Here we are, the LAST DAY! Wow, did those 19 days go by fast or what?!
Today is "Clean Up" day. I have a mock Provincial Exam for you, because I want to give you the opportunity to see the type of test that most of you will be seeing next week.
For others, this is the last day to hand in any outstanding assignments......
It's been a real pleasure working with you all, and have a great summer...... You deserve it :)
Today is the day that we get to watch the MOVIE!!
This film version, directed by one of the stars (Gary Sinise), is a wonderful adaptation......
Watch the movie and complete the questions for it.
Assignment: Novel VS Film DUE: Wednesday, Aug 8th
Wow, this is almost the END!! Only 3 more classes....
Today's class focused on the 1992 movie adaptation (a brilliant one) of "Of Mice & Men", starring Gary Sinise (who also directed it) and John Malkovich.
You will need to watch the movie, and then answer the questions provided.
DUE Wednesday, August 8th
TEST TOMORROW ON THE NOVEL (you may use the text, but no notes)
It is scary to think that we are almost finished!!
At this point, we are going to be finishing off with reading the story. It certainly isn't long, is it?! But, it is short, powerful and intense!! Phew!!
Now, and for the next couple of classes, the focus needs to be on completing all assignments. This is the schedule for the rest of the course:
Monday: Holiday - no school
Tuesday: Watching the movie (starring Gary Sinese & John Malkovich) & Film Questions
Wednesday: Of Mice & Men TEST
Thursday (last day): Mock Provincial Exam
ASSIGNMENTS DUE
Position Paper - DUE TUESDAY
Character Sketches - DUE WEDNESDAY
Symbols - DUE WEDNESDAY
Film Questioins - DUE WEDNESAY
EVERYTHING ELSE - Wednesday
Alright, now we are motoring on to Day 2. The focus of this day with be the major thematic elements, allegories (hey, that term should be familiar!) and metaphors (oh, there's another one!).
The biblical story of Cain and Abel is a major allegory which runs throughout the novel, and in some very interesting ways, too.
READING: Ch 3 & 4
Assignment: Ch 2 Questions DUE Thursday, Aug 2
Assignment: Symbols & Meanings DUE Wednesday, Aug 7
Assignment: Position Paper DUE Tuesday Aug 7 *** I am giving this to you early on so that you can spend some time thinking about your position as we read through the novel.***
Day 1 we are going to introduced to the story, to the characters, to the themes.
READING: Chapter 1 & 2
Assignment: "American Dream" (Intro) Response DUE Wednesday, Aug. 1
Assignment: Character Sketches (ongoing) DUE Wednesday, Aug. 8
This is the last unit that we are going to be working on, which will take us to the end.
For this unit, we are going to be studying the classic "Of Mice & Men," a story written by John Steinbeck, about the weary travels of two best friends, George and Lennie.
This story is thick with thematic and symbolic elements, and we are going to be doing a lot with it within a ver short timeframe, but that's okay. It's a shorter novel, so the major focus won't be on reading for hours a night!!
We will NOT be using the actual book, but an online/pdf version (which can be downloaded below.
There will be a test for the novel study on Wednesday, August 8th.
We're almost at the end, so let's CELEBRATE it all with a fun game of Jeopardy!
ASSIGNMENT: "Poetic" Analysis - DUE: Monday, July 30 Choose 4 of the 6 options
***Show Your Understanding (a.k.a. quiz) - Monday, July 30 ***
Now were are getting to really working with poetry and all of the nitty-gritty that is associated with it.
ASSIGNMENT - Finding the Lyrics - DUE: Thursday, July 26
Well, hopefully you made it through the first day of poetry. And I am hoping that it isn't as "blah" as you thought.
Now, we move past poetic devices and on to types of poems and poetic genres!
ASSIGNMENT - Create Your Own: RAP - Due Wednesday, July 25
So, this is the beginning of the magic journey that is poetry. But, as I said before, I do things differently. Poetic devices and other poetic "stuff" still litter the lessons, but we are coming at this from a different angle.
Soon, it will all be clear....
Okay, so we have made a little change to the course outline. This week is POETRY! Let's all say it together.... "Yay!!" The following week and a bit will be our novel study. We are NOT going to be doing a fifth Shakespeare unit, so I know that you are all going to breathe a sigh of relief.
Having an English degree, I was bombarded with poetry all throughout my university career. So much so that I came to despise all things poetic. However, after being out of school and not arguing with professors about the rationale of "such-a-line" or what was truly meant when the poet said --------, I came to appreciate that poetry is all around us today. Most of the time we simly don't realize it.
It was with this realization, and coming to the conclusion that teaching/learning about poetry needed a re-vamp, that I set out to come up with my own way of teaching poetry with relevency.
So, here we go!!
It's all about the IQ points!!
"Flowers For Algernon" (1959) is a longer short story which has actually been taken from a novel of the same title (and written by the same author). It is written from the point of view of the main character, Charlie Gordon, who has a mental disability and who undergoes an experiemental surgery to increase his intelligence. Charlie is asked to keep journal entries through this process, which is the short story.
As we see Charlie's rise and fall from near-genius levels of intelligence, we also see profound changes to Charlie's outlook on society, his emotional understandings and changes to his overall personality. From Charlie's journal entries, we are challenged to look at how we treat people with mental disabilites and how we view the subject of intelligence.
ASSIGNMENTS DUE: Monday, July 23
"Just Lather, That's All" is a great little read, written by Bogota native Hernando Tellez.
This is a rather simple story, highlighting the interaction over the length of a shave by the only two characters in the story:
The Barber and Captain Torres. In a barbershop in a small Colombian town, the proprietor, the narrator of the story, is shaving a man. This is no typical customer, however; the barber recounts that he began to tremble when he recognized him.
The barber’s detailed description of Captain Torres hanging up his military cap, bullet belt, and holster highlights the man’s authority and his potential for violence. During the course of the shave, the two men engage in brief but revealing dialogue. It is in this dialogue that we truly get the sense of the conflict, both internal and external, that the Barber faces.
ASSIGNMENT DUE: Thursday, July 19
"Harrison Bergeron" is a short story written by the well-known author, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
The story is satirical and dystopian science fiction, first published in October 1961. Originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, the story was republished in the author's Welcome to the Monkey House collection in 1968. While there is disagreement regarding the political message of this short story, it has often raised questions about social equality. Vonnegut's work takes place in the year 2081.
Because of Amendments 211, 212, and 213 to the Constitution, every American is fully equal, meaning that no one is stupider, uglier, weaker, or slower than anyone else. The Handicapper General and a team of agents ensure that the laws of equality are enforced.
Owwwwwww! Sound good, doesn't it?!
ASSIGNMENT DUE: Tuesday, July 17
This next mini-unit brings us to the world of the short story.
Short stories are wonderful little bits of literature because they have everything condensed for consumption over a shorter period of time. They are usually concerned with not more than a few problems and themes, which allow us to go into them more indepth. They also emphasize human nature and human values.
Monday: "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Tueday: "Just Lather, That's All" by Hernando Tellez
Wednesday & Thursday: "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
More than many other types of essays, descriptive essays strive to create a deeply involved and vivid experience for the reader. Great descriptive essays achieve this affect not through facts and statistics but by using detailed observations and descriptions.
USE YOUR WORDS!
Quite often, and this is one of the very few instances, the wordier you are the better!
The catch is to call on all 5 of the reader's senses!
ESSAY DUE: Monday, July 16
Narratives are stories. Pure and simple!
There's nothing like reading a great narrative. Whether in novel or essay form, a narrative piece of writing transports readers into the time and space of the world portrayed by the writing. There's also nothing like writing a great narrative.
Through reflecting upon an event, and through recreating the experience for other readers, writing a narrative essay can enable you to develop new, subtle, and rewarding perspectives.
ESSAY DUE: Friday, July 13 (emailed, please!)
The function of the expository essay is to explain, or to acquaint your reader with a body of knowledge. By explaining a topic to the reader, you are demonstrating your own knowledge. This is also known as a “How To” essay, and is one of the most common essays written in schools. Go figure!! Attached is some information about the knitty-gritty around what an expository essay is. The assignment is also attached.
ESSAY DUE: Thursday, July 12
For this first mini-unit, our focus is going to be on writing. I wanted to make sure that I am familiar with your writing style early on in the course, and that you get adequate knowledge and practice to help you along the way.
We will still be writing apart from this unit, but writing, and essays in particular, is truly important in English 12, especially if you are going on to post-secondary institutions.
Keep in mind that we are going fast and furious, so be sure to stay focused and stay on top of your assignments.
I have attached some PowerPoints to help with composition. Even though we go through these in class, you may want to re-visit them for review.
I have included some very useful pdf's, which you will get in class....
I have also attached the English 12 Composition Scoring Guide so that you will know exactly how I am marking you.
Hello, and welcome to ENG 12 Summer School!
Let's face it.... It's nice outside and we are all inside, so it is my goal to make this very intense course as enjoyable and painless as possible. That being said, it is a full course in the period of 19 days, so be prepared to have your nose to the grindstone and work your way through.
I have divided up the 4-ish weeks into different units, with roughly one unit completed each week. So, if you stay focused and on top of the assignments, you will be sucessful! The course outline and schedule can be downloaded, so that you know what the course expectations are and what is coming up.
I look forward to working with all of you, and let's have a great July!
Todd Powell
