Mrs. P's Seminar Blog

This week you will choose your Cumulative Assessment partners and dates and we will begin our book talk on The House of the Spirits.  Here is our work for the week:

on Monday:  Model Cumulative Assessment; independent work time

due Tuesday: House of the Spirits (reading quiz); Isabel Allende TED Talk on “Passion”

Wed and Thurs:  House of the Spirits book talk

Friday: for those of you in class, this will be independent work time (cumulative assessment or reading of Siddhartha)

due May 25:  Siddhartha

Happy belated birthday, Lindsay!

This Mon-Wed the 1984 book talk group will be running the show, delving into one of my favorite dystopian novels

due Thursday: 1984 Journals, Group and Peer Assessments (GOOD LUCK WITH THE AP LIT EXAM!)

on Friday:  Vocab Quiz (Hamlet and “A Modest Proposal” vocab)–(GOOD LUCK WITH AP US HISTORY EXAM!)

***NOTE:  Please bring House of the Spirits to read on Thursday and Friday or plan to work independently on your essay

House of the Spirits due May 15.

Please be your most respectful, intelligent, and supportive for your peers and Miss Koch in my absence.

This week we will finish up our book talk on A River Sutra and then delve in George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece, 1984.  Here is our work for the week (and a bit beyond):

Monday and Tuesday:  A River Sutra book talk

due Wednesday:

(1)  Peer and Group Assessments

(2) 1984 due

(3) A River Sutra journals due (for those of you not in the ARS book talk group)

Thursday and Friday:  1984 book talk

on May 11:  Vocabulary Quiz on Hamlet/”A Modest Proposal” words

on May 15:  House of the Spirits due

This week we will begin our first spring book talk with A River Sutra.  Here is our work for the week:

on Monday: Reading quiz on A River Sutra–you will receive quite a bit of paperwork on this day to organize the writing assignments and assessments for our book talk

Tues/Wed/Fri:  A River Sutra book talk

due May 2: 1984; A River Sutra Reflective Journal Entries

This week we will be focusing on organizing and preparing our spring book talks.  Here is our work for the week:

on Monday:  We will be sharing our 3 examples of satire with small groups and then posting them for the class to see

due Tuesday:  book talk book due

Tues-Fri:  In the library preparing for our spring book talks

due next Monday:  A River Sutra due, reading quiz on this day

This week we will begin our study of satire, looking at different forms, targets, and styles.  Here is our work for the week:

on Tuesday:  Shakespeare and Stoppard exam

due Thursday:  Finish reading “A Modest Proposal”

due next Monday:  Bring in three examples of satire–one each targeting the individual, group, and system

NEXT MONDAY:  Have the period will be independent reading–bring the book talk book you are currently reading with you

This week we will continue our study of drama, moving from our tragic and absurdist plays into comedy.  We will talk about the movements of comedy and the different comedic elements found in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Here is our work for the week:

due Monday:  A Midsummer Night’s Dream (reading quiz)

due Thursday: Close reading on Act V

on next Tuesday:  Shakespeare and Stoppard exam (Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

due April 17:  Book club books due

This week marks the end of the marking period (last day is Tuesday), our wrap-up of Hamlet, review of the choices for Spring Book Talks, and a viewing and discussion of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.  Here is our work for the week:

on Monday: We will review the dates and choices for book talks, wrap up our discussion of Hamlet, and discuss the packet on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Tues-Wed-Thurs:  We will be viewing the film Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.  Answer the questions at the end of the packet while viewing the film–it will get you thinking for our Socratic Seminar

on Friday: Socratic Seminar on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

due Monday: A Midsummer Night’s Dream due (reading quiz)

This week we will finish up our study of Hamlet by looking at character foils, Hamlet as a tragic hero, the use of comic relief, and the catastrophe.  We will also go back to our definitions of revenge tragedy and the Great Chain of Being to finish our study.  Here is our work for the week:

due Tues: complete the questions on character foils and Hamlet as a tragic hero

due Wed:  Choose two of the topics from the Harrison quote list and post your conclusions on the Wiki

due Thurs:  Parodies due (we will share if you are interested!)

due Fri:  Spring book talk choice

due next Monday:  Read through the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead packet

due Friday, March 30:  A Midsummer Night’s Dream

This week we will continue our study of Hamlet, looking carefully at Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” speech not only to understand it but also to parody it.  Here is our work for the week:

due Wednesday:  Closet scene close reading

due Thursday: Act IV and questions due

due Friday:  Rough draft of parody due

due next Monday:  Act V and questions due

due next Thursday:  FINAL DRAFT OF PARODY WITH EXPLANATION