Prepping Time

Don't forget that first and seventh hour have approximately 24 hours to complete their tone prompts. It is the last full solo essay you will be writing for awhile.

1: At the beginning of class, you compared and contrasted your tone maps to see overlapping and juxtaposing themes, tones, and characterization for EAR's poems. Next up, we looked - literally since these were projected on a screen - at pictures and ads to identify pathos and purpose. At the end of the hour, you were assigned the current event/rhetorical analysis group project. At this point, you know your group, your topic, and your plan for tomorrow. Prep days for you hour are November 10, 13, 14. Presentation days will be November 15 & 20.

3 & 4: We resumed vocab experts with 4 new words today, which means we will sneak in 4 more tomorrow. Then, we watched this video to look at how pathos can involve the subject and the audience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mscduVYpidA. The first time I watched this clip, the tears were flowing! For the rest of the time, you worked on your group presentations next week. We will determine your the schedule of presentations tomorrow. Even if you are fifth in line, you will still need to be prepared in case of emergency absence.

7: We resumed vocab experts with 4 new words today, looked at pathos via advertisements and video (see link above for a viewing), and assigned the current event/rhetorical analysis group project. You will be preparing for this project during class time on November 10, 13, 14. You will be presenting on November 15 & 20. 

Toning to Pathos

We are less than 4 weeks away from the Lucy Logs due date. Make sure you are completing this assignment and not procrastinating!

1: We are almost caught up to the other classes as a result of finishing "To a Skylark" and "Ode to a Nightingale," and you received the tone prompt, which as is follows: In regards to Percy Shelley's "To a Skylark" and John Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale," compare and contrast the tone and other rhetorical strategies used by these poets in their writing about birds. This is a 48 hour prompt akin to the Keats' prompt of old. You may hand write or type the hard copy essay, which will need to be in my possession by 3:30 p.m. on Friday. If absent for the entirety of the day, you are required to share, e-mail, or photograph the essay and then turn in a hard copy when returning to school. We will go over the RC and MC tone maps tomorrow, return to vocab, and work with pathos in preparation for your group project. We are busy, busy, busy!

3 & 4: In exciting news, it looks like the projector is working. Did I just create a jinx? After copying down unit 15 vocab for tomorrow's resumption of vocab experts, we spent quality time on the floor looking at pictures and advertisements to check out pathos-based reactions and finding out about the group project - a pathos-driven presentation on one of the 5 topics. If you were absent, you will find out your group tomorrow. Otherwise, the groups can begin dividing up tasks and brainstorming ideas in preparation for tomorrow's class. Prep days (after vocab and a pathos activity) will be November 9, 10, and 13. Presentations will occur on November 14 and 15/16.

7: Check out first hour's agenda for information regarding the tone prompt on "To a Skylark" and "Ode to a Nightingale." You have the same deadline, Friday at 3:30 p.m. for this 48 hour prompt. To finish up the hour, you copied down Unit 15 vocab in preparation for tomorrow's class, and we reviewed a little logos, ethos, pathos to prep for the remainder of this week's classes.

Almost the End of Tone

1: After reviewing how to make a tone map, we summarized the RC & MC poems, looking at EAR's characterization of these two men. For homework, you are completing a tone map on your assigned poem and composing a 1 paragraph analysis. At the end of the hour, we started summing up "To a Skylark," which we will finish up on Wednesday. In addition, we will be working with "Ode to a Nightingale," so make sure you are cognizant of all the vocabulary and allusion meanings in the poem.

3 & 4: We quickly wrapped up "To a Skylark" and looked at "Ode to a Nightingale," finishing up our tone texts. As a result, it is time for your tone prompt, which has a deadline of Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. As with your previous prompt, you have the choice of handwriting or typing the essay with the hard copy in my hands by the deadline - unless absent all day, which means sharing, e-mailing, photographing you work by the given time. In all circumstances, the hard copy is mandatory. Absentees, I have sent to the prompt to your school e-mail address, so that you can work on this and complete the assignment without falling behind.

7: At the start of the class, we worked in partners to compare and contrast our RC & MC tone maps. Then, we summed up - as much as time allows - "To a Skylark" and "Ode to a Nightingale." Whatever is left over, we will finish very quickly on Wednesday, which means you should have ethos on all the vocabulary and allusions in these poems.

Benjamin Banneker Week Begins!

In exciting news, it is Benjamin Banneker week, which celebrates the revered writer, scientist, and all-around savant. Here is a little more information from a fun website of daily, weekly, and monthly celebrations: https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/benjamin-banneker-week/. And, to make this a little more relevant and applicable, you will notice that there are 2 activities for celebrating Banneker's role in our lives. The first is to make a clock face (non-working) using mathematics to represent the numbers 1-12 (so don't literally write 1, 2, and so forth but construct formulas or mathematical expressions to represent each number). Here is a picture I found online (which may be blocked since it originally came from facebook) of such a clock, which looks to be made out of cardboard: https://www.facebook.com/events/1601106116857922. The second is to compose a poem that actually features mathematical puzzles for the reader to solve. Here are some examples: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/resources/mathematical-puzzles-benjamin-banneker. As you can see the word problems are divided up into verse form, which means you can play with rhyme and diction and poetic elements to express math. So to make this interesting and decorate my room, you have the challenge of constructing a 3 dimensional clock (so not on typing paper but with a more solid material - creative materials add to the presentation) and/or a mathematical poem on decorated construction paper/cardboard/posterboard for extra credit. The poem can have combined mathematical puzzles to boost the level of difficulty and content. All the math must be accurate - and, yes, I am a polymath (at least that is what Joe Cassidy calls me) and have right and left brain talents. The clock will be worth a maximum of 35 points, and the mathematical poem will be worth a maximum of 20 points. Points will be awarded for originality, mathematical connection, presentation, and effort, which means those utilizing the most clever materials, math, and presentation will amass the most points. You can do one of each by the way. The due date for this extra credit, which must be in person, is Monday, November 13, so you have one week on this extra credit opportunity. This must be turned in via hard copy (obviously) by 3:00 p.m. on that day. If you have any questions, e-mail me for clarifications. Otherwise, I am looking forward to the final products!

"The Bird"

Make sure that you are prepared for all upcoming texts - you should know word meanings and plot to help you with the analysis phase. At this point, you have had a week to prep all of the texts. In addition, those students who print out the texts and have notes ready seem to have stronger analysis during our discussions.

1: During class, you completed a tone map for "A Children's Hour," and then we spent time looking over the analyses and what you should do and what you should not do. As with all analyses, you still have the expected structure, evidence, and "robust" analysis. On Monday, we will be working with Richard Cory and Miniver Cheevy.

3 & 4: We compared and contrasted our RC & MC tone maps, and then spent the rest of the hour looking at "To a Skylark," which we will finish up on Monday prior to Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale" and the assignment of your tone prompt. Yes, it is coming. And to preview beyond our tone work, we will then move into logos-ethos-pathos work in a group project.

7: We began class with reviewing how to write an analysis for a tone map, then summarized Richard Cory and Miniver Cheevy in preparations for your solo tone map, which will be the culminating activity for tone mappage. Don't worry, though, we wills till have tone analysis next week with Shelley and Keats.

Children's EAR

Don't forget to have all the poems from last week read and ready to go for class tomorrow. While third and fourth hour are in the final throes of tone work, first and seventh hour still have a handful of texts left to tone map.

1: We went to "Chicago," finishing up the summary of the poem and constructing a tone map as a sample. A tone map (there are samples on previous blogs if you need a visual) begins with the poem itself: find the shifts in tone, assign a specific tone word to each section, select two words to act as a range, plot the points on the map, analyze a pattern. At the end of the hour, you started the beginnings of a tone map for "The Children's Hour" by identifying tone for each stanza. We will resume there tomorrow. To expedite time, I highly recommend selecting tone words for each stanza prior to class.

3 & 4: We spent some quality time with your "The Children's Hour" tone maps - looking at tone word meanings and reading the paragraph analyses. As noted, you should have a title to your tone map - we need to know what poem is being analyzed - and a solid paragraph with a topic sentence, transitioned evidence, and analysis prior to the concluding sentence. Next, we summarized those poor chaps "Richard Cory" and "Miniver Cheevy" prior to your assignment of a solo tone map for tomorrow's class. For this tone map, you are noting the shifts by line - not by stanza - and creating your map and paragraph analysis on construction paper. Absentees without construction paper may do the assignment on typing paper or (if the only option) notebook paper. Caleb, you will be in charge of a tone map for "Miniver Cheevy." Kennedy, you will also be working with "Miniver Cheevy."

7: Back from our lockdown drill and assembly, we resumed "The Children's Hour" by having you construct tone maps and analysis. In our circle on the floor, we looked over almost all of the tone map samples to provide feedback and tips for our upcoming tone maps. We will finish that up to start class and then be spending quality time with RC & MC.

Tone Shifting

I hope you noticed that I was wearing my "tone shift" shirt today in order to celebrate that all classes are involved in our tone unit.

1: We played with identifying tone in statements, created dialogue with our umbrella tone list, and shared our favorite new tone words from the big kid's list. We just began reviewing the plot of "Chicago" when the bell shrilled, so we will finish that and create a class tone map sample next class.

3: We took a second look at our class tone map with the purpose of analysis, looking at patterns in tone and how these connect with the poem's meaning. Then, you shared the plot of "A Children's Hour," created partner tone maps, and turned those in.

4: We looked over the plot of "A Children's Hour" and created partner tone maps, which we will analyze in class tomorrow.

7: Due to a shortened class period, we reviewed our tone map from last class and began our look at "A Children's Hour" content.