The Mission Essay

In response to the film, The Mission, please write a thoughtful, cohesive, organized essay using the following thesis statement:

The Mission, a great work of literature, deserved its 1987 Academy Award for best cinematography.

Your four paragraph essay should focus on both literary elements of the film (character development, theme, dialogue, and symbolism) and cinematic elements of the film (types of shot, camera angles, camera movement, editing, and lighting). You will choose two literary elements for the body paragraph on "The Mission is great literature because . . ." And you will select two cinematic elements for the body paragraph on "The Mission deserved its cinematography Oscar because . . ."

Each body paragraph will have two PIEs, with a PIE devoted to each element discussed.

Make a POINT about each element. ILLUSTRATE the point with a specific example from the film. And EXPLAIN the illustration and point by commenting on the effect on the viewer.

Again, when discussing literary and cinematic elements, be sure to explain the significance and effect of the element, rather than just state that it was present in the film.

Your essay is due Tuesday, April 27.

"My Mother Pieced Quilts"

Below is your assignment for Monday, April 13.

First reading of the poem "My Mother Pieced Quilts" . . .

1. Note the poet’s name.
2. Read the poem through once without taking notes.
3. Break the poem down into four parts for key word notes.
4. Make boxes for key word notes.

Second reading . . .

Read poem again and take key word notes.
The key word notes strategy involves writing down two or three words per box that summarize the big ideas of that section of the poem.

Answer the following questions about the poem . . .

1. Who is the speaker of the poem?
2. To whom is the speaker speaking?
3. Describe the speaker’s family.
4. Describe 4 sources of fabric for the quilts.
5. Reread lines 51-54. Who are “they”? In what way are they… armed? ready? shouting? celebrating?
6. Describe the theme of the poem.

A stylistic analysis of the sense of the poem . . .

1. Read the poem for the third time because the more times you read a poem, the more you will understand it.
2. Mark up your poem—identify and analyze elements of the poem based on the "sense" poetry terms we reviewed. In other words, identify similes, metaphors, personification, etc. and think about how that poetice devices enhances the meaning of the poem. We will discuss these sense terms in class.
3. Look at the list of sense terms in the blog post below.
   

Poetry Terms 4-Square

For class tomorrow, April 9, you need to come to class with your poetic term 4-square completed. Remember to come to class before lunch tomorrow!!

Below are the tasks for the four squares:

1. Image that represents the term
2. Find and write the definition of the term in the context of poetry and cite your source.
3. Write synonyms or a paraphrased definition (use your own words)
4. Write an original line of poetry to illustrate the poetic term or find an example of the poetic term in the poems already studied in class.
   

You will take notes on all of the poetry terms presented by your classmates. You can go ahead and set up your next notebook page, listing the words and leaving a few lines to define each term in the context of the study of poetry.

Analyzing poetry is broken down into sound and sense. In other words, what does the poem sound like and what sense does the poet make in terms of themes and figurative language.

Here are the "sound" poetic terms:

Alliteration
Assonance
Consonance
onomatopoeia
End rhyme
couplet
Meter
accent
Rhythm
Scansion
Rhyme scheme
Stanza
Caesura
cacophony

Here are the "sense" poetic terms:

simile
metaphor
oxymoron
personification
tone
mood
figurative language
Irony
Imagery
symbol
Connotation
Denotation
Hyperbole
Speaker
theme

I loved the blogs

Overall, your blogs were so much better than previous quarters. I noticed more thought into the importance of the articles you read and what life lesson you learned from them. A few of you are still summarizing the article, a few are forgetting to cite your source, and once in a while a blog post is sneaking in that doesn't sound like your voice. Don't copy and paste from other websites!! Use your mind and get your thoughts down for us to read.

We will take a "spring break" from blogging until mid-April. The English 10 teachers have some creative writing assignments for the blog for fourth quarter, so stay tuned.

When we return from spring break, we will prepare for your graduation reading test, so that's why we will take an extended spring break from blogging.

However, some of you really share some great stories, so feel free to blog for fun and keep us up-to-date on your life.

In-Text Citations for Research Paper

As I reminded you in class today, you must include in-text citations for all ideas that are not considered common knowledge about your research paper topic. That means that you need to include citations for direct quotations as well as paraphrased information.


In-text citations can include signal phrases that indicate the work being cited or the author in parenthesis at the end of the sentence.


Online websites will help you with proper citations for your paper. Click here to see an example of an in-text citation and its corresponding works cited entry.

Why did Things Fall Apart?

Today we started our discussion of why "things fell apart" for Okonkwo through an analysis of Okonkwo as a tragic hero and our multi-flow map of culture falling apart. Thanks Katherine for making the map during our discussion today.

Remember that your own multi-flow map on culture falling apart should appear on p. 23 of your notebook.

The Thinking Maps software is easy to use, so I encourage you again to do multi-flow maps for your two research paper sources. If you synthesize ideas from your sources into big ideas for a multi-flow map, not only will you get to the deeper, analytical ideas, but also you'll be better able to avoid plagiarizing information from your sources.

If you don't believe me, check out Kayna's blog post to see the way that she expertly summarized a source on Rwanda in a multi-flow map. And she has a hot link right to the original source.

If you want to try a different map for notetaking, feel free. Check out Anna C.'s blog post to see how she summarized a source in a circle map to define the conflict in Kashmir.

Help for Works Cited and In-text Citations

All students must know how to properly cite in MLA format because all paragraphs will have in-text citations to indicate the source of your information. Remember that you have to cite all ideas that you found in your research, or you are guilty of plagiarism.

All students also need to know how to make a works cited entry so that you can provide all of the necessary information to your Works Cited leader.

The EHS Media Center page has some great links to websites that will help you prepare a works cited page in proper MLA format. The links there will also help you create accurate in-text citations.

English 10 Book is Your 9th Source

Remember that the introduction to the paper needs to make a textual connection to one of the books read in third quarter--Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, or Night by Elie Wiesel (we read that the week before spring break).

The works cited page creator must include the book cited in the introduction on the works cited page. That will be your group's 9th required source. If you cite Wikipedia, that would be your 10th source.

Do one blog post on research topic by Monday

My Monday, March 16, you should have completed at least one blog post on a credible source on your research paper topic. You will have a brief group meeting to discuss your multi-flow map(s) and see where you need to do further research. For example, we discovered today that we really needed more research on the causes of the conflict in Kashmir. I have posted the passwords for the school's online databases on Edline. If you use Infotrac, Proquest or SIRS, you know that you will have credible sources.

Multi-Flow Map Model for Research Paper

Congratulations on a great discussion today on the conflict in Kashmir and the causes and effects. I hope that you found that determining causes and effects from one source, even a short Newsweek article, was easy to do. I also hope that you found a way to avoid plagiarism by putting your ideas into a multi-flow map and then writing a summary. Just think how easy the research paper will be to complete if every group member uses the same cause & effect thinking and organizes ideas from their sources in a multi-flow map.

If you want to see a full-screen version of the Kashmir multi-flow map, simply click on the image.

Ideally, your two blog posts on your research paper topic will both have used Thinking Maps software to summarize information and provide a visual for your group members. The paper would practically write itself if every member did this.

The other great outcome of today was how you took the details from the text and made them into big ideas for the multi-flow map. If we had time, we would have written those direct quotes that led you to those big ideas in the frame of the map. When you are using an Internet source, you can copy and paste those supporting quotations into the frame of your map. Just remember to use quotation marks so that you know that you lifted the ideas or you may forget and end up being guilty of plagiarism.

To make a frame with Thinking Maps software, simply click the icon on the left side that shows "add a frame" when you hover over it. Then you will get an icon in the left-hand toolbar that allows you to add text to the frame.

Thanks Anna for making the map in class today.

If you want to read the article on Kashmir, click here to go to the Newsweek online version.

Number of Sources Needed for Research

Your group will need to incorporate at least eight credible sources into your research paper, and Wikipedia will not count as one of those sources. Someone may summarize and paraphrase the Wikipedia entry as a blog post, and if you use that information in the paper, you will need to cite Wikipedia. However, Wikipedia needs to be the ninth source.

With four-member groups, each person only needs to complete two blog posts on your topic--if the sources are from reliable sources (SIRS, Infotrac, credible universities and news agencies) and contain enough information for people to use.

You may also use upcoming outside reading blog posts as a two for one assignment. If you look at your blogging assignments sheet, you will notice that the English 10 teachers purposefully put some topics that would somewhat overlap with your research issues. Post # 11 (global issue), #12 (imperialism), and #13 (war) might apply to your research paper topic. If you do use an outside reading post for one of your two research posts, simply indicate Research blog #1/Outside reading blog#13 on the post so that I can see where you are using a two-fer.

Remember that all outside reading blogs and all research paper blogs need to have MLA citation and a hot link to the original Internet source.

March 10 Media Center Activities

You should be busy and quiet all hour in the media center. Use this time to get caught up on your computer assignments and begin your research paper.

Below is a list of tasks to work on this hour. You can decide the order of importance for tasks.

1. The four students who need to finish their Nectar in a Sieve essay should start with that since the last day to turn it in will be Wednesday, March 11.
   
2. Check English 10 Edline assignments for a PowerPoint on Things Fall Apart background information. Review the PowerPoint and add new information to your webquest package and underline information that you already had on your webquest. Pick up your webquest packet from Mrs. Gens and be sure to add information in a second color so that I can assess how much you have added to increase your score. You may even end up getting extra credit on this packet. Turn in revised packets to Mrs. Gens today.
   
3. Get caught up on blog assignments, or even get ahead of them. Edline lists the quarter 3 blog assignments or simply click here for the past blog post that details them.
   
4. Use the Thinking Maps software to finally create a Thinking Map about your vocabulary word to post to your blog. Also, comment on my blog that the vocab Thinking Map is ready to be checked. Only a few students have received points for this five point assignment.
   
5. As long as you are in the library, Mac users should check out the Thinking Maps software from the librarians to load it onto your home computer.
   
6. Read over the research paper assignment on the blog and begin exploring possible topics for your group research paper. Each group will need to write about a different topic, so try to be as specific as possible. Check with your group members if they like your potential topic ideas and make sure that no other groups are also planning that topic. If you cannot solve disputes maturely and negotiate a compromise on topics, you will need to use rock/paper/scissors for conflict resolution.
   
7. If you have established a research paper topic, you may begin posting summaries of research found on your blogs. See the research paper assignment under notetaking.
   
8. For extra credit, compute the bride-price mentioned in Things Fall Apart in terms of U.S. dollars today. Get some helpful hints at this blog post.
   
9. Read and comment on your classmates' blogs.

And by the way, Happy Birthday Marcos!!

Compute Bride-Price for Extra Credit

"Akuke's bride-price was finally settled at twenty bags of cowries" (Achebe 73).

How much would that bride-price be in terms of U.S. dollars in 2009?

For extra credit, do the necessary mathematical computations and be prepared to present them to the class. Here are a few facts that will help you with your computation:

• Things Fall Apart takes place in 1900.
• You will need to determine the exchange rate of a cowrie with a U.S. dollar in 1900.
• You will need to adjust for inflation.
• Each bag contains 24,000 cowries.

Good luck! Comment here if you have the solution and are ready to present your math to the class.

Research Paper Coming Up

This month, students will be working with their base groups on a research paper about persecution or colonialism. Groups worked well for our debates last semester, so we will do the same type of procedure this quarter.

Start thinking about possible topics and read the following basic assignment plans.

Prewriting

Groups will select one specific historical or present-day example of a country or group of people that have faced or are currently facing the effects of persecution, colonization or imperialism.
For the paper’s prewriting, groups will use the Thinking Maps software to track ideas for their paper. Groups will analyze the causes and effects of the event in a multi-flow map with the frame listing the research and specific ideas. The multi-flow boxes will contain the big ideas that would appear in a thesis, paragraph topic sentences or as the points of the paper's PIEs. One student will post the group's Multi-Flow Map on his or her blog so that all group members can access the group's ideas through the Internet.

Blogs for Notetaking

Students will use their English 10 blogs to take notes on their research so that we can achieve the following two goals: 1) to reduce the use of paper to print Internet sources, and 2) to allow group members to review each other's research from the luxury of their own homes instead of getting together outside of class to work on the project.

Writing a group paper with the help of computer networking is not only 21st Century, but also will give you experience with how groups function in real-world work situations.

To take notes on a topic on your blog, you should make a new blog post for each Internet source that you use. Your blog posts should mainly be summaries and paraphrases of the information found on the web site that you're citing. Occasionally, you may wish to use a sentence or two exactly as it was written on the Internet, so you should copy and paste that sentence to your blog post. Immediately after pasting the quotation, be sure to enclose it in quotation marks and add a parenthetical citation after the quotation so that you protect yourself from plagiarism.

The blog post should include a hyperlink that takes you, your group members and your teacher directly to the website that is being summarized and paraphrased.

Basic Paper Outline

1. Introduction with an attention-getter that connects to Nectar in a Sieve, Things Fall Apart, or Night (the book we will read the week before spring break).
   
2. Body paragraph(s) on the causes of the persecution/colonization. For example, why did the British colonize India?
   
3. Body paragraph(s) on the effects of the persecution/colonization on the people being persecuted/taken over. For example, what were the effects of British colonization on the culture of India?
   
4. Conclusion that addresses what people can do about the situation (if it's a current world event) or what people can do to prevent a similar situation (if writing about a past historical event) from happening in the future.

The number of paragraphs devoted to causes compared to paragraphs devoted to effects will vary by the topic and the number of people in each group.

Individual Accountability

Each member of the group will write a separate portion of the paper; however, group members will discuss the paper's ideas as a whole and help each other with peer editing. The multi-flow map will help keep your group organized to achieve a cohesive paper.

Groups should split the actual writing of the paper as follows:

Author #1 writes the introduction and conclusion
Author #2, #3, #4 (and author #5 in one group) each write one body paragraph

Other tasks to split up:

1. Leader and motivator
2. Thinking Map Maker (must have functioning TM software at home)
3. Works Cited Creator and MLA expert
4. Paraphrase and fact checker who guards against plagiarism

If someone doesn't write his or her portion of the paper, groups will simply be able to jot down what portion of the paper that person would have written for the paper, and the missing section will only affect the grade of the student who did not live up to his or her responsibilities.

MLA Format

The research paper will be written in MLA format, complete with in-text citations and a works cited page.

Due Date

The final paper will be due on Friday, March 27. That's the day before spring break, so even if one or more students in the group will not be here that day, the paper is still due. In fact, the entire group may wish to finish the paper early because your group will need to present the paper on the last day of that week that all members are in attendance.

Paper Presentation

On Friday, March 27 groups will present their papers before turning them in. The presentation will involve showing your member's blogs so that you can discuss your multi-flow map and some of your key research cites. Your presentation will also involve reading the introduction with the connection to one of the books read by all English 10 students, one body paragraph, and the conclusion with the call to action on what people can do about the issue discussed in your paper.

Beautiful Blogging

This is the best quarter yet for blogs. I like how students are displaying their thoughts instead of simply summarizing.

Some students are forgetting to cite their sources on their blog posts. Remember that hot links work great for this.

To see some blog stars who are up-to-date with their assignments, visit the following blogs:

Anna
Kirstin
Britta
Molly
Ben
Kelsey
Kelly
Kelly Jo
Christina
Ansley

Vocab Thinking Maps

A few students have been able to figure out how to install the Thinking Maps software and have published maps on their vocabulary words. The maps are awesome!! Check out these blogs to see Thinking Map Software maps that are easy to read and will really help you learn the words:

Anna
Adrienne
Molly
Kelly Jo
Ansley

If you are still unable to download the software from Edline, check out a disc from the Media Center so that you can get mapping electronically before the research paper.

Revised Reading Schedule

With Edina Unplugged Monday night and the Naviance packet due, I have revised the reading schedule for Things Fall Apart.

Come to class on Monday, March 9 having read up to page 86.

I will read to you on Monday so that you don't have homework Monday night for Edina Unplugged. I should be able to get us to page 109 so that we can continue on with the bookmark.

Here's the rest of the bookmark. The date listed is the day that you come to class with those pages read.

March 11: pages 110-135
March 12: pages 136-153
March 13: pages 154-167
March 16: pages 168-191
March 17: pages 192-209

Bollywood Blogging

This Sunday your blog post is about Bollywood. Now that we are all Bollywood fans and Slumdog Millionaire cleaned up at the Oscars, this should be a fun post.

Ms. Jarrett found a great article on loving Bollywood that you might want to blog about. Click here to read the "Bollywood Confidential" article from the New York Times.

Things Fall Apart Vocab

Click on comments for this post and let the class know that you have created a Thinking Map for your vocabulary word. Tell us the blog to visit to see the Thinking Map on the word that you did.

Create the Thinking Map with the thinking maps software (download the software for free from Edline--see blog post below). Once your map is created in Thinking Maps software, export the image as a png or jpeg file (see the file pulldown menu for the export option). Once you have the file exported/saved, then post the Thinking Map as a small image on your blog. If you post as a small image, the blog reader can then click on the image to bring it full screen to see the Thinking Map. Click on my kola nut double bubble map to see it full screen.

Remember that you can use any Thinking Map you want that illustrates or expands on your assigned vocab word. Perhaps you can made an analogy on a bridge map, define the word with a circle map, describe your word with adjectives in a bubble map, analyze the causes and effects of your word in a multi-flow map. Be creative!!

Here are the vocabulary words:

egwugwu, p. 4, a masquerader who impersonates an ancestral spirit

kola nut, p. 6, (same as cola) a nut from an African tree that contains caffeine

proverb, p. 7, a short saying that expresses some obvious truth

Oracle, p. 12, any person or place believed to be in communication with a Deity (God)

agbala, p. 13, a woman; or a man who has taken no title

malevolent, p. 13, wishing evil or harm to others, “nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw.”

incipient, p. 13, just beginning to exist, “incipient laziness” of Nwoye

chi, p. 18, personal god

abomination, p. 18, something hateful and disgusting

tapper, p. 20, someone who taps trees to get the sap or oil

share-cropping, p. 22, a farmer who gives part of his profits to the landowner

cassava, p. 23, tuber (root starch) often used for tapioca

Ibo (Igbo), p. 27, an African people of Southeast Nigeria

bride-price, p. 40, the money paid by the groom’s family to the bride’s family

harbingers, p. 56, a person or thing that comes before to indicate what follows

effeminate, p. 58, having characteristics usually attributed to females; unmanly

plantains, p. 63, banana

ogbanje, p. 77, a child who repeatedly dies and returns to its mother to be reborn

Things Fall Apart Webquest

Next week you will be starting your next book, China Achebe's Things Fall Apart. To prepare for that unit, you will spend some time exploring background information on the novel, the author and Nigeria through a webquest.

Click here to enter the webquest and complete the worksheet that accompanies the webquest.

Thinking Maps Software Available on Edline

EHS and Valley View recently received a campus community license for Thinking Maps software. This easy-to-use program will allow you to install the software on your home computer at no cost to you.

You can then create thinking maps that can be exported as PNG or JPEG file formats that can be uploaded to blogs, inserted in PowerPoints, and pasted into Word documents. In PowerPoints and Word the exported picture files appear in the same high quality that the files appear when viewed in the original Thinking Maps software. However, when the files are uploaded to blogger, much of the clear focus is lost when enlarged.



The easiest work-around for the clarity issue is to upload the picture files in "small" picture size in blogger. The "small" size allows blog readers to click on a picture to take it full screen. Then the Thinking Map is clear and easy-to-read.



To get your copy of Thinking Map software on your home computer, follow the directions below:

Log in to Edline.
Go to the Contents section of the main page.
Click on the folder marked Thinking Maps Software.
Go in to the XP install and install on your school and home computers.

You can also view a video about downloading the software by clicking here.

Nectar in a Sieve Tests and Assignments

The Nectar in a Sieve final exam will be Thursday, February 19. The test will include plot and character information on the book as well as a vocabulary section.

Study your vocabulary this weekend. Tholen's 6th hour posted a :43 second time today. Our :59 second time can go lower if we all study our words.

On Wednesday, February 18 your one-page paper (in proper MLA format) on Nectar vs. Bride and Prejudice is due. Your thesis should take a stand on the following prompt:

Does Nectar or Bride give a student in the U.S.A. a better glimpse of Indian culture?

Use your tree maps to provide details for your paper. Although the paper is not due until Wednesday, you should finish it this weekend while the film is fresh in your mind.

Your final Nectar essay on suffering, hope, change or Rukmani is due on Monday, February 23.

Third Quarter Blogging

Quarter 3 Blogging Assignment

During third quarter, we will continue the online blog work that you started at the beginning of the school year. You will continue to complete two blog posts per week—one by Wednesday, and another over the weekend.

For third quarter, we’d like you to find texts to read and write about that address a specific question. Each week, we’ll give you a question and/or topic, and your job will be to find a text that addresses that question or deals with that topic. Remember that “text” refers to print and non-print materials—books, articles, websites, blogs, films, TV shows, newspapers, etc. If you choose to read a book and it applies to the weekly question, you’re encouraged to use it!


Blog #1: Find a text about natural disasters. It may be about the natural disaster itself, or the ways in which people are affected by it. Due Sunday, February 1

Blog #2: Find a text about someone overcoming struggle or facing a difficulty. Due Wednesday, February 4

Blog #3: Find a text about a culture different from your own. It could address any aspect of culture. Due Sunday, February 8

Blog #4: Find a text about gender and gender roles. It may be specific to one gender, or address both. Due Wednesday, February 11

Blog #5: Find a text about religion/spirituality/belief/non-belief. Due Sunday, February 15

Blog #6: Find a text about hope. Due Wednesday, February 18

Blog #7: Find a text about change—any kind of change. Due Sunday, February 22

Blog #8: Find a text that addresses culture—this could be food, clothes, traditions, religion, etc. Due Wednesday, February 25

Blog #9: Find a text about Bollywood. Due Sunday, March 1

Blog #10: Find a text about holidays—national or religious. Due Wednesday, March 4

Blog #11: Find a text about a global issue. Due Sunday, March 8

Blog #12: Find a text about imperialism or colonization. Due Wednesday, March 11

Blog #13: Find a text about war. Due Sunday, March 15

Blog #14: Find a text about love. Due Wednesday, March 18

Blog #15: Find a text about someone overcoming odds. Due Sunday, March 22

The Blogging
You must post TWICE a week (by Wednesday and by Sunday). I've explained below what should go in the post. Remember that posts are due by 11:59 p.m. (i.e. before bedtime).

Your Responses
For each post, you should construct a thoughtful response to the text of approximately 150 words. You MAY NOT SIMPLY SUMMARIZE WHAT YOU READ. You should engage with the text by making text-to-text connections. Compare the text you read to another text. Compare and contrast it. Analyze it. Write a critique of it. But no matter what, DO NOT SUMMARIZE IT.

You also MUST include an MLA citation for your text and a weblink to any online texts that you use or write about.


GRADING OF BLOG POSTS: Here's how the grading will work out of 75 points.

A - You have all of the posts.You have always posted on time.Your response was always highly thoughtful and reflective. You used correct mechanics almost all of the time.

B - You have all of the posts.You mostly posted on time.Your responses were mostly thoughtful and reflective. You used correct mechanics most of the time, but there are some glaring errors.

C - You have 7-10 of the posts.You sometimes posted on time.You responded to the book.
You have several errors in mechanics.

D - You have about 4-7 posts total.You rarely posted on time.You somewhat responded to the book. Your responses do not make an attempt to use proper mechanics.

F - You have 0-3 posts.You did not do what was asked of you in the post. Your responses do not make an attempt to use proper mechanics.

Nectar in a Sieve Vocabulary

Remember to finish your 4-square for your assigned vocabulary word.

Here's the list of vocab words for this book:

repining, p. 3 (noun) expression of dejection or discontent

puling, p. 14 (adjective) whining, whimpering

fractious, p. 20 (adjective) troublesome, irritable

taciturn, p. 34 (adjective) quiet, disinclined to talk

trollop, p. 47 (noun) untidy, loose woman

assuagement, p. 60 (noun) lessening, relief

travail, p. 72 (noun) hard work, labor

fissure, p. 76 (noun) deep, narrow crack

assail, p. 86 (verb) attack

bier, p.89 (noun) stand on which a coffin is placed

stricture, p. 99 (noun) restriction

solicitude, p. 106 (noun) attentive care and protectiveness

acquiescent, p. 111 (adjective) inclined to submit passively

sate (sated), p. 116 (verb) fill, satisfy

juggernaut, p. 131 (noun) massive force that crushes anything in its path

poignancy, p. 139 (noun) state of affecting the emotions

limpid, p. 152 (adjective) clear and serene

forbearance, p. 162 (noun) patience

amity, p. 172 (noun) friendship

morass, p. 181 (noun) swamp, something that traps and confuses

paroxysms, p. 185 (noun) sudden outburst of emotion

Nectar in a Sieve Reading Schedule

Reading Schedule

The date indicates the night you should read the assigned pages as homework:

Jan. 27: pp. 3-17
Jan. 28: pp. 18-30
Jan. 29: pp. 31-45
Jan. 30: pp. 46-57
Feb. 2: no assignment tonight
Feb. 3: pp. 58-77
Feb. 4: pp. 78-91
Feb. 5: pp. 92-102
Feb. 6: pp 103-123
Feb. 9: pp. 124-149
Feb. 10: pp. 150-164
Feb. 11: pp. 165-176
Feb. 12: pp. 177-186

Nectar in a Sieve Anticipation Guide

Create a new notebook page entitled, “Nectar Anticipation Guide.” Think about each statement; indicate whether you agree or disagree and explain why.

1. People who live in poverty cannot be truly happy.
2. The natural world (weather) affects the overall quality of my life.
3. The presence of a powerful nation will improve the quality of life of a weaker nation.
4. It is more difficult to be a woman than it is to be a man.
5. It is human nature to overcome suffering, regardless of how much suffering a person must endure.

Final Exams

Your English 10 final exam is Wednesday, Jan. 21. From 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. you will be in the classroom completing a matching test on vocabulary in Midsummer Night's Dream and a matching/multiple choice comprehensive final exam for the entire semester.

Make sure that your notebooks are in order and that you review them before the final exam. Also, bring your notebook to class since you will be allowed to visit with your notebook for a few minutes during the comprehensive final exam. But not the vocabulary Midsummer portion.

At 11:30 a.m. the class will move to the library computer lab to type a paragraph on love in Midsummer. You will be allowed to use your notebook for that essay exam so be sure to collect appropriate quotations.

Midsummer Themes

Explore these quotations from the introduction to A Midsummer Night's Dream:

Midsummer is "a play about love . . . love is a dream, or perhaps a vision; that is absurd, irrational, a delusion . . . that is doomed to be momentary" (182).

The play explores "the power of infatuation to transform the image of the beloved in the lover's eye" (xiv).

On a page in your notebook, create a tree map to collect direct quotations and details from the play that illustrate the love topics of patience, infatuation, and game playing (manipulation). The tree map will come in handy on finals day for the essay portion of the finals.

Act 4 Midsummer Vocab

conjunction = combined; joined
"We will, fair queen, up to the mountain's top / And mark the musical confusion / Of hounds and echo in conjunction" (4.1.115).


enmity = hostility; hate
"I know you two are rival enemies / How comes this gentle concord in the world, / That hatred is so far from jealousy / To sleep by hate and fear no enmity?" (4.1.151).


expound = explain; develop
"Man is but an ass if he go about to expound this dream" (4.1.217).

Act 3 Midsummer Vocab

Complete synonym triplets as homework for the words below for Act 3. Remember that the synonym triplet strategy requires that you only write down two synonyms for each assigned word and draw a visual representation of the word.

casement (3.1.55)

knavery (3.1.114)

enamored (3.1.140)

carcass (3.2.66)

scorn (3.2.125)

derision (3.2.125)

confederacy (3.2.197)

contrived (3.2.201)

earnest (3.2.290)

vixen (3.2.341)

recreant (3.2.435)

Midsummer Act 2 Vocab

forsworn
Titania: (about Oberon) "I have forsworn his bed and company" (2.1.64).

progeny
dissension
Titania: "And this same progeny of evils comes / From our debate, from our dissension; / We are their parents and original" (2.1.118-120).

promontory
Oberon: "Since once I sat upon a promontory / And heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back" (2.1.154-155).

entice
Demitrius: (to Helena) "Do I entice you?" (2.1.206).

Debates This Week

This Thursday, January 8 and Friday, January 9 our class will conduct the three debates that students have been researching.

Cheating, fossil fuel reduction, and drug testing in sports are the three topics that we will debate. I will pick a resolution from a hat, and those teams will begin debating.

Students who are not involved in a debate will be completing one of the judging forms.

Midsummer Act 1 Vocabulary

nuptial (wedding; marriage)
Theseus: "Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour / Draws on apace" (1.1.1-2).

abjure (renounce; give up)
Theseus: "Either to die the death, or to abjure / Forever the society of men" (1.1.67-68).

austerity (self-denial; simple living)
Theseus: "Or on Diana's altar to protest / For aye austerity and single life" (1.1.91-92).

visage (face; appearance)
Lysander: "Her silver visage in the wat'ry glass, / Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grass" (1.1.215).

lamentable (mournful; full of grief)
Quince: "Marry, our play is The most lamentable comedy and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe" (1.2.11-12)

Note: The story of Pyramus and Thisbe is similar to Romeo and Juliet.