
The trick is, what the heck does this mean? It often means introducing some added element of the entire subject
eg in the guest speaker story, you might end by saying, students in GDCI will be having many more interesting assemblies over the next weeks where they will blah blah blah
WHAT MAKES A NEWS ARTICLE GOOD OR NOT? (newsworthiness)
Something is newsworthy if it is interesting to a large number of people (might not include YOU)
Something is newsworthy if it is scandalous or scary or crazy or disturbing or unusual and doesn’t fit into the regular day to day
Something is newsworthy if it involves celebrity or politicians
Some topics are automatically newsworthy - WAR, SCIENCE, sports (reaally?), fashion, NATURAL DISASTER, ECONOMY, cars, CRIME, religion, etc (small caps are human interest stories)
A very dramatic and life or death, very emotional and impactful event is more likely to be in the news.
PLUS - A reading
You will need to choose a piece to read aloud.
I care not which piece you read aloud, so long as it has a MINIMUM of 10 lines.
NOW, Demetrius is chasing Hermia EXACTLY like Helena was chasing HIM!
He is a complete HYPOCRITE! (and a dirtbag!)
SO, now Lysander has been potion-struck and he loves Helena.
Helena is still in love with Demetrius.
Demetrius loves Hermia.
Hermia still loves Lysander.
There is no logic at work in the minds of these teenagers!
We are seeing something that is true, thanks to the crazy potion -
The FICKLENESS OF LOVE - (fickle means ever-changing)
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
ENG1D Work for Friday, April 12, 2013
Read A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Act 3, Sc. 1
1. Practice a section that you can read aloud in class next week. Pick something long enough, and fun enough, to use some good character.
Come up with some notes on this scene with your group. Remember, notes are usually based upon Who did What, Where and what were the important ideas or themes.
Work on the ongoing assignment of creating a social media presence for a character of your choice.
And if you get done all this, reading ahead is never a bad idea.
Read A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Act 3, Sc. 1
1. Practice a section that you can read aloud in class next week. Pick something long enough, and fun enough, to use some good character.
Come up with some notes on this scene with your group. Remember, notes are usually based upon Who did What, Where and what were the important ideas or themes.
Work on the ongoing assignment of creating a social media presence for a character of your choice.
And if you get done all this, reading ahead is never a bad idea.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Act 2, Sc 2
Oberon doses Titania with the love potion
Puck doses Lysander with the same love potion, thinking he is Demetrius
Self-confidence is a kind of issue in this play.
Or, maybe LACK thereof.
What kind of a person (Helena) would literally CHASE a guy she loves, who tells her flat out “LEAVE ME ALONE!”?
It could be that she doesn’t like herself, and being with someone who doesn’t like her either CONFIRMS her self-opinion, even though it is bad.
Here’s a weird thing about COGNITIVE DISSONANCE - the anxiety and bad feelings that come from having TWO or more conflicting ideas/concepts/etc in your mind at the same time.
IF you have high paying job group and a low paying job group, the low paying job group reports a HIGHER sense of job satisfaction.
This makes no sense.
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE explains this.
A POSSIBLE explanation for Helena’s sticking around with a jerk (Demetrius) could be cognitive dissonance and her lower self-esteem.
It’s kind of cool that a guy who wrote a play in the 1600s was able to describe something that is a modern psychological discovery
Masochist - someone who seems to enjoy humiliation and misery (and sometimes, pain) - often, these people are kind of replaying bad situations from their childhoods
Helena’s possible motivations are pretty interesting and complex.
Hermia might have some interesting motivations as well.
Why do you think she doesn’t want to marry Demetrius, if he is similar to Lysander?
Can we find a possible deep, psychological reason why a teenage girl might want NOT to marry the guy her father has chosen?
Do we not KNOW that teenagers are always testing the boundaries set by their parents and society?
Do we not KNOW that teenagers rebel against those rules?
Do we not KNOW that teenagers are struggling to find their identities and their own individual paths?
These are classic teenage issues.
INDIVIDUATION - the thing that makes teenagers do the opposite of what their parents say
This is an important drive to separate from your family and become your own person.
There is another layer - the SEX ROLES - what makes a woman different from a man?
Part of the answer is EXPECTATIONS from SOCIETY
Think how scary it must be to live in a culture where Hermia is threatened with death if she doesn’t do what her father says.
NO! Lysander wakes up and sees HELENA! (remember, he’s been hit with the love potion)
Because of that love potion, he looks on Hermia and hates her.
AND he hates her all the more BECAUSE he used to love her.
SO, now Helena loves Demetrius, who is after Hermia, who loves Lysander, who is in love with Helena - the potion has made an even greater mess
Magic is OFTEN a chaos builder in stories - Harry Potter to the office?
Writing Assignment:
Choose ANY one character from the play.
Then, make up a phony Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr/Blog page for that character.
Try to incorporate material from the play, and from what we can figure out about their motivations and thinking.
Try to have the equivalent of about 1 - 2 pages of text.
What criteria would we want in a good assignment?
relevant to the play
doesn’t need to be in Old English (can be)
we would need to see identifying information
the relationships coming out
quotations (to prove something)
show character - consistency
writing in character
writing with creativity
writing that reveals characters’ thinking
Oberon doses Titania with the love potion
Puck doses Lysander with the same love potion, thinking he is Demetrius
Self-confidence is a kind of issue in this play.
Or, maybe LACK thereof.
What kind of a person (Helena) would literally CHASE a guy she loves, who tells her flat out “LEAVE ME ALONE!”?
It could be that she doesn’t like herself, and being with someone who doesn’t like her either CONFIRMS her self-opinion, even though it is bad.
Here’s a weird thing about COGNITIVE DISSONANCE - the anxiety and bad feelings that come from having TWO or more conflicting ideas/concepts/etc in your mind at the same time.
IF you have high paying job group and a low paying job group, the low paying job group reports a HIGHER sense of job satisfaction.
This makes no sense.
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE explains this.
A POSSIBLE explanation for Helena’s sticking around with a jerk (Demetrius) could be cognitive dissonance and her lower self-esteem.
It’s kind of cool that a guy who wrote a play in the 1600s was able to describe something that is a modern psychological discovery
Masochist - someone who seems to enjoy humiliation and misery (and sometimes, pain) - often, these people are kind of replaying bad situations from their childhoods
Helena’s possible motivations are pretty interesting and complex.
Hermia might have some interesting motivations as well.
Why do you think she doesn’t want to marry Demetrius, if he is similar to Lysander?
Can we find a possible deep, psychological reason why a teenage girl might want NOT to marry the guy her father has chosen?
Do we not KNOW that teenagers are always testing the boundaries set by their parents and society?
Do we not KNOW that teenagers rebel against those rules?
Do we not KNOW that teenagers are struggling to find their identities and their own individual paths?
These are classic teenage issues.
INDIVIDUATION - the thing that makes teenagers do the opposite of what their parents say
This is an important drive to separate from your family and become your own person.
There is another layer - the SEX ROLES - what makes a woman different from a man?
Part of the answer is EXPECTATIONS from SOCIETY
Think how scary it must be to live in a culture where Hermia is threatened with death if she doesn’t do what her father says.
NO! Lysander wakes up and sees HELENA! (remember, he’s been hit with the love potion)
Because of that love potion, he looks on Hermia and hates her.
AND he hates her all the more BECAUSE he used to love her.
SO, now Helena loves Demetrius, who is after Hermia, who loves Lysander, who is in love with Helena - the potion has made an even greater mess
Magic is OFTEN a chaos builder in stories - Harry Potter to the office?
Writing Assignment:
Choose ANY one character from the play.
Then, make up a phony Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr/Blog page for that character.
Try to incorporate material from the play, and from what we can figure out about their motivations and thinking.
Try to have the equivalent of about 1 - 2 pages of text.
What criteria would we want in a good assignment?
relevant to the play
doesn’t need to be in Old English (can be)
we would need to see identifying information
the relationships coming out
quotations (to prove something)
show character - consistency
writing in character
writing with creativity
writing that reveals characters’ thinking
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Group of Characters 1 (storyline A) - love gone wrong/true love vs duty
The Romantic Young Lovers with Family Problems
Hermia who loves Lysander
Helena who loves Demetrius
Demetrius who expects to marry Hermia
Egeus is Hermia’s father and he expects Hermia to marry Demetrius
Theseus is the Duke and he supports Egeus (Athenian tradition and law)
Hippolyta is the Duchess and Queen of the Amazons and she supports Hermia
Group of Characters 2 (storyline B) - putting on a show
The Players
Bottom - he is the blustery, arrogant “star” of the show - COMIC RELIEF
Snug
Snout
Flute
Quince
Group of Characters 3 (storyline C) - jealousy and romance
The Fairies (the supernatural)
Robin Goodfellow (Puck) - he is also a “puck” - a mischievous sprite
injects CHAOS - he creates problems and moves things forward
Oberon - king of the fairies - (kind of the Theseus of the fairies)
Titania - queen of the fairies - (kind of the Hippolyta of the fairies)
Random other fairies who flit around and do things (fairy who talks to Puck at the start of Act 2, Sc 1, Mustard Seed, etc
Act 2, Sc.1
The more Demetrius doesn’t like Helena, the more she says she loves him.
Is this realistic?
Sadly, it IS!
There is a sick side to our brains that, when something is difficult or held away from us, that becomes the thing we most want. Especially in relationships.
We see this in our lives! Lots of arrogant, jerky, nasty, unpleasant guys with awesome, nice, smart girlfriends!
Women are somehow interested in jerks.
The values of the time are such that the women in this ARE very much “pure like glass” when married.
In the days of Shakespeare, women were the objects of men’s interest and they had to be passive, and allow the men to “woo them” in the tradition of the time.
For Helena to be more aggressive in pursuit is a real surprise. And it might even be disturbing on some level (for Demetrius AND the audience).
Oberon is going to get involved and make Demetrius love HER. Which might just flip her around.
Agh! Mistaken identity! That CLASSIC piece of comedy excitement.
THIS is getting into very clear territory! We can begin to see how much complication can be had with a love potion, a trickster fairy, a bunch of people in love triangles, etc
I ASSIGN YOU ACT 2, SCENE 2!
READ ALOUD (it is allowed)
Then, make some notes about actions, characters, ideas.
The Romantic Young Lovers with Family Problems
Hermia who loves Lysander
Helena who loves Demetrius
Demetrius who expects to marry Hermia
Egeus is Hermia’s father and he expects Hermia to marry Demetrius
Theseus is the Duke and he supports Egeus (Athenian tradition and law)
Hippolyta is the Duchess and Queen of the Amazons and she supports Hermia
Group of Characters 2 (storyline B) - putting on a show
The Players
Bottom - he is the blustery, arrogant “star” of the show - COMIC RELIEF
Snug
Snout
Flute
Quince
Group of Characters 3 (storyline C) - jealousy and romance
The Fairies (the supernatural)
Robin Goodfellow (Puck) - he is also a “puck” - a mischievous sprite
injects CHAOS - he creates problems and moves things forward
Oberon - king of the fairies - (kind of the Theseus of the fairies)
Titania - queen of the fairies - (kind of the Hippolyta of the fairies)
Random other fairies who flit around and do things (fairy who talks to Puck at the start of Act 2, Sc 1, Mustard Seed, etc
Act 2, Sc.1
The more Demetrius doesn’t like Helena, the more she says she loves him.
Is this realistic?
Sadly, it IS!
There is a sick side to our brains that, when something is difficult or held away from us, that becomes the thing we most want. Especially in relationships.
We see this in our lives! Lots of arrogant, jerky, nasty, unpleasant guys with awesome, nice, smart girlfriends!
Women are somehow interested in jerks.
The values of the time are such that the women in this ARE very much “pure like glass” when married.
In the days of Shakespeare, women were the objects of men’s interest and they had to be passive, and allow the men to “woo them” in the tradition of the time.
For Helena to be more aggressive in pursuit is a real surprise. And it might even be disturbing on some level (for Demetrius AND the audience).
Oberon is going to get involved and make Demetrius love HER. Which might just flip her around.
Agh! Mistaken identity! That CLASSIC piece of comedy excitement.
THIS is getting into very clear territory! We can begin to see how much complication can be had with a love potion, a trickster fairy, a bunch of people in love triangles, etc
I ASSIGN YOU ACT 2, SCENE 2!
READ ALOUD (it is allowed)
Then, make some notes about actions, characters, ideas.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Monday, April 8, 2013
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Act 2, Scene 1
Hey! ANOTHER new group of characters?
What the heck? One of them is called Robin Goodfellow and is referred to as a “puck” or mischievous spirit
A puck is indeed a spirit or sprite or fairy creature that leads people astray (Old English folklore) Folklore is local legend and myth and stories told be people
So, we see that this play takes a turn for the SUPERNATURAL - interesting
And we see that this new character is a troublemaking creature of the woods - this may come into play when all the characters gather in the forest for the meetings they have all set up
This puck would have a VERY obvious look and the audience would immediately recognize him
Fairies serve Nature, as represented by the Fairy Queen
Puck/Robin mentions that the fairy queen has a little human boy that she loves (a changeling) and her husband (Oberon, the fairy king) doesn’t like the baby - Here we have a whole new storyline and set up problems (or situation)
Fairy Queen - Titania
Fairy King - Oberon
If we have this magical trickster in the mix, things will get even more complicated.
He will be working for the fairy king (or queen), but he is also pranking everyone all the time.
Lobb’s Guess - he will even further complicate the romantic tangling
AH! MORE OF THE MALE/FEMALE PROBLEM - men trying to control women and the women refusing to give in
Oberon says to Titania “Am I not thy lord?” - he EXPECTS her to obey him - much like Egeus expects Hermia to obey HIM
Titania accuses Oberon of a) having a mistress and b) only showing up here to visit Hippolyta, who is referred to a “bouncing Amazon”
Amazons are a group of famed female warriors from ancient Greece - they are most famous for one particular pop culture female warrior - they are also famous for being big, powerful, well-shaped women (in pop culture)
In actual legend, they burned or cut off one breast for better use of their bows
The tension between the fairy king and queen is pure jealousy - in spite of being fairies (therefore supernatural) their emotions are very human
He knows the Titania loves Theseus - and now we know that this play is EXACTLY LIKE A SOAP OPERA!
A result of this fighting between the fairy king and queen is that nature is going CRAZY - this is called PATHETIC FALLACY - when the environment reflects characters’ feelings and echoes their feelings - this is something that you are familiar with from modern movies, videos and so on
PATHETIC FALLACY is a kind of SYMBOLISM -
Oberon’s jealousy is NATURAL too - it is similar to something husbands feel when their wives have babies - the baby rules the wife - the baby is the greatest thing the wife has ever seen and she dotes on it in place of doting on her husband -
Doting means to care for, to spoil and to gew gaw over.
Every man understands that feeling - it is something that is UNIVERSAL
Oberon and Titania part angrily, but will stay in that same forest (which is full of activity)
Oberon plans to have Puck get a magic flower which will be used to create a potion that will make the one who is affected fall in love with the first thing (person) he/she sees
We get an idea here exactly how magical Puck really is - he can fly around the world in 40 minutes
Oberon will make Titania fall in love with some animal and then he will get her to give him the changeling boy -
Act 2, Scene 1
Hey! ANOTHER new group of characters?
What the heck? One of them is called Robin Goodfellow and is referred to as a “puck” or mischievous spirit
A puck is indeed a spirit or sprite or fairy creature that leads people astray (Old English folklore) Folklore is local legend and myth and stories told be people
So, we see that this play takes a turn for the SUPERNATURAL - interesting
And we see that this new character is a troublemaking creature of the woods - this may come into play when all the characters gather in the forest for the meetings they have all set up
This puck would have a VERY obvious look and the audience would immediately recognize him
Fairies serve Nature, as represented by the Fairy Queen
Puck/Robin mentions that the fairy queen has a little human boy that she loves (a changeling) and her husband (Oberon, the fairy king) doesn’t like the baby - Here we have a whole new storyline and set up problems (or situation)
Fairy Queen - Titania
Fairy King - Oberon
If we have this magical trickster in the mix, things will get even more complicated.
He will be working for the fairy king (or queen), but he is also pranking everyone all the time.
Lobb’s Guess - he will even further complicate the romantic tangling
AH! MORE OF THE MALE/FEMALE PROBLEM - men trying to control women and the women refusing to give in
Oberon says to Titania “Am I not thy lord?” - he EXPECTS her to obey him - much like Egeus expects Hermia to obey HIM
Titania accuses Oberon of a) having a mistress and b) only showing up here to visit Hippolyta, who is referred to a “bouncing Amazon”
Amazons are a group of famed female warriors from ancient Greece - they are most famous for one particular pop culture female warrior - they are also famous for being big, powerful, well-shaped women (in pop culture)
In actual legend, they burned or cut off one breast for better use of their bows
The tension between the fairy king and queen is pure jealousy - in spite of being fairies (therefore supernatural) their emotions are very human
He knows the Titania loves Theseus - and now we know that this play is EXACTLY LIKE A SOAP OPERA!
A result of this fighting between the fairy king and queen is that nature is going CRAZY - this is called PATHETIC FALLACY - when the environment reflects characters’ feelings and echoes their feelings - this is something that you are familiar with from modern movies, videos and so on
PATHETIC FALLACY is a kind of SYMBOLISM -
Oberon’s jealousy is NATURAL too - it is similar to something husbands feel when their wives have babies - the baby rules the wife - the baby is the greatest thing the wife has ever seen and she dotes on it in place of doting on her husband -
Doting means to care for, to spoil and to gew gaw over.
Every man understands that feeling - it is something that is UNIVERSAL
Oberon and Titania part angrily, but will stay in that same forest (which is full of activity)
Oberon plans to have Puck get a magic flower which will be used to create a potion that will make the one who is affected fall in love with the first thing (person) he/she sees
We get an idea here exactly how magical Puck really is - he can fly around the world in 40 minutes
Oberon will make Titania fall in love with some animal and then he will get her to give him the changeling boy -
Friday, April 5, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
Poetry Assignment
Poet - bio and connection to poetry
Poem - analysing - create a pattern or model for analysis (I can help - Internet)
Plot (what happens), Setting (mood), Character (POV), Theme (meaning, The Big Ideas), language and structure, power words and phrases, connection to you (response - multimedia in some way)
Your own Poetry - you should try to write something in some kind of line with the poem/poet
Your Poetry -
no cliches
try something new
has a theme
has some good language
is long enough to convey something
fits the pattern of the poem or poet
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Act 1, Sc 2
We get a new set of characters.
These characters are unlike the first scene’s characters because they have JOBS.
This is contrasted with the lords and ladies of the first scene.
We can see here a distinction between the way that ARISTOCRATS are portrayed and the way TRADESMEN are portrayed.
This reveals how important social standing was in Shakespeare’s time.
In our culture, we value money and power (based on job) and fame.
In the world of Shakespeare, there is a different measure of one’s social value.
It is all about BIRTH and FAMILY and NAME.
As time went by, a new group of people started to get rich, even though they had no status - they were tradespeople - skilled workers who made things - they were like peasants (the higher class looked down on them) but they had money (sometimes more than the lords)
When these guys with jobs show up in Scene 2, they are funny - they’re weird, they’re not lords, they’re wacky and they’re kind of in the middle between HIGH CLASS and NOBODIES - they’re not really ranked “correctly”
Bottom is a key character - maybe the funniest character - big, loud, arrogant and confident - this is usually a recipe for a problem
These crazy guys are also ACTORS - and this is even worse - actors were totally frowned upon back in the 16th Century - they were seen as TROUBLE - plays were considered BAD because they attracted a group of rabble-rousers
Why is this group of actors in THIS story?
They fit into the time period - maybe, but they don’t fit the STORY
They might be COMIC RELIEF (when the main story gets deep or emotional there can be a heavy feeling, so comedy is added to make the story more entertaining)
This might be a comment about social status in some way...ie Bottom’s arrogance
In Mr. Lobb’s mind, there becomes a question - Can these story lines cross over?
I would start to look at how this could happen.
Flute has to play a female character because women weren’t allowed to be in plays back then - women had no rights and weren’t allowed in such nasty environments as theatres, except of course, to watch
We just found out how the stories will cross - the players will meet in the same wood where Hermia will meet Lysander! Remember, Helena will also be telling people about this - she will tell Demetrius - And I bet he will tell Hermia’s father, Egeus and he might report this to the Duke, Theseus!
This is looking like a great COMPLICATION
At this point, I would like you to WORK on something you owe me...
OR your poetry analysis - poet and a poem and you write a poem
OR you are reading Midsummer and doing the initial character profiles (quick)
We get a new set of characters.
These characters are unlike the first scene’s characters because they have JOBS.
This is contrasted with the lords and ladies of the first scene.
We can see here a distinction between the way that ARISTOCRATS are portrayed and the way TRADESMEN are portrayed.
This reveals how important social standing was in Shakespeare’s time.
In our culture, we value money and power (based on job) and fame.
In the world of Shakespeare, there is a different measure of one’s social value.
It is all about BIRTH and FAMILY and NAME.
As time went by, a new group of people started to get rich, even though they had no status - they were tradespeople - skilled workers who made things - they were like peasants (the higher class looked down on them) but they had money (sometimes more than the lords)
When these guys with jobs show up in Scene 2, they are funny - they’re weird, they’re not lords, they’re wacky and they’re kind of in the middle between HIGH CLASS and NOBODIES - they’re not really ranked “correctly”
Bottom is a key character - maybe the funniest character - big, loud, arrogant and confident - this is usually a recipe for a problem
These crazy guys are also ACTORS - and this is even worse - actors were totally frowned upon back in the 16th Century - they were seen as TROUBLE - plays were considered BAD because they attracted a group of rabble-rousers
Why is this group of actors in THIS story?
They fit into the time period - maybe, but they don’t fit the STORY
They might be COMIC RELIEF (when the main story gets deep or emotional there can be a heavy feeling, so comedy is added to make the story more entertaining)
This might be a comment about social status in some way...ie Bottom’s arrogance
In Mr. Lobb’s mind, there becomes a question - Can these story lines cross over?
I would start to look at how this could happen.
Flute has to play a female character because women weren’t allowed to be in plays back then - women had no rights and weren’t allowed in such nasty environments as theatres, except of course, to watch
We just found out how the stories will cross - the players will meet in the same wood where Hermia will meet Lysander! Remember, Helena will also be telling people about this - she will tell Demetrius - And I bet he will tell Hermia’s father, Egeus and he might report this to the Duke, Theseus!
This is looking like a great COMPLICATION
At this point, I would like you to WORK on something you owe me...
OR your poetry analysis - poet and a poem and you write a poem
OR you are reading Midsummer and doing the initial character profiles (quick)
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Act 1, Sc 1
We are introduced to some characters from Greek mythology who discuss their forthcoming marriage. (Hippolyta and Theseus)
Then, we meet a character named Egeus who complains that his daughter Hermia, has been bewitched by Lysander even though she has been promised to Demetrius.
The father has “arranged” a marriage for her. (a forced marriage between people who may or may not even know each other, let alone be in love)
It looks like our main problem in the story is a classic LOVE TRIANGLE
Question: Has Lysander really tricked Hermia? Or does she actually love him?
BREAK FOR FAMILY TREE (kind of)
Theseus is the Duke (a kind of lord, ruler, etc)
Hippolyta is his wife (another leader - however, women are NOT equal back then when this play was written - not at all)
Egeus is a man who has come to get a judgment from the Duke - regarding his daughter
Hermia is the daughter who is following her heart and NOT her father’s wishes
Demetrius is the man Hermia is SUPPOSED to marry (according to Egeus)
Lysander is the man Hermia loves
We also find out that a new character (Helena) loves Demetrius!
Our triangle has become a LOVE SQUARE? (I don’t think this is a term)
We see a complex series of love problems (guess what, it’s not complex, it’s actually super common and typical in human life)
It kind of seems like Hippolyta isn’t too keen on the way Theseus addresses the situation - he tells Hermia she will do as she is told or die/become a nun
Complication!
Hermia’s secret meeting with Lysander is revealed to Helena, who angrily plans to tell Demetrius and spoil the romance.
She is bitter and angry!
Act 1, Scene 2
We meet some new characters. These are in the play for comic relief.
They are ridiculous and stupid on purpose. Their storyline is just for fun and is kind of unrelated to the main storyline.
Act 1, Sc 1
We are introduced to some characters from Greek mythology who discuss their forthcoming marriage. (Hippolyta and Theseus)
Then, we meet a character named Egeus who complains that his daughter Hermia, has been bewitched by Lysander even though she has been promised to Demetrius.
The father has “arranged” a marriage for her. (a forced marriage between people who may or may not even know each other, let alone be in love)
It looks like our main problem in the story is a classic LOVE TRIANGLE
Question: Has Lysander really tricked Hermia? Or does she actually love him?
BREAK FOR FAMILY TREE (kind of)
Theseus is the Duke (a kind of lord, ruler, etc)
Hippolyta is his wife (another leader - however, women are NOT equal back then when this play was written - not at all)
Egeus is a man who has come to get a judgment from the Duke - regarding his daughter
Hermia is the daughter who is following her heart and NOT her father’s wishes
Demetrius is the man Hermia is SUPPOSED to marry (according to Egeus)
Lysander is the man Hermia loves
We also find out that a new character (Helena) loves Demetrius!
Our triangle has become a LOVE SQUARE? (I don’t think this is a term)
We see a complex series of love problems (guess what, it’s not complex, it’s actually super common and typical in human life)
It kind of seems like Hippolyta isn’t too keen on the way Theseus addresses the situation - he tells Hermia she will do as she is told or die/become a nun
Complication!
Hermia’s secret meeting with Lysander is revealed to Helena, who angrily plans to tell Demetrius and spoil the romance.
She is bitter and angry!
Act 1, Scene 2
We meet some new characters. These are in the play for comic relief.
They are ridiculous and stupid on purpose. Their storyline is just for fun and is kind of unrelated to the main storyline.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
The Highwayman - Alfred Noyes
Structural Observations:
1. there is a rhyme scheme that we notice - AABCCB
Could have googled the poem and found out that it is a NARRATIVE POEM (story poem) or a BALLAD (of a type)
it uses REPETITION
it has ONOMATOPOEIA - “Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot!”
it has STANZAS - (eleven, even)
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/msnd/page_2.html
You Are Going to Have A Poetry Assignment!
Find ANY poem.
Come up with a way of analysing that poem.
You should think about STRUCTURE and MEANING.
Structure - the way it is written, the language, the pattern, the words...(poetic devices)
Meaning - the theme (big ideas)(level 4 area), setting (mood), plot (what happens), character (or POV)
Might it be a good idea to tell a little bit about the poet? (yep)
Put your questions (or activities) on a... POSTER!
Make sure YOU answer at least 4 of the questions yourself, but feel free to work in groups.
Maybe one thing ANYONE could talk about is their connection to the poem.
Maybe you could write a similar poem and include it in your poetry assignment.
Hey, Welcome to Shakespeare!
Who is/was Shakespeare?
There is a known problem in English classes in Canada (for some students).
They often HAVE to read a play written by this old, dead, white guy from England.
This old, dead, white guy wrote a bunch of famous plays (about 37), but he wrote them A LONG TIME AGO.
He was most known as an actor/writer around the turn of the 16th century - around the late 1500s and early 1600s.
Some students find reading his plays VERY CHALLENGING.
Why would I make you read one of these difficult plays?
Reading something difficult is good for your brain. Especially when you are young.
This old, dead, white guy invented MANY of the words and phrases we use every day.
His work is some of the earliest type of drama and storytelling that we know of, that still influences modern drama and storytelling. He was key in creating patterns that are still in use.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Hey, these names sound Greek! Hey! They ARE.
This play takes place in Ancient Greece, and some would say, in an imaginary Ancient Greece.
First Job: Find out (with Mr. Google) who the characters in this play are based upon.
GO! Choose the KEY FIVE CHARACTERS and tell me a bit about them.
Theseus
Hippolyta
Hermia
Helena
Puck
Bottom
Philostrate
Snug
Lysander
Demetrius, etc
Structural Observations:
1. there is a rhyme scheme that we notice - AABCCB
Could have googled the poem and found out that it is a NARRATIVE POEM (story poem) or a BALLAD (of a type)
it uses REPETITION
it has ONOMATOPOEIA - “Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot!”
it has STANZAS - (eleven, even)
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/msnd/page_2.html
You Are Going to Have A Poetry Assignment!
Find ANY poem.
Come up with a way of analysing that poem.
You should think about STRUCTURE and MEANING.
Structure - the way it is written, the language, the pattern, the words...(poetic devices)
Meaning - the theme (big ideas)(level 4 area), setting (mood), plot (what happens), character (or POV)
Might it be a good idea to tell a little bit about the poet? (yep)
Put your questions (or activities) on a... POSTER!
Make sure YOU answer at least 4 of the questions yourself, but feel free to work in groups.
Maybe one thing ANYONE could talk about is their connection to the poem.
Maybe you could write a similar poem and include it in your poetry assignment.
Hey, Welcome to Shakespeare!
Who is/was Shakespeare?
There is a known problem in English classes in Canada (for some students).
They often HAVE to read a play written by this old, dead, white guy from England.
This old, dead, white guy wrote a bunch of famous plays (about 37), but he wrote them A LONG TIME AGO.
He was most known as an actor/writer around the turn of the 16th century - around the late 1500s and early 1600s.
Some students find reading his plays VERY CHALLENGING.
Why would I make you read one of these difficult plays?
Reading something difficult is good for your brain. Especially when you are young.
This old, dead, white guy invented MANY of the words and phrases we use every day.
His work is some of the earliest type of drama and storytelling that we know of, that still influences modern drama and storytelling. He was key in creating patterns that are still in use.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Hey, these names sound Greek! Hey! They ARE.
This play takes place in Ancient Greece, and some would say, in an imaginary Ancient Greece.
First Job: Find out (with Mr. Google) who the characters in this play are based upon.
GO! Choose the KEY FIVE CHARACTERS and tell me a bit about them.
Theseus
Hippolyta
Hermia
Helena
Puck
Bottom
Philostrate
Snug
Lysander
Demetrius, etc
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
ENG1D - Thursday, March 28, 2013
Did you SUMBIT?
Questions?
Answers?
Poster?
The Other Family
Blog
Intro to Me
Paragraph - eval, memoir, Mr. Lobb=Bad
Structural Poetry
I Am Canadian has a few things in that assignment
The Highwayman
Poetic Devices
Did you SUMBIT?
Questions?
Answers?
Poster?
The Other Family
Blog
Intro to Me
Paragraph - eval, memoir, Mr. Lobb=Bad
Structural Poetry
I Am Canadian has a few things in that assignment
The Highwayman
Poetic Devices
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Lobb is Away Today!
Finish the ongoing stuff you OWE ME. Short story questions (on poster) and YOUR answers (emailed, blogged or on paper).
I AM _________ poem analysis (questions) and your own I AM poem.
And then, read a LONG poem - The Highwayman on page 25 of your textbook.
Jot down 3-5 STRUCTURAL elements of the poem that you noticed.
5. Jot down 5-10 MEANING elements of the poem you noticed. 6. Look up and define 10 words, phrases, references or terms you don’t know or are uncertain about.
Write a short paragraph SYNOPSIZING the poem.
8. Find 5 examples of poetic (literary) devices in the poem and tell me what they do to “help” some aspect of the poem.
Finish the ongoing stuff you OWE ME. Short story questions (on poster) and YOUR answers (emailed, blogged or on paper).
I AM _________ poem analysis (questions) and your own I AM poem.
And then, read a LONG poem - The Highwayman on page 25 of your textbook.
Jot down 3-5 STRUCTURAL elements of the poem that you noticed.
5. Jot down 5-10 MEANING elements of the poem you noticed. 6. Look up and define 10 words, phrases, references or terms you don’t know or are uncertain about.
Write a short paragraph SYNOPSIZING the poem.
8. Find 5 examples of poetic (literary) devices in the poem and tell me what they do to “help” some aspect of the poem.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
I Am a Canadian - p. 152
Read the poem and get it in the head.
Pick any 5 references to research using your Google-y eyes.
Just jot down a few key points on the 5 you chose.
Explain how these 5 add up to be typical or classic Canadian “things”.
Write your own I Am a ___________ about anything that fits YOUR life.
eg - I Am a Goderichian, Huron County girl, I Am a Gamer, I Am a Skater, I Am a One Directionaniac, etc.
NOTE: Mix your choices well - ie not all places, not all people, get a mix.
I Am a Comedy Nerd -
Brainstorm ideas - what are the things that show you are a WHATEVER
Read the poem and get it in the head.
Pick any 5 references to research using your Google-y eyes.
Just jot down a few key points on the 5 you chose.
Explain how these 5 add up to be typical or classic Canadian “things”.
Write your own I Am a ___________ about anything that fits YOUR life.
eg - I Am a Goderichian, Huron County girl, I Am a Gamer, I Am a Skater, I Am a One Directionaniac, etc.
NOTE: Mix your choices well - ie not all places, not all people, get a mix.
I Am a Comedy Nerd -
Brainstorm ideas - what are the things that show you are a WHATEVER
Monday, March 25, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
ENG1D - As We Continue With Poetry
We are generating a PLAN to analyse or grapple with a poem. We want a structure that we can apply to ANY poem.
We want this to have some common elements that make sense to us all.
We broke poetry into TWO areas to examine - STRUCTURE and MEANING.
We noted that Plot, Setting, Character and Theme can apply to poems.
We have to think of a way to incorporate all of the pieces into a good, well-thought out, concise METHOD of examining a poem.
You will create this method.
Then, you will make a POSTER of those steps.
This all starts with knowing what is the END RESULT.
What is Structure? (FORM)
the way the poem is written, the way it is “shown” and the way it looks
is about the word choice, the elements that make up the poem, the delivery method
eg - a hip hop tune is a structure for a poem that is a rapper’s lyrics
are poetic devices part of structure? (but poetic devices can also contribute to meaning)
When you DO poetry in school, you are basically doing TWO things: (three)
Learning to appreciate a form of art that can be complex.
Learning to analyze a form of art so that you can improve your mind.
There is a third element that is sometimes used and that is getting you to be CREATIVE and write your own.
What is Meaning? (CONTENT)
the idea or ideas that we get from the poems - the knowledge or message or communication from the poem
Working with your group, try to come up with 5-10 questions you could ask about ANY poem that would allow someone to find STRUCTURAL, MEANING-BASED and CREATIVE answers.
Turn to page 92-93 of the textbook and try to come up with some good questions for THAT poem.
What if I can’t think of any questions?
Look at the Internet for models that other classes have used - we found a few already.
Look at the questions that are in the text.
Ask for a tip from Mr. Lobb.
Probe the mind of a group member.
Once you are done, you don’t need to answer your questions. We will discuss them and try to figure out if they fulfill our NEEDS.
We are generating a PLAN to analyse or grapple with a poem. We want a structure that we can apply to ANY poem.
We want this to have some common elements that make sense to us all.
We broke poetry into TWO areas to examine - STRUCTURE and MEANING.
We noted that Plot, Setting, Character and Theme can apply to poems.
We have to think of a way to incorporate all of the pieces into a good, well-thought out, concise METHOD of examining a poem.
You will create this method.
Then, you will make a POSTER of those steps.
This all starts with knowing what is the END RESULT.
What is Structure? (FORM)
the way the poem is written, the way it is “shown” and the way it looks
is about the word choice, the elements that make up the poem, the delivery method
eg - a hip hop tune is a structure for a poem that is a rapper’s lyrics
are poetic devices part of structure? (but poetic devices can also contribute to meaning)
When you DO poetry in school, you are basically doing TWO things: (three)
Learning to appreciate a form of art that can be complex.
Learning to analyze a form of art so that you can improve your mind.
There is a third element that is sometimes used and that is getting you to be CREATIVE and write your own.
What is Meaning? (CONTENT)
the idea or ideas that we get from the poems - the knowledge or message or communication from the poem
Working with your group, try to come up with 5-10 questions you could ask about ANY poem that would allow someone to find STRUCTURAL, MEANING-BASED and CREATIVE answers.
Turn to page 92-93 of the textbook and try to come up with some good questions for THAT poem.
What if I can’t think of any questions?
Look at the Internet for models that other classes have used - we found a few already.
Look at the questions that are in the text.
Ask for a tip from Mr. Lobb.
Probe the mind of a group member.
Once you are done, you don’t need to answer your questions. We will discuss them and try to figure out if they fulfill our NEEDS.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
Poetry Analysis Structure:
1. The same kinds of things we do with short stories (plot, setting (mood), character, theme (interpretation of meaning).
2. Literary Devices - the use of language to be artistic and interesting and appealing and effective
3. Who is the writer? What kinds of things would this person bring into his/her work? The poet brings his/her WHOLE LIFE with them into their work. This can be a big impact.
4. Where did this come from? Time and place! Year is important too.
5. What ifs? Maybes. Associations - this makes me think of that. THIS STUFF COMES FROM YOU.
Order of the Day:
Finish short story analysis. Finish Structural poetry Finish poetic devices list. Begin to start creating a plan for poetry analysis.
Oh, and watch this video to figure out why I am doing these crazy things I'm doing.
1. The same kinds of things we do with short stories (plot, setting (mood), character, theme (interpretation of meaning).
2. Literary Devices - the use of language to be artistic and interesting and appealing and effective
3. Who is the writer? What kinds of things would this person bring into his/her work? The poet brings his/her WHOLE LIFE with them into their work. This can be a big impact.
4. Where did this come from? Time and place! Year is important too.
5. What ifs? Maybes. Associations - this makes me think of that. THIS STUFF COMES FROM YOU.
Order of the Day:
Finish short story analysis. Finish Structural poetry Finish poetic devices list. Begin to start creating a plan for poetry analysis.
Oh, and watch this video to figure out why I am doing these crazy things I'm doing.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Literary (or Poetic) Devices
There are specific tools that a writer can use to create well-written and interesting poetry.
These tools are ways of using words to be more than just simplistic descriptions.
Remember CONNOTATION? This is about knowing that there are layers of meaning to particular words.
Well, literary devices are similar in that they are adding layers of interest or skill or flavour to words and phrases.
We can compile a list of poetic devices that we can then recognize, and/or use in our poetry, as long as we can understand WHAT each one is and WHY it is used.
simile
metaphor
repetition
hyperbole
onomatopoeia
personification
alliteration
consonance
assonance
figurative language
imagery
allusion
archetype
allegory
internal rhyme
There are specific tools that a writer can use to create well-written and interesting poetry.
These tools are ways of using words to be more than just simplistic descriptions.
Remember CONNOTATION? This is about knowing that there are layers of meaning to particular words.
Well, literary devices are similar in that they are adding layers of interest or skill or flavour to words and phrases.
We can compile a list of poetic devices that we can then recognize, and/or use in our poetry, as long as we can understand WHAT each one is and WHY it is used.
simile
metaphor
repetition
hyperbole
onomatopoeia
personification
alliteration
consonance
assonance
figurative language
imagery
allusion
archetype
allegory
internal rhyme
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
When thinking/talking/learning about poetry, we need to get a few things going in our brains to think differently.
We need to be able to read words that we may not know and we need to be able to think about what different lines or phrases or words COULD mean.
This is not the most obvious way of thinking.
We are back to INFERRING and INTERPRETING and considering POSSIBILITIES.
We need to know the difference between CONNOTATION and DENOTATION.
Denotation is what something actually means on the surface. The simple, obvious, one-level meaning.
Connotation is the underlying meaning, the symbolic meaning, the layers beneath the obvious. More complex, more cultural, or experience-based, or something else.
You need to be able to break down the meaning of something into these TWO layers.
The crucifix (the cross) - a torture device to hang someone up and kill them. (denotation)
The crucifix (the cross) - what is the connotation? the meaning is much more loaded, and is tied to Christianity, Jesus, sacrifice, sin, etc.
When we read poems, we need to be able to find the CONNOTATIONS for the key words and phrases that we see.
There is a link between CONNOTATION and SYMBOLIC VALUE.
A “thing” in a story, poem, song, play, etc can REPRESENT something else, that is often more complex, larger, more of an idea, etc.
There are often BIG IDEAS hidden in the words and images and phrases we see in poems. It can be a good idea to DIG IN and try to find out what these big ideas are.
We need to be thinking - “WHAT COULD THIS MEAN?”
And then, we need to find EVIDENCE to prove our opinion.
We need to be able to read words that we may not know and we need to be able to think about what different lines or phrases or words COULD mean.
This is not the most obvious way of thinking.
We are back to INFERRING and INTERPRETING and considering POSSIBILITIES.
We need to know the difference between CONNOTATION and DENOTATION.
Denotation is what something actually means on the surface. The simple, obvious, one-level meaning.
Connotation is the underlying meaning, the symbolic meaning, the layers beneath the obvious. More complex, more cultural, or experience-based, or something else.
You need to be able to break down the meaning of something into these TWO layers.
The crucifix (the cross) - a torture device to hang someone up and kill them. (denotation)
The crucifix (the cross) - what is the connotation? the meaning is much more loaded, and is tied to Christianity, Jesus, sacrifice, sin, etc.
When we read poems, we need to be able to find the CONNOTATIONS for the key words and phrases that we see.
There is a link between CONNOTATION and SYMBOLIC VALUE.
A “thing” in a story, poem, song, play, etc can REPRESENT something else, that is often more complex, larger, more of an idea, etc.
There are often BIG IDEAS hidden in the words and images and phrases we see in poems. It can be a good idea to DIG IN and try to find out what these big ideas are.
We need to be thinking - “WHAT COULD THIS MEAN?”
And then, we need to find EVIDENCE to prove our opinion.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Poetry Unit - ENG1D
No. It doesn’t have to rhyme!
Let’s not even worry about rhyming!
Poetry has a specific use of words - sometimes, we call those words POETIC DEVICES (or LITERARY DEVICES)
Poetry sometimes has a FLOW (like rap lyrics) - is a way of fitting words together so that they sound good and have a musical quality - this is called a RHYTHM - the words are kind of like drums (percussion from the way you say them)
Haiku - very particular structure of poetry (5,7,5 syllables)
Some kinds of poetry have really specific structure (this is common for kids to study)
You know about the specific types of poems because they are EASIER to learn.
When you get into higher grades, poetry can be much more interesting and free and also, COMPLEX
Elizabeth Barrett Browning -
An Apprehension
Laine
read the poem over and tried to figure out what was going on - PLOT
tried to figure out how “she” was feeling - the POV character in the poem
the POV character is upset - someone died and the POV character is talking to God in prayer
Devon
read the poem over and looked at the wording - noticed inverted sentences
reordered the lines to make a more understandable sentence
Mitchell
read it over for understanding -
tried to see images of what was happening
Erin
looked for words that she didn’t understand and researched/defined/looked them up
reread with those definitions
We are able to use a plan not unlike what we did for short stories.
HEY! The same plan can apply entirely! (with a few changes)
Poetry is more complex and richer than the simple structures we learned as kids.
We can look for PLOT, SETTING, CHARACTER, THEME (it might not be so obvious or it might not even be there, but it’s something to look for)
When we know this, we can then start to think about poems as being MORE THAN JUST STRUCTURE
Group Assignment
Find 5 types of poetry that are STRUCTURAL (that kids might have studied).
Describe the structural element(s) (ie Haiku is 5,7,5 syllables, Japanese, often deals with nature, has a twist in the last line, etc) 3 minimum
Find ONE example of each kind of poem and include it.
You will put this into a PREZI or KEYNOTE or GOOGLE PRESENTATION or POWERPOINT
No. It doesn’t have to rhyme!
Let’s not even worry about rhyming!
Poetry has a specific use of words - sometimes, we call those words POETIC DEVICES (or LITERARY DEVICES)
Poetry sometimes has a FLOW (like rap lyrics) - is a way of fitting words together so that they sound good and have a musical quality - this is called a RHYTHM - the words are kind of like drums (percussion from the way you say them)
Haiku - very particular structure of poetry (5,7,5 syllables)
Some kinds of poetry have really specific structure (this is common for kids to study)
You know about the specific types of poems because they are EASIER to learn.
When you get into higher grades, poetry can be much more interesting and free and also, COMPLEX
Elizabeth Barrett Browning -
An Apprehension
Laine
read the poem over and tried to figure out what was going on - PLOT
tried to figure out how “she” was feeling - the POV character in the poem
the POV character is upset - someone died and the POV character is talking to God in prayer
Devon
read the poem over and looked at the wording - noticed inverted sentences
reordered the lines to make a more understandable sentence
Mitchell
read it over for understanding -
tried to see images of what was happening
Erin
looked for words that she didn’t understand and researched/defined/looked them up
reread with those definitions
We are able to use a plan not unlike what we did for short stories.
HEY! The same plan can apply entirely! (with a few changes)
Poetry is more complex and richer than the simple structures we learned as kids.
We can look for PLOT, SETTING, CHARACTER, THEME (it might not be so obvious or it might not even be there, but it’s something to look for)
When we know this, we can then start to think about poems as being MORE THAN JUST STRUCTURE
Group Assignment
Find 5 types of poetry that are STRUCTURAL (that kids might have studied).
Describe the structural element(s) (ie Haiku is 5,7,5 syllables, Japanese, often deals with nature, has a twist in the last line, etc) 3 minimum
Find ONE example of each kind of poem and include it.
You will put this into a PREZI or KEYNOTE or GOOGLE PRESENTATION or POWERPOINT
Monday, March 18, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Do you KNOW what you have submitted?
1. Blog - in to Mr. The Lobb -
2. On that blog is an intro to you (summative)
3. Then, you have an evaluation paragraph (formative)
4. Inferring Paragraph (The Other Family)
Rough Group Work on the short story analysis project
Short Story Analysis Project (summative)
1. Blog - in to Mr. The Lobb -
2. On that blog is an intro to you (summative)
3. Then, you have an evaluation paragraph (formative)
4. Inferring Paragraph (The Other Family)
Rough Group Work on the short story analysis project
Short Story Analysis Project (summative)
Monday, March 18, 2013
Do you KNOW what you have submitted?
1. Blog - in to Mr. The Lobb -
2. On that blog is an intro to you (summative)
3. Then, you have an evaluation paragraph (formative)
4. Inferring Paragraph (The Other Family)
Rough Group Work on the short story analysis project
Short Story Analysis Project (summative)
1. Blog - in to Mr. The Lobb -
2. On that blog is an intro to you (summative)
3. Then, you have an evaluation paragraph (formative)
4. Inferring Paragraph (The Other Family)
Rough Group Work on the short story analysis project
Short Story Analysis Project (summative)
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
We know the pattern today:
Check Questions/Responses for spelling and grammar.
Exchange information with other groups - we want to build STRONG plans.
BEFORE you posterize - do a pencil version! Check the spacing.
We don’t want ANY errors on the wall.
Do your questions need SECOND HALVES or EXTENSIONS?
READ YOUR STORY!
DISCUSS
RESEARCH (words you don’t know, whatever else)
DISCUSS as you answer your questions.
You may want to edit/change/adapt your questions AFTER you read your story.
There are two short stories - Young Man’s Folly (NOT Young Molly’s Fan, which is WAY different) and the other is August Heat.
Both of these short stories are available online with some careful Googling (or you could just follow my links above...)
Check Questions/Responses for spelling and grammar.
Exchange information with other groups - we want to build STRONG plans.
BEFORE you posterize - do a pencil version! Check the spacing.
We don’t want ANY errors on the wall.
Do your questions need SECOND HALVES or EXTENSIONS?
READ YOUR STORY!
DISCUSS
RESEARCH (words you don’t know, whatever else)
DISCUSS as you answer your questions.
You may want to edit/change/adapt your questions AFTER you read your story.
There are two short stories - Young Man’s Folly (NOT Young Molly’s Fan, which is WAY different) and the other is August Heat.
Both of these short stories are available online with some careful Googling (or you could just follow my links above...)
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
As Donated in A Time of Note Loss, by Jachelle Gower
The parts of a short story
Plot : a plot has a begingging middle and end - this is one of the easiest elements of a story to understand
- WHAT HAPPENS in a story is the plot
what can you say about plot in the story ? how can you discuss it without simply retelling it ?
1: Where is the conflict ? plots arenproems and possible solutions
2: how do the story events effect the characters? Do the characters ouch the story or does the story pull the characters ?
when a character has to react to a story point he / she is being pulled
into a new place or being changed by the story FATE DRIVEN
When a character does something that causes the story to change or another character this is pushing the plot. CHATACTER DRIVEN
3: what I the sequence ? What happens first? What does that set ino
motion? How did we get into this piticulair end? A+ B + C = a story -
the whole thing leads to a RESLOUTION - evaluating a story by the ending
is a good idea
Setting :
-setting is TIME and PLACE for the story events
-also MOOD and ATMOSPHERE
- you can talk about what the setting gives the story -some places and times add a great deal to the story
Character :
- In a short story there is one critical element that makes the story even BE a story
-THERE IS A PERSON WHI IS IN A CRISIS MOMENT THAT IS A MOMENT OF LIFE -CHANGING DECISION
- another key that main character haddock motivation that drives the
story and their decision making - WHY does the character do X? - we need
to dig deep when we think abou these things
Theme :
go to last days note - re meaning HUMAN VALUES AND UNIVERSAL IDEAS
- themes in stories are about ideas that affect ALL PEOPLE
- this is called universality - something thatbis universal is known to all of us affects us all and is understandable
Monday, March 4, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
ENG1D -
Did you get that inferring paragraph about The Other Family in to Mr. The Lobb?
Did you get your paragraph back?
If you did, there is a process you can undergo:
check the comments -
don’t retell the story - a reference just needs to be a short recap of the KEY THING that you need to show - in this story it is the bit about the art and the mother’s response - dark skinned family, maybe Indian, Mother is offended, kids responds
Need to make a better connection - you need to better EXPLAIN the way that the reference proves your point - eg you need to show that the kid is reacting to a definition of normal that doesn’t fit her - the mother notices, and the kid doesn’t and the kid is picking up unintended racism
Watch simple errors - that means you didn’t check for spelling and grammar
The Parts of a Short Story
Plot
a plot has a beginning, middle and end
this is one of the easiest elements of a story to understand
when you talk about a movie after you see it, you usually talk about the plot
WHAT HAPPENS in a story is the plot
What can you say about plot in a story? How can you discuss it without simply retelling it?
Here is a little plan to follow when looking at a story’s plot:
Where is the conflict? Plots are problems and possible solutions
How do the story events AFFECT the characters? Do the characters PUSH the story or does the story PULL the characters?
When a character has to REACT to a story point, he/she is being PULLED into a new place or being changed by the story. FATE DRIVEN (DESTINY, RANDOM, COINCIDENCE)
When a character does something that causes the story to change, or another character to change, this is PUSHING the plot. CHARACTER DRIVEN
3. What is the sequence? What happens first? What does that set into motion? How did we get to this particular end? A+B+C= a story - the whole thing leads to a RESOLUTION - evaluating a story by the ending is a good idea
Setting
setting is TIME and PLACE for the story events
also MOOD and ATMOSPHERE
you can talk about what the setting “gives the story” - some places and times add a great deal to the story
ie The Other Family - is set in a place where white people tend to be in the majority - this is crucial to the ideas of the story
eg Spiderman NEEDS NYC in order to be effective.
Character
in a short story, there is usually one absolutely critical element that makes the story even BE a story
there is a person (the main character) who is in a crisis moment that is a moment of life-changing decision
another key - that main character has a MOTIVATION that drives the story and their decision making - WHY does the character do X? - we need to dig deep when we think about these things
Theme
see last day’s notes - re: meaning and HUMAN VALUES and UNIVERSAL IDEAS
themes in stories are about ideas that affect ALL PEOPLE
this is called UNIVERSALITY - something that is universal is known to all of us, affects us all and is understandable
When you are coming up with a PLAN for analysing a short story, you want to have questions that dig deeper and hit all THREE of the kinds of questions there are:
EXPLICIT - simple - direct from the text
IMPLICIT - how, why - you have to use your thinking to answer (50-50 between info from the text and from your brain)
MAKING CONNECTIONS - you need to apply your own knowledge almost completely in order to come up with the answer - you’ll need to use your background knowledge, maybe research, maybe your experience and opinion.
Checklist for the Short Story Summative
we form a group where EVERYONE HAS A TASK
we plan a rough outline of our short story analysis
we come up with a MINIMUM of 10 interesting and DEEP questions (or TASKS)
we did some research to see what other people do in analysing a short story
if we used something from online, we ADAPTED IT, not copied it
we showed Mr. The Lobb our rough outline and he checked it
we then made a POSTER of our PLAN
we received a short story
we UTILIZED the plan to analyse the story
Group 1
Courtney, Erin, Lauren, Robyn
Group 2
Jachelle, Rosie
Group 3
Kyle, Sean, Nick, Lee
Group 4
Abigail, Rachel, Julia
Group 5
Meghan, Ashley, Devon, Neil
Group 6
Caitlan, Caitlyn, Cole
Group 7
Laura, Laine, Cameron, Mitchell
Did you get that inferring paragraph about The Other Family in to Mr. The Lobb?
Did you get your paragraph back?
If you did, there is a process you can undergo:
check the comments -
don’t retell the story - a reference just needs to be a short recap of the KEY THING that you need to show - in this story it is the bit about the art and the mother’s response - dark skinned family, maybe Indian, Mother is offended, kids responds
Need to make a better connection - you need to better EXPLAIN the way that the reference proves your point - eg you need to show that the kid is reacting to a definition of normal that doesn’t fit her - the mother notices, and the kid doesn’t and the kid is picking up unintended racism
Watch simple errors - that means you didn’t check for spelling and grammar
The Parts of a Short Story
Plot
a plot has a beginning, middle and end
this is one of the easiest elements of a story to understand
when you talk about a movie after you see it, you usually talk about the plot
WHAT HAPPENS in a story is the plot
What can you say about plot in a story? How can you discuss it without simply retelling it?
Here is a little plan to follow when looking at a story’s plot:
Where is the conflict? Plots are problems and possible solutions
How do the story events AFFECT the characters? Do the characters PUSH the story or does the story PULL the characters?
When a character has to REACT to a story point, he/she is being PULLED into a new place or being changed by the story. FATE DRIVEN (DESTINY, RANDOM, COINCIDENCE)
When a character does something that causes the story to change, or another character to change, this is PUSHING the plot. CHARACTER DRIVEN
3. What is the sequence? What happens first? What does that set into motion? How did we get to this particular end? A+B+C= a story - the whole thing leads to a RESOLUTION - evaluating a story by the ending is a good idea
Setting
setting is TIME and PLACE for the story events
also MOOD and ATMOSPHERE
you can talk about what the setting “gives the story” - some places and times add a great deal to the story
ie The Other Family - is set in a place where white people tend to be in the majority - this is crucial to the ideas of the story
eg Spiderman NEEDS NYC in order to be effective.
Character
in a short story, there is usually one absolutely critical element that makes the story even BE a story
there is a person (the main character) who is in a crisis moment that is a moment of life-changing decision
another key - that main character has a MOTIVATION that drives the story and their decision making - WHY does the character do X? - we need to dig deep when we think about these things
Theme
see last day’s notes - re: meaning and HUMAN VALUES and UNIVERSAL IDEAS
themes in stories are about ideas that affect ALL PEOPLE
this is called UNIVERSALITY - something that is universal is known to all of us, affects us all and is understandable
When you are coming up with a PLAN for analysing a short story, you want to have questions that dig deeper and hit all THREE of the kinds of questions there are:
EXPLICIT - simple - direct from the text
IMPLICIT - how, why - you have to use your thinking to answer (50-50 between info from the text and from your brain)
MAKING CONNECTIONS - you need to apply your own knowledge almost completely in order to come up with the answer - you’ll need to use your background knowledge, maybe research, maybe your experience and opinion.
Checklist for the Short Story Summative
we form a group where EVERYONE HAS A TASK
we plan a rough outline of our short story analysis
we come up with a MINIMUM of 10 interesting and DEEP questions (or TASKS)
we did some research to see what other people do in analysing a short story
if we used something from online, we ADAPTED IT, not copied it
we showed Mr. The Lobb our rough outline and he checked it
we then made a POSTER of our PLAN
we received a short story
we UTILIZED the plan to analyse the story
Group 1
Courtney, Erin, Lauren, Robyn
Group 2
Jachelle, Rosie
Group 3
Kyle, Sean, Nick, Lee
Group 4
Abigail, Rachel, Julia
Group 5
Meghan, Ashley, Devon, Neil
Group 6
Caitlan, Caitlyn, Cole
Group 7
Laura, Laine, Cameron, Mitchell
Friday, March 1, 2013
Friday, March 1, 2013
You looked up some future “stuff”
You described it in brief.
You explained your view on this tech or this “stuff”
You give reasoning.
You conclude with some kind of ending thought about where the world is headed.
Hey, you used our paragraph structure!
Hey, you did some research!
Holy cow! You applied the pattern we were talking about!
You described it in brief.
You explained your view on this tech or this “stuff”
You give reasoning.
You conclude with some kind of ending thought about where the world is headed.
Hey, you used our paragraph structure!
Hey, you did some research!
Holy cow! You applied the pattern we were talking about!
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Thursday, Feb 28, 2013
ENG1D -
Paragraphs - CHECK
Inferring - reading the lines
Interpreting - using your own perspective to come up with a conclusion about something
Just like with a language: interpreting means turning the other language into a language that you know.
Interpreting in our use: reading something and figuring out the meaning for yourself
When you infer, what you are doing is interpreting some information from what information you get from a source.
Inferring is looking at more than just the obvious, or more than the little bit that is given, and APPLYING YOUR OWN BRAIN - INTERPRETING
We’re going to make a T-chart - left side - WHAT I SEE - right side - WHAT I THINK
What I See: (REALLY SPECIFIC) - EXPLICIT - BASED ONLY ON THE “THING”
What I Think: (REALLY INTERPRETIVE) - IMPLICIT (understood - stuff you know) - BASED ON THE THING PLUS YOUR SCHEMA (PRIOR KNOWLEDGE, BIAS, etc)
- the interesting aspect of interpretation is that it is a LOT about us
We need to learn how to infer and how to apply our thinking to what we read in order to create some kind of understanding.
There are levels of thinking in English class.
Level 1 - Explicit - the answer is in the text or obvious in the thing.
eg. there is a cat in a photo - what is in the photo? Answer: a cat.
This is about MEMORY - and I am not too worried about that.
Level 2 - INFERRING (implicit) - the answer is in your interpretation of the thing
eg. why is the cat happy? - who the heck can say for sure? It’s information YOU have to fill in - you have to read between the line
example from life - we read our friends’ moods by their body language, facial expression, tone, etc.
This is about your THINKING about what you SEE.
Level 3 - MAKING CONNECTIONS - you think of new associations and new ideas on your own
eg. think about endangered species, or how to look after a pet, or how to heal a certain animal injury or something.
really taking information and bringing yourself into it in a new way, or taking the information somewhere else in a new way’
- it is ALL about what you know, what you think, what you have in your SCHEMA
Paragraphs - CHECK
Inferring - reading the lines
Interpreting - using your own perspective to come up with a conclusion about something
Just like with a language: interpreting means turning the other language into a language that you know.
Interpreting in our use: reading something and figuring out the meaning for yourself
When you infer, what you are doing is interpreting some information from what information you get from a source.
Inferring is looking at more than just the obvious, or more than the little bit that is given, and APPLYING YOUR OWN BRAIN - INTERPRETING
We’re going to make a T-chart - left side - WHAT I SEE - right side - WHAT I THINK
What I See: (REALLY SPECIFIC) - EXPLICIT - BASED ONLY ON THE “THING”
What I Think: (REALLY INTERPRETIVE) - IMPLICIT (understood - stuff you know) - BASED ON THE THING PLUS YOUR SCHEMA (PRIOR KNOWLEDGE, BIAS, etc)
- the interesting aspect of interpretation is that it is a LOT about us
We need to learn how to infer and how to apply our thinking to what we read in order to create some kind of understanding.
There are levels of thinking in English class.
Level 1 - Explicit - the answer is in the text or obvious in the thing.
eg. there is a cat in a photo - what is in the photo? Answer: a cat.
This is about MEMORY - and I am not too worried about that.
Level 2 - INFERRING (implicit) - the answer is in your interpretation of the thing
eg. why is the cat happy? - who the heck can say for sure? It’s information YOU have to fill in - you have to read between the line
example from life - we read our friends’ moods by their body language, facial expression, tone, etc.
This is about your THINKING about what you SEE.
Level 3 - MAKING CONNECTIONS - you think of new associations and new ideas on your own
eg. think about endangered species, or how to look after a pet, or how to heal a certain animal injury or something.
really taking information and bringing yourself into it in a new way, or taking the information somewhere else in a new way’
- it is ALL about what you know, what you think, what you have in your SCHEMA
Monday, February 25, 2013
Monday, Feb 25, 2013
Paragraph Writing - an Evaluation
here is my opinion
here is my evidence to support my opinion
here is my restatement of my opinion
Restate from the question
eg Prove that Mr. Lobb is a bad teacher.
How do we restate?
“I think that Mr. Lobb is a bad teacher for three reasons.”
In a regular paragraph you may not have to use three pieces of TEXT SUPPORT or REFERENCES or PROOFS or POINTS or EXAMPLES
Body of my paragraph - I have to show that my topic sentence is true. I have to back it up with reasoning. And I have to show the reasoning in an example or reference.
We need to see a difference between a REASON and an EXAMPLE.
A difference between a POINT and a REFERENCE.
A difference between a PROOF and TEXT SUPPORT.
Let’s see how this works -
I think that Mr. Lobb is the worst teacher at GDCI. (topic sentence)
Yesterday he punched Laine Fincher in the eye and she is blind. (example)
If you write this EXAMPLE, you may need to have some explanation as to what this means as a REASON.
Maybe this is an example of him being irresponsible. Or, being cruel. Or, not caring about the health and safety of his students. Hey, these sound like REASONS.
Writing the example without any reasoning is not giving the reader a full idea of the point you’re trying to make.
The reasoning is the CONNECTOR between your topic idea and the example.
IT IS THE WHY. THE EXPLANATION. THE REASONING IS THE LEVEL 3+
That flow of logic - “this makes that” and “this proves that” and “this shows that” is what makes a paragraph or an essay or an answer or an argument work.
Here is an EASY WAY to remember this pattern:
What am I saying? (topic) Mr. Lobb is a bad teacher.
How do I know that this is true? (reasoning) How is this a sign of something bad? How is this behaviour a bad teaching practise? What is the negative?
Can I prove that reasoning with a real life example? (reference) Humiliates Laine when she ventures an answer - actually describe that time.
Then I guess what I am saying was right.
here is my opinion
here is my evidence to support my opinion
here is my restatement of my opinion
Restate from the question
eg Prove that Mr. Lobb is a bad teacher.
How do we restate?
“I think that Mr. Lobb is a bad teacher for three reasons.”
In a regular paragraph you may not have to use three pieces of TEXT SUPPORT or REFERENCES or PROOFS or POINTS or EXAMPLES
Body of my paragraph - I have to show that my topic sentence is true. I have to back it up with reasoning. And I have to show the reasoning in an example or reference.
We need to see a difference between a REASON and an EXAMPLE.
A difference between a POINT and a REFERENCE.
A difference between a PROOF and TEXT SUPPORT.
Let’s see how this works -
I think that Mr. Lobb is the worst teacher at GDCI. (topic sentence)
Yesterday he punched Laine Fincher in the eye and she is blind. (example)
If you write this EXAMPLE, you may need to have some explanation as to what this means as a REASON.
Maybe this is an example of him being irresponsible. Or, being cruel. Or, not caring about the health and safety of his students. Hey, these sound like REASONS.
Writing the example without any reasoning is not giving the reader a full idea of the point you’re trying to make.
The reasoning is the CONNECTOR between your topic idea and the example.
IT IS THE WHY. THE EXPLANATION. THE REASONING IS THE LEVEL 3+
That flow of logic - “this makes that” and “this proves that” and “this shows that” is what makes a paragraph or an essay or an answer or an argument work.
Here is an EASY WAY to remember this pattern:
What am I saying? (topic) Mr. Lobb is a bad teacher.
How do I know that this is true? (reasoning) How is this a sign of something bad? How is this behaviour a bad teaching practise? What is the negative?
Can I prove that reasoning with a real life example? (reference) Humiliates Laine when she ventures an answer - actually describe that time.
Then I guess what I am saying was right.
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