2014-2015+Daily+Assignments+for+IBS+English+12

Fourth Quarter
1 April, Wednesday
 * In-class: We discussed questions students had about the reading. Keep in mind the following ideas we discussed:
 * How are the characters shaped by their living situations?
 * What makes a family?
 * What makes a home?
 * What are the standards of beauty?
 * Why do the Breedloves see themselves as "ugly" ? How does each member of the family wear his/her "ugliness"?
 * In class, we also viewed the following short documentary by Kiri Davis entitled "A Girl Like Me."
 * media type="youtube" key="z0BxFRu_SOw" width="420" height="315"
 * Students also took a quiz based on the reading.
 * HW: Read and annotate pp. 97-163.

30 March, Monday
 * In-class: We discussed the beginning of the novel The Bluest Eye.
 * [[image:BL21.jpg width="320" height="240"]]
 * [[image:BL22.jpg width="320" height="240"]]
 * [[image:BL31.jpg width="400" height="300"]]
 * HW: Read pp. 33-93.
 * HW: Read pp. 33-93.

Third Quarter
Work on your wiki chapters for Ethan Frome by clicking on the following link:

Want to learn more about //Things Fall Apart//? Check out the class wiki previous classes created by clicking on the book cover: 3 February, Tuesday (Day 1)
 * In-class: We discussed the two speeches and wrote details about the answers on our charts.
 * [[image:Uchendu.jpg width="320" height="424"]][[image:Umunna.jpg width="320" height="424"]]
 * HW: Read Chief Hurao's speech of 1671 and complete a DIDLS chart analysis of the speech. Make sure this is completed by class time as you will have an in-class write on the Chief Hurao speech as compared to one of the two speeches from Part 2 of //Things Fall Apart.//

2 February, Monday (Day 2)
 * In-class: Since there were only two students....the girls worked on answering a question based on their reading of Part 2. THey also started on their homework assignment of charting diction, imagery, details, language, and syntax for the two speeches from p. 133 and p. 166.
 * HW:

30 January, Friday (Day 1)

28 January, Wednesday (Day 1)

26 January, Monday (Day 1)
 * In-class: We finished completing the proverbs chart and discussed their answers. We also explored the question of to what extent do proverbs reflect the values and beliefs of a culture. Students then worked with each other to discuss and in some cases, complete, the "aspects of life" chart.
 * HW: Read chapters 14-16 and type a response to the following question: What is the essence of Uchendu's meaning? Do you think it applies to modern American society as well as traditional Ibo society? Why or why not?

23 January, Friday (Day 2)
 * In-class:We discussed questions students had about chapters 8-11. We talked about the differences in opinion between Okonkwo and Obierika, we talked about the egwugwu. Students worked together to complete the proverbs chart.
 * HW: Read chapters 11-13 (because most of you did not read chapter 11) and complete the proverbs chart---we will discuss it on Tuesday.

22 January, Thursday (Day 1)
 * In-class: We discussed questions students had about chapters 8-11. We talked about the Ibo system of justice with the egwugwu, the validity of the ogbanje expert, the story about the tortoise, and the differences in opinion between Okonkwo and Obierika. As a class we discussed the meanings of three of the proverbs on the proverb chart.
 * HW: Read chapters 12-13 and complete the "aspects of life" chart.

20 January, Tuesday (Day 1) and 21 January, Wednesday (Day 2)
 * In-class: We discussed some of the questions students had about the reading and then we had the in-class write on how Achebe creates sympathy and tension within the passage (pp. 57-61)
 * HW: Read chapters 8-11 (pp. 63-109) and type a response to the following prompt---Both Okonkwo and Obierika are successful heads of households. Which character do you think is a more positive representative of Ibo culture, and why?

15 January, Thursday (Day 1) and 16 January, Friday (Day 2)
 * In-class: We had a quiz on chapters 1-3. We looked at characterization in the first chapters and discussed the "foil characters" of Okonkwo and Unoka.
 * HW: Read chapters 4-7 (pp. 26-62) and annotate your book for how Achebe creates tension and how he develops characters and conflict.

13 January, Tuesday (Day 1) and 14 January, Wednesday (Day 2)
 * In-class: Students worked on the background info about Nigeria. We shared the information they found.
 * HW: Read chapters 1-3 (pp. 3-25) of Things Fall Apart. Boy answered the odd questions, girls answered the even questions.

Second Quarter


Would you like to know more about why Director Kenneth Branagh had Fortinbras attacking the kingdom of Denmark? Listen to this talk he gave about this particular directorial choice. media type="youtube" key="9uWGOGT8_ZU" width="560" height="315" 2 December, Tuesday
 * In-class: We listened to the This American Life broadcast of "Act V". Students worked in their character committee groups.
 * HW: Please listen to the rest of "Act V" from the This American Life broadcast.
 * media type="custom" key="26974574"

1 December, Monday
 * In-class: We watched the end of 5.2. We discussed the answers to the 5.2 questions. We listened to a portion of "Act V" from the This American Life radio show.
 * media type="custom" key="26968824"
 * HW: Please listen to the rest of the radio show on "Act V." As you listen take notes on the new insights you discovered as a result of hearing the show. Were there ideas with which you disagreed? agreed? Jot down notes and make sure to share your findings with the class on Wednesday.

3 November, Monday
 * In-class: We watched different versions of the "To be or not to be" speech. Students had to analyze the setting, tone, props, and visuals of the scene as the soliloquy was recited. They appear in the following order: Olivier, 1948; Zefferelli, 1990; (Ethan Hawke) Almereyda, 2000, (David Tennant) RSC, 2010; Branagh, 1996.
 * media type="youtube" key="5ks-NbCHUns" width="420" height="315"
 * media type="youtube" key="Vf2TpWsPvgI" width="560" height="315"
 * media type="youtube" key="-YHMYkUrV7A" width="420" height="315"
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 * media type="youtube" key="SjuZq-8PUw0" width="560" height="315"

20 October, Monday
 * In-class: We went over 2.1 and Polonius's values and traits. Students examined Ophelia's interaction with the very distracted Hamlet. Students acted out the scene that Ophelia describes to her father. We watched the Branagh version of 2.1. What do you think of Polonius after this scene?
 * HW: Read 2.2.1-444 and answer the questions---all must do #5, boys do odds and girls do evens.

14 October, Tuesday
 * In-class: We watched the Branagh Hamlet up through 1.5. We also watched the Zeferelli version of 1.3 and 1.5.
 * HW: Answer questions for 1.5 and take notes on how you read the ghost's words to Hamlet.

First Quarter
29 September, Monday (Day 2)
 * In-class: Students performed their version of the "dumbshow". We read Act 1.1.1-80 and students "translated" the lines into modern day English.
 * HW: Read and annotate 1.1-1.2. Answer the question you were assigned on the 1.2 question sheet.

25 September, Thursday (Day 2)
 * In-class: We went over the last Dickinson poem, "I dreaded that first Robin". We watched the Standard Deviants video about Shakespeare. Students had to complete the guided notes sheet as they watched the video. Students worked in groups to prepare their interpretation of "The Dumbshow."
 * HW: Choose one of the four questions on the prereading handout for Hamlet. Your typed paragraph should be a thoughtful and insightful response to the question you have chosen.

24 September, Wednesday (Day 1)
 * In-class: We watched the Standard Deviants video about Shakespeare. Students had to complete the guided notes sheet as they watched the video. Students worked in groups to prepare and perform their interpretation of "The Dumbshow."
 * HW: Choose **one** of the four questions on the prereading handout for Hamlet. Your typed paragraph should be a thoughtful and insightful response to the question you have chosen.

Need help with Emily Dickinson's diction? Check out this link to the Emily Dickinson Lexicon
Check out this graphic representation of "A Bird came down the walk" (thanks to Andrew for showing this to me!)--click on the bird to go to Zen Pencils. Here's another Emily Dickinson resource---this time from John Green of //The Fault in Our Stars// fame. media type="youtube" key="R4WwhOdk_Eg" width="448" height="251"

22 September, Monday (Day 2)
 * In-class: Students listened to the Voicethreads for "I dreaded that First Robin" and "A Bird came down the Walk." As they listened, they annotated their copies of the poem. We went over the analysis and interpretation in class.
 * [[image:Bird1.jpg width="640" height="480"]]
 * [[image:Bird2.jpg width="640" height="480"]]
 * [[image:Robin1.jpg width="640" height="479"]]
 * [[image:Robin2.jpg width="640" height="479"]]
 * HW: None

17 September, Wednesday (Day 1)
 * In-class: We sang "All Things Bright and Beautiful" with the traditional lyrics and then we sang along using "This World in not Conclusion" as the lyrics. Click on the link to sing along. We went over the poem "This World is not Conclusion" (see the picture of our notes below). We listened to the Here and Now news article about college admissions coaching. We watched "Louder Than A Bomb."
 * HW: Prepare for the ICW on Friday.

16 September, Tuesday (Day 2)
 * In-class: We finished "Louder Than A Bomb" and also listened to the Here and Now article "Would You Pay To Get Your Kid in A Top College?" We discussed and annotated "This World is Not Conclusion."
 * media type="custom" key="26550316"
 * [[image:This World1.jpg width="640" height="478"]]
 * [[image:ThisWOrld2.jpg width="640" height="480"]]
 * HW: Prepare for the ICW on Thursday.

11 September, Thursday (Day 1)
 * In-class: We went over the annotations and interpretations for the two versions of "Safe in their Alabaster Chambers." Students listened to Story Corps story recording from relatives of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. Students will share the stories and then connect the descriptions of grief, sadness, and death with Emily Dickinson's interpretations in her poetry.
 * [[image:Bradford 1116.jpg width="640" height="480"]]
 * HW: Write a response to "Safe in their Alabaster Chambers" that addresses what Dickinson's themes are and how she conveys the theme. It should be at least 350 words in length.

10 September, Wednesday (Day 2)
 * In-class: We finished the Sarah Kay video. We went through an analysis/ interpretation of "Safe in their Alabaster Chambers."
 * [[image:Bradford 1117.jpg width="640" height="480"]]
 * HW: Write a response using the thesis you devised---typed 350 word minimum.

9 September, Tuesday (Day 1)
 * In-class: Students presented their interpretations of "I measure every Grief I meet." They started their systematic analysis of "Safe in their Alabaster Chambers." We watched the Sarah Kay TED talk about spoken word poetry.
 * HW: Finish the analysis and annotation of "Safe in their Alabaster Chambers". Make sure that you have a thesis.

8 September, Monday (Day 2)
 * In-class: Students worked on their systematic analysis of "Safe in their Alabaster Chambers." Students also watched part of the Sarah Kay video about spoken word poetry.
 * media type="custom" key="26525794"
 * HW: Finish reading and annotating "Safe in their Alabaster Chambers" and make sure to come up with a thesis.

5 September, Friday (Day 1)
 * In-class: We listened to the Anthony D'Amato interview on NPR---pay close attention to what he says about the process of writing lyrics for a song and what he learned from the poet Paul Muldoon. Students then created illustrations of the imagery presented in stanzas of Emily Dickinson's "I measure every Grief I meet."
 * media type="custom" key="26508110"
 * HW: Typed response---Discuss which of the Emily Dickinson poems best expresses your experience with grief.

4 September, Thursday (Day 2)
 * In-class: Each student illustrated a stanza from "I measure every Grief I meet." Students shared their illustrations and their interpretations and annotations of the poem.
 * HW: Typed response---Discuss which of the Emily DIckinson poems best expresses your experience with grief.

3 September, Wednesday (Day 1)
 * In-class: Students read and annotated "It was not Death." We went over the annotations and interpretations in class.
 * HW: Read and annotate "I measure every Grief I meet."

2 September, Tuesday (Day 2)
 * In-class: Students read and annotated the Dickinson poem, "It was not Death." We went over the annotations and interpretations as a class.
 * HW: Read and annotate "I measure every Grief I meet."

29 August, Friday (Day 1)
 * In-class: We read "Emily Dickinson's Final Sorrows" and finished our annotation of the poem, "After great pain, a formal feeling comes."
 * [[image:Bradford 1103.jpg width="800" height="600"]]
 * HW: Create a poster of the Emily Dickinson poem you chose from the NY Botanical Gardens audio tour. Make sure that your poster is on 8.5" X 11" paper, the poem is neatly printed/handwritten on the paper, and that there is an illustration, collage, photo, painting, etc. that relates to the poem. You will present your poem to the class on Wednesday.

28 August, Thursday (Day 2)
 * In-class: We watched the clip from the PBS Newshour about the NY Botanical Gardens exhibit on Emily Dickinson's garden (see below). We annotated and discussed the poem, "After great pain a formal feeling comes."
 * [[image:Bradford 1102.jpg width="800" height="600"]]
 * HW: On the New York Botanical Garden site, there is an audio tour of the Emily Dickinson garden show. (When you go to the site, you will have to scroll down to find **"Emily Dickinson's Garden: The Poetry of Flowers." ** )The tour is based on the poetry featured throughout the garden tour. There are 38 poems featured. Listen to the first entry, "Poetry Walk Introduction." Choose one of the poems featured in the garden tour. Find a copy of the poem, print it, annotate it. Listen to the commentary of the literary critic featured on the audio tour. Write down notes based on what you heard on the audio tour. Please state which poem you have chosen on the shared Google document to ensure that everyone will be presenting a different poem from the list. You will present your chosen Dickinson poem to the class.

27 August, Wednesday (Day 1)
 * In-class: We watched the clip from the PBS Newshour about NY Botanical Gardens exhibit on Emily DIckinson's garden. We read the Big Read article about Emily Dickinson's garden. We started annotating and discussing the poem, "After great pain a formal feeling comes."
 * media type="vimeo" key="12487622" height="281" width="500"
 * HW: On the New York Botanical Garden site, there is an audio tour of the Emily Dickinson garden show. (When you go to the site, you will have to scroll down to find **"Emily Dickinson's Garden: The Poetry of Flowers." ** )The tour is based on the poetry featured throughout the garden tour. There are 38 poems featured. Listen to the first entry, "Poetry Walk Introduction." Choose one of the poems featured in the garden tour. Find a copy of the poem, print it, annotate it. Listen to the commentary of the literary critic featured on the audio tour. Write down notes based on what you heard on the audio tour. Please state which poem you have chosen on the shared Google document to ensure that everyone will be presenting a different poem from the list. You will present your chosen Dickinson poem to the class.

26 August, Tuesday (Day 2)
 * In-class: Students worked on preparing their voicethreads.
 * HW: Finish your Voicethreads on "A Bird came down the walk" or "I dreaded that first Robin so."

25 August, Monday (Day 1)
 * In-class: Students worked in groups to compare annotations and interpretations. Students also prepared a thesis and an outline for their Voicethreads. Students began to create and share their Voicethreads.
 * HW: Finish your group voice thread on your assigned poem.

21 August, Thursday (Day 1)
 * In-class: We watched the rest of the "Voices and Visions: Emily Dickinson" video. We discussed Dickinson's life and influences. Students received their poems for annotation.
 * HW: Read and annotate your "bird" poem. Fill in the chart for figurative language and sound devices.

20 August, Wednesday (Day 2)
 * In-class: We read the introductory material about Emily Dickinson from "The Big Read" and we watched part of the "Voices and Visions: Emily Dickinson" video.
 * HW: Annotate your assigned poem and look for Dickinson's use of the following devices (note it on the chart on the back of the sheet where your assigned poem is printed)---
 * imagery: sensations produced in the mind by language; the imagery of a poem includes both images and figurative language
 * simile: an explicit comparison between two things that uses the term //like// or //as// ("My love is like a red, red rose.")
 * metaphor: a figure of speech in which one thing is implicitly compared to another, without using the words //like// or //as// ("Life's but a walking shadow.")
 * alliteration: the repetition of initial consonant sounds among nearby words ("the furrow followed free")
 * rhyme: the repetition of final vowel sound or final consonant sound preceded by the same vowel (we/glee; time/rhyme)
 * assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds among nearby words ("Still hid in mist.")
 * consonance: the repetition of sounds, particularly consonant sounds, within nearby words ("It's still misty in the west.")

19 August, Tuesday (Day 1)
 * In-class: Students presented "They shut me up in Prose" and "I dwell in Possibility." We started watching "Voices and Visions: Emily Dickinson." Students should have taken notes on the video.
 * HW: Typed response to the following prompt (300-500 words)---According to Emily Dickinson, what is the role of the poet? Cite evidence from at least two of the poems we read to prove your point.

18 August, Monday (Day 2)
 * In-class: Students worked with each other to prepare a presentation of their annotated poems about poets. Students presented their analysis and annotations.
 * HW: Typed response to the following prompt (300-500 words)---According to Emily Dickinson, what is the role of the poet? Cite evidence from at least two of the poems we read to prove your point.

15 August, Friday (Day 1)
 * In-class: We finished the annotation of "A Poet Lights but Lamps---" and then students got together in groups to share their annotations of their assigned poems. Students then presented their analysis of the poem to the class. We finished presentations for "I reckon when I count---" and "This is a Poet."
 * HW: None

13 August, Wednesday (Day 1) and Day 2 14 August, Thursday 11 August, Monday (Day 1) and 12 August, Tuesday (Day 2)
 * We finished our annotation and discussion of the two versions of "I never saw a Moor" and we viewed the Prezi about the poem.
 * [[image:Moor2.jpg width="560" height="420"]]
 * [[image:Version 2.jpg width="560" height="420"]]
 * media type="prezi" key="mbco7hoi9wua" width="495" height="360"
 * In-class: We discussed the information students discovered about Emily Dickinson. We looked at the questions readers need to ask themselves about the poems so that they are able to develop an analysis of the poem. We annotated the poem "I never saw a Moor".
 * [[image:I Never saw a moor.jpg width="561" height="421"]]


 * HW: Annotate the edited version of "I never saw a Moor" and write down how the edits affected the content of the poem.

7 August, Thursday (Day 1)
 * In-class: We went over the IBS 12 Syllabus and discussed the IB assessments they will be completing this year. Students shared an aspect of the IB Learner Profile with which they most identified. Students worked in groups to write about poetry based on the following prompts:
 * Poetry is...
 * Poetry is about...
 * Poetry can...
 * Poetry appears...
 * We wish poetry...
 * Poets are...
 * HW: Conduct research about Emily Dickinson and share an interesting and relevant piece of information you discovered. Place your information on the Google Document "All About Emily Dickinson" that has been shared with you. Follow the instructions on the Google Doc and make sure to cite your information (hint: if you use the research tool on GoogleDocs, it automatically cites for you). We will discuss the information you shared on Monday when we meet in class.