CYCLE 12 - DAY 3 - SEMESTER 1

Today, we talked about themes. To see the full list of what all three classes generated (and by all means, add to it! Make comments! Offer suggestions!), see the new page on the wikispace.

Good luck one and all!

HOMEWORK
Bring Obasan to class.

CYCLE 12 - DAY 2 - SEMESTER 1

Today, you received 4 handouts:
1. A double sided overview of the 12-sentence paragraph. Two of the sections discussed the following quotation sandwich.

• Fiver is very angry at Hazel. "'Don't be so foolish'" (Adams 247). He thinks Hazel is being an idiot.

This is a HORRIBLE quotation sandwich. Why?

1. The statement "Fiver is very angry at Hazel" is not an effective claim; it is not arguable or focused, and it does not answer how or why.
2. The quote is simply plopped in without any introduction. We do not know who is speaking, to whom, or in what context.
3. The commentary sentence does not explain the evidence's connection to any sort of thesis. It simply summarizes what the evidence is.
4. It's boring; the word choice is uninteresting, and the claim and commentary sentences are dull, simple declarative sentences. Ho hum.

Avoid writing horrible quotation sandwiches. The hardest part to master is the commentary sentence, which should connect specifics from the evidence to the specifics of the thesis (e.g. If you had a thesis that talked about the essential nature of Fiver's honesty and had used the same quote as appears above, you might have a commentary sentence like this: Fiver's use of the word "foolish" clearly indicates his willingness to speak truth to power with a candor that gives Hazel pause; Fiver's criticism sows the seeds of doubt in his chief's mind, and this doubt invariably leads to better decision making.) Practice writing commentary sentences, as they are the chief workhorses of your 12-sentence paragraph.

Practice writing several 12-sentence paragraphs between now and the exam, using that sheet to both guide and assess your work.

The other three sheets all relate to sentence diagramming, and the homework is to finish the double-sided practice sheet. See me if you need additional copies. Unfortunately, the most useful of them cannot be put on the wikispace because much of it is handwritten.

CYCLE 12 - DAY 1 - SEMESTER 1: Quotes

Today, you worked on collecting quotations from the short stories. In small groups, you addressed the central themes and characterization from two of the semester's stories (your choice). Once you talked about these essential elements, you then divvied up pages and started looking for quotes in answer to the question, "Which quotes reveal something essential about the character/theme?"

You can find the quotes on the wikispace. Because of a server crash on wikispace's end this morning, we have a not particularly attractive product, but it gets the job done, and has a downloadable component that you can add to for your own benefit.

I strongly suggest you make use of the wikispace to share ideas, notes, hold discussions, etc. The power of the collective -- when it works in concert with everyone pulling his/her weight -- is extraordinary. USE IT!

HOMEWORK
1. Write your 6th story review. If I didn't check yours today, plan on having your notes checked tomorrow.
2. Review units 2 & 3 in the vocabulary book
3. Plan on having a review of sentence diagramming tomorrow

CYCLE 12 - DAY 1 - SEMESTER 1: Exam Quotes

Once the wikispace server is restored, quotes will be available. As of 11:25, here's what they had to say:

Current Status
8 Dec 2008 11:45 PM PST (07:45 GMT)
We're facing a network failure at our hosting provider that's taken Wikispaces offline. We're working as quickly as possible with our hosting provider to work this out. We'll keep you apprised of the details. Update - a router failure at our hosting provider caused this outage, lasting from 7:40 AM PST - 7:56 AM PST. We're working with them to understand the root cause of this failure. Update 2 As of 8:28 AM PST, we're seeing a recurrence of the same problem. Will advise. - jbyers

CYCLE 11 - DAY 5 - SEMESTER 1 Exam Review; Day 1

For today, I asked you to prepare study notes for four of the stories, your choice. Though these notes do not yet need to be exhaustive, they should be substantive and indicate that you have given serious thought to the stories, using the double-sided exam review handout I gave you last week.

I then passed out a sample 12-sentence paragraph that we reviewed together. All groups noticed that the thesis statement was simply too long to be useful. Two groups rewrote the thesis to make a better one.

Here are a few samples, some better than others:
Look for how to streamline the words for clarity. This is great practice for the exam.

• Even though Fiver is physically unscathed, he has indeed sacrificed more, helplessly slipping into a death-like trance, having his own personal journey to the Black Rabbit of Inle, and losing the ability to connect with the warren.
• Although Fiver is unscathed in the battle, Bigwig rightly says Fiver suffers more than he because of Fiver’s death-like trance during the raid, the cold he experiences similar to El-ahrairah, and his inability to interact normally with the other members of the warren.
• Fiver mentally sacrifices more than Bigwig physically does because he follows in El-ahrairah’s footsteps by falling into a trance, meeting the Black Rabbit of Inle, and losing his ability to relate to others.
• Bigwig rightly says that Fiver sacrificed more mentally by sinking into his helpless trance which ends up having the same consequence as El-ahrairah’s visit to the Black Rabbit of Inle; he no longer relates to others and can’t function in the warren.

Then I broke you up into small groups. In your small groups, I asked you to do the following:

1. Identify a story (not Watership Down) that you all worked on.
2. Identify an interpretive question to be asked about that story.
3. Collectively create a thesis to answer that question.
4. Subject that thesis to the "five questions" test and refine it accordingly.
5. If time allowed, talk through the remainder of the 12-sentence paragraph.

REMEMBER: All thesis statements must: (memorize this for the exam)
· Be arguable
· Be based in the text
· Be focused
· Be provable with evidence from the text
· Must answer how or why

Your thesis statements. Subject these to the 5 standards every thesis must meet. Again, some are better than others here. Which ones need serious work? Which ones do the job but lack style? Which ones work well?

Why is the town in Rivera’s short story, “Zoo Island” called Zoo Island?
The town is called Zoo Island because the Hispanics living in it feel like (1)animals being observed in a zoo, (2) are isolated from nearby towns, and (3) they are living under the control of a farmer (much like a zookeeper).

Why does Sponono consistently behave badly?
Sponono’s continuous bad behavior is a consequence of his faulty definition of forgiveness, his unwillingness to change, and the principal’s tolerance of Sponono’s horrific behavior.

Is Miriam's age significant to the story?
Miriam’s young age influences Mrs. Miller to be manipulated, lenient, exploited, permissive, generous, unreasonably kind, entranced. (Pick 3)

Why does Sponono want to work in the garden?
Sponono wants to wants to work in the garden because it makes him feel important.
Gives him responsibility
Keeps him out of trouble
Allows him to be close to the principal, his father figure

What is the meaning of the name “Zoo Island?”
The name Zoo Island given to the community by Don Simon, symbolizes that the farm is separated from the rest of the world, is under the watchful eye of the “white people,” and keeps workers captive until a new job opens up elsewhere.

Is Miriam a figment of Mrs. Miller's imagination? Miriam, while different than Mrs. H.T. Miller, is indeed a figment of Mrs. Miller's imagination, a younger version of Mrs. Miller, because they have the same name, they both want the same things, and, cannot be found by anyone but Mrs. Miller. [This is saying that only Mrs. Miller can find Mrs. Miller, and there's something to that, if you take it on a deeper level, but that's not really what you meant here.]

HOMEWORK
Add another story to your study notes.
Review Unit 1 Vocabulary.
Bring your Junior Great Books and "The Village Watchman" short story to class tomorrow.

Tomorrow's activity: we will create a list of "essential quotes" for as many of the short stories as we can.

CYCLE 11- DAY 4 - SEMESTER 1

Today, I passed out exam review materials.  I strongly suggest that you re-read DAY 2 of this blog since the information and tips it contains are extremely useful in guiding your approach to exams.  I also pointed out that rather than listing just the information you are expected to know, I listed the skills you must demonstrate.  THAT should do much more to suggest your approach to studying than anything else.  I am available for extra help before and after school, and will be holding review sessions in the coming days.  Be proactive.  If it seems difficult or labor intensive or simply unappealing now, waiting until next weekend, or worse, the 17th or 18th to get started in your studying is NOT going to make that any easier.

After we spoke about the exam, we discussed the Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey" structure.  I asked you, in small and large groups, to first compare answers, and then to address the following questions:

1. How many hero's journeys does Hazel go on?
2. Does anyone else in the novel go on a hero's journey?
3. What are the gifts (tangible & symbolic) with which Hazel returns?
4. What lessons do the archetypes teach Hazel?

When I get my act together, I will get those notes posted on the wikispace.  They'll be up by Friday.  I promise.

HOMEWORK

You are to use the exam review materials to cover FOUR of the stories we have read (I don't care which ones).  On Monday, you should have written or typed materials covering four of the stories.  Even if they are not yet complete, they should be substantive.  You know what this means.  Showing up with a character list of the main characters will not qualify.  Do a gut check--at this point, you know me pretty well, and you can guess what "substantive" means.  If you need more detail, come in and ask.

CYCLE 11 - DAY 3 - SEMESTER 1

Today, we concluded our discussion of the novel.  It seems greater than half of you thought the ending was too tidy and kind, though others put forth the argument that for this type of story, such an ending is fitting: villains shouldn't live and heroes shouldn't die without a greater purpose, and many felt that Hazel deserves to see the warren through to self-sustaining completion (then again, Moses himself wasn't allowed into the land of milk and honey, so there would have been precedent for killing him off).

One group raised an interesting question: "Have we as a class gotten any better as leaders and followers throughout the process?"  While time constraints prevented an in-depth exploration of this question, it merits reflection.

I'm sad to see this book end.  Watching you engage, analyze, dissect, interpret, hypothesize, debate, concur, and relate to one another in discussing this particular text has been incredibly rewarding from my perspective.  I don't think I have ever taught a book that has garnered more consistent and worthy engagement.  When you are serious of purpose, you're a most impressive group of folks.  When you're not, you're still pretty great, and certainly entertaining, but your smarts acting in concert is really the best show in town.  Thank you.

HOMEWORK:

Complete the worksheet passed out in class about the stages of the hero's journey and common archetypes.  Nothing fancy--just basic plot points and page numbers will do.

CYCLE 11 - DAY 2 - SEMESTER 1: Watership Down 421-454

With some baiting and escalation from me, all three groups engaged in some competition against each other for the most productive discussion. Review all three sets of notes on the wikispace--you'll have to admit, the comeptition is really very close. And the group who has the "WE WON" sign on the notes? Self-proclaimed. Do you agree?

HOMEWORK:
Complete the novel. The discussion questions for tomorrow are:

1. Why does Adams tell chapter 48 from Lucy Cane’s perspective? Do you think this was a wise decision? Regardless of whether or not you agree with it, is it well-executed?
2. Why does Bigwig say that Fiver’s sacrifice in battle was greater than his own, even though Fiver was entirely physically unhurt throughout?
3. Is Groundsel ever truly accepted in the Watership Down warren? Why does Hazel make efforts on his behalf?
4. Vilthuril’s story on 470 heavily borrows from Hazel’s actual experience. Why mythologize it in this way?
5. How do they mythologize General Woundwort? Is the portrait unflattering?
6. Why is it El-ahrairah who comes at the end and not the Black Rabbit of Inlé?
7. Why does Adams include the following Lewis Carroll quote at the beginning of the Epilogue? “He was part of my dream, of course—but then I was part of his dream, too."

CYCLE 11 - DAY 1 - SEMESTER 1

Who knows?  I was out ill.  Bring me up to speed, will you?

CYCLE 10 - DAY 5 - SEMESTER 1: What does it mean to "follow"?

After we took a brief quiz on Unit 5 Vocabulary, we broke into small groups to discuss last night's reading and your paragraphs. Here are the specific issues I asked you to address.

Each small group discussed:

• Remember our opening activity to the book when we talked about teams and leaders? We were reticent to use the word “follower” because it seemed like a backhanded compliment. Together, discuss HOW your ideas about followership have changed as a result of getting this far in the novel, reading these articles, and analyzing the character you chose for your 12-sentence paragraph today.
• Together, create a list of key traits that the articles suggest are essential to good followership.
• Consider this: Being a member of a class is also being a follower of sorts. The articles don’t cover all the traits required to being a good class member. What traits are missing from the discussion so far? Write your list in answer to questions 2 & 3 on the board

When the group reconvened, we reviewed the list and came up with the top three rules that, if followed by everyone, will make class meaningful, enjoyable & productive. (Ultimately, these three simple terms summarize what we want our lives to be, so why not begin that journey of a thousand steps here and see where it takes us?) There are certain base assumptions we made in this: we assume that everyone in the class wants to do well and that everyone does his or her best to be prepared for class. If this isn't describing your attitude and approach, see me, please.

Group 2 came up with the following rules:

• Demonstrate respect toward others, always.
• Think before you speak (and think all the time).
• Challenge yourself and others in a useful way.

HOMEWORK:

Revise your paragraph, adding 2 to 3 sentences to it (you may do more), however you choose, that address the class dynamic we discussed today. You may choose to focus on your own participation or on the class dynamic as a whole. You can put the sentences wherever you wish. They need to be integrated into the paragraph and not just tacked on. That means you'll need to give some careful thought to transitioning (e.g. Just as Fiver tried to appear curious when looking at the fish so that others would follow him onto the bridge, I've feigned interest in passages just to get the conversation going again...). Look for parallels between your experience, the articles and the novel. My goals in assigning this are three-fold:

1. I want you to focus on transitions in your writing.
2. I want you to synthesize fiction, non-fiction and discussion in your thinking.
3. I want you to articulate your authentic ideas and reflections.

The paragraph, typed and double-spaced, is due on Wednesday. To cite the newspaper articles, you need only place the author's name in parentheses.

CYCLE 10 - DAY 4 - SEMESTER 1

Today, we began with the review section for lessons 13-15 in the sentence diagramming workbook. This includes Direct Address, Prepositional Phrases (modifying nouns), and Appositives.

For those of you still experiencing issues about what to put on the main line in a sentence diagram, I recommended that you follow these steps:

You can download a better copy of this chart by clicking here.

PLEASE come see me with questions!

Then, we moved on to discuss last night's reading, pages 369-394 -- the extraordinary escape from Efrafa! Most of you thought Bigwig did a fairly good job getting the does out of Efrafa, and while plenty was out of his control, he managed to make the best of the opportunities presented to him. To view the class notes for the day, click here.

HOMEWORK:
There is no new reading in the novel for tonight. Instead, you are to read two articles about followers today, and to write a 12-sentence paragraph in response to the question: Who in the novel exemplifies admirable followership? Your paragraph must quote directly from the novel AND the articles!

You may find the articles on the class wikispace.

Also, your Unit 5 vocabulary quiz will be on TUESDAY. The format will be identical to the one for Unit 4.

CYCLE 1 - DAY 3 - SEMESTER 1: Watership Down 336-365

Hi all,
No new vocabulary today: YOUR QUIZ WILL BE TUESDAY. It will be identical in format to the Unit 4 quiz. In sentence diagramming today, we covered appositives, nouns that rename nouns that came before (e.g. George Bush, the forty-forth president). Remember, the second noun is always the one that goes in parentheses.

Today, we discussed last night's climactic reading. In addition to the discussion guide questions provided to you on the study guide, we also talked about:
1. How the rapid scene changing heightened tension.
2. How relying on dialog for so much of the reading heightened tension.
3. How Adams used setting and weather symbolism to heighten tension.

More than one class noted that the extended conversation between Woundwort and Bigwig smacked of cheesy Hollywood silliness, because really, who gets into extended conversations when it's time to put up the fists (or in this case, paws)?

We found it helpful to consult the map on page 357 and to write in the page numbers of where we can find information about what happened at that spot (e.g. 354/ash tree).

Just to confirm, Bigwig DOESN'T die in this section: he's just badly wounded.

Check out your class notes on the wikispace.

HOMEWORK:
Read 369-394. You can find the studyguide here. YOU MUST WRITE AN INTERPRETIVE QUESTION FOR TOMORROW'S CLASS!

CYCLE 10 - DAY 2 - SEMESTER 1

Hi all.  It's Blood Donation day, and while mine went fine, my blood pressure dropped insanely low and has stayed low (lesson learned: eat before donating), so I am woozy and out of it and going directly to bed. Tune in tomorrow for details of today's class.

Thank you very much to the blood donors and supporters of donors today.  This is such an important thing to do, and your typical commitment and enthusiasm today (often in spite of fear) is most impressive.  You folks are really extraordinary, and no, that's not the wooziness speaking.

Have a good night.

HOMEWORK

Read 336-365.  Long but dramatic.  I may or may not have had brains enough to put the study guide on the wikispace.

CYCLE 10 - DAY 1 - SEMESTER 1

Today, everyone took a grammar quiz wherein I asked you to identify how words operated in sentences, both diagrammed and undiagrammed. Afterwards, I asked most of you (section 2, I don't think you got this) to place yourselves on the following spectrum, both on the top and the bottom. Answering both of these questions can tell both of us a lot about where problems lie. Is it in degree of preparation or methodology? What is the correlation between your investment of effort and your return on that investment? If you found yourself on the left on the top half of the scale, but on the right on the bottom half, COME IN TO SEE ME!

Then, everybody but group 4 covered vocabulary (moment of idiocy there, group 4. Mea culpa).

After that, we covered a variety of discussion questions in each class:

• Is Hazel's fear getting the better of him?
• Is Fiver improving in his leadership?
• Just how much of a price are these two willing to pay for their warren?
• Is General Woundwort entirely unsympathetic? What motivates this ruthless dictator?
• Why does Adams spend so much time describing setting, anyway?  Is he excessive in this, or are we unappreciative because culturally we tend to think of the outdoors as something we go through to get elsewhere (i.e., is the fault with us or the book?)

There are other great points you folks made today, which you can find by perusing the class notes on the wikispace.

HOMEWORK

Read 312-336.  The study guide is available on the wikispace.

Write sentences on the wikispace, too.

CYCLE 9 - DAY 5 - SEM 1: Watership Down 261-289

Today, we covered words 11-15 in the vocabulary book, and we took a practice grammar quiz. Why did we do this? BECAUSE YOU WILL HAVE A QUIZ THAT COUNTS TOMORROW! SEE THE HOMEWORK SECTION FOR DETAILS!

Today, we discussed pages 261-289, focusing mostly on Bigwig, the Black Rabbit of Inle, and Hazel's response to Bigwig's rash action. Please see your respective class notes on the wikispace.

HOMEWORK
PART I: READING
Read pages 289-312. Study guide #12 is available on the wikispace. We will DEFINITELY be speaking about the following question:

1. What does Adams do best as an author? Check your literary terms list from the beginning of the year to help out! COME PREPARED WITH A MINIMUM OF THREE PIECES OF EVIDENCE!
   a. Create setting
   b. Establish tone
   c. Write dialogue
   d. Develop characterization

Leaders, you should consider additional topics of interest, as well as strategies to get everyone involved.

PART II: WRITE SENTENCES
Add sentences to your section on the wikispace.

PART III: GRAMMAR QUIZ
You will be given sentences and sentence diagrams and asked in each to identify which part of speech is represented by a circled term.

There will NOT be a word bank. What are the specific grammatical terms we have covered so far?

• Definite article - the
• Indefinite articles – a/an
• Linking verbs – be/become/get/sensory verbs; they operate like an equals sign in a sentence. If you can replace a verb with an equals sign (tense doesn’t matter here) and the meaning of the sentence is pretty much unchanged, then you have a linking verb. (Sally is angry. Sally = angry. Yes, that’s a linking verb. Sally smells horrible. Sally = horrible. Yes, that’s a linking verb. Sally smelled the soup. Sally = the soup. Nope. That’s not a linking verb.)
• Helping verbs – words that work with verbs to establish tense (will be, have been, etc.)
• Modal auxiliaries - a type of helping verb that identifies condition, possibility, or obligation (must, might, may, could, would, should, can)
• Predicate nominatives – Nouns or pronouns that follow a linking verb and further define/rename the subject. They are doctors.
• Attributive adjectives – Adjectives that come before the nouns they modify and name an attribute of that noun: shiny pen, fluffy puppy, little sister, mighty wind.
• Predicate adjectives – adjectives that follow linking verbs and further define the subject. She will be delighted.
• Possessive pronouns – Some function like adjectives and modify nouns: my, your, his, her, its, our, their. My car, your binder, his blazer, her game, its burrow, our trip, their pet. Others function like nouns and do not appear next to the nouns they rename: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs. That book is mine, yours is blue, this is his, give me hers, we have ours, I’d prefer theirs.
• Direct objects – nouns or pronouns that receive the action of NON-LINKING verbs. To find out what they are, ask verb + who? Or verb + what? She ate chili. Ate what? Chili. You need to be able to rule out linking verbs before you do this test, however.
• Adverbs – words that modify adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. Adverbs answer the questions, where? How frequently? To what degree? (too, very, often, frequently, etc.)
• Prepositions – Words that explain its objects relationship in time, space, or logic to the rest of the sentence (on the desk, under the cabinet, through the window, without fear). Prepositions take objects (nouns).

Review your sentence diagramming workbook and do the exercises on line!

CYCLE 9 - DAY 4 - SEMESTER 1: Rabbit Commandments

We covered the next five words in Unit 5 of the vocabulary book.

Today, you led the class work.

Group 4: Michael=leader, Shelby=typist, Billy=bouncer.
Small groups of 3 or 4 people worked together to:

• define "commendments."
• develop a list of ten of their own, using the previous night's homework.
• consider consequenes of breaking those commandments to refine the list to essentials.

Large group reconvened, created a larger list, and then winnowed it down. Final notes are available on the wikispace.

PROPOSED COMMANDMENTS

• Thou shalt not compromise thy warren.
• - Your individual actions should never hurt the group.
• Thou shalt trust thy Chief Rabbit.
• Thou shalt respect Frith and follow El-Ehrairah’s example.
• - Be cunning and resourceful
• Respect instinct first and Chief Rabbit second. Thou shalt be precocious (wary).
• - “If it is too good to be true, chances are it is” (Ostermeyer)
• Thou shalt look for a friend in all possible places.
• Honor thy group member’s abilities. Thou shalt know thy role as rabbit.
• Thou shalt act with modesty.
• - “If a rabbit gets too cocky, he/ she will make bad decisions” (Ostermeyer)
• Don’t let emotion cloud your judgement.
• Thou shalt keep thy goal in mind.
• Thou shalt be proud to be a rabbit.

Useful "bouncer" technique developed in this class: Hand gesture signaling "STOP" the conversation.

Group 6: Lilly=leader, Wil=typist, Alex=bouncer.

Small groups of 3 or 4 discussed last night's homework, each agreeaing on two principles for the four episodes. Large group reconvened, each small group then listed what it came up with, and the master list was then winnowed down:

Top 10 Rabbit Commandments:

• Trust each other
• Stick together, use teamwork
• Be patient with one another
• Listen to the wise
• Don’t judge a book by its cover
• Do what is best for the group
• Create alliances after weighing pros and cons
• Be resourceful and creative
• Sacrifice yourself for the team
• Don’t carry out your plan without a group consensus (first make a plan)

Group 2: Henry=leader, Daniel=typist, Jack=bouncer

After we read the comments posted on the last blog entry about why discussion has not been all it could be lately, Henry led the class. We began with vocabulary.

Small groups developed 5 commandments each. When the large group reconvened, each group offered the two that they thought most important. Please see the wikispace for full class notes.

Our Class’s 10 Commandments for Rabbits:

• Thou shall respect thy wisdom of Fiver-rah.
• Thou shall treat thy fellow anamalia with dignity and respect.
• Thou shall use the gifts of El-ahrairah for survival.
• Thou shall trust thy instincts.
• Thou shall trust in thy kin.
• Thou shalt not leave thy kin behind.
• Thou shall respect thy leaders/superior.
• Thou shall listen to thy comrades when they haveth something to contribute

Afterwards, Henry offered discussion questions:

• How do these rabbots' morals differ from our own? (Ours are meant to prevent harm; theirs promote survival.)
• How do their religious beliefs influence their moral codes?
• Are their values religious in nature?
• What is the role of Frith in the rabbits' lives?
• El-ahrairah is clearly a transcendent figure in their mythos. What are his morals?

HOMEWORK:

Read pages 261 through 289 in Watership Down. The study guide is posted on the portal, and available on the wikispace.

You are to write ONE study guide question related to this reading. While it should relate to the book, it does not need to be limited to the book (in other words, you may relate the reading to real life events, other books, etc.). You are to post your comment to the class blog, to the post entitled: "CYCLE 9 - DAY 5 - SEM 1: Watership Down 261-289." Just click the link here to get to it. If, for some reason, you are having issues posting your question, please just email it to me.

Also, please write 5 new sentences on the wikispace.

CYCLE 9 - DAY 3 - SEM 1 Watership Down 229-257

IN CLASS TODAY:
We covered the first five words of Unit 5: Acuity, Delineate, Depraved, Enervate, Esoteric.

Then, Groups 2 and 4, we spoke about the reading for today: pages 229-257 in Watership Down. Group 6, as half the class did not finish the reading, we did not progress. Group 2, our conversation was lackluster at best. What gives, folks? Why the significant number of weak links? It seems ironic that after two weeks of addressing the critical elements of a functioning team, our own teams show signs of disarray. While I see great potential in you to steer the ship, I'm getting the sense you want me to take back the wheel. At least, that's what I saw today. Is this so? You've been most impressive in previous classes. Is the format merely losing its novelty?

Please comment on this because I would:
A) like to know what is causing the problem;
B) like to know your suggestions for solution.

We've got half of the novel to go; let's make a great go of it! I've been very impressed with the way you analyze the dynamics between characters, extrapolate larger, applicable meaning from the book, challenge each other to develop your ideas and create a meaningful, useful record of your conversation. How can we keep that going?

HOMEWORK:

WRITE SENTENCES ON THE WIKISPACE FOR THE WORDS COVERED TODAY.

WRITE DOWN TWO CENTRAL LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM EACH OF THE FOLLOWING EPISODES:
1. The River Crossing: Pages 36-39
2. The Time in Cowslip’s Warren: Pages 70-118
3. Creating an Alliance with Kehaar: 178-193
4. The Nuthanger Raid: 197-229, 242-253

You should have a list of 8 lessons overall.

In class tomorrow, we will create a list of Top Ten Rabbit Commandments. Leaders, YOU design the classes tomorrow. Rely on everyone to help you reach the goal, and structure activities/create roles that you think will help.

Again, please comment on the post above if you have an insight or suggestion. Today took me by surprise, and I'm sure no one wants a replay.

CYCLE 9 - DAY 2 - SEM 1: Watership Down 205-228

In our abbreviated class period of twenty minutes, we addressed the question of whether or not Hazel should lose his status of Chief Rabbit for the debacle the Nuthanger Farm raid turned into.

Your comments about why he should all related to the following points:

• It was an unnecessary risk
• It was too impulsive: all they had to do was wait for Holly's return
• It jeopardized everyone's lives for a payoff of questionable value; can the does breed?  Their lack of knowledge about living in the wild puts everyone at risk.
• It demonstrated cockiness on his part
• He was not truthful to others in the group

Your comments about why he should not all related to the following points:

• The raid demonstrated a finely trained team acting in concert
• He was decisive and willing to take risks of his own
• He did get does for the warren, which is what they need

While there was an unquestionable payoff, the vast majority of you felt that, in the end, it just wasn't worth it.  I asked you to determine where you

 would place Hazel on the following spectrum:

Most of you fell to the middle and the left, indicating that at the very least, Hazel deserves to be seriously reprimanded for his dangerous behavior.

YOUR HOMEWORK FOR THE WEEKEND:

Read pages 229-257 in Watership Down.  The study guide will be on the wikispace by Saturday afternoon.

CYCLE 9 - DAY 1 - SEM 1 Watership Down 178-205

More review sentences today in the Sentence Diagramming workbook.

Today, you led discussion again, after nominating and voting on lead roles. Notes are available on the wikispace. Be sure to check out each other's sections--you all developed great ideas, and collectively, you nailed just about all of the issues.

Group 6, we didn't talk about the moonlight, but should have. Check the other two section's notes from yesterday. Others did, and if you would like to revisit it, let's.

HOMEWORK
Read pages 205-229. See if your predictions came true! The study guide is also available on the wikispace and the portal.

CYCLE 8 - DAY 5 - SEMESTER 1 Watership Down 150-178

We moved on in Sentence Diagramming today, covering Direct Address.

Then we talked about 150-178.  Please see class notes on the wikispace (yes; it's up and running.  You can disregard this afternoon's email.).  

One area I was hoping we would get to but did not is the idea that "It's lonely at the top."  El-ahrairah must keep so much secret.  Hazel starts to conceal some of his real thoughts, too.  Do you think this is necessary for them to lead effectively?  Alas and drat, much of what we got to was just review.

Perhaps tomorrow we can get to the question.

In all sections, we reviewed some of the roles from last week, not as they pertain to the rabbits, but to ourselves.  We've spoken about followers, and we know that being a follower isn't a negative; followers keep the group goals in mind and pitch in wherever they are able, without waiting for instruction.  Are you doing that?  Leaders don't just bark out instructions; they listen to what their followers say and select a course that is the best channel for the group's energy.  That means a leader must pay very careful attention to the group dynamic, listen well, keep everyone's strengths in mind, and motivate people.  That's a tall order, yes, but one for which many of you are very well suited (all of you are in the right circumstances!).  For those of you who like the spotlight and the chance to showcase your talents, pay attention to your listening skills, too.

Tomorrow, we will look at the study guide questions again, but we have some other unresolved issues.  Tomorrow, you will nominate and vote on roles rather than volunteer for them, so be prepared to go!

HOMEWORK:

Read 178-205.  The study guide is available on the wikispace.

CYCLE 8 - DAY 4 - SEM 1 - Roles in Watership Down

No new vocabulary or sentence diagramming today. I asked you to be sure to review the GRAMMAR REVIEW page on the wikisite, as you simply must have that material down pat before we move on.

Today in class, you assigned roles to the various rabbits of the Watership Down warren. Some of you decided that new roles needed to be added to the list to accomodate your understanding of the characters. These roles included "dissenter" (one who points out flaws in the group's decisions and behaviors) and "adviser" (one who, based on personal knowledge and experience, suggests specific improvements to the group). Notes for class discussion can be found on the wikispace, and thank you to the students who led, moderated, and recorded discussions.

After assigning rabbits to their roles, we assigned one another to roles, and simply did not get as fas in that conversation. This is a pity because assigning these roles indicates the strengths everyone brings to the table, and suggests how we can best capitalize on one another's talents. We'll pursue that line of reasoning a bit further when we reconvene.

HOMEWORK:

1. Be sure you have mastered all of the basic material for sentence diagramming before we move on. You should re-read each of the descriptions at the beginning of diagramming units 1-12, and make ample use of the links on the wikisite.
2. Read pages 150 through 178 in Watership Down. Use the study guide (#7) to guide your thinking and use the reading tips and review section as well. We will be addressing the following questions in class:
3. FOUR DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THE NEXT CLASS:
   1. Holly says that men are the source of all evil (151). What were Toadflax’s last words? Why bother to put these details in? What is Adams telling us about human nature in this book?
   2. What are the other rabbits’ reactions to Hazel’s idea about working with other animals? What does that tell us about human nature?
   3. Why do you suppose it is “’one of El-ahrairah’s rules never to let anyone see when he was angry’” (167)? What purpose does that serve for him?
   4. What are the specific skills El-ahrairah possesses that make him a good leader, and where are those skills echoed in Hazel’s warren?

CYCLE 8 - DAY 3 - SEM 1 - Watership Down 121-149

We took a short vocabulary quiz onUnit 4 today and continued with our discussion of Watership Down.

Today's episode looks at the arrival of Holly from the Sandleford Warren, the continuing evolution of Hazel as a leader and the bonds of the team as they grow through adversity. Notable quote: "There was no more questioning of Bigwig's strength, Fiver's insight, Blackberry's wits or Hazel's authority" (123).

You can find the notes of today's discussion on the wikispace.

HOMEWORK:

1. Assign each character in the Watership Down warren to one or more roles listed below
2. Which one(s) are you? Explain in a paragraph

• 
  Chief: tends to take charge, lead activities, organize others and give instruction
• Warrior- works to protect the group from outside threat
• Seer/Critic- helps the group decide where to go, remember their mission
• Storytellers- keeps morale up; tells jokes and stories to buoy spirits, inspire
• Inventors/technologists: develops tools and system to help the group function
• Diplomats- keeps the peace within the group
• Followers- take instruction- do work- look for ways to help

CYCLE 8 - DAY 2 - SEM 1: Watership Down 93-118

Today, we continued with you running the show. Each of you will take on the role of leader, typist and bouncer.

The LEADER, not surprisingly, leads the discussion. The leader must:

• make sure that all the basics of the reading assignment are well-understood,
• determine the pace of discussion,
• elicit contributions from all members of the class in a way that encourages the more silent types,
• acknowledge/make room for additional lines of inquiry
• direct readers into the text for substantiating evidence/passages of interest

The TYPIST takes notes for the whole class to be made available on the wiki. To do this effectively, the typist must:

• track conversation
• provide written summaries of ideas
• organize the flow of conversation into logical format
• provide enough detail for the notes to be useful

The BOUNCER makes sure the typist is able to keep up. To do this, the bouncer must:

• keep an eye on the screen and make sure all aspects of the conversation are making it into the notes;
• interrupt the conversation when the typist needs to catch up
• summarize main points for the typist
• quietly intervene to stifle sidebar conversations
• work to get conversations back on track when they stray

So far, we have had volunteers for these roles. As we move ahead, all of you should take on each of these roles at least once. Like the rabbits of Watership Down, you are developing your own team dynamic here, and the group can benefit from everyone's strengths. And, as we have all spoken about, good teams help each member discover and build strengths, too.

The notes from today's discussion are on the wikispace, as is the study guide for tomorrow's assigned reading.

HOMEWORK:

We'll have a quick vocabulary quiz to start the period, predomonantly on unit 4, but words from unit 1-3 will be included. The format is the same as earlier quizzes: sentence matching, sentence writing, finding the correct sentence.

Then it's back into Watership Down. Use study guide #6 to guide you're thinking (it will not be checked). Discussion questions are printed on the study guide! Start think about which role you'll be volunteering for!

CYCLE 8 - DAY 1 - SEM 1: Your discussion of Watership Down 70-92.

No new vocab or sentence diagramming today, though you should check out the Grammar Review page on the wikisite.

THE VOCAB QUIZ WILL BE ON THURSDAY.

Today, you ran the show--you led discussion, took notes, came up with new questions, etc. It was gorgeous. As teams, you're growing right along with Hazel et al.

You can find notes of today's session on the wikispace.

Homework: Read 93-118 and be prepared to discuss the questions at the end of the study guide, which appears below:
NAME:

AS YOU READ:
A. Much becomes clear at the end of this reading. Your goal in this reading is to get to the end, and then figure out how Adams gave you clues along the way.

1. This (93-99) is the second El-ahrairah story we have heard (the first 26-29). What purpose does this one serve?
2. What is Silverweed’s poem about?
3. What has Fiver so troubled? Once you know what happens, look again at Fiver’s “ramblings.” What is the real essence of his warning?
4. How is what happens to Bigwig foreshadowed in chapter 14, and again in the beginning of 17?




REVIEW ACTIVITIES:
1. Go over all chapters containing Cowslip. With whom does Adams get you to place your sympathies? How does he raise tension throughout?

FOUR DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR CLASS TOMORROW:

1. How are the stories told by Dandelion and Silverweed good reflections of the groups’ differing character/customs/culture?
2. Hazel changes his mind a number of times in this reading. Where does this happen? Is he right to do so? Is he getting better as a leader?
3. Are your impressions of Bigwig changing? How so?
4. Fiver is clearly a bad team player throughout this episode. Is he right to behave this way? When is it right for a member of a group to behave in this manner, if ever?
   
   

CYCLE 7 - DAY 5 - SEM 1: Changing our minds/Knowing our terms

We began today with a quick non-counting quiz wherein I asked you to write definitions to the following: modal auxiliary, direct object, predicate nominative, attributive adjective and linking verb. Most of you felt uncomfortable with this, and upon discussion, you admitted that while you might recognize these things in a sentence or follow a diagramming pattern in which they are used, you might not be able to explain how these parts of speech work.

Well, that's a problem, and it all goes back to DAY 2 of the blog: BLOOM'S TAXONOMY. If all you are able to do is recognize but not explain a pattern, you are not going beyond the first two levels of thinking: knowledge and comprehension. To keep moving ahead with sentence diagramming, you'll need to be able to apply your comprehension in new situations, analyze sentences for their individual parts, synthesize your understanding to make predictions about how new elements might work, and evaluate where you went wrong in your logic. In short, YOU NEED TO REALLY KNOW WHAT THESE TERMS MEAN!

So go back and re-read the explanations for these units and make sure you understand what they say!

Then, on a spectrum, I asked you to determine where you would place one of the characters you wrote about in your paragraph for today.
Good--------------------------------------Bad
Where does Hazel belong? Bigwig? Fiver?

We then charted your reasons, creating 2 columns (+/-). After you reviewed the columns and argued a bit, you then reassessed your opinion. So long as you keep an open mind and allow yourselves to change your opinions, the class is working well and you are being true scholars. Check yourself from time to time--if you're getting stubborn in your ideas, figure out what's shutting off your mind.

Finally, you had a few minutes to read. I will not be checking the study guide for tomorrow's assignment, but I encourage you to use it to guide your thinking, and to employ the reading and review strategies. I will expect you to be ready for the discussion questions we have tomorrow. Can't remember them? Here they are (and the study guide is on the wiki!):

THREE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR CLASS TOMORROW:
1. Why doesn’t Hazel listen to Fiver?
2. What advice would you give to Hazel right now? Why advise that course of action?
3. What are some of the key differences between the two groups of rabbits (their customs, forms of organization, priorities, etc.), and what are the sources of these differences?

REVIEW ACTIVITIES:
1. Review the opening quotes to each chapter and the chapter titles. How do they apply?
2. Add to your character list
3. Summarize the clues Adams presents to us about what makes Cowslip’s warren and his residents odd.

CYCLE 7 - DAY 4 - SEM 1 - Watership Down; Prelude to a Paragraph

Today, we covered the last five words of Unit 4. Please write sentences for these on the wikispace. The quiz will be next Wednesday.

Afterward, we covered Lesson 12 in the Sentence Diagramming Workbook: nouns used as adjectives (school supplies; basketball player; county highway). They are diagrammed EXACTLY as attributive adjectives are--that is, underneath the nouns they modify.

Then, it was on to discussing Study Guide #3 for Watership Down (available on the wikispace). The class notes for the discussion are also available on the wikispace. I encourage you to take a look at different sections' notes as well.

Your homework is to write a 12-sentence paragraph answering ONE of the following questions:
A. Is Hazel a good leader?
B. Is Fiver a good team player?
C. Is Bigwig a good team player?

Your thesis will answer that question, and your paragraph will back up that thesis.
REMEMBER: A good thesis AND all claims:

• are arguable
• are focused
• are proveable with evidence from the text
• are based strictly in the text
• answer how or why

TEST YOUR THESIS AND YOUR SUB-CLAIMS AGAINST THESE TRAITS!

Wondering about how to start? Here are some suggestions about how to go about writing this paper.

1. Generate a list of all of the traits you think your character exhibits that relate to the question.
2. Pick three (e.g. if I were to write about Blackberry, I might say he's creative, modest, and good under pressure).
3. Identify the unifying concept that made you pick those particular three (e.g., solving problems matters to him more than anything else).
4. Work that larger concept into a thesis statement. (e.g. What makes Blackberry an essential member of Hazel's group is his dedication to problem solving.)
5. Use the three traits you identified as subclaims.
6. Write those up as arguable, focused, claims that answer how or why. (e.g. Blackberry's creativity stems from his constant attention to problem solving.)
7. Find evidence to back up those claims. (e.g., When others are overcome with fear, Blackberry is able to stay focused on how to get across the stream: see pages 36-39)
8. Introduce that evidence carefully (remember "dab, dollop, lotsa sauce" -- see the wikispace if you need to download any of those handouts again).
9. Explain how this evidence relates your subclaim to your thesis. (e.g. While the others are paralyzed with fear or are panicking, Blackberry's absorbtion in finding the creative solution of the raft saves the group and allows them to remain together.)
10. Do this for all three quotation sandwiches.
11. Frame introductory and concluding sentences. Your introduction to set the stage, and your conclusion should summarize why what you have argued is important.
12. PROOFREAD! Check for use of literary present tense, correct MLA punctuation (see page 4 of the MLA guide), comma usage, etc. Be sure to consult the handouts I have given to you when returning past assignments to make sure you address the issues peculiar to your writing (splices, pronoun agreement, etc.).

Questions? You know where to find me.

HOMEWORK:

1. Complete sentences on the wikispace.

2. Complete the 12-sentence paragraph (read all that's above, if you haven't. It will help).

CYCLE 7 - DAY 3 - SEM 1: Watership Down - Day 2

Today, I asked you to review how to diagram prepositional phrases and you supplied some practice sentences. And, we covered the next five words of Unit 4.

Then, you continued the same activity from yesterday, typing up notes covering your discussion. I asked you to first review the study guide to make sure everyone had a firm grasp of what was going on, and then you moved on to larger discussion questions. Leaders for the day took notes on the discussion, and each section's notes may be found on the wikispace. I encourage you to take a look at each section's notes. Feel free to download and add to them for your own review. You're welcome to post them back onto the site as well for others.

I was very impressed with the depth of your discussions today, and the degree to which you used the book to back up your assertions. You created and pursued additional questions and developed a keener insight into the novel. Keep this up--it's fabulous!

Thank you, too, for helping to make Poetry Out Loud a huge success. You all know now how tough it is to recite in front of an audience. Performers, you were excellent, and if you were nervous, it did not show. Audience members, I am most impressed by the respect and attention you devoted to each performer. USM is a remarkable place, chiefly because the people here so frequently do what I saw all of you do today--offer what is best in themselves, and look for what is best in others. Thank you.

CYCLE 7 - DAY 2 - SEM 1: Watership Down-Reading #1

Today we covered 5 more words from Unit 4 and Lesson 11 in the Sentence Diagramming workbook: Prepositional Phrases.

Then, we started our discussion of last night's reading, and I had each section take notes on the discussion. One person served as a typist for the class and chronicled what was said. You can find copies of each day's notes by clicking here. Feel free to look at what other sections have to say!

Tomorrow, we will continue the discussion about leadership. As you can see from tonight's homework, the conversation from today will segue nicely into tomorrow's!

YOUR HOMEWORK:
1. Write sentences on the wikispace. Group 4, since you are a day behind, you need to do only 5 tonight, and catch up as the week goes on.
2. Read pages 22-44 in Watership Down.
3. Answer both sides of the study guide in writing. You can find an additional copy of the studyguide on the wikispace.

CYCLE 7 - DAY 1 - SEM 1: Beginning Watership Down

TODAY IN CLASS:

• Five words from Unit 4 vocabulary. (Group 4, we didn't get to this but will do so tomorrow. If you want to get a head start on your homework, start putting up sentences)
• Practice sentence diagramming quiz.
• Poll for interest in review sessions. I asked each class how many of you reviewed sentence diagramming over the weekend. Out of my 49 students, three of you half-heartedly raised a hand. I'd rather you work on your own as far as you can go and then come to me.
• Review of journals (some read aloud).
• Discussion question: what sort of situation inspires these traits?
• Begin Watership Down in Class.
• Self-participation review.
  
  HOMEWORK: Add 5 sentences to the wikispace. Read pages 1-22 in Watership Down and answer study guide questions. Study guide is available on both the wikispace and the portal.

DAY 27: Poetry Out Loud & Review

We wrapped up our Poetry Out Loud recitations today, and spoke a bit about review. I am particularly concerned about mastery of the following skills:
- Sentence Diagramming
- Thesis Writing
- Quote Introductions
- Commentary Sentences
- MLA format

Here are the consistent problems I am seeing (i.e. between 10% and 20% of students are making mistakes of this nature):

• People don't understand helping verbs and are often putting verbs below the line in a sentence diagram.
• People don't quite understand what modal auxiliaries are.
• People are having difficulty remembering the difference between a predicate nominative and a direct object.
• People are writing thesis statements that are not arguable.
• People are writing thesis statements that do not explain how or why.
• People are improperly introducing quotations:
• Speakers are not named.
• Not all aspects of the quote are explained in the introduction.
• Quotes are being plopped in without any introductory material.
• People are summarizing what their evidence says rather than explaining what it proves (i.e. its relationship to the thesis).

IF YOU ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ANY OF THESE AND REQUIRE ADDITIONAL ONE-ON-ONE INSTRUCTION, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH ME TO GET HELP.

In the interest of helping you determine whether or not you need additional help, you should expect a PRACTICE sentence diagramming quiz on Monday. The score for this will NOT count toward any grade.

I will poll each class to see if there is sufficient interest in after school review sessions, which I am happy to hold. As we head into our next unit, it will be important to have these skills absolutely mastered. This material will not get any easier before the exam, and getting a jump on it now will bring you much closer to success throughout the second quarter and in December.

Our next book is Watership Down, by Richard Adams. We'll begin it in class on Monday. Over the weekend, I asked you to rank the three most important traits of a team and the three most important traits of a leader from lists of about ten for each. For your rankings, I asked you to write a two paragraph journal (each paragraph must be a minimum of 6 sentences in length), one paragraph explaining/defending your rankings about the most important team qualities, and one paragraph explaining/defending your rankings about the most important qualities of a leader. This will be due on Monday, and you should bring your book to class with you.

DAY 26 - Poetry Out Loud

Recitations began today.  We got through most of them--hurrah!  I will be asking each section's winners to meet with me one-on-one before the full sophomore class meeting to talk about the individual poems and dramatic interpretation.

No homework for tonight.

DAY 25 - Quiz and Memorizing

Today, you took the quiz covering Units 1-3 in vocabulary, up through Lesson 10 in Sentence Diagramming, and MLA formatting.  At the end of the quiz, you had the opportunity to work alone or with another person on memorizing your poems.

RECITATIONS BEGIN TUESDAY, so your only homework is to work on your recitation.  Be aware that speaking your poem in front of others is much different that reciting it in your own head.  Be comfortable reciting your poem in front of others.  I am sure your parents would love to hear you, and would be happy to help you find ways of enhancing your interpretation.

DAY 24 - Interpreting Poems for Presentation

Today, we did lesson ten in the Sentence Diagramming Workbook: Commands! Most of you found it easy, but there were still some issues about determining direct objects, predicate nominatives, and the placement of adverbs. Make sure you review those lessons!

A BASIC OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE HAVE COVERED SO FAR:
Subjects and verbs

• What the sentence is about, and what the subject is doing.

Definite and Indefinite Articles

• the/a/an

Predicate Nominatives

• a noun that renames or further defines the subject and which follows a linking verb

Linking Verb (with many thanks to http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/linkingverb.htm):
The following verbs are true linking verbs:

• any form of the verb be [am, is, are, was, were, has been, are being, might have been, etc.], become, and seem. These true linking verbs are always linking verbs.

Then you have a list of verbs with multiple personalities:

• appear, feel, grow, look, prove, remain, smell, sound, taste, and turn. Sometimes these verbs are linking verbs; sometimes they are action verbs.

How do you tell when they are action verbs and when they are linking verbs?

• If you can substitute am, is, or are and the sentence still sounds logical, you have a linking verb on your hands.
• If, after the substitution, the sentence makes no sense, you are dealing with an action verb instead.
• Here are some examples:
• Sylvia tasted the spicy squid eyeball stew.
• Sylvia is the stew? I don't think so! Tasted, therefore, is an action verb in this sentence, something Sylvia is doing.
• The squid eyeball stew tasted good.
• The stew is good? You bet.

Attributive Adjectives

• Adjectives that come right before the nouns they describe

Predicate Adjectives

• An adjective that follows a linking verb and modifies the subject

Possessive Pronouns

• My, your, his, her, its, our, and their - modify nouns and appear next to the nouns they modify. Diagrammed like other adjectives.
• Mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours and theirs - never next to the nouns they modify. Can be subjects (Yours is blue), predicate nominatives (That car is his), and direct objects (Eat yours)

Direct Objects

• A noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb. Combine the NON-LINKING verb in the sentence and the question what? or whom? to see if there is a direct object.

Questions

• Diagrammed like a regular sentence--only the capitalization tips you off that it's a question.

Adverbs

• Modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. They go under whatever they modify.
• Adverbs answer how, when, where, to what degree and with what frequency.

Commands

• Have an implied subject, indicated by an "X" on the subject space of the diagram.
• The remainder of the diagram is completed like any other sentence.

You will have a minimum of five sentences to diagram tomorrow.

You spoke in small groups with classmates about your poems today. After reading aloud, you explained your poem's meaning and answered questions about it. Collectively, you brainstormed ways of gesturing, inflecting, enunciating, pausing, emoting, and raising and lowering voice volume to convey that meaning.

HOMEWORK

1. Study for quiz. It will cover vocabulary from units 1-3 (emphasis on unit 3, with sentence matching, picking the correct sentence out of a group, and writing your own sentences), MLA format (2 pairs of quotes for which you must pick the correct one and explain why it is correct, and you will be given one quotation to incorporate and cite in a sentence of your own), and sentence diagrams (no fewer than five).

2. VERY IMPORTANT!!! Your poem must be fully memorized by TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14th. On that day, we will draw names from a hat, and those picked will recite their poems for judging. The remainder will go on Thursday, October 16th (if you are in group 2) or on Friday, October 17th (if you are in groups 4 or 6) (Wednesday is PSAT day and Thursday is E day, when 2 sections don't meet). Your recitation scores will count toward your first quarter grade. I and your classmates will judge your recitations. You have had enough experience in judging now that you should fully understand each of the separate criteria, and you know that the first question to ask when watching a recitation is "Is the presenter's interpretation sound, and does the presenter make that interpretation accessible to me?"

Have a good night and holler with questions.

DAY 23 - MLA Format - Final Evaluation

Today in class, we covered Lesson 9 in the Sentence Diagramming Workbook: Adverbs. To diagram them effectively, you need to have a really good understanding of just how adverbs work.

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, and generally answer the questions how, when, where, to what degree, and with what frequency?

• The cat waited patiently for its dinner. [modifies the verb waited]
• Phil waited for an especially hungry fish to take the bait. [modifies the adjective hungry]
• After dinner, the cat rested quite comfortably on the sofa. [quite modifies adverb comfortably, and comfortably modifies verb rested]

Adverbs frequently end in "–ly," though some common adverbs, such as always, soon, rather, very, not, never, and well do not. Not all words that end in "-ly" are adverbs, however; friendly and lovely are adjectives. Need some review on adverbs? Here are a few sites:
http://www.english-zone.com/grammar/pos-adv.html
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/adverbs.htm
http://www.esldesk.com/grammar/adverbs.htm

Just as attributive adjectives, adverbs go beneath the nouns they modify. But adverbs can modify other adverbs, too. What then? The same principle applies: the word goes underneath the word it modifies.

After we finished the sentence diagrams, I had you correct each other's MLA worksheets using an answer key.

Then, we moved on to the last recitation evaluation we will do: "Facing It," by Yusef Komunyakaa, as recited by Branden Emanual Wellington. This one was a bit different. Before you made an evaluation, we read the poem together and I asked you to answer the following questions:
o What is the speaker’s attitude toward the subject and how does it change?
o What are the speaker’s circumstances and what is his/her relationship to them?
o What is the speaker’s emotional state and how does it change?
Then I had you watch the recitation, and look for clues about how Mr. Wellington interpreted answers to the same questions. Were his answers the same as yours? How do you account for the difference? Is it OK for judges to have a different understanding of the poem if the reciter's version is sound? Whose version should prevail in the judge's evaluation? Only after these questions were answered could you evaluate his performance.

YOUR HOMEWORK FOR TONIGHT:
You are, IN WRITING, to have your entire poem paraphrased, line by line, into your own words, and you are to be prepared to explain its larger meanings. Your paraphrased lines will probably be longer and wordier than the original. That's OK.

HOW TO PREPARE:

1. You should do some research on your poem and poet to make sure you understand the poem's meaning as best you can.
2. Count syllables and look at the rhyme scheme, if any. Consider line breaks. Why has the poet chosen to do as he/she did?
3. Consider both the literal meaning of the each line, the figurative meaning suggested by each line, and the figurative meaning of the poem when taken as a whole.
4. Look for shifts in mood/tone. What causes these shifts and how are they signaled?
5. Consider the FUNDAMENTAL questions that must be understood about ANY poem:

• Who is speaking in the poem? (From what perspective is the poem told?)
• Under what circumstances?
• With what attitude?
• With what emotion?
• With what desired effect on us?
• HOW DO YOU KNOW?

Writing out these answers will help you.

DAY 22 - Evaluation continued, and MLA format

Today, after you took a quick quiz in which I asked you to write the poet, title and first ten lines of your chosen poem, we covered Lesson 8 in the Sentence Diagramming Workbook. Questions! Here is where capitalization is absolutely key! Compare the following. Which is the question?

The first one is the question, and the way you can tell is that the verb is capitalized, because the verb starts the question. Remember, punctuation is never used in a sentence diagram.

Again, please review predicate nominatives, predicate adjectives and direct objects. Come up with whatever rules of thumb you can to tell the difference. I am happy to help!

Today, we did a final evaluation of a poetry presentation. We reviewed Joshua Kelly reading Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est." To see the presentation again, click here.

Some people graded him lower than others, citing his quavering voice, uneven pacing, and lack of accompanying gestures. Others defended these, saying they were consistent with the poem's meaning and the speaker's perspective.

Ultimately--and this is important--the poem's meaning must dictate all choices. You may be one for subtlety, but does the poem demand dramatic interpretation? You may like a rapid pace, but does the poem call for a more contemplative tone?

By the end of this week, you'll need to have your poem fully memorized, and be aware of where your own gestures, inflections, facial inflections and volume changes will occur.

Tonight, for homework, we are backtracking a bit. I asked you to complete a worksheet on employing MLA format properly. You can find both the worksheet and the reference document you need to complete it on the wikispace.

HOMEWORK:

1. Complete the worksheet passed out in class.

COMING UP:

For Thursday, you will need to have your poem fully paraphrased, line by line, into your own words. You should do some research on your poem so you can explain its form and meaning.

On Friday, we will have our third and final vocabulary quiz of the quarter. It will include words from all three units (mostly unit 3, but 1 and 2 will be included as well); sentence diagramming up through lesson 10; and MLA format rules.

DAY 21 - Evaluation continued

Today, we completed the last five words in Unit 3 of the vocabulary book.  The quiz for unit three will be late next week, and will include MLA formatting material that we will cover in the next several days.  We also got through Lesson 7 of the Sentence Diagramming workbook, which covered direct objects.  In order to tell what a direct object is successfully, the book recommends you ask Whom? or What? about the subject and verb.

For example, Jack kicked the ball.  Jack is the subject, and the verb is kicked.  So, Jack kicked what?  Jack kicked the ball.  The ball is the direct object.

Here's the problem: let's say you have the sentence, Jack became a doctor.  The question works here, too (What did Jack become?), but doctor isn't a direct object: it's a predicate nominative.  Predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives follow linking verbs (e.g. forms of be, become, get [when it means become], smell, taste, seem, appear, sound, look and feel).  Direct objects, when there are any, follow non-linking verbs:

These sentences all have direct objects (they'll follow a straight up-and-down line in a sentence diagram):

Jacked kicked the ball.

Amy liked the movie.

Jack bruised his shin.

Amy told a secret.

These sentences all have predicate nominatives or predicate adjectives (they'll follow a backslash in a sentence diagram):

Jack became a doctor.

Amy felt powerful.

Jack got angry.

Amy is a critic.

These sentences all have non-linking verbs AND no direct objects.

Jack swore.

Amy stared.

Jack cheered.

Amy ran.

Be sure you understand exactly how predicate nominatives, predicate adjectives and direct objects all operate.  If you have questions, bring them with you to class.

After we covered that information, you judged two recitations, available online.  Scroll down on the page to Teal Van Dyck reciting "Siren Song" by Margaret Atwood and Shawntay Henry reciting "Frederick Douglass" by Robert E. Hayden.  There are two more that we will look in the next class.

YOUR HOMEWORK: 

1. Complete 5 sentences on the wikispace.

2. Memorize the first 10 lines of your poem, the poet and the title of your poem.  You will need to be able to write down all of them from memory by the next class.  This will count as a reading quiz!

DAY 20: Evaluating a recitation

Today, we covered the next five words of Unit 3 in the vocabulary book, and Review Exercises for Lessons 4-6 in the sentence diagramming work book. We talked about each of the terms the grammar book has covered so far: helping verbs, modal auxiliaries, linking verbs, predicate nominatives, predicate adjectives, attributive adjectives and possessive pronouns.

Then, we looked at the criteria for judging poetry presentations. The information below is taken from the Poetry Out Loud website:

For Students: Evaluation Criteria

PHYSICAL PRESENCE
This category is to evaluate the physical nature of the recitation. Consider the contestant's posture, use of eye contact, and body language.

Advice for the student:

• Use good posture and be attentive.
• Look confident.
• Engage your audience. Look them in the eye. If you have trouble with that, focus past them to the far wall and keep your head up.

Qualities of a strong recitation:
The competitor will appear at ease and comfortable with the audience. He or she will engage the audience through physical presence, including great body language, confidence, and eye contact—without appearing artificial. All qualities of the contestant's physical presence will work together to the benefit of the poem. Nervous gestures, poor posture, and lack of confidence or eye contact with the audience will detract from a competitor's score.

VOICE AND ARTICULATION
This category is to evaluate the the auditory nature of the recitation. Consider the student's volume, speed, use of voice inflection, and proper pronunciation. At the National Finals, contestants will use a microphone; when appropriate, one should be used in school and state competitions as well.

Advice for the student:

• Project to the audience. You want to capture the attention of everyone, including the people in the back row.
• Proceed at an appropriate and natural pace. People may speak or express themselves too quickly when they are nervous, which can make a recitation difficult to understand. Speak slowly, but not so slowly that the language sounds unnatural or awkward.
• With rhymed poems, be careful not to recite in a sing-song manner.
• Make sure you know how to pronounce every word in your poem. Articulate.
• Line breaks are a defining feature of poetry, with each one calling for different treatment. Decide if a break requires a pause and, if so, how long to pause.

Qualities of a strong recitation:
All words will be pronounced correctly, and the volume, speed, pacing, and phrasing will greatly enhance the poem. Pacing will be varied where appropriate. Scores will be lowered as a recitation falls short on one or more of these elements.

APPROPRIATENESS OF DRAMATIZATION
Recitation is about conveying a poem's sense primarily with one's voice. In this way, recitation is closer to the art of oral interpretation than theatrical performance. (Think storyteller or narrator rather than actor [get in touch with your inner Morgan Freeman].) Students may find it challenging to convey the meaning of a poem without acting it out, but a strong performance will rely on a powerful internalization of the poem rather than distracting dramatic gestures. The reciter represents the poet's voice during the course of a recitation, not a character's. The videos of outstanding student recitations (as well as examples of poets reading their own work) will help illustrate this point. Appropriate dramatization subtly enhances the audience's understanding and enjoyment of the poem without overshadowing the poem's language.

Advice for the student:

• Do not act out the poem. Too much dramatization can distract your audience from the language of the poem. Your goal should be to help audience members understand the poem more deeply than they had before hearing your recitation. Movement or accents should not detract from the author's voice.
• You are the vessel of your poem. Have confidence that your poem is strong enough to communicate its sounds and messages without a physical illustration. In other words, let the words of the poem do the work.
• Depending on the poem, occasional gestures may be appropriate, but the line between appropriate and overdone is a thin one. When uncertain, leave them out.
• Avoid monotone delivery. If you sound bored, you will project that boredom onto the audience. However, too much enthusiasm can make your performance seem insincere.

Qualities of a strong recitation:
The dramatization subtly highlights the meaning of the poem without becoming the focal point of the recitation. The performance is more about oral interpretation than dramatic enactment. A low score in this category will result from recitations that have affected character voices and accents, inappropriate tone, distracting and excessive gestures, or unnecessary emoting.

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY
This category is to evaluate the comparative difficulty of the poem, which is the result of several factors. A poem with difficult content conveys complex, sophisticated ideas, which the student will be challenged to grasp and express. A poem with difficult language will have complexity of diction and syntax, meter and rhyme scheme, and shifts in tone or mood. Poem length is also a factor in difficulty. Every poem is a different combination of content, language, and length, and the judges should score accordingly based on their independent evaluation of each poem.

Advice for the student:
For competitions beyond the classroom level, select poems of various styles, time periods, and tones. This diversity of selection will offer a richer and more complete performance. Note the additional poem-selection requirements for state and national contests.

EVIDENCE OF UNDERSTANDING
This category is to evaluate whether the performer exhibits an understanding of the poem in his or her recitation.

Advice for the student:

• In order for the audience to understand the poem fully, the performer must understand the poem fully. Be attentive to the messages, meanings, allusions, irony, tones of voice, and other nuances in your poem.
• Be sure you know the meaning of every word and line in your poem. If you are unsure about something, it will be apparent to the audience and judges. Don't hesitate to ask your teacher for help.
• Listen to track 4 on the audio CD in which poet David Mason introduces Yeats "The Lake Isle of Innisfree." In his comments, he advises you to think about how you should interpret the tone and volume and voice of your poem. Is it a quiet poem? Is it a boisterous poem? Should it be read more quickly or slowly, with a happy or mournful tone? Your interpretation will be different for each poem, and it is a crucial element of your performance. [This is very reminiscent of the tone work we did on DAY 19. See that blog entry for details]

Qualities of a strong recitation:
The meaning of the poem will be powerfully and clearly conveyed to the audience. The student will display an interpretation that deepens and enlivens the poem. Meaning, messages, allusions, irony, tones of voice, and other nuances will be captured by the performance. A low score will be awarded if the interpretation obscures the meaning of the poem.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE
This category is to evaluate the overall success of the recitation, taking into account the above criteria, the Diversity of poem selection, and any other factors that may impact a judge's perception of the student's performance. Note that points in this category are doubled in weight. [This is a gut check grade and takes into account certain intangibles, like attitude and confidence. You have a sense of it when people are performing at their best, and when a performance makes the audience better for having seen it. As you continue to look at other poems recited, try to articulate exactly what goes into this gut check.]

ACCURACY
A separate judge will mark missed or incorrect words during the recitation, with small deductions for each. If the contestant relies on the Prompter, points also will be subtracted from the accuracy score. Eight points will be added to the competitor's score for a perfect recitation.


After covering this material, I then had you work in small groups to evaluate two performances (click here to see the videos). By the end of class, you were more comfortable employing the evaluation criteria and judging others as you yourself will be judged.

Your homework is to add 5 more sentences to the wikispace, and to memorize the next four lines of your poem. If you decide to switch your poem, please let me know. You must be committed to a final choice by Friday.

DAY 19: Tone & Poetry

OK, the groups are all back on the same page now--ten words into Unit 3 and up through Lesson 6 in the Sentence Diagramming workbook.  Hooray for Predicate Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns!

Today, we considered poems as a story off shifting emotions.  I gave you a list of terms that could be used to describe emotional tone.  I asked you to circle those terms which might be appropriate to the following scenario: an older an remembering his first unsolicited but welcome first kiss.  Once you had the terms circled, I asked you to apply them to a color and gradation of that color.  "How completely insane," many of you thought.  Perhaps so.  However, the reason I wanted you to do this is so you would start to think creatively, and in a more nuanced fashion about emotion overall.

Clearly, it worked, because when you heard Kay Ryan reciting James Leigh Hunt's poem "Jenny Kissed Me," you were convinced she had it all wrong.

Jenny Kissed Me

Jenny kissed me when we met,

Jumping from the chair she sat in;

Time, you thief, who love to get

Sweets into your list, put that in!

Say I'm weary, say I'm sad,

Say that wealth and health have missed me,

Say I'm growing old, but add,

Jenny kissed me.

In fact, you thought her recitation was completely off.  Too bitter and sad for a happy memory, you said!  Too vindictive!  According to you, this is a melancholy man seeking warmth at the fading fire of a memory, but her reading seemed not to acknowledge the happiness of  the memory itself.  Well, right on!

I asked you to think of three specific questions about all three of the poems that you chose last night:

1. What is the speaker's attitude towards the poem's subject (the speaker in the poem itself)?

2. Under what circumstances is the speaker speaking?

3. What emotions is the speaker experiencing?

You should use the list of tone words to help you.

Of the three poems you have chosen, the poem for which it is easiest to provide substantive answers for is the poem you should use.

Your homework for tonight is to:

1. Write sentences on the wikispace for the new words.

2. Memorize the first 4 lines of your poem, as well as the poet's name and the poem's title.