English Literature 12 » assignments http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org a virtual palimpsest Sat, 27 May 2006 16:10:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 en hourly 1 A Head’s Up…Exam prep time… http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/05/12/a-heads-upexam-prep-time/ http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/05/12/a-heads-upexam-prep-time/#comments Fri, 12 May 2006 21:34:31 +0000 Mr. N http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/05/12/a-heads-upexam-prep-time/ Hi everyone, and thank you for participating in the class brainstorm essay session today. I am hoping to get you all primed for that provincial essay, which will be similar to what we did in class.

I just wanted to remind you that we will be doing exam prep from here on out, and that I am hoping to get through a total of 3 practice exams before the final. That being said, on Monday we will do a cite passage in class- this is where you are given a random poem you have probably never seen. You have to answer several multiple choice questions, then write a multi paragraph response. We have done this in class before, so hopefully you are somewhat used to this process. The site passage will take approximately half of the class time, then you will be free to work on your essays and I will be available for any help or to run things by.

There isn’t really a ton you can do in terms of studying for the site passage, your studying has been the course up until now…working with poems and ripping them apart. You can study terms if you want, but that is about it.

So, have a great weekend, be working on your essays (they are due Monday, May 22nd) , and relax! Summer is almost here!!

]]> http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/05/12/a-heads-upexam-prep-time/feed/ 0 Class Notes for Keats’ “When I Have Fears…” http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/04/05/class-notes-for-keats-when-i-have-fears/ http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/04/05/class-notes-for-keats-when-i-have-fears/#comments Wed, 05 Apr 2006 21:32:46 +0000 Mr. N http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/04/05/class-notes-for-keats-when-i-have-fears/ Today’s class was time spent in the sun.

We looked at Keats’ “When I have Fears…”

Some brief notes from discussion that stick in my head:

  • this poem seems really personal, and not out to change the world like some of Shelley or Byron’s works
  • the poet claims to be afraid of dying before getting out all his thoughts
  • this sticks with his life story, as Keats lost his brother and also died of tuberculosis (lots of people dying young)
  • he seems quite down–it sounds like a journal entry or a letter to a trusted friend
  • the last couple of lines suggest that thinking and reflection are more important to him than love and fame–this goes along well with his fears of dying before he gets out all his thoughts/poems/writing
  • there seems to be reference to love…we aren’t sure if it is romantic love or love for writing…

Just a few notes there. It seems like a poem written to express emotion rather than gain fame. I think Tamara brought up that point, and I agree. Keats seems more into his own emotional turmoil in this poem. He doesn’t seem to be out to inspire people with great words or ideas. It seems really honest, really spontaneous (ie not polished), and his fears are not resolved by the end of the poem.

I think of Curt Cobain when I read this, or grunge music in general. Just really melancholy…

Remember to read for Monday: Tennyson’s “Ulysses” (one of my favourites!) and “Sonnet 43″

Remember that your poems are due on Monday! Enjoy creating them, I know I am!

]]> http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/04/05/class-notes-for-keats-when-i-have-fears/feed/ 0 Class today… http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/04/03/class-today/ http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/04/03/class-today/#comments Mon, 03 Apr 2006 21:01:57 +0000 Mr. N http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/04/03/class-today/ Hi everyone,

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for another great class!

I really enjoyed hearing some of your thoughts on the poem today.

I also felt like Lit. class was like an oasis – sitting working on writing poems about something that is important to me (yes, I am doing the assignment too!) and listening to some really mellow tunes (Jack Johnson–”Curious George” soundtrack)– it was just really restful and refreshing. I know there was some chatting going on, but I also understand that sometimes there are more important things than class stuff.

Thanks for a relaxing afternoon. I hope it was good for you, too, in the midst of a tired Monday.

remeber to read Keats’ “When I Have Fears”–read it like a letter from a friend, or something like that.

Your poems are due next Monday, April 10th. I look forward to reading them! 

]]> http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/04/03/class-today/feed/ 0 A great class! http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/03/29/a-great-class/ http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/03/29/a-great-class/#comments Wed, 29 Mar 2006 22:23:14 +0000 Mr. N http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/03/29/a-great-class/ I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed class today. Not the quiz stuff…that was business.

Reading Byron’s “Apostrophe…” was like riding a big wave or going to church (insert appropriate simile here). It was amazing and outstanding and I really enjoyed hearing your summaries of each stanza!
The outcome of this sublime class: that essay assignment I handed out has been taken back in. It has been put off for a while as we will attempt to create our own apostrophes.

Thank you for your willingness to jump into the unknown…

I think it will be an interesting journey!

Have an outstanding day. Remember to be thinking of what topic you want to write about. We will get down to it on Friday’s class.

No reading assigned, just thinking–> “To mingle with the universe, and feel / What I can ne’er express, yet cannot all conceal” (Byron, “Apostrophe to the Ocean,” 8-9).

]]> http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/03/29/a-great-class/feed/ 0 Spring Break Reading… http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/03/08/spring-break-reading/ http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/03/08/spring-break-reading/#comments Wed, 08 Mar 2006 21:14:36 +0000 Mr. N http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/03/08/spring-break-reading/ Hi everyone,

I hope you enjoyed the house team activities today as a relaxing alternative to Literature class!
Don’t worry about the quiz, we will do that when you return from spring break.

Remember that your assignment for spring break is as follows:

1. Have fun and relax! Spend time with your friends and family…enjoy life!
2. Read Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (pg. 686 +). The text summarizes it nicely for you as you go, which is great for this poem!
3. Answer #3,5,6 on pg. 709. If you want to do this on the team blog, go for it. Paper is totally fine if you prefer.
4. Did I mention having fun??

I hope that you have an outstanding, relaxing, fun-filled and refreshing couple of weeks off. I hope God knocks your socks off (ie blesses you) with real refreshment and laughter.

See you in a couple of weeks…
cheers,
mr. n.

]]> http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/03/08/spring-break-reading/feed/ 0 Updates from Today’s Class…(getting locked in a classroom…) http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/02/08/updates-from-todays-classgetting-locked-in-a-classroom/ http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/02/08/updates-from-todays-classgetting-locked-in-a-classroom/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2006 22:08:28 +0000 Mr. N http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/02/08/updates-from-todays-classgetting-locked-in-a-classroom/ Hi Everyone,

A strange class today, what with the ‘waiting for the lockdown’ and all…

Thank you for working through this and for letting us burn through a few poems. I will post my reading notes to them after this.

Assigned for Monday (no lit. class on Friday):
Read: Milton’s Sonnet XIX (”On His Blindness”) and blog an answer to either question 2 or 3 –>pg. 467.

Read: Pepys ‘The Fire of London’ –> pg. 498+

Your Poster Assignment has been extended and will now be due Monday, Feb. 20th .

Next week, we will read through Milton’s “Paradise Lost.” If you want to get a jump on this, I suggest you read the intro. to this work on pg. 462-3.
I will also give you time in Monday and Wednesday’s class to work on your posters (about half the class).

Have a great rest of your week!

]]> http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/02/08/updates-from-todays-classgetting-locked-in-a-classroom/feed/ 0 Poetry Anatomy assignment… http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/02/03/poetry-anatomy-assignment/ http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/02/03/poetry-anatomy-assignment/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2006 22:59:19 +0000 Mr. N http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/02/03/poetry-anatomy-assignment/ Poem Exploration Assignment
After a lengthy and in depth consultation with some of my trusted, top level advisors (thanks Angelina and Ellie!), you are to complete the following assignment (Ok, so it wasn’t all that lengthy, or in depth, but they gave the nod anyways!):
Your assignment is to work with one of the poems we have explored thus far (fancy that, there are 7 in all!). You will be given a blown up photocopy of the poem and some poster board. My advice, cut up the poem and paste it onto the poster, cite the line numbers, and you have quotes!
Requirements
You should try to talk about/ explore / represent each line or couple of lines if they run together. Your poster must include the following to help aid your classmates with understanding the poem:
images (and/or magazine clippings)
definitions of key words/ poetic devices that you are responsible for on the exam (if the author uses them. These should include a definition of the type of poetry and anything unique to that form ex: what is a sonnet, how do you identify it, what makes this one unique {is it Petrarchan or Shakespearean, etc.)
your interpretations of the meaning of the poem, (you can use a combination of images and text for this, but images should be self explanatory) and an explanation of how this poem reflects the age it is in
Purpose
1. To keep you involved in a dialogue with the works we have read thus far.
2. To get you into the guts of the poems we are reading and give you some time to look around.
A more formal definition is from the BC government’s requirement for this course that you, “ demonstrate an understanding of [...] literary works and an awareness of how they reflect the attitudes, values, and issues of the Renaissance, [...] 17th century and the Middle Ages [(for ‘Barbara Allan)]” (BC Lit.12 IRP, 22, 24).
Due Date
You poster will be due Monday, Feb. 13th at the beginning of class. Students will peruse your work as if we were in an art gallery. You will act as the docent for your work, and explain any necessary details. Your critics will submit a peer mark. This, combined with my own mark, will constitute your mark. This is a study aid for you and your classmates, so don’t let them and yourself down!


]]> http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/02/03/poetry-anatomy-assignment/feed/ 0 Hamlet updates… http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/01/24/hamlet-updates/ http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/01/24/hamlet-updates/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:15:10 +0000 Mr. N http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/01/24/hamlet-updates/ Hi everyone,

In today’s class we wrote the Act III-IV quiz. I think all of you will ace it, especially because of our review beforehand…

Assigned for Thursday: Act 4 blog/log post.

On Thursday we will begin experiencing Ethan Hawke’s version of the play (that is, assuming I can get ahold of a copy!)

For Tuesday you should have your Act 5 log/blog post done.

After we complete the film, I would like to have you do some kind of written reflection on the film, something along the lines of what you would do if you were to modernize it, or what you would change, or who you would cast in the roles of the major characters and why…

I am looking forward to reading your blog posts, but, as the sun is out, I will put it off…
Enjoy the rest of your day

]]> http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/01/24/hamlet-updates/feed/ 0 Tuesday’s class updates… http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/01/03/tuesdays-class-updates/ http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/01/03/tuesdays-class-updates/#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2006 22:00:50 +0000 Mr. N http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/01/03/tuesdays-class-updates/ As discussed in class, please be aware of the following:

We read Act 3.1 in class –> 3.2 is assigned for you to read for Thursday. This is an important scene, so please read it!

Quiz! –> At the end of Thursday’s class you will be given an open book take home quiz. Please read the instructions carefully, as you do not have to answer all the questions! The quiz will be due on Tuesday, January 10th, at the start of class.

Thanks, everyone for participating in acting out part of Act 2, it was great!

I will also be adding your names as categories to the lit. team blog. That way, you can post to your name when you post on the blog.

See you on Thursday!

]]> http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2006/01/03/tuesdays-class-updates/feed/ 0 Christmas Reading… http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2005/12/15/christmas-reading/ http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2005/12/15/christmas-reading/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2005 22:04:40 +0000 Mr. N http://dcsenglish.edublogs.org/2005/12/15/christmas-reading/ Today’s class was spent reviewing Act I.ii-iii and reading I.iv-v. This completes Act I for us. I will post my short notes on each scene to the blog.

Remember, you must submit a log entry either on paper or on your blog for Act I. Let’s make that due on the day you return from Christmas break.

Christmas Reading…
Please read Act II over Christmas break and fill out the chart that was handed out in class. This should take you approx. an afternoon of reading with a nice cup of hot chocolate.

When we return we will unpack Act II together and review the chart.

The chart will count as your log entry for Act II, but if you want extra credit, you can do a more formal log entry as well.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas break, and that it is spent relaxing and enjoying time with family and friends as we celebrate God’s infiltration into the world and the unfolding of an amazing plan of liberation!

Merry Christmas, everyone…
Mr. Nelson

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