Missing Teacher / New Baby!

Hey guys,

I'm sure you all have figured out by now that I left Sunday night to attend the birth of my new baby.  I arrived in Albany around 3:30 AM and stayed with Jess throughout the 22 hour labor until she gave birth at 6:47 PM, to a beautiful baby girl, Taylor Rae Guthrie.  Everyone is happy, healthy, and a little sleep deprived.  Still, with only a few hours sleep in the last few days, I'm not falling asleep like some people in class.

I hope everything is going well in class and you are all memorizing your poems and working on your recitations until they are clean enough to go on Def Poetry Slam.  I'm working on getting a camera in the room so I can see how hard you've been preparing for these.  Good luck, and have a great holiday break!

D - Annabel Lee

What is the reason Annabel Lee has to die?  What do you make of the repetition in this poem?  How does Poe play with sound?  Can you find examples of alliteration and assonance?  Are repetition and sound related in this poem?  How does tone change throughout the poem?  Please use quotes and list specific examples, (5-8 sentences). 

Look up one word you don't know from this poem and post the definition.  No repeats! 

E - Annabel Lee

What is the reason Annabel Lee has to die?  What do you make of the repetition in this poem?  How does Poe play with sound?  Can you find examples of alliteration and assonance?  Are repetition and sound related in this poem?  How does tone change throughout the poem?  Please use quotes and list specific examples, (5-8 sentences). 

Look up one word you don't know from this poem and post the definition.  No repeats!

F - Annabel Lee

What is the reason Annabel Lee has to die?  What do you make of the repetition in this poem?  How does Poe play with sound?  Can you find examples of alliteration and assonance?  Are repetition and sound related in this poem?  How does tone change throughout the poem?  Please use quotes and list specific examples, (5-8 sentences). 

Look up one word you don't know from this poem and post the definition.  No repeats! 

SURPRISE

No blog tonight!  You're welcome.  Use this time to make a wise selection for your Poetry Out Loud Poem, and to write me a thank you note below. 
PRINT OUT YOUR SELECTIONS FOR TOMORROW.

E - Cummings and Dickinson

For this entry, discuss sound in one of the poems.  How is rhyme, rhyme scheme, alliteration, and repetition of sounds used?  How does this contribute to the theme and tone of the poem?  What is the theme and tone of the poem?

What is the overall TONE for the other two poems?
(5-8 sentences)

D - Cummings and Dickinson

For this entry, discuss sound in one of the poems.  How is rhyme, rhyme scheme, alliteration, and repetition of sounds used?  How does this contribute to the theme and tone of the poem?  What is the theme and tone of the poem?

What is the overall TONE for the other two poems?
(5-8 sentences)

F - Cummings and Dickinson

For this entry, discuss SOUND in one of the poems.  How is rhyme, rhyme scheme, alliteration, and repetition of sounds used?  How does this contribute to the theme and tone of the poem?  What is the theme and tone of the poem?

What is the overall TONE for the other two poems?
(5-8 sentences)

D - Frost

Write an analytical paragraph (5-8 sentences) on STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING, discussing the meaning of the poem and interpreting key aspects of the poem (form, rhythm, rhyme, diction, symbolism, imagery, etc.)  Then, using the tone map on the Poetry Out Loud website, find a word you think best captures the overall TONE of the poem.  Your answer will not be accepted if used previously by another classmate.
To be graded. 

(http://poetryoutloud.org/downloads/POL_The_Tone_Map.pdf)

E - Frost Poems

Write an analytical paragraph (5-8 sentences) on THE ROAD NOT TAKEN, discussing the meaning of the poem and interpreting key aspects of the poem (form, rhythm, rhyme, diction, symbolism, imagery, etc.)  Then, using the tone map on the Poetry Out Loud website, find a word you think best captures the overall TONE of the poem.  Your answer will not be accepted if used previously by another classmate.
To be graded. 

(http://poetryoutloud.org/downloads/POL_The_Tone_Map.pdf)

F - Frost Poems

Write an analytical paragraph (5-8 sentences) on FIRE AND ICE, discussing the meaning of the poem and interpreting key aspects of the poem (form, rhythm, rhyme, diction, symbolism, imagery, etc.)  Then, using the tone map on the Poetry Out Loud website, find a word you think best captures the overall TONE of the poem.  Your answer will not be accepted if used previously by another classmate.
To be graded. 

(http://poetryoutloud.org/downloads/POL_The_Tone_Map.pdf)

D - American Poets 12/6

Choose one of the three poems and write an analytical paragraph (5-8 sentences) discussing the meaning of the poem and interpreting key aspects of the poem (form, rhythm, rhyme, diction, symbolism, imagery, etc.)  To be graded.

E - American Poets 12/6

Choose one of the three poems and write an analytical paragraph (5-8 sentences) discussing the meaning of the poem and interpreting key aspects of the poem (form, rhythm, rhyme, diction, symbolism, imagery, etc.)  To be graded.

F Period - American Poets

Choose one of the three poems and write an analytical paragraph (5-8 sentences) discussing the meaning of the poem and interpreting key aspects of the poem (form, rhythm, rhyme, diction, symbolism, imagery, etc.)  To be graded.

D Period: Thesis Statements

Please post your thesis statements using proper grammar and formatting (how they would be seen in your paper).

E Period: Thesis Statements

Please post your thesis statements using proper grammar and formatting (how they would be seen in your paper).

F Period: Thesis Statements

Please post your thesis statements using proper grammar and formatting (how they would be seen in your paper).

D Period, Three Words!

Post three words from the reading this weekend you didn't understand along with their definition.

E Period Three Words!

Post three words from the reading this weekend you didn't understand along with their definition.

F PERIOD - Three words!

Post three words from the reading this weekend you didn't understand along with their definition.

D PERIOD - The Sun Also Rises

Find instances of Hemingway using PASSBO, (physical description, action, speech, self-created environment, background information, and other people's thoughts), to characterize Jake Barnes.  Cite your finds and discuss what each tells the reader about the character.

E PERIOD - The Sun Also Rises

Find instances of Hemingway using PASSBO, (physical description, action, speech, self-created environment, background information, and other people's thoughts), to characterize Lady Brett Ashley.  Cite your finds and discuss what each tells the reader about the character.

F PERIOD - The Sun Also Rises

Find instances of Hemingway using PASSBO, (physical description, action, speech, self-created environment, background information, and other people's thoughts), to characterize Robert Cohn.  Cite your finds and discuss what each tells the reader about the character.

Iliad, Iliad, Iliad!

F PERIOD - What were your thoughts on Iliad, Iliad, Iliad!?  Did you find the that use of humor made the reading more enjoyable or did you find it childish?  Although it is a silly account of the Trojan War, did you find that you learned the basic facts, or was the way it was written detract from your understanding.  We will be acting parts of this, (if not the whole play) out in class.  Are there any particular parts you would like to play? You may list up to three.  Narrator 2, Odysseus, and the MC will be broken into separate parts.

Iliad, Iliad, Iliad!

E PERIOD - What were your thoughts on Iliad, Iliad, Iliad!?  Did you find the that use of humor made the reading more enjoyable or did you find it childish?  Although it is a silly account of the Trojan War, did you find that you learned the basic facts, or was the way it was written detract from your understanding.  We will be acting parts of this, (if not the whole play) out in class.  Are there any particular parts you would like to play? You may list up to three.  Narrator 2, Odysseus, and the MC will be broken into separate parts.

Iliad, Iliad, Iliad!

D PERIOD - What were your thoughts on Iliad, Iliad, Iliad!?  Did you find the that use of humor made the reading more enjoyable or did you find it childish?  Although it is a silly account of the Trojan War, did you find that you learned the basic facts, or was the way it was written detract from your understanding.  We will be acting parts of this, (if not the whole play) out in class.  Are there any particular parts you would like to play? You may list up to three.  Narrator 2, Odysseus, and the MC will be broken into separate parts.

7-Lesson School Teacher

Please post your responses to John Taylor Gatto's "7-Lesson School Teacher."  What did you think about it?  Can you relate this article to your experience at Knox?  What classroom practices would you like to see changed to create a optimal learning environment?