iSearch Paper Introduction

Here is the assignment sheet and general overview of your senior project. More to follow.

Today in the Computer Lab

Hello folks. Today we are in the computer lab. You'll be responsible for the following tasks:

• your final literature circle meeting (work must be handed in this class period for full credit)
• second blog response. Find a new topic on your individual UB blog, and post away. Make sure you put your first name, last initial, and period number at the end of your post.
  

Finally, all literature circle novels must be handed in by Friday.

Exporting Your Film

Hello folks. Today you should be finishing your film. By the end of the class today, I would like you to export your movies. Thing is, I would like you to export your films to two different formats. Here are some directions:

In the file menu, choose "File" then "Export"

When the following dialogue box pops up, select "Quicktime" instead of camera. Then, choose "Full Quality DV" under formats.


When the following dialogue box pops up, select "Quicktime" instead of camera. Then, choose "CD-ROM" under formats.


A few other notes:

• I keep a CD-ROM version so I can upload the film to uthtv.com. Here's my channel, if you'd like to look at films my AP students made this year. That way, you are free to watch your movie anytime you'd like, or download it for posterity's sake. If you have any reservations about my putting your film online, let me know.
• I keep the full quality DV version for posterity's sake. There's a possibility that, if your movie is stellar, I will show it to various groups in presentations or workshops.
  

Nikki Giovanni's Response to the Virginia Tech Tragedy

Nikki Giovanni is one of the most powerful living poets. She is a professor at Virginia Tech who, last year, had Seung-Hui Cho in her class. Here's a brief blurb. The video is embedded below. This from boingboing.net:

Video Link: Nikki Giovanni, an author and poet and professor at Virginia Tech, closed out the memorial convocation yesterday with an amazing and moving spoken word poem. The entire crowd at Cassell Coliseum breaks out into a "Let's Go Hokies!" chant afterwards. There's a shot of the football coach, Frank Beamer, crying.

Professor Giovanni actually requested that the killer, Seung-Hui Cho, be removed from her class when she taught him -- and threatened resignation if he wasn't. She also has "thug life" tattooed on her in Tupac's memory. (Not relevant, but cool.)

We'll probably watch this in class today (tomorrow), as it speaks to both poetry and social consciousness. If you're interested, I have one of her books of poetry in my class, Blues for All The Changes. She's got a great poem about Allen Iverson that I'll post tomorrow, as I can't seem to find it online.

PSA's Day Two

Here's a few pics. I like the hard work I saw today, as it seems we're making good progress. Remember, we have two more days to finish these films up. The next literature circle date will be Monday, although we will be meeting in the computer lab. Make sure to finish your novels, as on that date only part of the class will be dedicated to lit circles. Half of the period will be reserved for responding to the blog.

iMovie Basic Tutorial Image

Use this picture as a reference. Click on it to enlarge. It expains the basic options on the main iMovie page, and will help you get around a bit.

One Shot Poems & Childhood 2.0

Our films are up (finally). Access my Uthtv channel at this link. Enjoy.

iMovie - Camera Advice for Beginners and Veterans Alike

Hey folks, I have rules I want you to follow when filming:

1. Be careful with the camera. They have moving parts, glass, and are fragile.

2. The viewfinder kills batteries. Quickly. Only open it while filming.

3. Plan your shots carefully. Be aware of:
* background
* lighting
* camera stability
* time - keep shots 3-5 seconds long

4. You must import your footage by the end of class. Leave yourself 8-10 minutes.

iMovie - Saving the File in the Correct Folder

Folks, I need you to save your PSA to a specific location.
Here are the steps:

1. When iMovie opens, choose "File" and "New Project"
2. Give your iMovie a name...make sure your period number and book name is in the file name.
3. You need to save your file in the Shared folder in your hard drive. The path is "Hard Drive" then "Users" then "Shared". Here's a few pics:

If you this small box appears....

Then click on the blue box with the down arrow. This will enlarge your drop down box, and make it easier to find your folder.


4. Lastly, you need to provide me with the username and password of the student who volunteered to save the file under their username. Therefore, if someone is absent, other group members can continue working on the film.

1913 Webster's Searchable Online Dictionary

Many modern dictionaries will omit definitions of words that are no longer common. A cool resource I found quite a few years ago is the ARTFL Project: 1913 Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. This thing got me through many a Shakespeare paper, and I believe you will find it helpful, especially if your poem falls early in the packet. I'm also adding this to the sidebar for later reference.

Mike O. - Here's Your Independent Poetry Project

Sir, you are to create a blog and maintain it during class time.

Here are the guidelines:

• Create one post per poem
  
• In each post have the following:
• copy and paste the text from the poem (you can find it online)
  
• A link to the poet's Wikipedia page and Poets.org page
• Your response to the poem - In your response I want you to identify the speaker and situation. Then, I want to see a short response to each poem. In each response you are to explain what meaning you found in the poem, as well as how you arrived at that meaning.
  

Due Dates: I would like you to follow the presention shedule, for the most part. Most likely, you will be 3-4 days behind. This project will take care of the poetry journal aspect, as well as the annotations, as well as justification for class time.

To substitute for the presentation, you have a choice. You can write a 2-3 page paper explicating one of the poems, OR you may write a paragraph for each poem analyzing how the author used one device to create meaning (tone or theme).

Lastly, you need to invite me as an administrator, so I can provide you with some resources. Also, I will be regularly checking on your work and commenting.

I think this be a great idea, and a wonderful opportunity to create a pretty neat resource.

Poetry Professor - Wednesday, April 3rd

We've probably talked about a few terms today that you don't recognize, so I'm defining them for you, with examples:

couplet - two consecutive lines of verse that are joined by rhyme

Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy.
My sin was too much hope of thee, loved boy;
- "On My First Son"
Ben Johnson

pun - a word that has a double meaning, both of which are pertinent to the subject. In the lines below, exact means to obtain, which plays into the banking metaphor, but also means inflicted (death is inflicted by the plague), and means precise, which death is. You can't be "kind of dead." Thus, the word has triple meaning. In the second example, delivery means the soul is escorted from life, but also means "to be birthed," as the soul is in the afterlife.

Seven years thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,
Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.
- "On My First Son"
Ben Johnson

And soonest our best me with thee do go,
Rest their bones, and soul's delivery.
- "Death Be Not Proud"
John Donne

Apostrophe - I know we talked about this before, but apostrophe describes when the poet addresses someone dead, absent, or a personified object. Donne is talking to Death, and Johnson is talking to his dead son.

"Death be not proud..."

Inverted Word Order - usually, in the English language, sentences follow a patter...subject-verb-0bject (Mr. Malley taught the class). Poets mess with word order for effect and to add formality.

And soonest our best men with thee do go (Inverted (actual))
And soonest our best men go with thee (Regular)

Juxtaposition - an poet sets two contrasting elements next to each other to achieve effect. For example, the rage and misery of death along with the softness and innocence of Johnson's son creates sympathy in the reader.

I know we didn't talk about couplet or juxtaposition, but we will...so here's your introduction.

Explication of "Schoolsville" - Billy Collins

I presented this explication of "Schoolsville" in class today.

“Schoolsville” depicts a teacher, most likely Collins, looking back and taking stock of his career. The poet imagines his place within this imaginary town, and his place in the universe is closely entwined with that of his students and profession (Editor's Note: I have described the speaker and occasion.).

Collins assumes a humorous tone towards his students and teaching, and this is achieved in a few different ways. First of all, the scene is he describes is absurd. He places his students in a variety of stereotypical situations based on exaggerated versions of their high school selves. The student who always aimed to please is a business owner and town leader. His description of him “always” having his hand up is a hyperbole. Another example of hyperbole is the description of the girl who “signed her papers in lipstick.” The girl did not really sign her paper in lipstick, but was so concerned with her appearance that it seemed like it. There are more exaggerations in the poem, such as the allusion to Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter. Obviously this is taking it to the extreme. (Editor’s Note: In this paragraph I have described how the author uses hyperbole, an allusion and stereotypes to achieve a humorous tone.)

Inherent in Collins’ humorous tone is a feeling of hopelessness. Although the speaker is describing the scene tongue in cheek (sarcastically), most of his characterizations of students are negative. Students are “sweat[ing] the final and, even after all these years writing “disorganized essays” and reading them aloud. They don’t walk with purpose but “zigzag”(diction). Collins compares the girl as “brushing her hair like a machine,” which suggests repetition and absence of feeling and emotion. The creative writing students have not found a purpose in life, and sit in a circle playing a “lute.” A student hands in a “term paper fifteen years late,” while others have trite questions about mundane things like double spacing. Even the one student who worked hard to achieve in high school, the hand raising pleaser, has been relegated to the job of clothing store owner and low level politician. No student has gone on to do great things, at least none that he mentions. (Editor’s Note: In this paragraph I have attempted to show that the tone is not simply humorous, but hopeless as well. This is achieved by the author’s characterization of his students, diction, a simile, and more hyperbole.)

It is too simple, however, to state that Collins dislikes his experience. He has nurtured his vision. He is not separate or condescending, because the speaker thinks himself just as absurd as his students. In the last two stanzas, the narrator shifts from talking about the students and starts to describe himself. His home is a stereotype of anywhere small town, USA. He lives in the traditional small village home, a “white colonial” at the corner of two streets that appear in every town across the country (Maple & Main). His house has ivy and a porch swing. However, this depiction of the picturesque existence of Schoolsville is disrupted by the action that sometimes takes place within the house. The speaker imagines himself as having lost his grip on reality, and is teaching to an absent audience. This image reinforces the hopelessness and absurdity of his actions. Not only is he teaching to no one, but he is doing things that carry negative connotation, such as lecturing, quizzing, and reprimanding. (Editor’s Note: In this paragraph I have described how the author shifts in the last two stanzas to describe his place, which helps convey the theme. He uses more stereotypes and imagery to characterize himself.)

This poem written mockingly, and probably does not reflect Collins’ consistent vision of the teaching profession. It more than likely captures him at a dark moment, and the poet used his usual humorous style to look back on his years teaching. This humorous tone and depiction of his students vs. his depiction of self helps helps cement the theme of the poem. Although the speaker has had little effect on his students, they certainly have made him lose his grasp on reality. (Editor’s Note: In this paragraph I try to tie it all together by capturing the theme of the poem in light of all of the devices. In the words of Ras the Exhorter, “This be my conclusion, mahn.”)

And here's my explication of Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est." This one is probably a little bit weaker, although it was easier to explicate.

In this poem Wilfred Owen is depicting the horrors of war. Owen died on the battlefield in World War I, so we can assume that he is the speaker. This is a poem of experience; the high level of imagery suggests that the poet experienced horrors such as this while at war. The theme of the poem is expressed in Latin in the title and repeated in the last two lines. Owen flatly says that people lie when they claim that it is sweet and fitting and honorable to die for your country.

Owen’s bitter tone starts off in the first stanza with his description of the conditions in which the soldiers lived. A typical soldier’s march is described. Owen employs multiple similes to describe the soldiers. The “old lie,” or romantic vision of war, would most likely depict jovial soldiers marching and chanting military songs. This scene is quite different. He describes the soldiers as “beggars under sacks” and “hags” and “drunk with fatigue.” All of these comparisons convey the wretched condition the soldiers are in. Owen’s bitterness is further conveyed by his description of the soldier’s movements. They are trudging “bent” and “knock-kneed,” “cursing.” They lack even boots and are marching “asleep.” These imagery suggests the pain and agony of the soldier experience. Beyond the relentless marching, they have to avoid seemingly sentient bombs. When the shells miss these soldiers the weapons seem “disappointed.” This detail, which is a peek inside the perception of the soldier, conveys the low level to which their spirits have sunk.

The horrific nature of war is further emphasized by the next final three stanzas. A soldier does not get his gas mask on in time to avoid mustard gas exposure, and is suffers its effects. Throughout the rest of the poem, this victim, this soldier, is described in inhuman ways. His body contorts as if “floundering like a man in fire or lime.” The author’s choice of the verb “floundering” calls to mind fish flopping on a deck, gasping for air. Later, Owen describes the grotesque effects of the gas on the soldier. His eyes “writhe,” a word usually reserved for snakes. His face is compared to a devil’s “sick of sin.” These inhuman comparisons continue. The noises emitted from the dying soldier are “obscene of cancer” and bitter as “the cud of vile, incurable sores.” The cancer comparison is obvious, and cud is the partially digested food a cow regurgitates for further chewing. These comparisons and descriptions are employed to further illustrate the graphic violence which disproves the ironic title of the poem.

Finally, the poet destroys the myth of romantic accomplishments on the battlefield by personalizing the experience and challenging the legions of people who still proclaim high military honor and glory. He addresses his reader directly, and bitterly mocks these people. Obviously a person who enthusiastically sells this notion of war is ridiculous, and anyone who exploits the natural tendency towards adventure that children and teenagers exhibit is pathetic.
Owens lived and died in the trenches of World War I. In “Dulce” he describes vividly and graphically the horrors of war in order to mock purporters of this lingering myth.

AP Lit: Death of a Salesman Update

We will no longer be reading Death of a Salesman. I've thought about it, and there just isn't enough time to jam in another work before the exam. We wouldn't be able to give it due diligence.

Instead, we are going give more attention to exam preparation. To any of you who started the play, I apologize.

PSA Storyboard

I am not going to provide you guys with a storyboard until you show me a voice over narrative. Essentially, your finished PSA will consist of three elements: film, voice over (narration), and music. I want you to start with your voiceover. Today in groups, your job is to do the following:

1. Plan your film.
2. Write your voice over narration.
3. Start to plan your shots.
   

Signing Up for a Blogger Account

I need you folks to sign up for a blogger account in order to comment on discussion blogs. Here are the steps:

1. Go to rm305.blogspot.com (done!)
2. Find the link to your book's discussion blog in the sidebar.
3. Choose a post and click "comments"
4. This screen should appear. Click on "Sign Up Here"
   

5. Now you should be at this screen. Fill out the necessary information. If you don't have an email address, then you'll have to fudge. I'm going to ask you to make one up. But, write it down, because this is what you'll use to sign into your account.

6. Now you should be ready to post comments.

Discussion Blogs

Attention: Updated!

As I told you folks, some UB graduate students are reading these books as well, and they are creating blogs to collect pertinent information and to host discussions. The blog addresses are as follows. You will also be able to find these in the sidebar.

Pretty Birds
1984
Feed
Enrique's Journey
Persepolis

Ok, now...your responsibility is as follows: You are to discuss the book in the comment areas of these blogs. Each time you post, end the post by putting your first name, last initial, and the period of your English class. The first post is due Thursday, April 5th.

Grading guidelines:
Folks, I am changing my requirements for this portion of your project, because we are running short on time. If you post multiple times, I will give you full credit. If you post once, I will give you 90/100 pts. You must post to the discussion once.

In an ideal situation, here are the criteria that make for good discussions:

• student posts under different questions
• comments are insightful and developed
• comments have appropriate tone and awareness of audience
• student discusses book...comments not only on the original question but also to other student's viewpoints

Poetry Professor Handouts

Here are the handouts for the Poetry Professor Project:





And here's the schedule for presentations:

Literature Circles - Discussion Directions

Today we are in our literature circles. You will be discussing your books during this class period. I will be traveling from group to group listening in and commenting when appropriate. Your literature circles will be graded for today. I will look around throughout the class period and evaluate your level of attention to your task, as well as the quality of your conversation when I visit. I want this to be easy for the both of us. I'd like to give every group above a 90, but you guys have to make sure you're talking about what you should be talking about throughout the period.

For today, I would like the following format followed:

1. The summarizer will present information
2. Then, kind of go around the group and share what you've gathered
3. Let your conversation flow from the things you're seeing. This is where the discussion director's job is to help keep the conversation going, offering new questions for discussion, and making sure the group is on task

During the last 8 minutes of class, I'll ask a member of each group to share one or two interesting things from their group discussions.

If your conversation reaches a natural conclusion, then start to discuss a possible issue for a PSA and figure out how you'd create the PSA.

Inquiry Questions Discussion - Day One

How does fear influence how we live our lives?
How does where we come from decide what we do with our lives?

Introduction to the Poetry Project

Over the next few weeks, you guys will be in charge of presenting a poem to the class. You are going to analyze the poem for the class, and then lead a discussion. A poem and a date will be assigned to you. This work will count towards the 4th quarter.

Here are your responsibilities for this project:

• present your analysis of a poem to the class & lead discussion (5-7 minutes)(200 pts.)
• keep a poetry journal of responses to each poem (27 in all, checked at different points, handed in after the last presentation)
  
• annotate each poem (due daily)

Poetry Order

Introduction to Death of a Salesman

This week we will be beginning Death of a Salesman. It appears in your textbook.

Reading Schedule:
Act I (pgs. 1898 -1930) - By March 4th
Act II & Requiem (pgs. 1930-1969) - By March 18th

This play will give allow us to revisit tragedy. However, instead of viewing the fall of a great character, we will witness the arc in a character who represents the common man.

Literature Circles - Inquiry Questions (Post Two)

The following big questions will shape our discussions (both group and whole class) over the next month. The novels have these issues and common, and the questions provide good jumping off points for discussion. The are also located in the sidebar for future reference.

• How far would you go for your beliefs?
• How does fear influence how we live our lives?
• How much of who we are is shaped by forces outside our control?
• How does where we come from decide what we do with our lives?
• What causes an ordinary person to do heroic or extraordinary things?
• In what ways do peple conform of resist attitudes or movements in society?
• What does it mean to be on the "outside" of society?
• How does the government affect who we are?
• How do people take control of their lives?
• How do people form their identities in relation to society?
• What does it mean to be a victim?

Literature Circles - Introduction (Post One)

Today we begin our literature circles. You guys are going to meet in groups an:
* distribute roles for the first literature circle
* determine a reading schedule for the four literature circle meetings
* begin to discuss the issue your book revolves around and how you might create a thirty second commercial selling a point of view on the issue



Description of each role can be found at this website.

Rolling Stone article citation

I generated this citation fom the article we read together. Feel free to copy and paste it into your works cited page. Remember, alphabetical order, double spaced. Follow the format. I generated this using the Son of Citation Machine.

Mengestu, Dinew. "The Tragedy in Darfur." Rolling Stone 21 09 2006 23 03 2007

Works Cited Page

End of Invisible Man Discussion ?'s, etc.

Today in class you are answering discussion questions in groups. Click here for the discussion questions. Each student must hand in their own answer sheet, and these are due tomorrow.

Also, I modeled a rubric based on the one the College Board has devised for the 1996 free response question. You can find it here. I will hand back your essays tomorrow. They have been corrected, I just want to underline some things on your respective rubrics.

* * * * * * * * *
Grace, I want you to visit Sparknotes.com and read up on The Color Purple in order to augment your reading of the text. That way you'll get the sophisticated evidence for that novel too.

Jeanette, sorry, but Harvard students have yet to comprise a Sparknotes entry for No-No Boy. I'm going to try to sign you into a database to do some searching around for good stuff.

AP Lit: Makeup Assignments

Because of the conference related confusion, I am accepting makeup assignments for the following things:

Dos Passos Analysis Homework & Your Own Personal Stream of Consciousness Homework
You had two assignments, each worth 50 points:

• read Dos Passos passage from The Big Money and explain the mood the author achieves. There is a brief intro to the assignment above, and I have the paper handout on my desk
• Write your own stream of consciousness. The assignment is explained above

Prologue Analysis (50 pts) - The assignment is explained here.

Chapter Three Homework (50 pts) - The assignment is explained here.

Invisible Man Disc. ?'s (50 pts) - The assignment is explained here.

Booker T. Washington Speech Analysis (50 pts) - Here's the assignment.

Darfur Research(y) Paper

You found the sources. We wrote part of the essay together. Now your job is to take the information you found and work it into the essay we started. Mix in information into the body paragraphs, and then write a conclusion.

If you are working at a computer, you can access the essay we wrote here. I also handed out a hard copy in class on Tuesday.

The following are due Friday:

• a final draft of your essay
• a works cited page with three sources
  
• your "Mining for Information" graphic organizers

Monday - E4 & AP Lit

As I told most of you, I will not be in school on Monday. I have to take my son to an ENT (ear, nose, & throat) appointment.

English IV - You'll be reading an editorial from The Buffalo News titled "Darfur's Misery Continues," and answering a few short questions.

AP Lit - I left the grade reports for you. (Actually, I left them on Friday as promised but from the looks of it they were not disseminated.) As I stated on the board, I will give you 50% credit for any late or missing homework assignments if you give them to me on Tuesday. If you see that I have made a mistake, let me know on Tuesday and we'll discuss it. Lastly, don't forget to bring in an index card with notes for Tuesday's timed and graded writing essay assignment.

Bryant and Stratton Field Trip

Well, I want to say I had a great time and was very impressed with the wonderfully creative ideas you guys came up with. I was equally impressed with the collaboration I saw when I peeked in on your groups. And what wonderful behavior (as usual). Anyway, here's some pics. I'll put captions later tonight and try to embed Zell's group's video for "Find It."

Don't mean to litter this collection with a picture of me, but man I have a thick red beard. Anyways...

Tie'aira sharing her views on values in seeking a profession.

Adventure seekers...

Ranking five important qualities of careers (1. money 2. money 3. money 4. money 5. money)

These answers require careful consideration.

A lull in the ball tossing.



Chris takes control of team "Speedy Pills"

Here's what we're going to do, see...

Now if that ain't a team effort, I don't know what is.

Fayvoyan, our hostess with the most-est.

The Donald.

You Gotta Find It


Future Kicks!

Speedy Pills equals good customer service.

And yes, it is amazing.

1st place.
3rd place

2nd place (and the look on Alex's face makes me wonder how you accomplished that!)

Derek makes a new best friend.

Bad hair(piece) day?


Ok...here's the video. It's hosted by YouTube, so it can't be viewed at school. I'm looking for another option right now.

Political Oppression 101

We haven't spoken about China much. Here's an interesting story about a Chinese blogger who was arrested because Yahoo has no backbone.

In Class Writing - AP Style Prompt

On Tuesday, you will do a timed writing based on the 1994 exam's free response question. Copy this prompt on an index card. You may make notes for the essay on one side of one index card and bring it to class on Tuesday. Here's the essay assignment:

In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or who does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay in which you show how such a character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary.

Mining for Information

Now that you have found your articles, your job is to mine for useful information. Use this chart as a graphic organizer (double sided class handout).

Existential Journey Chart

Today in class you will be working in pairs to complete this existential journey chart.

Computer Lab - Finding Sources

Hello folks. Here is what you are to do today"

1. Find and print two separate articles that give more insight into the growing problem in the Sudan. You want to be able to use information from the articles in your/our essay. (You can print the articles from the internet, or paste them into Microsoft Word and print them).
2. Create a citation for each source. To create the citation
1. go to Son of Citation,
2. choose "MLA" from the right sidebar.
3. Choose the type of "Nonprint source" you will be citing.
4. Fill in the information from the article. Note that:
1. your article may not have an author. If it does not, leave this blank.
2. Publication Title is the name of the website (MTV.com, Buffalo News, Rolling Stone, etc.)
3. Date Accessed is the last time you looked at the site. That would be today's date.
4. Copy and paste the URL (web address). It will make your life easier.
5. Then, hit submit. Copy and paste the citation into a Microsoft Word Document.
6. Repeat process for article #2.
7. Print!
   

Here's two good places to start looking:
Wikipedia
Amnesty International
Wendy B. from third period found this graphic photo essay.

Here's the essay that we started together. Remember, you will be integrating your own evidence into this essay from the sources you find. Warning: This essay will change a little bit throughout the day. I am finishing it up right now (1st period).

"The Tragedy of Darfur" Comprehension Quiz

On a separate sheet of paper, answer the following questions:

1. Who are the janjaweed?
2. Who is Minni Minnawi?

Notes - Existentialism

Definition - A 20th century philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts.
(C.S. Wyatt)

Characterized by the following beliefs:

• Some things are irrational or absurd, without explanation.
• Life is suffering.
• Life is not fair.
• Individuals are alienated from themselves by the highly complex, sophisticated, technological, bureaucratic world in which they live.
• Individual alienation, the loss of a sense of identity, is perpetuated by the labels and categories we use to describe people.
• Because they are free, individuals are also responsible for their own actions.
• No determinism or fate.
• In Sartre’s formula, "existence precedes essence": we make ourselves with our decisions, our actions, and our purposes. To follow the herd is to act in "bad faith," and to limit one’s choices ("Existentialism").
  
• Nausea and sickness often represents an inner struggle.
  

For Further Reading:

• Wikipedia entry "Existentialism"
  

"Slow to Anger, Law Abiding" Speech Close Analysis

Today in class we are organizing the information based on your findings from Friday. This chart is the result of our discussion, plus more that I added last night.

Tragedy of Darfur"

Today in class we are reading an article from Rolling Stone titled "The Tragedy of Darfur," written by Dinaw Mengestu. Your job today is to develop reasons for international intervention and to mine for evidence and quotations to support this intervention.

Directions
1. In groups, you are to read this article. You may read in silently, or you may read it aloud. (Silently would be quicker.) While reading, annotate the text. You know your purpose for reading, so underline and jot down notes next to useful information.
2. My advice would be for each group to read to the break. When you see an overly large letter start a paragraph, that means that a new section is starting. When the group reaches the break, discuss possible evidence.
3. Each group is responsible for handing in one sheet of paper by the end of class. Put the name of each group member at the top. This sheet of paper should have two columns. One column should be titled "Reasons for Intervention," and the other should be "evidence." In the evidence column, jot down a little of the quote, or paraphrase the information. The reasons and evidence should encompass the whole article.
4. If your group doesn't finish, you must still hand in the sheet. However, you will only receive partial credit. You must individually finish the article for homework, and complete a separate chart of the section that your group didn't finish. So, each group will start with the same grade, but this grade would be increased with whatever you hand in tomorrow. It is possible, however, to finish the work in the allotted time.
5. You are working groups, but you must stay on task. I'll be around for questions.

Darfur: A Wikipedia Primer

Read the full article here.

The Darfur conflict is an ongoing armed conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan, mainly between the Janjaweed (translated: "devils on horseback"), a militia group recruited from the tribes of the Abbala Rizeigat (camel-herding Arabs), and the non-Baggara people (mostly land-tilling tribes) of the region. The Sudanese government, while publicly denying that it supports the Janjaweed, has provided money and assistance and has participated in joint attacks with the group, systematically targeting the Fur, Zaghawa, and Massaleit ethnic groups in Darfur.^[1] The conflict began in July 2003. Unlike in the Second Sudanese Civil War, which was fought between the primarily Muslim north and Christian and Animist south, in Darfur most of the residents are Muslim, as are the Janjaweed.^[2]

Estimated number of deaths in the conflict vary widely. Most NGOs use 400,000, a figure from the Coalition for International Justice that has since been cited by the United Nations. As many as 2.5 million are thought to have been displaced as of October 2006.^[3] (See Counting deaths section, below)

AP Lit: Close Reading Activity

Today we will be analyzing the speech given by the narrator which preceeded the riot at the tenement building. Your task is to explain the different techniques the narrator used in order to stir the crowd to action.

In groups, reread the passage. While rereading, focus on the language the author uses. Try to find figurative language, details, imagery, and other literary techniques the narrator uses. Jot these down on a sheet of paper.

Then, discuss amongst your group members possible explanations for these techniques. Finally, each group is required to post their findings in the comments section of this post. See me for help.

The speech starts on page 275 ("No, no," I heard myself yelling.") and continues to 280 (There was a rush against me and I fell.)

English IV - Position Paper Assignment Introduction

Assignment: Position Paper
Topic: Darfur Humanitarian Crisis

Your Task: Should the international community intervene in Darfur?

We will be writing 3/5 of this paper together. We are going to look at one source as a community of readers. The source is an article from the Semptember 21st issue of Rolling Stone, titled "The Tragedy in Darfur." We will mine for evidence, organize the evidence, and write body paragraphs together. Next week your job will be to find another source and integrate evidence and information from that source into the paper we already started writing.

During this mini-project I want to talk about:

• paraphrasing
• summarizing
• quoting
• paragraph organization
• citations
• works cited page
  

McKinley Reading Initiative (for E4 & AP Lit)

What if all of McKinley read Barack Obama's Dreams from my Father? It's an interesting question. I'm devoting some extra credit points to help find out the answer. The details are below.


To get to our school's Obama blog, click here.

Hotel Rwanda Movie Review

Critics Corner

Writing a Movie Review:

What to include:
Title
Producer
Year
Actors/Actresses
Based on a true story?

Questions that need to be answered:

1. In your opinion should someone watch this movie? Why or why not? (3-5 sentences)

2. What is an accurate summary of the plot or main events of the movie? (5-6 sentences, but remember not to give away too much information)

3. How was the acting?

4. Did the movie accurately and effectively represent the subject or theme it was about?

5. What are your conclusions about the movie and your feelings about it?

Additional Components: Optional

-If the theatrics, camera angles, special effects and other additional features interest you, include a critique of them.

-if you paid special attention to the dialogue, was it real, convincing, and believable?

-include or elaborate on some of your favorite scenes and why they were so memorable.

Movie Info:
Year: 2004
Running time: 2 hours and 2 minutes
Rating: PG 13
Studio: MGM
Filmed in Johannesberg, S. Africa
Written/directed by: Keir Pearson and Terry George
Genre: Drama, politics

Actors:

Don Cheadle- Paul Rusesabagina
Sophie Okonedo- Tatiana Rusesabagina
Nick Notle- Colonel Oliver (UN)
Frank Mokoena- General Bizimungu
Desmond Dube- Dube

Tony Kgorge- Gregoire

Old Assignments

We are getting down to the last few days that you can hand in any work done during the time that I, Miss Rick, have been here. Almost all of the work and assignments I have done with you are posted on this website, but here are the last few worksheets if you still need to hand them in. They will be counted as late, but it is better to get some credit than no credit at all.

AP Lit: Invisible Man Discussion Questions Chapters 10-15

photo of Harlem linked from http://www.nonphotography.com/

Today in class I'd like to focus on some central events in the novel. In groups of three, you will be answering the discussion sheets contained in the document linked below. Open the link, copy and paste all the text into a new Microsoft Word document, and follow the directions. When you are finished, save the document with a name that I will recognize. We will discuss the questions as a class tomorrow.

Click here to download the discussion questions for chapters 10-15.

AP Lit: Invisible Man Discussion Questions Chapters 10-15

photo of Harlem linked from http://www.nonphotography.com/

Today in class I'd like to focus on some central events in the novel. In groups of three, you will be answering the discussion sheets contained in the document linked below. Download the document, open it, and follow the directions. We will discuss the questions as a class tomorrow.

Click here to download the discussion questions for chapters 10-15.

AP Lit: Blindness Motif Power Point Presentation

Here's a word document of the powerpoint presentation from last week. When you see a theme, symbol, image, action, or object repeated througout a book, which seems to have significance to the overall meaning of the work, underline and jot down the quotes so you can refer to them later.

Click here to access the Google doc version of the powerpoint.

AP Lit - Multiple Choice Practice

Friday in class we are answering some AP style multiple choice questions. By the way, I promise I'll put up that blindness motif power point and your films this weekend. Thanks for your patience.

Sample Multiple Choice Questions

Critics Corner

Writing a Movie Review:

What to include:
Title
Producer
Year
Actors/Actresses
Based on a true story?

Questions that need to be answered:
1.) In your opinion should someone watch this movie? Why or why not? (3-5 sentences)
2.) What is an accurate summary of the plot or main events of the movie? (5-6 sentences, but remember not to give away too much information)
3.) How was the acting?
4.) Did the movie accurately and effectively represent the subject or theme it was about?
5.) What are your conclusions about the movie and your feelings about it?

Additional Components: Optional
-If the theatrics, camera angles, special effects and other additional features interest you, include a critique of them.
-if you paid special attention to the dialogue, was it real, convincing, and believable?
-include or elaborate on some of your favorite scenes and why they were so memorable.