Tuesday, 14 December

Memoir Day!

Holiday based writing prompt.

Creative Writing is based in emotion. The best writing elicits emotion in the reader. So in any drama there are two (2) sets of emotion going on. The reader's AND the writer's. The cliche, "It was a dark and stormy night" is not a weather report, it's a statement about mood. A good example is when a character in a horror movie goes back into the house to rescue their cat: they are thinking, "I've got to save my lovely kitty," the movie viewer is thinking, "Do that and die stupid!"

Prompt: 12/24 4:30 pm. You haven't gotten gifts for the people on your list yet. Everyone is going to use this as the prompt for their writing today.

There is a burning barn. Describe it from the point of view of a boy who has just lost his father. AND Describe it from the point of view of someone who has just won the lottery. (Two VERY different POVs).

Everyone will get from Karen an emotional state to use for the above prompt. You will use this emotional point of view. YOU CAN'T EVER SAY IT; you must SHOW it in your writing.

Note: Any Lord of the Flies room projects still in the room Thursday afternoon may be recycled. Claim your materials before then please.

Monday, 13 December

In class we studied I.vi. We identified irony (Duncan not realizing the doom that awaits him in Inverness.)

We considered what sort of King Duncan was, and viewed at least one video version of the play.

1st period also viewed another version and compared the portrayal of Duncan in the two. 1st period looked at I.vii and considered how how much influence Lady Macbeth has on her husband.

Friday, 10 December

Students are scheduled for a counseling lesson in Computer Lab Room #16.

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday / Thursday 8-9 December

In class students reviewed concepts of connotation, denotation, inflection and stress. Students read I.iii-I.vi.

Students learned about the concept of a "word trace;" see teacher for a handout.

Students may have worked in groups tracing the word blood in Act I. (I'm writing this ahead of time....)

Tomorrow students will be in the Computer Lab Room #16 for a counseling lesson.

Tuesday, 7 December, 2010

Homework Reminder: Act I & II of Macb_th is due for next class.

Memoir Day

First we talked about the concept:

The Suspension of Disbelief: Authority in the voice of the author helps us "let go," suspend disbelief and "go with" the story. This suspension of disbelief happens in all kinds of writing (and is famously talked about in terms of the theater).

We then read a section from the memoir A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel was shared.

We noted... sometimes sophisticated images can be "slipped in" if there are simple words express complicated or adult P.O.V. ideas. Long loopy hair that only an ungrateful man gets -- is an example of an adult perspective, but presented in a simple way that allows it to be part of a narrative from a child's perspective.

Today's prompt: "Something that has been with you over time." Anything on your bodies. Things in your environment. Anything that has been in or a part of your life over time. So, not a scene. This is different, the writing is about a topic.

Monday, 6 December

Memoir Day!

(Homework reminder: Macbeth Acts I & II should be read by Wednesday or Thursday class.)

Some general notes and reminders:

Don't use exclamation marks in memoir (different than commenting).

P.O.V. = point of view

"Nice" = a good passage

Voice: the quality of being "you" in your writing.

We discussed the idea of a "Telling Detail"

The specific words you choose to describe something reflect your feelings about it.

Old School: bright; art work everywhere

New School: dark; big; brick

Which school was licked better? Which was feared?

The new school is a foreboding place. The details you pick are those details that support the emotional feeling you are attempting to create in a piece.

It all goes back to "Show Don't Tell"

Today's Lesson is to exercise our "detail muscle"

We rely a lot on sight, especially for details. However, the other four senses (hearing; touch; Taste; Smell) are particularly powerful, in large part because they are underutilized. In the writing prompt today use all of your senses, particularly hearing, touch, taste, and smell.

In the following prompt, I want you to use all of these senses. Write about a time when you were scared. (A perfect response shows the fear, but doesn't actually have to say that you are scared.) Fill at least a whole page.

If you get stuck, remember that the sense of smell is our most evocative. Even to say, "It smelled like my old dogs bad breath," brings about a response from readers.

"On the Body": big emotions can be shown powerfully, by writing about the effects of these strong emotions on the body. E.g., love makes the breath go quicker; fear may bring a ugly taste to the mouth; joy may make our feet feel light.

Friday, 3 December

Read Act I and Act II of Macbeth for next Wednesday

Memoir Day!

3rd & 4th Periods with Karen Karbo; 5th & 7th Period with me.

Remember January 21st, 2011 1,000 word memoir due! (ABSOLUTELY NO LATE WORK!!!!)

Brainstorming -- remember, all ideas are good:

Listing things that traditionally happen to kids:

Pets; birthday parties; day care; potty trained; lose teeth; first days of school; make friends; lose friends; play dates; learn to read; 1st crush; travel; lemonade stands; T-ball; Outdoor School; sleep overs; imaginary games; hide and seek; recess; Magic School Bus; watch TV; school plays; argue with siblings; solstice; christmas; halloween; holidays; Doctor and dentist visits; shots; birthday parties; "cooties";

Choose a vivid memory (for example one of the above); write about this event as if you are THAT AGE -- try writing in present tense to reinforce the idea that you are there and you are that age.

Note how it felt to write from the child's perspective (as opposed to your current perspective).

Wednesday/ Thursday 1&2 December

In class we did a focused study of Act I scene i and scene ii.

We discussed language and meter is Shakespeare's work.

We paid special attention to the paradoxes and contradictions of the Witches in I.i.

We did a staging of I.ii. using buttons.

Mr. Zartler made a lot of the blood and gore.

See a fellow student for additional and specific notes.

Tuesday, 30 November

Karen Karbo Residency for 3rd & 4th.

Karen reminded the class of the deadline for the 1,000 word memoir on January 21st.

Karen apologized for being sick last week. We will reschedule to "make up" that class period.

Photos: remembering from a visual cue; they help us remember details.

Karen talked about he importance of including the Who?; What?; When?; Where? and Why? which are the famous essential questions of journalism in writing memoir as well.

Karen talked about a "Golden Rule" of good writing: "Show Don't Tell." Specifically don't just say that something was "awesome" or "amazing" or "agonizing" or aweful, as you write about that thing include specific details that show how wonderful or woeful it was.

For example:

Thanksgiving was awesome this year. We had fifty-five of my favorite relatives, four turkey's and vension that my cousin Daniel had shot on his first hunting trip last week. Everyone laughed and played, and no one was stuck with the dishes because everyone pitched in just a little.

Don't forget the weather for finding details.

Free Tip: always stop in the middle of sentence; it makes it easier to....

Monday, 29 November

We "tossed" the following lines from the Scottish Tragedy (we can't use the original title in class because we are turning the class into our theatre, and the play's title carries a curse).

We checked out copies of the play.

Here are the lines we tossed:

Fair is foul, and foul is fair… (1.1.12)

So foul and fair a day I have not seen. (1.3.39)

If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me

Without my stir (1.3.157-158)

Stars, hide your fires;

Let not light see my black and deep desires. (1.4.57-58)

Yet do I fear thy nature;

It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness… (1.5.16-17)

Come, you spirits

That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here… (1.5.47-48)

Look like th’ innocent flower,

But be the serpent under ‘t. (1.5.76-78)

If it were done when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well

It were done quickly. (1.7.1-2)

HOMEWORK:

Writers need to bring the photograph(s) of themselves that they brought last Friday.

For Wednesday students should read the introductory materials to the play.

Wednesday-Thursday, 17-18 November

We continued our study of Oedipus Rex.

We considered the statement at line 583 when Creon says, "Would any man exchange/ A quiet life, with royal rank assured,/ For an uneasy Throne?"

We continued reading and discussing dramatic irony and other issues through page 55.

Tuesday, 16 November Begining of Memoir Unit

Today 3rd and 4th periods met with Karen Karbo, Writer in Residence from Writers in the Schools. Periods 5 and 7 followed the same plan under the tutelage of Mr. Zartler.

The unit that was begun today is the Memoir unit. The drop-dead deadline for a 1,000 word memoir is January 21st, 2011.

Students will work on their memoirs with Karen or with Mr. Zartler every Tuesday and Friday between now and the deadline of January 21st (except December 6th with be a memoir day -- not December 10th.)

Students created a "Real Facebook" profile by answering the following questions:
Name
Birthdate
Pets
Political Views
Religious Views
A Secret
Likes & Interests
Musical
Movies
TV

Students in periods 3&4 put this profile in their WITS folders. Writers in periods 5&7 labled them "Memoir" and kept them in their binders.

HOMEWORK:
For class on Friday, students are to bring 1-3 photographs of themselves. The photo(s) should be more than a year old, and tell some story or be of an important moment that the writer remembers.

Friday there will be a substitute (plus Karen Karbo) in periods 3&4.

Friday, November 12th

Class began with students being assigned new seats.

Class continued with a discussion of the prewriting question about fate and free will.

Students were asked to add the film Bruce Almighty to the Macbeth section of The Friday Night Film Club.

Mr. Zartler lectured on the history of tragedy.

Have a good, safe weekend.

Wednesday, 10 November

Students wrote self evaluations of their Lord of the Flies paper. These questions are available in class.

Students received this handout which has a prewriting assignment for our next text, Oedipus Rex.

Tuesday, 9 November

Students in periods 3 & 4 met author Karen Karbo. Karen is an award winning author of several very successsful non-fiction works, and several novels. She has published many, many magazine articles. Karen will be a resident writer in these periods courtesy of Writers in the Schools. Students will work with Karen to write memoir pieces for the remaining part of the semester.

Class was devoted to editing the final rough drafts of Lord of the Flies papers.

Writers highlighted the thesis and all topic sentences. Reading just these sentences aloud to a partner was a test of the structure and organization of the paper.

Writers highlighted the first four or five words of each sentence in the paper. Reading these aloud, or writing them down in five columns helped students identify if there was a repetitive pattern of sentence structure in their paper. If there was, writers were encouraged to change the structure of some sentences.

Writers ensured that their conclusions were expansive.

Writers reviewed the proper format for embedding quotes in text by chanting the quote pattern.

Intro the Quote
Quote the Quote
Cite the Quote
Explain the Quote

Here is an example:
Mr. Zartler writes in his blog, "Writers reviewed the proper format for embedding quotes in text by chanting the quote pattern," (www.blogger.com). What he means by this is he made us chant in a silly way to help us learn.


Bob says to Cherise, "'I think we should go home'" (137). What he is saying is that the monster in the woods will eat them if they don't run away.

Notice that quotes in the second example that is quoting dialogue changes the double quote marks in the text to single marks, and adds double marks to indicate that the quote is being quoted.

Monday, 8 November, 2010

Students had their rough drafts "checked off."

Revised rough drafts are due in class tomorrow. Bring both your first and second rough draft.

Students followed the following conferencing protocol:

Assemble according to group numbers. (Oldest student goes first.)

#1

With a pen in hand, read YOUR essay ALOUD (mark problems as you read)

#2

Conference partners should say “Wait” if / when they get confused

#3

Author marks that passage (goes back and revises it later)

#4

When author is done conference partners say only what was good, unless author asks for constructive criticism

#5

Repeat with next author(s)

#6

When all authors have read their own papers aloud only then may they hand their paper to a peer for them to read.

Week of November 1-4

Sorry for the delay in posting.

This week we've worked hard on developing thesis statements, preparing arguments, and in general preparing to write a rough draft an essay on Lord of the Flies due on Monday, 8 November.

Thesis statement handout here.

We worked to revise thesis statements, and to ensure that each addressed a "big question."

Then we created a "Argument Outline." This is simply a list in the steps that the author has to lead their reader through to make a clear and convincing argument.

We discussed the general / theoretical structure of an essay. See notes here.

The Lord of the Flies essay will be about three (3) pages long -- printed of course! It should have three embedded quotes, but if you believe that there are not three appropriate quotes see Mr. Zartler on Tuesday with your 2nd rough draft.

Friday, 29 October

Students turned in their Mind Maps on a topic that they are interested in writing about concerning the symbolism in Lord of the Flies.

(Some students were advised to redo work; properly labeled connections are important).

The class watched and briefly analyzed a parody of Lord of the Flies: "Das Bus" an episode of The Simpsons.

Wednesday-Thursday, 27-28 October

Students presented their projects. I'll try to see about posting some images.

In some classes, students wrote about what they learned from the room projects.

Students were reminded to turn in favorite book interviews if they had not already.

Students had a lesson on developing thesis statements through the use of a a "mind-map."

HOMEWORK:
A detailed mind-map, with labeled connections is due on Friday for the topic each student is considering for their paper.

Tuesday, 26 October

In class students touched base with their groups on the room project.

Students received current grade printout.

Anyone who has missing work needs to see Mr. Zartler during conference period this week to catch up.

The Lord of the Flies Essay due date is: Wednesday, 9 November.

Room projects are due next class.

Monday, 25 October

Today in class we reviewed the requirement for the "Boys Rooms Project."

The requirements are: Show the room that your character lived in before their experience on the island AND show the room that your character lived in after their experience on the island. The primary focus of the two rooms is to show how the character was changed by their experience on the island.

You may make a diorama, illustration, collage, use technology, etc.

Suggested method for working through the project is:

Decide who the character was before the island.

Decide what the character is like after the island.

Decide what their room before the war would have looked like in terms of reflecting their personality.

Think about how they changed

Decide what their room looks like after the war.

You will have about 15 minutes on Tuesday to check in with your group. On Wednesday/ Thursday your group will have about 25 minutes for final assembly, and preparation of your short presentation.

Any student absent today, Monday, 25 October, is to complete the project as an individual assignment.

Friday, 22 October

Today I lectured on the Freudian concept of the Id, Super Ego, and Ego, and how this theory of mind relates to Jack, Piggy, and Ralph. Here is one handout. Here is a copy of notes I put on the board.

Then we discussed the main characters in Lord of the Flies, and what their rooms back home in England would have looked like before the war, and then, after their experience on the island, back home after the war. Creating models, diagrams, or illustrations of these rooms will be a major project next week. The project will be due on Wednesday or Thursday.

Here you can see the notes from the lecture.

Wednesday-Thursday, 20-21 October

Homework:
Each student is to do research by gathering the following data from six (6) adults the following questions:
What is the title of your favorite book?
Who is the author?
What is the author's gender?
What genre is the book?
About when was the book written?
Age of the adult interviewed (It may be appropriate to simply approximate.)
The adult's gender.

This data is due on Tuesday, 26 October.

There is an additional homework assignment at the end of this post that is based in Lord of the Flies and is due on Friday.

In class we took time to think about and write about these questions:

Now that you have read the entire novel, take 15 minutes to write your impressions of the book. The following are some questions you can use to guide your writing. Don’t stop with simple answers to these questions. Use the whole time allotted to think and write about these questions. There are no wrong answers. For each question you think and write about be sure to provide reasons why or why not!

What morals or messages do you get from the story? Do you generally agree with the view of the world that Golding presents in the book, why or why not?

How does the book make you feel about people in general? How does it make you feel about yourself as a person?

Do you think Lord of the Flies is a good book?

What symbol seems most important to you? What does this symbol make clear to you?

Which character on the island do you think you are most like? The most dissimilar from?

We discussed these questions.

Then we did a close reading of Chapter 11. We looked for information (quotes) that seemed to indicate significant changes among the boys.

For homework for Friday students are to identify and record the six most significant quotes from Chapter 12.

Monday-Tuesday, 18-19 October

In class students reported on the authors for whom they were assigned an oral report.

Tuesday there was a quiz on the end of the Lord of the Flies.

Friday, 15 October

Author Reports are due on Monday.

In class students shared their interior monologues with others who wrote from the same characters perspective. These groups analyzed the monologues in terms of those words, phrases and ideas that gave a "voice" to the piece.

Students also analyzed the monologues for key points that portrayed the unique perspective or point of view of the character and for key issues that each character is struggling with.

Students received an handout of an article by Spangler arguing that Simon is a Christ figure. A thorough analytical reading of this piece is due on Tuesday.

The final chapters of Lord of the Flies should be read by Tuesday as well.

Have a good weekend,
Mr. Z

Tuesday, 14 October

In class we reviewed due dates:

Monday, 18 October Author Research Project Due

Tuesday, 19 October Chapters 11-12 (the end) of Lord of the Flies is due.

Tomorrow: 15 October Interior Monologue Project Due. For whichever character you are focusing on in Lord of the Flies, write an "Interior Monologue," for your character that occurs either during or at the end of Chapter 10. Interior Monologue is "just the words" that a character thinks to themselves. About a page long.

In class we also reviewed the LoF first half tests. Students got back an in-class essay, and learned about editing marks. Here is a copy of the editing mark notes.

Tuesday, 12 October

Students worked in the library using the 'LCs in hard cover and online to research authors. The reports -- oral and written -- are due on Monday the 18th.

Tomorrow is PSAT testing beginning at 9:20.

Conference period in the PM.

Monday, 11 October

Class today reviewed the PSAT testing that will take place on Wednesday beginning at 9:20.

We reviewed the procedures for access Gale Group Literary Criticism via Multnomah Co. Library. Click "research" then "databases" then "Gale Virtual Reference Library" then on the sidebar on the right choose "Literature Resource Center".

We discussed Chapter 9 and the death of Simon. We created chants for each of the four main characters we are following.

Class will meet in the library on Tuesday.

Wednesday/ Thursday 6 & 7 October

We met in the library today to begin our Author Research project. Each student as been assigned one of the authors from this list. Each student will follow the directions on the sheet to report on that author and two additional authors. These reports are due Monday, 18 October.

Students should bring Multnomah Co. Library cards to class next Tuesday, 12 October if possible.

Homework:

Chapter 10 of Lord of the Flies is due for Monday.

Tuesday, 5 October

First Counselors presented information on the PSAT s which all Sophomores will take next Wednesday. (Make some time to look over the materials and take the practice test.)

Mr. Zartler then asked students to meet on Wednesday/ Thursday in the library. The class will begin their year long Author Research project then. Class will meet in the library again on Tuesday of next week.

In class expert character groups met. These groups choose two or three key observations about what has or is happening to their characters so far in the book. Each group provided these observations and textual evidence to support their thinking.

Monday, 4 October

In class we finished a careful reading of Chapter 8. While reading each student focused on their focus character and looked for what happens to that character. We considered literal and metaphorical aspects of the character and looked for evidence of both internal and external changes.

Expert groups met to discuss preliminary conclusions.

Tuesday, 28 September

Today the class reviewed the diagram of the symbolic relations among objects, characters, and ideas and the writing that was done to explain these relationships. This assignment was then identified as prewriting for a paragraph assigned in this handout. Paragraphs were turned in. YOu may email your paragraph to Mr. Zartler by emailing jzartler@pps.k12.or.us or turn it in to Ms. Margolis.

We reviewed the parts of a solid expository paragraph and noted that in this case the topic sentence was the thesis. Remember that the title and author needs to be mentioned, and that after a quote make a page citation in the form (#).

Chapter 7 should be read by Friday.

Ms. Margolis will be the guest instructor on Thursday.

Monday, 27 September

Reading:

Period 1 has chapter 7 due on Tuesday, all other classes should read chapter 7 of Lord of the Flies by Thursday.

All students should finish their diagram of connections: Beastie, Pigs, Knife, Hunting, Jack, Clothes, Glasses, Simon, Conch, Piggy, Fire Ralph. Then you should write a paragraph or two describing the conclusions you can draw from the diagram.

Friday, 24 September

Ms. Margolis was the guest instructor today.

In class students worked on this activity.

Students were reminded of the skill "skimming".

Students were asked about Roger, and it was suggested that they "keep an eye" on him.

All work not completed is due Monday.

Wednesday, 22 September; Thursday 23 September

Especially in Thursday classes, students identified the role of power and fear as motivators in Lord of the Flies.

Students shared the analysis work that they did (Chapter 1-3 Extensions).

The role of darkness in Lord of the Flies was discussed at great length, as was the role of fire. The nature of the Beastie was a significant focus.

Key conflicts were identified Darkness v. Light; Good v. Evil; Savage v. Civilized.

Homework is to have read through the end of Chapter 4 for Friday.

Ms. Margolis will be the teacher on Friday.

Students received the handout Friday Night Movie Club.

Friday Night Movie Club

Here is the Friday Night Movie Club list to download.

Friday Night Movie Club

Sophomore English 2010

When a text grabs your attention; or when you are having a hard time sinking your teeth into assigned reading, seeing the world of the story from a different view can help. Families are often interested in moving beyond “nothing” as a response to inquires about what is going on in school.

Below are some suggestions for films that you / your student can watch to enrich their experience of texts we study in class. You are urged to be conscientious as several of the titles include violence, strong language, nudity, and mature themes. Those that are most extreme are marked with a ☠. The underlined title is a text we study in class; the titles below the underlining are movies that students could watch together, or with family members.

Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies (1963) – see the old one, NOT the new one (1990)!

Life Boat

Castaway

Macbeth

Scotland PA

Ran (a version of King Lear -- Don’t watch Throne of Blood because that is seen in class)

Scarface ☠

Men of Respect

“Harrison Bergeron”

Blade Runner

Brazil

Minority Report

Night

Hotel Rwanda

Sophie’s Choice

The Killing Fields

Schindler’s List

The Woman Warrior

Eat, Drink, Man, Woman

The Joy Luck Club

House of Flying Daggers

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Persepolis (Not a core text this year)

Children of Heaven

Tuesday, 21 September

Today students learned about what their parents would hear at Back to school to night.

They received this handout (pasted below). Which is due on Wed. / Thur. Class will only cover through chapter 4 of Lord of the Flies for next class, so students do not need to read through chapter 5 yet.

Chapters 1-3

Extensions

You will have the entire class period to work on the following activities. You must turn in two of the activities tomorrow. If you have time enough to do a good job on more than two you can earn a small amount of extra credit. Remember that Chapter 4 is due tomorrow, too. Extra credit may also be turned in on Monday.

Remember that every time you quote from the book, you need to give a citation that shows what page you found the quote. Put the page number in parenthesis after the quote.

Journalists Preparation: For your final project you will need to choose eight (8) important scenes from the whole book. You may not know what the most important scenes and symbols are yet, so you shouldn’t pick them all yet. As practice, pick six (6) scenes from the first three chapters. Draw the scene as you see it. Use a quote from the book as a caption for the scene be sure to give a citation e.g.: “Let him have the conch!” shouted Piggy, “let him have it!” (31) Is how to quote what Piggy says on page 31. After the quote, write a brief explanation of why you think this scene is important.

Beastie: On page 31 we learn that there might be a monster on the island with the boys. Find other quotes that address the presence (or not) of a monster on the island. Either write a half page detailed description of the “Beastie” or draw a picture of the monster. Write a one paragraph explanation of what role you think the monster plays in the lives of the boys on the island.

Piggies: Find and copy ten (10) quotes that describe Piggy the character and the pigs on the island. Make a chart or Venn Diagram that shows how they are the same and different. (You should have about the same number of quotes for the person and the animals.) After making your chart, write a short description of what the chart shows.

Fire: Find where in the book fire is mentioned. Choose a descriptive quote for each passage. Make a five coloumn chart like the one below.

Quote	Source of the fire	Is the fire under control	What does the fire in this case do	Analysis (What could this symbolize?)
First quote (#)
Next quote, etc (#)

Hunting: Hunting is a big deal. Find four quotes about hunting, have at least one quote from the point of view or in the words of at least two different characters (Jack and Ralph, for instance). After writing down the quote, explain what the quote shows the reader about the hunter, or about the person speaking.

Simon: What’s up with Simon? Reread pages 50-52 where he goes off by himself. Golding mostly tells us what Simon sees. An interior monologue is the words that a person is thinking in their own head. Write an interior monologue that shows what Simon is thinking when he goes off by himself. You can get some help understanding what kind of person Simon is from the essay on pages 211-217.

Welcome to the Blog!

We began the school year talking about the importance of literature.

When we read literature we are involved in the "Big Questions".

Are humans good or evil?

Who should I love?

What will happen to me if.....?

Who am I?

Is there a god?

To explore these questions this year we will read:

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Night by Ellie Wiesel

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston

This blog is where you will be able to find: what happened in class, what homework you have, and access many handouts.

My email address is jzartler@pps.k12.or.us