Tuesday, February 28, 2017

February 28th

1. Quiz over Chapters 1-7 of Animal Farm. 
2. Make sure that you have up to slide 31 of the Animal Farm PPT in your notes.
3. Review the definitions and types of propaganda.

Monday, February 27, 2017

February 27th

1. You should be up TO chapter 8 of Animal Farm as of today.
2. We will have a quiz tomorrow (Tuesday) over chapter 1-7.
3. We are getting very close to the EOC test in English. Today, we are going to take our February practice test. I am going to be putting in the scores in the grade book, as well as scores of gains made since January! Do your best!

Reading schedule for Animal Farm: 
Tuesday, February 28th: Quiz over chapters 1-7.
Wednesday, March 1st: Read chapter 8.
For Monday, March 6th: Finish the book.

Friday, February 24, 2017

Class today: February 24th

1. Turn in Propaganda work from Animal Farm. 
2. You should be up TO chapter 7 for today.
3. You need to be up TO chapter 8 for Monday, February 27th. (This should give you plenty of time to get caught up, if you are behind in reading)
4. There are 3 reflection questions on Google Classroom. Please respond thoughtfully to the questions. They are designed to have you think about what you are reading and the larger purpose of the book.

1. Why do you think that the pigs ascended (rise) so quickly to power and dominion (dominance) over all other animals? What key steps did they take, or more specifically, which elements did they make certain to control?

2. Although Napoleon is considered the absolute Leader of Animal Farm, it is Squealer who is most adept (talented) at conveying the "party line" (message of control) to the animals, often convincing them to disbelieve their own eyes. What methods does Squealer employ (use) to deceive and/or placate (ease the minds) the other animals?

3. How would you describe the governing system of the animals in Animal Farm? What does it look like from an outside observer? How do you think it looks different to those who are a part of the system?

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Class today: February 22nd

Propaganda: information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

Rhetoric: the art of persuasive speaking or communication (written)

1. Read through the following information on image one. Make sure that you get the seven types of propaganda in your notes! 

2. Do the 10 exercises on paper to turn in. Examine the reality of the statement. For extra credit, identify the type of propaganda being used. 






Tuesday, February 21, 2017

February 21st

1.Animal Farm characterization slide show due today!
2. Animal Farm Quiz- Chapters 1-4
3. Animal Farm Chapters 1-2 review: Due Wednesday.
4. Read up to chapter 7 by Friday.

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Class: February 16th-17th


  1. You have been assigned an Animal Farm characterization slide presentation. You should be working on these during class. They are due on Tuesday, February 21st by the beginning of class to Google Classroom.
  2. You also need to be up through chapter 4 in Animal Farm by Tuesday, February 21st. You will have a quiz over chapters 1-4 on Tuesday.

February 15th

1. Read chapter 3 of Animal Farm. 

2. You will be creating an Animal Farm characterization slide show. Your presentation will need to address the following characters:

1. Mr. Jones
2. Napoleon
3. Old Major
4. Snowball
5. Clover
6. Boxer
7. Benjamin

With each character slide, you will need to address the following;
A. 3 adjectives that describe the personalities of character.
B. A direct quote from the text that supports each adjective.... with correct citation. (Orwell 44).
C. If applicable, what historical context does the character have? Who do they relate to in history?
D. How does the character in the book relate to this individual in history?
E. What do you think is Orwell's purpose in using this character? What are we to learn about society through the character's actions?

Additionally,
  • Please have a title slide with your name. 
  • Make your last slide a works cited page for your text. 
This slide presentation is due: Tuesday, February 21st by the beginning of class. 

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Happy Valentine's Day! February 14th

Remember that satire is a type of literature that seeks to point out human vice and foolishness by using humor. It takes a very serious issue and "pokes fun" at it to ridicule society.
Examples of Characteristics of Satire:
Most satire has the following characteristics in common:
  • Satire relies on humor to bring about social change. When our vices are made humorous, the idea is that it will encourage us to change.
  • Satire is most often implied. The reader has to pick up on the humor or he/she will miss the satirical nature of the writing.
  • Satire, most often, does not go over individual people. Instead, satire is directed at society as a whole, or types of people in society-the politician, the adulterer, the prideful, etc.
  • The wit and irony of the satire are exaggerated-it is in the exaggeration that people are made aware of their foolishness.

You will then need to upload a document to Google classroom with 4 examples from the SNL sketch and explain how it functions as SATIRE. Use the definition and the characteristics to help you clarify your explanation

For Wednesday: You will need to read slides 12-31 and take notes. Remember to summarize not copy word for word from the slides. 

Monday, February 13, 2017

February 13th

Welcome to Animal Farm! 
As I mentioned in class today, we will be focusing upon some very specific literary devices when reading this text.

Many of these devices are "end results"... the devices and plot within the text work to achieve these results. What this means is you have to take in a lot of the book and then step back to see these. 

1. Allegory: A story with two levels of meaning. The first level is the plot level. The second level is the symbolic/representative level. 
2. Symbols: A concrete object that has an abstract meaning. 

The difference between allegory and symbolism: An allegory uses symbols for building an overall symbolic meaning. It is the entire work functioning as a symbol. Symbolism is a single reference. 

3. Satire: a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. It intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies. 

4. Dystopian Literature: 

Utopia: A place, state, or condition that is ideally perfect in respect of politics, laws, customs, and conditions. 
Dystopia: A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control. Dystopias, through an exaggerated worst-case scenario, make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or political system. 

5. Historical Context: The influence of a time period upon the author and his/her literary text. 

6. Theme: The universal message that a text projects. Most literary devices work to result in the work's theme(s). 

7. Motif: A recurrent image, idea, or symbol to help develop a theme in a text. 

For Tuesday: Do a close reading of Chapter 1 of Animal Farm. Close reading means.. thoroughly examine the text for its literary devices as you are building meaning. This is what we started in class on Monday. 

Make sure that you have the above terms and definitions in your notes. 

Friday, February 10, 2017

Happy Friday! February 10th

1. Before we turn in the final copy of your Praise Song response, you will need to code your own response using the directions from last class period.. Underline thesis, etc. Staple on top of your 3 rough drafts.

2. Today we are will be having a literary device scavenger hunt. Using the four sacred texts, Genesis, Qu'ranAnalects, and Praise Songs of the Orishas, you will be looking for evidence demonstrating the following literary devices:

Form: (This would be the characteristics of Sacred Texts. 2 examples)
Allusion: (2 examples)
Parallelism: (2 examples)
Historical context: (Connect a piece of history or biography to specific textual reference. 1 example)
Visual imagery: (2 examples)
Imagery of your choice: (Pick from the remaining types of imagery. 2 examples)
Didactic(ism): (State the lesson and 1 textual example to support. 1 example) 
Simile: (1 example)
Mood: (Identify the mood and provide specific textual evidence. 1 example)
Personification: (1 example)
Characterization: (1 adjective and 1 textual example from a text other than the Praise Songs)
Figurative language: (2 examples)
Symbol: (2 examples)
Analogy: (1 example) 

You will need one list among your group. You can only reference our text book. No Google. 
When you are done, you will need to put all group member's names on your answers and turn it in to Mrs. Cole. 

FOR MONDAY: 
Under Animal Farm links, you will find an Animal Farm PowerPoint. Please read through slides 1-11 and take notes. Do not copy every word down from each slide. Condense. Summarize. 


Wednesday, February 8, 2017

February 8th

1. You should have your hard copy of your three responses with you when you come to class. We are going to mark them each for their writing components that they should contain.

You will switch with a classmate. Please mark the following in each response:
1. Underline the claim/thesis. This may look like the prompt restated and answered.
2. Circle the literary devices that are referenced. Ideally, there should be more than one.
3. Put a box around the direct quotes used as support SHOWING how the claim is evident. There should be a minimum of two direct quotes.
4. In reference to the direct quote usage: Put the following letters near the quote if these components are utilized. I: Quote is introduced.  C: Quote is contextualized and cited.  E. Quote is explained back to the argument.
5. Put a squiggly box around each transition.
6. Put a C by the concluding statement.

2. After the response has been marked, please list what the response is specifically missing.
Example: 1. Not enough transitions  2. Quotes are not introduced.

3. Then, you will then answer the following questions for each response:
1. Has the question been thoroughly answered?
2. Do you feel that the response is well-supported, adequately supported, poorly supported?
3. Does the writing flow smoothly from idea to idea?
4. On a scale of 1-3, where would this writing response score. 3: Answered thoroughly, with all expected components evident.  2. Answered, with some missing expected writing components. 1. Answer is difficult to understand, with multiple missing expected writing components.

4. Once you receive your writing prompts back from your scorer, you will need to thoroughly review the marks and notes made for each response. You will be able to see what exactly you do have.. and what exactly you are missing. From this, you will need to pick ONE response to revise, clean up, etc. as a final draft.

The FINAL draft will need to have all the expected writing components, MLA formatting, a works cited entry at the bottom of the page, and stapled on top of your three preliminary responses.  This is due at the beginning of class on Friday, February 10th.

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

February 7th

For today, you should have specific examples of characterization in your notes from the African praise songs.

From our last responses addressing the literary value of Confucius' Analects, it is clear that we need some review work in writing to ensure that we are communicating effectively.

In class today, you will responding to the following prompt for EACH god/goddess (total 3 responses):

1. How is (insert god/goddess) characterized in their specific praise song? What literary devices are utilized to support this characterization? Why do you think that the god/goddess is characterized in this manner? 


To do this... you need to think about the following:

1. Thinking back to first semester, I want you to review the 8 Steps of Writing.  First, think about AUDIENCE PURPOSE. What does your instructor want to know/understand with this prompt.

2. Thesis/Claim- Restate the questions and answer them specifically.

3. Evidence. Warrants.  You must give specific textual evidence in answering these questions. You must remember how to integrate textual information correctly. Introduce. Contextualize. Explain.. Do you have enough evidence to answer the question efficiently. (Audience pleased?).  Have you cited the text? Please reference the extended paragraph structure that you were taught first semester.

4. Transitions.

5. Concluding statements.

Please have all three done and in hard copy form when you come to class Wednesday/Thursday.

Sample:
The African god, Shango, is characterized as prideful in the praise song dedicated specifically to him. His characterization is supported by the use of analogy. The song begins by depicting an elephant who "must pay his respects to his new wife" (2). The elephant, who can represent the individual, must be aware of how he behaves in context to his new wife, who would be insulted by the lack of proper greeting. Furthermore, the analogy of animals as the devoted worshipers continues as the song references the guinea fowl, who must remember to "prostrate to the lord of the forest" (4) or "be killed by the hunter" (6). These examples of animals that must show awareness of other animals with more strength or power demonstrates how the worshiper must be delicate in their reference to the prideful Shango, or suffer similar wrath. 

The characterization of a prideful Shango is developed additionally through the use of first person point of view. The first stanza concludes with "Shango, I prostrate to you every morning, before I set out to do anything" (13-14). This emphasizes the individual's personal voice and how he/she specifically bows before Shango to appease his pride. It is no longer a generalized song of praise, but specific to the individual speaking. 

The literary devices of analogy and point of view emphasize the characterization of Shango in this praise song in order to demonstrate the hierarchy of individuals in this society. 

Monday, February 6, 2017

February 6th

1. We should be all caught up from the last week. Starting fresh today.

2. You will need the following literary term in your notes:

Characterization: The techniques an author uses to develop a character. (Notice that it is a study of the techniques or the strategies... it is not the result of these strategies)

Direct Characterization: Tells the audience what the character's personality/purpose is
Indirect Characterization: Shows the audience things that reveal the personality of the character.

Techniques an author uses for INDIRECT Characterization: STEAL
S: Speech- What does the character say? How does the character speak?
T: Thoughts-What is revealed through the character’s private thought s and feelings?
E: Effect- on others toward the character. What is revealed through the character’s effect on
     other people? How do other characters feel or behave in reaction to the character?
A: Actions- What does the character do? How does the character behave?
L: Looks-What does the character look like? How does the character dress?

3. You will be applying the practice of characterization of the three African gods in the praise songs.

  • You will identify adjectives that will help you recognize the result of the characterization. This is your starting point (WHAT). 
  • Then you will turn to the manner in which the character is developed. For this, utilize STEAL. (HOW)

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Happy Groundhog Day! February 2nd

You have already examined one of the characteristics of Sacred Literature by recognizing the instructional purpose. Now we are going to dig into the literary value/purpose of the text.
You will need to pick ONE ANALECT from the text that you worked with for Wednesday. Of this Analect, you will ask the two following questions: 1. What recognizable human experiences are portrayed in this text? (Look to the figurative/underlying purpose) 2. What is the artistic style of the passage? What use does the passage make of literary techniques like metaphor, simile, diction and a multitude of other literary devices? (Terms) You will need to pick five literary terms from our expansive list to explain their presence and purpose in the Analect. Upload a Google Document with proper MLA format. You will also need to put the works cited information at the bottom of your writing. It is a work from an anthology. Please reference the OWL.

Reading for Friday: 612-621... get started. You will have some time on Friday to finish.

Did the Groundhog see his shadow??

Washington Post- Groundhog Day 2017


Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Class today: February 1st

1. Literary Terms Test!
2. Upload image of your homework (12 Analects) to Google Classroom.
3. For Friday: Read pages 612-621. Take very good notes. Read pages 642-647. Take good notes.

Schedule for the next two days:
Wednesday, Feb. 1st: 

1st- 8:35-9:17
2nd- 9:22-10:04
3rd- 10:09-10:51
4th- 10:56-11:38
5th- 11:43-12:55
6th- 1:00-1:42
7th- 1:47-2:38

Lunch
1st- 11:38-12:04
2nd- 12:04-12:30
3rd- 12:30-12:55

Thursday, Feb 2nd: Planning Your Future Day

1st- 7:35-8:01
2nd- 8:06-8:32
3rd- 8:37-9:03
Mentoring- 9:08-9:18
Session 1- 9:23-9:48
Session 2- 9:52-10:17
Session 3- 10:21-10:46
Session 4- 10:50-11:15
Session 5- 11:19-11:44
Session 6- 11:48-12:13
Mentoring- 12:17-12:24
4th- 12:29-12:55
5th- 1:00-1:26
6th- 1:31-1:57
7th- 2:02-2:28

Lunch
10:21-10:46 Freshmen 
10:50-11:15 Sophomores
11:19-11:44 Seniors
11:48-12:13 Juniors