Hello All,

Read the essay on p. 636.  It's a good example of a tone essay.  We' ve read a number of poems and made excellent observations re: meaning and poetic techniques and devices.  Now we have to learn how to organize those ideas into a coherent whole - an essay.  Please choose one of the writing topics listed on p. 639-40 and, over the weekend, gather together the ideas that will become the basis of your essay.  I'm going to check that you've done this!  You'll hand in your paper on Wednesday.  Please bring House of the Spirits in on Monday.

Take care, Mrs. Garstka

Homework for tomorrow

Read these poems:  612 - homage, 616 - Trouble, 617 - I Am, 618 - Mid-Term, 619 - Theme
Answer the questions that follow.  In addition, a)consider the title and its relationship to the work  b)the speaker  c)the audience for whom the poem is written  d)figures of speech that support and develop the main idea  e)any techniques of sound, punctuation, arrangement that support the main idea.

Hi All,

On Monday we'll work in the poetry packet up to the bottom of page 603.  Briefly and succinctly answer the questions that follow each poem.  (On the page itself, not on separate paper.)

Wednesday:  Poetry Terms quiz

Tuesday-Friday:  Work with packet.

Have your copies of House of the Spirits by Friday.

Take care, Mrs. Garstka

Hi!

Please spend an hour or so rereading the play.  Highlight whatever strikes you as meaningful, ironic, significant re: character, theme, etc. - you know what I mean - as you do this second reading.

The following article may be helpful:

How to Write a Personal Response in College

Contributor

By Erika Wright, eHow Contributing Writer

A personal response is a short essay (one to four pages) in which you describe and analyze your own thoughts and feelings about a reading. The personal response is usually one of the first assignments in a beginning writing course. It teaches you to think about what you are reading and then ask yourself why you feel that way. Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you connect with the author or not? Personal response essays in college are usually based on a reading, though this might not always be the case. College personal response essays are usually intended to develop the ability to describe and analyze your thoughts and impressions as the first step in analyzing literature. In order to write a good personal response, you must first read the assigned material carefully.

Instructions

Read and Annotate

1.                 Step 1

Read through the assigned material. Think about how it makes you feel as you read it. Sit for a while afterward and think about what you just read.

2.                 Step 2

Read through the material again. This time, make comments in the margins. Write down questions you have, impressions and feelings. Make note of things you agree with or disagree with, things that seem to contradict one another, or things that do not make sense. Underline words, phrases and paragraphs that seem interesting, and comment on why you find it interesting. Make note of ideas and words that come up repeatedly. This is a good time to look up words you don't know.

3.                 Step 3

Go back through the material again. Read carefully. Make more comments. Try to expand on your previous comments, or perhaps you have found answers to your previous questions. By this point you should have a strong understanding of the material and your ideas about it. If not, continue reading and annotating until you do.

4.                 Step 4

Read essays from others. Depending on the assignment, once you feel clear about the reading, you might want to go to the library and read published critical essays on the reading. This can be dangerous if you are a beginning writer and/or if your ideas are not yet clear. It's easy to fall into the trap of adopting someone else's ideas. The personal response essay is important in learning how to engage with and think about literature, so be sure you are doing that. On the other hand, reading other ideas and criticisms can help you strengthen or rethink your argument.

Writing Process

5.                 Step 1

Try free writing. Look over your annotated copy of the assigned reading and your comments. Sit for 15 or 20 minutes and just write about your thoughts and ideas. Don't worry about grammar or structure, just write what comes to your mind. Think of how you feel and try to explain why. When the time is up, go through what you have written and look for good ideas and strong arguments. You might choose a few of these to start your essay.

6.                 Step 2

Do an outline. What do you want to say? Decide which ideas are your main ideas, and group the ideas that support those main ideas under them. This is a good chance to look for problems before you spend the time writing. Do the ideas make sense? Can you support them? Is anything missing?

7.                 Step 3

Fill in your essay from your outline. Expand on your ideas, and use examples from the assigned reading to support them.

8.                 Step 4

Edit your work. Pay close attention to the guidelines given to you as they may be different from teacher to teacher. Make sure your essay follows the required format and style. Be sure you have an introduction with a thesis statement, body paragraphs with well-supported topic sentences and a conclusion. If you are both agreeing and disagreeing with the author, this is fine. But be sure to be very clear in your essay. Make sure all your ideas are explained and supported.

 

Tips & Warnings

• Always pay careful attention to the assignment guidelines given by your instructor.
• Be careful not to fall too much into describing your own personal experiences. While this can be a valuable addition to your essay, keep it short and remain focused on the material itself. If you read other essays on the assignment, be sure you are not using someone else's ideas instead of developing your own.

References

·                       Purdue Writing Lab

Take care, see you Monday - Mrs. Garstka

Hello All,

On Monday we'll go over the AP multiple choice section.  Then you will have time to begin Tuesday's homework:
a.  Find objects which symbolize the following themes - deception, identity, marriage, gender roles, reality vs appearance, social responsibility.  Explain your choices.
b.  Rank the five main characters in order from most dishonorable to least.  Explain on what basis you judged your ranking.
c.  Present a First Person Point of View description for each character.  For example:  My name is Torvald Helmer.  I am in my mid-30's.  I believe that . . .
d.  Choose 5 quotations that seem to speak to Ibsen's major themes/ideas.  Explain
You will type this material and put it into your binder.

Obviously, I've been unrealistic in thinking we can do justice to Doll's House in just a few days.  As a result, we'll have to postpone Gawain till next Monday.

See you in a few hours, Mrs. Garstka 

Tuesday:  Finish Multiple Choice Section of AP test
Wednesday: Quiz followed by intense discussion re:  Araby and A&P.  Homework:  The Garden Party

Look up info on Paradise Lost and John Milton
Read the first 191 lines of the First Book

"Out, Out -" tomorrow.
Macbeth exam Thursday.

Keep reading Macbeth.  Be enthusiastic . . . ask questions . . . make me happy . . . winter is my blah time, so I depend on you to keep my spirits up!

Write your paper on the pages from Beloved.  Follow all the rules of academic writing.  Proofread.  Proofread!  PROOFREAD!

Read Act One of Macbeth.  Be prepared to discuss it fully - situation, characters, motifs, blood, etc.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your families!

Take care, Mrs. Garstka

Finish Beloved for Thursday, the 17th.
Tuesday and Wednesday will be reading days, so you'll have plenty of time.

Please be prepared to work with the text in class on Thursday.  You will make connections, present revelations, ask questions.  If that doesn't spill out of you from the opening bell, I will resort to asking questions of my own.  Beware and Prepare!

Greetings,

You are finishing Medea for Monday, when we'll have a quiz.  Bring Beloved on Monday also.

Take care, Mrs. Garstka

A change in plans!

Tuesday and Friday:  continue poetry annotation
Thursday:  Essay read-around
Monday (11/16) final draft due.  We will begin Medea by Euripides.  I'll give you the text in class.  To be finished by Wednesday, 11/18. 
We will start Beloved on Thursday, the 19th.

Finish WHs for Wednesday.
I'll hand out essay topics on Thursday.
Typed first draft due on Tuesday, the 10th.
Final draft due on Thursday, the 12th.

Reading Day on Friday.  Finishing by Wednesday.

Hello -

Monday:  AP Practice Test.  If you are absent and know someone who could bring you a copy, have her see me.

Tuesday: Discussion through C. 19.  I'd like to finish reading the novel by Friday.  Perhaps we'll have two reading periods in order to do so.

You have nothing new to read.  But you do have to read and annotate up to the end of Chapter 14.  You know what you're supposed to be looking for and class discussion will be your responsibility tomorrow.  Impress me!

Hi All,

Annotating reading of WH's for Monday.  Quiz Time!!!!!!!!

Take care, Mrs. Garstka

Hello All,

Read through the end of chapter 9 in WHs for Friday.  Bring the poems I gave you last week on Thursday.  We'll have longer reading assignments for HW while we do poetry in class.  Use the annotation format on page 15 of your binder as you read.

Hello All,

We'll be discussing C's Nest Friday-Tuesday.  Come to class PREPARED to discuss!!  You will be prepared if you look at the questions I provided, if you return to the actual text again, and if you have read Plato's allegory.  I'm being a bit lenient because of all the stress and anxiety, but you need to do your part - as most everyone is.  On Friday you'll get a few poems to analyze.  Though unrelated to the text, they express ideas similar to those we are discussing.

Take care, Mrs. Garstka

Because we have shortened periods on Monday and Guidance on Tuesday, the PP test will be on Wednesday.