Romeo and Juliet: What's It All About?

While we've been studying Romeo and Juliet in class these past few weeks we've been discussing significant lines from each scene, then watching and listening for them in the film versions of the play. We've also been working on writing claims about the play and supporting claims with evidence and explanation. Considering all we've been discussing in class, what would you say is Shakespeare's message about life and human nature?

Romeo and Juliet is a story about teenagers. The teenagers in the play have to make decisions independent of their parents, choose whose advice to follow and navigate the consequences of their actions. What do you think Shakespeare is trying to say about life, the way people behave and the impact they have on others? Write a paragraph discussing what you think Shakespeare might be saying about life and human nature through the characters and their words and their actions in the play.

Also, what do you notice about how these messages about life are conveyed to the audience? How does Shakespeare use language (such as metaphor, simile, personification, symbolism and reversals) and other literary devices to influence the audience? Write your second paragraph about Shakespeare's language and use of literary devices - this is author's craft.

Due Monday, March 20.

First Impressions of Romeo and Juliet

You made it through a full week of reading Romeo and Juliet out loud in class! Take a moment to reflect on your experiences in class this week.
How is it going?
How much are you able to understand as we read aloud?
Are you using the notes on the left side pages and if so, is it helping?

Also, what do you think of the play so far?
What are you overall first impressions of the characters?
What are you enjoying about it and what questions do you have?

Write two paragraphs for this post. For the first paragraph, write about how reading the play aloud is going for you. For the second paragraph, remark on what you think of the play and the characters overall.

Due Monday, March 6.

Beginning Romeo and Juliet

We are gearing up to begin reading Romeo and Juliet. We're going to read the play out loud, act out scenes, watch film versions and engage in discussions about the themes, characters, and language in the play.

What is your level of experience with Shakespeare? Have you ever seen, read or performed in a Shakespeare play? How familiar are you with Romeo and Juliet and where does this familiarity come from? If you do know the play, what do you think about it? Write one paragraph about your thoughts on Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet from your previous experience.

For the second paragraph, write about what you hope to do and achieve in class over the next six weeks or so. Are you looking forward to reading the play out loud? Are you excited to get out of your seat and act? In this unit, I'd like us to get really creative - what would be your dream creative project for English class? Write about what you hope we will do in class in this unit and why. 

Due Monday, February 13.

How to Talk about Personality Types

Welcome to blogging 2017! It's a new semester and we're starting something new - Word Power!
Sessions 1-3 of Word Power focus on "How to Talk about Personality Types." For this blog post, practice using some of the words from Word Power sessions 1 and 2 (if you're writing this after Friday, you should use the words in session 2 as your session 1 quiz will already have happened) to describe some of the people in your life.

Answer the following questions with humor and enthusiasm:
1. What is your personality type? Give an example that supports your self-assessment.
2. What is your mom or dad's (or other important guardian/parental figure) personality type? Give some fun and entertaining examples.
3. What is your pet's personality type? Or, if you don't have a pet or don't want to write about a pet, what is the personality type of the person you admire most in life? Again, give fun, exciting examples!
4. What is your best friend's or favorite classmate's personality type and how does that complement your personality type. Use your best friend's/favorite classmate's personality type to explain why you get along so well with him/her.

Have fun with this one!
Due Monday, February 6.

Poetry Out Loud: Evidence of Understanding

One of the criteria for your Poetry Out Loud performance is evidence of understanding. In order to prepare to show you understand the poem, do some research.

First, research any words that are unfamiliar and/or any allusions that might be in the poem. If there are no words that you don't know, this poem is probably too easy for you! But if you still love it and want to recite it, choose a word that is more complex and explore the complexity of the word's connotation and meaning. Write about the words and allusions you researched and how they add to your understanding of the poem.

Second, research your poet and find a reading/performance of your poem on the Internet. Using Wikipedia is okay for this assignment as the goal here is just to find out some information about your poet rather than to do an in-depth research project. Find out about your poet's life: what else did/does he/she do besides write poetry? What kind of education did he/she have? What is his/her family life like? Answer these questions and remark on why you think he/she would've written the poem that you are working on for Poetry Out Loud. How does this add to your understanding of your poem?

Finally, watch someone else read/perform the poem. You can usually find a reading on YouTube or another website. Write about which words/lines were given emphasis and what you think the tone of the speaker's voice conveyed about the poem. If you can't find a reading of your poem, watch a performance of another poem on poetryoutloud.org and write about how the student performing shows the meaning of his/her poem through the performance.

Write three paragraphs for this post. The first paragraph is about the words and allusions that add to the meaning and enhance your understanding. The second paragraph is about how understanding some part of the poet's life helps you understand the poem and the third paragraph is about how watching a performance helps you think about how you can perform your poem in a way that portrays your understanding of its meaning to your audience.

Due Monday, December 19.

TKAM: Great Ideas

This week we've done a ton of discussion in class, including a Socratic Seminar and Jenga. What are some of the best ideas you've heard in class? How did hearing someone else's ideas this week push your thinking or help you think of new ideas about setting, character development, symbolism or theme?

Write two paragraphs for this post. The first paragraph should describe an idea that someone else said that you thought was thought-provoking. Be as specific as you can about what was said and what it made you think.

For the next paragraph, write about how your thinking about the novel has developed this week as a result of discussion. What are your new thoughts about setting, character development, symbolism and/or theme? Be sure to write a full, developed paragraph for this in which you use evidence from the book and clearly explain your thinking.

Due Monday, December 12.

To Kill a Mockingbird: Introduction to Author's Craft

As we read To Kill a Mockingbird we will be focusing our discussion on analysis of author's craft. The back of the book tells us that his is one of the "best loved novels of all time." What did Harper Lee do to achieve this superlative? Use what you know about elements of literature (see the glossary given in class on Tuesday for a list of the elements) to analyze what you notice Lee does well in the novel so far.

For this post, write your first paragraph about what you like about the book at this point. If you've read the novel before or if you're reading ahead, try to limit your response in this paragraph to the first seven chapters of the novel. Use evidence from the novel to specifically describe something you like about the first seven chapters of the book. Be sure to tell why you like this part! You may want to connect it to something from your own life.

For your second paragraph, discuss author's craft for the part of the novel you described in the previous paragarph. How has Lee created the effect of enjoyment in you? Consider the items in the elements of literature glossary to frame your response. Again, use evidence from the novel to support your ideas about author's craft.

Due Monday, December 5.